Special Farming. 51 



Of course, the question of cost of exchange comes in here'. 

 One may by special farming be able to grow one or two crops 

 cheaper than is generally done, but the middleman and railroads 

 may take so large a slice out of his profits, both on what he sells 

 and on what he buys, that he might produce, as to render the spe- 

 cial farming unprofitable. If this is really and necessarily true, 

 why, one better stick to the old way. But often what seems a 

 very steep hill in the distance is easily gotten over when we 

 actually get to it, or we may be able to find a good path around 

 it. As for what I buy, I can get wholesale rates on most every- 

 thing, as can any pushing, cash -down, business farmer. I can 

 send to Akron for five barrels of flour, or to Cleveland for fifty 

 bushels of oats, and when a notice comes through the post office 

 that they are at the depot, it is little work to get them home ; 

 generally can be done when I go 'up town with some load. Neigh- 

 bors bring eggs to my door for cash down, fresh and nice. I en- 

 joy a trip to factory in the evening with my wife for butter. 

 Practically I have no trouble at all in this line. But of course we 

 are not all situated alike. This chapter is only suggestive, to 

 rouse up thought. If you cannot do all I do, you may to advan- 

 tage, perhaps, buy some one thing you are now raising. Study 

 over it, think ; but do not act unless you find it really wise for 

 you. Perhaps you ask what if every one did as I, where would 

 I buy my eggs, dressed pigs, etc.? Others might to the same ad- 

 vantage work specially in these directions, don't you see? Then 

 they might be the gainers as well as I. But the exchange on 

 sending a farmer's products to market is a far more serious ques- 

 tion. The railroads .n some sections do take too much ; but we 

 can find no fault with rates from where I live to points East and 

 South, where we wish to ship. They are so low as to not inter- 

 fere at all with special farming. We are so situated, or have so 

 fixed it ourselves, that we can put a car of potatoes or wheat on 

 the track at our station, two and one-half miles away, in a very 

 few hours, and the freight to Boston or Philadelphia or other 

 Eastern points is, if I remember correctly, but thirteen cents a 

 bushel. Commission men must live, of course, if they handle our 

 products, and if we cannot afford to pay them why we must not 

 do this way. There is a tendency among farmers to call such 

 men all dishonest ; to talk as though they would cheat a man all 

 they could. Now, I do not believe this. I do not believe they 

 are any more dishonest than farmers, as a class. There are ras- 

 cals on both sides. I stood in a commission man's store looking 

 at a barrel of apples which he had just opened for me. The top 

 layer was beautiful. I dug down a little and they were not half 

 as good, and a little lower they were outrageously mean. Who 

 packed those apples ? A farmer, probably, and he will talk se- 

 verely when he gets his account sales. Who is really to blame? 

 Give commission men choice, straight goods, with your name and 



