MARKETING 8l 



The most hopeful signs of the time, from the mar- 

 keting standpoint, is not that more or less produce 

 is going through the hand of the commission man 

 or that more or less is being sold direct to the con- 

 sumer, but that the grower is giving more personal 

 thought and attention to this end of the business 

 and is selecting and planning for his market cam- 

 paigns along much more intelligent lines. The more 

 or less unsatisfactory relations long existing be- 

 tween the commission men and producers, and the 

 one-sided nature of the transaction has caused many 

 plans to be originated and tried out for the solution of 

 this difficulty. 



Two principal avenues of escape present them- 

 selves. First, the formation of co-operative selling 

 associations ; and, second, direct or personal market- 

 ing. The advantages and disadvantages of co-op- 

 erative selling when properly managed cannot be 

 questioned, but room can hardly be taken in this 

 little volume to discuss this matter except to say 

 that these co-operative efforts are becoming more 

 and more numerous each year and a larger percent- 

 age of them are every year proving successful. 



Direct marketing appeals especially to the gar- 

 dener upon a small scale, and while it has many 

 points in its favor is not without some serious ob- 

 jections. The net profits per unit of measure are 

 usually larger than in the wholesale market. A per- 

 sonal relationship is established between producer 

 and consumer, making it possible for the transac- 

 tion to be more remunerative to the grower and 

 more satisfactory to the consumer. If high-class 

 materials are furnished competition is almost elim- 

 inated. Upon the other hand, direct marketing re- 

 quires considerable ability along the lines of sales- 



