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485 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Business. 
TRADE NEEDS ADJUSTING-NOT ABOLISHING. 
We as farmers cannot deal directly with the manufac¬ 
turers on the credit plan 19 times out of 20. If we or¬ 
ganize, and buy goods through our society it will neces¬ 
sitate an agricultural depot, a man in charge, a set of ac¬ 
counts, notes, etc., etc., and at last we have a middleman 
with a train of expenses that would be but little different 
from those we have to pay now, if we pay spot cash for 
what we buy. But the difficulty of buying our goods 
through a co-operative agency does not justify the high 
prices we pay for some machinery. Before me is a list of 
tools and machinery of a large dealer, and the discounts 
to the trade run about like this : Scythes, 50 and 5 off; 
sulky horse-rake, 50, 10 and 2 M off ; feed cutters, 55 off ; 
barn door hangers, 60 off ; and a good refrigerator, 80 off ; 
and so on through the list. It is not that the dealers and 
middlemen get enormously rich ; 50 per cent., or half the 
price of an article is too great a comission for selling it. In 
some lines of goods, if we have a “ friend in court,” it is 
very easy to buy at wholesale rates. In hardware I buy 
all my supplies from one house, and I get a special rate ; 
but I could not get it if I bought only 10 pounds of nails 
once in a year. Mr. Taylor’s—page 323—only mistake 
about the groceries was that he went to the wrong house. 
Had he gone to a house that sent no drummer to his town, 
and which had no trade to protect there, he could have had 
his order filled and discounted, for cash, in no time. I was 
talking the other day with a merchant who said : “ If my 
customers would make up a bill, and come and trade 
out in one day what is sold piecemeal to them during six 
months, and pay cash, I would make them a discount that 
would astonish them !” The sellers do not all make hay 
365 day s in a year. Ninety per cent, of them sooner or later 
go to the wall, and for $5,000 and less. Do 90 per cent, of 
the farmers assign, even after paying two prices for a 
thing, year in and year out ? This whole matter needs 
adjusting in some way—not abolishing. If we all buy of 
the manufacturers, then we must all sell directly to the 
city commission man. Just think of that! Suppose that 
a half million dairy farmers should suddenly and without 
warning consign their farm butter in packages of from five 
to 75 pounds, in one week to J. H. Seymour & Co., of New 
York, or all should resolve to send to the sweep-em-down 
Binder Co. for a reaper, all in one day, and ask for six 
months’ or a year’s credit ! In my opinion less little buy¬ 
ing, less credit asked, and then a demand for living prices, 
would tend to solve this vexed question, and result in a 
greater benefit than a wholesale slaughter of middlemen. 
Portage Co., Ohio. John gould. 
BUYING THROUGH THE GRANGE. 
From December 1, 1889, to June 1, 1890, the purchasing 
agent has bought for the members of Dudley Grange a frac¬ 
tion over $3,500 worth of grain and cattle foods in car-load 
lots, consisting of the following items : Four cars of corn, 
four of wheat bran, one of oats and one of cotton seed 
meal, and, after having paid all expenses for handling, in¬ 
cluding two per cent, commission to the agent, there was 
a dividend of nearly five per cent, to members on the 
amount of their purchases. To one who was not fully in¬ 
formed as to all the conditions that have prevailed during 
the time, this might seem a rather small saving; but to 
those who have a full knowledge of these conditions the 
savins is very satisfactory indeed. Of the drawbacks the 
first and perhaps the most formidable whs the cut throat 
competition from local dealers, which was aroused because 
the farmers through their organizatons should ignore the 
middlemen and buy directly through wholesale dealers, 
thus saving for themselves the large profits that the latter 
had been quietly absorbing. Some members, like a large 
majority of other farmers, were not sharp enough to keep 
a business secret, owing to their ignorance of the cunning 
tricks employed by traders to worm it from them, and, in 
consequence, the year previous, when we had tried to seli 
to members at cost price, after allowing sufficient margin 
to cover possible losses by falling markets, etc., dealers 
had soon found out our prices and some cut under them, 
which of course obliged others to follow suit and, as a re¬ 
sult a farmer from Dudley, who was known or thought 
to belong to the Grange could, for some time, buy grain 
for less than cost if he was smart. This, of course, demor¬ 
alized the retail trade, and in consequence prices have ever 
since ruled at least 10 per cent, less at retail than for sev¬ 
eral years past, as compared with wholesale prices for the 
same time. 
The most outspoken opponents of the Grange freely 
admit that there has been a great reduction in prices to 
all since the Grange began operations. Add this 
diminution in prices to the other five per cent, and it will 
make a very good showing, to say nothing of the better 
quality of the grain that the members have secured, as 
before the Grange was organized it was impossible to buy 
any No. 1 and seldom No. 2 oats and similar grades of 
other grains, as the majority of buyers were not posted in 
regard to the different grades and consequently sharp 
dealers kept low or ungraded kinds and sold them for 
very nearly what the first grades should fetch. 
After our last year’s experience, it was thought best to 
make the price the same as in the market, and what profit 
was made after paying expenses was to be divided up in a 
semi-annual dividend to each member in proportion to the 
amount of his purchases, and to get square with the 
dealers and help to pay expenses of handling, it was de¬ 
cided to sell for cost to any one who wished, whether a 
member or not. Last winter dealers even went so far as 
to buy the same marks or brands or else they had them 
falsely branded to catch and hold the Grange trade. As 
a sample of the demoralized condition amongst the local 
dealers for a while, the head clerk in one of the largest 
grain stores told me that he could not sell grain at the 
price given him to sell, as the “ boss ” had a price for 
every man who came in. Other dealers also gave liberal 
commissions to farmers, teamsters and others to solicit 
orders for grain among the farmers, to be filled by them. 
Another condition that we had to overcome was that 
many of our members—those who stood the most in need 
of such co-operative help—did not have the ready cash to 
advance for a large supply of grain at one time, hence ar¬ 
rangements were made by which we could remit the cash 
to pay for the grain when it arrived, and members were 
only required to pay as they took the grain from the car 
or store-house. This necessitated devising a plan for 
storage. Fortunately we had a member who owned and 
ran a grist mill on a railroad, and he offered to unload, 
store, and grind our corn and other grains for the same 
price he charged dealers, and the feeds and other grains he 
would unload and store for a reasonable price—just enough 
to cover actual cost—and see to the delivery of the same, 
The Hoover Potato-Sorter. Fig. 181. 
and collect the pay and turn it over to the agent, and also 
keep a cash account with members, so as to be able to 
figure out the dividends. 
As our towns are divided by a steep range of hills and 
the members of our Grange live in four adjoining towns, 
we have, in order to place all our members as nearly as 
possible on an equal footing, to make use of the freight 
station, and some grain has been shipped. 
Although our system is as yet far from perfection, we 
feel that at least we have made a very good beginning. It 
was thought best to confine our operations to one line, un¬ 
til we had made some purchases of flour and groceries and 
other things. We found at the beginning that our mem¬ 
bers, especially the old ones, who had been used to buying 
their own goods single-handed, needed considerable 
■‘educating up” or drilling before they could pull to¬ 
gether. 
Our Grange is only two years old and now has a mem¬ 
bership of about 112, representing about 67 families in all. 
We are looking anxiously to the time when Western mem¬ 
bers of the order will be able to ship us directly car-loads of 
grain,thus saving middlemen’s profits to be divided between 
us Some may say that this co-operative buying can be done 
without the aid of all the machinery connected with the 
Grange; but in this town we tried to start it several years 
ago; but were unable to get the persons together even to 
talk the matter over. At first considerable time was used 
up in our meetings; but now it takes but little time, as 
most of the business is done by the agent, his sub-agent 
and the executive committee who report to the Grange 
from time to time as occasion demands. Our agent has done 
a good deal of earnest work and has been heartily seconded 
by the leading members. F. A. PUTNAM. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
Potato-Sorters.— Since The R. N.-Y. began to talk 
about potato-sorters, a good many of its readers have 
asked questions about these implements. The following 
letter is a sample of many that have come to hand: 
“On page 452 The Rural says: ‘Get a potato sorter.’ 
That is just what I want and have been intending to get, 
The Collins Potato-Sorter. Fig. 1 S2. 
but do not know where to get one. Sorters are not in 
the market so far as I know, except one made by the man¬ 
ufacturers of the Hoover digger, and that is not just what 
I want, as the dirt and small potatoes fall together, and it 
only sorts out one size of merchantable potatoes ; I would 
like to sort into large, second size and small. Will The 
Rural give us some information on this subject ? ” 
West Chester, Pa. b. 8. 
There is a curious thing about the manufacturing of 
sorters. The makers do not seem to think they are of 
enough importance to warrant them in pushing the sales 
or encouraging inventors to produce a first-class article. 
The R. N.-Y. claims that a good potato sorter is needed, 
and that if properly advertised, it would find a readier sale 
just now than any other implement of equal value. A 
fortune is awaiting the man who is sharp enough to realize 
this. At Figure 181 we give a picture of the Hoover 
sorter. It is open to the objection made. Many people, 
however, do not care for two sizes of potatoes. At Figure 
182 we show another sorter designed by one of our sub¬ 
scribers, Mr. E. H. Collins. He has secured a patent on his 
device. The dirt is separated from the potatoes here. This 
could be readily fixed so as to grade two sizes. The Hig- 
ganum Manufacturing Company has the model of a sorter 
which works on the principle of a wooden sieve. The man¬ 
ufacturers of the Aspinwall potato planter are perfecting 
a sorter, and a good implement is made at an asylum at 
Montreal. Many farmers are using sorters of their own 
manufacture. We shall be greatly pleased to receive 
drawings of these home-made machines. We should have 
stated above that a company in Colorado makes a large 
sorter which is mounted on wheels to be drawn through 
the field after the digger. The tubers are put into this 
sorter as they are picked from the ground, the dirt falls to 
the ground while the small and merchantable potatoes run 
into different bags. No doubt the future has in store for 
us some wonderful machine that will dig, sort and bag at 
one trip across the field ! 
Cutaway Harrow vs. the Plow.— My practice for 
several years has been to plow clover sod in the spring for 
potatoes and then after the potatoes are removed in the 
fall dig up the ground for wheat with cultivators or 
harrows. Since the Cutaway harrow came we have used 
that and consider it the best tool for the purpose now be¬ 
fore the public. Years ago I decided, after experiments, 
that it was better for me not to plow my potato stubble 
for wheat, but to prepare it by simply mellowing the sur¬ 
face. The plowing might be an advantage if it could be 
done long enough beforehand; but this I do not know. 
The crops of wheat which I have grown for a dozen years 
past would indicate that it would be difficult to improve 
on our present practice. I should prepare corn stubble for 
wheat in the same way, without plowing, for the same 
reason, namely, because there is not time to plow the land 
and have it settle properly for wheat, or to fit it as it 
should be. 
But I take no stock in the use of a harrow to prepare the 
ground for a crop when there is time to plow and harrow 
both, and properly fit the land. Shallow tillage is the thing 
in our growing crops of potatoes and corn, after the land has 
been thorougly plowed and harrowed in preparation for 
the crop. The fact is work brings the big crops out of our 
soil. In very many cases $3 more per acre spent in proper 
tillage would return us $5 to $10. When men use a Cuta¬ 
way harrow to prepare for a crop, instead of plowing and 
harrowing simply because they can fit (?) two or three 
times as many acres in a day they are on the wrong track. 
I know there is a feeling that because our crops bring so 
little we must try to lessen the cost of production. Very 
well; but half doing our work in tillage will increase the 
cost of production rather than diminish it, as a rule. The 
best cared for crops will be the ones that pay, not those in 
which we tried to get along wi$h the least possible labor, j 
have just had a good illustration of this on my place. I 
had a half acre of strawberries in bearing this year. I prob¬ 
ably put twenty dollars’ worth more labor on them than 
most horticulturists would think would pay, and for this 
extra work I feel sure I got about $150 more returns than 
I otherwise would have done. I have put a great deal of 
tillage on my potato land this year: but the excessively 
heavy rains have so packed the ground tnat a large crop is 
now impossible. I would gladly go to the expense of 
plowing and fitting that land all over, if it could be done 
without disturbing the crop. “ In the sweat of thy face 
shalt thou eat bread.” Beware of short-cuts to avoid work. 
T. B. TERRY. 
The Putnam Nail. —It is desirable that a horse should 
be well shod. The R. N.-Y. has frequently pointed out 
this fact. We have been told many things about the 
proper shoes for horses, but not so much attention has 
been paid to nails. A nail that will split after entering 
the hoof is a dangerous thing to use, because the broken 
part may drive directly into the inner part of the foot. 
The Putnam nail will not split. You know where it is 
going when you nail it. Good blacksmiths like it for this 
reason. 
Steel Door Hangers.— The anti friction door hangers 
made by Lane Brothers of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., have a 
wider sale than any other. They are in use from Maine to 
Oregon. There must be merit in them to induce this wide 
use. They possess genuine advantages, as any one who has 
ever used them will readily testify. Another device made 
1 y the samefirm is a patent Tackle Block. This is also an 
“ anti-friction ” affair, requiring no oil, as it runs on steel 
rollers instead of on the usual hub. The experiments 
made to reduce friction by substituting steel rollers or 
balls for the usual chamber in which the axle is to run, bid 
fair to upset many of our old wheel devices. 
Use a Wide Cut Mower.—T he idea of putting any fair 
team of horses to a machine that cuts only 4}4 feet is folly. 
The improvements are so great on all our best makes, that 
a team will cut six feet with perfect ease. I am doing it 
every day, and I cannot see that the horses work any 
harder than they did on my old four and 4>*-foot cuts, and 
look at the time saved ! Put your six-foot-cut at work 
after the dew is off, and at noon, if you have never used 
one, yon will be astonished at the amount of work done. 
A very important .thing is that the knives, are. new and 
