The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-31
Farmers and City Markets.

1T would be Of advantage to our
! farmers" says the Agricultural Epito-
mist, IF they were to save up a few
dollars and visit the markets of our
great cities and acquaint themselves
| with the requirements of the trade.
They should become acquainted with
the methods of business, and should
study the reasons for the adoption of
| particular systems of handling prod
| uce"
The above suggestions are appro-
| pirate. The systems of trading afford
| many elements Of interesting study;
but the farmers are comparatively few
in numbers who can profitably visit the
great" cities of the country to person.
| ally inspect the operations of handling
commodities. There are always central
! communities in every state in the
! Union, however, where the business of
conducting commerce is actively going
! forward from day to day, and where
| the object lesson supplied is more easily
! comprehended than in the so-called
great" cities Of the country. There
| are few farmers in Minnesota for in
stance, who could not, with ADVANTAGE
L
neapolis or Duluth at least once a year.
and thus come more closely in touch
with the methods by which trade is
! carried on
Intercourse Of this kind is always
| educational in it's effect. man learns
something new by extending the hort
| zon of his observations and witnessing.
for himself what lies beyond The de-
| Velopment thus wrought must in time.
| II he properly utilities these occasions
! and does not waste his opportunities in
| useless and harmful dissipation, result
! in better fitting him for more intelli-
| gent and profitable labor, while often.
| times the enlargement of views thus &C
| qu1red serves to reveal the existence OF
| business qualifications within himself
which otherwise might never be recog.
n1zed The farmer, by coming more
frequently in contact with the city
| merchant, acquires knowledge through
conversation. If he has entertained
contracted ideas upon certain impor-
| tant questions, they are liable to modi,
f1catfon, at least, if not total extinction
IN his final appreciation of the fact
that there are other interests and other
| rights than those which pertain wholly
to his own well being. He realizes that
there are other men than himself Who
are compelled to labor industriouslv
Tor only a limited competence, and
Obliged to practice economy and thrift
IN the effort to make both ends meet
He comes to comprehend the fact that
the man in the city is required to as,
SGmes risks and burdens as dangerous
and as onerous respectively as any as
ISOLATED with the life and toll Of the
farmer, and that the visitations of dis
aster are never withheld from one class
| Of industry for special distribution
among those representing another, but
that the just and the unjust, as has
always been from the beginning Of
time, are alike destined to suffer in
proportionate degrees.
BY all means farmers should be-
urged to tread more closely in the gen
eral ranks of men by frequent visits to
the most available trading centers
Furthermore, they should maintain a
close watch upon the conditions OF
markets for their produce. Daily news,
| papers are accessible to every farmer
| IN the state at cost which IS so
small as almost to be merely nominal
when the general contents are consider
! ed. BY keeping himself posted on mar
ket values the intelligent farmer knows
when to sell advantageously and when
to withhold his produce for better
! prices.
| And finally, when the farmer visits
| the city let him bring his wife or some
| other member Of his family with him.
The advantage to all resulting from
such explorations into the world be-
yond the limits of their daily horizon
| will far outweigh the trif1ing money
value of the cost