No. 6. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 411 



horticulture we have one of the oldest industries known, as we pre- 

 sume that ever since the ajjple was in the Garden of Eden more 

 or less fruit has been produced. And now after these thousands of 

 years to start up and make such progress is nothing less than mar- 

 velous. The sources from which we may learn how to grow crojjs 

 are many. We have our United States Department of Agriculture, 

 our several state dejjartments, our agricultural schools, Farmers' 

 Institutes, books, papers and last but not least these associations, 

 but unfortunately, while these tell us how to grow crops, they don't 

 give us much instruction on the marketing of them. Now, that 

 seems to me one of the most important things we have to consider; 

 it is the end of the business from which we get the price to buy the 

 necessities, comforts or luxuries of life as the case may be. 



Notwithstanding the wonderful progress that we have made along 

 the line of crop production, we must admit that other industries 

 have better systems of marketing their product than we have. And 

 yet I do not recall the tirst practice followed in marketing other pro- 

 ducts that would not apply equally as well to ours. 



I do not know of any better way that I can call your attention 

 to a few things I wish to at this time than by a short study of the 

 methods of those engaged in other lines and comparing their ways 

 with ours. Just for the purpose of comparison I am going to try 

 and call your attention to some of the ways and workings of the 

 International Harvester Company. As you all know they are a large 

 corporation with many factories turning out many different im- 

 plements, and yet they make but one thing in each factory. This 

 might suggest to use the advisability of being a specialist. I think 

 the day of the specialist if not already here is coming very fast. 

 Many arguments might be brought in support of this, but the one 

 having to do with my subject is this: If we are growing but one crop 

 we can produce thjit in sufficient quantity so that our influence is 

 felt in any market that we care to enter, and to the extent we can 

 make our influence felt, just to that extent can we control prices. 

 This fact might dictate to us as to what market we should go. A 

 market in proportion to the size of our supply. 



Another point to which I Avish to call your attention is the 

 matter of cost. We, in order to market intelligently must know 

 the exact cost of any product we put upon the market. From what 

 I have seen since I have been in your county I believe you have a 

 better development along horticultural lines than we have in Lu- 

 zerne, yet if I should ask you how many of you knew the exact 

 cost of any product you ever put upon the market I doubt if one 

 of you could tell me. I hope for 3'our sake that I am wrong about 

 this. It is a principle as old as the hills that in order to trade (and 

 that is what marketing is) intelligently you must know the value 

 of what you arc; trading in. This matter of cost may look like a 

 big job to you and I will admit that it does require some study and 

 thought to work out a system to properly work out the cost of our 

 difi'erent croj)S, but when you have such system once started it only 

 requires a few minutes each day to keep it in shay)e. Bear in mind 

 that the International Harvester Company have their own ore-mines 

 and forests from which they take their raw material and their busi- 

 iiess requires a much more complicated system to know the cost of 

 their product and yet they have it because it is absolutely necessary 



