i  m 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER.  449 
V - ^ 
Milk  Matters  in  Philadelphia. 
COOPERATION  THAT  COOPERATES. 
How  They  Started. — The  milk  producers  whose 
products  are  sold  in  Philadelphia,  like  their  brethren 
who  supply  the  Metropolitan  district,  have  had  their 
troubles  in  their  efforts  to  maintain  a  decent  price  for 
their  milk.  To  do  this,  they  have  had  recourse  to 
organization,  and  so  far,  unlike  their  brethren  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  they  are  meeting  with  a  very  fair 
degree  of  success.  They  start  out  with  the  proposi¬ 
tions  that  they  own  the  milk  :  that  they  have  a  right 
to  name  the  price  of  their  own  commodity,  and  they 
are  doing  what  they  started  out  to  do.  It  is  but  fair  to 
say  that  the  ma  jority  of  the  milk  dealers  in  Phila¬ 
delphia  and  Camden  acquiesce  in  the  situation  and 
there  is  no  great  amount  of  friction  between  the  two 
classes.  But  there  is  a  small  element,  the  speculators, 
who  formerly  bought  and  sold  largely  in  a  wholesale 
way — an  utterly  useless  factor  in  the  trade,  whose 
occupation  is  gone  under  the  new  regime  and  it  is  this 
class  which  is  doing  what  fighting  is  being  done. 
Extent  of  the  Business. — A  representative  of  The 
Rural  New-Yorker  was  in  Philadelphia  on  Satur¬ 
day,  .June  25,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  the 
monthly  meeting  when  the  price  of  milk  is  fixed  for 
the  succeeding  month.  A  few  words  as  to  the  organ¬ 
ization  may  first  be  desirable.  The  central  body  is 
known  as  the  United  Milk  Producers’  Protective  As¬ 
sociation  of  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  Delaware. 
Each  line  of  railway  has  a  sub-association,  with  local 
sections  at  the  various  shipping  points.  The  Penn¬ 
sylvania  Railroad  and  its  branches  bring  into  the  mar- 
ket  daily  about  1,500  cans,  the  platform  being- at  Chest¬ 
nut  and  31st  street.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad, 
brings  about  800  cans  to  the  platform  at  24th  and 
Locust  street.  The  Reading  brings  about  1,500  cans 
to  the  platform  at  Ninth  and  Thompson  streets.  The 
North  Pennsylvania  brings  in  about  2,500  cans  and 
the  platform  is  at  Third  and  Burke  streets.  The 
New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  system  brings  to  Federal 
street,  Camden,  about  1,600  cans.  Delegates  represent¬ 
ing  these  lines  meet  in  monthly  session  to  fix  the  price 
for  the  ensuing  month.  About  one-half  of  the  milk 
thus  received  is  from  members  of  the  association  and 
it  is  hoped  that,  before  long,  the  farmers  yet  on  the 
outside,  will  join  the  organization.  That  they  should 
do  so  is  a  plain  duty.  Every  producer  who  ships  to 
that  market  is  receiving  the  benefits  of  the  organiza¬ 
tion  and  he  should  certainly  share  in  the  expense 
necessary  to  maintain  it. 
The  Summer’s  Price.— After  a  full  and  free  discus¬ 
sion  of  the  matter,  the  committee  fixed  the  price  for 
July  at  3 M  cents  per  quart,  the  same  as  they  have 
been  receiving  for  June.  There  are  so  many  features 
of  the  trade  in  Philadelphia,  which  differ  from  the 
trade  in  New  York,  that  a  few  explanations  will  be 
interesting  to  general  readers.  The  farmers  pay  the 
freight  on  the  milk,  which  varies  on  different  lines, 
from  three-eighths  to  a  half  cent  per  quart.  In  selling 
milk,  the  standard  of  the  farmers  is  dry  measure,  not 
liquid,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  In  making 
comparisons  as  to  the  prices  of  milk  in  this  city  and 
New  \rork,  readers  will  bear  in  mind  that  the  Phila¬ 
delphia  milk  producer  gives  about  one-fifth  more  milk 
for  a  quart  than  does  his  brethren  elsewhere.  The 
dealers  sell  by  liquid  measure,  and,  of  course,  find  a 
handsome  margin  in  the  difference  between  the  two 
measures. 
The  association  has  an  agent  on  every  milk  platform, 
to  whom  the  association  milk  is  shipped,  save  such  as 
is  sold  directly  to  some  dealer.  The  milk  trains  reach 
the  city  at  from  9  to  10  o’clock  a.  m.,  and  all  milk  not 
sold  by  11  o'clock  is  promptly  taken  to  the  creamery 
of  the  company.  The  milk  is  not  sold  on  the  day  it  is 
received  ;  the  retailer  buys  it  this  morning  and  sells 
it  the  next.  Most  of  the  retailers  buy  their  milk  of 
the  company  agents,  and  no  friction  is  felt. 
That  “Surplus”  Knocked  Out. — The  creamery  or 
butter  factory  of  the  association  is  a  stock  concern, 
the  stock  of  which  is  held  by  the  members  of  the  asso¬ 
ciation.  It  cost  about  $5,000  to  fit  it  up.  This,  of 
course,  does  not  include  a  building  ;  the  association 
rents  its  rooms  and  its  power  also,  at  present.  The 
place  is  very  pleasantly  located  at  624  Race  street, 
opposite  Franklin  Square.  It  has  four  of  the  U. 
S.  butter  extractors,  which  are  used  as  butter  ex¬ 
tractors  or  cream  separators,  as  may  be  desired, and  two 
large  churns  of  300  gallons’  capacity  each,  one  a  re¬ 
volving  box  churn,  the  other  a  swinging  churn,  both 
of  which  are  entirely  satisfactory.  It  has  a  large  re¬ 
frigerator  14x20  feet,  and  all  the  vats,  butter  workers, 
etc. .  necessary  for  the  work  To  thi«  creamery  all 
the  unsold  association  milk  is  taken  and  manufac 
tured,  thus  effectually  disposing  of  the  bugbear  “  sur 
plus.”  Jt  is  made  into  butter  in  the  main,  and  at  the 
present  time,  the  demand  for  buttermilk  has  been 
sufficient  to  take  it  all  at  wholesale  at  1)4  cent  per 
quart.  Up  to  about  June  20tli,  the  surplus  handled 
here  amounted  to  from  15,000  to  30,000  quarts  daily. 
Since  then  the  increasing  demand  has  steadily  reduced 
the  surplus,  until  on  the  date  of  the  meeting  there  was 
no  unsold  milk. 
At  the  end  of  the  month,  the  net  results  of  the 
creamery  are  figured  up  and  if  it  does  not  net  the  asso¬ 
ciation  price,  an  assessment  is  placed  on  all  the  sold 
milk,  of  sufficient  size  to  equalize  it — all  must  receive 
the  same  price. 
Butter  is  made  by  the  extractor  or  from  ripened 
cream  as  may  be  desired.  For  some  weeks  past,  it  has 
been  made  from  ripened  cream,  as  the  buttermilk  was 
in  such  active  demand.  The  managers  of  the  creamery 
have  never  noticed  any  special  favor  being  accorded 
to  either  style  of  butter — one  sells  as  well  as  the  other 
and  all  is  sold  in  the  city.  They  have  quite  a  demand 
for  sweet  or  unsalted  butter. 
Most  of  the  milk  which  comes  to  Philadelphia  is 
shipped  in  40-quart  (dry  measure)  cans.  The  excep¬ 
tions  arc  that  by  the  Reading  Railroad,  which  is  in  30- 
quart  cans,  and  that  by  the  North  Pennsylvania, 
where  it  is  shipped  in  20,  30  and  40-quart  cans.  e.  o.  f. 
The  First  Milk  Samples. 
The  first  two  samples  of  milk  tested  for  our  readers 
came  from  Mr.  J.  O.  Wadsworth  of  Wolcott,  N.  Y. 
The  samples  were  sour  when  they  came  into  the 
tester’s  hands  and,  under  these  circumstances,  the  test 
is  not  entirely  satisfactory. 
Sample  No.  1  was  from  Lady  Nice,  42,702  A.  J.  C.  C  , 
five  years  old,  who  dropped  her  last  calf  December 
22,  1891,  This  sample  showed  5.2  per  cent  of  butter  fat. 
Sample  No.  2  was  from  Lusk,  an  unregistered  Jersey 
cow,  11  years  old,  who  dropped  her  last  calf  March  31, 
1892.  This  sample  showed  five  per  cent  of  butter  fat. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  test,  had  it  been  made  when 
the  milk  was  sweet,  would  have  somewhat  augmented 
this  showing.  Particles  of  fat  adhered  to  the  pipette 
in  spite  of  all  precautions  to  the  contrary,  and  thus 
reduced  the  showing.  The  cows  are  in  pasture,  receiv¬ 
ing  no  grain  feed  and  that  makes  the  showing  all  the 
better.  Mr.  Wadsworth  will  not  have  any  mainten¬ 
ance  charges  against  such  cows  at  the  end  of  the 
season. 
Big  and  Little  Milk  Fish. 
The  following  circular  has  recently  come  into  our 
hands.  It  will  prove  interesting  reading  to  milk  pro¬ 
ducers  : 
The  United  mii,k  dealers’  association  ok  new  York  and 
Vicinity,  t;  Harrison  street. 
New  York,  May  2t>,  1692. 
Dear  Sir— At  a  meeting  of  the  milk  dealers  held  on  May  20,  1892,  a 
committee  of  25  was  appointed  to  consider  the  best  method  of  promot¬ 
ing  the  milk  interests  of  New  York  and  vicinity,  and  sustaining  the 
Exchange.  This  committee  met  to-day  and  organized  under  the  title 
of  “  The  United  Milk-Dealers’  Association  of  New  York  and  Vicinity,” 
and  It  was  resolved  that  each  dealer  and  crearueryman  who  subscribes 
to  the  fund  of  this  association  be  furnished  by  this  association  with 
the  prices  made  by  the  Exchange  on  every  change  of  price.  Said  sub¬ 
scription  to  be  based  on  the  following  resolution  passed  at  the  meeting 
of  milk  dealers  held  on  May  20  : 
Resolved ,  That  we  as  milk  dealers  here  assembled,  assess  ourselves 
at  the  rate  of  25  cents  per  can  up  to  50  cans,  above  50  cans  at  the  rate 
of  15  cents  per  can,  for  the  average  day’s  shipment  during  the  month 
of  May.  1892.  Creamerymen  to  be  charged  at  the  lower  rate. 
Subscriptions  to  be  sent  to  the  Treasurer,  B.  Bleler  «  Harrison 
street,  or  to  the  undersigned. 
F.  D.  Jackson,  74  Washington  Street,  Hoboken,  N.  J.  \ 
J.  C.  Rider,  Central  Valley,  N.  Y.  yCommittee. 
Geo.  W.  Harding,  103  Erie  Street,  Jersey  City,  N.  J.  \ 
We  have  not  learned  as  to  how  liberal  the  response 
to  this  circular  has  been.  The  big  fish,  the  Exchange 
creamerymen,  take  care  of  themselves,  assessing  them¬ 
selves  at  15  cents  per  can,  while  the  small  fry  are  to 
pay  25.  They  are  a  thrifty  set — these  Exchange 
creamerymen— and  always  look  out  for  Number  One. 
What  is  to  be  done  with  the  money  thus  raised  the  cir¬ 
cular  does  not  inform  us,  but  the  careful  observer  of 
Exchange  tactics  will  not  be  long  in  ascertaining. 
There  is  a  bit  of  unconscious  irony  in  the  circular 
where  it  proposes  “  to  promote  the  milk  interests  of 
New  York  and  sustain  the  Exchange,”  all  in  one  sen¬ 
tence.  It  is  much  as  if  we  should  have  a  society  of 
housebreakers  asking  for  contributions  to  promote 
their  interests  and  the  interests  of  the  house  owners. 
The  two  things  are  incompatible — they  will  not  mix. 
*  *  * 
Southern  Second  Crou  Potatoes. — Prof.  Massey 
sees  a  possible  bonanza  for  the  Southern  farmer  in 
growing  second  crop  potatoes,  and  among  other 
demands  for  them  he  mentions  the  Northern  market 
for  old  potatoes  in  the  spring,  as  they  would  be 
unsprouted  and  superior  to  green  new  ones.  There 
might  be  a  greater  demand  for  them  for  seed,  as  truck 
farmers  find  them  earlier  than  Northern  seed.  Louis¬ 
ville  merchants  now  furnish  some  Ohio  gardeners  with 
second  crop  seed,  and  while  it  is  less  productive  than 
home-grown  stock,  the  high  prices  of  the  first  10  days 
of  the  new  potato  season  tnake  it  «  paying  business  to 
use  the  Southern  seed. 
This  seed  now  costs  too  much.  It  is  brought  north 
in  small  lots,  and  every  middleman  adds  very  substan¬ 
tially  to  the  charges.  If  Southern  growers  would 
ship  their  product  north  in  car  lots,  just  as  we  ship  ours 
to  the  Southern  markets  in  the  fall  and  winter,  the 
price  and  convenience  of  getting  the  seeds  would  in¬ 
duce  Northern  truck  farmers  to  give  them  a  wide 
trial.  A  leading  truck  farmer  in  our  market  orders 
them  directly  from  the  South  every  spring,  paying  a 
round  price,  but  he  prefers  to  do  this  rather  than 
plant  home  seed,  and  get  a  later  crop. 
It  pays  us  in  southern  Ohio  to  go  north  for  seeds  for 
the  main  crop  of  potatoes,  as  they  are  more  vigorous 
growers,  and  to  the  South  for  seeds  for  early  crops,  but 
half  the  profits  from  this  exchange  are  reaped  by  rail¬ 
way  companies.  They  should  have  all  they  earn,  but 
when  they  take  all  the  traffic  will  bear,  it  prevents  such 
an  exchange  of  products  between  the  farmers  of  this 
broad  country  as  would  be  advantageous  to  all.  a.  a. 
Business  Bits. 
Henry  A.  Drker,  714  Chestnut  street,  Philadelphia  Pa.— A  mid¬ 
summer  list  of  plants  and  seeds— strawberry  plants,  pot-grown  and 
layer;  celery  and  cabbage  plants.  Also  a  list  of  seeds  suitable  to  the 
season. 
Peter  Henderson  A  Co,  35  Cortland  street.  New  York.— A  cata¬ 
logue  of  cauliflower,  cabbage,  celery  and  strawberry  plants  (pot  and 
layer).  This  catalogue  has  adopted  the  sensible  plan— often  urged  by 
The  R.  N.-Y.— of  indicating  the  sex  of  strawberries  by  the  letters, 
P,  pistillate,  and  B,  bisexual,  instead  of  “  stamlnate.  ’ 
A  CHANCE  to  make  a  visit  to  the  great  farms  of  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
Arkansas  and  Texas  at  one-half  fare  Is  offered  by  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway  Company.  See  card  headed  Harvest  Excursions. 
The  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music  at  Boston,  Mass.,  is  the 
oldest  and  largest  school  of  its  kind  in  America.  We  know  from  a  per¬ 
sonal  investigation  that  its  course  of  study  is  excellent  and  thorough. 
Any  American  who  desires  a  first-class  musical  education  will  do  well 
to  send  for  a  catalogue  of  this  excellent  Institution. 
A  NUMBER  of  the  milk  producers  supplying  the  Philadelphia  market 
have  purchased  the  Evans  A  Healing  milk  cooler  and  aerator,  and  ex¬ 
press  themselves  ak  being  highly  pleased  with  It.  Homo  of  the  more 
enterprising  producers  are  almost  extravagant  in  their  praises  of  the 
machine,  and  would  not  be  without  it  for  treble  its  cost. 
There  is  a  big  demand  for  water-proof  cloth  that  can  bo  used  for 
hay  caps,  plant  and  hot-bed  covers,  and  in  other  places  where  a  tem¬ 
porary  shelter  is  desired.  Farm  wagons  and  other  convenience  need 
to  be  protected  at  times.  The  National  Water-Proof  Fiber  Co.,  51) 
South  street,  N.  Y.,  makes  a  cloth  that  is  strong,  durable  and  cheap 
Write  to  it  for  price  list  and  testimonials. 
A  Double  Cultivator.— The  Delaware  Farm  Homo  makes  this 
suggestion.  What  do  you  think  of  it?  “Here  is  a  novel  method  of 
running  two  cultivators  with  one  team.  Hitch  a  team  to  two  single 
cultivators.  The  farmer  takes  the  lines  and  holds  one  cultivator, 
while  his  boy  or  htred  man  holds  the  other.  The  team  works  better 
than  a  single  horse.  Two  rows  are  taken  atone  time,  and  the  farmer 
can  superintend  his  work  much  better.  I  practice  this  in  my  cabbage, 
tomatoes,  beans,  etc.,  and  so  do  my  neighbors.” 
The  R.  N.-Y.  is  in  receipt  of  several  “  green-goods  ”  circulars  from 
subscribers  who  have  received  thorn  from  the  scoundrels  who  infest 
this  city.  We  have  exposed  their  plans  so  often  that  no  R.  N.-Y. 
reader  can  possibly  be  swindled  by  them.  Of  late,  they  insist  on  all 
messages  being  sent  them  by  telegraph  instead  of  through  the  malls, 
and  it  would  seem  that  our  telegraph  companies  could  easily  arrange 
to  shut  out  their  business.  They  succeed  in  swindling  Ignorant  and 
dishonest  men  only.  No  honest  man  ever  bites  at  their  bait. 
The  Man-Weigtit  Cultivator.- -In  a  late  Rural  I  noticed  an 
Inquiry  about  the  Man-Weight  cultivator.  If  the  inquirer’s  soli  is  per¬ 
fectly  free  from  stones  and  very  loose,  the  Man-Weight  may  suit  him  ; 
but  if  the  soil  Is  heavy  and  there  are  some  stones  In  it,  I  would  advise 
letting  it  alone.  I  have  one,  and  it  is  continually  breaking  and  giving 
out  somewhere.  The  metal  from  which  the  cast  parts  were  made  Is 
very  brittle  and  will  notstand  the  strain  needed  to  hold  them  in  place, 
and  the  set-screws  are  too  light  and  break  before  they  have  become 
tight  enough  to  hold.  p.  g. 
Down  on  Tobacco.— I  notice  The  R.  N.-Y.  seems  to  view  with  sat¬ 
isfaction  the  boom  in  Connecticut  tobacco  growing.  Now  1  have  never 
quite  forgiven  The  Rural  for  publishing  the  statement  that  tobacco 
had  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  necessity.  That  was  some  months  ago. 
It  Is  necessary  to  its  victims,  and  so  is  whisky  for  similar  reasons  and 
with  very  like  results.  As  I  am  addicted  to  neither,  I  claim  to  be 
as  impartial  as  a  person  who  advocates  one  and  condemns  the  other, 
and  I  would  very  much  like  to  see  one  reason  for  congratulation  over 
the  prosperity  of  tobacco  growing  that  does  not  equally  apply  to  the 
prosperity  of  beer  brewing.  Every  man  engaged  in  producing  and  ex¬ 
changing  beer  is  supported  at  public  expense.  His  labor  has  no  value 
in  the  community.  The  greater  his  success,  the  more  of  our  products 
and  services  he  can  command.  The  same  Is  equally  true  of  the  men 
who  produce  and  exchange  tobacco.  Edward  t,.  small. 
Disc  Bug  Poisoner.— The  Farmer's  Review  describes  this  device: 
“  A  disc  harrow  had  been  so  adjusted  by  removal  of  several  discs  as  to 
leave  three  discs  to  run  on  either  side  of  the  potato  row.  On  the 
frame  of  the  harrow  had  been  rigged  a  little  platform  to  hold  a  barrel 
containing  Paris-green  water.  The  barrel  was  litted  with  an  ordinary 
faucet  to  the  end  of  which  was  attached  a  piece  of  hose  pipe.  To  the 
lower  end  of  the  hose  was  attached  a  tee-piece  (x)  of  tin  piping,  the 
cross-piece  of  which  was  about  a  foot  long  and  perforated  with  numer¬ 
ous  small  holes  on  the  under  stde.  Two  light  iron  rods  were  attached 
to  the  hose  so  as  to  hold  it  in  proper  position  over  the  potato  row 
below;  they  could  also  be  adjusted  to  lower  or  elevate  the  sprinkling 
end  of  the  hose  according  to  the  size  of  the  plants  to  be  operated 
upon.”  The  trouble  with  such  a  device  is  that  there  is  no  way  of 
stirring  the  water  so  as  to  keep  the  poison  well  mixed  up. 
A  Wheeled  Weeder.— What’s  the  matter  with  putting  Breed's 
weeder  on  wheels?  I  have  been  bemoaning  because  I  had  no  Breed’s 
weeder  and  I  could  not  afford  to  send  for  one.  But  I  had  a  better 
tool  for  my  purpose  standing  all  the  time  in  the  shed  in  the  shape  of 
an  old  spring  tooth  hayrake.  It  has  been  weeding  potatoes,  corn  and 
peas  to-day  and  doing  first-class  work,  and  I  did  not  have  to  walk 
either.  My  potatoes  were  put  in  with  a  plow,  the  furrows  being  turned 
all  one  way  to  make  the  trenches,  the  same  furrows  were  turned  back 
to  cover  the  seed,  so  that  a  furrow  was  left  between  each  two  rows. 
The  ground  was  very  weedy,  and  had  been  harrowed  some  six  or 
more  times,  but  every  time  the  weeds  showed.  Now  the  potatoes  are 
up  too  high  for  a  smoothing  harrow,  but  the  rake  slips  along  an  inch 
or  an  inch  and  a  half  deep,  breaks  the  crust,  kills  the  weeds  and 
leaves  the  crop  in  tip-top  shape.  With  one  horse  and  shafts  in,  the 
rake  I  go  once  between  each  two  rows  and  do  a  first-class  Job.  Let 
those  who  have  no  weeder  try  it.  Those  who  haven’t  a  smoothing  har¬ 
row  should  try  an  A  harrow  with  a  frame  of  2  x  4  scantling,  with  large 
wire  nails  for  teeth,  driven  a  little  slanting  backward.  h.  o.  nash. 
