February, 1930] agricultural experiments 1929 7 



securing a local suppl}^ of green corn. Golden Bantam is the favorite 

 variety. Golden Evergreen, Country Gentleman, and Stowell's Ever- 

 green also received stated preferences. Medium sized ears in fresh green 

 husks are desired. Small, well-filled kernels are preferred. Opinion is 

 divided whether the rows should be straight or zigzag. 



The prices for vegetables received by local growers are usually above 

 Boston market quotations. This difference, however, is not all premium, 

 because delivery is made. The stewards, in general, expressed a willing- 

 ness to pay as much for local products as produce from Boston would cost 

 after all charges are paid. 



Several of the hotels have gardens and produce some vegetables. This 

 practice rapidly loses favor when a steward is able to purchase regularly 

 from a local grower. The few gardens kept for show purposes are oper- 

 ated at a loss, the managers state. {Purnell Fund.) 



COSTS OF RETAILING GRAIN 



Analyses of grain store cost accounts of 35 representative businesses, by 

 E. H. Rinear, show an average gross margin of 11.5 cents is taken on each 

 dollar of business, and that a net profit of slightly less than .7 cent is 

 earned on each dollar of sales. Fixed costs, including such items as de- 

 preciation, interest on net worth, rent, taxes, and insurance, averaged 2.7 

 cents per dollar; labor costs averaged 5.3 cents; delivery costs 1 cent; and 

 miscellaneous costs 1.8 cents. 



With two exceptions, all stores which had average j^early sales of less 

 than S3 1,000 for each man employed, and average labor costs above 5.3 

 cents per dollar of sales, were operated at a loss. The two exceptions 

 had taken gross margins below the average of 11.5 cents. 



Labor represents approximately 50 per cent of the total costs, and, when 

 the value of labor distribution is measured in terms of daily sales, some 

 stores are found to be twice as efficient as others. 



Even when quotations were given on a cash basis, larger margins were 

 being taken by the stores doing the larger credit business. {Purnell 

 Fund.) 



ROADSIDE STAND STUDY COMPLETED 



Rural roadside stands in New Hampshire which featured farm products 

 showed the largest average sales, according to the study by M. Gale East- 

 man on roadside marketing. Next in order came tea rooms and gift 

 shops, stands featuring merchandise products and stands featuring home- 

 made products such as pastry, candy, etc. 



A full report of the study is being published as Bulletin 249. About 800 

 stands were visited and figures from 103 of these showed average sales of 

 $2,714. The five largest markets averaged .112,721. {Purnell Fund.) 



TIME STUDIES IN HAYING AND ENSILING CORN 



Six and a half hours is the average labor requirement for raising and 

 ensiling one ton of corn, M. F. Abell finds from a study of roughage pro- 

 duction costs on 86 farms producing silage and 54 farms raising hay. The 

 labor requirement for hay is 8.4 hours a ton. 



