St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-02-09

4
European war upon the cotton crop.
ture will become a competitor of no
small consideration.
Inquiry Among Farmers.
| In a work of this nature it would be
impossible for one, through observa-
ton and reading alone, to become suf-
ficiently we'll informed to justify any
definite conclusions without having
first availed oneself of the experiences
and opinions of those thoroughly ac-
quainted, by virtue of long residence.
with actual conditions in the various
communities of the state. To obtain
such information inquiries were sent
out to correspondents recommended
by the State Director of the agricul-
tural extAnsion service. These cor
respondents were sufficiently widely
distributed that every county and
about one-third of the towns in the
state were represented. The questions
were based on soil products, dairy
products, maple sugar, eggs and poul-
try.
The questionable, aside from bring
| ing out existing marketing conditions
within the state, was intended espec-
tally to enlighten us concerning the
opportunities for the wider introduce
ton Of cooperative effort on the part
of the producers in the sale of their
farm produce as well as the opportuni-
ties available through such co-opera-
ton for building up greater Vermont
not alone by the development of our
home markets but also through the
development of a more highly organic
81
Grading of Produce.
Having thus indicated the main pur
pose of the inquiries it is now we'll to
give brief mention to that about which
it may appear 1 have neglected to OBJ
tain information. 1 refer to the pre-
paration of farm produce for the
market. 1t is with no idea of depre-
ciating the importance of careful
Standardization Of the grading and the
packing of the farmers output that
fail to take up such consideration
here for 1 recognize a nhonest and
scientific preparation of produce for
the market as being one of the prime
requisites in any successful system of
marketing But, Bulletin No. IT, is
sued by the Vermont Department of
Agriculture in 1914, discusses fully
and faithfully in all its technical as
poets this phase of the marketing
problem, and the availability of this
bulletin for distribution to those pro-
ducers interested in the careful pre-
paration of their produce for the mar
ket, in rendering unnecessary a sim
liar treatment here permits the desir-
able limitation of my discussion to the
need of a more economical system of
distribution and the means whereby
such a system shall be possible.
No Competition In Buying.
Let us then consider the present
day marketing situation in our state
as indicated by the replies to our
QUESTIONABLE. In this discussion it is
not our purpose to elaborate in detail
the data upon which we justify our
conclusions for that in which we are
interested is the general situation and
not specific and exceptional instances.
Hence, only a brief summary of pre-
vailing conditions is necessary. We
find first that the part of the consum-
er's dollar which finds its way into the
pocket of our Vermont producer varies
from 80 to SO per cent, with a few
rare instances where the producer
through a more direct contact with
the consumer in the home market re-
ceives the larger part. if not all, of the
retail price. Such a finding does not
materially differ from the results, al
ready cited, obtained by the federal
department of agriculture in its ma
ton wide investigation in 1911. Next,
we find that this produce which is re-
quired to sacrifice so much to the mid
dleman on its way from the producer
to the consumer generally passes into
the hands of the Boston buyer at the
initial stage in it's journey in an almost
complete absence of competition. Thus
our fears of a lack of competition are
confirmed The New York buyer who
formerly aided so materially the main
tenance of a reasonable competitive
price for Vermont farm produce has
in obedience to the general tendency
to eliminate competition wherever
possible largely given over the YER
mont territory to his Boston competi-
tor, receiving in return the monopoly
over some other producing area equal
ly as convenient to New York. Con-
sequently Boston in her capacity of
monopoly buyer of Vermont farm
produce, naturally assumes the equal
ly monopolistic function of distribut-
ing farm produce to the Vermont con-
sumner With most of the produce
thus passing into the hands of the con-
sumner through the channels of the
Boston market the produce coming to
the Vermont consumer through the
sole medium Of the Local market is
largely a negligible quantity. Hence,
there is little competition to prevent
the consumer from paying the price
charged by the Boston distributor with
it's numerous accretions due to this
roundabout method of distribution.
Disadvantages In Shipping.
Being thus acquainted with the con-
ditions under which the produce leaves
the Vermont producer and the ulti-
mate effect on the consumer in Yer
mont we are next interested in the
shipping arrangements under which
the produce goes 20 the more distant
market. We find that the farmer as
an individual shipper is almost invar-
iably forced to employ the less-than-
carload rate because Of the insufici-