Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-10-27
BIG GRATING OF MIDDIEMEs
Farmer Could Increase Profits SO &c
GO Per Cent. by Selling Produce
Direct to Consumer.

Graft-pay for work not done OF
service not performed. also anything
thus gained "A soft thing" or easy
thing" "a snap."-Webster.
the above definition exactly fits fits the
middleman system. If the middleman
could be eliminated entirely, and the
farmer could sell all of his produce di
rect to the consumer. his profits would
be increased from so to so per cent.
II the present method Of distribution
could be changed to a rational sys-
TEN, farmers profits would be in
creased from rs to IS per cent.
H. B. Fullerton, Long Island farm
er followed a shipment of potatoes
which he sold for % cents a bushel.
at Medford. to Philadelphia. where
they were delivered by the retail gro
Ger to the consumer at $1.05 per bush
ell. These potatoes passed through
the hands of FIVE different commits
sion men. only two of whom had a
dollar invested in he business. They
we're all scalpers, passing the stuff
along from one to the other. each man
scalping OF the farmers profits as
much as he could, the total amounting
to loss of so cents per bushel
A Michigan farmer tells The Farm
World that he could not get rs cents
per bushel for potatoes at his farm
station. 100 miles from Chicago. but
on visiting friend In the latter city
the next day, found he was paying S.
cents per bushel for potatoes which.
by the way. we're shipped from sta
ton Is miles nearer Chicago than the
Michigan farmers home.
The consumer pays for beef about
3S per cent above the wholesale
price of the slaughtering houses.
This does not take into consideration
the profit made by the packer. which
is al least IL per cent. more. Dairy
nlen everywhere receive only 80 to
go per cent. of the retail price. Poul-
try returns to the farmers wife only
from IS to SO per cent of the price
paid by the consumer, and vegetables
and fruit net the farmer less than 80
per cent
The farmer sells corn at 35 cents
per bushel In his home market After
1t has run the gauntlet Of commission
men il is sold to the consumer in the
form of chicken-feed at the rate of
81 q bushel
On the other hand: A farmer buys
a suit of clothes for $40 which cost the
manufacturer 50. Coffee. which costs
the wholesaler IL cents a pound is re-
tailed at from 25 to 80 cents. These
prices could be multiplied indefinitely,
but the samples given are sufficient to
show that the middleman catches the
farmer both going and coming. They
also prove that the farmer is not re-
ceiving an excessive price for his prod
ucts and the consumer Is paying high.
er prices than he should.
The middleman is the product of an
evil system of distribution which has
grown slowly but steadily until It is
now grievous burden upon the farm
er and the consumer. In the large
cities the cost of distribution of pro.
visions consumes a large part Of the
expense which bridges the gap be
tween the farmer and the consumer
and much of which is absolute waste,
The question is one of great eco
nomic Importance. and viii have to be
met as the farmers of Europe have
met it. Over there. farmers have
/ formed great organizations through
which they deal direct with the con
sumner. thus adding vastly to theiI
profits. and reducing the cost to the
householder
Organizations are being formed
slowly IN this country. and as the sue
cess of the plan of direct selling be
comes more apparent. its scope win be
broadened and farmers may hope IN
time to bring the products OF the farm
by short cuts nearer the consumer
and obtain a much higher percentage
of profit, while benefitting their Gus
toners in the same degree.-Farn
World