150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



hall, by fro 3 markets ia tho streets; alter tlie habits of your 

 people by purchasing from tiie producer the articles of their 

 daily food, aud you will soou fiud that an open market can be 

 found for the larger farmers and the larger products of the more 

 distant producer, even to the remotest sections of the State. 



Mr. XouRSE, of Westborough. I suppose there is no law 

 against a young man asking a question here. I was sorry to 

 see at a gathering I attended lately, — the meeting of the Milk 

 Producers' Association of Massachusetts and New Ilampshire, — 

 that the young men were not sufficiently interested to be present. 

 If they are interested enough to be farmers, they ought to be 

 interested enough to attend meetings which affect farmers, and 

 thus become posted in regard to the important matters which 

 are discussed at those meetings. I came here especially to-day 

 that I might hear the discussion of this question this after- 

 noon. 



It seems to me that the suggestions which have been made in 

 regard to markets being held twice a week in the larger centres 

 of trade docs not meet the great want which we feel, after all, 

 in regard to marketing the large portion of the products in 

 •which many of us, at least, are interested. The more perish- 

 able products of the farm, it seems to me, cannot be marketed 

 in that way. How shall they be marketed so that the immense 

 profit of the middle-men shall be, a part of it at least, placed in 

 the pockets of the farmers ? We are willing, I am sure, to 

 share it with the consumers. But here is a question which, it 

 seems to me, is worthy of discussion and candid considcratiA. 

 Is there not some way by which our small fruits can be taken 

 to market and we realize something near the cost of producing 

 them ? 



At that meeting to which I have referred in Boston, an 

 arrangement which had been made for carrying the smaller 

 fruits and more perishable vegetables to market was described, 

 which it seems to me it would be well for those interested in 

 marketing t^uch articles to consider. An arrangement was 

 made with the railroad corporations by which they took a crate 

 or a barrel or anything not exceeding a barrel in size, carried 

 it to Boston, took it down to the place of sale, and returned the 

 empty crate or barrel, for a quarter of a dollar. The farmer 

 then knew exactly what it would cost him to have his article 



