1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
485 
MARKET PRICES FOR FARM PRODUCE. 
HOW THEY ARE MADE UP. 
The R. N.-Y. of June 13, 1896, in the market reports, quotes, 
“Norfolk green string beans, $1.25 to $1.75 per half-barrel.” In 
the same mail with the above issue of The R. N.-Y., I received 
the following by postal card from a New York commission firm: 
“ New York, June 12, 1896. 
'• Dear Sir: Do not ship any more beans—will not pay cost of 
shipment. Selling from 20 to 30 cent8 per basket, and very hard 
to sell at any price.” 
The baskets referred to were half-barrel baskets. How does 
The R. N.-Y. make up its quotations? Do they represent the 
highest, lowest or medium prices for the week ? I know that the 
price is dependent on the supply, and that there may be great 
fluctuations in a short space of time. c. l. g. 
Virginia. 
The above are fair statements and questions, and 
deserve fair answers. Let us say, first, just what we 
have said before, that no market reports in a weekly 
paper can be worth the space they occupy, so far as 
being an accurate guide to shippers. In these days 
of fast mails, telegraphs, long-distance telephones, 
and lightning express trains, a market report in a 
weekly paper is simply ancient history so far as being 
of any use to intending shippers. Supplies and prices 
change too rapidly in this market for a weekly price 
list to be an accurate guide. It is simply a record of 
conditions and prices at the time it was made. 
Let us take the case mentioned, as it is typical of a 
large part of the produce coming here—the perishable 
part. The R. N.-Y. goes to press on Saturday one 
week ahead of its date, and is printed and mailed 
early the following week. The market quotations 
given are those ruling in the general market at 
the time the paper is made up; they are not “the 
highest, lowest, or medium, for the week.” They are 
the latest actual jobbers’ prices just as nearly as it is 
possible to get them. The R. N.-Y. of June 13, went 
to press June 6. We presume that it reached our 
friend about June 10, that is, if he gets his mail from 
the office promptly. A letter or postal received in the 
same mail was, probably, mailed here June 9. This 
would be three or four days later than our reports 
could possibly be compiled, and the market had ample 
time to go to pieces three or four times in this time. 
The fact of the matter is that our report was correct, 
but shortly after, the quantity of beans received was 
something enormous. It was far beyond the demand, 
prices went down, and the condition was as described 
on the postal quoted. This same condition occurs 
repeatedly, especially on perishable fruits and vege¬ 
tables, throughout the season. Any shipper who 
depends upon weekly reports for guidance in his ship¬ 
ments, is bound to lose at such times. The one who 
is daily advised by his commission merchant, will take 
advantage of the market. For instance, the market 
to-day becomes glutted with some product. Either 
by mail or telegraph, just as the shipper may desire, 
the commission merchant notifies the shipper to with¬ 
hold shipments. On the other hand, there may be a 
scarcity of some product that the commission mer¬ 
chant knows some shippers are prepared to send. A 
commission merchant told the writer of such a case 
where an extensive grower of peaches who, of course, 
wished to get the most possible for his crop, made 
arrangements by which he was to be notified by tele¬ 
graph when the market was most favorable. Of 
course, the shipping of peaches couldn’t be delayed 
many days ; but sometimes, probably for the reason 
that most shippers happen to hold off at the same 
time, the market is less freely supplied. At such a 
time, a telegram was sent, the peaches were shipped, 
good sales were made, and shipper and receiver were 
both happy. Of course, it is difficult for small shippers 
to -avail themselves of this advantage ; but they can 
combine. Small shipments and small shippers are 
always at a disadvantage in this market. 
Potatoes from Norfolk had just such a slump this 
summer, as had the beans, probably because most of 
the shippers tried to get their stock here before prices 
declined. Other products often meet similar condi¬ 
tions. Shipping is a sort of lottery, but the shipper 
should avail himself, not only of the most reliable, 
but of the latest intelligence about the market. 
Our friend l * knows that the price is dependent on 
the supply.” This is only a half truth, for the de¬ 
mand is the first factor, and it matters little how 
small the supply if there be no demand, prices will be 
low. Thus it happens, sometimes, that prices are low 
when the supply is not large, and, on the contrary, 
are fairly good when the supply is large. One other 
point that shippers fail to understand, is that most 
of the business here is done early in the morning, 
and delayed shipments, reaching here late in the day 
after the bulk of the trade is over, sell for much 
lower prices than the early arrivals. The Old Dominion 
steamers are sometimes delayed by fog, and railroad 
trains meet with accident, causing quite a loss on 
their freight. Two shippers might send goods of equal 
grade, by different routes, one arriving early, the 
other late, and the latter selling on the same day 
for half the price of the former. It would look as 
though some one was cheated ; but this happens re¬ 
peatedly. There are many ins and outs to this busi¬ 
ness which it would take pages to explain 
One more point to remember is that such perish¬ 
able products as fresh vegetables, berries, etc., are 
more liable to fluctuate widely and quickly than 
apples, butter, and goods that can be held for some 
time without deterioration. Anything perishable 
must be sold; prices must go down to move the goods. 
FARMERS AND FARM MACHINERY. 
DO THEY HAVE TROUBLE IN SETTING UP MACHINES ?. 
Are Directions Closely Followed? 
Do you find that farmers, as a rule, are prepared to follow 
directions exactly in setting up and running farm machinery? 
Can you give any cases where a failure to do this has resulted in 
trouble and complaint ? 
Some Never Read Directions. 
We cannot give, just now, definite cases of com¬ 
plaint regarding machines, which have arisen from 
failure to comply with the directions ; but we wish to 
say emphatically that this frequently occurs, and is 
one source of great annoyance to us. We know that 
our experience does not differ materially from many 
other manufacturers. We have been repeatedly put 
to great expense, and been compelled to send experts 
long distances to remedy complaints which arose 
entirely from failure to follow the printed directions, 
and we find that, in many cases, the printed direc¬ 
tions are never even taken from the tool box and 
read. We do not know what the remedy for such 
willful ignorance is; to charge to the party the ex¬ 
pense caused by such action, would almost certainly 
involve a lawsuit to collect it, and under the farce of 
the jury system, collection would be impossible. 
KEYSTONE MFG. CO. 
A Novel Idea of Tags. 
We have found, in our years of experience with the 
farming community, that the average farmer is very 
much inclined to take his own ideas, not following 
carefully the printed directions which we attach to 
every machine ; consequently, many times a machine 
is condemned when the trouble arises entirely with 
their not setting it up correctly. I recall o*ne instance, 
several years ago, when we manufactured a hay 
tedder, which had a sleeve that carried the fork. To 
run the machine properly, the sleeve was to be on the 
top of the fork, and we took particular pains to have 
a printed tag tied in, stating “ This side up,” so that 
there would be no mistake. On receiving complaint 
from a purchaser, we sent one of our men there who 
found that he was running it with every sleeve on the 
under side of the fork. When asked what he did 
with the tags attached to the same, he stated that he 
cut them off as he did not suppose they amounted to 
anything. We have had several similar instances of 
this kind, that could be cited. If farmers would 
carry out the printed directions carefully, it would 
save them lots of trouble, and manufacturers a good 
deal of annoyance. the cutaway harrow co. 
An Old and Mighty Grievance. 
Our experience has been that, not only have we ex¬ 
perienced difficulty in having farmers set up and run 
machines according to directions, but it is one of the 
most serious matters in our business. We try to make 
our directions for setting up and running our machines 
as clear and easily understood as possible ; but 
although “ you can bring a horse to water, you can’t 
make him drink,” and there is no way that we can 
find of enforcing attention to our instructions. The 
result is that machines are set up and run according 
to “original ideas,” and following this too frequently 
comes poor working of the machine, dissatisfaction 
on the farmer’s part and consequent rupture of the 
pleasant relations between him and the manufacturer. 
The amount of expense and trouble that this entails is 
incalculable. For instance, from a letter which reaches 
us from one of our experts, we quote the following : 
I have been very successful in repairing the binders that did 
not give satisfaction in the harvest of 1895. They were set up in 
every shape imaginable. 
Anything that you can do toward persuading the 
farmers to attend carefully to the directions sent out 
by the manufacturers, will be a material help. Every 
make of machine has its own special points different 
from every other make, and machines of the same 
make vary from one year to another, so that, no 
matter how much a farmer may know, or how clever 
he may be in mechanics, he cannot afford to disregard 
assistance offered by manufacturers, d. m. osborne & co 
Make a Study of the Directions. 
All men are more or less dominated by the “ tyr¬ 
anny of tradition,” and farmers are no more free from 
it than other classes. Hence they are prone to en¬ 
deavor to make new machines produce results similar 
to such as they have heretofore been obtaining. For 
example, we have, after careful study, produced a 
cultivator which will give absolutely level cultivation; 
that is, the ideal cultivation in 99 cases out of 100. 
But we find in sections where ridge cultivation has 
been practiced, a tendency to disregard our instruc¬ 
tions, and set the machine to do work approximating 
old and inferior methods. As there are times and 
conditions when ridge cultivation is desirable, we, of 
course, make provision for such ; but our directions 
urge level work, and are too often disregarded. 
Again, after much thought and experiment, we 
have evolved a method of dispensing with the use of 
shields, a method whereby starting crops may be 
worked, and the earth stirred from the rows and re¬ 
turned again, and yet no soil be thrown on the plants. 
We furnish shields or fenders solely and simply be¬ 
cause farmers have been used to them, because with 
all former wheel cultivators they have been necessary, 
but our advice is never to use them with our improved 
tool ; but we daily see this advice disregarded, and 
the only reason we have ever been able to elicit is, 
“We have always used fenders during first cultiva¬ 
tion.” Now, all fenders are in the way, obstruct 
a portion of the view, are a bar to extremely close 
cultivation, are liable to distortion by stumps or 
stones, and in general, are a nuisance to be dispensed 
with if any way feasible ; but all these reasons count 
as nothing against habit. 
Again we advocate the use of our cultivator to pre¬ 
pare a bed for summer and fall seeding, because we 
know from actual test, that, in any land other than 
sod, the tool will make a better bed in half the time 
required by old methods. Yet farmers will walk be¬ 
hind the plow, then behind the drag, or scratch the 
ground unevenly with spring-tooth harrows, and 
leave in the shed the tool which will do the work 
more easily, quickly and thoroughly, simply because 
they do not study our directions. We often have 
farmers say that they did 4hot know our implement 
would do so and so, and were surprised to have the 
very item pointed out in our directions. 
None of us knows everything. The manufacturer 
has much to learn. The farmer can add to his stock 
of knowledge. The greatest good, therefore, is 
accomplished when we each give heed to the other, 
and improve and brighten our ideas by rubbing up 
against the ideas of others. Manufacturers desire 
farmers to get every last penny’s value out of their 
machinery, and for the reputation of their machinery, 
they seldom or never in their directions advocate im¬ 
practicable methods, .john moore’s son company. 
Not So Much Trouble of Late Years. 
Of late years, we do not experience nearly so much 
trouble or difficulty in getting farmers to set up and 
run agricultural machines according to directions. I 
am an “ old stager ” in the implement business, hav¬ 
ing had an experience, boy and man, of 37 years, and 
in old times, we had a great deal of trouble or difficulty; 
but the present generation of farmers understand 
machinery about as well as the manufacturer. There 
are exceptions, of course. Another reason is that 
practically all the implements sent out by reputable 
manufacturers at the present time, are all right and 
will do the work that they are recommended to do ; 
whereas, in old times, machinery was more or less 
defective, mainly in material. To-day, however, we 
can readily get material suited to different machines, 
and my own experience is that I have little or no 
difficulty in getting machinery started right. 
DUANE H. NA8II. 
Power Required to Make Speed. 
The principal trouble we have had with our ma¬ 
chines is due to the want of knowledge of speed. We 
are constantly bothered, particularly on tread powers 
(although the speed of the shaft of the power and the 
size of the band wheel are given), by the fact that 
people will hitch on to any machine which they 
happen to have, with any size pulley on it with which 
they may have been running it with a sweep power 
or engine ; the result is that they may, possibly, be 
running the machine five times too fast, or altogether 
too slow. We believe that, as a general thing, farm¬ 
ers using our class of machinery, get along wonder¬ 
fully well. This question of speed seems to be our 
principal trouble. Probably it would be very difficult 
to educate farmers how to figure speed, or have them 
understand that speed takes power. There is quite a 
prevailing opinion that the faster a machine runs, the 
more power it has. For instance, we were recently 
visited by quite an intelligent farmer who desired to 
buy a two-horse tread power. His brother had one 
of our three-horse tread powers, and he thought that, 
by speeding his machine so much faster, he could get 
as much power with two horses as his brother got 
with three, overlooking the fact that it takes power 
to make and hold speed. A peculiar thing in connec¬ 
tion with tread powers is that, when a man has his 
machine speeded too fast for his tread power, he 
almost invariably claims that it is not speeded fast 
enough, because he cannot get up motion ; when the 
fact is, that he hasn’t power enough to get up the 
motion which he already has, and do the work. Al¬ 
though he, perhaps, understands that the faster a 
machine runs, the more work it has to do or will do, 
he forgets that it takes power to do that additional 
work. APPLETON MEG. CO. 
