896 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



which are often not of uniform size, are very wasteful of space 

 in boats and carts, and, as the season lasts only about six weeks, 

 are very expensive to store. 



The containers for potatoes during the summer months are 

 of two kinds : {a) Hampers of wickerwork, holding a hundred- 

 weight. They cost about is. 8d. and is. 6d. or 2s. Deposit is 

 made for them by the grocer buying from the wholesalers, {b) Also 

 small barrels holding 80 pounds, which are used largely from the 

 Lancashire districts and from Jersey. These are old grape barrels 

 and cost with re-coopering and stringing is. 6d. apiece. The 

 former are the property of the Manchester wholesalers, and the 

 latter of the shippers or middlemen of the sections and are re- 

 turned at the expense of the wholesaler. Some of these middle- 

 men buy barrels at 2-1 d, or 3d. apiece and 8d. for a better grade 

 and have a man to re-cooper and string them. Later, when the 

 potatoes are harder, bags are used, holding i hundredweight and 

 costing 7d. These make, as a rule, several trips and are usually 

 the property of the wholesaler. In the summer the potatoes are 

 dug right into hampers or barrels, as the case may be. 



In Lancashire to a large extent and also in other sections about 

 Manchester, there is one man between the grower and the whole- 

 saler who is called a middleman. He buys outright from farmers 

 and then either sells or sends the goods on commission to the 

 wholesaler. In Ormskirk, about 40 miles from Manchester, these 

 middlemen supply to the farmers the above-mentioned barrels, 

 charging a deposit of i s. The farmer must cart to the station 

 and load on the cars, the only function of the middleman "being 

 to find a market, supply empties, and occupy himself with the 

 details of selling, shipment, etc. For these services his profit is 

 about 2s. 6d. per ton on an average, and when he supplies bags 

 and men to help pack them, he makes up to 5 s. the ton. During 

 the summer the profit averages above 2s. 6d. The price of the 

 middlemen to the wholesaler is 60s. to 65 s. per ton. The .freight 

 to Manchester is /s. 3d. per ton if 2 tons are sent, 6s. 8 d. if 

 4 tons are sent. 



The farmers near Ormskirk were getting about 55 s. to 60s. 

 per ton for their potatoes, the middlemen all paying the same 



