The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-05-05
IS MINNESOTA INSTITUTION
Monthly Fairs for Convenience Of
Farmers and stockmen Hav.
ing Stuff to Trade.

L ~-~
from here that no doubt you people
here will term it an eastern concep-
ton. But no matter what it may be
called as regards geographical loca.
ton or origin, it is a mighty good
thing and I'm surprised that some OF
your enterprising and wide-awake
'rustlers' hereabouts have never
thought Of it or attempted totput it
into practice, having heard OF its ex-
istence elsewhere. / have reference
to monthly fairs as we call them
back there"
The speaker was Wade Burton, a
MinnesOtan, who was here yesterday
on his way west. Mr.. Burton is a trav-
cling salesman and like all of his call
ing is "%up-to-date" on pretty much
every subject, especially if it has
any connection with or relation to
business affairs.
"A few days ago l vas at a little
town called Glencoe" he continued,
"One OF those places OF which my
state has SO many, and all OF which
are thrifty and prosperous. There
one of those monthly fairs was in
progress and the city was filled with
persons who had been attracted thith-
er by the opportunities afforded for
trade and barter. 1t seemed to me
that every farmer in the county and
from some of the neighboring counties
was there. Everyone had something
to sell or trade and the amount OF
business done was a revelation to
me. For blocks wagons were backed
up against the curb and about every
thing that can be grown on a farm
was offered for sale. One man would
have a COW and calf that he wanted
to sell or trade for something else;
another had a horse, or, perhaps, a
lot of pigs. Some of the animals were
FLOODED and had pedigrees under
which they staggered, while others
were just plain animals without any
pretensions to lofty and a%ristocratic
connections.
"Then there were fruit, vegetables,
butter, eggs, cheese, in fact, as l have
said before. everything imaginable
that can be raised or produced by a
farmer. The beauty of it all was that
every mar was dickering and trading
and the scene presented was one OF
the liveliest and most animating l
have seen in a long time. You must
remember that the farmers were not
the only ones interested or benefited.
While much of the trading or swap
ping as most of them called it, was
between farmers, others took a hand
and besides livestock and products
much money changed ownership. The
merchants were as busy as the country
people and clerks and proprietors We're
on the jump constantly. While they
came to trade between themselves,
the grangers also did a lot OF buying
from the storekeepers. In the barter
ing with others many of them received
boot and as this in almost every in
stance was regarded as money easily
made, it was spent with greater lib
than would have been the case
had it been received in the ordinary
way by the wner
.iSome OF the merchants informed
me hat they had come to look for
ward to those monthly fairs with the
greatest amount of interest and the
days on which they were held were
always their best, so far as sales were
At almost each recurring
one new customers were made and
people were brought to town who had
never been there before. From the
very first, when the idea OF monthly
fairs was suggested, the enterprls-
ng storekeepers realized what a ben
eft they would be to them and they
lid their best to encourage n fos-
.er them. OF course, it was a slow
ask to. get the farmers interested,
,nt as soon as they saw what beneht
hey would be to themselves they
woke to their Importance and now
every farmer wonders how he ever
got along before the fairs were held.
IF you can get them started here,
say only one as a beginner, it will
not be long before your monthly
air will be as much of an institution
are your annual wool sales"
For Sale or Trade.
Four room dwelling and five lots in