The Dawson journal., 1883-03-01
Our Melon Men.

that they should turn loose the all
cotton policy and turn their atten-
ton to the raising of vegetables
for the northern markets, at least
50 far as it may become practica-
BILE, yet we would not neglect to
utter some words of caution. We
are not of that number, however,
who fear that the markets, North,
can be easily glutted. Upon the
contrary,as the supply increases 50
will the demand increase, and
when it is remembered that there
are thousands of towns and cities
all over the North and West ac-
cessible by rail, and that very few
of them have yet been reached by
the melon growers, the above as
sertion will not appear unreasona-
BILE. We believe that ten times as
many melons can be sold in the
northern and western markets the
coming season as will be produc-
ed, but i'll order to do this it will
require a good deal of enterprise
and energy. The tastes and hab-
its Of the people In the different
towns and cities of the North and
West are essentially the same up
on questions Of food and luxury,
and if watermelons can be sold in
one city or town, then, it follows
that they may be sold in any 9TH
er city or town, or in all But to
do this our people must go to
work and create market in such
places as have not, as yet, been
supplied with this luxury. They
must not be content to plant their
cultivate them and load
them on board the cars and start
them off at a venture to some
northern city without knowing in
advance whether or not they can
be sold upon arrival. The tenden-
cy of novitiates in all such enter
prises Is to follow in the footsteps
Of more experienced persons, and,
to certain extent, this is well
enough, but when it comes to the
sale of melons and such other
products as one may
wish to ship, it will be necessary
for him to act in a measure indie
pendent of everybody else, basing
his judgement in all such cases
upon such data as his superior
business tact will enable him to
obtain. In other words, the nov
ice i'll this business will be more
than apt to ship his melons to
Knoxville, or some other city, be-
cause some one else has shipped
to this point ahead of him, or else,
perchance, because he has heard
from some one that it is better
market than any other point
While Knoxville may have been
good market last season, by rea-
son of the fact that it was not
crowded, to ship there again this
year without proper information
in advance might prove ruinous.
1t would be a good rule to always
avoid those points III shipping
which have been pre-occupied by
other shippers, and to do this one
must have information. What is
true of this industry is also true
Of every other enterprise of trade.
We must not conclude that be-
cause the shipping of melons to
the northern markets is compar-
atiyely new industry that it is,
therefore, different from every
other kind of business, but upon
the contrary the same laws of
commerce which control other
business enterprises also control
tae trade In melons. For exam
pie, a Kentuckian wants to ship a
car load OF mules South. What
does he do? Does lie load his
mules on board the cars and ship
blindly, without information, or
without any objective point in
view? For a man to do this would
appear extremely silly, and it
might not be improper to chafAc-
terize him as deviod of all bust
ness sagacity. Upon the contra
ry, while he feeds his mules and
is engaged in getting them ready
for the southern market, he is in
correspondence with parties, it
may be, in half a dozen different
cities, seeking such information
as will enable him to realize the
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