WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 19 
is effected according to the commission man's own ideas, and that the 
shipper's returns are in direct proportion to the dealer's honesty and 
ability, all tend to encourage a suspicious attitude on the part of the 
producer. It is not because commission men as a class have proven 
to be dishonest, but the very fact that the commission man has great 
opportunities for dishonesty, if he chooses to avail himself of them, 
has caused shippers to condemn unhesitatingly any practices which 
did not appear to be perfectly plain. 
A shipper is seldom able to inspect his own output w T ith an un- 
prejudiced eye. The car which he is shipping usually appears better 
to him than does his neighbor's offering. The buyers with whom the 
commission merchant must deal, however, have no such biased view- 
point. The shipper's goods are compared critically with competing 
offerings from many sections and quality and pack are the sole de- 
ciding factors wdiich determine relative values. Often, therefore, 
the shipper who considers his goods on a par with the best market 
offerings is disappointed when returns are below the figures listed 
on current wdiolesale quotations. The dealer, who may have exerted 
every effort on behalf of his shipper, is then accused of dishonesty 
in that returns were not up to expectations. 
Often, too, perishables which leave the point of origin in first- 
class shape arrive at destination in a greatly deteriorated condition, 
must be repacked or regraded by the commission men, and finally 
sold at a considerable loss to the shipper. The grower, who last saw 
his produce in first-class marketable condition, does not understand 
or appreciate the conditions which were responsible for this loss. 
In general, it may be said that a large part of the stigma which 
attaches to the business of the commission merchant arises directly 
from the difficult position which this middleman occupies in dis- 
tributive machinery. 
PLACE OF THE COMMISSION MERCHANT IN DISTRIBUTION, 
Commission houses offer almost the only good outlet for unstand- 
ardized goods which can not be sold direct to the wholesale trade. 
Acting as primary receivers of less than car-lot shipments, the} 7 serve 
as a medium through which to market all goods which can not be 
sold direct to car-lot wholesalers, and, when honest and efficient, they 
offer to inexperienced shippers the valuable services of trained mar- 
ket experts in disposing of their produce. 
JOBBERS' SALES. 
Next in importance to car-lot wholesalers on large markets is the 
jobbing trade. Jobbers are middlemen at distributing centers who 
usually buy in less-car-lot quantities from car-lot wholesalers or 
