‘Tht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
723 
The Senator from New York 
Many of our Now York farmers are frankly trou¬ 
bled over the Senatorial situation this year. The 
majority of these farmers are naturally Republican 
—that party looks to them for its vote. It cannot 
possibly carry the State unless the farmers are fully 
satisfied with the ticket and ready to work for it. 
A New Y’ork State election is always a contest 
between New York City ami “up-State”—the great 
bulk of the Democratic party being found in the 
great city. These evident truths will not be disputed 
by anyone. They enter the campaign this year with 
peculiar power. 
Senator William M. Calder is a candidate for re- 
election on the Republican ticket. The Democrats 
have not yet selected their candidate. It may be 
ex-Governor A. E. Smith or W. R. Ilearst, both of 
New York City. The managers of the Republican 
party do not seem to understand the situation “up¬ 
state.” The truth is that Senator Calder has no 
personal following among the farmers. The farm 
leaders and the great majority of progressive men 
Up-State do not want him. We might as well state 
the case clearly and bluntly. The farmers think 
Senator Calder has voted wrong ou daylight saving 
and prohibition. City people may, if they please, 
make light of such issues, but. we can assure the 
politicians that they are vital to the up-State peo¬ 
ple. The daylight saving issue defeated Governor 
Smith two years ago. The farmers also think that 
Senator Calder has but a limited and narrow view 
of the great questions which concern agriculture. 
There is always a large element in either party 
ready to vote for any candidate who may be selected 
for them. While that is true, we can only assure the 
politicians that the progressive or bolting elemeut 
of the party is larger than ever this year. 
These men realize that the situation is compli¬ 
cated by the unwritten law that, one of New York's 
Senators should come from the great city. But for 
that there would be an immediate movement to 
nominate a man definitely and positively identified 
with farming. If in accordance with political 
custom a city man is entitled to the nomination the 
farmers want it understood that he cannot be elected 
without their support, and they have the right to 
insist that such a candidate must be a big, broad¬ 
minded man who will give all of his constituents a 
square deal. It has been proposed to hold a con- 
Aemion of the agricultural leaders of the State to 
see what can be done about this. The Republican 
managers should understand that as things stand 
today the nomination of Senator Calder against the 
outspoken opposition of many strong farmers would 
be au invitation to defeat. The margin of votes 
between the two parties is likely to be small this 
year, and party ties will be loosely drawn. The It. 
N.-Y\ has no personal feeling in this matter. What 
we want is a Senator who, if he must come from 
New York City, will reasonably stand for what our 
farmers want. 
The Law Covering Borrowed Cans 
One morning recently the manager of our milk station 
failed to return one of our cans. When his attention 
was called to it he gave us a can marked “Sheffield 
Farms." We called his attention to the name on tlie 
can. but he said to use it until they were able to locate 
our missing can. In the meantime an agent of the Milk 
Bottlers’ Federation came along and took the “Shef¬ 
field Farms” can. and their lawyer lias just, written us 
that we are subject to a fine of $50. but agrees to settle 
if we send them $25. What Is your opinion of the 
matter? Are we liable to a fine under the circum¬ 
stances? C. & 6. 
New York. 
We do not think a farmer liable to a fine under 
such circumstances. When a can is used with the 
consent of the owner the law is not violated. All 
the dealers use one another’s euus. They are con¬ 
stantly mixed up. They use each other’s cans with 
common consent, though at times they make an 
attempt to straighten up. Consequently the farmer 
has a right to expect that the dealer who hands 
him a can owned by another dealer has the consent 
of the owner to use it. We do not believe any jury 
would render a verdict against a farmer in such 
circumstances. Its decision of fact would be that 
the can was used with the consent of the owner. 
By the way, some one is using the farmer’s can. 
Who is there to see that it is returned to him. and 
the present user of it lined for a real violation of 
the law? 
There are two statutes affecting milk cans. One 
in the agricultural law under sections 36 and 36a. 
In the re-euacted farms and markets law these pro¬ 
visions are 70 and 71. The provisions of the general 
business law are in sections 270 and 274. 
Under the agricultural law milk cans, jars and 
bottles may be registered in the State Agricultural 
Department, and when registered consecutively num¬ 
bered. The commissioner or his agents are then 
authorized to seize any can. jar or bottle so marked. 
The Commissioner of Agriculture, however, is not 
charged with the enforcement of the milk can pro¬ 
visions in the general law. The agents of the Milk 
Bottlers’ Federation allege the general business law 
as their authority. They have no authority to act 
for the Commissioner of Agriculture under the agri¬ 
cultural law cited above. 
Under the general business law all persons are 
prohibited from the use or sale or traffic in any milk 
cau without the consent of the owner. The penalty 
for each violation is $50. Formerly the OAvncr could 
bring suit in any county of the .State. The law was, 
however, amended so that suit must now be brought, 
if at all, in the place where the defendant resides. 
We make no defence of anyone wilfully appro- • 
printing and using for himself property belonging to 
another; but in practically every complaint against 
milk producers that has come to our attention the 
producer was using the can either with the direct or 
indirect consent of the owner. In some cases he 
had actually bought the cans and paid for them. 
Nevertheless the cans Avere lawlessly taken from his 
Avagon, and in some cases he was scared into paying 
a fine besides. The law has been virtually used in 
such cases in a Avay that suggests blackmail. We 
have repeatedly advised producers to pay no fine in 
such cases, and promised to defend at our own ex¬ 
pense the first ease brought to get a definite decision 
in such cases. None has ever been brought. 
The “Farm Bloc’’ and Organized 
Farmers 
I understand you to say that the “farm bloc” in 
Congress is acting with the sanction or under orders 
from farmers in supporting a high tariff and other 
more or less revolutionary measures. Xo\a\ I am a 
farmer, and I oppose a high tariff and some of the 
other things this “farm bloc” supports. What about 
that? J. M. I-. 
What we said was that the farm organizations 
throughout the country generally supported the 
“bloc.” What has been done in Congress for agri¬ 
culture represents the wishes of official fanners. 
That is all Ave have claimed, and the truth of the 
statement is easily demonstrated. Of course, there 
are many individual farmers who do not want a 
high tariff or a Federal loan or some of the other 
things which this “bloc” has helped to put through. 
They have had their chance to protest, but naturally 
they cannot expect to exert the influence Avliich will 
come from organized clubs or societies. For some 
years now the aim among farmers has been to get 
together and combine their influence and power. 
While not by any means fully organized yet. they 
have begun the job well, and this “farm bloc” is the 
natural political outcome. Some individuals may 
not like what the “bloc” is doing, or may not en¬ 
dorse their methods, but so long as the farm organi¬ 
zations endorse this way of doing business it will go 
on. The remedy for those Avho are not. satisfied Avill 
naturally be to join those organizations and change 
their policy. 
New York State Notes 
It is reported that Essex County will this week com¬ 
plete the test of every cow in the county for tubercu¬ 
losis. This undertaking has been going on for a num¬ 
ber of years, and when the farmers said, “We will make 
Essex clean,” they meant it in fact. While other 
counties of ihe State are working on this problem, 
nevertheless they cannot use the term “clean” iu the 
complete sense that Essex can. 
Plans are under way for establishing a live stock 
commission house at Buffalo. It is expected that this 
Avill be part of the National I-ive Stock Producers’ 
Association. 
The demand for farm labor looks different from this 
time last year. The Syracuse labor office reports that 
in 1021 the usual wages paid for single farm hands 
were from $40 to $60 per month with lodging, board and 
washing. In 1922 the prevailing wage so far seems to 
he from $25 to $40 per month for the same privileges. 
In 1021 tin* prevailing rates for married men were from 
$50 to $70 per month. Up to the present writing these 
wages seem to run from $35 to $(>.► per month. 
Tompkins County is conducting a campaign for the 
improvement of the grounds surrounding the school- 
houses of the county. 
It has been said that Frank S. Peer, who died in 
Reading, England, on April 25, built the second silo in 
the United States in the early eighties. For 35 years 
Mr. Peer lias been engaged in the importation of pure¬ 
bred dairy cows from England and the Channel Islands 
to this country. 
In many sections of the State hay has gone back very 
much since the opening of Spring, and fanners have 
keen at a loss to know what they would best utilize 
for the emergency situation. Many in elevations below 
1,400 feet will try Sudan grass. If this is to he suc¬ 
cessful in New York State the grass should be sown 
by May 25. Those who have tried Sudan grass in the 
State have found that it will give a higher quality of 
liny for all kinds of live stock than millet without dan¬ 
ger of injury. 
It is stated from Albany that when the barge canal 
opened there were SOO tons of agricultural limestone 
shipped from Buffalo to Scluiylcrvillc and 200 tons 
shipped to Mechanicsville from Buffalo. This is for 
farmers’ use. There are fields that would readily re¬ 
spond all over the State to the use of lime, but the 
freight rate has made the use of it almost prohibitive 
iu many localities. I hope the canal will help the 
situation. 
New tariff schedules have been issued by the Erie 
and Lackawanna railroads establishing substantial re¬ 
ductions in the local rates of those companies on agri¬ 
cultural limestone iu carloads, effective May 1 and May 
15, respectively. Tht* rates annouuced are practically 
those in force on crushed stone, carloads, for relative 
distances. 
The New Y'ork State College of Agriculture will hold 
its third annual Summer field days on June 22 and 23. 
This has come to be known as the Summer farmers’ 
week at the college. The meeting affords an oppor¬ 
tunity to see the field tests which are being conducted 
at the experiment grounds, and to see the whole agri¬ 
cultural plant, which cannot he seen to advantage dur¬ 
ing the 'Winter farmers’ Week. 
R. W. Wells is carrying on some co-operative field work 
with Orange County farmers for the control of the ox 
warble. lie reports that the heaviest infestatiou of 
the insect may be expected during the early part of 
May, His demonstrations are carried on to encourage 
the use of preparations of iodoform and vaseline on the 
“humps" so as to kill the iu sect and prevent its work¬ 
ing its way out and thus infecting new catrle. 
In traveling through the cabbage section of New York 
State one is struck with the large number of farmers 
who are screening their cabbage seed beds to control 
the cabbage root maggot. These growers are believers 
in prevention rather than cure. 
Nelson I*. I’eet, manager of the Western New York 
Fruit Growers’ Co-operative Packing Association, 
which has its headquarters located at Rochester, has 
been chosen a director of the national fruit sales agency 
formed at Chicago receutly. The agency, the Federat¬ 
ed Fruit Growers, will open offices in Chicago at once. 
National standardization of fruit grades and an adver¬ 
tising campaign for the consumption of apples Avill be 
carried on. The committee which met at Chicago was 
called together by the American Farm Bureau Federa¬ 
tion, and consisted of 22 men. They made au analysis 
of various factors in marketing organization, and as a 
result have developed a plan for the correlation of these 
local co-operatives into a national federated organiza¬ 
tion. E. a. F. 
Fruit Conditions in Ohio 
Central Ohio was pretty hard hit by the freeze of 
April 21. but not so seriously as at first appeared. Of 
course most of the tender blossom fruits, such as plums 
and cherries, were killed, except ou the very highest 
eleA-ations in this section. Our own plums were nil 
killed, and practically all our cherries. Our apples 
looked very sick immediately after the freeze, and it 
certainly appeared that there would not he much left. 
However, the Rome Beauties, which are several days 
later than some others to bloom, sent out a lot of new 
fresh flowers and have set a heavy c-rop. The Jona¬ 
thans. just as they did last year, iu same mysterious 
way “wriggled through" Avith a surprisingly good set¬ 
ting of healthy, rapidly-growing little apples. York 
Imperial was not hurt much, and the Lankfords will 
have a good crop. Sraymau and Delicious (red \, just 
as they fared last year, were hardest hit of all our 
varieties of apples. And this is true of many sections 
from which I have had reports. There was no injury 
by cold, worth mentioning, to apple blossoms at our 
Western and Southwestern Ohio experimental orchards. 
The sky was cloudy over the western part of the State 
ou the morning following the great freeze in Central 
and Eastern Ohio, and not much mischief resulted. 
Central Ohio. F. H. b. 
Many farmers feared that the past Winter, which 
AA'as very open, with a number of severe freezes, would 
greatly damage thp wheat crop. However, plenty of 
rain in the early Spring, and occasional good showers 
since, have made nearly every wheat field a promising 
prospect. While the growth is nut extra large, the 
stand is fine and the color good. Cows and sheep are 
being turned out to pasture, and oats seeding is being 
done. Apple orchards, which are budded very full, are 
being sprayed the second time now, and pear, peach and 
cherry trees are a mass of splendid bloom. The pros¬ 
pects are that a liberal acreage of beaus and potatoes 
will be plpnted and about the usual amount of cabbage 
set. Farmers as a rule are not over sanguine with the 
outlook, but are hopeful of the future. The attitude 
seems to be one of caution and waiting for develop¬ 
ments. Several farms have changed bands, at prices 
ranging from $100 per acre to $125. While the farmers 
of our section have been hard hit by heavy taxes and 
low prices during the past year, most of them have 
managed to keep their heads above water at least. We 
are impressed with the idea that business is being done 
on a safer and more stable basis than a year ago. but 
where is the prophet Avho cart foretell the future? How¬ 
ever. the various farm organizations, the Grange. Farm 
Bureau and othprs are doing much to solve the prob¬ 
lems of the farmer and make the future look more 
optimistic. L. M. JOTSON. 
Genesee Co., N. Y\ 
This is a dairying section. Milk is in a mix-up—- 
poolers and non-poolers. Potatoes and cabbage are the 
two main crops for market. Cabbage is all gone. 
Potatoes are bringing 75 and SOe at home. Hay is 
worth $15 at station, pressed. The general outlook is 
fair. Farmers are planning to plant about the same 
number of acres of potatoes as last year. Hired help 
is more plentiful than last year. The farmers iu this 
section as a genera! rule are doing well. Farmers 
realized about $25 a ton last year for cabbage aud 75c 
to $1 for potatoes at home. The average Avas 200 
bushels to an acre, which we call a good yield for this 
section. Farming is all right iu this section. 
Otsego Co., N. Y. c. P. EOINGER. 
This is principally a dairy country, and not much 
sold, except dairy products. Milk is sold for League 
prices. A few farmers make butter, which they sell for 
35 to 40c pet lb. Creamery butter is sold by the stores 
for 45 to 50c. Veal calves are a drug o.t the market, 
and the best our local butchers will pay is S8 to $9 
per cu t., live, and the poorer ones they do mu want at 
any price. Beef cows arc slow, not much call for them. 
Dairy cows sold for $50 to $60 for good grades. Hay 
has been sold for $15 to $20 in the barn. Eggs are sold 
to the hucksters for 24c per dozen; nor many chickens 
being sold yet. Seed potatoes are $1 to $1.50 per bushel 
for the best; smaller ones at half price. Some of the 
older farmers are selling out to foreigners, mostly 
Polish farmers, who are settling in here from the coal 
regions. c. g. bogtree. 
Lackawanna Co.. Pa 
