The Ordway new era., 1911-10-27
Random Thoughts

is marked on all the returns and the
seller must be happy with his lad.
vance," A grim joke 1t may be but
for Il minute that this was not ali
figured out before the season began,
and further, one must suspect that it
was all agreed to by all OF the COM
mission men. They may scrap little
occasionally between themselves to
keep up appearances but it is not SER
ious and no blood Is shed. In short,
our conclusion must be that it was all
exactly determined just how much 1t
cost the farmer to put the crate on
the PLATFORM, and that amount was
advanced. Then these melons were
sold on the general market for this
amount plus other expenses, as com.
mission, freight. etc. This made
rapid sales and sure profit to the COM
mission house. Then the jObber and
the retail man all put on Il profit and
when they reach the consumer they
have real silver flavor.
What an admirable (?) system! The
writer has been watching the gradual
formation OF this gigantic trust for
twenty years and although we cut of
the head OF this monster every year,
new one Immediately grows out, and
it Is with no little interest that he is
watching to see just what form the
1912 octopus will take.
Now the writer has no individual
grievance to air, indeed hopes he is
on friendly terms with our buyers,
but the system is what we are strik.
ing. Why can not the cantalOupes OF
Colorado be sold as the oranges OF Cali.
fornia and Florida are? And why
should It be necessary for dozen firms
national one, l mean.
The carloads OF oranges from Cali
fornia alone amount yearly to more
than l5,OOO-all sold through one as
sociation. BY this means the con-
sumcr pays no more for his oranges,
the seller gets double the former
prices, and the commission man loses
little, as under the former system cit
rus fruits were not well distributed
Iand 1t was either FEAST or famine
| In the cities.
Something Of like nature could be
done with our cantaloupes. True,
our crop is only distributed over two
months, but we have onlya fraction
of the amount to distribute. VIII
someone kindly point out my errors
and tell me why the two cases are not
parallel.
A similar trust seems to be forming
on all the products Of the farm. In
time our alfalfa, wheat, oats, corn, etc.
will all be sold through some trust.
The beat trust Is well organized and
the same old gag is true-"All the
Traffic will Bcar'-is enforced, and
not how much can we pay and still
make profit, but how little.
Alfalfa is quoted on the Denver
market at Sll per ton or Sl.5O less
than month ago. Why. The trust
is trying to dcprcss prices. But the
farmer who draws in loose hay gets
$l2 to $l4 Il ton. l could give Il dozen
similar illustrations of various pro.
ducts. Oh, am aware | am saying
nothing new-they are old truiSms
but they need watching, need talking
have no rcmedy-nn patent pills
to regulate this financial distress.
While the whole world seems able to
combine the farmers seem too num-
crous, or too jealous, or too contrary,
or too anxious to sell, to get together
in any combination that will stick.
But one thing is evident, !. c., there
is a whole hungry world waiting to be
fed and another hard working class
ready to feed them, but there stands
a middle man between them, and we
all know the result.
While we are closing up the seasons
work, the year Of ~ looms up before
us"big with PROMISE Who Of us is
already blowing his cantaloupc ground
to be put in with bccts, cucumbcrs or
cants again? Winter will soon be up
on us. Don't count on being able to
do the work after Thanksgiving. And
the spring blowing can never do as
we'll. The winter freezing and snow
do their work while we sleep, and
with the first approach OF spring a
harrow or level will prepare the
ground for the April or May planting,
and the winter moisture will remain
till June or July, insuring a good
stand.
Some lucky fellow has already put
in his winter wheat, and next April
will seed it down to alfalfa, only to be