18 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



City Marketing. 

 Large cities form marketing centers, each with problems of 

 marketing pecuhar to itself. If real concerted progress is to 

 be made in this branch of marketing, municipal market de- 

 partments seem to be almost a necessity. State legislation 

 providing for general supervision, supported by city ordinances, 

 would establish an organization with sufficient control to insure 

 its unity of action and would retain all the advantages of local 

 contact. The work of these municipal market departments 

 would include the administration of all municipal farmer's 

 and other public markets, and serve as publicity agents to 

 the people of the city regarding conditions and prices in the 

 local markets, and other market information. 



Public Markets. 



The better the method of marketing, the more inducement 

 is offered the farmer to produce a greater quantity. Com- 

 munity markets, located in the center of the city, benefit the 

 small producer who does not raise enough for wholesale, benefit 

 the city by bringing business to it, and benefit the consumer 

 by enabling him to purchase produce brought directly from 

 the farm and therefore in a better condition. 



A majority of the eighteen public markets in operation in 

 1920 were open from July to November for two days a week, 

 under the control of a market master, and most of them show 

 an increase of from 10 to 20 per cent over last year's business. 



A large proportion of the produce is raised by small gar- 

 deners, while, in order to compete with the retail stores, certain 

 commodities out of season and coming from the South have 

 to be bought at the Boston market. As a result, five of the 

 markets established a hucksters' row. 



A thorough investigation of the public market situation in 

 Massachusetts showed little actual reduction was made in prices 

 to consumers, and the tendency of the farmer was to increase 

 his prices to practically those maintained by the dealers in 

 the retail stores, giving in return better and fresher products. 



