Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-08-31

leo pounds is charged here for bran, when
90 for wheat. Bran is seliingin Nashville at
Do cents per 100 pounds, and, we think, was
sold here a year ago at 40 cents. The corn
crop is very fine in our section and there is
no good excuse for the price named above
as current here. Ifthere is, the cows would
like to know what 1t is.
EDITOR CHRoNICLE:-The above
comments upon the price of bran in
this market is taken from your issue
of last week. 1t does such injustice
TO our grocers and retail sellers of
bran that we ask a small space in
your paper to correct the errors con-
tanned in it, and to show wherein
you have, no doubt Internationally,
done injustice.
You ask why bran should be
selling at IS cts, when the miIlers
are only paying go cents for wheat.
We are now, and have, since
the beginning of the season, been
paying 70 cents for wheat. There
is, however, a great deal of wheat
in the country that IS a0orthIess-
really not worth as much as good
sound bran. You further make the
statement that bran is worth only
55 cents in Nashville. The market
quotations, from which your infor-
nation, says, "Bran 55 cts, loose"
this means in the mills, unsacked,
and IN 1chOleSdLe tots, car loads or
other large quantities; as a news
paper man, you certainly know that
the quotations of the markets are
always given at wholesale.
Now as to prices in this market
they are as follows: Sixty cents
per 100, bagged and delivered to the
grocers, or on board of cars, for
lots, we giving the use of our bags
to handle it in. Fifty five cents
100 loose at mill, the purchaser bag
ging it himself, furnishing his own
bags and doing his own draying.
This is exactly as it is in Nashville,
and if your dissatisfied cows will
come down, we will fill their orders
with pleasure at these prices, in lots
of from a half car load to ten car
loads.
AS TO the retailers and prices,
rs cents per 100, delivered, asked by
them. 1t is certainly Uery reason
able one. They sell in lots of from
one to five hundred lbs, and de-
liver to residence of buyer. We
will say, for example, that the writer
of your "bran comments" lives on
Greenwood avenue. He steps
into a grocery store and orders 300
lbs. of bran (really a larger order
than is usually given.) This bran
is hauled to his house, over mile,
and carried in and emptied, the
grocer gets for all this a profit of 10
cents per hundred or IS cents for the
800 lbs. Now we will ask the buyer
if he can get anything hauled to his
house for less than 80 cents for the
trip. Then where is the profit to
the grocer? Frequently it is an
order for 100 lbs, instead of 800, and
the grOcers team and driver makes
the trip for ID cents. Pray where
does he get his pay or profits out of
this? No doubt in this profitable
transaction to the grocer, he is in
structed "to charge it," and he gets
his money, well, it is hard to tell
when he will get it. Possibly, after
a while, by taking it out in printing.
You also state that year ago
bran sold here at 40 cents per 100.
One year ago bran sold here at eX-
actly what it does now, 70 cents per
100 at retail, and So cents loose, and
so cents per hundred baged and de-
livered, at 1ChOleSdle. Later in the
season it was very scarce and sold
higher. AS to the price of corn, you
say "the corn crop is very fine in
our section and is no excuse for the
price named above as current here"
1t is notorious fact, that for weeks
corn has been higher than for years,
possibly, before. The crop that is
growing may be a very fine one,
but it will be two months before it
is in the market, and before we re-
ceive any of its benefits.
ItItherefOre seems, Messrs. Editor,
that the writer of your "bran com
ments" has not stated q single fact
correctly, and in this connection it
may not be amiss to say that supply
and demand, and not his criticisms,
will regulate the prices Of all ar
ticles.
Two years ago we had large
quantities of bran carried over from
the previous season, and at the be-
ginning of the new season sold the
old bran at 40 cents per hundred to
get it out of the way. AT the same |
time we sold it at 40 cents per
hundred in small lots here, we
sold $500 bags in one lot, at the
same price, to go to Memphis. No
doubt memories of these halcyOn
days, are disturbing the dreams of
your troubled cows and "gentle
kline" And they lean their bony |
bodies for support against Green
wood avenue fences, as the thirsty |
traveller upon the parched desert,
ever sees with longing desire the
green oasis with ripping springs,
in the distance, in which he hopes
his burning thirst may find relief,
so they dream in delight of those
good old times, and when aroused |
to the reality of their surroundings
they can but Glow" out their sad
complaints against faithless masters
who are ever prating of "man's
inhumanity to man" and leaving
the poor "gentle kline" to StdrUe be-
cause they cannot get a little food
for them for nothing. rendering
many apologies, Messrs. Editors,
for occupying more of you valuable