1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
345 
THE WESTERN NEW YORK APPLE BELT. 
Twelve years ag:o the writer took his first institute trip 
through the apple counties of western New York—Wayne, 
Monroe, Orleans, Niagara and Erie. While the farmers 
were doing very well with their other fruits there was 
a general complaint that apples were unproductive. For 
miles one could see almost unbroken stretches of apple 
orchards, trees from 25 to 35 years old, set 25 to 30 feet 
apart, with their branches touching. Many trees were 
full of moss, fungus abundant, and insects of various 
kinds still more abundant. Many of these orchards were 
in sod, used for meadows; others on land where they 
were trying to grow other farm crops. There was very 
little Interest in the apple, and much talk of cutting 
down the orchards; in fact, some were destroyed. About 
that time a number of Orleans County farmers went be¬ 
fore the State assesors and asked to have their valua¬ 
tion lower, because their land was covered with unprofit¬ 
able orchards. Spraying had just begun to come into 
general notice, and the experiment stations, the Western 
New York Horticultural Society and the farmers’ insti¬ 
tutes had begun to preach a gospel of care, fertility and 
spraying to which here and there a man more progressive 
than his fellows with abundant faith, followed by good 
works, took heed, a few goiiig so far as to take out every 
other tree, letting in light and air, and giving more room 
for root pasturage, with the result that these non-pro¬ 
ductive orchards began to bear, in unfavorable years, 
while the uncared-for ones were still barren. Example 
was (as is always the case) stronger than precept. When 
a man was found to be getting from $2,000 to $7,000 an¬ 
nually for his apple crop, his neighbors naturally sought 
the reason why. Then began an era of fertilizing, culti¬ 
vating and spraving, that brought an abundant harvest. 
This received something of a setback in 1896, the year of 
the phenomenal crop, when all orchards bore, those that 
were neglected as well as those cared for. This will be 
remembered as a year of great financial depression; lit¬ 
tle money to be had. both on the part of dealers as well 
as consumers. Thousands of bushels of apples were un¬ 
gathered, and thousands more that had been gathered 
were suffered to rot for want of a market. The writer 
was in Niagara County in August of that year, and 
prophesied that if 50 cents per barrel was obtained for the 
fruit the growers would be fortunate, and he was laugh¬ 
ed to scorn. Yet even had that price been realized for 
all the fruit it would have meant over $2,000,000 to the 
counties above mentioned. To speak of apples that Win¬ 
ter was like putting a red flag before a bull. Some men 
cut down their trees, many more ceased caring for them, 
and spraying had a setback. But the faithful con¬ 
tinued steadfast and the next year, with natural condi¬ 
tions unfavorable, secured a fair crop at very high prices, 
and in the seven years following 1896 there has not been 
a year when the cared-for orchards have not borne, and 
the fruit not been in demand at a fair price. As a rule, 
both grower and buyer have made money. 
Cold storage houses, built on the most approved plan, 
have sprung up all through this section from Rochester 
to Buffalo It is not unusual to find a town with 300 or 
40t inhabitants with a cold storage house holding from 
40,000 to 50,000 barrels. This is one of the greatest bless¬ 
ings to the grower. It relieves the market from the In¬ 
flux of fruit early in the season, and prolongs the period 
when the fruit can be put on the market. By the aid of 
refrigerator oars it can be sent to parts of our country 
and at seasons never possible to reach before. These 
men are searching out sections where they can place the 
fruit, and though they do it for their own profit the 
benefit is received by the grower as well. It is very un¬ 
fortunate for buyer and grower alike that a more con¬ 
servative spirit did not prevail last Fall. Stimulated by 
the money made in the past, buyers paid more for fruit 
than they could afford and the conditions justified, with 
the result that they will lose thousands of dollars, many 
men will be ruined, and while those growers who sold 
are the Immediate gainers, the bad effects will be felt 
for a long time, and unless this should be a year (as it 
promises to be) of an exceedingly short fruit crop, grow¬ 
ers will not obtain anywhere near what they should, 
through undue conservatism and lack of means on the 
part of the buyers. It may interest those who are not 
familiar with the section to know of the magnitude of 
this fruit Industry. These figures I have through the 
courtesy of Willis T. Mann, chairman of the committee 
on statistics of the New York State Fruit Growers’ As¬ 
sociation. They are Just a few from his most exhaustive 
and instructive report: 
Niagara leads, and in her case I give all the fruits; 
924,860 bearing apple trees, 554,000 peach, 388,000 pear and 
184,000 plum trees (all in bearing), beside grapes and 
quinces. Wayne, 796,611 bearing apple trees; Monroe, 
789,409; Orleans, 629,409; Erie, 631,283. In addition these 
counties also have peaches, pears and plums in more or 
less the same proportion as Niagara. In studying crop 
reports next Fall, let those interested remember that 
the apple crop of these five counties equals that of the 
States of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. 
Wayne County sent out this year over 800 cars of evap¬ 
orated apples If we reckon 15 tons to the car, and realize 
that six pounds of evaporated apples stand for a bushel 
of fruit, we have the equivalent of 2,500 bushels per car, 
or a total of 2,000,000 bushels of evaporated apples alone 
in this one county. On account of the lack of coal many 
evaporators were not run to their full capacity. 
Starting this Winter on February 16 at Penfield, Mon- 
rce County, and going from there to Niagara Falls on 
the New York Central Railroad and returning by the 
Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg to Webster, in the 
same county, on March 17, I have held a series of insti¬ 
tutes In this section, and although most of the time the 
roads were very bad, and the meetings not far apart, 
there was a uniformly large attendance of intelligent, 
interested men. This seems the more surprising when 
one realizes that these people are well posted and in 
many cases well able to ^ve the instructors points. The 
number and character of the questions asked would have 
been unheard of 10 years ago, even in an agricultural col¬ 
lege. At Albion, the county seat of Orleans County, is 
probably gathered the best institute audience in this or 
any State. Here institutes have been held for 13 con¬ 
secutive years (the writer has attended six of them), and 
in spite of the fact that originally this was the one in¬ 
stitute for the county, and this year there were four 
others, the attendance has steadily Increased, and in 
neither afternoon session, either this year or last, was 
there room in the Court House for all who desired to get 
in, although it will seat between 450 and 500. But num¬ 
bers are not all. There was not a question among a very 
large number but was an intelligent one, and asked to 
obtain information into the reason of things and not for 
criticism or to test or annoy the speakers. 
Without question there was more wealth represented 
that was actually taken from the soil than in any like 
audience in the United States. This may seem a strong 
statement, but will be more easily credited when I say 
there were doubtless over 100 men present whose apple 
crop alone this year had sold from $1,000 to $3,000, a score 
at least whose fruit had sold for from $3,000 to $10,000, and 
many of these I could mention by name if it were proper 
to do so. Fruit does not constitute all of their revenue. 
They raise large crops of wheat, beans, potatoes, hay 
and cabbage (although this year the more a man had of 
the latter the worse off he was), sheep and cows to a 
limited extent. This profitable fruit business has been 
brought about in a dozen years by intelligent effort con¬ 
trolling conditions; the thing man was placed on the 
earth for, i. e.. to have dominion. In another article I 
will go into the detail of some of the methods employed 
and make some comments thereon. 
EDWARD VAN ALSTTNE. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Fire was started in the oil fields at Beau¬ 
mont, Tex., April 15, by the breaking of a lantern. It 
destroyed 265 derricks, causing a loss of over $800,000. It 
is believed that two-thirds of the companies in the burn¬ 
ed district will be unable to recover from the damage. 
. . . A gale which began along the Atlantic coast April 
13 lasted for 72 hours, and did much damage to shipping 
and to seaside property. The damage to bulkheads and 
other property along the New Jersey coast amounts to 
over $100,000. . . . Exploding oil tanks caused by fire in 
a refinery at Chicago, Ill., April 13, showered blazing oil 
upon surrounding buildings, and caused a loss of $150,000. 
Three men were painfully injured, but no lives lost. . . 
. April 18 the Lamourie Dam on Bayou Lamourie, near 
Alexandria, La., was blown up by farmers living in 
the neighborhood. Four kegs of powder were used and 
the dam was completely wrecked, the explosion being 
heard many miles away. The dam was built on Bayou 
Lamourie by the Red River and Bayou Boeuf Levee 
Board, a State institution, at the request of the people 
living on the bayou below, who were subject to freshets, 
the idea being to force the greater part of the water 
down Bayou Boeuf, which can better carry it off. This 
year the phenomenal rains have caused the flooding of 
the lands above the dam. The people thus injured were 
inclined to credit the overflow to the dam rather than to 
the true cause, the rains. . . . The four young daugh¬ 
ters of Alfred M. Perrin, of New Rochelle, N. Y., who 
was killed in the Park Avenue tunnel wreck in New York 
on January 8, 1902, got a verdict of $75,000 damages in the 
Supreme Court April 20 against the New York Central 
Railroad Company. The widow of every man who sat 
behind or opposite Mr. Perrin in the New Haven coach 
has received a big verdict, among them being Mrs. Henry 
G. Dlmon, $50,000; Mrs. William Leys, $100,000; Mrs. B. C. 
Hinsdale, $40,000, and Mrs. H. S. Slutz, $38,500. . . Six 
persons were killed and several Injured in a wreck on 
the Erie Railroad at Red House, a few miles east of 
Jamestown, N. Y., April 20. Train No. 4, a through ex¬ 
press from Chicago to New York, collided with a freight 
and was derailed. Five unidentified bodies were taken 
from the ruins of the wrecked and burned train. They 
include two women and a child, who are said to have 
been passengers from the West. . . . As a result of 
the temperance agitation throughout Ohio and the result 
of many elections under the Beal local option law, the 
brewers have decided to aid the enforcement of the Sun¬ 
day closing laws in the smaller muncipalitles. Offers of 
support to this end have been communicated to over 50 
mayors of the State by the organization. . . . The 
New York Legislature has passed Senator Goodsell’s bill, 
which prohibits the erection of any camp or hospital for 
the treatment of patients suffering from pulmonary 
tuberculosis in any county of the State without first se¬ 
curing the consent of the Board of Supervisors and the 
Town Board. . . . One of the large plants belonging 
to the National Fireproofing Company near Perth Am¬ 
boy. N. J.. was burned April 21; loss $100,000. . . . Fire 
in the business section of La Crosse, Wis., April 21, 
caused a loss of $500,000. 
ADMINISTRATION.—It has become apparent to the 
Post Office Department authorities that the investiga¬ 
tions into the alleged scandals in the postal service will 
take a much greater time than was anticipated. The in¬ 
vestigation will be most thorough and searching and will 
embrace all details of the administrative service of the 
Department. In the inquiry now being made into the 
conduct of affairs in the salary and allowance division 
it has been found necessary to send Inspectors to post 
offices both large and small and to accessible and re¬ 
mote portions of the country. It is now estimated that 
at least two and probably three months must elapse be¬ 
fore Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General Bristow’s re¬ 
port is completed and laid before Mr. Payne. 
Globe 
Gluten Feed 
A sweet, cool feed, suitable for 
use in Summer weather. Will 
increase your supply of milk one 
quart per cow a day. 
Mixed with bran, Globe gluten 
makes the best horse feed. Cheaper 
than oats, better than corn. 
Ask your dealer for it or write to 
New York Glucose Co. 
26 Broadway, New York. 
Farmer’s Frienil-Corii 
The money-mailing dent com of the future. Brought 
to its present high quality by years of careful hybrid¬ 
izing and selection from the hardiest, earliest, most 
vigorous and prollflo drouth-resisting stocks. Hmall 
cob; long grain; large, solid, plump and well-shaped 
ears. Has outyielded in both weight and measure 
other varieties in actual field tests on our farms. 
Farmers who have seen it want no other. Will be 
widely advertised and in big demand as soon as 
growers and seedsmen learn of its great qualities. 
Get stock now and be ready to supply your neighbors 
next season. They will readily pay a good price for 
seed when they see how It grows and bears for you. 
One pound, 25c..: three pounds, 60c., postpaid. Send 
to-day. For list of other selected Farm Seeds Of best 
varieties send for free Catalogue No. 18. 
MAPLEWOOD STOCK FARM, 
ALLEGAN, MICH. 
AM MM—100 bn. K. 8-rowed Yellow Seed Cora; 
I ■ 11 K N 200 ba. W. Star Oats, clean and choice. 
Sample free. First at N. Y. State Fair. 
Everett’s Early Six Weeks potato, $2.50 per'barrel ; 
Irish Cobblers, Sir Walter Raleighs and others. Some 
choice seconds. Write wants to-day. 8. J. SMITH’S 
POTAIH) FARM, Shortsville, N. Y. 
TOKIER SDKI61 
TME PRAISES Of 
DEERING MACHINES 
This is not surprising as they are money savers and money makers. 
They are machines that can be depended upon at all times and under 
all conditions. Every Deering Light Draft Ideal is a modern up-to- 
date machine containing every modern improvement. 
THE DEERING IDEAL LINE 
Binders, Rice Binders, Headers, Header-Binders, Mowers, Reapers, 
Hemp Reapers, Corn Binders, Corn Shockers, Buskers and Shredders, 
Rakes, Knife Grinders, Oil, and Binder Twine. 
THEY ARE LIGHT DRAFT IDEALS 
niLSchanck Perfect Sprayer 
will spray any kind of liquid poison 
without stopping up on eight rows of 
potatoes utouotime. Used for melons, pickles, cab¬ 
bage, and any kind of truck. No |»uinp8, pipes, cog¬ 
wheels or small nozzles. 49 acres in one day. Send for 
pamphlet. JoHX R. SHANGLE,Mfr.,Hightstown,N. J 
The Hardie Magic Sprayer 
is suitable for any field crop. 
It sprays two rows at a time: 
and one man can spray ten 
acres of potatoes a day. It Is 
automatic in action—all the 
operator has to do is to pick 
up the handle and push the 
outfit like a wheelbarrow— 
‘•The machine does the rest.” 
Can bo changed to an orchard 
sprayer at a moment's notice. 
Send for our new catalogue 
telling the whole story. 
Hardie Spray Rump Mfg. Co., 
46 Lamed St., Detroit, Mich. 
pAUQ The Double-Aciing Rams open 
nHlilO the valves as well as shut them 
off with the power of the water. More 
water raised in proportion to waste than 
any ram made. No stopping. 
V. & A. HODGKINS CO.. Marlboro, N.H. 
HORSE POWERS, 
WOOD SAWS. 
One & two-horse Thrashing Outfits. Level pilTTCDO 
Tread,Fat.Governor Feed and Ensilage uU I I Cno 
ELLIS KEYSTONE AOR’LWORKS, Pottslown, Pa 
F. L. MAINE, General Agent, Wlllet, N. Y. 
