Z7/>n  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
483 
New  York  Dairymen  Want  Help 
Whereas,  the  market  conditions  for  the  products  of 
the  dairy  farms  are  so  unsatisfactory,  the  price  being 
arbitrarily  made  by  the  large  milk  companies,  that 
there  is  little,  if  any,  profit  in  the  dai,ry  business, 
therefore  be  it 
Resolved,  that  it  is  the  conviction  of  this  meeting 
that  the  present  New  York  State  Department  of  Foods 
and  Markets  is  the  only  agency  from  which  we  can 
expect  remedial  action,  and  that  the  Governor  of  the 
State,  the  Senator  and  Assemblyman  from  this  District, 
be  urged  to  use  their  influence  for  the  continuation  ami 
extension  of  the  activities  of  such  Department  of  Foods 
and  Markets. 
May  we  ask  that  any  proposal  facilitating  the  mar¬ 
keting  of  dairy  products  by  the  elimination  of  middle¬ 
men's  profits  and  dividends  fin  watered  stocks  of  milk 
companies,  receive  your  careful  and  favorable  con¬ 
sideration  ? 
This  resolution  was  passed  at  a  meeting  of  dairy¬ 
men  in  Chenango  Co..  N.  Y.,  the  chairman  being  If. 
H.  Lyon.  All  through  the  dairy  districts  of  New  York 
farmers  are  full  of  anxiety  regarding  the  milk  market 
question.  A  crisis  has  come  in  the  dairy  business,  and 
there  is  no  hope  i,u  sight  along  the  old  lines  of  handling 
and  selling  which  have  so  long  prevailed.  Therefore 
dairymen  turn  to  the  plan  proposed  by  the  Foods  and 
Markets  Department  and  believe  it  should  be  fully 
tried  out.  There  is  no  question  about  the  earnestness 
and  sincerity  of  these  men.  They  are  now  getting  the 
worst  business  deal  of  any  farmers  in  the  State,  which 
is  saying  about  all  that  need  be  said.  They  must  re¬ 
member  that  something  more  than  passing  resolutions 
must  be  done.  Strong  individual  letters  must  be  sent 
to  Albany  to  Gov.  Whitman  and  the  local  Representa¬ 
tive  and  Senator.  Now,  right  now  is  the  time  to  lick 
a  stamp  for  Bossy  and  the  baby. 
Notes  from  Department  of  Foods  and 
Markets 
The  Department  of  Foods  and  Markets  and  the  State 
Grange  working  together  demonstrated  the  good  effect 
of  team  work  last  week.  At  a  conference  in  Albany  on 
Monday,  the  speculation  permitted  in  farm  products  by 
the  railroads  on  their  docks  was  discussed,  and  the  pro¬ 
test  of  the  Department  and  the  Grange  presented  to 
the  representative  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad. 
By  four  o’clock  Wednesday  afternoon  an  order  was 
issued  by  the  railroad  to  abolish  the  Custom  under  com¬ 
plaint.  The  other  roads  will  probably  follow  this  lead, 
and  if  so,  speculation  on  railroad  docks  will  be  elim¬ 
inated.  The  large  grocer  and  distributor  will  then  be 
encouraged  to  buy  direct  of  the  receiver  and  the  farmer 
will  get  the  price  paid  to  a  multiplicity  of  middlemen 
speculating  in  food  products. 
The  trade  papers  which  claimed  last  Fall  that  the 
Department  of  Foods  and  Markets  could  not  sell  apples 
at  auction,  and  which,  during  the  early  part  of  the 
season,  made  the  claim  that  the  auction  prices  were  not 
equal  to  the  private  sales,  do  not  seem  to  give  the 
actual  pri.oes  of  individual  private  sales  to  prove  their 
contentions  by  comparison.  For  example,  in  the  early 
part  of  January  R.  G.  Brown,  lloosick,  N.  Y„  sent  a 
carload  consisting  of  139  barrels  of  apples  to  Olivit 
Bros.,  335  Washington  street,  to  be  sold  on  commis¬ 
sion.  Mr.  Brown  writes  that  they  were  all  Grade  A, 
line  quality  fruit;  that  they  had  been  packed  by  a  man 
who  had  11  years’  experience  in  packing  apples  for 
the  Balston  Cokl  Storage  Company,  and  he  called  them 
fancy.  lie  was  engaged  to  pack  them  according  to  the 
New  York  State  law.  They  were  shipped  in  a  clean 
refrigerator  car  in  good  weather  and  in  line  condition, 
lie  was  offered  $2  a  barrel  for  them  when  he  was  load¬ 
ing.  but  the  quotation  for  Spies,  Baldwins  and  Spitz- 
euburgs,  induced  him  to  expect  better  returns. 
On  January  22.  Olivit  Bros,  made  him  the  following 
returns : 
42  barrels  Baldwins  at  $2 .  $84.00 
2  barrels  Spitzenburgs  at  $1.30 .  3.00 
1  barrel  Tallinn n  Sweets .  1.50 
3  barrels  Ben  Davis  at  $1.25 .  3.75 
16  barrels  Canada  Reds  at  $1.75 .  28.00 
20  barrels  Greenings  at  $1.75  .  35.00 
2  barrels  Bellflowers  at  $1.25 .  2.50 
2  barrels  I’owaukee  at  $1.25 .  2.50 
50  barrels  Spies  at  $1.75.. .  87.50 
1  barrel  short 
Freight  . . . 
Commission 
.  .  $33.60 
. ..  17.34 
$247.75 
50.94 
Balance  for  the  car . $196.81 
Investigation  by  the  Department  shows  that  those 
apples  were  sold  in  three  lots : 
42  barrels  to  L.  Lebowitz,  19  Ludlow  street,  New 
York  city.  • 
40  barrels  to  II.  Goldman,  56  Ludlow  street.  New 
York  city. 
56  barrels  to  Charles  Gilman,  40  Ludlow  street.  New 
York  city. 
1  barrel  condemned  by  inspector  of  the  Health  De¬ 
partment.  (On  a  certificate,  noted  “condition 
decayed.”) 
A  comparison  of  the  records  on  Goldman’s  books 
corresponded  with  the  record  of  Olivit  Bros.,  with  the 
exception  of  one  barrel,  which  was  returned  by  Olivit 
Bros,  at  $1.25  and  appeared  on  Mr.  Goldman’s  books 
at  $1.50. 
No  verification  could  be  made  of  the  Gilman  pur¬ 
chase  because  he  keeps  no  records  and  the  same  was 
true  of  the  Lebowitz  account,  lie  stated,  however,  that 
he  had  bought  42  barrels  at  $2  a  barrel. 
The  condemnation  of  one  barrel  out  of  a  car  of  apples 
is  to  say  the  least  unusual,  and  not  without  suspicion. 
Inspectors  in  New  York  have  been  known  to  issue 
certificates  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  themselves  and 
the  dealer  who  called  his  attention  to  the  goods.  It 
would  be  a  sharp  inspector  who  would  find  otie  barrel 
of  decayed  apples  in  a  carload.  Whether  there  was 
any  “divvy”  between  the  salesman  selling  the  apples 
and  the  men  that  bought:  them,  no  one  knows  except 
the  parties  concerned.  One  thing  is  certain ;  the  re¬ 
turns  show  a  very  low  pri.ee  for  apples  even  of  a 
medium  quality,  and  there  is  no  way  for  the  grower 
and  shipper  to  recover  what  he  believes  to  be  a  definite 
loss. 
If  this  carload  of  apples  had  been  sent  to  the  miction 
markets,  the  shipper  would  at  least  have  had  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it  was  sold  on  the  open 
market  under  State  inspection  and  that  he  got  the 
price  that  the  purchaser  paid,  and  got  it  all. 
Apples  have  been  coming  i,n  freely  during  the  past 
week,  hut  a  large  part  of  the  receipts  coming  during 
the  cold  weather  arrived  on  the  docks  chilled  or  frozen. 
One  car  from  Michigan  to  the  auction  market  was 
clean,  large  grade,  and  good  quality.  Considering  the 
freeze  they  sold  well,  but  the  price  was  fully  50  cents 
a  box  and  $1  a  barrel  short,  of  what  the  fruit  would 
have  brought  if  free  from  frost.  The  railroad  will 
have  to  pay  the  difference.  The  commission  dealers 
do  not  hold  the  roads  strictly  responsible  for  such 
losses  and  carelessness  is  encouraged.  The  Department 
is  trying  to  enforce  more  care  and  prompter  deliveries, 
and  is  insisting  on  settlement  for  such  damages.  As 
it  was,  the  Michigan  car  netted  the  shipper  $448,  and  if 
the  fruit  had  not  frozen  he  would  probably  have  had  the 
record  return  for  the  season.  Yet  in  New  York  State, 
we  are  told  that  good  apples  are  going  to  the  eider 
mills  at  50  to  75  cents  a  hundred.  One  cause  of  this 
is  the  difficulty  of  getting  prompt  and  safe  deliveries. 
At  the  auction  sale  on  Friday  Boiken  apples  in  boxes 
sold  from  $1.75  to  $2  per  box;  equivalent  to  $5.25  to 
$6  a  barrel.  The  same  apples  in  basket  hampers  sold 
from  $1.55  to  $1.75.  These  were  fancy  fruit  and  if 
the  supply  were  steady  in  car  lots  they  would  probably 
reach  $3  per  box.  On  the  same  day  Baldwins  sold 
at  $3  per  box  and  $3.25  per  barrel.  Give  the  auction 
the  supply  and  the  quality  and  it  will  return  the  price. 
The  last  four  carloads  sold  at  auction  brought  the 
following  prices: 
APPLES. — 106  bids.  Baldwin  $2.35;  16  $2.10;  35 
Ben  Davis  $1.90;  4  Black  Ben  $2.50;  1  Baldwin  2.10; 
1  Russet  $1.90;  24  Spy  $2.60;  15  Newtown  $2.80; 
19  $2.55;  21  $2.05;  15  $1.90:  19  boxes  $1.20;  1  box 
Baldwin  $1.45;  37  $1.15;  116  $1.15;  55  $1.20;  34 
Spy  $1.95;  62  bids.  Baldwin  $2.35;  7  Spy  $2.55; 
1  Baldwin  $1.80;  62  Baldwin  $1.95;  8  $1.05:  20 
boxes  Baldwin  $1.30:  12  $1.15:  14  bids.  $3.25;  6 
$3.10:  5  Ben  Davis  $2.70:  12  $2.25;  6  $2.10;  13  $1.80; 
1  box  Boiken  $2:  5  $1.95;  4  $1.75:  8  bkts.  $1.75;  2 
$1.55:  5  bids.  Ben  Davis  $1.30;  3  $1.20;  6  $1.10; 
27  Greening  $2,40;  16  Westfield  $2;  1  $1.95. 
POTATOES.— 8  bags  $2.65;  17  bags  Carman,  2,345 
lbs.,  $37.50. 
Notes  from  the  Boston  Market 
More  Demand  for  Choice  Butter 
The  Boston  butter  market  has  taken  on  an  improved 
appearance  the  past  week  or  so,  owi,ng  chiefly  to  im¬ 
proved  demand  and  to  the  weather  conditions.  Wage 
earners  have  paid  off  their  store  bills  contracted  during 
lmrd  times,  and  are  buying  freely.  “This  condition 
is  shown,”  said  I.  II.  Ballon  &  Company,  “by  the  coun¬ 
try  wide  reduction  in  supplies.  A  month  ago  we  had  a 
big  surplus  as  compared  with  last  year,  while  now 
there  i,s  a  deficiency  of  two  million  pounds.  Boston 
has  had  a  surplus  all  along,  but  the  lower  prices  here 
have  tempted  New  York  buyers.  They  sent  over  here 
and  took  away  quite  a  lot  of  butter,  the  active  buying 
resulting  in  a  nearer  approach  of  quotations  in  the  two 
cities.” 
Weather  conditions  have  also  affected  the  market  by 
reducing  the  output,  or  rather  by  postponing  the  usual 
Spring  increase  of  production.  The  season  being  later 
and  the  demand  better,  the  market  was  able  to  work 
off  the  surplus  and  put  itself  in  a  much  stronger  posi¬ 
tion.  Prominent  Boston  dealers  consider  the  situation 
favorable  to  sellers.  It  is  a  question,  they  say,  whether 
there  will  be  enough  butter  between  now  and  the  sea- 
son  of  heavy  make  to  supply  rhe  demand  without 
further  advance  in  price.  During  the  past  Winter  oleo 
and  butterine  have  not  rut.  much  of  a  figure  in  competi¬ 
tion  because  the  price  of  butter  was  comparatively  low 
and  consumers  prosperous  enough  to  buy  the  genuine 
article.  If  retail  prices  should  go  much  higher  the  sale 
of  the  butter  substitutes  might  have  to  be  considered 
more  than  at  present.  The  export  situation  is  not  es¬ 
pecially  important.  There  is  a  fairly  good  trade,  about 
the  same  as  last  year  at  this  time;  but  prices  are  not 
such  as  to  tempt  liberal  purchases  for  export.  The 
future  of  prices  seems  to  depend  more  than  anything 
else  on  whether  the  Spring  continues  cold  and  back¬ 
ward.  Recent  arrivals  of  fresh  made  butter  have  been 
light:  the  price  has  held  around  35c  for  extra  northern 
tub  creamery  and  33  to  34c  for  firsts.  Dairy  butter 
New  York  and  Vermont  firsts  sells  at  30  to  31  e.  Box 
and  print  butter  has  been  in  fair  demand  at  le  per  lb. 
above  tub  butter  of  corresponding  description  and 
gra  de. 
WEATHER  POSTPONES  EGG  DECLINE 
The  usual  Spring  drop  in  egg  prices  is  being  cut  off 
later  than  usual  because  of  the  severe  weather,  which 
has  checked  the  egg  output  everywhere.  The  delay  has 
enabled  holders  of  storage  eggs  to  get  ri,d  of  their 
stock  without  further  sacrifice  of  values,  and  the  mar¬ 
ket  is  now  in  fair  shape  and  ready  to  receive  Spring 
shipments.  As  soon  as  weather  becomes  more  open 
dealers  are  looking  for  a  decline  more  or  less  gradual 
to  the  Spring  level  of  prices.  They  expect  rather  lower 
prices  than  prevailed  last  year  mi  the  ground  that  stor¬ 
age  men  lost  so  much  money  last  year  that  they  will 
hesitate  to  buy  unless  prices  look  a  little  more  at¬ 
tractive  than  they  did  last  year.  Delayed  freights  have 
played  a  part  in  reducing  present  supplies.  Receipts 
in  Boston  last  week  were  less  than  half  those  of  the 
corresponding  week  last  year.  Nearby  and  hennery 
eggs  have  been  quoted  at  26  to  2Sc,  and  prime  western 
firsts  at  24  to  25c. 
The  poultry  market  shows  no  special  improvement. 
Receipts  are  light,  as  is  usual  at  this  time  of  year,  but 
demand  has  been  exceptionally  dull  even  for  the  Lenten 
season.  Occasional  cold  weather  has  helped  somewhat 
to  prevent  accumulation  of  stocks  and  to  prevent  lower 
prices,  but  the  market  has  no  more  than  held  i.ts  own 
and  a  tendency  has  shown  itself  toward  cutting  of 
prices  here  and  there.  Northern  and  eastern  fowls, 
however,  are  still  quoted  at  20o  for  choice  and  17  to 
18c  for  fair  to  good.  Chickens  range  from  IS  to  25e ; 
broilers  25  to  30c — these  quotations  being  all  for  north¬ 
ern  and  eastern  stock.  Live  fowls  hold  at  17^>  to 
18V»c,  and  chickens  16  to  17c. 
APPLES  DOING  A  LITTLE  BETTER 
In  the  line  of  green  produce,  apples  are  the  most 
interesting  feature  because,  for  the  first  time  lately 
there  is  evidence  of  a  turn  in  the  ti.de.  Dealers  agree 
that  prices  look  a  little  better.  The  advance  is  per¬ 
haps  not  over  25c  per  barrel  on  leading  grades,  but 
apples  are  selling  better  and  holders  feel  encouraged. 
“The  apple  market  is  in  fair  shape,”  said  Lord  & 
Spencer.  “Demand  is  better  the  country  over.  The 
supply  in  storage  is  rather  large,  about  58.000  barrels 
in  Boston  compared  with  37.000  last  year  at  this  time. 
But  the  stock  in  common  storage  ip  Maine  alone  is 
enough  less  this  year  t<>  more  than  offset  the  excess  of 
cold  storage.  Considerable  buying  for  shipment  to 
the  West  is  reported.”  The  export  trade  is  small  hut 
nets  are  satisfactory,  and  shipments  are  likely  to  in¬ 
crease  now'  that  more  freight  space  on  ships  is  to  be 
available. 
GENERAL  PRODUCE  IN  GOOD  DEMAND 
The  potato  market  has  been  doing  better.  Some  deal¬ 
ers  say  the  market  ought  to  be  going  higher  anyway  on 
account  of  the  short  crop,  while  others  say  the  gain 
is  only  because  had  weather  has  checked  transportation 
of  the  crop.  Whatever  the  cause,  the  market  is  quoted 
5  to  10c  higher  than  last  week,  and  the  range  is  $2.50 
to  $2.60  per  two-bushel  bag.  Onions  are  in  fair  de¬ 
mand.  but  the  general  market  seems  to  be  held  down 
by  the  abundance  of  stock  in  poor  condition.  Good 
Connecticut  Valley  onions  bring  $2.50  to  $3  per  100- 
pound  bag.  Cabbages  have  advanced  quite  sharply. 
$1.25  per  barrel  being  asked  for  choice  native  stock. 
Carrots  have  also  advanced  to  above  $1  per  bushel. 
Beets  and  parsnips  show  no  special  improvement.  Ar¬ 
lington  gardeners  are  pleased  over  the  better  prices 
for  lettuce,  which  has  long  sold  at  unprofitable  figures. 
Present  quotations  at  50  to  75c  per  box  are  not  high 
but  they  tend  in  the  right  direction.  Hothouse  cu¬ 
cumbers,  as  usual  in  March,  are  working  lower  in 
price,  but  choice  mushrooms  are  a  little  higher.  Dan¬ 
delions  and  mint  continue  in  their  fair  demand.  Light 
supplies  of  native  celery  range  from  $2  to  $3  per  dozen. 
Early  radishes  $1  to  $1.50  per  box.  Hothouse  rhubarb 
6  to  7e  per  pound.  Hothouse  tomatoes  50c  per  pound. 
While  demand  for  fresh  meats  is  lighter  in  the  Lenten 
season,  supply  is  also  limited,  and  the  market  is  doing 
fairly  well.  Fancy  veals  sell  readily  at  17c.  Choice 
hogs,  not  heavy  weights.  12c.  Eastern  Fall  lambs  15 
to  16c;  heavy  hothouse  lambs  $10  to  $13  each. 
The  hay  market  is  no  more  than  firm,  owing  to  in¬ 
crease  of  supplies.  Railroads  are  now  moving  bulky 
freights  more  readily,  and  there  is  considerable  hay 
headed  toward  the  Boston  market.  Actual  spot  sup¬ 
plies  of  best  grades  continue  light.  For  No.  1,  $27  is 
quoted,  stock  hay  $15  to  $16.  eastern  medium  $18.50 
to  $20.  No.  1  clover  mixed  $17  to  $18.  Swale  hay 
$12  to  $13;  rye  straw  815  if  choice.  The  grain  mar¬ 
ket  has  been  working  lower.  Bag  meal  i,s  quoted  at 
$1.55  to  $1.60;  middlings  $24.50  to  $29  per  ton;  bran 
in  sacks  $23  per  ton  ;  cotton  seed  meal  $35  to  $37  per 
ton;  linseed  meal  $36  to  $38  per  ton;  gluten  feed  $30 
per  ton.  E. 
New  York  State  News 
NEW  FARM  BUREAU’S, — New  farm  bureaus  are 
being  organized  in  Essex  and  Warren  eounti.es.  The 
officers  of  the  Essex  county  bureau  recently  elected  at 
Westport  are  Scott  E.  Phinney,  Wad  ha  ms,  president; 
Fred  L.  Porter,  Crown  Point,  vice-president ;  George 
West.  Reber,  secretary ;  Patrick  II  Boyle.  Essex, 
treasurer.  The  required  300  members  have  already  been 
pledged  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  has  provided 
for  the  raising  of  a  sum  of  $1,500. 
THE  APPLE  PACKING  BILL.— It  is  said  that 
representatives  of  the  leading  fruit  growers’  associa¬ 
tions  of  the  State  are  to  appear  soon  before  the  As¬ 
sembly  Committee  on  Agriculture  in  opposition  to  the 
bill  of  Assemblyman  Dobson  of  Greece,  which  is  in¬ 
tended  to  amend  the  present  apple  packing  law.  The 
penalty  provided  by  the  bill  for  evasion  of  the  law  is 
simply  nominal  and  the  fruit  growers  of  the  State 
believe  that  it  should  be  more  than  this.  Mr.  $etli 
T.  Bush  of  the  Western  New  York  Horticultural  So¬ 
ciety  says  that  the  law  denatured  of  its  penalties  is 
a  farce. 
THE  PITJLIC  HEALTH  PROPAGANDA.— Public 
health  education  is  being  advanced  in  various  ways 
by  the  Department  of  Health.  One  of  the  latest  of 
these  is  the  posting  of  health  bulletins  in  the  railroad 
stations.  The  railroads  of  the  State  are  thus  cooperat¬ 
ing  with  the  department  and  these  health  bulletins  wi.ll 
be  posted  in  more  than  a  thousand  railroad  stations 
where  thousands  of  people  may  see  them.  The  first 
bulletin  treats  of  the  danger  of  communicating  various 
contagious  diseases  by  coughing,  sneezing,  etc.  The 
bulletin  also  asks  that  the  use  of  common  drinking 
cups,  soi.led  towels  and  handkerchiefs  be  avoided  and 
that  care  be  taken  that  food  is  not  contaminated  by 
soiled  hands. 
MORE  PROPOSEI  >  LEGISLATION.— Assembly¬ 
man  Witter  has  introduced  n  bill  to  amend  the  Agri¬ 
cultural  law  in  relation  to  diseases  of  domestic  ani¬ 
mals.  It  repeals  Article  5,  Chapter  9,  of  the  laws  of 
1909,  and  substitutes  a  new  article  which  covers  25 
pages  of  the  usual  printed  form.  Assemblyman  Grant 
introduced  a  measure  modifying  somewhat  the  present 
law  in  relation  to  commercial  fertilizers.  Those  inter¬ 
ested  would  do  well  to  get  a  copy  of  the  bill.  Senator 
Horton  would  amend  tlw  cold  storage  law  by  substi¬ 
tuting  a  new  article,  10-a.  It  defines  the  term  cold 
storage,  treats  of  the  issuance  of  licenses,  their  revoca¬ 
tion,  the  inspection  <»f  warehouses,  the  requirement 
that  only  wholesome  food  shall  be  put  in  cold  storage, 
the  marking  of  cold  storage  food,  the  time  limit  of  the 
cold  storage  of  food  and  the  penalties  for  the  violations 
of  the  law.  Senator  Hall’, day  asks  for  an  appropria¬ 
tion  of  $15,000  tor  the  New  York  State  Veterinary 
College.  j.  w.  t>. 
