90 Wisconsin state agricultural society. 
MARKET FAIRS. 
W. D. Hoard, of Jefferson county, was called for, who responded 
that he could only speak upon this subject so far as it related to 
one line of product, to wit: dairying. The whole matter lies in 
one question, how shall we market our produce ? The solution of 
this question soon pressed itself upon the attention of our dairy¬ 
men, and to take the first step, they organized a market fair, and 
held their first market day at Watertown. Commission men and 
dealers in Milwaukee, Chicago and other places, and the cheese- 
makers throughout the state were invited to attend. They came, 
but it soon became evident that the dealers were not satisfied, and 
they took every opportunity to hinder and discourage the enter¬ 
prise. Dealers began to ignore the market days. Nothing daunted, 
the dairymen looked elsewhere for a market, and commenced 
shipping cheese to New York, and even to London direct. They 
soon discovered that Wisconsin cheese ranked as high in those 
distant markets as that made in the state of New York. High 
freights was one difficulty that must be overcome in some way, and 
the best way was to establish these market days, collect our 
products together at some point, and combine to secure the lowest 
rates possible. The dairymen of Jefferson county had received a 
proposition to transport their cheese to Liverpool for 95 cents per 
hundred. In no other way could as favorable figures have been 
secured, with as little trouble and expense r as by this system of 
market fairs. What had been realized by the dairymen he was 
convinced might be secured by farmers in any other line of pro¬ 
duce, by means of similar agencies. 
Dr. C. L. Martin desired to know how farmers’ clubs could be 
formed for shipping their pork without the necessary capital? 
Mr. Hoard illustrated that point by citing the case of a farmers’ 
club in Illinois, which formed an organization to dispose of their 
pork. They made a statement of the number and kind of hogs 
they had to sell, which they sent to various polk packers. This 
large amount of pork, controlled by a single organization, which 
might be acquired by a single purchase, soon attracted the atten¬ 
tion of dealers, and the result was, they sold to them direct, at the 
highest market price, and saved a large percentage that usually 
goes to middlemen in such transactions. * 
