‘The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Governor  Smith  and  the  Agricultural 
Department 
GOVERNOR  SMITH  has  hardly  done  himself 
justice  in  his  dispute  with  Speaker  Mach  old 
over  the  control  of  the  Agricultural  Department. 
The  Governor’s  bill  to  abolish  the  Farms  and  Mar¬ 
kets  Council  and  to  authorize  him  to  appoint  a  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Agriculture  has  passed  the  Senate. 
The  effect  of  the  law  would  be  to  put  a  man  selected 
by  the  Governor  in  the  place  of  the  present  incum¬ 
bent,  and,  of  course,  to  put  the  control  and  patronage 
of  the  department  in  the  hands  of  the  Governor  and 
his  successors,  when  they  happen  to  be  Democrats. 
Cnder  a  Republican  administration  the  control 
would  be  substantially  in  the  hands  of  the  Governor 
in  any  case.  Governor  Smith  has  addressed  a  special 
message  to  the  Assembly,  demanding  a  passage  of 
the  bill.  Speaker  Machold  makes  reply  to  justify 
the  Assembly  in  refusing  to  pass  the  Governor’s  bill. 
It  seems  to  us  that  the  Speaker’s  retort  that  the 
Governor  has  offered  no  constructive  plan  of  re¬ 
organization  is  pertinent.  The  Governor  insists  that 
the  Council  is  irresponsive  to  the  will  of  the  public, 
tiiat  it  is  un-American  and  that  the  law  is  funda¬ 
mentally  unsound  in  that  it  clothes  the  Legislature 
with  authority  to  make  an  appointment  which  is  an 
executive  function.  This  is  all  true,  but.  it  is  aca¬ 
demic.  There  is  nothing  in  the  hill  or  in  the  Gov¬ 
ernor’s  recent  utterances  to  indicate  that  he  has  any 
policy  for  the  department  other  than  to  continue  the 
perfunctory  work  that  it  has  been  doing.  At  best  it 
would  be  a  new  man  and  a  Democrat  doing  the  work 
now  performed  by  a  Republican  already  in  the  ser¬ 
vice.  There  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  the  change 
would  work  to  the  advantage  of  agriculture,  and  it 
seems  to  us  that  under  the  circumstances  Speaker 
Machold  is  abundantly  justified  in  refusing  to  en- 
eou  rage  a  mere  political  change. 
Governor  Smith  lost  his  opportunity  to  reorganize 
the  Agricultural  Department  in  the  first  year  of  liis 
first  administration.  It  was  then  demoralized.  In 
his  first  campaign  Governor  Smith  promised  to  re¬ 
organize  it;  but  he  sacrificed  the  department  in  a 
trade  for  more  alluring  patronage,  and  proposed  to 
retain  the  Council  that  he  previously  promised  to 
abolish.  Since  then  the  status  of  the  department  has 
been  improved,  and  while  it  yet  falls  far  short  of  the 
service  it  should  be  to  the  farmers,  it  is  extremely 
doubtful  if  a  mere  political  change  in  the  head 
would  add  to  its  efficiency. 
It  is  true,  as  the  Governor  asserts,  that  the  State 
is  not  getting  full  value  for  the  money  it  spends 
through  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  It  is  largely 
limited  to  the  exercise  of  police  powers.  The  great 
need  of  the  farmers  of  the  State  is  help  in  the  mar¬ 
keting  of  their  crops.  They  produce  in  abundance, 
but  they  sell  at  a  loss.  There  never  was  a  time  be¬ 
fore  when  they  were  obliged  to  give  up  so  many 
bushels  of  grain,  or  so  many  pounds  of  potatoes,  or 
quarts  of  milk,  to  buy  supplies  for  the  home  and 
farm  as  now.  There  never  was  a  time  when  farmers 
received  so  small  a  portion  of  the  consumer’s  dollar 
as  just  now.  There  never  was  a  time  when  the 
average  farmer  found  it  harder  to  make  ends  meet 
than  since  the  war,  and  today.  The  dealer  sets  the 
price  on  his  products,  and  the  tradesman  puts  the 
price  on  what  he  sells.  If  he  were  obliged  to  pay 
himself  and  his  family  railroad  wages,  IK)  per  cent 
of  the  farmers  of  the  State  would  go  bankrupt  with¬ 
in  a  year.  This  system  of  robbing  the  farm  has  de¬ 
veloped  under  State  patronage.  It  is  so  firmly  en¬ 
trenched  only  the  power  of  the  State  can  change  it. 
Governor  Smith  has  twice  had  the  privilege  of  de¬ 
manding  authority  to  correct  the  abuses  in  the  farm 
marketing  system.  lie  first  promised  to  do  it  and 
then  hedged.  He  promises  nothing  of  the  kind  now. 
lie  does  argue  the  need  of  better  distribution  in  the 
interest  of  producer  and  consumer  but  he  recom¬ 
mended  making  the  Foods  and  Markets  Department  a 
bureau  in  the  Agricultural  Department,  and  yet  ap¬ 
proves  that  change.  That  change  was  advocated 
and  paid  for  in  political  contributions  by  the  large 
distributors  and  food  speculators  because  they  knew 
they  could  control  a  bureau  in  the  Agricultural  De¬ 
partment  in  which  they  have  always  been  entrenched 
by  political  influences,  and  they  had  so  far  been  un¬ 
able  to  get  any  footing  in  the  new  Department  of 
Foods  and  Markets.  Governor  Smith  was  in  polit¬ 
ical  life  at  the  time,  and  he  is  not  innocent  enough 
of  political  strategy  to  have  any  doubt  about  the 
purpose  of  the  movement.  To  advocate  a  definite 
policy  of  efficient. and  economic  distribution  of  farm 
food  products  and  the  return  of  a  fair  share  of  the 
consumer’s  dollar  to  the  producer  would  offend  the 
most  powerful  group  of  political  contributors  of  the 
State,  and  while  he  talks  loosely  of  the  need,  the 
Governor  fully  justifies  the  Speaker’s  criticism  that 
no  comprehensive  policy  has  been  offered.  We  sug¬ 
gested  this  defect  in  his  previous  recommendations. 
If  he  had  presented  a  definite  policy  he  would  have 
the  support  of  farmers  and  their  friends,  who  are 
unable  to  enthuse  over  a  problem  of  political  pat¬ 
ronage. 
The  April  Milk  Situation 
THE  basis  for  milk  prices  for  April  has  been 
fixed.  The  League  pool  price  for  class  one  is 
$2.80  and  for  class  two,  $2.20.  The  ultimate  price 
for  the  other  classes  depends  as  usual  on  quota¬ 
tions  of  butter  and  cheese. 
The  Sheffield  Farms  Association  has  made  a  flat 
price  of  $2.50 — the  company  takes  all  the  milk  and 
cares  for  its  own  surplus. 
The  Non-poolers  Asociation  make  a  similar  flat 
price  of  $2.50.  They  also  make  a  classified  price  to 
dealers  who  buy  on  the  classified  basis.  The  class 
one  price  is  $2.00,  and  class  two,  $2.35.  Substantially 
all  their  classified  milk  is  sold  under  class  one  and 
two. 
The  Eastern  States  Milk  Producers,  Inc.,  is  a 
central  organization  of  15  farm-owned  and  farm- 
managed  local  co-operative  associations.  While 
working  in  harmony  under  their  federation,  each 
local  plant  sells  its  own  milk  and  collects  its  own 
bills  and  distributes  the  proceeds  to  its  patrons. 
They  do  not  return  a  uniform  price  to  their  pro¬ 
ducers.  The  returns '  depend  on  the  success  of  the 
management  to  make  good  sales  and  keep  down 
expenses  and  losses  from  month  to  month.  As  a 
rule  they  are  successful  and  are  becoming  more 
so  as  they  gain  experience.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  those  plants  that  sell  their  products  through 
their  own  men  are  more  successful  than  those  who 
depend  on  the  trade. 
Aside  from  these  there  are  about  20  farm-owned 
co-operative  plants  rented  out  to  dealers.  Still 
further  there  are  in  the  territory  several  farm- 
owned  plants  that  are  yet  run  independent  of  any 
general  organization.  Returns  to  producers  vary 
some  month  from  10  cents  to  more  than  $1  a  100 
pounds.  This  makes  too  many  independent  units 
and  groups  to  compete  with  one  another  in  making 
sales  to  buyers  united  in  one  organization  under 
the  New  York  Milk  Confei*ence  Board.  There  is 
only  one  price  to  city  consumers.  There  is  a  sepa¬ 
rate  and  different  price  for  each  independent  asso¬ 
ciation  and  group.  This  makes  a  lower  price  to  all. 
Heretofore  leaders  have  complained  that  farmers 
would  not  get  together.  It  is  a  good  time  now  tor 
the  leaders  to  get  together  themselves. 
Success  in  Co-operative  Wool  Marketing 
The  sheep  growers  in  New  York  State  for  the  past 
three  years  have  been  successfully  organized  and  operat¬ 
ed  a  co-operative  wool  grading  and  marketing  associa¬ 
tion.  Through  this  institution,  the  New  York  State 
Sheep  Growers’  Co-operative  Association,  Inc.,  they 
have  been  entirely  successful  in  the  details  of  assem¬ 
bling,  warehousing,  grading  and  selling  graded  wool 
direct  to  mills.  The  proof  of  any  co-operative  market¬ 
ing  enterprise  rests  upon  its  resultant  satisfactoriness  to 
those  who  participate.  It  is  difficult  to  argue,  convinc¬ 
ingly,  to  some,  the  advantages  which  may  accrue 
through  co-operation  unless  there  is  some  proof  of  finan¬ 
cial  gain.  The  experience  gained  this  far  in  marketing 
wool  seems  to  indicate  clearly  that  not  only  can  the 
sheep  growers,  through  their  organization,  assemble, 
warehouse,  grade  and  market  their  product,  but  that  as 
a  result  of  these  steps  they  realize  several  cents  per 
pound  more  than  they  could  receive  by  selling  their  un¬ 
graded  wool  to  local  dealers.  Having  proven  these 
points  to  their  general  satisfaction,  their  next  task  is  to 
extend  the  service  of  their  association  to  all  sheep 
growers  in  New  York,  and  adjacent  States,  who  may 
desire  to  make  use  of  this  marketing  agency. 
Expressed  in  terms  of  grades  and  percentages,  the 
wools  of  New  York  State  fall  into  the  following  recog¬ 
nized  grades.  The  third  column  in  the  table  shows  the 
prices  received  for  wools  marketed  during  the  season 
Grade  Quantity,  lbs. 
Fancy  Delaine  .  7,469 
Delaine  .  33,069 
Fine  clothing .  5,098 
x/i  blood  combing  .  102,706 
Vs  blood  clothing .  6,200 
%  blood  combing .  121,581 
%  blood  clothing . 2,911 
!4  blood  combing . .  199,008 
14  blood  clothing .  2,721 
14  blood  low  and  common .  12.772 
Tags  .  2,455 
Rejects  .  19,116 
V2  -blood  fed  wools .  2,585 
Sale  Price 
$0.52 
.52 
.44 
.50 
.42 
.47 
.28 
.42 
.26 
.241/, 
522,821 
The  cost  of  marketing  the  1922  clip,  including  all 
charges  for  grading,  sorting,  accounting,  insurance,  etc., 
exclusive  of  the  freight  charge  from  the  shipping  point 
to  the  warehouse  at  Syracuse,  was  ,0275c  per  pound. 
A  further  reduction  in  the  cost  of  marketing  may  rea¬ 
sonably  be  expected,  mainly  by  an  increase  in  the  quan¬ 
tity  of  wool  to  be  handled  in  the  future. 
The  wools  are  sold,  in  the  main,  largely  through  the 
agency  of  correspondence  direct  with  mills.  For  ex¬ 
ample.  as  soon  as  the  wools  are  graded  the  mills  are 
advised  of  the  fact.  A  mill  desiring  to  purchase  re¬ 
quests  samples,  or  they  may  send  their  buyer  to  inspect 
the  grades.  If  a  price  mutually  satisfactory  is  agreed 
upon,  the  sale  is  confirmed,  and  the  wools  are  packed, 
shipped  and  paid  for,  following  the  usual  terms  of  1  per 
cent  discount  if  bill  is  paid  within  10  days.  Since  the 
title  to  the  wool  does  not  pass  to  the  purchaser  until  the 
557 
drafts  are  paid,  the  association  is  safeguarded  in  the 
transaction. 
Up  to  the  present  time  the  total  quantity  of  wools 
marketed  through  the  association  comprise  less  than 
half  the  wool  produced  in  the  State,  according  to  the 
census  figures.  This  indicates  that  many  farmers  are 
still  selling  their  ungraded  wools  to  local  dealers.  Of 
the  1,650  farmers  who  are  participating  in  this  move¬ 
ment,  less  than  20  members  requested  advance  payments 
on  their  wool  before  it  was  sold.  This  record  may  he 
somewhat  disconcerting  to  those  who  argue  that  farmers 
must  sell  their  produce  at  once  in  order  to  secure  cash 
to  meet  other  expenses. 
The  warehouse  and  office  of  the  association  is  located 
at  Syracuse.  This  location  is  central  and  accessible  to 
all  sheep  growers  in  the  Eastern  States  who  may  desire 
to  participate.  An  important  feature  of  the  work  which 
should  not  be  overlooked  is  that  the  members  are  not 
only  securing  good  prices  for  their  wools,  but  they  are 
assured  that  their  wools  are  properly  graded  and  pro¬ 
tected  until  sold  by  their  own  agency.  Since  the  asso¬ 
ciation  is  concerned  with  building  up  a  reputation  for 
well-graded  Eastern-grown  wool,  it  can  have  no  object 
in  attempting  to  misrepresent  facts.  It  is  interesting  in 
this  connection  to  note  that  grades  put  up  by  the  asso¬ 
ciation  are  being  accepted  by  discriminating  mills  as 
satisfactory.  Another  point  is  that  the  accounts  and 
books  of  the  association  are  open  to  inspection  of  the 
members,  which  is  a  privilege  not  accorded  by  most 
commission  houses.  ^  The  future  of  co-operative  market¬ 
ing  of  wool  in  the  East  rests  with  the  sheep  growers. 
F.  E.  ROBERTSON.  Mgr. 
A  Resolution  on  the  New  School  Law 
A  special  meeting  of  the  taxpayers  of  School  District 
No.  8,  Victor,  Ontario  Go.,  N.  Y.,  was  held  on  March 
17,  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  proposed  “New 
Rural  School  Law.”  After  a  full  and  frank  discussion 
tin*  following  was  approved: 
“Whereas,  In  accordance  with  our  understanding  of 
the  provisions  of  the  proposed  new  law  to  govern  tin* 
rural  schools  of  New  York,  we  feel  the  question  is  such 
a  large  and  vital  one  that  it  should  be  left  open  for  the 
purpose  of  full  and  free  discussion  by  the  people  whose 
children  will  alone  be  affected,  and  will  alone  he  called 
upon  to  pay  the  apparent  excessive  increased  tax  which, 
added  to  these  already  carried,  will  be  well-nigh  con¬ 
fiscatory. 
“Moreover,  we  know  of  no  law  compelling  one  man 
to  assume  and  carry  the  financial  burden  of  another, 
yet,  as  we  interpret  the  bill,  that  is  precisely  what  any 
one  district,  a  member  of  a  community  district,  will  be 
expected  to  do,  provided  a  bonded  indebtedness  rests 
upon  any  other  district  member  of  the  same  community 
district  at  the  time  the  bill  becomes  effective  as  a  law. 
“Feeling  the  above  reasons  in  themselves,  without 
enumerating  others,  are  sufficient  to  ask  for  a  delated 
action ;  therefore, 
"Resolved,  That  we  express  our  disapproval  of  the 
intention  to  pass  this  bill  at  the  present  session  of  the 
Legislature,  and  respectfully  request  it  he  permitted  to 
remain  inactive  for  at  least  one  year.” 
viCToit  j.  TT8CTTER,  Clerk. 
New  York  State  Notes 
1  here  has  been  a  doubt  in  the  minds  of  many  who 
have  had  their  herds  tested  for  tuberculosis  that  the  test 
uas  not  accurate.  It  would  be  erroneous  to  make  a 
judgment  from  one  or  even  two  tests.  Such  a  measure 
must  be  made  from  a  large  number.  One  of  the  herds 
in  the  State  that  has  been  regularly  tested  for  the 
longest  time  is  at  the  State  Experiment  Station  at 
Geneva.  During  the  22  years  that  they  have  been 
testing  there  have  been  made  816  tests,  and  out  of  this 
number  there  have,  been  hut  nine  reactors.  Tubercular 
lesions  were  found  in  six  of  these  animals.  In  two- of 
the  eases  no  tubercular  lesions  were  found,  although 
there  was  no  definite  method  to  prove  that  these  ani¬ 
mals  were  not  tubercular.  The  one  remaining  animal 
was  re-tested  and  no  reaction  followed.  This  truly  is  a 
wonderful  record,  and  over  a  period  for  fair  judgment. 
In  response  to  the  demand  for  better  seed  throughout 
tin*  State,  of  known  quality,  the  New  York  State  Seed 
Improvement  Co-operative  Association,  Inc.,  has  been 
organized,  and  is  preparing  to  handle  the  inspection  and 
certification  of  seed  grains  and  potatoes.  For  several 
years  potato  inspection  has  been  performed  by  members 
of  the  staff  of  Plant  Pathology  Department  of  the  State 
College  in  co-operation  with  the  State  Potato  Associa¬ 
tion.  In  a  similar  way  the  Department  of  Plant  Breed¬ 
ing  has  been  carrying  on  inspection  work  for  the  im¬ 
provement  of  seeds.  This  inspection  work  has  been 
particularly  with  growers  of  corn,  wheat,  oats  and  bar¬ 
ley.  In  this  work  only  strains  that  have  been  given  a 
thorough  trial  in  the  experimental  field  and  in  out-Srate 
tests  over  a  period  of  years  have  been  recommended. 
The  object  of  the  newly  organized  association  is  to  bring 
under  the  direct  control  of  the  growers  of  seeds  the  more 
efficient  production  and  wider  distribution  of  inspected 
and  recommended  seeds.  Inspection  service  will  be  fur¬ 
nished  by  the  association  and  certification  will  he  grained 
to  those  stocks  which  meet  the  standards  set.  In  the 
organization  of  this  association  it  is  definitely  stated 
that  the  membership  should  not  be  large  at  the  start,  so 
that  service  can  be  given  in  the  inspection  of  seeds.  The 
board  of  directors  of  this  new  association  are:  Presi¬ 
dent  and  secretary,  Bruce  I*.  Jones,  Hall,  N.  Y. ;  vice- 
presidents.  Elmer  E.  Ilultz,  Marathon,  N.  Y.  ;  IT  Bruce 
Munger,  Bergen,  N.  Y. ;  Arthur  M.  Reed,  Cortland.  N. 
V.;  Lyman  L.  Foote,  Malone,  N.  Y. 
The  Hunter  variety  of  nectarine  is  the  name  of  the 
new  variety  of  this  fruit  that  has  been  developed  at 
the  State  Experiment  Station  at  Geneva.  This  variety 
is  from  a  seedling  grown  from  a  sport  which  came  from 
an  Liberia  peach  pit  planted  in  April,  1916.  It  first 
limited  in  1920.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  horticulturists 
at  the  station  that  this  fruit  will  find  a  place  in  tlm 
home  gardens  of  the  State. 
I'he  sum  of  $2,195.492  85  has  been  allotted  to  New 
1  ork  State  from  the  Federal  appropriations  for  road 
building.  •  When  this  amount  is  duplicated  by  the  State 
appropriation  it  will  do  much  to  connect  many  of  the 
heretofore  untouched  sections  with  a  more  ready  means 
to  markets. 
During  the  year  1922,  2,166  carloads  of  lettuce  were 
shipped  from  various  points  in  New  York  State  by 
growers  and  buyers.  Oswego  County  shipped  the  most, 
total  cars  reaching  1.188.  Wayne  County  was  second 
with  a  shipment  of  792.  Genesee  came  next  with  a  total 
of  775.  Orleans  came  fourth  on  the  list,  with  158  cars. 
The  balance  of  the  State  was  in  much  smaller  amounts 
in  the  individual  counties.  Cayuga  and  Onondaga  com¬ 
ing  at  the  bottom  of  the  list,  each  shipping  hut  one  car 
each.  ti,  A.  F. 
