i89o 
HIE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
589 
Business. 
SILVER AND WHEAT. 
The price of wheat Is climbing up. No one knows just 
where it w T iIl rest; but the present indications are that it 
will rise considerably higher before the end of the year. 
Two main reasons are given for this increase in price—a 
great shortage of the world’s supply and the rise in the 
price of silver. We do not believe the first reason will 
wholly answer. There is unquestionably no surplus crop ; 
but there is, so far as we can learn, an abundant supply 
for the year’s needs. Some other reason must be found. 
The most condensed statement of the other reason is given 
by Congressman S. V. White, as follows: '‘When Con¬ 
gress convened, the Mark Lane grain dealer bought his 
wheat in India, where they have the misfortune to have 
a mono-metallic circulating medium which happens to be 
silver. At the same time that he bought wheat in India 
he bought silver in America at cents per ounce, and 
paid for Indian wheat with silver rated at the gold 
value of 129 )4 cents per ounce. He ‘ had the drop ’ on the 
American farmer to the extent of those 37 cents 
per ounce. But the 37 cents have dwindled to nine 
cents on the passage of the Silver bill and are still 
dwindling.” It is also to be expected that the price of 
cotton will rise in sympathy with the price paid for the 
foreign-grown product. The question that puzzles many 
farmers is this : “ Who loses this increased price which 
the farmer is to receive ?” Is it the consumer or the 
“Money Bags of Wall Street ?” 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Railroad Directors as Commission Men.—T he Mark 
Lane Express contains the following note regarding the 
most important English railroad system : “ The directors 
of the Great Eastern Railway have passed a wise resolve. 
They have decided to consider the practicability of some 
plan by which the company shall undertake not only the dis¬ 
tribution of garden produce on its arrival at its destination, 
but also the collection of the purchase money and the for¬ 
warding thereof to the sender. According to this scheme the 
retail dealer may have fruit and vegetables brought to the 
door by the company’s carts. This should be a decided 
saving both to the grower and to the retailer. The com¬ 
pany might become the ostensible owner of the goods, 
with power to sue and collect the debt if they were not paid 
for. Large agencies and corporations get through these 
little unpleasantnesses at much smaller outlay than in¬ 
dividuals residing at a distance from the defaulter and 
having no regular department devoted to the collection of 
money. The gain in traffic to the company should thor¬ 
oughly repay their enterprise.” It is quite probable that 
this system could be made fairly successful in acountry like 
England, with comparatively short hauls and superior 
roads and expressage facilities ; where the goods are sent 
by one road without any necessity for transfers and 
divided responsibility. We are hardly ready for it in this 
country, except on short, local roads. The people here are 
not much inclined to give the railroads increased business 
of this nature; on the other hand, they are more inclined to 
advocate running the railroads themselves after the plan 
of the mail service. 
“Shipping" and “Marketing” Produce.— Since the 
introduction of railroads and the rapid transit of produce 
from place to place, agricultural products, so far as their 
sale in the centers of the consumers has been concerned, have 
been divided into “Shipping” and “Marketing” products. 
New York City has two classes of trade—shipping, that is, 
sending out of the city to other places, and a local 
trade called marketing products. Marketing products 
refer to those which meet ready sale with the retailers 
and are graded to suit the requirements of the local market. 
As illustrations, the variety ot asparagus known as Oyster 
Bay, having a green tip while the rest is white, is consid¬ 
ered the first-class asparagus in the New York markets, 
and will bring, on an average during the season, $3 a 
dozen. In Newark, N. J., nine miles distant, the Trenton 
asparagus, being all green, is considered first-class, and 
brings the same price as the Oyster Bay does in New York. 
Thus, what is first class asparagus in the City of New York, 
is second class in Newark, with a corresponding deprecia¬ 
tion iu price. In musk-melons the same rule applies. A 
shipping melon is one packed so green that it may be sold 
in the markets of the large cities and transported to a 
distance. The market melon for local demand is one fit to 
be used on the consumer's table the day it is received, the 
difference iu price averaging nearly double as much for a 
“ marketing” melon as for a “shipping” one. The same 
rule holds good in the case of potatoes. I believe all pota¬ 
toes as sold to the retailer are gauged by 22 half-pecks, sold by 
weight of 7.1^ pounds to the half-peck. The average increase 
in price of potatoes gauged to meet the consumer’s wants, 
that is to say, of those that are well sorted when gathered, 
is fully 50 cents a barrel more than the figure for those 
not sorted. This is the distinction betweeu potatoes picked 
by the grower for shippiug purposes and for marketing. 
J. B. ROGERS. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
A Pair of Scales.— Justice is always represented with 
a pair of scales in her hand. This is because the scales 
not only suggest a fair division, but because they present 
a means for checking extravagance, watching frauds and 
stopping leaks. Stop trying to farm by guess. Be accurate 
and know what you are doing. Look over the catalogue 
of Osgood & Thompson, Binghamton, N. Y. t and see what 
scale you need. These men ship scales on trial. 
New Butter Worker.— At Figure 242 we show a new 
device exhibited at the English Royal Agricultural Show. 
The table, or bed, for the butter to rest on is in the shape 
of an arch—not flat, as in many other workers. This shape 
enables the water and buttermilk pressed out of the butter 
to run freely away, without the possibility of being worked 
into the butter again. Another special feature lies in the 
New English Butter Worker. Fig. 242. 
shape of the working roller. Instead of being grooved 
longitudinally it is fluted like the worm of a screw. 
French Seed Basket. —The device shown at Figure 243 
was exhibited at a French agricultural show. The straps 
pass over the shoulders, and the basket, containing grain 
ig 34> show? the machine for whirling the bottles about, 
with cross-sections at Fig. 246, in which a is a horizontal 
wheel, b sections to which are soldered cups or tubes, c, 
inclined at an angle of about 30 degrees, while d is a cop¬ 
per jacket with a cover. Milk fresh from the cow is taken 
while still warm and thoroughly mixed by pouring it two 
or three times from one vessel to another. An exact 
measure of it is then put into the test bottle and a measure 
of acid added. The bottle is then placed in the machine 
as shown at c Fig. 246. Then by turning the crank of the 
machine the bottles are violently whirled about for five or 
six minutes. As soon as they have been sufficiently 
whirled, they are filled to the neck with hot water; then 
put into the machine and whirled again and the fat will 
be found where it can be measured. We understand that 
several manufacturers of dairy supplies are to make these 
tools. 
Two Old Machines.— The inclosed little picture is from a 
small book printed in 1845. The harness was used in France, 
Germany, Sweden and Denmark. The collar, fastened to 
the hames, opening below, furnished with a chain and 
hook is a device which I see has lately been patented here as 
new, though at least 50 years old in Europe. The patented 
potato sorter, lately figured in The Rural, looks exactly 
like a tool used to wash and sort potatoes 40 years ago in 
England, and I believe it was shown at the Exposition at 
London in 1851. E. M. 
Scott, W. Va. 
R. N.-Y.—The picture shows a yoke of oxen with nar¬ 
row collars and hames about the shoulders. The hames 
are fastened by stout straps to broad bands, which pass 
around the body of the ox, just back of the front legs. 
Traces run from these bands to the plow, the front of 
which is on wheels. There are no bridles or halters on the 
oxen. 
or other seeds, is thus held securely in front of the body 
where the hands may easily reach it. Those who have 
used an old bag for this purpose will find this basket or 
dish very handy. 
The Babcock Milk Test.— Elsewhere in this issue we 
refer to the importance of Prof. Babcock’s discovery of a 
The Babcock Milk Tester. Fig. 244. % 
simple method of measuring the fat in milk. Herewith, 
we present pictures of the simple apparatus needed. As 
stated elsewhere, the test consists in mixing equal quanti¬ 
ties of milk and sulphuric acid, thoroughly shaking this 
Dishorning Tools.— The great interest yet taken in dis¬ 
horning cattle is well illustrated by the multitudes of 
new appliances offered at the patent office. Most of the 
designs are for chutes or stanchions for holding the heads 
of animals during the operation, but a great many 
“shears” have been designed to take the place of the 
usual saw. Some of these are so strong and sharp that 
the horn is cut off atone pull. The cutting blade is broad 
and very sharp and the handle is long enough to give a 
powerful leverage. 
“Rustless” Iron. — We have quite frequently referred 
to the superiority of water pipes which have been treated 
by a process which enables them to thoroughly resist oxi¬ 
dation or “ rust.” Such pipes not only last longer than 
those made of ordinary iron, but they are cleaner and, 
therefore, conduct purer and better water. The process of 
rendering the iron “ rustless ” is an interesting one. It is 
not at all in the nature of applying paint or any other 
metal, but it consists simply in forming on the surface 
what is known as the magnetic oxide of iron, the one con¬ 
dition of the metal that will not rust. The process is 
simple enough, too. The iron pipe is put in a furnace and 
subjected to a very high degree of heat. While at this 
high temperature a mingled stream of steam and carbonic 
acid gas is forced upon the pipe, and this produces at one 
operation the “ rustless ” coating. It is a very interesting 
process and the results obtained are remarkable. 
Brill Automatic Bit —It is a pleasure to drive a 
spirited horse when you can feel that you have perfect 
control over him. We place a bit in a horse’s mouth so 
that we can hold him. It is not put there as an instru¬ 
ment of torture. The beauty of the automatic safety bit 
is that it shuts off the horse’s wind by closing the channel 
of his nose. This is done by a simple pull on the reins. 
This bit is a good one, strong, serviceable, and, what is 
best, humane. 
Small Sugar Making.— We have always been taught 
that cane sugar making can be made successful only 
when conducted on a large scale, with all necessary cap¬ 
ital for employing hundreds of laborers and the most im¬ 
proved and expensive machinery. We now have a class of 
writers who advocate smaller plants and smaller and 
better cultivated plantations, with shorter hauls for cane, 
and a more careful supervision. As with every other 
branch of farming, it evidently pays to develop quality as 
well as size in the sugar plantation. The Blymer Iron 
Works Company has become so strongly impressed with 
the importance of this matter that it has perfected a 
small sized set of sugar machinery suitable for use on 
small plantations. 
Hendricks Hat Press.— The catalogue issued by D. B. 
Hendricks, of Kingston, N. Y_, informs us that 24 of these 
presses are in general use within eight miles of the factory 
where they are made. As all know, it is very hard for a 
prophet to obtain honor within eight miles of his own 
home, and it is equally true that a hay press must be first- 
class in every way to thoroughly satisfy the neighbors. On 
the whole, this is about the best indorsement for a hay 
press we have ever heard. 
“Hartman” Specialties.— These specialties consist 
of steel goods, such as gates, fences, posts, pickets, tree 
and flower guards and mats. These goods are neat, at¬ 
tractive and strong. They are ail well described in the 
catalogue issued by the Hartman Manufacturing Com¬ 
pany, Beaver Falls, Pa. One good thing about this 
concern is that it advertises the fact that “ it is a pleasure 
to answer correspondents.” Try to see if you cannot 
give the company a little pleasure in this line. 
French Seed Basket. Elg. 243. 
mixture and adding hot water and shaking again. In 
Fig. 244 the bottle at the left is used for holding the 
milk and acid. It is marked with a scale at the top for 
measuring the fat. The figure at the center is a pipette 
for measuring the milk, which is sucked up to the black 
mark on the long neck. The other vessel holds the acid. 
The Bailey Nozzle.— Some weeks ago The R. N.-Y. 
stated that Professor Bailey, of Cornell University, had 
declared that the best nozzle he could find was “ no nozzle 
at all.” All he asked for was a device for puckering or 
closing up the mouth of a hose. By this means he could 
throw any desired spray. Gardeners and florists, as every- 
