THK HIJKAL NBW.YORKER 
1093 
The Peach Crop at Auction. 
The Department of Foods and Markets has com¬ 
pleted arrangements to sell peaches at auction on the 
New York market. Arrangements have also been made 
with the Fastern Fruit Exchange, of Rochester, N. Y„ 
by which its shipments to New York City will be sold 
by the Department in its auction market, and the East¬ 
ern Fruit Exchange will handle shipments to other mar¬ 
kets for organizations or growers. The Eastern Fruit 
Exchange has arranged with the North American Fruit 
Exchange to use their agency for distribution for many 
outside markets. This completes the strongest organiza¬ 
tion possible for the distribution of the peach crop. 
In New York City the peaches will be sold by the 
Fruit Auction Company, under the control of the De¬ 
partment, and the accounts will be guaranteed by this 
com [winy, and returns made promptly. The Eastern 
Fruit Exchange of Rochester will handle the ship¬ 
ments for growers who wish to divert to other points 
and this arrangement completes a very satisfactory 
organization for the disposition of the whole crop. 
The crop is large, and with the best management there 
is liable to be a surplus at the flush season, and at 
such times prices will be low. It will be necessary to 
use every possible precaution, to act vvit.li the greatest 
intelligence. We will have daily reports from all tin; 
principal cities, and we must try to avoid gluts at any 
one place, and direct shipments where' the prospects of 
good sales seem most promising. This will require 
careful attention to details by all concerned. Growers 
should give special attention to the pack, and ship only 
carefully graded fruit. Inferior fruit, should not be 
shipped this season. They should advise the Depart¬ 
ment in advance what they have to ship, and again 
as soon as the shipment is made. Stencils and ship¬ 
ping blanks will be furnished growers and organiza¬ 
tions on application. Where possible growers should 
organize shipping associations or dubs, and appoint a 
member to attend to shipments, receive reports and at¬ 
tend to details. Where this is not possible the best 
service possible will be given individual shipments. 
Each secretary of a club, and each individual shipper 
should consider himself a committee to advise and 
help in the work. Its success will depend not on any 
one man or any one organization, but on the co¬ 
operation of all. 
For nearly four years we have been working to devise 
an economic system for the sale of farm products. We 
are now approaching the practical test f the plans we 
have so deliberately devised. The system of selling at 
wholesale is complete. The auction sales will clean 
up the market every day, and leave it free for a fresh 
sale the following day. If there is a surplus, we must 
expect low prices while the surplus lasts; but we hope 
to influence an increased consumption, and, if success¬ 
ful, that will reduce the surplus, if it. does not entire¬ 
ly prevent it. 
Write the Department of Foods and Markets, 71 W. 
■J.'lrd St., New York, now, how many peaches you have; 
when you expect they will he ready to ship and if you 
can ship in car lots, either alone or in combination with 
other growers. Farmers have been preparing for this 
departure for nearly four years. We arc now right up 
to the practical test. The growers have the fruit. The 
consumers are ready for it. The distributor’s task is 
simply to take it. from the one and hand it to the other. 
We havi' the organization to do this. If the old method 
suited you you would never have created this organiza¬ 
tion to replace it. We think now you want to try it 
out. You control the situation; you have the fruit; 
you are the master. The fruit cannot be sold until you 
say who is to handle it. The more you concentrate 
shipments the easier it will he to serve you. With all 
the fruit in one organization better prices can be ob¬ 
tained than in divided shipments. No one can sell at 
high prices 150 carloads of perishable fruit, daily on 
the market that wants only 100 carloads; but the auc¬ 
tion sale will find a market for all of it at a price 
regulated according to the supply and demand, and the 
demand can be increased by reducing the cost of re¬ 
tail distribution. 
The State has undertaken the supervision of this 
work at. your demand. The organization is completed. 
The producers’ end is not as well organized as it should 
he, but: that can come later. Let us cooperate now to 
muke a success of the marketing of the peach crop. 
Developing the Peach Market. 
The National Housewives’ League, under the leader¬ 
ship of Mrs. Julian Heath, has started a peach cam¬ 
paign among consumers. The peach crop is enormous 
this year, and prices to growers are very low. Yet re¬ 
tail prices in the large cities are kept up to a high 
figure. Peaches which net the producer .'»() cents or 
even less per basket are retailing for one dollar or 
more, while in smaller lots prices are all out of rea¬ 
son. Unless the consumption is increased thousands 
of baskets will rot on the ground, as it will not pay 
to handle them. The Housewives’ League proposes to 
encourage peach eating and canning, and to insist upon 
lower retail prices. They figure that on days of heavy 
shipment peaches should retail in New York at. (50 
•’cuts a basket, and that consumers would then take 
care of all that can he sent: here. The retailers will 
• 'I course object to low prices baaed on supply and de¬ 
mand, for they prefer to keep prices high if they can—* 
no matter if this means destruction for part of the 
crop. If tlie women will take hold of this and demand 
pouches at a fair price in time of heavy shipments they 
will help themselves and the growers too. In a year 
like the present there should he the heaviest consump¬ 
tion of fruits and vegetables. The crops arc large and 
the food is ready to ship, and it is criminal folly for the 
retailers to hold up the public for high prices at such 
i) time. Fair prices will double sales, and that means 
an advertisement for fruit another year, when condi¬ 
tions are better for producers. 'Phis peaeli campaign 
ought to be started in every town and city of the 
country. 
Egg Conditions in the United States. 
Part II. 
EGG-ORA DING RULES.—The New York Mercan¬ 
tile Exchange has formulated a set. of rules and regula¬ 
tions and among other things hns established grades on 
eggs. We find quoted each day “Extras,” “First Ex¬ 
tras,” “Firsts,” "Seconds,” “Dirties,” “Cheeks” and 
many months during the year we find eggs of no grade 
quoted. The system of establishing these grades is that 
of having a committee, known as the “Egg Committee,” 
or the Committee on Rules and Regulations, fix, at dif¬ 
ferent seasons of the year, a different rule as to what 
eggs shall he considered admissible into each grade. 
No man can classify eggs into these technical fine spun 
grades. Ft is not intended that he should. The real 
purpose of this system of grading in connection with 
other rules of the Exchange is to keep one hand on the 
throat of the producer in the country and the other 
hand in a close grasp of the throat of the consumer in 
the city. Such is the real result, and no other pur¬ 
pose could be intended. r Php officers and committees 
have been for years controlled by a few houses, which 
hold the other members in secure control. If an un¬ 
ruly member asserted independence and made a gen¬ 
uine sale through the Exchange, the* eggs would be in¬ 
spected by the men in control of the organization, and 
they would probably not grade up to the standard of 
th»! grade sold. In that case the unruly member would 
have his eggs rejected and would be subject to a line 
besides. This whip held over the shoulders of the mem¬ 
bers keeps them in subjection, and the few active mem¬ 
bers establish [trices through real or fictitious sales be¬ 
tween themselves. By establishing such ([notation on 
eggs shipped to the New York markets, they, at the 
same time establish the quotation and the market; value 
of all eggs throughout the United States. The results 
of the New York Mercantile Exchange operations, 
which last anywhere from five to ten or fifteen min¬ 
utes every morning are wired to every other butter 
and egg exchange in the United States and to nearly 
every shipper of eggs in the United States and it is 
by these quotations that the other exchanges through¬ 
out the United States base the quotations which rule 
the other mnrkes. 
N. Y. QUOTATIONS RULE.—It would seem 
strange that the New York quotation should have any 
influence in I,os Angeles, hut as the New York market 
advances or declines nine days out of ten the Los 
Angeles market and all other markets in the United 
States advance and decline. Boston will hold her 
market one hour later so as to get the New York quo¬ 
tation before making a market. Philadelphia usually 
reflects the New York market quotation each and every 
day. The only market in the United States that has u 
semblance of individuality and freedom from absolute 
control of the New York quotation is the Chicago mar¬ 
ket. Here perhaps twenty days out of the three hun¬ 
dred business days in the year the New York market is 
ignored. But in the remaining “SO business days dur¬ 
ing the year, the advances or declines recorded in New 
York City on the floor of the New York Mercantile 
Exchange are reflected in tin* quotations established and 
published in Chicago on eggs. The bids and offerings 
in eggs on the New York Mercantile Exchange are al¬ 
ways by grade. Not. over five per cent, of the mem¬ 
bership ever sell any eggs under the call. There are 
two reasons for this: First, the live per cent, who do 
the trading usually arrange matters to the entire sat¬ 
isfaction of the ninety-five percent.; second, the ninety- 
live per cent, of the members arc afraid to sell under 
the “call” on account of feeling that the eggs they 
might sell would not pass the critical inspection o, the 
inspector and that they would be liable to a penalty 
or fine, which the Mercantile Exchange has arranged in 
its rules and regulations. The rules covering the grad¬ 
ing of eggs are so critical that there is not one shipment 
arriving in New York City out of 100 on an average 
that, would pass as an “Extra” or as an “Extra First,” 
so we find the hulk of the trading done under the “cull” 
on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange 
done in the grade known as "Firsts” in eggs. 
IMAGINARY GRADES AND “WASH SAFES.”— 
During March, April and May it is not a difficult mat¬ 
ter from northerly sections to find eggs which will pass 
as “Firsts” but after July 1, and continuing until Jan¬ 
uary 1, not one shipment out. of 50 arriving in New 
York would grade as “Firsts.” Thus from July 1 to 
January 1 we find the market on all eggs made by a few 
operators, bidding for a grade of eggs which exists in 
such an extremely small quantity that their bids and 
offerings are little better, if any, than a practical joke. 
When the members of an exchange wish to establish 
a price for a commodity without actually buying or 
selling goods, they fix up .in understanding by which 
certain members hid for an offering of goods. To all 
appearances the sale is made, and the check is passed 
over, and the record of a real transaction made on the 
hooks, but no goods are passed, and later the fictitious 
account is balanced by a return of cash to cover the 
amount of the check. All then stand just, where they 
began without gain or loss; but the “rigged” transac¬ 
tions make a record of high or low prices to suit the 
interest of the manipulations. These transactions un¬ 
known as “wash sales.” When such quotations go 
out to producers and shippers or to consumers, they 
fix prices just as effectively under our present system 
as if flu' sales had actually been made. 
Marketing Poultry in Rhode Island. 
The Rhode Tsland Poultry Association is 29 years 
old, and for 20 years has worked hard for the pro¬ 
motion of the fancier or exhibition poultry. Now, it 
will take up the utility side by handling the selling 
proposition : 
The selling plan is to affix a bright red tag to each 
specimen of dressed poultry offered for sale. This tag 
is so fastened that it cannot he removed without, mutil¬ 
ating the seal. This seal bears the monogram which 
is the registered trademark of the Rhode Island Poultry 
Association. They are sponsors for the quality of the 
goods. The tag explains the rules under which the 
poultry is produced, dressed and marketed. The eggs 
are all [lacked in one dozen size cartons, plainly printed 
on three sides, dated when they leave the farm, sealed 
with the aforementioned sticker and none are guaran¬ 
teed if seal is broken when purchased. 
To secure the privilege of this system of marketing 
one must he a member of the association, and all poul¬ 
try and eggs so offered for sale must he produced in 
Rhode Island. All members when making application 
for a supply of tags, stickers and cartons arc obliged to 
sign the rules and regulations governing their use. 
Each applicant is given a special producer’s number 
which must go on every article sold under these rules. 
This is good work —right along the line of co¬ 
operative selling. First of all there must be a stand¬ 
ard product guaranteed by responsible people. That 
is the foundation of all commercial success. 
Newsboys to Sell Farm Produce. 
There arc a good many farmers in this section who 
desire to sell their butter, eggs, chickens, etc., direct to 
city families delivered and get retail prices. Gould we 
not get newsboys to take orders for this stuff, deliver 
and collect when goods arc shipped, and pay them 
a commission? Gun you suggest a better plan lo 
reach the consumer? k. w. .ionics nmkhkky on. 
Virginia. 
I his might Work in small places where the newsboys 
are well known and where it would he something of an 
object for people to he honest and pay their hills. In 
the larger towns and cities such a plan would not work 
without personal supervision. The newsboys who do 
these wonderful things in business mostly live in the 
pages of the magazines or story papers. Unless some¬ 
one in the city could guarantee the newsboys and their 
dealings there would he nothing in it. Farmers who 
seldom visit the large cities have little idea of the 
sharp practices followed by both buyer and seller in 
retail trades. The most feasible plan at present is for 
local farmers to organize a company, hire a store in 
some nearby place of fair size and try selling co¬ 
operatively. They will probably have to buy their 
goods cooperatively to make any profit at first, but if 
they can keep at it they can develop a far better trade 
than shipping to some distant market. 
The New York Grape Crop. 
After receiving reports from various vincyardists 
in the Fake Kcuka grape belt, following an inspection 
or the district, William N. Wise of Bonn Yan has is 
sued the following statement relative to the prospects 
for the grower, which are not very encouraging: 
It having rained nearly every day for six weeks, 
and the storms having been in some instances of un 
precodon ted severity, the community seems to have be¬ 
come, to some extent, hardened to it, and on Monday 
the comment of the inhabitants was mild compared 
with tin' dismay with which they discussed the previous 
storm. But investigation shows that really the actual 
damage by this storm was much greater than that of 
any of the previous ones. 
“The hail damaged a larger number of vineyards than 
the oldest vineyardist, ever remembers before.' Many of 
them were only slightly affected and in some eases'the 
clusters of grapes on which only an occasional berry 
was hit, will not show by the time they have ripened ; 
yet. in some vineyards it was so severe that not a cluster 
is left. In many vineyards the clusters have been 
damaged to such an extent that the fruit can never be 
packed in baskets hut no doubt can he sold for wine 
and grape juice. 
“This storm did great damage to beans, corn, apples, 
oats, plums and other products. In fact, whereas, four 
weeks ago the crops of every description were universal¬ 
ly as fine as ever were seen, there is not one that has 
not suffered seriously by the excessive rain. Early in 
July, I estimated the coming Fake Kcuka grape crop 
as GO per cent of that of 1014 which was a 100 per cent, 
crop, but at this time I am inclined to think that .'55 
per cent, to 40 per cent, is nearer right.” A. n, p. 
The International Institute of Agriculture puts the 
world production of wheat at 2,58.’!,000,000 bushels; 
rye, 1,020,000,000; oats, *2,01:5,000,000, and barley <>07, 
000,000. These figures do not include Germany and 
Austria Hungary as complete statistics are not avail¬ 
able from these countries. 
The Gorn Trade News gives the following estimates: 
1 nited Kingdom. Weather favorable and harvesting 
progressing, 'i ield and quality will he under expecta¬ 
tions. New wheat will he moving shortly. 
France.--Weather more favorable, but scarcity of 
labor is against successful harvesting. Yield and qual¬ 
ity will he disappointing. Importation will he im¬ 
portant. 
Germany. Wheat is a good average, with reserves 
liberal; rye bare average; barley and oats lurge and 
potatoes large yield, equaling 50,000,000 tons. 
Italy.—Harvesting is disappointing, and importation 
will he liberal. 
