Buying at Wholesale. 353 



told me that lie could and would sell me a bolt of cotton cloth for 

 less money than our country merchant could buy it for, buying, as 

 he did, by the car load. The staple dry goods can be bought in 

 quantity once a year to advantage. A neighbor wanted some 

 Stark A grain bags, and went to a retail dealer in Akron. He 

 asked twenty-three cents for them, and volunteered the informa- 

 tion that they cost twenty-one and one-half cents. Be that as it 

 may, I had a letter from a wholesale firm that day offering me 

 Stark A's at eighteen cents. I sold another neighbor fifty at 

 twenty cents. The Akron merchant better buy of a farmer ! But 

 let me tell you, I said too much about this in the papers (to help 

 my farmer friends), and my wholesale man got a flea put in his 

 ear by local dealers, and an order for two hundred bags was 

 returned, and referred to local agent. Well, they made me some 

 bother, but before I slept I had the bags on the way from another 

 city. A farmer can telegraph on a pinch. I use a good many 

 bags to ship my wheat in, and do not propose to pay retail prices,- 

 or charge them to my customers. How did I know where to 

 send ? Why I simply looked in city paper for wholesale dry 

 goods firms that advertised. By the way, there is much in order- 

 ing aright. A short, sharp, business letter, without an extra 

 word, is best. You must not let the farmer foot stick out too 

 much when writing to some firms. I believe I have never had an 

 order returned when the cash was with it. Cash is what they all 

 want. The pushing fellow gets what he wants, if not quite regu- 

 larly " in the trade." For example : If I want bags, suppose I 

 write : " Send me, by Union Line freight, 2 bales Stark A bags. 

 Enclose New York Exchange $40. Return balance." Although 

 they know nothing about me, the bags will come. I wftit into a 

 certain factory once and asked for tags. " Right in there we retail 

 them," the floorwalker said. " Not much," I said; " where is 

 your wholesale department ? " He looked at me rather sus- 

 piciously, but finally said, " Third floor, to the right." Once up 

 there I was all right, and got a thousand for forty cents what I 

 would have to pay for two hundred at retail. Oh, I must tell you 

 a little fun I had buying paint. I hired a city painter, in the 

 business largely, to paint my house and barn. But I preferred to 

 furnish material. I asked him if he could buy it any cheaper 

 than I could. He said: " Perhaps not. I pay seven cents for 

 lead. If you cannot do as well, I will get it for you." I went to 

 the best store in the city, and said: " Now, I want some paint, 

 lead, oil, colors, etc. What will you sell me two hundred and 

 fifty pounds of the best brand of lead for, cash right in your 

 hand ? " . " You are just the man I like to see ; $6.75," was the 

 answer. I bought what I wanted, and had a good laugh at the 

 painter, that a farmer could beat him buying. Cash did it. But 

 this is not all. When I got through I had fifty pounds lead left. 

 I went to a certain painter, and asked him what he would give 



