1900 
THE KUKAJL NEW-YORKER: 
235 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—A severe storm of snow, sleet and hail 
visited the Eastern and Southern States March 15, block¬ 
ing traffic and causing numerous accidents. Near Bound 
Brook, N. J., two nursery salesmen were frozen to death, 
while exposed to the storm. . . . Francis Truth, head 
of a so-called divine-healing association in Boston, Mass., 
was arrested March 15, charged with using the mails for 
fraudulent purposes. He has been obtaining money from 
persons to whom he promised to give ‘‘absent treatment" 
for disease. ... In a collision off Sable Island, Nova 
Scotia, March 14, the steamer Counte foundered, with the 
captain and 21 men. ... A counterfeit of the new $1 
silver certificate has been discovered by the chief of the 
Secret Service. It is a poor zinc etching. ... At 
Manchester, N. H., March 12, nearly 8,000 operatives in 
the mills were idle, owing to ice in the river, which com¬ 
pelled mills not provided with steam power to shut down. 
... A warship has been ordered to Taku, China, to 
protect American missionary interests. . . . An explo¬ 
sion in a furnace at McKeesport, Pa., March 16, killed one 
man, fatally burned two others, and seriously injured two 
more. The body of one man was entirely consumed by 
the intense heat of the explosion, not a trace of it re¬ 
maining. . . . March 17, the temperature was below 
zero in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, being the coldest on 
this date for 23 years. ... A train on the Manhattan 
Elevated Railroad, New York City, dashed into a coal 
chute at Rector street March 18, injuring 11 persons. . . . 
At Newark, N. J., March 19, 20 persons were injured in a 
rear-end collision of trolley cars. ... At Nescopeck, 
Pa., the bodies of E. C. Stout and his wife, were found 
buried In the snow in their farmyard March 19. They had 
both been gored to death by a savage bull they owned, 
Mrs. Stout’s neck was broken, and her body stripped of 
clothing, while her husband was mangled almost beyond 
recognition. ... At Columbus, O., March 17, a family 
of six persons were burned to death, as the result of 
starting a fire with gasoline, which exploded. ... A 
fire which started in a wire factory in Philadelphia March 
21 caused a loss of $300,000. ... At Chicago, Ill., 30 per¬ 
sons were injured March 21 by the fall of an elevator. 
. . . The authorities at Astoria, Ore., are offering five 
cents apiece for dead rats. They fear that the animals 
may carry bubonic plague. ... At San Jacinto, Cal., 
600 acres of land on San Jacinto Mountain have dropped 
into a great cavern. The earthquake of December 25 
last has been succeeded by many lighter shocks, and resi¬ 
dents are alarmed. 
CONGRESS.—The House Committee on Naval Affairs 
has decided to recommend the building of two coast bat¬ 
tleships, three armored cruisers, and three protective 
cruisers. . . . The Republicans in the Senate are still 
undecided what to do with the whole Porto Rican ques¬ 
tion, and it is likely that there will be further delay. . . . 
March 16, the Senate passed a bill appropriating $2,000,000 
for the relief of Porto Rico. . . . The House has appro¬ 
priated $7,093,488 for seacoast defenses. . . . March 21, 
Senator Morgan introduced an amendment to the Porto 
Rican bill providing for the free coinage of silver. 
PHILIPPINES.—The Filipino Junta in Manila is grow¬ 
ing more active, and Gen. Otis is endeavoring to lessen 
rebel freedom in that city. A number of insurgent lead¬ 
ers recently met in conference in Manila. The rebels are 
reorganizing in the Provinces of Morong and Zambales. 
Brigands are committing many crimes in the Province of 
Nueva Ecija, where they tax local traders and farmers 
for support. In Albay the insurgents have ceased at¬ 
tacking the Americans, but are ravaging the country. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—The capsizing of a ferry¬ 
boat in the Danube River, near Kalocsa, Hungary, 
drowned 24 persons March 20. . . . The famine expendi¬ 
ture in India this year is estimated at $16,675,000. The 
plague is spreading, 4,725 deaths occurring in Bengal dur¬ 
ing the week ending March 21. . . . Sydney, New South 
Wales, is declared infected with bubonic plague. Two 
deaths have occurred. . . . Lord Roberts’s proclama¬ 
tion of amnesty to Free State burghers is causing them 
to lay down their arms and return to their farms. March 
22, Mafeking still held out, though the troops were reduced 
to one-quarter rations. Switzerland and Germany de¬ 
clined to offer mediation, when requested to do so by the 
Boers. Serious friction exists between Free State and 
Transvaal forces. The announcement by Transvaal au¬ 
thorities that if compelled to evacuate Johannesberg, they 
would destroy town and mines with dynamite, has called 
out a British proclamation, warning them that both pub¬ 
lic and private property would be levied upon to pay the 
indemnity for such damage. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The famous trotting mare 
Maud S. died at Greenwich, Conn., March 17, heart dis¬ 
ease being the cause. The mare was 26 years old, and 
had a record of 2:08%. 
A circular letter sent out by A. J. Rider, secretary of 
the American Cranberry Growers’ Association, points out 
that while the figures of last year’s crop show an appar¬ 
ent profit, it is really a loss, because the growers rate 
their own labor too low, and rush their products into the 
market too early. A combination which could control 
prices is advised. 
March 14, a large delegation of Philadelphia produce 
dealers appeared before the House Committee on Agri¬ 
culture, at Washington, in support of the Grout bill. One 
of the delegates asserted that 90 per cent of the oleo sold 
in Philadelphia is disposed of illegally as butter. 
The snowstorm March 15 caused considerable damage 
in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, as the fruit trees 
were in full bloom. In Texas tender vegetables were 
damaged, and this will increase the acreage of cotton, as 
many farmers will devote truck land to this crop. 
Floods in southern Illinois have inundated the bottom 
lands, doing enormous damage to crops and live stoci*. 
At Belleville, the Okaw River and Cahokia creek were 
rising steadily March 17. 
The official report of the wheat crop in Victoria, Aus¬ 
tralia, shows 15,000,000 bushels, instead of 21,000,000, the 
estimate before the harvest. The exportable surplus will 
be 6,250,000 bushels. 
The Congressional Committee on Agriculture has so 
amended the Federal Inspection bill that it does not take 
precedence over the diverse State laws, thereby defeating 
the very purpose for which the bill was devised and losing 
for It the support of the men who have been pushing it 
for two years. 
A colony of 400 Missouri farmers is to be established in 
the Concho Valley, State of Chihuahua, Mexico. The 
promoters of the colony have purchased 200,000 acres of 
land, and the colonists all expect to go there in time to 
put in this season’s crop. 
German authorities are now keeping close watch on 
American lard, and samples are frequently analyzed. 
The Berlin Market Hall Journal tells its readers that 
American lard contains 50 per cent cotton-seed oil, 40 per 
cent cleaned, bleached tallow and 10 per cent hog lard. In 
the light of such declarations it is needless to suggest 
that American packers, if they export composite short¬ 
enings to this country, will do well to have its component 
parts plainly set forth in German on the label. 
Germany has ordered that all plant imports, including 
those from the United States, be examined for San Jose 
scale. 
T. J. Wallace, owner of the Ellerslie cattle farm, near 
Bunceton, Mo., died March 15, aged 63. Mr. Wallace had 
one of the largest herds of Short-horns in the country, 
and was a prominent citizen and land owner in central 
Missouri. 
During February, the worst bush fires experienced for 
50 years devastated portions of Victoria, Australia. One 
million acres of grass were destroyed, and 20,000 sheep 
and many cattle perished. The damage is estimated at 
$500,000. _ • 
THE AMERICAN HEN IN CUBA. 
A Worthy Mate for Destitute Boys. 
GREAT ENTERPRISES.—We hear a good deal in 
these days about the spread of American civilization 
on the Spanish islands. The American flour barrel, 
and unhappily the American saloon, have both gone 
to Cuba. We hear of an immense syndicate which 
has been formed to buy up all the railroads in Cuba, 
build new ones, and thus secure a monopoly of 
transportation. Companies are being formed with 
large capital to buy up land on which to grow fruits, 
tobacco and vegetables. All these things are adver¬ 
tised and exploited as wonderful evidences of Amer- 
can pluck and enterprise. We would like to speak of 
a humbler, but none the less worthy enterprise that 
America has sent out. One of our readers, Mr. E. E. 
Hubbard, was formerly a Livingston Co. (N. Y.) farm¬ 
er’s boy. He was always interested in homeless chil¬ 
dren, and desired to establish himself where these lit¬ 
tle waifs might be properly cared for. He went to Cuba 
just a year ag and carried this idea with him. It 
was all well enough for the Government to send ex¬ 
perts who should improve the varieties of oranges, 
sugar cane, or tobacco. It was a grand thing for 
American capitalists to revive the wasted .ndustries 
oi Cuba. The Government contemplated a noble work 
when it started to educate and elevate the human 
crop of Cuca. These things work from the top, but 
Mr. Hubbard decided to begin at the root. He felt 
that there would be homeless boys to be cared for, 
ana so he wen. to Matanzas as we have said, with 
his idea. 
GOVERNMENT HELP.—We are glad to know that 
the Government has given him a helping hand. Pri¬ 
vate individuals have also come to his aid. He had 
only $300 to start with, and he began last April with 
20 children. Help Anally came to him, and he now 
has 73 little Cubans—bright, healthy and strong. 
Some of these little waifs were mere skeletons when 
he took them in. Probably a fair share of them would 
have starved to ceath had it not been for this New 
York boy and his idea. He says that, on the whole, 
he finds a great deal more satisfaction in the fatten¬ 
ing of Cuban boys than he ever found in fattening 
pigs, calves or lambs on the old New York farm. 
The thing has gone so far that he has leased for 
three years a large building and 70 acres of land on 
the hillside overlooking the City tf Matanzas. They 
have done a little gardening, but it has been so dry 
that northern vegetables have not succeeded very 
well. Now the Government is to give them a yoke of 
oxen and a plow, and they expect to get water from 
a well 220 feet deep, so that they can work their crops. 
Among other things the United States military au¬ 
thorities have granted Mr. Hubbard some money to be 
used in buying purebred hens. They prefer Brown 
Leghorns or Barred Plymouth Rocks. There is a dou¬ 
ble object in view. First, the Government wants to 
assist this work of caring for destitute children. In 
the next place, the eggs are to be disposed of at mar¬ 
ket prices to Cubans who wish to raise a good breed 
of chickens and improve their own stock. So Mr. 
Hubbard is after the hens. He wants young, vigorous 
birds of these two breeds. It is a good thing for the 
American hen to go down into Cuba on this mission 
of charity. Her children and grandchildren on the 
sunny isle will cackle with great vigor, giving more 
energy and hope to the Cubans. Her sons and grand¬ 
sons will not attempt to tackle some of the gamecocks 
with which the Cubans are wont to amuse themselves, 
but on the whole, the family will bring peace, pros¬ 
perity and eggs to the sunny isle. Not only that, but 
those destitute boys will learn good habits of industry 
and perseverance from the American hen. We regard 
this as a noble charity, and the United States Govern¬ 
ment cannot spend its money to any better advantage 
than in helping out just such lines of relief. We are 
very glad to know that this worthy little enterprise 
has gone from America to counteract some of the in¬ 
fluences of the American saloon. 
ONCE MORE THE “CANNERY SHARK.” 
The description by W. A. Y., on page 183, of those 
canning sharks, so nearly coincides with those whom 
we dealt with one year ago that I am inclined to think 
they are the same parties. They hailed from Chicago. 
They put up three factories while here, one at Painted 
Post, N. Y., one at Knoxville, Pa., and one at Law- 
renceville, Pa. The factories seem complete and up- 
to-date, but they cost too much. The stockholders 
were led to believe that there was an enormous profit 
in raising produce for the factory, and that every¬ 
thing cannable would be used, even our potatoes, and 
that they would conduct it the first year and contract 
our goods. But when the factory was completed, the 
builders hustled around among the stockholders, 
gathered in most of the pay, either in money or 
notes, after which they began to show their colors. 
We learned then that they would furnish a processer 
for $100 per month, and we would need to raise sev¬ 
eral thousand dollars to carry on the factory, but 
the stockholders were so disgusted with the decep¬ 
tiveness of the business, that they refused to furnish 
another dollar, although the directors could make ar¬ 
rangement for the money. The result was that the 
directors rented the property to others in the canning 
business for $300. The plant cost over $7,000. We 
paid $60 to insure it for one year, and this year it will 
be taxable. We received for our produce $5 per tou 
for sweet corn, $7 for tomatoes, and from 40 to 60 
cents per 100 pounds for apples. It is quite evident 
that it will be some time before we declare a divi¬ 
dend at this rate. H. W. C., of Hope Farm, who has 
been talking canning factory, will do well to consider 
this question carefully before investing much money 
in one. c. e. a. 
Tioga Co., Pa. 
R. N.-Y.—The same firm has been at work in the 
neighborhood of Hope Farm. Of course we did not 
take stock in the factory. We shall tell all about 
it later. 
THE FUMIGATION OF NURSERY STOCK. 
An act to amend the present agricultural law, the 
chief feature of which is to make it obligatory for all 
nurserymen in this State to fumigate their trees (sold 
and shipped) with hydrocyanic acid gas, is the basis 
of an article. Why Oppose the San Josd Scale Law, 
by J. S. Woodward, in your issue of March 17. 
In the main, we agree with Mr. Woodward. But 
that the inspection business, conducted by our most 
efficient body of inspectors under the supervision of 
our Department of Agriculture, has been helpful, no 
one doubts. When we first began to consider the 
subject of fumigation, we confess we did not look at 
it from both sides. We thought it would be a serious 
hindrance oy waste of time during the packing sea¬ 
son and, indeed, that is the chief objection made, we 
believe, by the opposition to the measure. After more 
deliberate consideration, and upon the receipt of many 
letters from our patrons, of which the following is a 
fair sample, we voluntarily concluded that we could 
not afford to do otherwise than fumigate: 
“Do you intend to fumigate your stock this Spring? 
If not, please advise me, as I shall buy where I can 
get my trees fumigated.” 
“We shall need this Spring some 800 trees. Do 
you expect to fumigate? We shall make other con¬ 
siderations secondary.” 
Many letters of this character, coming from our 
customers, have much significance and, of course, we 
would be stupid, indeed, to allow the man who is 
willing to fumigate to get our trade. And right here 
I wish to pose as a prophet; before the end of another 
year there will be few, if any, growers without fumi¬ 
gating houses. Those who refuse to fumigate their 
stock will do some hard hustling to dispose of it, and 
will only sell it to those who are ignorant on the sub¬ 
ject of fumigation. Better get on the band wagon 
and fall in line. The great fruit interests of this 
State, once thoroughly aroused on this measure, noth¬ 
ing will stay the tide of a sentiment that is bound to 
carry conviction with it. Why? Because there are 
more than 100 fruit growers to every nurseryman in 
the State, and capital invested stands in the same 
ratio. That many of the nurserymen favor fumigi- 
tion, is commendable; that some do not, is not be¬ 
cause of the slight expense connected with it, but 
because of the time taken to do it. Every hour’s 
time is very precious during the digging and shipping 
season. We have so little time to move our stock 
that we need to utilize every moment to the best 
advantage. Some one has aptly given the following 
illustration: Think of giving the grocer four or five 
weeks to pack and ship all the goods sold in six 
months, and you have a fair example of what the 
nurseryman has to do. To overcome the argument 
that a few make about the expense of fumigating, wo 
wish to say that we have just completed arrange¬ 
ments for a fumigating house, sufficient to accommo¬ 
date about 8,000 trees of first-class size, at an ex¬ 
pense not to exceed $30 all told. h. s. wiley. 
