354 Our Farming. 



me for it. He' said, " Just what / have to pay." The " I " was 

 emphasized. He wanted me to understand that he could not pay 

 what it cost me a farmer. Well, friends, as truly as I write this, 

 he allowed me seven cents a pound for that lead ! I did not say 

 a word, but it is too good to keep longer. 



The business farmer of to-day should buy his tools, 

 machinery, seeds, fertilizers, etc., of first hands. There is no 

 reason in the world why he should let an agent simply write a 

 letter and order something for him, and pocket $10 or $20. They 

 cannot do this for me any longer, and they haven't for a long 

 time. Farmers have got into the habit of doing this for two or 

 three reasons : They usually haven't the money, and must buy 

 on time ; then they are too afraid of writing a letter. The farmer 

 of the future must have the money and must learn to write busi- 

 ness letters. We cannot stand the drain of having other people 

 making money off of us that is so easily made. 



I have heard it said that we could not buy of a manufacturer 

 if he had an agent in our vicinity. I beg to say this is usually a 

 mistake, if the farmer has backbone enough. The president of 

 one of our institutes showed me a letter he had just taken from 

 the office that related to this point. He had ordered a quantity 

 of feed from a mill in a neighboring city. They wrote back : ' * We 

 have an agent in your place ; buy of him." The farmer wrote 

 again, short and sharp : " I buy of no agents. If you will send 

 me feed as cheaply as you do to your agent, send it ; otherwise, I 

 will look elsewhere." He got the feed. He showed me the let- 

 ter, which was very polite, and requested him not to mention 

 what he paid for feed. 



We Were in want of a piano. We wrote to a firm that had 

 agents in this vicinity. One had been to us, trying to make a 

 sale. I wrote to the firm that I would have no dealing with 

 agents, but if they would send me a piano at the same price they 

 furnished it to agents, I would send cash by return mail. I got 

 the piano. Writing that letter saved me $106.25 over best cash 

 price I could get from agents in different parts of State. Compe- 

 tition was too strong to let a cash customer go to a competitor. 

 By the way, I wrote to another firm at the same time, both A No. i , 

 and their figures were $6 higher only. Of course, this was a 

 strictly private bargain, and I mention no names. 



We were in want of a good clock, one that was pretty and a good 

 timekeeper, and would just fit in a certain place, and correspond 

 with furniture. I was long finding it, but one day, when attend- 

 ing the institute at Pomeroy, O., I saw one in the hotel office 

 that just filled the bill. Called on jeweler who sold it, and he 

 wanted $15 for one. Cheap enough, I thought, but did not buy. 

 Saw name of manufacturers inside Ansonia Clock Co. and 

 wrote them, giving description and asking what they would send 

 one for, cash with order. They replied : " On receipt of $10.45." 



