The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-05-10
whom purchases are made nv miIlers

whom purchases are made by millers;
the warehousemen who manage the
sale of Virginia planters tobacco
The Intervention of two men be-
tween producer and consumer is a
common occurrence. Fruits and vege-
tables are often marketed through the
aid Of two middlemen, the city COM
mission dealer and a retail merchant.
A series CT three middlemen may in
ciude first the local buyer of the ship
per; second, the commission or the
wholesale merchant; and third, the re-
Tall merchant. In the sale of fruit by
auction, which is common in large cit.
les east of the Mississippi river, the
auctioneer is an additional middleman.
onions raised in Kentucky are some
times bought by local merchant aad
shipped to Louisville: here they may
De put into sacks and consigned to
a New York wholesaler or a commits
sion man who in turn sells to a New
York retailer. Eggs and poultry fire.
quentiy pass through the hands of at
least four middlemen.
Public market places are established
In a number of cities and towns, and
IN these places consumers may buy
such articles as fruit, vegetables, dairy
products, poultry. and eggs direct from
farmers as well as from dealers.
Another institution which aids the
producer to dispose of his crop is the
public warehouse. Illustrations of this
are afforded in the marketing of tobac-
co in Virginia and North Carolina,
wool from the northern Rocky noun
tain states, and to some extent rice
in Louisiana and Texas. The grow
ers or their representatives with their
produce, meet the buyers at these
warehouses.
While farm products are in transit
by rail, there are certain points at
which the consigner may designate a
final destination. The purpose of this
practice is to enable the consigner to
lind the best market for his goods.
This is the plan followed in shipping
fruits and vegetables by mail from
California to the east and from south
ern states to the north.
The secretary of agriculture has
much to say concerning associative
marketing by farmers, and the eco
nomic advantages are stated in detail
"A survey of the systems Of market
ing farm products clearly discovers
what the farmers can best do to their
advantage. They must associate
themselves together for the purpose of
assembling their individual contribu-
tons Of products, of shipping in car
load lots, Of obtaining market news
at places to which 1t is practical to
send their products, to sell in a con-
siderable number of markets, if not in
many markets, and to secure the va
rious other economic gains of asso-
ciative selling"
To carry out this suggestion, 1t is
recommended that If congress estab-
fishes a division of markets. a corps
OF travelling field agents be maintained
to assist farmers to form associations
Among the subjects whose inves-
tigation is suggested are the storage
OF farm products either on the fl rim
or elsewhere pending their sale; he
business of commission dealers; the
various costs of marketing, properly
itemized, and compared with prices Of
products at the farm and with consum-
ers' prices; a description of principal
markets and Of chief producing re-
gions; and some problems of transpor-
tation.
The secretary of agriculture closes
his recommendations by making one
concerning the participation OF con-
sumers In the solution of marketing
problems. "A cheapening of farmers
costs of marketing will naturally re-
suit In gain to the producer rather
than to the consumer. II the consum-
er is to gain by changes in the costs
of distribution. 1t seems probable that
he must do so through cheapening or
eliminating costs at his end of the
chain of distribution. The consumers
can cheaper the costs of farm prod
ucts by cooperative buying and by re-
ducing the expenses of retail and other
local distribution. The consumers as
pect of the problems of the distribu-
ton Of farm products is a conspicuous
one at the present time, and problems
in distribution that are concerning the
consumer rather than the producer
may well be included within the serv-
ice of a division of markets"