7ht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1021 
A Business in Home Canning 
Has anyone tried the marketing of home-canned veg¬ 
etables to any extent? Is there any demand on the 
part of hotels or city folks for vegetables canned fresh 
front the garden in glass jars in such a way as to pre¬ 
serve just as far as possible the flavor? I live in a small 
town away front a market. Farming conditions art* dis¬ 
couraging. I have often wondered if a steam sterilizing 
outfit, were to be set tip, if the farmers cottld not suc¬ 
ceed in getting a fair price for vegetables and fruits. 
Connecticut. A. H, ft. 
E would like to hear from people who fully 
filed fills plan. We have several reports 
from farmers’ wives wlto have met with fair success 
at this work, in one ease the canned goods were 
sold on a roadside market, along with other produce, 
in a not her ease the goods were advertised in local 
papers and a fair trade was developed. We often 
see such goods advertised on the parcel post lists, 
and there is evidently some trade developed in that 
way. At one lime farmers advertised such goods 
freely in our “.Subscribers’ Exchange" department, 
but that seems to have been largely discontinued. 
The cost of shipping such bulky goods was too much, 
and danger from breakage was considerable. Such 
goods must compete with flu* regular factory goods, 
and it is seldom possible for a farmer’s wife to put 
up her stock so as to meet prices at the grocery 
store. Add to this the cost of shipping, and it* will 
In* rather difficult to find any large number of peo¬ 
ple who will pay an extra price for a superior ar¬ 
ticle. Sometimes a good salesman can go l<> the city 
and develop a trade with hotels, restaurants or high- 
class stores, but that trade is hard to obtain. The 
best market will he in some nearby city where local 
advertising or personal selling is possible. There are 
some cases where farmers do quite well doing cus¬ 
tom work for neighbors in canning fruit, vegetables 
and meat. This canning of chicken, mutton and heel’ 
in particular is often a profitable business in a coun¬ 
try neighborhood, for ibis is really the best way to 
preserve such meat. We would surely like to hear 
from any who have worked fids plan out. 
The Milk Can Law 
As a lawyer is wont to say in court when he objects 
to the judge’s version of tin* law, “I except, if your 
honor please." 1 except to two of your recent rulings 
on law and the alleged injustice thereof. 
First. I think the penalty for another's wrongful pos¬ 
session of one's milk containers is fully justified in 
experience. My grocer very often gave me bottles bear¬ 
ing die blown-in name of other dealers, including sev¬ 
eral from Brooklyn and New York. 1 protested and 
refused to take even the “tramp’* bottles; now I get the 
right bottles regularly. If each one lives Up to the law 
there is no trouble. When the farmer turns over his 
can to the milk buyer, the buyer becomes a bailee and 
is liable to use proper care to return these cans or pay 
for them. The milk buyer and the farmer are alike 
protected by the present penalty against one who wrong¬ 
fully detains another's containers. The law in ques¬ 
tion is aimed at those who make ash cans out of milk 
cans or conduct a thriving milk business on another's 
capital by appropriating his bottles and cans. 
New York. AX ATTORNEY. 
This is all well enough, but there are things, as 
St. Paul says, that arc just and true, hut they are 
not expedient. The milk can law was originally en¬ 
acted to protect farmers who shipped milk in their 
own cans daily to individual receivers in the city and 
had trouble to get their cans back. Now under an 
entirely different situation it is used to annoy them 
and penalize them without justification. 
It is true enough that buyers tire responsible to 
the farmer for the return of his cans, but the farmer 
is in no position to compel buyers to return them. A 
city family may insist on milk being delivered in 
the proper container or bottle. The dealer will com¬ 
ply with tlie demand because otherwise he loses a 
customer; but the farmer 1ms his milk to protect and 
shii». llis own cans are not in sight. The buyers 
offer him a substitute can. lie can aeeept it and use 
it. or dump Ids milk in the gutter. In many cases 
he eould not even buy a new can. The law provides 
that he may use the can with the consent of the 
owner. He does so, and then the agent of the Joint 
owners, acting under the cloak of law, contiscutes 
the can and demands a penalty. 
No one can. justify the wrongful use of another 
person’s property, whether milk cans or other util¬ 
ities. Our complaint is that under this law dairy¬ 
men are annoyed and penalized while in rightful 
possession of milk cans which they either buy and 
pay for or use with the expressed or implied consent 
of the dealers whose marks they hear. The manipu¬ 
lation of milk cans in shipment is entirely in the 
hands of dealers. For the most part they also con¬ 
trol the shipping stations. The farmers’ cans pass 
through these stations daily. If there were any 
wrongful use of them it would he a simple matter to 
correct the abuse at the station, without either the 
application of law or penalty. The law in itself is 
light and Just, tint in this ease it gives opportunity 
to work successfully a practical injustice. 
Murder Charge for Killing Berry Thief 
A case in Fayette County, Pa., is of interest to 
many of our farmers who are troubled with fruit 
thieves. The papers state that a woman, the wife 
of a striking coal miner, entered a farm and began 
to pick berries. The farmer saw this woman, with 
others, picking his fruit. He took a gun, stood on 
the fence and shouted at them to order them away. 
They refused to go and talked hack at him. The 
farmer states that he then fired his gun several 
times in tin* air, purposely aiming over their heads, 
with the intention of frightening them away. One 
woman fell as the result of this shooting; the others 
ran. On examining the woman they found that she 
had been killed by a rifle ball. The farmer who 
defended his property In this way was brought be¬ 
fore the grand jury and, as we understand it, has 
been indicted for murder. 
This case is apparently different from any of the 
others we have taken up and we have not been able 
yet. to learn all of the details concerning it. it seems 
to he clear however, that the woman was taking 
fruit without permission, and was guilty of tres¬ 
passing in entering the property. The farmer, as we 
understand it. insisted that he tried to fire over the 
beads of these thieves, and lmd no intention of shout¬ 
ing them. However that may be, the woman was 
killed, and the farmer will apparently be tried for 
murder, as he was clearly responsible for the death 
of the woman. 
Our people have been greatly annoyed by these 
berry thieves, and we understand that in tHe coal¬ 
mining regions there has been great trouble since 
the beginning of the coal strike, as in many cases 
the families of the miners go out hunting for food. 
We shall have to learn through cases of this sort 
just how far a farmer is justified in going for the 
purpose of protecting his property. There have been 
a number of cases where chicken thieves were shot 
dead at night by farmers who fired at random in 
tin* darkness. In most eases such farmers have been 
exonerated. This case is different, because the 
shooting was done in broad daylight after a warning 
from the farmer. The thought of kil'ing any human 
being, even in defense of property, is a hideous one. 
It is a great temptation for the man who sees his 
property destroyed to lire at such times, but we 
would not do it except in self-defense where life 
was in danger. 
New York State Notes 
The State veterinarians who attended the State meet¬ 
ing in Syracuse a few days ago attacked the State and 
Federal plan of carrying on the tesling of cattle for 
tuberculosis. In their meeting they made an appeal 
for the rights of the private practitioner against in¬ 
fringement from the State and Federal authorities and 
the growth of what was termed ' State veterinary medi¬ 
cine." It was asserted that by permitting State and 
Federal veterinarians to test stork under the accredited 
herd plan, the incomes of the private practitioners were 
decreased, and that much of the incentive to young men 
to enter the profession is being taken away because of 
government action. Particular reference was made to 
the fact that the State is paying for the education of 
veterinarians at the State colleges and then employs a 
corps of veterinarians to do testing work which it has 
educated others to do. Continuation of this practice 
the veterinarians assert, would soon result, in the aban¬ 
donment of the profession, leaving the farmers without 
expert help for the great majority of the diseases for 
which they need such help. This is one side of the (pies 
tion. and the whole thing would take pages to discuss. 
The main thing tluit most of us are interested in is thiit 
milk which we drink is thoroughly safeguarded. We 
might add, however, that the day of quack doctoring of 
farm animals is over, so we hope an arrangement can 
be satisfactorily worked out so that every farmer will 
have within calling distance a competent veterinarian 
when he is needed. 
The other fellow’s things are always better than our 
own ; at least that is what we oftentimes think. Many 
times we think that we must change our seed in order 
to get in new blood. Sure it is that we can get in new 
blood, but often the blood is new. but. the quality is 
worse than the old. We arc seeing a good deal these 
days about co-operative field test of seed from different 
places in comparison with our own. Here is an inter¬ 
esting report from the potato strain test in the Glen 
Head district of Long Island. Strain 1 that was from 
Cortland County certified had 1 per cent mosaic. 
Strain ", from Franklin County, certified, _ had 1 per 
cent of mosaic and 2 per cent missing. Strain ", Maine 
common stock. 14 per cent mosaic, " per cent missing. 
Strain 4, Maine, certified, no mosaic, one half of 1 per 
cent leaf roll. .This would indicate if potatoes must be 
bought from Maine that they should be certified. 
The next sale of the New York State Holstein Frie¬ 
sian Association will he held at Middletown, in Orange 
County, on October 2 and 4. This sale will be at the 
Fair Grounds. From the list of requirements sent nut 
by the association to the members, the sale should be a 
high-class one. If there is enough interest among the 
breeders a Fall sale will be held at Lockport in 
November. 
The T. If. Committee of Essex County has agreed 
to erect signs on the six main roads leading into the 
county to tell people who travel that way. that Essex 
County is the land where a clean-up is iieiug made of 
T. B. This will have a great advantage in advertising 
the Summer boarder section of that county. 
I just got back from the county picnic. It was a 
success. Probably there wore from .*1.500 to 4.000 
folks there. I was curious to know why they came; 
what drawing card, so to speak, was used to get them 
there, lu the morning there were some of the finest 
sports that T have ever witnessed for all ages. The 
spirit of competition was of the right sort. Only 
Grange members were allowed to compete, and the 
highest score for any single Grange was used to de¬ 
termine the winner of the county cup. As I walked 
through the grounds 1 heard some call, "Hello, Henry,” 
and the answer, "Why. hello, Jim." Each greeting 
was accompanied by a cordial hand clasp of the right, 
sort. When dinner was served, community groups 
gathered here and there, and then families alone gath¬ 
ered at some of the tables, and at others there was a 
family reunion. The food at dinner was fine. In fact, 
did you ever attend a farmers’ picnic when the food 
was not fine?. Dairymen’s League ice cream was 
served. Following dinner there was a speech. Only a 
part of the crowd listened to the talk; they were rliere 
to picnic. This procedure is practically the same for 
any picnic. Whut of the things which I have hastily 
enumerated was really the thing that made the picnic a 
success more than any other? The games helped. The 
feed at noon was a big part. If was surely not the 
speech in the afternoon, because only ft small part of the 
people present were listening to the talk. 1 stayed for 
a while to listen to the talk and then I wandered 
through the crowd to find the real cause* for the success 
ot the picnic. 1 found it. Fnder one of the trees was 
a mother with her children who probably would luive 
told you had you asked her tluit she was glad to get 
away for a short time from the hot cookstove nnd 
relax. Fnder another tree was a group of men who 
were reaching their fourscore mark who were remi¬ 
niscing. They were talking with men whom they had 
nor seen for a year possibly. Still farther was a 
grandmother who was having the time of her life with 
all the grandchildren around her. The success of the 
picnic, then. I am convinced, was in the spirit which 
brings people together once a year to visit and relax, 
more than any-drawing card which one might offer. 
What are they paying for wheat is in the air again, 
as the thrashing period begins. An unusually large 
number of farmers are thrashing directly from the field 
this year. This is an excellent way to save labor if 
you are fortunate enough to get a thrashing rig when 
you want, it, and the weather man does his part. 
Thrashing directly from the field is doing a great deal 
to hasten the ownership of thrashing rigs by a group 
of three or four farmers. Many of them already have 
the power, and at the present price of thrashing the 
machine is soon paid for. In Chili, Monroe County, it 
is reported that the farmers who have already thrashed 
their wheat are getting from 'JO to 22 bushels per acre. 
Many of them have contracted to sell this wheat to a 
local elevator for SI a bushel. In this section the farm¬ 
ers have adopted the plan of planting the wheat late so 
as to avoid the Hessian fly. This has been effective. 
The Soy bean question is one that is being discussed 
now by farmers as they are cultivating their corn, and 
in some cases they have had their corn greatly hurt by 
the long continued rain. Some like them and some do 
not. There is not so much complaint at cultivating 
time, however, as there is at harvest time. Some com¬ 
plain that they cannot harvest the beans with their 
corn, while others, with other makes of harvesters, or 
with the same kind adjusted differently, say that they 
have no trouble whatever, John ,7. Eden of llarriman 
is growing about 200 acres of Soy beans this year, after 
trials for some time. This shows to what extent he 
likes the growing of the crop to cm down bis feed bills. 
The fruit growers in some parts of the Hudson Val¬ 
ley have a real problem with the cedar rust, which 
badly infects their apple trees. Apparently there is no 
remedy but cutting down the cedar trees in the vicinity 
of the orchards. The fruit growers in the vicinity of 
Germantown are studying to see what can be done to 
remedy the situation through legislation. The German¬ 
town Go-operative Association is endeavoring to get 
Prof. W. .1. Schoene of Virginia to come to German¬ 
town and give the growers there the benefit of his ex¬ 
perience with the cedar rust control. While there is 
considerable loss from cedar rust this year there does 
not seem to be the loss from this source that there was 
last year. 
This year the Guernsey Breeders of Onondaga Coun¬ 
ty. for their annual field day and picnic, instead of 
meeting at one place for the day, arranged for an auto¬ 
mobile tour. They visited from one farm to the next, 
observing the things that had made for success in 
breeding up the herd, or observing some phase of herd 
management which they might put into practice. The 
Guernsey Breeders of Onondaga County are going to 
make a strong bid for the honors at the State Fair this 
year. Last year the Onondaga herd exhibit took third 
honors, and the year before they took first prize. 
E. A. P. 
Suggestions for Increasing Milk Sales 
I have noted your efforts to increase the drinking of 
milk. Fine, and I agree with all you say respecting 
this splendid food, which is perhaps nearest to the elixir 
of life of anything man can take into his system. I have 
read of the most astounding “cures" due to the ex¬ 
clusive use of milk. And yet most people drink com¬ 
paratively little milk. Judging from tny own taste, sev¬ 
eral radical changes must occur between the cow and 
the consumer in order to increase the popularity of 
milk. First, I do not. like the flavor of pasteurized 
milk. Then I resent the low fat content. And finally, 
and most important of all, is the doubt on the score of 
cleanliness respecting milk served by the glass in our 
great cities. For example, fountain pumps can never 
be satisfactorily cleaned, and milk is such a wonderful 
germ incubator! 
I have long had in mind that tin* Duirymeu’s League 
might well expand its activities, by opening up counter 
lunch rooms, or sidewalk bars, and dispense good milk 
in sealed individual jars of a size equal to something 
more than the customary glass, such a jar to sell for 10 
cents. These jars to he served with a glass for drinking 
on the spot, or when carried away, a deposit could be 
extracted for the safe return of the jar. But the milk 
so dispensed ought to he raw and have a higher fat con¬ 
tent than the ordinary article of commerce. In fact, it 
should contain at least 3% per cent butterfat. which 
percentage, I understand, is what the entire milk sup¬ 
ply of New York State would average if dumped into a 
great vat and a uniform sample taken. Now. 3% per 
cent is 25 per cent more than the State minimum of 
5 per cent, and it is 3 per cent milk that is retailed in 
New York City. 
I am told that in Denmark and some other European 
states it is the custom to eat light lunches at fre¬ 
quent. intervals during the day, and that this custom is 
responsible for many small lunch rooms. Why could 
not the Dairymen’s I/engue develop along the line of 
chain lunch counters where simple, wholesome sand¬ 
wiches and salads could be served with clean milk con¬ 
taining the full fat content? A. C. 
