Unseen Opportunities. 175 



of this character. Several years ago a man was living on his farm 

 in Pennsylvania. His brother in Canada sent him word that he 

 had discovered coal oil and thought he would make a fortune. 

 The brother in Pennsylvania sold his farm for |833 and went 

 to Canada to make a fortune by finding coal oil. He did not 

 find it. But the man who purchased the farm for |83.3 discovered 

 coal oil on this very farm which his predecessor had deserted, 

 and the total value of oil taken from that farm is estimated at 

 1100,000,000. 



A farmer in California learned in 1850 that some one had dis- 

 covered gold a few miles south of him. He sold his farm and 

 hastened to the new gold field to make a fortune. The man who 

 purchased the farm built a mill on the bank of a stream which 

 flowed through the farm. His little daughter took some of the 

 sand from the stream and carried it to the house. One day while 

 she was letting some of this sand run from one hand to the 

 other her father saw some bright glittering particles in the sand. 

 He examined it and found it to be gold. That farm has grown 

 to be one of the richest gold mines in California from which over 

 1129,000,000 worth of gold has been taken. Your farm may not 

 have hidden in its bosom coal oil or gold, but it may have treas- 

 ures which proper tillage may unfold. 



Some seem to think that money can be made only in the large 

 cities. But a census of 107 millionaires in New York city in 1889, 

 revealed the fact that only eight out of the 107 had made their 

 first million in New York. The other ninety-nine had made their 

 first million in some small town or city. There are farmers who 

 have been and are making money on the farm, but they are 

 those who are improving what to many others are " unseen op- 

 portunities." 



In your marketable produce study to learn what people want. 

 Some people seem never able to learn that the public will not 

 buy what it does not want, but will buy and pay a good price 

 for what it does want. Some merchants compain because they do 

 not have what they believe is their share of patronage. If they 

 deal honestly and get what the public wants, patronage will come. 



