Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-10-16
THE IMPRACTICAL.
Why Business Failure 10 Inevitable Go
Some individuals.


Some individuals.
So many individuals with limited
business aspirations fall so hope
lessly short of a practical business
point of view that failure is inevi-
table.
listened long and patiently the
other day to the hard luck story of
small farmer practicing the in
tensive system with fruits and vege-
tables. He lived on the edge of a
considerable village, and fifty miles
away was growing city of 100000
population. But the farmer was
sore and discouraged.
Nobody in this whole section
begins to touch the stuff that Pm
growing" he said hotly. 'T'm a
past master in the business. But
what is the result? Every year L
have stuff rotting here on the
ground. l wouldn't haul it into
town for the prices they pay. It's
ridiculous p
To me, however, that farmer
himself was the most ridiculous
single thing in the whole story.
In an age of specializing he had
specialized in the growing of fine
fruits and vegetables. They were
his hobby. But he overlooked the
fact that after his fruits were grown
and ripened his work was only half
done. Without connecting with a
profitable market he might as well
have put in his time making mud
pies in his back yard. Fifty miles
away was city which would have
grabbed for his produce. A main
line of railroad ran eight passenger
trains into it every twenty-four
hours. Why didn't he complete the
work by establishing market con-
nections?
But this was sore spot with the
farmer. A few years before he had
kept three or four Jersey cows, and
the farmers wife was an expert
buttermaker. In some way an Off
cial of an express company operat-
ing over the line of road through
the village heard of this famous
butter product and arranged to
take the surplus without transpor-
-tation cost and paying sharp
premium for it.
But the farmer had made only
one shipment and had quit in dis
gust. Why? Simply because the
farmers wife always had used glazed
crockery in which to handle milk
and butter and in making the first
six or eight pound shipment in
vessel that had cost her 80 cents
the city purchaser had failed to re-
turn the empty crock! Why had
she used the crock for shipment?
Oh, well, she had never used any
thing else in the handling of but
ter!
Yet not few of the big business
concerns of the country that are
seeking foreign outlet for trade are
no wiser than this farmers wife.
They are producers of goods that
are in foreign demand. Transpor-
tation rates are reasonable and di-
rect. Prices are satisfactory. But,
would you believe it, these bidders
for foreign trade will not pack their
goods for shipment as the market
requires?
A few years ago manufacturing
concern in Chicago sold consign-
ment Of neckties to retail firm in
British India. Instructions for
packing were that tin boxes should
be prepared, with covers, the ties
placed inside and the covers solder
ed on closely. The Chicago house
baked at this. 1t packed the ties
as it would have done were they to
go to Baltimore or Denver and
made the shipment. Several weeks
later notice came that the whole
shipment had arrived in a ruined
condition. A small grub, recog-
nized in those seas, had penetrated
the cardboard and wooden cover
ings and eaten the silk into ragsl--
Chicago Tribune.