The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-02-04
TOPICS FOR THE FARM.

BE HOnest.-The other day we adj
dressed ourselves to a large dealer in
garden produce, asking him what kind
OF record the men of whom he pEr-
chased supplies had for absolute honesty.
He replied, "There is but one man that
sells produce to me whom I can perfectly
trust; out of the seventy-fye to one
hundred different men who sell me
articles with regularity through the
season that there is but this one man of
all of them whose goods do not inspect
with the greatest of care before shipping
them away. His packages L never open,
but take his word for their contents,
and have never found an error in his
statement"
Does it pay this man to thus be an
exception to the general ruler" we in
quired.
Pay him? / guess it does" was the
ready reply. We can afford to give
him from five to ten per cent. more for
his produce, and then we make more out
Of it than any other stuff we handle.h
in rejecting upon this mans state
ment we recalled a word spoken by q
Milwaukee lady whom we met in August
and of whom we made inquiry concern.
ing the standing Of Michigan fruit in
her city.
Said she: al am right sorry about
it, but as you Michigan people gain in
the production Of peaches, in Just that
proportion Dc you lose your honesty.
Nearly every package of peaches which
l have bought for two years has been a
irapu. Could be certain by purchas-
lpg any one brand of getting exactly
what the package purported to be, that
brand should have my patronage, even
at advanced prices. But unfortunately
L have not found the brand IS yet that
insures the uniform quality l want,
1t is very strange that people will
persist in deceit when perfect honesty is
so direct in its prefeFment. An honest
package is Its ogn advertisement;
truthful statement concerning good is as
good as poster; and when the producer
places upon the market only that which
VIII bear the severest test he will not
wait long for buyers. A gentleman
from Grand Traverse told us the other
day that his entire crop of potatoes was
sold in September-although they would
not be untitled before the middle of
OctOber-at prices five per cent. above
the highest market quotations. Why?
Because for some years he sold potatoes
and never has placed upon the market
tuber without his name, and every
bushel was selected.
There are q few men in our own State
that command their own prices upon
apples, simply because their record is
above reproach. Occasionally we find
butter maker who demands and secures
quite a margin above the highest quota
ton in the market, because not a pound
of inferior butter is furnished to custom
ers. In every city are plenty of people
who will pay well for what they are GER
tain are honest articles, and outside of
any moral argument 1t pays the producer
to make q reputation for strictest
honesty, at the same time never over
reaching pr0priety in naming the price. |
Absolute trustwOrthiness goes beyond |
the package. The best kind of a reputa- |
tiOn to secure is indicted by the attitude |
of the consumer when he says, bring |
me ten pounds of butter and present |
your bill, }" or " I want bushel of beans. |
ten bushels of potatoes and variety Of /
other vegetables for my winter use:
please deliver them at nv house and !!
name your price"
In all our acquaintance with farmers
there are very few that come up to this
ideal OF reputation, but it is worth seek /
ing, and furnishes its own reward.
A young man brought up on the farm /
went INTO the army in 1861, and after |
serving through the war, came home |
Dlnus his right arm. He questioned /
for a time what he had better do as a |
life work, and because of his native
ability, was advised to 90 into a profes-
sion, and thus be enabled to employ
himself where he would least feel the /
loss OF his right arm. After a little
careful thought. much to the surprise Of
his friends he chose farming, saving
that he believed he could make his head
OF as mpch use, and miss his arm as
niue in that vocation as anv.
Zen years have elapsed, TODAY bis
position and prosperity are abundant
proof OF the wisdom of his choice. His
has served his will better than
MS muscle could have done.
The other day, lad who knew of his
success, thought he would be a nice man
TO work for, and applied for a place. re-
eeIVIng the following response: 'Young
n an, we do large business on our place
Lnd have perfect division Of labor. In
he management of the farm we have
lelp enough, but there is almost always
vacancy in the mechaniCal department;
+ you wish a place there. come on.'
BY guiding other mems muscle and
practical capability, this man has made
! great success in an occupation that
most of US would have said he was least
Idapted to. Head work is very prof
table commodity, even on the farn.-@
Letter an Detroit FIRES Pres,