914 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



not up to what is claimed, the purchase price will be refunded or the 

 package duplicated. 



Purchasers do not like to find upon opening a box or a barrel of fruit 

 that the interior is inferior to the surface layer. Goods packed in this 

 way cannot establish a reputation for the producer, and, of course, are 

 not branded. It pays to be honest. 



Trend of Prices. — The prices of farm products fluctuate from month 

 to month and from year to year. The rise and fall in prices is due to 

 several factors, such as over and under production, the financial condition 

 of the country and the extent of exportations. 



For products that have a world-wide market, such as wheat and 

 most animal products, the supply in foreign countries will also affect 

 price. A shortage in the supply of any farm product results in a rise in 

 price. Frequently the advance in price is such as to render a short crop 

 more valuable on the market than a large crop sold at a price somewhat 

 below normal. Nearly all crops are subject to high and low prices at rather 

 regular intervals. When prices of any commodity are unusually good, 

 farmers generally plant more extensively of it the following year and 

 thus cause the price to decline. A decline in price is then followed by a 

 reduced acreage and a consequent rise in price. 



With annual crops these periods are of short duration. With crops 

 that require several years for fruitage, these periods are much longer. 

 With apples, for example, the periods of high prices and low prices occur 

 at intervals of about twenty years. With horses, that require four or five 

 years for maturity, these periods occur at intervals of eight to ten years, 

 while with swine the intervals are about three years. It is good business 

 on the part of the farmer to anticipate these periods of high prices and 

 increase his output to meet the demand. 



There is also a monthly trend of prices for nearly all farm products. 

 As a rule, prices are lowest just at the close of the harvesting period of 

 each crop and during the months that livestock is most conveniently mar- 

 keted. If crops are held for an advance in price, one should compare the 

 cost of holding with the probable rise in price. The cost of holding con- 

 sists of shrinkage, storage, interest on value of crop, insurance and possible 

 depreciation in quality, together with loss from vermin. The cost of mar- 

 keting should also be taken into account. It is advantageous to market 

 the crops when farm work is not pressing. This helps to distribute the 

 work of the farm and keep men and teams more fully employed. It will 

 pay the farmer to study market prices and the forecast of probable yields 

 as reported by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the daily and 

 agricultural press. 



Selling Directly to Consumer. — Milk, butter, poultry, eggs and 

 nearly all classes of fruit and vegetables are frequently sold by the farmer 

 directly to the consumer. While this method eliminates all middlemen 

 and secures for the farmer the best price, the production side of his business 



