346 



THE ILLIISTOIS FAEMER. 



J^oy 



the blue ribbon flounting at the head. This Rake 

 of F. & B. has been gradually replacing all of the 

 old style of rakes in all the district near Chicago, 

 and will now be extended to other parts of the 

 State. The cost has been in the way of a more 

 rapid introduction, but the farmer who has any 

 amount of hay to rake will find it the cheapest. 

 Let us figure a little. We have a common revolv- 

 ing wire rake which cost twelve dollars. This 

 requires a man or two boys to manage and will 

 rake tweve acres in a day. The one on wheels 

 will rake five acres more in the same time with the 

 assistance of only one boy, putting the man and 

 horse at one dollar and fifty cents a day, the cost 

 of raking is twelve and a half cents an acre. 

 Reckoning the boy and horse at a dollar a day and 

 we reduce the cost to six cents an acre or a saving 

 of over a dollar a day. But this is not all. With 

 the wheel rake we can divide the windrows and 

 place the hay ready for cocking up, or if hauled at 

 once admitting of a large saving of labor, which 

 is more than equal to the saving in raking. If we 

 make our comparison with the horse rakes in com- 

 mon use, the difference will loom up in much larger 

 proportions. One of these rakes, if well housed, 

 will last a long time, probably, with slight repairs, 

 fifteen to twenty years. In this connection we 

 have not estimated the pleasure of working with 

 this implement over those of the old model, or if 

 the fact that the wife or daughter can, in case o^ 

 necessity, have a sulky ride in the hayfield at a 

 large profit in rosy cheeks and dollars and cents. 

 Haying with one of the improved mowers, a sulky 

 rake and a hay pitcher has been raised to the grade 

 of a science and become a pleasure instead of the 

 most arduous toil. We have several kinks in our 

 back made by the old scythe and pitchfork, that 

 will always remain by us, but now happily relieved 

 from further strain and wear in the same direction. 

 Thus one by one come the lessons of farming made 

 easy, by the introduction of new labor saving im- 

 plements. 



Illinois Cheese. — It is time that the dealers in 

 Illinois cheese were taught a lesson that would be 

 of value to the trade. What has been passed over 

 as a clever trick of the trade has now been endured 

 a sufficient length of time to call it by some other 

 name. The Chicago daily press are trading them- 

 selves to the dealers, innocently no doubt. We 

 propose to show the thing in its true light, and 

 will begin with the market quotations from the 

 Chicago Tribune: 



Cheese — Market active and prices rule firm. 

 Hamburg and Western Reserve in fair supply. We 

 quote : 



Hamburg 14 @i4^ 



Western Reserve 13|@14 



Illinois and Wisconsin 9 @il 



The following quotation from the- Times : 

 Cheese — The demand continues good and the 

 market rules very firm, and prices are advancing, 

 and are i@lc higher. Advices from New Tork 

 quote a firm and active demand, and considerable 

 quantities have been taken for shipment to the 

 English colonies and to the Federal Army stations 

 southward. Prices in New York are firmly main- 

 tained. Our maket is almost bare of Western Re- 

 serve, and quotations are nominal. Illinois, Wis- 

 consin and Iowa Cheese is in good request. We 

 now quote : 



New York, Hambug 13 @18|c 



Western Reserve 12^@18c 



Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa 10 @12c 



The following from the Merchants Circular: 



Cheese — New Illinois, 9@llc; Hamburg, 13@ 

 13|^c ; Western Reserve, 12^@13c. 



The facts in the case is just this : The price of 

 Hamburg and Western Reserve are those to retail 

 dealers now being purchased here by cheese houses, 

 while on the other hand Illinois, Wisconsin and 

 Iowa are quoted at the price paid by cheese houses 

 and is not that at which it is sold to retail dealers 

 and consumers. This is an iniquitous distinction 

 that should be abated. Another truth is that all 

 of the last Illinois and Wisconsin dairies are sold 

 with the Hamburg brand, thus defrauding the good 

 name of our Eastern cheese. This in the house of 

 its friends is rather unkind. We know there is a 

 large amount of poor Illinois cheese sent to mar- 

 ket, but this should not detract from the good. 

 All we ask is fair play. 



The Prairie Farmer ignores cheese in its market 

 reports. 



Were we making up the market reports for a • 

 commercial paper it would read thus : 



Cheese — Dealers in cheese obtain part of their 

 supplies in Ohio and further East ; also from dairies 

 in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, which are sent 

 here and sold on change. Boxes are extra, gener- 

 ally a cent a foot. 



All No. 1 cheese, without regard to location, is 

 marked Hamburg, and is sold to retail dealers and 

 consumers by the single cheese or more. 



No. 2 is in like manner marked Western Reserve, 

 and No. 8 is sold as Illinois and Wisconsin. These 

 are fictions of the trade not at all creditable. 



We quote selling: 



No. 1 14@14i 



No. 2 13@14 



No. 3 9@11 



Eastern cheese is brought here by dealers, who 

 pay 9@12 for that sold on change, including lUi- 



