S 'ohe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
The  Ananias  of  Farm  Journalism 
Ananias  Inis  come  down  through  history  with  the 
reputation  of  being  the  champion  liar.  He  certainly 
gave  a  great  performance,  yet  we  think  some  of  his 
direct  descendants  in  this  generation  have  beaten  his 
record.  Take  for  instance  the  American  Agriculturist 
in  its  issue  of  .Tati,  20!  We  will  leave  it  with  the  pub¬ 
lic  to  decide  whether  the  three  statements  which  fol¬ 
low  are  fairly  entitled  to  the  championship.  There 
are  three  forms  of  falsehoods  besides  the  ordinary  types 
malignant,  stupidly  foolish  and  dirty.  The  first  is 
inspired  by  malice  and  hatred,  the  second  is  the  work 
of  a  blundering  fool  who  is  too  stupid  to  get  a  report 
Straight,  the  third  is  morally  unclean  because  it  in¬ 
sinuates  the  meanest  and  most  contemptible  motives. 
Now  we  ask  you  if  the  following  specimens  are  fairly 
classified. 
No.  1.  The  Malignant  Statement 
The  American  Agriculturist  says  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society  did  not  indorse  the  work  of  Com¬ 
missioner  John  J.  Dillon.  This  is  what  it  says: 
Our  neighbor  cites  what  the  New  York  State  Agri¬ 
cultural  Society  did  at  its  last  meeting  as  indorsing  ,T. 
.1.  Dillon.  That  society  passed  no  such  resolution. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural 
Society,  although  Dillon  pled  for  1  (4  hours  to  justify 
his  mismanagement,  no  personal  indorsement  was  given 
him. 
The  Albany  Times-Vnion  prints  the  following  re¬ 
marks  by  Rev  Andrew  Schviver  of  Chester,  N.  Y.,  at. 
this  meeting : 
Mr.  Shriver,  in  the  course  of  an  address  to  the  so¬ 
ciety  at.  the  end  of  the  last  session,  said  :  “I  am  now 
about  to  do  what  I  have  felt  like  doing  ever  since  we 
begun.  We  owe  a  debt  to  this  New  York  State  Agri¬ 
cultural  Society  that  originated  this  Foods  and  Mar¬ 
kets  Commission  and  brought  it  into  existence.  We 
owe  a  debt  to  the  man  who  pioneered  the  business  and 
brought  it  to  its  present  State  of  promise  and  prospect, 
and  I  think  we  ought  to  give  him  and  it  is  the  least 
we  can  give  him,  it  is  a  mighty  small  thing  to  give 
him  -  we  cannot  do  otherwise  than  give  him  this,  our 
muiunlifieil  and  emphatic  indorsement.  Do  you  feel 
like  that?  I  move  that  this  Society  indorse,  the  con¬ 
duct  of  the  Foods  and  Markets  Commission  under  John 
J.  Dillon  for  the  last  year.” 
The  motion  was  carried  unanimously  and  with  a 
will. 
The  editor  of  the  American  Agriculturist  must  have 
known  about,  this.  At  any  rate  he  knows  now,  since 
Mr.  Schriver  promptly  wrote  the  following  letter  to 
that  paper.  Bear  in  mind  that  this  was  not  written 
to  us,  but  to  the  American  Agriculturist : 
Gentlemen: — In  your  issue  of  Feb.  5th  you  have  an 
editorial  entitled  “A  Prejudiced  Neighbor.”  The  State 
Agricultural  Society  did  umpmlificdly  indorse  J.  ,T. 
Dillon.  I  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  resolu¬ 
tions  and  made  a  supplementary  motion  indorsing  if. 
J.  Dillon  and  his  work.  You  are  ill  advised,  the  State 
Grange  did  the  same  thing.  The  farmers  in  this  lati¬ 
tude  know  Mr.  John  Dillon,  and  believe  in  him.  Who 
are  you,  trading  on  a  dead  man’s  name?  I  have  taken 
the  Agriculturist  for  some  years.  I  think  you  should 
take  a  lot  of  your  own  medicine  unless  you  soon  quit 
your  absolute  meanness,  ami  I  shall  have  no  use  for 
the  paper.  Yours  for  truth  and  justice, 
(Signed)  Andrew'  sen  river. 
No.  2.  The  Stupidly  Foolish  Statement 
The  American  Agriculturist  actually  printed  the  fol¬ 
lowing  idiotic  statement: 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Western  New  York  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society  did  indorse  Dillon  in  connection  with  his 
department.  But  how?  The  department  had  its  paid 
agents  at  that  meeting,  working  like  ward  politicians 
at  a  political  convention.  An  employee  of  the  auction 
company  introduced  the  resolution. 
The  resolution  at  the  Western  New  York  Society 
was  prepared  by  S.  ,T.  T.  Bush,  W,  Gould  and  Goo.  T. 
Powell.  Every  one  knows  the  high  eharacter  of  this 
fine  old  society.  It  would  he  hard  to  think  of  a  more 
stupid  iusult.  We  wrote  the  veteran  John  Hall,  sec¬ 
retary  of  the  society,  and  received  the  following  reply: 
I  have  your  letter  of  the  5tli  instant,  and  in  reply 
will  say  that  I  anticipated  what  you  have  stated  there¬ 
in,  and  have  already  corresponded  with  the  proprietor 
and  editor  of  the  American  Agriculturist  and  have 
asked  them  to  publish  my  letter  in  their  paper,  aiul  also 
to  make  retraction  of  the  statements  contained  in  the 
editorial  of  the  5th  instant,  which  I  have  character¬ 
ized  as  a  deliberate  misrepresentation  of  the  facts. 
JOHN  uali..  Secretary. 
No.  3.  The  Dirty  Statement 
Not  content  with  attacking  the  acts  of  Commis¬ 
sioner  Dillon  the  American  Agriculturist  impugns  his 
motives  as  follows : 
The  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society  further 
repudiated  Dillon  by  refusing  him  the  re-election  he 
sought  as  its  president.  The  society  went  still  further, 
and  refused  to  elect  for  president  anyone  controlled  by 
Dillon.  The  issue  was  squarely  joined,  and  no  man 
was  ever  more  soundly  rebuked. 
Mr.  Dillon  did  not  desire  any  re-election  and  would 
not  have  accepted  the  office  under  any  consideration. 
No  one  will  be  likely  to  question  the  word  of  the  follow¬ 
ing.  We  have  dozens  more  if  need  lie. 
I  have  just  read  over  the  article  in  the  editorial 
columns  of  the  American  Agriculturist  of  Jan.  29th. 
Regarding  the  statement  made  by  the  American  Agri¬ 
culturist  that  Mr.  Dillon  tried  to  have  himself  re¬ 
elected  as  president  of  the  New  York  State  Agricul¬ 
tural  Society,  it  is  absolutely  untrue.  As  a  member 
of  the  committee  on  nominations,  1  went  to  Mr.  Dillon 
before  its  meeting  on  Tuesday  night  and  asked  him  the 
point-blank  question,  “Do  you  want  to  he  re-elected?” 
Me  said  very  decidedly,  “No!”  I  stated  this  to  the  com¬ 
mittee,  at  the  meeting  when  his  name  was  brought  up, 
and  upon  that  statement,  his  name  was  not  consid¬ 
ered. 
At  the  same  time,  I  asked  Mr.  Dillon  whether  he 
had  any  suggestions  to  offer  me,  as  to  who  should  be 
nominated  for  president.  His  answer,  in  no  uncertain 
Friiis  was,  that  lie  believed  the  committee  was  com¬ 
petent  to  do  that  without  any  suggestions  from  him, 
anil  whatever  the  committee  did  would  he  satisfactory. 
The  statements  made  by  the  American  Agriculturist 
are  deliberate,  dirty  and  malicious,  manufactured  out 
of  whole  cloth,  have  no  foundation  in  fact,  and  cannot, 
I  happen  to  know,  be  substantiated.  The  representa¬ 
tive  of  the  American  Agriculturist  was  dropped  from 
the  executive  committee  of  the  society  by  the  nomin¬ 
ating  committee.  I  draw  no  deductions,  but  I  stand 
ready  to  qualify  to  any  statements  1  have  made.  Yours 
very  truly,  iranklyx  a.  taker. 
I'onghkoepsie.  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Dillon  made  no  effort  whatever  so  far  as  I  know, 
to  seek  a  nomination.  He  made  it.  very  plain  that 
he  did  not  seek  the  office  of  Commissioner  of  Foods 
and  Markets,  and  would  be  glad  to  relinquish  it  at  any 
time,  that  anyone  who  was  competent  and  interested 
to  take  the  work  in  the  interest  of  the  producers  of 
the  State  and  of  the  consumers  in  our  cities.  There 
was  not  a  word  or  act  of  which  1  know  that  was  said  or 
done  to  influence  action  for  Mr.  Dillon’s  re-election  as 
president  of  the  State  society.  OKORiiK  r.  pown.i,. 
Ghent,  N.  Y. 
November  30,  1915,  1  received  from  Mr.  Dillon  a  let¬ 
ter,  in  which  lie  indicated  most  clearly  that  under  no 
circumstances  would  he  stand  for  a  re-election,  and  in 
which  lie  urged  that  1  permit  the  use  of  my  name  for 
nomination  as  president  of  the  society.  I  was  present 
at  the  annual  meeting,  and  came  in  contact  with  a 
great  many  of  the  members  who  were  there,  and  from 
neither  Mr.  Dillon  nor  any  other  source  did  1  receive 
any  intimation  that  he  desired  a  re-election.  In  fact, 
by  those  with  whom  I  conversed,  it  was  generally 
stated  that  Mr.  Dillon  did  not  desire  a  re-election.  In 
all  fairness  ami  all  justice  to  Mr.  Dillon,  I  wish  to  sa.v 
that  I  at  no  lime  saw  any  indication  that  he  had  any 
desire  to  succeed  himself,  but  at  all  times  quite  the 
contrary.  K.  w.  SESSIONS. 
Utica.  X.  Y. 
I  was  a  member  of  the  nomination  committee  of 
which  Prof.  Stocking  was  chairman.  No  suggestion 
was  made  to  the  committee  at  its  meeting  or  to  my¬ 
self  in  any  way  as  to  the  renomination  of  Mr.  Dillon, 
ami  any  intimation  that  he  sought  a  re-election  is.  so 
far  as  my  knowledge  goes,  absolutely  incorrect. 
Potsdam.  N.  Y.  oeo.  \y.  sissox. 
And  now,  if  the  American  Agriculturist  is  not,  in 
your  opinion,  entitled  to  the  championship  among  the 
sons  of  Ananias,  we  can  give  further  proof. 
What  the  Auction  Can  Do 
The  Department  of  Foods  and  Markets  is  in  a  posi¬ 
tion  to  serve  farmers  in  the  following  particulars: 
1.  To  receive  and  sell  fruit  of  all  kinds  at  auction 
in  the  city  of  New  York. 
2.  To  receive  and  have  sold  under  its  supervision 
at  private  sale  farm  products  put  up  in  containers. 
3.  To  use  its  best  efforts  at  any  time  to  find  a  mar¬ 
ket  or  a  sales  agent  for  any  product  of  the  farm. 
1.  To  investigate  any  cause  of  complaint  by  a  ship¬ 
per  for  delay  in  transportation,  damage  to  shipment  or 
any  complaint  against  a  receiver  on  account  of  unsatis¬ 
factory  returns. 
5.  To  furnish  information  as  to  condition  of  tin* 
markets,  prices,  grades  and  pack  required  by  the  trade. 
6.  The  Department  also  issues  bulletins  to  the  city 
consumers  to  tell  them  what  kinds  of  farm  food  pro¬ 
ducts  are  cheapest,  and  quotes  the  wholesale  price  as 
a  guide  to  what  the  retail  price  should  he.  This  in¬ 
creases  the  consumption  of  such  products  and  tends  to 
increase  the  price  of  them. 
7.  The  Department  also  offers  its  services  to  any 
commission  dealer  who  wishes  to  establish  an  official 
guarantee  of  integrity  and  square  deal  to  the  shipper. 
Whether  justly  or  unjustly  the  farmer  is  suspicious  of 
the  commission  dealer.  Tie  feels  that  he  does  not.  get 
in  return  all  his  goods  are  worth,  and  not  always  what 
they  actually  sell  for.  The  commission  dealer  knows 
that  this  feeling  exists,  and  that  it  hurts  his  business. 
If  lie  will  submit  to  inspection  ami  keep  his  records 
and  his  transactions  open  to  the  Department 
it  can  certify  to  correct  records  atul  when  necessary 
to  proper  inspection  of  products.  This  service  lias 
been  available  to  commission  dealers  for  more  than  a 
year,  hut  no  one  of  them  has  yet  pat  himself  in  a  posi¬ 
tion  to  profit  by  it.  The  publicity  and  confidence  inspired 
by  such  a  certification  of  honesty  to  a  commission 
dealer  could  not  fail  to  he  of  great  advantage  to  the 
honest  dealer  whose  record  would  merit  the  indorse¬ 
ment  of  the  Department,  and  all  commission  dealers 
are  invited  to  avail  themselves  of  the  service. 
Notes  from  the  Auction  Market 
The  past  week  has  been  dull  in  the  apple  trade. 
Dealers  have  been  holding  hack  fruit,  apparently  in  the 
hope  of  supporting  prices.  The  effort  is  to  get  out  on 
a  loss  of  not  more  than  one  dollar  a  barrel.  High 
quality  fruit  is  selling  at  good  prices,  but  there  is 
considerable  soft  and  poor  fruit  in  storage  and  the 
price  on  this  is  low.  In  our  judgment  both  dealer  and 
grower  with  apples  in  storage  arc  making  a  mistake  in 
keeping  apples  out  of  the  market.  U  looks  as  if  there 
would  he  considerable  loss  in  waste  later  on.  There 
is  now.  Fancy  and  strictly  high  grades  will  always 
sell  ar  good  prices,  but  soft  apples  will  get  no  better 
either  in  quality  or  price.  The  auction  sales  of  apples 
were  light  last  week  and  the  quality  of  the  one  full 
cur  received  was  for  the  most  part  poor.  Brices  of 
course  ran  accordingly,  but  even  with  such  fruit  on 
hand  the  growers’  best  policy  is  to  turn  them  into 
money.  Soft  apples  are  not  a  good  asset  iu  April. 
The  last  sale  ran : 
APPLES. — 1  bbl.  Greening  $1.35:  1  Spitz  $1.10:  59 
Baldwin  $2.30 :  54  $1.70;  2  Ben  Davis  *1.85:  2  Hub- 
bimlstou  $1.80:  1  Baldwin  $2.20;  G  $1.80;  2  Unknown 
$1.75;  1  box  Ben  Davis  $1.10. 
291 
EGGS.— 2  eases  30c;  4 
11  32c;  22(4  38c;  8  (A  35c 
40c;  S  39c" 
MIS  GET  LA  YEGGS. — r 
2pe;  20  lbs.  20c;  8  pigs, 
lbs.,  12c:  2  bids,  spinach 
37c:  4  34c  :  11  20c;  15  33c; 
;  V'-i  case  -JSc ;  S  cases  42c ;  30 
12  lbs.  butter  25c ;  05  lbs. 
290  lbs.,  12 (4c;  6  pigs,  299 
$1.05. 
The  Milk  Situation 
Senator  (’buries  A.  Wicks,  of  Oneida  County,  has 
introduced  a  bill  to  establish  an  open  market  for  milk 
iu  this  State,  so  that  the  price  of  milk  will  be  estab¬ 
lished  mi  the  basis  of  supply  and  demand.  It  is  based 
on  the  plan  proposed  by  the  Department  of  Foods  and 
Markets  and  approved  by  the  Dairyuieu’s  League.  The 
plan  includes  a  market  for  the  open  sale  of  milk  on 
a  competitive  basis,  and  a  creamery  to  absorb  any  sur¬ 
plus  that  may  exist.  Under  the  plan  independent  dis¬ 
tributors  ol  milk  will  have  a  sure  source  of  supply  and 
full  protection  from  tile  State  to  the  privilege  of  dis¬ 
tribution  and  sale  without  interference  or  molestation 
by  any  other  interest.  It  is  an  important  departure 
tor  the  dairy  interests  of  tin1  State  and  from  the  in¬ 
terest  already  taken  by  producers  it  is  believed  they 
will  come  to  the  support  of  Senator  Wicks  and  insist 
mi  a  prompt  passage  of  the  measure. 
The  “  Knockers  ”  of  Farm  Journalism 
Don’t  get  discouraged  . . .  some  of  the  so-called 
farm  papers  and  trade  organs  knock  the  efforts  of  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  Mr.  Dillon  because  of 
the  endeavor  to  organize  a  feasible  marketing  plan  for 
New  7  ork  farmers.  Knockers  cannot  help  it  because 
they  are  with  us;  they  were  born  just  like  the  boosters. 
Some  one  has  said  that  when  the  Creator  had  made  all 
the  good  things  there  still  remained  some  work  to  be 
done;  so  He  made  beasts  and  reptiles  and  poisonous 
insects,  and  when  He  made  these  in  completed  form, 
there  were  a  few  scraps  remaining;  so  lie  put  all  these 
pieces  together,  covered  it  with  suspicion,  wrapped  it 
with  jealousy,  marked  if  with  a  yellow  streak  up  its 
back  and  called  it  a  knocker.  This  product  was  so  fear¬ 
ful  to  contemplate  that  He  had  to  make  something  to 
conteraet  it.  so  lie  took  a  sunbeam,  put  it  in  the  heart 
of  a  child,  the  brain  of  man,  wrapped  these  in  civic 
pride,  covered  them  with  brotherly  love,  gave  it  a 
booster;  made  him  a  lover  of  fields  ami  flowers,  and 
many  sports,  a  believer  in  equality  and  justice,  and 
ever  since  these  two  were,  mortal  man  has  had  the 
privilege  of  choosing  his  own  associates, 
'The  farmers  off  New  York,  and  the  whole  country, 
need  to  use  care  in  choosing  their  associates.  I  stopped 
a  farm  paper  because  it  was  a  knocker.  I  cannot  tol¬ 
erate  the  editorial  policy  of  any  paper  that  forever 
rakes  over  the  coals  those  men  who  are  endeavoring  to 
do  something  for  the  uplift  and  betterment  of  the  pres¬ 
ent  conditions  of  farm  life,  and  will  support,  even 
though  I  have  not  the  time  to  read,  any  paper  that  will 
come  out  four  square  against  the  prevailing  evils  of 
present-day  life.  I  believe  that  farmers  should  he  care¬ 
ful  in  choosing  their  associates.  This  applies  to  the 
kind  of  a  farm  paper  they  read  as  much  as  to  social 
relations.  earle  w.  gape. 
Lecturer,  Ashvilh-  Grange,  694. 
R.  N.-Y. — It  takes  much  more  than  a  “knocker”  to 
discourage  us.  We  never  felt  more  hopeful  for  the  fu¬ 
ture  of  farming  than  wv  do  right  now,  because  the 
farmers  themselves  arc  gaining  the  “fighting  spirit!” 
New  York  State  News 
STATE  FAIR  MATTERS.— At  a  recent  meeting  of 
the  State  Fair  Commission  treasurer  A.  E.  Brown  was 
promoted  to  tin-  office  of  secretary  at  a  salary  of  $4,000 
and  Michael  E.  Munoliaii  of  Syracuse  was  elected 
treasurer  at  a  salurj  of  $3,000.  The  latter  official  has 
been  comptroller  of  the  city  and  is  well  experienced  in 
financial  methods.  Mr.  Brown  has  been  treasurer  of 
the  fair  for  17  years  and  by  liis  election  as  secretary 
bis  valuable  services  and  experieneed  counsel  will  be 
still  retained  on  the  commission.  Eward  G.  Ten  Eyck 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  fair  grounds  and 
Henry  S.  Nealh  as  secretary  iu  charge  of  racing.  He 
was  authorized  by  the  commission  to  offer  $40,000  in 
purses  for  the  grand  circuit  races, 
('HANGING  METHOD  OF  HANDLING  FAIR 
MONEY. — -Bills  have  been  introduced  in  both  branches 
of  the  Legislature  relative  to  the  payment  of  moneys 
by  the  State  Fair  Commission  to  the  State.  It  is  said 
•  hat  these  bills  arc  in  line  with  Got.  Whitman’s  ideas 
oa  the  subject  of  State  finances.  At.  present  section 
3i  of  tile  State  finance  law  does  lint  apply  to  the  State 
Fair  moneys  and  this  exemption  is  removed  by  the 
hills  in  question.  Under  the  present  law  the  State 
Fair  Commission  receives  money  payable  to  the  State 
on  account  of  the  fair  and  disburses  therefrom  and 
from  appropriations  without  being  required  to  make 
monthly  payments  of  all  receipts  to  the  State  Treas¬ 
urer.  .  I  he  1*111  strikes  out  the  provision  allowing  the 
Commission  to  make  disbursements  and  adds  that  the 
commission  may  incur  obligations  and  accounts  charge¬ 
able  against  moneys  appropriated  by  the  Legislature. 
These  claims  are  payable  subject  to  the  audit  of  the 
State  Comptroller  before  payment.  The  commission 
can  no  longer  use  current  receipts  and  make  expendi¬ 
tures  direct  from  appropriations.  The  basic  idea  of  the 
bill  is  to  subject  all  payments  made  from  State  funds 
to  the  audit  of  the  comptroller.  Another  bill  of  sim¬ 
ilar  effect  will  affect  the  State  College  of  Agriculture, 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  College  of  Forestry  and  the 
State  schools  of  agriculture  will  have  to  conform  to 
the  same  law,  if  the  bill  becomes  law. 
BILL  AFFECTING  THE  HIGHWAY  DEPART- 
MLN  I .  So  much  opposition  has  already  been  made 
to  Senator  Argetsinger’s  bill  to  change  the  framework 
of  the  highway  department  that  it  is  likely  to  die.  He 
would  transfer  the  control  of  maintaining  highways 
Horn  the  State  to  the  town  superintendents,  appointed 
by  the  hoards  of  supervisors;  consolidate  the  bureaus 
of  maintenance  and  repair  and  the  bureau  of  town 
highways;  abolish  the  office  of  auditor  and  make  pro¬ 
vision  for  a  purchasing  agent;  abolish  the  office  of 
division  engineer  tind  appoint  six  depute  commission;' >'s 
and  divide  the  State  into  not  less  tliau  10  districts 
each  to  he  iu  charge  of  a  district  supervisor  of  high¬ 
ways.  Up-State  members  disapprove  the  measure  be¬ 
cause  it  puts  more  tax  on  their  districts  for  highway 
maintenance.  The  senator  claims  that  the  bill  if  it  be¬ 
comes  a  law  would  save  the  State  $2,680,900  a  year. 
.7.  W.  D. 
