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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Business. 
FOREIGN MARKETS FOR DAIRY GOODS. 
Synopsis of remarks by J. S. Dodge , at the meeting of the 
N. Y. State Dairymen's Association. 
In an era of low prices it is natural that an enlarge¬ 
ment of demand should be sought. Competition leads to 
excess or surplus, which reduces the price. We possess 
the markets of our own country and may share foreign 
markets, or at least we can in part supply their de¬ 
ficiencies. I would not encourage the delusion of export¬ 
ing crude or bulky products that can be manufactured 
into less bulky articles of greater value. That idea is pro 
mulgated in ignorance or for partisan purposes. We 
should not export hay or vegetables ; and corn worth $8 
per ton should be made into beef worth $180, or into cheese 
and butter. Our exports should be confined practically to 
cotton, tobacco, meat, breadstuffs and dairy products. 
Wheat, worth $30 per ton, is not worth shipping to meet 
the competition of the rudest agriculture of the world. 
It is not merely the cost of transportation, but the waste 
of fertility which should bar the exit which tends to ster¬ 
ilization of the soil, and reduction of the yield. We can¬ 
not afford to export or waste the fertility garnered in a 
thousand years of growth and decay. It is the capital of 
the farm—a sacred heritage for the use of future genera¬ 
tions. Expenses are reduced by exporting articles of high 
value in proportion to their weight; and loss of fertility 
is avoided by the exportation of carbon rather than of 
nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Trade is older than the 
General Government, and in the two last decades has been 
greater than in the two past centuries. The introduction 
of the factory system gave extraordinary stimulus to the 
production and exportation of butter and cheese, but the 
last five years have shown a decrease of one-fourth of the 
volume of cheese exported. 
Depreciated currency caused abnormal prices from 1800 
to 1870, and somewhat affected the prices from 1870 to 1880. 
The disreputable forms of imitation butter and skim 
cheese give a false impression as to the value of our prod¬ 
ucts. To this cause is due the decrease in volume and price 
of our dairy exportations. Only one country gets a lower 
average price for its butter in the foreign market; for 
while we get 17 cents other countries are getting 25 cents. 
There is room for better butter; but instead we sent more 
oleo-oil and imitation stuff in 1890, than good butter in 
the last four years. The New York Dairy Association 
deserves recognition and congratulation for its efforts in 
establishing butter schools and raising the standard of 
dairy products. 
The law should protect this trade which is worth ten 
millions per year. No one has a right to place unwhole¬ 
some food on the markets, or to sell goods under false 
names. Exportation may be extended by giving their 
correct names to substitutes, and the avoidance of deter¬ 
ioration of quality. New markets of great importance 
may be secured by a wise national policy, which shall 
encourage steam navigation to the principal Spanish- 
American countries. The consumption of cheese can be 
increased by skill in producing the new forms and better 
quality demanded by the growing preference for fancy 
styles and varieties. Improvement is necessary and feasi¬ 
ble for the largest consumption both in our domestic and 
foreign markets. 
Secretary Rusk is fully Impressed with the importance 
of tbe dairy interests and contemplates the establishment 
of a fully equipped Dairy Division in the Department of 
Agriculture. c. 
Japanese Buckwheat Flour.—Two weeks ago TnE 
R- N.-Y. referred to the fact that Wisconsin millers refuse 
to grind Japanese Buckwheat because, they say, it makes 
bitter flour. Many of our readers are interested in grow¬ 
ing this new buckwheat. Here are two sample letters 
from them : 
“I have grown Japanese Buckwheat for the last three 
years and consider the flour equal to any ; but the grain 
is now nearly as small as that of the old black buck¬ 
wheat. It has never done any better for me than the old 
kinds.” C. H. EVERETT. 
Steuben County, N. Y. 
“ I have raised the Japanese Buckwheat two seasons. It 
makes a No. 1 flour, in which there is no bitter taste what¬ 
ever. Millers with improved machinery, huller.s, etc., do 
not like to grind it, as the berry Is very large and soft and 
will not run through the sieves. I think it should be 
sowed quite early. I am not certain yet that it is an Im¬ 
provement on some of the old kinds. I do not think it will 
yield as much flour per bushel.” george w. downs. 
Macomb County, Michigan. 
Wisconsin Truck Business.— Business methods in 
farming change from year to year almost as radically as 
do methods of conducting city business. Railroads, 
changes in population and other causes force new methods 
upon farmers. During the coming year The R. N.-Y. pro¬ 
poses to give considerable attention to these changes. 
The first report follows : “ This has been a season of sur¬ 
prises and disappointments. Products which last year 
were the cheapest and most plentiful are now in the great¬ 
est demand at best prices. We now regret that we planted 
with so little courage, for never before has the oft-taught 
lesson, that well fertilized and well tilled acres yield 
profitable crops, while barren and poorly tilled acres are 
failures, proved truer. We had nearly forgotten this 
during the past few years when it seemed that the more 
our farms produced the smaller was the net income. Pota¬ 
toes and garden truck have been my dependence for my 
money, and have proved more remunerative than for 
several years, owing to short crops at home and in the 
South. There has been a radical change inform opera¬ 
tions in this section. Only a few years ago this was the 
headquarters for the fine-wool industry of the Northwest, 
now, with few exceptions, the flocks have disappeared and 
the sheep men are now dairymen, horse-breeders and 
truck farmers, the latter probably getting the best returns 
for the capital invested ; but they are also stock raisers, as 
they are not able to buy manure so far from large cities 
and commercial fertilizers have not proved profitable 
here. Dairymen have built a creamery and cheese factory 
on the cooperative plan. These have proved very satis¬ 
factory and the patrons could not be induced to return to 
home dairying for any consideration, and their wives 
would rebel if they tried to do so. D. u. 
Caldwell, Wis. 
Saved From A Grape. —I wish to commend The 
Rural for publishing the article on page 821, entitled : 
*‘ Cheap Prices for Niagara Grapes.” A short time ago a 
farmer friend brought a Niagara White Grape Company 
agent here, and tried to induce me to set a few acres of 
Niagara Grapes. My friend has a few acres, but they are 
not old enough to bear, and he is well pleased with his in¬ 
vestment. Through his influence and the great profits in 
the business pictured out by the agent, I should have 
been persuaded to invest had I not seen the article re¬ 
ferred to. j. s. T. 
Lysander, N. Y. 
An Egg Business. —We have a circular from the “ Kitta- 
tinny Poultry Yards,” which contains some good sugges¬ 
tions for those who are after “top prices.” At the top of 
the circular is printed the following : 
NEW LAID TABLE EGGS. 
Delivered Weekly, Semi-Weekly, or as desired, in 
Quantities to suit the Customer. 
4,000 CHOICE LAYING HENS. 
REGULAR CUSTOMERS IN NEW YORK CITY. 
Then follows a loDg list of notable people who patronize 
the “ Kittatinny Poultry Yards.” Those circulars are 
sent out to all who are in a condition to pay extra for 
fresh eggs. We shall have more to say about the hens 
and eggs on this egg farm later. We make this note now 
as a hint to those who are in a position to issue similar 
circulars. 
A Perfect Milking Machine. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
Orange Wrapping Machine.— The Louisiana Planter 
describes a machine for wrapping oranges which is in prac¬ 
tical operation in Florida. The oranges that come to New 
York are wrapped separately in tissue paper. This is 
generally done by hand, entailing a good deal of labor and 
loss of time. This is the best description that can be given 
of the machine: “ A large vertical drum with openings 
in it, picks up the orange as it comes down the incline 
from the sorter. This drum, as it revolves, raises the fruit 
and lets it into a trough, where it is held by two iron 
hands until it is time for it to pass forward. In the mean¬ 
while, while this is going on, there is a large roll of tissue 
paper suspended over the machine. The end of this paper 
passes between two small iron rollers, which continually 
feed it to the machine. Whilst it is going forward the 
owner’s name, the name of the grove and the locality of 
the business are all printed on each sheet of paper in 
which the orange is wrapped. The paper, having been 
pulled far enough forward, just at the proper time a ser¬ 
rated knife jumps out of a slot in a wooden roller and cuts 
off the sheet, and at the same instant the iron hand raises 
and lets the fruit drop; it is carried down, the paper is pull¬ 
ed around it, two iron fingers grasp the edges and hold it, 
a revolving rubber band gives the orange a twirl, the 
plates move out, and the orange drops into a receptacle of 
an elevator, and is delivered to the ‘packer.’ The car 
stands immediately at the door, and the fruit is ready for 
consignment.” This remarkable machine is capable of 
wrapping 160 boxes of oranges per day. It is said to come 
“ about as near to seeing and feeling as it is possible to 
make machinery. The machines were tried in Florida on 
a crop of about 15,000 boxes last season, and worked satis¬ 
factorily, except as to the handling of the piper, and the 
inventor being on hand the whole season and seeing the 
defect, has improved them until everything works like a 
clock,” so says the Florida Agriculturist. 
An Electric Fence Named.— ■•In The R. N.-Y. of 
December 20 Mr. G. R. Wood of Jefferson County, Ky., 
asks for an electric fence. D. A. Wilson, No. 85 Dearborn 
Street, Chicago, Ill., can supply the gentleman with the 
fence or battery or both. This fence is thought to be a 
success by parties who have seen it in use. A. G. 
Columbus. Ind. 
That Cattle Tag.— We have tried several makes of 
ear tags, neck straps, etc., but much prefer the ear tag 
made by J. H. Brown & Co., Chicago, Ill. It is a circular 
disk made of a hard, metallic composition, with the num¬ 
ber on one side and the initials of the owner, together with 
the name of the place or anything else desired on the 
other. It is attached to the ear by a hog ring, and can 
easily be placed in the ear without pain with a little in¬ 
strument known as the hog ringer. We place it in the 
top of the ear as it does not tear out. It does not mutilate 
or disfigure the ear and is not painful to any degree. 
SMITHS. TOWELL & LAMB. 
New Bicycle Tire. —“Anti-fricrton” devices have 
claimed the attention of inventors for several years. Nobody 
expects to do away with friction entirely,but inventors hope 
to do away with a good deal of it. A few years ago some¬ 
body hit upon the plan of substituting a rolling for a fixed 
surface upon which to play an axle. A wagon hub was 
first devised that should contain a number of small steel 
balls entirely independent of each other and capable of 
revolving in any direction bearing upon the axle and yet 
New Bicycle Tire. Fig. 8. 
unable to drop out of the hub. The idea was that as the 
wheel revolved there would not be a ‘‘dead rub” against 
the axle; but that the little balls would revolve and thus 
make the axle run easier and the necessity of using grease 
or oil would be avoided. The latest use to which this 
anti friction” principle is to be put is shown at Figure 
8, which illustrates a new patent tire for bicycles or even 
for light carriages. The tire is made of very thick rubber 
and filled with little balls which revolve as the wheel 
passes over the ground. What next ? 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
The circular of the ^Btna Automatic Heater Is re¬ 
ceived from the Vermont Farm Machine Company, Bel¬ 
lows Falls, V t. This heater is safe, handy and durable. 
The dairyman who fills up his cows with ice-cold water 
freezes his pocket-book. Thaw it out with this heater. 
Lansing Wheelbarrow Co., Lansing, Michigan.— 
This firm sends a circular describing a new fence machine 
which is guaranteed to make a good fence at a cost of 26)^ 
cents per rod. The circular gives full particulars. Send 
for it. 
Stover Manufacturing Co., Freeport, III—About 
30 pages of this catalogue are given up to a description of 
the Ideal Feed Mill. Several improvements have been 
made in this mill for this year’s trade, all of which are 
fully described in the catalogue. This is now unquestion¬ 
ably one of the best feed mills on the market, and is ad- x 
mirably suited to work with windmill power. 
Osgood & Thompson, Binghamton, N. Y.—It is the 
duty of this firm to weigh a good share of the world. Their 
large illustrated catalogue of scales will return one hun¬ 
dredfold weight for the postal needed to order it. Be 
just, avoid guesswork, weigh thyself, read this catalogue. 
Bowker Fertilizer Co., Boston, Mass., and New 
York, N. Y.—An illustrated pamphlet which gives many 
interesting facts from those who have grown large crops 
from the use of the fertilizers sold by this well-known 
firm. I heir effects upon lettuce in hot-beds and green¬ 
houses, onions and celery, asparagus, cabbages, potatoes, 
etc , are well set forth by extensive market gardeners and 
farmers. Ihe effects of single chemicals in comparison 
witli those of complete mixtures are considered in brief. 
In this connection the pamphlet speaks of unleached 
wood ashes in a way to answer many questions The 
R. N.-Y. is almost daily receiving. Pure, unleached, hard¬ 
wood ashes, no matter where they come from, are the very 
best source of potash. But how are we to know what we 
get unless they are analyzed ? The reports of such men as 
Johnson, Goessmann and others, show that they analyze 
all the way from two to ten per cent of potash. Now, as 
the pamphlet states, if the two-per-cent ashes cost $10 per 
ton, the ten-per-cent ashes would be worth $50 per ton 
without any reference to the phosphoric acid contents. 
Sulphate and muriate of potash are bought aud sold upon 
chemical analyses, with a guaranty of purity. Wood 
ashes should be bought and sold in the same way. Read 
the pamphlet. 
2 136. 
Renewal and new subscriptions ave com¬ 
ing in greater numbers than in any previous 
recent year, showing that the vast majority 
of our readers are well pleased with The 
Rural New-Yorker. 
