Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-02-22
IN OUR
VALLEY

W Monty Montgomery, editor OF
Montys Monthly, couple of after
Moons ago.
Found Monty all propped up in bed
with his lame foot covered by what
seemed to US a mountain of bandages.
Somehow we expected to see Monty
pale, emanciated, all run down in the
mouth about his i'll fortune.
Not so. Monty looked as we'll as ever.
Tried to discuss that troublesome foot
with Monty. No luck. Characteristic
ally, Monty preferred to talk about the
future Of the Valley, and the part in
that future that will be played by the
press of the Valley.
Found that Monty is flat of his
back" for at least fifteen weeks. New
that foot, and it requires time and pa
thence to cultivate new skin.
Can't help but sympathize with the
farmer when his stuff hits the market
at a time when the buyer is out of it.
Early in the season spinach brought
as much as So a crate. Looked like
there was going to be splendid market
for it all the way through But things
didn't continue breaking like that, un-
fortunately. Either the ultimate con-
sumer was fed up" on spinach, or else
a continued spell of warm weather has
produced too much of it,
Heard case in point last night.
A Weslaco farmer sold his crop to a
buyer. He was promised 62 cents a
crate for it.
The crop measured S82 crates. The
farmer should have received $546.84 for
the crop of spinach.
But did he? He did not
The buyer came to the farmers place.
With his own truck, or possibly trucks,
so the story reaches us. The buyers
own crew pulled it, He hauled 1t to
town, on his own truck. BY the time
the buyer reached town, so the story
goes, the market FOR spinadh hac
"blown up There was no demand.
When the farmer has produced q
crop Of cabbage, he can't understand
why that cabbage should bring him say
So ton, and yet sell on the San An
or cents a pound, at the rate OF
$50 to $50 ton.
The explanation has been made time
and time again. But one must admit
that it's difficult to accept it when a
man has in his own mind the many
days of toll that he has put into his
CROP the days of waiting and worry
ing, wondering whether the crop will
make out; worrying about the weather
and the water. The cutting, the hauling
to town, and all the other trouble--and
then see his cabbage go at much less
than half cent a pound.
As matter of fact cabbage seldom
goes below five cents pound on the re-
tail markets of the larger cities. In
fixing the retail selling price the retail
er has back of him a great many
changes. There is, of course, the orig
inal price to the farmer, whatever 1T
may be, for it is a fluctuating figure.
Then comes the transportation price,
which is fixed, invariable, and along
with il the cost Of icing. Certainly, the
shipper adds a cost to cover his various
expenses, which includes the hire OF
clerks and helpers, his telegraph and
telephone expense, etc, as we'll as
slight charge for the risk he has in
cured Then the commission house In
the consuming or distributing city
comes in, adding his cost of doing busl-
ness, cost of handling, Grating, delivery,
shrinkage, and other incidentals. BY
the time the corner grocer in the out
skirts of the big city has added his
profit-well, there you are.
But who's to blame?
Nobody, particularly. If there's any
thing wrong, it's the system.
Farmers and shippers who gathered
at Mercedes to discuss the situation
seem to have taken a step that should
improve matters. As it happens. the
Valley market is enough of factor IN
the cabbage deal to have an effect on
the market To decide to stop shipping
until cabbage has attained SIS ton
NAV bring the desired results.
Speaking of transportation as relates
to cabbage, do you "old timers IN the
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