The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-05-24
Farmers Union News
Practical Thoughts for Practical Farmers
conducted by e. W. Dabbs,

Slut offered attractive opportunities
for speculation through reshipment to
markets still unaffected, a large part
Of the potatoes consigned to the east
ern cities were finally consumed in
smaller towns and more distant sec
tions which did not attract con.ign-
ments. But it was the undertaking
of the commission man 10 sell only in
his own home city. If the New York
price Tor potatoes dropped 10 so cents
barrel, while the still normally sup
piled Chicago market was paving
$1.75, the New York commission mer-
chant could account to the shipper at
80 cents and sell the goods to his
nelShbor, or turn them over to him
self ut that price for reshipment to
Chicago. Thus many thousands bar
reis of produce for which the retail
dealers in Chicago and ST. Louis paid
a good price netted the farmer alb
solutely nothing, the difference being
consumed in spectators profit, cost
of rehandling, double freights and the
decay and general deterioration Incl
dent to delay and rough usage in this
roundabout way of reaching a final
destiation.
Local Buyers Prove BlOodsuckers.
The second and newer method of
distribution, which was gradually
supplanting the consignment system,
eliminated these wastes, but was even
more disastrous for the farmer.
Around almost every station and
wharf there had come to operate one
or several local buyers. AS the sole
agency intervening between producer
and wholesaler, the local buyer would
naturally be expected to exert a con-
siderable influence on the general
trend of prices. Various factors
combined to accentuate that influence
and to give it direction ever down
ward.
In the first place, though the buyer
usually operated on his own or bor-
rowed capital, paying the farmers
cash and collecting later from the dis
tant wholesaler, on whose order he
bought. Yet the profits Of his business
generally took the shape of a fixed
brokerage of 5 cents barrel regard
less Of price, 1t was thus directly to
his interest, and to the interest Of his
class, not only to force down the price
to the bottom Of the market on each
individual purchase, as would be the
case generally with any buyer, but
to force down the market and to pro-
, duce and maintain the lowest range of
prices possible. The lower the price
the more barrels his limited capital
would enable him to handle and 'he
more nickles he could get.
The only real competition anon,
the local buyers was in the selling
end of the business. Each buyer had
usually his own following Of growers.
who would sell to him by preference;
the buyers were we'll acquainted
among themselves, and reports were
frequent of nightly agreements
among them to fix the next days
prices. Farmers generally have scant
acquaintance with general market
conditions. When prices decline they
become panicky and sell their crops
even more freely than on a rising
market. In short, potatoes were gen
orally plentiful and easy to get: Sc.
curing orders was the rub, and in the
hght TO set orders as all had the same
product to offer, their only weapon
was underselling.
1t became the ordinary practice Of
the local buyer first to wire out his
quotations early each morning and
!ater in the day, when the loaded carts
and wagons began coming in to fill
the orders thus secured by buying up
''iN l''e'N'NS w llCl ne Ildu diTeduN
sold in the confident assurance that
the farmer would take whatever price
he offered. Thus the grower had vir-
tually no voice in the bargain in which
he was vitality concerned.
Cooperation Decided Upon.
Moved by healthy discomfort with
these conditions and inspired with
some measure of practical imagination,
few individuals in the fall Of 1899
set to work to establish a union Of
eastern farmers to supplant both COM
mission men and local buyers, sub
stitute intelligent and purposeful dis
trlbution of the sections products for
haphazard methods Of marketing, and