1808 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
389 
" THE PRICE OF WHEAT.” 
0 
HOW IT VARIES WITH LOCALITY. 
Prospects for Coming Crop. 
The recent startling increase in the price of wheat 
at the large markets has led many farmers to wonder 
what such figures really represent. While these high 
figures have been reached among the dealers and 
speculators, what has the average farmer been able 
to obtain from the local buyer ? In order to obtain 
accurate figures, we have secured reports from a num¬ 
ber of widely scattered localities, and the following 
figures are fair samples of the reports received. These 
figures state the price offered by local dealers on a 
certain date, and the price offered six weeks or more 
before that date: 
Location. Price. Comparison. 
Bound Brook, N. J.May Id, $1.15 March 15, 95c. 
Pawnee Rock, Kan_May 13, $1.19 December 14, 75c. 
Parma, Ky.May 14, $1.25 . 
Penn’s Grove, N. J....May 14, $1.25 April 1, 90c. 
Evanston, Minn.May 13, $1.29 . 
Kasson, Mon.May 14, $1.03 April 1,78c. 
Spiritwood, N. D.May 12, $1.36 March 1, 75c. 
Batavia, N. Y.May 19, $1.20-$1.25 April 1, 90-95c. 
Eubanks, Ky.May 17, $1 March 17, $1 
Chittenangro, N. Y.May 11, $1.32 April 10, $1.02 
Clyde, N. Y.May 12, $1.15-$1.20 M’h 1,90c., Apr.28, $1 
Cranbury, N. J.. v ._May 11, $1.50 Mar. and Apr., 90- 
95c., varying 5-10 be¬ 
low N.Y. quotations 
Albion, N. Y.May 11, $1.35-$1.40 April 1, 90c. 
Sodus, N. Y.May 12, #1.10-81.15 April 30, 90 95c. 
Gypsum, O.May 12, $1.50 April 30, 90c. 
Antwerp, O.May 12, $1.40 April 30, 93c. 
Neva, Mo.May 13, $1.25 . 
Quakertown, N. J.May 13, $1.35 May 1, $1.05 
Acme, Mich.May 14, $1 Fall, 75c, W’r,80-85c. 
Paw Paw, Mich.May 14, $1.20 April 30, 85c. 
Rose, N. Y.May 14, $1.15 April 30 May 14, 
90e.-$1.25 
Boonville, Ind.May 12, 88c.-$1 . 
Evansville, Ind.May 12, 90c.-$1.25. . 
It will thus be seen that, though wheat reached $1.70, 
even more for brief periods, the farmers of the country 
have not been able to obtain anything like these 
figures for the little grain they had left to sell. Natur¬ 
ally, the home dealer would deduct from the Chicago 
or New York price the cost of handling and shipping 
wheat to the large market. This will vary consider¬ 
ably according to the location, and also according to 
the facilities for shipping the wheat in a hurry. In 
small market towns, too, the buyers can hardly afford 
to accept the figures of speculators as a basis for buy¬ 
ing, because these figures are in many cases artificial, 
and jumped up or down temporarily for effect. In 
large markets where it would be easy to dispose of 
the wheat in a comparatively few hours, one may ex¬ 
pect that local prices will be closer to speculators’ 
prices than would be the case in a smaller market 
where a week or more must elapse before the wheat 
is finally sold. 
Another thing that influences buyers in smaller 
places is the local demand from home millers. In 
some cases, just about enough wheat is raised in the 
locality to supply hoa*e flour trade, and in this case, 
shrewd millers can buy up a crop during the Fall, so 
that higher prices in Spring will mean little to the 
wheat growers. We have an instance of this in a re¬ 
port from Michigan where wheat is only $1 per bushel, 
for the reason that local millers bought up almost the 
entire crop, and now have so much flour and grain on 
hand that they do not need to buy more. Generally 
speaking, our reports indicate a good outlook for the 
coming crop. 
In Ohio, the grain is looking well except on very 
low ground. The general feeling among dealers and 
buyers, however, seems to be that there will be a 
slump in price, as there is nothing in sight to warrant 
any increase of present prices, unless the foreign 
demand should be unusually heavy. In Kentucky, 
we are informed that millers are anxious to contract 
for the growing crop at $1.25, but farmers seem to 
think that the chances are favorable for a slight in¬ 
crease over this price. In New York State, it will be 
observed that prices vary considerably. This is due 
to a number of causes. Along canals, wheat gener¬ 
ally ranges lower than it does in adjoining counties. 
In one report from Wayne County, we are informed 
that prices have not responded in touch with the Chi¬ 
cago and New York markets, yet the prices of mill 
feed have been advanced 20 per cent in less than two 
weeks. The condition of the crop in New York State 
is generally good, and farmers do not appear to be¬ 
lieve that the situation warrants any great increase 
in price. 
As to other crops, indications are that the potato 
acreage in western New York will be smaller than 
usual, largely because of the scarcity and high price 
of seed potatoes. The apple crop promises fairly 
well, although there are a number of reports that the 
Baldwins are likely to fail. A large acreage of beans 
is anticipated, and farmers seem hopeful for better 
prices for crops generally. Farmers in southern 
Michigan anticipate that wheat will bring $1 a 
bushel, and most of them will sell as soon as thrashed 
if they obtain this price. The growing crop is gener¬ 
ally in good condition ; many ^arms in southwestern 
Michigan that formerly grew wheat largely, are now 
planted to peaches, pears, cherries, and plums. One 
correspondent writes that the Michigan fruit grower 
will have no leisure this Summer, as every available 
hand will be needed in thinning out fruit, which has 
started an enormous crop. Reports from Kansas in¬ 
dicate a hopeful feeling among farmers ; the prospects 
for the wheat crop are excellent, and it now looks as 
though there would be a great scarcity of help needed 
to harvest it. 
In New Jersey, wheat is looking well and prices 
have advanced rapidly during the past two months, 
and there is really no standard price at the local 
markets. Generally speaking, the wheat in central 
New Jersey varies from 5 to 10 cents per bushel below 
the New York market. It is not thought that wheat 
can maintain its present high price, but farmers look 
PORTO RICO AND ADJOINING ISLANDS. Flo. 171 . 
Our map, taken from The Independent, shows the island of 
Porto Rico and neighboring islands. Admiral Sampson recently 
bombarded the fortifications at San Juan, but does not appear 
to have done them any <rreat damage. It seems doubtful whether 
warships would conquer a strong modern fort if its guns were 
well served. The Spanish fleet has been dodging about during 
the week, and has apparently out-footed the heavier American 
ships. This experience seems to show that our navy needs more 
quick, active cruisers rather than heavy battleships. 
for $1.25 per bushel for the new crop. The hay crop 
looks well, but our old friend, D. C. Lewis, reports 
that the clover has largely failed in the wheat stubble; 
in fact, there is little to be seen on his fields. This 
may, to some extent, diminish the yield of hay, and 
no one seems able to explain why the clover should 
have killed out. 
In northern Minnesota, we are informed that the 
highest price during the past flurry, was $1.44 for a 
few hours only. At that time, wheat was selling at 
Duluth at $1.75. The normal difference between the 
two markets which consists of carrying, commission 
and insurance charges, is 12 cents a bushel; local 
dealers could not be induced to do better than $1.44. 
There is but little wheat left in farmers’ hands in 
Minnesota, as after wheat seeding, almost every one 
cleaned out every kernel in the bins as soon as the 
dollar mark was reached. Wheat in that country is 
not looking as well as usual, as there has been a lack 
of rain and less snow than usual. Some of our readers 
may be interested to know that, in northeast Missouri, 
The New York Herald prints the above picture to illustrate the 
disgraceful plan of appointing as army officers young and un¬ 
tried men who happen to be “ sons of their fathers ”, The 
veterans who understand war are expected to stand aside for 
sprigs who have only a name to commend them. 
comparatively little wheat is grown. One correspond¬ 
ent states that probably 90 per cent of the farmers in 
his section buy their flour, that country being largely 
given up to the production of corn and live stock. 
There is a general complaint throughout the country 
of a cold, backward season, but at the same time, 
farmers appear to be generally hopeful, as they an¬ 
ticipate fair prices for whatever they may be able to 
raise. 
AMONG THE MARKETMEN. 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
A Good Fruit and Vegetable Carrier. —At Fig. 
168, page 382, is shown one of the most popular pack¬ 
ages in market for the shipment of fruits and vege¬ 
tables. It is simply a light, open case made of thin 
stuff, but tolerably strong, and holding six small 
baskets a little larger than the common five-pound 
grape baskets. Occasionally some are seen holding 
eight tills or baskets, and sometimes one holding four, 
but the popular size holds six in two tiers. The one 
shown is filled with tomatoes, the end baskets show¬ 
ing them as they come wrapped in papers, the one in 
the center having the papers removed to show the 
fruit. A larger part of the southern tomatoes come in 
these carriers, as well as the peaches, plums and 
grapes, and they are largely used for shipping north¬ 
ern grapes, and for many other products. The con¬ 
struction affords good ventilation, the baskets serve 
to carry the contents in good shape, and are of a size 
that pleases retailers. The cost ought not to be great, 
either. 
X X X 
Reliability of Commission Merchants. —I received 
a request from a subscriber to look up a commission 
merchant who was slow in making remittances for 
shipments. I had known him for several years, knew 
that he got exceptionally good prices, and had a large 
trade. He had, also, been long in the business. On 
visiting his store, I found the bookkeeper in charge. 
An assignment had been made. No one could explain 
why. There was no apparent reason, but there was, 
probably, something back of the trouble. Some one 
suggested that gambling or betting on the races 
might be the cause. But sometimes commission mer¬ 
chants make honest failures, and farmers cannot 
understand why a man who sells goods on commis¬ 
sion can fail. There are numerous reasons. First 
he is liable to lose through dishonest customers, for it 
is impossible to do business without giving more or 
less credit. Then a commission merchant who keeps 
up a good trade, must buy more or less goods, for he 
has regular customers who look to him for their sup¬ 
plies, and if he trust to consignments alone, he will 
often get left in the lurch ; so he must buy of other 
jobbers, and thus becomes a trader, and is subject to 
all the vicissitudes that assail the business man in 
any line. But the fact remains that old-established 
firms of good repute and solid financial standing do 
fail, and fail honestly. 
X X X 
Milk Retailing.— Probably the distribution of no 
other farm product involves so many and such com¬ 
plex conditions as that of milk. This is largely be¬ 
cause of its perishable nature. So many things may 
conspire to contaminate or deteriorate it, that its 
delivery to the customer in a satisfactory condition 
is a serious problem to many pi*oducers. The delivery 
in bottles was thought to settle many of these diffi¬ 
culties, but does not in all cases. The bottles and 
all utensils must be thoroughly cleaned, and the 
milk aerated and cooled in order to have it delivered 
in good shape. I know of one milkman who bottled 
a part of his milk at home, but took a considerable 
part of it along in a can with a faucet, and as he 
gathered up his bottles from house to house, he re¬ 
filled them and delivered them at other houses. Is it 
possible to imagine a method of delivery more dis¬ 
gusting to a fastidious housekeeper ? Yet this man 
advertises to sell “ bottled milk.” His scheme enabled 
him to get along with a much smaller number of bot¬ 
tles. There has been a strong movement in Philadel¬ 
phia to do away with the delivery of milk in bottles, 
and there is likely to be in other places if such 
methods are followed. No better method for the 
transmission of disease germs than this could be 
imagined. One housekeeper said that she would pre¬ 
fer her milk delivered directly into a pitcher anyway, 
provided it were properly handled, and so dipped out 
as to give the proper proportion of cream. The milk 
distribution problem isn’t fully solved yet. 
X X X 
Selling Produce for the Express Companies.—A 
truckman brought to one firm of commission mer¬ 
chants a lot of crates of string beans which had been 
consigned to another firm. “ Those are from the ex¬ 
press company”, said the commission man. “The 
man to whom they were consigned was afraid he 
couldn’t get enough for them to pay transportation 
charges, because of the prevailing low prices, so he 
refused them, and the express company turns them 
over to us to sell.” This is a very common practice 
among receivers in times of glut, for if they pay the 
charges on a consignment, and then fail to sell it for 
enough to pay them, they have to draw on the ship¬ 
per, and this isn't always easy to do when he is hun¬ 
dreds of miles away. The firm in question sells im¬ 
mense quantities of stuff for the transportation com¬ 
panies every year, one or two companies turning over 
all of this class of goods to them. Two or three days 
later, I saw this same commission man and asked him 
how they came out with those beans. “ Pretty well; 
sold them all for from 50 cents to $1 per crate. The 
regular express charges from Florida were, probably, 
75 to 90 cents, so I got, on the average, about the reg¬ 
ular charges. I had. within three days, almost 1,000 
crates, which had been refused by at least 100 different 
receivers, turned over to me by the express companies 
to sell.” This means that the growers get nothing 
for their work in growing, harvesting, packing and 
shipping. There was a glut, and this did the busi¬ 
ness. As the commission merchant said, “ After you 
have eaten a full dinner, you wouldn’t give much for 
another, no matter how good or how cheap it is ”. 
The same is true of the market at times. f. h. y. 
