Disposal of Produce. 47 



conveyed to market by road. Under such circumstances the 

 prices obtained for bulky green crops are, on the whole, pro- 

 fitable, but the same prices might be absolutely ruinous to a 

 grower whose land is situated, say, fifty miles away. 



With specialisation the varieties of crops are fewer in 

 number and are therefore easier to cultivate and to handle, 

 nor is the skill required so great or so varied as when more 

 numerous varieties in smaller quantities have to be raised 

 in regular succession ; besides which neither time nor ability 

 are called for in effecting sales, as this is done by the regular 

 commission salesmen in the markets. 



The grower who adopts this method of business can confine 

 his attention almost entirely to the work upon his holding, 

 with very obvious advantages. The great drawback is that 

 the choice of markets is comparatively limited, the number 

 of markets available to most growers being much too few to 

 deal effectively and satisfactorily with main crop supplies, with 

 the result that they become congested long before the demand 

 of the consumer is satisfied. In most cases the produce must 

 be sent when ready, no matter what the state of supply and 

 demand may be, and it is sold for whatever it will bring. If 

 it should arrive on a glutted market, the prices realised may 

 be entirely unremunerative or, as sometimes happens, there 

 may be no price at all. 



An alternative method is that of direct sale to shops, hotels, 

 restaurants, or private customers. When this line of business 

 is adopted it is necessary to produce a wide range of varieties, 

 combined with uniform and regular supplies. The grower 

 cannot restrict his crops to those for which his soil and situ- 

 ation are best adapted; to create and maintain a thriving 

 business he should be prepared to supply most of the veget- 

 ables and fruits required by any ordinary household, and to 

 grow these well on soil which in the case of many of the 

 crops is not the most suitable, calls for considerable skill 

 and resourcefulness. Additional time and ability are also 

 needed to find and secure regular customers. It is obvious 

 that a considerable amount of time must be occupied in 

 disposing of the produce in this manner and, of course, this 

 seriously curtails the amount of work which the grower 



