MARKETING SOUTHERN-GROWN SWEET POTATO Ks. 
13 
Table 7. — Car-lot arrivals of sweet potatoes in 12 leading 
August 23, 1921- May 26, 1922. 
cities, 
by States 
0/ origin, 
State. 
OS 
"© 
- 
1 
1 
CO 
03 
O 
a 
o 
0Q 
■r. 
a 
CO 
00 
M 
CO 

i 
- 
5 297 
*6 84 
190 15 
980 1.50 
39 7 
"i62" 
73 
95 
11 
3 
2 
126 
394 
94 
277 
14 
2 
31 
3 
11 
17 
1 
30 
2 
10 
34 
22 
53 
16 
43 
..... 
130 
67 
20 
3 
23 
17 
147 
73 
1 
71 
11 
5 
38 
2 
3 
421 
47 
23 
29 
138 
45 
3 
2 
17 
3 
3 
1 
7 
2 
2 
4 
2 
78 
11 
7 
224 
16 
"22' 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
29 
1 
3 
5 
2 
411 
27 
13 
4 
1 
8 
3 
2 
16 
10 
8 
123 
3 
4 
1 
28 
1 
1 
11 6 
14 
18 
11 
1,242 
1 
31 
1 
4 
6 
..... 
7 
4 
5 
Unknown 
2 
1,357 
1 
5 
1 
3 
Total 
348 
973 
141 
375 
60 
135 
178 
1S1 
245 
716 
1 Incomplete records for Baltimore during September, October, December, January, and February. 
•A large part of the southern shipments are distributed in the North 
Central States. Competition from the northeastern section is not so 
keen as in eastern markets, and States that are advantageously 
located, like Tennessee, distribute the bulk of their shipments in this 
territory. Distribution is being rapidly extended west of the Missis- 
sippi River, an increasing number of cars going each year into the 
Middle West, Southwest, and Northwest. The demand for sweet 
potatoes is increasing in the larger western markets and new markets 
are being discovered and developed in some of the smaller cities. 
Distribution within the producing States is also increasing. Some 
of the large shippers of cured stock distributed approximately 40 
per cent of their shipments in southern cities. During the 1920-21 
season one distributing agency delivered cars in 60 markets in 28 
States, some of which had never before received sweet potatoes in 
car lots. The scattered producing area, the geographical position of 
the shipping States, competition, abundant supplies, and market 
preferences are a few of the factors that affect distribution. 
GRADING. 
IMPORTANCE OF GRADING. 
Advantages which result from proper grading can not be over- 
emphasized, especially in view of the competition that exists on the 
principal markets of the North and East. Grades provide a definite 
basis for sales, and their use facilitates the making of contracts for 
future delivery, sales by wire to distant buyers, the inspection o( the 
product at shipping points and receiving markets, cooperative pooling, 
financing through advances on storage and warehouse receipts, and 
the intelligent comparison of market prices. 
If southern shippers expect to compete successfully with shippers 
of attractively packed, uniform, carefully graded varieties of the 
Jersey group it is necessary that their product be graded as well. 
Much of the discrimination against southern varieties in northern 
and eastern cities can be overcome by proper grading at the shipping 
Eoints. One reason for this discrimination is that southern shippers 
ave established reputations for poor quality. 
