PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. 357 



PROBLEM. 



1. iWhat was the per cent profit made by middlemen on each of 

 the following products in New York : 



(a) On eggs? 



(b) On milk? 



(c) On cabbage? 



(d) On onions? 



(e) On potatoes? 



(f ) On the total amount of business transacted? 



There is no longer any excuses for this unreasonable dif- 

 ference between the cost of production and consumption that 

 now goes into the pockets of non-producers. 



The farmers and consumers must demand a preference 

 freight service that will afford the speediest form of transporta- 

 tion of perishable products. The milk train, the peach train, the 

 strawberry train, of loaded refrigerator cars will help to solve 

 the problem. 



Within the circle of figure I is the greatest fruit eating 

 section in the world. Within a radius of fifty miles of the City 

 Hall, New York, there is a population of 5,000,000 people. Less 

 than 3 per cent of these people ever produce any fruit. 



To supply a great city with milk, butter,, eggs, fruit and other 

 products in a fresh condition is one of the great problems of 

 transportation. 



With special freight service, the motor truck and the parcels 

 post and a city market there is no reason why the producers of 

 eggs, dressed poultry, butter, fruit, vegetables and flowers can not 

 market a large part of their products direct to the consumer. 



In ages past nations have started out in their careers of mili- 

 tary conquest to gain more territory, to enhance their agricul- 

 tural and commercial resources. Today a nation than can double 

 its agricultural production, its commerce, its manufacturing and 

 its transportation has accomplished far more for its populace than 

 if it had acquired by militay conquest an area equal to its own. 



The great problem for agricultural science to solve is not to 

 increase the number of acres to 1>e tilled. It is a problem of in- 

 creasing the yield 1 and profits on the land that we are already 



