Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-12-13
FARMERS EXCHANGE.
A Successful Enterprise. Methods of Doing
Business. What it Has Accomplished
for Farmers. s..........
tor FarrnerS..........

ONANC0CK. Va. Dec "A short time
ago the !Sn" published special dispatch
from Onancock. Va, stating that the
Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Ex-
change had just declared a dividend of
20 per cent. The fact that a concern
away from large city could do a thing
like that caused widespread attention
and has led to an investigation of the
business methods OF the exchange and
IF the men who run it. These men.
like the goods they handle. are products
of the Eastern Shore, and are proud of
it The men whom they represent are
their friends and neighbors, farmers of
Accomac and Northampton counties,
and their exchange is one of the best
zation. 1t grew out of disastrous con
dition of affairs. 1t reversed these con-
ditions and brought prosperity IN the
place of, depression, and showed that
in spite of all the statements to the
contrary farmers could organize for the
protection of their interests, stick to-
gether in spite of discouragements and
maintain their organization.
The territory which the exchange
claims for its own are the two Virginia
counties at the end of the Maryland
Delaware Peninsula Accomac and
northampton. The population accord
ing to the last census was 46.340-that
of Accomac being 32.770 and of North
hampton 1870 1t is 75 miles long, an
average of i2 wide, and contains 900
square miles. Its population is almost
entirely American and until about 90
years ago the two counties were with
out railroad communication with the
outside world. 1t has great resources
and natural advantages in its thousands
of acres of oyster and fishing grounds
on both the sea and the bay side, and
i'll its fertile lands. Many inlets and
creeks make in from the Atlantic and
the Chesapeake down both coast lines.
In these hundreds of thousands of BUSH
els of oysters nave been planted, from
which millions of fish are caught an
nnually. These industries of them
selves support large part of the pop
ulation.
The exchange is combination of
about /, 800 of the most successful farm
ers of Accomac and Northampton coun-
ties. BY special provision of its bylaws.
which permit tenants of stockholders to
market their products through the ex-
change. it has the patronage of about
$500 growers.
Its organization was brought about
by the ruinous prices at which the sta
pie crop of the Peninsla-Irish and sweet
potatoes-had sold for several years pri-
or to the organization of the exchange.
The thoughtful realized that some
thing had to be done to better the con-
dition of the truck growers, whose sue.
cess of failure so vitality touched the in
terests of all business men of the lower
peninsula The condition of the farm
er was deplorable. His potatoes were
selling at 25 cents barrel, and he was
in quandary as to how he was to pay
his rent, his fertilizer bills and to clothe
and feed his family. A discussion of
these matters resulted in the holding of
asmass- meeting at Onley. Va. in August
1899. at which committee of 12 infiu.
ential citizens was appointed to recon
mend some plan of marketing the prod
ucts of the farms.
This committee, after several meet
ings, drafted a working plan for an ex-
change to be run on Mr.. Morgan's 'com-
munity- of interests" plan.
This report was unanimously adopted
by convention of farmers and business
men which met at Onley in October of
the same year. Its chief officers were