COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURE


for California's citrus fruits, raisins, walnuts, olives, and
other products has been created largely through cooperative
advertising. Eggs and poultry from the Pacific coast are
regularly marketed in New York City, Philadelphia, Balti-
more, and other urban centers. Irish potatoes from Vir-
ginia's Eastern Shore go to a dozen or more States. Straw-
berries from Louisiana find their way through cooperative
channels to northern markets Turkeys from Colorado.
Utah, and Wyoming handled by cooperatives enjoy a market
almost Nation-wide in extent. Cooperation is finding a per-
manent place in the grocery basket for Maryland's sweet
corn and spinach. Michigan's cherries, Georgia's pecans,
Idaho's dry beans, Montana's peas. Wisconsin's cheese, Penn-
sylvania's mushrooms, Minnesota's butter, New Jersey's to-
matoes, Oregon's pears, Texas' grapefruit, Arkansas' rice.


 PURCHASING COOPERATIVES

 Purchasing cooperatives have made the largest gains.
 Over a million farmers are buying farm supplies and equip-
 ment across the counter of cooperative associations In
 addition to the 2,000-odd associations whose main business is
 purchasing, there are nearly 4,000 marketing associations
 which handle supplies for their members as a side-line ac-
 tivity. Feed for livestock and poultry makes up the larg-
 est dollar volume of cooperative purchasing, but sales of
 oil and gasoline for farm trucks and motors are crowding
 for first place. Other products handled in volume by farm-
 ers' associations include fertilizer, farm machinery, binder
 twine, hardware, crates, baskets, and other containers, spray
 material and seed.

 Large-scale purchasing organizations like the Grange-
 League-Federation in New York State, Southern States at
 Richmond, Va., or the Farmers' Union Central Exchange
 at St. Paul are supplying scores of local purchasing associa-
 tions in their respective areas and increasing their business
 steadily each year.