No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 637 



an organization that is using twenty or fifty cars a week has far less 

 trouble in securing- them than one only using an occasional car. 

 He also has great advantage in pressing claims, and in securing ade- 

 quate service all along the line. 



Thus far y\e have considered distinct ideas and phases of mar- 

 Ivcting. I wish now to bring to your attention two exceptionally good 

 examples of systems of marketing, worked out in accordance with 

 the principles I have suggested. Both have proved successful in the 

 first degree. 



Ionia, ]S^ew York, has for a number of years been an important 

 centre in the production of cucumbers for market. Until two years 

 ago, each grower did his own marketing, either by shipment on com- 

 mission or through local buyers. It is needless to detail the diflQ- 

 culties and dissatisfaction of this system. Many of us are still labor- 

 ing under it. All of us have so labored at some time or other. Two 

 years ago the growers of this section were brought together under 

 the leadership of Mr. C R. White in the Ionia Growers' Association. 

 Mr. White has worked out a plan of marketing that has proved 

 nearly ideal. 



Baskets of the oidinary type are bought in large lots at un- 

 usually reasonable figures. These are isstted to growers, and a rec- 

 ord is kept by means of punch marks on a duplex ticket. The 

 baskets are used for picking, and the grower brings his load directly 

 to the packing house of the Association in Ionia. Bis load is tallied 

 on another set of duplex tickets, the punch indicating the number of 

 baskets, run-of-the-fleld, which he has brought. They are then ready 

 to be graded and packed. The equipment for this work consists 

 of four tables, each accommodating eight workers. They consist 

 of frames bearing two sheets of canvas. The upper sheet is fastened 

 only at one edge to permit of the easy removal of dirt. Two tables 

 stand in each of two rooms, which are managed as separate units. 



The cucumbers of a single grower are brought and emptied upon 

 the tables, and the work of wiping and grading begins. Each 

 worker wears a fleece mitt with which the fruits are quickly rubbed, 

 and dropped into the proper one of six baskets, of which there is a 

 set for every two graders. The grades are designated as Ko. 1, 

 Fancy, Dills, Extras, and No. 2's, while the sixth grade is discarded. 

 No, I's and Fancys are perfect cubes, differing only in size. Extras 

 are over size, and are not held to so rigid a standard of perfection. 

 No. 2's or Choice are of the same size as No. I's and Fancys, but 

 are slightly off in form, or perhaps are slightly blemished. Dills 

 are perfect, but smaller than Fancys. The discard receives all mis- 

 shapen and otherwise blemished specimens. 



As the baskets are filled, they are removed to piles, according 

 to grade, and are covered and labeled. After all of a given grow- 

 er's lot has been placed upon the tables, the grading is completed, 

 parts of baskets are filled, and a tally is taken of the number of each 

 grade. This is also made by means of a slip and punch. The full 

 baskets are then removed to the shipping platform, and another lot 

 begun. Parts of baskets over a half are tallied as one, while minor 

 fractions are discarded. 



Careful record is kept of each car shipped. These records are 

 filed in the office of the Association, where they are typewritten on 

 three duplicate sheets. The white one is kept at the office. The 



