8 BULLETIN 477, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Figure 1 is typical of the forms used by associations which assume 

 responsibility for assembling and disposing of the berries. This par- 

 ticular form provides for the contingency of transfers of cases from 

 one car to another in order to fill orders for certain varieties. This 

 receipt also has the desirable feature of attaching responsibility for 

 inspection to a particular inspector. Such features are found help- 

 ful in securing better grading and packing. 



The expenses of the association which the grower necessarily must 

 bear consist of a few well-defined items, namely: First, salaries for the 

 manager, sales manager or other officers, the inspectors, and any 

 other necessary help; second, rental of or taxes on loading sheds, 

 and depreciation of property, such as loading sheds, offices, etc.; 

 third, stationery, postage, telegrams, and other miscellaneous items. 

 The necessary money is secured either by charging the grower a fixed 

 sum per crate of berries or a certain percentage of the gross returns. 



SALES METHODS COMMONLY EMPLOYED. 



Under all present systems of doing business it appears necessary 

 that the large operators station their representatives in the producing 

 areas in order to deal with the association manager or the individual 

 grower, as the case may be. Apparently both buyers and growers 

 find it most satisfactory, under present conditions, to do business by 

 this method. However, with established grades and standards for 

 berries and an impartial inspection service conducted by some dis- 

 interested party, it is possible that buyers' and solicitors' salaries 

 and traveling expenses might be saved. In some instances the rep- 

 resentatives of the wholesale houses act entirely as cash buyers, 

 while in other instances they solicit consignments and endeavor to 

 secure the quality and variety of berries desired by their firms. 



TRANSPORTATION. 



So vital is the service of the railroad and refrigerator-car com- 

 panies to the soft-fruit business that any discussion of marketing 

 strawberries would be incomplete without mention of railroad method 

 and equipment. At various points during the 1915 season it was 

 observed that each road dealt with the shippers according to the 

 demands of the local situation rather than according to any fixed 

 program. 



All service which a railroad may offer must of necessity be based 

 on published tariffs, and whether the railroad assumes all or little 

 responsibility, there must be a tariff provision which covers the items. 

 The railroad agent deals with the shippers, either as individuals or 

 associations, and they must negotiate through him for service in 

 distributing the berry crop. In the localities where the volume of 

 shipments is large, the railroads usually have provided adequate 

 facilities for the handling of berries. 



