The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-26
FARMERS PETTY DECEIT
Short-Sighted Acts Which Will
Cost Them Dear.
B0ULDERS IN POTATOES
Several Sacks Found Half Filled With
Rocks-Utter Lack OF Respect for
Observation-Disclosures OF Some
Apple Shippers.

Sdlu concerning the prOQuCtlVeneSS ol
the valleys of western Montana and
none Of the statements made have
been exaggerated. AS far as climate
and soil go, these valleys are everything
that has ever been claimed for them.
Wheat, oats, hay, fruit and vegetables
all these products Of the farm and
orchard thrive here to an exceptional
degree. Columns upon columns have
been written to set forth the advantages
of this part of the state and the farm
ers of these valleys have been the ones
who have received the direct benefit
of all this advertising. Yet they are
the very ones who are evidently work
Ing to disprove all the good things that
have been said of the productiveness
of the Bitter Root and Missoula val
leys. They are short-sighted and in
different to the future results of their
foolish acts, so long as they succeed in
working off their present crop. They
do not seem to realize that their mar
ket for next season and the one after
that depends in a large measure upon
the quality Of the shipments they make
this year. All they seem to desire is to
work off their small potatoes and their
understood apples and their damaged
grain II they can. There have been
numerous complaints in the past about
the carelessness of local farmers in the
shipment of their crops, but the re-
ports that have been received this fall
from buyers indicate that the fault
IS something more than carelessness.
1t is a downright attempt to cheat and
there can be but one result unless
these receptions are discontinued. That
result will be that these farmers will
ma IN another year that nobody will
ouy their crops and that the small
gain that they may possibly make this
year will be more than balanced by the
loss OF next year through the lack of
customers: Some of the stories that are
told of the petty deceits Of farmer,
this fall are almost incredible, but the
figures and the samples of the products
sold are proof positive that the tales
are true.
One local produce dealer came into
the standard office the other day with
a request that reporter be sent to
ms store to see big potato that he
had found in a shipment that had lust
been brought in by ranchman. The
farmer left the potatoes in the ware
mouse and then came to the office with
the request that he be paid at once, as
ne wanted to go right home. The dealer,
however, refused to pay until he had
inspected the spuds, and went at once
to the warehouse for that purpose. The
first fact that attracted his attention
was the unusual weight of the sacks
He therefore caused one of them to re
opened and the contents poured out.
In that sack he found % pounds of
choice lboulders, the largest Weighing IL
pounds. -That-.was the large potato-
that he had wanted to show. When he
came to pour out the spuds, he found
that fully. half of them had been FROST
bitten and spoiled. The result was that
the farmer went home right away, as
he wanted to do. but he didn't take his
pay with him. He took the potatoes in
stead.
another dealer relates an experience
that is somewhat similar. He had re-
ceived a'large shipment of potatoes in
sacks and had felt the outside of the
sacks to ascertain the size of the DO
tatoes. They were apparently ali right
and as the stock in the store was low,
they had been sent out to customers
without being opened. Soon the pur-
cnasers began to come in with com
pants PA ABOUT the size of the potatoes
Ihey said that half of them were too
small to be of any use for anything
but hog feed. An investigation followed
and revealed the fact that when the
sacks had been filled a piece of stove
pipe had been put into the middle of
around it. while the inside space had
been filled with the smallest potatoes
that We're ever placed upon the mar
ket: That farmer will have consider
ABEL difficulty in ever selling any DO
tatoes to that particular merchant
again.
buyers are complaining also about
me utter lack of respect for any con-
tract or agreement that exists among
many farmers. One dealer last week
sold some carloads of hay to a Wallace
nrm: The order was sent to a farmer
up the Bitter Root, who was under
coutract 10 furnish hay at a certain
at the time the agreement was made.
ne dealer wrote to his customer in
wallace that the hay would be shipped
tne next day and thought no more
OF the matter. In a week. however a
letter was received from Wallace
which stated that no hay had been re-
celVed. Then the dealer went up the |
valley to look into the matter and the
farmer calmly told him that he had |
aecidea not to load the hay, as he had
thought that he would hold his hav III
spring. This conclusion had been reach |
ed without any notification being sent |
to the dealer with whom he had CON |
tract. And this farmer will wonder |
next season why it is that the dealer
will not do business with hin, Thare
Is side story connected with this IN
cldent to the effect that the dealer had |
been carrying the farmer on his hooks
all summer for his living expenses. And |
THAT ldrHler VIII PROBABLY complain |
next year because he can get no credit
at that store. When he has cash he
Will undoubtedly send to an eastern
bargain store for his goods.
Then there are some apple shippers
who practice similar methods. The
sample boxes that they open are all
right, but the ones that they bring in
for sale have been well "deaconed."
There are apples in the middle of the
box that are not fit for use. One local
dealer last week. out of 200 boxes of
apples that were brought to his store
by an orchard man, had to reject %
boxes. This is a bigger percentage
than usual. but it is an actual count
The worst feature of this crooked
work is the effect it has upon the repu-
aation of the products of these valleys.
The men who are honest in their pack