The Punta Gorda herald., 1919-02-06
STATE MARKETING BUREAU
What Is It? What Are It's Duties?
Of What Benefit Is It?

Hy was Iut lUTlud OGdIe
Marketing Bureau created? How
does it operate? What is it do
ing? Who pays expenses? Who
is benefited? These questions are
frequently asked by interested
citizens of the state.
Knowing 1000 American high
schools, many colleges, universe
ties and state agricultural schools,
State and National Departments
of Agriculture and many other
agencies are teaching scientific
methods and thereby increasing
production; knowing as produc-
tion increases so does our market
ing problem; knowing Florida
ships an average of 200 cars of
products daily, four-ffths of these
being perishables that must be
sold when ready or the producer
suffers loss; knowing the great
need of better grading, packing
and shipping and knowing sue
cessful agriculture must include a
knowledge of buying and selling;
knowing Florida's loss in improp-
er marketing runs up into mil
lions; knowing statisticians point
out the fact billions of dollars are
lost marketing America S crop an
nually; knowing % other states
have created Marketing Bureaus,
and knowing marketing will be
vital question as long as human
beings exist, our legislature wise
ly passed the bill creating the
State Marketing Bureau.
This Bureau prints bulletins
giving valuable information re-
garding marketing, receives and
complies reports on shipments of
fruit, vegetables and other farm
products going out of state, gives
information as to carriers rates,
is at all times ready to give infor-
nation as to the markets in gener-
al and market conditions of the
country, keeps Florida farmers
posted as to what crops to plant
and why, and publishes a For
Sale, Want and Exchange Bulle-
tin twice a month, on which is
listed articles for sale, want or
exchange, such as livestock, seeds,
machinery, poultry, etc.
The farmers of the state or any
one else having products for sale
can report them to the State
Marketing Bureau. 1t may be a
case of eggs or it may be so cars
of potatoes, hay grain, vegetables,
fruit or livestock. The Bureau
being in immediate touch with
markets all over the United States
offers these products to the mar
ket and places the seller in CON-
munication and direct touch with
the best market, giving full ship
ping instructions, etc. The seller
then ships direct to the buyer. In
short, the State Marketing Bureau
finds the best market for the
growers product. In this way
the Bureau has placed thousands
of carloads of products. 1t gets
farm supplies for Florida produc-
ers, such as fertilizers, feeds, lime,
etc, without one cent of cost to
either buyer or seller.
More than IS different kinds of
Florida products have been sold
in carlots through the Bureau and,
counting all shipments in carlots
or less, the Bureau has gotten
markets for as many as 66 differ
ent products. The total amount
of business that has been done by
the Bureau since it's creation July
l, 1917, amounts to millions of
dollars. The appropriation, which
is small compared with the sum
appropriated by some states for
Marketing Bureaus, is paid out of
funds derived from the sale of fer
tilizer stamps, in the same manner
as other state expenses are paid.
The appropriation amounts to al
bout 81 cents per farm, and if all
the people in the state paid it, it
Concluded on page 6)