The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-18
INTEREST AROUSED
THROUGHOUT STATE
IN DIRECT TRADING
Campaign to Bring Pro-
Queer and Consumer
Together Getting
Results

Housewives, are you interested in The
AgeHeralds campaign to bring she
farmer and his products closer to you7
Assistant Postmaster Z. r. Norman is
confident that the housewives OF Birmlng-
ham are very much interested judging
from the hundreds of telephone calls he
receives daily. and the numerous personal
and mail requests for copies Of the federal
lists of names of farmers who have
products for sale by the parcel post.
But the farmers and the farmers wives
are also vitality interested.
Farmers and their wives are writing
letters to Mr.. Norman. telling him of
their troubles and seeking information
as to how to get them customers who
will pay cash at the market quotations.
Assistant Postmaster Norman received
the following letter yesterday from Mrs.
Joseph ]. White of Newbern:
THE LETTER
'Ingleside, Newbern, Ala.
Mr.. Edward r. Norman.
Dear Sir: l was so glad to read your
article on the high cost OF living and
market products and l want to tell you
why Mr.. Farmer and wife are so dis
couraged in shipping their supplies. We
work hard to live at home and live well.
not merely exist. and would like to raise
enough poultry and eggs for ready money
but the city people are to blame They
think all country people have to do is
to walk out in the yard and geese, ducks.
turkeys, chickens and eggs come at their
bidding without cost to them.
But II not only costs something to
raise all these, but there is much labor
attached to 1t. and then we do not even
get enough for them to pay for the labor
Of planting the seed to feed these fowls
Yet the city housewife will buy these
chickens from her grocery man. where
for days perhaps, they have been packed
in coops with not even enough room 20
allow them to sit and rest, and breath
ing all the impure air from the sidewalk
and dirty coops.
TRIED BUT FAILED
Last winter | tried all the nearby
towns and cities to sell my surplus eggs
and fowls. ! offered to sell strictly fresh
laid eggs, quoted at IS to 40 cents a
dozen; | asked IA and Is cents for nice
fat chickens per pound. that did not pay
me to send by parcel post or express
The cartons for sending the eggs cost
20 to 40 cents each and If they would not
return them, you count parcel post, 4
or cartoon. SO farmer and wife had best
do as I said last winter. that is, ship
them to their New York friends, IL they
pay the express. where they are paying
80 and 60 cents per dozen for eggs and
81 60 and $40 for chickens.
II am anxious to get in touch with re-
liable parties who will buy eggs. chick
ems geese, ducks and turkeys and pay
us prices that will Justify shipping. ],
as well as my neighbors. have plenty OF
things for sale. and can guarantee all
of them
''In returning cartons by mail. can they
go as empties. like by express? I hope
very much to get a reliable party who
will do the right thing. II so, I can
get my neighbors to ship also. That Is
just the reason country folks are so dis
couraged. What the drouth and boil
weevil do not do the city buyer finishes.
This is a fine section of country and
anything can be raised all the year
round. There is so much waste land that
could be cultivated and fine cattle raised.
Many farmers are in the cattle and dairy
business now and we wish that others
could come and farm. 1t is hard work but
healthy, but anyone who does work can
succeed, though floods. drouths and boil
weevil get the best of us sometimes. and
yet nothing ventured, nothing done.
1T hope my letter has not bored you
or taken up too much of your time.
was anxious for you to know the trouble
in this section and to see il you could
help us in any way. Sincerely.
MRS. JOSEPH j. WHITE.
'P. S. Produce can be shipped on 6:8
p. m. train and delivered in Birmingham
the next morning