The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
What Ails the Farmers? 
We have had a number of 'etters daily from peo¬ 
ple who ask this question in various words: 
. '‘What is the matter with the farmers? Last year 
they complained openly and bitterly about conditions, 
and most, of ns thought with ieason. This year we 
do not hear so much from them, though conditions 
are no better. What is rhe matter with them? 
Have they quit their struggle for a fairer share of 
the dollar?” 
There is nothing the matter with the farmer. ITe 
has not “quit” and has no intention of doing so. II« 
is waiting to give the new Administration a fair 
chance to "make good" as far as they can. Last year 
the farmer put his grievance fairly up to the candi¬ 
dates for Congress. The presidential candidates were 
lined up in such a way that Senator Harding was 
sure of election from the firs'-, because of the acts 
of the last Administration. The great fight was 
made on Congressmen. Senator Harding understood 
this early in the campaign. It was made clear to 
him that the new Congress would understand just 
what farmers demand, and he has practically agreed 
to support what Congress will stand for. The farm¬ 
ers made their fight, and we think they have elected 
a Congress that will give them part of what they 
need. They will not get it all. but they have learned 
how to start at least. They made their fight last 
year, and now they are waiting until the new Ad¬ 
ministration can have a chance to show what it will 
do. In England an election like our last one would 
have meant an immediate change in government con¬ 
trol. Under our system it was necessary to wait four 
months for such a change to take place. Now Con¬ 
gress meets with the Republican party in full con¬ 
trol. That party cannot evade responsibility, and its 
leaders cannot say they are ignorant of public opin¬ 
ion and popular demand. Our farmers have written 
their demands upon Congress ir human letters, and 
like good sportsmen they have waited until the new 
Administration can be fairly held responsible. That 
time has now come, and you will hear all you want 
—and perhaps more—from the farmers. We are 
better organized than ever before and we know hot¬ 
ter what to do and how to do it. We also realize 
the need of prompt action. Hie next Congress will 
be elected on the basis of a new apportionment, since 
the last census shows great gain in industrial een 
tors and loss in rural sections. This Congress there¬ 
fore is the one to help us. A majority of its mem¬ 
bers have agreed to do certain definite things for the 
benefit of agriculture. Some of them may try to re¬ 
pudiate their promises, if the politicians think they 
can get “away with it.” but if they do the next elec¬ 
tion will sweep them out of power as completely as 
they were swept in last year. Thus we may say to 
our friends that the farmers are all right. They 
have never dreamed of "quitting.” They have not 
embarrassed the new Administration by criticism be¬ 
fore it could get at work, but you may risk every¬ 
thing you have on the assertion that from now on 
the President and Congress must make good on what 
they have promised. 
Our farmers know that the present system cannot 
be changed all at once. Business is in the condition 
of a sick man who must build up his health through 
a period of convalescence. The American people de¬ 
manded a change in doctors, and they are willing to 
give the new one a chance—but be has got to do 
something, and start it right away, and he has got 
to make the people understand what his treat merit 
is and how it will work out. 
Outlook for Wheat and Cotton 
The Agricultural Department announces thai the 
outlook for the Winter wheat crop is good—at. this 
time promising a larger yield than last year! We 
are frank to say we do not believe Ibis report is 
correct. We think later returns will show greatei 
Winter injury than is now reported. The Spring 
wheat crop seeding promises to be about normal. 
As we have often pointed out. the habit of planting 
is strong among farmers, and while they may talk 
reduction of crops during the Winter, when -Spring 
comes the old instinct spurs them on. In (he South, 
however, there promises to be a reduction of at least 
25 percent in cotton planting. Much of the old crop 
is still on band, and farmers know fliey cannot sell a 
new crop until the old is worked off. Organizations 
among farmers have worked for two things. One is 
t » reduce cotton acreage; the other to increase food 
and fodder crops, home-grown. During the Fall and 
Winter the cotton planter is obliged to settle his bills, 
and in order to do that he must sell his cotton at 
ruinous prices. It seems that most of these bills are 
for “supplies,” such as meat for his family and hay 
and grain for stock. By growing more of these on his 
own farm the farmer avoids many of his hills for 
supplies, and does not have to sacrifice his cotton in 
order to pay. This seems to he the true policy for 
the Southern farmer, yet it is hard to make him 
see Jt. 
In tlie North much the same thing is true of the 
fruit grower. Many men were formerly general 
farmers, producing most of their own food at home. 
As the orchards came into hearing these men became 
specialists, devoting their time entirely to fruit grow¬ 
ing, and buying most of their meat, flour and similar 
food. That has worked well in times of fair prices 
and low cost of food, hut last season the system 
proved disastrous on many fruit farms, where not 
even a garden was planted. This year there will hr' 
a big swing back to the old method of growing more 
food at home. There is quite an argument between 
the “specialists” and the men who think the home 
farm should produce as much of the family food as 
possible. Having tried both plans we came back to 
the practice of feeding the family from the borne 
farm as far as possible. 
Hides, Leather and Shoes 
T road the article about prices of hides. Before the 
war I paid 18c per foot for a side of leather, good strap 
leather. During the war I paid as high as 84c per foot, 
and now. when the hides have no value, I have to pay 
50c per foot. As only part of the side of leather can be 
used, this makes expensive leather. What runs under 
the belly is too soft and stretchy. The price of leather 
is out of proportion to the price of (he hide. A. N. 
Chicago, Ill. 
Tt is true that the price of leather is out of all pro¬ 
portion to the money now being paid for farm hides. 
Two years ago we collected information about the 
relation between hides and shoes. We found that on 
the average 1 lb. of good bide will makt* about 1 sq. 
ft. of leather. Ir requires about 3 sq. ft. of leather 
to make one pair of ordinary shoes. The leather 
used in the soles is. of course, different from that 
used on the uppers, a heavier grade being necessary 
for the soles. On the average, taking hides as they 
run. both light and heavy, about 6 lbs. of hide or a 
trifle over will bo required to provide tlie leather for 
making one pair of shoes. Reports from our readers 
show that many of them are now selling h'des 3 and 
4c per lb., while they are paying .$9 and over for a 
pair of shoes. There seems to he no article on the 
market today wherein the difference between the 
price paid for the raw material and that paid for the 
finished product shows such a wide margin of dif¬ 
ference, as between the hides and the finished shoe. 
As we have often pointed out. one great trouble with 
(he hide market is the fact that for the past few 
years immense quantities of hides have been ini- 
ported from Sooth America and other countries. The 
market has been swamped with these imports. The 
tanners have not made an effort to use all these 
hides. They are evidently making only enough leath¬ 
er to supply ordinary demands. That has piled up 
large quantities of hides in leservo. and this has 
broken the market Then during the war, millions 
of pairs of army shoes were made or contracted for. 
The war came to an end at least one year earlier 
than was expected, and the surplus shoes are being 
sold to the public. This, of course, has interfered 
with the usual trade in shoes and shoe leather. Both 
the tanners and the shoemakers have evidently been 
wise enough to cut down production so as not to 
overstock the market. Thus, they have been able to 
keep up their prices, while farmers, unable to control 
the price of hides, have been practically compelled 
to give them away. 
Another item has also entered into this matter. 
When we entered the war the shoemakers and cob¬ 
blers had almost all disappeared from the large 
towns and cities. There were still a few men at 
work, but the public had practically given up the 
habit of having their shoes cobbled. When one pair 
wore out they simply bought another pair. At that 
time the ash cans in this city were well filled with 
partly worn shoes, which were thrown away when 
the soles were worn through. The war and its high 
taxation has forced economies upon the people. The 
cobblers and shoemakers have come back, and you 
will find them now on almost every block in tliis city. 
The shoes are patched and cobbled as never before. 
This has bad great influence upon the shoe trade, 
and it. lias helped to cut down the demand for leather 
far more than most people imagine. All these things, 
from imports <>f foreign hides to the shoemaker, have 
combined to interfere with the sale of leat her goods, 
and thus to shut off the demand for hides, and of all 
the workers along the line the farmer lias been hit 
harder than any other by this development-. The 
price of the hides which lie lias to sell has been cut. 
down to practically nothing, while the finished leather 
in shoes or harness, which he is forced to buy. is 
about as high as it was during the war. 
629 
Daylight Saving and School Time 
The town near us lias voted to begin daylight saving 
time, and this means starting the schools an hour earlier, 
greatly to the inconvenience of country people who have 
children to send. 1 would like to ask if such action 
would be legal. 1 should say that the schools, because 
they belong to a State system, could be compelled to set. 
their clocks by standard time, no matter what the action 
of the local community. Working back from this as a 
start, it might he possible to hold them to regular stand¬ 
ard time hours and, if not, it would at least serve to 
emphasize the confusion that daylight saving is caus¬ 
ing because the school clocks were set according to time 
that is standard. h. t. d. 
There seems to be some confusion as to just what 
the repeal of the daylight saving law accomplished. 
The law as now amended reads: 
“The standard time throughout the State is that 
of the 75tli meridian of longitude west from Green¬ 
wich.” 
But in addition the law states: 
Sec. 91. Power of certain municipalities in relation to 
fixing standard time in the, municipality. The governing 
Voard of a city or village, by ordinance, may provide that 
at 2 o’clock' ante meridian of a day to be fixed by the 
ordinance not. earlier than the last Sunday in March of 
each year or any year the standard time within the cor¬ 
porate limits of the city or village shall be advanced one 
hour from that of (lie 75th meridian of longitude west 
from Greenwich, and that at 2 o’clock ante meridian of 
a day to be fixed by the ordinance not later than the 
last Sunday of October of the same year such standard 
time, as so advanced, shall be retarded to the mean as¬ 
tronomical time of such 75th meridian west from Green¬ 
wich ; and all courts and public officers of the city or 
village, and legal and official proceedings within the city 
or village, shall be regulated by such ordinance, not¬ 
withstanding the provisions of Section 52 of the general 
construction law. as amended. 
The question is whether the trustees of a school 
district have Hie legal power to change the State's 
Standard time when the local government votes to 
use the new time. Are the schools under State con¬ 
trol to an extent which would prevent the trustees 
from changing the lime of opening? We sent to the 
State Department at Albany and received the fol¬ 
lowing reply: 
T would say that tho trustees or board of education of 
a school district have the power to determine the hour 
of opening and closing school, subject to the general rule 
of the department that schools be in session for at least 
•~V 2 hours each day. Should the trustees of a village 
adopt an ordinance under the provisions of Section 91 
of the General Municipal Law, as added by Chapter 70 
of the Laws of 1921, adopting the daylight saving time 
for (lie village, the school time of the school located 
therein should he regulated accordingly. The trustees 
or board of education having control over such school 
may, notwithstanding, direct that the school open at a 
later hour, as for instance, at 10 o’clock instead of 9. so 
that the effect would be to regulate the hours as for¬ 
merly. although the school time is set in accordance 
with the local ordinance. 
The trustees of a town school will probably claim 
the right, to decide when tho school is to open. If the 
lawyers of the department are right, they can, if they 
wish, overcome the effect of daylight saving by open 
ing the school one hour later than the new time. In 
a district .where daylight saving is opposed that, 
would permit the people to control the board of trus¬ 
tees and thus gel what, they want. 
Direct Trade in Milk 
I want to get. about two cans of milk daily direct from 
the farm. If it runs a little more or less I can use it. 
I want it the year around. The farmer is getting .$2.10. 
It costs me something like $4.65 per 100 lbs. Why a 
difference of $2.55? Why can’t the farmer and I split 
the difference and both be better off, and the consumer 
also? That is one of tho objects of The R. N.-Y. as I 
see it. The milk must he shipped to Homestead Sta¬ 
tion. also known as the Soheutzen Park Station, Secau- 
cus. New Jersey, on the Lackawanna, just above Ho¬ 
boken. w. H. A. 
New Jersey. 
The R. N.-Y. is glad to encourage direct trade 
where it can. Perhaps some dairyman on the Lacka¬ 
wanna road in Northern New Jersey would like to 
make tliis connection. It so, we will forward a let¬ 
ter of application for the trade. We think an even 
share of that $2.55 will look good to the dairyman 
who can supply .just about two cans daily. The milk 
need not be pasteurized but would need to be sani¬ 
tary and of good quality. 
Farmers’ Loss in Milk Bills 
Jacob Max ran :i creamery at Great Bend, I’a., for 
several years. Then he closed the plant and afterwards 
brought William Abramson, who leased the plant and 
received milk from December 15 to January 5. Then he 
telegraphed that he could not get cans, and to hold the 
milk. He has taken none since, but bills are due farm¬ 
ers in the amount <>f about $6,000. I thought perhaps 
you could help us get it. J. A. B. 
Pennsylvania. 
We shall do what we can. but the prospect is not 
encouraging. We find no rating for either of them, 
aiul Mr. Abramson gives no intimation of his inten¬ 
tion to pay the milk bills. Farmers are losing out on 
too many of these milk bills. Satisfactory rating or 
security should be demanded before milk is deliv¬ 
ered, and this should be required by the local organi¬ 
zation. The individual dairyman is not in a position 
to protect himself after the creamery is once in op¬ 
eration. 
