1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
621 
cream,  etc.,  which  I  sell  in  the  Baltimore  markets, 
having  two  stalls  in  the  Lexington  market  and  also  a 
dairy  at  1412  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  where  I  sell  ice 
cream  and  anything  else  people  may  want,  including 
fowls  and  eggs.  I  do  not  sell  anything  except  what  is 
raised  on  my  farm,  and  only  the  best  of  that.  I  own 
220  acres  of  land  and  rent  60  acres  more.  The  farm 
was  established  by  my  grandfather,  he  paying  $20  per 
acre  for  it.  It  is  Tiow  worth  $300  per  acre.  He  com¬ 
menced  the  dairy  business  in  1796,  since  which  time  it 
has  always  been  continued,  a  market  day  having  never 
been  missed  save  in  case  of  death  since  that  time.  I 
try  as  much  as  possible  to  supply  my  table  from  my 
farm,  raising  plenty  of  nice  vegetables  ;  but  being 
near  the  Baltimore  markets  I  buy  fresh  meats  very 
cheap,  as  well  as  fish,  crabs,  oysters,  etc. 
JAMES  1$.  COUNCILMAN. 
Marketed  Through  a  Colorado  Jersey. 
Here  in  Larimer  County,  Colo.,  the  following  figures 
represent  a  fair  standard  of  prices  :  one  barrel  of 
flour,  first-class,  $4.50  ;  10  pounds  of  sugar,  granulated, 
60  cents  ;  meat  for  one  month,  50  cents  a  day,  $15  ;  a 
fair  suit  of  clothes  $12  ;  a  fair  pair  of  shoes  $3  ;  a  fair 
dress  for  wife  $5  ;  medical  attendance  this  year  so  far, 
$2.  My  family  consists  of  wife  and  four  children  and 
the  help  on  the  place  consists  of  two  men  in  summer 
and  one  through  the  winter  and  a  girl  the  entire  year. 
My  farm  numbers  400  acres.  Everything  is  grown  by 
irrigation.  My  specialty  is  the  Jersey  or  grade  Jersey 
dairy  cow — dairying — yet  I  carry  on  nearly  all  the  lead¬ 
ing  features  of  farm  operations.  I  have  a  silo  with  my 
dairy  and  sell  sweet  cream  in  Denver.  Of  my  cows 
some  paid  over  $100  gross  last  year,  20  head  often 
bringing  in  $185  per  month  cash.  Crops  are  magnificent 
this  year — prices  low.  Winter  wheat  45  bushels  per 
acre.  I  think,  however,  I  could  not  cover  my  expenses 
by  growing  farm  crops  unless  I  could  market  them 
through  a  good  dairy  cow.  I  am  and  always  have 
been  a  teetotaler  in  its  fullest  sense,  including  abstin¬ 
ence  from  tobacco  in  every  form.  We  have  great 
quantities  of  fruits  of  nearly  all  kinds  and  so  care  for 
the  business  as  to  have  enough  the  entire  year. 
P.  D.  GOSS. 
“We  Shall  Plant  a  Few  Chickens.” 
Here,  in  Sangamon  County,  Ill. ,  one  barrel  of  flour,  fair 
grade,  costs  $5  ;  20  pounds  of  granulated  sugar,  $1 ;  one 
working  suit  of  clothes,  $3:  one  business  suit,  $10  ;  dress 
suit,  higher;  caliqp  dress  for  wife,  $2  ;  traveling  dress  for 
wife,  $10;  best  dress  for  wife,  more  ;  medical  attendance 
variable,  say,  $20  per  year — usually  half  this  or  less. 
There  are  13  in  the  family  besides  the  hired  girl.  My 
men  board  themselves.  I  am  a  fruit  grower,  but  keep 
cows  for  new  milk  and  butter,  and  butcher  the  heifer 
calves  when  six  to  ten  months  old,  all  through  the 
winter,  letting  such  calves  run  with  the  cows  and  take 
all  the  milk.  This  gives  the  best  meat  I  know  of.  Just 
enough  hogs  are  raised  for  our  own  meat.  We  buy 
some  fresh  beef  and  fish  through  the  summer,  from 
peddlers,  at  from  six  to  ten  cents  a  pound.  We  raise 
our  own  garden  stuff,  potatoes  included,  but  sell  very 
little.  I  find  the  spaces  between  the  rows  of  trees 
well  adapted  to  growing  running  vines,  as  melons, 
pumpkins,  squashes,  etc.  As  strawberries  do  not  thrive 
in  a  chicken  patch,  I  have  bought  eggs  and  chickens 
for  a  number  of  years,  but  this  fall  I  intend  to  inclose 
an  acre  or  two  of  plum  trees,  build  a  chicken  house 
and  “plant  ”  a  few  chickens  there.  We  can  and  do  eat 
about  600  quarts  of  fruit  yearly — raspberries,  cherries, 
blackberries,  juneberries,  currants,  gooseberries, 
plums,  peaches,  pears,  etc.  B.  buckman. 
Can’t  Figure  on  a  Wife’s  Dress. 
We  use  the  best  Pittsburg  flour,  costing  $6  per  bar¬ 
rel.  Ordinary  flour  of  home  manufacture,  here  in  Tip¬ 
pecanoe  County,  Ind.,  costs  $4.50  ;  10  pounds  of  sugar 
would  cost  50  cents.  Our  meat  bill  averages  $1.75  per 
month  ;  an  average  pair  of  shoes,  $2,  and  of  boots  $3. 50. 
My  own  clothes  are  tailor-made,  costing  from  $25  to 
$35.  Ready-made  suits  will  average  $15.  I  am  not 
married,  but  suppose  the  price  of  a  wife’s  dress  would 
depend  altogether  upon  the  woman.  I  have  not  re¬ 
quired  the  services  of  a  physician  for  10  years  past, 
and  am  not  addicted  to  the  use  of  patent  medicines.  I 
follow  mixed  farming  and  have  no  family.  The  farm 
supplies  all  my  wants.  c.  w.  Richards. 
Kansas  the  Gem  of  the  Prairie. 
Here,  in  Shawnee  County,  Kan,  the  prices  current 
are  as  follows  :  Flour,  standard  grade,  $4  per  barrel ; 
sugar,  granulated,  $1  for  15  pounds ;  dressed  beef, 
average  price  eight  cents  per  pound  ;  men’s  suit,  heavy 
weight,  double-breasted  coat,  $12  ;  boots,  $5  ;  shoes, 
$3  ;  calico,  five  cents  per  yard— 10  yards,  50  cents  ; 
cashmere,  half-wool,  25  cents  per  yard— 10  yards,  $2.50, 
(double  width);  cashmere,  all-wool,  (double  width) 
75  cents  per  yard,  $7.50.  Medical  attendance  and  patent 
medicines  we  have  had  no  use  for  for  two  years,  ex¬ 
cept  the  price  of  amputating  and  dressing  a  little 
finger,  $6.  In  1889  I  paid  $55  for  professional  services 
and  medicines.  My  family  consists  of  seven  children, 
my  wife  being  dead.  In  my  farming  I  make  no  specialty 
of  any  product.  I  raise  wheat,  oats,  corn,  Irish  pota¬ 
toes  and  sweet  potatoes  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds  for 
family  use,  and  also  small  fruits  and  apples,  horses, 
cattle  and  hogs.  We  keep  from  50  to  75  Brown  Leg¬ 
horn  hens.  I  have  clover  (common),  Timothy  and  na¬ 
tive  grass.  I  use  no  commercial  fertilizer,  but  make 
and  save  all  the  home-made  manure  I  can  and  apply 
it  on  the  place.  We  buy  nothing  that  we  can  pro¬ 
duce.  J.  E.  MAUS. 
Not  All  on  His  Back. 
Here  in  Garrett  County,  Md.,  a  barrel  of  flour  is 
worth  $4  to  $6,  according  to  the  sharpness  of  the 
buyer  and  the  quality  of  the  article.  The  average 
price  is  about  $5.  Granulated  sugar  is  all  the  way 
from  six  cents  per  pound  to  26  pounds  for  $1,  accord¬ 
ing  as  buyers  are  careless  or  merchants  are  “  cutting;” 
10  pounds  for  50  cents  is  about  fair  here.  Cured  pork 
ranges  in  various  forms  from  8  to  15  cents  per  pound. 
Ten  dollars  will  buy  a  suit  of  clothes  that  will  be  just 
as  comfortable  and  durable  and  respectable  to  wear 
here  as  a  $30  suit  would  in  most  of  the  North  or  East. 
Here  I  wear  a  $4.50  overcoat ;  there  I  wore  a  $30 
beaver  ;  there  all  was  on  my  back,  here  it  is  not.  Peo¬ 
ple  live  not  only  cheaper  but  simpler  here,  conse¬ 
quently  they  are  healthier.  There  being  next  to 
no  consumption  and  few  cases  of  fever,  physicians  are 
scattered.  The  grip  held  my  brother  for  10  days  last 
winter  at  an  expense  of  $4.50.  With  milk  at  two 
cents  and  other  things  at  market  prices,  it  costs  for 
eatables  $3.25  to  $5.50  per  month  for  each  adult  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  family.  I  am  a  fruit-grower  and  make  no 
attempt  to  grow  what  I  use  except  where  it  is  not 
otherwise  procurable.  cuas.  t.  sweet. 
How  to  Get  Cheap  Flour. 
Here  in  Caroline  County,  Md.,  one  barrel  of  good 
flour  can  be  bought  for  $6  ;  but  the  cheapest  way  is  to 
buy  six  bushels  of  wheat  at  80  cents  per  bushel  and 
have  it  ground  and  in  return  receive  210  pounds  of 
good  flour  and  three  bushels  of  bran.  Ten  pounds  of 
granulated  sugar  cost  50  cents.  We  cure  all  our  own 
meat  and  do  not  eat  very  much  through  the  summer 
months.  A  fair  suit  of  clothes  can  be  got  for  about  $8 
or  as  much  higher  as  one’s  pocketbook  will  allow.  A 
pair  of  good  working  shoes  cost  from  $1.50  to  $2.25. 
The  cost  of  a  dress  for  my  wife  is  very  much  a  matter 
of  choice  :  for  ever-day  use  calico  costs  five  cents  per 
yard,  and  a  dress  will  cost  from  that  up  to  as  high  as 
one  may  want  to  go.  There  is  so  little  sickness  that 
we  never  employ  a  doctor  by  the  year.  Our  expenses 
for  medical  attendance  and  medicine  will  not  average 
more  than  $3  a  year  for  the  time  we  have  been  living 
in  this  section.  My  family  consists  of  seven.  My 
main  money  crops  are  strawberries,  blackberries  and 
peaches — when  we  have  any.  We  are  in  the  midst  of 
the  peach  belt  of  the  Peninsula — but  this  year  we 
are  not  in  it  for  fruit  of  any  kind.  I  grow  no  wheat, 
but  try  to  grow  feed  for  my  stock.  My  farm  supplies 
us  with  most  of  our  eatables.  Some  groceries  and 
dry  goods  have  to  be  bought.  Still  the  farm  furnishes 
everything  in  the  end.  M.  L.  weaver. 
A  Nebraska  “  General  Purpose  ”  Farm. 
We  have  lived  here  in  Richardson  County,  Neb.,  for 
31  years,  and  there  has  not  been  a  failure  of  crops,  ex¬ 
cept  in  1875,  when  the  whole  country  was  devastated 
by  grasshoppers.  The  farm  consists  of  160  acres. 
Corn  and  hay  are  the  principal  crops,  and  hogs,  horses, 
and  horned  cattle  are  the  chief  kinds  of  stock.  For 
many  years  we  kept  an  apiary  that,  some  seasons, 
was  productive  of  considerable  income.  We  also 
raised  some  fruit,  which  was  to  some  extent  a  source 
of  income.  The  family  has  been  entirely  sustained 
from  the  farm.  There  are  nine  children,  of  whom 
four  remain  at  home.  The  family  usually  consists  of 
six  or  seven.  The  soil  and  climate  are  good,  and  the 
industrious  make  money,  while  the  shiftless  and  lazy 
fail  here  as  elsewhere.  Flour  is  worth  about  $4  a 
barrel.  Ten  pounds  of  granulated  sugar  cost  50  cents. 
Meat  for  the  family  a  month  would  cost  $12  or  $15. 
A  suit  of  Grand  Army  blue  costs  $10 ;  the  best  suits 
cost  from  $19  to  $22,  if  all  wool.  Boots  from  $2.50  to 
$5 ;  fine  shoes,  $3.  Best  calico  dresses,  $1  for  the 
cloth;  gingham  about  $1.50;  silks  from  $1.25  to  $2 
per  yard.  Doctor  bills  have  not  averaged  $10  a  year. 
Prices  for  all  things  we  buy  are  lower  than  ever 
before.  jerome  wiltse. 
Cheese  Making  in  Georgia. 
1.  How  do  the  methods  employed  In  making  cheese  In  Georgia  differ 
from  those  of  Northern  cheese  makers  ?  2.  What  chief  difficulties  are 
to  be  met  with  ?  3.  How  does  cheese  making  compare  as  to  profit 
with  other  dairy  operations  in  Georgia?  4.  Upon  what  plan  will 
Georgia  dairymen  probably  work  ? 
1.  My  dairyman — an  experienced  butter  and  cheese 
maker  from  northern  Ohio — says  there  is  no  material 
difference  in  the  methods  made  necessary  by  differ¬ 
ences  in  climate.  He  finds  that  he  can  make  here 
cheese  of  as  good  table  and  keeping  qualities  as  he 
has  been  accustomed  to  make  in  Ohio.  He  was  at  first 
apprehensive  that  the  temperature  would  be  unfavor¬ 
able  for  proper  curing  during  our  hottest  weather; 
but  to  his  agreeable  surprise  he  finds  no  warmer 
weather  here  than  in  Ohio,  the  difference  being  con¬ 
fined  to  the  length  of  the  summer.  He  has  been  mak¬ 
ing  cheese  since  May  30.  Most  of  the  product  has 
been  sold  to  local  grocers  and  private  families  at  15 
cents  per  pound,  and  they  are  greedy  for  it  at  that 
price.  Consumers  say  that  our  cheese  is  superior  to 
any  they  have  been  accustomed  to  buy  from  the  North. 
We  have,  so  far,  made  only  full-cream  cheese.  We 
have  no  storage  room  ;  the  cheese  being  cured  in  the 
same  room  in  which  it  is  made.  2.  No  difficulties  have 
been  met  with.  3.  I  am  hardly  prepared  to  answer  this 
question.  The  facts  are  :  milk  usually  sells  in  the 
market  at  8  to  10  cents  per  quart  from  the  milk  wagon, 
or  25  to  27 cents  per  gallon  to  hotels  and  other  large 
consumers.  But  the  market  is  easily  supplied  at  these 
figures,  from  dairies  in  the  suburbs.  Butter  usually 
commands  25  cents  per  pound,  if  of  good  quality,  but 
likewise  the  market  is  often  glutted.  We  make  three 
pounds  of  cheese  from  the  same  quantity  of  milk  that 
would  be  required  for  one  pound  of  butter.  Three 
pounds  of  cheese,  45  cents  ;  one  pound  of  butter,  25  to 
30  cents.  4.  My  idea  is  that  farmers  in  the  rural  dis¬ 
tricts,  away  from  towns  and  cities,  may  find  it  to  their 
interest  and  convenience  to  run  cooperative  dairies  to 
supply  themselves,  and  afford  a  surplus  for  the  nearest 
market.  If  cheese  making  should  be  established  in 
the  South,  we  would  not  have  to  go  through  with  the 
evolution  in  process  that  has  finally  resulted  in  the 
factory  system  in  the  North.  The  Northern  people 
have  blazed  the  way,  we  can  follow  close  behind. 
Our  lands  are  cheap  and  yet  productive.  If  cheese 
and  butter  dairying  is  profitable  in  the  North  on  land 
worth  $50  to  $100  per  acre,  why  not  in  Georgia,  where 
good  land  can  be  had  at  one- fourth  of  these  prices  ? 
The  cooperative  system  would  seem  to  me  the  best — 
one  farmer  to  put  up  the  buildings  and  supply  the  out¬ 
fit,  and  do  the  work  for  his  neighbors. 
Director  Georgia  Exp.  Station.  H.  .1.  redding. 
Some  Hay  Questions. 
1.  What  1b  the  shi-lnkane  In  tho  weight  of  hay?  Ib  It  more  profitable 
to  sell  directly  from  the  field  at  $12,  or  after  lying  In  tho  mow  throe 
months  at  from  $15  to  $18? 
2.  When  wo  say  “two  tons  per  acre”  do  wo  moan  as  It  cornea  from 
the  lot  or  after  seasoning  In  the  stack  or  mow? 
My  method  is  to  mow  in  the  afternoon  as  much  as 
I  can  from  three  o’clock  until  the  dew  begins  to  fall, 
as  then  the  machine  works  better  and  the  work  is  easy 
for  the  horses  and  the  hay  wilts  through  the  night ; 
then  in  the  morning  it  begins  to  dry  as  soon  as  the  sun 
is  up  and  after  dinner  I  begin  to  rake  and  in  good 
drying  weather  it  will  be  ready  to  be  drawn  into  the 
barn.  I  don’t  think  as  much  shrinkage  is  caused  in 
this  way  as  in  the  old  one  of  mowing  in  the  morning 
and  then  raking,  setting  up  and  spreading  out  the 
next  day.  I  don’t  think  that  in  this  way  it  will  shrink 
more  than  200  to  1,000  pounds.  I  prefer  to  sell  it  after 
it  has  been  in  the  barn,  as  then  there  is  more  time  to 
handle  it.  In  my  opinion  it  shrinks  very  little  until 
cold  weather.  A  yield  of  two  tons  to  the  acre  means  one 
of  seasoned  hay  from  the  mow.  I  have  just  sold  part 
of  my  hay  at  a  little  above  the  market  price.  The 
reason  for  this  advance  is  that  I  press  it  just  as  I  would 
like  to  buy  it  if  I  were  a  consumer.  I  have  pressed 
hay  over  30  years  and  I  find  that  to  take  the  chaff  out 
as  much  as  possible  and  keep  it  at  home  for  the  cows 
and  sheep  pays  better  than  to  put  it  in  the  bale,  as  the 
consumers  do  not  want  it  for  their  horses  ;  they  have 
to  shake  it  out  and  it  is  all  loss  to  them.  I  have  labeled 
my  hay  for  two  years  and  now  the  buyers  come  to  my 
farm  and  want  to  buy  the  hay  with  my  label,  as  they 
know  it  is  all  right  and  that  they  are  not  getting  what 
they  don’t  want.  I  think  that  the  farmers  make  a 
great  mistake  in  selling  so  much  poor  hay,  as  it  costs 
as  much  to  ship  one  kind  as  the  other.  This  is  my 
label  this  year :  “  The  chaff  is  taken  out  of  this  hay  as 
much  as  possible.  Produced  and  pressed  by 
ANDREW  M.  LAGRANGE.” 
I  cannot  say  positively  what  the  shrinkage  on  hay 
is,  so  much  depends  on  its  condition  and  whether  it  has 
been  cut  early  or  late  in  the  season,  and  the  tightness 
of  the  barn  in  which  it  is  placed.  As  nearly  as  I  can 
tell,  in  hay  cut  before  it  is  in  full  blossom,  the  shrink¬ 
age  has  been  about  one-sixth.  That  is,  hay  that  would 
weigh  2,400  pounds  in  the  field  would  not  weigh  over 
2,000  pounds  three  months  afterwards.  From  this  I 
allow  that  it  would  be  more  profitable  to  sell  directly 
from  the  field  at  $12  per  ton  than  three  months  after¬ 
wards  at  $15,  as  50  cents  per  ton  would  not  pay  for  the 
extra  handling  of  the  hay,  after  allowing  for  shrink¬ 
age.  At  $18  per  ton,  the  case  would  be  reversed,  as  I 
could  handle  the  hay  and  stand  the  shrinkage  for  $6. 
When  I  say  “two  tons  per  acre,”  I  mean  as  it  comes 
from  the  mow  after  seasoning.  ciias.  charm  an. 
It  would  be  more  profitable  to  sell  hay  directly  from 
the  field  at  $12  per  ton  than  to  keep  it  and  risk  shrink¬ 
age  and  handling.  When  we  say  “  two  tons  per  acre,” 
we  mean  hay  taken  from  the  mow  for  market.  It 
would  be  better,  or  at  least  as  good,  to  sell  hay  from 
the  mow  immediately  after  the  sweating  process  at 
$12  as  to  sell  it  the  next  winter  at  $15.  D.  C.  lewis. 
