Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-05
The Several Branches of Business as De-
velOped from Spring Opening Point
OF VieW-The Future Presents
a Favorable Appearance
Memphis is on the Up
ward Grade.

ward Grade.
An APPEAL reporter visited number of |
business men yesterday with a view to learn |
something as to the spring trade of Memphis,
as compared with that of the year 1873. In |
advance it may be stated that the receipts of
cotton for the year 1879, up to the present |
date, were SIC, 449 bales, against 34O,36o OF
last year, falling off of 1921 bales up to
date. This deficit is EOt in the crop, but 1t
has been held back by planters and country
merchants for various reasons. The weather
has been unfavorable for an early shipping OF
the crop, the roads have been IN bad condl-
ton, and the general feeling IN the country
has been to cut down expenses, to hive as
cheaply as possible, and TO get all that the
cotton crop was worth. Ihls desire TO 1--we
within certain income and not to go IN debt
has had its beneficial effects upon the planter.
The man who lives within his means is COM
paratively happy, on the principle as follows:
Income one hundred dollars; expenditures,
ninety-nine dollars and ninety-nne cents;
result, happiness. But as a converse to this
proposition: Income, one hundred dollars;
expenditures one hundred dollars and one
cent; result, misery. This has been ex-
planned by Dickens in one of his worldwide
read novels. One planter has been
more circumspect than usual, he has
| has been paying up his old debts.
| The country merchant, who Is often the
| medium between the city merchant and the
| planter, finds out that the margin OF profits Is
| small as to cotton and supplies. The planter
| is buying nothing except the necessares OF
| life; he is not going in debt, but Is working
| to paw out This is a healthy state Of affairs,
which eventually will place the credit of the
planter above par; it will make money
| cheaper, and will bring down the price OF
- oil flna
| luxuries of life. This unknown factor reflects
| a result on the business Of merchants IN Mem
| phls as we'll as in other cities. Our reporter,
| in interviewing business men yesterday, dis
| covered this; 1t was a natural result OF cause
| and effect; the ebb and flow OF the sea-tide
| are not more reasonable or more subject to
analysis.
| GROCERY AND COMMISSION MERCHANTS.
We have interviewed number of grocery
and commission houses, such as HILL, ton-
| taine 4, Co., Porter, Taylor x Co., Busby X
Co., M L. Meacham & Co., A. B. Treadwell
! & Co., Estes, Doan & Co., and many others,
| and from them received the following ln-
formation, which we give without regard to
order, but only as to result:
No l said: 1--WE have the finest prospect
for spring trade for years. Payments by
country merchants and planters have been
prompt, and the result was somewhat unex-
pected and astonishing. The payments of
debts from the country was better than that
OF last year; in fact, better than ever before.
The spring trade in groceries and plantation
supplies have already opened with vigor, and
largely. The trade Is brisk, and goods are
selling off daily with rapidlty.
No 2 said the trade is good; better than it
was in the spring of 1878, and the spring
prospect is improving. The country trlbu-
tary to Memphis is in good financial condl-
ton, and the trade so far IS more than has
been expected.
No. 8 said the sales so far this season have
| been large and satisfactory, and gives prom
Use to grow greater as the spring trade season
! advances.
number of other gentlemen engaged in
the grocery and commission business but re-
peated the same words as to the spIlng trade.
LIQUOR TRADE.
Several wholesale liquor men were tele-
phoned by our man, and they said: "Our
goods are regarded as luxuries-not necessa-
ries of life. So far, our trade has not been
large since the epidemic, or since Christmas.
People In the country seem to be economic
ing. This is a good outlook for them, but
we look for better trade in our business in
a couple of weeks, when business will open
up briskly. Should the spring months fail to
pan out big trade, we look to the fall
business to develop large results"
THE GRAIN TRADE.
Our man visited Buchanan s Co., and
other dealers in grain, and learned that the
grain trade so far was good. The demand
for corn will be large during the spring and
summer, and corn will probably not go above
fifty cents during the season. All grain will
probably be sold at a low price, and will
average somewhat lower than last year.
Quite large lot OF seed oats have been sold
and sown-not quite as many as last year,
owing to the wet months, but yet avery large
quantity of seed oats have been purchased by
planters.
| BOOTS AND SHOES.
Our man visited the house of Goodbar &
Co. and Hill & Mitchell, boot and shoe men,
in search of information. Mr.. Goodbar in
formed our representative that country mer-
chants bought small bills and paid cash for
them. They did not want sufficient amount
of stock to warrant them going east to make
purchases. Collections were good all over
the country, and he anticipated a big trade
| this spring IN his line of business, which
trade his firm was prepared for. The out
look or spring opening for trade so far was
good.
A representative of the house Of Hill 4
Mitchell gave our man about the same infor-
nation. People must wear boots and shoes,
they are necessaries of life.
QUEENswARE.
In the above line those engaged IN 1t said
that business was and had been rather dull
so far, but better trade was expected when
| the spring Openeu. Iyu6enSWr-It aES EcAsiEOGO
as luxpries, not neoessarles of life. So far
the spring trade has not been equal to that
of last season, but In a week or two a better
trade is expected by dealers.
DRY GOODS AND NOTIONS.
The dry goods and notions business forms
a fair estimate or guide as to the demand Tor
what is called luxurieS OF life. People have
to eat, but what they wear comes IN as a
secondary consideration. Our commissioner
interviewed several leading houses-Menken
Brothers, Lowenstein Il Bros, Rice, Silk &
Co., Walker Bros. & Co., and other dealers
in dry goods. The result OF the interviews
was as follows: N. Menken, who had Just
arrived from New York, stated that be ex-
pected no heavy trade. Last year, owing to
the yellow-fever epidemic, people In the city
and country left and spent their surplus cash,
and many of these had asked extensions from
thirty to sixty days of his house. The ex-
pendlture OF this surplus necessarily made
| money scarce and caused a shrinkage in
spring purchases by country merchants.
This spring trade so far has been light and
| is expected to be light, although a large
stock of dry goods have been received by
Memphis dry goods merchants. Mr. Menken
put in, IN practical manner: Surprising
that last year we sold one hundred dollars
worth of goods and made twenty-five cents
on the dollar proht-we make twenty-five
/ dollars profit. Now the people purchase
cheaper quality OF goods, and the sales, as to
value of goods, amount to sixty per cent. of
the one hundred per cent, which you'd
bring but fifteen per cent. proRt, a loss
on sales of ter pes cent. We have to cut
down our expenses to meet this loss, IS every
| sensible merchant has or will have to do.
Tn bills of goods SO far purchased are
small, and are paid in cash. and a cheaper
quality of goods is being purchased, hence
| smaller profits is the rule. We do not in
tend, as has been rumored, to leave Mem
phis. We intend staying here @ui doing
business, but should 6 y5ilow-feyer epidemic
break out hare this summer, our house would
/ probably remove to some other locality, -
! would many other business houses,
| Our man, in an lntervieW VITA she mousse of
| Lowenstein &, Bros, learned that they had a