1900 
693 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—For some time Chicago City authorities 
have been investigating frauds in the Water Department, 
whereby large consumers were able to steal water 
through uncharted pipes. Many of these frauds have 
been committed in the stockyards district. One large 
main was uncovered at Swift & Company’s butterine 
factory.The report of Commissioner of Immi¬ 
gration Fritchie, of New York, shows that the arrivals 
of foreigners the last fiscal year were 400,842. The immi¬ 
gration fi’om southern Europe shows an increase, while 
from the northern countries it is decreasing. The greater 
the illiteracy the smaller the amount of money brought. 
.... Charges have been filed with the Prison Com¬ 
mission of Georgia by Solicitor J. W. Edmondson, of 
Brooks County, against the McRee convict camp man¬ 
agers in Lowndes County, Ga., in the form of affidavits 
from some prominent citizens to the effect that the Mc¬ 
Ree brothers have kidnapped innocent men and women 
and made them work under armed guards for an indefi¬ 
nite period. It is charged that one practice of the Mc¬ 
Ree camp has been to employ “trappers” to arrest inno¬ 
cent negroes passing through the county, and without 
the form of trial to imprison them and put them to work. 
.... W. L. Colwell, accused of complicity in the rob¬ 
bery of $8,000 from the Mexican General Electric Co., 
City of Mexico, has been arrested in Chicago. 
Up to October 1 the money contributed for the Texas 
sufferers had reached $672,000. . . . Two persons were 
killed outright and three others fatally injured by the 
wrecking of a fast passenger train on the Santa F6, at 
Waterloo, O. T., September 30. . . . The Helmer mill¬ 
ing plant at Fond du Lac, Wis., together with an ele¬ 
vator containing 30,000 bushels of grain was destroyed by 
fire September 29; loss, $65,000.September 30, a 
trolley car plunged into a creek at Wichita, Kan., and 
28 persons were hurt. . . . Work continues in clearing 
up the ruins at Galveston, and bodies are still found. 
The city is orderly, but bad characters continue to riock 
there, and 150 special policemen have been appointed to 
aid in preventing crime. Danger to health is feared from 
overcrowding, but the reported epidemic of typhoid has 
not yet appeared. ... A farmer from South Dakota, 
who came East to buy counterfeit money, was swindled 
by the old “green-goods” fraud, October 1, at Allentown, 
Pa. The victim lost $214, and found himself penniless, 
hundreds of miles from home. . . . Four more fishing 
vessels, having crews aggregating 35 men, were posted 
at St. John’s, N. F., October 2, as having been lost dur¬ 
ing the great gale of September 13. . . . Two attempts 
have been made, by unknown persons, to blow up the 
dam of the Tampa (Fla.) Electric Company. It cost 
$300,000. . . . The coal strike in Pennsylvania continues, 
but without disorder. The military force has been 
ordered home. It is said that, in the anthracite regions, 
5,000 men are at work, and 137,000 are on strike. 
PHILIPPINES.—September 29 it was announced that 
Capt. Shields and 51 men, of the Twenty-ninth Volunteer 
Infantry, had been captured by the insurgents in the 
Marinduque district. It is believed that many of the 
party are killed or wounded. . . . Skirmishing con¬ 
tinues south of Manila, brisk fights occurring at Imus 
and Bacoor. The so-called “Amigos” aid the insurgents. 
CUBA.—Work projected on Cuban roads will call for 
$13,000,000. Gen. Wood has decided that hereafter police 
expenses are to be borne by the municipalities, not by 
the central government. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—Two more deaths from 
bubonic plague were reported at Glasgow, Scotland, 
October 1. . . . There was a severe earthquake shock 
at Teneriffe, Canary Islands, September 3. . . . Con¬ 
ditions in China are unchanged. The Allies are leaving 
Peking. Disorder continues in many parts of China, and 
the fate of missionaries in the distant provinces is still 
in doubt. It is now believed that President McKinley 
is formulating a decision more in harmony with that of 
Germany. . . . Lord Roberts has been appointed 
Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, the honor 
being conferred on his sixty-eighth birthday. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Michigan law which in¬ 
sisted that commission merchants give bonds and take 
out licenses has been declared void by the State Supreme 
Court. 
September 23, fire destroyed most of the buildings at 
the nurseries of Nelson Bogue, Batavia, N. Y., entailing 
a loss of about $8,000. 
Reduced freight rates on grain went into effect in 
southern Minnesota, October L They will save $400,000 a 
year to shippers. 
A fire at the Interstate Fair, at Trenton, N. J., Septem¬ 
ber 28, destroyed a number of stalls, and burned one 
horse to death. 
The Illinois State Fair was visited by large crowds, but 
the weather was extremely inclement, so that some of 
the outdoor features had to be abandoned, and it was 
a failure financially. Unfavorable weather has prevailed 
for several years during the week set for this Fair, and 
the managers will make an effort to hold it hereafter 
during the second week in September. To make this 
change may necessitate the breaking away of Illinois 
from the western State-fair circuit, which would mean 
a reduction in live-stock exhibits. 
The executive board of the Illinois State Poultry Asso¬ 
ciation held a meeting at the State Fair, and arranged 
for holding its next annual poultry show at Bloomington, 
Ill., January 12-19, 19QL 
A representative of the Associated Press, at Berlin, 
learns at the United States Embassy, that there is no 
prospect of an early decision regarding the manner of 
carrying out inspection under the new meat law, con¬ 
siderable difficulty having been encountered. 
Receipts of native cattle at Chicago for the last week 
of September broke all records. Shipments of natives 
and Texas cattle have been increasing steadily, while 
western became fewer. The week’s receipts of natives 
exceeded those of the corresponding week of 1899 by 8,500, 
and those of 1898 by 5,100. For the entire month receipts 
of natives broke all records, with the exception of that 
of 1890. In September of that year 183,000 head were re¬ 
ceived, and since then the largest total has been 140,000, 
in 1892. Last month’s receipts were 165,600 natives, 23,300 
straight Texas and 49,600 westerns. Total receipts for the 
year to date are 1,977,700. 
The street fair and carnival at Pendleton, Ore., Septem¬ 
ber 20-22, called out a fine agricultural exhibit. The fruit 
was of excellent quality, and there was an unusual dis¬ 
play of purebred live-stock. 
The New York State Department of Agriculture has 
issued certificates of inspection up to October 1, 1900, to 
338 nurserymen; 348 duplicates have been issued for filing 
in other States. The inspectors examined 110 orchards 
having an acreage of 2,724. In 1898, 6,749 acres of nur¬ 
series, and 469 acres of vineyards were inspected. In 
1899, 6,015 acres of nurseries and 817 acres of vineyards; 
499 certificates were issued to nurserymen, and 64 certi¬ 
ficates were issued to vineyardists. 
MORE ABOUT THE APPLE SITUATION. 
Conditions in New York State. 
About 50 per cent of Greenings are blown off, Baldwins, 
if anything, improved. I think that there are more left 
than will ever be harvested. d. l. p. 
Middleport. 
Buyers are not taking hold of the Winter fruit, con¬ 
sequently no price is yet established. Probably about 40 
per cent lost by the storm. Windfalls are going to 
evaporators at six cents per bushel. b. l. s. 
Clyde. 
The recent wind did blow off considerable fruit; still 
it does not change the situation on apples or any other 
fruits as to prices. The buyers seem to be inclined to 
hang off for $1 per barrel for all Winter apples, while 
the farmers want to get $1.25. f. b. 
Buffalo. 
Thirty to 60 per cent of the crop gone; two-thirds of 
an ordinary crop left. Price raised 50 cents a barrel. 
Very dry here, no rain yet. Baldwin, which is the prin¬ 
cipal crop here, is small. Smooth and well-colored 
Greenings blew off largely, and other large apples. 
Penn Yan. r. h. 
Buyers are offering $1.50 for Twenty Ounce and Kings. 
Some orchards have been sold at $1.30 per barrel. Green¬ 
ings and Fall apples suffered most from the wind, fully 
one-half having been blown off the trees; Twenty Ounce 
and Pippins more than one-half. Baldwins in exposed 
locations were nearly half blown off. f. h. a. 
Holley. 
Before the windstorm buyers offered $1 per barrel, or 
65 cents for the fruit and 35 cents for barrel. Because 
people had the impression that apples were an enormous 
crop, they will be wasteful, and because the wind blew 
off half, the barreling stock will not be large, so I think 
that prices will go to $1.50 per barrel by November 15; 
and $2.50 by January 15, 1901. j. o. 
Weedsport. 
The situation of the apple market seems to be tending 
downward in this section. Some orchards have sold for 
$1.25 for first quality. 1 have talked with several dealers 
who say that they expect to load all they want for 90 
cents. The wind took one-half of Greenings and one- 
third of other Winter varieties. This does not so far 
raise the market. a. h. d. 
Youngstown. 
Buyers are offering $1.50 for Greenings and Kings, but 
no offers as yet for Baldwins; very many Baldwins are 
exceedingly small, south of us, from the lake, towards 
and on the Ridge. In this vicinity it would be safe to say 
half of them. Fall Pippins and Twenty Ounce are bring¬ 
ing $1.50. We heard to-day that at Albion, Orleans 
County, they were selling for $1.75. j. a. 
Newton. 
The heavy windstorm was a benefit to apple trees in 
this section, as it blew off unsound and small fruit, and 
the remainder is much better and larger. There is still 
a large crop of all but Greenings. Buyers are offering 
$1.05 to $1.30 a barrel, and all for Fall apples. Winter 
apples are not coming in much yet. The evaporators 
here are taking care of the windfalls. They pay from 
15 to 20 cents per hundredweight l. e. h. 
Pittsford. 
It is hard to make a very correct estimate of amount 
of good apples blown off from trees by the recent 
storms, but from my own observation and inquiries from 
practical fruit growers I would say that it would be 
from 1-6 to V4 of the crop, but notwithstanding this there 
will be as many good first-class apples barreled as in 
1896. There is a scarcity of Spies and Greenings and a 
large crop of Baldwins and Russets. Fancy red Fall 
apples are being sold at $1.50; other varieties from $1 to 
$1.25. Have heard of no sales of Winter fruit. b. b. 
Pearl Creek. 
Twenty-five per cent of the Baldwins and 50 per cent 
of the Greenings and Kings blew off during the gale. 
The buyers have not offered any advance in prices to 
speak of, until the present time. Now they are anxious 
to buy Kings and Greenings, and are offering $1.25 to 
$1.50; $1.50 includes only Kings, barrel included in both 
cases. Baldwins about $1, but do not care to buy. We 
have 10 to 15 barrels of Baldwins to one of Greenings. 
It looks to me as though apples must do better before 
Winter, as the Cayuga buyers are all through this sec¬ 
tion buying or trying to buy. w. p. r. 
Williamson. 
On a recent trip to Watkins Glen, I noticed that most 
of the apples lay on the ground. Nothing was being 
done with them. The evaporators lost money last year 
and many of them do not intend to start. Those that 
have offer 12 to 14 cents per 100 pounds for good-sized 
clean fruit. One does not get very enthusiastic, or pick 
very fast when he gets only five cents per bushel de¬ 
livered at some place several miles away, especially if 
he gets a cursing for every small one which slips in. 
The exhibits Of apples at the fair were large, many 
kinds were shown, but I could find but few plates that 
had no wormy apples on them. If selected exhibits were 
thus bad, what would the average pile in the orchard 
be? Every apple possible will be stuffed into the bar¬ 
rels in most cases, and one wonders whether the firm 
of A Fraud Farmer, Codling, Moth & Co. have formed 
a trust to drive apples out of the market. If the farm¬ 
ers of New York State would dispose of haK the crop 
to stock, or let it rot, the remainder would bring more 
than the whole will now. c. e. c. 
Buyers are now offering $1.50 per barrel for Twenty 
Ounce and King apples, and $1.25 for Greening. They are 
very conservative in regard to prices on Baldwins, from 
$1 to $1.15, but few sales reported. The Baldwins are very 
late, while the Greenings are well matured, and picking 
has begun. As this is essentially a Baldwin section and 
a Baldwin year, probably 75 per cent of the fruit remains. 
The outlook is somewhat brighter for barreled apples. 
The price has advanced some on all varieties, but most 
on Fall apples. The strike in the coal mines is likely to 
prove quite a serious thing for the evaporators. All the 
coal dealers are entirely sold out of grate coal, and most 
evaporators have only enough to last from two days to 
a week. j. B . n. 
Union Hill. 
The situation of the apple market has not changed 
much since the windstorm with regard to Winter 
varieties, except Greenings, which are in better demand. 
Fall apples are in good demand, and are selling for $1.25 
to $1.75 per barrel. The storm will not materially affect 
the yield of Baldwins, as those remaining on the trees 
will grow and give a better quality of fruit. The dealers 
are not making many offers, thinking they can get 
what they want at any time, so are holding off, yet 
there were never so many looking over the orchards, 
and if they all become buyers there will be a large 
demand. Evaporators are paying only 12 cents per 100 
pounds for windfalls, and selling for 3M> to four cents per 
pound. Help is scarce and in much demand, and many 
women are going to the orchards to work. Some prefer 
them to men to sort fruit. b. w. b. 
Hilton. 
The damage to the fruit in orchards here was immense, 
and yet there will be a large lot of good, sound fruit 
to gather. In my judgment nine-tenths of the Greenings 
were blown off and one-half to three-ffourths of the 
Kings. All sorts of Fall fruit were almost entirely off 
the trees. The Baldwin, Ben Davis and such very late 
sorts suffered about one-fourth, yet I think they will 
make up in growth of those remaining portions for those 
lost, or nearly so. Summing all up I estimate the loss 
in bulk of fruit fit to barrel at fully one-half. I hear 
of no recent sales, except 70 cents per barrel for the 
best of the fallen Greenings. Evaporators pay 10 to 15 
cents per 100 pounds for stock fit for their use, and they 
have been kept fully supplied, and had to stop their 
patrons hauling till they could use up some of their 
stock in hand. The impression among growers is that 
they will get $1.50 to $2 per barrel for their hand¬ 
picked fruit, but I hear of no sales being made, and 
think dealers have not yet settled in their minds what 
they ought to pay. The damage to other fruits was im¬ 
mense; two-thirds of such pears as Duchess came down, 
and Seckel, Louise Bonne and such sorts, about ready 
for picking, nearly all came off and were badly demaged. 
Out of 400 trees I had 100 bushels of peaches blown off 
and nearly a total loss. w. h. p. 
Reed Corners. 
CROP AND WEATHER NOTES. 
In Minnesota and the upper Missouri Valley there nave 
been killing frosts, the greatest damage being done to 
late flax in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Rain is needed 
in most of the Atlantic States, while in Iowa, Kansas 
and adjoining States, rains are hindering the Fall work. 
Flax in the gavel is being damaged, and much grain in 
shocks and stacks is in bad condition. Cotton-picking 
and corn-gathering are well advanced in sections where 
there has not been any excessive rain. In the Ohio Val¬ 
ley conditions have been favorable for Fall seeding, 
but in New York, the Carolinas and Georgia, the land 
is too dry to plow. The Maryland tobacco crop is nearly 
housed. The Virginia second-crop Irish potatoes are 
reported poor. Late corn in South Carolina, and peas, 
potatoes, sugar cane and upland rice are almost a failure. 
In Arkansas rain has hindered cotton-picking. In some 
places the cotton is sprouting in the bolls; and apples 
are rotting and dropping off the trees. All crops in In¬ 
diana and Illinois are good; meadows and pastures are 
in fine condition. Farm work in Wisconsin is in good 
shape, but little wheat was sown, though there was a 
heavy seeding of rye. Pasture on the ranges in Colorado 
is poor, and water for stock is scarce in the southern 
part. Washington had severe frosts the latter part of 
September, killing corn and tender vines; also the heavy 
winds have blown off a great amount of fruit; root crops 
are not dug yet; most hops are picked, quality Al. Early 
wheat in Oregon is growing finely; there is a good crop 
of apples, but the yield of grapes is light. In California 
the weather is favorable for drying fruit and making 
raisins; an immense crop of grapes is going to the 
wineries; oranges are ripening, and a heavy yield of 
good quality is promised. 
UTICA, MO.—The apple crop in this county (Liv¬ 
ingston) is less than 50 per cent, and not one-half of 
that will do to go in barrels. The dry house here will 
not run this year, and I have not heard of one In the 
State that will. We hear of no orchards being sold in 
this locality, and no offers made by buyers. c. w. m. 
URBANA, ILL.—First-class apples are a rare article 
in this State, as the Bitter rot has Interfered with the 
promising outlook of a few weeks ago. Buyers are offer¬ 
ing from $2 to $2.75 for first-class Ben Davis, and $3 for 
Grimes Golden, while Jonathan are bringing from $2.25 
to $2.75. I regret to say that the apple situation is not as 
promising as five or six weeks ago, but there will be a 
good supply of fruit of No. 2 quality. j. c. blair. 
VERMONT APPLES.—Apple growers and buyers are 
far apart as to price; buyers offer $1, while growers hold 
No. 1 Winter stock at $2.50 per barrel, and purpose stor¬ 
ing till the market is cleared up. It is estimated that the 
hurricane of September 12 blew off 15 per cent of No. 
1 stock. Fall stock is mostly shipped to New York com¬ 
mission houses, returns varying according to the con¬ 
dition of the market largely, No. 1 red fruit of the 
Alexander type netting $2.50 in some instances. The 
estimate of Winter apples is about 50 per cent of a full 
crop. i. c. o. 
Grand Island, Vt. 
