Farmers' Organizations

"According to the author, information about farmers' organizations in the US is at a premium, particularly information from scholarly writers. Dyson attempts to fill this information gap, and he does so rather nicely. More than 100 organizations are discussed in sketches that range from one paragraph to two or more pages. Membership is the main criterion for the inclusion of an organization. Members must be farm owners, farm workers, or farm tenants. Specific farmer cooperatives are not covered.... However, [the author's] three page coverage of cooperatives throughout the agricultural history of the US is excellent. Bibliographical references appear at the end of many of the sketches, but periodical references lack complete month and page information. Sketches of the organizations are arranged in alphabetical order with cross references. Three appendixes identify state locations of the organizations' headquarters; chief executive officers and their tenures with each organization; and historical tables of the estimated membership of such organizations as the Grange. A subject index is included. Graphic and binding are first rate, a hallmark of this publisher. Recommended for all libraries."-Choice