Markets, Marketing and Storage 253 



The graph in Figs. 19 and 20 illustrates this same rela- 

 tion between production to the acre and value a bushel. 



If the consumer of potatoes examines a list of farm prices, 

 as published by the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, he is usually surprised to find that he is paying at 

 least double what is paid the farmer for a bushel of potatoes. 



Under present conditions the cost of marketing potatoes 

 is relatively high. It could be cut down appreciably if 

 farmers would cooperate in marketing and would grade 

 their stock carefully. Taylor publishes statements from 

 a potato merchant to show the distribution of the cost of 

 marketing a bushel. 



The local buyer pays, on the average, three cents a 

 bushel for the labor of handling the potatoes. Bags cost 

 about 5 cents, and the dealer asks a profit of about 2 

 cents a bushel. 



The freight charges vary a great deal with the distance 

 of shipment. Taylor says that it costs about 8 to 8i 

 cents a bushel to ship from Wisconsin to Chicago! To 

 the freight must be added the cost of lining and firing the 

 car, when the potatoes are shipped in the winter. This 

 will cost about 2 cents a bushel. It costs the small 

 shipper from $7 to $10 a car for heating, while the large 

 dealer will send through a string of 5 to 20 cars for about 

 $1.50 each. We must count on a certain loss in transit 

 through frosting and rotting. Then, too, under present 

 methods of grading and marketing there is almost always 

 a loss of 20 to 40 bushels of culls to a car, and occasionally 

 as high as 100 to 150 bushels. These potatoes are a total 

 loss to the buyer, and the freight paid on them is also lost. 

 As a result of this loss on culls, the price for a bushel rises 

 somewhat. 



The larger distributor or commission man usually nets 



