OUTLETS AND METHODS OP SALE FOE SHIPPEES. 5 



appear in newspapers, trade journals, auction sheets, bulletins pub- 

 lished by private commission firms, and farm papers. In the case 

 of fruits and vegetables, they are prepared by newspaper reporters or 

 representatives of trade journals who are supposed to cover the 

 market each morning and determine the range of prices for each 

 commodity, either from actual sales or from the opinions expressed 

 by members of the trade. Public auction sales and transactions on 

 boards of trade also indicate general market conditions and aid in 

 determining prevailing prices for the day. Auction quotations have 

 the advantage of representing actual, bona fide sales in the majority 

 of cases and of showing actual amounts moving at different prices. 



Quotations as sometimes published are not of great value unless 

 price ranges are given for the varieties of each commodity as well as 

 for the commodity as a whole. Thus, Northern Spy apples may be 

 selling at prices ranging from $4 to $5.50 per barrel, while Ben Davis 

 apples on the same day may be sold wholesale at $3 to $4.50. If the 

 published quotations give the range in prices for apples as a whole, 

 entirely disregarding varieties or grades, the quotations in this case 

 would appear as "Apples, barreled, $3 to $5.50." This statement would 

 be so broad as to be almost worthless and would lead to serious mis- 

 interpretations. The lower figure in the range, as quoted, is sup- 

 posed to represent the actual selling price for the lower grades. The 

 grower having No. 2 Northern Spy apples to ship, on consulting these 

 quotations might conclude that the market as quoted would be $2.50 

 for his No. 2's, whereas sales for No. 2's of this variety actually would 

 bring him S4. Thus it is evident that unless quotations are given for 

 each variety appearing on the market in any considerable quantity, 

 they may fall far short of giving an accurate index of the market. 

 Another weakness is that while the higher figure in the range as 

 quoted may be $5.50, very few barrels will be sold at this price, and 

 the prevailing market price for fancy grades of Northern Spies may 

 be as low as $4.50. 



Too often the importance of following the market constantly is not 

 realized, and often quotations will remain unchanged for several days 

 although the market has fluctuated daily. Trade quotations undoubt- 

 ed I v are of great value in determining general price levels and market 

 conditions. 



VISITING THE MARKET. 



A personal visit to the markel which the shipper patronizes will 

 more than repay expenses, for points which seem trivial to him are 

 very important to dealers, and the producer should get the proper 

 market perspective. Such a visit enables tho grower to got into 

 personal (ouch with the distributors, to select a reliable representa- 

 tive, to learn the difficulties under which t,he car-lot receiver labors, 

 and to appreciate the problem with which he constantly is confronted, 



