450 MARKETING THE PRODUCTS 



ness principles in distribution. The methods can be acquired by 

 study and practice; but distribution demands the highest degree 

 of concentration of mind, as well as cooperation between pro- 

 ducers, in order effectually to control its factors. 



The consumer must be brought closer to the producer. Too 

 much of what the consumers pay goes to the middle men. The 

 Report of the Secretary of Agriculture for 1910 shows that the 

 farmer or poultryman receives for poultry but little more than 

 one-half of what the consumers pay, while for eggs he receives 

 only 69 per cent. The poultryman must better his position by 

 organization and cooperation in buying and selling. Thus he 

 can cut out the charges and profits of the middle men, and can 

 put on the market a large quantity of better-grade products which 

 will insure a continuous demand at profitable prices. It also 

 eliminates the necessity for two or three handlings in the course 

 of distribution, which means a higher price for the producer and a 

 lower one for the consumer. One of the chief causes of the high 

 cost of living at any time is not the high prices received by the 

 producer, but the excessive cost of distribution. 



New Jersey poultrymen have been among the leaders in their 

 ability to develop, successfully, cooperative marketing. There 

 exist within the State thirty-five local poultry associations, most 

 of them county organizations. These organizations recently com- 

 bined through the formation of a federation, which is a delegate 

 body. This federation, through its marketing committee, has 

 successfully inaugurated simple yet practical plans for the dis- 

 tribution, at a relatively uniform price, of the great mass of eggs 

 and poultry products produced by the members. 



Denmark is noted for the success of its agricultural organiza- 

 tions, especially in the cooperative selling of eggs. Canada also 

 has recently achieved marked success in this line. It is carried 

 on by means of " egg circles/ ' which are merely associations of 

 the producers in a given community, who conform to certain 

 standards in the production, collecting, and grading of their eggs, 

 and agree to sell them under a trade name and guarantee. Hav- 

 ing a large number to dispose of, it is easy to create a steady 

 demand and to sell them at attractive prices. One member of 

 the organization is elected or hired to collect and ship the eggs 

 from one to three times a week, according to the season. 



