The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-10-06
BIG GRATING or h,DDl EMEi
Farmer Could increase Profits so te
$50 Per Cent. by Selling Produce
Direct to Consumer.

Graft-pay for work not done or
service not performed. also anything
thus gained. "A soft thing" or easy
thing" "a snap Webster.
The above definition exactly fits the
middleman system. II the middleman
could be eliminated entirely. and the
farmer could sell all of his produce d.
rect to the consumer, his profits would
be increased from so to 60 per cent.
II the present method of distribution
could be changed to a rational sys-
tenn. farmers profits would be in.
creased from 25 to IS per cent.
II. B. Fullerton, along Island farm.
er followed 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 $105 per bush.
ell. These potatoes passed through
the hands of FIVE different commits.
sion men. only two of whom had a
dollar invested in The business. They
We're all scalpers. passing the stuff
along from one to the other. each man
scalping off the farmers profits as
much as he could, the total amounting
to a loss of 60 cents per busheI.
A Michigan farmer tells The Farm
World that he could not get Is 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 IS
cents per bushel for potatoes which.
by the way. were shipped from a sta.
ton Is miles nearer Chicago than tho
Michigan farmers home.
The consumer pays for beef about
80 per cent. above the wholesale
price of the slaughtering houses.
This does not take into consideration
the profit made by the packer, which
is at least IL per cent. more. Dairy.
men everywhere receive only SO to
90 per cent. of the retail price. Poul-
try returns to the farmers wife only
from SIS to SO per cent. of the price
paid by the consumer, and vegetables
and fruit net the farmer less than 30 /
per cent
The farmer sells corn at IS cents
per bushel In his home market. After
It has run the gauntlet of commission
men it is sold to the consumer In the
form of chicken-feed at the rate of
81 bushel
On the other hand: A farmer buys
! suit of clothes for $40 which cost the
manufacturer 50. Coffee, which costs
he wholesaler IL cents a pound is re.
allied at from Is to 80 cents These
prices could be multiplied indefinitely,
Tut the samples given are sufficient to
how that tue middleman catches the
armer both going and coming. They
'lso prove : hat the farmer is not re-
ewing an q cessive price for his prod !
cts and thd consumer is paying high
r prices tn he should.
The middl man is the product of an
vii system of distribution which has {
rown slowly but steadily until 1t is {
ow a grievous burden upon the farm
r and the consumer. In the large
tiles the cost of distribution of pro. s
isions consumes large part Of the {
Expense which bridges the gap be. 4
Veen the farmer and the consumer,
nd much Of which - absolute waste.
The question is one of great eco a
'mic Importance, and will have to be- E
ct as the farmers of Europe have e
ct It, Over there, farmers have
rmed great organizations through
hich they deal direct with the con. r
mer, thus adding vastly to their t
ofits. and reducing the cost to the
'useholder.
Organizations are being formed
owly in this country, and as the sue. a
SIS OF the plan of direct selling be- n
mes more apparent, it's scope will be II
oadened and farmers may hope in
ne to bring the products OF the farm
snort cuts nearer the consumer. 81
ID obtain much higher percentage b.
profit, while benefitting their Gus o
mers in the same degree.-Farm