Profitable Farming de¬ 
pends as much on sell- _ _ _ ___ 
ing as on producing. THE RURAL 
NEW-YORKER’S 
A. crop which is well 
grown is only half 
way to market. 
MARKET, CROP AND NEWS SPECIAL. 
TRADE WINDS. 
Financial.— Confidence is increasing 
since the adjournment of Congress. Brad- 
street’s of Saturday says that decreasing 
apprehensions in regard to gold shipments 
or disturbances in the equilibrium of the 
loan market from the approaching settle¬ 
ment period in the country districts create 
an easier tone in rates. Bankers’ balances 
on call, which loaned early in the week at 
3 to 4 per cent, were in the last two days 
down to to 3 per cent, though the ex¬ 
treme dullness of speculation seemed to 
have some influence in this connection. 
Time money is in limited demand, and 
transactions are cited at 4X per cent on 
mixed collateral. The supply of com¬ 
mercial paper is small, and rates are steady 
at 5 to 5K per cent for best names and in¬ 
dorsed bills receivable. 
General Business.— The Journal of 
Commerce says that there has been a week 
of nervousness and excitement in some 
lines of merchandise. With the adjourn¬ 
ment of Congress the leading speculators 
arranged themselves for more confident 
undertakings. They had allowed some ar¬ 
ticles which had good statistical positions 
to drift as ajiy outside element cared to 
manipulate them for light profits and were 
indifferent over most surroundings. Im¬ 
mediately upon their taking hold affairs 
were shaped for radically higher prices. It 
has been especially the case with grain. 
The largest business in wheat and corn in 
a long while characterized the positions, 
while prices were advanced in a rapid way. 
While the movement upward continued 
there was no abatement of interest in the 
export interest in the wheat product, but 
the grain itself ran along with conservative 
export attention. The cables for wheat 
were all higher, and damage to the French 
crop was circulated for perhaps more than 
it was worth. The hog products were also 
jumped to radically better prices. The 
cotton deals have been larger and more 
general, at times to higher prices, but the 
prospects of the crop in an outturn of 8,500,- 
000 bales have been occasionally depressing. 
Chicago Live Stock Market.— The Live 
Stock Report of Saturday says that com¬ 
pared with the previous week prices for all 
desirable beeves are 15 to 20 cents per 100 
pounds higher, while the medium grades 
have advanced 10 to 15 cents per 100 pounds. 
During the past four weeks the dressed beef 
operators have been moderate buyers of 
cattle, gradually drawing upon their re¬ 
serves to fill their orders. This has depleted 
their stock, and at present their refrigera¬ 
tors are empty, consequently they have 
been free buyers all the week and will 
likely continue so from now on. Shippers 
and exporters have taken about their usual 
number, and each day’s receipts have been 
cleared. The receipts for the expired por¬ 
tion of the year, month and week are items 
worthy of consideration. For the year there 
is a decrease of over 30,000 head, for the 
month nearly 15,000 and for the week nearly 
1,500 head less than the corresponding time 
in 1890. The market is gradually descending 
the hill so far as receipts are concerned, and 
ascending upon the other side as regards 
prices. During the corresponding week last 
year the market ruled strong and values ad¬ 
vanced 5 to 10 cents per 100 pounds, extra 
prime steers selling from $5 to $5.10, ex¬ 
porters $4.35 to $5, with fair to good dressed 
beef and shipping steers from $3.45 to $4 50 
per 100 pounds, while in 1889 with only 45,- 
000 cattle on sale the market ruled slow, 
choice grades selling at steady prices and 
the medium grades declining 15 to 20 cents 
per 100 pounds, extra prime steers selling 
from $4.60 to $4.85, exporters $3.85 to $4 60, 
with fair to good dressed beef, and ship¬ 
ping steers from $2.85 to $3.55 per 100 
pounds. Some corn-fed Western steers ar¬ 
rived and sold at $4 80 to $4.90, weighing 
1,288 and 1,258 pounds respectively. A few 
cars of fed Texans arrived but were of poor 
quality and sold low. 
The California State Board of Horticul¬ 
ture has for dissemination a limited num¬ 
ber of young fig trees which have been 
grown from cuttings, imported from 
myrna last year. 
AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
The heaviest snow in Kansas for the 
winter fell during March. 
The State commissioner of New Hamp¬ 
shire reports 800 abandoned farms. 
A Mississippi grower reports pecans 2j^ 
inches in length and one inch in diameter. 
Hon. John E. Carr, an ex-member of the 
N. H. Legislature was recently killed by a 
bull. 
A Rhode Island grocer delivers milk in 
a paper sack, or rather, in two paper sacks, 
one inside the other. 
A new law authorizes the Secretary of 
Agriculture to regulate the transportation 
of cattle to foreign countries. 
A Missouri child is afflicted with tri¬ 
chinae, contracted from a piece of raw pork 
bound upon its neck for sore throat. 
The Executive Committee of the World’s 
Fair Directory has appropriated $150,000 for 
cash premiums for live stock exhibits at 
the fair. 
The first day of the Combination sale of 
California horses at Peter C. Kellogg & 
Co.’s brought some good pi ices; 38 head 
sold for $69,300. 
A berry growers’ convention will be held 
at Meriden, Conn., March 18. The pro¬ 
gramme to be presented is an extremely 
interesting one. 
Cuba is suffering from a severe drought; 
rivers are dry, fields parched, cattle dying 
for want of water and the sugar crop will 
be.materially shortened. 
Pauline Paul, a Holstein-Friestan cow, 
owned at Pawling, N. Y., is said to have 
made 1,153 pounds of butter during the 
year ending February 7. 
The men having the contract to deliver 
100 live deer for Austin Corbin’s New 
Hampshire game preserve have been stop¬ 
ped in their work, on the ground that it is 
just as illegal to catch live deer out of 
season as to kill them. 
In Vermont farms are offered for sale at 
from $3 to $5 per acre, while in Pennsyl¬ 
vania the depreciation in farm values for 
the past 10 years has been fully 40 per cent, 
and it still increases. 
An ex-county official in a Pennsylvania 
town is accused of poisoning 30 sheep and 
some cows the property of two maiden 
farmers, one of whom had refused to marry 
him. The parties are each nearly 50 years 
old—old enough to know better. 
The German government sajs that the 
new sanitary measures adopted In the 
United States were inadequate, and there¬ 
fore the government did not intend to 
rescind the prohibition placed upon the 
importation of American hog products. 
The counties of Douglas and Lincoln, 
Washington, are terrorized by organized 
bands of horse and cattle thieves. A prom¬ 
inent stockman of that section says that 
no less than 12,000 head of cattle have been 
stolen in the past year, besides several 
hundreds of horses. 
The Canadian Government authorities 
have decided to establish a dairy school in 
each province of the Dominion this year, 
and also to appropriate a sum for the pur¬ 
pose of making t*ial shipments to English 
and other markets of butter produced at 
these schools. This action is the outcome 
of the McKinley Tariff act. 
The 15th annual convention of the North¬ 
west Texas Cattle Growers’ Association 
was held at Dallas last week. The owners 
of range cattle all along the line from 
Montana to the Gulf were represented, and 
all, with the exception of the drought- 
stricken district, reported the cattle in 
unusually good condition. 
A Nev York Assemblyman has intro¬ 
duced a bill to establish a bureau of regis¬ 
tration of trotting horses. The head of the 
bureau is to be known as the Registrar. 
He is to be appointed by the Governor for 
five 3 ears, and will keep an official record 
of all such horses, stallions, mares, geld¬ 
ings, colts and fillies as shall be offered for 
registration, provided they shall be within 
the rules entitling them to such registra¬ 
tion, and to collect and report to the Legis¬ 
lature each year the records of race horses. 
The Department of State has been offi¬ 
cially informed that an international ex¬ 
position of machines and motors for small 
industries will be held under the auspices 
of the Royal Department of Agriculture, 
Industry and Commerce at Palermo dur¬ 
ing the coming spring, and that the Italian 
government will be pleased to see there 
exhibits from American inventors and 
manufacturers. 
Five years ago two Pennsylvania girls 
went to Colorado with a supply of clothing, 
a few books and a trifle more money than 
was necessary for traveling expenses. Each 
preempted a quarter section of land, farm¬ 
ed it for six moths each year, taught school 
six months and now has a valuable farm. 
They are visiting their old home, and one 
purposes a European trip before returning 
West. 
In Brown County, S. D., arrangements 
have been perfected through the county 
commissioners whereby the elevator com¬ 
panies will supply needy farmers of the 
county with seed grain. Five or more 
responsible farmers of every township will 
guarantee that the seed furnished the 
needy will be properly sown, the crop har¬ 
vested and the elevator men paid. The 
county commissioners have voted to guar¬ 
antee the elevator companies against loss 
of any kind. 
A lot of 21 California trotters sold at Tat- 
tersall’s in this city at auction last week 
for $13,355, an average of about $430 each. 
The owner was very unfortunate. On the 
way across the continent the train was 
wrecked, four horses were killed outright 
and 14 more so badly Injured that they were 
shot. Some of the horses sold for lower 
prices than those offered for them before 
shipment from California. Another lot 
sold very low, one animal bred from a 
stallion with a record below 2:30, sold for 
$125. 
The Indiana Legislature passed a law 
abolishingthe State Board of Agriculture 
and appointing a new board representing 
the agricultural, commercial, live stock, 
mechanical and art interests. The old 
board declares that the new law Is uncon¬ 
stitutional, and has retained attorneys and 
will resist the attempt to displace it. The 
new board has not been named by the 
State officers who have the appointing 
power. The legal fight that has been pro¬ 
voked will probably delay the removal of 
the State fair site for another year and 
perhaps longer. 
Condensed Correspondence. 
Union Counts', N. J.—The principal 
crops in this vicinity are hay, potatoes, 
milk and garden truck. Very little grain 
grown. Many farmers near the railroads 
are holding their lands for building lots, 
which they expect to sell for fabulous 
prices some time. Hay was a heavy crop 
last year and sells for a fair price, as most 
of the hay grown finds a home market. 
Potatoes have rotted badly. There is less 
profit than usual in milk, as feed costs 
more. There is a fine opportunity for farm¬ 
ers so near New York and the other large 
cities to build up a special market for fancy 
fruits and vegetables, fresh laid eggs and 
prime poultry, There is always a ready 
market at good prices for such. What most 
of our farmers want is more “gumption.” 
M. c. 
Oneida County, N. Y.—Few fat cattle 
or hogs kept through the winter here, on 
account of high priced feed of all kinds. 
Some hogs died from cholera here last fall. 
Winter has been very severe; continued 
cold weather from the 22 nd November until 
now.” 
Lenawee County, Mich.— Wheat and 
meadows are looking well in this section. 
Since the first of March the weather has 
been colder than at any other time during 
winter. There has been no sleighing of 
any account; the ground was bare from 
January 1 until March 1. Good wheeling 
most of the time. D. E. p. 
Collingsworth Co., Tex.—T he early 
spring that was looked for is disappoint¬ 
ing us. Still some have planted corn. 
Spring wheat, oats and barley are sown 
and some gardening has been done, yet an 
inch of snow fell on March 6 , and the mer¬ 
cury registered 23 deg. next morning. 
Stock have wintered without feed or shel¬ 
ter, but are in poor condition. O. F. R. 
What He Did With It. 
He bought the Buggy of the Pioneer 
Buggy Co., and then took Maud for a 
drive. But he kept on the good side of the 
father by presenting him with a copy of 
the “ Complete Horse Book,” which we 
send free for 10 cents, in stamps or silver. 
Pioneer Buggy Co., Columbus, O.— Adv. 
CROP AND MARKET NOTES. 
Egg plants scarce. 
Good butter retails at from 40 to 50 cents. 
Hides are two cents higher than a year 
ago. 
A hind quarter of spring lamb costs 
$3 50. 
The new ventilated barrels are In great 
favor. 
Californians are luxuriating in straw¬ 
berries. 
Florida strawberries have Improved in 
quality. 
Don’t plant many white grapes for this 
market. 
Florida growers report the strawberry 
vines loaded. 
Large quantities of celery are coming 
from the South. 
With all the scarcity of butter and cheese 
skim cheeses are dull. 
The man who holds butter for higher 
prices now lacks sagacity. 
The acreage of water-melons in Georgia 
is said to be larger than ever before. 
Large quantities of foreign lemons and 
oranges are on their way to this market. 
It costs 84 cents to send a barrel of cab¬ 
bages from Florida to New York or Phila¬ 
delphia. 
Strawberries retail from $L a box at the 
Broadway stores down to 25 cents by the 
hucksters. 
Key West potatoes though larger than 
the Bermudas are unattractive In appear¬ 
ance and sell more slowly. 
The Florida orange crop is about mar¬ 
keted, though some localities report large 
numbers being held for higher prices. 
If there are no untimely frosts during 
the next month, New Jersey and Delaware 
growers are confident of an immense 
peach crop. 
Something unusual is the fact that held 
butter is in greater demand than fresh 
made. Why? The extieme scarcity of 
the former. 
A shipment of small bunch onions— 
little more than tops—from western New 
York, sold for a price that must have left 
little profit to the shipper. 
According to reports to the Department 
of Agriculture it is shown that the total 
number of sheep In the country to-day is 
43,431,136, against 44,336,072 In 1890, and 
that consequently the wool clip will be 
5,000,000 pounds less than last year when it 
was 276,000,000 pounds. 
The Government Crop Report for March 
estimates the reserves of corn in farmers’ 
hands 542,000,000 bushels against 970,000,000 
bushels last year. The estimated surplus 
for shipment is 188,001,000 bushels, or less 
than half that of last year. The average of 
quality is over six per cent less than last 
year. The average price of merchantable 
corn is 55.8 cents. 
The report came from Dublin last week 
that the Irish local government board had 
issued its long-expected report on the 
failure of the potato crop and upon the 
condition of the thickly populated dis¬ 
tricts. Among other things the report 
says that districts in which the potato rot 
appeared comprise about half of Ireland, 
and that it is due to planting old Cham¬ 
pion seed, the disease resisting properties 
of which have been greatly weakened of 
late years. In light, dry soils the crop in 
some places was excellent, but in the cold, 
wet land and in the mountain districts the 
failure was everywhere serious. 
