1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
841 
livents of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—Thirty-one men were killed arid 15 in¬ 
jured in a head-on collision between a westbound treight 
and a work train on the Big Four Railroad between 
Mackinaw and Tremont, Ill., November 19. All the dead 
and most of the injured were members of the work train, 
the crews on both engines jumping in time to save their 
lives.Two men wei'e killed and seven injured 
in a rear-end collision on the Brooklyn (N. Y.) Elevated 
Railroad November 19. Both men killed, motorman and 
conductor, were shocked to death by electricity and then 
charred beyond recognition. The train took tire, and 
passengers were in imminent danger from this and from 
electricity. The property loss was $25,000.Mrs. 
Harriet Maxwell Converse, known to the Indians of this 
country as Chief of the Six Nations, died in New York 
November 19. Mrs. Converse, her father and her grand¬ 
father were adopted by the Indians, and were regarded 
as full members of the tribes, though white. She had 
received from the Indians the “Snipe Totem,’’ a coat of 
arms said to be highest in rank among them. Among 
the Indians of the State the sentiment that was felt 
toward Mrs. Converse was something approaching adora¬ 
tion. She always attended the great council of the Six 
Nations, held at Onondaga every year. She did great 
service for them in fighting adverse legislation, such us 
the Vreeland and the Whipple bills, detribalizing Indians 
in the New York reservation, forcing them to individual 
ownership of their lands and to citizenship, which she 
defeated. Every year it was her custom to visit the 
reservation and attend the dances, including the “corn 
dance” and the “strawberry dance.” She also presented 
over $6,000 worth of wampum and Indian relics to the 
Natural History Museums of Albany and New York, and 
her rooms were crowded with arrow heads, war bonnets, 
feathers, snowshoes. blankets and bead work. 
Barlow H. McCormack, superintendent, and Mulvln H. 
Beck, a miner, were instantly killed, as the result of 
labor trolbles, by the explosion of an infernal machine 
heavily charged with dynamite in the main shaft of the 
Vindicator mine at Cripple Creek, Col., November 21. 
The victims were the only passengers in the cage which 
set off the mechanism of the device at the sixth level, 
wrecking the cage and the mouth of the level. Investi¬ 
gation showed that the infernal machine, containing sev¬ 
eral pounds of dynamite, was placed In the sixth level, 
which is part of the abandoned workings of the mine, 
within a few inches of the shaft. Superintendent McCor¬ 
mack was one of the best-known and most popular men 
in the district. He leaves a wife and several children. 
Fifteen men have been arrested by the military authori¬ 
ties at Cripple Creek on suspicion of being implicated in 
the dynamiting. Among them are C. G. Kennison, presi¬ 
dent of the Victor Miners’ Union; Sherman Parker, 
president of District Union No. 1, and W. F. Davis, presi¬ 
dent of the Altman Union. The others are officers and 
members of various unions.A disastrous gas 
explosion in a bituminous coal mine at Dunbar, Pa., No¬ 
vember 21, caused the death of II men. The explosion 
was in one of the deepest parts of the mine. The gas, 
according to experts, mav have been fired by the eating 
through of the fire whicn has burned in the Farm Hill 
mine of the same company for 11 years. .... At 
Lilly, near Altoona, Pa., November 21, 35 Italian laborers 
were burned to death in a shanty, which took fire from 
an overheated stove, and many more were horribly 
burned.Train wreckers, plotting to wreck the 
Black Diamond Express, caused the Doylestown local 
train November 21 to go down a 15-foot embankment near 
Gwynedd, Pa., resulting in two deaths and injuries to a 
score of passengers. The Black Diamond escaped the 
fate of the local because it was an hour late. The loco¬ 
motive struck a rail that had been spiked open on top 
of the double arched stone bridge near Gwynedd. It is 
believed that the wreckers sought to destroy the express, 
believing that it carried a shipment of coin and that the 
disaster would give opportunity for robbery. Certainly 
it was the plan to hurl the train from the top of the 
stone arch below Gwynedd into W^lssahickon Creek. The 
train was wrecked, but did not fall.The United 
States Grand Jury of the Northern District of Louisiana, 
which has been investigating the charges of peonage and 
land frauds, in submitting its final report, presents seven 
Indictments for peonage, reputed to include some of the 
leading planters in the northern part of the State, and 
220 are indicted for fraudulent entries of land under the 
Homestead act. The report of the Grand Jury in the 
case of the land frauds declares that the testimony ob¬ 
tained was startling in the extreme and almost beyond 
the bounds of belief. For years past, it declares, an 
organized system of plundering- the public domain had 
existed, which had succeeded in stealing thousands of 
acres of the best pine lands in Louisiana. A similar steal 
was practiced some years ago, but was broken up by 
the vigorous prosecution of the timber thieves. The 
frauds, it is shown, were operated by the big companies, 
which induced the small farmers to make entries of 
timber lands for homesteads, the companies advancing 
the money and receiving the land as soon as the home¬ 
stead titles had been completed. The advance in the 
prices of pine timber had made these frauds very profit¬ 
able, and they had grown steadily. 
ADMINISTRATION.—The opponents of the Cuban 
Reciprocity bill could not muster sufficient force in the 
House of Representatives November 19 to secure a 
second vote on its passage, only 23 members seconding 
the demand of Mr. Fordney (Rep.. Mich.) for the yeas 
and nays. A division was secured by William Alden 
Smith (Rep., Mich.), resulting in 335 ayes and 21 noes. 
This action practically closed the special session in the 
House, though it did not adjourn.About $5,500,- 
000 have already been paid in Spanish war pensions; the 
average yearly value of the Spanish war pension is $137, 
and the average annual value of all other pensions is $133, 
and 304,809 applications for Spanish war pensions await 
adjudication. 
PANAMA.—A treaty providing for construction of the 
Panama Canal by the United States was signed Novem¬ 
ber 18 by Secretary Hay and Mr. Bunay-Varilla, the 
minister of Panama. The treaty gives the United States 
complete jurisdiction over the canal strip, and pr®vide.s 
for the payment of $10,000,000 to Panama, The depart¬ 
ments of Cauca and Antioquia are threatening to secede 
from Colombia and seeking admission to the Republic 
of Panama. An invasion of the isthmus by Colombian 
troops from Buenaventura is rumored. Minister Beauprg 
reports the situation in Bogota critical, and it Is thought 
likely that relations betw.een the United States and Co¬ 
lombia will be severed. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—New Zealand has just 
passed a preferential tariff bill, which became a law at 
once. It places a duty of 20 per cent on the following 
goods, now free from duty, when from countries outside 
the British Empire: Bicycle parts, gas engines, oil en¬ 
gines, gum boots, iron and steel cordage, sheet, bolt and 
bar iron, printing paper, railroad and tramway rails, 
sailcloth, canvas and duck, and surgical and dental in¬ 
struments. The bill doubles the present duty on cement 
and adds 50 per cent to the duties on the following goods, 
when from non-British territory: Basketware, bicycles, 
boots, candles, carriages, chinaware, clocks, cordage, 
cream of tartar, earthenware, stoneware, fancy goods, 
toys, firearms, potted fish, furniture, cabinetware, glass 
and glassware, hardware. Ironmongery, hops, nails, 
lamps, pianos, paper hangings, paper, plated ware and 
pumps. The duty on tea grown within the British do¬ 
minions is removed. Besides providing increased duties 
on the above-named foreigm goods, the bill provides for 
reciprocity with foreign countries making concessions to 
New Zealand products. It is estimated that the in¬ 
creased duties will yield $350,000 to $400,000, against which 
is the remission of the tea duty, amounting to $200,000. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The twenty-seventh annual 
convention of the Iowa State Dairymen’s Association 
opened a three days’ meeting at Waterloo, Iowa. No¬ 
vember 18, with 1,800 In attendance, including dairv,'com¬ 
mission, transportation and supply men. Iowa butter- 
makers to the number pf 134 have entered for the gold 
medal. Governor Cummins of Iowa addressed the con¬ 
vention; State Dairy Commissioner Wright and James 
Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture, spoke the opening day. 
November 19, the entire board of old officers was 
reelected as follows; President, S. B. Shilling, Mason 
City; vice-president, W. B. Barney, Hampton; secretary, 
P, H. Kniffer, Manchester; treasurer, J. L. Leighton, 
New Hampton. In the butter test, with 137 contestants, 
W. B. Smai'zo, of Masonville, won first with 98 points; 
J. S. Scott, of Dubuque, second, with 971^. Professor 
McKay, of Ames College, who made the test, says the 
samples never scored so high before. In last year's con¬ 
test the highest score was a6 points. More than half the 
contestants scored above the required 91 points. Pro¬ 
fessor McKay says the high score of this year is the re¬ 
sult of education in the matter of ripening the cream. 
The thirty-first annual meeting of the Pennsylvania 
State Grange will be held at Wilkesbarre, Pa., Decem¬ 
ber 8. 
The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Ontario Agri¬ 
cultural and Experimental Union will be held at the 
Ontario Agricultural College December 7-8. The number 
of experimenters engaged in the cooperative work has 
increased from 12 in 1886 to about 3,845 in 1903. In agricul¬ 
ture alone there have been 31,061 distinct tests made 
throughout the Province since the work was started 18 
years ago. These tests have required about 148,537 sep¬ 
arate plots, in horticulture the cooperative work was 
taken up by 15 experimenters in 1888 and by about 500 ex¬ 
perimenters in 1903. The Ontario Provincial Winter Fair 
will be held in Guelph on December 8 to 11 inclusive. 
Lectures will be delivered in the lecture room of the 
Winter Fair Building each day and evening during the 
fair. The topics dealt with will relate to cattle, sheep, 
swine, poultry and their products. A public meeting 
under the auspices of the various associations will be 
held in Guelph December 9. For further particulars, ap¬ 
ply to A. P. Westervelt, Parliament Buildings, Toron¬ 
to. Ont. 
The thirty-first annual meeting of the Central Illinois 
Horticultural Society opened a two days’ session at 
Bloomington November 19 with a large attendance. 
George J. Foster, of Normal, presided. Senator H. M. 
Dunlap, of Savoy, responded to the address of welcome 
from J. T. Lillard, of Bloomington. Papers were read 
by W. S. Perrine, Centralia. on “Strawberry Culture;” 
H. S. Doan, Jacksonville, on “Asparagus Growing;” C. 
S. Crandall, University of Illinois, on “Small Fruits;” 
Professor R. O. Graham, Bloomington, on “Fruits of Our 
Own Section;” Dr. J. T. Burrill, University of Illinois, on 
“Weeds and Weed Legislation.” The session concluded 
with a report from the director of the experiment sta¬ 
tions of the central district by G. J. Foster, of Normal. 
To punish persons who pasture live stock on public 
lands within forest reserves, the Secretary of the In¬ 
terior November 19 referred to the House the passage of 
an act imposing a fine of $1,000 or Imprisonment for not 
longer than one year, or both, for each offense. 
WHAT APPLE DEALERS SAY 
About Box, Barrel and Prices. 
We do not think there can be any improvement made 
over the old style of package for apples, namely barrels. 
We have not handled any in bulk nor in boxes, nor do 
we encourage shipments in this style. 
Baltimore. Md. c. h. anderson & co. 
Boxes are not a desirable package in this market. We 
handle a great many apples in bulk, and we think this 
year they have brought prices that have paid the shipper 
well; at the same time we do not advocate that way of 
shipping, but under the circumstances, barrels being so 
scarce, a great many growers have been compelled to 
ship in bulk. In reference to the cost of barrels would 
say that we have no doubt that the consumer pays for 
the difference in cost. brown & m’mahon. 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
We would not encourage shipping in boxes, as they are 
not so salable. The next best thing is apples in bulk. 
So far this season we think that bulk shipments of apples 
have paid a fair margin to both shipper and dealer. 
Most surely the high cost of barrels has caused the 
advance in apples, which naturally the consumer has to 
pay. All these extras are added on to the cost of fruit 
when sold to the retail trade, so naturally the consumer 
pays the bill. qerber fruit co. 
St. Louis, Mo. 
The tendency now is to ship in boxes, which is particu¬ 
larly due, we believe, to the high prices of barrels, but 
the box is a package which is used on this market to 
pack extremely fancy apples In, and the apples, if not so, 
should be shipped in bulk. The cost of the barrels does 
not make any difference in the cost of apples; this has 
to be borne wholly by the grower, it may be a long time 
in the future before the box apples will wholly take the ■ 
place of the barrels, but we believe to those who pack as 
we suggest, it would pay. r. w. dixon & son. 
New York. 
The box package has not been used here to any extent, 
excepting on western apples. When the fruit is well 
graded and possesses the quality, the box has done well. 
Bulk apples sold in large quantities this season, and 
certainly hurt the sale of barrels. When the weather 
gets cold, the barrel package is preferred. As for the re¬ 
sults from bulk stock, we understand they varied, but 
good fruit is generally reported to have left satisfactory 
impressions. We hear of barrels costing 50 to 60 cents. 
There are all kinds of arguments produced as to who 
pays the extra cost, but the most plausible points to 
the consumer as' being the man. One of our biggest 
operators insists that the grower stands it. 
Pittsburg, Pa. connollt-m’afee co. 
Box apples are coming in favor in our market more 
every season. We have put away quite a good many 
apples ourselves this year in boxes, and look for them 
to sell well in this package. As to whether bulk ship¬ 
ments of apples have paid the shipper or dealer a fair 
margin, we are not in a position to say whether they 
have or not. for the reason that we have not been ship¬ 
ping any apples in bulk, neither have we been handling 
many. Our market has been well supplied with apples 
grown around here, so very few cars of bulk apples have 
come into our market up to this time. We think the 
future will tell better whether the average seller or con¬ 
sumer has had to pay the extra cost of barrels. We 
think it is a little too early to determine this point. 
Cleveland, O. the bigalow fruit co 
The box seems to be being used this season more than 
ever before, which is probably accounted for by the 
shortage of barrels. I do not consider the box a good 
package for cohimon grades of apples, but nice fruit put 
up in a box is a very satisfactory package to handle. 
The box which I should advise people to use would be 
the California style package. I do not take any stock 
in the odd-shaped boxes which are being used by many 
people, no regularity as far as shape or size is concerned. 
For general use at the present time here in the East 
there is no package better than the barrel; however, 
when they get to using a regular package as they do 
in California, and take care of their orchards by fertiliz¬ 
ing, spraying, etc., so that they will raise nice fruit, then 
and only then would I advise the general use of boxes. 
Worcester, Mass. w. h. blodoet. 
The growers in New York State are somewhat to blame 
for shortness of barrels. They claimed such a short crop 
early that the coopers did not make as large preparations 
as they otherwise would. The bushel box sells fairly 
well; where the fruit is fancy the box outsells the barrel. 
Bulk shipments have paid the grower a fair margin, but 
our opinion is that they have not proved of much profit 
to the dealer generally. The high cost of barrels has 
made but little difference in the price apples would have 
sold at. Had barrels been more plentiful and a supply 
more assured we think buyers would have been more 
plentiful. The cost of barrels was divided. Where ap¬ 
ples were sold early with ideas of lower-priced barrels 
the extra cost fell on the grower. Where they were sold 
later the extra cost was figured in the price, and the 
buyer paid It. t. h. evans * ro. 
Baltimore. Md. 
NEW YORK’S NORMAL INSTITUTE. 
Director of Institutes F. E. Dawley opened the first 
Normal Institute at Geneva, November 21. It was held 
at the experiment farm under the immediate care of Dr. 
Jordan, Director of the Station. Mr. Dawley. assisted 
b.v Dr. Jordan and Prof. Bailey, Dean of the State Col¬ 
lege of Agriculture, have spent much time upon this 
unique movement, and are therefore highly elated over 
the results. The programme was carried out substan¬ 
tially as laid down. The heads of the various depart¬ 
ments show clearness of thought and a grasp of up-to- 
date problems that is certainly gratifying to all con¬ 
cerned. The Station grounds and buildings are fast ap¬ 
proaching their former appearance before the destructive 
fire visitation. Dr. Jordan’s intense activity in all station 
business has transformed the equipment so that without 
question there is none better or more complete In the 
United States. The Federal Government has shown its 
deep interest in these normal institutes by sending Prof. 
John Hamilton, institute specialist, to make a careful 
study of this work. The new management at Cornell, 
with Prof. Bailey at the head, is giving this normal effort 
Its earnest support. As I see the recent movements in 
New York State towards agricultural education there 
can be but one ultimate outcome; reorganization of the 
State College, harmonizing and increasing the efficiency 
of farmers’ institute work and a codperation of the De¬ 
partment of Public Instruction with the Bureau of 
Farmers’ Institutes which must finally have the effect 
in some way of introducing agricultural teaching into 
our rural schools. These three distinctive movements 
are the outgrowth of a popular demand for greater 
facilities for education, not only to keep our State in 
the advance line, but to maintain an equality with sister 
States of the Midd le West. _ h. e. c. 
WESTERN NEW YORK FARMERS BLESSED. 
Western New York is still on top as a fruit-growing 
section, as the results this year Indicate. Two years ago 
I could stand on the highest point of our farm and count 
seven good-sized orchards that were being destroyed with 
the canker worm, but the owners were calling us “cranks” 
for pursuing our method of thorough spraying. We have 
never suffered with the canker worm, and to-day they 
are thoroughly converted, and after two years of solid 
work they have eradicated the pest and are rejoicing in 
an abundant crop of choice apples and selling at $2 per 
barrel. Quite a number of us are storing our apples In 
chemical storage, awaiting higher prices. I was unable 
to get storage for all of mine, as I had more than twice 
as many as I at first estimated, so had to sell one carload 
at $2. We are still busy with our Niagara grapes, and 
are selling them at the extremely long prices that are 
prevailing this year. We are firm believers in chemicals 
and Crimson clover for our orchards and vineyard, as 
well as our potatoes and corn. We have just harvested 
the best crop of Carman No. 3 potatoes, and have over 
2.000 bushels stored from fiVz acres of ground, and are to 
thrash our marrow beans to-morrow that were raised 
on ground that was doctored with 500 pounds per acre 
of dissolved rock and muriate of potash. We are going 
to husk and shred the finest field of corn (Pride of the 
North) that I ever grew as soon as it is dry enough to 
handle. So you see that the Lord has been very good to 
us again this year, and we have every reason to spend 
a very thankful Thanksgiving, although we are about 
tired out with the hustle of the p ast season. w. 
CANADIAN BARRELS.—There is a great scarcity of 
apple barrels this year, so much so that a great many 
apples are being held for the home market which other¬ 
wise would have been sold for exportation. The price 
for barrels now is 60 cents and hard to get at that, while 
earlier in the season they were sold for 40 and 50 cents. 
The box as a shipping package has not made an appear¬ 
ance here yet, at least, not to my knowledge. j d 
Byron, Ont. 
CULTIVATED GINSENG.—We have made inquiries in 
regard to ginseng roots and sum up this way; The culti- 
vated root is not yet ready for sale, as the growers are 
selling seed and young roots to beginners, and are not 
digging root, hence only a small quantity of it has come 
to market. What we are getting is the wild root, a box 
of about five pounds of which we sold to-day for $6.75 
per pound There will be a future demand for all that 
can be raised, probably at paying prices. 
New York. -w. h. cohen & co. 
CIDER IN OIIj barrels.—O n page 744 the question 
IS asked how to clean an oil barrel to put cider or vinegar 
m it. Three or four years ago I had more cider than 
barrels would hold, but I had a barrel from which I had 
emptmd machine oil. I washed it out with clean water 
and filled it with cider. For some time we thought it 
would be no good, but now we have a barrel of as good 
strong vinegar as you ever saw. I believe the oil kept It 
would have kept in a clean barrel. 
Ruddys, Va. j. n. 
■BIRDS AND FRUITS.—It would seem as if the testi¬ 
mony given by fruit growers through The R. N.-Y. 
ought to convince and convert those who pose as “friends 
to the birds, who speak from but little or no practical 
experience. I have no doubt but what they who try so 
hard to convince us that the.se birds are our friends 
mean well enough, and think that they are doing God’s 
service by quoting the sayings of those who only a few 
y ears ago were supposed to be authority and correct 
teachers on the subject, but which practical observa¬ 
tion and experience has most thoroughly disproved. Our 
experience of nearly 20 years in the cultivated berry busi¬ 
ness fully indorses all that has been said. Every succeed¬ 
ing year since we have been in the business has found 
these birds more plentiful and, proportionally, more de¬ 
structive to the fruits, and at the same time we have 
been unable to detect wherein they have been of any 
perceptible benefit. It cost us a tax of over $500 this 
last season to support them, and the rate that it is now 
annually increasing we shall very soon be driven out of 
the business or into bankruptcy. We anticipated all this 
10 years ago, and got into print on It. but at that time 
had but little support from the press. We are very glad 
to note that the agricultural press, in general, is now 
alive and awake to the situation, and ere long we are in 
hope to see our laws so amended as to represent more 
sense and justice and less false sentiment f w w 
Hancock, Me. __ 
BUSINESS BITS. 
The "Excel” is the name of a grinding mill offered to 
our readers by the Excel Mfg. Co., 116 Liberty St, New 
York, and we are confident that any purchaser will con¬ 
sider the mill rightly named. In writing ask for cata¬ 
logue “E” and learn all about it. 
This Is the season of the year when the poultryman 
gets good returns by being liberal in feeding his hens 
with green bone. Many have found bone preparation a 
difficult task. A machine which has solved the problem 
of cutting bones for poultry, making easy work of it and 
delivering the product in proper condition for the hen’s 
use, is Mann’s green bone and vegetable cutter. Any 
reader without a cutter and contemplating buying should 
write F. W. Mann Co., Box 15, Milford, Mass. 
The New Holland cob and feed mill, manufactured by 
the New Holland Machine Works, New Holland. Pa., is 
one of the mills that depends on its own work to sell it 
and is, therefore, freely sent forth to responsible parties 
on trial. The broad guarantee covers most satisfactorily 
just those things required in a feed mill. It is made in 
three sizes, and is adapted to the use of any kind of 
power. Anyone contemplating the purchase of a feed 
mill, should at least send for this company’s catalogue 
and make investigation before placing an order. 
Greater Georgia.— An association of reliable men has 
been formed for the purpose of advfertlslng the resources 
of the State. Georgia is one of the best of the Southern 
States. It has Immense resources, and can provide 
homes and labor for millions of deserving men. Land 
is cheap and the conditions of climate and soil make it 
possible for an enterprising man to live in comfort and 
contentment. The Greater Georgia Association. Atlanta, 
Ga., is reliable, and will gladly send you facts about 
the State and its opportunities. 
