The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-01-04
GROWTH IN THE CORN TRADF

So far it has beea the custom all through the
country to buy corn, wheat, barley, cloverseed, in
quality. Of course white wheat and red bring
different prices, and the more gross outlines
of distinction are marked out. But the store
keepers and dealers have a regular price at which
they buy, and buy often without SO much as look
ing at sample. This plan is mischievous. OF
course, there is appearance of fairness about it.
The merchant offers all alike, and so far satisfies
his customers each of whom will be most Jealous if
his neighbor gets fraction more han himself
The ultimate result, however, cannot be doubtful.
Either the merchant must offer to all alike the min
imum price which he would be willing to give,
which is unfair to the producer of better quality,
else he must sooner or later be ruined. The
practice too, engenders host of mischies, easily
obviated, such as bad cleaning and sorting, and
even careless cultivation.
Buyers of all sorts of grain and seed cannot be
too careful too firm in making great differences
in proportion to quality and cleaning. The differ
ence really exists in value, and not to recognize
and act upon it to the full extent, involves loss, if
not ruin somewhere, and injury to future produc-
ton. Those who produce the best wheat will not
sell at the lowest prices, or to those who buy at
only one price. In cloverseed we have known
little bad cleaning make difference of eighty
ninety dollars in lot of really first-rate seed.
bright lively look in the seed itself is still more
important. The light-colored seed should be
near the canary-color as possible without any mix
ture of red or brown. The more purple seeds the
better, however, always providing they bright.
This brightness is the sign OF vitality.
Even in wheat there are many points not suf-
fciently attended to by buyers, but on which the
value of the grain much depends. The absence of
smut the tufted end is, of course, we'll looked az
ter by all Judges but the hnness of the skin is often
overlooked. If the negotiating end has sprouted in
the least, or if weeds are present. such the arif
or the popple, or garlic, the value is proportionably
diminished. But with none of these drawbacks,
short, plump well-fed wheat weighing over sixty
three, and from that to sixty-six pounds to the
bushel may be considered A No. l. In England
the average production has been raised fourteen
per cent. per acre within the last fifty years. In
all except the new lands Of the far West, the same
result is being accomplished or will be here.
As to barley, strange to say, the danger is lest
it should be too long. Let the buyer see to it that
there are three barley to an inch in what he
buys; also, that the skin be cured and of bright
canary-color. In seed barley, and even for malt
ing, the greatest must be taken that the vege
tating end be not dead, the seed stained
American barley is good at fifty pounds to the
bushel In England and Scotland they sometimes
get it up to fiftyfour and tftysix. In oats there
is greater difference between the best and the
worst, as to plumpness, than in almost any other
grain. When, however, they get above forty
pounds to the bushe, they are first-rate. Indeed,
they never over forty-two. Grass seeds are
getting an increasingly important article of COM
merce, both for feeding cattle and for manurng
the soil. For the former, Timothy is best. The
seed should be as silvery and bright possible and
as free not only from dirt but from red and white
clover.
New varieties and assortments are daily springing
into notice and are useful for different soils. In
peas and beans an increasing activity and
is very noticeable There is no doubt but that the
trade of exporting all of these and other seeds will
grow each year, and with great advantage to all
parties. English wheat and Scotch oats should by
all means be imported for seed. But our grain and
seed should be and will be increasingly exported for
supply, in proportion exporting houses and
our buyers through the country know how to sort
and prepare their products with sufficient for
the English market Philadelphia Ledger.
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe writes to the hide
pendent long account of her visit to Leonardo da
Vinci's celebrated fresco "The Last Supper" at
Milan. She found it less damaged than she had
supposed, and noticed that the head of the Saviour
was the least injured of all. She writes:
"The whole impression of this visit was subdued
and mournful. 1t was much such as one would
have in the room with the mortal remains of some
noble and distinguished man soon to be seen on
earth no more. One the exquisite finish of
Leonardo in those small paintings of his which are
scattered through different galleries; but here was
the picture which united sublime breadth and
largeness of design to the incest decacy of execu-
tion-which united the graces of color and drawing
to the highest expression of noble and religious
sentiment, and it is fading from the EARTH and
to be seen no morel No representation in existence
in the least gives idea of its higher attributes of
expression. From engravings we may have an
idea of the neness of the general design, the per-
spective, the general arrangement of light and
shade the noble variety of heads each so well in
dividuaiZed-but that central figure, on which we
are told Leonardo pondered so long, and which he
touched with so reverent hand, because his con-
ceptons were so intense with religious awe-that
will never be when the little that remains of
noble faded