Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-08-18
MARKET A
SUCCESS
GOOD OFFERINGS AND MANY
CUSTOMERS ON OPENING DAY.
ALL STUFF SOLD BEFORE NOON
Everyone Connected With the Public
Market Proposition Well Satisfied
With Results Upon Opening Mar
ket Day.

Ashland's public market started
out auspiciously Saturday. The only
complaint was that there was not
enough of some commodities to fill
the demands of the customers. A
large number of people were present
when the band began to play at 9
o'clock to usher in the enterprise, at
least a dozen automobiles being lined
up outside the curb. The Ashland
band gave a number of beautiful Sc
lections of music, but there was no
formal opening. The plan of having
the rigs backed up to the walk on
Main street, with the horses removed
and hitched at the rear of the lot,
worked fine. There were about
dozen producers present and the It'd
ings is informed that with the excep-
tion of few blackberries everything
offered was sold and the producers
we're on their way home before noon.
In many lines, notably dairy butter,
chickens, eggs and meat, there was
a marked demand. All the dressed
chickens were snapped up in less
than no time and dozens more would
have gone. The fresh eggs also went
quickly. There was no fresh meat
offered, but there many calls for it.
1t would seem that some arrange
ment might be made whereby a
screened meat stall could be arranged
on the market to handle the meat
of the farmers. 1t would certainly
be a drawing card and a great ac-
commodation both to the farmers and
the citizens. Another thing which
was in demand but not in evidence
was ripe tomatoes. The variey of
vegetables was fairly good and will
no doubt increase as it becomes bet
ter known what the demand will be
for.
Few novelties were on the market,
but one man had some Swiss chard
and said no one seemed to know what
it was or what it was for. Celery
would have sold we'll had it been in
evidence
Taken altogether, the first market
day was a decided success. That
every farmer will sell entirely out
every day is not to be expected. any
more than any merchant will sell out
an entire line of goods every season,
but the jingle of the coin to the pro-
ducers who had only heretofore re-
ceived credit slips sounded good to
them. 1t meant that they could pay
cash for their groceries and also for
other things which they needed.
The Tidings cannot go into detail
as to the offerings of various parties,
as all the vegetables and fruits Of
fered would have done credit to a
county fair, but the offering of home
canned fruits, pickles and homemade
cider vinegar in bottles offered by
R. M. Hedges was certainly most
tempting.
The market will be open again to-
morrow and Thhursday and Saturday
of each week. If it continues as we'll
as it commenced it will be a decided
success and prove beneficial to all,
even including those grocers who
have heretofore handled much green
stuff. The waste of handling green
goods at a grocery is much greater
than through a market, because
there is no set time for the consumer
to call for it and more or less goes
to waste. Again, the grocer will now
get cash for his goods from the pro-
ducer who sells through the market.
A suggestion 1t would be very
good plan for housewives knowing in
advance that they will want vegeta-
bles, chickens, eggs, ETC., to place
their orders ~ahead for them with
some producer. He will then know
more accurately how much stuff to
bring. But having done this, the
housewife should make it a religious
duty to be on hand to take the things
ordered, as nothing is meaner than
to order stuff and have a producer
hold it awaiting the arrival of the
party ordering, when he might have
sold it to others, and finally have it
left on his hands.