Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-20

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! last. the government is showing some
concern over the consumers food
problems. For the first time tho Bureau
OF Markets OF tho Department OF AErl-
Icuiture is studying marketing from the
consumers point OF Wow. Heretofore.
most OF Us experiments have been con-
| Quoted with the idea OF increasing the
profits OF the fsrner.
The Bureau Of Markets. by the way.
Is one of the largss; divisions Of tho
Department OF Agriculture. Its Offices
occupy all OF oue building and part
OF another. IL is Inc departments bust
ucss specialist u can tell you every
,hinG there is 10 ::now about market
Ing. from the kind ot bookkeeping sys-
ten that should be employed ny "A
farmers cooperative association TO the
best method of shipping red raspberries
from the puya.lup Va,Ie". Aud one of
It's dearest ambitions at present Is TO
bring about greater cooperation be-
tween the producer and the consumer.
Last summer an interesting expert
ment was tried out along this line. The
bureau sent an agent TO Providence.
Rhode Island, where il SO happens thu
farmers follow only one line OF traffic
in bringing their produce 10 market
The agent and his assistants stationed
themSeve at cert2in points along this
line q TIA nc az carly as o'clock in
the morning and waited for the farm
crs 30 Come. Az each farmer drove in.
the agent or his assistant. stepped up.
announced his connection with the
Un!ted states Eotcrnmcnt and demand
cd 20 know what the farmer had in his
w.i,on.
Whit Ills Census Shsues.
when ihn coa;eniH o. all the farmers
wagons had hcon noted. the agent went
10 his Office and added up his figures
on an adding machine After which,
q Ia Ia
three hundred and thirty cabbaSes:
fftecn wa:.ol-loads OF green corn; 5000
quarts OF lima beans, and $1,000 bushels
OF a,rin: beans These are not accurate,
but they serve 10 show how the agent
figured.
Win these totals in hand. he i'm
modiste!y knew what products were
most plentiful in the market. and this
information he transferred TO others
by FASTING the figures up in the market
place. This market was Wholesale
market. so that these figures were for
The benefit OF retailers or huyers-in-
bnlE only. Eut they served to reduce
prices. Wholesalers could no longer
invent imaginary shortages on account
Of the war while The figures OF the
government agent showed food products
10 he plentiful
Furthermore. neither could the re-
tailers. For the agent did not stop
10 Az the city newspapers and furnish
ed them with the same Information
not IN th. technical terms of most
marAct paaes-but in story form. Sup
pose. for example. that green corn was
particularly! plentiful on certain day.
tho fact: they were urged to buy a
supply for canning. and L list OF corn
recipes was printed on the woman's
page OF each newspaper.
Later. the agent supplied a further
item OF Information. He gave the
wholesale prices. 1t Is OF course. evil
dent that this knowledge was OF the
greatest value 10 the consumer. II he
knew that green corn was especially
plentiful, and had sold at the whole
sale price OF twelve cents = dozen. IL
TOOK a hypnotically persuasive retailer
10 make him pay forty cents doxe
for Il. Many people carried their
newspaper clippings TO the store with
them and calmly consulted them AS
they inquired the price OF food
Resented the Cheek.
Naturally. the farmers and the re-
toiiers did not appreciate this service
OF the sovernm.n, at first They re-
talents. but there came time when
they were all converted. Around
Providence every year enormous
quantities OF spinach are grown. The
Eurean OF Markets does not know why
this is 40, since every season tho
market IS slutted With spinach and
bushels OF II have 10 he destroyed. but
FOR some obscure reason the farmers
insist upon rais!n. this vegetable.
Last summer. as usual. spinach be-
gan to come in to Providence In wagon
LOADS. The farmers were almost ready
10 give it away: the retailers wouldn't
have 1t as gift. and neither would
housewives. A, this point, however,
the government agent came 10 the res
cue lie sent wire 10 the Bureau OF
Home Economics OF the DEPARTING TT
OF Agriculture in Washington, request
ing some spinach recipes right :.way.
Then started the greatest spinach cam
paiSn that Providence has ever Known.
Every day there wa. story about
spinach-how tire early Pilgrims and
Roger Williams valued the herb: e..
place III modern medicine; what differ.
cut foreign nations called it--toGether
with brand new government recipe
that aroused the curiosity OF the wo-
men.
No spinach was destroyed IN rrovi-
dcuce last year. nd. after the first fe
days no one gave any OF IT away.
Moreover. the farmers and retailers
made no more complaints about gov
eminent agents Now they arc Just