AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS BY BENJAMIN HORACE HIBBARD, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN D. APPLETON AND COMPANY PREFACE The purpose of this book is to serve as the basis of a study of marketing both for college students and those more directly connected with the actual operations of selling farm products. It will be noticed that no attempt has been made to furnish a compendium, or handbook, of facts. The facts and descriptions of the marketing process are much more readily obtainable than are discussions of principles. It has been my purpose to discuss principles, using facts and descriptions as needed for illustrative purposes. The field of marketing is expanding so rapidly, in fact is already so large, that no one book is likely to cover everything, or even make a respectable attempt at doing so. From some years of experience in teaching marketing in the classroom it has seemed advisable to use a great deal of library material as collateral reading, both for teacher and student. The facts of marketing are accumulating in such quantities and are changing so constantly that any description is likely soon to be out of date. At least one way to conduct a course is to present in the classroom the main principles and setting of the subject matter, leaving to the ingenuity of the teacher the arrangement for student use of a large amount of descriptive source material as fresh from the field as possible. The easiest part of preparing a book of this sort is the writing of the descriptive chapters, such as are found in Part III. They could be expanded indefinitely. The intention has been to give a few descriptions of a sketchlike nature, and enough references to enable the one in charge of a course to find without too much trouble all the material needed. No general 471202 bibliography is attempted. The use of such publications as the International Review of Agricultural Economics; the American Economic Review; the Experiment Station Record; and the Agricultural Index, will keep one in touch with substantially all current publications. It is hoped that the point of view with respect to the struggle of the farmers for a better marketing system will be recognized as both sympathetic and critical. My connections with farming have always been too close to permit any other than a sympathetic view of farmer problems, yet at the same time the mistakes made by farmers in their efforts to correct unfortunate situations are often such as to demand criticism. The critical portions of this book are at least kindly in their intentions. The author wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to the many who have made information on marketing available, and to his own graduate students who have been a never-failing source of inspiration. Particular credit is due Mr. Paul Mehl of Corvallis, Oregon, for the use of a seminary report made by him, and which has been used freely in the preparation of Chapter X. B. H. HIBBARD |