Jhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
775 
The Land Bank of New York 
The Land Bank of the State of New York has just 
sold $1,000,000 worth of its bonds to the Manufac¬ 
turers’ Trust Company of New York City. The in¬ 
terest rate is 5 per cent, and the bonds sold at par. 
Recently the State Treasurer bought $<‘.00,000 of the 
bonds on the same terms, and previous to that the 
city of Newburgh took $100,000. the proceeds of 
which were used to help the local housing situation. 
The proceeds of the State loan were distributed 
through the savings and loan associations through¬ 
out the State. The money was loaned to individ¬ 
ual owners on first mortgage on real estate by the 
associations. The new million dollar fund will he 
loaned in the same way. 
The system is this: Individuals organize savings 
and loan associations and pay in small or large 
amounts, as they choose. Some pay in monthly. 
Others as circumstances permit. The point is that 
an opportunity for savings is provided and savings 
encouraged. Then the association loans the money 
back to its members. Besides the interest, a small 
payment is made monthly or annually, so that the 
mortgage is finally amortized or paid off. The mort¬ 
gage, once placed, need not he renewed. 
The associations, however, have more calls for 
loans than they have money. The Land Bank was 
organized to provide the money, under a provision 
of the State hanking law. The hank sells its bonds 
and loans the money to the associations, and the as¬ 
sociations then loan to the members. The mortgage 
is given to the association. These mortgages are 
then assigned to the Land Bank as collateral for the 
loan, and the hank deposits them with the State 
Controller to insure payment of the Land Bank 
bonds when due. In this way the small local mort¬ 
gages are massed to command large bulks of credit 
in the money market. 
The Lund Bank was organized during the admin¬ 
istration of Governor Glynn, under his special pat¬ 
ronage. to furnish capital for farm mortgages as well 
as small home builders. The purpose was to increase 
the savings and loan associations so that one would 
be available for any farmer in the State needing a 
loan ; but the work was delayed, and the war further 
interfered with its development. 
The system is not unlike the Federal Land Loan 
system, which was organized later. The State sys¬ 
tem. however, is more favorable to the borrower of 
small means. In the first place, it gives opportunity 
and inspiration to begin to save. It gives the mem¬ 
ber the benefit of his own savings, and the experi¬ 
ence of helping manage the business. It. takes into 
consideration moral risk, and enables the hired man, 
or renter, or young fanner, to borrow a larger part 
of the purchase price than the Federal system loans. 
It. of course, requires a little detail to insure safety 
of the bonds as an investment: but when farmers 
realize the opportunities in ir. we believe it will be 
generally adopted. It is the most complete example 
of pure co-operation in the world. 
A Dairy Crook in a Straight Jacket 
After arresting Carl V. Davison, ho denied his iden¬ 
tity. Then l found two men who swore lie was the man. 
Then he got a postponement from the Governor, and 
habeas corpus proceedings. This held the case back for 
a month. After that he sent a lawyer, who offered to 
pay the formers here their full claim. In the mean¬ 
time the farmers of Tioga County had read of the arrest 
siml ‘phoned for informsition. The Pine Mill Creamery, 
of our (Wayne) county (Pa. i. decided to take their 
cash and let Tioga County have him. 
I was sent to New York to effect a settlement, and 
received $ 1 ,07$. 
The costs amounted to nearly $300. We left a nasty 
taste in his mouth for Wayne County milk and butter. 
Since then I have heard that he settled with Tioga 
County farmers for $7.(100. So you see what a fine job 
you did for the farmers when you put me on the trail of 
this chap. You made it possible for me to run him to 
earth, aud l will show you my good will by 'subscribing 
for your valuable paper. You are doing a grand work 
in working with officers in prosecuting crooks who prey 
on the farmers, .lust send me the paper aud a bill. I 
will semi a check. Again I thank you. A. O. BLAKE, 
Wayne Co., I*a. County Detective. 
When we were getting our primary education in 
the milk business, 35 to 50 years ago, it was seldom 
that we got through the year without the loss of at 
least one or two months’ milk bills through default 
of a dealer. Tin* experience has not made us particu¬ 
larly tender of the feelings of the modern milk crook. 
This man Davison lias a bad record. We have re¬ 
ferred before to his defalcations in Delaware and 
Greene counties, and in the western part of the 
State. Last year we found him working credit for 
milk at Troupsburg. N. Y., under the name of Tri- 
States Creamery Company. The scheme there was 
not new, blit clever. lie associated a partnership 
concern with a fair rating with the Tri-States 
Creamery Company in a way to make It appear that 
farmers could look to the partnership for milk bills. 
Our warning to dairymen brought the advice from 
Detective Blak'e of Wayne County, Pa., that Davison 
was wanted there by dairymen on a criminal charge 
on account of representations made there some time 
back to get credit. We located Davison for Mr. 
Blake, but before lie coubl get bis papers through 
Albany, Davison had skipped Troupsburg. Later on 
we located him in New York City, and Mr. Blake 
and the city detectives did the rest. 
Punishment of offenders is not a pleasant pas¬ 
time. Any of us would take more pleasure in help¬ 
ing a worthy person or cause to succeed than in curb¬ 
ing crooks. But. at times we must fight for a prin¬ 
ciple. It has long been a known fact that farmers 
generally suffer a loss rather than go to law. That 
theory has cost them a lot of money. We see the 
effect of it every day, and we like to give an occa¬ 
sional demonstration that it is not always safe to 
rely on a farmer's reluctance to go to law. If every 
county had a detective with Mr. Blake’s vigilance 
and energy, country people would suffer fewer losses. 
More Trouble Over Milk Inspection 
Some of our dairymen would like to ask The R. N.-Y. 
to see if it. cannot relieve them of the annoyance of city 
milk inspection. We realize that milk must be produced 
under sanitary conditions, and delivered in proper con¬ 
dition. We are not only willing, but anxious to do this, 
but when we comply with all conditions and require¬ 
ments, we feel that we ought to be let alone for a while 
at least. A city inspector in this section is continuously 
bobbing up, and with each visit there is something new 
to do that was passed as satisfactory before. On the 
slightest pretext dairymen are ordered to keep their 
milk at home, and are required to incur expenses for 
changes until the production of milk has become a night¬ 
mare to some of us. No one wants to make a complaint, 
because all are afraid to incur the displeasure of the in¬ 
spector. The City of New York, through health laws, is 
a great power: but we cannot believe the responsible 
men in the administration intend thar its powers should 
be abused. Can you do anything for our relief? 
Putnam Co., N. Y. Pistress. 
It is bard to offer any definite relief for a com¬ 
plaint of such general terms. The city health de¬ 
partment has very strong and arbitrary powers. In 
this case these powers are exercised through inspec¬ 
tors who are sent but to the country to represent the 
interests of the city. In the past this inspection has 
been subject tv> the complaint of incompetency and 
unreasonable conduct. Of late the service lias been, 
as a whole, more free from criticism, but individual 
inspectors yet have a faculty of making unnecessary 
trouble and expense for dairymen. The difficulty in 
such cases is the fear of dairymen that if they dis¬ 
pute an unreasonable annoyance, they incur the 
enmity of the inspector and make tlicir case worse 
than before. It is thus that arbitrary authority im¬ 
poses on individuals until complaint becomes gen¬ 
eral. and protest develops into revolution. If the 
conditions complained of in Putnam County continue 
and are of a general character, we will gladly in¬ 
vestigate conditions and submit them to the highest 
court in tlie world—public opinion. 
A New Jersey Potato Drive 
Thursday arid Friday, June 22 and 23. will witness 
a tour or drive through the potato-growing sections 
of Central New Jersey. This will he conducted by 
the State Potato Association, co-operating with the 
county boards of Monmoutli, Mercer and Middlesex 
counties. Central New Jersey has come to be head¬ 
quarters for potato growing. The growers have made 
great advances in the use of certified seed, in tests 
of fertilizer and in methods of production. This tour 
or drive will take those who attend right through the 
heart of the potato section, where they will see the 
latest developments in spraying, dusting and culti¬ 
vating. The present plan is to leave Trenton at 0 
a. m. on June 22. The day will be spent traveling 
about Mercer and Middlesex counties, ending up at 
Hightstown for an evening program. The second 
day will be spent in Monmouth County, and there 
will be a lively program all through. Parties can 
join it anywhere along the road, and for anyone who 
is interested in potato culture a day spent with these 
Jerseymen will be full of profit. 
Fire in the Haymow 
Spontaneous combustion of hay! There are some 
people who say this never occurs, but every farmer 
knows that damp hay packed in the mow will often 
heat to a high temperature, and in some cases break 
out Into flame. Not only does this happen with hay. 
but damp straw or fodder will heat, or oily cloth, 
waste or rags, if piled in comers where the heat can¬ 
not escape, may develop heat to the point of com¬ 
bustion. To the chemist this heating is not mysteri¬ 
ous. There is. first, a ferment caused by bacteria in 
moist hay. Given proper conditions, and the tem¬ 
perature will rise until the bacteria are killed and 
then follows a slow oxidation. If air reaches it a 
rapid oxidation or flame of fire breaks out. Thor¬ 
oughly dry bay cannot act in this way: spontaneous 
combustion is only possible when the hay is quite 
moist. This may be from rain falling on well-cured 
hay, or ou grass which has not been fully dried. 
There is danger from all kinds of hay, but clover 
and Alfalfa are worst. Sometimes a heavy, rank 
growth of early cut clover will be cured without 
raking into the swath. The result is that the leaves 
are killed before the stems are dried. The best way 
to dry the stems is to cure the leaves slowly. Keep 
them green as long as possible, and they will suck 
the water out of the stems. Thus the safest way 
to cure clover is in the cock, and in a naturally moist 
country hay caps are useful. Many times a farmer 
will see that the elovei leaves are dried aud take a 
chance on the stems, though they are not ready. 
Various substances, such as lime, salt or charcoal, 
are often scattered on the damp hay. The great 
object in this is to dry the hay by absorbing "he 
water. Lime is good for this purpose, and the salt 
seems to have some action to destroy the bacteria, 
but there have been many eases of spontaneous 
combustion even when salt is used. Another sug¬ 
gested plan is to put perforated pipes or long ven¬ 
tilator boxes through the hay to take out the heat 
and gas. This is much on the same principle of 
building two or three layers of crates up through a 
pile of potatoes to prevent “sweating.” The only 
sure preventive is to dry the hay as well as pos¬ 
sible before it is put in. All bay will heat or sweat 
more or less in the mow, and there is an annual dis¬ 
cussion as to whether a barnful of this sweating 
hay should be closed up tight or left open so the air 
may blow through it. The tight barn is best. If 
there is too much ventilation the cooler air from 
outside causes the steam from the hay to condense 
on the surface and thus keeps up the moisture. In 
the closed barn the steam rises and passes out at 
the top. Stacks or mows are often found charred or 
blackened on the inside. In such cases the oxidation 
kept on until the heat went down without reaching 
a supply of air. If the farmer had cut or forked 
into such a stack in order to prevent combustion he 
would have done the very thing he was trying to 
prevent, by admitting the air. Other cases of mys¬ 
terious fires about the house and barn have been 
traced to bright (in pans or pieces of glass. In one 
case the milk pans were put out in the yard to air. 
They focused the rays of the sun like a burning 
glass, and shot them upon a mass of oiled rags 
thrown out from a garage. The rags burst into 
flame. 
Farm Name Protection; Forestry 
On page 700 I see you are asked about naming the 
farm. I secured the passage of a bill when I was in 
the New York Legislature, protecting a person who 
filed with the county clerk his farm name, and some of 
the county clerks have blanks printed for the farmer to 
fill out (I know the county clerk in Ontario County 
has those blanks). If the name is filed in the county 
clerk’s office no other person iu the county can use the 
same name. 
I also secured the passage of the law giving the 
board of supervisors, the town hoard or the village 
board of trustees the authority to purchase land for 
the purpose of reforestry. If this were done, where in 
many counties they could buy some wild land cheap and 
plant *o trees, in 75 or SO years such forests would pay 
the county tax. Yet no one seems to know anything of 
such a law, or pay any attention to it. if they do know. 
AVake the people up a little on both these laws. 
Ontario Co., N. Y. T. B. WILSOX. 
R- N.-Y.—We have a copy of the blank form issued by 
the county clerk of Onondaga Co.. N. Y. Many of the 
other clerks have them. It is easy to fill out such a form, 
and at the cost of $1 the county right is secured. There 
was also a section of the agricultural law. under which 
Statewide protection for the farm name is given, at a 
cost of $10. The agricultural law was repealed last 
Winter, and we are not sure whether the section refer¬ 
ring to farm names has been re-enacted. The county 
clerks should be able to supply the farms. Senator 
W ilson's forestry law contains the germ of a great idea. 
W e firmly believe that hv using wild land in this way 
many of our rural counties would in the future provide 
for all or nearly all their taxes. 
Prices today here, f o. b. warehouse, wheat. $125; 
white beans (medium, pea. marrowL $0 per cwt. Hiv. 
No. 1 Timothy. $14: No. 2. $12; No 3. $11. In r.y 
opinion farming conditions have not materially change! 
since last year. While farm prices have been reduced 
below the 1014 standard, the farmers here feel that vho 
products they have to sell are low. and everything they 
buy remains at war prices—farm machinery, labor ai l 
supplies. Day labor costs $3. ami a man by the month, 
with hoard. $40 tn $00. g. p, 
Wyoming Co.. N, Y. 
I think the farmers are better satisfied with the 
prices than a year ago. Stock is selling at a good price; 
good steers. R to !>< per lb.; hogs, 11c. on foot; sheep, 
best. S to 0c: Spring lambs. 14 to 17c: veal calves. S 
to He. llay. Timothy <25 ncr ton; clover. $22 per ton. 
Wheat. $1.20; corn. 75c; oats, 50c: buckwheat. $1 per 
bushel. Butter, 35c per lb.; eggs, 22c per dozen. Live 
poultry, 35c per lb. Larger crops are put out this vear 
than last. e. u. N. 
W estoioreland Co.. Pa. 
