l66 AGRICUI.TURE OF MAINE. 



amounts to $25.00 which goes to various State Departments. 

 In every case the local affiliated with the Farmers' Union of 

 Maine by purchasing 5 shares of stock at $10.00 per share. The 

 'Farmers' Union" was organized in June last by representatives 

 from the locals. All the officers are members of some local 

 and the general board of management is made up of one 

 director from each of the locals, therefore the business of the 

 Farmers' I'nion is in the hands of the locals or the farmers 

 themselves. The Farmers' Union is what might be called a 

 selling and buying agency for the locals. The Afanager of the 

 Farmers' Union transacts the business in accordance with the 

 instructions of the Board and does not handle a dollar of the 

 funds of the locals and In fact depends upon the locals for all 

 sources of revenue with which to meet expenses. When the 

 locals or an individual stockholder desires to ship a car of his 

 product he notifies the Manager of the Farmers' Union who 

 secures a bid and if the bid is satisfactory to the loader he ships 

 the car with draft attached to bill of lading and collects back 

 every cent the car was sold for. The only cost is a cent and 

 a half per bushel for potatoes, which the loader pays the Farm- 

 ers' Union to meet the expenses locally and in the market center. 



If at the end of the year the money received is more than 

 sufficient to meet the running expenses it is paid back to the 

 locals in the way of a dividend. It will thus be noted that the 

 responsibility rests with the farmer. Again, the farmer's organ- 

 ization places him in a position to buy his supplies at the lowest 

 market price and wholesale prices. In my opening remarks I 

 stated that I would go to the foundation of marketing and now 

 let us see if I have made good that statement. 



The market to day is 70 cents per bushel for potatoes deliv- 

 ered at X. Y. City. If the car is to go to thirty-third street 

 from Maine Central points the rate is 23 cents per hundred 

 which is about 14 cents per bushel and the Heater charges are 

 3 1-2 cents per bushel which makes 17 1-2 per bushel and this 

 together with cost of selling amounts to 19 cents, therefore the 

 farmer has received 51 cents per bushel. 



The cost for freight and Heater charges and all other costs 

 amount to 19 cents, leaving a balance of 51 cents. Therefore 

 it will be understood that the farmer has received everv cent 



