1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
8o5 
AMONG THE MARKETMEN. 
WHAT I SAW AND HEARD. 
How much should a good cauliflower weigh ? A 
commission merchant showed one which weighed, 
trimmed ready for market, nine pounds. He thought 
it a heavy weight. It was a beauty, but I am under 
the impression that smaller ones would be more 
acceptable to the general trade. 
X % X 
“Whatever you do, don’t tell any one to ship me 
any apples,” was the plaint of one commission dealer. 
The docks and stores have been nearly swamped with 
them, and prices have ruled low because of the large 
quantity. Cold weather is likely to come at any time, 
too, so that it is necessary to dispose of them as soon 
as possible in some way. People should eat more 
apples. 
X X X 
In the Philadelphia market, Monday is “potato 
day,” and shippers tell me that so well is this under¬ 
stood, that buyers flock in on that day, and a little 
higher price is usually obtained—only a cent or so 
per bushel, perhaps, but enough to make it an object 
to be around when the buyers are looking for goods. 
It always pays to be ready when customers are ready 
to buy. 
X X X 
Have you noticed how very gradually the price of 
butter has been advancing during recent weeks ? 
That is a good, healthy way for the market to work ; 
much better than the extreme and sudden changes 
we sometimes see. The moderate supply is given as 
the cause of the advance, and there is said to be a 
scarcity of the best grades, both of creamery and 
dairy butter. The export demand is moderate. 
t X X 
Interest in the foreign apple market seems to be 
well sustained. The British markets have improved, 
and higher prices have ruled. Baldwins and the best 
red varieties are the most in demand. Shipments will 
be lighter from now on, as the steamers have curtailed 
the space usually occupied by apple exports, hence 
prices are likely to keep up. There will be a good 
demand for apples for the Christmas market. Only 
the choicest fruit, sorted and packed in the best pos¬ 
sible shape, should be sent. Prices received last week 
are reported to have netted from something over $1 
to upwards of $1.70 per barrel, Some recommend 
half barrels for packages. The total arrivals in Liver¬ 
pool up to November 19, were 784,882 barrels against 
128,283 barrels last year. It costs in the neighbor¬ 
hood of $1 a barrel to ship to the English markets. 
X X X 
The most prominent market feature during the past 
week, has been the poultry. The weather, on the 
whole, was favorable, though it became too warm at 
the last end of the ante-Thanksgiving market. It is 
surprising what a big difference the weather makes. 
Not only does cold, clear weather insure better con¬ 
dition of dressed poultry, but the receivers feel more 
confident, and are less anxious to force sales. But 
let the weather turn warm and moist, and immediately 
efforts are made to crowd the poultry on the market, 
and prices are often sacrificed to accomplish this. So 
it is easy to see how a change of a few degrees will 
affect the returns. The supply of turkeys was limited, 
and those of good quality and condition sold for ex¬ 
cellent prices. Choice ducks were not received so 
largely as had been expected, hence sold well. Fowls 
and chickens were sent in in large quantities, and 
prices were low. Live chickens and fowls came in so 
freely from the South and Southwest that the market 
was nearly swamped, and prices went to five cents 
for the former and seven cents for the latter. These 
extreme low prices are likely to check shipments, and 
prices are likely to go higher. One now sees many of 
the patent wire poultry cars in the freight yards j 
they are a great improvement over the old methods 
of transporting live poultry. f. H. v. 
THE COST OF NEBRASKA CORN. 
HOW IT COMPARES WITH COAL. 
I send you the following figures on my corn crop of 
1889, most of which was used for fuel, because at the 
moment it was cheaper than coal. I do not follow 
farming as a business, but I kDow what it costs when 
I do raise a crop. This piece of land was used for 
corn because I could not use it for the purpose it was 
intended when rented : 
Plowing eight acres at $1 per acre. $8.00 
Harrowing at 1214c. per acre. 1.00 
Planting at 25c. per acre. 2.00 
One bushel seed.25 
Cultivating two times at $3. 6.00 
Kent, cash, at $2 per acre..... 16.00 
Gathering 520 bushels at 2c per bushel. 10.40 
Total cost.$43.65 
This crop of corn, as you will see, cost about 8% 
cents per bushel. The market price then was eight 
cents. For soft lump coal we had to pay $7.50 per ton 
and haul it. The corn cost less than $2.50 per ton, 
and would last nearly as long as a ton of coal. I could 
have exchanged it for coal by paying for shelling and 
hauling to market, which was only 2% miles away. 
Corn on the cob makes an excellent fire, and is cleaner 
to use in the stove than coal. We had the corn, we 
burned it, but the outcome shows that it was a very 
foolish way to dispose of the crop. It is true I had 
no money to buy lumber to make a bin to store it in, 
but at that time we all had credit and a good name 
in Nebraska. I could have borrowed the money easy 
enough, but farming was not my business, and I 
thought I would dispose of the crop the easiest way, 
and in the way that would benefit me most with the 
least trouble and expense. Our crop was a complete 
failure in 1890, and I had to pay 60 cents per bushel 
for corn and 50 cents per bushel for oats to feed the 
team. It would have been pretty nice to have had 
400 bushels of corn to unload to the “ sufferers ” at 
60 cents per bushel before another crop could be 
raised. Now if we had got a “ bumper ” crop in 1890, 
our foresight would have been all right. 
On page 756 of The R. N.-Y., you say, “ We have 
often wondered if it is really true that sound grain is 
ever used for fuel.” In order that you may see for 
yourself the quality of corn often burned in the west, 
I send you two ears by mail, and I expect it will cost 
me the price of a bushel of corn to pay the postage. 
The sample is no better than we burned. I have 
selected medium-sized ears, for if I should send the 
largest and heaviest I could find, it might cost me the 
price of two or more bushels. Think of hauling 10 
bushels of such corn down town to pay for The R. 
N.-Y. one year. 
I have a little corn crop this year, and as it may be 
of interest to some of your readers, I will give you its 
yield and cost. It may appear to many that my 
charges for doing the work are very low, but I assure 
you 1 could hire the work done for the amount. In 
fact, I did hire a man to come with a planter, check 
rower and team, and he boarded himself and planted 
the 24 acres for just the amount charged for planting, 
viz., 20 cents per acre : 
Breaking stalks on 24 acres at 12*4 cents per acre.$3.00 
Baking stalks and burning at 25 cents per acre. 6.00 
Plowing 24 acres at $1 per acre.24.00 
Harrowing two times at 12*4 cents per acre. 6.00 
Planting at 20 cents per acre. 4.80 
Three bushels seed at 30 cents per bushel. 90 
Cultivating three times at $2.50 per day.22.50 
Gathering 1,120 bushels at 1*4 cent per bushel.16.80 
Total cost...$84.00 
Thus you will see that this piece of corn cost not 
quite 7% cents per bushel, but we pay two-fifths, or 
448 bushels of the crop for rent, so that my share 
costs me nearly 11% cents per bushel. Corn is quoted 
on our market at 12 cents per bushel to-day, and in 
spite of past experience, many people will again burn 
corn this winter. In fact, a man living in a neighbor¬ 
ing city, told me he had already laid in a supply of 
corn for fuel at 10 cents per bushel, as it was much 
cheaper than buying coal. When a man can get 50 
bushels of ears of corn for $2.50, it is cheaper than 
any coal we can buy. If people East would come here 
now, they would see thousands of bushels of corn 
piled on the ground like stacks of straw, and thou¬ 
sands of acres yet to be gathered. j. l. b. 
Kearney, Neb. 
R. N.-Y.—The ears sent were perfect specimens of 
a deep yellow dent corn, 16 rows, and 50 kernels to 
the row. 
THE NEW YORK LIVE STOCK SHOW. 
The second annual exhibition of the National Asso¬ 
ciation of Exhibitors of Live Stock was held at 
Madison Square Garden during Thanksgiving week. 
It is almost exclusively a show of cattle, sheep and 
swine, though a half dozen Shetland ponies repre¬ 
sented the equine race. The entries were much 
larger than last year, and the quality of the stock was 
of the best. Probably the cream of the leading 
American herds was here. The attendance was not 
what it should have been, partly, perhaps, because of 
the prohibitive admission fee—50 cents during the 
day and $1 at night. The attendance at the initial 
show last year was light, and it was generally 
acknowledged that the admission—$1 at all hours— 
was too high. So a concession was made this year by 
reducing the admission during the day. During the lat¬ 
ter part of the show it was reduced to 50 cents during 
the evening, when the great mass of people, most of 
whom are lovers of fine stock, are at liberty to attend. 
The horse show is the only attraction of this char¬ 
acter that will stand an admission fee of $1. A 
first-class live stock show in the Metropolis is most 
desirable, but the management must be on liberal 
lines to insure its continuance. 
The show was admirably managed in many respects. 
The arrangement of exhibits was superior to that of 
last year. The premiums offered were liberal. The 
show was managed by the Madison Square Garden 
Company. The judges were experts on the various 
breeds handled by them. Music by an excellent 
band added to its charm. Nowhere else could be got 
together cattle which represent so much wealth. 
Many of the owners are what are called the Wall 
Street farmers. Here were the Guernseys of A. J. 
Cassatt and J. B. Duke, the Normandys of Chester W. 
Chapin, the Jerseys of E. L. Clarkson, the Holsteins 
of A. A. Cortelyou, and the Simmenthals and Nor¬ 
mandys of T. A. Havemeyer, who is said to feed his 
cattle on sugar—indirectly, probably. Among the 
sheep, too, wealthy owners are represented by Wm. 
Rockefeller, W. Bayard Cutting, G. Howard Davison, 
Rutherford Stuyvesant, Miss Iselin, and others, and 
hogs by Wills A. Seward. It isn’t likely that these 
farmers realize large returns from their investment, 
but they are doing the live stock industry of the 
country a great service. 
The Simmenthals, both purebred and Jersey crosses, 
attracted much attention. These are strong, hardy¬ 
looking animals, as are the Normandys. Several 
calves from the crosses of each of these breeds on Jer¬ 
seys were shown, but as they are not yet six months 
old, it is impossible to say how they will develop. 
The beef breeds were well represented by the Short¬ 
horns, Herefords, and Aberdeen-Angus in about equal 
numbers. These were almost entirely from the West, 
some from as far away as Iowa. The breeders of 
these animals seemed well pleased with their experi¬ 
ence here, as these shows have helped them to intro¬ 
duce their stock to eastern butchers, and sales have 
been made at prices that are far ahead of those they 
received at Chicago. Sales are what tell the story 
with these men. Many special prizes were offered for 
the best animals in these and other breeds, by the 
breeders’ associations of the different breeds. 
The dairy breeds were well represented by the 
Jerseys, Guernseys, Holstein-Friesians, and Ayrshires, 
the last two breeds coming out in large numbers, the 
Holsteins leading all others in number of entries. 
Farmer Morton didn’t send his Guernseys. 
The sheep were about all of the mutton breeds, 
Shropshires, South Downs, Oxford Downs, Hampshire 
Downs, Cotswolds and Dorsets, the first leading in 
point of numbers. There were some Lincolns and 
Leicesters, some half dozen French Merinos, and quite 
a showing of grades and crosses between the different 
breeds. The fad of coloring exhibition sheep is not 
a pleasant one for those who wish to see things as they 
are. Exhibitions of driving and penning sheep by dogs 
were given, one of which was stopped by the S. P. C. 
A. Some of the sheep shown were immense animals, 
fit only for exhibition purposes. 
There were not so many hogs as sheep, but they 
were a weighty lot. Berkshires and Poland-Chinas 
represented the blacks, Duroc-Jerseys the reds, and 
Small Yorkshires the whites. Some of them were so 
fat that their eyes were almost hidden, and their shape 
was entirely changed. One monster was said to weigh 
over 800 pounds. As examples of what may be ac¬ 
complished by feeding, they were great successes. 
There was an exhibit of butter comprising about a 
score of entries. Some of it was entered by cream¬ 
eries, but most was by private individuals, some of 
whom have a fancy butter trade. In one corner, 
samples of milk from Normandy cattle were being 
given away to introduce it to the public. 
There was talk before the show of a trial test be¬ 
tween the different makes of separators ; but none of 
them seemed anxious to engage in such a contest, as 
they evidently realize that single tests prove nothing. 
The Vermont Farm Machine Company, The De Laval 
Company and D. H. Burrill, who is just bringing out 
a new make of separator, each had exhibits. The 
De Laval people have a small separator with a capa¬ 
city of 175 pounds per hour intended for from one to 
five cows. 
Incubators, brooders, and all conceivable kinds of 
poultry appliances were shown by the Excelsior Wire 
and Poultry Supply Company, and the Pineland In¬ 
cubator Company had samples of their goods. No 
poultry was shown this year. f. h. y. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Ip you don’t feel that you cau make your wife or daughter or 
sister or best girl a present of a piano or a gold watch, just order 
her a subscription for The Ladies’ Home Journal when you renew 
for The R. N.-Y. Both will cost you only $1.90, and with each 
monthly visit your kindly remembrance will be reflected in her 
gratitude. 
We have so often referred to the discussions as to the advant¬ 
ages of grinding grain at home that we do not attempt to repeat 
them here, but wish to say, nevertheless, that there is economy 
in home grinding with the right kind of a mill. We also think 
that the O. S. Kelly Company, Springfield, O., makes one of the 
mills that are the right kind. This firm makes mills in several 
sizes, and fully guarantees all. 
A. B. Farquhak, a manufacturer of traction engines, has 
written The R. N.-Y. that there are some things that they will not 
do and are not intended for. That is one of the good things about 
this house, they will tell you what their goods will not do as well 
as what they will do, and you can depend pretty safely on both. 
They also make saw mills and other farm implements. If you 
need their catalogue, send to A. B Farquhar, York, Pa. 
