The sea coast echo., 1913-07-12
BIG VALUE Of CO ALTON
Great Potato Region Of Virginia Free
From MiddIemen- Produce Ex-
change Does Work.

The great value Of co-operatIve
work is wei seen In the experience OF
the Eastern Virginia Produce Ex-
change. which has its headquarters &C
Onley, in Accomac county. ! was
down among the potato growers last
week and had an audience of about
five hundred. writes IN. E. Massey OF
Maryland in the New York Tribune
Farmer, The meeting was down IN
the lower end Of Northampton county,
| at Capeville, below the railroad ter
minus at Cape Charles City. though
there is a short lire OF railroad run
ming from Cape Charles City to the
real cape. The prosperity of the sec
ton is very largely due to the work
| OF the Produce Exchange
The operations of the Produce Elk
change take in he whole of the two
counties. They have their inspector
at every station to see that the prod
| uce delivered comes up to the stand
ard before the exchange brand. the
red star, is put on Sales are made by
| travelling statesmen in all the northern
cities in carloads, and all over Can
ada, too. AS high as $4,000 has been
spent in single season for kilograms
alone. Every carload is sold and the
prices known before it leaves sta
ton. If there is any complaint on ar
rival that the produce does not come
up to claim, a man is sent at once
to investigate, and, If the claim 10
just, to settle 1t. The exchange is
joint stock company. They ship for
as the carloads are already sold, they
pay any farmer cash for his produce
on delivery, less per cent commits
sion. At the end of the season the
books are balanced, and half the
profits is carried to surplus fund and
half is returned in rebates to stock
holders in proportion to their ship
share of stock has as much rebate in
proportion to his shipments as the
largest stoekholder, and hence it is To
the advantage of all to get inside
Last season the sales of this ex-
change amounted to $3,750.000, and
they carried sS5,000 to the surplus
fund. It has entirely done away with
shipping to commission merchants
and has brought prosperity to the
growers. In fact, it is stated that the
people of Accomac have more money
per capita than any county in the
United States. Accomac is the great
sweet potato section, growing a good
many Irish potatoes, too, while lower
Northampton seems to be entirely
given over to Irish potatoes
But seeing the whole earth planted
to one crop made me rather uneasy
for the outcome of this season, when
there are so many old potatoes kept
over In the north. Last season, from
one station at Cape Charles City,
nearly half a million barrels of Irish
potatoes went north, and every sta
tion along the railroad northward
sent in its quota to swell the vast
amount AS / live in sight of the
railroad line know what Is done dur
Ing the shipping season, when the
fast freight trains run as close to-
gether ais they dare day and night on
the I0H tx rached line The season
starts ii al Berries, and In a lit
tie while the sidings will be lined
with refrigerator cars waiting FOR the
berries Then Ife peas and cabbages
come, the Irish potatoes In June. and
later the great sweet potato crop
loads the trains till frost. It is busy
section, and the work is spreading.
and 1t will be only few years till
the whole peninsula becomes the
market garden for the cities around
the country.