9ft* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1743 
The Story 
of a Successful Public 
Why Not Start One In Your City? 
Market 
T HE REAL TIITNG.—It is a comparatively easy 
thing to have a public market (so-called) where 
dealers, shippers, commission merchants and others 
of the like buy their wares to re-sell to others, but 
it is cpiite a different matter to have a real market 
which brings out the housewife and buyer for the 
family household who buy their goods direct from the 
one who produces them, and eliminate the middle¬ 
man entirely. This is the kind of a market which 
is located in Johnson City. IIow do we do it? Be¬ 
fore answering this question we wish you to know 
some of the obstacles which had to be overcome 
first, and then you will agree with us that it is pos- 
have three market days each week, Tuesday, Wed¬ 
nesday and Saturday. By the first of October there 
were an average of about 35 to 40 rigs on the mar¬ 
ket each market day. At this time George F. John¬ 
son, manager of the Endicott-Johnson Corporation, 
saw the possibilities of the benefits of the market to 
his 13,000 employes. He immediately authorized the 
market master to present every farmer producer who 
came on the market every market day with a well- 
assorted load of produce, the sum of $2, with the 
understanding that the producer would sell his pro¬ 
duce at a figure which would average about half the 
difference which the “dealer” would pay him and 
year 1917 the bonus given by Mr. Johnson to the 
farmers cost him about 17 cents on every dollar they 
sold. During the year 1918, by the larger volume of 
business done, the cost was about nine to 10 cents, 
while this present year, 1919, the average will be 
about only six cents, on account of a still larger 
business. Some of the producers’ statements are as 
high as $325, while some are only $10 and upward 
on each market day, but all get the same bonus of $2. 
At the present time about 2,000 qts. of milk are being 
sold on the market at 10 cents a quart, while on the 
street it is sold for 15 and 16 cents by the dealer. 
This one article alone is a saving to the housewife 
Unwelcome News—No Sugar fur the Thanksgiving Pies. Fig. 561 
sible for any large or small city to have a public 
market which will be of great, benefit to all the 
people of that city. Johnson City is located just 
north of the Susquehanna River, with no bridge 
crossing the river nearer than six miles west and 
three miles east. The city of Binghamton is on the 
eastern boundary, and the small city of Endicott 
lies to the west, with an open hilly farming territory 
to the north. Such is the geographical position of 
a town of 10.000 factory people, to which farm 
produce is expected to come and does come. There 
is no motive whatever in mentioning the names of 
any person connected with the success of this mar¬ 
ket. except to show a great underlying principle 
which should appeal to any persons or municipalities 
who desire first hand information on this very im¬ 
portant subject. 
A SMALL BEGINNING.—August, 1917, 12 farm¬ 
ers were invited personally to bring an assorted 
load of produce to the centre of the town, where a 
vacant lot was provided, on Saturday morning, 
which they did. It was advertised in the papers that 
they would be there. The people were there and 
bought all they had to offer. It was then decided to 
what the “dealer” sold for. This he has done every 
market day until the present time. 
A GROWING ENTERPRISE.—The market began 
to grow; it couldn’t help it. It had a system, and it 
was this: Every producer was expected to be in his 
place by or before 10 a. m. on every market day. A 
large blackboard was erected in the center of the 
market grounds with the name of all the produce 
printed upon it, and opposite, the price was marked 
every market day. Dealers of fruit, etc., were not 
permitted to offer for sale anything which the 
farmer brought in. No producer was permitted to 
sell until a large bell was struck at exactly 10 a. m. 
Thus the people had an opportunity to look over the 
various loads, and no producer began business be¬ 
fore his neighbor, before the opening hour. In the 
Winter time the large municipal building is used, so 
that there are three market days every week the 
year around. 
MARKET ACCOUNTS.—At the close of every 
market, blank statements are given to each producer 
to fill out, giving the amount, kind, and price of the 
produce he has sold that day. and in this way a cor¬ 
rect account of the total sales are kept. During the 
of over $100 every market day, and with the bonus 
the producer gets on an average about 12 cents, or 
three cents more than the dealers would give him. 
THE CONSUMER’S SAVING.—A very careful 
estimate of a dozen different articles sold at the 
market on different market days, with the price as 
is was regulated there, compared with the price on 
the same days at the leading stores, showed a saving 
to the consumers of from 25 per cenr to 27 per cent, 
while the bonus given amounts to 6 per cent. We 
call this a pretty good investment. Taken on an 
average of all things sold, it is conceded by all of 
the producers that their profit is 20 per cent or 
more on the market than they would receive from 
the dealers. 
THE FARMER’S SHARE.—Our farmers here are 
more prosperous since the opening of the market 
than ever before, and show a far greater interest 
in agriculture, and it is very interesting to read the 
large number of letters which are received from 
them, telling us what they are doing with their 
money, etc., for it must be remembered that with 
the market they receive their money every other day, 
while without the market, as it used to be, they had 
