/ 
24 BULLETIN 1019, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
the lower grades are “slow sale” and are carried along from month 
to month with accruing storage, insurance, and interest, to be de- 
ducted later when returns are made. If cack are et for a long 
time, they come into competition with the new crop, which further 
depresses the price. The consignor, however, still holds for a high — 
price, so it is carried over as “surplus” or as een corn not needed — 
at all. The consignor in the meantime is impatiently waiting for 
returns at prices higher than he could have obtained when the de-— 
mand was better. Dealers, knowing the prevailing conditions (for x 
example, that there is an year diconase sell and take their loss. 
The commission merchant advises similar action, but without avail. 
In the course of time the handling charges make all chances of profil 
impossible and the grower finally sells for what he can get. : 4 
Lack of uniform loading in making consignments has been a factor — 
in bringing unsatisfactory prices. In shipping many put every — 
grade, ranging from “junk” to “choice,” in one car. ~Later the — 
entire car may be sold by striking an average. Thus the good brush — 
is sacrificed to sell the poor and the results are unsatisfactory. 
Heavy consignments tend to lower prices. When terminal markets 
have large stocks of consigned brush, commission men feel that they 
must be moved at some price and urge selling. The bulk of the 
supplies needed by manufactures is purchased early from the 
Standard districts, and the western stocks, which represent the bulk 
of the consignments, often come on the market too late for the best 
demand and must be sacrificed to effect quick sales. 
Dealers in purchasing in the field take into account the fact that 
heavy consignments probably will be made and many claim that they 
are forced to purchase more cheaply in the field in anticipation of 
future declines. ¥ 
Shipping to unreliable commission men has been unsatisfactory. 
For example, a grower may consign a car to a commission man who 
also buys broom corn for himself. The consigned brush, of course, 
is placed on the sales floor in competition with that eke by the — 
commission man. Naturally if a liberal buyer comes to purchase 
it is a temptation to the dealer to push the sale of his own broom | 
corn first and let the consigned corn remain for the less anxious 
customer. = 
Cases have come to attention are after considerable corre- ~~ 
spondence between the local dealer and the commission man, the 
local dealer received a commission, unknown to the grower, on a 
particular consignment made because of unsatisfactory local offers. 
In justice to the terminal commission men, it must be said that 
the returns from many consignments are satisfactory, and that in 
the case of many which have been unsatisfactory, offers were received 
by growers which would have netted them a profit, but they refused 
aol 
“* Shep pone 5 
as ae hier Ree A onsite 
b> \. 
ey 
LEED ER 
Saeiiien sc ores 
