The  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
Hotels  and  the  Apple  Trade 
E  stand  for  any  legitimate  scheme  for  in¬ 
creasing  consumption  of  apples.  One  good 
idea  is  to  revive  the  old  habit  of  eating  an  apple  for 
breakfast,  and  also  just  before  going  to  bed.  That 
tine  old  custom  of  using  a  good  apple  for  a  “night¬ 
cap”  has  fallen  away  in  these  modern  days.  Revive 
it — for  the  sake  of  health  and  the  apple  trade.  At 
one  of  the  hotels  in  Asheville.  X.  C.,  guests  are  served 
with  apples  every  evening,  and  each  fruit  is  inclosed 
in  a  wrapper  with  the  following  printed  on  it. 
Every  hotel  in  the  country  might  well  make  use  of 
this  plan : 
One  of  the  homelike  things  we  do  at  Grove  Park  Inn 
is  to  pass  apples  in  the  Big  Room  every  evening  at  nine 
thirty. 
We  select  one  kind  of  apple  especially  suited  for  bak¬ 
ing,  and  another  kind  for  eating  in  the  evening.  It 
takes  about  900  bushels  in  cold  storage  to  run  us 
through  the  Winter.  We  urge  you  to  eat  baked  apples 
for  breakfast  as  often  as  you  can.  They  are  much  bet¬ 
ter  suited  to  the  class  of  guests  who  patronize  Grove 
Park  Inn  than  strong  acid  fruits  like  grapefruit,  which 
most  people  follow  writh  cereal,  cream  and  sugar. 
You  will  find  it  convenient  to  place  the  core  in  this 
wrapper  until  the  boy  comes  around  to  collect  it.  If 
an  apple  does  not  agree  with  you  before  going  to  bed, 
try  following  it  with  a  big  glass  of  water. 
Half  a  Billion  for  “South  Water  Street” 
With  my  renewal  for  1923  I  send  the  clipping  here¬ 
with.  This  may  be  of  interest  to  you  and  readers  of 
The  R.  N.-Y.  Being  a  “producer,”  and  often  com¬ 
pelled  to  place  myself  at  the  “tender  mercies”  (?)  of 
this  bunch,  with  no  chance  whatever  to  protect  my  in¬ 
terests,  naturally  I  am  interested,  but  at  this  hour  see 
no  very  plain  road  to  better  things.  However,  there  is 
a  ray  of  hope  in  our  fruit  association  that  in  time  may 
grow  into  something  nearly  worth  while.  n.  w.  cox. 
Michigan. 
THE  clipping  which  Mr.  Cox  refers  to  is  the 
heading  of  an  article  in  the  Chicago  Tribune. 
Here  it  is: 
SOUTH  WATER  STREET  DID 
$500,000,000  IN  BUSINESS  IN  1922 
Producers,  Consumers  Do  Not 
Share  in  Benefit 
“South  Wlater  Street”  means  the  marketing  sec¬ 
tion  of  Chicago,  where  most  of  the  farm  produce 
from  three  States  is  handled.  We  have  no  doubt 
this  estimate  of  half  a  billion  dollars  is  low,  and 
the  hold-up  games  and  robberies  practiced  upon 
farmers  would  make  some  of  the  bootlegging  stories 
seem  dull.  Solid  and  compact  organization  at  home, 
where  the  goods  are  produced  and  packed,  will  in 
time  partly  change  the  system.  It  is  one  of  these 
cases  where  ice  must  do  it  ourselves. 
Two  Views  of  the  Milk  Problem 
More  Views  of  a  Pooler 
Have  we  as  producers  any  real  good  reason  to  think 
that  the  milk  dealers  as  a  body  have  any  desire  to  keep 
milk  prices  low?  Is  not  the  purpose  of  the  producer  and 
the  dealer  identical,  inasmuch  as  they  both  handle  the 
same  commodity  and  do  so  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
profit?  Assuming  that  the  dealer  figures  his  profit  on 
a  percentage  basis,  the  higher  the  price,  the  greater  is 
his  profit,  as  well  as  that  of  the  producer.  Perhaps  to 
make  this  a  little  plainer  we  may  assume  that  the  dealer 
figures  to  make  a  50  per  cent  profit.  (I  use  this 
figure  merely  because  it  is  simple  and  answers  the  pur¬ 
pose.)  If  his  supply  of  milk  costs  him  four  cents  a 
quart,  his  profit  per  quart  is  two  cents,  while  if  his 
supply  costs  him  10  cents  a  quart,  his  profit  per  quart 
is  five  cents.  Assuming  that  the  above  conditions  arc 
true,  what  reason  may  we  assign  for  his  attitude  in 
attempting  to  keep  the  price  down  in  the  past?  Simply 
the  fact  that  there  has  been  no  established  price  among 
producers.  Could  you  expect  any  sane  dealer  to  come 
out  and  say  that  he  was  willing  to  pay  a  larger  price, 
knowing  that  his  competitor  could  buy  at  a  _  lower 
price,  thereby  giving  the  latter  an  advantage  in  the 
retail  market  or  a  chance  to  pocket  the  difference  in 
price  as  extra  profit?  Therefore,  have  we  as  producers 
any  reason  to  think,  if  we  were  once  united  in  a  single 
unit,  that  we  would  have  any  further  quarrel  with 
dealers?  Then  our  greatest  present  problem  is  to  “get 
together”  and  “do  it  ourselves.”  To  attain  that  end, 
what  method  could  be  more  simple  or  effective  than  to 
join  forces  with  the  majority,  i.  e.,  the  Dairymen’s 
League  Co-operative  Association?  An  organization 
that  is  already  functioning,  that  is  already  recognized 
the  world  over,  that  has  machinery  in  good  running 
order  to  do  just  what  we  want  done,  and  is  capable  of 
doing  it.  An  organization  that  is  built  on  solid  rock 
firm  the  ground  up.  whose  purpose  is  to  demand  a 
square  deal  for  the  producer  and  see  that  he  gets  it. 
An  organization  that  recognizes  obstacles  only  to  over¬ 
come  them,  and  admits  of  no  defeat. 
I  say  to  you  producers  who  are  not  already  members, 
that  I  believe  you  have  the  power  at  your  finger  tips 
to  make  or  to  break — no,  not  the  Dairymen’s  League 
Co-operative  Association,  but  yourself.  “Opportunity 
is  knocking.”  “Time  and  tide  wait  for  no  man.”  Make 
your  own  investigations,  draw  your  own  conclusions 
and  then  act.  Action  is  what  we  need,  and  we  need  it 
quickly,  before  another  surplus  x>eriod  catches  us  unpre¬ 
pared,  which  would  mean  another  season  of  unnecessary 
hardship  and  uncertainty  just  as  sure  as  fate. 
I  have  written  this  with  the  same  intent  that  I 
would  throw  a  rope  to  a  drowning  brother,  I  have 
friends  both  sides  of  the  fence.  We  are  not  soliciting 
new  members  any  more,  and  there  is  a  reason.  Why 
not  investigate?  dairyman. 
New’  York. 
^  The  Milk  Situation  as  I  See  It 
I  am  a  dairyman.  We  ought  to  have  an  organization. 
In  fact,  we  have  no  choice.  We  must)  have,  one,  but  to 
last  it  must  be  an  organization  that  a  majority  of  the 
members  voluntarily  direct  and  control,  and  that  re¬ 
turns  them  a  benefit  for  their  contributions  to  it.  1 
know  that  it  has  been  said  that  the  present  pooling 
plan  has  been  approved  by  a  majority  of  the  dairymen, 
and  admit  that  more  than  a  majority  signed  the  con¬ 
tract,  but  it  wras  not  done  voluntarily.  Many  accepted 
it  against  their  best  judgment  under  the  persuasion  of 
the  management  and  their  solicitors.  No  one  _  doubts 
that  the  members  would  now  vote  almost  unanimously 
for  a  change  of  policy,  if  they  had  an  opportunity  to 
do  so. 
Originally  the  management  said  it  could  handle  the 
situation  with  50,000  signers  to  the  contract.  Now 
they  claim  73.000.  and  explain  that  supply  and  demand 
make  the  price.  The  fact  is  a  heavy  new  expense  has 
been  added  to  distribution.  Dairymen  who  were  before 
united  and  friendly  are  now  through  this  plan  divided 
and  in  many  cases  enemies. 
There  wrere  plants  enough  in  existence  to  handle  tin* 
milk  in  the  county  before.  Every  new  plant  adds  a  new 
burden,  and  the  farmer  must  pay  for  the  waste.  I,  for 
one,  do  not  believe  they  can  own  all  the  plants  and 
still  own  their  farms.  The  present  cost  of  operating 
them  would  ruin  the  industry  anywhere.  Some  of  us 
are  not  able  to  pay  our  interest  since  this  plant  went 
into  effect. 
In  my  judgment  it  is  the  dairymen  outside  the  pool 
who  are  saving  the  situation.  They  are  getting  more 
money  for  their  milk  and  have  no  expense  but  the  mere 
cost  of  selling. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  would  be  madness  for 
us  to  turn  in  and  try  to  revive  the  fortunes  of  the  pool. 
Even  the  management  recognizes  this,  and  has  already 
said  that  it  does  not  expect  such  actioa  Aside  from 
the  economic  failure,  the  management  has  done  so 
many  things  which  independent  dairymen  cannot  forget 
or  forgive  that  a  conference  within  the  association 
now  could  lead  to  no  good  results,  and  to  attempt  it 
would  only  lead  to  embarrassment  for  the  independent 
association. 
While  the  management  of  the  pool  persists  in  a  policy 
that  has  already  proved  a  failure,  a  conference  can 
result  in  nothing  but  a  further  lease  of  life  for  a  plan 
that  is  too  expensive  and  wasteful  to  succeed  under 
any  circumstance.  A 1  o re  than  a  year  ago  the  non-poolers 
made  a  fair,  open  suggestion  for  a  committee  to  reor¬ 
ganize  the-  League  by  producers  and  their  friends  on 
lines  that  would  again  unite  all  dairymen.  It  was  re¬ 
jected  then.  It  may  be  more  favorably  considered  now. 
It  is  the  correct  basis  for  a  get-together.  Why  not  re¬ 
new  it?  A  PRODUCER. 
English  Railroads  Help  Marketing 
The  general  complaint  that  the  farmer  receives  very 
little  for  his  products  is  well  founded.  While  living  in 
Cardiff,  Wales,  just  before  the  war.  we  received  every 
year  a  large  catalogue,  issued  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway.  In  this  catalogue  were  thousands  of  farmers 
listed,  who.  for  a  stated  sum,  would  furnish  weekly  a 
hamper.  The  railway  company  delivered  this  hamper 
and  took  back  the  empty  one,  the  next  week,  and  I 
understand  that  they  charged  a  very  nominal  carting 
charge,  looking  at  it  in  the  right  way— that  they  had  to 
help  the  farmers  being  prosperous  along  their  lines  in 
order  to  prosper  themselves.  I  paid  10  shillings  a  week 
for  a  hamper  containing  a  liberal  supply  of  vegetables, 
sometimes  a  chicken  or  a  duck,  and  altogether  the  ar¬ 
rangement  was  very  satisfactory.  I  received  fresher 
supplies,  and  the  farmer  received  a  fair  price  for  his 
products. 
I  have  had  the  experience  here,  after  picking  by  hand 
a  basket  of  extra  fine  pears,  at  a  time  when  pears  cost 
in  New  York  City  10  cents  each,  of  receiving  the  best 
offer  from  a  commission  merchant  of  35  cents  a  basket 
(bushel),  carting  them  seven  miles  to  station,  shipping 
them,  and  paying  for  the  basket.  This  was  in  Con¬ 
necticut.  It  surely  did  not  leave  any  money  for  paying 
high-cost  help  for  picking  them,  so  I  left  the  pears  on 
the  trees,  and  the  pigs  ate  the  fruit  as  it  fell.  E.  L.  s. 
New  Jersey. 
The  Problem  of  the  Renter 
Ours  is  a  renter’s  problem.  We,  as  a  newly  married 
couple,  started  out  farming  with  $500  cash  and  good, 
strong  bodies.  We  rented  a  53-acre  run-down  farm 
at  $15  a  month  and  all  the  taxes  to  be  paid  by  us. 
amounting  in  a  year  t<>  about  $300.  The  owner  would 
furnish  nothing  nor  help  bear  any  expense,  but  gave  us 
this  offer:  If  at  any  time  we  repaired  anything  it  was 
for  our  own  benefit,  for  he  would  give  us  the  first 
privilege  to  buy  the  farm  and  at  a  reasonable  offer. 
After  farming  for  four  years  he  sold  the  place  without 
our  knowing  it,  until  a  man  presented  himself,  saying 
he  bought  the  farm.  The  first  year  we  took  off  a  grain 
field  three  scant  hayloads ;  second  year,  8  good  loads ; 
third  year,  10,  and  the  past  year,  12  loads.  The  owner 
claims  we  were  taking  too  much  off  the  ground;  noth¬ 
ing  can  be  taken  off  if  nothing  is  put  on.  We  put  up 
fencing,  amounting  to  $250,  also  did  other  building, 
thinking  all  the  time  we  were  doing  it  for  our  own 
benefit.  We  own  10  cows,  four  horses,  30  hogs,  all 
farm  machinery  and  have  $200  debts.  The  neighbors 
all  said  we  were  the  best  farmers  that  ever  farmed  the 
place,  and  raised  the  most,  yet  the  owner  says  we  ruined 
the  land. 
We  are  demanding  the  owner  to  pay  us  for  the  labor 
and  money  we  spent  for  fencing,  etc.,  but  he  does  not 
want  to  refund  us.  We  are  not  wealthy,  like  him,  and 
feel  he  should  do  what  is  just.  We  are  disgusted  with 
the  renting  idea,  and  yet  do  not  have  enough  cash  to 
buy  a  farm ;  in  this  vicinity  they  are  asking  $0,000 
for  a  30-acre  farm.  Some  say  go  to  the  city,  let  the 
farm  go;  but  I  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  like  the  farm; 
cannot  think  of  going  to  a  town  to  live  with  two  small 
children.  Let  us  hope  some  day  the  renter  will  be  used 
fair  and  square,  for  we  cannot  all  be  rich,  and  pay 
more  for  a  farm  than  it  is  worth.  u.  ii.  w. 
Bucks  Co.,  Pa. 
Bobsleds  and  Wagons 
Could  you  assist  me  in  having  a  new  proposition 
brought  up  to  the  State  Senate?  It  should  become  a 
law  that  all  bobsleighs  should  make  the  same  track  as 
a  wagon  or  automobile.  Much  money  is  spent  to  build 
roads.  Every  Winter  both  autos  and  bobs  are  run. 
131 
The  result  is  the  road  is  all  torn  to  pieces,  whereas  if 
the  bobs  tracked  with  the  auto  they  would  help  to  make 
a  road  instead  of  spoiling  it.  The  majority  of  the 
farmers  today  have  autos,  and  would  be  glad  to  have 
this  made  a  law  so  another  Fall  we  would  have  some 
kind  of  decent  roads  in  the  Winter  time.  Horses  would 
not  be  so  apt  to  calk  each  other  in  deep  snow, -neither 
would  there  be  the  danger  in  tipping  over,  and  in  pass¬ 
ing  one  another  neither  party  would  have  to  turn  clear 
out  of  the  road;  each  party  would  have  one  track. 
It  would  be  much  cheaper  to  equip  wagons  and  bug¬ 
gies  with  runners  to  slip  on  in  the  place  of  wheels. 
The  runners  when  not  in  use  would  be  an  inexpensive 
thing  to  store  compared  to  a  sleigh.  I  have  all  three  — 
sleighs,  wagons  and  auto — but  would  be  only  too  glad 
to  junk  my  bobs  or  put  in  longer  cross  beams.  Your 
paper  is  doing  the  eouutry  good  every  day,  and  I  feel 
that  you  people  can  help  to  put  this  through. 
New  York.  frank  f.  ham,. 
R.  N.-Y. — 'What  we  can  do  is  to  put  the  proposition 
up  to  our  readers.  They  can  get  the  needed  legislation 
if  they  will  go  right  after  it.  We  must  do  il  ourselves. 
New  York  State  Notes 
One  of  the  strong  points  of  the  Grange  is  the  fact 
that  they  possess  property  in  the  community  and  arc 
not  dependent  on  some  other  building  in  which  to  hold 
their  meetings.  One  of  the  latest  Granges  to  take  on 
the  building  project  is  the  Livonia  Grange,  in  Livings¬ 
ton  County.  For  some  time  they  have  been  accumu¬ 
lating  money  for  this  purpose,  and  have  acquired  enough 
so  that  they  are  going  ahead  with  their  plans. 
The  effort  to  keep  the  State  roads  and  main  town¬ 
ship  highways  open  is  quite  a  proposition  this  year,  in 
view  of  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  up-State.  At  Canan¬ 
daigua  a  few  days  ago  the  board  of  supervisors  made 
an  initial  appropriation  of  $2, '500  to  carry  on  the  work 
of  keeping  the  main  highways  open  for  traffic.  There 
is  a  debate  in  many  sections  as  to  whether  an  effort 
should  be  made  to  keep  highways  open  for  cars  during 
the  Winter  months.  It  is  very  convenient,  but  some 
have  a  question  in  their  minds  as  to  the  wise  economy 
of  such  a  move. 
A.  L.  Reynolds,  a  rural  mail  carrier  of  Canastota, 
has  come  to  believe  that  January  12  is  the  fatal  day  for 
him  in  so  far  as  the  use  of  an  automobile  for  his  rural 
delivery  is  concerned.  It  so  happens  that  he  has  been 
forced  to  resort  to  old  Dobbin  and  the  sleigh  two  years 
in  succession  on  that  day. 
C.  L.  Brown  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mar¬ 
kets,  located  at  Rochester,  has  just  issued  his  report 
on  the  movement  of  fruit  in  that  section.  His  report 
shows  that  from  September  15  to  December  31  there 
was  a  movement  of  one  or  more  cars  to  830  cities  in 
33  States  and  two  provinces  in  Canada.  Of  these,  New 
York  City  received  the  largest  number — 5,198  cars. 
Pittsburgh  wras  next  with  a  shipment  of  1,498  cars. 
The  principal  shipping  points  in  the  State  were  Brock- 
port,  with  524  cars;  Hilton,  998;  Barker.  495;  Lock- 
port,  772;  Albion,  662;  Holley,  497;  Medina,  426; 
North  Rose,  406;  Ontario,  309;  Sodas,  359;  William¬ 
son,  456.  The  reporter  also  states  that  although  this 
year  has  been  a  large  one  in  the  production  of  fruit, 
it  has  been  exceeded  II  times  since  1889. 
A  resolution  calling  on  Governor  Smith  and  the 
Legislature  to  relieve  the  congested  situation  of  the 
State  College  of  Agriculture  by  an  appropriation  at  the 
present  session  of  the  Legislature  for  additional  units 
in  the  twice  accepted  building  program  for  the  college 
was  unanimously  passed  by  the  meeting  of  the  New 
York  State  Conference  Board  at  their  recent  meeting 
in  Syracuse.  The  board  is  made  up  of  representatives 
of  the  State  Grange,  the  New  York  State  Farm  Bureau 
Federation,  Dairymen’s  League  and  the  State  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society.  A  similar  resolution  was  passed  for 
the  State  Experiment  Station  at  Geneva.  In  the  dis¬ 
cussion  of  the  situation  it  was  brought  out  that  in 
1913  the  State  authorized  the  drafting  of  plans  for 
buildings  at  the  State  college.  So  far  there  has  been 
appropriated  only  sufficient  funds  for  the  erection  of 
the  dairy  building,  which  was  only  a  small  part  of  the 
original  plan. 
It  was  revealed  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Tioga 
County  Agricultural  Society  that  they  had  paid  out 
for  the  last  fair  $5,700.45  in  premiums.  This  is  one 
fair  in  the  State  where  the  real  agricultural  interests 
are  in  the  foreground  and  the  concession  features  are 
a  secondary  consideration. 
The  reforestation  idea  is  surely  growing.  I  heard 
an  advocate  of  this  important  practice  say  that  it 
should  be  compulsory  for  trees  to  be  planted  on  areas 
where  old  timber  is  removed  and  the  land  could  be  of 
no  other  use.  Perhaps  we  are  not  ready  for  the  com¬ 
pulsory  part  of  it,  but  it  surely  is  worth  considering. 
This  Spring  5,000  additional  trees  will  be  planted  upon 
village  lands  around  Pinnacle,  near  the  water  reservoir 
Last  year  15,000  trees  were  planted  in  the  same  locality. 
Boy  Scouts  and  civic  organizations  are  taking  an  in¬ 
terest  in  the  development  of  this  project. 
The  Rochester  Florists’  Association  held  their  annual 
meeting  Friday,  January  12,  and  discussed  the  bringing 
of  the  American  Gladiolus  show  to  the  city  for  their 
annual  exhibit  next  August.  This  association  has  1 .000 
members,  and  embraces  growers  in’  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  The  newest  varieties  will  be  brought  from 
the  hybridizers  for  the  show.  Last  year  168  prizes 
were  awarded  to  growers  who  were  amateurs  as  well 
as  professionals.  One  of  the  advantages  of  a  national 
gladiolus  show  that  has  been  pointed  out  by  the  florists 
is  that  the  flowers  may  be  shipped  from  great,  distances 
and  still  be  in  good  condition  for  exhibiting.  E.  A,  i\ 
