1567 
She  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
A  Good  Christmas  Present :  a  Fight 
Will  you  tell  me  whether  or  not  to  take  seriously 
certain  reports  alleging  a  proposed  change  in  heads  of 
the  Department  of  Foods  and  Markets?  As  chairman 
of  the  Legislative  Committee  of  both  the  Pomona 
Orange  and  the  local  Grange  I  think  I  am  in  a  po¬ 
sition  to  state  that,  should  there  be  any  truth  in  these 
reports,  both  the  Grange  and  the  Dairymen's  League 
branches  in  the  county  will  do  what  is  in  their  power 
to  prevent  such  a  change  being  made  provided  that 
Mr.  Dillon  is  willing  to  direct  the  Department  in  the 
future.  HENRY  MUSCH,  JR. 
Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y. 
HE  reports  you  speak  of  are  evidently  put  out 
as  “feelers.”  This  is  the  way  certain  interests 
and  politicians  try  to  feel  the  pulse  of  the  public. 
This  situation  has  brought  to  the  fanners  of  New 
York  State  the  best  Christmas  present  they  have 
had  in  half  a  century.  What  is  it — some  soft  job, 
some  big  government  graft,  some  special  privilege, 
or  some  political  plum  to  he  handed  our  farmers? 
No.  We  should  consider  such  things  a  penance 
lather  than  a  present.  It  is  the  chance  for  farmers 
to  light  and  do  their  fighting  over  a  clear-cut  and 
definite  issue.  We  never  had  it  before  in  New 
York  State,  because  all  farm  issues  have  in  the  past 
been  mixed  up  with  a  low  grade  of  politics  which 
no  decent  man  could  touch  without  getting  his 
hands  dirty. 
Now  we  are  to  have  the  real  thing.  The  com¬ 
mission  men,  the  dealers,  the  cold  storage  men,  and 
the  handlers  have  come  out  with  a  definite  purpose 
in  mind.  They  expect  Governor  Whitman  to  reor¬ 
ganize  the  Foods  and  Markets  Department  and  they 
will  work  to  “eliminate”  Commissioner  Dillon  en¬ 
tirely  when  this  reorganization  is  worked  out. 
Their  plan  is  to  get  rid  of  an  official  who  cannot  he 
bought  or  bribed  or  frightened  away  from  doing  his 
duty  to  the  farmers.  If  Commissioner  Dillon  had 
been  willing  to  sit  in  his  chair  and  do  mere  per¬ 
functory  work,  as  every  other  similar  department  is 
doing,  he  would  be  a  hero  to  these  men.  They  could 
keep  on  robbing  both  farmers  and  consumers  with¬ 
out  hindrance.  They  would  praise  the  department 
openly  since  it  did  them  no  harm,  but  privately  they 
would  call  it  a  joke,  as  they  now  do  the  other  de¬ 
partments  which  are  supposed  to  defend  the  rights 
of  the  public. 
Mr.  Dillon  struck  right  at  the  sore  spot  in  the 
whole  bad  business  of  graft  and  extortion,  which 
has  obtained  control  of  food  distribution.  lie  has 
made  enemies,  hut  every  one  of  them  is  also  either 
an  open  enemy  or  a  hypocritical  friend  of  the 
farmer,  lint  for  the  interest  and  public  attention 
which  his  work  has  attracted  the  dairymen  never 
could  have  organized  and  won  their  recent  strug¬ 
gle.  Farmers  never  would  have  gained  their  pres¬ 
ent  courage  and  hope,  and  a  Legislature  pledged 
to  marketing  reform  legislation  never  could  have 
been  elected.  These  middlemen  and  handlers  real¬ 
ize  the  tremendous  power  that  is  gathering  and 
they  know  it  will  grow.  They  do  not  want  the 
farmer’s  arm  to  swing  a  sledge  hammer.  They 
want  to  substitute  a  padded  stick,  which  will  he 
as  soft  and  harmless  as  a  feather  bed.  That  is 
why  they  want  to  reorganize  and  “eliminate”  Mr. 
Dillon.  That  is  why  they  are  starting  these  re¬ 
ports  as  feelers  to  see  if  the  farmers  have  the  cour¬ 
age  and  the  nerve  to  fight,  for  their  rights. 
And  the  politicians  no  less.  They  know  how  the 
last  election  was  lost  in  the  West.  They  might 
easily  have  won  it  if  they  had  shown  any  sense  in 
realizing  what  those  Western  farmers  stood  for. 
The  election  was  lost  and  won  on  the  issue  of  the 
35-cenl:  dollar,  under  other  names  to  he  sure,  but 
ly  who  is  on  the  other  side.  It  is  your  issue  and 
your  fight;  the  best  chance  you  ever  had  to  plow 
and  harrow  at  Albany.  The  other  side  is  already 
in  the  field  with  their  money  and  their  organization. 
You  have  your  pen  and  your  postage  stamp. 
Governor  Whitman  is  not  a  farmer.  Even  if  he 
were,  he  could  not  know  just  what  you  want  unless 
you  told  him  clearly.  Ills  party  is  now  in  full  pow¬ 
er,  and  he  is  acknowledged  to  he  the  leader  of  that 
party  in  the  State.  During  the  recent  campaign 
Governor  Whitman  spoke  favorably  of  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Foods  and  Market^,  and  also  of  its  manage¬ 
ment.  The  interests  we  have  mentioned  will  try  to 
exert  pressure  upon  him  to  destroy  this  Department 
or  make  it  useless.  You,  who  are  benefited  by  the 
Department,  owe  it  to  him  and  to  yourself  to  tell 
him  what  you  want. 
A  Ringing  Dairymen’s  Resolution 
The  meeting  of  the  Delaware  County  Farm  Bu¬ 
reau  at  Delhi  on  December  13th  was  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  enthusiastic  meetings  of  farmers 
ever  held  in  New  York  State.  At  least  1000  people 
were  present,  many  of  them  coming  long  distances 
to  attend.  Several  counties  were  represented,  and 
one  man  stated  that  he  came  50  miles.  This  is  a 
good  illustration  of  the  great  enthusiasm  now  pre¬ 
vailing  in  the  dairy  sections.  Nothing  like  it  was 
ever  known  before,  and  it  is  now  evident  that  the 
dairy  farmers  of  New  York  State  fully  understand 
the  situation,  and  are  determined  to  have  what 
belongs  to  them.  The  following  resolution  was 
passed  unanimously. 
WHEREAS,  The  New  York  World  of  December 
13th  rpiotes  lion.  George  W.  Ward,  the  counsel  for 
the  Wicks  Legislative  Committee,  as  favoring  New 
York  City  supervision  of  the  milk  business  by  fix¬ 
ing  the  maximum  price  for  the  product  and  divid¬ 
ing  city  communities  into  districts,  in  each  of 
which  private  companies  would  have  a  monopoly; 
RESOLVED,  That  the  producers  assembled  at 
Delhi,  in  Delaware  County  on  December  13th  to  the 
number  of  one  thousand  promptly  and  emphatically 
protest  against  any  such  monopoly  for  the  control 
of  the  distribution  of  milk  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
The  experience  with  monopoly  as  a  necessary  part 
of  the  milk  business  has  not  been  satisfactory  in 
the  past ;  it  is  burdensome  now,  and  producers  look 
for  no  immediate  relief  in  the  future.  The  present 
unsatisfactory  distributing  service  has  been  a  mon¬ 
opoly  for  a  generation,  and  has  been  continuously 
unsatisfactory  both  to  producer  and  consumer,  and 
lias  created  a  condition  against  which  the  whole 
State,  country  and  city,  are  now  in  protest. 
To  free  themselves  from  this  condition  of  mon¬ 
opoly  the  producers  of  milk  have  been  driven  to 
State-wide  organization  for  their  mutual  protection. 
They  find  themselves  now  in  a  position  with  their 
recent  experience  to  deliver  milk  from  their  own 
finishing  plants  to  the  home  of  the  consumer  at  a 
saving  of  not  less  than  23%  to  the  consumer,  and  a 
liberal  increase  on  the  past  prices  to  themselves. 
They  protest  against  an  attempt  now  to  shut  them 
out  of  the  market  that  they  are  prepared  to  de¬ 
velop  on  this  basis,  and  they  wish  to  notify  tluj 
Wicks  Committee,  the  Governor  and  the  Legislature 
that  they  will  oppose  any  such  measure  with  all 
of  their  power  and  influence. 
Notes  from  Department  of  Foods  and 
Markets 
where  the  knuckles  and  the  head  skin  are  left  on,  sell¬ 
ers  have  to  allow  enough  weight,  to  cover  these,  and 
it  is  best  to  remove  them  before  shipment.  Then  open 
the  belly  from  pretty  well  up  between  the.  legs  to 
the  breast  bone;  remove  all  the  intestines,  including 
the  lights,  liver,  heart  and  especially  the  rectum  and 
wind  pipe,  so  that  there  may  be  a  free  circulation  of 
air  through  the  calf.  The  health  department  of  the 
City  of  New  York  has  ordered  that  all  country-dressed 
calves  must  be  opened  all  the  way  through  the  breast 
and  throat.  Be  careful  not  to  disturb  the  covering  to 
the  kidneys.  Now  balance  evenly  on  the  gambrel  and 
place  a  stick  of  suitable  length  in  the  opening  to  hold 
it  in  proper  shape;  then  hang  in  a  cool,  dry  place  un¬ 
til  the  flesh  is  “set”  and  the  animal  heat  is  all  out. 
The  stick  which  was  placed  across  the  opening  should 
now  be  removed,  fn  warm  weather  the  opening  should 
he  filled  with  a  large  piece  of  ice  and  sewed  up.  The 
calf  should  then  be  laid  down  so  that  the  cold  t.ir  will 
reach  all  parts  of  the  carcass.  Never  sew  up  a  calf 
except  to  keep  in  the  ice.  Mark  for  shipment  by  sew¬ 
ing  a  “shipping  tag”  to  the  bag  skin  between  the  hind 
legs.  Very  small,  young  calves  are  liable  to  seizure 
by  our  meat  inspectors  as  unfit  for  food.  Fed  calves, 
buttermilk,  grass  calves  and  yearlings  sell  much  lower 
in  price  then  veal  calves. 
DRESSED  HOGS  AND  ROASTING  PIGS.— 
Dressed  hogs,  100  to  120  pounds  each,  12e  to  12%c; 
125  to  150  pounds  each,  1 1  %e  to  12c;  150  to  200 
pounds,  lie  to  1114c;  over  200  pounds,  10%o  to  Lie; 
roasting  pigs,  10  h>  15  pounds  eaclu  17c  to  l.Sc;  roast¬ 
ing  pigs,  15  to  20  pounds  each,  15c  to  11c ;  roasting 
pigs,  25  to  35  pounds  each,  15c  to  1514c;  light  pigs, 
40  to  00  pounds  each,  13c  to  14e. 
APPLES. — In  light  supply  and  market,  firm.  Mc¬ 
Intosh  $4  to  $6.50  per  barrel.  Northern  Spy  $2  to 
$0;  Jonathan  $3.50  to  $6;  King  $3  to  $5;  Snow 
$3  to  $5;  Twenty  Ounce  $3  to  $5;  Winesup  $3  to  $5; 
Ben  Davis  $2.25  to  $3.25;  Ilubbardston  $2.50  to  $3; 
Gravenstein  $3  to  $4;  Baldwin,  fancy,  $1.50  to  $5.25; 
A  grade,  $3,50  to  $4.50 ;  B  grade  and  ungraded.  $2  to 
$3;  Greenings,  fancy,  $4.50  to  $5.50;  Greening,  A 
grade,  $3  to  $4 ;  B  grade  and  ungraded  $2.75  to  $3.50. 
POTATOES. — Maine  5c  to  10c  lower.  Virginia 
second  crop  about  cleaned  up.  Long  Island  $4.50  to  $5  ; 
Maine  Gobbler,  165  pound  bag,  $4.40  to  $4.65;  Maine 
Green  Mountain,  165-pound  bag,  $4.80  to  $5;  Virginia 
second  crop,  105-pound  bag,  $4  to  $4.50;  Bermuda  sec¬ 
ond  crop  barrel,  .$5  to  $8;  Sweet  potatoes,  fancy  Vir¬ 
ginia,  barrel,  $3  to  $4 ;  Jersey,  basket,  $1.50  to  $2. 
Summary  of  sales  of  miscellaneous  farm  products 
during  the  week  ending  December  13th,  1916 : 
2  cases  . 
2  cases  . . 
1  case  . 
6  cases  . 
1  case  . 
1%  case  . 
1114  cases  . 
1  case 
6  cases  . 
1  case  . 
18*4  cases  . 
5  cases  . 
121,4  cases  . 
114  case  . 
314  cases  . 
3915  cases  . . 
2  doz . 
3  doz.  duck  eggs 
EGGS. 
$0.61 
.59 
.58% 
.58 
.57 
.56 
.55 
.53 
.52 
.51 
.50 
.49 
.48 
.47 
.46 
.45 
.45 
.45 
POULTRY. 
136  lbs.  chickens  . 
113  lbs.  chickens  '. . 
107  lbs.  chickens  . 
55  lbs.  chickens  . 
96  lbs.  chickens  . 
552  lbs.  chickens  . 
164  lbs.  chickens  . 
94  lbs.  chickens  . 
261  lbs.  chickens  . 
41  lbs.  fowl  . 
93  lbs.  fowl  . 
87  lbs.  fowl  . . 
183  lbs.  fowl  . 
67  lbs.  fowl  . 
525  lbs.  fowl  . . . 
30  pairs  pigeons  . 
43  lbs.  old  cocks  . 
27  lbs.  turkeys  . . . 
VEGETABLES. 
9  bbls.  cabbage  . 
7  bbls.  cabbage  . 
17  crates  cabbage  . 
3S  bskts.  cabbage  . 
-  50  bskts.  sweet  potatoes  . 
28  bskts.  sweet  potatoes  . 
3  bskts.  green  beans  . 
1051  bags  potatoes  . 
5  crates  cauliflower  . 
$0.22 
.21 
.20 
.19 
.18% 
.18 
.17 
.16% 
.16 
.20 
.19 
.18 
.17 
•16% 
.16 
.17 
.14 
.25 
$3.00 
2.50 
3.00 
1.25 
.90 
.87% 
1.50 
3.00 
1.10 
at  heart  that  was  the  deciding  issue  between  the 
plain  producers  and  the  interests  which  they  are 
now  trying  to  reorganize  and  eliminate.  The  pol¬ 
iticians  know  what  happened  in  ihe  milk  strike, 
and  they  begin  to  see  what  is  coming  in  the  larger 
fight  for  a  fairer  share  of  the  consumer’s  dollar, 
yet  blind  as  hats  they  think  they  can  plug  up  a 
knot-hole  by  "elimination”  when  that  will  simply 
raise  a  direct  issue  which  will  turn  a  gentle  moun¬ 
tain  stream  into  an  uncontrollable  flood. 
Thus,  the  middlemen  and  handlers  and  the  poli¬ 
ticians  have  made  the  issue  clear.  W  e  rejoice  that 
they  have  done  so.  It  is  a  glorious  Christmas  pres¬ 
ent;  a  gift  which  leads  the  way  to  freedom.  There 
is  nothing  personal  about  all  this.  It  has  simply 
been  Mr.  Dillon’s  privilege  and  duty  to  stand  up 
and  take  the  worst  pounding  and  abuse  ever  heaped 
upon  any  man  who  tried  to  help  American  farmers. 
This  very  abuse  is  the  finest  evidence  that  he  has 
really  done  something.  He  is  not  desirous  of  hold¬ 
ing  such  an  office  unless  he  can  have  solid  backing, 
and  thus  he  able  to  accomplish  something  of  true 
and  lasting  value.  The  men  who  take  the  05  cents 
of  Ihe  dollar  want  him  “eliminated, ”  so  they  may 
get  even  more  of  that  dollar.  They  have  taken 
sides  and  they  come  out  openly,  organized,  and  well 
supplied  with  money  It  is  now  time  to  ask  serious- 
204  Franklin  St.,  New  York  City 
EGGS. — Under  light  receipts  the  egg  market  ad¬ 
vanced  during  the  latter  part  of  the  week.  A  few  very 
fancy  nearby  white  hennery  eggs  sold  at  6.C.  The  re¬ 
ceipts  of  nearby  eggs  contained  a  large  portion  of  pul¬ 
let  eggs,  which  sell  at  45c  to  50c;  heat  State  and  nearby 
brown  hennery s  48c  to  56c;  gathered  white  48  to  55c; 
Western  and  Southern  gathered  whites  50c  to  53c; 
State  and  nearby  mixed  gathered  33c  to  48c. 
DRESSED1  POULTRY— Supply  moderate.  Fancy 
dry  picked  turkeys  28c  to  30c;  iced  turkeys  26c  to  2So ; 
dry  picked  fowls  18c  to  19c;  chickens  17c  to  18c; 
ducks  17c  to  18c;  geese  16c  to  18c;  guinea  fowls  under 
two  pounds,  per  pair.  $1.40  to  $1.50:  broilers  1  to  1% 
pounds  each,  per  pair,  $1.25  to  $1.45. 
LIVE  POULTRY. — Liberal  receipts  and  good  de¬ 
mand.  Turkeys  20c  to  22c;  fowls  and  chickens  18c 
to  19c;  light  fowls  18c;  roosters  14c  to  15c;  ducks  18c; 
geese  15c  to  10c. 
DRESSED  CALVES. — Receipts  of  country  dressed 
calves  moderate.  Fancy  19%e  to  20c  per  pound;  good 
to  prime  17c  to  19c;  common  to  medium  15c  to  17c; 
dressed  butter  milks  lie  to  14c. 
N.  15. — To  hog  dress  calves  properly:  Calves 
from  four  to  six  weeks  old,  and  weighing  from  80  to 
110  pounds  arc  the  most  desirable  for  shipping  to  this 
market;  a  few  buyers  can  use  heavier  weights  if  the 
quality  is  very  choice.  They  should  be  dressed  in  Ihe 
Following  manner:  When  all  is  ready  for  the  killing, 
take  the  calf  gently  (it  must  not  be  worried  dr  chased, 
and  should  not  he  fed  for  a  Space  of  at  least  six  hours 
previous),  tie  rope  to  hind  legs  and  hang  it  up  clear 
of  the  ground  or  floor,  then  cut  the  head  off  just  be¬ 
hind  Ihe  ears;  when  thoroughly  bled  out.  put  ill  the 
gambrel  stiek  and  cut  off  the  legs  at  the  knee-joint — 
BUTTER. 
44  lbs . 
45  lbs . 
125  lbs . 
50  lbs . 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
ITiekorynuts,  157  lbs.,  bu . 
Bull  nuts,  42  lbs.,  bu . 
Maple  syrup,  7  cans . 
1  bag  quinces  . 
Honey,  48  lbs . 
American  cheese,  57  lbs . 
American  cheese,  298  lbs . 
1  box  tallow,  85  lbs . 
1  box  hides  . . 
1  box  Idles  . 
1  box  hides  . 
DRESSED  MEATS. 
219  Ihs.  calves  . 
113  llis.  calves  . 
1055  lbs.  calves  . 
120  lhs.  calves  . 
127  lbs.  calves  . 
358  lbs.  calves  . 
78  lbs.  calves  . . 
216  lbs.  calves  . . 
117  lbs.  calves  . 
1  liver  .  . . 
1  liver  . 
4  livers . . . 
3  livers . 
1  liver  . 
1  box  for  . 
1  box  pigs  livers  for  . 
1  box  pigs  livers  . 
(Continued  ou  page  1583.) 
.  .$4.50 
..  1.50 
..  1.25 
. .  .25 
. .  .10 
. .  .20 
. .  .19 
. .  .11  . 
..  4.00 
. .  5.75 
..  7.25 
.  .$0.19 
.  .  .18% 
. .  .18 
.  .  .17% 
. .  .17 
.  .  .16 
.  .  .15% 
.  .  .13% 
.  .  .12% 
.  .  .70 
.65 
.  .  .60 
.  .  .50 
. .  .40 
..  1.60 
.50 
. .  .50 
