Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-05
Poor Marketing
i
System, Costly to
Gro,ver and User
BY Associated Press.

west truck farms Is 'treacherous
inefficient system working at the ex-
pense of both producer and consum-
err the Illinois Agricultural Associa-
tion declares IN q statement made
public here today.
The association, which is composed
of nearly 100000 Illinois farmers or
ganized in farm bureaus. has recently
determined to establish fruit and
vegetable marketing department. and
as a step toward this end recently
sent an expert into the South Water
street market, the largest of it's kind
in the world, and the Randolph mar
ket. At the sanael time he reviewed
prices in grocery stores.
What the produce grower receives
tie relation to what the consumer
pays for the same vegetables, the as
ISOLATION declares. Officials said
they had names and figures to back
up their statements. The investi-
gator reported produce was, being
taken back to be dumped because its
growers could not afford to sell at
the price offered because there was
no sale at all.
There is room for farmers them
selves to improve their methods. the
associations investigator reported.
He said he found need for more
honest methods and for better stand
ardization. At association head
quarters here today 1t was said that
the first efforts OF the association in
developing marketing methods would
be made sat home," with the farmers.
for betterment In these respects. The
associations statement summarizing
the report received says:
.Producers have no way Of telling
the supply or demand Of the market
and can not supply the market in
diligently. Some, days there Is a
flood Of certain kinds Of produce and
very often there In q shortage Of that
same product the next day.
Prices differ 100 per cent to grow
ers on the same products and the
same quality, even the same hour
Of the day. II
There is little Standardization OF
packages and considerable dishonesty
in packing.
THE price received by growers on
the quantity on the market has little
or nothing to DO with prices In Chi
cage.
ssSome 500 auto trucks from a
radius of fifty miles from Chicago
come to tho Randolph and South
Mater street markets each day.
These truck gardeners sell to COM
mission men, wholesale houses. spec
ulators. peddlers. hucksters and con-
sumers. In order to get q stand for
the next days market. truck growers
begin to arrive At 4 p. "a. Tho driv-
ers sleep on top or Ii under the
wagons, according To- tae weather
conditions waiting for the market to
open up next morning.
THE price q grower gets depends
largely upon how good q guesser he
is on the supply of produce on the
market that day which he has
brought in and his dickerinES ability
with the buyers he meets. 1nvesti-
cation shows that some growers sold
tomatoes in the box and bags OF corn
for more than twice Is much as
others on the same morning. A mar
ket may fluctuate from so to 100 per
cent in garden products within q few
hours time.
DAY after day many trucks 30
home with part Of their load to be
dumped. and other days there Is a
shortage"
The investigators report includes
a long list OF truck growers who
hauled some Of their load home dur
ing the week Of September Is. "One
grower took home u half q load Of
crates OF cabbages. each containing
thirty six heads. because he was of
fered only Is cents a crate. He said
his reason for not selling was that
crates cost IS cents each and he
could not afford to sell for that price.
A Franklin Park gardener took home
sweet corn because he could not get
over 20 cents for q. bag Of four
dozen. A number ,,f cases showed
quantities Of corn and tomatoes
brought home because there was no
sale at all.
on tAes0 sa nlu uay0 = iOunu -
the Cnicago reta1l Markets was mace ;.
to~compare growers ana consumers
price. On MONDAY the producer re-
ceiyed ~ cents = dozen Tor SWEEP
corn. on Wednesday 8 cents. and on
Friday az cents. The same three
days AVERAGE retal Price at 1iarse
number Of stores In the Loop down
town distrtct) and IN suburbs was oO
cents on Wednesday and Friday. On
these same three days tomatoes sold