967 
The Borden’s “3-Way” Milk Delivery 
The Borden’s ililk Company flatters the New 
York State Department of Foods and Markets. It 
accepts in principle the contention that the Depart¬ 
ment has insisted on since its organization. 
THEIR ERROR ADMITTED.—It now publicly 
admits that it was in error last October when it 
contended that the price demanded by the farmer 
was “alarmingly large.” It admits that the cost of 
production has increased. It admits that its duty is 
to pay enough for milk to enco\irage production. 
It admits that the consumer should get the milk at 
a reasonable cost for distribution. It admits that 
bottled milk can be sold at stores cheaper than 
from wagons and the •waste on bottles saved by re¬ 
quiring a deposit for the bottle. It admits that 
milk can be sold out of the can in stox'es cheaper 
than in bottles. But in it all, the Borden Company 
makes use of the economies suggested by the De¬ 
partment for its own benefit, and not only takes all 
the savings, but adds new burdens to the consumer. 
It now adopts the Department’s contention that the 
cost of milk to the consumer must vary with the 
cost of production, as the price varies to the farmer; 
but while the company admits the principle in pi’ac- 
tice it increases the cost to the consumer every time 
there is an advance to the producer; but last Win¬ 
ter the pi-ice to the farmer dropped every month 
from January to June and there was no drop to 
the consumer. Milk dealers have never yet reduced 
a price once forced on the consumer. 
THE EXPENSIVE BORDEN'S DELIVERY.— 
The Borden’s Company insists that it must have 10 
per cent, profit on its investment above all expense, 
and it says that a half cent a quart profit is neces¬ 
sary to pay this dividend. The Borden’s system of 
delivery is notoriously expensive and extravagant. 
Its ovex'head charges ai’e high. It buys up compe¬ 
titive creameries and demolishes them. It buys up 
competitive distributing companies, and absorbs 
them. These things are expensive and wasteful, but 
the company wants ten per cent, on it all. The 
Borden’s Company is capitalized for .$30 COO.OOO. 
Ten per cent, on that is $.3,000,000. A stable stock 
l>aying 10 per cent, regularly wall sell for double the 
face. The Borden stock on a 10 per cent, basis 
would be worth $00,000,000. 
BORDEN'S PROFIT VS. FARiM PROFIT.—Ir 
the Borden’s Company is is entitled to 10 per cent, 
on its investment, why should not the milk producer 
have 10 per cent, on his investment? First set down 
a salary for the farmer, and wages for his wife 
and sons and daughters, and enough for the liired 
men needed to work the farm on a 10-hour a day 
schedule. Add to this 10 per cent, on the cost of 
the farm and equipment, and pass this up to the 
Borden’s Company next month as the price of 
milk. That is the way the price of milk could be 
ascertained; and if it is fair to distributors why 
is ‘it not fair for the producer of milk? 
THE CONSUMER TO PAY MORE.—The Bor¬ 
den’s Company has announced anither raise if one 
cent a quart ti consumers for August first. In the 
statement they say they pay the farmer one cent 
more fir August than they paid in July. The ad¬ 
vance is .35 c. a hundred pounds ir three-quarters if 
a cent a quart. B grade is now 12i/^ cents delivered 
at homes; 11 cents in their stores if carried home; 
and 8% cents in cans at store to be carried home 
by consumers in their own containers. 
THE AVERAGE FARM PRICE.—The average 
jirice paid the farmer for the nine months from 
January to September inclusive is $1.85 per can for 
grade B milk of 3.4 per cent, butterfat. Add to this 
34 cents freight, and it is not quite that and 15 
cents for pasteurizing and you have $2.34 per can 
on cars New York. Allow 10 cents per can for cart¬ 
ing to stores and you deliver it to stores at six cents 
per quart. It costs 2^/^ cents to dip it out at the 
Borden stores and pay overhead charges and profits. 
For 61/4 cents per quart it could be delivered at 
stores in bottles. For this the consumer pays 11 
cents if she carries it home and 12% cents if it is 
delivered. 
COST OF DELIVERY.—The issue is again made 
clear. We must know the actual cost of delivering 
milk in New York. If the dealers are doing an effi¬ 
cient and economic service let us find out and admit 
it. If they charge too much for their service, let 
us show them how to do it cheaper. If they take 
the lesson, well and good. If not, we will keep 
on and do it all. It will be up to them. 
ACTION NEEDED.—Now it is up to the Dairy¬ 
men’s League and now is the time to act. There 
is no time to lose if we are ready for the October de¬ 
liveries. As a matter of fact we have cooperative 
plants enough to make a start. Get the facilities 
ready and furnish milk in bottles and in cans to 
B'Ac RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the stores on a contract which will regulate the 
price to the consumer. Do it right on a business 
basis. Then we wall know the cost of milk distribu¬ 
tion. The Towner bill would have done this; but 
the Daii’ymen’s League can do it even better. 
Potato Storage and Sale 
This year the potato crop pi’omises to be large. 
With the increased cost of ixroduction and an 
ahnormal yield, only careful storage and efficient 
marketing will prevent loss to the growers. 
We propose:— 
1. A thorough organization of producei’S. 
2. Careful grading and packing of* potatoes. 
3 Individual farm storages. 
4. Community storage and warehouses. 
5. Concentration of all sales in one agency. 
6. (a). Engage salesmen who will seek the 
best markets and make contracts for regular 
deliveries. 
0. (b.) Pack and ship quantities of potatoes in 
small bags to meet the city family demand. 
7. Regulate shipments which will supply the 
trade and not to create a glut, 
8. Increase consumption of potatoes by reducing 
the expense between the producer and consumei*. 
Other potato producing States are buying to or¬ 
ganize systems for distributing the ci’op. If they 
work to a system and New York producers are left 
to chance and the mercy of speculators, the result 
cannot fail to be disasti’ous to New York growers. 
By applying efficient marketing methods, incoiixor- 
ating the above details, the New York State po¬ 
tato crop can be sold and a fair share of the con¬ 
sumer’s dollar returned to the producer. If left to 
PATRIOTISM, NOT PROFITS 
Reproduced from the New York Evening Telegram 
chance, with no organized selling system, the price 
is going to be low and waste is sure to result. 
The State, thTOugh the farm bureaus, the N. Y. 
State Food Supply Commission and the Depart¬ 
ment of Foods and Markets is ready to meet grow¬ 
ers and help organize- the work. Communities 
ready to act, or those desiring the information, 
should address— 
The Department of Foods and Markets, 
204 Franklin Street, New York City. 
New York Legislative Matters 
T he New York Legislature met in special ses¬ 
sion July 31, listened to Gov. Whitman’s mes¬ 
sage, and then adjourned for a week. In the 
mean time a new food bill will be prepared and 
“hearings” Avill be granted. There 'was little life 
in any of the proceedings. Members of the Legis- 
latui’e care little about the bill, and the entire pro¬ 
ceeding will be perfunctoiy and tame Gov. Whit¬ 
man seems to have modified his demands somewhat 
—he seems to have heard more from the farmers, 
and is now apparantly willing to leave more of the 
food regulations to the Federal Government. A 
“war committee” with Senator Elon R. Brown at 
its head spning surprise by drafting a bill calling 
for a commission of three, and naming Theodore 
Roosevelt, James W. Wadsworth Sr., and Judge M. 
J, O’Brien as commissioners! It is generally un¬ 
derstood that Gov. Whitman desired th-is legislation 
in order to pay some political debts by appointing 
the commissioners. Senator Brown evidently sees 
that the whole business has no popular backing 
and he will get what he can out of it politically and 
at the same time make this play for personal sup¬ 
port. Thus, as we predicted, the whole thing prom¬ 
ises to degenei’ate into a party political squabble. 
Song of the Dairymen’s League 
A great historian once said that if you would let 
him write the songs of a people, he would also write 
their history. What he mean was that the real 
spirit of any campaign for impi*ovement is usually 
recorded in poetry and song. That has been true 
of every great revoiution, so that the poets, although 
often despised by the practical men, after all have 
their share in the fighting. We are told that at the 
June meeting of the Jefferson County, N. Y., Pomo¬ 
na Grange, a new dairy song was sprung upon the 
public. A chorus made up of tuneful dairymen 
marched into the hall with tin pans and pails for 
drums. After this tin-pan chorus they gave their 
song, which was sung to the tune of “Solomon Levi.” 
A couple of verses from this song ai'e given below, 
and we have no doubt the dairymen all over the 
State will soon be singing it more or less melodious¬ 
ly. Some scientific experiments in Europe appeared 
. to show that good music had some effect upon the 
cow in increasing her milk flow, or at least in mak¬ 
ing her give down easily. Let us hope that the 
effect of this song upon the cows will be as strong 
as it was upon that Grange meeting, and Senator 
Elon R. Brown surely should have been present to 
join in the chorus. 
The Dairymen’s League Chorus 
(Tune, Solomon Levi) 
We’re members of the Dairymen’s League, a name we’re 
proud to own ; 
We number many thousand now—like sixty we have 
grown ; 
From far and near we gather here to celelnavte this day. 
To our honored guest we’ll do our best our kind re¬ 
spects to pay. 
Chorus: 
Here’s to Albert Manning, he is a mighty good scout; 
Here’s to Albert Planning, give him a cheer and a shout. 
For he organized the dairymen and showed them how to 
fight; 
lie boosted up the price of milk to a point more near¬ 
ly right; 
lie showed the city middlemen that the league was 
not a joke. 
For when they tried to cut the price—then Manning 
got their goat. 
We would sing of .John J, Dillon, too, he helped us 
win the fight; 
The public learned a thing or two when ,Tohn turned 
on the light 
Of every dollar paid for milk by the New York City 
gents. 
The fjirmer’s share, John did declare, was only thirty 
cents. 
Chorus: 
In the olden day milk didn’t pay, the farmer’s life was 
bunk, 
We wanted to give our cows away and scrap our tools 
in junk ; 
Now all is bright, with prices right, a better day is 
here; 
So rally ’round oxir leaders, boys, and give our league 
a cheei*. 
E, G. Cook, Theresa, N. Y. 
Federal Land Bank Loans 
Up to July 18 the land bank report shows that 4.32 
farm associations have been chartered ■ftdth total loans 
of $20,699,.3.37.45. The following table shows the 
division of this business by 
California ..?1.774,2fi4 
Colorado . 1.3.')8,300 
Indiana . 815,0.')0 
Kansas . 1,1,34,300 
Kentncky . 595,020 
Maine . 701,120 
Montana . 758,200 
Minnesota . 259,100 
Marylamf . 41,300 
Michigan . 200,900 
Massachusetts . 85,075 
Mississippi . 392,390 
Missouri . 4.57,040 
Nevada . 1.59,300 
Nebraska . 010,800 
North Carolina . 307,405 
Oregon . 527,400 
I’enn.sylvania . 240,831 
South Carolina . 504,690 
South Dakota . 144,000 
We do not find any loans recorded here for New 
Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut or Rhode Island. 
The South and the far West have absorbed most of the 
money thus far. The system is not at all perfected 
yet as we receive some complaint about organizing the 
associations. The chief complaint is that real estate 
men and lawyers often try to work in. so as to control 
the local loan machinery. 
States: 
Oklahoma . 
Texas .. 
Tennessee . 
,.. 085,750 
Utah . 
,.. 104,081.45 
Washington .... 
.. 849,500 
New Jersey ..., 
Wisconsin . 
00,000 
West Virginia .. 
.. 172,700 
Alabama . 
Arizona ........ 
Arkansas . 
... 442,102.50 
New York . 
Florida . 
Georgia .. 
Idaho . 
Illinois . 
New Mexico .... 
North Dakota ., 
... 013,050 
Virginia .. 
N. Y. Maple Makers Should Organize 
There is one matter that ought to be brought to the 
attention of the farmers, namely their imperfect meth¬ 
od of marketing their maple syrup. Maple syrup is a 
luxury, and it costs money to make a good article. If 
a farmer will take account of his own labor, the labor 
of his men, the depreciation, the value of his containers, 
his taxes on that part of the farm and all of his other 
items he will find that he is getting no profit on the 
syrup. 
It has been claimed by some that Vermont syrup was 
.superior to New York State syrup. It does not make 
much difference where the trees grow; the way to have 
good syrup is to keep everything absolutely clean and 
boil the sap quickly in improveil evaporators. In 1912 
I sent syrup that I had made in St. Lawrence County, 
New York, to the State Fair at Rutland, Vermont 
and took the first prize. 
The farmers of New York State should organize and 
maintain a Syrup Makers’ Association, and meet at 
least once a year and learn how to make a better ar¬ 
ticle and sell it for a better price. F. A. cutting. 
