The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1239 
Things To Think About 
Th# objeot of this department is to give readers a chance to express themselves on farm 
matters. Not long: articles can be used—just short, pointed opinions or suggestions. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER does not always endorse what is printed here. You might 
call this a mental safety valve. 
A Community Buying Associations 
I will give our experiences during the 
early Summer of 191S, when we formed a 
community buying association for the 
purpose of buying our Winter’s supply of 
potatoes collectively. Our organization 
represented about 35 families, and we 
were in the market for 150 barrels of po¬ 
tatoes. We started off enthusiastically, 
and conferred unlimited powers on the 
committee appointed to do the buying. 
One of the committee members had farmer 
relatives on Long Island, another had a 
car in which the committee was to make 
its drive against the old II. C. I... and 
on ft beautiful day in .Tune they set forth 
on their mission with nothing in sight to 
dim the rainbow colors of the scheme. 
They motored to the relative farmer and 
laid their plans before him. He smiled, 
and while admitting having a large acre¬ 
age of potatoes planted, made various ex¬ 
cuses to avoid dealings with the commit¬ 
tee. 
This was our plan: To contract for 
150 bids, at the market on a date between 
September 1 and 30; said date to be se¬ 
lected and telegraphed (collect) by farmer 
before 6 P. M. on date selected. Com¬ 
mittee to deposit 50 per cent of purchase 
price at a depository to be named by 
farmer. Farmer to deliver potatoes at 
member’s homes from motor trucks, cost 
of delivery to be added to purchase price, 
and balance of 50 per cent to be paid 
before each truck load was delivered. 
We visited a number of farmers, but 
with one exception all declined to deal 
with the committee on one pretext or an¬ 
other. The exception took our offer under 
advisement, and said we would hear from 
him when he was ready to have contract 
drawn. For some reason we never heard 
from him, and failed to receive a reply to 
a letter we mailed him on the subject. 
We were willing to take a gambler’s 
chance, and all we asked was a square 
deal. The advantages, so far as we could 
see, were all with the farmer, but just 
about the time we were due for answer 
it looked as if the market for late pota¬ 
toes was going ’way up. Had he been a 
good business man. he would have com¬ 
muned with himself thus: “I'll take a 
chance. I may lose a few cents, but it 
will be in a good cause, and if I give these 
people a square deal they will come 
again.” However, I doubt it' he gave the 
cause or the future a thought. Some of 
our neighbors are ready for another try 
at the same thing this year, and I was 
requested to put the matter up to you for 
advice. J. s. 
Maspeth, N. Y. 
Working Too Much Land 
In answer to P. II. Crosby’s question 
iu his letter, page 111(5. “Is there any 
law compelling you to work more land 
than you can work alone?” I say yes; 
there is the law of efficiency. On every 
farm, and more especially on general 
farms in the East, there is always much 
hand work to be done. If one man must 
do this and drive the team or tractor, too. 
the team or tractor will be used a small 
part of the time and its work correspond¬ 
ingly expensive. Hire the work done? 
This brings you into the labor market 
again, and is generally unsatisfactory. 
1 he overhead expenses —-rout and interest 
on investment—remain the same whether 
one or more men are employed. If this 
overhead charge must be taken from the 
returns of only one man’s work, his net 
returns will bo largely reduced. As for 
selling off most of the land, this is not 
an easy thing for a man to do. after hav¬ 
ing spent much of his life in acquiring 
such a farm as he has wanted. We would 
rather hold on, if possible, and let some¬ 
one else quit when demand falls behind 
production. Though farmers often speak 
ot the price of labor being too high. T 
flunk most of us realize that the difficulty 
ls better expressed by saving that the 
average product of a man’s labor on the 
tarin does not. at present prices, bring 
■i return sufficient to pay for tip* man’s 
labor. This applies to both the labor 
tuo tanner and that of the employee. 
Connecticut. Malcolm r. wibkeri.y. 
of 
Profits in Farming 
, A ?. a ,-, new rea der of The R. N.-Y.. I 
like to make a few comments. I 
admire your paper because of its weekly 
■ 'll mention, thereby keeping the farmer 
u iloser touch with weekly events, mar- 
.' . "'Ports, etc. I also like vour edi¬ 
torials and “Publisher’s He 
wio-u u comes to such 
the “Plain Fan 
hue. A few 
s l>t*sk.” Rut 
articles as written 
m Woman.” 1 draw the 
I remarks of her last writing, 
.in as making a certain profit from their 
need questioning, 
d good business judgment to 
f n ‘ake public record 
W V as she 
II “f many farmers. Once in a while 
< reive a big price for their produce. 
van ,, more than usually profitable 
Win m’ ,a * 1S the first thing thev do? 
eireninfS y must tel1 the world, thereby 
far-ninl 1 ^ i !1 -. wr °ng impression as to 
- aud its prolits. If some farmers 
the.v 
or havt 
prices 
does? 
publish 
for crops or 
That is the 
would take a few suggestions from their 
city cousins who are in business, they 
would beuefit largely. When a merchant 
or manufacturer reaps a large return from 
his investment doe#; he make it known? 
No. The farming industry lias too many 
obstacles to overcome without looking for 
new ones. 
I have always lived in the country, and 
am on a farm now. and realize the 
farmer must light for the next few years, 
not merely waiting for someone’s gener¬ 
osity if he is to exist. How much atten¬ 
tion is paid him by our Legislature and 
Congress? He is the recipient of many 
promises at election time, but few ma¬ 
terialize . The farmer must organize 
and make his power felt. He must spe¬ 
cialize more in farm work. He must 
breed better stock. He must have better 
credit. Our present Government Loan 
system for the farmer does not fill his 
needs, and even that is likely to be held 
up if certain forces have their way. 
He must have better roads, not merely 
on the main thoroughfares, but leading 
in all directions, so as to give the back- 
road farmer a better deal. “Plain Farm 
Woman” seems to think that only the 
farmers, near the main roads or villages 
will be in existence in tin* future to sup¬ 
ply the world’s needs. Why is this the 
greatest and richest country on earth 
today? . Because of the stamina and hard 
work of our forefathers, who not merely 
settled near villages and railroads, hut in 
the hills and valleys also of these United 
States. m. f. ir. 
New York. 
Residence in a School District 
Several readers say they own property 
located iu two different school districts. 
They , pay taxes in both districts. In 
one district there is a very poor school, 
while in the other the school is much 
better. They want to know if they have 
a right to send their children to either 
school, since they pay taxes to support 
both. There has been so much trouble 
over this point that we referred tin* mat¬ 
ter to Albany and now have tin* following 
reply direct to one such case: 
“You have a legal right to send your 
children to the public school maintained 
in the district in which you reside. If 
you send them, however, to the school 
maintained in some other district, school 
authorities or board of education of such 
other district would have a legal right to 
charge you tuition if the board so elects. 
The fact that you may pay taxes iu two 
districts or any number of districts would 
not afford you the privilege of sending 
your children to a school maintained even 
in a district in which you pay taxes, if 
yon are not a resident of said district, 
without payment of tuition, if school 
authorities of such district require same.” 
A Montana Man on Eastern Farms 
T was very much interested in the ar¬ 
ticle bv A. B. Genung. and think he takes 
the right stand in warning Western men 
to beware in buying land in the East. I 
am considering coming to New York my¬ 
self. and from some of the literature I 
get from real estate men you would tliiuk 
that eve y farm in the State was a para¬ 
dise. and a sure road to wealth. 
. Valier, Mont. l. g. b. 
There are many of us who believe that 
the upper Atlantic slope is home—and 
that is the best place to live. Still, we 
fully understand that it is no “paradise.” 
but a section for hard work and more or 
less, trouble. There is no sense iu de¬ 
ceiving Western people, who think thev 
see great opportunity here. Thev will 
fil'd a chance to work and save, but they 
will have their trials and disappointments 
in good measure until thev learn how to 
farm and operate here. We want good, 
contented farmers, but there are enough 
disappoiuted citizens here now. 
Trespass and Trout Streams 
What is the law in regard to streams 
running through one’s property? A fish¬ 
erman was along today fishing iu a little 
stream that runs through my farm. He 
said trout streams belonged to the State, 
and that I could not stop anyone fishing 
in them if the fisherman walked on the 
bed of the stream. He also said I could 
not dam the stream unless I left a place 
for the trout to go up or down. w. e. o. 
Ballston Spa, N. Y. 
A property owner has a constitutional 
right to post his property forbidding tres¬ 
pass thereupon for any purpose whatever. 
If posted in accordance with the pro¬ 
visions of Article 11 of the Conservation 
Law. the owner may then, where a tres¬ 
pass is committed, collect exemplary dam¬ 
ages to the amount of $25 for each offense 
or trespass, to be recovered by the owner 
of the lands, in addition to which lie may 
collect for the actual damage committed. 
Further, the persou trespassing on prop¬ 
erly posted land, as provided by the above 
section commits a misdemeanor for which 
this commission has authority to prose¬ 
cute. The only exception to the above is 
that where the State lias stocked a stream 
with the knowledge and consent of the 
owner, the owner cannot collect exemplary 
damages, even though the land is posted 
in accordance with the provisions of the 
Conservation Law. li.ewellyn lexige. 
N. Y. Conservation Commission. 
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A new way to figure it 
Take a pencil and paper in 
one hand, and put down the 
cost per gallon. Take a brush 
and a half pint can of any 
paint Now paint the side of 
your barn as far as the paint 
will go. Then measure the 
space, and mark it down. 
Now take a half pint can of 
Lowe Brothers’ Barn Paint, 
and do. the same thing. In 
doing it, compare the ease 
with which Lowe’s spreads on, 
and how thoroughly it covers. 
Take particular notice of how 
you can brush it out so much 
farther than the other paint. 
Now measure the space 
Lowe’s covered. Compare in 
with the other. 
Then consider the reputation 
of Lowe’s, with its half a cen¬ 
tury of paint making back of 
it, to back it up. After which, 
if you don’t paint all your 
barns with Lowe Brothers’ 
Barn Paint, it will be because 
of some reason all your own, 
that you don’t want as good a 
paint as your money will buy. 
Lowe Brothers’ Barn Paint 
is sold by the one best dealer 
in each town. Send to us for 
some eye-opening paint facts 
and figures. They save you 
money. 
^' <t j£xjWQ BrothQrs Company* 
510 EAST THIRD STREET, DAYTON, OHIO 
Boston Now \ ork Jersey City Chicago Atlanta Kansas City Minneapolis Toronto 
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3S5S5SBSSS5S5S5S5S5S5SSS5S5SSS 5S5S5S5S5Sassg g ^ gggg 
FARQUHAR CIDER PRESS 
This Hydraulic Press will work up your 
apple cull into profitable cider. You can also 
make money pressing for your neighbors. 
Our high pressure construction gets 
all the juice with minimum power and 
operating expense. Sizes 15 to 400 
barrels a day, suitable for 
individual and merchant 
service. 
Illustrated Catalog 
free on request. 
A. B. Farquhar Co- 
Ltd.. Box 130, 
York, Pa. 
Wa also males 
Englnss and Boil¬ 
ers. Sawmills, 
Thresftars, Implements, eta, 
Writa tor desorlotlons. 
Jack Dempsey, Himself 
couldn’t score a knockout over the old H. C. of L anr 
quick er r> r better than we are doin- it. I.ook t h. over for » 
REAL VALUE. A genuine Goodyear 
welt. Brown Canvas Shoe with 
. either Neolin or leather soles, the 
, ' Veolin Guaranteed bv the Good¬ 
year Tire and Rubber Co.—and 
I leather innersote and toepiece. 
The postage is prepaid and 
your money refunded if you 
are not satisfied. Join 
ranks of those who 
saying some shoe : 
ORDER NOW—Dais, 
Meant OisippointnaL 
Ban-'c Refer men . 
Brockton 
S'atvmat BonJk 
Men’s - $3.95 
Boys’ - - 3.50 
Little Men’s 2.95 
The B. B. Shoe Co., 47-49-51 Centre St.. Brockton, Mas,. 
Several Hundred Ohio Farms 
For Sale 
W E are offering several hundred of the best farms in 
Ohio at prices that are low in comparison to the 
value of the property and tne income assured purchasers. 
These farms are a part of the Miami Conservancy' Dis¬ 
trict, which' is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio, 
and represent a surplus acreage that we own in the 
Miami Valley. 
Rich silt loam top-soil deposits make this land very pro¬ 
ductive—practically inexhaustible. 
It is our earnest desire to bring more good farmers to this 
community, which lies within a thirty mile radius of 
Dayton. Quick markets are available by rail, interurban 
and highway. 
Wo Would Like to Send You Booklets Giving De¬ 
tailed Information. Just Address “Farm Division" 
THE MIAMI CONSERVANCY DISTRICT 
DAYTON. OHIO 
