1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
789 
Among the Marketmen. 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAD. 
Kiefter Pears. —Large numbers of the push-carts 
are now loaded down with pears of this variety. They 
are not of very attractive color, but of large size, and 
the low prices at which they are offered, insure large 
sales. While the Kieffer is not considered by most 
people as of very high quality, many regard it 
as very good, and as they get a good deal for their 
money, continue to buy it. The push-cart trade is 
not a very discriminating one, as a general thing, and 
it is surprising to see the large quantity of fruits of 
ordinary quality that are worked off in this way. 
The push-carts furnish an outlet in the city trade 
for great quantities of stuff which might otherwise go 
to waste. 
X X i 
Markets are Full. —On a night trip through 
Washington Market, I found almost everything, from 
Limburger cheese to sandworms for bait. “ Well,” 
said a bystander, pointing to the great rows of beef, 
mutton and pork, “it is evident that New Yorkers 
are not vegetarians.” They manage to dispose of a 
good many vegetables with their meat, however, as a 
look at the commission houses and scores of wagons 
with great loads of vegetables, in the wholesale mar¬ 
kets, will show. Besides the usual supply of pota¬ 
toes, turnips, cabbage, etc., I saw a large quantity of 
onions, cauliflower, sprouts, string beans, and 25 or 30 
barrels of big peppers; also a few Jerusalem arti¬ 
chokes and okra. Near these markets are large coffee 
stores, and the aroma from the bags of fresh-roasted 
berries standing along the sidewalk, would make a 
coffee-lover smile. They sell a little cheaper than the 
average retail price. 
X X X 
Lots of Game. —Those who prefer wild meat will 
find rabbit, venison, bear, opossum, raccoon, quail, 
etc. Handling hurts the appearance of game, espe¬ 
cially in damp weather, as the hair and feathers get 
rumpled and look mussy. A dealer offered me rab¬ 
bits at 30 cents a pair, and opossum at 50 cents each. 
They remind me too much of felines, however. I saw 
several deer ranging in weight from 100 to 200 pounds. 
Most of them come from the West, some from Long 
Island. Cut up, the venison retails for from 13 cents 
for poor, to 40 or 50 cents per pound for the best cuts. 
I saw one little bear. A butcher told me he had paid 
anywhere from $15 to $50 per carcass, according to 
the size and condition. He said they were mostly 
skin and bones—would give but little good meat. A 
small gray squirrel looked out of place hanging up 
with the other game. It seems too bad to take so 
much bright, cheerful, jolly life for such a tiny piece 
of meat. One look at this little joker scampering 
along the fence and through the woods ought to cure 
nearly any case of the “ blues”. 
X X X 
Odds and Ends. —Chestnuts are very cheap. The 
street venders sell them for 10 cents per quart, raw, 
or about four times that, roasted. As usual, a good 
many are wormy, so that eating them in the dark is 
rather risky. The delicatessen stores get up ingenious 
window displays—for instance, a boiled ham with a 
vine and other fancy figures carved on the rind. Such 
odd things are a good advertisement, as they attract 
attention and thus increase trade. These stores sell 
in large and small quantities nearly everything in the 
line of smoked or cooked meats, fish, pickles, etc., and 
all ready for the table. I have frequently seen people 
get five cents’ worth of sliced meat, fish or cheese. 
I saw a good many live chickens, ducks and geese, in 
the wholesale market in West 14th Street—also a few 
turkeys. The geese were uneasy and very noisy. The 
chickens were taking their breakfast of cracked corn 
from little tin troughs hung outside the crates, which 
were piled up as many as 10 high sqmetimes. Several 
restaurants have as signs immense squashes two to 
three feet in diameter standing beside the doors. 
While growing, inscriptions were carved on them, 
making a rather fantastic appearance. One had bor¬ 
rowed a line from Tennyson’s “Brook,” “Men may 
come and men may go, but we goon forever.” Winter- 
green berries at 10 cents per quart struck me as ridicu¬ 
lously cheap. 
X X X 
Reckless Expressmen. —Noticing in the store of 
Archdeacon & Co. a package of produce that had 
come by express, and which was pretty badly smashed, 
they told me about a case which occurred with them 
at one time, which cost the employee responsible for 
the breakage pretty dearly. It was when hothouse 
grapes were selling for $1 to $1.50 per pound. The 
messenger of the express company came in one day 
with the basket containing 30 or 40 pounds, and 
dropped it from his shoulder to the floor. “ Young 
man, you are getting pretty careless. Do you know 
what that basket contains ?” was asked of him. He 
replied with an oath that he was not supposed to 
know what was in packages, and didn’t care anyway. 
“ Well, that will cost you a month’s wages before you 
get through with it, and then we will see whether 
you care or not. That basket contains hothouse 
grapes, and we shall refuse to sign for it except as be¬ 
ing received in bad condition, unless you open it that 
we may see what the damage is.” “ You will sign for 
it just as it is, or I will take it back to the office,” was 
the reply. Of course, they refused to sign. The 
package was taken back to the office. The firm was 
notified by the manager to the effect that the pack¬ 
age was there, and sent an explanation. He agreed 
to examination before the goods were receipted for 
and received. This resulted in a bill of damages of 
$30, which the fresh young man, who did not perform 
the duties for which he was paid, had to pay. It 
served him right, and it is a pity that a few more of 
the class should not be treated in exactly the same 
way. 
A YANKEE IN OHIO. 
HOW THE STATE LOOKS TO EASTERN EYES. 
Its Advantages and Disadvantages. 
Part V. 
[EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.J 
Larnl of Big’ Red Barns. —Down through Stark 
County we came to a different country. The corn 
fields grew larger and the straw stacks more promin¬ 
ent. This was a wheat and cattle country, and even 
the barns were different. They were great red over¬ 
hanging buildings, with one side reaching out over 
the barnyard to form a sort of shed. Stark County, 
they tell me, is the richest agricultural county in 
Ohio, and ranks third in this respect in the country at 
large. There is a good home market, as 110,000 of the 
people are in towns and cities. Here we began to 
strike the coal country. Now and then one sees a big 
black hole in the ground, where half a dozen or more 
farmers get their local supply of coal. They can com¬ 
bine and hire a miner to work a small coal vein for 
them. Here, as in Portage County, were deserted 
villages and abandoned buildings that were formerly 
small factories. You begin to realize, too, what poli¬ 
ticians these Ohio folks are. One man undertook to 
tell me some of the great things that were turned out 
of Stark County. “ And don’t forget McKinley ! ” put 
in the conductor. We struck one section where the 
corn seemed smaller than usual, and I remarked it. 
“ Yes,” said the man I spoke to, sadly, “that township 
cast only 19 votes for our party ! ” 
McKinley’S Home.— At Canton they were still 
talking about the great days two years ago, when 
delegations came pouring in from all over the country 
to pay their respects to Mr. McKinley. Of course I 
had to go to see the house where these receptions were 
held. I was quite surprised to find a modest little 
place, not [so expensive as many of the farmhouses 1 
had visited. It was not in the best of repair. One of 
the front steps was a little out of plumb, and the 
house needs painting. The house where old Mrs. 
McKinley died is even yet more humble. They cer¬ 
tainly impressed me as being the homes of plain, 
everyday people, not half so pretentious as the news¬ 
papers lead one to suppose. The McKinleys evidently 
stand well among their neighbors. I was taken to the 
Methodist church where the President worships when 
at home. Perhaps the most significant thing about 
his pew was the fact that relic hunters had cut every 
button off the cushion ! People thought that perhaps 
the most remarkable thing about the great election 
Summer of 1896 was the visit of the old Confederate 
veterans. “ When they let off that Rebel yell in front 
of McKinley's house,” said one man, “it made a feller’s 
blood run hot and cold at once ! ” 
The Hill Country. —I rode down from Masillon to 
Jefferson County on a cold, wet night. At times, 
there were only three of us in the car. Geo. E. Scott 
met me at Mount Pleasant. It gives one a curious 
sensation to go driving slowly off through the dark¬ 
ness into a strange country. I could see that we 
were crawling up and around steep hills. By the 
light of the lantern, strange, indistinct objects came 
dodginginto view. At one place, a great giant seemed 
to stand by the roadside reaching out with long, ter¬ 
rible fingers to hold us back. Daylight showed this 
to be the entrance to a local coal mine, opened on the 
hillside and following the coal veins far beneath the 
farms. Another strange thing that came and went in 
the dim light was a pile of broken stone which ap¬ 
peared to follow us along the road. In the morning, 
I found this line of broken limestone skirting the 
country roads in all directions. At one place, men 
were at work cracking and breaking the rock by hand 
into suitable sizes. The object of this long stone pile 
is to have the material close at hand for road repair¬ 
ing. It is placed along the road by the county, and 
riders are busy looking for places that need mending. 
When they are found, it is an easy matter to mend, 
for the stone is always within a few feet of any bad 
place. One thing noticed on these roads was the great 
number of horseback riders. Most of the farmers seem 
to keep a “ single-footer ” or riding horse, and the 
women ride everywhere. As compared with New Jer¬ 
sey, there were but few bicycles to be met. 
A Slieep Country. —One must travel far to find a 
more beautiful country than this part of Jefferson 
County. The country is broken in a peculiar way. 
There are no long, narrow valleys, and the hills do not 
roll away in regular waves, as in some hilly countries. 
They are broken and abrupt, so that steep hills con¬ 
front you on every hand. Stand in almost any situa¬ 
tion, and you may look away to half a dozen high 
hills, usually crowned by some big red brick farm¬ 
house standing in its little grove and surrounded by 
its farm buildings. It is not a heavily-wooded coun¬ 
try, and one wonders why there are no deep, ugly- 
looking gulleys in sight. The Blue grass and the 
sheep have protected these hills for yeajs—kept them 
young and free from the wrinkles of careless farming. 
Up to within 15 years ago, this section was noted as a 
sheep country—famous for Merino sheep. The low 
price of wool shod the sheep’s golden hoof with lead 
and, for the last few years, farmers have been hesi¬ 
tating and experimenting as to what stock to feed 
on these beautiful hills. Some are breeding Jersey 
cattle and making butter, others feed beef cattle. 
More hogs are fed than before, and some farmers are 
going back to sheep, only now they prefer the Shrop¬ 
shire or other mutton breeds. As far back in history 
as we are able to go, the land of the shepherd has 
ever seemed like a beautiful country of romance and 
mystery, where true, kindly people dwell among the 
hills, thoughtful and hopeful and free from the blight 
of the town. The sheep have now mostly gone from 
these hills. They seem to have taken most of the 
weeds with them. I have seldom seen a country so 
free from weeds as this part of Ohio. The sheep 
nibbled them down and the Blue grass crowded them 
out. They say that sheep always benefit the Blue 
grass. The sheep have gone, but the old shepherds 
remain. 
Hard on a Yankee— The New England people 
somehow have an idea that most of the good and 
great things in American history must trace back to 
their rugged hills. It always hurts their feelings to 
be obliged to confess that Abraham Lincoln was a 
product of the West and South. He ought to have 
been a Yankee in order to carry out the real New 
England idea, but there wasn’t a drop of Yankee 
blood in him. I did hope these Jefferson County 
farmers could be made to trace right back to Vermont 
or Massachusetts, but the truth is that this county 
was settled by Quakers, mostly from Virginia and 
North Carolina, who left the South on account of 
slavery. About all New England ever did for the 
Quakers was to roast a few of them, and drive others 
out of her territory. She thus lost some of her best 
citizens. It does take much of the boast out of a 
Yankee to travel through the West and find some of 
the best farming carried on by the descendents of 
southern Quakers. When you run across some great 
warm-hearted man or woman, or even a horse that 
holds up its head and trots off mile after mile up hill 
and down, you are just as likely as not to find that 
their ancestors came into Ohio from Kentucky or Vir¬ 
ginia ! It’s hard on a Yankee that he can’t claim every 
good thing. You will find his descendents making 
money and piling it into the city, and they are hold¬ 
ing office and making themselves heard from. When 
you strike a section where the money is spent at home 
and where the farm gets its full share, you will most 
likely find people from the other side of the Ohio 
River. _ h. w. c. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
In reference to the subject of home grinding of grain, we have 
advice from the Star Mfg. Co., New Lexington, O., to the effect 
that they have mills out for 12 years that are still doing good 
work. This is known as the Star Sweet mill. It covers a large 
range of work, taking corn and cob, and also grinding the 
smallest grains. The firm will send all particulars of this and 
of horse-power mills if you are interested. 
Booos & Buhl, the proprietors of the large dry goods and depart¬ 
ment store, Allegheny, Pa., send us their Autumn and Winter 
catalogue. It illustrates and describes almost everything to be 
found in such a store, from a baby’s toy to a sealskin sack. 
The price is plainly marked. It seems to us that the children’s 
wear would be especially attractive to mothers who have boys 
and girls to clothe. The catalogue will be sent free if you send a 
postal card for it, to Boggs & Buhl, Department G, Allegheny, Pa. 
Op recent years many people have abandoned the smokehouse 
with its smouldering fires, and attendant care and dangers. In 
its stead they use liquid smoke. This is a clean extract of hick¬ 
ory wood, containing the same properties of the wood that cure 
the meat by smoke, but being in liquid form, is more easily and 
readily applied. It is said, too, that it keeps the meat sweet and 
gives it a fine flavor. It also keeps it free from insects. More 
particulars will be given by the makers of the extract of smoke, 
by E. Krauser <fe Bro., Milton, Pa. 
We recently met a bright young girl who has been doing domes- 
tic service. In some way, one of the concerns which promise good 
pay and work at home, got her name and address, probably 
through a deceptive advertisement in some paper, and after 
writing her half a dozen or more of what she supposed to be per¬ 
sonal letters, induced her to send a remittance of $2.30, as a 
guarantee of good faith, etc., for material. Of course, she 
never heard from them again, and we were able to tell her 
that the post office authorities had finally stopped the delivery of 
mail to the firm. It is frequent incidents of this kind that induce 
us to refuse all advertising of this class, and to repeat our caution 
to readers to place no confidence in concerns that are so anxious 
to pay big salaries for pleasant work at home. The fraud is 
especially contemptible, as it invariably takes money from those 
who are least able to bear the loss. Yet we see their advertise¬ 
ment in many prominent papers, and especially in religious 
publications. 
