The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1916-11-22
FARMER SCORES MERCHANTS
FOR LACK OF CO-OPERA TON

ing himself as j. F. Jones on which
he won second prize telling how the
merchant and farmer may cooperate
He flags the merchants of Cordele for
their indifference to home raised pro
ducts.
Both farmer and merchant should
read this letter. In the editorial col
umns of the Dispatch in this issue is
an explanations as to why present con
ditions obtain The matter under dis
cussion is considered of vast impor
lance here and throughout the state
now more than ever on account of the
diversification which is required OF
the farmer in the future.
The Jones letter follows:
Two years ago I decided | would try
hay on a very limited scale. The re-
suit was ! saved a few tons of the
prettiest peavine hay that | ever saw.
| was told by some that it would sell
itself. After got my hay baled, be-
gan to feel of the market.
was in Cordele, Ga, town of
about ten thousand. | passed IA
wholesale grocery store and saw
baled hay stacked therein. | walked
in and asked the proprietor if he want
ed to buy some nice peavine hay. He
answered, "No, we handle only Wes'
tern hay" tried several other whole
sale grocery people, and got the same
answer. ! tried liverymen, stock deal
ers. and hay and grain merchants.
The results were the same, notwith-
standing the fact that | explained to
each that my hay was A No !. cut,
stacked and baled it without drop
of rain.
I told them to take the hay and
feed it, and if it did not even up to
recommendation not to pay for it,
but if 1t did come up to pay The
answers were the same, 1--WE do not
handle peavine hay"
These same people will write
three column article on money that
can be made by raising hay.
was in a town of about $4,000 peo-
ple trying to sell pork / asked mar
ket man to buy my pork. He answer
ed ave only handle Western meats"
or course not all the meat dealers
were like this one, for | did sell my
pork in this city.
| heard a man say last week that
there was 200 bushels of corn sold in
his town a few days before for 40
cents per bushel, Notwithstanding the
fact that Western corn is worth more
than twice that much delivered. !
dare say the merchants and bankers
of this town advise the farmers to
raise more corn and less cotton. Still
when he carries it to market, he can
not sell it.
Now, here is another example of
what a market will do. My home
town, Weston, is a small country
town, and until two years ago, when
a farmer carried in a basket of chick
ems he sold them or rather eXchang-
ed them for merchandise, at from Is
to 25 cents each. Our bank cashier
looked over the situation and decided
that he could handle chickens at a
profit to himself, an help the farmer
also. So now when a farmer carries
chickens to town, he goes around to
the bank and Mr.. Adams (the bank
casher) gives him 10 cents per pound
for hens and Is cents per pound for
friers, and sometimes he gets as
high as % cents for broilers. The re-
suits are, chickens are as much OF a
cash crop as cotton Give us Mr.
Adams to handle our hay, corn, peas,
peanuts butter and other products.
Mr.. Farmer: Quit sending millions
dollars to Chicago and New York
for merchandise that you can and
should buy from your home merchant
Mr.. Merchant: buy the farmers pro-
ducts even if you lose little money
sometimes by so doing.
You may say that you cannot count
on the farmers grades of stuff that
he offers you for sale. Certainly not
Why? You have never told him
what you want. Tell him what you
want, what you will pay for it, if he
will deliver the goods Rest assured
you will get what you want, and as
much as you want
Take the wholesale grocery people
that tried to sell my hay. They buy
their hay and grain from Western
farmers. Do they sell Western farm
ers any groceries? Certainly not.
Still they grumble when their bust
ness is poor and their collections are
short. Now the bankers should get in
closer touch with their customers.
If the merchant will not find mar
ket for the farmers produce. the bank
ers should do as Mr. Adams did; find
it for him. What is needed is for eV-
arvhody TO broaden their vision. Pull