The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-06-16

Secretary Reardon Discusses Market
hag Farm Produce and Cooperative
/ Association.


The necessity for organized bust
ness methods and a cooperative mar
keting association to dispose
Irish potatoes, corn, peas. beans, and
other produce was so clearly empha-
sized in Sumter yesterday that the
managing secretary of the Chamber o,
Commerce felt it worth while handing
oot for publication. While some.
what ''voluminous" as they say O,
necessarily long articles. yet 1t is
worth while reading by those who are
Interested in crop diversification an6
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. particularly.
A Sumter county farmer phoned
the president of the Chamber
Commerce that he had fifty bushels
irish potatoes to sell and wanted t,
know what he could get for them o.
che Sumter market. The presiden
called up the secretary and that Off
clal after phoning Wholesale and re.
tail establishments found that the
Sumter market was "glutted" as all
Of them said. with Irish potatoes he
ing offered at SO cents per peck o.
two dollars a bushel, and more being
offered daily. The farmer who phon-
cd the Chamber said he would take
not less than seventy-ive centsN per
peck and would let the potatoes no
before selling for less.
The secretary phoned the farmer
advising that the Chamber was trying
ito get the South Carolina Produce AS
sociation to handle the fifty bushels
but the farmer said he had no bar
rcis and did know where to ge'
any Just then. even If he was offered
anything by the Produce Association
This farmer also said that unless tn
business men Of South Carolina, and
that included the Sumter bushes
men also, made some arrangement: ,
for disposing. of surplus produce
the farms that the farmers woul,
probably become discouraged and
back to planting practically all cot
ton and importing corn, bacon, vege
tables. potatoes. and other food anS
feed stuffs simply because there is n
market or practically no market foi
surplus produce of many kinds.
Now. right here" said the secrc
tary. .'is where the understandin
ought to fit in. but where the misun-
derstanding puts business on the blin*
about this diversifcation and marke:
ing Of surplus products.
To begin with in the natural pre-
cess of producing and marketing al
commercial commodities there mus |
be some business at bot IDS of tn
line. with the producer VINO produce
and offers for sale. as well as with |
the middle>mnn or business man VIII
buys and reseils produce.
TO begin with the producer. selling
to dealers in bulk, meaning the farm
er. must make up his mind to sell n
producers prices and not at reta!
prices. because If a wholesale house
q retailer has to pay a. farmer 70
produce as much or more than 1t ca
be resold for by the middlemen ther'
Is no business in buying from hon
farmer under such terms when til
middlemen can have produce shipped
in here and pay freight on same an
resell at a living profit.
Every producer must sell at ma,
ket prices according to standard mar
ket quotations and not according &
what every farmer thinks he ought
get for his produce. They sell thei'
cotton according to prices fixed J
Liverpool and New York and all SCI
for practically the same price, a
cording to grade. Not at what tn
cotton producer thinks it worth cit;
er. as a rule.
Then again the farmers should sys
organize an association
with selling agent in Sumter. If tn
farmers; are going TO produce surplu
for market in bulk. One or tw'
crates Of peas and a bushel or two
potatoes offered or Sumter market d
not interest a produce dealer in Char
lesion, Baltimore or, New York. Til
volume OF business or rather tn
amount of produce offered on a ce.'
tain day fixes the prices and guaran
tees demand for same. among dea,
ers.
Is 1t reasonable to expect a numbt
of Sumter business men to form
stock company of thousands Of dc
larH and employ n professional age,