ion 
Plain Talk About the Auction Market. 
No one could defeat the success of the auction market 
for apples but the men who grow the apples, and they 
will not do it. Their interests are in its success. The 
only way they could defeat it would be to give the im¬ 
pression to apple buyers that the growers would not 
make shipments regularly and continuously to the aue- 
tien market. If the growers were to hesitate and delay 
preparations to ship to the auction ma-kr;, the buyers 
would, of course, be doubtful of its success. They 
would not want to patronize the auction for a time 
ard then be obliged to go back to the commission 
men. Convince the buyers that the auction is to be 
permanent and from that time on they will be pa¬ 
trons of the auction market. The only way to keep 
them away is to cause them to feel that growers 
are not backing the auction up and that it cannot 
get a steady supply for daily sales that the com¬ 
mission men and dealers can. The growers show no 
disposition to play into the hands of the commission 
men in this way. They are preparing to try out the 
auction plan. 
The grower has nothing to lose. If the apples are at 
the auction market, buyers will have to go there to get 
their supplies. No one of them will let a competitor 
buy apples at the auction for less than he has to pay 
elsewhere. He will bid them up in self protection. 
Then when a sale is made at auction the transaction 
is closed and that ends it. There is no come-back. At 
the private stand the sale is secret and confidential. 
When the buyer finds later that some other buyer got 
a lower price on the same day he goes back to the pri¬ 
vate salesman and demands a reduction, and gets it. 
This is going on continuously in the private sales 
stands. The commission merchant makes the rebate 
because lie does not want to lose the customer, and the 
allowance comes out of the shipper anyway and not 
out of his pocket. 
No buyer will knowingly pay a commission merchant 
more than the price established at the auction market, 
lie will be forced to pay the top price at the auction be¬ 
cause he will be bidding against several hundred other 
men just as anxious to buy as he is. 
The growers have everything to gain and nothing to 
lose by arranging to sell through the auction, and in 
refusing to ship on consignment. By these two meas¬ 
ures they insure the success of the auction market. 
They will save one-half the commission they have been 
paying. I hey will save all false charges for cartage. 
One-half of the five per cent, tiey pay for selling 
will be used to advertise the apples at retail to in¬ 
crease their consumption. The shaper will get his re¬ 
turns and money the next day. He knows that the re¬ 
turns are honest because the sale will be public and 
the prices will be published. The State will keep a 
record of the sale and he will know who bought the ap¬ 
ples and what the buyer paid for them. 
Every record of an auction market shows advantage 
to the seller. If the old system were not so entrenched 
in the City of New York the problem would be simpli¬ 
fied. We could start our auction and the demand 
reflected in prices would regulate shipments. As 
it is we have simply to show the buyer that the auc¬ 
tion is a permanent thing. Convince him of that and 
the auction is a success from the start. The way to 
convince him is to arrange to sell your apples at 
public auction. Eet those who want them buy 
at the auction or on the ground at established and 
published prices. This plan will be worth a lot of 
money to apple growers. It will be equally valuable 
to produce growers of every kind, because the success 
of the apple auction will mean an auction market for 
all kinds of produce. 
This is all coming. No one knows it better than the 
men who are trying to delay it as long as possible. 
Those who think that New York State growers will 
play into their hands forget that this is a movement by 
determined farmers themselves. They have been work¬ 
ing up to this through their committees for some years. 
Their Granges and other organizations devised the De¬ 
partment of Foods and Markets to do just this kind 
of work. They have backed it up in the strongest way 
at eveiy need. I hey are in favor of the auction mar¬ 
ket. They are holding their apples for it, and that is 
all that is required to make it a success. They have 
taken their time in the perfection of these plans, and 
they are now firm in a purpose to put them through to 
success. 
Wool at Auction in Otsego County, N. Y. 
East year w r e told of the cooperative lamb and wool 
clubs which have been so successful in Tennessee. By 
means of these clubs farmers are able to obtain the ben¬ 
efit of fair competition for their lambs and wool. The 
farmers combine and put their wool in the hands of a 
committee who offer the lambs and wool at auction. By 
carefully grading and bulking these products they are 
able to make a good-sized business proposition to buy¬ 
ers. Again on page S60 of this year's volume we gave 
another account of this club work. It is a fine thing 
to realize that this same work is being carried out in 
Otsego Co., N. Y r . The following letter from Mr. 
I loyd S. Barlow, the Farm Bureau manager of Otsego 
County, tells what their Sheep Breeders’ Association 
did: 
We have a Sheep Breeders’ Association which was 
organized under the auspices of the Farm Bureau. It 
now has 46 members. At their last meeting on May 
JO, a committee was appointed to sell the season’s wool 
crop. All those members present agreed to abide by 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
anything done by this committee. I wrote to a number 
of men whom I thought would be interested, and as a 
result five wool buyers met the committee at this office 
on June 12. The committee was asked to receive sealed 
bids which they would not do. The wool was sold to 
the highest bidder. Before we took up the matter, 27 
cents was the highest price paid for wool in this coun¬ 
ty. Bidding began at 31^ and stopped at 36 cents. 
The association is planning to have a consignment sale 
of purebred sheep on the county fair grounds October 
14, and are also considering the joint purchase of a 
carload of fencing suitable for sheep fences. 
floyp s. haki. >\v, Manager. 
And now we may give the other side—that of the 
buyer—to show how the auction sales will help both 
producer and consumer by getting them close together. 
The following extract is made from a letter from W. 
N. Giles, secretary of the New York Grange: 
A matter has come to my attention which I deem is 
of so much importance that I think you ought to know, 
as it proves in a small way, the value of what you are 
undertaking in a larger way. My attention was called 
to it by a representative of a large woolen factory in 
my town. lie was .1 the market for 30.000 pound's of 
wool, and he was so pleased with the result of his 
bargain, saying that he got his stock of wool from the 
Farm Bureau in Otsego County at a great bargain, 
and yet the farmer received very much more than he 
would have got under ordinary circumstances, that it 
proved conclusively the value of auction sales. Ilis 
story to me was that he learned of this auction sale 
of wool and so attended the sale to see what the pros¬ 
pect was. When he arrived he found four or five 
wholesalers of wool who bid the wool at 32% cents 
and there stopped. He as a consumer, knowing that 
the wool was worth more, bid the 36 cents and got the 
wool delivered to his factory at 3714 cents, which he 
assured me was a large saving over the price he would 
have had to pay to any of these jobbers if they had se¬ 
cured the wool. You will note by the figures given that 
the Sheep Breeders’ Association netted a saving of 
$2,700, and from what the factory representative said 
to me, he felt that he had made a saving of $1,000 or 
better. w. N. uii.es. 
This incident gives, right in italics, just what we 
have so long claimed for the auction system of selling 
farm products. Both the producer and the final con¬ 
sumer made money by this direct competitive dealing. 
We have often claimed that just this result would fol¬ 
low whenever the auction system was properly worked 
out. The people who oppose the auction method have 
scoffed at the idea, yet here are the results in concrete, 
practical shape. What these sheep men have done in 
Otsego Co. can and will be done by farmers in all 
counties of the State. 
An Apple Crop to be Marketed. 
I have been a subscriber to Tiie It. N.-Y. for a num¬ 
ber of years. I have succeeded with my fruit farm, 
and The It. N.-Y. must have some of the credit of my 
success. This year is my first large apple crop. I 
suppose I have about 20,000 bushels of apples, and 
about 700 bushels of peaches. I would like to sell my 
apples to the best advantage on the trees, or gather 
and pack. I want to get in touch with some one who 
will buy this fruit. I feel sure you can help me with 
the apple crop, and will be glad if you can help me any 
with peaches. k. l. n. 
Russellville, Ivy. 
The names of apple dealers' in Chicago, Cincinnati, 
Philadelphia, New York and several smaller cities have 
been sent to this inquirer. In such cases advertise¬ 
ments in the fruit trade papers frequently attract buy¬ 
ers. Anyone with 20,000 bushels of well-grown ap¬ 
ples for sale has something worth talking about, and 
the more people he tells the better his chances of get¬ 
ting what the fruit is worth. Whether the apples shall 
be sold on the trees or packed by the grower is largely 
a question of labor. If the buyer does the work he 
naturally makes a price that will amply cover cost of 
harvesting. If the grower can superintend the work 
and get the necessary competent help, he can make 
whatever profit there is in this end of the business. 
The apple crop this year is large but not excessive, and 
good apples are likely to sell readily, as they usually 
do. The trouble is with the lower qualities. 
As to peaches, our advice is to fill the home market to 
the limit. Prices in New York at present are dis¬ 
couraging, large quantities having sold under $1.50 per 
crate. There are now from 25 to 50 cities between 
the orchards where these peaches were grown and 
New York, where they would have sold higher than they 
do here, at half the expense of handling or less. It 
seems less trouble to ship 10 carloads to New York 
or Philadelphia than to send the 10 carloads to five 
or 10 smaller cities, but the net profit with the latter 
method may be much greater. When the peach crop 
is small, the case is different. Then the larger mar¬ 
kets will sell proportionately higher. 
A Field Meeting in Connecticut. 
W ednesday, August 18, will be a notable day in 
Connecticut, a State which has something notable hap¬ 
pening every day in the year. On this date, however, 
there will be the annual field day of the Connecticut 
Experiment Station. ^ This will be held at the Mt. 
( armel Farm, near New Haven, and any man who is 
at all interested in soil culture can find something to 
make him talk, and make him think at this meeting. 
A large amount of experimental work has been going 
on at this farm. This is interesting in itself and has 
particular value for a field meeting because the work 
is planned in such a way that it is sure to start discus¬ 
sion, and this discussion provokes conversation and talk 
among farmers. At this farm the tobacco grower, the 
fruit grower qnd market gardener and also the Alfalfa 
crank will find something to keep them busy. There 
will be some bright-witted Yankees on hand to argue 
and explain, and what more could vou ask in the way 
of a debate? 
One of the most practical things connected with this 
meeting will be a study of the yield of Connecticut corn. 
The Station has collected about 30 of the most promis¬ 
ing varieties of corn to be found in the State. Til's in¬ 
cludes both husking and silage corn, and the varieties 
have been found and selected by means of tin* corn sur¬ 
vey now being made by the two Connecticut Stations. 
It is a fact that at one time in the history of America, 
Connecticut led the world in the production of Indian 
corn. The Indians who inhabited this State when the 
white man came here were mighty corn growers, and 
on several occasions the settlers along the northern 
coast of New England were saved from famine by send¬ 
ing their boats around through the Sound and up the 
t onnecticut Itiver after Indian corn. Some varieties 
of flints are older than the settlement of Plymouth. 
l>ofore the white m«in came here these varieties were 
selected and saved by the Indians and they now have 
a pedigree several centuries long. Some of these va¬ 
rieties will produce more food for man and beast to the 
acre on rough land than any other grain known to hu¬ 
manity. . I h:s seems like a broad statement but we be¬ 
lieve it is true. The Connecticut Station has been at 
work collecting these famous corn varieties. They 
have been grown carefully and thoroughly tested in 
preparation for the business of growing seed to supply 
the farmers of the State. This seed growing will not 
be done by the Station but by a few careful growers, 
who will make a thorough business of it, or rather a 
part of their business, _ and they will produce seed in 
such a way that the misfits and accidents which some¬ 
times come in corn seed buying will be eliminated. This 
is an entirely new and wonderfullv interesting feature 
but only one of the things which the Station will show 
at this held day. There will be plenty of striking things 
tor anyone who is interested in soil culture and there 
ought to be 5.000 farmers at this meeting. The Alfalfa 
work alone will be more than worth the travel and the 
Hope harm man expects to be along showing some 
plants of those new Siberian Alfalfas. Let all come 
and see what the Nutmeg State is doing 
Great Cherry Crop in Wayne Co., N.Y. 
Every record for harvesting cherries in Wayne Coun- 
t.\ was shattered this year, the heavy increase not com¬ 
ing so much from the yield per tree as from the im¬ 
mense acreage devoted to the crop, with more young 
trees coming into bearing every year. During the rush 
ot the season an average of 25 tons of sour cherries 
pci day were canned at the Sodus. canning factory ; in 
Marion one plant maintained an average of five to six 
uoiu IT 1 ' * ay .’ in m , Refl Creek the factory was deluged 
J' , the fruit. The record for one day in harvesting 
is believed to be held by the Case farms of Sodus. Here 
were picked 13 tons in one working day, making a 
record that is thought to stand against any similar 
accomplishment in tlrs country. However, a near ap¬ 
proach was made at Wolcott on the Lasher fruit farm 
where 12 tons were picked in one day. On the follow¬ 
ing day the men removed eight tons. The total crop 
here probably exceeded 50 tons. On the Case Bav 
Vmvv farm in Sodus an average of six tons were picked 
daily. On the farms allied with the Case & Company's 
holdings it is estimated that the season’s yield will ex¬ 
ceed 100 tons. At the Case warehouse a new plant has 
been installed for cooking and preserving the cherries. 
Ike fruit is pitted and cooked in steam vats with a 
rich syrup. I he pits are dried and prepared bv a new 
process which crushes the stone and extracts the al¬ 
mond-like essence of the kernel for use in flavoring the 
finished product as put up in two-quart glass cans 
Ihe use of the pits is an innovation, and if it proves 
successful will largely increase the desirability of put¬ 
ting up the fruit in this way. Some of the more ex- 
[fip f^ a -7 est Tr ? rne< T f . rora * 3 r ° per day picking 
the fruit. The trees being small and the fruit easily 
reached, the work has progressed rapidly without a 
pressing shortage of labor. A u p 
The Potash Situation. 
Wo are asked by many readers to give the facts i 
garding the potash situation. The German embar 
prohibiting exports of potash is still enforced, a 
there is no immediate prospect that this embargo w 
be raised. I lie newspapers report rrom time to tii 
that quantities of potash are sent to Holland, and al 
to Sweden and Norway, and shipped out of these cou 
tnes to the neutral nations. We are informed th 
shipments to these European countries are onlv ma 
under a strong guarantee that no potash whatever w 
be sent away, and that consequently little if any 
the material gets through in this way. 
A report from Germany dated July 3 states that sin 
& nnfinnA 11 ? ° f ^ he war there has been a decrease 
$25,000,000 in sales of potash. The German farme 
themselves have taken 121,000 tons less than last vei 
this was due to the fact that the German train servi 
was practically given up to transporting troops ai 
war materials. The following table issued bv the 
S. Government gives the imports of agricultural pota 
tor the six mouths ending June of this year. 
SIX MONTHS 
ENDING JUNE. 
1914 
1915 
Tans. 
V alue. 
Tons. 
257,263 
$1,200,937 
6.646 
114.820 
1,480,690 
12,456 
37,786 
1,460,326 
9.901 
10S,759 
3,733,076 
56,455 
Value. 
$94,818 
179,328 
537,323 
2,384,371 
This is compared with the six months of 1914, and it 
will be seen that the imports have beeii more than cut 
in two. Not much progress has been made apparently 
in producing American supplies of available potash, al¬ 
though both practical and scientific men are still at 
work endeavoring to find economical methods for util'z- 
lng crude materials. In the meantime prices for mur¬ 
iate of potash have risen to $250 per ton for small lots. 
Y\ e are often asked if the fertilizer manufacturers w'll 
buy ton lots of potash. No—they do not care to handle 
such small parcels. There are, however, fertilizer and 
chemical brokers who will buy and sell such goods. 
The Calosoma beetle has been imported from Europe 
to make war upon the gypsy moth. These beetles seem 
to be making good. They are spreading rapidly and 
they consume great quantities of the moths. We hope 
this new plan of fighting bug with bug will actually 
work out. 
Now comes the season for asking how to kill insects 
in stored grain. Bisulphide of carbon is the stuff. It 
® liquid which forms a poisonous gas when exposed 
This gas is heavy and sinks down through the -Tain 
killing every breathing creature. Put the grain or 
beans in an airtight box, bin or barrel, put the liquid 
on top, and cover it all over tight. Nature does the 
rest. 
