Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-03-31

HoNerHor Brewster Is expected to
| speak.
consid. the Consumer
DR.. Alexander E. Canoe, Dept. of
Agrl. economics, Mass, Agri. College
spoke this afternoon on Consider
| the Consumer"
The farmer Is in business to sup
ply consumers with what they want.
consumers want to be satisfied, they
puy satlsfactions. Why doesn't the
farmer find out what they want and
sell them things that please them
If he would only consider his con-
sumers. everybody would be much
| happier.
The farmer is the greatest laggard.
| Within "a few years he has seen. his
business change from a home in
dustry with small surplus for sale,
to commercial plant with the whole
| output chiefly for sale, the home sup
ply minor matter. A great many
farmers still believe that people
should buy what farmers produce
and pay them a profit for pro-
| fit for producing it. Some farm
ers still resent the fact that con-
sumers want clean milk from clean
cows, and insist on clean milkmen
and clean barns. Some fruit growers
still have the firm conviction that
because the Lord made little apples
and put worms in them. consumers
should eat them stree run" and be
thankful. A few years ago / was
amazed to have the manager of a
large milk cooperative tell me that
| he didn't care fig what the retail
ers charged, for milk, nor in what
condition the consumer bought It.
"Our business is to sell the farmers
milk to the distributor. We don't
want to know anything about 1t af-
| ter that; what he does with 1t or
what he charges for it is no concern
| of ours" If salesman is as blind as
that. you wonder that Bill Jones back
in the hills fails to consider the con-
sumner.
Most of the products of the New
England farms go Directly to the
housewife. Milk, fruit. vegetables
eggs for the most part appear in the
kitchen in much the same form
as when they leave the farm.
This is great advantage to
| the alert farmer-a graet handicap
| to the hard shell. take it or leave
| it, old timer.
New England farms produce only
| a small part of the food products US
ed in New England. For thai reason
the New England farmer should be
able to sell selected products to the
| best trade. The New England farm
er Is close to his consumers. For
, that reason he should be able to an
ticipate their wants. and reap the
| rewards they gladly pay for fine food
fresh from the farm. Freight hauls
a rn hnrt hA .,e,
package of eggs, poultry, potatoes,
fruit or what not-sealed, guaran-
teed and sold under the producers
| name and brand may have wide
an6 successful market. Nowhere in
the world is there such variety of
consumers, with so much money to
spend who are sc willing to buy fine
| farm foods all the year round as in
| the north eastern section of the
United States
/ know farmers who are selling
| milk for four cents a quart. l know
| others who are selling milk that
satisfies from large diaries for which
consumers are glad to pay thirty
! cents a quart. know poultrymen
| who sell eggs that make consumers
glad at dollar a dozen, practically
the year round. l know of potatoes
put up to satisfy consumers that
solo like hot cakes for three dollars
| (S3.00 a bushel last winter when
good Maine potatoes in bulk were
begging buyers at sixty cents.
. Potato Spraying VS.. busting
DR.. Donald Folsom. Plant Patholo-
| sist, Maine Experiment Station, said:
For some time it has been under
stood that the amount of injury to
| potatoes by blackleg is Influenced
| by the weather and soil conditions of
the season, by the variety. by seed
selection. by seed treatment, by
| storage conditions, and by the use
| made of the crop. Also, that the
disease overwinters in the seed
| rather than in the soil, that it's
spread is sometimes through soil
| water. and that roguing diseased
hills helps to improve seed stock.
| Recently it has been shown that in
one potato region outside of Maine,
another important condition is the
presence of a certain kind of fly of
which one stage is the seed-corn
maggot. This maggot will not de-
velop normally unless it contains