The five associations which have received the largest quantity of cotton and the total number of bales received by each are as follows: Texas Cotton Cooperative Association, Dallas, Tex., 2,146,758 bales; Staple Cotton Cooperative Association, Greenwood, Miss., 1,983,777 bales; Oklahoma Cotton Growers Association, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1,888,141 bales; North Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative Association, Raleigh, N. C., 1,057,468 bales; Alabama Farm Bureau Cotton Association, Montgomery, Ala., 902,044 bales.

Nearly 9 per cent of all cotton ginned during the 10-year period beginning with the creation of the first large-scale cotton association in 1921 and including the crop of 1930 was marketed cooperatively. The percentages of the 10 crops, marketed cooperatively for the leading States are as follows: Arizona, 19.3 per cent; Mississippi, 17.9 per cent; Oklahoma, 17.3 per cent; North Carolina, 11.4 per cent;

FIGURE 14.-Seven large-scale farmers' associations received for marketing slightly more than 400,000 bales of cotton of the 1921 crop. Fifteen associations received nearly 1,500,000 bales of the 1925 crop and 13 associations received more than 2,300,000 bales of the 1930 crop.

South Carolina, 9.5 per cent; California, 8.9 per cent; Alabama, 8.8 per cent; Georgia, 8.6 per cent; Louisiana, 7.4 per cent; and Texas, 5.6 per cent. The percentage which the cooperatively marketed cotton has been of the total quantity ginned has varied from 5.2 per cent for the crop of 1921 to 17.1 per cent for the crop of 1930. (Table 5; fig. 16.) The percentages for the different States for the various crops have varied from less than 1 per cent in several instances to more than 40 per cent for the crop of 1928 in Arizona. (Appendix, Table 7; fig. 16.) The second best record is that for Oklahoma, when 30.6 per cent of the same crop went to the Oklahoma Cotton Growers Association.

More than 200 local farmers' associations operating cooperative cotton gins or warehouses, along with 13 large-scale centralized associations, and the national sales agency, American Cotton Cooperative Association, participated in the cooperative marketing of the 1930 cotton crop. (Fig. 17.) The national sales agency handled a total of 2,184,790 bales.

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1922-23 1923-24 1924-25 1925-26 1926-27 1927-28 1928-29 1929-30 1930-31 1931-32 FIGURE 15.-Cotton has been marketed cooperatively through large-scale farmers' associations in 14 States since 1921. In some of the States the quantity handled has been small, while in Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas many bales have been received by the farmers' organizations. In both Mississippi and Texas there are two large-scale associations. An association operated in southern Illinois for two years.

1921-22 1922-23 1923-24 1924-25 1925-26 1926-27 1927-28 1928-29 1929-30 1930-31 1931-32 FIGURE 16.-The percentage of cotton marketed through cooperative channels has varied from less than 5 per cent in some States to more than 20 per cent in 5 States, the percentage has also varied greatly from year to year, although in Alabama, Mississippi, and the Cotton Belt as a whole, it has been fairly uniform. The percentage for all the States was highest in 1930-31, when it was 17 per cent of the total bales received from the gins.

The Staple Cotton Cooperative Association, which is not affiliated with the American Cotton Cooperative Association, received 242,449 bales of that crop. (Appendix, Table 6)

FIGURE 17.-Thirteen large-scale associations are serving the cotton farmers of 14 States. The membership of the several associations is indicated by the black disks shown above and the area served is indicated by rays. In addition to the large-scale associations there are more than 200 local cooperative associations for operating cotton gins or warehouses.

The quantity of cotton produced in each State as indicated by total ginnings and the portion marketed through cooperative channels is shown graphically by Figure 18.

FIGURE 18.-Cotton of the 1930 crop for 13 States was handled through large-scale marketing associ ations. The total quantity ginned in each State and the quantity delivered for cooperative mar keting is graphically shown above. While a larger percentage of the Mississippi crop, than for any other State, was handled cooperatively, the largest quantity delivered for collective handling was produced in Texas.

Preliminary figures for the 1931 crop indicate that approximately 2,250,000 bales will be marketed through cooperative channels.

ASSOCIATIONS MARKETING DAIRY PRODUCTS

Dairy farmers were the first in the United States to get their business activities on a truly cooperative basis; not that all dairy farmers have joined cooperatives, but that a substantial portion of the annual output of dairy products moves toward the consumer through cooperative channels. Dairy farmers first learned to work together in making cheese and butter, and later they took over the marketing of these products and fluid milk, also the manufacture of milk powder and ice cream, and the selling of these products to the dealers and, in not a few instances, to the ultimate consumers.

DAIRY MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS REPORTING YEARS OF ORGANIZATION

1905
* Prior to 1890

FIGURE 19.-Collective action among the producers of dairy products had become a habit long before the close of the nineteenth century. This habit, as indicated by the formation of cooperative associations, has persisted. The peak 10-year period as regards the setting up of new enterprises is that beginning with 1912 and continuing through 1921. In those years 40 per cent of the known business associations for dairymen were formed.

Local associations for the operation of creameries and cheese factories were formed before the Civil War and probably increased in number with each decade, as a survey made in 1900 gives the number then existing as 3,393, which is a thousand more than there are to-day. (Appendix, Table 8.) It is interesting to note that in 1900 there were 354 associations in New York State, whereas to-day there are less than 50. Pennsylvania had 202 associations in 1900 and now only about 30. Vermont had 136 associations in 1900 as against 30 odd now; Ohio 150 then and less than 40 now. Iowa also has fewer associations now than in 1900; but both Wisconsin and Minnesota have more associations than 32 years ago.

The rapid growth of industrial and commercial centers in the New England States, in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan since 1900 has increased greatly the demand for fluid milk and diverted milk and cream from local manufacturing plants to city distributors, with the result that the farmers' associations have disappeared from ever-widening milk sheds tributary to cities.