256 The Potato 



latter will be able to buy potatoes for less a bushel, and the 

 former will receive a larger share of the retail price than 

 before. The farmer should aim to cut down the expense 

 of growing and hauling to the local buyer. He can lower 

 freight charges by sorting carefully and thereby not pay- 

 ing freight on culls. By grading his stock and market- 

 ing the best, he can raise the price which he receives a 

 bushel. Perhaps the most effective means of lowering the 

 cost of marketing is for the farmers to organize coopera- 

 tive selling companies. Such organizations have most 

 of the advantages of the larger potato companies, in the 

 way of decreased cost of hauling and better marketing 

 information. In some cases the number of middlemen 

 can be cut down. We must remember, however, that the 

 potato is a bulky crop of a perishable nature and therefore 

 must be carefully held in storage while awaiting shipment. 

 This necessitates, for part of the crop at least, the services 

 of the large distributor who can hold the goods safely 

 until called for by the wholesalers. There must be re- 

 tailers who can sell potatoes in small lots to the consumer. 

 Perhaps one or even two of these steps might be dropped 

 out occasionally, and the expense of handling several times 

 be eliminated. 



There are many factors which determine the price of 

 potatoes. A careful study of these and skill in forecast- 

 ing as accurately as possible the probable price which 

 potatoes will bring from the time they are stored until the 

 last of them are sold late in the spring will determine 

 whether it will pay to store them or not. 



The farm price of potatoes at digging time is usually 

 very low. Most growers do not have storage facilities 

 and must put their product on the market in the fall. 

 This increases the supply and lowers the price. 



