1906 . 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
63 
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PRODUCTS, PRICES AND TRADE. 
Potato prices bold up to about the same 
level as for several weeks, but at present 
holders of the best grades are unwilling to 
sell without a little premium on quoted 
prices. This particularly applies to Euro¬ 
pean potatoes, some of which are very fine, 
wholesaling at $2 per 168-pound bag. Ber¬ 
muda stock is selling slowly. 
The apple market is in somewhat better 
condition than last week, though the drop 
in prices has not been fully recovered. The 
varieties seen here at present are : McIn¬ 
tosh; Spitzenburg; King; Spy; Greening; 
Ben Davis; Baldwin; York Imperial; Green¬ 
ing; Hubbardston; Winesap; Russet and Tal- 
man Sweet. The standard western varieties, 
such as Spitzenburg and Bellflower, are sell¬ 
ing at about double barrel prices, and are 
thus entirely out of reach of most retail 
buyers. 
Lambs. —I have never seen finer specimens 
than those that have been offered during the 
last month. They weighed about 35 pounds, 
were very fat, and with rather short legs and 
bodies. For hothouse lambs these look bet¬ 
ter than long-geared, rangy animals, which 
do not look fat enough unless too large to 
suit the trade. Some of these lambs, re¬ 
ceived from Ohio had wool as clean as 
though it had been washed. They were kept 
in a well-bedded place, and before shipment 
the wool was carefully brushed the wrong 
way wherever any spots or tag locks were 
to be seen. The fat of these lambs has none 
of the strong flavor of older animals, or those 
carelessly dressed, and is relished by those 
who ordinarily do not eat fat meats. The 
retail price. 50 to 75 cents per pound, is 
rather high for general use. 
Eggs have dropped six cents per dozen 
since last report. At this time last year 
they were 10 cents higher than at present, 
and the price held up to that level through 
February, while storage stock was working 
out steadily at 20 cents and up. Receipts 
are heavy and still lower prices may be 
looked for unless Winter develops a much 
more crabbed disposition than it has shown 
thus far. Doubtless the speculators who 
are now selling storage eggs at the same 
price at which they put them away last 
Spring would be glad to see all sorts of 
weather antics to discourage the hens, many 
of whom seem to think that Spring is here. 
Several weeks ago reference was made to a 
neighbor who was trying to encourage his 
hens with a home-made condition powder, 
which contained so much fenugreek that it 
tainted the eggs. The dose has been toned 
down so that this objection is removed, and 
the 65 hens are now laying 20 eggs a day 
regularly. They are allowed to run on the 
barn floor which is kept covered an inch 
deep with the shakings of bright clover hay 
The hens are continually working at this 
litter and eat a surprising amount of it, 
which perhaps has more to do with their 
laying than the condition powder mentioned. 
Onions of medium aud low grades are very 
plentiful and cheap. Some Connecticut 
whites are bringing $7 to .$8, but this grade 
Is always comparatively scarce, and the 
most experienced growers find that there is 
less profit in them than might be supposed 
from the high prices at which they usually 
sell, as many times they do not do well, are 
attacked by disease in the field or rot in 
storage. 
“What are you going to do about it?” is 
the attitude of too many produce commis. 
sion dealers when called to account for un¬ 
satisfactory treatment of shippers. They 
get up on their dignity at once when any 
explanation is requested and act as though 
handling goods for others was only a piece 
of condescension on their part. I have been 
self if the bargain proves to be a bad one, 
by docking for alleged short measure or de¬ 
terioration in quality. I would as soon con¬ 
sign my produce as sell it, if dealing with 
an honest man, aud certainly would not 
care to sell to one of the other kind. Of 
course the above refers to a wholesale busi¬ 
ness. Where a man gets a small-quantity 
trade direct with the consumer part of this 
middleman charge is removed. But this ex¬ 
tra profit will be seriously cut down by ad¬ 
ditional express charges and lost and dam¬ 
aged packages. H * 
LITTLE STORIES 
About Blanket Sheets. 
For the old-fashioned blanket sheet that 
you speak of, write the Piqua Woolen Mills. 
I have a pair of such blankets given at my 
wedding 20 years ago, that are good yet, just 
as good as you say they were when you were 
a boy. J. a. D. 
Why doesn't the "blanket sheet man" sleep 
on and between common blankets? I have 
done it, and on a featherbed for 20 years. 
Summer and Winter, and I want no better 
bed. Hot in Summer? Not a bit, throw off 
all unnecessary covering except the blanket. 
In Winter put on as much covering as you 
want. It is absolute comfort for me, and 
elderly men and women would be wise to 
adopt it. READER. 
I see some one asks about blanket sheets. 
Up here we use that kind in Winter. We 
get the common colored cotton blankets woven 
with the nap or fuzz like the cotton flannel, 
only it is both sides alike, with a colored 
border on the ends. We do not cut them, 
but separate the blanket and have one part 
under aud one over. They cost here from 60 
to 80 cents a blanket according to quality. 
If all wool is wanted they would cost from 
$4.56 to $5 per blanket, but the cotton is 
the easiest washed. mrs. w. h. r. 
Minnesota. 
On page 931 a correspondent writes of the 
warmth of blanket sheets. Alas! I fear the 
genuine article has gone out with the spin¬ 
ning wheel. We had them in my childhood, 
woven by my grandmother, and cherished as 
a relic of lang syne. Some of them were 
heavier than others, and in one corner had 
a circle with lines radiating from the center, 
done in red yarn, and were called “Rose 
blankets.” I think H. W. C. would find the 
same warmth now in a medium-priced pair 
of blankets bought at the store. These are 
woven in one piece and are separated after 
purchasing. Should she (or he, for a woman 
would know this) keep them as they are when 
bought his toes would never reach the outer 
air. But he must find a laundress who can 
wash them without shrinking, in these days 
of shoddy wool, and rules for that will be 
next in order. Then, too, the feather beds 
were much warmer than the mattresses of 
the present. The bliss of getting into the 
middle of a nice, fluffy feather bed and sink¬ 
ing down in the warm feathers till you found 
your level, is something entirely different 
from the cold, slimy (?) surface of a mat¬ 
tress in an unheated room. After all, the 
past had its redeeming qualities, at least in 
the minds of those who were young then. 
Massachusetts. h. h. 
Lou Dillon T ~r 
You can cultivate either between or astride 
the rows and you can change for any width row 
from 8 to 16 inches or from a fractional part of 
an inch to 4 inches in depth by one simple move¬ 
ment without tools and in a moment’s time. 
It is the easiest running cultivator made 
and the only one that man, woman or boy can 
push down the row at an easy, com- 
^ fortable, continuous walk.. 
Cgl The greatest little machine ever in- 
vented for amateur gardeners, straw- 
/ANZ berry raisers or truck farmers. 
It breaks up and works the ground 
evenly and rapidly and in one-third 
less time than any other cultivator. 
Vuiv, And if it does not suit you better 
*han any other hand cultivator 
y°u ever saw we will take it back 
BHK^\ and give you back your money. 
Write today for free descrip- 
■HBB tive catalog and price list. 
MBBm straw ^ >er ( j y growers 
LB M, °' Co *' 
iiiiiininnni me 
astonished at the attitude in such matters 
of reputable concerns of otherwise high 
standing. It is just as easy to be tactful 
in dealing with customers as to be surly, 
and tact surely stands next to honesty as a 
business policy. As a rule a thorough and 
detailed explanation, one that really explains, 
will satisfy even a considerably disgruntled 
shipper, and if a produce man cannot treat 
a complaint in this manner he ought to, get 
out of the business and go at digging out 
stumps or breaking stones. Now there is 
little use in a shipper’s raving or going to 
law with such people. The best way is to 
drop them and, when numerous shippers do 
this, they come to their senses. There are 
plenty of dealers with large interests, very 
busy men, who find time to treat a shipper 
courteously, even though he may be unrea- 
A low wagon 
at a low price. 
Handy for 
the farmer. 
Will carry a 
load any¬ 
where a horse 
can travel. 
Low Down Wagons 
soon earn their cost on any farm. 
Steel Wheels 
for farm wagons. Straight or stag¬ 
gered spokes. Any size wanted, any 
width of tire. Hubs to (It any axle. 
For catalogue and prices, write to 
Empire Mfg. Co., Box 70 H Quincy, 111 
sonable and cranky. 
“I want to sell, not consign, my goods,” 
writes a reader. “Tell me who will buy 
them.” The request is reasonable, and a 
quite natural one to make after an unsatis¬ 
factory experience in consigning. Yet the 
difference between the the two methods of 
disposing of produce is not so great as one 
might think. It costs money to handle the 
goods here, and the shipper will have to 
pay his share of this, either in commission 
and kindred charges, or in a lessened cash 
price, so the situation is about as broad as 
it Is long. As a rule it is well to be care¬ 
ful in dealing with a man who offers to buy 
goods without seeing them. This Is a fa¬ 
vorite scheme with frauds in the trade who 
do not expect to pay for the stuff. But a 
dealer who does pay is sure to protect him. 
GENUINE PERUVIAN GUANO 
Warranted Pure and Unadulterated. 
THE BEST SOURCE OF PLANT 
FOOD. 
Nitrate of Soda, Basic Slag, Potash Salts 
AND ALL 
Fertilizer Materials at Lowest Prices. 
Our 80 Page Book, Plant Food Problems, 
sent free of charge, if you mention The Rural 
New-Yorker. 
Our Agricultural Expert will test your soil and 
advise as to its proper fertilization, free of charge. 
We distribute fertilizing materials from New 
York, Boston, Mass., and Charleston, S- C. 
COE-MORTIMEK company, 
137 Front Street, New York City. 
HOW TO KEEP A GOOD SERVANT 
Lighten her work. Cut out the drudgery of washing. You 
would not ask her to wring clothes by hand—why expect her 
to wash them by hand? The wringer was a wonderful inven¬ 
tion, but the 
Syracuse “Easy” Washer 
saves hours where the wringer saves minutes; saves the whole 
body where the wringer saves only hands and arms ; saves 
dollars on wear and tear of clothes where the 
wringer saves dimes. It completely solves the 
problem of economical family washing and 
the servant problem, so far as the washing 
is concerned. 
Made of galvanized steel, will neither shrink, swell, 
rust nor leak. Sanitary as porcelain. Unlike suds- 
soaked wooden tubs and washers, there is no retention 
of germs or filth, no disagreeable odors, nothing cum¬ 
bersome or clumsy about it. Send for our free book 
of Modem Laundry Form ulas and learn how wash¬ 
ing, scalding and bleaching are done in one operation. 
Send for the washer cn 
30 Days’ Free Trial 
freight prepaid. Learn how suds is forced through the fabric 
by air pressure—ho » the clothes are perfectly cleansed with¬ 
out friction on the clothes or on the servant. After 30 days’ 
trial return the machine at our expense and lose the maid at 
your expense, or keep the machine and keep the maid. 
DODGE & ZUILL, 539B South Clinton St., SYRACUSE, N. Y. 
k No. 6 Iron Age Combined^ 
Double and Single 
.Wheel Hoe,Hill, 
k and Drill 
k w Seeder. 
Your Spring Help 
What kind of help will you have this spring. Will 
you do your work the old way with many men and 
much expense, or employ the time-saving, labor¬ 
lessening and money-making 
IRON AGE Implements 
These Implements comprise tools for the cultivation of all crops. The 
^o. 6tool shown, prepares the ground, sows the seed and cultivates 
the growing crop. The Iron Age (Improved Robbins) Potato 
Planter has no competitor. The only planter -performing 
absolutely perfect work. Riding and Walking Cultivators, 
Sprayers, Hoes, Drills, Potato Diggers, etc., all are shown in 
the New Iron Age Rook. Most complete and instructive book 
on crop raising published. Write for it. It’s Free. 
BATEMAN MFC. CO., Box 102, Crenloch.N. J. 
Iron Ago 
(Improved 
Robbins) 
Potato 
Planter. 
I PUr Pulverizing Harrow 
M V HI Ei <P|k^P*Clod Crusher and Leveler. 
sto^Lt V bent on trial. 
To be returned at my expense if not satisfactory. 
Agents V The best pulverizer—cheapest 
Harrow on earth. The 
I dlliv^^'iS^New York, Chicago, Columbus, Louisville, Kansas City, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Portland, etc. 
DUANE H. NASH, Sole Manufacturer, * Millington, New Jersey. 
BRANCH HOUSES: 110 W. W..hln„ton St., CHICAGO. 2*0-244 7th A*.. S.. /2ituS^“otUol 
KANSAS CITY. MO. 216 loth St., LOUISVILLE, KY. Cor. Water and W. Cay St.., COLUMBUS, OHIO. 
KANSAS CITY, mu . * PLEA HR MENTION THIS PAPFK. __ 
FREE & A 70 Bus. Great Western ED EX 
rncc A - SPREADER rntt 
iihyT*. Have yon 125 loads of Manure, or more, to 
spread? Are you going to plant 25 or more 
^ acres of corn? If so, let us know and we 
?l will show you how you can own a M anure 
Spreader absolutely free. Write just 
these words on a postal card or in a 
i letter—"I have.loads of manure 
_ _ to spread this spring; I will plant . ... 
acres of corn: I have . acres ofland; .horses; • .....cows and.small stock." Write it today, 
SMITH MANUFACTURING CO., P.O.Box 7549. 162 Harrison St., Chicago. 
Tight Top 
Pitcher Spout 
PUMP 
* 1.00 
This Pump fills 
the requirement for 
a cheap but substan¬ 
tial pump for use in 
house, over cistern 
or over drive well. 
Lever can be turned 
to any desired posi¬ 
tion, and by raising 
lever to extreme 
height, valves are _ 
tripped to prevent freezing. We carry a large 
line of suction and force pumps. 
Our New 600 Page Catalog No 90 
gives full description and prices, and contains a 
wider variety and many new lines not found in 
the old one. Prices lower than ever. Write 
for it to-day and also for our Grocery Catalog, 
showing you how you can save *4 your living ex¬ 
penses. Freight and express rates are cheaper 
from New York than any other city in America. 
White,Van Glahn& Co 15 Chatham Sq. 
NEW YORK CITY. 
OLDESTHA/L ODDER 
HOUSE IN AMERICA 
Catalog free. 
MAKE MONEY 
pulling stumps, grubs, etc., 
and clearing land for your* 
self and others, Hereul*. 
Stump Rtiller I, the best. 
Hirculit Mfg. Co.. Cast. PS. Ctnttrrlllijfc 
THE PAPEG 
PNEUMATIC 
Ensilage Gutter 
will prepare you a better Bil&ge and fill your 
silo in lesB time, with less power and with legs 
trouble to you than any other olower ensilage 
cutter made. 
It is the most convenient and (he easiest to 
operate. It never clogs, never gets out of 
order, never disappoints. We guarantee e very 
machine to be perfect and to do the work 
claimed for it. 
If you need an ensilage cutter you need a 
Pspec. Send for catalog giving full particulars 
Papec Machine Co., Box 10, Lima, N. Y. 
t 
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