7She RURAL NEW-YORKER 
879 
“Fake Reformers” and Business 
Mr. Edward I*. I^oyle, tlie secretary of tlie Re¬ 
ceivers’ and Distributors’ Association of New York, 
has started out to cultivate the ineinhers of the 
(Irange. Recently he addressed the (trance at 
Lewis, N. Y., and told its ineinhers that the object 
of his association is to prevent the enactment of 
legislation imiiroperly interfering with legitimate 
business at the instance of self-advertising, fake 
reformers or schemers seeking political preferment. 
If Mr. Doyle had gone into detail he might have 
told the farmers at Lewis that the improper legis¬ 
lation included laws to license and bond commis¬ 
sion dealers, and to compel them to keep records of 
sales for the insiiection of shippers; also laws to 
restrain commission dealers from acting as trustee 
or agent for a shipiier and then buying the goods 
himself, where he would serve two masters, one 
of whom is himself. He would also call a law 
imiiroper that restrained a commission dealer from 
charging the farmer cartage on .shijunents, when 
no cartage Avas done by him or tor him, and the 
law that restrained a dealer from selling cold stor¬ 
age eggs as strictly fre.sh eggs would also he im- 
in-oper in his estimation. If he had been iiermitted 
to go into detail he would no doubt have told the 
Lewis Hrangers that it was only fake reformer.s 
who complained when prominent members of his 
association confessed to swindling the railroads by 
bribing employes to report .sound eggs as damaged 
in transit, and that the fake reformers were re¬ 
sponsible for the fines of iji.S.OOO to .$12,000 paid by 
his members on Federal Court .sentences, lie could 
not, liowever, have told them that fake reformers 
were responsible for the court decree of .Tudge .Ta- 
cocks in which the judge declared that the .system 
of making prices by members of Mr. Doyle’s asso¬ 
ciation was “untruthful, Avilful, intentional, deliber¬ 
ate. systematic and fraudulent,” because the com¬ 
plainant in that case Avas one of Mr. Doyle’s mem¬ 
bers. 
Mr. Doyle praised Senator Elon R. Rrown for 
opjiosition to the original Wicks bill. lie must have 
thought (Grangers easy to expect them to sAvallow 
that guff. Farmers knoAV full Avell that Senator 
Rrown AA*a.s the poAver behind Wicks; and that he 
stood for the bill until farmers had it defeated. 
They knoAV Rrown killed the Towner bill and in 
C(»n.se(pience, in jiroiiortion to cost of i»roduction, 
farmers receiA'e less for their milk today than they 
received a year ago, but the trust gets five cents a 
quart more. 
I.egitimate hmsiness according to receivers and 
distributors in New York consists of holding cars 
of iierishable jiroduce on tracks in the NeAv .Ter.sey 
meadows, until they spoil, in order to keej) the city 
market in control. Legitimate business consi.sts of 
dumping skim-milk In the gutters in DehiAvare 
('ounty to reduce the supply, and then advancing the 
price to con.sumers to 10 cents a quart in the city. 
Acording to trade standards it is legitimate busi¬ 
ness to buy goods on city quotations and then falsi¬ 
fy the quotations. I'liis is not all; but it Avill do 
for this time. 
■When a man does or says anything in defen.se of 
a farm intere.st, Mr. Doyle thinks him a fake re¬ 
former, and he goes to the (!ranges to tell them so. 
Mr. Doyle is defending the dealers. It Avould be 
intere.sting to knoAV what kind of courtesy a far¬ 
mer Avould get at the dealers’ meetings if he a.s- 
sailed Mr. Doyle and praised the Senator Avho used 
his influence against Receivers’ and Di.stributors’ 
.-tssociation. 
The Farmers Troubles 
Ik there isn’t a combination betAveen snake.s, the 
weather, manipulators, .speculators, politicians and in 
general of business men against the farmer this year 
I cannot read aright the signs. Here it is July l*and 
there are hundreds of acres in this vicinity not planted, 
and cannot be for some days at best, for we had an¬ 
other downpour Friday. Mud, mud, mud everywhere. 
In addition those Avho have put in their seed have had 
it rot in the land, so that the outlook is discouraging, 
to .say the least. Meanwhile from the President down 
every non-producer is urging the farmer to grow more 
that prices may be reduced. When the balance is struck 
it will be found that farmers have sacrificed more than 
any others except those Avho have given their dear 
ones. G. M. TAVITC'IIELL. 
Maine. 
Counting out the snakes and the “weather man- 
iimlator.s” Bro. Twitcbell has it about right. It is 
fair to say that CA'ery interest is lining uj) against 
the farmer. Some of tho.se Avho are giving their 
time and loaning their money in efforts to organize 
and encourage farmers may deny thi.s, but care¬ 
fully analyze their Avork doAvn tfi the primal motive 
and see how much of .selfish interest you find. The 
Aveather situation could hardly be worse along the 
Atlantic slope. In a recent trip through Western 
New York aa’O found the A'alleys all afloat and great 
l»ools of AA’ater standing in unplanted fields Avhero 
corn or beans should be a foot high. No cla.ss of 
AA’orkers on earth could or avouUI stand the dis- 
apjiointments and troubles of this critical .sea.son as 
patiently and with such loyalty as our farmei’s are 
shoAving. Congress Is playing and idling oAmr the 
uncf rtain food bill, and produce gamblers are rob¬ 
bing both producer and consumer, Avhile the farmer 
is driven out of his fields by the floods of rain. It 
is idle to try any longer to conceal the fact that 
through a combination of lazy Congre.ss, sjieculative 
parasite.s, pompous committees and ruinous Aveatb- 
er this country faces a very serious situation. Our 
farmers must help ‘ themselve.s, or ‘they Avill be 
“helped” into the hosjiital. 
The Milk Situation 
“The dealers must not exact unreasonabje ])rice.s 
frorti the consumer and thereby reduce consumption 
and cut off our outlet for our milk .”—Utica Speech. 
INCREASED ITHCES.—Last week for the third 
time Avithin 10 months the Noav York City dealers 
luiA'e increased the cost of milk to city consumers. 
A year ago consumers paid nine cents per quart for 
B grade and 10 cents for A grade, fl’oday the prices 
are 12 cents and 1.” cents respectively, and cream 
and condensed milk have increased in ev’en greater 
proportions. The price of B grade is made liy, 
cents, but this means single (piarts cost 12 cents, 
and milk in jiint bottle.s has been 12 cenfs for some 
months. Considerable milk is sold to hotels in 
bottles at K; cents and certified milk costs l.S cents. 
Conden.st'd milk is in big demand. In Wisconsin 
condenseries have been .scouring the country for 
milk and paying ,$2.40 per hundred for it, and they 
go to the farms for it and cart it free. New York 
State producers got .$1..S0 delivered at the station 
and Avere subject to regulations that the Western 
producers Avere not required to follow. The price of 
buttermilk Avas increased one cent a quart to the 
consumer in the recent raise and noAv costs nine 
and 10 cents a quart. At the same time Sheflield- 
Farms Dairy Company, according to reports from 
farmers at Hohart, N. Y''., dump large quantities of 
Imttermilk over the embankment on the State road 
leading to Stamford rather than .sell it at a rea- 
.sonable co.st. 
COMRARATIVE VALFES.—It is true that com- 
jiared Avith other things pre.sent prices to the con¬ 
sumer are not relatively out of proportion ; but com¬ 
pared Avith the price to the producer it is ridicu¬ 
lously out of iiroportion. For the 10 months pre¬ 
ceding October, 191G, the farmer got, on an aAmr- 
age, the magnificent price of ,$1.49 per 100 pounds 
for B milk, jier cent, butterfat. This is .2.1 cents 
a quart. For the 10 months from October last, to 
July inclusive, the average price Avas .$1.90 for the 
.same grade of milk, or 4.1 cents per quart. After 
the most desperate fight in the history of the busi¬ 
ness, the farmers got an advance of one cent a 
quart. The dealers take three cents, fl’he farmer 
gets a shade aboA'e four cents for producing the 
milk. Dealers get iiractically eight cents for de- 
liA'ering it. In the ca.se of other grades and cream 
they get more. For the lowest grade the cost of 
deliA’ery is iiractically double the rcAvaixl for pro¬ 
duction. The producer does not even get the .25- 
cent dollar in this case. 
THE FARIMER.S’ SHARE.—This last advance to 
the consumer is a brazen defiance of the Avhole 
country. Appeal has been made to the farmer to 
increase his production of food. He has responded 
generously. During the past 10 months the cost of 
production has been extremely high. Feed has 
reached $00 a ton, and farm wages have increased 
50 per c(mt. O’he price to the farmer today is pro¬ 
portionately actually less than it Avas this time last 
year. 2'he Department of Foods and Markets can¬ 
celed monthly contracts for this period because of 
the uncertainty of condition.s. If no contract existed 
the price to producers Avould certainly be ad\mncecl 
to meet pre.sent condition.s of production. 
THE DEALERS’ DEFIANCE.—The dealers have 
certainly hurled a bold defiance at the numerous 
committees Avhich are talking ahout reducing the 
cost of living, and none of them dares accept the 
challenge. 2’he Department of Foods and Markets 
has asked the Attorney-Ceneral to help it investi¬ 
gate the recent combination of the Borden’s Com¬ 
pany Avith other concerns, and this Avill be done, 
but legal proce.sses are .slow and seldom reach the 
desinal result. 
A STTMMARY OF FACTS.—At the present prices 
paid farmers during the past 10 month.s, milk could 
be delivered in NeAv York City in bottles pasteui'- 
ized, at eight cents a quart. If the ToAvner bill had 
passed last AVinter it Avould be delivered at that 
price and the deliA'ery would at that return a better 
price than the production. ’I’he lobby that defeated 
the 2’oAvner bill did a good job for the milk trust. 
There is nothing left noAV for the Dairymen's 
T/eague but to put in a jiasteurizing plant in tbe 
city and deliA’er milk to the stores. I’hey are anx¬ 
ious to sell milk and deliver it at one cent a quart 
aboA'e the cost iirice to them. 2’he producers can 
take an extra cent and yet reduce the price tAvo to 
three cents a quart to the consumers, fl’he League 
has the means and uoaa^ is the time to act. At 
Utica last Sejitember fanners indorsed the senti¬ 
ment at the head of this article. Ncaa' let us 
make good. 
The Farm Labor Situation 
We have received the folloAving from a citizen 
of ’rompkins Co., N. Y., Avho insists that bis 
name, residence or title must not be given. While 
his name Avould strengthen the statement Ave are 
quite AA’illing to print Avhat he has Avritten: 
Til printing an article by F. R. Allen, page ,S11. I 
am inclined to believe that you have laid yourself open 
to a suit for libel, and at any rate it i.s nio.st unjust 
to our town superintendent, Mr. McBher.son, in that 
.said article is in jiart untrue and greatly exaggerated 
in .so far as it relates to the toAvii of Ithaca. It is true 
that Mr. Allen mentions no names, but he is a prom¬ 
inent fanner, and iierhaps the largest landoAvner in 
our toAvn, and everyone in the town and almost every¬ 
one ill the county would knoAv at once to whom Mr 
Allen referred. Noav as to Mr. McPherson, he has 
been elected town .superintendent and toAVii coninii.s- 
sioner of higlnvays for six terms of tAvo years each. 
Ill each case there was no opposition, his name being 
on both tickets. His neighbors all .speak Avell of him, 
and are unanimous in saying that some of the condi¬ 
tions described by Mr. Allen do not exist. In vicAV of 
these facts does it seem reasonable that Mcl’herson is 
the shiftless per.son de.sciubed by Mr. Allen? 
Needless to say Thr R. N.-Y. has no intention of 
injuring or ridiculing any officer. We tboiight tbe 
letter, signed by Mr. Allen, Avas a fair statement of 
the competition in the labor market Avbich many 
farmers must face from tbe State and from puldlc 
contractor.s'. If any of tbe details are Avrong AA’e 
Avill gladly print corrections, but from tbe letters 
Ave receive it is clear that tbrougb its short lioiirs 
and bigber Avages road Avork docs give serious com¬ 
petition to our farmers. Tbat is tbe point under 
discussion. Noav is it true or not? 
The Farm Loan Bonds 
It IS a .shame that the bankers should be given 
$.200,(X)() to idace .$.20,000,000 of farm loan bonds, or 
1% commission. There i.s no argument in ju.stificatioii 
of it, and I have read the exiilanation of the board 
Avhich, to a financial man, does nut explain. The of¬ 
fering hy the bankers is at 101%. The public would 
have absorbed any amount of them at par if offered 
direct by the board, as the interest rate is 1%% higher 
than the Liberty bonds and the 4%% is more than 
any savings bank alloAv.s. Moreover, this $.20,000,000 
will not go into the hands of tho.se most interested, and 
the ones who will have to be interested if the matter 
is to be a .success—the investors of small amounts in 
country districts and small toAvns. This .$.20,0(K),0<X) 
Avill be held mostly by banks and large investors to 
borrow money on, or large investors Avho are running 
to cover from the income tax, and Avar taxes. Y'ou 
will recall that the jmstal savings bank bill was not 
allowed to pass until it was arranged so that the bank¬ 
ers Avould get their little piece—the deposit of the 
funds locally. T Avas in hopes they could be kept out 
of this farm loan matter, but you see they get their 
bit and in a Avay that does not help the movement any. 
K. s. 
N.-Y.—^These bonds should Iuia'o been sold di¬ 
rect-like the Liberty bonds. There Avould have 
been a good call for them, and it Avould have been 
in every way desirable to have these farm bonds 
held, as largely as possible, by farmers. 
“Dehydrating” Fruits 
As I have boon handling dried fruits for over 50 
years I think your readers might be interested to 
knoAV the difference betAveen evaporated and dehy¬ 
drated fruits. The old method of drying, called evap¬ 
oration, Avas by means of hot air, generally so hot as 
partly to cook the fruit or vegetables, but the dehy¬ 
drating is done Avith air from Avhich the moisture has 
been taken, and Avhicli extracts the moisture without, 
in any Avay, cooking the article. This method will pre¬ 
serve even ripe straAvberries, Avhich could never be done 
by evaporation, and I am confident that apples and 
peaches will be used in immense quantities Avhen pre¬ 
pared in this way, Avithout the u.se of sulphur. I have 
thousands of pounds of fancy dried peeled peaches 
Avhich I should b(‘ glad to sell at 12 cents per pound, 
but the .sulphur used to bleach them prevents the sale. 
The process of dehydrating can be perfectly regulated, 
but evaporation is very difficult in damp Aveather. 
New York. s. c. AVOBTU. 
