38 BULLETIN 1206, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
On arrival of the car the buyer is advised by the railroad company, 
inspects the car to determine if it is satisfactory, pays the draft at: 
the hank, and with the release notice given him by the hank obtain! 
possession of the car. If the car is rejected, the shipper, who has the 
original hill of Lading, can reconsign it, if he so desires, without loss 
of lime. [f he desires to deliver the car to another buyer following the 
rejection, a release order can he telegraphed to the agent of the 
delivering railroad. Should it he accessary to consign the car to a 
commission merchant in some other market, this can be handled by 
telegraph. The commission merchant should he advised at the same 
time. The wire to him should state the point from which the ship- 
ment is made and may he worded as follows: 
Am to-day consigning to you from Pittsburgh via Pennsylvania car A.C. I.. 36992 
containing •"> 10 crates number one Porto Rico sweet potatoes. Handle for my account. 
BUSINESS METHODS AFFECT SALES. 
Many marketing difficulties experienced by shippers result from 
their failure to observe trade practices ami good business methods. 
Offerings of sweet potatoes usually exceed the demand and there is 
little incentive for a reliable buyer to continue business relations with 
a shipper who lias proven to be careless or unreliable. A shipper who 
misrepresents his shipments or fails to describe them accurately, 
who fails to confirm oilers, who never ships at the time specified, 
who fails to abide by his agreements, and who consistently neglects 
to observe trade customs and common business principles, finds it 
increasingly difficult to interest dealers. There are other southern 
shippers who seem to be obsessed by the "hold for higher prices" 
idea, and they never want to sell at the market price, regardless of 
how fair it may be. The attitude of many southern shippers and their 
methods of doing business are factors which partly account for the 
fact that the trade prefers to buy from shippers in the older commer- 
cially producing districts, who, in many instances, are trained sales- 
men with standardized methods, standardized products, and sales 
policies that facilitate business. 
ADVERTISING. 
COMMODITY ADVERTISING. 
The benefits that have accrued to growers and shippers of certain 
farm products through national advertising campaigns have inspired 
plans for similarly advertising southern sweet potatoes. There is no 
doubt that a campaign of like magnitude would stimulate consump- 
tion in existing markets and create a demand in potential markets. 
However, the plans proposed for commodity advertising, which is 
advertising designed to benefit the entire industry rat Iter than a 
particular individual or group, have not been feasible inasmuch as 
t\wy presuppose an organized industry, which, in the case of sweet 
potatoes, does not exist. 
Until organizations are perfected and in a position to control a 
huge proportion of the shipments it is doubtful if an expensive 
campaign should be attempted. Such campaigns are directed pri- 
marilv to the consumer and involve the use of display space in popular 
magazines and newspapers, billboards, street-car signs, electric 
sign-, window displays, demonstrations, and sample distribution. 
