Vol. LXXIII., No. 4243. 
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 21, 1914. 
WEEKLY .$1.00 PER YEAR. 
SOME NEW ENGLAND PROBLEMS. 
Harder than Pioneer Work. 
I learned to shear sheep before I learned to clip 
coupons, to break steers before I broke in clerks; 
I learned the farmer's tricks before I learned the 
city man’s, to make tallow candles before I saw 
electric lights. And I know that the city man’s 
tricks are quite as clever as the countryman’s, are 
on a larger scale, and also that they are more diffi¬ 
cult of legal proof, chiefly because those conversant 
at all. Then sell it to the markets direct. Capital! 
But they icill not buy it! 
That is a strong statement and a bit difficult to 
prove until you try the selling. However, if you 
know intimately a few marketmen, and have their 
confidence so that they know you will not quote them 
by name, you may learn a lot. And here is what I 
learned from some of them. 
I went to a man I know well, and asked him if I 
could make a three years’ contract with him to fur¬ 
nish him all his beef for that time, for 10 per cent 
quality or service as would enable him to hold his 
trade or do business. And corroborative testimony 
was secured from others. 
Under such conditions, is it at all surprising that 
the growing of live stock on Eastern farms has be¬ 
come unprofitable? 
But such tricks are not confined to city meat 
interests. Listen to this from the banana trader. 
A certain retailer, tired of the dictation (as he 
considered it) of a big fruit concern, began buying 
his bananas from a small independent importer. Ere 
• Ji 
giiir! 
Mrs: 1 
1 mm 
m) Mr JN .1 
ipv;! 
L _ ■Bup'frv W 
, • A. 
A FAMILIAR TYPE OF NEW ENGLAND COUNTRY 
HOME IN SUMMER. 
with the operations are implicated therein and would 
incriminate themselves should they reveal them, or 
if immunized would lose not only their present posi¬ 
tion, but be unable to secure another in the same or 
allied lines. Self-preservation being the first law of 
nature, they naturally remain silent. 
It is all very well to urge the Eastern farmer to 
keep more live stock, to raise more beef, mutton and 
pork, to turn his idle pastures and waste land to 
profit; but what will he do with the meat when he 
has raised it? Sell it, to be sure. Thank you. but 
where? Why, the “beef .men” will take it. Certain¬ 
ly. but at their own price, pleasure and place, or not 
below the market, whatever that might be during 
that period, showing him that I and some associates 
stood ready to do that and guarantee it by a suitable 
bond: provided that he would sell his beef at five 
per cent below the current retail price. But not he. 
He hemmed and hawed, said it would not be as 
heavy or as mature as Western beef, etc., etc., and 
when assured that he would have the same or better 
beef, he backed and filled again. Finally, after much 
careful and deft questioning, he admitted that should 
he buy beef from me under such conditions, he 
could not buy pork and mutton and poultry and lard, 
etc., at any fair price, or bought, could not get such 
long the latter’s supply was exhausted, so the retail¬ 
er went to the representative of the big concern. 
The price quoted was stiff, and the quality (number 
of “hands” on a bunch and size of fruit) below what 
he had been getting for less. He kicked, but was 
told to go back to his other source of supply or take 
what they offered at their price—and, as the nar¬ 
rator, who was the salesman for the big company, 
said to me, "lie would get it when we got good and 
ready to send it to him.” 
Perhaps you are not interested in turning waste 
land into beef, and care not a bit about the banana 
trade, and are content to raise French turnips off 
