738 
April 20, 1010 
Farm News 
Up-State Farm Notes 
‘Ibr RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Nkav Farm Census. —This week the 
schools of the State are busy taking the 
t hir'd annual farm census, from April 14 
to April 23. Teachers will send blanks 
to the farmers to lie filled out, and will 
then collect and summarize them. The 
number of questions to be answered will 
la' less than usual this year. The blanks 
are then compiled by the Farm Bureaus, 
which advertise locally lists of seeds and 
livestock for sale by various farmers. 
This has proved a real help to farmers 
needing such things, as well as to those 
having them to dispose of. 
Bikd House Movement. —The chief 
executive of the National Audubon So¬ 
ciety has complimented the Boy Scouts 
of Syracuse on their work in construct¬ 
ing 306 bird houses for the city park. 
This is a movement worthy of wider 
adoption, as bird life is rapidly declining, 
while insect pests are on the increase and 
each year do more and more damage to 
farm crops. 
Post Road Changes. —There is con¬ 
siderable rural resentment in many locali¬ 
ties over the lengthening of rural free 
delivery routes. The service is poorer, 
while many routes are made too long for 
the endurance of the horses that have to 
cover them. The State Grange demanded 
shortening of routes, not a further length¬ 
ening of them. The Governor has signed 
a bill appropriating .$575,000 as the 
State’s share in improving rural post 
roads. 
Farm Prosperity and Farm Help.— 
There are 6,717,000 farms in the United 
States employing one or more hands. 
Last year their wages increased 72 per 
cent over pre-war farm wages. Many city 
helpers secured as high as .$5 a day for 
work that was unskilled and all too in¬ 
efficient. In commenting on these figures 
of the Department of Agriculture the 
New York Commercial prophesies great 
riches for the farmers this year and ad¬ 
vises them to share their prosperity 
equitably with their farm help, to put 
into circulation their money that it may 
furnish capital for new enterprises. This 
Is the sort of misinformation in general 
circulation in city publications that is 
the despair of the farm population. Con- 
sumers are led to believe that farmers are 
growing rich at their expense—a belief 
that is so far from the truth that its cor¬ 
rection seems most imperative, but most 
difficult. Every farmer and rural organi¬ 
zation should take more interest in get¬ 
ting the real farm situation.into the read¬ 
ing columns of the leading city dailies. 
Civil Service Examinations. —The 
State Civil Service Commission will hold 
examinations for State and county service 
on May 24, 1919, for a large list of posi¬ 
tions. Application forms should be filled 
out before May 14. For detailed circulars 
and blanks application should be made at 
once to the Commission at Albany. 
Work of Cortland Traffic Club.— 
This club is doing good work by placing 
before the shippers of this section the 
facts of railroad management, also of 
telegraph and other service. At a recent 
meeting of the club it. was said that ship¬ 
ping interests and railroad men favored 
returning the railroads to corporate own¬ 
ership so far as possible under the present 
law. Tt was shown that rules and prac¬ 
tices of the administration are not laws, 
but that Director-General Hines can undo 
n lot of them if he wishes. Rail and lake 
rates from points in this State have been 
made effective to great lake ports. The 
Direotor-G**m nil has recently issued in¬ 
structions that shippers’ routing instruc¬ 
tions must be respected as they appear on 
the bill of lading. This will help in trac¬ 
ing freight. Cortland lias been included 
with other points in Central New York 
to get a freight reduction of nine cents 
per net ton on bituminous coal coming 
from Western Pennsylvania. 
Carbide Plant for Farmers. —James- 
ville is to have a carbide plant to supply 
carbide for acetylene gas plants at much 
less cost than the one company which 
uow virtually controls the trade now 
charges. An old plaster mill is to be 
utilized, and a 250 horse water power, 
with K’h acres of limestone. Part of 
the necessary capital stock has already 
been subscribed. The factory will start 
with 25 men, but about 100 will be em¬ 
ployed later, it is said. There are 250,000 
acetylene plants in the State now, paying 
about .$6 per 100 pounds for carbide, and 
the new firm hopes to make it at a cost of 
$2 per 100 pounds. 
To Study Wild Life. —A Roosevelt 
memorial in form of a station for the 
study of wild life is arranged for in a 
bill which has passed the Assembly. Its 
name has been approved by Lieut. Col. 
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and the New 
York State College of Forestry at Syra¬ 
cuse will open the station, which will not 
encroach on any State department, such 
as the Fish and Game Conservation Com¬ 
mission. It is an entirely new field as 
far as forestry is concerned. Dean Hugh 
P. Raiser and Dr. Adams are working on 
plans which will be published as the hill 
becomes a law. 
Fruit and Vegetable Notes. —Apple 
forwardings are easing up. The move¬ 
ment last week was 174 cars, or one-lmlf 
the entire country’s shipments. Prices 
are not lowering, and the finish of the 
market will be strong. Many storages are 
already empty, though the season usually 
continues to June 30. Prices are holding 
around $9.50 for Grade A Baldwins. 
Only three States are now shipping old 
cabbage—Colorado, Wisconsin and New 
York—the latter furnishing 56 out of 61 
cars last week, making 0.065 for the sea¬ 
son. or 2.514 in excess < >f last year. A 
clean-up will he made of old stocks this 
month. Prices are very uneven, as high 
as $60 a t>>n at trackside. The crop did 
not stand up well because of warm 
weather. Vegetable growers <>n Central 
and Western New York soils are planning 
to go back to pre-war time small vegeta¬ 
bles, like lettuce, celery, spinach, which 
were cut down during tin* war because of 
labor involved and greater need of other 
foods. There is a lively bidding for help, 
$3.50 a day and house rent free being 
offered. Vegetable growers in many 
localities are forming associations, one of 
the aims being, as in the Fulton district, 
to create sentiment, for and devising 
means of securing local cold storage 
plants, which in the other districts have 
proven their great worth. M. u. F. 
Countrywide Produce Situation 
TRICES FAIRLY STEADY. AND OLD STOCKS 
LIKELY TO CLEAN UP WELL. 
The heavy supplies, 20 per cent in ex¬ 
cess of the Spring movement last year, 
are causing moderate declines in various 
lines, in comparison with the top of the 
April rise. Although crops of potatoes 
and Northern truck are supposed to be 
better than last year, the general move¬ 
ment to market has been heavier right 
along, owing to good supply of empty 
cars and the attraction <>f fairly high 
market prices. 
One lucky feature for the Northern 
onion and potato growers is the lightness 
and lateness of the Southern, thus allow¬ 
ing time for a good clean-up of old stock. 
OLD POTATOES CLEANING UP. 
The long season has enabled the heavy 
movement of the old crop to he absorbed 
without any such slump as occurred a 
year ago. The stock on hand Jan. 1 was 
officially stated as about 30,000 cars less 
than on Jan. 1 of the year before, yet 
the shipments since Jan. 1 have been fully 
17,000 cars more than for the correspond¬ 
ing 3 months last year. If the crop and 
the stock on hand as reported were any¬ 
where near the actual facts, it. is plain 
that the reserves are cleaning up consid¬ 
erably earlier than last year. Reports of 
light, remaining shipping stock are heard 
from Western and Northern potato sec¬ 
tions, and the feeling among growers 
seems confident. No doubt there will he 
plenty of potatoes, because the prices are 
liigh enough to interest distant shippers. 
Growers are getting $1.25 to $1.75 net 
per 100 lbs. in the West and about 25c 
more than that, in the East. Those who 
can sell in small lots of course are getting 
prices higher than these. Sin'll quotations 
are far from high compared with recent 
cost of production, and they compare well 
with 30 to 50c per 100 lbs., which Maine 
growers were getting in April. 1015. and 
even last year a good deal of Far West¬ 
ern stock was sold by producers at 50c 
per 100 lbs. City wholesale prices have 
ranged lately from $2 to $2.75 per 100 
lbs. for old stock and $11 to $14 per bbl. 
for new. Florida growers have been get¬ 
ting fully one-third more than last year, 
per bbl., which will go far to offset a 
yield of only 30 bids, per acre compared 
with 60 last yea*. 
OLD ONIONS AND GARBAGE BECOMING 
8Cj* RCE. 
Although onion prices are pretty high, 
shipments of worthless stock are growing 
less and less. Prices range mostly $4 to 
$4.50 per 100 lbs. for best stock in city 
wholesale markets. New Texas unions 
opened at $5 per crate in Western mar¬ 
kets. which is in sharp Contrast with $2 
a year ago. 
Both old and new cabbage continues to 
exceed $100 per ton in various markets. 
Only a few cars of old are moving and 
the volume of new cabbage is far below 
last year. 
FRUITS SCARCE AND HIGH. 
Apples advanced to $10 for best cold 
storage Baldwins in Western New York 
producing sections, and the stronger mar¬ 
ket has brought a slight gain in ship¬ 
ments, but it is plain that apples are 
about done. Southern strawberries are in 
light supply and going up instead of down. 
Southern cauners are reported paying 20e 
a quart. It looks like another year of 
high average prices for fruit. Not much 
was set. out in wartime, while the demand 
is increasing for fruit and fruit juice. 
G. B. F. 
THE MAILBAG 
Seeding Grass with Millet 
1 want to sow millet to cut green for 
i lie cows. Can I seed it to grass at the 
same time? 1 have never done it, and 
do not know whether it will be just the 
same as seeding with oats. s. s. 
Sinelairville, N. Y. 
You will take a chance if you seed with 
millet. On strong soil and a moist season 
the grass will have a chance. The millet 
is a very strong grower and sends its 
roots all through the upper soil. On 
poor land, or in a very dry season, tin- 
grass will be smothered out. 
Licensing Cats 
Mr. Bailey of Danbury. Conn., has in¬ 
troduced a bill for the licensing of eats 
and the killing of those not licensed. Has 
the fanner no rights? Must he have his 
grain, his chickens and his meadows left 
to the rats, mice and squirrels, in order 
that more birds may consume his cherries 
and his plums? Bird songs are pleasant, 
and probably some of the birds are useful, 
but without the cat police we would lx* 
overrun with rats and mice. e. s. r. 
Connecticut. 
Such legislation is coining in every¬ 
where. It is kept alive by an anti-cat 
society which openly declares that the cat 
is a useless ami dangerous animal. Such 
laws will pass unless the friends of cats 
wake up and prevent them. If they do 
pass the “rights” of the farmers will con¬ 
sist. in paying for a cat license. 
Smothering Out Weeds 
I plan to have a piece of ground plowed 
and then harrowed occasionally till July 
1. then sow buckwheat, hoping thus t<> 
kill a troublesome weed. Will this plan 
be likely to succeed, and if lime can be 
obtained, when should it be applied and 
how much ground lime. We are unable 
to get the burned lime. e. 8. B. 
Buckwheat is the best crop we know 
of to “smother” out a growth of weeds— 
when it. is thickly seeded. It will not 
destroy all weeds, but it will keep most 
of them down and prevent them seeding 
if the soil is kept clean before the buck¬ 
wheat is put in. At least one ton of 
ground limestone worked in 10 days be¬ 
fore seeding. 
“Planting in -the Moon” 
With reference to the inquiry “Plant¬ 
ing ia the Moon,” page 600, I have trav¬ 
eled in my younger years a good deal, and 
I found the belief in “planting to the 
moon” in practically all countries. When 
thousands of farmers, who in all prob¬ 
ability never communicated with each 
other, believe in “planting to the moon,” 
we can suppose that under certain con¬ 
ditions there is something in it. I myself 
pay no attention to it. I get. the soil in 
the best condition and plant, when experi¬ 
ence has told me that it is a good time to 
plant. On large estates it is not possible 
to pay any attention to the moon, because 
the owners would never get their work 
done. I have thought it. over many times, 
what possible influence the moon could 
have on the starting of plants, but. gave it 
up, until I had an opportunity to watch 
for about two years the quantity of dis¬ 
charged water from the main tile drain of 
a 30-acre tile-drained field. First I paid 
no attention to it. but when I saw that 
tlie discharge from the drain was the least 
in the morning and increased towards 
noon, it attracted my attention. I no¬ 
ticed that the discharge of water was the 
least in the morning after a bright moon¬ 
light night. It tin'll occurred to me 
whether the moon had probably the same 
drawing power on the water contained in 
the soil it has on the water in the ocean. 
If this should be the case it would ex¬ 
plain the belief in “planting to the moon.” 
Let us think of a soil with a low water 
level in a dry climate. If the plants are 
set out according to the moon, whenever 
that, may be, the moon would draw the 
water up, thereby beuefitiug the p’ants. 
Probably a scientist connected with one 
of our weather stations could throw some 
light on this question. H. w. 
“Tough guy, ain’t you?” “It’s this 
way, pardner. Even when a baby the 
only rattle 1 ever had was one my ma 
got offen a rattlesnake.”—Louisville 
Courier-Journal. 
Telling Fortunes with Daisies 
