Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 June 1891 — Hay Prices and a Hay Trust. [ARTICLE]

Hay Prices and a Hay Trust.

When the McKinleyites doubled the duty on hay last year many farmers doubtless thought that higher prices for hay would now be in order. It ha) not worked any disadvantage yet to the farmers of New York State. A correspondent of the Rural New-Yorker tells why: “The price has for several years ranged from £lO to £l3 per ton to the grower, the buyer furnishing a press and the men to operate it, and the farmer furnishing the additional help and board for all hands, horse-feed and coal, and he has also had to deliver the bales to the cars. All this 'was quite satisfactory until last fall, when the three hundred hay dealers in this State formed a “trust, ” fixing the price at £7, and charging £1.75 per ton for baling, in caso the dealer ba:ed the hay and did not buy it Nor was this all; an irondad contract was produced lor me .farmer to sign, which gave the buyer

the.privtlogo of grading the hay at the car, and .many received only $5 or B*s for bay for which they expected $7. There was no use iu talking back after they had signed the contract, for the monopolists tould pay what they saw tit and the growefs were obliged to take it “All this naturally cau-ed a vigorous kick, and new presses wero bought by enterprising men. Most of the latter were approached by the trust men, who tried to iuduee them by various means not to press for farmers. The presses, however, have been constantly running, and some of the farmers have shipped their hay, while others have sold theirs where they saw lit. The hay dealers, however, had too good a thing, and stuck well to their trust, and go where one might, $7 was all they would offer, and they got plenty at that price, and, strange as it may seem, some old and very prosperous farmers have sold recently at that figure. ”