THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1913. 
As we pay 20 cents per pound for the cheapest cuts 
of fresh pork and 24 cents for pork chops, we decided 
to kill a fine fat pig weighing perhaps 200. I called 
the butcher to see what he would give dressed; 10 
cents! Now isn't that enough to make the people study 
on the 35-eent dollar problem? He would sell that pig 
in a day easily, and would make as much as -we did in 
all Summer feed and risk thrown in. But the telephone 
again comes in on this deal, as we ask friends in town 
if they could use fresh pork on such a day of the week 
at a saving of three or four cents a pound. They reply 
they could; also they have friends who would like some. 
In less than half an hour the pig is sold and it only 
remains to deliver it on the proper day. 
Ohio. MRS. JAMES LAMPMAN. 
This being Thanksgiving week we crowd in all we 
can of things to be thankful for. Mrs. Lampman 
shows tke way to a larger share of the consumer’s 
dollar. This experience might be duplicated in hun¬ 
dreds of locations. We have known fishermen to 
go by little streams because they looked too small. 
Tke farmer’s boy, who knew how, followed them and 
caught big trout in these little rills. There are direct 
sales to be made right in your own town if you will 
hunt for them. Another thing: Be satisfied with a 
fair price. Do not try to hold customers up to what 
they must now pay at retail. Why should they pay 
as much as the grocer or butcher charges? These 
dealers are right at hand, make prompt delivery, 
give credit and are under personal inspection. You 
cannot give the same service. Your only hope is to 
let customers see that they make money by dealing 
with you. Base your prices not so much on what 
those customers now pay as on what you now re¬ 
ceive. 
* 
Potato importers and other interested parties are 
making a hard fight to raise the quarantine on 
imported potatoes. We have told about this im¬ 
portant matter a dozen times. A deadly potato dis¬ 
ease, new to this country, rages in Great Britain, 
Germany and other European countries. It is the 
worst curse to the potato grower that has yet ap¬ 
peared, and our Agricultural Department is trying 
to keep it out of the country. In order to do this 
legally it was necessary to order a quarantine or 
prohibit imports from any country wherein this dis¬ 
ease is known to exist. This shuts out potatoes from 
England, Scotland, Germany, France and some other 
countries, but would admit imports from Belgium. 
Now certain parties who are interested in sales of 
English or German potatoes are trying to have this 
quarantine lifted, so they can import potatoes as 
they please. Their object is to bring over what they 
need and use such imports to frighten our American 
farmers into selling their crop for less than it is 
worth. In order to do this they are willing to run 
the risk of spreading this new disease all through 
the country. This wicked scheme should be killed 
at once. Instead of lifting the quarantine it should 
be nailed down firmer than ever. The danger is 
that German potatoes will be brought into Belgium 
and sent here from that country. Again, this dis¬ 
ease may be carried on the potato bags from one 
count ry to another, and in Europe, we understand, 
such bags are used in interstate commerce over and 
over. It would be wiser and better for the govern¬ 
ment to shut off imports of all potatoes from 
Europe. At any rate this quarantine should not be 
lifted under any circumstances. 
Very likely some of us are talking cooperation 
without just knowing what it represents. It means 
giving as well as taking, and true cooperation will 
be impossible without some of the spirit of brother¬ 
hood or the orderly authority of an army. We 
talked with a farmer once who had thought out a 
great scheme for combining thousands of farmers 
all over the country. There was to be a bank, a 
great market and distributing forces. The theory 
of it was good. “Let's go over and talk it to the 
neighbors,” we said. 
“No,” said our friend, “I don’t speak to Brown, 
and Smith would not touch it unless he can be boss.” 
Here was a man talking of organizing a large co¬ 
operative plan, yet unable to unite with his neigh¬ 
bors. Yet the strength of such an organization lay 
in the brotherly or neighborly confidence which 
should hold the individuals together. In case of a 
war those neighbors would have volunteered and 
fought side by side as part of a great army. Our 
American farmers must learn this great lesson of 
the power of true brotherhood. In Europe there 
are several things which hold the farmers together 
and enable them to cooperate. The army discipline 
drills them to what we call “team work” or acting to¬ 
gether. Again, society in those older countries has 
been grouped into definite classes, as large or small 
farmers or farm laborers. In this country we still 
have the pleasant fiction that any of 50,000,000 boys 
may be President. There is an independent spirit 
here not found in Europe, and this has made it 
harder for the American farmer to believe that he 
can form cooperative groups with his neighbors and 
still retain his independence. The fact is that the 
average farmer cannot much longer retain this in¬ 
dependence as an individual. He can only hold on to 
it through “team work” or cooperation, and the first 
principle of that is combining with your neighbor. 
At the suggestion of Governor Glynn, a confer¬ 
ence was held in the City Club, in the city of New 
York, on Tuesday of last week, to focus public 
opinion on the necessity of an economic system of 
distributing food in the city of New York, and to 
formulate a plan for an economic distribution of 
food products of this city. Another purpose of the 
meeting was the encouragement of a system of 
amortized land credits in the State. The meeting 
was attended by several members of the National 
committee, sent to Europe during the early part 
of the year for study of the European system of 
food distribution and farm credits, and by many 
of the leaders in this line of thought and work in 
the State. 
Governor Glynn and Mayor-elect Mitchel are both 
interested in the matter of more economic distribu¬ 
tion of food products in the city. Those who at¬ 
tended the conference were universally in favor 
of a reform in the present system of distribution. 
They were practically all familiar with the pro¬ 
ducers’ 35-cent dollar, and all admitted that the 
producer was entitled to a larger share. It is also 
being pretty generally conceded by students of the 
subject that it will be necessary to increase the re¬ 
turns to the producer in order to furnish the cities 
with an adequate supply of food. Naturally the 
consumers hope to do this through a more economic 
system of distribution rather than continue the 
present extravagant system and pay higher prices 
for the products. A committee was formed to de¬ 
velop and recommend a plan for a centre of dis¬ 
tribution of food products. 
Governor Glynn is also impressed with the neces¬ 
sity for a better system of financing farm mort¬ 
gages. Reports were made at the meeting by several 
members of the commission, who studied the subject 
during the early part of the year in Europe, and 
while the systems there may not be entirely adapted 
to the requirements here, as has been often pointed 
out in The Rural New-Yorker, there is a general 
concensus of belief that a system may be worked 
out adapted to the needs of the American farmer. 
The system already proposed by The R. N.-Y. to 
utilize the Building and Loan Association law and 
organization as a nucleus for local associations, and 
the organization of a State land bank to market 
debentures and furnish capital, was explained and 
favorably received. A committee was also appointed 
to make further study of this subject and make 
recommendations to the Legislature for the estab¬ 
lishment of a comprehensive system of farm mort¬ 
gage credits. 
* 
Our old friend W. B. Otto comes into the lime¬ 
light once more. Otto is the ruling spirit of that 
horse company which organizes farmers, secures 
their signatures to notes, and sells them a stallion 
for several times his actual value. The facts as 
reported to us show that in 1907 Otto or his com¬ 
pany organized the Ontario County Belgian Horse 
Association, with shares at $200. As usual these 
farmers signed on the understanding that they would 
be responsible only for a single note of $200 for 
one share. Without knowing it these farmers also 
signed “a joint and several note" for $2,S00—each 
one being liable for the entire amount. These farm¬ 
ers claim that Otto assured them that if the stal¬ 
lion did not prove sure or satisfactory he could be 
returned, and another put in his place. It was also 
claimed that no shares were to be given away as a 
bonus or sold for less than $200. It was found later 
that three shares were given as an inducement to 
parties to play what we call “the part of Judas” 
with their neighbors. At the end of the first year 
the stallion was not satisfactory. On complaint, 
Otto & Co. asked the farmer to keep him another 
year—until he became "acclimated.” The next year 
brought no better results and then the farmers were 
told that as they did not return the stallion at the 
end of the first year nothing could be done about it. 
Some of the stockholders paid their share of the 
$200. These payments were endorsed—not to their 
credit, but to the entire indebtedness of $2,S00. 
Some of them did not realize until then that each 
was held responsible for the entire amount. The 
stallion did not earn enough to pay for his keep 
for the three years, so the farmers sold him to an¬ 
other party for about $500. Good judges have 
stated that at best the stallion was worth $000 to 
$800 and no more. Now Otto & Co. have brought 
suit against the 13 farmers in this association to 
recover on the note of $2,800. These fai’mers have 
combined and will put up a good battle. We give 
this in detail here in order that our people may have 
constant warning. The scheme of selling a $700 
stallion for $2,800 is another way of handing a 
farmer a 25-cent dollar. The outcome is usually 
just like the case here reported—in fact this is 
better than the average. This is a form of co¬ 
operation with any “co” in it, and 99 chances out 
of 100 for grief and loss. 
* 
The old bitter and demoralizing fight between 
the “stand-pats” and the insurgents broke out 
stronger than ever at the meeting of the National 
Grange. One side was called “the Tammany Hall of 
political agriculture.” The other side was “a bunch 
of soreheads and trouble-makers.” The “stand- 
pats’ went so far as to offer a resolution to the ef¬ 
fect that hereafter, anyone who criticized the con¬ 
duct of National Grange officers may be" expelled 
promptly. The other side came back with a reso¬ 
lution demanding a congressional investigation into 
the political work of the National Grange similar 
to the recent exposure of the National Manufac¬ 
turers’ Association. We have long believed that the 
National Grange as now oi’ganized and controlled 
does not fairly represent the rank and file of the 
members. The members of Subordinate Gi*anges 
represent the cream of farmers in most localities 
where Granges are formed. Owing to a system of 
misrepresentation which excites the envy of a poli¬ 
tical boss the National Grange has fallen under con¬ 
trol of a lot of very shrewd political wire-pullers. 
Congressmen and political lobbyists tell us frankly 
that they regard the National Grange as a joke— 
its officers a set of bluffei’s, rather clumsy at the 
business. We have no personal quarrel with any of 
these men, and have taken no part in the bitter 
factional fights which go constantly on within the 
order. Our feeling is one of the deepest regret that 
at this time, wjxen farmers need a strong and digni¬ 
fied champion, the National Grange cannot break 
away from the methods of boss politics and com¬ 
mand national respect. 
Ohio Crops. 
The Ohio Department of Agriculture gives the fol¬ 
lowing report: 
Wheat— 
Area sown last Fall.. 
Sown this Fall compared with last year.*".".*."! 
Estimated area for harvest of 1914.. 
Condition compared with an average... 
Average date of seeding. 
Alfalfa— 
Area in 1912... 
Area compared with last year..".'."!.".'!!!!!!!! 
Estimated area in 1913...". 
Total tons per acre from all cuttings. 
Total estimated product for 1913. 
Number of cuttings this year. 
Rye- 
Area sown last Fall. 
Sown this Fall eomimred with last year..'.'.'.".* 
Estimated area for harvest of 1914. 
Condition compared with average. 
Sugar Beets— 
Estimated area sown for 1912. 
Estimated area for 1913. 
Total estimated production for 1913........!.' 
Total yield as compared with 1912. 
Corn—Prospect compared with average. 
Buckwheat—Prospect compared with average... 
Clover Seed—Prospect compared with average.. 
Potatoes— 
Area planted ... 
Average production per acre. !!'.!!!' 
Total estimated production for 1913. 
Affected by rot... 
Hogs— 
Condition compared with average. 
Number to be fattened compared with 1912.. 
State Average Prices.—Per bushel: Wheat 
Barley, .62: Oats. .41: Rye. .71: Potatoes, .91. 
$12,SO; Alfalfa, $14.65; Sugar Beets, $5.16. 
1,616.179 acres 
101 per cent 
1,635,185 acres 
101 per cent 
September 23 
27.699 acres 
104 per cent 
28,777 acres 
3 tons 
S6.124 tons 
3 
1S5.473 acres 
86 per cent 
15S.713 acres 
99 per cent 
23,826 acres 
22,024 acres 
223,099 tons 
90 per cent 
84 per cent 
SO per cent 
95 per cent 
103.302 acres 
69 bushels 
7,157.011 bushels 
2 per cent 
93 per cent 
86 per cent 
.S9; Corn, .68; 
Per ton: Hay, 
Miscellaneous Crops 
The Bureau of Statistics O 
centages of a full crop for the 
Fruits— 
Apricots (Ca 
Blackberries 
Cranberries 
Grape fruit 
Grapes 
(Florida). 
Himes (Florida). 
Oranges .. 
Peaches . 
Pears . 
Ti neapples (Florida). 
Prunes (California). 
Raspberries . 
Strawberries . 
Watermelons . 
Vegetables— 
Beans (dry). 
Beans (Lima). 
Cabbages . 
Cauliflower (California).. 
Celery . 
Onions .. 
Tomatoes . 
Miscellaneous— 
Alfalfa, 
Almonds 
Broom e 
Clover hay. 
Clover seed 
seed. 
(California). 
Kafir corn (grain). 
Kafir corn (forage). 
Millet hay.. 
Millet seed. 
Olives (California). 
Peanuts .. 
Sugar beets. 
Sugar cane. 
Walnuts (California).. 
ves the 
following 
per- 
three years past. 
1913 
1912 
1911 
69.9 
62.4 
80.0 
75.0 
71.5 
67.8 
78.7 
70.9 
.. 80.0 
105.0 
57.0 
S7.8 
82.4 
95.1 
91.4 
.. 90.0 
75.0 
75.0 
.. 82.2 
102.0 
84.2 
. . 47.6 
6S.4 
44.3 
73.5 
70.5 
92.0 
75.0 
SS.O 
SO.O 
77.4 
71.5 
89.2 
6S.7 
SO. 6 
80.2 
81.7 
77.4 
83.2 
78.2 
.. 71.2 
90.6 
73.0 
. . 90.0 
90.0 
96.0 
90.5 
75.6 
85.3 
76.9 
94.2 
86.0 
84.2 
. . 50.0 
S1.0 
62.0 
82.9 
69. S 
83.0 
57.1 
74.5 
56.4 
77.0 
65.0 
156.2 
77.S 
88.6 
78.7 
86.0 
71.3 
SO. 2 
64.4 
.. 76.0 
64.0 
87.0 
.. SI.3 
82.0 
81.1 
101.6 
100.3 
76.1 
97.3 
S6.0 
SO.O 
