Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-08-06
FARMERAND PLANTER
WHEN REUBEN GOES TO TOWN.
Have weight II He Has Busi-
ness to Transact.

We all go sometimes, and we take
with us stuff from the farm to sell.
That is a part of our business, and II
is quite a study how we may do it
most successfully. Not every man is
a success as a marketman for his own
produce. 1t is a dread to one to go
about town soliciting in his own be-
half. He is glad when the ordeal is
over and he has disposed of his milk,
his butter or his vegetables. Such a
man should not drive himself TO fol-
low this occupation He should turn
his stuff over to some one who enjoys
meeting men in this way. And some
do. They make a success of it because
they like to rub against men in their
own homes, and take pleasure in a
few moments chat.
But when the farmer goes to town,
whoever he is, or whatever he has to
sell, he should dress for his work. The
slovenly, rough-looking man with a
weeks beard on his face can not pre-
sent his wares to the city customer
as successfully as the one who is well
dressed, clean, and shaver as if he
were going to "have company" Folks
notice such things, much as we may
think to the contrary.
Then, every article should be put
up in a neat way. If it is butter he
is selling, let the package be as neat
as a pin. / know a man who has a
print of his own, with a beautiful
flower on it. The butter he puts into
this mold is simply fine. Folks look
at it. and see how attractive it would
be on the table, and they buy it, and
pay a little more for it than they
would if it were simply packed in a
square or round roll. If the butter
is in jars, let them be scrupulously
neat-neat to look at, and neat to
taste and smell.
And that leads to the thought that
the butter and. other produce offered
for sale must not only look nice, but
must be nice. You can not build up
a reputation on looks alone. If the
butter sold looks well, and yet is poor,
with bookkeeping qualities, you have
really done yourself an injury by TAX
ing so much pains in packing. You
can not make poor butter good by
putting it into a beautiful mold. The
first thing to do, then, is to learn how
to make good butter. If it is fruit or
vegetables you are offering, see to it
that they are all nice, choice apples
or vegetables clear down to the bot
tom. l have been in a position my
such things of farmers. / know how
often the incest stuff is put on the
top, while down a little way n will
find the small and imperfect fruit Or
vegetables. That is an actual loss to
the man who sells. He might better
put the very poorest on top, or bet
ter still, make two assortments, put
ting the good in one crate and the in
ferior in another, and having prices
to correspond. He would make just
as much, and establish a reputation
for strict honesty.
And then, be honest in every way.
If you promise to. deliver stuff on a
certain day, be there. If the lady of
the house makes a mistake in giving
you change, correct it, even if the err
ror was in your favor. Keep track of
all the jars and other packages you
leave about town, and call for them
when empty. Many men lose con
siderable sums by failing to get back
the jars, etc. Study men and women.
Try to please your customers, and
be fair. Then expect success. You
will be worthy of it, and it will come.
e. L. Vincent, in Farm and Ranch.