The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-08-12
SOLVING A GREAT PROBLEM
Farmer Does not Receive All the Rene.
fit of High Prices Paid Tor
Agricultural Products.

i
spoken of as being largely responsible
for 1t. and as making money at the
inconvenience and cost or the coh-
sumner. This is not at ali fact. Wnlle
1t is true that q few agrlcutlurA
products have been excessively mgn
In vaIue-as beef, pork. eggs (for slS
months OF the year,, butter and rru1t
the farmer has not received TOO
much for these when his large hoof'
cost and other higher costs OF con:
Quoting his business are understood
| ywites George T. Powell in the Coun,
try Gentleman.
It is after food products leave the
farm that the cost is put upon the
consumer. The distribution OF proc
ucts is too expensive The farmer
receives from 251s to 311s cents q quart
for milk. The consumer pays 70 1o
cents a quart The farmer receives
! so cents a bushe1 for potatoes, the
consumer pays $1.25 bushel for them.
! He receives $3.50 a barrel for his
apples, while the consumer pays az
the rate Of SO a barrel It costs the
4 consumer on an average or bV Per
/ cent. over what the farmer receives
i and this is what the middle-man gets
for receiving and distributing farm
| products. The most effective remedy
for this uneconomic condition, most
unsatisfactory to both the producer
). and the consumer lies In cooperation
on the part Of both. First, there needs
to be closer cooperation between the
farmers and railroads. The Interest,"
of the farmer and the public carrier
is mutual: one Is dependent upon the
: other. and equally. A farming terri
tory without a railroad to move its
J products, however rich the soil may
be. would have very little value, and
likewise q railroad without good
farming territory to supply traffic
would not be worth building.
The future solution Of greater agr1-
cultural prosperity, with lessened cost
to those living in cities, will be In
union of interests between farmers
and railroad corporations whereby a
system of more economical distrlDu-
ton of farm products may be estab-
: Iished. Storage facilities should be
esta blished along shipping points on
railroads close to the farms, where
perishable products could be taken
care of quickly and before depreciation
would begin. Distributing depots
should be established In every city In
, different parts where the products may
be sent to the consumer direct, and
where consumers may easily come and
L Ioir Hnnd11YnGTa NAV
help themselves by organizing CO.
' operative buying associations, where
t their needed supplies may be obtained
). at less cost The idea Of the individ-
3 ua1 farmer trying to supply the In.
q diYiduaI city consumer with daily
hamper Is impraeticable, as these who
4 have tried III here hare met dead
I i failures. It requires big organiza
t i ton to handle d big business, and the
y railroad which has the organization
: in hand as a carrier need only to ex
It tend its work to reach the consumer
d with other products It carries.
s On this plan farmers will have te
It get together In cooperation. They
II will have to put up their products II
a more uniform manner; they vii
n have to do more and better grading
n and packing; they will have to put VI
d many smaller packages 1t will be
20 as practicable to distribute quickl.
carloads OF potatoes, apples, peaches
y butter or hay as of milk. The products
T. must be put in the right shape for tht
,r system, when the railroads could dis
y tribute as quickly as commission men
N The fruit growers OF California fo'
r, years have been working upon THU
IT plan and they are making more none.
Is on their oranges, that are selling TO
k. less than apples, than the apple grow
to ers Of the east who are following slip
to shod methods in everything they dc
Of The orange growers cooperate ant
lie have to live up to the most rigi,
Of rules. They will ship the present sea
IN son over $4,000 carloads of oranges
Id and SO well is the fruit graded AM
e, packed that carload of 500 pack
IN ages will be sold In less than tel
~ minutes when it is put up for sal
th at public auction In our eastern mai
In kets. If every farmer in New Yor
state could spend but an hour on tn
Erie pier in New York City and Sc
|G the rapidity and ease with which e1
~ tire trainloads Of California fruit ar
sold every day, 1t would be a revels
- tion to him. Samples from the car
are arranged on this pier, which bu!
era may examine, and when they g
to the auction room these are solt
~ frequently not more than two second
~ being required for the selling Of
-. mark. Uniform grading and packin
.. are absolutely necessary in this sy
:. =. TEN of rapid selling. and this is po
- sible only through established stan,
20 =. ards, to which everyone must com
= - in his work, and this requires G
-. operative work.