Smyrna times., 1910-03-30
PRODUCE EXCHANGE HELPS
EASTERN SHORE FARMERS
WELL ORGANIZED DOWN IN THE
LOWER COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA
Farmers Cooperate to Their Own
Mutual Benefit And Are Making
the Exchange a Success.

a lew udyS dSO tACiC was COn-
pleted at Onley, Virginia, $50, 900
office building that represents the sue
cess of cooperative marketing of
farm produce on the Eastern Shore
of Virginia. The building was built
from plans especially drawn to suit
the needs of the Eastern Shore of
Virginia Produce Exchange, for
which it forms the genera offices.
1t is two stories high, has IA rooms.
which are heated by steam and
lighted bv electricity. On the first
floor is located the Presidents Office,
sales department, telegraph and tel
ephone Offices, etc., and the Office of
the secretary and treasurer The
second story contains three rooms,
separated by rolling partitions, which
can be quickly converted into one
large room when necessary. The
second story will be used for stock
holders meetings. The building is
constructed of pressed brick and is
the finest on the Eastern Shore of
Virginia, in fact is the equal of any
office building south of Wilmington.
The organization is governed by
Board of Directors, who have the
full management of the active busi-
ness of the exchange. W. A. Bur
ton is general manager at a salary
of S., 900 annd j. A. McMath is sec
retary and treasurer at salary of
SO, GOO. To the resourcefulness of
these two men is largely due the
sue 'ess of the organization. The
Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce
Exchange was incorporated January
6, 1900, and it has been uniformly
successful from the start. 1t oper-
ates at each shipping point on the
peninsula, about 40 in all, and has
local agent and inspectator at each
point. The business of the exchange
has CROWN each year. In 1900 il
amounted to $3.50, OO0; it has grown
at the rate of $3.50, 600 each year,
and last year the business amounted
to 81, 500, 900. So rapidly has been
the growth that the exchange handles
from Is to 80 per cent of all the pro-
duce grow in the counties of the
Eastern Shore of Virginia. 1t has
been a God-send 20 the farmer, and
the merchant and laborer have been
benefited by it. The exchange owns
it's own telephone and telegraph
lines in the two counties.
When the N. Y. P. e N. r. r. Opened
twenty-five years ago when the
rails of the N. Y. P. & N. R. R.
were first laid through the two
counties of Accomac and Northamp-
ton, the farmers in that section were
poor in purse, but independent of
the outside world for nearly all the
necessities of life. All the food they
consumed was raised on their farms
or taken from the surrounding
waters. In some sections even the
material for the clothing they wore
was made in their own households.
Their only trade was with Baltimore
and Norfolk by vessel. The advent
of the railroad changed all this. The
farmers began to ship produce to
the northern markets, and with the
money received bought goods in re-
turn. The main farm products at
at time were the white or Irish po-
tato, and the yellow, or sweet pota-
to. In the last few years, while
the shipments of potatoes have in
creased steadily, until Accomac
county alone grows more sweet pota-
toes than any other county in the
United States, the farmers have gone
in Tor other crops, and now ship
heavily of cabbage, turnips, radishes
and strawberries. The potato crop,
however, remains the chief product
of the two counties. 1t is at once
the staple crop and the main source
of the farmers incomes. The farmer
in that section is now the most inde-
pendent Of his tribe anywhere in the
world.
A few years ago, however, the
farmer was beginning to lose faith
in the potato crop as a source of in.
come. Prices got so low that there
was no profit to the farmer in grow.
ing them. At some places along the
railroad, after the first rush of the
season the buyers paid as low as AZ
cents a barrel for sweet potatoes
after deducting the cost Of the bar.
rel, the grower had only 25 cent.
left. If he shipped his potatoes t.
the city, he sometimes received
postage stamps in payment, and in.
stances have been known where h,
received bill for the freight. Com
mission men at the shipping stations
and in the cities seemed to be get
ting all the profit, while the farmer
was doing about all the work anC
yaying for it besides.