Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1913-01-10
Systems of Marketing
Farm Predicts

Systems of marketing farm pro-
ducts are tn subjects of special re-
port to Congress by the Secretary of
Agriculture.
BY PRODUCERS To CONSUMERS
The report treats of the movement
of farm products from the farm TO.
consumer through a great variety of
channels. The simplest distribution
is the direct one of delivery by
farmer to consumer, and next after
this Is the delivery by individual
farmers or associations of farmers to
individual consumers or associations
of consumers. In these direct forms
of distribution, the middleman is
eliminated, although of course inter-
mediate services are performed
either by producers or by consumers
or by both parties.
INTERVENTION OF MIDDLEMEN
Among the varieties of middlemen
concerned in the marketing of farm
products, are the travelling hucksters
who go from farm to farm gathering
eggs, butter, poultry, calves, and
other commodities, which they sell
to shippers, jobbers, or retail dealers.
The country merchant is often the
first receiver of such products as
eggs, farm-made butfer, poultry,
wool, hides, cotton, and sometimes
grain and hay. In regions where
grain is the istaplei product, the
tendency has been to displace the
country..merchaAt by the grain buyer
and the local elevator man.
Farmers commonly sell through
commission merchants and to some
extent directly to wholesale dealers
and also to retail dealers. The
farmer who employs Trustworthy
commission merchant who will handle
, + his products honestly and honorably
will get the current prices for then
within the range of the commission
merchants business, but the farmer
often finds himself in the hands of {
commission merchant who falsely
reports that the products were re
ceived in damaged condition or tina
they were of a grade lower than they
were in fact, or he reports receiving
prices lower than those actually re
f ceived by him for the products
t Worse than this, it is by no means
: rare that the commission merchan
. has sold the products and failed t.
return the net proceeds.
Samples of transactions in which
only one middleman intervenes be
tween producer and consumer in
clude the commission mansat "a large
market who receives consignment
e of live stock from farmers and sell
y to packers; the factor to whom tn
), planter consigns his rice or cotto
? and from whom purchases are mad
e by millers; the warehousemen VIII
- manage the sale of a Virgini
~ plantet's tobacco.
. The Intervention of two men be
tween producer and consumer is
. common occurrence. Fruits an
5 vegetables are often markete
through the aid of two middlemer
the city commission dealer and
n retail merchant.
MORE THAN TWO INTERMEDIATES
e. A series of three middlemen ms
le include first the local buyer of tt
to shipper, second, the commissic
w dealer or the wholesale merchan
re and third, the retail merchant.
D. the sale of fruit by auction, which
RS common in large cities east of Il
ar Mississippi River, the auctioneer is
lis additional middleman. He may 81
of for a commission dealer, to who
r. the consignment smay :. have be-
ur made by country buyer; and Il
T. purchaser at such an auction may
Y. a jobber, who in turn sells to
:. retail merchant. Five middlem