»89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
687 
Business. 
THE ED WARDS VILLE POTATO ASSOCIATION. 
An Ideal Farmers’Trust. 
EDWIN TAYLOR. 
Edwardsville, Kansas, distant 12 miles directly west 
from Kansas City, is not the largest potato-shipping sta¬ 
tion in the United States; but that portion of the Kaw 
Valley which is tributary to it is believed to carry more 
potatoes to the square inch, if one may so speak, than any 
territory of the line extent in this country. The “ Ed- 
wardsville bottoms” are about five miles long by an aver¬ 
age considerably less than one mile in width, and contain, 
in round numbers 2,000 acres, of which this season some¬ 
thing over one half was planted to potatoes in “ patches” 
ranging from 220 down to 10 acres. This potato industry 
had its beginning about 10 years ago, when an enthusiastic 
“newcomer” rented a farm in the neighborhood and 
planted 100 acres in potatoes, the first “ stroke.” Tbe old- 
timers, who had been in the habit of raising just enough 
potatoes for “ bread and seed,” were free in their criticisms 
upon the venture and in their predictions of its 
. disastrous failure. “ Why, supposin’ he makes a crop 
of potatoes,” commented one of the residenters, “ where 
does the fool expect he’ll sell ’em ? I’ll just give him a 
year to break up.” But the young man had method in his 
madness. With him this was no fitful dropping into 
potatoes, as Silas Wegg “ dropped into poetry ” He had 
selected that crop, not because it was the only profitable 
one that could be grown, but because it seemed to be 
suited to the conditions in which he found himself, and, 
having selected it, he pursued it with the ardor of one 
who from boyhood had looked forward'to the coming of 
the time when he could give a thorough trial to his favor¬ 
ite agricultural notion—the “ single idea” in farming. 
Well, he didn’t fail; and the neighbors, one by one, fell 
in. Every year since the potato crop in that vicinity has 
increased; the farmers engaged in producing it have be¬ 
come known as ‘ potato men,” each styling himself on his 
envelopes, letter-heads, etc., “ Potato Specialist,” “Potato 
Grower,” and using other titles of like import. Several of 
these men have all along been anxious to dispense with as 
many sets of middlemen as possible, and to secure this 
end, instead of selling to local buyers, they have been in 
the habit of shipping on their own account to whatever 
markets were open to them, ordinarily consigning to com¬ 
mission merchants, sometimes making and sometimes 
losing by the operation, but making in the long run an 
undoubted financial gain, and, what has been of nearly 
equal importance, acquiring a knowledge of the commer¬ 
cial end c£ their business that could be acquired only by 
experience. It has been apparent to them for years that 
their individual shipments of potatoes when put on sale 
by rival commission houses were competitors of each other, 
that each helped to break the market for the other, and 
that if all their sales were made by one man he could and 
would guard against such disaster and loss by shipping 
only as the demand warranted. Then, again, they felt the 
want of telegraphic information : to keep themselves con¬ 
stantly posted as to the prices and movements of their par¬ 
ticular product when shipping would entail an expense 
that none of them, unaided, could afford. Looking around 
them they saw that in all other industries and enterprises 
individual effort was giving way to the work of combina¬ 
tions, that even their favorite journal. The Rural New- 
Yorker, had, for sweet economy's sake, pooled its issues 
with another publication, and they asked themselves, as 
the Lotus-Eaters had asked, “ Wny should we toil alone ? ’ 
Many conferences upon the desirability of concentrated 
effort, a point on which all agreed, aud on the best way of 
effecting it, a point on which there was much difference 
of opinion, resulted, last spring in two organizations : 
“The Edwardsville Potato Association” and “ The Kaw 
Valley Potato Association.” In one or the other most of 
our potato farmers are enrolled. The first-named is a 
voluntary organization, the members of which agreed to 
turn the sale of their crops over to the managing com¬ 
mittee, consisting of the president, secretary and treas¬ 
urer. For doing the business a small charge is made, our 
of which the salaries are paid. The receipts trom the 
sales, less the charge mentioned and the further deduc¬ 
tion of 10 per cent, for a “ pro-rata fund,” are turned over 
to the parties furnishing the potatoes sold. The fund is 
divided at intervals among the members in proportion to 
the quantity of potatoes they have individually furnished 
for shipment during the time. This is done with the idea 
of equalizing auy inequality in price arising from market 
fluctuations. The workings of the association, Jso far as 
known, have been satisfactory to the members, with re¬ 
sults greatly in their favor. 
The Kaw Valley Potato Association is an incorporated 
body with the usual officers, its object being, as stated in 
the charter, “ to find markets for aud sell potatoes raised 
by its members.” Its stock is based, not on payments of 
money, but on acres of crop—10 being the basis for one 
share. Each share is entitled to a vote in the election of 
officers, who are authorized to take charge of the business 
of the association, within such limits as are imposed by 
its by-laws. The organization haviug been perfected, the 
members sold, with minor reservations, their entire 
potato crop to the association, in trust, “for one 
dollar and other considerations,” with snch bond 
and stipulations of forfeiture in case of failure 
to comply with the terms as rendered it cer¬ 
tain that there would be no “gigging back.” The asso¬ 
ciation on its part, agreed to take charge of the consoli¬ 
dated crop and sell it whenever the individual producers 
wished it marketed, charging for its services one cent a 
bushel. The by-laws have been thought out with much 
travail, and have covered all the contingencies that have 
arisen so far in its operations. Without an exception, its 
members are pleased with its workings, and since it did so 
well when it had the awkwardness of anew machine, they 
feel justified in expecting still better results in the future. 
It is not limited to the neighborhood of Edwardsville, but 
is open to all potato-growers between Topeka and Kansas 
City, “ whose potato crop for the current year amounts to 
10 acres or over.” 
Before the early potatoes were ready to dig, the secretary 
of this association engaged in a wide correspondence to 
ascertain the condition of the growing crop. During the 
season of marketing the early potatoes, the two secretaries 
literally “ kept the wires hot.” The ordinary telegraph 
business done at Edwardsville averages less than §10 per 
month: but during July the telegraph business of that 
office was $497.34, the two associations being mainly re¬ 
sponsible for the increase. Between June 23 and August 
16, there were shipped from Edwardsville 248 car loads of 
potatoes, of which 202 were forwarded by the two associa¬ 
tions ; while from points outside of Edwardsville, the 
Kaw Valley P. A., shipped about 60 car-loads additional— 
the entire output of 308 car-loads making a return of over 
$100,000. What this trend toward consolidation may por¬ 
tend for agriculture—and it seems equally serviceable to that 
calling in the production and sale of the crop—there are plain 
indications that to some phase of it all classes of farmers 
are “catching on.” The subjoined clipping from to-day’s 
Kansas City Journal is one of the straws that show the 
direction of the wind : 
“The fruit growers will meet again to day for the second 
time since the organization of the Missouri Valley Fruit 
Growers’ Association. They will meet at 704 Kansas Ave¬ 
nue, for the purpose of hearing the report of the committee 
selected to solicit sale for 20,000 barrels of apples. It is un¬ 
derstood that the association has succeeded in not only 
raising the price of the fruit, but has practically disposed 
of nearly all of the crop in sight. The scarcity of apples 
and the prevailing local prices being so low, forced the 
growers into the combine, and, like their potato raising 
brethren, they came out ahead, and are counting the cash.” 
Edwardsville, Kan. 
BARN-DOOR EXPERIENCE. 
T. B. TERRY. 
When the carpenter built my tool-hous3 with 14 outside 
doors, I told him to plane them off at the top, so that they 
certainly would never stick. He said : “ It would be better 
to make them fit closely, for they always settle,” and he 
had his way. Two years later, when my basement barn 
was built, I got the carpenter to plane off the tops of most 
of the tool house doors. They had not settled a bit, and 
in damp weather they would stick at the top. • The door 
caps above I suppose swelled a little (and sometimes settled 
a little too), and there was no space for “ going and com¬ 
ing.” But this planing of the tops of the doors when 
they are on, is hard work, and the man did not take off 
much. As soon as they swung without sticking he said 
he had planed off enough. I also insisted tnat the doors 
in the new barn should be left a little loose on top, so that 
I might have no trouble with them. Well, they were all 
right for a time. Once since they were huug, however, we 
have had to get up (14 feet high) and plane them off. We 
have had very damp weather during the past two weeks 
and yesterday five doors were sticking at the top and I had 
to get up and doctor them. But there was one pair of 
large doors that was all right, and I think always will be. 
I feel satisfied every time I open them. They open into 
my covered barn-yard. An extension was built to this yard 
this summer, making it just right now, with ample room 
for any purpose. When the carpenter was ready to make 
the doors, I got a strip of lath, rather over an eighth of 
an inch in thickness, and tacked it in under the door cap. 
Now“,” said I, “ fit your doors while that is in there, and 
then when you are through take it out, and I will have 
one pair of doors that will not be sticking at the top in 
every spell of wet weather.” He looked as though he 
thought I did not know much, but I have to use those 
doors, and propose to have them so that there will be no 
chance of getting out of patience with them in the future. 
Our doors were all built right where they hang, and this 
I think the cheapest and best way. The three cross-pieces 
are tacked in in the proper places, and then matched floor¬ 
ing is nailed on up and dowu with wire nails long enough 
to go through and clinch. Then the hinges are put on. 
Next the cross pieces are sawed down in the middle and 
braces are put on inside. This makes light but strong 
and cheap doors. Where stock come next to them on the 
inside we line them five or six feet high with matched 
hard-wood flooring, so that the outside boards cannot be 
kicked off. Sliding doors on the outside of a building I 
do not want. Time and again when, in winter, I have been 
visiting farmers who had such doors, they would take me 
up to them, try to open them, and say: “I guess we will 
have to go around” They are not so neat and tight as 
my doors and cost more. Give me a well-made, light 
swing-door that will swing every time and not stick at 
the top, and let there be fastenings to hold it both when 
shut and open. There should be a simple and convenient 
way of fastening every barn-door when open as well as 
shut. This saves not only the door from slamming and 
getting broken, but also the owner’s temper. We do not 
have to hunt for a stick to hold any of our doors open. 
Summit County, Ohio. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
Implements at the Ohio Fair.— Among the new fea¬ 
tures were two new steel plows—“ Star No. 3 ” and “ Star 
No. 4,” and the Oliver Jr. gaug and Oliver Jr. sulky, all 
made by the Oliver Chilled Plow Compauy, South Bend, 
Ind. The “Star” plows are made for sandy prairie 
ground. E. M. Bissell, of South Bend, Iud., the inventor 
of the chilled process of hardening plows, has adopted a 
concave landside, to reduce the friction. This company 
showed also a new automatic sV'e-hill plow, the plow lock¬ 
ing itself when turned ; and a vineyard plow, in which the 
adjustment of the beam throws the implement to the left 
to plow near the vines or a row of trees. The Bucher & 
Gibbs Plow Company, Canton. O., has designed and uses 
a method of changing the draft from the seat of its 
Queen gang and sulky plows. This company showed a 
new prairie plow. The Stoddard Manufacturing Company 
has a new shoe press drill. P. P. Mast & Co., Spring- 
field, O., exhibited their new low dowu drill, with four 
wheels. The advantage of this is that there is no weight 
on the horses’ necks, and no side draft. Its disadvantage 
lies in the extra draft, owing to the small size of the 
wheels. A new feature in corn planters was exhibited by 
E. K. Hayes, Galva, Ill., consisting of an arrangement by 
which the Corn may be drilled, a single kernel in a place, 
or dropped in hills of any desired number of kernels. It is 
called the Hayes “Special.” An entirely new feature in 
the Walter A. Wood mowers is a rigid connection between 
the pitman rod and sickle-nar, dispensing with the worst 
wearing connection in the machine. The new carriage 
wheels of the Wood machines are made wholly of steel. 
Aultman, Miller & Co. are now making their Buckeye 
mowers with cutter-bars ranging from four to seven feet 
in length. The novelty in their harvesters this year is the 
“ Frameless ” harvester, in which there is no frame-work 
outside the large carriage wheel. In this there is but one 
cog gear and two chain gears. Simplicity of construction 
and lightness of draft are the advantages claimed for it. 
There is but a single lever to the reel, by which all adjust¬ 
ments are made. F. E. Myers & Brother, Ashland, O., 
exhibited, with their display of pumps, the Myers “Im¬ 
perial ” automatic regulator, by which the windmill at¬ 
tached to a pump is automatically thrown out of gear by 
the rise of the water in the tank as it is filled. They also 
exhibited a “New Departure” hay sling, with which the 
hay or grain in bundles is hoisted and carried by passing 
the ropes around a cylinder and large wheel. w. s. D 
A Sewing Machine Treadle.— Probably no single 
article at the Wisconsin Fair created more excitement or 
was so constantly the center of a crowd of admiring ladies 
as the Gem Sewing Machine Swing Treadle. This is an 
attachment which is put upon any machine and is opeiated 
by simpiy placing one foot upon the treadle and swinging 
it forward and back, entirely doing away with all foot- 
and-ankle motion, as all the motion is in the knee joint. 
It has been highly recommended by many leading phy¬ 
sicians both in Wisconsin and Michigan as the long- 
looked-for preventive of the injuries to health caused by 
running sewing machines. L. H. READ. 
That Corn Harvester.— Speaking of the machine de¬ 
scribed on page 608, the Genesee (Ill.) News says: “Last 
week V. W. Clough gave his ensilage harvester a thorough 
practical test. It has more than met his expectations. 
Without crowding he was enabled to get out ensilage corn 
at the rate of 50 loads of over a ton each per day, with two 
men and a team. A number of people have visited him 
and taken patterns of it, intending to have machines built 
for their own use. He still adheres to his resolution not 
to patent the device, but to give the farmers the benefit of 
it free of charge. He has his whole crop of silage stored 
and has saved a vast amount of labor by use of the 
harvester.” 
Combination Carriage Seat.— At the New York State 
Fair was shown a com ination carriage seat for a third 
person. When not in use it is folded out of the way. 
This would be a perfect blessing to elderiy persons and 
heavy weights when compelled to take an extra passenger. 
It can be attached in a minute to any wagon. 
A one-cent postage stamp will carry this 
paper to your friend by mail after you have 
read it and written your name on the corner 
of the wrapper. 
THE NEW WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY. 
In pursuance of their policy of keeping up to date, the 
publishers of Webster's Unabridged Dictionary have just 
issued a new edition under the title of “ Webster’s Inter¬ 
national Dictionary.” This last and most complete re¬ 
vision has been made under the supervision of the men 
who formerly revised the work, and was undertaken before 
there were any rivals in the field. The supplement to the 
1SS0 edition has all been worked into the body of the book 
and the appendixes have all been revised. There are 1,000 
additional illustrations and the old ones have been changed 
and newly engraved. A very useful feature is the re¬ 
spelling of all words to give the pronunciation, instead of 
depending upon phonetic accents. The old matter has not 
only been revised, but in many instances has been largely 
amplified. For example, in the old work two inches are 
given to the word “Grass.” In the new work nearly a 
column and a half is used, giving the familiar and botan¬ 
ical names of the chief grasses of the country, while pic¬ 
tures of each kind appear in the classified collection of 
illustrations in the back of the book. Among the more 
noticeable new features of the work are the new portrait 
of Noah Webster, the Preface by Noah Porter, D. D., 
LL. D , the Indo-Germanic roots in English, and the en¬ 
larged Synopsis of Words differently pronounced in which 
the modem authorities appear. The contributors to this 
great work are numerous and of the highest authority in 
their various departments. Among them are Professors 
Porter, Chittenden, Eaton, Wright, Richards and Verrill, 
of Yale University; Alexander Duane, M. D., Prof. Henry 
A. Beers, and many others. The number of pages is 2,118, 
and the price the same as that of the old edition, $10. Pub¬ 
lished by G. & C. Merriam & Co., Springfield, Mass. 
