The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-12-08

represented IN the list are oats, with
seventy-four per cent of the consum-
er's price going to the farmer when
bought by the bushel; melons, fifty
per cent when bought b ythe pound:
parsnips. sixty per cent when bought
by the bunch; potatoes. fifty-nine per
cent when bought by the bushel;
string beans, eighty per cent when
bought by the barrel; sweet potatoes.
sixty-one per cent when bought by
barrel; turnips, sixty per cent in pur-
chases by the bunch; watermelons.
thirty-four ttd tSsr cent when bought
No Comph hsectnst Farmer.
After presentins> So "details with
regard to the increaas 4. ices on
farm products between G, and
consumer. the secretary Or al
ture declares that "the conclusfosl is
inevitable that the consumer has no
| well-grounded complaint against the
farmer for the prices that he pays.
The farmer supplies the capital for
production and takes the risk Of his
losses; his crops are at the mercy Of
drought and flood, and heat, and frost.
to say nothing of noxious insects and
blighting diseases. He supplies hard,
exacting, unremitting labor. A degree
and range of information and intelli-
gance are demanded by agriculture
which are hardly equaled in any 9TH
er occupation. Then there is the risk
Of overproduction and disastrously
low prices. From beginning to end
the farmer must steer dextrously to
escape perils to his profits, and indeed
to his capital. on every hand. At last
the products are started on their way
to the consumer. The railroad, gen.
orally speaking. adds percentage Of
increase to the farmers prices that
is not large. After delivery by the
railroad the products are stored q
short time, are measured into the va
rious retail quantities, more or less
small, and the dealers are rid of them
as soon as possible. The dealers
/ have risks that are practically small,
except credit sales, and such risks as
grow out of their trying to do an
amount Of business which is small as
compared with their number"
In continuation Of this subject, the
secretary of agriculture suggests that
the problem of high prices is one for
treatment by the consumer. why
do not consumers buy directly from
the farmers?" he asks. "A distribu-
tion of farm products In this simple
way has already begun in England
where cooperative organizations of
farmers are selling by direct con-
signment to cooperative organizations
of consumers in cities. Farmers Co
operative selling associations are
numerous in this country, but CO.
operative buying associations among
the people of cities and towns are
few. Aside from buying associations
maintained by farmers. hardly any
exist in this country. 1t is apparent.
therefore, that the consumer has
much to do to work out his own sal
walton with regard to the prices that
he pays. Potatoes were selling last
spring In some places where there
had been overproduction for twenty
cents and in some places for even
nine cents per bushel at the farm,
while at the same time city consum-
ers in the east were paying fifty to
seventy-five cents per buspel, al
though there was nothing to prevent
them from combining to buy a car
load or more of potatoes directly
from the grower and for delivery d.
rectly to themselves.'
Dairy Investigations.
Twenty-eight new associations for
the cooperative testing Of cows be-
longing to members were formed dur
ing the year; fifty-five are now in OPP
Grafton. Such tests, which enable
the owners to discard improbable
COWS, raised the average annual profit
per COW in one association from $21.-
43 to $42.S2 in four years.
| The score-card system Of dairy in
spection recommended by the depart
ment has helped to improve sanitary
conditions in dairies. It Is being used
in III cities and towns, including
some of the largest cities. Great Inn
provement has been brought about in
the milk supplies Of a number of
cities.
Grain Standardiyation-Wheat.
The study of grain Standardization
has been progressing satisfactorily.
Three hundred sample of various va
rieties, and grades of wheat were ex-
perimentd with in connection with
the Improvement Of the handling and
marketing Of this crop. The import
ant study Of seed testing for the pur-
pose Of improving the quantity of. the
different seeds and for ascertaining
the particular seeds for different cli-
mates is being rapidly developed. The
/ department has been directing special
effort to extend the area of possible
cultivation of hard winter wheat by
the introduction Of varieties harder
than hoste now grown. The Kharkov
variey has proved to be the best.
Public Roads.
Instruction in the methods Of road
building has continued through the
medium Of object lesson roads, built
at local expense. under the supervi-
sion Of an engineer Of the office Of
public roads. More than one million
square yards Of road, equivalent to
about fourteen miles Of road fifteen
feet wide, were completed during the
year. Viewed as construction rec
ord alone this would constitute an
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