The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1425 
Governor Smith and Agricultural 
Legislation 
INCE the election of Alfred E. Smith The R. 
N.-Y. has tried to get the views of leading farm¬ 
ers regarding agricultural needs and what should 
he .done during the next session of the Legislature. 
We find it difficult to obtain fair opinions. The 
defeat of Governor Miller came like a stunning 
blow to many of our farmers, and they have 
hardly recovered from it yet. We are, however, 
collecting some matter which ought to he useful to 
Governor Smith, and it will be collated and printed 
soon. The following statement is much like others 
already received: 
New York is not only the financial center of the 
world at the present time, but stands fourth among the 
States in value of its agricultural products. The agri¬ 
cultural interests are worth fostering. 
1. Marketing Farm Produce.—A study by experts, 
their recommendations to be followed by action, to re¬ 
duce the cost of handling farm produce between pro¬ 
ducer and consumer. 
2. Agricultural Education.— (a) Assisting in securing 
legislation that, will enable the farmers’ children to get an 
equal opportunity for an education with the village chil¬ 
dren, so far as is possible (b) A study by expert edu¬ 
cators of the needs of agricultural education for farm¬ 
ers’ boys. This followed by definite recommendations 
whether this should be done by the College of Agricul¬ 
ture at. Cornell, secondary schools of agriculture, or 
through courses in high schools. For the higher educa¬ 
tion in agriculture, making adequate provision at the 
State College at Cornell. (The present situation there 
is intolerable, being overcrowded in many departments, 
without room or facilities to do the work demanded 
by the furru boys there,) 
2. Assistance by co-operating in the campaign for 
the eradication of tubei’culosis. 
4. Legislation establishing an "Industrial Relations 
Court,” for the purpose of enforcing fair dealings be¬ 
tween labor and capital, without the enormous costs 
and demoralization of strikes. (This is working well 
in Kansas.) 
5. Enforcement, of State prohibition laws in rural 
sections. 
6. A program for economy and reduction of taxation 
on farm lands. I find that it takes about twice as 
much farm produce to pay my taxes now as eight or ten 
years ago. 
Without giving the matter very much study, these are 
some of the lines along which Governor Smith can be 
of assistance to the agriculture of New York. 
Sitting hack and opposing harmful legislation to agri¬ 
culture will not ever get us anywhere. The farmers of 
the State must formulate their needs into a program 
and get behind it. 
Governor Smith hns the reputation of being a fair- 
minded man with those who know him best. If the 
agricultural press and the farmers’ organizations of the 
State will get behind the needed legislation. 1 believe 
they will get it. H. R. TALMAGE. 
Iyong Island, N. Y. 
Better Let Him Alone 
Please send me as soon as possible a complete record 
of Carl W. Davidson, and his picture if you can. He 
seems to be interested in a creamery starting here at 
this place, and I wish to infoi'in farmers before »t is 
too late. milk. 
Delaware Co., N. Y. 
K NOWING Mr. Davidson’s record, we do not be¬ 
lieve any fanner would sell him milk without 
cash iu advance. Some Delaware County farmers, 
near the Greene County line, at Prattsville, could 
give their fellow dairymen in other parts of the 
county their experience with Mr. Davidson. West¬ 
ern New York dairymen had some disagreeable ex¬ 
perience with him last year, ami Pennsylvania dairy¬ 
men had him indicted and arrested for alleged false 
claims in securing credits. For all we know at 
present, the men behind the proposed new creamery 
may be all right, but if they have identified them¬ 
selves with Davidson they have invited suspicion, 
and can best justify themselves now by eliminating 
him and frankly disclosing financial responsibility 
and security for the amount of credit they desire 
for milk deliveries. 
Shipping Water-glass Eggs 
Will you give me information in regard to shipping 
by express water-glass egg*? I ship fresh egg* quite 
frequently, but water-glass eggs are a new idea as to 
preparing for transportation. A. G. w. 
New York. 
HE only way we know of is to take the water- 
glass eggs out of the solution and let them dry 
thoroughly before packing in crates. In some cases 
the eggs will have a sticky appearance from this 
solution, and in such a case we should dip them iu 
clear water, and then dry thoroughly. After that 
they may be packed in crates the same as fresh 
eggs, but of course they must be shipped and sold 
as "Preserved Eggs,” as any effort to sell them 
otherwise will be quiekly discovered. Our own ad¬ 
vice would be against shipping Such eggs to the New 
York market, where storage eggs are now very 
plentiful, and the water-glass eggs would come into 
competition with storage eggs, greatly to their dis¬ 
advantage. We have never advised the use of 
water-glass for commercial handling. We think it 
is a good method for holding small quantities of 
eggs for family use, but it is very doubtful if the 
plan will pay for commercial handling. 
Selling Peaches at the Car Door 
We have a large peach and apple orchard near Cairo, 
West Virginia, sfhich contains about 20,<400 trees. This 
year it produced 5.500 bushels of peaches and about 
6,000 bushels of apples. One can hardly imagine what 
a job it is to prune and spray the trees, not mentioning 
the picking and marketing of such a large crop. 
My brother is general manager of the orchard. Dur¬ 
ing the week that the Elberta peaches were ripe he 
asked me to help him with his work. The first three 
days I picked with about 35 others. Some of the 
younger fellows started throwing peaches at each other 
and having a general good time. I finally told them 
that if I saw any more peach throwing I would send 
them in for their time. This practically ended their 
fun. and we picked over 1,500 bushels in those three 
days. 
The next day was altogether different for me. There 
was a carload of peaches loaded and no sale for them, 
so my brother told me to ship them to Salem, a little 
town of about 2,000 inhabitants, and sell them at the 
car for $2 a basket. I tried to get out of the task, but 
there was no one to seud but me. I told him I would 
do the best I could. 1 added that he must not expect 
much of me. as it was my first experience as a salesman. 
The first thing I did after arriving in Salem was to 
have some posters printed, telling of the kind, price and 
place of sale of the peaches. These I distributed at 
every front door. I knew some of the people who lived 
there, so I asked them to do a little advertising for me. 
I also asked two of my friends to help me at the car, 
and they gladly consented. 
The car was not placed on the siding until about 7 
o'clock that evening. To my surprise fully 200 people 
were there to help open the doors. We handed out 
baskets of peaches and took in money from the time 
the doors were opened until it grew so dark we couldn’t 
see. Still there were people eager to buy. I told them 
to come back the next morning. They did so, and found 
me there at 6 o'clock, ready to sell to the first man that 
was peach hungry. Three o’clock that afternoon I sold 
the last basket. My, how relieved I felt I I called my 
brother on the ’phone and told him I had sold the entire 
carload. He wouldn't believe me until I turned $S35 
over to him that night when I arrived home. 
GLENN c. LAW. 
Notes From a Sagebrush Farmer’s Wife 
[Many of our readers have asked us to explain just 
what the farmers of the Far West want. The daily 
papers print extravagant stories of what is going on 
out on "the great American desert.” and the farmers 
who live there are variously painted as Bolsheviks, 
robbers, insane men or "radicals.” What is their real 
grievance and what are they really after? We are 
printing the following statement by Mrs. Greenwood in 
order that our readers may know what these earnest 
people are after. How far do these things apply to 
conditions on the North Atlantic slope?] 
Each year I am thankful for much the same things— 
health, happy children, plenty to eat, a good bed. 
Idaho’s sublime skies ami her mild weather; good 
friends; good things to read. But this year I have a 
brand-new cause for being thankful. It is this: The 
Idaho farmers are awakening, and are casting their 
votes where they think those votes will be of some use 
•to them. I am writing this on the tenth of November, 
and here at the farmhouse we have not yet received all 
the returns from the election, but so far the Republican 
candidate for Governor has 33.004 votes, the farmers’ 
candidate has 28.508 and the Democratic candidate has 
25.091 votes. The headline in the paper which gives 
this report states: “Progressives Toll Heavy Vote and 
Spring the Biggest Surprise of the Campaign.” The 
Progressive party is the farmer party. Four years ago 
a considerable number of farmers and laboring men 
were elected to office by the Non-Partisan League, the 
members of which went into the Democratic primary 
and nominated their choice of candidates. Two years 
ago the Non-Partisan League literally went to the wall. 
Both laboring men and farmers deserted the League and 
voted the straight Republican ticket. This year there 
is hardly a farmer who is not voting the Progressive 
ticket. Watch Idaho two years from today. 
What are the Progressives trying to bring about? I 
think it might interest Eastern farmers to learn how 
the farmers of Idaho are trying to solve their serious 
problems. The Progressives believe in the abolition of 
privilege; meaning by privilege the unjust economic 
advantage by possession of which a small group con¬ 
trols our natural resources, transportation, industry 
and credit : stifles competition, prevents equal oppor¬ 
tunity of development for all. and thus dictates the con¬ 
ditions under which we live. Idaho is a State rich iu 
water-power sites, rich in mines, rich iu timber; and 
these things are now in the hands of a few men who 
dictate any price they wish. These privileges have been 
the gifts of the Republican or Democratic admiuis’ra- 
tious. Wo are against coalition with any political 
party and pledge that not one of our State candidates 
will withdraw in favor of any candidate in either of the 
old parties. 
For the first time iu my voting life I voted a political 
ticket straight. I had a theory that good men could be 
trusted, no matter wliat their convictions. This year 
I saw a great light, as did the majority of farmers and 
farm women. Better a poor man who is trying to en¬ 
force with all his might the things iu which you believe 
•than a good man who is using his greater power for 
the benefit of something you believe wrong. I east my 
vote this year for myself, and not for any particular 
candidate. I believe my vote was meant for my use, 
to allow me scute decisiou iu this Government, 
Public control of natural resources is another of our 
beliefs. Just, taxation of all lands containing coal, oil, 
mineral deposits, large water powers and large com¬ 
mercial timber tracts, in order to prevent monopoly. 
We favor the gradual exemption from taxation of the 
products of labor and industry. 
Today, although the farmers of Idaho are bowed 
down by taxes, the mines and timber tracts and power 
sites pay not a penny. Does this seem reasonable? 
Can you conceive any State administration allowing 
such a condition? If just the mining property were 
taxed on the same basis as farm property it has been 
estimated that the assessed property of the State would 
be raised $100,000,000. and thus the State could afford 
to relieve the farmer of part of his enormous burden. 
Public ownership and operation of raik-oads and 
enough public utilities to compete with monopoly. Why 
should not tbe Government carry our crops as it carries 
our mail? Is there any intrinsic difference that we 
should be forced to pay the exorbitant freight rates 
which now afflict us? The farmer pays the freight on 
his wheat as it leaves the station, and he pays the 
freight on the pair of* shoes which he gets at the local 
store. Who can, who will, change this injustice if not 
our Government? 
Equal rights for all citizens, free speech, free press 
and free assembly for lawful purposes, as guaranteed 
in the Constitution. At Twin Falls a woman made a 
political speech, the speech being innocuous, but not 
according to the beliefs of certain men. These men 
hustled her out at night in her nightgown and left her 
out on the desert. Luckily another automobile rescued 
hex*. In our free America she had made statements in 
which they did not believe. 
State efficiency and tax reduction by the abolishment 
of State constabulary, the cabinet form of government, 
and other tax-eating, useless commissions; the reform¬ 
ation of the State highway and game departments and 
the election of State utilities commission. 
A State graduated inheritance tax and income tax 
on incomes over $5,000, like the Wisconsin law, and a 
guarantee bank deposit law. When the bank lends you 
money you have to sign a note. When you lend the 
bank money, does tbe bank give you a cote? All over 
Idaho there has been an epidemic of bank failures and, 
sad to relate, some of the former bankers appear none 
the worse for the failure. Several suc-h are now about 
to stand trial in court. But that does not bring bac-K 
the farmer’s hard-earned money which he so trustingly 
lent the banker at—not 10 per cent, which he has to 
pay himself on borrowed bank money—but whatever 
the low rate of interest the banker chooses to give him. 
The well-known and just demands of labor, including 
an exclusive State fund compensation act similar to 
the Ohio law. 
An impartial enforcement of all laws, including the 
prohibition laws. ..... 
Laws to protect individual and co-operative enter¬ 
prises from monopoly. 
A national soldiers’ bonus paid for by tax on excess 
PI Money control be taken from the private monopoly 
of the Federal Reserve system and restored to the Na¬ 
tional Government. It is time that this blot upon our 
country’s honor should be sponged out. The millions 
of dollars which the Federal Reserve Bank has taken 
from the farmer and passed on to the exorbitantly sal¬ 
aried officers of r’uat system now cry out for on end to 
that outrage. To think that anything that began so 
fairly should prove a hideous injustice! The mag¬ 
nificent buildings passing under the name of Federal 
Reserve banks; the more than magnificent salaries paid 
officials of that system, must be made a thing of the 
P Finally, we Progressives pledge ourselves to take 
the judiciary out of politics. . 
Everything the farmer has raised this year m Idaho 
has been at a loss. He is registering his discontent 
with his vote, as all farmers should do. You may not 
believe in our Progressive party platform: but what do 
you believe in? Have you any convictions as to what 
the Government owes you? You already know what 
you owe the Government. You farm women, are you 
the kind who sav. as one of my neighbors did on elec¬ 
tion day: "I do not believe women should have the 
vote.” If you are. I say to you. as I said to her: 
"Then don't complain of the manner in which your 
crops are marketed, or the price yon get. for yon are 
making no effort to change things. Your vote is the 
only instrument you have with which to make our Gov¬ 
ernment what it ought to be.” 
No government is what it ought to he when it has 
no control over the marketing of the food supply. The 
day will eome when the farmer will vote for men who 
will see that the fix’d supply of the Fnited States 
reaches the hungry people wherever they be. and there 
will be no crime committed, as is now the case in Idaho, 
where we have to leave acre upon acre of fine, big 
potatoes in the ground because we cannot get enough 
money for them to pay to dig them. 
The Id'tho Funner prints an article headed: "Po¬ 
tatoes bring $4.63 a sack, and the grower in Idaho gets 
all but 84.32 of it.” Following is the story : A man 
who lives in Chicago sent to hi* mother in Idaho a clip¬ 
ping advertising "special low price" on Idaho potatoes 
in a Chicago store. Tile price was $1.39 tor a sack of 
30 lbs. This is at the rate of $ 1 63 per 100 lhs. The 
day the advertisement was published in Chicago. Idaho 
farmers were receiving 40c per 100 lbs. for potatoes. The 
freight rate from Idaho to Chicago was $1.10 per 100 
lhs.. or 2’H times as much as the farmer is paid for 
plowing, planting, cultivating, irrigating, digging and 
g 
Our wheat costs more than we can get for it. oxir hay 
the same, oats the same, potatoes the same, sugar beets 
a little better. Three years ago we thought we hail 
touched bottom. Now we know there is a bottom below 
that bottom, and one below that. Farmers who de¬ 
pended on their orchards to support them couldn’t give 
their fruit away. Have all the people of the world all 
the fruit they need for the coming Winter? 
I protest with my vote, and I shall continue to pro¬ 
test with my vote until things are changed or until I 
die. ANNIE PIKE GBEENWOOD. 
Idaho. 
