Congressman Gould and the Farm 
Bureau 
Two weeks ago we had some notes on the contro¬ 
versy between Congressman N. .T. Gould and the 
Farm Bureau Federation, in the Thirty-sixth New 
York Congressional District. It ino mere than fair 
to give all sides of such cases. Having printed what 
the New York Farm Bureau had to say, we now give 
space to INIr. Gould's reply. This trouble started 
with a resolution offered by Mr. Gould in Congress, 
calling f or an investigation of the Farm Bureau 
Federation. Mr. Gould claimed that this organiza¬ 
tion was enjoying special privileges, and that its pol¬ 
icy was against the best interests of the public. 
The New York Farm Bureau responded with what 
seemed to us a very mild and inadequate reply. It 
would seem that the members of the Farm Bureau 
are dividing into two quite distinct groups. One 
stands for radical action in business and in politics: 
the other is more conservative and would apparently 
confine its efforts chiefly to educational work. Mr. 
Gould evidently tries to make it clear that his criti¬ 
cism is directed at the radical group, lie says, 
among other things, in his reply to S. L. Strivings, 
president of the New York Farm Bureau Federation : 
Your letter and those of other men who have written 
to me in this connection fail entirely to take into ac¬ 
count two facts that seem to me to he pertinent. One 
is that the Farm Bureaus are the only farmers’ organ¬ 
izations which receive the attention, assistance and co¬ 
operation of the County Agents. This is the testimony 
of Dr. True, the official director of the County Agent 
work hi the United States Department of Agricul¬ 
ture. Yet the County Agents are public officials, paid 
by public funds, tax raised. The question can be fairly 
raised in my own congressional district, where the old 
established order of the Patrons of Husbandry has 
been working for the interests of the farmers and of 
the whole public for longer than I can remember, and 
never serving either fanners or public amiss, why 
these agents whom we pay with our county. State and 
Federal taxes should not work equally with the Grange 
as they do with the Farm Bureaus. Yet Dr. True 
says they cannot, that official instructions have been 
issued forbidding it. and that County Agents have 
been instructed to go into counties and communities to 
organize other farmers' organizations—namely. Farm 
Bureaus—alongside of Granges and other organizations. 
The outcome of this policy cannot be doubted. The or¬ 
ganization whose agent is paid and on the job at all 
times, paid by taxpayers’ money, but functioning for the 
financial and commercial assistance of farmers, will sur¬ 
vive as long as this subsidy comes from the public treas¬ 
ury, and the other farmers’ organizations will, or at 
least they are likely to cease to exist. Then if the tax¬ 
payers should finally decide to cut the hose vMiieli con¬ 
nects this great army of agents from the public treasury, 
agriculture will be without its organizations, built, man¬ 
aged, controlled and maintained by themselves, and ag¬ 
riculture will he but one step nearer the peasantry which 
is the only result if American agriculture does not be¬ 
come self-supporting, self-respecting and able to main¬ 
tain itself. 
Tn addition to this Mr. Gould charges that the 
Farm Bureau Federation proposes to establish a 
form of monopoly through control of wheat and other 
farm products for the purpose of raising prices to 
the public. 
The sentiment of farmers throughout the Thirty- 
sixth District varies. The Farm Bureau members 
are naturally indignant. Here is part of a letter 
which one of them sent Mr. Gould: 
The farmer in any of these organizations that you 
have mentioned is doing nothing more, in fact not as 
much as you business men have been doing for years. 
Is a farmer to be prohibited, after he has grown his 
products, the privilege of selling them? Is it desirable 
economically that 7“* per cent of the wheat should be. 
pushed into the market immediately at the end <»f the 
crop year, forcing down prices, and as soon as it is in 
the hands of the middleman, who performs a service of 
carrying it. that the price shall then advance and the 
dealer secure several times as much in the way of mar¬ 
gin as the farmer .ever receives for growing it? No 
farmers’ organization has ever attempted to restrict 
production. It has attempted to undertake the machin¬ 
ery of marketing, and in that they have the same right 
as a business house to market its own products. 
On the other hand, there is no disputing the fact 
that Mr. Gould lias many friends in the district, who 
feel that there is much truth in what lie says. Some 
of the older members of the Grange feel that the Farm 
Bureau has a 'special advantage in the subsidy or 
bonus it receives from the government. Many town, 
people who belong to the Farm Bureau feel that it 
should keep out of any enterprise which will hurt 
their business, even though it helps farmers as a 
class. There is also a general belief throughout the 
district that certain politicians have set a trap for 
Mr. Gould in order to weaken his influence with the 
farmers. 
Some Class Legislation in Vermont 
All over the Eastern States there seems to he ail 
organized effort on the part of certain city interests 
to belittle and attack farmers and farm interests. 
Perhaps the most remarkable ease of this sort that 
we have seen comes from "Vermont. The editor of 
the Rutland Herald, in a recent speech before the 
Rotary Club 
“warned the members that unless the larger towns in 
Vermont look out, and take steps to fight the influence, 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the farmer representation in the State Legislature will 
be virtually confiscating the property of the town dwell¬ 
ers. He pointed out as an example, the $250,000 ap¬ 
propriation for eradication of bovine tuberculosis in the 
Slate. Rutland doctors had informed him that there 
was no connection between tuberculosis in human beings 
and the same disease in cattle. The measure was solely 
class legislation, he said, furnishing funds directly for 
the farmer with absolutely no direct benefit for those en¬ 
gaged in other occupations. 
"Mr. Hindley advised that a taxpayers’ league be 
formed, the object of which would be to test the consti¬ 
tutionality of that which he termed class legislation.” 
This is a small exhibition of the spite and mean¬ 
ness which is being exhibited by certain city men 
everywhere. The people of Vermont asked the Leg¬ 
islature to appropriate $200,000 annually for two 
years for work In eradicating bovine tuberculosis. 
The Legislature was almost unanimous in passing 
the hill. Everyone understood about it—the matter 
was fully discussed. There was no class legislation 
about it. unless you include all Vermonters in the 
class: The State of Vermont is fully dependent upon 
her agriculture for prosperity. The other New Eng¬ 
land States have great manufacturing interests or 
enormous fisheries, and but limited manufacturing. 
She must look to her agriculture for support to an 
extent not equalled by any other Eastern State. And 
dairying is the form of agriculture best suited to the 
rugged features of Vermont. It is the leading in¬ 
dustry, and the pastures and meadows are the chief 
assets. Dairying brought to Vermont farmers last 
year a total of $27,207,313, and in addition to this 
there were large sales of surplus cattle. 
Thus, dairying is not a small part of the business 
of Vermont people —it is the business of Vermont. 
The State could not live without it. Tt is the foun¬ 
dation upon which Vermont business is built. Wipe 
it out and Rutland would he little more than a rut in 
the land—a collection of empty houses. Therefore, 
to speak of legislation which would benefit this foun¬ 
dation industry as “class legislation’’ is fool talk, for 
dairying helps to butter every biscuit eaten in the 
State. One might expect such an outbreak of sense¬ 
less reasoning in Boston or New York, for there we 
have people so far removed from the farm that they 
cannot he expected to understand, but it. is discour¬ 
aging to. realize that, the germ and bitterness of this 
anti-farmer thought has actually struck into Ver¬ 
mont—the one Eastern State which owes her very 
existence to dairying. 
If would seem as if Ihe merest child ought to be 
able to see that if the State of Vermont can in any 
way reduce the number of tuberculous cows it would 
mean great things for her dairymen, and thus to 
every Vermont citizen. The entire world is now up 
in arms in a hot fight against this disease. The pub¬ 
lic is learning to use more milk, but each year they 
will demand cleaner milk, or milk beyond suspicion. 
The farm, the section and the State which can give 
a clean bill of health for its cows will lead the pro¬ 
cession in providing milk and cattle. Vermont has 
not done anything within the past 50 years which will 
give her more helpful advertising with the rest of 
the country than this evidence that she is willing to 
put up her money to safeguard the foundation of 
her leading industry. Yet here is a small soul calling 
it “class legislation,” and in the same breath calling 
for more class legislation in his “tax-payer’s league.” 
He might perhaps claim that this money will not 
be properly spent, but to rank a business-like proposi¬ 
tion for the entire State as “class legislation” is 
worse than nonsense. 
Statistics on New York Farms 
Dr. George F. Warren of Cornell University has 
issued a statement concerning New York farms and 
farmers. This statement is based on a" survey made 
from reports taken from 3,350 farms. These fig¬ 
ures form the basis for estimation of the entire 
State. Dr. Warren shows that the farm population 
of New York decreased two per cent in the year 
ending February 1, 1921. This decrease was smaller 
than during the two previous years. The largest 
number of persons ever reported as living on New 
York farms was for the census of 1S40. During the 
so years since that time there has been a decrease 
of one-third. In 1917 the State census showed about 
S53.000 persons were living on New York farms. 
Since then the number has decreased l>y about eight 
per cent. This does not represent the “rural” popu¬ 
lation. hut ihe number of people who actually live in 
what is known ns the open country. We must 
remember that the total population of New York 
State is now over ten million. The figures indicate 
that last year 40,000 men and boys left New York 
farms to do other work, while about 10,000 came 
back to the farm from other occupations. Dr. 
Warren says that on the average one farmer in 
every four has both a son and a daughter living in 
685 
the city. In addition many entire families have 
gone to the city. There are now about 22,000 va¬ 
cant houses on New York farms, all of them hab¬ 
itable, a decrease of 2,000 from last year. 
Of the farm operators in New York State, SS per 
cent are natives of Now York, five per cent, come 
from other States, and seven per cent foreign-born. 
It appears that about. 15 per cent of the farmhouses 
have bathrooms and 23 per cent have furnace heat. 
Dr. Warren estimates that on 04 per cent of the 
farms the barns are in fair repair and adequate. 
On 27 per cent, of the barm; extensive repairs are 
needed. He estimates that on only nine per cent 
of these farms would a new barn he a business 
investment, hut the majority of them might well 
he repaired and remodeled. The great needs on 
most farms are lime, phosphorus, drainage, fences 
and improved barns. Practically every farm in 
New York State off the natural limestone soils is 
in need of lime, and also in need of phosphorus in 
some form. It appears that 37 per cent of the 
farms have good natural drainage, but over four 
million acres require tile or stone drains in order 
to make them efficient. Dr. Warren estimates that 
it would cost ninety-five million dollars to drain 
these farms properly. He says that eleven million 
acres in this State require lime, and that it will 
cost ninety-nine million dollars to supply lime enough 
for a proper application. The total area of farm 
land in the State is given at twenty-one million, 
and Dr. Warren estimates that a capital investment 
of three hundred and eight million dollars, or an 
ai era go of $1,4Gi on a farm, would he needed to put 
New 7 ork farms in first-class working condition. 
Prospects For Farm Labor 
b arm labor is apparently as scarce as ever here this 
Spring. Many men are standing around idle in the 
towns, looking for $5 nr $6 a day, but they do not want 
to work in the country, 'fhero is plenty of work which 
needs to he done ; ditches to be dug, fences to build, new 
roofs on houses and barns, painting, mason work, etc. 
I am afraid some will have to starve before they come 
to their senses. j s J 
Orange Go.. N. Y. 
Our reports on the labor situation vary. Tn some 
localities men are coming hack to the farms for 
work, and prices for farm labor have fallen. Men 
Avith families who have lived in town or city for a 
year or more are not satisfied with old conditions of 
living. 1 hey have had most town conveniences, ’and 
will not come back to the ordinary tenant house if 
they can avoid it. The women are quite pronounced 
in this idea. In many cases in the factory towns 
Ihe situation is as described by this correspondent. 
Men will not give up their city life if they can help 
it. Most of them have a little money ahead and 
they wait, hoping for a neAA r job in town. Those of 
us who obtain help must practically “make them a 
present of the farm.” 
Making Farm Contracts 
T HIS year there has bepn an unusual number of 
calls for advice in making a share contract. It 
seems that a good many farmers of middle age are 
taking relatives or friends into partnership— the 
farmer to provide the real estate and most of the 
capital. Wlmt is a fair division in such cases? Of 
course, every share partnership of this sort is a per¬ 
sonal matter. The personalities and abilities of both 
partners must be considered. The farmer must con¬ 
sider the strength and skill and character of his 
helper, and he in turn has a right to consider the 
character and reputation of the farmer. A good rule 
for figuring out such a contract is the following: It 
has worked well in many cases. Consider the propo¬ 
sition divided into three equal parts, representing 
labor, real estate and personal property. By real 
estate we mean land and buildings, while personal 
property would include stock, tools and cash pay¬ 
ments for feed, fertilizer, taxes, etc. These items 
are not always equal, but in many cases they are 
close enough to form a fair basis for figuring. Un¬ 
der this plan one-third of the farm income would 
go to the owner of the real estate, and another third 
to the partner who did the work. The remaining 
third would he divided between the two parties in 
proportion as they put up the personal property. In 
this scheme, in order to insure a half and half divi¬ 
sion. one partner would furnish the real estate and 
the other would perform the labor. They would then 
divide the item of personal property equally between 
them. We have known contracts based on this plan 
to be satisfactory to both parties. It is only offered 
as a suggestion, to be modified in order to suit con¬ 
ditions. Whatever contract you make, however, have 
it in Avriting, and if possible have some responsible 
lawyer draw up the papers. Many business troubles 
result from a failure to make a written contract, or 
one that is not legal. 
