Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-08
BUY RIGHT AT THE
MARKETS TOMORROW
Avoid Foresaller and Make Your Purchases Direct From
the Producer-Price Crusade Is Taking
Effect in Local Markets

Farmers and truck growers have
been hit by the crusade against un-
reasonable prices for foodstuffs in
Harrisburg.
One of the largest fruit and vege-
table dealers in the Harrisburg mar
kets sold only 1855 worth of goods
of his own production at his stalls
in the Verbeke Street, the Hill and
the Chestnut Street markets Wednes-
day against S123 worth the Satur-
day previous. He says the prices
were lower Wednesday on many lines
of produce than they were on Sat-
urday for the reason the season was
further advanced, but that customers
growing fearsome of the exorbitant
prices the forestallers have been
charging simply declined to buy. This
trucker took home with him 800
worth of produce which he was un-
able to dispose of at any price.
This grower is responsible for the
opinion that there are no more than
twenty-five forestallers in the mar
kets who have been grossly over
charging. He said, "the man who
should be taken in hand is not so
much the farmer. the fruit grower or
the trucker, but the man who runs
up prices on the markets only for
the purpose of making an easy living
for himself without much risk. The
farmer or trucker takes all the risk
of production. faces the threat Of
crops being ruined by bad weather
a1l nf 70 OF flxy in
creased costs of farming. He is the
man who should be patronized by
the consumer. OF course, the grover
must charge more for his produce
than formerly. he said.
Seed Prices Advanced
For example. fertilizer is from 20
to 100 per cent. higher than before
the war. Plows that formerly cost
$10.25 are now $4,000. Pea seed bought
few years ago for 1926 bushel
now costs $1,000. Beans are the same.
All seeds are up rs to 800 per cent.
above prewar prices and labor for
which farmers paid $3.50 a day now
receives from $500 to $3.50. Bran.
which cost from SIS to SIS, through
no fault of the farmer now brings
$50.
1t is the opinion of this farmer
condition materially If instead of
buying one bunch of beets for .7X-
ample he would buy three or four, If
instead of buying one head of :ab-
bage he bought a half dozen, If in
stead of buying quarter peek of
apples he bought bushel, If instead
of buying a quarter peck of potatoes
or sweet potatoes or turnips he
bought bushel. Prices are always
more reasonable when purchases are
made in quantity lots he said. and in
most cases fruits and vegetables of
the character named can be kept or
preserved without loss to the buy6-
and at considerable saving in
prices.
Another factor that enters into the
high cost of living. according to this
grower, is the fact that many nouse-
wives do not know how to prepare
palatably the cheaper vegetables. He
suggests that much can be saved in
the way of food bills If the house
wife learns to prepare the cheaper
grade vegetables and fruits in more
than the ordinary way of cooking.
81 WONDER" he said. how many wo-
men in Harrisburg know that there
are 200 ways in which potatoes may
be prepared and that each of them
makes an excellent dish? How many
housewives know that there are 81
ways in which to prepare beets? 1t
seems to me that If we go away
from the high-priced meats and pre-
pared foods and got back to .'resh
vegetables we would be all better off
both in purse and stomach and at tie
same time we would take a solar
plexus punch at the high cost of liv-
ing"
Market SaIesmanship
The farmer quoted said that sales
manship entered greatly into the sue
cess the forestallers have had.
For example" said he II know a
very attractive woman who contracts
with me to provide her with a cer-
tain number of redbeets in punches
for sale on the market every We'd
nesday and Saturday. These red
beets 1 sell on my stand at five >ents
a bunch. She sells hers at the same
figure, but she splits up her punches
taking one of the six beets in each
bunch from it, or IL the beets are
large, two. These she makes up into
additional punches and sells at five
cents the bunch. the same price 1 re-
ceived for six beets. But she is very
comely woman, l am only a man ana
I'll admit that she is a better sales
man than l am. People pass my stand
to buy the smaller punches of her.
Now this may be al very good for
her, but 1t is mighty bad for me
and for the people as a whole and it