30 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



4.8 months, in the second half 3 months; fresh pork in the first half 

 0.8 of 1 month, in the second half 1 month; poultry in the first 

 half 2.6 months, in the second half 2.4 months; butter in the first 

 half 4.5 months, in the second half 4 months; eggs in the first half 

 6.1 months, in the second half 1.7 months; fish in the first half 6.8 

 months, in the second half 6.7 months. 



COSTS OF STORAGE. 

 STORAGE CHARGE, INTEREST, AND INSURANCE. 



In the foregoing treatment of the information obtained with re- 

 spect to the length of time commodities are held in cold storage, the 

 subject has been examined from several viewpoints. It is apparent 

 that long storage is exceptional. 



The costs of cold storage are running against the prices of the 

 commodities month by month. The owners must use good judgment 

 and take their goods out of storage before the costs of storage, added 

 to the original cost of the goods and some profit, will raise the total 

 amount of cost above the market price. It is a problem of the future. 

 Sometimes the owner of the goods errs in judgment and fails to make 

 a profit, again he fails to get back the cost of goods and the costs of 

 storage, and yet again he gets back all costs and a large rate of profit. 



The warehouseman has a rate of charge for space for each com- 

 modit}^, in some cases for storing for the " season,'' and in others 

 by the month. Another cost of storage is interest, which is not 

 alwa^'s a theoretical cost, because the owners of the commodities often 

 l)orrow mone}' on the security of their warehouse receipts, or other- 

 wise. A third cost is insurance. 



If these three costs are combined they amount to 0.437 of 1 cent 

 per pound of fresh beef per month, or 3.5 per cent of the mean 

 wholesale price of beef from September to Xovember. 1910, the latest 

 period of heavy warehouse receipts within the period covered by this 

 investigation; for fresh mutton the costs are 0.352 of 1 cent per 

 pound, or 3.8 per cent of the mean wholesale price in the heavy stor- 

 age months, August to October. 1910; for fresh pork. 0.398 of 1 cent 

 per pound, or 3.7 per cent of the mean wholesale price of January 

 and February, 1911 ; for poultry, 0.446 of 1 cent per pound, or 2.8 

 per cent of the mean wholesale price of the largest class of poultry 

 during October, 1910, to January, 1911 ; for butter, 0.571 of 1 cent 

 per pound, or 2.4 per cent of the mean wholesale price of butter 

 during June to August. 1911 ; and for eggs, the costs amount to 0.593 

 of 1 cent per dozen, or 3 per cent of the mean Avholesale price of 

 eggs, April to June. 1910. 



The wholesale jDrices adopted for these commodities are the means 

 of a few cities in all parts of the country. 



