The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-08-23
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~>b11p0lV|rhENT.
TELEPHONES ON FARMS.
They Are Not Merely Convenience,
Hut Good Business Invest
ment as Well.

In the locality where l live there
are several lines of telephones which
run through the farming districts to
the several villages. Many of the
farmers along these lines have placed
phones in their houses, which puts
them in direct communication with
the villages. | recently visited a
farmer who lives three or four miles
from one Of our large villages. In
this village he markets the produce
of his farm and of Il large truck gar
den. 1t has been his custom to drive
to the village three times week with
a load of produce. Not knowing how
much he would he able to sell, he
would often take more than he could
dispose of, and this surplus, kept over
until the next trip, did not always
keep in marketable condition, and
in this way considerable was wasted
during the year. This farmer has put
IA telephone in his house which places
him in communication with his Gus
toners in the village. He now receives
their orders by telephone, and know
ing what they want, he delivers 1t to
them on his regular days of market
ing. This makes marketing much
easier and pleasanter, and he thinks
the telephone II profitable investment
for him. Sometimes he WHOLESALERS
produce to dealers when he can get
satisfactory prices. When dealer
in his village wishes anything III his
line, he can easily order it, if prices
can be arranged, or when the farmer
has anything ready for market, he
can "call up" the dealer and ask for
prices.
The telephone not only places him
in immediate communication with his
own village. but with neighboring VIII
lagos, and, by telegraph or the long
distance telephone, with the city mar.
kets. The farmer | have mentioned
grows several acres of strawberries.
| By the aid of the telephone he is able
to learn without delay, which is inn
portant to marketing berries, where
| there is Il demand for them and at
! what price,
There are many other uses of the
| telephone for the farmer in his iSo-
| lated circumstances, so that very often
he can make it convenient and profit
able. | have been in the railway sta
ton when some farmer "callcd up
the agent and asked him if the goods
he was expecting HAD arrived. and the
information would sometimes save n
trip to the station before the goods
were there; or he was as''"d to send
| telephone to svlIic pia.,,
" Ii a.. Immediate reply.
The telephone, besides placing the
farmer in immediate communication
with his merchant, physician, veteri-
marian and others whose services he
NAV need, affords communication be-
tween farmers and their families. II
not only facilitates intercourse in
business matters. but adds very much
to the social life of the farmer. He
converscs easily at any time with his
neighbor on any subject Of interest
to them.
Many farmers tNinE that the cuS'
OF the telephone is so great that they
cannot afford il. In my locality the
farmers own private lines On the GO.
operative plan. There are main lines
operated by individuals, or corpora.
tions. The farmers have built private
lines which connect them with these
Generally. a few individuals taking the
lead. the farmers are visited in the
community where the wires are to b,
put up. and asked to subscribe TO-
wards building the line. Some who