New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-24

ing the next four or nNe III buOil, Appleb
should have been and should be- from last August TO
next Nav. as common as bread or potatoes and
should have been and be as freely eaten in every
household and by every freside.
How nearly have we realized thisi
/ will not guess how many millions Of bushels
have rotted under the trees that bore them, been
eaten by animals to little OF profit OF turned into
cider that did not sell for much as it cost count
ing the apples Of no value. Living immediately on
a railroad that runs into this City, whercfrom my
place is IS miles distant, should be able 10 do bet
Ter with Apples than most growers; and yet judge
that half my Apples were Of no use TO me. Many Of
them sold in this City for s per barrel, including
the cask, which had cost me 40 cents; and when you
have added the cost Of transportation, you can guess
that had no surplus, after paying men 81 30 per
day for picking and barreling them. ] sold all
could TO vnegar-makers at so cents per bushel for
cder-apples-the casks being returned. But they
could not take all wished to sell them, there being
many sellers pressing 10 get rid Of their wndfalls
before they rOtted their hands that even this
market was glutted That it was much worse for the
farmer dozen miles from a railroad aud hundred
from the nearest city, none can doubt have heard
that in parts of Connecticut, cider was sold for 30
cents per barrel TO whoever would furnish casks and
that their size was hardly considered. Manifestly
this left nothing for the apples
If Apples could have been daily supplied to our
poorer citizens in such quantities they could con-
venently take at from fifty to seventyiye cents per
bushe according to quality and loneliness am CON
fident that this City and its suburbs would have
taken Two OF Three Millions Of bushels more than
they have done and the same is true of other cities
But the poor rarely buy barrel of Apples at once
and they have been required TO pay as much for
half peck as could get for bushel just like them
In other words the hucksters and middemen set so
high price on their respective services in dividing
up barrel Of Apples and conveying them from the
rural producer TO the urban consumer that n large
portion of the farmers apples must rot his hands
or be sold by him for less than the cost of harvest
ing while the poor Of the cities find them too dear
TO be freely eaten.
Nor are Apples singular in this respect. ] would
like to grow thousand bushels of English round
and French OF Swede Turnips per annum If could
he Of getting 81 per barrel for them delivered
at the railroad If the poor of this city could buy
such TurnipS throughout their season by the half
peck at the rate Of 81 per barrel believe they would
buy and eat many more than they do. But they are
usually asked Is cents per half peck which Is at the
rate Of s. per barrel and at this rate they hold them
too dear for everyday So the Turnips are not
grown OF the cattle are invited to clear them OFF be-
fore they rot and become worthless and nuisance.
Quite often, a green youth undertakes to get rich
by farming near some great city. He has heard and
believes that Cabbagcs bring from - 10 s.
and even $40 per hundred Squashes from
$40 TO So per hundred, Watermelons from
$50 to $50, and 50 on. He has made
his calculations on this basis, and sanguiney expects
10 make money rapidly. But his products, iii the
first place. fall short Of his estimates; they are
not ready for market so soon as he expected they
would be; and, when at length they ready, every
one else seems to have rushed in ahead of him. The
= i. 4 4oxs "a
at any figure he sells il for song and quits farm
ing, Disguised and bankrupt. May be, bis stuff
would have sold much better next week or the week
after; but he could not afford to bring il to market
and take il back day after day. the chance that
the demand forit would improve by-aud-by. Judge
that more young men have on tins account turned
their backs farming, after brief trial, than Oh
any other. They might have borne up against the !
shorness of their crops. hoping for better luck next
time: but the necessity Of selling them for price
that would not have reimbursed their cost had they
been ever so luxuriant utterly dishearens and alien
ates them.
preach no crusade against hBcksters and middle |
men, hold them, in the actual state of things,
benefactors 10 both producers and consumers. In
far they deal honestly and meet promptly their
obligations they deserve commentator rather than
reproach. What urge is, that more economical and
efficient machinery Of exchange and distribution
ought TO be devised and set at wOTk-macbinery
that would do all that is required at a moderate,
reasonable cost
would like TO see one Of our solvent well man
aged Railroads advertise that il would hencefOrth
buy at any of it's stations all the formers produce
that might be offered at the highest price that the
state of the markets would Justify Let it, agents
purchase whatever came along-a basket of eggs, Il
coop Of chickens barrel Of apples sack of beans,
n pail Of cuuants-anytlnng that could be sold IN
the city TO which it runs. and which would conduce
70 human sustenance comfort. Its object should
he Freigbt-the rapid and vast increase of its trans
pOrtaton, not extra profit on the articles trans
ported. But let its agents DO ready 10 buy nj lar
prices whatever offered. paying cash down, and
pushing everything purchased directly into market
50 as to have the money back TO buy more with di
rectiy. The Railroad Company thus owning nearly
everything edible it brought into market would buy
and sell at uniform prices and not bid against itself
as crowd Of hucksters and mddlemen will often
do. am confident that Railroad that would in
augurate this system on a right basis, saying to
every farmer living near 1t, Grow Whatever your
soil is best adapted to- and bring it to station
there You shall have cash down for al the highest
price We can afford 20 give" would rapidly double
and uuadruple It's freigbts and would thus build up
transportation business Wlsch mas no parallel ul-
der the present system.
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