No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRlCULTUKK. 327 



other to reap and another to sell the product. If the farmer is rea- 

 sonably careful in selecting the house to whom he makes his ship- 

 ments, and will ship regularly to that house, I believe he will secure 

 the best returns for his goods. Nothing is gained by dividing ship- 

 ments amongst several houses, and thus putting your own goods 

 into competition, besides cutting your shipments so small that they 

 have little value to the receiver. And the practice of changing fre- 

 quently and shipping to those who quote the highest prices, is the 

 cause of much of the dissatisfaction which we hear from shippers. 

 Any house which throws out the bait of extravagant quotations is 

 doubtful, and when you get price lists from strangers quoting above 

 those of reliable houses, or offering to handle goods for less than the 

 regular rates of commission, or make no charge for hauling, etc., 

 it is evident that careful inquiry should be made in regard to such 

 houses before consigning anything to them. The commission busi- 

 ness is not a benevolent enterprise, and the expenses have to come 

 out of it somew^here. One great item of expense that has been added 

 in recent years is the local soliciting. In the beginning, some 

 houses which could not secure business in the ordinary way, put 

 men into the different fields to secure shipments. The sharp com- 

 petition which resulted, has compelled many who are opposed to the 

 plan, to do likewise or lose the business. If you will figure the 

 w^ages and other expenses of the solicitor and set it off against the 

 legitimate commission on the shipments he secures, you will see 

 that the solicitor is an institution that should be abolished. His 

 one object is to get shipments in order to hold his job, and many of 

 them will misrepresent the market, libel their neighbors, or resort 

 to any means to accomplish their purposes. 



It would be well if growers could make more frequent visits to 

 the markets to which they ship their goods; especially during the ship- 

 ping season. They can get an idea of the condition in which their 

 goods arrive, and also of the changing conditions which affect prices. 

 There are many causes — the good prices of to-day may attract in- 

 creased shipments and cause an overstock to-morrow; a wet day 

 may keep many buyers at home, and thus decrease the demand; the 

 delay of an hour or two in the arrival of the express train, and the 

 condition of the atmosphere during time of transit may cause the 

 goods which were apparently in good shape w'hen s'hipped to arrive 

 in poor order. These are only some of the causes which may dis- 

 affect prices and give the shipper the impression that he has been 

 unfairly dealt with, and he should be very sure of his case before he 

 makes accusations of untruthfulness and dishonesty. 



The commission man who expects to continue in business is com- 

 pelled to use his best efforts in the interest of his patrons as a mere 

 matter of good business policy, for without he can count on a large 



