32 
BULLETIN 1412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
in response to the need. The margins of these middlemen are deter- 
mined not only by the costs of the services rendered, but also by the 
risks assumed. 
The country dealer is the connecting link between the grower and 
the city wholesaler. He performs the following functions : 
1. Finances the grower by furnishing fertilizer and other essential 
supplies or cash. He usually finds it necessary to pay cash to the 
grower upon delivery because of the latter's need for prompt returns 
at time of harvesting. 
2. Grades and packs the lettuce, unless this work is done by the 
grower prior to delivery. 
3. Assembles and loads, consolidating into car lots smaller quan- 
tities obtained from several growers. 
4. Sells and distributes the crop, searching out the demand and 
finding buyers either by wiring to established city market connec- 
15 22 29 6 13 20 27 
JAN. FEB. MAR APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT NOV DEC. 
Fig. 21. — Jobbing prices in the large markets fluctuate with considerable uniformity 
tions or through contact with traveling wholesale produce buyers at 
shipping point. 
Transportation and refrigeration are essential features in the 
marketing of California lettuce. The crop must be transported from 
the district where it is produced to the populous areas where the 
demand for it exists. Lettuce is a commodity of considerable bulk 
and comparatively small value, and this is responsible in part for 
the relatively high transportation charges. The cost per unit of 
value is higher than it would be if a car of lettuce had greater worth. 
Furthermore, because of the perishable nature of the product, it 
must be protected from wilting and decay en route, and this neces- 
sitates shipment under refrigeration. 
The high costs of freight and refrigeration, then, are due largely 
to the following: (1) Distance from the producing area to the con- 
suming centers, (2) bulkiness of the commodity in relation to its in- 
trinsic value, and (3) perishability of the commodity. 
The task of searching out the demand and finding buyers among 
the retail trade is the duty of the city wholesaler or jobber. The 
