424 
THE ^^URAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 7 
ing fences and other light work, and was getting into 
good shape, but when spring work began, the boss com¬ 
menced to put me through, and I’ve been working 17 
hours a day ever since. On Sundays it takes about 
half the day to do up all the odd chores, so I don’t 
have any chance to go to church or anywhere, or get 
acquainted with anybody. I don’t feel any better 
now than when I came. The boss is a pretty .good 
man, but he works a fellow too hard, I think. I’ll stand 
it a while longer, and if he doesn’t let up some, we’ll 
have a fuss Excuse this short letter, but I’m too 
sleepy to write any more.” 
Why the beys leave the farm has been a text for 
hundreds of learned essays and labored disquisitions. 
The above little excerpt gives one reason in a nutshell. 
Said a coal miner to me : “I used to work on the 
farm about 15 hours a day, and get soaked by cold 
rains, burned by hot suns, and half frozen by bliz¬ 
zards, all for 820 per month. Now I work about half 
as hard nine hours a day in a dry place, where the 
temperature is always the same, and make 82 20 a 
day. When I come out, there are no chores to keep 
me drudging about au hour or two. All I have to do 
is to slick up, eat supper, then have a good time with 
lots of company. You’ll never see me moiling and 
broiling and freezing on a farm again,” 
“ But,” said I, “ working in a mine is dangerous 
business. ” 
” There’s not half so much danger in coal mining as 
there is in handling mules, horses and bulls, and 
monkeying with farm machinery. Not half 1 I’ve 
done both, and know what I’m talking about. The 
beautiful green fields and umbrageous shade are all 
right if you have nothing to do but loll in a hammock 
or ride in a carriage ; but when a fellow has to walk 
over plowed ground about 16 hours, or work like a 
slave in the red-hot harvest and hayhelds from sunup 
to sundown, there’s mighty little poetry or romance 
in it.” 
Thk R. N.-Y. is an agricultural journal, and it is 
highly proper that it should stand hard by the farm¬ 
ing interests and advise everybody to stick to the 
glorious green fields where they can mingle with the 
beauties of nature, sniff the clover-scented breezes, 
etc. But I will say this in its columns, and say it em¬ 
phatically : If I were a strong young man with only a 
common school education, and was obliged to go into 
the world empty handed to earn my bread by plain, 
hard labor, I would steer clear of the farm. I might 
not go into the mines, but I would a thousand times 
rather do that than wreck my constitution slaving 16 
hours a day for a man who had no more regard for me 
than for his mule. I don’t blame most of the boys 
for leaving the farm at the first opportunity. A 
steady, sober, frugal young coal miner can lay up 
more money in one year than a farm hand can in 
three, and besides he has time after his day’s work is 
done to read, study or enjoy himself. He does not 
have to associate with the low, rough element. He 
can, if he wish, become a member of the Young Men’s 
Christian Association, attend Sunday school and 
church, and have lots of good and true friends to look 
after his welfare at all times. And he can enjoy priv¬ 
ileges and advantages of which no farm hand need 
ever dream. In some sections of the country the coal 
miners are a rough lot, but there are thousands of as 
good, true and noble men who are coal miners as can 
be found anywhere in the world. And I am credibly 
informed that a quiet, sober, industrious man is as 
highly respected in the mines as in any other calling 
in the world. fkkd qkundy. 
Christian County. Ill. 
WHAT BREED SHALL I USE? 
I WANT A H06 THAT WILL BE A HUSTLKB. 
In substance this is the question asked by A. H. 
S., of Savannah, Gi. Already he has pigs with some 
Berkshire blood. In Ohio the Berkshire and Poland- 
China crossed, the parent animals being purebred, 
give us a pig that we think the best of all cross-bred 
pigs. The first cross always gives the best results; 
after that, if the half-breeds are crossed, the progeny 
do not give the greatest satisfaction. To keep up the 
cross to the highest standard, only purebred parent 
stock should be used. A. H. S. can hardly make this 
cross without too great an expense, as he would have 
to buy both breeds, possibly at a distance from home, 
which would hardly be profitable. As the hogs he 
already has are part Berkshire, and as he wishes a 
hog that will be a hustler, why not add more Berk¬ 
shire blood by using a purebred male ? 
I have never heard the hustling qualities of the 
Berkshire questioned, nor has it ever been satisfac¬ 
torily proved that they will not make as much prime 
pork for the food consumed as any other breed of 
pigs. He should use a male of good size and quality, 
and the choice of home-bred sows. Pigs from these 
will probably give better satisfaction than those from 
purebred sows bought at a distance from home. Too 
many farmers fail to improve their hogs, not because 
they do not start right, but because after they have 
started right they do not keep it up, but let their 
herds go to ruin on account of in-and-in breeding. 
Ross County, Ohio. john m. jamison. 
“ WHERE DAIRY PRICES ARE MADE.” 
THE NEW YOKE MERCANTILE EXCHANGE. 
Probably many who study ♦he market quotations 
given from week to week in The R. N.-Y., wonder who 
makes them, upon what authority they are given. 
Are they official or gotten up haphazard ? Who has 
the authority to make them ? So far as the quotations 
on butter, cheese, eggs, lard, and some few other prod¬ 
ucts are concerned, they are made on the New York 
Mercantile Exchange. This is a corporation regularly 
organized under the laws of the State, for the purpose 
of dealing in certain dairy and farm products. It also 
has a scheme of life insurance connected with it, of 
which members may avail themselves or not as they 
please. Proposed members are posted on the bulletin, 
and voted for by the Exchange. Members have access 
to the fioor of the Exchange, and are privileged to 
buy and sell there. Of course, this privilege is not 
enjoyed by outsiders. 
The Mercantile Exchange it located in a building of 
its own on the corner of Hudson and Harrison Streets. 
Here are found files of all the leading papers. Posted 
on the walls are quotations from all the leading mar¬ 
kets of the country, the quantities of different kinds of 
produce received the previous day and week and for 
the corresponding periods last year, the quantity re¬ 
ceived from the East and from the West and for ex¬ 
port, quantities received over different transportation 
lines, and much other information of value to the 
dealer, / 
As before stated, only members are admitted to the 
privileges of the fioor, but through the courtesy of a 
member, a representative of The R. N.-Y. was ad¬ 
mitted during “’change,” and was enabled to see from 
the inside the workings of the trade. The methods of 
buying and selling are very simple. Certain rules for 
grading all goods handled are adopted, and every¬ 
thing must conform to these rules. For instance, 
the rules specify what constitutes extras, firsts, 
seconds, etc., in butter. If any is sold which the buyer 
finds does not come up to the standard, the matter is 
referred to a committee of the trade, and its decision 
is final. The charges for inspection are fixed, and 
are as follows : 
All lot* not exceeding 25 tabs of one mark or invoice, tl. 
All lot* not exceeding 60 tubs of one mark or invoice 11.75. 
All lots not exceeding 100 tub* of one mark or Invoice, tl.60. 
All lots not exceeding 200 tabs of one mark or invoice, tl.75. 
All lots not exceeding 803 tubs of one mark or invoice, $2. 
All lots not exceeding 600 tubs of one mark or invoice, $2 60. 
All lots not exceeding 1,000 tubs of one mark or invoice, $4. 
Busiuess begins promptly at 10 o’clock. At that 
time a young man with a monotonous singsong voice 
mounts a rostrum around which the members con¬ 
gregate. At his side is a clerk who records all trans¬ 
actions. A bill of every sale made is rendered to 
the buyer and seller immediately after the close of 
the sale. All sales are supposed to be spot cash, but 
10 days’ time is usually allowed as an accommodation. 
The young man who occupies something the position 
of an auctioneer, calls out under the head of butter, 
“ Creamery, State and Pennsylvania, Fresh Extras, 
any bids or offers ? ” Some dealer, perhaps, has 100 
tubs of this grade which he wishes to sell, and he 
offers it at 20 cents. The young man calls it out at 
that price. Some one else may want some of this class 
of goods, but offers only 18 cents for it. Or he may 
make an offer for only a part of the lot—25 or 50 
tubs. Some one else may offer more, and there may 
be sufficient competition to run the price up to the 20 
cents asked; or the first bidder may raise his offer if 
the seller do not show any disposition to come down. 
The buyers may raise the offers somewhat, and the 
seller drop a little ^o that a sale is effected. If not, 
further bids and offers are called for, and then the 
same operation is repeated through the different 
^grades. Instead of butter being offered, a would-be 
buyer may make an offer for a certain grade at a cer¬ 
tain price. Bids or offers are either always in order. 
All this is done in much less time than is required to 
write it, and hundreds of tubs of butter may be sold 
in a very few minutes. If the bids are brisk, it 
shows that the demand is good, but if they drag, the 
contrary is true. 
After all the different grades of butter have been 
called, cheese is gone through in the same way, and 
then eggs. In addition to the goods sold “under 
the call,” large quantities are sold privately between 
the members. The transactions show the state of the 
market, and serve as a guide to dealers in private 
transactions, on or off the fioor of the Exchange. 
Many other commodities may be dealt in besides those 
which are called. The Exchange forms a meeting 
place for buyers and sellers, and is apparently a 
necessity to large transactions. If a member wish to 
purchase a quantity of butter, instead of running 
around from store to store, he finds right here some 
one who has it to sell. If he wish to sell, here is 
some one anxious to buy. Much time and labor are 
saved. 
Still there is a chance to unduly infiuence the mar¬ 
ket if a dealer should so desire. For instance, a buyer 
might, under the call, offer 20 cents for 1,000 tubs of 
Extra Elgin Creamery butter, when there wasn’t that 
much in market, and his offer could not. therefore, be 
taken. This would go out as the market price, 
although none was sold at that price. In other ways, 
the market may be infiuenced by heavy dealers. On the 
whole, however, the system, while open to objections, 
seems to be as good as any yet originated and will 
probably continue until something better is devised. 
[Every query must be accompanied by tbe name and address of the 
writer to Insure attention. Before asking a question please see if it Is 
not answered In our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece Of paper ] 
About The E.. N.-Y.’* Potatoes. 
W. A. B , Sherwood, N. Y. —1. A controversy has 
arisen here as to which of two varieties of potatoes is 
the true R N.-Y. No. 2. 1 purchased seed potatoes of 
a subscriber to your paper, the seed of which he 
claims to have obtained directly from you. They may 
be described as a smooth, white potato, short and 
round, somewhat fiattened, with eyes near the sur¬ 
face The sprouts are blue or purple. My neighbor 
has a potato, quite similar, not so fiat, eyes vefy 
prominent, and the sprouts are pink like the Rose. 
Which is the true R. N -Y. No. 2 ? 2. I learn that 
some of The R. N.-Y. subscribers received a new seed 
potato last fall. I saw no notice of the same in The 
Rural. 
Ans.— 1. The first named potato is the true R. N.-Y. 
No. 2. It is never round, but the eyes are usually 
upon the surface, not prominent, and the sprouts are 
always blue or purple. 2. The announcement was 
made but once, and this conditional. We sent all the 
potatoes that we could get. It is at present proposed 
to make another distribution next fall, when we shall 
see that all are treated alike. 
What to Do With Seedlins: Potatoes. 
r. TF. J., Pontiac, Mich. —I have 1,000 to 1,500 seed¬ 
ling potato plants, some of them 1>^ inch high, with 
seven leaves, but the greater number are very small. 
How much ground must I give each plant—they are 
yet in boxes transplanted one to two inches apart. 
When I set them in the open ground, I thought about 
four inches apart each way might do the first year, 
but I have too many. Would it not be policy to throw 
away all the smaller ones, keeping only 200 or 300 ? 
Should I not, when I dig them, put the product of each 
plant by itself and plant it separately ? 
Ans. —It is rather late to plant out young seedling 
potatoes now, unless they be given careful protection 
and watered from time to time as needed. The little 
plants that we raise in the house, the seed being sown 
in February, are transplanted to little thumb pots as 
soon as the seedlings are a couple of inches tall. By 
June 1, these should be thumbed out into well-pre¬ 
pared soil and they will have formed so much root as 
to hold the body of the soil together. Although the 
growth is very small in the earlier part of the season, 
yet by the time that the first frost comes, the vines, or 
most of them, are about as large as vines grown from 
pieces in the ordinary way. Planted as closely together 
as our inquirer proposes, would cause the vines to 
grow in a feeble way, and the tubers would be very 
small, indeed, scarcely larger than little marbles. It 
has been our practice to throw away the feebler grow¬ 
ing vines, as we have found generally that feeble 
young vines will make feeble old vines—in other 
words, a feeble variety. In The Rural New-Yorker 
of March 31, are given illustrations and all necessary 
instructions as to covering the young plants with 
mosquito netting in order to protect them from the 
potato beetle. Halves of barrel hoops are stuck in the 
ground over the row of plants, a strip put along the 
top and mosquito netting thrown over all and fastened 
to the ground by placing stones or other weights on 
the edges. Ill-shaped tubers from the seedling plants 
will be ill-shaped tubers always, and they might better 
be rejected. Save only those which are of excellent 
shape and about of the color desired. 
Crimson Clover With Other Seeds. 
M, Q., Navarre, Ohio. —Can we sow common Red 
clover seed with the Crimson in the corn in the fall, 
and expect a succession of crops ? Or can the 9rini- 
son be sowed with Alfalfa in this way ? 
Ans. —The Crimson clover has been sown here “with 
the common Red clover in the corn field in August,” 
to give earlier pasturage and to prolong the same, 
