190 «. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PRODUCTS, PRICES AND TRADE. 
Butter. —The upper grades are one cent 
higher, the chief reason being hot weather 
which has decreased the proportion of fancy. 
This advance checks buying for speculation, 
which has been quite active. 
Those who have believed that the railroads 
still possess some slight consideration for the 
public will have to reverse their opinion now 
that the threat is made to increase transpor¬ 
tation rates on breakfast foods, so that they 
will cost the consumer 15 to 25 per cent 
more. 'The only ways of escape from this 
merciless attack on the very vitals of humanity 
seem to be to go back to good old pancakes 
or raise our own breakfast food material and 
buy a straw cutter as a kitchen accessory 
in preparing it. 
"What makes vegetables so scarce?" said 
a man who lives in this city and buys in 
small quantities. He judged that they were 
scarce on account of the high prices he paid. 
But I told him that this was largely due to 
the losses of the groceryman handling these 
things. The consumer must not only pay for 
the produce that he buys, but also make good 
the grocer's losses from bad debts and goods 
that spoil on his hands. This seems a hard 
outlook for the buyer but how else could the 
grocer keep going? It costs as much to 
handle vegetables when plentiful as when 
scarce, and as the handling expenses are at 
least half the retail price—in some cases more 
—a large crop of vegetables will bring down 
this retail price less than might be expected. 
These remarks apply to New York, where 
most of the consumers have to buy at long 
range and are nowhere near the grower or 
even the first handler. What a contrast this 
is with scores of smaller cities in this coun¬ 
try. Take Harrisburg. Pa., for instance, 
where Mr. Hartman disposes of his crops. 
This city of about 50.000, with its five 
markets, lias more actual market facilities, 
where consumers can buy at first hand, than 
the whole section covered by Greater New 
York. 
It may be a matter of news to some that 
the larger hotels and retail stores in this city 
receive every week, and some of them daily, 
unsolicited shipments of eggs, butter and 
other produce, with bill enclosed, usually a 
little above going prices. The Waldorf-As¬ 
toria hotel is a target for many shipments 
of this sort. The people who send these 
goods reason that as Mr. Boldt requires the 
best of everything he should be glad to get 
their crate of choice eggs or tub of good but¬ 
ter. But in most cases these unsolicited ship¬ 
ments sent to hotels are refused, and the 
express companies then deliver them to a 
regular commission dealer, who sells them 
for the highest price he can get, deducts ex¬ 
press charges and commission, and sends 
check for the net proceeds to the shipper. 
One man I know who handles considerable of 
this “refused” trade, says be gets several 
packages every week, and often half a dozen 
a day. Even though the goods were suitable 
and billed at moderate prices, few hotels 
would care to get supplies in this way, on 
account of the extra labor required to keep 
account of these small lots. Another draw¬ 
back is the lack of uniformity. By buying 
in small lots they would have butter of every 
shade of yellow, so they go to a man who 
makes a business of candling eggs or grading 
butter, and can get 25, 50 or more tubs or 
cases that will be all alike. It is a matter 
of getting what is required with the least 
trouble. 
Fruits.—T he top prices for peaches at 
present are on fruit from Western Maryland. 
Another week of hot muggy weather has 
damaged the fruit, and much of the basket 
stock looks decidedly tough. Plums have been 
scarce and a little higher. A few choice Bart¬ 
lett pears have arrived from Maryland and 
Jersey and sold well. There has been little 
change in apple trade. All that were nearly 
prime have held up well in price. The out¬ 
look for Winter apples is still a problem. I 
have heard of one dealer who is buying or¬ 
chards at 75 cents for the entire run, but this 
news was had indirectly and is not verified. 
There are long chances on both sides in such 
a deal at this price now. The fruit may still 
smut so badly that the buyer will lose, or with 
favorable conditions it may turn out so well 
that the seller will see his apples going for 
25 to 50 cents less than he ought to have. 
One observing dealer, who may be considered 
as something of a hybrid in apple crop 
prophecy, being also interested in the grow¬ 
ing end, makes the following estimate of 
percentages based on a full crop : New Eng¬ 
land. Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas 
and California, 80; Nebraska, 85; New York, 
75; Maryland, Virginia and other Southern 
States. 60 or less; Michigan and Indiana, 70. 
Receipts of grapes from Maryland and Dela¬ 
ware have increased, but are selling poorly. 
The popular price of 10 to 15 cents for four- 
pound baskets later has become so fixed In 
the minds of buyers that it is doubtful 
whether many of these earlles in scant three- 
pound baskets could be sold at the 25 or 30 
cents which seems necessary for profit. Near¬ 
by muskinelons are having a poor sale. One 
lot of about 100 half-barrel baskets from 
Maryland was leaking so badly that they 
were only fit for garbage. The quality of 
many of the later ones from California is 
inferior. .Those from Arizona have held up 
better and are at present bringing six to eight 
cents apiece by the carload. The weather has 
been favorable for watermelon and lemon 
trade, and they are moving off at a lively 
rate. Lemons went up $1 per box, wholesale. 
Here are the prices at which the stocks 
named have recently sold in New York: 
Wells, Fargo & Co. Express, .300; Adams Ex¬ 
press, 245; American Express, 244. The 
stockholders of two of these companies are 
trying to force the management to pay 12 
instead of eight per cent dividends, claiming 
that the excess profits, or a fair proportion of 
them, should be used in this way rather than 
be piled up as a surplus fund. One of these 
companies is said to have accumulated profits 
to the extent of more than .$30,000,000 and the 
market value of the stock of the other company 
has advanced 62 per cent in four years. Evi¬ 
dently the express business is profitable, espe¬ 
cially when you have a monopoly, and can prac¬ 
tically say to shippers, as can one company 
who controls the express trade on about 40,- 
000 miles of railway: Use our express or 
none! Farmers have a right to look with 
some pride on these large dividends, millions 
of surplus, and market quotations two or 
three times the par value of the stock, for 
have they not contributed largely to these 
results? No fair-minded man will begrudge 
the express companies a morsel of their busi¬ 
ness success. They have done mitch good 
work and have cerlhinly been well paid for 
it. But it scarcely seems that, in their pres¬ 
ent robust condition, they should be classed 
with weak-kneed industries which require, 
or at least) receive. Uncle Sam’s special codd¬ 
ling. Considering the generous treatment this 
country has given them, could not these ex¬ 
press companies concede the slight pruning 
of their receipts that an effective parcels 
post service would cause? T wrote two mem¬ 
bers of the House Post Office Committee ask¬ 
ing for any information regarding parcels 
post outlook which they cared to give. One 
gives the old excuse that there is no hope on 
account of the immense additional expense 
such service would entail. We would judge 
that lie expected his salary and Congressional 
perquisites to be cut off to help meet this 
expense, whereas it would be paid by the 
whole people, who are now giving more for 
poorer service. The other Congressman asked 
to be excused, as he is too busy to say any¬ 
thing about it now. He used the'alphabet to 
the extent of just 102 letters in making this 
luminous reply, but could have made a direct 
answer, thoroughly covering the case, with 
less than one-fourth the number of words 
used. But direct answers are not a strong 
point with some of these Congressmen. 
_ w. w. H. 
SHIPPING EGGS PARTLY HATCHED. 
I cannot answer this question asked on 
page 578 as perhaps you would wish to 
have it answered, as I have never shipped 
eggs under conditions named. I have car¬ 
ried them in every conceivable way, on 
freight cars over a thousand miles and 
much farther by express, had them out of 
the incubators for over a week on these 
trips, have even had my eggs in a wreck, 
where more than half were broken, and 
still had good hatches, but have always 
accompanied them myself. I should not 
like to advise my friends to buy eggs in 
this way, but believe, at certain stages 
of incubation, this could be accomplished 
with reasonably good results. Most peo¬ 
ple buying eggs expect too much, and 
would not know how to care for the eggs 
upon receipt of them. m. davenport. 
New York. 
After reading on page 578 opinions on 
“Shipping Partly Hatched Eggs,” the fol¬ 
lowing may be of interest to you. Being 
interested in microscopy, and wishing to 
show the circulation of blood in the em¬ 
bryo of the chick before the Troy Micro¬ 
scopical Society, I filled a two-gallon 
stone crock with sand, and placed it upon 
a gas stove until I had the gas so regu¬ 
lated that the thermometer immersed in 
the sand stood constantly at 100 degrees 
(taking three days to have it regulated 
perfectly). I then placed in the sand two 
eggs, followed by two more 24 hours later, 
and two more 48 hours later. When my 
last two eggs had been in the sand 24 
hours the gas went out during the night, 
and in the morning the sand registered 
62 degrees. I started the gas full blaze, 
but could not control the heat until it reg¬ 
istered 106 degrees and gradually fell back 
to 100. Twelve hours later I opened the 
eggs, floating my embryo out into a watch 
crystal, and had the perfect heart action 
and circulation of blood—keeping each 
embryo alive in the watch crystal at least 
an hour by dropping warm (100 degrees) 
water from a drop tube upon it. The 
embryos were all alive after undergoing a 
drop of 38 degrees below normal and 
raise of six degrees above normal, 100 
degrees being normal. A. M. wright. 
New York. 
A WOMAN’S ALFALFA AND HEN 
NOTES. 
After reading Mr. Cottrell’s advice to 
start Alfalfa in New England, I spaded 
two pieces, in all about three square yards, 
sent to Amherst College for seed, and to 
F. E. Dawley, New York, who sent me 
a quart of soil with bacteria in it. These 
I sowed after putting in a lot of ashes 
and hen manure, and working over for 
several days. I now have a beautiful bed 
of Alfalfa, and the neighbors have some¬ 
thing interesting to look at. I expect 
some farmers to get to raising it, from 
seeing this. I like such plants, and my 
vegetable garden so much that I can’t 
spare room even for poppies. I have a 
man a few hours in the Spring to spade 
a lot of convenient little places around the 
plum trees, the sink-drain, and along by a 
fence where most people of taste would 
have only flowers. If women say why 
do I raise such ugly things I invite them 
to dinner, and they get some idea why. 
But no one can know the fun of finding 
the first cucumbers, and tomatoes, or 
watching the miraculous growth of 
squashes until she establishes a kingdom, 
and becomes queen over the garden and 
henhouse, which goes naturally with it. 
I have some hens which have been do¬ 
ing such remarkable work that if I tell 
what they do, I feel afraid of losing my 
reputation for truthfulness, and yet it 
seems unjust to the hens, and, indeed, 
quite impossible for me, to keep silent 
about their exemplary behavior. A man 
who rented our henhouse left three sit¬ 
ters who had had the energv to get out 
into the open air and exhibit independ¬ 
ence. They hatched 20 chicks. I put 
them all in the big house with the 
door open, told them they were good for 
nothing, and only gave them dry food and 
water once in two or three days, as I was 
busy. This was July 1, 1905. When h l / 2 
months old they began laying, and several 
times during February the 11 pullets with 
one mother laid 12 eggs per day. They 
have done this once or twice a week ever 
since. From the nine hens who will not 
sit I got six, seven, eight and nine eggs 
this week. They fell off a little one week, 
but two days after I whitewashed their 
roosts, and the mites were buried; they 
began their singing and laying. These 
hens seem to be some mixtures, mostly 
Rhode Island Red. I feed all kinds of 
grain and meat scraps, or rather, I scatter 
it, and let all hens and chicks help them¬ 
selves One economy where one has lots 
of land is to put a wire fence over enough 
of it so that the grass will not be killed 
out. The hens need pasture as much as 
cows, and one of the most foolish prac¬ 
tices is to confine them in little pens where 
they can’t gather grasshoppers for them¬ 
selves. 
Returning to Alfalfa, I pondered why 
those who answered the question, “What 
Ailed the Alfalfa?” did not say that the 
soil which had decaying stumps on it 
needed sweetening with lime or ashes or 
potash. Also, some weeks ago, a woman 
asked what caused bowel complaint in 
hens. On thing which always causes a 
looseness, often resulting in death, is too 
much raw milk, either sweet or sour. Milk 
is a diuretic for people, and hens like it 
so well that they will overeat if they get 
all they want every day. When we had 
more skim-milk than we could use, and 
stuffed the hens with it, we always had 
invalids around. E. o. M. 
New Salem, Mass. 
Mrs. Farmer : “Wouldn’t you like to 
hoe the cabbage patch? Why not take 
example from the little busy bee, and”— 
Weary Willie: “I’m willin’ ter, mum. Jest 
ez soon ez I see a bee grab a hoe an’ hike 
it into the cabbage patch I’ll do de same 
t’ing.”—Judge. 
641 
Spent $50 With Doctors. 
Got Barber’s Itch From Shaving—Worse 
Under Doctor’s Care—Cured by 
One Set of Cuticura—Cost #1. 
“I want to send you a word of thanks 
for what the wonderful Cuticura Reme¬ 
dies have done for me. I got shaved and 
got barber’s itch, and doctored with my 
own doctor, but it got worse all the time. 
I spent in all about fifty dollars with doc¬ 
tors, but still it got worse. A friend of 
mine wanted me to try the Cuticura Rem¬ 
edies. As I had tried everything, I was 
discouraged. I bought one set of the Cuti¬ 
cura Remedies (Soap, Ointment and Pills, 
cost $1.00), and they cured me entirely, so 
I cannot praise them too much. I would 
be willing to do most anything for the 
promotion of a cause like the Cuticura 
Remedies. They are wonderful, and I 
have recommended them to every one 
where occasion demanded it. I think every 
family should know about the Cuticura 
Remedies where they have children. Allen 
Ridgway, Station Master, the Central 
Railroad Company of New Jersey. Barne- 
gat Station, N. J., Oct. 2, 1905.” 
EMPIRE STATE S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS 
Winners at N. Y. State Fair. 1004-05. Trios, $5. Eggs 
for hatching, $1.00 per 15; $5.00 per 100. Catalogue 
free. C. H. ZIMMER, R. D. 41, Weedsport, N. Y. 
W. 
O. 
EDWARD G. NOONAN, 
Breeder of Thoroughbred Poultry. Prices reasonable. 
ROCK-HOLLAND FARM ^¥ew\t)RK. E ’ 
W. Plymouth Rocks and W. Holland Turkeys. 
SQUAB BREEDERS ATTENTION * grade Homer 
stock, large birds, as good as can be found for flying 
or breeding, in all colors, mated per pair $2.00. A 
fancy lot of English Carriers at $5.00 to $8.00 per pair. 
Bonnie Brae Poultry Farm, New Rochelle. N. Y. 
SPECIAL 
R. C. W. LKGHORN8. 
P. ROCKS. EGGS 5c. E.A 
STOCK FOR SALE. 
C. HILLS, Delaware, 
SQUABS 
are raised in one month: 
bring big prices. Money t “ 
makers for poultrymen.f 
farmers, women. 
Send for our Free Book and learn thiSf 1 
_ (rich industry. Correspondence invited iff 
Plymouth Rock Squab Co., \«l 
335 Howard St., Melrose, Mass.V 
Var’s Poultry, Pigeons, Parrots, Dogs, Cats, 
Ferrets, etc. Eggs a specialty. <50 p. book, 10c. 
Rates free. J. A. llERGEY, Box 8, Telford,Pa. 
Q A II II I F D D I C Breeders of high class 
D U II IV I C DllMCsi n gi e an( j Rose Comb 
POULTRY 
New Rochelle, ... . 
1 ■ uuiis at last iu a u 1 8 u n 
Square Garden and Poughkeepsie shows. Special 
bargain prices during the Summer and early Fall of 
mated pens of 10 yearling hens and one selected cock- 
eral of a fine breed, Single or Rose Comb White 
Leghorns, $15.00 per pen. 1,000 laying pullets now 
ready. Choice mammoth Pekin Ducks for breeding, 
$1 each for any number. Selected breeders, $1.50 each. 
FARM White Leghorn Chickens 
iHIIln, alK j Mammoth Pekin 
lj V Ducks, winners of 22 rib- 
$750 COCK 
Send 25c for 3-months sub¬ 
scription to the weekly 
AMERICAN FANCIER 
and get beautiful colorpiot- 
ure 8x10 of the noted Buff Ply¬ 
mouth Rock that cost $750 
AMERICAN FANCIER, 
309 Havemeyer Bldg., New York, 
A BREAKFAST SET. 
This is a premium we have secured espe 
dally for the good women of The R. N.-Y'. 
family. It is a beauty, and we are able to 
give a great bargain in It. 
It is a 31-piece breakfast set in Prince 
decoration, which is a beautiful pure gold bor¬ 
der with a decalcomania flower in the centre 
of each piece. The flower is fixed perma¬ 
nently by this process, and the design is very 
pretty and popular. The set consists of six 
plates, six cups, six saucers, six butters, six 
oatmeal and one meat plate. 
We will send this set by express safely 
packed to every woman reader who will send 
us a club of five new yearly subscribers, 
at $1 each. The new subscribers will get the 
Rural New-Yorker for a year, and a copy 
of “The Farmer’s Garden,” described pre¬ 
viously. Now, ladies, this Is your oppor¬ 
tunity. Get after . your friends; you ought 
to have a set. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, NEW YORK. 
