The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-11-23
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Study the Markets.


1t is to the interest OF every producer
to study the city markets.
A familiarity with the nearest mar
ket of importance is OF much value to
any farmer, livestock raiser or fruit
grower.
1t is poor policy for man to plant
his whole place in corn or cotton. If
there is a crying demand in his princi-
pal market for potatoes and beans.
The diversified crop is the safest one,
and nothing en- the farm should be
wasted. or fed to the hogs until it is
positively known that there is no sale
for it in the city.
Farmers should bear in mind that
nothing in the way of farm products is
produced in the great centers Of popu-
lation. and that every thing consumed
there must come from the country.
We know of a small orchard that
had been bearing well for several
years, the fruit of which was wasted
or nearly so. A few OF the apples
were dried. some eaten when ripe, but
the bulk of them fell to the hogs.
The place changed hands, the trees
were pruned up and as soon as the
apples began to ripen they were
promptly shipped to tho city. BY the
first of September over one hundred
and fifty dollars worth of apples had
been sold, and the fall apples still on
the trees.
Prices went down. and the latter APP
aples were gathered and disposed OF
later at good figures.
This summer six early June apple
trees OF the orchard mentioned pro-
duced twenty-seven bushels of choice
apples that sold for dollar bushel.
Inferior fruit will bring an inferior
price. but it is next to impossible to
overstock market with choice fruit
of any kind.
Apples or peaches always realize
more when shipped in one-third BUSH
ell. or peck boxes. Barrels are too
large.
The apple or peach, with the "blush"
on it, that is. bright red or highly col
ored, are in greater demand in the city
than the duller colored fruit
In string beans. the round bean is
much preferred to the fat pod bean.
and sells from so to 20 cents moro
per box.
Potatoes should always be assorted
and cleaned before shipping. Put the
largest and best by themselves, and
small or ''pig" potatoes in separate
barrels. A few inferior potatoes in q
barrel OF choice ones are liable to con-
denim the whole lot and bring the price
down to their grade.
In shipping to commission house
It is well to get acquainted first Some
men act fairly and honestly. but not
all. To underrate mans produce
and make false returns is just as muck
of crime as it is to steal his cash.
Such men ought to be caught up with
and punished.
1t is said that in some OF the South
ern cities the green grocers and pro-
duce men are ringed together in sort
of s'trust," and that there is no such
q thing as competition among them.
They set the price ahead for day or
q week, as the case may be, and none
Of them deviate from it.
This leads one to think that it is time
for the producers to have their own
agents in their respective city markets.
Men paid for their services, and con-
troled by the farmers, would soon
emash all such petty ''trusts'' as the
one mentioned.
The idea is. for the producer to reach
the consumer with as little tax on his
produce as possible. These middle
men fleece the farmer. and then cut
the other way by making the consumer
pay double for what he gets.
The dwellers OF the cities will hail
the day. when the farmer brings his
produce to them direct or with only
the moderate cost of transportation
and agents commission. Not the reg
ular commission ''gouger" but the
farmers own representative.
What sort of commission" or fair
sale is it where the farmer gets 80
cents for barrel of potatoes and the
consumer pays 500 for themp Or.
the farmer $l.25 for barrel OF ap-
pies and the town man IS barrelP
Talk about "taxes"-here is where the
farmer loses and the honest, hard
working man of the city gets squeezed.
| Brush the middle man out of the way.
Sell to the man who wants to eat, and
not to the man who wants to speculate.
Let the producer and the consumer
divide the profits Of the Ego between. y