Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-19
from the Atlanta Journal.

theless. there Is no evident reason why
IL would not work in many States
In the first place, Colonel watsonI
obtained the cooperation OF five oil
the states largest dailics. They gave
space free. incidentally. they have all
gained by doing so. without exccptiouI
the rural circulations of these DapcrsI
nave grown steadily. Each OF the pa
hcrs agrees to publish every Tuesday
!, farm market bulletin. In this arc
listed every bid and every Offering
mat Gomez to the commissioners Office
anu the rural folk are Informed that
It postcard telling what they have toI
sell or want 10 buy will obtain them a |
place on the list. The immediate
result is nood OF postcards voicinp
an incredible variety OF bids and Of
terings one man wants to sell !,
game rooster and another a thousand
acres OF land. y third needs a hired
man. and fourth wants TO trade a
phonosraph for "a plow.
"MntchinE" Demand md supply.
Now surprisingly large proportion
of these demands can he ..natchedt
Tor example man who had 2;O head
OF scrub ycarling cattle to sell wen,
L" Norfolk. Richmond and several 9th
or cities without getting a suitable or
Ier Ihcn he wrote postal 10 tho
Colonel. The commissioner had alrcad,
heard from Il man only forty miles
Ell Eearling bccrcs The trade was
contaminated within twenty -fou,
hours In another instance, MAJ,
wanted TO sell hundred and nfty
bushels OF fine seed oats, and a pos.
tai brought the information that tbo
owner Of the third farm from his want
Ell TO buy them. often farmer list
ing quantity OF grain such as thou
sand bushels. will be able TO quickly.
sell II In small quantities.
Every Monday all items in the card
index are checked up. and all that
nave not been sold are listed in thc
newspaper bulletin This Is always
introduced with "A few paragraphs by
Colonel Watson, explaining the pur-
pose OF the market, and commenting
upon contemporary demand and sup
ply. II is seldom indeed that the news.
paper bulletin fails TO find pur-
chaser for any Offering OF real value
Japanese poodle offered at 81 by "A
farmers wife. went begging for sew
eral weeks. Eventually. however. a
woman on the other side OF the State
wrote in, saying that a Japanese poo
dlo vas just what She wanted. and that
she would pay So and express charges
on the dog. OF course the transaction
was supremacy mimportant from a
commercial point Of view. hut 1t made
both OF those women boosters" for the
cooperative market So the market
refuses nothing. The man who lists a
second hand harrow this week. and
makes a sale, may list thousand
bushels Of oats next time.
The newspaper bulletin is published
Tuesday morning On Wednesday
morning all OF the larger offers OF sta
pie farm products are listed and mailed
to 900 dealers. In this way farmers
and home markets are brought closer
together
Farm Products Most Important
Lands. hired men. second hand ma
chincry and personal property are
merely handled to accomm odate patrons
Of the market and attract new ones.
The primary object OF the enterprise
is TO quicken the trade In farm pro-
ducts: ready market for all that he
can raise means everything to the
Southern farmer. 1t means that he
can AFFORD 10 diversity his crops. and
not depend solely upon cotton which
wastes at once the soil and his ovn
credit. IT means cash coming in all the
year around. instead OF once a year.
1t means n chance for the farm wonan
to earn pin money, and the farm boy
to start a fund that will carry him
through the agricultural college. Best
Of all. perhaps. from human;ta"ian
as we'll as commercial point OF view,
it means neighbors and dealers. farm
ers and millcrs, town and country fox.
brought into closer rotations.
Colonel Watson is already planning
extensions of his cooperative market
lie hopes to make each local charter
OF the state Farmers Union a unit III
a system like that Of Germany. The
local secretaries are to list local de-
mand and supply, and the State Office
to act as a clearing house for what the
smaller organizations cannot handle.
The commissioner also hopes 10 make
of the distribution of farm labor IL
separate branch of the business.
Meantime this cooperative market
grows In size, variety and fame. And
here Is fact that will show you how
! the farmers regard It. Although thous-
ands OF items have been listed and
sold and millions of dollars have chang
cd hands. often bctwocn mon who never
saw each other. there has been but one
complaint OF unfair dealing.
The Naked Day.
The day itself was glorious enough,
Needing no drapc of travel or OF talk,
And no I Inv nj glorious case