203 



treat the market man. She showed the goods in an attrac- 

 tive form, always a little beneath the city market price be- 

 <2ause she was not meeting the cost of transportation and 

 iielivery. 



MRS. BELT : If we are going to sell to the consumer, 

 why don't we ask a good price? Wh,y do we have to ask a 

 small price, lower than the retailer. I am in business and I 

 j:ell direct to the consumer. 1 ask a very fair price, a high 

 jtrice. some people tell me. but I have a tine class of trade 

 and my customers come back to me every year and I get a 

 good price for everything I sell, and I don't know why the 

 farmers — why should we ask a low price for our goods 

 when we can get a high price? (Laughter and applause). 



THE CHAIR]\1AN: T don't think we should, but still I 

 think that Mr. Jenk's point is very well taken; you will find 

 difficulty, unless you are marketing all of your products on 

 your farm, in maintaining a lower price there and makmg 

 concessions to your customers who come out there, as 

 H gainst the customer who buys your fruit from the retailer 

 in town. 



SECRETARY BROWX : I think one point that has not 

 been thought of is the freshness of the goods delivered right 

 m the orchard, on the farm. The consumer who pays the 

 same price at the orchard is getting very much fresher 

 goods than the one who goes to the retail store, so that When 

 people come to my place, I tell them I charge the same price 

 as they would pay at the store, but they have the choice of 

 v'hat they see there, which of course is very much larger 

 than they would have at the store ; and also I usually have 

 n, few ripe peaches Ihat we give out as samples, so that they 

 go away eating, which of course they couldn't do at the 

 store — make up a little extra that way, but freshness is the 

 main point. 



A ME]\IBER : I think there is a reasonable way that the 

 consumer and grower can get together on some of these 

 matters. Now I have frequently, for small fruits, gone out 

 on the farm where thev were raised, and in everv instance 



