Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-26
Lloyd Tenny's Address Fea-
lures Athens Meet. R.
Adams to Speak Wednes-
day Night on Federation

ATHENS, Ca, Jan. 25.--f the
farmers of Georgia, can solve three
problems they will have the mar
keting question in hand, Lloyd S.
Tenny, assistant chief of the bureau
of agricultural economics at Wash
| ington, told the farm conferences
delegates here Tuesday.
These problems are:
Adjustment of production to
probable demand.
Standardization Of farm prod.
ucts.
3-Controlling distribution as to
time and place.
"These problems can not be solved
by the federal nor the state govern
ments," he said. "It is up to the
farmer entirely to settle the prob
lens, that is, with the aid of the
state and national governmentss
Standardization of products was
emphasized very forcibly by the
speaker.
Standardized Products
"Only in few cases have the
farmers fully appreciated the conf
mercial value of standardiZing prod
ucts." However, he stated, the prob
lem is being worked out now, and
successfully. aside from adjusting
production to probable demand and
standardizing products, the farmer liz
faced with the problem of distribut-
| ing his crop as to time and place.
This problem can be settled as with
the case of the others only by a.
campaign of education. The prod
ucts of the farm can be distributed
evenly throughout the year with the
4 farmer receiving good revenue as q
result.
Granted even that we do appre-
ciate the Importance of grading and
standardizing, how shall we arrive
at that happy destination where the
farmer can see his farm products
| sold as merchandise Is sold, with one
sale securing repeat orders and thus
the marketing work functioning sue
cessfully? Can the farmer attain
this end working by himself, or shall
the state step in to analyzef what
these problems are?
I'VE see as fundamental the big
problem of standardizinc our prod
uct. The manufacturer recognizes
the Importance of a standardized
product. Here is a certain make of
safety razors, for instance, selling
to the number of a million or more
annually. But every single razor is
an exact duplicate of every other
one. 1t makes no difference Of
whether you buy your particular
razor in Athens, Ga, Washington.
d. c., or Hongkong, China, you
know what you are getting before
you open the package.
One has only to study the sales
work of such an organizations as the
California Fruit Growers exchanges
and the American Cranberry ex-
change to see how nearly the sup.
plies of commodity can be distrib-
uted throughout the shipping season
and into every available consuming
center, so that supply and demand
are equalized to a remarkable extent.
Successful Marketing"
Successful marketing consists
largely of gauging accurately the
factors of demand with a view to- am
. ticipating the price which will CO.
ordinate these two sets of forces.
This is the summary made by
Asher Hobson in study recently
made by him of the American Cram
berry exchange. He goes on to say,
'if the association should ask too low
a price for it's fruit, it would not
have enough to supply the demand.
If 1t should ask too high a price, the
entire crop would not be sold by.
the end Of the season."
"Co-operative marketing is not g.
panacea for all marketing ills and
there is no magic or mysticism about
| it," ,he said. However, there can be
no question as to the right of xarm-
ers to organize themselves into asso-'
Citations, cooperative or otherwise.
for the purpose Of marketing their
crops so long as they observe the res
quirements of our laws" Co-opera-
tive marketing is a great aid to iso-
lated farmers who could not other.
wise reach the market.
1.-THE trouble with much of the CO..
operative marketing plan in the past
has been that too great emphasis
has been placed upon the organiza-
l ton features of he movement and
too little upon pointing out the lines
of work to be undertaken by the or
ganization.
1.-THE marketing system that
should exist is that which tends to
make the most intelligent and best
trained farm people. Cooperative
marketing if properly established,
will do this thing. 1t will be done
slowly, however, and in doing It.
there must be sound thinking, carcz
full reasoning and the organization
must help the farmers to be more
Independent and to take care of
their fown business. Any form OF
farm organization that does not do
this should be discouraged, for ulti-
| mately such an organization must
fail, because it is founded on princi.-
pies that are economically wrong.
Cooperation, on the other hand,
that tekes care of individual ini-
tiative and provides opportunity for
individra leadership among our
agricultural people is sound, and will
succeed, because it IS fundamentally
right.H
Mr.. Tenny's address, read in his
absence, by George /. Gatlin, of the
department of agriculture, was one
of the most interesting and instrucnA
| 1--WE Oh the conference. Inc SeCOnQ
day of the conference was devoted
to arketing-marketing of apples,
grains, hay and other products, ends
ing with demonstration and exhib-
its of grain and hay prepared by
Prof. Paul Tabor, of the State Coll
lege of Agriculture.
In his address, Mr.. Tenny stated
that the department. Of agriculture
at Washington is perfecting a re-
organization that brings together all
the work of the office of farm man
agement, the bureau of markets and
former bureau Of crop estimates,
making ort Of three one single unit
| where all we ecnnnnaic rarnhlerns re-