Records of N. Y. Agricultural Department 
It lias long been our contention that full, frank, 
publicity of all official activities of the State Agri¬ 
cultural Department would drive out of the depart¬ 
ment any abuses that exist In it, and keep scandals 
out of it for the future. The only thing required 
to put this contention to a test was access to the 
records and the facts on which to base the publicity. 
This requirement is now supplied. The president of 
the Council of Farms and Markets has promised us 
free access to all the records of the department, ex¬ 
cept those records which are legally confidential, and 
it is our purpose to publish from week to week such 
information as will keep the farmers of the State in 
close touch with the work of the department. We 
prefer to do this as much as possible without ex¬ 
pressing our own personal opinion as to the work. It 
is our purpose to tell the facts, and to leave it to 
each and every farmer to draw his own conclusions 
Little if anything could be gained now by going 
into the past. Evei’yone familiar with the work of 
the department knows and admits that its traditions 
have in some respects been bad. It has had many 
good, capable, conscientious men in its service; they 
have done much good work: but the department has 
been dominated by politicians and selfishness to a 
greater extent than any other single department of 
the State. The good work done has never been made 
known, because to attempt publicity of it would 
also bring out the abuses and corruptions, and that 
would be to destroy the system. Records of merit 
had to be withheld to shield records of corruption 
and crime. 
If anyone expects, however, that we are going to 
take them on a “muck-raking” expedition, he will be 
disappointed. Except incidentally we do not expect 
to go into the faults and abuses of the past. Except 
in cases of personal depravity, if such develop, we 
do not expect to go into personalities unless it be to 
recognize exceptional service or merit. It is the sys¬ 
tem and the policy, not the individual, that is im¬ 
portant. 
It is idle to assert that the department is out of 
politics or that it can be out of politics. It has 
always been in politics. It is fully and completely in 
politics now, and always will be in politics. The only 
question is whether we can keep out corrupt politics 
and confine it to clean, decent political control. No 
department of the State can be conducted free from 
politics. To insist otherwise is to contend that one 
party control is not political because righteous, and 
another party control is politics because wicked. 
The Agricultural Department has been under the con¬ 
trol of different parties at different times, and in 
both instances there have been things left to desire. 
While we do not expect to abuse anyone, or de¬ 
velop any sensations, we do not expect to confine our¬ 
selves to a fulsome praise of the men and measures 
that are free from blame, and lightly pass over the 
others. Such a course would soon lead us to the end. 
We take up the work as we find if. Wo will tell the 
things that we think farmers would like to know. 
We will have no choice but to tell the plain truth 
as we find it. If we succeed in doing that we will 
merit neither praise or blame for the stories as they 
appear. We will make our product from the ma¬ 
terial we find in the records and in the work. J. j. d. 
New York Assembly and the Socialists 
At the recent State election five members of the 
Socialist party were elected members of the New 
York Assembly—all from Greater New York. There 
was nothing unusual about that (in a former year 
11 Socialists were sent to Albany) except that at 
this time the nation is in no mood to play or dally 
with anything savoring of disloyalty. When the 
Assembly organized, its members promptly suspended 
these five Socialists and refused them membership 
until it was demonstrated that they were “fit.” An 
investigation of their recoi'd and the sworn princi¬ 
ples of their party was ordered. The vote suspend¬ 
ing the men was practically unanimous—only two 
members besides four of the Socialists voting against 
it. Later an effort to reconsider this action was 
defeated, 77 to 33. This was practically a vote of 
“up-State” against the big city. Another effort to 
have the Socialists tried before the open and full 
Assembly was defeated, SO to 16. The evidence will 
now be presented before a committee. The suspen¬ 
sion of these Socialists brought out a storm of pro¬ 
test from many leading men on the theory that no 
member should be removed or suspended until the 
charges against him have been openly made and 
legally proved. The leaders who are responsible 
for this act state positively that they can prove that 
these suspended members are guilty of disloyalty, 
if not treason. Until their evidence is presented we 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
have no comment to make about that. The R. N.-Y. 
has no sympathy with those guilty of disloyal acts 
or utterances—whether they be the shrewd villains 
who are actually plotting revolution, or the foolish 
“cranks” who have lost the balance wheel out of 
their brains and the brake on their tongues. This 
is no time for either fool or fire talk in this country. 
People are living too much on their nerves to'inake 
this wild talk safe. The remedies now proposed by 
most of these wild men would be about as safe as 
trying to put out a fire by pouring kerosene on it! 
At the same time we believe in giving c” 0 ’ " nan a 
fair chance under existing laws. If thes > v- lists 
are. either personally or through their party, actually 
plotting to injure or break down this Government, 
they have no business in the New York Assembly 
and should be thrown out. They should, however, 
have a full right to defend and explain their posi¬ 
tion before they are convicted. It would be the 
worst policy one can think of to throw them out 
without regard to their legal rights. That would 
simply make martyrs of them, and drive to their 
support the whole army of sentimental and soft¬ 
headed “cranks” with which every nation seems to 
be pestered. We think the suspension of these men 
ahead of any trial will prove to be a mistake. At 
any rate, the trial should be put through at once. 
Let there be no delay in having a “show-down” so 
that we may all know what the Socialists really 
stand for. 
Price Fixing 
“Artificial fixing of food prices in New York City,” 
said Cyrus Miller, before the city Finance Committee, 
[Reproduced from Detroit News.] 
The candidates practicing at the, movie theaters for 
the campaign. They expect the public to take all 
their antics seriously, but they trill be mistaken 
this year. 
“is a myth.” The committee was hearing arguments 
for a terminal market system for the city. 
A moment later he said dealers do not use their 
own money, but bank money, and, if held too long, 
the banks say “sell,” and the merchant sells. 
The evening papers of the same day carried the 
story that the wholesale price of sugar in New York 
City was 0*4 cents a pound, and housewives were 
obliged to pay as high as 24 cents a pound for it. 
No one bought it on the 0*4-cent basis. Rut without 
the sugar experience Mr. Miller did not seem to 
realize at the time that his second statement refuted 
the first. When speculators hold food by the use of 
bank money they make artificial prices, whether the 
prices are higher or lower in consequence of the 
speculation, and irrespective of loss or gain by the 
speculator. 
Grapefruit Appetite and Milk Salary 
While in New York attending the annual meeting of 
the Dairymen's League I ate breakfast in a Childs 
restaurant. These restaurants have a reputation with 
country people for clean food at reasonable rates. I 
paid 40 cents for a grapefruit which required no labor 
in preparation other than cutting in half and placing 
thereon two spoonsful of sugar. Within a block I saw 
grapefruit on sale of the same size at five cents each at 
retail. More than likely the Childs company buy them 
by the carload at about three cents each. Will you tell 
me if this what is called profiteering, or is it good busi¬ 
ness? I might add that it took five quarts of milk at 
my farm to pay for this one grapefruit in the Childs 
restaurant in New York. I suppose the dairyman has 
no right to cultivate a grapefruit appetite on a milk 
salary. j. r. parsons. 
Madison Co., N. Y. 
On the very day this letter was received the New 
York Fun printed a letter from a Florida man who 
161 
grows grapefruit, in which this statement is made: 
While the wholesale price of grapefruit is so low that 
there are absolutely no returns to the producer in some 
cases, at the hotels and restaurants and on the stands 
the prices were never so high. For example, at 50 cents 
a portion a box of grapefruit for which the hotel is now 
paying less than $3.50 is sold to the consumer at the 
rate of from $30 to $40. Let the people who like grape¬ 
fruit and oranges buy by the box. 
It is true that shippers of citrus fruit have lost 
money on some of their shipments. In every case 
the difference between the final consumer’s price and 
what the grower receives is simply wicked. And 
those who have tried to buy fruit by the box and 
trust to the express companies will hardly take the 
advice in the above note seriously. What the 
growers must finally do is to ship in carload lots 
and do their own distributing here. Remember that 
about 1,500,000 people eat at least one meal each 
day in New York restaurants. 
The Markets of Seattle, Wash., as They 
Look to a Yankee 
Yesterday while going through some of the markets 
here in Seattle, Wash., I thought that some of the 
things we noticed might be of interest to you, if you 
are not already familiar with conditions here. Several 
of the customs in practice here might be adopted with 
advantage by us, and it is more than likely that) some 
of our ways are the better also. 
Anyone who has ever been here will probably re¬ 
member the way Seattle is built on a series of hills 
sloping to Lake Washington on one side and to the 
Sound on the other. To see the cars parked on 
the hilly streets with their noses to the curb and tipped 
over at an angle of nearly 30 degrees makes one wonder 
what might happen if someone should give the top car 
a good push. While at home we notice the passing of 
the horse in the cities, yet here it is still more marked. 
I cannot remember having seen a single horse-drawn 
truck since we have been here, though undoubtedly there 
must be some. Everybody rides his auto these days. 
I* rom First avenue the ground slopes away very rapidly 
to the next street and' the waterfront. In fact, some 
o r the buildings on the lower streets have runways 
from First avenue coming in the rear of the fourth and 
fifth stories, and some of the cross streets are flights 
of steps rather than streets. And it is here that the 
main markets are located, so that you may start on 
First avenue on the ground floor, walk through four 
or five stories of market, and come out still on the 
ground floor on the next street. 
There are a number of markets here. One large one 
is owned by the city, and there seem to be several 
owned privately in which space is rented to different 
firms. That owned by the city lies for about a block 
along the street. In it are booths about 10x20 feet 
and counter space about 5x8 feet'. This counter space 
rents for 10 cents a day—not exorbitant. 
The first difference we noticed was when we went 
to the market about nine in the morning. It seemed 
rather quiet, and we thought) the selling was about over 
for the day, only to be told that we were early and that 
the place was at its best in the afternoon. Just why 
this is so I do not know, bub when we returned about 
three o’clock we found the place crowded. In going 
from booth to booth we both noticed the uniform cour¬ 
tesy and politeness in evidence. Each salesman and 
saleswoman seemed to be glad to see you and to he 
anxious to please—a trait which is not altogether too 
common in some of the markets we have been in in the 
East. 
But the one feature which immediately attracts the 
notice is the magnificent way in which the goods are 
displayed. Practically everything, except' eggs, is sold 
by weight—potatoes, Brussels sprouts, squash, etc. 
Every potato, every carrot, every turnip was scrubbed, 
polished, wiped, cleaned, trimmed and neatly piled. 
Sprouts, beautiful sprouts of uniform size, appeared in 
compact, neat piles. Even the small coast shrimps 
were arranged neatly. Celery had all of the outside 
tops cut off and was thoroughly cleaned. Boxed eggs 
were not in evidence, but we did not see one soiled 
one in any of the numerous piles. Here they divide the 
fresh eggs in two classes—x-anch and pullet—the 
smaller eggs going in the pullet class. All are white. 
Yesterday the retail prices seemed to be 6Sc for ranch, 
63c for pullet, and around 57c for stox*age. The ordi- 
nary apples displayed had the same characteristics as 
those of the East, good, bad and indifferent. After one 
has seen so many of the beautiful boxed ones sen' East 
one thinks that there is nothing else on*- Imre, only to 
find they have just as poor ones as uruauy displayed 
by us. Lettuce had all of the outside leaves removed. 
Beets, turnips, carrots, etc., had the entire top cut off. 
I expect that most of this is because the ai’ticles are 
sold by weight. All the potatoes were scrubbed and 
cleaned. Our marketmen and farmers in the East can 
easily learn a wonderful lesson in display from the 
markets here. 
Practically all of the meat markets have glass show 
cases, with refrigeration pipes running through, and the 
meats are all cut in advance and neatly arranged. 
Even our old friend hamburger—beg pardon—Liberty 
steak, is all frilled aud bedecked until it looks attractive. 
The different, dealers have utilized their refrigeration 
pipes to make various frosted designs, such as initials, 
frames, etc. Many of the farmers seem to have brought 
home-dressed meats to the market with them. Of 
course, at this season of the year the markets are not at 
their best when it comes to display. 
The fruits are attractive, but are no better than ours, 
if as good. Squash is cut in portions as abroad. Prac¬ 
tically every place was immaculate. In talking, it 
semeed as if nearly all of the farmers (ranchers here) 
came from the East, but then here Minnesota and Colo¬ 
rado are East. We met one marketmau from New 
Bedford, Mass. WARREN R. gibes. 
