The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-07-18
FARM AND GARDEN,
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
A0RlcULTURIsTs.
Some rr-to-Date Hints About Cultlv.-
ton OF the Soil and Yields Thereof
Horticulture, yiticulturs aud Elor,cul-
ture.
ture
How to Sell Emit.

How to Sell Fruit.
r. M. Kellogg, the well-known fruit
grower of Michigan, writing in his an
aual catalogue on the way to sell fruit
Gays:
Never give the market thought I'M
Ill the berries are ready but spend
your time growing such a grade of
fruit that customers will wait for your
coming. You will not have to run
around to drum up trade
1t your fruit is right you will not
have any trouble in arranging with the
leading dealer to handle all you have.
Get neat circular letter printed de-
scribing your berries and have one left
with every family who is customer
Of your dealer, telling them where they
can be had. Have notices put In the
papers to the same effect. Pack your
fruit honestly in nice, clean box and
don't forget to put some big berries in
the bottom. The people will find them
and give you good deal of credit. If
you ship to distant city secure a re-
liable dealer in the same way and have
a neat stencil or label which shall act
as a trademark, so that people will be-
come accustomed to it and insist on
| having your brand. You will have no
occasion to make consignments to a
commission house but will be put to
your wits end to get enough fruit to
| supply regular customers
If you are SO fortunate as TO have
common fruit, do as the other fellow
does: sell 1t for what it will bring
but never put your name on it so that
people shall find out that it came
from your establishment A good
reputation is splendid stock in trade.
1t gives you the advantage on the mar
ket and causes people to pass by the
other growers and patronize you.
Have neat letter head and bill head
to use when you have occasion to
write to customer or present bill.
Take pride in your business and do
business in a business-like way. 1
have made most money selling direct
to private families. I never failed to
secure for customers nearly every
family on all the principal streets
Other growers would tag around after
me and offer my customers their ber-
ries for two or three cents less per
quart, but paid no attention to them.
Always insist on fair price and
back 1t up by comparison of values
and you will have no trouble in get
ting and holding customers. Be firm
and courteous under all circum-
stances; don't get angry if they do
quit you, but express your regrets and
leave them in a mood in which they
can come back without prejudice. 1t
costs nothing and it is pleasant to
be known as gentleman with whom
everybody likes to deal. Don't cut
prices but look up new customers If
you have surplus of fruit. Don't
peddle unfortunately from house to
house but have regular customers
whom you supply daily.
Insist on a good price for fancy
fruit and you will always get 1t. You
will rarely or never lose a customer,
but you will keep on getting more
patronage as the quality of your fruit
becomes known. Nine-tenths of the
people will buy the best fruit they can
get, and reasonably high price cuts
no figure if they can only know where
to get regular supply. Any grocery
man will tell you he always sells his
fancy fruit first and the low grades
last. The word goes from one family
to- another and to their friends in dis
tant towns, where families will club
together and have several bushels
shipped daily by express and divide
them among themselves. have al
ways had large trade of this kind.
When selling one kind of fruit en-
gage the next coming on, so as to have
everything sold in advance. You will
soon find all your time occupied in
selling fruit and directing work, and
you can hire the drudgery done by
people of less enterprise. Pay your
men good wages, so they will prize
their places, but let them understand
that everything depends on first-class,
careful work. When they see the
drones being. weeded out they will
take the hint; and don't forget the
worst use you can make of man is
to quarrel with him and call him hard
names. Just say to him kindly that
his services are no longer needed, and
let him go. A neat personal appear
ance is a good stock in trade. Wear
good business suit and keep your
shoes BACKED, and be in condition to
approach a wealthy family and make
good impression, and never offer a
customer berries in an old dirty box
Keep your wagon as neat. and attrac-
tive as possible.