1 !)!.>. 
THE KURAI 
.V-VOK.lv KK 
409 
Proposed Agricultural Department Changes. 
S OME out* has started a movement to change the or¬ 
ganization of the Department of Agriculture of 
the State of New York. The responsible head of 
the Department is now the Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture. He is appointed for a term of three years by 
the Governor. The proposed change would do away 
with the Commissioner and allow the Governor to 
appoint a board of nine members to serve without 
pay. The work of the Department would be under a 
secretary, elected by the board. This suggestion may 
l»e made with a well-intentioned purpose to eliminate 
politics from the Department, or it may have its in¬ 
ception in another political necessity. If the latter be 
the motive, the measure is ill advised. If the former, 
it falls short of a comprehensive plan for a reform of 
tin' present system. 
It is true the agricultural work of the State, both 
in its educational and in its political duties, needs re¬ 
vision and unification; and this work ought to be re¬ 
moved from the influence of politics; but vve cannot 
centre authority by multiplying the agencies. Nine 
commissioners without pay distributed over the State 
will know precious little about the details of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, and their secretary will be 
able to avoid responsibility by charging authority up 
to the board. The need is to concentrate authority; 
not to dissipate it further. 
We may as well be frank with ourselves about our 
Agricultural Department and institutions. The men 
in charge of them are year after year required to go 
to Albany for needed appropriations. This puts them¬ 
selves and their institutions in the hands of any legis¬ 
lator with influence at Albany, and with a purpose to 
use it for his own ends. Men in these positions who 
would be outspoken and frank with the people, are 
afraid to open their mouths lest an appropriation 
would be opposed or other means of displeasure visited 
upon them. In the Agricultural Department, particu¬ 
larly. the embarrassment is increased by the fact that 
the Commissioner is a political appointment and if an 
applicant for place be unfit for any other job, there are 
men at Albany during the session of the Legislature 
who think him eminently qualified for the Agricultural 
Depa rtment. 
In spite of these embarrassments we get many good 
men in the service, but there are and always have been 
abuses, and we may as well frankly admit the causes 
of them. They will continue so long as members in 
the Legislature punish independence and reward obe¬ 
dience to their mandates. If we are to tinker with 
State Agricultural affairs at all, let 11 s make a compre¬ 
hensive adjustment of all work; and fix it so that when 
we get a qualified man in a place we can keep him 
there without reducing him to the mere echo of the 
man who lias it in his power to grant or withhold a 
necessary and proper appropriation. 
A State board on the lines of the Regents might 
well prove an improvement on our present system ; but 
it should not stop at the duty of merely appointing a 
Secretary for the Agricultural Department. It. should 
be charged with the duty and clothed with the power 
to reform and unify the whole system, and to recom¬ 
mend the budget necessary to the proper and economic 
administration of the work. 
Selling Apples from Small Stands. 
I ll A VH had an idea for some time that we could dis¬ 
pose of our apples by having stands in business dis¬ 
tricts of small cities near us; apples of good quality 
attractively displayed. The plan may not be prac- 
lical and no doubt has its drawbacks. I would be very 
grateful and appreciative of your judgment. l. k. 
Massachusetts. 
It would require a very patient person and a good 
salesman to dispose of apples, by establishing stands 
in the business districts of the small cities. It could 
lie done if you had the right kind of people to do it. 
They would of course come into direct Competition with 
the foreigners who practically have the monopoly of 
this trade. The average American would not take very 
kindly to this work at first. If. however, they were 
able to stick to the work until they had established 
themselves and their reputation, they would succeed. 
It is more t a matter of personality than anything else. 
We know of several people who tried the plan of estab¬ 
lishing little stores in the nearby towns. The young 
people did not like that kind of work, and felt they were 
put in an inferior position as compared with other lines 
<>f labor. There were others who did not feel that way 
about it. They went in, stood by the little shop, all 
look hold, and succeeded in acquiring an admirable 
business. In theory, the plan is entirely possible, and it 
might be worked out. When it comes, however, to 
actually putting into operation, it would come to be 
largely a matter of personality, and who can tell any¬ 
thing about that without knowing the individuals from 
the cradle? 
Who Goes to the Legislature ? 
I N the Legislature at Albany there are 150 members of 
the Lower House, or Assembly. According to the 
directory just issued, these men are divided by occu¬ 
pation as follows: 
Lawyer, 54; farmer, 23; manufacturer. (5; real es¬ 
tate, 8; banker, 2; merchant. 6; laborer. 2; doctor, 1; 
business, 22: insurance, 5; undertaker. 2; chemist. 1; 
vlvi k, 4: unclassified, 1: office manager, 1; machinist, 
1; bookkeeper, 1; cheese manufacturer, 1; contractor, 
dentist, 1; retired (?) 1; stenographer, 1; secretary, 
1; electrician, 1; newspaper reporter, 1. 
<>t the 25 so-called “farmers” it is probable that not 
over a half a dozen depend for their living upon the cul¬ 
tivation of the soil. Most of the others are lawyers, 
retired business men, or capitalists who have a piece 
of land upon which they play at farming, usually 
through a farm manager. It pleases them to have 
themselves recorded as farmers, although they really 
have very little of the true farm sentiment, and are 
not representative of the real farm interests. 
It is probable that there are more real estate men 
than there are of actual farmers, and certainly many 
more of the merchants and business men combined. As 
a rule there are one or two clergymen in the Legis¬ 
lature, hut they seem to have disappeared from this 
one. There are, however, two undertakers, one den¬ 
tist, and a doctor. Of course, the lawyers predominate 
as they always do in such a gathering. It is remark¬ 
able how most of the rural districts are represented by 
lawyers, business men, or real estate dealers. We have 
never been able to understand how so many real es¬ 
tate and insurance men are usually sent to the Legis¬ 
lature. One thing, however, must be remembered, that 
these people understand that they owe their election to 
the farmer vote. No matter what business they are 
engaged in, they could uot. go to Albany without the 
vote of the man on the hillside farm, and therefore that 
man in the last analysis is the maker of their destiny. 
If he will rouse himself, and tell the lawyer, the busi¬ 
ness man. the undertaker, the real estate man, and all 
the rest of them what he wants, and what he will not 
have, these gentlemen will very quickly find it to their 
interests to accommodate him. 
Agricultural Commissioner Huson Resigns. 
ALVIN .T. HUSON, New York Commissioner of 
Agriculture, has resigned. In his letter to Gov¬ 
ernor Whitman, Mr. Huson points out that while 
his term does uot expire until 1017, he appreciates the 
fact that the administration now in power should have 
members of its own party in charge of Departments 
so ns to assume full responsibility. Among other things 
Mr. Huson says: 
The Department of Agriculture is one of (lie most 
important departments of the State government. It 
comes into close touch with a greater number of peo¬ 
ple, perhaps, than any other department. It reaches 
out in very many directions, performing numerous func¬ 
tions in the interest of agricultural production and the 
safeguarding of agricultural products. An intelligent 
knowledge of its activities, its needs or the work it is 
performing cannot be acquired by a cursory <>r super¬ 
ficial examination. 
I am surrendering my office to you at this time in 
the full belief (justified. I believe, by results accom¬ 
plished) that during the three yeais of my incumbency 
it has attained the highest point of efficiency and use¬ 
fulness in its history. I want to impress upon you the 
fact that during the past three years partisan politics 
have been kept out of this department, and my succes¬ 
sor will find, on examination of the roster of employes, 
that more than 00 per cent, of them are members of 
your party rather than mine. The only regret I have 
in surrendering my office to you at this time is in part¬ 
ing with the faithful band of employes who have ren¬ 
dered such efficient and loyal service and contributed 
so much toward the successful work of the department. 
On his record Mr. Huson deserves well of the farm¬ 
ers. What he says about the responsibility of political 
parties is true under our present system, though we re¬ 
gret it. There are rumors that former Commissioner 
R. A. Pearson, now president <>f the Iowa State College, 
is considering an offer to resume his old duties. 
New Jersey Farm Activities. 
T HE annual meeting of the South Jersey Farmers’ 
Exchange was held at Woodstown. Directors 
were elected to serve the ensuing year. The an¬ 
nual report made to the stockholders for 11)1-4 
showed total receipts. $750,085.19; total disbursements, 
$734,190.15; net profit, $15,895.04. The sales for the 
year included 7,000 tons fertilizers; 5,042 tons feed; 
1.405 tons coal; O.X tons of lime; 15,474 sacks seed po¬ 
tatoes; 38,025 empty baskets and hampers; 150,502 
pounds grass seeds; 45,326 pounds Paris green and in¬ 
secticides. 
The report of the Monmouth County Farmers' Ex¬ 
change for the year ending November 30 last shows a 
total business of $1,323,443, the largest in the ex¬ 
change’s seven years of existence. More than 1.100 
more carloads of potatoes were handled in 1914 than 
in 1910; this crop lieing the largest in the history of 
Monmouth County. In all the exchange handled about 
885,000 packages, or 1,349 carloads more than first 
year, all of which shows what can be done by fanners 
who adopt a system of intelligent cooperation in the 
line of marketing their products and buying seeds, fer¬ 
tilizers and farm utensils. There are now several ex¬ 
changes in other counties iu this State, and under pro¬ 
per management they are profitable to the stockholders, 
both in the direct disposing of products and in divi¬ 
dends on the shares of the members. As a rule these 
exchanges grow from year to year, acquiring more 
members, doing an increased business and justifying 
their existence. 
George B. Thrasher has been appointed farm demon¬ 
strator in Cape May County. Mr. Thrasher was born 
and reared on a general agricultural and dairy farm in 
Eastern Massachusetts. In the Spring of 1908, Mr. 
Thrasher entered the service of the New Jersey Experi¬ 
ment Station iu the department of horticulture, where 
he was located for a period of five years. During that 
time he took a short, course in fruit growing and mar¬ 
ket gardening and some other special lines of work. 
During his stay at the Station, he was engaged in con¬ 
siderable demonstration work. In the Fall of 1912. he 
took charge of a commercial fruit farm in Connecticut, 
where he had a wide experience in commercial fruit 
growing, and in a smaller way with market gardening, 
general agriculture, dairying and poultry raising. Mr. 
Thrasher’s appointment was made January 19. and he 
assumed charge in Cape May County, Feb. 1st. 
A boys’ dairy contest for Monmouth County is be¬ 
ing arranged by William B. Duryee. Jr., of Freehold, 
the county farm demonstrator. It will be run on lines 
similar to the corn and potato growing contests which 
have been conducted the past two years. The contest 
is open to all boys under eighteen years of age. Each 
contestant is to select two cows from the home herd, 
preferably one of the best and one of the poorest cows. 
The milk from these cows is to be weighed night and 
morning for two days in succession in each week. Each 
boy must weigh his milk and keep his own record in 
a book of rules which will be supplied. In his final re¬ 
port each boy is to give the number of cows in the herd, 
the price received for the milk, the cost and kind of 
feed mixture and also tell what else the cow ate. Iu 
awarding prizes completeness of record will count 50, 
neatness 25 and an article on "How I Think Our Cows 
Can be Made More Profitable,” 25. The judges will be 
George T. Reid of Englishtown, Lewis Craig of Ten- 
nent. Edward W. Winsor of Fnrmingdale and William 
Ilartshorne of Colt's Neck. n. t. Hendrickson. 
High Life in the Suburbs. 
I DO not live in the farming districts; however it 
might interest you to know that the cost of living 
is higher in the outlaying districts than it. is in your 
own city. For instance, milk wholesales at five 
cents per quart, and retails from nine to 15 cents a 
quart. The price of eggs retailed from November, 1914, 
to date from 78 cents a dozen to 40 cents at this date, 
March 1. The farmers for 15 miles from the city sell 
their potatoes from $1.10 to $1 a bushel; the latter is 
the prevailing price at this time. The best grade of 
flour is $8.40 a barrel; eight quarts of apples sell at 
40 cents. I am paying $3 per ewt for wheat; corn 
$1.90 per ewt.; oats. $1.00 for 05 or 75 pounds, am 
not, sure of weight. Two years ago a farmers’ market 
opened on Main St.. Orange. In the beginning they 
were reasonable, but it was not long before you could 
buy of a peddler at the door cheaper than you could 
in the market. An instance of this was charging OX 
cents a dozen for eggs in the early Fall. j. v. 
New Jersey. 
T ill. COMING CENSUS.—A bill has been intro¬ 
duced in the Legislature specifying the number of 
appointments which the Secretary of State shall 
make for taking the census in May. He will have 
about 6,100 places to fill, most of them paving $5 a 
day, and a few $2,000 and $2,500 a year. An appro¬ 
priation of $465,000 will be made to cover the ex¬ 
penses of the great work. In addition to the regular 
1 rtisus information it is expected that the enumerators 
will gather much valuable data for the Education and 
l .abor 1 )epartmcn ts. 
SPECIAL FRIZES To BE CUT OUT.—State 
< omptroller Iravis believes that the special prizes of- 
Fred by some agricultural societies for floral parades and 
toi put ticulai breeds oi cattle should 110 longer be per 
mitted inasmuch as on sucji prizes reports have been made 
to the State and State money has been received on that 
showing. Ho holds that the money paid by the State 
is “for the promotion of agriculture” and he does not 
look upon floral parades as being in the class for which 
such moneys are intended. 
MILKMENS PROBLEMS.—At the meeting of the 
\ estorn New 1 ork Milk Producers' Association at 
Rochester not long ago the situation was carefully can¬ 
vassed and it was the opinion of some of the speakers 
that some milkmen would go out of the business and get 
into grain farming or fruit growing. The margin of 
profit in tlm milk business has become so slight that 
\\ hen all the costs are taken into the consideration there 
is no money iu producing milk for the average dairy¬ 
man. One speaker put much of the blame for present 
sti 1 agent milk law s and regulations on the small farmer 
who is not careful about sanitary conditions, who never 
reckons his time in the cost column, whose cows may 
or may not pay for their keep and some more. Milk 
coming from such farms gives a black eve to the whole 
business. The high price of feed and the expenses ne¬ 
cessitated by the laws for grading, testing, and keepim- 
stables in a sanitary condition and other such items do 
not permit the |>inducing of milk at 4V> cents. 
< ORNET.L STI I>1 "CLUBS.—From statistics re¬ 
cently gathered at ( ornell it appears that there are lit; 
study clubs organized in cooperation with the State 
< ollege of Agriculture, throughout the State. The ag¬ 
gregate membership of these clubs is about 3 909 
Meetings are held usually every two weeks in churches," 
t range nails or at I he homes of the members. Reading 
course lessons are provided by the college free to all 
Hub members and there are two courses, one for the 
Inrm and one for the home. A valuable work is thus 
being accomplished. 
VALUABLE IIOLSTEINS KILLED.—The foot- 
and-mouth disease is no Inspector of cattle. The epi¬ 
demic has reached a herd of 149 valuable Holstein- 
r nesmn cattle owned by James Male of 
County. This is tin* first appearance of the 
that county. All the cattle are valuable 
recently refused $19,999 for one hull in 
I'he animals were appraised and it. is understood 
1 lie State pays one-lmlf and the IT. S. Government 
half of the value of the cattle. 
Onondaga 
disease in 
Mr. Male 
the herd, 
that 
one- 
•T. W. D. 
Grain Notes and Movements. 
and Gulf 
Grain movements at 
Atlantic 
week ending 
February 1 
-7 were: 
Wheat. 
bush. 
Receipts. 
Exports. 
New \ork. 
1.(554.000 
1.(51 0,()( Hi 
Boston .... 
X2.900 
(5-1.900 
I’hila. 
435,009 
499.999 
Haiti more.. 
454.999 
51(5,999 
Ne'pt News 
(551.999 
N. ()rleaus 
079.999 
901.999 
* Jalveston... 
(583.000 
497,000 
Total . 
3,97''.900 
4.51X.OOO 
l hots. 
bush. 
Receipts. 
Exports. 
New 't ork. 
5X9.999 
495,900 
Boston .... 
54.000 
I’hila. 
599.999 
Baltimore... 
714.999 
429.999 
Ne'pt News 
534.000 
N. Orleans 
44.999 
5.000 
Total . 
1,800,000 
1,4(55.090 
ports for 
Corn. hush. 
Receipts. 
5X3.999 
91.099 
214.999 
868.900 
Ex norts. 
253,000 
79.009 
1,079.999 
23.999 
12.099 
1.549.999 1,429,090 
Flour, 
Receipts. 
559.090 
19.999 
25.999 
32.999 
80.000 
515.000 
except in 
barrels 
Exports. 
195.999 
5.999 
2 . 00 <) 
17.066 
129,009 
the South 
The condition of Winter wheat 
and extreme West, is good. 
Broom hall’s estimates place India’s exportation" sur¬ 
plus of wheat. at 120.900.000 bushels. This is nearlv 
double the normal surplus and one-third more than tin 
maximum of previous years. 
I 11 Argentina wheat 
•fierings from the farms 
large, cash wheat being $1.38 per bushel. 
are 
