0«2 
farm and farmer’s welfare. If more agricultural in¬ 
stitutions, with the ideals, scope, and sincerity of the 
Wheatland match, could be started throughout the 
country a broad step would be taken toward making 
farming communities ideal spots socially and finan¬ 
cially, in making farming a pleasure, not a drudgery 
and an isolated struggle for mere existence as is us¬ 
ually supposed by some classes, and really is in some 
instances and localities as we will have to admit. A 
mixed community, where migration is common, need 
offer but little retardation for the advancement of 
such enterprises. These difficulties were overcome in 
the early years in Wheatland, and it would seem that 
they could be even more easily overcome in these days. 
Illinois. CHESTER O. REED. 
THE FIGHT FOR PARCELS POST. 
The Deficit of the Post Office Department. 
In the matter of reforms the farmer was always 
snd is now, the last to ask for benefits; and it seems 
he always has to fight harder for his rights than any 
ether class of people. No sooner does the farmer ask 
for parcels post than there is opposition all over the 
country. Who or what this opposition represents is 
frequently nard to find out, as the writer occupies such 
a position as to show no connection whatever with 
anything that would make plain the reason for his 
arguments. Opposition of this nature, it seems, is well 
supplied with figures and suggested arguments, if only 
lor argument’s sake and to raise a doubt of the feasi¬ 
bility of the plan. One of these arguments is the 
present “deficit” of the Post Office Department. This 
so-called deficit always has existed, but it has in¬ 
creased steadily from the first as mail matter has in¬ 
creased. I think 1 can convince the most skeptical 
that a deficit has never existed and does not now, pro¬ 
vided that only actual costs are charged up to the 
Department. If a farmer hauls grain to be fed to his 
ciairy cows and also to his hogs, does he charge up 
the whole amount to' the cost of his milk? If he did 
and he got actual cost for it, he would get more than 
from two to four cents like he is doing now. This 
is exactly what the Post Office Department is doing 
and showing a deficit, and proudly parading it before 
the farmers of the country to show why no parcels post 
should be established. This parcels post will of course 
benefit the farmers more than any other class, and 
this again calls forth all sorts of opposition. Too 
many people have an idea that farmers have too much 
already, that all they make is profit, and like Topsy in 
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin, “it just growed.” Our Agricul¬ 
tural Department has even been censured for educat¬ 
ing the farmer so that he could understand that if he 
could make 60 cents per bushel for his grain by feed¬ 
ing it to hogs, it was foolish for him to feed it to 
steers at 50 cents per bushel. The same weak, leaky 
arguments are presented now that we feel the need of 
; parcels post. 
Here is an extract from the report of the Post¬ 
master-General to Congress for fiscal year during 
1895-6, explaining the existing deficit: . . . “But it 
should be remembered that the free business done by 
this Department for other branches and Departments 
of the Government, if paid for at regular or cost rates, 
would more than wipe out its deficiencies, and that 
Congress in providing money out of the general 
treasury for these deficiencies is simply reimbursing 
the Department by a method the most direct and eco¬ 
nomical which saves both labor and bookkeeping, for 
service it is required to do without pay.” Here the 
Department saves money for other departments by 
carrying their mail, and again by not requiring a 
record to be kept of these expenses. The bookkeeping 
and auditing of accounts alone saves thousands of 
dollars in salaries. This free matter represents prac¬ 
tically every Department of the Government. A large 
amount of this mail is even registered, entailing an 
extra loss to the Department besides carrying. This 
registered matter is composed of pouches of Internal 
Revenue stamps, cases from Congressmen and down 
to the most ordinary books. A glimpse of the quan¬ 
tity of free matter carried by the mail is shown in the 
statement that 400,000 pounds of speeches were printed 
by the Government Printing Office for Congressmen 
and Senators to circulate as campaign documents. 
As these were extracts from the Congressional Record, 
they could be sent without the payment of postage. 
Then there was the Congressional Record itself, larger 
and heavier, and totaling up to many tons of mail in 
one session. The Agricultural Year Book seems to 
be as wantonly distributed as speeches. This free 
matter is increasing every year; no wonder the deficit 
also increases, or rather no wonder that we have a 
deficit. I know personally of a town with a popula¬ 
tion of 2,500 that received four sacks of Year Books 
at one time. Each one of these sacks holds the 
equivalent of about four bushels. This town is in 
the heart of the greatest manufacturing district of 
the country. Agriculture as known and practiced in 
New England is unknown here. How many farmers 
THE RURAIi NEW-YORKER 
would have appreciated these books and made good use 
of them; but as it is, they are sent out merely as 
‘ vote getters” and help to swell the deficit of the Post 
Office Department. Add to this the millions of packets 
of seeds sent out, not by request, but for the same 
reason that Year Books and speeches of Congressmen 
are so wantonly thrown in the mails. As I have said 
before, each and every Department contributes to this 
official matter, and it has been extended to State agri¬ 
cultural experiment stations. The office of Commis¬ 
sioner of Internal Revenue contributes hundreds of 
tons of mail and practically every bit of it is registered. 
This consists of revenue stamps for distilleries and 
tobacco factories, enclosed in pouches and weighing ex¬ 
actly 108 pounds each. Frequently 60 of these pouches 
are sent on one train with a total weight of 6,480 
pounds for that one shipment. This goes on day after 
day with shipments of different weight, but totaling 
up to an almost unbelievable amount. I am not trying 
to say that the different Departments should not send 
their shipments this way, but due credit should be 
given the Post Office Department for carrying this 
free matter, and instead of a deficit we would have a 
surplus. 
Only last Winter we were threatened with a raise 
on second-class matter, but the press of the country 
kept on showing up the methods of the Department 
and the express companies, in whose interest the whole 
matter would have ended, that it was not long until 
all agitation in this respect was completely silenced. 
Now we are shown an imaginary deficit to convince 
us that we cannot “afford” a parcels post, when the 
true fact is we cannot afford to be without it. Is this 
STRAIGHT FURROW AT WHEATLAND MATCH. Fm. 425 
whole thing a scheme to raise postal rates to force us 
to patronize and keep on patronizing the express com¬ 
panies? B. E. EVANS. 
Maryland. 
GOVERNMENT LOANS TO FARMERS. 
Drainage in Canada. 
The government of Ontario, Canada, loans money to 
farmers—said money to be used for draining farm land. 
We shall print statements from Canadian farmers who 
have borrowed this money to show how it is handled. 
The Ontario government loans this township up to 
$10,000 in even $100 lots. When a farmer wishes the 
loan he makes application for. never less than $100. 
He must put in the tile and a commissioner is ap¬ 
pointed to measure the amount and estimate the cost, 
as a man can borrow 75 per cent of cost of drainage, 
work included. The township then pays the farmer 
$100, less commissioner’s pay, about $1.50 or $2. The 
township council has to pass a by-law before this is 
paid. The farmer then pays in his taxes each year 
$7.36 for 20 years for each $100 borrowed; this figures 
out at four per cent. Coupons are issued for these 
20 -year debentures; the township pays them as they 
mature. The farmer pays his amount with his taxes; 
if the farm is sold this $7.36 is still collected from the 
farm until the 20 years are up. The auditors make out 
a report each year showing the amount of each deben¬ 
ture, the amount of principal unpaid and whether the 
debenture is paid or not. As a number of farmers us¬ 
ually get the money at one time, the whole is put in one 
by-law. This report is send to the Ontario Govern¬ 
ment, which sees that each debenture is paid. I think 
this is such a good scheme that I am borrowing $200 
on my own place and am just finishing $200 that the 
former owner borrowed. B. a. smith. 
Ontario. 
Our Provincial Government has given us the privi¬ 
lege to borrow money from them for drainage pur¬ 
poses. I apply to the municipality in which I live for 
a loan, said loan not to exceed two-thirds of the actual 
expenditure. My loan is $600 and is to be paid up in 
20 equal instalments. The amount of each payment 
is a few cents above seven dollars on each one hun¬ 
dred dollars borrowed. My only other expense was a 
October 22, 
fee of 50 cents paid to an inspector whose duty it is 
to see that the work is properly done and not over¬ 
charged. The maximum amount borrowed by a muni¬ 
cipality is $10,000 and the maximum borrowed by an 
individual is $1,000. I am pleased to avail myself of 
this method of borrowing, and have heard no criticism 
against it. R. f. martin. 
Ontario. 
A PRACTICAL FRUIT MEETING. 
The picture at Fig. 426 shows an apple growers’ 
meeting at the home of John Q. Wells, in Ontario Co., 
N. Y. The apple crops in that section have for the 
past few years been badly damaged by blister mite. 
This pest was so bad this year that most orchards pre¬ 
sented a sad sight. Mr. Wells sprayed his orchards 
with lime-sulphur, and as a result he has a fine crop of 
fruit. So he and his wife decided to ask all the grow¬ 
ers within reach to come to their home and hold an 
apple meeting. The plan grew, and finally the State 
Department came in to help. F. E. Gott, of the 
farmers’ institutes, took charge and Prof. Parrott, of 
Geneva, and Prof. Whetzel, of Cornell, made addresses. 
The result was that about 200 apple growers assem¬ 
bled. Our picture shows the scene while Prof. Par¬ 
rott was talking. As a part of the proceedings an 
orchard “which has about everything an orchard can 
have except good apples” was inspected. Then the 
Wells orchard was examined by way of comparison. 
This was found practically free from blister mite and 
Codling worm, and “loaded to the ground with fruit.” 
Some of the nine-year-old trees look good for four 
barrels of fruit. This orchard has never had a ton of 
fertilizer or a load of manure except part of an old 
straw stack. There have been five crops of beans 
grown in it previous to this year. Its freedom from 
disease and blister mites is attributed to lime-sulphur. 
We shall have a fuller description of this orchard later. 
Now we want to point out the fact that this is the sort 
of fruit meeting to hold for business results. Right 
out in the field or orchard, where plain comparisons 
can be seen, is the place to meet. 
COMMISSION FIRMS IN MINNESOTA. 
Minnesota has a license and bond law regarding 
commission firms, but does not enforce it now. Some 
of them still furnish bonds and others do not. It has 
been found that if a man is bent on doing the farmer, 
he will do it in spite of law. They bonded a man on 
the per cent of monthly business. He might have done 
a thousand dollars worth at say 10 per cent, for bond 
would be one hundred dollars. The next month he 
might do eight thousand dollars worth of business and 
suddenly vacate .for parts unknown. Our commission 
men in Minneapolis organized a protective association 
a few years ago for mutual protection against fraudu¬ 
lent firms. They made it so uncomfortable for firms 
of questionable repute that most of them left town. 
A few of them stayed. As soon as they pocketed the 
farmers’ money and left, this association traced them 
and brought them to trial, where each and every one of 
them has been or is serving time for his offense. To-day 
our market is free from rogues. Our law is very rigid 
in compelling commission men to keep an open account 
of all shipments received, so that the public can ex¬ 
amine them at any time. We, as a nation, are bound 
to have crooks in our midst. The voters are to blame 
for all political graft, just as the farmers are to blame 
for all commission row graft. When a commission 
firm has used the farmers right, for years, why don’t 
they stay with him in preference to flocking to some 
unknown concern and getting bitten? Too many of our 
farmers are like children, going with the man who 
offers them the biggest penny regardless of standing. 
If the farmers would, organize, they could control the 
65-cent dollar instead of the 35-cent one. For my part 
I believe the middleman is an expensive luxury both 
for the farmer and the city consumer, and could and 
should be dispensed with, with all possible speed. A 
farmers’ organization would do this, as it could place 
the farm products direct to the people at a saving of 
several commissions. I am greatly pleased and inter¬ 
ested with your anti-graft movement. 
Minnesota. ROY N. holmes. 
There is a law in Minnesota which requires com¬ 
mission men to take out a license and give a bond for 
the protection of their customers. It has worked to 
the advantage of both the commission men and their 
consignors. The commission men fought the bill in 
the Legislature and tried to defeat it, but could not, 
and since it has become a law, they find that they are 
as much protected as their customers by eradicating 
the dishonest element from engaging in the business. 
One now hears very little complaint of unfair dealing 
with the commission men, and as far as I am con¬ 
cerned they have been prompt and honest in their 
dealings. I think the law is a benefit to both the com¬ 
mission men and their customers. e. j. Fletcher. 
