WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 25 
3. The shipper who starts a car toward market should notify the 
consignee in such detail that prompt disposition of the goods may be 
made after the arrival of the car. This notification is often made by 
telegram and should include all information necessary to insure the 
prompt acceptance and disposal of the shipment. 
4. As perishables should always be inspected promptly on arrival 
at destination, the shipper should give shipping instructions which 
permit inspection without unnecessary delay at destination. 
5. Rejecting shipments of fruits and vegetables is an all too com- 
mon practice on large markets. Often rejection may be justified, 
as when goods have arrived in a greatly deteriorated condition, but 
sometimes the actual "cause for rejection is simply a decline in the 
market price. 
6. In case a buyer rejects a car the shipper has the option of selling 
elsewhere or making an allowance to the original purchaser in order 
to close the transaction immediately. Claims against railroads should 
be filed in proper form and supported by a presentation of the facts 
in the case. 
7. Perishables after arrival at market pass on to the consumer 
through many channels. Often, however, one firm may combine the 
functions of several middlemen, so that while there are many types 
of distributors it does not follow that goods actually change hands as 
often as a scrutiny of the list of middlemen might seem to indicate. 
8. The fact that large cities secure supplies of fruits and vegetables 
from distant producing areas has been one of the main causes of 
increasingly complex marketing methods. 
9. Brokers act as shippers' or buyers' agents. They handle car lots 
only and offer their services at very low rates. While many brokers 
are charged with abusing their privileges, they often save the shipper 
several times the brokerage fee by insuring the acceptance of goods 
at destination. 
10. Fruit auctions sell goods for shippers, dealers, and others who 
have local representatives to withdraw offerings if prices are unsatis- 
factory. They secure their revenue by levying definite assessments 
against each package sold, and by attracting buyers and stimulating 
competition often expand the market for particular commodities. 
11. The car-lot wholesalers constitute one of the most important 
factors in our large terminal markets. They handle great quan- 
tities of perishables annually and act as primary distributors of 
produce arriving at market in car-lot quantities. 
12. The commission merchant receives goods on consignment and 
acts as the shipper's agent in disposing of these products to the job- 
bing and retail trade. While the commission merchant is viewed 
with much suspicion by many shippers, he nevertheless is a very 
