126 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



paratively small quantities of products. Lists of farmers having 

 products to sell are made out weekly or monthly and mailed to 

 prospective buyers. In this way a large number of sales are 

 made. 



Some sort of market news and information service for the 

 benefit of farmers or groups of farmers has been inaugurated by 

 a number of the market bureaus, supplementing the news 

 service of the Federal Office of Markets. But no comprehensive 

 plan for giving out market information has been put into opera- 

 tion by any State bureau so far as I am aware. 



The administration and enforcement of laws relating to the 

 distribution and sale, and to the distributors, of farm products 

 is entirely an administrative and police function which, I think, 

 should pertain to the State bureaus organized independently or 

 under the boards of agriculture. The determination of grades 

 and standards of farm products and containers is a matter of 

 legal enactment, and appertains to independent market bureaus 

 and others only when these powers are specifically delegated to 

 them by law. 



SojuE Specific Illustrations. 



Some of the specific activities of these bureaus are worthy of 

 mention. The department of foods and markets of the State of 

 New York, as most of you know, has promoted auction market- 

 ing in New York City, and has been exceedingly active in 

 assisting the farmers to market apples, peaches, eggs, potatoes 

 and other farm products. The department has acted as re- 

 ceiver for the New York Fruit Auction. Moreover, this depart- 

 ment, under the energetic leadership of John J. Dillon, has 

 taken an active part in the recent "milk war" in New York 

 City. Mr. Dillon has undertaken energetically an investigation 

 of the abuses which he maintains exist in the poultry and egg 

 exchanges and among the wholesale middlemen of New York 

 city. 



The State of Idaho has an independent market bureau very 

 ably and energetically manned. This bureau has done much in 

 the way of giving timely information to farmers as to prices and 

 markets for agricultural products. Wlien the bean associations 



