The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-11

High Vegetables
 Anyone who gets up early in the morning and visits the truck grow CTS market at Morris avenue and Twenty fourth, where the farmers are congregated with their loads of fresh vegetables, may soon find out just what the vegetable stands pay for their daily retail supply. When any such one goes to buy at the vegetable stands, he Is amazed at the difference in price, and often believes that the price at the stands ought not to be any higher than quoted at the farmers market The farmer must dispose of his load at once, be- cause his work at home must not be neglected, and depends mainly on the dealer to relieve him of his load. The vegetable stands buy from the farmer and retail tue product throughout the day Now comes the cause of the tremendous advance in price. The item of rent alone Is frequently as ' high as $5 to $10 a day. Clerk hire and other expenses will total still more. The losses in any perishable stuff Is immense. Now all this must come alone from the retail profits, before the vegetable stands can claim a dollar The result is every body who buys must pay his part of the expense.
 Expensive EmbnrEoes The public is just beginning to wake up to one of the most vicious forms of legislation ever enacted in this country. It is rather ruling. excluding absolutely the importation of many desirable plants and bulbs from Europe and other parts of the world. The excuse is to keep out undesirable insects and diseases, but in many cases makes no provision for such that are known to be free from both. Is there any sense, for example, to exclude absolutely q certain varie- ty of plant grown in Belgium, because some of them or at least some stock growing in that country Is known to be effected, when it is known, on the other hand, that much stock is available in the same country that is entirely free from disease?
 There is no common sense in any such ruling. A foreigner might as easily say that he would not pur- ~chase any nursery stock in America, because we have San Jose scale. This miserable ruling has manifested it. sself. for the past season, in the out rageous prices that have prevailed for Towering bulbs and nearly all sorts of nursery stock.
 Parcel Post
 No one doubts the great benefits of the parcel post to the American farmer, but the service. like every thing else. seems to be increasing in cost to such an extent, that an ad- vance in rates is sure to shortly fol- olow. The United States government, after careful research, has produced 2 Some amazing figures on the volume and expense of the service. Since January l. 1913, when parcel post service was instituted, there has been practically no change in the x rat tes of postage. For the first year parcel post matter comprised less .sthan per, cent of all mail handled; now it has risen to more than 60 per cent. The cost of mail transpor- tation has increased 60 per cent: salaries, carrier service, city delivery service, mail clerk service, etc, all have enormously increased.
 It is a sure thing that postage rates will sooner or later have to be increased to take care of at least a part of the expense of the service forts to abandon the service or E American farmer to be on guard, less the service will be curtailed to the point where wholly inadequate to meet the needs of advancing prog ress.
 ssA9 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 0. Is it too late to SOW beardless or spring barley? H. H., R. F. D. 3.
 A. It is most too late. Better wait now until early fall.
 s~--Q. What is the best thing to