WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 9 



ties being carried on cause the market to present an appearance 

 peculiar to the produce trade. A great amount is moved by the 

 wholesale trade in the very early morning. At this time, before most 

 of the activities in the city have started, produce distributors find 

 their busiest period. Trucks of fruit and vegetables from freshly 

 " broken " cars are being unloaded on the walk before each business 

 house: ranks of crates, boxes, and baskets nearly block all passage- 

 ways; and more or less elaborate displays of the day's offerings are 

 being arranged to attract passing buyers. Jobbers, grocers, huck- 

 sters, and fruitstand vendors elbow their way through narrow pas- 

 sageways between the tiers of produce, stopping every few feet to 

 inspect goods and ask prices. Street salesmen for each produce firm 

 endeavor to withstand the assault of the throng and each attempts 

 to devote attention to three or four buyers at once. Prices are 

 quoted and violent arguments take place as to qualit}^ pack, and 

 price. After much - wrangling and discussion of price and terms, 

 sales are finally made. 



Figure 1 shows South Water Street, Chicago, at 8.30 a. m., which 

 is after the rush hours. There is not sufficient light to secure a 

 good picture when the congestion is greatest. 



Where a few years ago goods coming to market passed, as a rule, 

 by definite, direct channels to the consumer, to-day the same goods 

 may take any one of a great number of channels, whose directness 

 may or may not be in proportion to the size, type, or quality of the 

 shipment. Large distributing organizations and firms have grown 

 and spread their business activities over much wider fields, but each 

 has worked along its own lines, and each by itself to a certain 

 extent; hence the present lack of uniform practices and systems. In 

 other words, there is no continuous articulation between the different 

 j diases of distribution. This does not mean that members of the 

 trade have no common interests. As a matter of fact, their business 

 success depends to a large extent on their ability to secure when 

 needed the help and cooperation of certain of their associates. 

 This community of interests, however, does not obtain among all 

 those engaged in distribution. Distributors are often working at 

 cross-purposes, so that general economy and efficiency are lost in 

 the conflict of interests. 



Tn this discussion rather arbitrary lines are laid down as bound- 

 aries for flic activities of various types of middlemen, yet in actual 

 practice these activities so overlap and encroach upon each other 

 that resulting market practices are exceedingly complicated. 



Goods do no! pass in regular ord"r through definite channels, but 

 are gold by any available means. While for purposes of clearness the 



distinction between the various types of distributing agencies has 

 90017°— Bull. 267— 15 2 



