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Show I ROADSIDE MARKETING By T. J. Delohery FRUIT JUICES, JELLIES, JAMS, IN DEMAND A LL of the small fruit, vege-table vege-table and dairy products which William II. Briuton raised on his 3.acre farm near Parkersburg, Pa., was hauled to town and offered of-fered to wholesalers. What he didn't sell was taken back home and .Mrs. Ilrinton put it up in cans and glass jars. Now Brinton only takes to market what products are not good enough for his wife to can ; and Mrs. Brinton Brin-ton buys many things from neighboring neigh-boring farmers in order to supply the demand from hundreds of people peo-ple who come to their roadside market mar-ket and from customers living in other states who order by mail. The experience of this farm woman wom-an has been duplicated by scores of others who sell canned meats, fruit Juices, Jams, Jellies and preserves direct di-rect to consumers, or who place them in local stores on a commission commis-sion basis to be sold In competition with high-class factory-made products. prod-ucts. Dixie Farms, near Mattewan, Mich., comprising 35 acres, was in danger of being foreclosed until the owner, Mrs. Iona Ester, happened to offer a batch of homemade grape juice and jelly to passing motorists. It was in sheer desperation that Mrs. Ester placed the fruit Juice and Jelly on a table In front of her home. In less than an hour it was gone. "It looked like we had found a way to make money," said jovial Mrs. Ester, "but I wasn't any hand at jelly making. But I talked it over with mother and we rummaged the attic and old trunks until we found a cook book which contained recipes for Jams and jellies, some of which were one hundred years old, I guess. - "The house was an uproar that night Every available pot, pan and kettle was going. We worked all night making jellies and grape juice, and when dawn broke, I thought we had made enough stuff to last a year. But we had hardly gotten in bed when Mr. E. D. Young, a friend, who was taking care of the sales, roused us with the news that we needed more stock we had sold out the second time. "Dead tired, we went at it again. And every day after that, until the tourist season closed, we were going go-ing at top speed. That winter, when we talked over our success and the possibilities of the future, we felt convinced that we had the makings of a business which would be profitable. profit-able. "We guessed it right. Business was better the next year and it has kept on growing." W. S. Farnsworth, for 40 years one of the prominent fruit growers in Ohio, was unable to find a satisfactory satis-factory market for his apples, and Inviting the Thirsty. other fruits until he changed his method of selling. When marketing market-ing was put in the hands of his son-in-law, Mr. Young, he Immediately advertised In local' and surrounding town newspapers. Then he contacted retailers who, seeing the publicity, the quality fruit and the possibility of sales. put Farnsworth apples on display. Sales boomed, then dropped. Young, with characteristic enterprise, altered al-tered the package, using a colored basket and covering the apples with netting to keep out the Insects and dirt. More advertising. The package, which is known as "Farnsworth Family Pack," was featured in window win-dow displays and again the demand picked up. Clear cider, too, was brought to the retailers. Bottled and labeled It moved Into consuming consum-ing channels rapidly, even where cider sales had theretofore been sluggish. When the newspaper advertising showed its worth. Young thought It might help the demand for Farnsworth Farns-worth fruit products if he had a market building on the farm and invited people out to visit the place. Accordingly, space was bought ln the motor club magazine, the ad consisting of an invitation to visit the home of "Farnsworth's Family Pack," and a map showing how the orchards could be reached by motor. Visitors were treated to samples of fruit, cider and apple butter and shown the market houses, where rows of baskets of apples, jugs and bottles of cider and Jars of golden apple butter all properly labeled and arranged so as to make a most attractive display, were. Naturally, sales followed, but in no case were prices below those In the retail stores. . 1933, Weatern Newspaper Union. |