The National tribune., 1892-11-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
GRAPES IN NEW YORK.


for New York markets were Messrs. Kniffin,
Thorn & Heath, of ClintondaIe, Ulster County.
After a few years these gentlemen commenced
to sell vines to others, who, upon learning of
the wonderful success and the large prices
these gentlemen were getting, were induced to
| go into the grape culture also. And from that
day to this the growing of grapes has steadily
| increased. and one cannot ride through Ulster
| County to day without witnessing immense
vineyards. Acres and acres have been set out,
but there have been so many who have gone
into the business that it is like everything else
there is not much profit in it, and what little
there is the commission merchant and middle
men get the most of.
Grapes at the present writing are bringing
from two and half cents to three cents per
pound. They are shipped in what are called
gift crates, which are not returnable aud they
cost, including one partition and eight tills
about 90 cents EACH and hold about 40 pounds
of grapes We will say man gets two and a
half cents pound. He has his freight, cart
age, commission and cutting and packing, and
20 cents each for lis crates. to pay. His net
proceeds are just about 30 or 10 cents on a crate
of grapes. Growers generally pay 10 cents per
hour for cutting and packing
A great many farmers who have boon in the
habit of doing only farm work, such as raising
grain, etc, have set out their large farms in
fruit and consequently man with only three
or four acres stands very little show; because
| Just as soon as the fruit market is good and
prices are up these farmers go to work and rush
tons upon tons of fruit into the market, and the
consequence is that there is glut, and down
go the prices; whereas if these farmers had
not had all this large amount of fruit the man
with small place would have obtained more
benefit of the high prices. We do not mean by
this to cast any blame upon the farmers, but
only to show those who think there are lots of
money in fruit that such is not the case unless
a man has lots of it. The men who have large
quantities of fruit are not so much affected by
the low prices as is the man with only three or
four acres, and less.
A grower of fruit is in one sense of the
word a Spectator. He sends his fruit to
market and has to take what he gets, and
grin and bear it. One day he may get big
price, the next day not enough to pay the
freight on it, and so it goes. But it is just so
| in all kinds of business. Competition is great
4
WINTER DAIRYING.
| T. L. Hacker OF the Minnesota Experiment
| Station brings forward the following facts to
show why it is better to have cows calve in the
| Fall:
| To illustrate how even the flow of milk can
be maintained during the Winter by good care
he takes the record of five average cows at the
| Minnesota State Farm. Some of these COWS
came in early in June, and others at different
periods up to September. The five cows gave
on the 10th day of November 114.75 pounds of
milk. containing 5.46 pounds of fat equivalent
to 60 pounds of butter. Now they are giving
1925 pounds of milk, containing 80 pounds of
butter day, or only $40 of pound less than
they gave last Fall.
Upon the suppositon that the five COWS gave
6.5 pounds of butter per day, and that the
| butter brought % cents per pound, the receipts
from them during 40 days amount to S22750.
The cows referred to are ordinary grades, cost
ing from $40 to $35. Their average weight is
just 500 pounds, the best one weighing 40
pounds. The value Of feed required for the
five cows, for the period stated, depends much
upon locality, and the reader can make his own
the net profits would range from 500 to 1925.
How large wheat field will it take to bring
you a net profit equalIto it, and how many days
labor will it require to produce it?
KANSAS PROSPERITY.
The report of Secretary Mohler, of the Kan
sas Board of Agriculture in regard to wheat
shows total Winter wheat product for the
State of 70,O35, $50 bushels, and an average
yield per acre for the State of 1888, the total
Winter-wheat area being 3 800, 013 acres. Spring
wheat is also good, making on Spring wheat
area of 309,S16 acres total Spring wheat
product of 4, 502, 926 bushels and an average
yield per acre for the State of 14.53 bushels.
The total aggregate wheat product for the
State therefore, on the final estimate, is a.
53S 906 bushels.
1t is yet too early for the final estimate of
the corn crop of Kansas, but our correspond
ents place the probable yield per acre of this
cereal for the entire State at % bushels. This
average yield per acre applied to the corn area
of the State 1908. $50 acres would give total
corn product of 40, 059, 929 bushels.
Correspondents report the average yield
per acre of oats for the state at 2S.O4 bushels,
which on an area of 1.559.049 acres, gives q
total oats product for the State of 43, 722,-
asa bushels
The average yield per acre of rye for the
State is placed at 1863 bushels. This an
acreage of 239, 173 acres makes the rye product
of the State, 4,042.6l3 bushels.
Average yield reported for the State, 27.8
bushels per acre; area 1926 acres. Total
product, 3,S42, 954 bushels.
Correspondents report dry weather in all
portions of the State during September and
in consequence wheat sowing has been greatly
retarded. In cases where ground was plowed
early July and Augusta. when i'll good con-
dtion. there has been sufficient moisture to
terminate the seed, but the dry and warm
weather has been unfavorable to its growth
and in some cases the plant is reported as suf
fering.
Many farmers whose ground was prepared
and ready early i'll September postponed seed
ing, waiting for cooler weather and moister
soil.
Other farmers whose blowing was delayed
have since been unable to put their ground in
proper condition, and seeding is necessarily
delayed. Not half the wheat to be sown in
Kansas this season was in the ground Oct. 1.
If weather conditions should be favorable !
during October, our correspondents say the |
area sown to wheat this Fall will equal, and |
in many places surpass, that of year ago. If, |
however, unfavorable conditions continue the /