L9S 
vertisements of the milk companies in such papers. 
During these four years of city inspection, men¬ 
tioned above, the cost of milk production has steadily 
increased, owing to the high prices of feed and labor 
together with the cost. of complying, to some extent, 
with the requirements of the Board of Health. Dur¬ 
ing this time the price paid the farmers has increased 
a very small fraction of a cent a quart—not enough 
to pay the increased cost of labor alone. Is it any 
wonder, under these conditions, that the dairy farmers 
are not making any money? Who can blame the 
boys for leaving the farm and seeking more re¬ 
munerative employment while oppression reigns su¬ 
preme? Mr. Bellows’ milk was rejected before 
samples had even been taken, or the milk found un¬ 
wholesome in any way except that certain features 
of the barn and its surroundings did not seem to 
.please the inspector. From a careful inspection of 
Mr. Bellows’ herd and stable we must conclude that 
milk from same, when handled in a cleanly manner, 
is fully up to average quality. 
But, it may be urged, the Board of Health re¬ 
quires a score of only 50 points. Very well. If they 
have the authority to demand a score of 50 points 
this year, what is to keep them from demanding a 
score of 60 points next year and 75 points the year 
after? Here is where the principle of right and 
wrong comes in, and it is this principle to which ob¬ 
jection is made. The courts must settle this ques¬ 
tion of authority, and decide whether the law's of 
New York State shall be enforced by the State 
officials who are chosen by the people, and who are 
authorized to carry out the provisions of these laws, 
or whether an arbitrary and selfish Board of Health 
in a city nearly 200 miles away shall dictate the con¬ 
ditions under which milk must be produced, and to 
which dairymen must submit without having any 
voice in the matter whatever. If the latter view is 
taken it would perhaps be well to remind the officials 
of New York City’s Board of Health of an incident 
which occurred more than 136 years ago, when the 
people of Boston dumped 360 chests of tea into the 
sea. The people who did this were fighting for a 
principle. They objected to oppression. They ob¬ 
jected to taxation without representation. This right 
has never been denied by any civilized people and 
never will be. If the people of New York City want 
better milk let them offer the farmers a cent a quart 
more for clean milk produced under sanitary con¬ 
ditions and the dairymen will cheerfully do their 
part without force or fuss. 
Mr. Bellows’ suit was not contested until after 
the time limit for the defendant to file an answer. 
However, as a motion was afterward made to open 
the case for trial it will probably be contested. 
An entirely different case is presented by Mr. 
White, whose milk was rejected at the Cold Spring 
Creamery upon the report of the same inspector, 
Charles Hocklener. When the inspector called to 
score this barn Mr. White told him in plain lan¬ 
guage what he thought of him and the work he was 
doing. To this the inspector objected, and told Mr. 
White that he would not inspect his barn. However, 
he took upon himself the authority to cause the 
milk from this dairy to be rejected, simply for spite, 
as Mr. White has a good barn, well kept, and a good 
herd of cows. Mr. White states that he did not re¬ 
fuse to let Mr.. Hocklener inspect his dairy. This 
action on the part of the inspector caused Mr. White 
considerable trouble, so he has brought suit to recover 
damages. In Fig. 117 we show the interior of Mr. 
White’s stable, which scored 75 points by other in¬ 
spectors who were sent to Roxbury later to pour 
oil on the troubled waters,” but they could not remedy 
the wrong that had been done Mr. White, although 
they appeared in every way competent inspectors. 
The decisions of the court in these cases and the con¬ 
ditions leading up to them are of vital importance to 
the dairy interests of all the States supplying milk 
to New York City. The plaintiffs in these cases are 
not rich, but with the help of hundreds of others 
who have been similarly treated by the city inspec¬ 
tors, they propose to stand up for their rights and 
fight to a finish. 
THE EDUCATION OF THE BUYER. 
Are farmers displaying more intelligence in reading 
the advertisements in the rural press? Have they 
learned to read between the lines, with the result that 
they can distinguish the fake with reasonable certainty? 
The revelation carried to the farms every week by 
The R. N.-Y., concerning swindling operations of 
advertisers has made an army of clever advertisement 
readers. Where once they read and dealt with an 
advertisement on short order, they now read between 
the lines, and an increasing number are now able to 
steer clear of traps that cleverly have been laid for 
them and then covered up with printers’ ink. The 
business men in the country towns would like to see 
a million copies of The R. N.-Y. distributed each 
THIS RURAL NEW-VCRKER 
week; they would like to see a copy in each home 
accessible to their places, because it is the only paper 
in the Middle West that makes a feature of exposing 
frauds in advertisements. Not only do the merchants 
who sell to the farmers profit by the work of showing 
up swindling operations, but the tradesmen w'ho buy 
direct from the farms. 
Not long since a woman in Kane County, Illinois, 
sold 12 fat three-months-old Wyandotte chickens to 
her local market man for 25 cents a pound live weight. 
She says that she got $12 for a dozen chickens, 
that her own weight showed them light four pound¬ 
ers, but the market man gave her the down weight, 
and she averaged a dollar a head on the sale. More 
than that, he came to her place and helped her catch 
them and paid her the money over his own counter 
the same day. This man showed by his actions that 
he was anxious to buy. He knew that hundreds of 
country people ship to the commission men of the 
city, some to fake commission swindlers that The 
R. N.-Y. has been showing up. They save packing, 
freight, and commission, and in loo many instances 
to mention, they save themselves from loss not only 
in the matter of reduced price but in the entire con¬ 
signment. A Wisconsin woman who runs a poultry 
farm in Walworth County got a fraction over $1.02 
a head for her sale of live poultry. She sold direct 
to the town market man, who resold the meat to 
town people, practically fresh from the farm. 
From the careful more intelligent reading of adver¬ 
tisements thousands of farmers are making much 
better use of their moiiey. They are dealing with 
the business men and tradespeople whom they know 
and see most every week. The merchants of the 
towns don’t expect to stop the farmers from buying 
from reputable advertisers, not even the mail order 
people, but largely they are now getting the trade of 
people who have been sending their money away on 
some of the most atrocious swindles that ever have 
been shown up in this country. The farming fraternity 
not only is doing better in- the disposal of food pro¬ 
ducts, but the nefarious schemes exposed have caused 
them to invest with their local banker or land seller, 
who is known to be responsible for his acts. At least 
they deal with the far-off concerns more gingerly, 
and make more inquiries before going into some new¬ 
fangled scheme or even a promotion that is really 
founded honestly. There are many more things to be 
considered from the work of The R. N.-Y. than 
merely the recovery of money that ill-advisedly has 
been parted with. J. l. graff. 
Illinois. 
IMPORTANT DECISION ON RAILROAD FIRES. 
(The following synopsis is made of a recent decision 
of the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals. Formerly 
judges threw cases out of court when the railroads in¬ 
troduced evidence to prove that the screens of locomotives 
were inspected. finder the following decision evidence 
of actual damage can be introduced in spite of this “in¬ 
spection.") 
Goodman vs. Lehigh Valley R. R. Co. 
74 Atlantic Reporter, 519. 
Goodman owned a farm along the railroad. His 
barn was located 115 feet from nearest track. A 
strong wind was blowing toward the barn. A fast 
train passed. The day was hot and dry and it was 
proven that no person had been in the barn for V/> 
hour. Two witnesses, one 50 feet on opposite side of 
track, and the other 150 feet, testified that as last car 
passed they observed the hay smoking in open door 
of barn. It was harvest time and mow was full of 
hay to bottom of door. Another witness swore that 
same engine started a fire 125 feet from track at a 
point one mile east of Goodman’s. The railroad 
offered witnesses to prove that screens were in good 
condition; that screens had three meshes to inch and 
apertures one-quarter inch; that screen of this engine 
was inspected three different times at three different 
places and by three different inspectors, all within 30 
hours of time of fire. Upon these facts the trial judge 
non-suited Goodman- upon the ground that the evi¬ 
dence of the inspectors proved that the engine was 
equipped with screens as required by law. 
The Court of Appeals, however, decides that the evi¬ 
dence of the men who saw the fire start in the barn 
and in the field, raised a question for the jury. The 
effect of this is as follows: The fire was caused by 
the sparks from the engine. The question, “Could a 
spark of sufficient size to cause a fire 115 feet distant 
be passed through such a screen as the inspectors 
testified the engine carried?” was one for the con¬ 
sideration of the jury. The Court ordered a new 
trial. 
A very important feature of the case is this: 1 he 
Court held it error on the part of the lower court 
when it ruled out the following questions on the part 
of Goodman: 
1. At the time that this fire occurred had you 
noticed any fires occasioned on your property from 
engines of the railroad? 
2. Have you ever noticed the quantity of sparks 
thrown from the engines of the Lehigh Valley R. R. 
Mai-Ci 12, 
r„ • 
at or about the time of the fiie, during the night time? 
3. How large sparks have you seen coming out of 
the stack about the time of the fire? 
The Court concludes as follows: Evidence that 
would have shown that sparks in great numbers and 
of large size in fact came out of the engines of the 
company during the very period of the alleged in¬ 
variable practice of careful and frequent inspections, 
and sparks such as to occasion other fires to property 
adjacent to the railroad, would have tended to show 
that the system, however perfect in theory, was not 
carefully adhered to in practice, and thus to discredit 
the defendant's testimony respecting the efficiency of 
the inspection of the engines. 
SEEDING CLOVER IN OHIO. 
I have a field of seven acres, neglected for several 
years, that has grown up to broom sedge and briars. On 
part of the field there is a sod of Timothy and Red top: 
i layey soil and clay subsoil. I want this field sown to 
clover as part of a rotation of clover, corn, peas and 
wheat. Might I expect a stand of clover by sowing to 
oats with a. liberal dressing of commercial fertilizer, pro¬ 
vided the field is put in good tilth before sowing? Land 
is not plowed, and cannot l>e for awhile. I have another 
field of five acres that was sown to wheat last Fall. 
Would you consider the chance of getting a stand of 
clover and grass as good to sow, on top of frozen ground 
or snow, as (o harrow lightly later and sow the seed on 
the harrowed surface, with small amount of commercial 
fertilizer and re-harrow? a. s. r. 
Little Hocking. O. 
Many people think that seeding land to clover, 
with oats, is the ideal way. The way the inquirer 
proposes to fit the land, should make the undertak¬ 
ing safe. Still, it is hardly advisable to sow the oats 
as thickly as if there was no seeding to clover. Oats 
shade thickly, and lodge easily, in which latter case 
they should be removed from the land as quickly 
as possible, to prevent the smothering of the young 
.clover. The writer thinks it advisable to make 
the clover sown about one-fourth Alsike, as it holds 
to the land better and does not lift out. like the Red 
clover. I would do this plowing and seeding as soon 
as possible. Nearly all the grass seed in Central 
Southern Ohio is sown on Fall-sown wheat, without 
harrowing, and most of it the last half of February 
or first half of March, catching a time when the land 
is freezing and thawing daily, getting soft about the 
middle of the forenoon. When the land begins to 
thaw and get sticky, stop sowing till frozen again. 
In no case sow on the snow. I have secured ex¬ 
cellent stands by waiting till the ground could be 
harrowed, before or after sowing, but this gave the 
clover a late start, and made it easily killed by the 
after harvest drought. So unsatisfactory were the 
results that the practice was entirely abandoned. 
Ross Co., Ohio. john m. jamison. 
CUTTING UP THE CONSUMER’S DOLLAR. 
On page 140 you say you will stop talking about 
the farmer getting 35 cents of the dollar when he 
receives a larger share. I may miss the meaning of 
this, but I think I can refer you to thousands of 
farmers who are getting much more than this. For 
instance, last Fall the fruit growers in this district 
sold apples on the Chicago markets at $3 a barrel 
and better, less freight to Chicago and cartage 22 
cents a barrel and commission 10 per cent, leaving 
about $2.48 a barrel net. The grocer would probably 
retail these apples at 40 cents a peck, equivalent to 
$4.80 a barrel, if he did not have to throw out any 
bad ones. Some of us have a few grocer customers 
who take a car lot. In selling to them we save the 10 
per cent commission. One of my customers paid me 
$3.50 a barrel for one shipment f. o. b. here. He paid 
freight, etc. These apples he sold at retail for 50 
cents a peck, equal to $6 a barrel. Maybe you think 
the farmer ought to have a great deal more than 
he is now getting, and we sometimes think so too, 
and if you can tell us how to get it, we shall be 
very much obliged, and agree to take your excellent 
paper as long as we live. Speaking of the middleman’s 
profits, I don’t see how we can cut them out. It is 
absolutely impossible to retail our product to the con¬ 
sumer; we must have some one to do it for us. and, 
of course, he has to be paid. Let us pause a moment 
and consider the retail dealer’s expenses. He has 
store rent, salesmen, clerks, delivery wagons, horses 
and drivers, telephones, collections, lights and fuel, 
bad debts, etc., to say nothing of invested capital, 
his own time, business risk, etc. Of course, I am 
aware the farmer has a great deal of expense, too, 
and especially so in growing fruit, but I am not ready 
yet to' change place with the retailer. j. s. 
Michigan. 
R. N.-Y.—We assume that the barrel cost 35 cents. 
Taking that out the grower got less than 45 cents 
on the dollar. J. S. lives on Lake Michigan, about 
75 miles from Chicago, with cheap boat transporta¬ 
tion. We have never denied that some farmers are 
able to get a fair share of the consumer’s dollar. In 
our own case we get nearly all of it, as we deal direct 
with customers. When we speak of 35 cents we refer 
to the average. Here is a case which more than 
offsets the return to our Michigan friend: 
I have a friend in Volusia Co., Fla., who ships oranges 
north. I will give the results of one shipment and you 
can see what part of the dollar they get, and compare it 
with what you pay for an orange. Seventy boxes shipped 
about January 1 sold in the market at wholesale for 81.32% 
per box : after paying freight, commission, and for boxing 
they had returned for the 70 boxes .$10.67. n. s. 
Litchfield Co., Conn. 
Now, we have gone carefully over more than 5,000 
such returns, and have spent much time tracing sales 
back from the retail price to the consumer, and we 
think we know what we are talking about when we 
repeat that out of the average dollar’s worth of food 
eaten in our towns and cities the producer gets 35 
cents or less. Our friend in Michigan with easy 
access to the Chicago markets can get 75 cents of the 
dollar if he can induce his neighbors to co-operate, 
put up the money and open a store in the city to sell 
their own goods. 
