THE MARKETING OF FARM PRODUCTS 891 



addition a tax of 8 s. on the pound, 15 s. water tax, and a house 

 duty of 5 s. paid on all houses over ;20 per year in rent. The 

 assessment is made lower than the actual rent paid, so that this 

 man would pay about ^4 for his store. The large majority pay- 

 ing jCzs per year or more do an order business and deliver, and 

 often the lower-class men will have a boy to deliver in the imme- 

 diate neighborhood. Wages for a boy of from sixteen to eighteen 

 years are about 12s. to i6s. per week; from eighteen to twenty 

 years old, ;i per week ; and for a good man, 25 s. to 30 s. per week. 



The wholesale prices were from 2s. gd. to 5 s. 6d. per hun- 

 dredweight, differing largely for the different varieties, qualities, 

 and salesmen. The quotations which are published in the news- 

 papers are made up in some cases by market reporters, but more 

 often on information furnished by large merchants, both wholesale 

 and retail. They seem to be fairly accurate but rather unsatisfac- 

 tory, as the range given is often very large. 



As nearly as it was possible to find out, potatoes retailing at 

 5 pounds for 3d. would cost 3s. 3d. to 4s. per hundredweight 

 at wholesale; those selling at 5 pounds for 3^d., about 3s. Qd. 

 to 4 s. 6d. per hundredweight, etc., according to conditions, the 

 higher grade potatoes bringing larger profits. It was impossible 

 to get these closely, as the grocers often pay slightly different 

 prices for the goods retailing at the same price, and the different 

 retailers pay different prices. The wholesale prices also varied 

 very much according to the dealers, and there were very large 

 fluctuations due to the sudden changes of the supply when new 

 districts began to send. The shortage due to shrinkage and 

 slack weights varies very much, but taking it as ^ hundredweight 

 in a ton or 2 pounds in a hundredweight, we can compare the 

 wholesale and retail prices as follows : 



Buy @ 2s. gd. per hundredweight (112 lb.) 



Sell no lb. @ 5 lb. for 2d Difference, iid. 



Buy @ 3 s. per hundredweight 



Sell 1 1 o lb. @ 5 lb. for 2^ d. ..... Difference, i s. 7 d. 



Buy @ 3 s. per hundredweight 



Sell 1 10 lb. @ 5 lb. for 3d Difference, 2 s. 6 d. 



Buy @ 3 s. 6 d. per hundredweight 



Sell 1 10 lb. @ 5 lb. for 3d Difference, 2s. 



