824 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
coarser it is, the poorer conductor of heat. It is folly 
to keep a strawberry patch clean all summer, and 
then spoil it hy covering it with straw or manure full 
of Timothy or weed seeds. Marsh hay is one of the 
best coverings, liye, oat or buckwheat straw is com¬ 
monly used. Coarse horse manure is aLso largely used 
and is best for fall set plants, because less liable to 
blow away. Hill plants may also be covered with 
earth, which should be put on just before the ground 
freezes solid and taken off early in spring. If light, 
strawy substances be used, they should be put on 
Quite early that they may settle compactly before the 
driving winds of early winter come to .scatter them. 
Ti.mk to Cover, Etc. —Strawberries may be covered 
at any time after growth ceases in the autumn. If 
covered very early and thickly, they sometimes 
smother, or become tender before severe weather, and 
suffer later on. I cover about November I.*) to Janu¬ 
ary 1, if possible. There is sometimes much freezing 
and thawing to throw out plants before winter. In 
such cases the earlier they are covered, the better. 
The rule is to wait till the ground is frozen hard, 
when one can drive anywhere with a wagon and 
deposit the materials where wanted. Sometimes the 
ground does not freeze hard till too late. In such a 
case, it is best to straddle rows with the wagon, and 
cover at any time possible. The covering should be 
put on about three inches deep, and it will settle so as 
to be but one inch deep. Some people are afraid to 
cover strawberries, especially with heavy manure. I 
never knew of an instance where the plants were in¬ 
jured when the covering was put on after the ground 
was frozen and taken off before growth started; even 
if covered deep. l. j. farmer. 
Oswego County, N. Y. 
CAN FARMERS DO WITHOUT MIDDLEMEN? 
SOME EXPERIENCE AT “ DIRECT BUYING.” 
E. H. Watson, page 743, sums up the results of his 
experience with middlemen in these words, “We must 
do without the service of middlemen whenever pos¬ 
sible.” The R. N.-Y. adds, “ Manufacturers must ad¬ 
mit that a direct cash trade with the farmers, if it 
could be arranged, would be more satisfactory than 
the present system.” I wish to give a bit of my own 
experience in the hope that it will throw a little light 
upon this vexed question of getting supplies without 
paying heavy charges to middlemen. 
Some years ago, I began buying my supplies on a 
strictly cash basis, and was impressed by what seemed 
to me the exorbitant charges paid by my neighbors. 
We formed an organization, one of whose purposes 
was the buying of supplies at a more reasonable 
figure. The duty of buying the farm implements was 
aLssigned to me, and I went at it with all the ardor of 
a newly-fledged philanthropist. I had been pretty 
successful in getting my farm machinery at a fair 
price, and wanted to lend a helping hand to others 
who seemed to fail to make connections with the low- 
priced train. My regular implement dealer readily 
agreed to supply us with all we wanted at a slight ad¬ 
vance over manufacturers’ prices. He was a good 
buyer, taking implements in quantity, thus saving 
freight, and as he had confldence that I would not 
abuse the privilege, he readily agreed that I might 
have access to his price list, discounts, and all that, 
and thus be in a position to say to my friends that I 
knew the first cost of the goods. In return, we were 
to give him our business, were to pay cash with the 
order, and were to pay him a certain small per cent 
for ordering the goods. This seemed a good thing. He 
ran no risks and lost no time trying to sell to us ; and 
we, in return, were to get the advantage of his prices 
on big orders, and his acquaintance with the merits of 
new implements. Of course, the organization was 
delighted. This was business. It was the agreement 
that these cash prices should be confidential. The 
justice of this was apparent, as our dealer could not 
afford to sell to slow-paying men at the prices made us. 
Now for the result. We bought a few disc harrows 
of a certain make, and the saving was quite an item. 
Then one farmer, imagining that he was of the wise 
the wisest, went to a dealer in another town trying to 
beat him down, using our dealer’s price for the pur¬ 
pose. Of course this agent was ready to cut the throat 
of our dealer. The only comment needed is that that 
farmer did not do right, but he is typical of a class of 
men who are not capable of appreciating a good thing 
when offered them by a business house. Then two 
others wanted a sawmill. 1 went to our dealer, got 
manufacturers’ prices, added the per cent of our dealer, 
and found that we could get the mill for a large sum 
less than the price paid by some other parties for the 
same mill. How happy these two were. So was I. 
Here was good being done. One was not living in 
vain by a long shot. The two men said that they had 
the money with them, but thought the manufacturers 
might hurry up the shipment if no money were sent 
until the mill was received, J knew the men were re¬ 
sponsible in a financial way, and told the dealer so. 
He said it made no difference to him. Then we came 
home, a distance of seven miles, having spent a day in 
the rain. As we neared my home, one of these two 
happy brothers asked what they owed me. I was out 
some cash for railway expenses, and so I said I guessed 
they should pay me a dollar. They ‘ ‘ kicked” against 
the charge, as I had done some work for other mem¬ 
bers of the organization, and “ they should pay part 
of the expense.” 1 saved them a large sum of money, 
but they were afraid that they were paying my whole 
charge, and others would get their favor for nothing. 
The marvelous smallness of some men’s souls, is a 
most depressing influence in this life. When they 
realized the smallness of their act, they begged me to 
take the money, but it would have burned a hole in 
my pocket. I went home with a clearer view of the 
difficulties that beset our business men. The mill 
came, and was very satisfactory. The new owners 
took it eight miles from home, set it up and w’ent to 
work. Our dealer wrote saying that he had not re¬ 
ceived the money. I had to send my man with a horse 
eight miles to tell those men to pay for the mill at 
once. They did so, but said they had supposed the 
dealer could come after his own money. They bought 
direct for cash, ran the risk of apoplexy It their joy 
over the saving, and then wanted all the advantages (?) 
of the old and costly way of getting supplies. The 
reader may say that these two men are exceptions. I 
trust that they are. 1 know that they are exceptions 
in my neighborhood. But they can be found nearly 
everywhere, and a few of them are enough to disgust 
all manufacturers and dealers. 
But there is another point to be noted. Manufac¬ 
turers know that many farmers can be “ talked into 
DEVICE FOR CONVERTING THE WIND. Fig. 224. 
buying.” The agent “ hustles,” and the hustler wins. 
He makes sales, and sales are wanted. The farmer 
may not be ready to buy, but the agent sells to him. 
A poor implement in the hands of a good agent, is 
worth as much as a good tool that has no agent. 
I believe in buying for cash at a much lower price 
than the retail one, and find no difficulty in doing so ; 
but while I am a farmer, and my sympathy naturally 
rests with my class, I confess that I do not blame 
manufacturers for clinging to agents and big retail 
prices, until consumers learn to know what they want, 
to buy only what they want, and to buy strictly for 
cash. ALVA AGEE. 
A Manufacturer's Fair Statement. 
I have been interested in reading the article entitled 
“ Can the Manufacturers Sell Direct to the Farmer ? ” 
in a recent R. N.-Y., by J. E. Wing. I know that you 
are “ pitching into ” the middlemen lately, and some 
of them deserve what you may give them ; but let me 
say to you after an experience of 35 years in the 
agency business, that implement agents, as a whole, 
have not earned $1 a day for the time spent in in¬ 
troducing and selling agricultural implements. It is 
true that some have earned a great deal more than 
that; but it is also true that a large number of them, 
not only haven’t earned anything, but have lost their 
time. It seems to me that you overlook the fact that 
the farmer, as a rule, is a very difficult man to deal 
with. In introducing improved machinery during the 
past 30 years, especially the early part of that term, 
it has been necessary to thrust improvements on to 
farmers about as you would thrust a ball down the 
throat of a sick horse ; and the cost of doing that has 
been something enormous. As business men, you 
will see that, as a matter of course, the farmer has 
had to pay the bill, and I am sure that you will admit 
that there is no injustice in that. 
If farmers will adopt the rule laid down by Mr. 
Wing, viz.: To pay “ cash in advance of order,” or pay 
in a reasonable time, they will not need to subscribe 
$5 to a general fund; “hire a small warehouse and 
some smart young man,” and charge five per cent on 
sales. Let them buy their implements out and out as 
they buy other commodities, such, for instance, as feed, 
and not demand a trial of from one to sixty days, re¬ 
serving the right to return the goods in a damaged 
shape and pay when they can conveniently do so, and 
they can save considerable money, and at the same 
time deal with a responsible agent who keeps a stock 
open for inspection, and who will set up and start the 
machine and keep a supply of extra parts in stock. 
D. n. NASH. 
OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN BEEF AND PORK. 
In a recent article, I pointed out some changes in 
beef making in the central western States. One 
change has been strikingly illustrated this autumn— 
that is in the size of cattle most in demand. Until 
very recent years, there was always a good demand 
for large, thoroughly fattened cattle for the “ Christ¬ 
mas trade.” The demand for this class has grown 
le.ss, but this year the revulsion in .sentiment has been 
much more strongly shown than ever before. It has 
been more easy to sell at satisfactory prices, well- 
fattened cattle weighing from 1,300 to 1,500 pounds, 
than fatter cattle weighing from 1,700 to 1,900 pounds. 
It is .said that cattle of the latter class have been sold 
in Chicago, after being held in the yards for several 
days, at considerably less than was paid for them in 
the country. 
At the recent stock show in Chicago, there was but 
one steer weighing over 2,000 pounds, aside from two 
remarkably large steers, not entered in competition. 
One of these, by the by, pretty certainly illustrated 
the po.ssibility which I have formerly doubted—that 
of producing a steer weighing 4,000 pounds. This 
steer weighed 3,956 pounds in the exhibition hall. 
When this fat stock show was instituted, steers over 
four years old were frequently shown. For several 
years, premiums were offered for cattle over three 
and under four years. Of recent years, three years is 
the outside limit in age. 
It must not be assumed that the time has come for 
the profitable sale of very young steers. I incline to 
the opinion that from 24 to 32 months is about the most 
profitable age for marketing well-bred and well cared 
for steers in Illinois. There is reaction, not only 
against great weight, but also against excessive fat¬ 
ness. The salesmen who disposed of some of the best 
of the cattle shown at the fat stock show reported 
them too large and too fat. 
The indications of higher prices for good beef cattle 
grow stronger. Present prices afford a margin of 
profit in many cases. The large number of poorly- 
fattened stock sent forward to market, the certainty 
that there will not be nearly so many fattened in sev¬ 
eral Western States as in former years, the lessened 
number being fed at distilleries, and the disinclination 
of many farmers in Illinois to purchase feeders, all 
suggest an advance in price for next spring and sum¬ 
mer. Such an advance has been looked for in former 
years, and has failed to come ; but the reasons for ex¬ 
pecting it now are good. A fact that will have a bear¬ 
ing on this, is the lessened number of hogs being fed, 
and the probable lessened pig crop for next spring. It 
is beyond question that in consequence of the drought 
in several Western States, fewer hogs have been fat¬ 
tened, and the present supply is small. It is also true 
that, over large areas, disease has destroyed many 
hogs, and caused the sending of many to market when 
quite young or not fully fattened, through fear that 
they would be attacked. G. E. morrow. 
Illinois. __ 
WHAT SAY? 
“New Culture” for Market Celery. —I would like 
the opinions of celery growers as to the advisability 
of growing celery by the new method, for market pur¬ 
poses. The market here demands a large celery. Can 
such celery be grown with plenty of water, or is the 
common way preferable ? e. g. c. 
Kansas. 
Honest Apple Testimony Wanted. —What is the 
experience of R. N.-Y. readers with the following va¬ 
rieties of apples: Col vert, Kinnaird’s Choice, Utter 
Red, Bietigheimer, Cons, McIntosh, and Babbitt ? I 
think a good, honest opinion by disinterested parties, 
is worth 10 times as much as the overdone descriptions 
in most catalogues. j. g. k. 
Buckners, Ky. 
R. N.-Y.—There’s a good chance for an honest 
opinion. 
What Soiling Crops? —I have a farm of 100 acres, 
worth, at a forced sale, SlOO per acre. I am working 
into the fruit business, but in the meantime, I am 
trying to make ends meet and improve the farm by 
keeping a dairy of 20 cows and 30 to 40 hogs. I sell 
cream. I have no running water or waste land for 
pasture. With labor at §15 to §18 a month, I feel that 
I can better afford to soil than to keep up the neces¬ 
sary fences for pasturing. My soil is a medium clay 
loam with a clay subsoil. What crops would the 
readers of The R. N.-Y. suggest for soiling ? My idea 
was to use winter rye and wheat. Crimson clover, 
Medium clover. Alfalfa, oats and peas, and corn. All 
the crops but Alfalfa, which I have not tried, do well 
on my soil. Would it be advisable to try any other 
