BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



THE YALUE OF A MARKET NEWS SERVICE TO 

 FARMERS AND FRUIT GROWERS. 



HOWARD W. SELBY, DIRECTOR, MARKET BUREAU, EASTERN STATES 

 EXPOSITION, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. 



I was asked, before coming up here, if I would have some- 

 thing interesting and amusing to say in the course of this hour 

 this morning, but the subject that has been chosen is "The 

 Value of a Market News Service to Farmers and Fruit Grow- 

 ers." This is not a most interesting sort of a subject, but it is 

 one of the most practical that might be presented and dis- 

 cussed at this morning's session. 



It has been an interesting study to note the development in 

 the market-gardening and fruit-growing business, especially in 

 the way that the farmer and producer has been keeping in 

 touch with his product from the time it leaves the farm until it 

 is sold on the market. It is becoming somewhat obsolete to 

 find the farmer who is removed a few miles from the market 

 who fails to know and realize what price his products have sold 

 for until a week or ten days or more — two weeks — have 

 elapsed. 



I have been surprised, however, in the course of the last two 

 weeks to learn that some of the men on the outskirts of Boston, 

 who are selling their products through the regular channels of 

 the commission houses there, are failing to receive returns until 

 the end of the second week; and furthermore, fail to know and 

 realize what their goods have brought on the market. I think 

 there is nothing weaker in the line of market gardening or any 

 especial line of farming than that great weakness which has 

 been brought out in that particular instance. 



I used to go down, a number of years ago, on the eastern 

 shore of Maryland and Virginia, and there they were producing 



