The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-08-19
THE RETAIL OUTLOOK
FOR 1922

the country who is not asking or
thinking the question, "What kind of
business can l expect this fall?"
The small town dealer is particular
Nv interested in the answer to this
query, because he is in closer contact
with farming activities than the city
man, he is dependent upon farm pros
perity for his own welfare, and the
condition of agriculture, after all,
measures the hope. of the future for
every one of US.
No positive forecast Of business con-
ditions during the next autumn months
can be given. Many Of US may think
we are prophets, but most of the
worlds so-called seers have proved to
be nothing but gueSsers. The good
ones have won praise for their far
sightedness and the poor ones have
been cursed as fools, but they are all
"guessers" nevertheless.
However, the matter may be. APP
2 preached with some degree of certain
ty, especially after careful study of
all the facts bearing upon present
conditions and the relation of those
facts to what is reasonably sure to
take place in the near future.
In the first place, the farmer very
naturally joined the ranks of those
who, many months ago. suddenly
stopped buying anything except those
articles which represented absolute
necessities.
1t is not my purpose to blame any
one class for the slow REIMBURSEMENT of
wartime prices, or for any other in
regularity that may have prevailed.
The simple truth is that these irreg-
ularities have prevailed; and without
taking time to scold, the present job
is to assist in every possible way to
bring things back to level, to cut down
the high peaks and elevate the low
spots, so that there may be less Of
difference between living costs and
production receipts.
The small town merchant may find
relief in the indisputable fact that
the farming class. which is the one
that all of us must depend upon for
prosperity, can recover more quickly
from a bad economic situation than
any other class. There are several
good reasons for this.
The farmer who owns his place al
ways has his plant. No one can close
up his shop, or burn it down, ord E.
stroy it in any manner. The farmers
broad acres are always there to yield
something in the way of returns, sea-
son after season, even if those returns
are not all that may be desired.
The farmer always has his job. 1t
may be hard one, and in many ways
unsatisfactory, but it is his job and he
has it as long as he wants it. The
farmer is therefore in business, to
some extent, all the time. His pow
ers of recovery are accordingly better
than those of other lines Of industry.
We must remember, too, that what
we call Estate of mind" has lot to
do with business conditions. And if
it be true that time heals all things,
we are safe in saying that the farm
er's mental condition will sweeten as
the months go by Put one fair crop
season in between an abnormally pro-
fitable year and better year 1921
% which we may safely expect, and
it is reasonable to say that the farmer
will be feeling much happier this fall.
If he does, he will begin to buy as he
once did.
There is no disputing the statement
that we have a buyers market"
among the farmers at this time, just
as we have it in the cities. We had a
sellers market year or so ago, and
everybody grabbed everything in sight
and paid all sorts of fabulous prices,
and trade was drunk. That's it-,bus-
mess was on the biggest jambouree
of its career, and it was bound to wake
up some time with bad head.
Then, suddenly, the buyers took
charge of the situation and stopped
spending money. The city man found
that he could make clothes wear twice
as long, and that there were lot of
things he could do without.
And the farmer decided that he
could go for a considerable period
without buying machinery. or new
cars, or extra household equipment, or
as many articles of wearing apparel
as he had been spending his money for.
The seller found that he had to sell.
No one walked up and took goods
away from him. The buyer became
boss. And he hasn't been buying since
unless sold.
That is one answer-the most inn
portant one-to the present state of