The Cecil Whig., 1859-08-06
a Morning at the Corn Exchange.

At the corner Of Second and Gold streets,
| Philadelphia. stands an cdiire, the scconG,
! story Of which is daily devoted to the trans
! actions Of a hundred or two people. Their
business is attended with little excitement,
and not the least display yet upon it depends
the price of bread to every man, woman and
child who go to make up the six hundcrd
| thousand inhabitants of Philadelphia Every
morning, for years pas. might have been
seen many Of the same faces that you see
/ there today. Ten O'Clock brings them to
the spot. and twelve O'Clock finds the room
wholly deserted. In those two hours vast
sums Of money and ship loads Of grain are
passed from hand to hand, and the price Of
bread for the next day therenpon fixed
Enter the room at the business hour, and you
find long rows Of narrow tables, upon which
lie samples of grain, seeds of grasses and
clover, flour and meal. The samples are
never more than quart IN bulk yet such
| are the ethes of trade, that whole cargoes
are judged alone from this minute representa-
tive Of their weight and quality. Buyers of
seeds and grams, -four dealers, Spectators in
| cereals generally. and sometimes producers
themselves, constitute the parties in attend
| ance. You enter the room an idle spectator
and almost feel the necessity of stopping your
ears TO exclude the buzz Of voices.
For every one Of the multitude is talking
simultaneously. Sellers are explaining that
wheat must advance, while in the language
of the wise men of Isreal, at is nought
it is noueht," saith the buyer, ''and straight
way he goeth his way and rejoiceth." The
market quotations for the previous day are
produced as an argument against advance on
the part of the buyer. The seller talks Of
wars, and "rumors of wars" short crcps,
draught on the great west, ani twenty other
reasons why his wheat should bring dollar
sixty-two and half instead of dollar sixty
They fail to come to terms, and part each
with an air of indifference, until finally the
blyer convinccs himself that wheat has gone
up, and pays accordingly. Sometimes at the
Corn Exchange you find men, with lugubrious
visage, lamcnting over cargo Of wheat or
corn heated in tran>itu Grain shipped before
heing well dried. heats when in bulk, becomes
damp. midews, and sometimes wholly spoils
before reaching market. The remedy is to
hurry it to market. and the mill. The sam
pies look badly, and by regular dealers are
cschewcd. Yet there is no difficulty in effect
ing sale. Damaged wheat has its uses.-
Some of the bakers turn it TO good advantage
while dlstlllers are said to convert it into
alcohol nearly as plentifuly as from sound
grain. Damaged flour Is also in good demand.
Numerous bakers find even an advantage in
mingling two barrels of sour flour with every
five barrels Of sweet. At the Corn Exchange
providing the discount b. ample it goes off
briskly For sizing purposes, enormous
quantities of it are ustd in the manufacturing
districts, while petty bakers first correct its
acidity by means of alum and alkalis general
ly, and serve it as snpertine bread.
" There are tricks in all trades" ira vul-
gar proverb is to be credited, and the Corn
Exchange is the theatre of some of them
Not that the articles are ever msreprcsentcd
therefor il they are not according to sample,
tranaction is at once Iepudiat,d but in that,
l1ke everything else, an intimate knowledge
of the business is necessary to ensure success
| is singular how an fat in such matters our
corn and flour dealers become. To the out
side world barrel of flour, converted by
cents worth Of rcd paint into "Supcrtine
Genesee, is looked upon as among the best
in the market. The flour dealer. however,
IS independent of the brand. Place a dozen
dltlcrent samples before him, almost with his
eyes closed, he will tell you-while you your
self are unable to distinguish one from the
other the minuteSt shades Of difference
"tlCH olStllSulSIl tue iOtS. t1actlCe never
resulted in greater perfection. There are
scores Of druggists who with difficulty can
tell EPSON salts from oXalic acid arsenic
from pnlverised sulphate or zinc, or morphia
from carbonate Of soda except by taste yet
a flour desler will manipulate sample of
flour, aud not only tell you its quality. but
the length Of time it has been ground, its
specific gravity and degree Of lineness.
The same rule holds good with respect to
wheat aud other grains. The buyer weighs
the sample in his hands examines the thick
ness of the husk, the plumpness of the berry,
and makes up his mind just what he will
give for it. A new class of buyers of late
has sp,ung up-the lager beer mcr, who
purchase barley in enormous quantities.
Most of the barley by them is brought from
Canada and Buffalo, but occasionally load
is offered nt the Corn Exchange, and if Of
good quallry is eagerly snapped up.
In an hour or two the business Of the Corn
Exchange Is completed. The Secretary as
cends his rostrum ard the assembly to order.
The buzzing ceases, and the transactions of
the day are read, for every seller gives to the
Secretary the quantities he has sold, and in
most cases the price also. The sellers then
gather up their uusold samples. give orders
for the transfer Of their sales and both disperse
TO pursue the ayocatious of the day.
North American.