Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-02-27
FARM NOTES.

W HOLESALING AND hE1AlLlNI. -
There is one point in the business part
of tie farmers vocation that Is very
seldom written about, and9that Is the
retailing of his prodlce- i have tTled
the wholesale and retail methods says
q correspondent of me Country Gentle
man, and ny se;I!ag n quantities to
dealers, the farmer or my locality
always comes out short. For Instance
take the low price or vegetables this
wear. 1 can buy at wholesale in
Philadelphia all the cabbage 1 want for
about S1.50 per hundred. Now l can
get, by retailing my own cabbage, 50
per hundred, and this Is 100 per cent
protection from retailing. Last year l
had no trouble to get s. per hundred.
Some years ago we had It all our
own way, but now the larger part OF
the vegetables sold in the cities are
raised at adistanee-so we have great
deal of competition Apples have
been a drug by the barrel yet 1 have
had no trouble in getting % cents per
basket at -etail for all of them, which
is about 81 fsr bushel. Take the milk
business; a great many OF our farmers
who once attended the markets and
made butter, and were generally pros
porous, have, since going into selling
milk, very little TO show for their work.
The cows eat up everything, and there
are no pigs for winters meat and TO
sell: great deal goes to waste that can
be turned into cash by the marketmaP.
Now, when a farmer sells milk in this
part of the country, he has TO deliver
dry measure, and the retail milk dealer
sells his customers liquid measure; he
makes 100 per cent. on first cost,
besides about u per cent in the differ
ence between the measures, and the
farmer also pays the freight. Some
few of our farmers have gone into
retailing their own milk.
One of my neighbors, whose farm Is
smaller than mine, attends the market
with butter. and he tells me that it
pays him better than selling milk;
besides, he has a great deal Of stuff TO
sell, and also sells for other farmers on
commission. He often has 4 chance to
buy few sheep cheap, and some nice
fat calves from those who do not attend
market. One Of our market going
farmers told ne that he has made as
high as three dollars on an eight-weeks-
old calf that he bought and dressed
and retaLed by the pound. 1 have
another neighbor who has good
custom from city people who have
country residences about here; his stuff
is always nice, and he charges accord
ingly. lie has informed me that 1t
pays him, but If lie had done as the
other farmers here do, would make
nothing.
There are plenty of places In this
country, large towns, that would pay
an extra price for nice fresh stuff, and
it has been mystery TO me why some
of the enterprising ones have not
availed themselves OF the opportunity
to make little money. The stuff
that is sold in the city, brought from
a distance in barrels and boxes. does
not show up like stuff that Is raised
near by, and critical customers do not
want It; still it has an effect on prices
with the general buyer.
STOCK FARMING AND MANURE.-In
discussing "Stock-Growing in Agri-
culture" Western writer makes one
point which Is too often disregarded.
He AYERS that the stock-growing farm
can be made self-supportiug, which is
not the case with all other branches of
agriculture. For 1t must be remem-
bered that barn-yard manure Is the
basis of successful farming. 1t costs
nothing but the saving, and it Is a
complete manure for all crop produc-
tions, and therefore in growing food
necessary for the stock the fertility OF
the soil can be maintained, which
otherwise is sure to deteriorate.
HIVES, as usuaIIy prepared fol
Winter, are often partially buried In
snow. This does no harm, but may be
beneficial, until a warm day comes and
the bees wish to ny, when the snow
must be shovelled away from the
entrance, or the cover removed, anC
the bees be allowed to take their ''purI
flying fiightn from the top of the hive
Hives standing IN the open air shouIC
be protected against the intrusion o
mice. Have the entrance only one
fourth or al inch high and protecte,
with tin. Skunks sometimes scratcl
at the entrance Of a hive; the bee
come out to learn the cause OF the dis
jturbance, and are caught. 4 box
trap set for the skunk is the best pre-
lventive.
The change from an outdoor rul
10 the limit or a hennery is not at a
agreeable to the nature of fowl:
/
IIplants-pale. delicate and tender. Tb
longer they are kept hived together th
more sickly they Will be and the les
lnumber the breeder will have to sho'
sell In q presentable condition to hi
lIcustomers.
II PROFESSOR SroRER says a ratio
Iof thirty pounds OF pumpkin per Co
Idaily will increase the flow and IN
prove the quality of milk. More tha
Ithis quantity should not be giveI
Pumpkins are very cheap food, as
lcouple of tons can be grown to tt
acre with the corn crop. The seeds {
he pumpkin ought to be removed befoI
feeding.
WHEN the field is covered with drie
lgrass and weeds 1t should be burne
over in order to avoid having the seed
carried down by the rains. By s
ldoing many seeds will be destroye
land the field will have a clean appea
ance.
II Two excellent results of life on Il
farm, compared with life on the street
are the humanity and economy el
gendered in young people who help {
feed the many dependents on the farm
and who fnd no other way of gathe
ing needed pennies but by that OF slo
earnings and careful saving.
FARMING business generally IS CO..
Quoted on a loose and slovenly basi
with an absence OF economical metho,
that surprises every man who comes
this country fully posted as to Il
methods adopted elsewhere, whe
men haye to pay an annual rent for Il
land and much higher tithes and tax
thas we.
GEESE do not receive as muC