Lower coast gazette., 1914-07-04
SATURDAY, JULY L., 1914.
Farmers Organizations.

+rv from the North Carolina farmers on the
Atlantic coast to the Texas farmers. on the kgo
Grande. general complaints as to the uncers
tainty and frequent waste resulting from VIZ
present method of marketing country proouce.
Thus far no royal road has been established by
which the average farmer can avoid this waste.
On the Rio Grande, at San Benito, where large
quantities Of onions and other produce are!mar-
keted and shipped by the car load, 1t has peen
found that the final results are nowhere near
the early promises. This is also the common
experience all over Louisiana and 1t reaches
clear through to the Atlantic coast, the whole
southern part Of the United States beng now
interested in the production OF seml-troplcal
fruits and vegetables, with a view OF shipping
them promptly to the north, where there is an
annie field for the distribution OF snch produce
but where glutted markets frequently ln1ervsne
and the perishable character OF the produce
leads to it's immediate destruction.
AT independence, Louisiana, the largest
strawberry center in this state, where a large
town has been built up, with two banks ana
generally a large and successful business dolng'
i WAS RECENTLY found that a combination among
northern buyers had occurred who were oHer-
inr but about half the expected price TOR straw
berries. This led the producers OF the berries
70 revolt and for some days no sales were made.
One advantage to local consumers occurred
however, and the New Orleans market was
flooded with fine strawberries at lower prices
than the New Orleans people are usually re-
CURED to pay.
The Texans are among the most enterprlslng
people on the face Of the earth and they are
still engage in endeayoring to solve this prob
lem Of the successful distribution OF COMPARE
tiyely perishable produce. In North Carolina
the same problem presented in quite an intense
form and the agricultural experiment station at
West Raleigh has issued a bulletin under the
title Of How Shallrs Farmers Organize? The
chief feature Of the bulletin is an article by
Mr.. William R. Camp. chief Of the division OF
markets. The burden Of his arguments seems
to be that the farmers becomes somewhat sus-
~.nicious of others because Of his own isolation
and limited intercourse with other people,
while all the busy world outside is interlocked
with combinations or at least with concerted
action in some way so that the railways and
steamboats, and all methods Of transit cooper
ate with each other and individual effort, which
is the farmers general conception OF activity,
is at i serious disadvantage in competing with
the more highly organized methods OF modern
trade and this would include marketing produce.
We have adverted in these columns to the
successful distribution Of millions Of dollars
worth Of bananas in the United States. In that
business great steamship companies are engag-
ed and the end Of the business with which we
are the most familiar, that is the distributing
part, well done and bananas are sold cheaply
all over the country from New Orleans on the
gulf to Winnipeg in the. far North.
It is true that there comes to US some data
as to thessmonopolistic control Of the banana
fields in the tropics by great corporations and
the assertions that the Individual producer has
little or no more opportunity there to display
his individual enterprise than has the cucumbel
producer Of the Lower Coast. Behind this
however. remains the fact that whether the
product be bananas or cucumbers, or straw
berries. they are perishable products and mus
be maintained fresh-or in q condition that trsll!
corresponds to freshness. or else rapidly deter
iorate in value. The banana men accomplish
this BY having chosen q fruit which will ripe
after gathering. Too ripe bananas will no
stand transportation to the west and henceEt tn
New Orleans market IS occasionally Quite
with ripe bananas and thousands Of lunches 9
such have been thrown into the river at Ne'
Orleans to prevent the Cutting Of the marke
with the over ripe fruit. The individual prt
ducer o. strawberries or cucumbers would nc
like this very much and yet we have read in tn
city papers Of the seizure Of strawberries byth
city authorities Of New Orleans, the strawbel
hes being said to be unfit for consumption.
Nj. Camp, III his address to the North Car
Ina farmers, indicates that they must make
careful study Of all these problemns for then
selves; and endeavor to carve 9 way out tn
shall finally be made satisfactory # not g
trely satisfactory il the beginning. He refe
Is TIE grain growers of the Northwest when y
eleyator. companies stood IS buyers Of grain q