The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-07-20
LUCKY FARMERS.
A Cry Co mes From Europe for Amer
ican Hay.
Great Ship Loads OF Fodder Leaving the
Port Of New York and More Is to
I'ollow-Tbe Cause of the De-
mand From the Other Side. III


The farmers throughout the country
have been tumbling over each other
during the last few months to get the
hay which they have held over from
last season into this and other cities for
export to Europe The occasions when
American farmers have been called upon
to supply foreign countries with hay
have been so rare that this year will
prove phenomenalsone in the lives OF
the grangers.
The first news that Europe was short
of hay and that the United States were
depended upon to relieve her distress
reached here early in May. 1t did not
spread rapidly and the demand was not
supplied. American consuls abroad
then began to inquire of the agricul-
tural department if the hay crop was
short here or if there was lack of de-
sire to ship hay abroad. Foreign lega-
tions in this country also began TO re-
ceive inquiries concerning the forage
crops.
When the news at last began to
spread that Europe wanted hay it
spread with lightning rapidity 1t
was situation for which thousands of
willy farmers had been waiting many
years. 1t had been their custom to
send limited quantity of hay to mar
ket in the summer and early fall, and
store the rest in the hope that it would
be worth $50 ton, all increase of from
SO or So over usual rates. On several
occasions this has happened. Even in
their widest dreams they never hoped
to get $50 ton, and when the news
that Europe was waiting for their sur
plus stock reached them their anxiety
to supply the demand can be imagined.
Hundreds Gf tons Of hay from Iowa,
Nebraska, Wisconsin, and nearby states
have been pouring into this and other
seaboard cities. Tramp steamers have
been loading at some of the Brooklyn
wharves for several weeks and many
shiploads have been landed abroad.
Still the cry comes that more is wanted.
The fact that the first demand was not
made known until several weeks after
the lack of forage throughout Europe
grew pressing, created considerable
distress there, especially in France. In
both England and France the price was
often as high as $50 ton. 1t has been
reported that the lack of forage in
France has necessitated the slaughter
of large number of cattle to prevent
them from suffering from lack of food.
A representative of the big commits
sion houses of Williams & Rickerson
says that, judging by the way the
American farmers are striving to sup
ply the foreign demand for hay, Eu-
rope would soon have all that she needs.
"All the hay in the market" he said,
sis last years crop. None of this years
hay has come in yet. The i'm
mense quantities coming here show
how the farmers have been hanging
on to it. We are getting
queries from farming districts in
almost every section asking us how
much we can sell hay for, and if we
can not get more for it. Market men
who have never hitherto paid much at
tention to hay are buying it in this
city from ST to $50 ton and sending
it abroa d. We have been getting $50
ton for it abroad, and the persons to
whom it is consigned pay the freight,
which is about $40 ton. This makes
it cost them $40, and by the time the
consumers get it the price must reach
the ne;ghborhood of $50, phenome-
nal price
"The cause of the scarcity of the for
eign crop of fodder is said to have been
the dry weather last year. The same
condition of affairs exists this year. AS
if they doubted this the farmers are
busy unloading all their old hay, and
thousands of tons are pouring into
every port where it can be shipped"
Still, in this country no scarcity of
forage is threatened, because the yield
this year promises to be big enough to
supply every demand made upon it.