378 ANNUAL REPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



phases studied were the relation of prices to receipts; grades and 

 standards ; the presence and effect of poor-grade apples upon market 

 conditions; wholesale, jobbing, and retail methods and costs; and 

 export-market conditions in Europe and South America. 



Department Bulletin 302, Apple Market Investigations, 1914-15, 

 was published as a result of these studies. 



CITY MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION. 



SERVICE WORK FOB CITIES. 



Surveys of marketing conditions, varying in extent and comprehen- 

 siveness, have been made in the following six cities : Rochester, N. Y. ; 

 Huntington, W. Va. ; Parkersburg, W. Va. ; Jersey City, N. J. ; Hart- 

 ford, Conn.; and Lynchburg, Va. Following surveys in 1914, ad- 

 visory work has been continued in Providence, R. I. In addition, 

 a heavy correspondence has developed with other cities that desire 

 guidance in solving their market difficulties. All of these cities are 

 interested in establishing municipal marketing enterprises, either 

 wholesale or retail. Following the personal surveys, reports in most 

 cases have been made to the various municipalities containing an 

 outline of their existing marketing facilities, the apparent weak- 

 nesses, and recommendations for improvements. 



STUDIES OF MUNICIPALLY OWNED MARKET BUILDINGS AND MARKET PLACES. 



The investigational work carried on during the past year, as in 

 1914, has had to do largely with municipal wholesale and retail 

 public markets, farmers' markets, and terminal-market projects. 

 Personal observations of desirable features and of defects in munici- 

 pal and privately owned public markets have been made in 14 cities : 

 Cleveland ; Detroit ; New Orleans ; Kansas City ; Denver ; New York 

 City; Dubuque and Des Moines, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; Norfolk, 

 Portsmouth, and Eichmond, Va. ; Newark and Paterson, N. J. Un- 

 successful markets, as well as those which are giving fine service, 

 have been visited in order to study intelligently the factors which 

 have to do with the problem of establishing efficient municipal 

 marketing projects. It has been found that where municipal markets 

 have failed, it has been due in practically every case to faulty loca- 

 tion, lack of reasonably good business management, or unattractive 

 and insanitary conditions. The investigations made so far indicate 

 that, if given a fair chance to succeed, municipally owned wholesale 

 and retail markets will prove of great value in promoting efficiency 

 and economy in the distribution and marketing of farm products in 

 cities of substantial size. The results of a certain amount of the in- 

 vestigational work done on municipal marketing enterprises were 

 incorporated in an article entitled, Retail Public Markets, pub- 

 lished in the 1914 Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture. It 

 is also available in pamphlet form as Yearbook Separate No. 636. 



Shortly before the close of the fiscal year 1915, a complete survey 

 lof municipal marketing activity in the United States was begun and 

 is now well under way. 



