1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
745 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
Apple exporters say that many of the western 
apples have been selling for low prices on the other 
side, not because of lack of quality, but because of 
faulty packing. One exporter says, “ Finer fruit than 
that from Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas, has never 
been seen on the English markets.” It’s too bad to 
spoil the prospects for the sale of such fruit by im¬ 
proper and careless packing. More education in this 
direction is needed. 
X X t 
Some of the Philadelphia milk dealers are making 
a big kick because some other dealers, in an endeavor 
to build up trade, are giving away samples of their 
milk to desired customers. The kick is the more 
forcible because the objectors claim that the samples 
were of better quality than the regular milk sup¬ 
plied. It is legitimate enough to give away samples 
to build up trade, but it certainly is dishonest to give 
away samples that do not fairly represent the goods. 
Any one building up trade by such methods is likely 
to come to grief in the end. 
X X X 
Large quantities of Almeria grapes are now seen 
on the markets, and they are being sold at auction 
almost daily. They form an important part of the 
fruit supply of the city, especially after the Califor¬ 
nia grapes are out of the market. They come in so- 
called “barrels,” which hold about one-half barrel, 
are made of a very dark-colored, hard wood, and have 
round hoops. The grapes are packed in cork chips 
which resemble sawdust, but which seem to form an 
admirable packing material, as the grapes usually 
come out in fine condition after their long voyage. 
X X t 
In scarcely any other product seen in the market, 
is there such a wide range in appearance and in 
prices as in white onions. To-day they are quoted 
from $1.50 to $5 per barrel. Nearly every shipper 
expects, of course, that his onions will sell for $5. 
But a very small part of those received sell for the 
top quotations, or anywhere near it. In the first 
place, only certain localities and kinds of soil are 
capable of producing a first-class article. Then the 
curing must be very carefully done, or the onions will 
be spoiled. The best onions have a pale tinge of 
pink, are clean and bright, and free from all rust, 
stain, or spot of any kind. They must be of only 
medium size, also, and as nearly of uniform size as 
possible. I have often seen overgrown and under¬ 
ripe white onions on the market, and the shippers, 
probably, expected to get top prices. But it takes a 
nice article to bring these, and the trade that buys 
these onions is a very particular one. 
X X X 
Some apple dealers, those of ordinarily good re¬ 
pute, too, have been guilty of a very reprehensible 
practice in their endeavors to secure shipments of 
apples. They have quoted extremely high prices on 
ordinary varieties, knowing that it was only the very 
fancy kinds that bring these prices. Apples have 
sold here this fall for $4, $4.50, and $5 per barrel, per¬ 
haps even higher ; but some of these dealers have 
quoted these prices to prospective shippers when they 
ought to have known, if they didn’t, that their apples 
wouldn’t bring any such prices. Such tactics must 
lead to disappointment, and are bound to injure, in 
the end, those who practice them. Usually, those 
high prices are obtained for apples from some special 
locality which, by reason of soil or climate, or the 
superior skill of the orchardists, take the lead in mar¬ 
kets where their superior qualities have become 
known. This sort of reputation pays, and it pays still 
better in a year of great plenty and glutted markets. 
X X X 
It will soon be time to market the Thanksgiving 
poultry. Thanksgiving comes early this year—No¬ 
vember 25. Such of the poultry as is shipped to this 
market, should reach here Monday, November 22, if 
possible, and under no circumstances, later than early 
on Tuesday morning. No live poultry to speak of is 
wanted on this holiday. The greatest demand is for 
prime turkeys of medium sizes ; few of the monsters 
sometimes sent are required. Frequently, there is a 
glut of poultry, but it is a rare thing to have a sur¬ 
plus of choice stock. It should be well fattened to 
begin with, and now is the time to be stuffing in the 
corn. Then the killing and dressing should be skill¬ 
fully done. No food should be given for 24 hours be¬ 
fore killing. Bleed the birds in the mouth. Dry 
picked poultry usually sells for higher prices, but 
this operation must be carefully done. The stock 
must be thoroughly cooled before being packed. Neat 
packages should be used, and the work so well done 
that the package will open up in attractive shape 
when it reaches the market. The poultry should be 
well assorted—each kind by itself—and it will pay 
better to throw away poor, scrubby specimens than 
to mix them with the rest in the endeavor to make 
the good sell the poor. Then each package should 
be plainly marked with the nature of the contents, 
and the names of the consignor and consignee. The 
latter should, also, be notified by mail of the ship¬ 
ment. In brief, these are directions to make more 
satisfactory sales and secure better returns, e. h. y. 
CUT AND SHREDDED. 
Russia is to remove her tariff on certain agricul¬ 
tural implements for the next five years. Wheat 
binders, seeders and thrashers, potato-growing ma¬ 
chinery, manure spreaders, horse rakes, etc., are 
wanted in Russia. It is also decreed that new inven¬ 
tions in agricultural implements are to be admitted 
free. All this means that Russia is to make stronger 
efforts than ever to compete in the world’s food trade. 
It is said that the demands from the Alaskan gold 
fields have brightened up the horse business in Oregon. 
Canned horse is considered a delicacy in that frozen 
region, and it makes cheaper food than beef. Thou¬ 
sands of horses, too, are needed for use in hauling 
supplies into the mines. Such horses rarely last more 
than one season. They are worked hard during the 
short summer and worked-out or shot, when winter 
comes on. 
There ought to be plenty of coffee on hand this 
year anyway. The price of November coffee at the 
Coffee Exchange in this city went to 5.15 cents a 
pound last week, which is the lowest price on record 
in the past 20 years. The cause of the decline is the 
expectation of a crop of 9,000,000 bags in Brazil, fol¬ 
lowing an equally large crop last year. The world’s 
supply is said to be 6,000,000 bags against 3,700,000 
bags a year ago. We may, therefore, take our coffee 
a little stronger. 
The Province of Ontario adopts a regulation which 
provides that no alien shall be employed in the Cana¬ 
dian lumber business on public lands. Exceptions 
are made in favor of the agent or manager, the head 
bookkeeper and one explorer. All supplies, such as 
horses, cattle, provisions, tools, etc., must be bought 
in Canada, unless under special permission of the 
Commissioner of Crown Lands. Punishment for dis¬ 
obedience will be suspension of the license or permit 
to cut lumber on public lands. 
The great New York Horse Show occurs this year 
during the week beginning November 15, at Madison 
Square Garden. At this show, some of the finest 
bred horses in this country and Canada are always 
exhibited. It is patronized by the wealthy fanciers, 
and leads all shows of this character in the country. 
A mint of money is spent upon it, and thousands of 
dollars are paid in premiums. It is not only a horse 
show, but a great society event, and brings out 
fashionable society in all its gorgeousness. 
The New York milk-dealers’ association has ad¬ 
vanced the wholesale price of milk in this city 2% 
cents per gallon. This is the price paid by wholesale 
dealers. The advance to farmers in nearby sections 
will amount to one cent per gallon, and unless there 
be quite an increase in the supply of milk, there will 
be a further rise in price. The farmer, however, will 
come last of all in these benefits. Milk farmers will 
make a great mistake if they rush now to buy high- 
priced cows and feed for a heavy flow of milk. That 
will result only in bringing the price down again. 
Last week, a sale of the Union Pacific Railroad 
was effected. The syndicate mentioned last week, 
bought the road at public auction, offering a sum 
equal to the Government’s claim against the road. 
The Government holds a similar claim against the 
Kansas Pacific Railroad for a smaller amount. It is 
thought by many that this syndicate will attempt to 
obtain the Kansas Pacific for less than the Govern¬ 
ment claim, and thus secure a profit on the entire 
purchase. It will hardly be possible to arrange for 
such a sale at this late date, but we would like to see 
the State of Kansas buy this road and run it as an ex¬ 
periment in public ownership. 
The United States Consul at Amoy, China, estimates 
the total value of ginseng root consumed in China 
each year at $20,000,000. He says that, in that city, it 
sells for $12.50 to $17.50 gold per pound. In 1896, 
that market took $88,517 worth of ginseng from the 
United States and $44,222 worth from Corea. He says 
that the Corean ginseng costs much more than that 
from the United States, being more skillfully cured, 
though of no better quality. The Consul is of the 
opinion that the producers of ginseng should receive 
higher prices for it, that the exporters get too much 
of the profit. He says that the market there is steady 
and practically unlimited. It is used by all classes to 
the extent of their means. It would seem that, if 
prices there are as he states, those who produce or 
dig the roots here should receive more than the $2 to 
$3 per pound usually paid. 
In September, 1896, the exports of eggs from this 
country amounted to $2,436. In September of this 
year, the egg exports amounted to $43,760. Many of 
these eggs had, evidently, been kept in cold storage 
for several months before shipping. Secretary Wilson 
of the Agricultural Department writes us that ex¬ 
periments are to be made with a view to increasing 
our exports of eggs. From March till June, our 
American hens produce an immense crop of eggs ; 
then they go on a strike and rest up for another sea¬ 
son. The cheap eggs of the spring months might be 
kept in storage and sent abroad while foreign hens 
are going dry. This looks like a good business prop¬ 
osition, and we are glad that the Department of Agri¬ 
culture is to take the matter in hand. 
A resident of a suburban town said that he in¬ 
sisted that the grocer, butcher, baker, etc., must be 
paid on delivery of the goods. He says that a place 
is provided in the house where money for this pur¬ 
pose is kept, and that he inspects it frequently to see 
that the funds are not exhausted. He would not 
humiliate a woman by compelling her to ask for the 
money needed to supply the household needs. Why 
should the woman be compelled to ask her husband 
for that which belongs as much to her as to him ? 
Hasn’t the average farmer’s wife done as much to 
earn the property which usually stands in his name, 
as he has done ? There’s too much humiliation of 
this kind. There’s, also, too much credit business 
done. Pay cash, and thus save many leaks I 
Much has been said about the countries in South 
America and Europe that compete with the United 
States in wheat growing. Our most formidable com¬ 
petitor is Argentina, in South America. Dr. Wm. P. 
Wilson, in addressing the Pennsylvania State Millers’ 
Association, said : 
It would seem that there are 240,000,000 acres suitable for the 
cultivation of wheat, and that while the northern districts are 
tropical, the whole of the middle part Is temperate, and the south - 
ern districts are not as cold as the wheat districts in the United 
States—frost and a little snow being only occasional. Of the 
240,000,000 acres suitable for wheat growing, only a little over 
7,000,000 acres are devoted to wheat. Twenty years ago, Argen¬ 
tina imported wheat and Hour, yet in 1894, she exported 59,000,000 
bushels of wheat and 459,527 barrels of Hour. The cost of produc. 
tion is estimated at 33 cents a bushel, and the average freight to 
Europe is only 15 cents a bushel. The average distance to the 
seaboard by rail is 100 miles, as against 1,000 miles in this 
country. The producer is also favored by the low cost of living, 
the small farmers (chiefly Italians) living on a scale of frugality 
impossible to Americans, and the whole family, even to the small 
children, assisting on the farms. They have no barns, and the 
stations rarely have warehouses; hence the crop deteriorates 
before reaching the seaboard. When they have better facilities 
for handling, they will produce the wheat at even less cost. 
This is the sort of competition our wheat growers 
must expect. It is not probable that the present high 
prices for wheat will long continue, as these very 
prices will stimulate increased production all over the 
world, and we cannot expect that unfavorable seasons 
will continue. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Onk of the objections often urged against cutting corn stalks 
and straw for winter feeding is that the keen edge of the knife 
leaves a hard, sharp edge that makes the animal’s mouth sore. 
This objection is removed by the Tornado feed and ensilage cut¬ 
ter. It splits or shreds the fodder, freeing it from sharp edges 
and hard, woody parts. It is made by W. R. Harrison & Co., 
Massillon, O. 
Are you in the dark ? Many country people ride in the dark, 
and live in darkness around the house and buildings. Towns 
and cities take care of these matters for all the people, but the 
country and suburban residents must look after this for them¬ 
selves individually. The Steam Gauge and Lantern Co., Syra¬ 
cuse, N. Y., make lamps for lighting veranda, porch, streets, 
barns and wagons. Their catalogue describing these lamps may 
be had for the asking. 
The manufacture of high-grade watches was begun in Elgin, 
Ill., 33 years ago. It is now said that this factory has produced 
about 8,000,000 more watches than any other factory in the world 
during the same time. The high quality always maintained in 
the Elgin watches is an object lesson of considerable importance 
to any one who will make the application to his own goods. The 
name is now synonymous with accuracy and excellency in time¬ 
keeping machinery all over the country. Even with this reputa¬ 
tion, it is a matter of surprise that a market can be found for so 
many watches. The force of 300 skilled employees, when working 
at full force, turn out 2,500 watches a day. 
We would be glad to see every family that read The R. N.-Y. 
also receive The Youth’s Companion. It will be read with interest 
and profit by young and old, but it is the young especially to whom 
we would recommend it with a view to cultivatinga taste for 
wholesome mental food, and an acquaintance with the most cul¬ 
tured and scholarly minds of the age. A taste once acquired for 
such reading will not revert to the low and sensational. All new 
subscribers for 1898 will receive The Companion’s gold-embossed 
calendar, beautifully printed in 12 colors,and the paper will also be 
sent free from the time the subscription is received until January, 
1898, and then for a full year to January, 1899. We can furnish it 
until January, 1899, with calendar, together with a year’s sub¬ 
scription to The R. N.-Y., for $2.25. This is for new subscriptions 
to The Companion. Their renewals would cost $2.75 for both 
papers. 
