The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-04-20
AGRICULTURAL.
The Farmer as a Buyer and Seller.

a great zeal OF Jne farmers money
goes in percentages. The merchant of
whom he buys his goods has to make a
certain per cent. The dealer to whom
he sells has TO make certain per cent,
and often these are call the traffic will
bear" sometimes more than it can bear
and enable the farmer TO make de-
cent living The seller who sells to
the farmer, the buyer who buys of the
farmer must have a living of course.
1t does not make 80 much difference
whether the farmer gets living or
not, he is of little account, but the mer-
chant and the dealer are too important
personages to drop out of sight. But
now how can the farmer 30 manage as
to save money in buying and selling2
First in buying, watch to buy in the
lowest market. 1t is natural for some
men to be saving, some are too saving
even a cent till the last minute. They
will never spend a cent for anything If
they can help it. Then there are 9th
ers who cannot hang on to money at
all. To get is to spend. Now you
want to strike the golden mean. We
are to use all diligence in our buying.
The size of mans family has much to
do with his family expenses of course,
but the spirit of the age has much more
to do with them. The slaves of fash
ion are not all confined to the cities,
would that they werei Only the other
day the writer saw farmer and his
wife riding home from the city in
lumber wagon drawn by yoke of oxen.
Our grandfathers or perhaps our great
grandfathers and grandmothers lived
in simple style, they expended very
little money, (was it because they had
only little to spendO They produced
most of their food and apparel on their
own farms, as rule they were prudent
and economical. But now all is chang
ed. The old simple ways of farm life
have departed. So many things are
bought that might be dispensed with.
There are some modern things which
ought not to be dispensed with. If
you are able, get things to help your
wife in her work, like an oil stove. Get
comfortable clothing, durable clothing,
but that takes skill. There is so much
shoddy nowadays, such demand for
"cheap" things, such desire to dress
as well as the rich, that it really does
take lot of common sense, decision of
character, and downright earnestness
to buy sensibly in these days. But it
pays grandly. If you can keep out of
debt, owe no man anything, you can
walk erect, look any and every man in
the face without fear.
In buying it is often better to look
stocks of goods over few days before
buying to see what to buy. Some
times it is best to 60 to city especially
at the times when clearance sales are
being made, to buy, but many country
stores sell at such times as low as SIM
liar goods can be bought in the city.
Some large houses in the cities send out
large catalogues which you can send
for and study at your leisure, make up
list and send in, and often such a
course brings better lot of goods for
the money than can be bought in the
home stores.
Then as to the selling of farm pro-
ducts, there are two or three good rules
to follow. One is to always have
first class article TO sell. Do not offer
anything that is not up to high stan
dard of quality. Let this rule govern
your offerings Of farm products, and in
time it may be worth great many dol
lars to you. Get reputation for SELL
ing first class products and when PEG.
pie find out that whatever you have to
sell is always good, they will come to
have confidence in you, and will be
willing to pay you little or a good
deal more to get your goods. Then for
anything like butter or the like, neat
ness of package lie Of the greatest ad-
vantage in selling. Neat packages are
the rule now in most places, but if you
can get up something little heater
than anybody else, you will stand lit.
tie better chance to get better price.
Then try to secure home market. 1t
is usually much better to sell direct to
the consumer, though there are two
sides to that question. 1t takes time to
peddle, there are losses from poor pay
ers and the like, all Of which are saved
by selling to dealer. But one must
weigh these things and decide for him
self which he had better do. Then it
is generally best to raise or produce
good deal of one thing 30 as to be able
to sell quantity, as better rates can
generally be thus obtained. Another
excellent rule is to always buy and sell |
g.. l. l.