CHAPTER IX 
SELLING AGENCIES 
Commission House.—The oldest and perhaps the best 
established method of selling produce in the United States 
is through the medium of the commission man. At 
present much discussion and considerable criticism has 
been heaped upon the commission man and his ways of 
doing business. Some of it has been just, but perhaps 
more of it has been unjust. The commission house theo- 
retically, is perhaps an unnecessary institution, but prac- 
tically no good way has been found to eliminate him. 
While he is in a measure a necessary evil, he is still a 
very important factor in the selling and handling of 
fruit and farm produce. Commission houses are so 
situated that they can handle either small shipments or 
car lots. There are a great many fruit growers through- 
out the country who are not associated with any organi- 
zation and who have only a very small part of a carload 
to ship at any one time, and if it were not for the com- 
mission houses it would be impossible for them to sell 
their fruit. 
How Fruit is Handled.—The methods of doing busi- 
ness through the commission houses would be about as 
follows: Many of the houses send out solicitors or trav- 
eling agents. They go from place to place requesting 
that certain shipments of fruit be made to houses in 
the cities. Often they leave stencils with name and ad- 
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