The Washington times., 1915-11-18


1t Is along this line that the Govern
ment hopes to promote measures to re-
duce the cost Of living. There will be
addresses on the cooperation between
the county agricultural agent and the
Federal Bureau of Markets and on state
systems of marketing. The first will be
by l.. ID. Hall. Of the Bureau OF Mar
kets. Washington; the second by w. w:
Long of South Carolina. where good
deal OF consideration has been given TO
the problem OF State marketing systems.
These efforts all look ultimately to
making agriculture more prohtable. ana
at the same time giving the publc its
products at lower prices. 1t is now an
csta blished theorem OF the agricultural
experts that II production can be IN.
creased through better methods. ana VI
production and marketing N De
htched more closely together. the re-
suit will be larger profits for the
farmer. and at the same time cheaper
prices for the consumer. IL looks IKE
payadox. Perhaps It Is; But the iaci
IL most closely believe that such re-
suit can be accomplished. and they are
that the two things must De
through certain correia-
tion OF the business OF producing with
that OF marketing.
Pecan Growing An Example.
Perhaps an Illustration will serve to
convey the exact idea. number OF
years ago the fact was brought TO atten-
ton OF farmers in the Southern states.
that pecans could be raised on their
soil in great quantities without much
effort. A considerable amount OF litera-
ture was circulated. which resulted In
a good many widely scattered piahteIs
seems to have had any particular no
tion when he would have a crop; OF
how he would-market II. or whht Hikn'
be the conditions In which II coulu corn
pete with the other nut growers OF the
Years passed the man who had writ.
ten the original pecan literature was
forgotten and his works had attracted
no attention until suddenly 1t was dis-
covered that good many ,housa.
Of pecan trees throughout the south
were coming into bearing. A lot OF peo-
pIe had big crops OF pecans on theif
hands, and not an idea OF what to DC
with them. , A..
Georgia seems to have adopted the
pecan idea with rather more enthusiasm
than any other state: so there went W
from Georgia an insistent demand tha'
somebody demonstrate how TO PICK
sort select label. and market the nuts
II was discovered that when properly
sorted. graded. and transported to TN
right market. these nuts We're worui
markets? What was the method o
sorting and packing? How were TN
nuts to be picked and consisnedT
Purposes to Promote Trade.
Twenty years ago there would nav
been no answer to such questions bu
cooperative marketing has been de
veloped within these last two decades
Somebody In the pecan business fgur
| ed out that II all the pecans could
1 brought together. sorted in the rlgh
way. handled by q single selling agency
and put on the -.rket in behalf OF
single centralized interest, there woui
| be money in II. The scattered trees a.
| the way from a dozen to several nun
dreds. on individual farms throughou
the south Atlantic States. would
| revenue earners.
So q call was issued for pecan con
yention and II concluded Its work IN
other dav in Atlanta. with the orgah1
cation OF an association which;, on
strictly cooperative basis. VIII tak
charge OF the pecan crop thus fortul'
ously developed Former Senator Nal
ion Butler. OF North Carolina. was
leader in the movement. "of course.
said Senator Butler, after the CONVEX
ton had organized a scheme for maxim
pecans worth money, we may
| violating the antitrust act. which fol
bids combinations in restraint OF trad
Under the court decisions ours If doub
less a combination in restraint OF trad
/ Rut we happen to know that It's inter
ton is to promote trade: TO save ines
pecans and make them worth somethin
to us We have organized co-opert
tive marketing plan under whlcn
Atlanta agency will handle our outpu
learn where the markets are. get IN
hest prices possible, teach us how
handle and sort our nuts, and IN gei
eral make those pecan trees Wor'
something to their owners. while givin
the nuts to people who like nuts.
Farming Community Captured
As Senator Butler says. 1t may be
violation Of the curious antitrust Law
of this country to do the only thir
that can possibly make those pect
| trees worth having. or give value
their product. But 1t happens that Il
St. Louis convention; under the auspic
of the Department of Agriculture, Is z
ing in for exactly the same sort
Thing, 1t need be no surprise II one
these days the Department of Justi
goes out and gets an injunction to r
strain the Department of Agricultu
| from carry ing on IL cohsiueraDle part
. its activities.
Congress has set the Justice office
work to prevent combinations In
straint of trade, and at the same tir
same restraints, in the form of moder
. ized. cooperative marketing.
This marketing business is only
feature of the st. Louis convention
this week The farming community h
Ecrn captured. bag and baggage. by I
idea Of better methods in tilling t
, soil The Smith-Lever law provides tn