1863. 



KEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



87 



PREPAKATION OP PRODUCE FOR THE I 

 MARKET, 



We have before us six paper boxes, each hold- 

 ing about a quart, containing samples of barley, ! 

 oats, peas, wild seed of unknown plants, and chaff. 

 Originally, these all came to market together, as 

 they were put up on the thrashing floor, and were 

 offered for sale as barley — that being the crop in- 

 tended to be raised. On reaching the market, the 

 farmer offered his barley fbr 90 cents per bushel, 

 but tlie offer was not accepted ; no one seeming 

 desirous to purchase such a mixture at any of the 

 usual prices paid for barley. 



"While in this unpleasant dilemma, paying stor- 

 age bills for his crop, and hotel bills for himself, 

 he heard that one Sanford Adams, a curious 

 genius in North Market Street, had invented some 

 sieves wljereby he could separate the most obsti- 

 nate case of complicated conglomeration of seeds. 

 It was not difficult to find the man of sieves, to 

 whom he, somewhat pathetically, made his state- 

 ment, and inquired if he could relieve him. 

 " Why, certainly," Mr. A. replied, " if I could take 

 3,000 rebel prisoners, and blow them up, as I did 

 last week, (alluding to a million of worms, or less 

 which he took from eight barrels of Pearl barley,) 

 it would be strange if I could not separate tares 

 from wheat, and oats and peas from barley!" 

 " Well," said the farmer, " the times are hard, I am 

 here on expense, and I wish you would try." And 

 he did try, with the following result : — 



The farmer had 77 bushels of what he called 

 barley, which he offered for 90 cents per bushel, 

 equal to $69,30. When cleaned, he had 61 l)ush- 

 els, which he sold for $1,25 per bushel, equal to 

 $76,25, making a gain of 86,95. He then had 

 9 bushels of clean oats, now worth 70 cents per 

 bushel, equal to $6,30 — 4 bushels of assorted 

 peas, at $1,25, equal to $5, — and 3^ bushels of 

 wild seed and 1 bushel of chaff, value not ascer- 

 tained I By this process he made a gain of $18,- 

 25, or, after paying for separating, a net gain of 

 $14,00. To say nothing of stopping expenses he 

 was surely incurring for storage, board, vexation, 

 &c. 



It is certainly surprising, that, with a thousand 

 facts similar to this before him, the farmer will 

 continue to bring his products to market in a con- 

 dition so unattractive for sale, and so unsuitable 

 for use. Such is the case, "however, with a verj- 

 considerable proportion of the grain, beef, pork, 

 mutton, poultry, butter, cheese, apples and pota- 

 toes, that are brought into Boston market. Man- 

 ufacturers understand the importance of giving 

 their wares an attractive appearance, better than 

 farmers do. How would cottons, linens and print 

 goods sell, tumbled together in bales, with occa- 

 sional yards an inch too narrow, and in other re 

 spects imperfect ? Farmers complain bitterly of 



mowing machine and plow-makers, because a piece 

 of brittle wood is introduced, or that the bolts are 

 not square instead of round, so that they will not 

 tm-n, or that the nuts on them are not all of the 

 same size, forgetting that the imperfecliou of their 

 own products when presented for sale, are liable 

 to the same objections which they themselves make. 



The loss to the farmers of New England is im- 

 mense, in the article of butter alone, from the im- 

 perfect manner in which it is made and packed. 

 We are told by some of the oldest dealers in this 

 article, that a very large proportion of all that 

 comes to this market is greatly reduced in value 

 by its poor quality, or by the careless — if not slov- 

 enly — manner in which it is put up, and that only 

 one tenth of the whole will sell as " first-rate " but- 

 ter, and command a high price. More attention is 

 given to the making and packing of cheese. Beef 

 is slaughtered nearer the market, and usually by 

 skilful persons who appreciate appearances. A 

 good deal of the pork is brought from a distance, 

 and often presents such an appearance as, if re- 

 membered, would forever bar one from eating a 

 " rasher " with his breakfast, or a slice with his 

 plate of baked beans at dinner. This winter, es- 

 pecially, when we have had a continuation of 

 weeks of moderately warm weather, it lias been dif- 

 ficult to get pork to market in a sound and at- 

 tractive condition. 



So it is with apples. If they were put into nice 

 barrels, the very best by themselves, and then 

 graded downward, the purchaser would know what 

 he was buying, and would give a price for the 

 whole greatly exceeding what he would offer for 

 them if they were in a mixed condition. He has 

 customers for the various qualities, but they must 

 be separate lots. Of two persons marketing the 

 same number of barrels of apples during the same 

 autumn, one realized one dollar per barrel, for the 

 same kind of apples, more than his neighbor re- 

 ceived. This was done, entirely, by gi-ading the 

 apples and presenting them in a neat and attrac- 

 tive form. 



The sieves through which the good work was 

 accomplished in the case of the barley, are small, 

 cheap and effective, and will probably save their 

 cost annually, on any fann from which a consid- 

 erable quantity of grain, peas or beans, is sold. 

 Mr. Adams' place of business is at No. 34 North 

 Market Street, Boston, where may be seen many 

 curious and useful things. 



Flax Culture in Central Ohio. — The peo- 

 ple of Central Ohio are preparing to raise a large 

 quantity of flax the comnig season. It is said the 

 present' ])rice of flax seed will fully reimburse for 

 the whole labor and cost of raising a crop of flax ; 

 and with a vast amount of land in the state unoc- 

 cupied by anv other crop, ])robabiy the jiouple can- 

 ' not m any otiier way better improve their time. 



