1270 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
Countrywide Produce Situation 
SUPPLIES HEAVY AND PRICES LOWER, RUT 
STILT, MOSTT.Y ABOVE LAST YEAR’S LEVEL. 
The recent declining trend of prices is 
credited, in some quarters, to political in¬ 
vestigations. Shipments 40 to 50 per 
cent heavier than a year ago seem to be 
explanation enough for some weakness at. 
price levels still generally above those of 
last year. Nothing is really very low 
except melons, and these only in distant 
producing sections like Texas and Okla¬ 
homa, where growers net about 5 to 10c 
each for melons. 
CROPS SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTING. 
Some big crop expectations are falling 
far short. Drought in the West has cut 
down yields all along the line, especially 
potatoes. Most recent onion news has 
been unfavorable. Accordingly late offi¬ 
cial estimates of about 20,000 cars for 
the commercial onion crop may need to 
be reduced. These figures are about 
2.000 cars below last year’s estimated 
crop, but about equal to the crop of 1017, 
and much larger than the very short crop 
of 1010. Shipments are coming along in 
about the same volume as last season. 
In both seasons quite a large part of the 
crop ripened early on account of dry 
weather in the West. Prices continue to 
sag off, but more slowly than at first, 
and values are still higher than a year 
ago. ranging wholesale in city market's $2 
to $4 per 100 lbs., in comparison with $3 
to $3.50 one year ago. The crop should 
still be large enough for all requirements, 
and should bring a fair price unless every¬ 
body tries to sell early in the season, as 
they did last year, instead of a fair share 
of the stock going into storage. 
Another crop falling short of expecta¬ 
tions is cabbage, which is 10 to 15 per 
cent below last year’s acreage, and still 
further behind in condition of the crop. 
Scarcity of plants and the unfavorable 
weather in some sections are responsible. 
Early sales of the Fall crop from Virginia 
are quoted $40 per ton net to growers, 
with about six tons per acre in the Vir¬ 
ginia late cabbage section. The producers 
will be doing very well if this price con¬ 
tinues. 
THE POTATO AM) APPLE OUTLOOK. 
Late potatoes are beginning to move. 
There are enough from nearby to supply 
a great many local markets already. The 
prices usually sag from the last of Au¬ 
gust to the end of October. Western 
producers are getting $2.50 to $2 per MX) 
lbs. f. o. b. country shipping points, and 
Eastern shippers $3 to $4. Moth varieties 
often bring 50 to 75c per 100 lbs more 
than the coarser kinds. City markets 
quote $3 50 to $4.50 per 100 lbs., about 
the same in the West and in the East. 
Latest reports show total area five to 10 
per cent below last year. Conditions bad 
in Rocky Mountain States, rather poor 
in Michigan. Wisconsin and New York, 
except Long Island. Favorable in Min¬ 
nesota and Maine. 
Apple markets seem to be shaping for 
high prices. Standard Eastern kinds are 
reported selling at $0 to $8 per bushel 
for best lots, entire crops and trees selling 
as low as $2 per barrel in Virginia, where 
help for harvesting was extremely scarce 
last season. Western boxed apples, best 
grades, average about $3 per box for early 
quotations. Needless to say, these prices 
are well above last year’s level, sometimes 
about double. Such figures are based on 
lively expectations of good export and 
domestic trade, with most fruits in light 
supply. All fruit is selling ratlier high, 
growers in California getting at the rate 
of about $3 per bushel for the best grades. 
Peaches follow a general wholesale range 
of $3 to $4 per bushel in wholesale mar¬ 
kets. Eastern growers are netting around 
$2.50. Melons are selling rather low com¬ 
paratively. supplies being twice as large 
as last season at this time. The medium 
sizes were $20 to $25 per 100 melons and 
$200 to $500 per car. Cantaloupes from 
some sections are becoming overripe, and 
there is a slight range of values in city 
markets from $1.25 to $2.50, best stock 
averaging about $2.25. 
The estimated crop of field beans is 
hardly more than two-thirds that of last 
year, acreage having been reduced in 
nearly all parts of the country. This 
lower figure, about 12.000.0lK) bushels, is 
still a pretty good-sized crop, and with 
the large stock carried over from last 
year, and some from the year before, 
there is no great prospect of high prices 
unless export demand takes care of the 
surplus. G. B. F. 
Up-State Farm Notes 
State Troopers and tiif. Farmer. —A 
Cortland County farmer calls attention to 
the service the State troopers are ready 
to vender farmers even in matters of small 
moment. He lost a fine cable chain from 
the rear of bis farm wagon last week. It 
was soon missed, and he turned back to 
find it, without success. lie had met a 
big touring car going at high speed, and 
he noted its number. The next day he 
gave the number to a State trooper, 
apologizing for -the smallness of the mat¬ 
ter. The trooper gave him to understand 
that nothing was too small if it w r as 
service, and the next night, the chain was 
laid at his door, after a drive of 30 to 
45 miles by the trooper. The only re¬ 
ward he could be persuaded to' take was, 
as he said, “a pleasant word.” The force 
is rendering good service in bunting out 
the author of horse thefts and other stolen 
goods in this section. 
Horse Notes. —Splendid stables of 
horses which have never before been ex¬ 
hibited at. this fair, and which were a 
feature at the Chicago horse show, will 
be exhibited here State Fair week. The 
racetrack has been greatly improved, and 
is conceded to be the best oval in Amer¬ 
ica. The new horse building offers 4(X) 
fireproof stalls, with running water 
and electric lights. At the Annual meet¬ 
ing of the Hay Dealers’ Association in 
Syracuse this week it was said that the 
draft liorse is cheaper than the tractor 
as a means of haulage on SO per cent of 
the farm work of this sort. 
Trucks to Speed Food. —Governor 
Smith has appointed a non-salaried com¬ 
mittee to assist in speeding up the de¬ 
livery of farm food to the markets. They 
will promote rural motor truck express 
lines for quick delivery of perishables. 
'I’he committee is composed as follows: 
Peter (!. Ten Eyck, former Federal re¬ 
gional director of highway transport; 
Frederick S. Green, State Commissioner 
of Highways; Prof. E. S. Boyle of the 
State College of Agriculture; F. W. Fenn 
and W. E. Dana, chairman of the Council 
of Farms and Markets, Avon, N. Y. 
Action of Sheep Raisers. —At the 
annual meeting of the State Federation 
of County Sheep Growers’ Associations 
at Cooperstown the Tompkins County as¬ 
sociation introduced a resolution which 
requires tin 1 makers'of woolen fabrics and 
garments to place on each a statement 
showing the percentage of virgin wool 
used in its manufacture. This is to pro¬ 
tect the wool growers and the buying 
public, as it has long been the custom to 
mix cotton with wool, also shoddy and 
renovated wool, and sell the product as 
an all wool fabric. The resolution would 
make violators of the proposed law sub¬ 
ject. to fine or imprisonment, or both. 
Lumber Remains HiGn. — Lumber 
manufacturers of the State report ad¬ 
vances in oak prices of $5 and $10, and 
similar advances in other lines. They 
predict high prices on all items for a 
long time to come. This affects farmers 
closely. It is said that a Central New 
York farmer, wishing to replace a barn 
which had been burned, called for bids 
from contractors to cover all expense of 
building a modern 36-SO-ft. dairy barn. 
The lowest bid submitted was $7,(XX) 
more than the farm could he sold for 
after the barn should be completed. 
Tractor Show. —The State Fair’s new 
$0 acres, acquired for farm exhibits and 
a bilge tractor show, is expected to bring 
out an interest in tractors to exceed that 
of last year’s show of 23 types of ma¬ 
chines. At that time one dealer sold 48 
tractors for $48,000. This year 35 types 
will be shown. This is the tenth anni¬ 
versary of the advent of tractors. In 
1909 six companies entered a maiden con¬ 
test of tractors at Winnipeg. In 1012 
32,000 machines had been sold. Tn 1918 
130.000 machines were sold. It is esti¬ 
mated that this year 300,(X)0 new ma¬ 
chines will he sold. The demonstration 
is perhaps the most popular event of the 
fair. 
Increase in Rural Freight.— The fig¬ 
ures of the freight agent of a purely rural 
branch railroad in Cortland County, a 
short line of twenty-odd miles, serving a 
farm section, shows an increase of freight 
handled in July this year as compared 
to last year of $1,602. Of this there was 
an increase of $588 in the handling of 
milk shipped. 
.Small Notes of Interest. —After 
making a record sale of the general wool 
clip of the county, the Cortland County 
Rambouillet breeders have secured 75 
August 30, 1919 
cents a pound for their fine wool, sold to 
a local manufacturer of woolen fabrics. 
Farmers of this county consider it good 
policy to raise more sheep that produce 
this kind of wool, which is graded as 
Delaine and 1% blood staple. Penn Yan 
grape growers are offered $150 per ton 
for grapes. Four thousand crates of let¬ 
tuce were shipped from Fulton in one 
day this week, at $3 per crate. M. G. F. 
The Allegany County Farmers’ Picnic 
The second annual picnic of the farmers 
of Allegany County, N. Y.. was held at 
Friendship, August 14. under the auspices 
of the Grange, the Dairymen’s League 
and the Farm Bureau. The attendance 
was large, over 800 automobiles being 
parked in and around the grounds. The 
principal speakers were S. .T. Lowell of 
the New York State Grange, Bradley 
Fuller of the Dairymen’s League Co¬ 
operative Association, and Dr. Jonathan 
C. Day of New York City Department 
of Foods and Markets. It struck me 
very forcibly that the main theme of the 
speakers was organization for the better 
distribution of food products, whereas a 
few years ago increased production was 
the main idea. It also seems to me that 
the farmers are very ready to receive 
ideas alTrng the line of co-operation and 
organization, and that anyone who helps 
along this fine is doing real service to 
mankind. The food problem is without 
doubt one of the greatest at the present 
time, for hunger is certainly one of the 
greatest causes leading to social unrest, 
with its train of evils. Certainly there 
was no trace of Bolshevism, anarchy or 
the like at the Allegany farmers’ picnic, 
neither was there any lack of food. I 
could not help thinking that the automo¬ 
bile, looked upon by most farmers with 
disfavor, or even hatred, a few years ago, 
is now, by making such meetings possible, 
doing much to get farmers to work to¬ 
gether on common ground and for a 
common cause. Chester l. mills. 
)' 
m 
The Motor Truck a Farmer 
Would Build 
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practical motor truck that would best serve 
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of a thorough knowledge of farm conditions. This 
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wear. Only the best materials are used, after thorough 
test. The truck is simple and durable. 
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Headers Rice Binders 
Harvester-Threshers Reapers 
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Tillage Implements 
Disk Harrows 
Tractor Harrows 
Spring-Tooth Harrows 
Peg-Tooth Harrows 
Orchard Harrows Cultivators 
Planting and Seeding Machines 
Corn Pianters Corn Drills 
Grain Drills Broadcast Seeders 
Alfalfa and Grass Seed Drills 
Fertilizer and Lime Sowers 
Haying Machines 
Mowers Side Delivery Rakes 
Comb. Side Rakes & Tedders 
Tedders Loaders (All types) 
Baling Presses Rakes 
Sweep Rakes Stackers 
Comb. Sweep Ra^es & Stackers 
Bunchers 
Belt Machines 
Ensilage Cutters CornShellers 
Huskers and Shredders 
Hay Presses Stone Burr Mills 
Threshers Feed Grinders 
Cream Separators 
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Kerosene Engines 
Gasoline Engines 
Keroseae Tractors 
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Corn Machines 
Planters Motor Cultivators 
Drills 
Cultivators 
Shellers 
Ensilage Cutters 
Binders Pickers 
Husker-Shredders 
Dairy Equipment 
Cream Separators (Hand) 
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