1059 
Professor Charles H. Royce 
Information of the passing of our old friend. 
Prof. Charles II. Royce of Cornell rnlversity. comes 
to us with startling abruptness and brings with it 
a burden of pain and sorrow. Ilis death is reported 
as due to a fall from a sealfold used to repair a silo 
on his farm near Ithaca. A broken rib pierced the 
lung, and ultimately caused his death. 
Prof. Royce graduated from the Cornell Agricul¬ 
tural College in 1802, and pursued his studies in 
dairying for a time with Prof. P.abeoc-k in Wiscon¬ 
sin. He then spent some years as superintendent 
of large farm estates. These included the Lord 
farms at RriarelilY. X. V.: KUerslie. the noted stock 
farm of Levi P. Morton at RliineclifT. X. V.. and the 
Waddington farm, owned by lion. Earl W. Oglesby 
at Wheeling. W. Ya. After 28 years of this practical 
work he returned to Cornell and accepted a profes¬ 
sorship of extension animal husbandry, which he 
occupied successfully up h> the time of his death. 
Prof. Iioyce was not a conspicuously brilliant 
scholar, nor a natural genius. lie worked for all 
l.(' got, hut he was an intelligent student, lit* had 
a practical mind, anti he was a tireless worker, lie 
came from good stock, was honest t<> tin* core and 
developed a broad human comprehension. Earnest¬ 
ness anti sincerity were perhaps his dominating 
traits. Whatever he did seemed to him important 
and demanded his best. The record of his life in 
agriculture is an inspiration for the average boy of 
tht* farm who has intelligence and character, perse¬ 
verance and capacity for hard work. 
Charley Iioyce. as we familiarly called him. was 
horn on a Sullivan County farm near White Luke. 
X. Y.. in 1866. lie was some years the junior of 
the writer, but both attended the red school house at 
the crossroads midway between their farm homes, 
and during the 80’s, together learned the hard lessoji 
of farm economies enforced hy the agricultural de¬ 
pression of that time. Friendship through all the 
years has been mutual, and the news of his passing 
has tinged the day with a feeling of lingering sorrow. 
An Excellent Statement of Southern 
Conditions 
Your iuquiiy deals with a condition which is of vital 
concern t<> the South and to nil the natimi as well, and 
though I deplore the tendency of the daily papers toward 
sensationalism, I nevertheless hope that mit of it may 
come an awakening, and hi that end the searchlight <>f 
publicity will help. I am located in Madison County. 
2% miles north of Huntsville, the county seat, and 25 
miles from the Alabama-Tennessee State line. I have 
14 tenants. 12 colored and two whites, in addition to 
my regular force of wage hands. I live on the farm 
and grow my own meat, wheat, corn. etc. Eaeh family 
has a cow. hogs, chickens and a garden. They an* 
typical for 'this part of the State. Madison is the lead¬ 
ing farming county in point of production of cotton and 
corn and total money value of all crops. 
The staple diet of the Southern tenant is pork, corn- 
meal. flour and molasses, coffee and milk. The thrifty 
ones have eggs, chickens, milk, butter and vegetables 
the year around, but that is not the average. Take the 
average John Smith of either color, lie rents 20 acres 
of land, lb* has bis own team and tools, and in some 
sections of the South he pays as rent one-fourtli of 
cotton and one-third of all other crops; in other sections 
one-half of all crops; or he rents for cash at from $8 
to ,810 per acre, payable after harvest. < >n part crop 
plan John supplies man and animal labor, implements, 
three-fourths, two-tliirds or oue-lialf of seed, fertilizer, 
ginning, baling, etc*., and the landlord supplies land and 
his proportionate share of the other costs. John plants 
10 to 12 acres to cotton, one-half to two acres to 
sorghum or ribbon cane, about one-eighth of an acre to 
sweet potatoes, and the balance to corn, with a small 
acreage to some hay crop. Spring oats, followed b.v peas 
or some other combination, when John has his own 
team. 
John must have help in the form of advances of 
supplies beginning about January of eaeh year. He 
arranges with a credit merchant in the nearest town, 
who agrees to furnish him until crops are “laid by." 
usually about July 15. The merchant takes a chattel 
mortgage on John's share of the prospective crop and 
on his personal property, including tin* cat. The mort¬ 
gage is recorded, but of course is subservient to the 
landlord’s claim for rent unless the claim is waived in 
writing, as is sometimes done. If the landlord does the 
advancing much the same process is followed, but lie 
has a statutory lien on the crops for rent and advances 
without any written instrument. John must pay from 
20 to 80 per cent interest for the privilege of living on 
the future. 
I have gone a long way around to answer your 
questions, but only by getting an insight into the system 
back of cotton production can you judge of conditions 
as a whole, and frankly, from my own observations as 
well as my knowledge of general farming practice in 
this State. I know the newspaper stories, despite official 
denial, are not all fiction, though conditions are by no 
means as bad as pictured. 
I have just returned from a cross-country trip through 
V>t RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Madison. Marshall. Elowah and Calhoun counties, about 
a third of the length of the State. Drought has greatly 
injured all crops, and gardens have been practically 
wiped out. Crops are clean, and there is greater diver¬ 
sification of crops than there has been for years past, 
and on the whole the crop outlook was fair to good, 
some sections getting more rain than others. I took tin* 
same trip at about the same time last year, and where 
Mrs. Smith wore shoes and stockings and good clothes 
then and looked happy and contented 1 saw her this 
time, not once, but many times, without even shoes, and 
in general presenting a much lowered state of living. 
Such things among tin* colored women do not excite 
comment, and there is too much slovenliness born of 
conditions among the whites, and you see it even m the 
best of years, but I saw enough on this trip to know it 
was necessity and not slovenliness altogether. 
The immediate cause of, present conditions is the 
economical situation and the drop in cotton prices. 
Advances have been cut to the lowest in years, and.the 
present crop is being made oil greatly reduced rations 
as compared with the last lew years. Last year's debts 
for the most part have been carried over to this year, 
and the landlord and merchant and hanker are advanc¬ 
ing only the barest necessities, and that only in the 
smallest quantity, for two years must come out of this 
crop as far as possible. The average tenant is not 
accustomed to making a good garden and properly 
earing for chickens, cows and hogs. Tn fact, his lack 
of hustle and thrift in that regard is one of the roots 
of ltis present ills. The basic cause ol present conditions 
is the system of farming and marketing—or rather lack 
ol system. Diversification is more widely practiced 
than is commonly realized, but cotton production is 
stressed alike by landlord, merchant and banker, and 
as a consequence real soil building rotation is seldom 
practical and scant heed is paid to the production of 
food for home and animals, and over a large part of the 
cotton belt the crops an* made on credit at interest 
rates that would lie prohibitive to one not forced by 
circumstance to accept them. 
You can well see how. under such a system, in a year 
such as this, there is bound to be some want, and how 
it can he stretched into the sensational hy some of the 
daily papers. The remedy lies with the South itself, 
and conditions will change just as soon as we stop 
waiting for tleorgo to do it and do it ourselves. Co¬ 
operation has made great headway this year. 
With in the past month I have been practically all 
over this county, and within six weeks I have been 
through nine counties of the State, picked tip fanners 
and talked to them and seen them and their families 
along the way. and nowhere in this section and the 
northern half of this State have I seen any want or 
suffering so far as food was concerned. 
Alabama. REl'llEX CHAPMAN. 
New Jersey Poultrymen Organize Co¬ 
operatively 
Early in 11)21 the poultrymen of New Jersey realized 
that marketing conditions for poultry products were 
decidedly unfavorable and that something must be done 
to remedy' this. Local dealers were offering 5 to 10 
cents less for a dozen eggs than Xew York prices, and 
unsatisfactory dealings with Xew York commission men 
were common. To illustrate what the producers were 
up against one of them sent four crates "f broilers 
from Lakewood to a commission house in West Wash¬ 
ington Market, and a man from I akewood went directly 
In this commission house and bought these four crates 
of broilers upon arrival for 60 cents per pound and 
brought them back to Lakewood by truck. This lot of 
broilers weighed 100 pounds net. and the commission 
house returned 55 cents per pound to the shipper, less 
expressage and commission, keeping !> cents per pound, 
or $0.05 more than he was entitled to. Xo doubt the 
same thing was going on with egg sales. 
Added to this, the New Jersey producers could see 
hundreds of carloads of Pacific coast eggs sold on the 
Xew York markets at as high or higher prices than 
could be obtained for those produced on nearby farms. 
Prices were falling fast, and markets were generally 
overstocked. These conditions combined to create a 
feeling among poultrymen that something must be done, 
so a resolution was passed by the Ocean County Poultry 
Association at Toms River favoring some sort of a 
co-operative selling plan, which the State association 
was asked to start by appointing an organization com¬ 
mittee of poultrymen from all parts of the State. This 
committee instigated one of the most progressive move¬ 
ments which has taken place among poultrymen in a 
long time by organizing the New Jersey Poultry Pro¬ 
ducers’ Association along tho same lines that have been 
followed so successfully by the Poultry Producers of 
Central California, the Oregon Poultry Producers’ As¬ 
sociation and the Poultry Producers of Western Wash¬ 
ington. Although this association is not as yet doing 
business, the organization has been completed and the 
15 directors wore selected July 20. Fourteen of these 
directors were selected by the producers from among 
themselves and one was selected by the State Board of 
Agriculture, w ho represents the interests of the general 
public. The affairs of the association are therefore 
governed by the board of directors elected by the mem¬ 
bers. In other words, the members of tin* association 
govern themselves and reap all the profits there is in 
the business. The owners of about 850.000 laying hens 
have already signed the agreements to pool their eggs 
and sell them to the best advantage for all concerned, 
and arrangements are fast maturing for starting the 
actual business of selling the eggs from this large num¬ 
ber of liens co-operatively. 
This is a non-profit co-operative association, without 
capital stock, organized under the laws of the State of 
New Jersey. Each member pays an entrance or organi¬ 
zation fee of $10. and a working fund is established by 
each member paying $10 for each 100 hens kept. This 
is based on the capacity of his plant at the time of 
signing the agreement. This, however, is not entirely an 
expense, as members receive six per cent interest on 
this money and a prorated interest in the working 
capital remaining after expenses are paid. 
What are the advantages to be gaiued b.v an associa¬ 
tion of this kind? At the present time practically all 
the eggs which come onto the New York market packed 
in standard grades in such a manner that they can be 
purchased b.v the retailer or consumer at their “face 
value” without opening the cases or looking at them, 
come from the Pacific coast, so it is planned to put 
these eggs which are produced right here within a few 
hours’ ride of New York City on the market in such 
perfect condition that critical buyers will be assured of 
the exact grade which they are looking for and that 
these eggs will be absolutely fresh when placed on the 
market—much fresher than it is possible to market the 
Pacific coast eggs here. Tn other words, they will be 
able to command the very highest prices and attract the 
host class of trade. The producers realize that this is 
something which cannot be accomplished individually, 
hut it can he accomplished co-operatively, provided 
every one works for tin* good of all and the business is 
conducted houestly and intelligently. The fact that the 
officers and directors of this association were elected by 
the poultry producers in recognition of their high busi 
ness standing in the communities in which they live 
ought to be sufficient proof of its future efficient man¬ 
agement. ' . 
The rules of the association provide for the reselling 
of all eggs and paying the producers the net proceeds 
hut the association is forbidden to make any profit 
after costs of operation and overhead has been deducted, 
itself. The association has the power to handle the 
eggs in any maimer if sees lit. It can establish receiving 
and packing stations, selling offices, warehouses, plants, 
marketing, statistical or other agencies in any place 
where needed. 
Some of the most important rules of the association 
provide that the producer shall deliver to or upon the 
order of tin* association daily or semi-weekly, to such 
point as may lit* designated by the association, all of 
tin* eggs produced for him in the State of New Jersey 
during the years 11)21, 1022. 1023 and until July 1. 
1024. that he intends to sell during this time, except 
that In* has the right, to use or sell eggs for hatching 
or for immediate neighborhood consumption. In order 
that everyone shall receive fair and impartial treatment 
all eggs will be pooled hy grade, eaeh producer receiving 
payment for the grade or grades which he delivers. The 
association is to make rules and regulations and provide 
inspectors to standardize the quality, method and man¬ 
ner of handling, packing and shipping of eggs for any 
purpose, and the producer agrees to observe and per¬ 
form such rules and regulations prescribed by the 
association. 
The producers agree to deliver eggs which will con¬ 
form to the standard regulations as to quality and 
otherwise that may be prescribed by the State and 
Federal authorities, or the association, and every pro¬ 
ducer who brings eggs of an inferior grade or quality 
which may cause loss or expense to the association shall 
have such loss or expense charged against his returns 
at the discretion of the association. In this manner it 
is planned gradually to improve the average quality of 
tht* deliveries hy showing the producers the difference 
in price secured for eggs of the different grades until 
.Tersev eggs will command the highest prices on any 
market. c. 8. GREENE. 
Manufacturing the Farmer’s Wools 
Some time ago a salesman representing a wool com¬ 
mission firm in Boston, in commenting on the growth 
of the movement whereby the sheep growers are under¬ 
taking to market their wools co-operatively, stated that 
in his opinion the movement could not succeed because 
“the farmers could not keep books.” This was not a 
very tactful commentary on the intelligence of the 
farmers in this age. and still it reflects a not uncommon 
opinion that is held by those who have been engaged in 
doing the farmer and most of his business. (Jradually 
the old order is changing, disconcerting though this maj 
be to some. 
It seems radical enough for sheep growers to presume 
that they have sufficient business ability to attempt to 
market their products direct to the manufacturers, but 
the height of presumption, according to some critics, is 
almost reached in their recent undertaking to manu¬ 
facture some of tlieir own wools and sell the finished 
product. “Ain’t it awful” for the busy farmer, who 
should be concerned only with production, to undertake 
such ail enterprise so full of mystery and technicV It 
can’t be done! But strangely enough it is being done. 
The dairymen manufacture and sell at least part of 
their milk as blitter and cheese, a finished product, 
direct to consumers. The fruit growers grow, pack, 
advertise and market their products direct. Then why 
not the wool growers? No reason, except that it lias 
never been done before, and is therefore wrong, because 
it upsets somebody's calculations. Whether this move 
ment is temporary or permanent the future alone ax' * 11 
decide. 
The immediate problem is the merchandising of the 
grease wool. Shall the sheep growers be satisfied to sit 
and wait for some buyer to come along and offer them 
something for the wool, or should they co-operatively 
Seek out new markets and develop new systems and 
channels through which they, the men who own the 
product, may sell their goods to the best possible advau 
tage? The answer is plain. Some unknown rliymist 
has expressed it somewhat as follows: “lie who climbs 
a tree and hollers about tin* things he has to sell, will 
gather more of golden dollars than he who whispers 
down a well.” The sheep growers must holler, and 
holler together, but at that same time not forget that 
i’ is a good thing to keep books and know what they 
are doing. 
What of those who need these manufactured goods, 
and are anxious to buy as directly as possible from 
the producers? Will they take advantage of the oppor¬ 
tunity? This is one of the unknown problems. So many 
people know no difference between a really first-class 
article and something that looks as though it was first- 
class. Shoddy can be mixed with new wool and the 
product will iook fine, but it can never be as durable 
as virgin wool. I suppose that this is one of the tasks 
the sheep growers must undertake, namely, educating 
the public as to the value of virgin wool goods. It looks 
as though a national law compelling the marking of 
goods to show what they a re is a long way off. The 
consumers are not yet interested in knowing the yea! 
truth. It is relatively a simple matter for the wool 
growers through tlieir organization t" manufacture Then- 
wools into the highest grade fabrics. The merchandising 
of these goods may not be altogether su simple. 
Throughout the West tin* sheep grower.-’ organiza¬ 
tions are entering this field, and they are going to stay 
where the pastures are good. The enterprise is not 
confined to the West, for nearly all of the sheep growers’ 
organizations in the East are undertaking something 
along this line. Ail interesting phase of the venture is 
that the public is taking notice of it. We are advi.-e<l 
that the New York State wool growers are completing 
the manufacture of some 80,000 pounds of their pooled 
wools into choice virgin wool bed blankets, auto rubes, 
horse blankets and men’s suiting. May the venture 
prosper! This may be but a small beginning, tu b** 
sure, but it seems to point out the way to a better 
market for New York State wools, it i- also under¬ 
stood that the prices receivedart’or wools being manu¬ 
factured are considerably in advance of the present 
wool market. Better prices for grease wau-ls can l"' the 
only justification for developing tin* manufacture of 
Slic'll wools. X'. E. ROBERT SOX. 
