MARKETING 227 



ducers. Some one of these may own or control a 

 score, or fifty, or a hundred country elevators at as 

 many shipping stations, each operated by an agent of 

 the company, which in turn works in harmony with the 

 railroad system covering the same territory. The 

 prices paid farmers for corn are very largely governed 

 by current quotations in the big distributing centers, 

 freight rates duly considered. In many instances, 

 farmers feel they do not secure all the market will 

 stand, through lack of competitive bidding, and gladly 

 welcome the advent of outside buyers. This is what 

 has brought so rapidly to the front in the past few 

 years the "farmers' elevators," described on an- 

 other page. 



The country buyer, no matter whether represent- 

 ing a line elevator or an independent concern, must be 

 a good judge of grade and quality in the city markets. 

 After temporary storage, and possibly cleaning at 

 country point, the corn is shipped to a great distribut- 

 ing center, such as Chicago, where the car is inspected 

 by the state grain inspection department and graded 

 according to the classifications of that presumably im- 

 partial body. 



PUBLIC GRAIN WAREHOUSES 



In order to handle the grain crops quickly and 

 economically, enormous storage facilities are necessary, 

 both at centers of accumulation in the grain growing 

 states, at various transfer points on the Great Lakes 

 and at tide water. Mention has been made elsewhere 

 of the country elevator systems, also allusion to ware- 

 houses at the seaboard. In accompanying cut (Fig 

 58), a typical modern grain warehouse is shown. An 

 idea of its bulk and magnitude is afforded by compar- 

 ing its hight with that of the trains of cars which are 

 pushed directly into and through it for loading and 

 unloading. This elevator, located in Chicago, has a 



