6i6 
IHE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 29 
or more, and there is doubt as to the future. This is 
indicated by the fact that, while steers lor feeding can 
be bought in Chicago for from 33 75 to 33 65 per 100 
pounds the demand is not large. There is an over 
supply of inferior cattle and of cows and heifers. 
These sell at a loss, comparing unfavorably with the 
better cattle from the ranges. 
I believe the height of competition with the Western 
range cattle has passed. It seems to me probable that 
there will be a considerable increase in the practice of 
sending range and other Western cattle to the corn¬ 
growing regions of Nebraska, Kansas and western 
Iowa and Missouri. Oae discouraging feature of the 
outlook is that I have seen much less evidence of in¬ 
creasing willingness by steer raisers to buy good bulls 
than I bad hoped and believed desirable. Such bulls 
can be bought at much lower prices than could similar 
animals a few years ago, but farmers seem less willing 
to pay tbe lower than they were the higher prices. 
This is in marked contrast with the prices for well 
bred hog-breeding stock. G. e morkow. 
Champaign, Ill. 
MONEY IN SWEET CREAM. 
HOW A CONNECTICUT MAN FINDS IT. 
“ Good morning !” some one said to me as I stopped 
my horse near a little creamery at East Morris, in 
Litchfield County, among the hills. 
“ I drove over to see your creamery,” I explained, as 
Edwin H Clark, came toward me with the remark, 
“ Well, you have seen it 1” Bat further investigation 
proved that I had not seen the whole of it, for in con¬ 
nection with the neat little dairy-room with its cement 
floor, where butter is made and packed, milk set for 
cream in the tank with ice, and other nice dairy work 
accomplished, was a capacious ice-house, a kitchen 
for the washing of cans and other utensils in winter, 
and for the manufacture of ice-cream in summer. 
“ Sweet Cream and Gilt Edge Butter,” 
is the way Mr Clark’s card reads. 
“IIow much butter do you make per week ?” 
“It is entirely according to the orders I have for 
cream. When butter is high, cold weather prevails, 
and there is usually but little demand for these com¬ 
modities Conveniently for me, however, as soon as 
the weather becomes uncomfortable, and prices of 
butter have fallen, the market for sweet cream and 
ices improves, and I sell nearly all, and finally my en¬ 
tire product without making butter.” 
“ How much sweet cream do you ship at the height 
of the summer season, and where do you send it?” 
“ I average 400 to 600 quarts per day, and send to 
Waterbury and New Haven.” 
“You surely cannot produce so much cream ?” I re¬ 
marked, with a doubtful look at his extensive barns. 
“No. Besides wbat my own herd produces I buy 
cream from 16 patrons.” 
“ What do you find it possible to pay them to keep 
them satisfied ?” 
“ I have not found it necessary to fluctuate with the 
markets, but pay the uniform and liberal price of four 
cents per space in winter, and three cents in summer. 
My patrons are satisfied and anxious to make more and 
more cream, which they can do by the judicious breed¬ 
ing and rearing of good stock. Some of my patrons 
already get as high as 3S0 per month for cream, and 
the probabilities are that, in the near future, they 
will receive much more than this, because many of 
them are raising fine herds of high-grade heifers. The 
advantages of cream selling are many; they include 
the use of the skim-milk on the farm, which enables 
the o Tvner constantly to raise more and more good 
dairy cows as well as the pork and veal necessary for 
family use. The system of cream selling is one of the 
best which farmers have ever adopted, as everybody 
will tell you who has tried it for any length of time.” 
“You have found it profitable to buy and ship your 
neighbors’ cream as well as your own ? ” 
“ I have, although it is a very close business, and 
needs to be managed j udiciously.” 
“ Has experience taught you any specific lesson in 
you cream management ? ” 
“ Yes, I believe I have learned that it does not pay 
to fuss with retailers, and prefer to buy and ship in 
larger quantities as time goes on.” 
“ I suppose you sell skim-milk, getting about 10 
cents per can ? ” 
“I sell a little, but am fortunate enough to get 60 
cents, or IK cent per quart. It is used by families. 
Most of the buttermilk I sell brings me 10 cents per 
can. I came here 16 years ago, have built this large 
barn, 40x80 with 18-foot posts, erected several smaller 
buildings, repaired my house twice, and laid out a 
great deal of money in other directions. But this 
has not all been made out of the creamery. My dairy 
herd of 20 cows has been a great help, as well as the 
taking of summer boarders.” 
Mr. Clark has a herd of 20 Jersey cows which make 
him a return of 3175 per month from their cream and 
butter. He raises 10 to 12 choice calves and a lot of 
fine, young pork on the skim-milk each year. He has 
only 140 acres, but it is good land. Does not dairying 
pay V Mr. Clark is of the opinion that it does. His 
returns last year were about 32,500. He complains 
that the cost of hi-ing three or four men takes largely 
from the profits. Mr. Clark makes a great handle of 
fodder corn, besides raising a quantity of grain. The 
latest crop was a field of 10 acres which produced 1,100 
bushels of ears. A windmill surmounts the great barn, 
and is almost always ready for use in grinding, thrash¬ 
ing, cutting fodder, or doing other jobs for which a 
power is required. 
Mr. Clark’s method of tying his cows is an original 
one, and satisfactory. Two perpendicular poles have 
each a sliding ring. These rings are connected by a 
chain to which the cow is fastened by a second chain 
which goes about her neck. The stalls are adapted 
to two cows each. Here they have perfect freedom, 
and yet cannot harm each other. The rings slide up 
and down upon the poles. Mr. Clark is greatly in favor 
of the Jersey breed, and is sure he can invariably de¬ 
tect butter made from Jersey cows. He is, however, 
convinced that most Jerseys are deficient in size, and 
is grading up with the best Guernsey blood. His suc¬ 
cess is due to thoughtfulness and industry, two fac¬ 
tors which are acknowledged everywhere as stepping- 
stones to financial greatness. Hollister sage. 
FIVE VARIETIES OF GRAPES. 
WHAT EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THEM. 
Will yon be kind enoneh to tell us from your own experience, what 
you consider tne relative merits of the following (trapes ? Diamond 
(Moore’s), Coleraln. Esther (Bull), Empire State, F. B. Hayes. 
From Stephen Hoyt’s Sons. 
Moore’s Diamond and Colerain grape vines are grow¬ 
ing on the same trellis with Green Mountain. Neither 
of the varieties has any fruit on worth mentioning, 
while the Green Mountain is full. With ua, neither 
of the varieties has proved of any value. We have 
fruited Empire State ; it is too late for us here, and we 
coniiier it worthless for our locality. The F. B. Hayes 
and Esther we have never tried here. 
From Bush & Son & Meissner. 
We have not yet fruited the Colerain and Esther, 
and hence cannot speak of these two kinds from per¬ 
sonal experience. Of the others, we would place the 
Diamond decidedly at the head of the list; in fact, we 
may say that we consider the Diamond one of the very 
best of all our white grapes, quality, productiveness, 
appearance and reliability considered. Empire Sbate 
is a good grape, but less reliable than Diamond, and 
we think hardly equal in quality. F. B. Hayes has 
proved a disappointment in this section, where the sea¬ 
sons are probably too warm for it. It is not nearly so 
satisfactory here as we hear it reported in some other 
sections, and especially further north. The Diamond, 
however, seems to be satisfactory in nearly all quarters. 
From C. Mitzky. 
I consider the Diamond the best of the early white 
varieties. It is an excellent table, market and wine 
grape. It also has proved to be a fine champagne 
grape, having been used in our favorite sections of this 
beverage in place of Elvira. Its foliage is a very bright 
green, healthy and vigorous, though liable to anthrac- 
nose in poorly underdrained soil. An excellent bearer, 
but care must be taken in packing and shipping, as it 
is medium tender in skin. I recommend it for larger 
plantings. Colerain has not turned out as well \yith 
me as I had hoped, and from my standpoint I would 
not care to plant more than a few vines, for the sake 
of a variety. Esther (Ball) is a medium fair grape, 
skin thin, but tough. Has thus far badly mildewed 
with me. I like its appearance, but in flavor it is not 
very extra. A good amateur grape. A good deal has 
been said for and against the Empire State. I am on 
the side against it. It has a fiae flavor when made 
into wine. I have never had oue bunch that did not 
show some mildew. I am pleased with F. B. Hayes, 
and I am sorry that it is not p'anted in larger num¬ 
bers. A very fine table grape, melting and juicy flesh, 
excellent flavor. It has proved to be very healthy, with 
no sign of any disease. Vigorous grower, good bearer, 
and hardy. About a week earlier than Concord. 
From Geo. W. Campbell. 
If I were to judge from the present season’s experi¬ 
ence, I shou’d, for this and similar localities, place the 
Diamond as first in merit, the others following in this 
order: Empire State, Colerain and F. B. Hayes. The 
Esther I have not grown. I have grown the Diamond 
and the others also, since their first introduction. 
The Diamond has invariably made strong, healthy 
growth, with good foliage; but until this season has 
been very unproductive, bearing few and small clus¬ 
ters. This year it is doing much better, and bearing 
reasonably well, ripening early, with good clusters 
and excellent quality for home use or near market. 
Skin probably too thin and tender to ship well to dis¬ 
tant markets. Empire State makes healthy and 
vigorous growth, with a ten'lency to overbear, and 
consequently to ripen unevenly and late. I find, how¬ 
ever, that thinning the fruit by taking off from one- 
third to one half the clusters soon after blooming, it 
ripens medium early, and well. This season it prom¬ 
ises to ripen pjrfectly by September 20, and is, to my 
taste, when well matu»’ed, a grape of really fine 
qua’ity, as grown here. Colerain, though of the Con¬ 
cord type in habit of growth and foliage, has always 
been very unproductive, clusters generally few and 
rather small, both in bunch and berry. It ripens 
early, however, and is in quality one of the best of 
the white Concord seedlings. Frances B. Haves is of 
similar character, but less vigorous in growth, and 
smaller in bunch and be'ry ; is also a shy bearer, but 
in favorable seasons about equal to the Colerain in 
quality. I cons djr all the above as worthy of growth 
in an amateur collection ; Empire State and Diimondt 
when well grown, perhaps profi’able for near market. 
GRAPES STAINED BY BORDEAUX MIXTURE. 
HOW TO CLEAN THEM. 
It has not been necessary to use any substance to 
remove the stains of the Bordeaux Mixture from our 
grapes this season. Only one applicatioo of the fungi¬ 
cide was made, and that was at the time when the 
grapes were of the size of small peas. Heretofore, we 
have used one part of strong vinegar to from 15 to 20 
parts water, according to the quantity of stain from 
the Bordeaux Mixture upon the clusters. The grapes 
were placed in a wire basket which held about 20 
pounds of the fruit, and then immersed in the vinegar 
and water for a few minutes, after which they were 
rinsed by dipping into pure water and finally spread 
upon evaporator frames or other receptacles to dry. 
Grape growers in this locality now use the ammoniacal 
solution instead of the Bordeaux Mixture for the last 
treatment of the vines, as it does not stain the bunches 
of grapes. M. H. beckwith. 
Delaware Experiment Station. 
The first year I sprayed grapes with Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture, a trace of it could be seen on some clusters when 
harvested. The markings were so slight that it did 
not affect the sale of the grapes. Since then I have 
used the ammoniacal solution of carbonate of copper, 
for the last application, usually about the first of 
July. As the fruit is clean at the time of gathering, 
I have never washed any grapes. For cleaning the 
Bordeaux Mixture from the spraying outfit, as well as 
from the persons of the operatives, we use about one 
quart of vinegar in a pailful of water. This removes 
it readily, and if I had to wash grapes to remove the 
stains, I would try the same. w. d. barns. 
SOME FACTS ABOUT GRAPES. 
PICKING, PACKING AND SELLING. 
Would Co-operate With Commission-men. 
I hire reliable young mm by the week and board 
them to pick my grapes, simply because it is more 
economical. Tney can handle their own crates, get 
out in the morning if it is wet and cool, etc. Stems 
are cut short in tae field, and no shears are used in 
the packing rooms as it is un:alled-for red tape, and 
sheer waste of time to be dabbing around with shears 
in the packing rooms. Red, green, dirty and mildewed 
grapes are fed to bogs; the rest are No. I’s branded 
and sold as such. The commission-men help us to ex¬ 
tend the markets and increase the demand for our 
grapes; they should be our best friends; we should 
cooperate with them. The sh ppers should all be com¬ 
bined in their respective localities, so as to regulate 
the output and prices according to supply and demand; 
they should also have just sufficient understanding 
of each others’ shipments to avoid the glutting of mar¬ 
kets. I believe no trust or controlling union would 
amount to anything in our grape business. c. l. b. 
Brocton, N. Y. 
Women Packers ; How to Board Them. 
I do not intend to make any changes in my methods. 
I have all grapes p’cked by men—taking care to get 
men who have had experience, if possible. The grapes 
are assorted in the packing-house by women, and are 
packed by women. All help is paid by the day, week 
or month. I prefer this way, as it proves much more 
satisfactory than piece work. The greatest difficulty 
I have had to overcome in this direction has been to 
furnish board for the women employed. For several 
years I have furnished rooms in which the women 
board thamselves, several forming, so to speak, a club, 
rooming together, each one furnishing a s.bare of the 
food and such other things as they need for their com¬ 
fort. I try to get, and generally succeed, all help 
from nearby localities, so they may go home on 
Saturday night, and on Monday morning bring sup¬ 
plies for the coming week. This is both economical 
and satisfactory for all concerned. Help for picking 
is seldom lacking, extra help being needed but a few 
