1913. 
An agent of the Miami Valley Nurseries has been 
working in Washington County, Pa., selling Catalpa 
trees. It is said that he made quite extravagant 
claims for the trees, but we believe the Catalpa is 
not well suited to that section. It is inclined to 
be hilly with rather heavy soil which dries out. The 
Winters are severe enough to kill back the terminal 
buds in many cases, which would mean a crooked 
growth. In spite of all this the agent, apparently 
by telling plausible or extravagant stories, has suc¬ 
ceeded in selling many of the trees. The contract 
which the farmers have signed contains the fol¬ 
lowing : 
I have road and understand this contract, and should 
I for any reason countermand this order, I agree to 
pay 50 per cent of the amount herein specified to cover 
the expenses of taking this order, and to remit the 
same with my notice of countermanding. In considera¬ 
tion of payment of said sum, said order will be cancelled 
in full, otherwise I agree to pay the full amount of the 
order on day of delivery. 
On the face of it this ties the buyer up tight un¬ 
less he can prove plain misrepresentation or fraud. 
This is a new clause in a tree agent’s contract, evi¬ 
dently framed to cover any possible complaint, for 
we find nothing in the contract whatever to protect 
the buyer from substitution or poor quality, except 
that all stock dying within three years is to be re¬ 
placed at half price! No farmer should ever sign 
any such contract. If it can be proved that this 
agent guaranteed that Catalpa is sure to succeed 
in that section we believe these farmers would have 
a case. They should organize at once and employ 
a good attorney to look after their interests. 
I’m going to ask you to write a strong, straightfor¬ 
ward article on the farmer’s “follow-up.” There isn’t 
another line of business which ever lets one sale be the 
only sale except the frauds and the undertakers, and 
the matter is the more important now that parcel post 
is practical up to 20 pounds. Last year I advertised 
for nuts and I had to get after the man from whom I 
got a few nuts once to get him to sell me some more, 
and likewise, last Fall, I had to remind a Florida man 
that I would buy more of his grape fruit. But does a 
publisher from whom I got a book ever let me forget 
that there are more books? Not so long as stamps cost 
one cent each! F. d. c. 
The “follow-up” system is the life of most trade 
where advertising is done. A farmer may have 
good apples or hens or nuts or vinegar. He adver¬ 
tises his product and hears from 25 or more people. 
Some of these buy, while others do not see just the 
bargain they want. Time swings around and the 
farmer has something more to sell. Most likely 
these same men and others would like to buy, but 
they do not know what this farmer has. A “follow¬ 
up” campaign means that the farmer keeps the ad¬ 
dresses of those who answered his advertisement 
and when he has something more to sell he writes 
them or sends a circular, telling what he has. By 
doing this he keeps his customers and makes new 
ones and people begin to look for his advertise¬ 
ments. Business houses make a great feature of 
this “follow-up” system. Long experience has taught 
them that the average buyer wants to be told when 
there is any bargain in sight or any chance to sat¬ 
isfy a want. Now that parcel post is opening great 
opportunities for direct sale farmers must learn to 
“follow up” and get acquainted with their cus¬ 
tomers. 
* 
The Hudson Dispatch of Union Hill, New Jersey, 
has set us all an example for hanging to a worthy 
project. Across the Hudson River from New York 
the: rural nevv-yokker 
there is a group of large towns clustered on a Jer¬ 
sey hillside. The people are largely commuters’ 
families, producing little if any food, and depending 
on small grocery or butcher stores for their sup¬ 
plies. As is usual under such conditions the people 
were held up and made to pay enormous prices for 
stale vegetables. Within a few miles of these eager 
consumers may he found some of the best gardeners 
and truck farmers in the Country. These men have 
been loading their wagons and hauling to New York 
City. The goods thus brought were unloaded, re¬ 
packed and shipped back across the river to be sold 
in Hoboken and other towns. Here was the com¬ 
mon waste of time and labor and handling, and the 
Dispatch proposed to remedy it by opening a public 
market where farmers could come and sell direct. 
It took a long time to make this idea a part of popu¬ 
lar thought. Finally, after much opposition, a start 
was made and a market opened. The politicians, 
the middlemen and the peddlers all did their best 
to kill off the plan, but a few farmers persisted and 
sold their crops to good advantage. It was proved 
from the start that the people want to buy in this 
way, and that the opposition comes from those 
who have for years been holding up the public. 
There is every reason why the farmers should pa¬ 
tronize this market. It is a beginning in the prac¬ 
tical work of direct trading with New York con¬ 
sumers. The city being built upon an island pre¬ 
sents a harder problem than Boston or Baltimore, 
where farmers can easily reach the retail markets. 
It is quite likely that this market in the Jersey 
hills will eventually prove a good meeting place 
for the farmers and New York housewives. Here is 
a good opportunity for the New Jersey farmers to 
develop a good business. 
FARM PRODUCE BY PARCEL POST. 
The new parcel post regulations went into effect 
on August 15. It is now possible to send 20 pounds 
by parcel post, with rates so regulated that within 
150-mile zones the postage on this 20 pounds will be 
24 cents. Already gardeners and fruit growers are 
planning to use this service. There has been a 
large increase of mail from the city and town and 
in time there will be a heavy return from the coun¬ 
try. On the day this service became effective we 
received a package of vegetables from a point about 
125 miles from New York. The expressage on the 
package was 40 cents—by parcel post it would come 
for 24 cents. The package contained the following 
list of vegetables. We give the prices which a city 
consumer would pay at a New York market or 
grocery: 
1 head cabbage .$0.10 
1 bunch beets. .08 
1 bunch red radishes.] .05 
1 bunch white radishes.05 
1 bunch carrots.OS 
1 bunch water cress. no 
1 bunch onions . |o5 
6 tomatoes . *08 
1 cucumber . [o3 
1 Summer squash . [ .10 
6 sweet peppers . H5 
S ears corn.25 
$ 1.12 
Thus these vegetables would cost $1.12 at retail 
for inferior goods—since the vegetables retailed here 
are not as crisp and fresh as these in this package. 
These goods could be picked in the afternoon, mailed 
in the evening and delivered here inside of 24 hours, 
1003 
while the market vegetables passed through the 
hands of several middlemen would go three days 
before sale. The corn could be husked to save 
weight, tops cut from turnips and beets, and Lima 
beans shelled in order to crowd more into the pack¬ 
age. The shipper of this outfit wants to know what 
he should charge for it and whether he would be 
likely to find customers. If he charged one dollar 
and paid postage he would net 76 cents less the pack¬ 
age, while the consumer would save 12 cents and 
obtain higher quality. This is probably too close a 
margin to prove attractive to many buyers—75 cents 
would be better and still leave a profit. We think 
a farmer who could give a square deal and con¬ 
tinuous service could develop a good trade in time. 
Before he starts he must be prepared to furnish 
a full supply all through the season. If his supply 
run out so that customers must go back to the deal¬ 
ers he can never get them again. Every shipment 
must be made on time and nothing but the finest 
goods ever sent. A farmer going into this trade 
must insist upon prompt payments. Such articles 
as potatoes or bulky products will not be likely to 
pay for parcel post shipment, but dressed poultry 
and farm meats and fine fruit ought to provide a 
good business. We believe that the next year will 
see a wonderful increase in this direct trade, but 
both sides must be patient, for they have much to 
learn. 
WORLD CROPS. 
Dornbusck, an English statistician, estimates the 
wheat jield this year at 4,089,600,000 bushels, which 
is 101,792.000 bushels over last year’s large crop. Rus¬ 
sia will have 791.200.000 bushels, about 26 per cent 
above last year and 27 per cent in excess of 1911. 
The International Institute of Agriculture gives the 
following grain figures: 
Wheat.—Preliminary figures of production this vear 
are: In Prussia. 94,106,000 bushels; Russia, 812,541,- 
000. In the following named countries the total pro¬ 
duction is estimated at 2,684,000.000 bushels. Belgium, 
Bulgaria. Denmark. Spain, Italy, Luxemburg, Russia, 
Switzerland. United States, Canada (Winter wheat), 
India, Japan, Algeria. Tunic, Prussia, England, Wales. 
Hungary (excluding Croatia and Slavonia). 
Dye.—Preliminary of production in Russia, 895,084,- 
000 bushels. The total production in the following 
named countries is estimated at 1,408,000.000 bushels. 
Belgium, Bulgaria. Denmark, Spain, Italy, Luxemburg, 
Russia, Switzerland, United States, Prussia and Hun¬ 
gary (excluding Croatia and Slavonia). 
Barley.—Preliminary figures of production in Prus¬ 
sia. 80,386.000 bushels; Russia. 479.250,000 bushels. 
The total production in the wheat countries named 
above, excluding Canada and India, is estimated at 
1.143,000.000 bushels, which is .1 per cent more than 
was produced in the same countries last year. 
Oats.—Preliminary figures of production in Prussia 
are 398.223.000 bushels; Russia, 1,073.233,000 bushels. 
The total production in the barley countries named 
above is 2,89S,000,000. which is 10.3 per cent less than 
the same countries produced last year. 
t Flaxseed.—The total production in Belgium, Spain, 
United States. India and Japan, combined, is given as 
42,000.000 bushels, which is 22.8 per cent less than the 
same countries produced last year. 
Canadian Fruit Crop. 
There has been no improvement in the apple outlook 
during the past month. In no part of the Dominion 
will there be a full crop. In the Nova Scotia section 
there has been a decided decline in prospect, the fruit 
being small owing to dry weather and considerably 
affected with scab. British Columbia will have about 
50 per cent of a crop, quality below the average. The 
pear crop is good in the counties adjoining Lake Erie, 
Bartlett being the standard variety. The plum yield 
has been large in the Niagara section and in parts of 
British Columbia except on the coast. Peaches are 
showing well along the lakes and in British Columbia. 
Grapes will give only a medium yield, owing to drought 
and work of insects, the rose bug and flea beetle having 
been especially destructive during the season. 
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Capacity: SO, 100 and 
150 bushels per hour. Thirty 
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Write for description of our 
half-size thresher, The Bidwel. 
Jr., for use of individuals and in 
localities where large expensive 
machines are not necessary. 
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Batavia, New York, U. S. A. 
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