MARKETING 123 



fields where numerous small water powers are 

 found, the building of many mills of low capacity 

 serves to favor direct marketing. Such conditions 

 exist in some of the Eastern states, particularly in 

 the Piedmont and Appalachian provinces. In 

 these localities there are many swift streams and 

 good dam sites which render cheap power avail- 

 able for operating the mills. The country, which 

 was settled early, supports a fairly dense popula- 

 tion and farms are not, as a rule, very large. 

 Selling directly to the mill is not only the simplest 

 method but under these conditions is the most 

 economical. But wheat thus sold does not enter 

 largely into commerce. The local mill manufac- 

 tures it into flour which goes back directly to the 

 people of the community. Since circulation is 

 chiefly local, little or no railroad transportation 

 is necessary. 



Shipment to Large Mills or Markets. - - Let us look 

 at a contrast to the conditions just described. 

 The great wheat areas of the Central and Western 

 states and of Canada are very different from those 

 of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Here a large sur- 

 plus of wheat is grown each year for which distant 

 markets must be sought. In the newer portions 

 there are few mills, and even in the older sections 

 the supply of wheat far exceeds the local demand. 

 This has caused the development of large milling 

 centers and of markets so located that they are 



