laws have been compared with the proposed uniform seed law, which has been approved by the Association of Official Seed Analysts of North America and the American Seed Trade Association, to determine the important differences existing between them.

MARKET NEWS SERVICE ON HAY, FEED, AND SEED.

Mr. G. A. Collier assisted the division leader in the conduct of the market news service on hay, feed, and seed. During the year this work was curtailed and branch offices are now maintained at Chicago and Kansas City only. During the early part of the year they were maintained at Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, San Francisco, Spokane, and Atlanta. Since January, 1920, reports covering supply, demand, movement, and prices of hay, feed, and seed at more than 15 of the principal markets have been issued from Washington in The Market Reporter. At the two branch offices first-hand information regarding market conditions in the field is obtained and sent to Washington, where it is embodied in the published reports. Special reports relating to seed production and shipment were published during the year.

MARKETING STATISTICS.

Elsewhere in this report the development of a statistical section in the Bureau of Markets was discussed. Dr. C. J. West was placed in charge of this section in March, 1920. The statistical work of the bureau has been carefully surveyed; work preliminary to the preparation of a complete statistical summary for all projects has been done; tables have been planned and arranged for publication in The Market Reporter; and assistance has been given to various projects in devising the best methods of compiling and tabulating data.

DISSEMINATION OF MARKET INFORMATION.

The need for distributing the market information from the bureau in an increasingly effective manner was discussed in the first part of this report. As a step in this direction a division of market information was organized on March 16, 1920, and Mr. W. A. Wheeler was given general supervision of all information work for the bureau. This division now supervises the editing and issuance of all printed publications or bulletins of the bureau, including The Market Reporter; the preparation or approval of all news items concerning the work of the bureau; and the preparation and display of all bureau exhibits, photographs and lantern slides, motion pictures, etc.

COSTS OF MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS.

In the summer of 1919 a special investigation of the retail meat trade was begun under the direction of Mr. Herbert C. Marshall, assistant chief of the bureau, and is in progress at the present time. It is expected that this investigation will make available a large amount of information relative to the prevalence and comparative numbers of the various types of shops, such as straight meat market, combination grocery and meat market, stall in public market, and

chain store; the relation of number of dealers to population in various communities and parts of the country; municipal abattoirs and the relation of local slaughter to the retail trade; methods of sale and meat distribution in rural districts; the extent to which systematic accounting is utilized and various methods of advertising employed; the comparative prevalence of cash and credit and of delivery and nondelivery trade; costs of operation in the various types of stores and under the various methods of operation; sanitary conditions and State and local regulations; the relation of retail to wholesale prices and the methods followed by retailers in adjusting their business to sudden changes in wholesale prices; and various other matters of interest.

The reports prepared by this bureau regarding the cost of marketing live stock and grain were described in the annual report for last year. In December, 1919, that concerning live stock was published by the Federal Trade Commission as part 6 of its report on the meat-packing industry. Mr. C. S. Cole, who had been in charge of this work, was detailed to the Joint Congressional Committee on Reclassification during the past fiscal year and in June resigned from the bureau. The leadership of this line of work was then placed in the hands of Dr. L. H. Haney, who is now conducting the studies concerning the cost of marketing mentioned elsewhere.

MARKET BUSINESS PRACTICE.

The work relating to Market Business Practice is conducted under the general direction of Dr. L. H. Haney.

This project, which last year was under the immediate direction of Mr. A. V. Swarthout, was somewhat retarded by the fact that several of the accountants on the staff were detailed to assist with the retail meat investigation just described, and that several others resigned. Our inability to obtain well-qualified workers to fill the places left vacant prevented the completion of some of the work described in last year's report and precluded the commencement of some new activities.

Investigations were made in the Pacific Northwest as a basis for outlining a standard accounting procedure for fruit shipping agencies, and for devising effective cost records for community fruit packing houses. As a result of this work, a classification of accounts for fruit shipping organizations has been prepared.

In the Connecticut Valley investigations were made to determine the accounting needs of cooperative tobacco warehouses, and a system of accounts for such agencies has been prepared and will be ready for the printer shortly. This system is intended for temporary use, pending the preparation of a more complete one.

Investigations were made to determine the most effective procedure for auditing the accounts of grain elevators and to determine the type of accounts best adapted for use in sweet-potato warehouses.

The work mentioned in last year's annual report, relating to accounts for cooperative stores, milk plants, and commission houses, was continued, and bulletins summarizing the results should be issued within a relatively short time.

Demonstrations showing correct methods of accounting to be made by means of short courses for bookkeepers and managers of market

ing agencies were mentioned in last year's report. These courses were prepared and the number of students who are recorded as enrolled for study is now 195. It is known that five colleges are giving such courses and, from indirect reports, evidence is at hand that several other institutions have used the material sent to them.

As a practical demonstration the accounting force installed systems of accounts in six creameries and in five grain elevators. Other installations were made for experimental purposes.

COOPERATION WITH THE STATES IN MARKETING WORK.

During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920, the Bureau of Markets cooperated with 31 of the 48 States in the conduct of marketing work-a larger number than ever before. These States were: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

In 21 States cooperative arrangements were made with the agricultural college; in 6 with the State division of markets or State department of agriculture; and in 4 with both the agricultural college and the State division of markets.

The work in each State is performed under the immediate leadership of an agent in marketing, whose function it is to assist in coordinating the marketing activities of the various agencies in the State in which he is located and to give practical assistance in solving the marketing problems of his territory. The majority of these agents have assistants engaged on special phases of marketing. The great importance of this work lies in the fact that it affords a means for developing a consistent national marketing policy. Viewed as a whole, distribution is fundamentally an interstate activity and should be handled on a national basis. Marketing work has been taken up at a very recent date, relatively speaking, and State officials, in common with others, are anxious to develop it along lines that will bring substantial benefits both to producers and consumers. Leaders seem to be agreed that the most promising line is one looking toward a consistent, interknit, national policy that will prevent duplication of effort, cross-purposes, and conflicting currents of trade. Many States also wish to coordinate existing official marketing agencies within their borders. The Federal agents bring to the agencies within the States information relative to the work done by the Federal Bureau of Markets and constitute a channel for making this information available in a prompt, concrete, and direct way. They encourage cooperation within the States themselves and make available to the Federal bureau the results of the work done in the States.

While complete figures are not available relative to the work of the agents in marketing, those at hand show that they assisted producers to form 183 marketing organizations, including 50 live-stock shipping associations; 57 fruit and vegetable associations; 12 credit unions; and 19 federations of existing associations. One hundred and thirty-eight groups of producers were assisted in making cooper

ative sales, many of which comprised one or more carloads of live stock. One of these sales involved 417 head of cattle, which, it is stated, were sold for $2,508.97 more than they would have brought had their owners placed them on the market individually on the day of the sale. Assistance in organization or grading was given to 166 wool pools, which handled over 10,000,000 pounds of wool. Cooperative enterprises in three States were given assistance in solving their accounting problems.

Instructions as to the most successful practices for marketing sweet potatoes were given to producers and shippers in most of the Southern States and in one of the far Western States. In one State plans and specifications for sweet-potato storage houses were furnished, and 53 storage houses based on these plans and specifications were erected.

Exhibits illustrating approved marketing practices were made in six States. Assistance was given to State agencies in instituting local market reporting services. The collection and distribution of information relative to quantity, quality, and prices of locally-grown produce was arranged for at 11 points in 4 States.

Nearly 200 demonstrations of approved practices of preparing farm products for market were made and over 700 lectures bearing upon the packing, grading, handling, storage, and sale of farm products and other matters were given.

In a number of States the field agents, through State agencies, were instrumental in bringing about the adoption of Federal standards for farm products and containers. In all States assistance was given to the county agricultural agents in solving difficult local marketing problems.

This work was supervised by Mr. C. W. Thompson until his death on February 2, 1920, since which time Mr. R. H. Elsworth, who was in immediate charge of the work in the Northern and Western States, has acted as project leader. Mr. G. O. Gatlin immediately directs the work in the Southern States.

FOREIGN MARKETING.

In the spring of 1920, Mr. W. R. Sibley, who succeeded Mr. C. W. Moomaw as leader of this project, resigned and Mr. E. G. Montgomery was placed in charge of our foreign marketing investigations. The leader of this project, aside from his regular duties, represents the Department of Agriculture on the Economic Liaison Committee at the State Department, which is designed to coordinate the efforts of the various agencies of the Government so far as they are concerned with foreign trade, to prevent overlapping and duplication, and to provide a means for a helpful interchange of views.

In the first part of this report will be found a rather full discussion of an expedition which the bureau sent to South America in June, 1919, and of the work of the agricultural commissioner who has been maintained in London since May, 1919. The expedition to South America was led by Mr. David Harrell, a live-stock breeder of standing and experience, and representative of the United States War Trade Board at Barcelona, Spain, from November, 1917, to January, 1919.

Information contained in reports of the Consular Service and other Government agencies and in publications from all countries has been compiled and classified, an average of 75 publications and 100 consular reports having been reviewed and indexed weekly. Statistics concerning the production, consumption, exports, imports, supply, and prices of agricultural products of all countries have been compiled and converted into terms of American units.

Until the discontinuance of this work at the end of August, daily and weekly reports of the exports and imports of important agricultural products at New York were compiled from ships' manifests filed in the New York customhouse. These data are considered very valuable both by the trade and trade publications, and their publication should be resumed when funds become available.

From July to December, inclusive, a circular entitled Reports on Foreign Markets for Agricultural Products was published weekly, but on the publication of The Market Reporter on January 3, 1920, this circular was discontinued, and much of the information on foreign conditions formerly published therein has been included in the foreign section of the new publication.

COOPERATIVE MARKETING OF FARM PRODUCTS.

During the first part of the fiscal year work relating to cooperative marketing was supervised by Mr. C. W. Thompson, assisted by Mr. O. B. Jesness. Since Mr. Thompson's death, in February, 1920, Mr. Jesness has directed this work. Investigations of cooperative organization problems were made and assistance was given to producers in their solution. This work was conducted in 40 States and included producers of grain, live stock, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, wool, cotton, tobacco, nuts, honey, and other products.

In addition to the assistance given to cooperative purchasing and marketing associations, advisory aid was given in connection with the formulation of plans for a national federation of live stock shipping associations, a similar State association, and a State federation of farmers' elevators.

Conferences were held with secretaries of State farmers' grain dealers' associations, and as a result a suggested set of by-laws for cooperative grain elevator companies was prepared.

An investigation of the cooperative marketing of grain was made in western Canada for the purpose of obtaining information of value to farmers of the United States in formulating plans for cooperative grain marketing in this country.

Information concerning the cooperative movement among farmers in the United States was gathered to supplement that already on file and suggestions regarding cooperative legislation were given upon request in a number of instances. The suggested law, which was prepared by the bureau and published in 1917, has served as a guide in the enactment of cooperative legislation in at least four States up to the present time.

TRANSPORTATION OF FARM PRODUCTS.

The transportation work of the bureau has been directed by Mr. G. C. White ever since its institution. During the past year he was