617 
A Discussion of the Co-operative Law 
Is if" r true that a new law had to be passed in the 
New York Legislature allowing the “poolers” to be¬ 
come direct members of the pooling association? u. e. 
Vermont. 
No. Some of the State papers are mixed on this 
subject. The original law plainly states that five 
or more persons engaged in agriculture may form 
an association. There was never any intention of 
any other membership, except that, a number of local 
associations might become members of another as¬ 
sociation for the purpose of federating to buy or sell 
products and supplies. The law provides that in 
case of dissolution the balance remaining after its 
obligations were paid should he divided pro rata 
among the members, it would not have authorized 
this disposition of the surplus if the membership 
were to be limited to a small number of the people 
concerned. It was possible under the old law to 
organize an association of delegates under it; but 
it did not limit associations to such members. The 
plain intent was that farmers should be direct 
members. They are in the locals and in other asso- 
iations organized under the same law. 
The Judiciary Congressional Committee which re¬ 
frained the recent Copper-Volstead act to authorize 
collective bargaining in the sale of farm products 
called attention to the fact that previous bills pro¬ 
posed to authorize dealing “in products of mem¬ 
bers.” while the bill proposed this year authorized 
dealing in the products of non-members. It ex¬ 
pressed a willingness to allow the handling of prod¬ 
ucts for non-members, but said: “The protection of 
the statute ought not to he given to a small number 
of persons of the classes named in the 
bill who contribute from their own 
farms an inconsiderable quantity of 
the products handled by the associa¬ 
tion.” For these reasons the following 
provision was inserted: 
And, provided further, that the asso¬ 
ciation shall not deal in products of non¬ 
members to an amount greater in value 
than such as are handled by it for mem¬ 
bers. 
To come under the benefits of the 
Federal act, dairymen, who furnish at 
least one-half the milk handled must 
become members of the pooling asso¬ 
ciation. This will require consider¬ 
able change in the machinery of the as¬ 
sociation, but it did not necessarily re¬ 
quire any change in the State law. 
This law provides that each member 
has one vote only, and no proxy vote 
is permitted. It also provides for vote 
by mail, all of which is good, but it does not provide 
for the election of directors by districts. All suc¬ 
cessful co-operation thus far has been in local organ¬ 
izations where members live close enough to attend 
meetings and vote. These local associations then 
unite in forming a selling agency for the service of 
all. It. is the purpose, however, to maintain the cen¬ 
tralized feature of the pooling association, and the 
new amendment of the law was for the purpose of 
authorizing directors to be elected from districts, 
and to allow voting by delegates. It also permits 
votes to be cast in the local association, canvassed 
there, and the count forwarded to tlie central asso¬ 
ciation. 
Since a change is to be made, we suggest the plan 
of nominations and election provided in the Federal 
Land Bank law. In it every association nominates 
one director. These are sent to the election commit¬ 
tee. The three names having the highest number of 
votes are declared nominated. The three names are 
then put on a ballot, and each member votes by this 
ballot for one of the candidates. The one having the 
highest number of votes is elected. 
A fair plan of nomination and voting is more im¬ 
portant than it may appear to the casual observer. 
All students of co-operation, as well as all practical 
workers in it. agree that co-operation can be perma¬ 
nently successful only when members retain their 
active interest in it. They must feel that they are a 
part of it, and know that they exercise some voice in 
the management of it. In the ordinary caucus sys¬ 
tem of voting in meeting by “aye" or “no." or by 
proxy, they fully realize that they have no such part 
or voice, and soon lose interest and stay away from 
the meetings. Since everyone agrees that the active 
interest of the member is of paramount importance, 
no pains should be spared to cultivate liis activity, 
and justify his confidence. 
A Trespasser on Posted Grounds 
A ease which is of great interest to farmers in 
Southern New York was recently reported in the 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
Ilorneli papers. It will have some bearing upon the 
law covering trespassers on farm property. It ap¬ 
pears that two mechanics from town started out for 
a day at fishing. They worked along the brooks and 
streams through the clay, and finally reached a point 
where they separated, one going down the stream 
and the other working up. The reports vary some¬ 
what as to just, what happened, but it appears that 
one of these men went on the land of a farmer who 
had posted his land against trespassers. According 
to the farmer’s story, he found this mechanic on his 
farm. He ordered him off. and the mechanic be¬ 
came abusive. The farmer threatened to arrest this 
trespasser, as was his right under the law; the lat¬ 
ter struck the farmer in the face and started to run 
away. The farmer took a revolver out of his pocket 
and fired two shots purposely into the ground to stop 
the runner. He had no intention of shooting at him. 
The man continued, however, and headed for a gate 
in the fence, so that he might get into the road. As 
he ran. the hired man or boy came down through the 
field with a rifle. It is claimed that this boy bad 
been shooting woodchucks in the pasture. When the 
trespasser refused to stop running, the farmer, as he 
claimed, called to his hired man to shoot ahead of 
the runner; not. to hit him, but to stop him. The 
hired man obeyed, but, instead of shooting wild, his 
bullet struck the runner ami inflicted such a terrible 
wound that he died within five minutes. Briefly 
stated, this is the story told by the farmer. The dead 
man. of course, lias no story to tell. The question is 
whether the farmer and his hired man were justified 
in trying to arrest or shoot at this trespasser after 
he refused to submit, and when it was clear that the 
land had been posted. So far as we know, this is the 
first ease of the kind that has come up in New York 
State, and it covers a point in which our farmers are 
greatly interested. 
New York State Notes 
The New York State Horticultural Society has just 
issued the proceedings of the sixty-seventh annual meet¬ 
ing. This book contains the proceedings of the meeting 
held in Rochester oil January 11. 12 and 13, and of the 
Eastern meeting of the society held at Poughkeepsie on 
February 22. 22 and 24. This society was organized in 
1ST..", In January of each year the annual meeting is 
held in Rochester fur a three days' session. A similar 
meeting is held at Poughkeepsie. It has been the cus¬ 
tom also to hold a Summer meeting either at Geneva. 
Ithaca or at the home farm of a member, or to take an 
auto trip through the fruit sections of the State. 
Last year a special forecast of weather conditions was 
sent out through 10 Farm Bureaus in the State for the 
purpose of acquainting farmers with what weather they 
might expect during the next 24 hours. This was in¬ 
truded to he used for haying, and also for fruit growers 
interested in adapting their spraying work. It. was a 
success, and a special arrangement is being perfected 
to continue this work this year. 
The amount of poultry is apparently on the increase 
in many of the fruit sections in Western New York. 
One of the things that the poultrymen have been up 
against has been the poor packing and grading. The 
volume of this industry is increasing so rapidly that 
they are giving more attention to these factors than ever 
before. 
The common council in Syracuse passed the resolu¬ 
tion abolishing the daylight saving ordinance in that 
city. Cortland has done likewise, and Utica finds her¬ 
self between two tires as I write this. It is believed 
that she will also follow suit of her neighboring cities. 
Since the organization of the New York State Sheep 
(Lowers* Association. Wyoming County, one of the lead¬ 
ing sheep counties of the State, has not cotue into the 
pool; as a matter of fact, they have not organized a 
county association until this year. At a meeting at. 
Perry Center Grange Hall, March 28, a county asso¬ 
ciation was formed. This makes “a counties that are 
now federated with the State association for the co¬ 
operative sale of wool. The Wyoming Coanty board of 
directors are men already known for their caliber. The 
officers of the association are: President, F. S. Harden, 
Wyoming; vice-president, Clarence Smallwood, War¬ 
saw; secretary, llarry Watrous, Perry Center; treas¬ 
urer. C,en. M. Thompson, Dale, 
The Western New York Apple Association has sold 
073 cars of fruit this year. This lias all been marketed 
under the Cataract Brand and has gone into 130 dif¬ 
ferent markets, and sold under this brand name. The 
fruit has been shipped to GOT different buyers in 2G dif¬ 
ferent States and one Canadian Province. The de¬ 
mands for Cataract Brand fruit has increased very rap¬ 
idly. One of the objects this year has been to get a wide 
distribution, so that the brand name will become as 
widely known as possible. 
The Earlvilb* sale of Holsteins. conducted under the 
management, of the New York State Holstein Associa¬ 
tion, will be on May 9 and 10. The cattle offered at the 
sale will not be selected alone for the record they may 
have, but also for conformation : as a matter of fact, 
some cows will be offered with no record, but are fine 
individuals. There will he approximately 170 cattle 
offered al this sale. Tim Essex County Holstein Club 
will bring a carload. This is the first shipment made by 
that county to any public sale. All the animals offered 
at this sale will be selected either by a committee of the 
local county club or u committee from the State asso¬ 
ciation. 
H. E. Babcock, who has been so active in co-operative 
work in this State, has gone to Bermuda to assist the 
island folk in their co-operative problems. These folks 
believe that by capitalizing the successes and failures 
which we have had here in New York they can profit to 
a great extent. There is probably no man who has 
been more actively associated with co-operative work in 
the East than Prof. Babcock. 
It ha.s been announced that the special report of the 
Committee of Twenty-one on rural schools will soon be 
distributed. Funds have been placed at the disposal of 
the committee, and they will soon mail copies to every 
Grange, Farm and Home Bureau, and every rural 
library in the State. This report will contain the find¬ 
ings of rhe committee, and also a general summary of 
the work. A charge will he made for individual copies 
ordered from the committee. 
The report comes from Malone that the flow of sap 
from maple bushes continues unusually long this year. 
The use of steel drums for storing and shipping maple 
syrup is an innovation this year in Franklin County. 
These containers are taking the place of the barrels used 
heretofore. Through the use of the steel drum the loss 
of syrup is reduced to a minimum. In keeping with the 
usual custom, a number of sugaring parties are being 
held. 
In order to improve the laying qualities of flocks in 
New York State and to demonstrate the importance of 
practicing certain principles of selection and breeding. 
the poultry department of the State Col¬ 
lege will distribute all its May hatch of 
Single Comb White leghorn chicks from 
high pedigreed birds. The breeding flocks 
consist of 4-70 of the best hens, which are 
now being stud mated to the GO best pedi¬ 
greed males in the college flock. 
The Empire State Federation of Bee¬ 
keepers' Co-operative associations is get¬ 
ting under way. This association is or¬ 
ganized for the purpose of federating the 
local associations, and has for its main 
purpose the purchase of bee- supplies and 
the co-operative sale of honey and honey 
products. The officers of the association 
are: President,. (». B. Howe. Saeketts 
Harbor; vice-president L. E. Hail. Tribes 
Hill; secretary and treasurer, U. W. Be¬ 
dells, Earlville. 
The Livonia Dairy Improvement As¬ 
sociation, in Livingston County, is cele¬ 
brating its second anniversary. This as¬ 
sociation was organized in the Winter of 
1921, when the snow was waist deep and 
the roads were almost impassable. The 
spirit which pushed this association to a 
success continues with it. As a result of 
two years’ work there is a purebred sire 
at the head of every herd, and there have 
been wonderful changes in rhe herds in 
other ways. Most notable was the com¬ 
plete change of a herd of one of the members, who 
really knew for the first time that the individuals in his 
herd were producing milk at a loss to him. e. a. f. 
An Enterprising Farm Woman 
I inclose a clipping from the February issue of the 
Delineator. If you see fit it might be printed in The 
B. N.-Y. and see what your readers think of it. I cer¬ 
tainly would like to see this woman worft. I am a lit¬ 
tle doubtful, but maybe she is a wonder. 
H. T. BROWN. 
The clipping follows: 
What one woman thinks about another is interest¬ 
ingly told in the following: 
My nearest neighbor was left without means to run 
her farm, her only asset being a pair of very willing 
hands and an undaunted-spirit. 
Alone and unaided, my neighbor manages and farms 
a 30-acre tract of ground, doing all the inside and out¬ 
side work herself. She plants, cultivates and harvests 
her crops, and makes it pay. too, living an independent, 
wholesome, happy and busy life. She keeps two horses, 
two cows. 100 hens, and some hogs. She milks the 
cows, separating the cream, which she sells to a cream¬ 
ery. She keeps the hogs to furnish home-cured hams 
and bacon. Iler hens produce eggs for the family, and 
she sells 30 to 40 dozen eggs weekly. She sells enough 
frys and broilers to net a nice sum. 
Besides this, she goes in for several side lines, such as 
keeping bees and growing asparagus and small fruits. 
I have known this woman to paint her house, both 
inside and out. shingle the roof herself, build a flue, and 
even repair outbuildings. And the work is as well done 
as if painter, carpenter or brick mason did it 1 In ad¬ 
dition. this little woman is a born cook. She is sweet 
and refined—a womanly woman ! 
Her chief recreation is reading good books and maga¬ 
zines and sharing her abundance with those less for¬ 
tunate and iess energetic than herself. She is intensely 
interested in all vital questions of the day, and con¬ 
scientiously exercises her right to vote. 
Her house is a cozy little cottage nestling down be¬ 
tween hills, where the latch-string is always out and 
where hospitality is of that good old-fashioned kind 
that ought never to disappear. 
No question about it. this woman is a wonder! 
We never saw one just like her except in the pages 
of some of the agricultural papers, yet it may he 
possible for a woman to work 30 acres of land and 
still have plenty of time for reading. We never 
saw it done, and would not tackle the job ourselves, 
still, this is an age of wonderful things, and we do 
not like to join the ranks of the “ T’aint-so Club.” 
This picture, reproduced by courtesy of Life, is respectfully submitted to the 
auto hogs and the rest of their breed. 
