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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Business. 
HAY MARKET PROSPECTS. 
We are indebted to F. Williams & Co., of this city, for 
the following facts relating to the hay business : 
There are a great many bales of hay coming to this 
market that are not worth their freight charges, for the 
reason that they have not been cared for before ship¬ 
ping. While the actual damage to the hay may not be as 
great as it seems, the loss in price cannot be measured 
from that standpoint, as no purchaser will take goods that 
show a spot or stain except at a price far below their 
actual value, as he must make good any damage that may 
occur, and so, to protect himself, will not take the goods, 
except at a price that will enable him to make peace with 
his customer. While it may be known by the farmer that 
only a very small percentage of the hay is of no value as 
food, it is not so accepted by the trade here, and never will 
be. The only way to keep baled hay in the farmer’s barn, 
is to store it in a dry, dark loft if possible. Should it be 
necessary to store it on the ground floor, it is very impor¬ 
tant that the lower tiers be placed on their ends, with good 
space for air to circulate between the hay and the floor ; 
there should be also ample space below the floor for the 
air to circulate; without this you are sure to have stained 
goods, which will sell at a loss of from $2 to $5 per ton and 
bring no profit to the party receiving them, as they are of 
slow sale and consequently eat up their earnings in valu¬ 
able space. A very important point to impress upon the 
grower, is that good, sound goods sell well, also that any 
that show a sign of imperfection, are sure to incur loss. 
Farmers, as a rule, do not take the pains that they should 
to obtain good results, but they let the goods go forward 
as “ good enough,” saying to themselves that the little 
stain or damage amounts to nothing and that the buyer in 
the market will not detect the stained goods. This is 
where the farmer fools himself, as the buyers in the mar¬ 
ket must be experts or their services will soon be dis¬ 
pensed with. A bale of hay of 200 pounds, damaged to the 
extent of 10 pounds by stain, will not be accepted by the 
trade at a price within 25 to 40 cents per 100 pounds of what 
it would bring had it been free from the apparent damage. 
To sum it all up, the majority of the people, putting up 
hay for market, do not understand what the markets re¬ 
quire, but figure that it is good enough for home use and 
consequently should be as suitable for others. This is all 
wrong, and farmers would be soon convinced of the same, 
if they should undertake to market the goods themselves. 
The great trouble in the hay shipping and marketing 
business is, that shippers, and especially farmers, do not 
understand the grades of hay or what is required to bring 
the prices which they see quoted, either in newspapers or 
the circulars of commission dealers in hay. Every farmer 
believes his goods are prime, and when he sees in his coun¬ 
try newspaper or the weekly issue of some city paper, quo¬ 
tations for the different grades of hay, commencing at the 
top with, we will say, 90 cents per 100 pounds for prime hay 
running down to 45 cents per 100 pounds for shipping hay, 
he thinks of course that his is prime, and if the party to 
whom he consigns the same for sale does not return him 
the price as quoted for prime hay, he pronounces him a 
swindler and highway robber. Associations have recently 
been formed in the States of New York, Ohio and Indiana, 
with the aim to bring producer and consumer in closer re¬ 
lations ; a school as it were to educate the producer and 
shipper as to the requirements of the different markets, that 
the receiver in the market and the consumer of the goods, 
might become more familiar with each other. In a word, if 
shipper and receiver will agree on grades and if the ship¬ 
per will purchase of the farmer in the same manner in 
which the hay is sold by the receiver in the city, a better 
understanding would ensue and a better feeling exist all 
around. Alfalfa is not known in this market and is not 
seen except as it comes forward with shipments of horses 
from California and other far western points. In regard to 
clover, there is sale here for a liberal amount which is used 
for cattle kept on the outskirts of the city, but it usually 
sells at about the lowest price of any grade of hay. Oats 
and barley cured as hay would And no market in this 
city until the people became educated to its value. As re¬ 
gards the crop of 18S9, It is said that one-third of it has not 
come forward and as there are but three months left for it 
to move, and with the new crop in good prospect of being 
an abundant one, we cannot give very encouraging views 
for good prices during the coming summer. Low prices, 
however, will have a tendency to retard movement, but the 
surplus is so large that the percentage of it that is bound 
to come forward will keep all markets well supplied. We 
figure this both from personal observation and from our 
correspondence, and take into consideration and compare 
this year with the past and, therefore, are compelled to 
say that there has net been a year, with ever so light a 
crop, within the recollection of the oldest dealers, in which 
the dealers were not well supplied, and with the very 
abundant crop of 1889 we cannot expect anything but 
large arrivals between now and the crop of 1890. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
The Janesville Hat Tool Co., of Janesville, Wiscon¬ 
sin, make a very complete outfit of haying tools. Their 
hay carriers and horse forks are excellent and are largely 
used throughout the West. 
One-Horse Mowing Machine.— “On the last page of 
the R. N.-Y., in the advertisement of the Bowker Com¬ 
pany, I see a cut of a one horse mower. I want just such a 
tool; where can I And it ? ” C. c. w. 
Mobile County, Ala. 
Ans.— The Belcher & Taylor Company, Chicopee Falls, 
Mass., make the Clipper mower for oue horae, We pre¬ 
sume other manufacturers make one-horse sizes. It would 
be well for dealers to advertise these small machines. 
There are plenty of one-horse farmers in the country—in¬ 
deed, the number seems to be increasing. Such men find 
small mowers very useful. 
Hat Rakes. —Ninety per cent, of these are made with 
the teeth set wrong; they should be set to run under the 
hay just as a man would run a fork under it, not as a hen 
would scratch it. The teeth will skip the green bunches; 
but will tear up all the loose stones, dirt and all kinds of 
rubbish that the mower ran over without disturbing. 
A NEW HAT STACKER has been made by the Famous 
Manufacturing Company of Chicago. It is claimed that 
this is the simplest and most easily operated over-dump 
sta<5ker on the market. The trouble with many of these 
stackers is that when starting the load, immense power is 
needed. In this new stacker the power seems to be equal¬ 
ized more completely. 
Horse Forks. —Any one having only 10 tons of hay to 
harvest should have a horse fork. The time saved in un¬ 
loading will about pay for the fork every day it is used on 
a small farm; on a large one it will pay for it several 
times a day. In stacking it is just as valuable as in put¬ 
ting in the barn; in fact more so, as a stack can be finished 
much sooner by its use and the risk of wetting be avoided. 
Hat Carriers. —Where a carrier can be used with a 
horse-fork or slings, perfection is reached In mowing away. 
In this operation we find that the machine will do more 
accurate work than the human arm. The farmer will find 
it difficult to suit himself in the selection of carriers, 
there are.so many different kinds on the market. There 
must be different carriers for the reason that the hay must 
be stowed away under different conditions in the various 
bar ns and stacks. 
Hat Knife.—I n using a horse fork, if the hay is very 
“ clingy,” the fork will “ bite off more than it can chew,” 
and will scatter the hay very much and tear the load to 
pieces. If we take a hay knife and make one or two cuts 
across the load, dividing it into two or three parts, the 
fork will take its load up clean without wasting any. If 
the hay wagon has intermediate stakes, the load can be 
put on in sections and this will answer the purpose as well 
as cutting the load with a hay knife, or better. 
Hat Loaders. —These machines are back-savers, be¬ 
cause they enable a horse to substitute his shoulders for a 
man’s back. The old days of hand pitching are over on 
farms where hay for 20 head of stock is cut, just as scythe 
haying is out of date. Nobody claims that he can cut hay 
better with a scythe than with a mowing-machine, and It 
would be equally absurd to say that hand-pitching is 
superior to machine-pitching. There is no operation on 
the farm in which time represents a higher standard of 
value.than in haying. The loader is not only a labor-saver, 
but a time-saver. The Keystone Loader Is highly praised 
by all who have tried it. 
Tedders and Rakes.— Many farmers still question the 
value of the hay-tedder, particularly those who use the 
large center-draft mowers like the Eureka. The past two 
or three wet seasons, however, have increased the sales of 
tedders, because the farmers see the necessity of drying 
their hay in the shortest possible time. In old days, when 
a boy followed each mower with a fork to “spread the 
swath ” and again “ turned” the hay while the men were 
taking their nooning, hay was cut, cured and housed on 
the same day. In the big hay-fields of the present day the 
tedder is the only tool that will take the place of the boy. 
If some of our inventors would give us a combination 
tedder and hay-rake, they would strike a popular demand. 
Some farmers now use the rake as a tedder with fair 
success. 
Selecting a Mower.—Two years ago Mr. S. M. 
Macomber gave the following rules to guide farmers in 
picking out mowers and reapers. It is a part of Mr. M.’s 
business to repair these tools, and his remarks were 
prompted by observing the parts which most frequently 
need mending: 
“ In buying a mower or reaper look first to the pitman 
connection with the knife-head. If it does not have some 
kind of ball-and-socket joint connection at this place, dis¬ 
card it, no matter what the agent claims for it. Some 
machines have a ball-and-socket joint where the pitman 
connects with the crank shaft. This is wrong. The pit¬ 
man should connect with the crank by a rigid bar of brass 
or other box metal, made in two parts, so that wear can be 
easily taken up. The connection of the pitman with the 
knife-head should always be by ball-and-socket. This will 
allow the necessary rocking motion without cramping or 
binding when the tilting lever is used, an attachment which 
should be on every machine. See that the crank-shaft has 
long bearings. It ought to run in Babbitt boxes, made in 
two parts, so as to be easily renewed. The ratchet wheels 
ought to be on the outside of the drive-wheels if on the 
main shaft, as the shaft is not t>o liable to get sprung. See 
that the guards fasten on with bolts instead of rivets. They 
will not get loose so easily as when riveted on, and if they 
do get loose they can be tightened more readily. Do not 
buy a machine that has wheels on either end of the finger- 
bar, but steel shoes instead. The wheels will drop into 
every little uneven place they come to, keeping the finger- 
bar in a tremble all the time, while a shoe will slip smoothly 
over. The wheels should be set wide apart so as not to 
travel on the cut grass.” 
Canned sweet corn is increasing in price, and the gen¬ 
eral opinion is that the supply is limited and that canners 
will need more than usual this fall. For this reason many 
farmers are planting more than usual, looking for better 
prices than in the past few years, 
MORE ABOUT THE MIDDLEMAN. 
From Edwin Taylor. 
IF T. B. Terry means to say that the average farmer, 
without influence from outside sources or prestige of some 
sort in himself, has only to step up with the money in his 
hand in order to buy sugar and most other things at whole¬ 
sale, he is surely mistaken. He finds it easy, no doubt, 
but I can’t do it. He gives his experience; I’ll give mine: 
I gave an order to one of the leading wholesale grocers in 
Kansas City for a barrel of sugar, a box of soap, one of 
raisins, etc., the bill amounting in all to over $50. 
“Where do you sell your goods, Mr. Taylor ?” “I don’t 
sell them.” “ Then we can’t sell to you. If you buy for 
consumption only we can’t deal with you under any cir¬ 
cumstances. We must protect our trade.” 
Last summer, I wanted two wheel cultivators and was 
refused the trade price on them by several of the Kansas 
City jobbers and manufacturers’ agents. Finally, I found 
one who yielded the point, and I got one of the best 
makes for $14 each, the retail price of which was $22, but 
the concession was made on purely personal grounds. How 
much the Alliance and similar organizations can lower 
the cost of things to the farmer is a matter of opinion, 
now ; it will soon be a matter of history. Advertisements 
and circulars I have not found very safe guides in selecting 
implements; the loudest claims often go with the poorest 
tools. I am willing to pay a profit to have implements 
kept in stock, so that I can see what I buy. For my part, 
I bear the retailer no grudge when it comes to buying. 
And when it comes to selling, though I made a strong 
effort for years to put my particular line of goods (seed 
potatoes) into the hands of the individual farmer, I have 
come to regard, more and more, as my best customer the 
man who buys to sell again. 
Wyandotte County, Kansas. 
From L. W. Lightly. 
The Rural has kindly allowed manufacturers to tell us 
farmers that, as a rule, we are a set of blockheads who are 
willing to pay two prices for our machinery, etc. Their 
system of general traveling and local agents is all very fine 
viewed through glasses rosily tinted by self-interest; but 
when the farmer looks with bare eyes and sees the hard 
fact that he has to make a living by the sweat of his brow, 
while a horde of leeches are preying upon him. the plan 
loses all its beauty of coloring. Friend Terry tells a truth 
or two, and if every neighborhood would only form a local 
organization and select an intelligent man as buying agent, 
whose duty it would be to procure farm machinery as well 
as groceries and other needed farm supplies at the lowest 
cost, there would soon be a delightful falling-off in the 
number of smiling agents and middlemen who work so 
hard to “ get up a trade ” at 40 and 10 per cent. off. Here 
is a plow that should cost the farmer $6; but it costs $11. 
Here is a wagon that should be bought for $65; but the 
farmer is compelled to pay $95 for it. Here are a pair of 
rubber boots worth $2.10; but the farmer must pay $8.50 
for them, and so it is along the entire list. Now, fellow 
farmers, this is a fearful drain on our meager receipts, and 
let us put a stop to it, and, my word for it, those manu¬ 
facturers will soon come and ask us to deal with them. 
Hereabouts we have had a bit of such experience. Our 
local dealer in boots and shoes notified the nearest whole¬ 
saler with whom he dealt, that he must not sell to our 
farmers’ organization, for, if he did, be would desert him ; 
but a little later the wholesaler found, to his sorrow, that 
the consumers were his real customers and not the retailer, 
so in due course of mail we received a letter which very 
penitently stated that if we needed anything in his line he 
would be pleased to furnish it at bottom prices, etc. We 
had much trouble the first season in getting our fertilizers 
at wholesale, but now we can buy from the largest houses 
at the very lowest figures and they are very anxious to get 
our orders. We positively do not need the middleman. 
He is an old convenience no longer wanted, and the only way 
to make him understand the fact is to form a local organ¬ 
ization and buy directly from first hands. We do not de¬ 
sire to starve any one, but we desire to get for ourselves 
the first chance of living off the fruits of onr labor. If we 
deal directly with the manufacturer he will soon learn 
that we want nothing but the best and will supply that, 
and consumers will be really astonished at the reduction 
in prices—at least such was our experience. Unless we 
farmers put away the mulish notion of independence too 
often prevalent, and combine as a brotherhood for mutual 
protection, we must surely sink, as the current of middle¬ 
man’s greed is too strong for us to brave singly. 
York County, Pa. 
From a Western Manufacturer. 
There are no obstacles in the way of buying directly from 
the manufacturers any more than there were in the resump¬ 
tion of specie payment, concerning which it was wisely 
said that the “only way to resume specie payment would 
be to resume: ” the only way for the farmers to buy directly 
from the manufacturers is to buy directly. They will find, 
however, that it is worth all that one agent can make as 
his profit on the transaction, for them to attend to the 
business themselves in a line with which they are prob¬ 
ably unfamiliar and not enjoying the facilities which an 
agent may enjoy in shipping in larger quantities, having 
arrangements for receiving and storing the freight on its 
arrival and establishing credit with the manufacturer, 
which may require as much time and trouble to do for a 
single transaction as to establish it for a continued deal of 
years. If machinery could be driven without friction, per¬ 
petual motion would be a possibility ; so if no labor but 
so-called productive labor were required to carry on the 
business of the world, nine-tenths of the men and women 
so engaged would be thrown out of employment and would 
need to go to farming and Bellamy’s beautiful socialistic 
theory would be fully realized and we would all be happy. 
