August 2X, 101• 
1052 
tho cultivation for a few moments. I do not think 
that an increase in the cultivation would increase 
the crop very much. 
The greatest loss comes from the small and 
“seedy” stalks toward the end of the season as the 
plant loses that much material, and besides this it 
is a loss to the owner in two ways, unmarketable 
DATA SHEET. 
Hate. 
No. 
Price 
Size 
Remarks. 
April. 
bunches. 
]ier (ioz. 
bunch. 
26 
65 
$2.00 
*> 
28 
70 
2.50 
4” 
30 
58 
2.50 
4%” 
Gold weather. 
Mar— 
•> 
• » 
56 
2.50 
41 / 2 ” 
Gold weather. 
39 
2.50 
41 / 2 ” 
Gold weather. 
7 
65 
2.50 
41 / 2 ” 
Gold weather. 
10 
70 
2.25 
5” 
12 
44 
2.50 
U 
Cold weather. 
11 
54 
2.50 
tt 
Gold weather. 
17 
42 
2.50 
ii 
21 
70 
2.25 
it 
24 
60 
2.25 
it 
20 
4N 
2.00 
it 
Frost. 
28 
41 
2.00 
if 
June— 
1 
40 
2.00 
a 
•> 
30 
2.00 
a 
Very cold squall. 
4 
40 
2.00 
a 
7 
61 
2.00 
6” 
Enlarged. 
9 
48 
2.00 
'a 
11 
48 
2.00 
n 
1 1 
40 
1.75 
a 
16 
32 
1.75 
a 
IS 
38 
1.50 
• 
21 
37 
1.50 
tt 
23 
12 
1.50 
tt 
Home consumption, 
25 
15 
1.50 
tt 
Totals—Average price per doz. $2.0.%; average price 
per bunch $.1738; No. bunches 1,222: average No. 
bunches per cutting, 47; Total receipts $224.24. 
products and cost of labor in cutting it down so that 
il will not be a “roosting place” for the beetles. We 
have not been troubled with the asparagus rust in 
a good many years while the guinea hens and chick¬ 
ens keep the "beetle family in mourning.” 
Orange Co.. N. Y. Oliver f. w. cromwkll. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The drill can then be set to place the seed at a 
uniform depth of about one inch, where it will get 
the combined influence of the moisture from below 
and the sun’s heat, from above to start it quickly 
and evenly. 
COST OF GROWING WHEAT.—What does it 
cost to grow a bushel of wheat? That all depends 
on a large number of factors, chief of which are the 
farm, the man and the weather. I'll venture a guess 
that it varies all the way from 60 cents to $2. The 
answer, however, is just as important as what we 
are to receive for the crop, since the difference is 
the profit or loss. The table is taken from the re¬ 
cord of a 20.7 acre field in 1014. The method of 
tabulation has been carefully worked out. and by 
substituting his own figures or even his careful 
estimates in each item anyone can readily get an 
(approximation of his own wheat record. This 
wheat crop followed beans when oat stubble or 
other land has to be plowed, the increased cost of 
fitting will probably be at least $3 per acre addi¬ 
tional. 
The only estimates in the table are the price with 
which the wheat is credited and the value of the 
straw, which was not sold but all used on the farm. 
<;ood wheat at the time this was ready for market 
was bringing $1 per bushel, and this figure is used 
to complete the table. As a matter of fact the wheat 
was so smutty that it was not marketable at any¬ 
thing near full price, and was all kept for feed. 
This was the most promising field of wheat raised 
on the farm for several years, but the estimated de¬ 
crease in yield due to smut was about 10 bushels 
per acre. Needless to say the next year’s seed 
was treated with formaldehyde. The average cost 
of all wheat raised on the farm for four years has 
been $17.00 per acre, or 90 cents per bushel, and 
the average price received for it 00 cents per bushel. 
Orleans C'o., N. Y. ora lee, jr. 
Wheat Growing in New York State. 
Part III. 
Egg Conditions in the United States. 
FOLLOWING BEANS.—A large proportion of the 
wheat raised in Western New York follows field 
beans. The great advantage of this rotation lies 
in the low cost of fitting the land for wheat. The 
ground is plowed in early Spring, thoroughly fitted 
for the beans and Summer-fallowed throughout the 
season by the inter-tillage of the bean crop. The 
beans are harvested just in time for wheat seed¬ 
ing, leaving the ground in practically the same con¬ 
dition as the old-fashioned Summer fallow, though 
it has raised a profitable crop meantime. If the 
beans have been kept free from weeds one or two 
thorough draggings will usually fit the field for 
wheat. Where early potatoes are raised the same 
advantages are apparent, but late potatoes are often 
harvested too late to seed wheat for best results. 
PREPARATION OF SEED BED.—So much has 
been written about preparation of seed beds for all 
crops that those who do not know it all by heart are 
the ones who do not read The It. N.-Y. or any re¬ 
liable farm papers, and therefore will not see this. 
Account 
With Wheat 
$1,9X7.20 i. 
1914. 
in Field 
Previous 
(20.7 
crop- 
acres 
beans. 
valued at 
1913 
1913 
1914 
1914 
Items and' Quantities, 
man labor (75Vi bou 
(17314 
horse labor 
man labor (172 1 j 
horse labor (104% 
s) . . 
hours) 
hours) . 
Materials— 
Manure used for top-dressing on i 
of field ... 
Fertilizer, 4,200 lbs. chemicals and Vi 
ton wood ashes valued at 84. 
Seed wheat (40 bu. at 83 cents). 
Thrashing coal (1000 lbs.). 
Thrashing charge (496 bu. at 4 cents) 
Twine (40 lbs. at 9 cents). 
Total cost of materials...... 
Fixed Costs— 
Interest on hind at 5 per cent. 
IJse of equipment . . . 
Overhead (pro rata 
farm expense) ... 
Total fixed costs. . . 
Total all costs. . .. 
Credits— 
496 bu. wheat at $1. 
10 tons straw at $4.. 
Total credits . 
share of general 
Total 
Per 
costs. 
aero. 
$12.91 
$0.62 
20.79 
1.01 
29.11 
1.41 
19.08 
.92 
81.89 
3.96 
48.34 
2.34 , 
49.79 
2.40 
34.00 
1.64 
2.88 
.14 
19.84 
.96 
3.60 
.17 
158.45 
7.65 
99.30 
4. SO 
12.48 
.60 
15.90 
.( t 
1.74 
163.68 
7.91 
, 404.02’ 
19.52 
496.00 
23.96 
40.00 
1.93 
25.89 
so.37 
Thoroughness is the keynote. If the land has been 
Summer-plowed, and especially if dry and lumpy, 
it should he worked deep to break up the lumps un¬ 
derneath as well as on the surface. The soil as deep 
as it has been loosened by the plow should lie firmly 
and evenly packed, so that there will he no settling 
and shifting to tear the roots after the plants have 
started to grow. ’This is where the Summer-fallow 
and bean cultivation may assure an advantage over 
Summer plowing. A fine mellow, but firm seed bed 
is necessary to assure quick and even germination. 
Part I. 
IMPORTANCE OF EGG PRODUCTION.—The 
rapid increase in the production of eggs in the I nited 
States the past 15 years has shown what can be done 
in the matter of increasing the production of food sup¬ 
plies if a fair return is made to the farmers and pro¬ 
ducers. On the Pacific coast the production has always 
been less than the consumption. Southern California 
buys from Kansas, Nebraska and other Eastern States 
about 400 carloads containing 400 cases each, with 30 
dozens of eggs in a case, to make up the shortage in 
their production. One of the reasons for the production 
of eggs being so light in Southern California, in pro¬ 
portion to the consumption, is the fact that throughout 
that district small flocks of poultry are kept, feed being 
so high that it is impossible for tlie people to keep poul¬ 
try and compete with the eggs from the East. In cen¬ 
tral California, near San Francisco, there are a num¬ 
ber of points where great flocks of poultry are kept. 
At Petaluma, Cal., near San Francisco, is the center 
of production for California. In a territory covering a 
little more than two townships, several hundred car¬ 
loads of eggs are shipped each year to the San I ran- 
oisco market. The flocks in this territory are carefully 
looked after. The eggs produced are of the finest qual¬ 
ity. in many instances weighing as high as 63 pounds 
to the case, case included, while the average Illinois 
or Iowa eggs do not weigh to exceed 57 pounds to the 
oo.se. and the eggs through Arkansas, Kansas and Ne¬ 
braska, as a rule, weigh from 54 to 56 pounds to the 
case. The eggs in the Petaluma section are crated for 
color, the white and brown eggs being separated and 
the quotations on the San Francisco market for Peta¬ 
luma eggs very often run from 15 to 20 cents per dozen 
higher than the quotations for the best eastern eggs. 
The people who have entered into the jJbultry business 
in the Petaluma section, as a rule, have prospered. In 
()regon and Washington there has been a gradual in¬ 
crease in the production of eggs and poultry but the 
rapid growth of the large cities and the big influx into 
the fruit belt of these two States lias increased the 
consumption to such a point that it has been neces¬ 
sary for these States to import from the East many 
eggs each year. Seattle, W ash., and Portland, Oie., 
have been the large centers and they draw a large part 
of their eggs from North and South Dakota, Nebraska, 
Iowa and Minnesota. The States just mentioned have 
bad a very good shipping demand the past few years 
for eggs, from the new provinces opening in Canada. 
Several cars of eggs last year were shipped to for¬ 
eign points in Canada. The corn belt of the United 
States is also the great poultry and eggs section of 
the United States. The poultry seems to thrive best in 
the corn section rather than in the more northern or 
southern sections of the country. At present there is 
scarcely a hamlet or railway station in the corn belt 
which does not have a cash buyer of eggs and poultry, 
and the increase in price which has taken place the 
past 15 years has been very marked. Previous to 
1900 it was very seldom that eggs during the flush of 
the season, beginning about March 15 and ending about 
June 15, ranged above 14 cents per dozen, delivered 
Chicago, crated and marked ready for cold storage. 
But since 1900 prices have gradually advanced until 
this year the price in Chicago has ranged from 19 to 
20 cents per dozen for eggs selected, crated and packed, 
ready to be placed in cold storage. 
EGG STORAGE.—Chicago has been for many years, 
the center of egg storing operations for the United 
States. In the public warehouses in Chicago about. 
2,000,000 cases of eggs are stored and carried annually, 
while in the private warehouses at the stock yards in 
Chicago about 1.200.000 cases are carried each year. 
The next great center for storing eggs in the United 
States is New York City, N. Y„ and Jersey City, N. 
J., where about 1.200.000 cases are carried each year. 
The eggs stored from March 15 until April 15, or May 
1, depending upon the section of the country from 
which they come, are the finest eggs produced during 
the year. The hens are vigorous and at this season 
of the year are well fed and cared for. The weather is 
cool and favorable for the handling of the product and 
the result is a full, strong-bodied, fine flavored egg. 
During the past few years eggs have played a large part 
of the holding down of meat prices. To the great mul¬ 
titude of people eggs are one of the great substitutes 
for meat. 
COUNTRY BUYING.—In Indiana the buyers of 
eggs known as “shippers.” who specialize in eggs and 
poultry, in many instances have automobiles and call 
on the farmers two or three times each week, buying 
the eggs for cash and bringing them to the warehouses 
at a small point to be candled, crated and shipped to 
the eastern points. It is from the sections such as 
Northern Indiana, Northern Ohio, Southern Michigan, 
Northern Illinois and Iowa that the eggs during July 
bring the highest prices. It does not follow that all 
eggs arriving from these sections bring an extreme 
price, but where they are handled in a careful manner 
by the farmers and in a scientific manner by the pack¬ 
ers and shippers, there lias not been any trouble for 
many years to realize a satisfactory price. 
THE NEW YORK EGG MARKET—Now that the 
production of eggs has reached a point where at least 
tell States are exporting to the Eastern Market fully 
$30,000,000 worth of eggs each year, it is worth while 
to look into the marketing situation. The egg market 
as it is generally spoken of, in the United States is 
practically made by the members of the New York 
Mercantile Exchange, in New York, at 10 o’clock in 
the morning of each week day. At 10 o clock in the 
morning the members of the New York Mercantile Ex¬ 
change assemble and there are posted on a blackboard 
figures indicating the number of cases of eggs arriv¬ 
ing in the New York market on that date. • In an¬ 
other column adjoining are the figures showing the 
number of cases of eggs that were received the same 
day the previous week and in the third column figures 
showing the number of cases of eggs received on the 
same day of the previous year. Thus, for comparison 
the members have the information showing the sup¬ 
ply. It is customary for an officer of the Exchange 
or an employee to ask for bids and offerings of eggs 
from the members who form around a brass pole, mak¬ 
ing a ring on the floor of the Exchange. Many days 
there are absolutely no eggs sold whatever. In fact 
there have been months when no eggs were sold under 
the “call.” Yet, by bids and offerings made between 
the few people connected with the Exchange, as mem¬ 
bers, a price was established, and from the price es¬ 
tablished on the Exchange and information gathered 
among the same dealers off the Exchange, as to the 
conditions, a quotation is issued each day and pub¬ 
lished in what is known as the price current. It is the 
making and establishing of this price by the members 
of the New York Mercantile Exchange that forms the 
basis for the quotation and the market value of the 
eggs in every city, in every hamlet and on every farm 
in the United States. 
HOW THE EXCHANGE WORKS.—When we 
realize that the market value of eggs in the entire 
United States is established by the members of the 
New York Mercantile Exchange, and also that the busi¬ 
ness is of such vast importance to so many producers 
and to so many consumers of eggs in the United States, 
one has a perfect right to inquire minutely into the 
methods of making this market for the great staple 
food, eggs. In going back over the files of the Ex¬ 
change for the past six years the records show that 
fully 85 per cent of all the trades made in eggs on the 
floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange, under 
the “call,” were made between the following people: 
Rudolph Fordgang, connected with R. R. Schimer Co., 
W. P. Brown, of W. P. Brown & Son. Harry Wheeler, 
of the Harry Dowie Co., formerly connected with Do 
Winter & Co., W. H. Mapes, W. W. Elzea. Yoseberg, 
formerly connected with Scarborough & Adams, and 
E. E. Martin, of G. W. Martin & Bro. The business 
of tbe distribution of foods and the making of prices 
for them is of importance enough to justify a demand 
for full information as to just what methods are used 
and the fullest publicity of methods and prices. No one 
will deny that producer and consumer would be better 
protected when prices are made in an open competitive 
market, than in a close exchange where price records 
are established by real or fictitious transactions between 
affiliated members. There is perhaps no better exam¬ 
ple in the United States, of a combination system mak¬ 
ing the market quotations on food stuffs, than the egg 
market as made by the members of the New York 
Mercantile Exchange. In the first place no one can 
trade in eggs on the floor of the New York Mercantile 
Exchange, unless he be a member of the Exchange and 
subject to the rules and regulations of tin* Exchange. 
