The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-01-12
THE IMPRACTICAL.
Why Business Failure Is Inevitable to
Some Individuals.

So many individuals with limited
business aspirations fall so hopeless
ly short Of practical business poin.
Of view that failure is inevitable.
listened long and patiently the
other day to the hard luck story of
a small farmer practicing the inten-
sive system with fruits and vege-
ia bles. % He lived on the edge Of a
considerable village, and so miles
away was growing city of 100000
population. But the farmer was sore
ard discouraged.
Z Nobody in the whole section be-
gins to touch the stuff that I'm grow
ing," he said ne tly. I'm a past
master in the business. But what is
the result? Every year I have stuff
rotting here on the ground. would
not haul it into town for the prices
ttey pay. It's ridiculous!Y
To me, however, that farmer him.
self was the most ridiculous single
thing In the whole story
In an age Of specializing he had
specialized the growing of fine fruits
and vegetables. They were his hob
b.. But he overlooked the fact that
after his fruits were grown and rip
ened his work was only half DONE
Without connecting with a profitable
market he might as we'll have put in
his time making mud pies in his back
yard. Fifty miles a, was a city
which would have grabbed for his
produce. A main line of railroad ran
ieght passenger trains into it every
"a 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 but
ter-maker. In some way an official
Of the express company operating ov-
er the lines Of the road through the
village heard of this famous butter
product and arranged to take the
surplus without transportation cost
and paying a sharp premium for it.
But the farmer had made only one
shipment and had quit n disgust
Why? Simply because the farmers
wife had always used glazed crockery
In which to handle milk and butter
and In making the first six. or eight
pound shipment in a vessel that had
cost her so cents the city purchaser
had failed to return the empty crock.
Why had she used the crock for ship
nent? Oh, WE'LL she had never used
anything else in the handling of but
ter,
Yet not a 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
III ioiCiSH transportation
rates are reasonable and direct.
Prices are satisfactory. But, would
you believe 1t. these bidders for for
eign trade will not pack their goods
for shipments as the market requires ?
A few years ago a manufacturing
concern in Chicago sold a consign-
ment of neckties to- a retail firm in
British India. Instructions for pack
ing were that tin boxes should be
prepared with covers, the ties placed
inside and the covers soldered on
closely. The Chicago house balked
at this. 1t packed the ties as it would
have done were they to go to Balti-
more or Denver and made the ship
ment Several weeks later notice
came that the whole shipment had
arrived in a ruined condition. \
small grub, recognized in those seas
had penetrated the cardboard ant
wooden coverings and eaten the sill
into rags,-Chicago Tribune