1915. 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
73 
What the Grange in New York State Should Do. 
T HE Grange is the oldest and largest farmers’ or¬ 
ganization in the State of New York, hut it should 
not be satisfied with age and size. There is work 
to be done, vital work, for the benefit of farmers. So¬ 
cial intercourse, literary exercises anl ritualism are 
not enough. The State spends millions to teach the 
farmers how to produce, but maximum production often 
results in minimum profits. 
The farmers are not organized in a business way. 
They have not learned how to cooperate in grading, 
packing, shipping and marketing their produce. Each 
man seems to think he is smarter or more honest than 
his neighbor. Here is work for the Grange. Its watch¬ 
words are Faith, Hope, Charity, Fidelity and Fratern¬ 
ity. Are these idle words, only said to be forgotten? 
Are the principles never to be put in practice? In¬ 
struction, leadership, organization, are the present urg¬ 
ent needs. The rank and file are ready and loyal. Good 
able men can be found to lead and organize, but it is 
not to be expected that these men will sacrifice time, 
money and their own business to do this work gratuit¬ 
ously. It is business, they must be paid, the work 
ought to be done thoroughly and continuously by com¬ 
petent men. Cooperative societies should be formed in 
nearly every Grange. A uniform principle should pre¬ 
vail in all societies, standards of grading and packing 
should be established, buying and selling should be done 
collectively, all local societies should be federated into 
one strong State organization for wholesale buying and 
selling; proper accounting and auditing should be in¬ 
sisted upon in all cases and constant supervision should 
be given under direction of the State Grange. 
The new State Department of Foods and Markets 
will help, but it cannot help effectively the unorganized 
producers. It must deal with responsible groups and 
societies. It will organize the markets, but it must 
know that it has reliable sources of supply. If the 
Grange will do its part; if it will organize and co¬ 
operate; if it will put competent men in the field to 
direct and supervise; then and only then will it per¬ 
form its most vital service to the great body of Pa¬ 
trons of Husbandry. 
Apple “ Villains ” and “ Kickers.” 
Y OTTR article “Apple Packer and ‘Kickers’.” on page 
1417, puts The It. N.-YL in a new light to me 
if you intended the inference that when a farmer 
is duped the offender is a villain, but when the 
cheating goes the other way the man who is stung is 
a “kicker.” If The It. N.-Y. is interested in the ap¬ 
ple industry of New York it might be well to learn the 
experience of the ultimate consumer. I bought two 
barrels of apples marked “New York Standard, Grade 
A, Minimum Size 2 y 2 inches.” One was a barrel of 
Baldwins packed at Albion, N. Y., the other a barrel of 
Spy packed at Pavilion, N. Y. In these barrels the 
only apples larger than 2% inches in diameter were five 
inches of the top, except that one barrel had some as 
large as three inches on the bottom. Fully 20% of the 
Baldwins and 70% of the Spys were less than 2 % 
inches in maximum diameter. Fifty per cent, of the 
Spys were less than two inches. Fully 50% of the 
Baldwins and 40% of the Spys were either knotty, 
wormy, scabby, or off color. I tried some on my news¬ 
boy- He threw them at the cat. 
I do not want to be unjust to these packers. It is 
entirely possible that they are both honorable men who 
wished and intended to obey the letter and spirit of 
the law, and these apples were packed by some ir¬ 
responsible fool boy who confused inches and centi¬ 
meters. Having been brought up on a New York farm 
in an apple region, I am somewhat familiar with con¬ 
ditions there. I think these people need education more 
than prosecution. They need to be taught to spray and 
prune the trees and thin the fruit, and most of all that 
such shipments as these with the quasi backing of the 
State which permits them to label such barrels as “New 
York Standard Grade A” will absolutely kill the mar¬ 
ket for the grower who is both honest and competent. 
I bought three barrels of Pennsylvania apples this 
year, which were sold as “orchard run.” There were 
fewer apples under three inches in these barrels than 
there were over 2% inches in my New York Standard 
Grade A. f. h. potter. 
Iowa. 
R. N.-Y.—No indeed. All consumers are not “kick¬ 
ers” by any means. One “kicker,” however, will make 
more noise than 1,000 satisfied consumers—since the 
latter rightly conclude that honesty in a business deal 
should be accepted as a matter of course. In the case 
mentioned one “N. T. Willis” let out a lively “kick” 
against farmers in general. Many fruit growers wrote 
offering to guarantee their product. The letters were 
all returned. So far as we can find out there is no 
such person as “N. T. Willis” and the whole thing 
seems to be part of an organized scheme to ridicule and 
injure the farmers in the eyes of the public. We take 
it to be a part of a definite campaign to discourage the 
public from trying to deal direct with country 
people. We know only too well that many apples 
marked under the new law have been fraudulently 
packed. Most of this was done, not by farmers, but 
by outside buyers who came into the State, bought 
fruit in a lump and packed it so as to get most out of 
it. These things will be stopped in time. The R. N.- 
Y. will not for an instant excuse or support any farm¬ 
er who packs so as to deceive the public—very few of 
them do so. We do not intend, if we can help it, to 
have the discredit which belongs to other classes thrown 
upon the farmers. 
“ Retail Milk Dealers.” 
N regard to the new law affecting the sale of milk, I 
would like to be informed on one or two points. 
The law, as I read, says: “Any person, or persons, 
selling, or offering milk for sale must have a permit 
from an inspector appointed for that purpose.” When 
the inspector receives his instructions, he is informed 
that this law does not apply to those who keep cows 
for their own use and sell the surplus to “friends and 
neighbors.” Let us see how it works out. 
A keeps cows, uses what he cares for, takes the rest, 
Puts it into pails or any container, takes it around to 
his patrons. B having a larger circle of “friends and 
neighbors” keeps a larger number of cows, and for 
sanitary reasons puts his milk into bottles, and for his 
own convenience, after using what he cares for, de¬ 
livers the remainder to his “friends and neighbors” in 
a wagon. A can have his cows and stables in any 
condition, his milk can be handled in a most unsanitary 
condition; he is answerable to no one. B must have 
a certificate from a veterinarian that his cows are in 
a healthy condition; his barns, equipment and method 
scored, and if they fall below certain standards, he is 
debarred from selling. Now why this discrimination? 
If unclean or impure milk is a menace to the public 
health, why assume that A’s milk is all right, but B’s 
must be scored? The law as thus interpreted virtually 
says: “You may imperil the health of a few people, 
but not many.” If this is so, why not put a limit on 
the number? It is a splendid law as enacted but un¬ 
just as interpreted. f. P. 
Your point is well taken that the law designed to 
protect the consumer from unwholesome milk protects 
only those who buy from recognized retail dealers. Lo¬ 
cal boards of health are privileged, however, to require 
that even the owner of one cow shall comply with the 
requirements of the State sanitary code if he wishes 
to.sell milk to his neighbors, and in many communities 
this will doubtless be done. While local boards cannot 
nullify any of the requirements of the State Depart¬ 
ment of Health, they are privileged to make the regula¬ 
tions governing the sale of milk in their municipalities 
as stringent as they wish and it is manifestly only 
fair that they require of the very small dealer the same 
care in the handling of his milk that the larger one is 
compelled to observe. m. b. d. 
The Potato Outlook. 
HE potato situation is badly complicated and no 
one seems ready to give a positive opinion about 
the crop. We have consulted growers and deal¬ 
ers and have many varied opinions regarding the 
outlook. The Donaldson Fruit Company of Denver, 
Colo., say that their local trade is very dull. On the 
western slope of that State, there are left about 300 
carloads. Idaho seems to have 3,500 carloads and Cali¬ 
fornia and Texas are buying freely from the N. W. 
territory. S. A. Gerrard & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, say 
they do not look for any high prices for potatoes. 
There may be a slight increase locally from time to 
time on account of low receipts, but as a whole prices 
are not likely to change. A. C. Blair Co. of Cleveland, 
Ohio, believe there are still many potatoes on the farms 
and unless there is a strong movement soon, at present 
unlooked for, there is no reason to expect higher prices. 
Edward Reed of Detroit, Mich., says about 60 per cent, 
of the crop may be still found in farmers’ cellars. Buy¬ 
ers are paying farmers 20 to 25 cents per bushel at 
present and it is not expected that prices will go over 
35 cents during the remainder of the season. Advice 
from Buffalo states that the supply seems to exceed the 
demand and prices promise to go a trifle lower. The 
present price is 45 to 50 cents per bushel, but many 
local growers are holding back and taking the chance 
for an increase. E. S. Woodward & Co. of Philadelphia, 
state that at least 60 per cent, of the potato crop is 
yet to be moved. The crop is heavy and has been held 
back so that at any increase of price, there will be a 
rush of potatoes which will bring the prices down. The 
general opinion among dealers, appears to be that po¬ 
tato prices are not likely to increase. Growers are 
greatly disappointed at the prospects as many of them 
have large crops on hand of good quality and they read 
of the prices which consumers are obliged to pay at re¬ 
tail in town and city. 
New York State News. 
ARMERS AT SYRACUSE.—The second annual 
four-weeks’ series of short courses in agriculture 
opened at Syracuse University College of Agricul¬ 
ture Jan. 11. These courses are planned par¬ 
ticularly for the farmers of Central New York and for 
others who grow garden stuff and want some technical 
training in agriculture. There is a series of addresses 
open to all. The College of Forestry is giving, through 
Prof. .T. W. Stephens, several illustrated lectures on 
forestry before the Granges of Onondaga county. 
FARMERS’ WEEK AT CORNELL—The eighth 
annual Farmers’ Week will be held in t’ « college build¬ 
ing Feb. S to 13. During the week many State associa¬ 
tions will hold their meetings. 
BIG PRICE FOR YOUNG BULL.—The valuable 
herd of Holstein cattle of the late E. II. Dollar of 
Heuvelton, St. Lawrence County, is being closed out. 
Ivorndyke VIII, a five-year-old bull, brought $25,000 
at the sale on Jan. 4 at the Liverpool Pavilion at Syra¬ 
cuse. Oliver Cabana, Jr., of Buffalo was the buyer. 
The animal is a son of Rag Apple Ivorndyke. The 
dam of the five-year-old was Pontiac Lady Ivorndyke, 
the first 38 pound cow in the country. The 60 head 
sold on the first day of the sale brought an average 
of about $1,000 each. 
CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY ORGANIZED.—The 
fruit growers of Oswego County organized, Jan 4, a 
cooperative association. Frank A. Place of Oswego is 
president and Norman C. White of the same town, 
secretary and treasurer. A cold storage plant will be 
eventually erected by the association. j. w. d. 
Grain Movements. 
T HE Produce Exchange gives the following figures 
for the port of New York for three years past: 
RECEIPTS. 
1914. 
1913. 
1912. 
Flour, bids. 
11,237.172 
9,451,447 
8,670,484 
Wheat, bush. 
50,516,660 
52,979,500 
45,976.100 
Corn, bush. 
14,686,325 
10,704,275 
7,463,972 
< >ats, bush. 
27,786,385 
20,382,300 
24,152.650 
Rye, bush. 
2,273,700 
739,175 
331,200 
Barley, bush. 
6,135,500 
6,194,725 
7,070.864 
Peas, bush. 
.334,037 
110,745 
497,586 
Corn meal, bids. ... 
697,397 
725,417 
646,982 
Malt, bush. 
4,175,400 
... 
• ••• • ••• • • 
Buckwheat, bush... 
414,800 . 
EXPORTS. 
1914. 
1913. 
1912. 
Flour, bids. 
5.379.223 
4,549,838 
3,702.769 
Wheat, bush. 
40,895,575 
49,019,674 
38,240,639 
Corn, bush. 
3,910,139 
5,853,799 
5,078.788 
Oats, bush. 
10,568.667 
4,352,191 
5,704,534 
Rye. bush. 
1,846.345 
723,910 
190,472 
Barley, bush. 
4.660.904 
1,516.017 
4,309,859 
Peas, bush. 
268,916 
184,585 
230,040 
Cornmeal, bids. .. . 
168,043 
207,649 
306,914 
Buckwheat, bush... 
115.708 
. 
SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING 
of the 
NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
(In Co-operation with the State Department of Agriculture) 
Will Be Held On 
WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY, 
January 20 and 21, 1915. 
In the Capitol, Albany, N. Y. 
Headquarters, Ten Eyck Hotel. 
PROGRAM. 
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1915. 
In the Assembly Parlor, 10 A. M. 
Report of Committee on Membership. 
Chairman — W. N. Giles, Skaneateles. 
Appointment of Committees. 
Report of Committee on Legislation. 
Chairman — Hon. C. Fred Bosh art. Lowville. 
Report of State Milk Commission. 
Hon. Calvin J. IIuson, 
Commissioner of Agriculture. 
Report of Committee on Marketing and 
Transportation. 
Chairman — Ezra A. Tuttle, Eastport. 
County Farm Bureaus. 
M. C. Buriutt. Director, Ithaca. 
T. M. Avery, Delaware County. 
C. B. Tillson, Clinton County. 
IT. E. Babcock, Tompkins County. 
Floyd S. Barlow, Otsego Countv. 
E. E. Forristall, Cortland County. 
2 P. M. 
Business Meeting. 
Report of Secretary, 
Albert E. Brown, Syracuse. 
Report of Treasurer, 
Harry B. Winters, Albany. 
Miscellaneous Business. 
Reports of Special Committees. 
Election of Officers. 
Report of Committee on Development of 
Agricultural Resources. 
Chairman — Hon. .Tames W. Wadsworth, .Tr., 
United States Senator, Washington, I). C. 
Report of Committee on Publicity. 
Chairman —II. H. Charles, New York. 
Report of Committee on Drainage. 
Samuel Fraser, Geneseo. 
“Co-operation in Agriculture and the Factors That 
Make for Success.” 
Dr. B. T. Galloway, 
Director State College of Agriculture, Ithaca. 
“A Co-operation Success.” 
S. J. Cook, Silver Creek. 
In the Assembly Chamber. 
8 P. M. 
TIon. Edward ScnoENECK, 
Lieutenant Governor, Presiding. 
President’s Address. 
IIon. John J. Dillon, New York. 
Address. 
IIon. J. H. Hale. 
“How to Clarify the Milk Situation.” 
Dr. Raymond A. Pearson, 
President Iowa State College. 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1915. 
In the Assembly Parlor, 9:30 A. M. 
Report of Committee on Co-operation. 
Chairman — Charles R. White, Ionia. 
“Game Laws and the Farmer,” 
Alfred C. Weed. 
“Possibilities of the Dairymens’ League,” 
Albert E. Manning, Otisville. 
Discussion Led by F. W. Sessions and S. L. Stewart. 
“The Township School System,” 
IIon. Thomas E. Fineuan, 
Assistant Commissioner of Education, Albany. 
Dr. Lydia de Villibis. 
2 P. M. 
“Correlation of Agriculture in New York State,” 
Dean H. E. Cook, 
State School of Agriculture, Canton. 
“Torrens System of Land Titles,” 
Gilbert Ray Hawes, New York. 
Debate For and Against the Single Tax on Land. 
Affirmative — James 11. Brown. 
Negative — Allan Robinson, New York 
6:30 P. M. 
BANQUET. 
Keeler’s Hotel, Broadway. 
Reception to the Women’s Clubs of Albany. 
Reunion of Former Presidents of the Society. 
Mayor Mitchel, Guest of Honor. 
Hon. James Wood, Toastmaster. 
Response to Toasts. 
Ex-Presidents : 
.Tames W. Wadsworth, Gilbert H. Tucker, 
Wm. A. Wadsworth, Raymond A. Pearson, 
Benj. F. Tracy, Geo. W. Sisson, Jr. 
Albany Women’s Clubs, 
Mrs. Elmer Blair. 
Housewives’ League, 
Mrs. Julian IIeatii. 
John J. Dillon, President. 
Business suits will predominate with the gentlemen 
and the best places will be preserved for the ladies. 
This is a comprehensive programme, and the attend¬ 
ance should be larger than ever before. Those who 
wish to make sure of seats at the banquet should mail 
this coupon to the committee: 
Mr. HARRY B. WINTERS, Chairman. 
Agricultural Department, Albany, N. Y. 
I intend to dine at the Banquet Thursday Evening. 
Reserve a seat for me. 
P. O 
