10 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



growers. More notable is the Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce 

 Exchange, which has placed a representative on a number of 

 the large city markets in different sections of the country. 

 They have their sales agent on the Philadelphia, New York, 

 Chicago, Boston, and, I think, about six or eight other leading 

 markets, — the largest markets throughout the country. 



These men, in their original plan, drew in the information 

 from surrounding cities. The representative in Chicago would 

 know what the prices were in Milwaukee, Minnesota, St. Paul, 

 Des Moines and, in the beginning, in St. Louis. He would 

 be in touch with that entire radius of territory, and then as- 

 semble the information and send it on to their central office in 

 Onley, Virginia. 



That work has been supplemented now and is being done on 

 a more efficient and wider basis through the channels of our 

 own Department of Agriculture, — the Bureau of Markets. 

 Many of you have been brought in touch more directly in this 

 past season with the results and benefits of that particular serv- 

 ice. That service is divided into two main, two principal, forms. 

 There is one which was started originally three or four years 

 ago and extended its operations into Philadelphia, New York, 

 Boston, Pittsburg, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis. 

 I think that covers the entire number on their western circuit. 



This service was started for the purpose of reporting car-lot 

 shipments, and was covering only a few selected commodities. 

 The five or six particular commodities covered are potatoes, 

 onions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, 

 peaches and apples. Some of those you will notice have their 

 short seasons, and are still handled only during those seasons, 

 of course. The other commodities, which are the staple, the 

 non-perishable or semi-perishable products, are handled or re- 

 ported on the year round. 



The report of the service was met with by opposition in the 

 beginning on the part of the men in the different cities who 

 were selling the commodities. They immediately saw the result 

 and effect it would have on their business, especially some of 

 the men who were selling at a fair price and returning at a 

 different price. This had a very direct benefit for the producer, 

 inasmuch as it was a check-up on market conditions, and re- 



