CANTALOUPE MARKETING IN THE LARGER CITIES. 
13 
From Table 4 and from the records of the three cars shown in 
Table 5 it can be seen that the average commission merchant and 
wholesaler suffer along with the shipper as a result of low prices and 
a sluggish market. 
Table 5. — Sales records of three cars of cantaloupes of poor quality. 
Freight 
Refrigeration:. 
Cartage 
Commission.. . 
Net to shipper. 
Gross sales . 
Carl. 
$84.00 
57.75 
7.50 
16.63 
.46 
166. 34 
Car 2. 
$97. 15 
50.00 
7.50 
13.44 
23.91 
192.00 
Car 3. 
$151.71 
27.55 
7.06 
18.09 
54.04 
258. 45 
The first car contained 300 standard crates of Arkansas cantaloupes of poor quality which arrived on the 
market green; 125 crates spoiled and were a total loss. 
The second car contained 769 flat crates of Rocky ford, Colo., cantaloupes which arrived in poor con- 
dition, spotted and soft. 
There were 866 flat crates of Colorado pink meats in the third car which were held on track two weeks 
before being sold because of an overloaded market. When unloaded, they spoiled quickly. 
In a poor season like that of 1914 the cost of handling perishable 
goods is as high or higher per car than is the case in a year when the 
market is in a healthy condition and prices are good. On the other 
hand, the average returns per car to the commission merchant are 
lower, since his gross sales, on which his selling charge or percentage 
of gross profit is based, are greatly reduced. The wholesaler who 
invests his money in the outright purchase of the cantaloupes must 
do his regular work of handling a car under conditions which reduce 
his profits in a marked way. The slow movement of the fruit means 
greater loss through deterioration, while the heavy receipts of melons 
often compel him to cut his prices in order to effect sales, thereby 
reducing his margin of profit. It is a well-known saying in the 
wholesale and commission trade that no one makes money when stuff 
is cheap, a statement which has been born of long experience. As a 
rule, the losses occasioned by a poor year are felt less keenly by the 
jobber and retailer. They buy in smaller quantities from day to 
day, and their financial risks are therefore much less. 
From the data in Table 4 the gross margins of the retailer of canta- 
loupes may appear excessive. The average retailer is burdened with 
high overhead charges not generally appreciated by the public at 
large. In most cases he operates under heavy expenses, such as rent, 
clerical, delivery, and telephone service, the comparatively large 
expenditure for accounting due to the wide extension of credit, and 
the actual money losses which result from worthless accounts and the 
deterioration of the perishable products handled. 
