450 MARKETING THE PRODUCTS 
ness principles in distribution. The methods can be acquired by 
study and practice; but distribution demands the highest degree 
of concentration of mind, as well as codperation between pro- 
ducers, in order effectually to control its factors. 
The consumer must be brought closer to the producer. Too 
much of what the consumers pay goes to the middle men. The 
Report of the Secretary of Agriculture for 1910 shows that the 
farmer or poultryman receives for poultry but little more than 
one-half of what the consumers pay, while for eggs he receives 
only 69 per cent. The poultryman must better his position by 
organization and codperation in buying and selling. ‘Thus he 
can cut out the charges and profits of the middle men, and can 
put on the market a large quantity of better-grade products which 
will insure a continuous demand at profitable prices. It also 
eliminates the necessity for two or three handlings in the course 
of distribution, which means a higher price for the producer and a 
lower one for the consumer. One of the chief causes of the high 
cost of living at any time is not the high prices received by the 
producer, but the excessive cost of distribution. 
New Jersey poultrymen have been among the leaders in their 
ability to develop, successfully, codperative marketing. There 
exist within the State thirty-five local poultry associations, most 
of them county organizations. These organizations recently com- 
bined through the formation of a federation, which is a delegate 
body. This federation, through its marketing committee, has 
successfully inaugurated simple yet practical plans for the dis- 
tribution, at a relatively uniform price, of the great mass of eggs 
and poultry products produced by the members. 
Denmark is noted for the success of its agricultural organiza- 
tions, especially in the codperative selling of eggs. Canada also 
has recently achieved marked success in this line. It is carried 
on by means of “ egg circles,’ which are merely associations of 
the producers in a given community, who conform to certain 
standards in the production, collecting, and grading of their eggs, 
and agree to sell them under a trade name and guarantee. Havy- 
ing a large number to dispose of, it is easy to create a steady 
demand and to sell them at attractive prices. One member of 
the organization is elected or hired to collect and ship the eggs 
from one to three times a week, according to the season. 
