The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-25
HOW TO SECURE TRADE
WISHES of CONSUMERS IN FOREIGN
LANDS MUST BE REGARDED.
Why Russian Farmers Prefer Ger
ufactured in the United States.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov M-Director w.
P. Wilson, of the Commercial Museum, of
this city, is furnishing some interesting in
formation to manufacturers and business
men, Although many agricultural imple-
ments of American manufacture find a large
sale in Russia, the pillow is not one of them,
and a report just received by the CONNER
cial Museum from Odessa, Russia, gives a
few reasons why American plows have not,
up to the present time been successfully
introduced into that country. The report
comes from a. very reliable source and indi-
Gates that American plows of the patterns
used by the farmers of the United States,
though of splendid workmanship and finish,
are not adapted in patterns and price to
compete with those of Russian and German
make. During the last few years Russian
plow manufacturers have made great prog
ress in their line of business and importa-
tons from the foreign countries formerly
supplying the trade have fallen off. but the
report holds out the inducement that Amer
lean plows adapted in pattern and price to
the peculiarites of the Russian trade may
yet find good foothold in the Russian en-
pire. The report to the museum says:
Many dealers in agricultural implements
now in business in Russia went over to the
came back with the conviction that the
American plows they saw there could be in
troduced with any chance of success in this
country. They all admired the beautiful ma
terial used and the high-class finish of the
implements for cultivating the soil which
they saw at Chicago, and such tools as can
be advantageously used here have been in
troduced and are being used. but the Amer
lean pillow is not one of them. Twenty years
ago the English manufacturers held this
market in the pillow trade and very few Ger
man plowS were seen here but since then
the English manufacturers have been al
most driven out and the German manufac-
turers hold the trade. The Russian manu-
facturerS themselves have made tremendous
progress within the last ten years, and 1t
may be safely said that the German impor-
tation has considerably fallen off or at least
is not increasing on account of the progress
in manutal turing made by the Rus sian max
ers We have one maker here who manu-
features fifteen thousand plows a year and
another who makes between six thousand
and seven thousand ploWS a year.
1.-The downfall of the English trade in
plowS in this country was due to the high
price. The English furnished a far better ar
ucIe than the Germans. Their material was
superior and their plows would last longer,
but the Germans furnished an article which
was somewhat lighter and which did the
work just as we'll with less horsepower. The
people could buy three German ploWs for
the same price that they could buy two Of
short time the English Importation of ploWs
ceased almost entirely. Now English makers
had expended a great deal or time ana
money in building up their Russian trade
They had sent out experts to experiment In
Russia and to find out exactly what the
wants of the country required. They had
built special types of plows for this coun-
try and during every succeeding year they
had experts here to see in what manner
their pfows could we'll be improved, and
lust as they had succeeded in building up a
fine trade and were beginning to reap the
benefits of their years of toll and expendi-
ture of money the Germans began TO come
i'm and in a very short space of time the
English trade in plows got down to one
tenth of what it had been and 1t was simply
the lower price of the German plows that
did it. In the regions a little to the north
of Odessa where the sugar beet is largely
cultivated plows of German MANUFACTURE
and pattern are almost exclusively used.
IF the American pillow manufacturers
wish to get a share in the pillow trade OF TINS
country they must do as the Engnsn max
ers did and study the wants, requirements
and idiosyncracies of this country IN the
plow line. They must not try TO ram DOWN
neonle's Threats patterns which they do not
want and which they will not have, but
thew must try to adapt themselves to what
the people demand and offer them some
thing similar to what they have been USING
If they cannot compete IN price, however
the neople will not buy their plows.
The Commercial Museum has received
catalogues of the German made ploWs
which find a large sale in Russia, showing
their neculiar patterns and light draft.