l'Jl.S. 
1089 
There is a sensible woman who writes to her son 
on page 1085. We have had much about the con¬ 
servative father and progressive son, but somehow 
mother has not come into the discussion. Here 
she is at last with about the most sensible advice 
to her boy that we have ever read. Here is a 
woman who has faith in her farm, knows what 
it can be made to do and also has no illusions about 
what town life will mean to a country woman who 
has always led an active life. A sound and sensible 
letter. There are thousands of other country women 
who take this same view of life, but not all of them 
can give their views such clear expression. 
* 
We have had many questions about the Sulzer 
Apple Law, which establishes a standard barrel and 
a standard grade for apples when packed in barrels. 
The enforcement of this law will be under control 
of the Bureau of Chemistry at Washington, since it 
is legislation affecting food products. The law puts 
the packing of apples under the food and drug in¬ 
spection, much the same as.other foods put up in 
standard packages. The object of the law is first 
to define the size of a standard barrel, and to state 
definitely just what a standard barrel is. The law 
also requires that a barrel which is labeled in any 
way to indicate that it is a standard barrel, when 
as a matter of fact it is not such, must carry a 
label. This label must contain a plain statement 
in letters of definite size, showing the actual capac¬ 
ity of the barrel as compared to a standard barrel. 
The law states that the size of the barrel must be 
given, and it also makes misleading any statement, 
design or device which indicates that the apples are 
standard grade when they are not. There does not 
appear to be in this law any requirement specifying 
a particular style or method of labeling, that is, no 
particular size of type or manner or preparation. 
A number of our readers have submitted designs 
for labels to be used under this law. Some of them, 
for example, contain this statement: 
. “Grown and packed in accordance with the act of 
Congress, approved August 13th.” 
On submitting this to the Bureau of Chemistry, 
we are told that this is probably not correct, as the 
Sulzer Law contains no provisions in regard to grow¬ 
ing the apples. 
It simply fixes the requirements as to packing 
them up to a standard grade, and gives the sizes 
which are permitted where a label is used. The 
Bureau of Chemistry realizes that several questions 
are likely to arise under this law, and they are 
studying out an interpretation of these matters for 
the benefit of the public. Our advice to those who 
wish to pack apples under this law is to make sure 
of the size of their barrel, and the size of the apples 
of different grades, and then to use a label of any 
size or design which they prefer, limiting their state¬ 
ment to the packing of the apples and not referring 
to the way they are grown. 
* 
I read with interest some weeks ago in “Hope Farm 
Notes” of the glut of peaches in the Paterson market 
and enclose a clipping telling of even worse conditions 
in Connecticut. With peaches so plentiful at such a 
comparatively short distance from us, is it not odd that 
none of them is shipped to the Portland market? I 
bought a box in August for a dollar, SO very fine Cham¬ 
pion peaches from New Mexico, and all the peaches we 
get here come from the West and South, hundreds of 
miles. Sometimes we get them as low as 90 cents a 
box. but this is the only lot I have seen this year that 
I should care to buy. My fruit man told me to-day 
there was a ear due to-morrow from Colorado, the first 
this week, but tbe wholesaler wanted 90 cents for them, 
and he couldn’t touch them at that price. It seems as 
though there must be something radically wrong in 
methods of distribution of this crop. All kiuds of fruit 
we get in abundance and. as cheap as anyone. 
Maine. WALTER A. rorerts. 
The clipping referred to follows. Similar notes 
have appeared in other papers: 
PEACHES PLENTIFUL. 
New Haven, Conn., Sept. 15.— Nature’s bounty in 
the yield of late peaches, in orchards hereabouts, is so 
generous that wind-fallen fruit i3 being fed to the hogs 
and cattle. Many growers will let peaches waste on the 
trees and ground as they cannot get it picked quick 
enough. The best fruit ever seen here is offered at 50 
Cents a bushel at the orchards. 
It is true that in many peach orchards consider¬ 
able fruit has rotted on the ground, while less than 
50 miles away people were unable to obtain peaches 
at any fair price. Personally we have refused dozens 
of orders of a few baskets each to he sent by ex¬ 
press. We grow mostly the delicate, fine-flavored 
fruit which does not ship well except in large lots 
iu iced cars. In order to ship well in small lots 
such peaches must he picked when bullet hard, and 
they are then never at their best. The large grow¬ 
ers who can supply carload lots ought to take care 
of these neglected markets, but consumers should 
understand that peaches are not like potatoes or 
apples. These may be held or safely sent on long 
journeys, but the best peaches must be handled like 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
eggs, and the man with a small orchard cannot well 
handle a retail shipping trade as he can with apples 
or nuts. There is something vitally wrong in our 
present system of distributing our Eastern grown 
fruits. The Western growers are far ahead of us. 
They could not hold the market two seasons if they 
were not organized. One thing that is helping is 
the motor truck. These big and rapid cars run 
through the fruit district and pick up loads, hustling 
them off to distant markets. This service is bound 
to grow, and will in time prevent so much waste of 
perishable food. 
* 
We had a fruit agent through here last month, as 
you will see by the papers enclosed. When he came 
into the field and began to talk I told him I did not 
see their advertisement in The R. N.-Y.. but he had 
talked an arm off before I knew it, and charged me 
$15 for the same before I knew it. s. l. 
Alcona Co., Mich. 
That is a characteristic letter from a Michigan 
subscriber. How is it possible for an agent to “talk 
a man's arm off” in this way? We like to go to 
the highest authority we can find, and on this sub¬ 
ject of hypnotizing “prospects” there is no higher 
authority than E. A. Strout, the real estate wizard. 
On page 90G we quoted from his little circular giving 
his great secret: 
I recall that many times I placed the pencil between 
their forefinger and thumb of the right hand just after 
signing my name on the order-blank and while the 
psychological effect of the prospect’s having seen me 
write my name was still in force and he, feeling the 
weight of the pencil between his thumb and forefinger, 
the line before him and my suggestion of “right here, 
please,” with my finger pointing to that line, secured 
the prospect’s signature when if I. or any other man, 
had said to him, “Just sign here, please*” that word 
“sign” would have aroused him like a red flag shaken 
in front of an angry bull. 
The writer of this is an old book agent, but some¬ 
how that “psychological effect” did not show itself 
often enough to keep us in the business. However, 
Mr. Strout is an expert, and we may take his word 
for it. In the case of this nursery agent the firm 
is one which cannot advertise in The R. N.-Y. While 
perhaps no definite cases of fraud could be proved 
against them, they seem to permit their agents to 
tell anything iu order to obtain a contract, and they 
are hard and arbitrary in enforcing orders, which 
they must know were obtained through misrepre¬ 
sentation. In this Michigan case the agent seems 
to have charged about twice as much as the trees 
should sell for. He evidently separated S. L. from 
his arm by using hot air. The farmer should never 
have listened to him, or paid any attention to his 
talk. There seems to be no other way to cut out 
these guff peddlers, for the contract which our friend 
has signed seems to be regular. 
THE MILK CONFERENCE. 
The New York Milk Committee held a public meet¬ 
ing Monday evening, September 22. in the United 
Charity Building, to discuss the desirability of fixing 
the price of milk, and if so. how it could be done. 
The meeting was attended by producers, wholesale 
and retail dealers, and by consumers. Several mem¬ 
bers of the Housewives’ League were among the 
consumers present. 
The chairman stated the object of the meeting. 
He pointed out that previous to three years ago, the 
price of milk had been made by the New York milk 
dealers through the Milk Exchange. Three years 
ago it was found that this price fixing by the Ex¬ 
change was illegal in New York State. Since then 
until recently the same Exchange made the price in 
New Jersey. Under recent New Jersey laws, this 
became illegal in New Jersey also, and since then 
no definite price has been named, but other buyers 
have been following the Borden prices as a guide. 
The questions for consideration, he said, were, first, 
should there be a recognized authority for the fixing 
of milk prices, and second, if so. who should fix it? 
The subject was debated at some length by all 
the different interests present. It was evident from 
the shirt that producers and consumers favored the 
fixing of a definite price, and that the dealers pres¬ 
ent were opposed to it. This indication was made 
definite when it came to a vote. The producers were 
unanimous for a fixed price. The consumers also 
voted for it with two dissenting votes for the reason, 
they stated, that they did not think it could be done. 
The dealers, both wholesale and retail, refused to 
vote one way or another on the subject, but made 
it plain that they were opposed to the proposition. 
The producers and consumers, however, were iu a 
large majority, and it was finally decided to appoint 
a committee of 21, to consist of seven producers, 
seven consumers and seven dealers, to find ways and 
means to put the wishes of the meeting into effect. 
It was decided to have one member of each branch 
of the committee appointed by the chair, with the 
instruction that he appoint a third, and these three 
a fourth, and so on until the seven were named. 
Mrs. Palmer, of New York Milk Committee, was ap¬ 
pointed to represent the consumers; Mr. Francisco, 
also of the same committee, to represent the pro¬ 
ducers. Several dealers refused to accept an ap¬ 
pointment, and the selection of a suitable represen¬ 
tative was left to the wisdom of the chail 
The dealers were the only interests present that 
seemed entirely satisfied with conditions as they are. 
One of them insisted that it was all a matter of 
supply and demand. He said a four-cent supply 
would make four-cent milk, a six-cent supply a six- 
cent milk, and an eight-cent supply eight-cent milk; 
but he failed to explain why it is that family con¬ 
sumers pay nine cents the year around without re¬ 
gard to the variations in supply. These dealers find 
ir. hard to give up the advantage that they have so 
long held in the milk trade. Evidently they do not 
realize the new conditions, and the older members 
especially fight stubbornly for a continuation of the 
privileges they have so long enjoyed. But their day 
is passing, and with the new order will come some 
elements of a square deal for the producer. 
The position taken by the representatives of the 
Housewives’ League was most encouraging. This is 
a large and influential association of women, which 
is fast becoming national. They clearly say that 
they do not look on the milk subject as a commercial 
proposition. They see in it the food of infants and 
children. They consider the life and health of these 
little ones. They interest themselves in clean, pure, 
wholesome milk. They demand it, and if they find 
that it costs more to produce it and deliver than 
they are paying they are then willing to pay more. 
They frankly admitted that the farmer is not getting 
enough, and unless the cost of distribution can be 
reduced, that makes an increased price inevitable. 
Right along this line the producers showed that 
milk was being produced at a loss in many instances, 
and pointed to the fact that unless farmers got more 
money for their milk many of them would go out 
of the business. The supply would be reduced and 
the dealers would offer this as an excuse for in¬ 
creasing the price. The consumers begin to realize 
this possibility, and the interest they are now mani¬ 
festing in the subject is the most hopeful sign of 
better things for the producer. When the Dairy¬ 
men's League is ready to negotiate the sale of milk, 
the friendship of these -good women of the House¬ 
wives' League will be a big factor in their favor. 
M hen the producer and consumer agree, the middle¬ 
man will come to terms or co-operative agencies will 
do the distribution. 
CROP OUTLOOK. 
Notes from Potato Experts. 
, r A|^ rt Miller & Co., of Chicago, states the crop in 
Michigan, \\ iscousin and Minnesota is somewhat spot¬ 
ted. but on the whole prospects are very good. We had 
dry weather that iu some sections cut the farmers’ 
yield short, but Michigan will have a larger crop than 
last year. Wisconsin and Minnesota, while not so large, 
v ill lia\e a good crop. Ihe Dakotas also have a good 
crop, as have Nebraska and the far West. New York 
will be more or less short. We are confident that there 
are ample potatoes in this country to supply its needs, 
but expect to see better potatoes and prices than we 
had last season. _ Iowa. Illinois. Indiana, Ohio and 
Pennsylvania, which are not potato shipping States, 
though raising a good many for home consumption, are 
short this year, and we anticipate a good active demand. 
D. E. Ryan Co., of Minneapolis, says the crop looked 
very flattering here until the first of August, but since 
that time we have had some extremely hot weather and 
blight has affected the crop extensively. The varieties 
raised here are about 50 per cent Burbanks, the re¬ 
mainder other varieties, such as Ohio. Rose and Rural 
It looks as though the crop is 15 to 30 per cent short in 
Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a little early, however, 
to give any accurate estimate, but this is supposed to 
be the shortage here at this time. 
World’s Grain Production 
The International Institute of Agriculture reports as 
follows: 
Wheat—Preliminary estimate : Bulgaria. 60,027.000 
bushels; France. 322.734,000; Hungary. 166.677.000; 
Italy. 209,440.000; Roumania, 88,185,000; Canada, 
211,004,000. In the following named countries total 
production is estimated at 3,330.000.000 bushels. 4.1 per¬ 
cent more than last year: Belgium. Bulgaria, Den¬ 
mark, Spain, Italy, Luxemburg. Russia. Switzerland, 
United States, Canada, India, Japan, Algeria. Tunis, 
Prussia, England. Wales. France, Roumania. Hungarv 
(excluding Croatia and Slavonia). 
Rye—Prussia. 36<,644,000; France, 53,364,000; Hun¬ 
gary, 56.006.0tX). Total production in the following 
named countries is estimated at 1,496.000.000 bushels. 
6.7 per cent less than last year: Belgium, Bulgaria. 
Denmark, Spain, Italy. Luxemburg. Russia. Switzer¬ 
land. United States. Canada, Prussia, France. Rou¬ 
mania. Hungary (excluding Croatia and Slavonia). 
Barley—The total production in the wheat countries 
named above, minus India and France, is estimated at 
1.225.000.000 bushels. 1.2 per cent more than last year. 
Oats—Prussia, 429,499,000; Roumania, 34.447.000 ; 
Canada. 420,049.000. Total production in the wheat 
countries named above, minus India and France, 
3,426,000,000 bushels, 3.9 per cent less than last year. 
Corn—Hungary (excluding Croatia and Slavonia), 
184,758.000 bushels: Italy, 98,422,000. Total produc¬ 
tion in the following named countries 2,766.000,000 
bushels. 22.4 per cent less than last year; Bulgaria. 
Spain. Italy. European Russia. Switzerland, United 
States. Japan, Tunis. Hungary (excluding Croatia and 
Slavonia). 
