New York Federation of Agriculture 
The New York Federation of Agriculture will hold 
the first farm convention of the coming season. The 
date is set for December 9 and 10, 1920, to be held 
in Rochester, N. Y. A comprehensive program has 
been outlined and some speakers of national repute- 
have been engaged. It is expected that. Governor- 
elect. Miller will be one of the speakers. 
One of the features of the convention will be to out¬ 
line and define an agricultural policy for the State on 
the subjects of transportation and general distribu¬ 
tion. In this all the farm organizations of the State 
are invited to take part. This purpose is to bring out 
accurate information, full discussion of the prob¬ 
lems and to form a policy based on the sound judg¬ 
ment. There is great need in the State for this work 
at this time, and the opportunity is presented for a 
State-wide constructive program. 
Judge Miller is Elected Governor 
Two days were required to settle the election of 
Governor in New York. In all the history of this 
country it is doubtful if any man ever received a 
greater personal tribute than that given to Governor 
Alfred E. Smith. While Senator Harding carried 
the State by more than one million majority, Gover¬ 
nor Smith made a great gain and ran about 70,000 
behind Judge Miller. Tt was a great personal tribute 
—something never before heard of in American poli¬ 
tics—and even those who bitterly opposed the Gov¬ 
ernor must admit the wonderful personal power of 
the man. It was largely a contest between New 
York City and the country—and the latter won. 
Judge Nathan L. Miller, the -new Governor, can¬ 
not be unmindful of this great vote as he enters 
upon the duties of his oilice. It may well remind 
any man of the growing power of the independent 
voter. The New York Times, a supporter of Gover¬ 
nor Smith, says: 
Judge Miller is a man of high character and 
ability. He will make as good a Governor as the 
Republican Legislature will let him. 
That is probably true. In the past the New York 
Legislature, while made up of many excellent men, 
has been controlled by some of the meanest and most 
contemptible politicians ever bred in this country. 
These politicians have been able to control the 
political actions of men who are greatly their 
superior in character and ability, and they have thus 
dictated the policy of the Governor and the depart¬ 
ments. Before the election we told our readers that 
their hope lay in the Legislature through the election 
of men who would stand up for common rights. We 
think there will be more farmers and more genuine 
friends of farmers in the coming Legislature than in 
any previous one. We think there will be men who 
will stand up and fight the politicians when such a 
fight is needed. We notice for one thing that Judge 
Miller says he shall advise a repeal of the primary 
laws. We shall wait and see what he proposes. If 
it means a wrecking of the present law we shall 
fight the proposition with all the force we can get 
together. 
A Few Remarks About Mr. McCann 
I would like to ask you some questions to be answered 
in The Rural New-Yorker in regard to a Mr. McCann 
of the New York Globe. Who is Alfred W. McCann? 
Why is he so much in sympathy with farmers? Has 
he ever been a farmer, and who pays for all his propa¬ 
ganda? Finally, why has Mr. McCann kept all his 
information and sympathy for the fanner so long under 
cover and not revealed it until October, 1920? 
New York. j. x. 
We have already briefly referred to the McCann 
effusions on two occasions, hut it. is not our purjxjse 
to flatter him with lengthy comment. We refused 
his advertising copy over the name of Nestles Food 
Company because our standing policy is to print 
nothing in this paper in any column that is not in 
our judgment consistent with the best interest of the 
farm. His copy did not measure up to that standard, 
and besides, we did not want to accept their money 
knowing that their purpose was not sincere, and that 
we would continue to criticize them. We have pub¬ 
lished advertising in good faith, and had reason to 
criticize the advertising under the light of experi¬ 
ence; but the advertising is in such cases always 
discontinued. 
Mr. McCann is simply earning a living in his own 
way, writing for a city paper and doing what he can 
for the milk trust. He has done some work of merit. 
That is necessary as a camouflage for the real work 
he has always done for the milk trust. They could 
do the physical work themselves, but that would 
show the source, and they must have some appear¬ 
ance of independent public initiative. No citizen, 
and certainly no dairyman with a good memory, will 
be influenced in any way by Mr. McCann or bis milk 
•P* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
trust employers. All through the 1916 milk fight he 
heaped abuse on the farm cause. He has always 
opposed everything that promised relief for producer 
and consumer, and always supported everything that 
helps the milk trust. 
This, however, is not Mr. McCann’s first display of 
interest in the farmer. In 1917 he wanted farmers 
to support the Wicks- bill and to defeat the Towner 
bill. We were told at the time from two different 
sources that he sent a man up-State to find some 
way to destroy the confidence farmers had in The 
Rural New-Yorker, and the Department of Foods 
and Markets, as it was then conducted. The man 
who undertook the job says that he worked under 
the direction of Mr. McCann and the attorney of 
the Wicks Committee; that he met with no success, 
and that the money to pay his salary and expenses 
came from the milk trust, and that it was paid to 
him by McCann in a saloon in New York in the 
presence of another man who worked for Borden’s 
and also for McCann’s paper. 
We do not think that McCann ever was or ever 
will be a farmer. Anyway, he is working for the 
milk trust now, and has done so for four years. 
There is an intimate relation between his paper and 
the Borden Company. 
This is more space than Mr. McCann and his case 
deserve in a farm paper. It looks to us as if the 
trust had put this recent propaganda entirely in his 
hands, and it would seem that the trust made a 
liberal investment, on which they can never draw 
any dividends. The only influence the propaganda 
would have on farmers would be to incline them to 
do the things he advised them not to do. 
The milk trust sometimes presents a gloved hand, 
but from years of control it has acquired the habit 
of antagonism- to the dairyman, and the talon is 
always concealed beneath the silken-covered hand. 
McCann is simply an incident. 
Notes From the Dairymen’s League 
A recent bulletin of the Dairymen's League re¬ 
leased to publishers announces the sale of the 
November milk at $3.65 per 100 pounds, with the 
usual zone and fat differentials, and with the pro¬ 
vision that the fluid milk dealers keep all of their 
plants open during the month. The Borden Company 
held out for a time on the ground that they desired to 
close 32 of their fluid milk plants. The board took 
a firm and emphatic stand that all the plants ship¬ 
ping milk be kept open or no milk from any of them, 
and the terms were accepted. 
The bulletin also announces that there were on 
October 25, 20,746 signed co-operative contracts in 
the League office. This included 4,000 received be¬ 
fore the present campaign began. There were 1,100 
more contracts in the hands of secretaries in the 
field, and the League directors have voted that the 
pooling will start when 50,000 members have signed 
the contracts. The progress of the work promises 
that within a short time there will be enough signa¬ 
tures to start the pooling operation. 
The gravest trouble which the dairymen are fac¬ 
ing at the present time is the great financial loss of 
the thousands of members who have now no good 
market for their milk sipee the manufacturers 
ceased to accept it. These members have been keep¬ 
ing their milk at home, or separating it and ship¬ 
ping cream, or selling it to the butter and cheese 
factories. This has been a heavy 1os>. but there are 
thousands of them who cannot continue to do busi¬ 
ness this way very much longer. They will either 
have to sell their cattle, as some of them have 
already done, or make arrangements to get their 
milk upon the fluid market. The fact that many of 
the fluid dealers want to close at least a part of their 
plants show that this movement of the milk, which 
was formerly manufactured, toward the fluid mar¬ 
ket has already begun. 
The League Board of Directors, the bulletin says, 
has voted to move the main office of the League from 
New York City to the city of Utica, N. Y, The 
League Co-operative Association has taken a similar 
action. The chief reason for moving the office was 
economy, as the saving on office space and clerks to 
be gained by doing business in a smaller c ; ty will 
amount to many thousands of dollars a year. 
Potato Rot in New York State 
There has been considerable complaint of rot in the 
potato crop this Fall. In some districts the disease 
is quite bad, while in others it has not appeared 
seriously thus far. Our reports from Dutchess 
County this year indicate a record crop. The loss 
from rot is not figured over 10 per cent. Deducting 
such losses, the yield will still he considerably higher 
than the average crop. 
1741 
From Clinton County comes the report of quite 
serious trouble with the rot. It varies from little 
or nothing to nearly a total loss of the crop. Spray¬ 
ing has largely prevented this trouble, but on the 
whole there will be a considerable loss in the entire 
county. 
In Orleans County some fields rotted with a loss 
of 10 to 15 per cent in yield. In other cases, espe¬ 
cially where spraying was done, there seems to be 
little if any trouble. On the whole, there will be 
a loss from this disease. 
In Allegany County there has been a heavy yield 
this year where the fields were well cared for. The 
potato rot is quite general. In some eases the per¬ 
centage of rotten tubers will run up to 40 per cent. 
In the great majority of cases the loss is figured at 
about 10 per cent. The warm weather has been 
unfavorable for keeping potatoes, and there will he 
some loss from this cause. 
Reports from Columbia County show that the 
potato - rot is quite heavy. Some growers report the 
loss of nearly half their crop. 
Onondaga County reports a great loss from rotted 
potatoes. At least one-quarter of the crop has 
already gone. The rot disease has been quite gen- 
eial, although worse on the heavier soils in the 
southern part of the county. While the season has 
been favorable, and many record yields have been 
made, the rot through Central New York will bring 
the total crop down to normal or a little below. 
That Fur-Bearing Sheep Case 
Some time back reference was made to a claim 
against the State of New York by the American 
Karakul Sheep Company of Syracuse, N. Y., of 
which- Frank E. Dawley is president and treasurer, 
for death and damage to Karakul sheep chased, 
worried and killed by dogs. In all four claims were 
filed, as follows: 
December 15, 1917. $3,097 
August 5, 1918. 4,718 
September 26, 1918. 1.120 
June 13, 1918. 7,150 
The total claim was.$16,085 
The claim was reduced by the Commissionei of 
Agriculture. The company made an appeal, to the 
court, and Judge Harold J. Herrman has allowed the 
first three claims, amounting to $7,150; and disal¬ 
lowed the fourth for $8,933. 
Karakul sheep are valued particularly as fur¬ 
bearing animals, and the damages were estimated 
on this basis. The State contends that claims should 
be based on the value of sheep for wool and meat, 
hut the court seems to have interpreted the law to 
allow the full value for any purpose, and if the peo¬ 
ple of the State want it different they must change 
the law. 
The American Karakul Sheep Company is now in 
the hands of a receiver. It was promoted some years 
hack by Mr. Dawley, and the sheep were kept on his 
farm near Fayetteville. When launched the com¬ 
pany was to make everyone rich who went into it. 
and The Rural New-Yorker was criticized at the 
time because it could not boost the enterprise and 
encourage farmers to subscribe for the stock. The 
liabilities of the company were given at $106 509. 
Mr. Dawley is one of the inspectors employed by the 
Department of Farms and Markets to pass on sheep 
claims. It will he recalled that Governor Hughes 
demanded his resignation from the Agricultural De¬ 
partment because of bis record in the famous Jersey 
cattle case in which Dawley was expelled from the 
Club on evidence that he had registered grade cattle 
and sold them under pedigrees as purebred stock. 
A New Ruling on Cider 
There has been much confusion over the internal 
revenue laws regarding the manufacture and sale of 
cider. William M. Williams, the Commissioner of 
Internal Revenue, has now issued an amended regu¬ 
lation which states: 
Six*. 36. Sweet eider containing less than one-half of 
1 per cent of alcohol by volume may be manufactured 
and sold without the necessity of obtaining permit, pro¬ 
vided such product is put up and marketed in sterile 
closed containers, or is treated by the addition of ben¬ 
zoate of soda, or other substance which will prevent 
fermentation, in such proportion as to insure the alco¬ 
holic content remaining below one-lmlf of 1 per cent of 
alcohol by volume. The responsibility for keeping the 
alcoholic content below such percentage rests upon the 
manufacturer, and in any case where cider is found 
upon the market containing alcohol in excess of the ak 
lowed percentage the burden of proof shall be upon the 
manufacturer to show that such liquid contained less 
than one-half of 1 per cent of alcohol by volume at the 
time it wn« manufactured or sold by him, or withdrawn. 
