242 The Sweet Potato 



some one for handling them. Any possible commission 

 is eliminated, however, when the grower sells directly to 

 the consumer on a home market. In addition to. this, 

 many growers prefer the home markets because they 

 are given an opportunity to put into their sales their 

 own individuality. They meet and know their buyer 

 personally, become acquainted with their desires, and 

 are better able to meet trade requirements. Such per- 

 sonal contact is also conducive to improvement and de- 

 velopment in selling. The grower thereby learns the 

 value, of what would perhaps otherwise seem unimpor^ 

 tant details of efficient salesmanship. It enables him 

 to grow with the increasing demands of his business. 



Frequently when it is not convenient or desirable to 

 sell direct to the consumer, it may be possible to sell to 

 small grocery stores, canning factories, storage plants, 

 or local buyers who assume the risk of shipping. 

 Although the gross price received from such sales is 

 always less than from a private retail trade, it is some^ 

 times more than the net returns would be when the ad- 

 ditional time and expense involved in the more direct 

 small sales are figured. Because of better organized 

 and more efficient means of selling, a grocer can some- 

 times pay the grower a better net price than the latter 

 could secure by personally peddling his potatoes. This 

 is not always, or even frequently, the case, however, as 

 dealers who buy usually allow enough margin to insure 

 a good profit on such perishable goods. This is 

 especially true of local buyers who purchase with an 

 idea of shipping. Such men are usually well posted 

 on market conditions and certainly keep on the safe side 

 of purchasing prices. Commercial storage companies 

 and local canning factories furnish one of the most sat- 



