Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-10-17
The Grain Trade Of New York.

One cannot cross elJnBr OF our TlVeT
ferries, still less circumnavigate the
city or take a few hours sail up the
Hudson, without being amazed at the
| movement OF breadstuffs visible on all
sides. On the Hudson River Railroad,
and all the other iron thoropghfares
converging upon this city, long trains
| of grain cars are almost constantly In
sight, while on the river vast RATS of
| grain laden canal boats more than rival
the railway trains In carrying capacity.
1t is no Uncommon thing for one OF the
large towing steamers to bring down
the river fifty, sixty, OF more canal
boats, each carrying from eight to four
| feen thousand bushels of wheat, corn, or
other grain. In single file, one of these
vast tOwB would make continuous
| line of canal boats more than mile in
length; while an equivalent tonnage in
cars would require twenty-five or thirty
| 40-car trains, or from six to seven miles
of cars, according to the nature of the
grain.
Not unfrequently four or five ocean
steamers, aud a feet of other shipping,
may be seen about the great railroad
elevators at Sixty-fifth street, receiving
cargoes of grain and cattle. At each
of the piers of the numerous European
steamship lines, floating elevators are
busy transferring grain from canal
boats; others are at work in midstream
alongside ocean steamers and sailing
ships at anchor; and at the extensive
warehouses along the shores, perma-
nent or floating elevators are similarly
engaged in the rapid handling of the
staff of life, brought to their doors
either in canal boats and barges, or in
cars hoated, on boats made for the pur-
pose, from the piers of the Erie and
other railways.
The magnitude of this grain trade of
New York may be judged from Il few
statistics. During the week ending
! September 6, the receipts at this port
| were: Flour, 112, ,124 barrels, wheat
2,271, ,492 bushels; corn, !, 1927, Oh BUSH
els; oats, 279, 1856 bushels; rye, 139, $50
bushels; barley, LOO bushels-about as
much as was received at all the other
seaboard ports together. During the
same week the exports of breadstuffs
from New York included 1925 bar
rels of flour, 2,519, 409 bushels of wheat,
914, ,623 bushels of corn, 1896 bushels
of oats, 103,701 bushels of rye. AT the
last date named, September 6, the
amount of gram in our city granaries
and afioat in our harbor embraced in
round numbers, $3.50, 100 bushels of
wheat, 3, 100000 bushels of corn, 81O,-
600 bushels of oats, 100000 bushels of
rye, and 26, 900 bushels of barley. The
grain of all sorts in store at New York
was G, ,332, ,035 bushels. The storage Ca
pacity of the port is about 12,000,0 900
bushels, but the present active demand
for grain for foreign shipment, due to
the general deficiency of European
crops, prevents any large accumula-
ton here. Indeed, the bulk of ship
ping devoted to the transportation Of
grain from this to foreign ports Is ut
this season something unprecedented
in the history of the world. During the
week ending September 10 (six days.
the clearances of flour and grain for
Europe alone embraced eighty-tive YES
sells (45 barks, 80 steamships, ships,
5 brigs, schoOner), carrying a grand
total of 1912 barrels of flour, l, 1,942,-
24S bushels of wheat, and 1,249, ,092
bushels of corn. The promise for the
current week is still greater.
During the year 1873 the receipts of
grain alone at this port were, by canal
So, 663, 049 bushels; by vessels coast
wise, 1000, 296 bushels; by rail, 63,-
goo, 1856 bushels-a total of 128, ,6l3, III
bushels. Changing flour and meal to
their equivalents in bushels, the re-
ceipts of grain, flour, and meal were
during the year, 152, 1852, 10 bushels.
During the same period the export OF
cereals from New York amounted to
107, 1919, 044 bushels, the exports from
all the other Atlantic ports together
(including MontreaD being 104,67S,'
1877 bushels-evidence enough that ouI
city still holds the lions share of this
trade. To describe in detail the man
ner in which the grain trade is con
Quoted here would require a volume
A rough outline of it will have to an
swer.
As already indicated. the vast stream
of life-sustaining wealth flows to u'
through channels of two distinct sort;
by water and by rail. The inflow
coastwise is too small, relatively speak
ing, to demand especial notice. The
Erie Canal, with the Hudson River or
one side and the railways on the othel
Hudson River Railroad, the Erie roaC
and the Pennsylvania Central-dividC
the traffic about equally. And thu
grain received by each route has
speaking generally, its particular treat
ment. That which comes by rail il
'. graded according to rules agreed upoI
BY the New York Produce Exchange
and is sold by grade, the identity of tn,
grain being lost. The grain received
by water, on the contrary, is chief,
handled without grading, the identity
of lots being preserved. In the latte
case the consignee receives the identi
cal grain shipped to him, say from
Buffalo or any point farther West; il
/, the former, he receives not the graiI
billed to him, but certificate for 81
many bushels of wheat, corn, or othe
grain of specified grade, his particu
: lar shipment being for economy il
warehousing and handling, mike,
= with other receipts of the correspond
! ing kind and grade after il ha
, fbeen officially inspected, graded, an
5 weighed. The quantity of grain repre-
l sented by each certificate is limited I
: 5000 bushels, eXceptfo oats, for whic
: the certificates are not to exceed l0,0O
D bushels each. These certificates, whic
are dated and numbered cOnsecutively
state in detail the kind, grade, an
= quantity of grain represented by then
: and are furnished to the consignee bC
fore noon of the same day, at whic
= time the business of the Produce FL
change begins. On the floor of the E'
change all ungraded grain is sold b
v sample, the various samples being o.
r hibited on their proper tables, in sma
: boxes duly labeled, the amount of tn
q lot, and the place where it is stored {
!. afloat, being fully set down. Th
. graded grain is represented bv tyI
h samples, so that dealers can see exact
what their certificates call for. A buyC