1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
837 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—Three lives were lost in a flood on the 
Allegheny River, near Pittsburg, Pa., November 28. . . . 
The auxiliary cruiser Yosemite was sunk in a typhoon 
off the Island of Guam, November 15; five of the crew 
were lost. The Yosemite was purchased just before the 
Spanish War for $575,000.At San Francisco, Cal., 
November 29, a number of men and boys climbed on the 
roof of the Pacific Glass Works to watch a football 
game. The roof collapsed, and about 70 persons fell 
through upon the red-hot furnaces and glass vats below. 
They were horribly burned, 21 being killed, and many of 
the others shockingly mutilated.In New York 
City, 31 cases of smallpox were discovered November 28-29, 
and a great many persons have been exposed to the dis¬ 
ease. It is supposed that the disease was brought from 
Pittsburg, Pa., to New York, by two negro variety per¬ 
formers.A boiler explosion in a glucose factory 
at Davenport, Iowa, November 29, killed two men and 
seriously injured five others.Smallpox is epi¬ 
demic at Decatur, Neb., and other small towns near the 
Omaha Indian Reservation. The disease is spreading. 
Nearly 100 whites and 150 Indians are down with it, while 
many have died. For some time there has been a sus¬ 
picious contagion among the Indians, and the white 
people living near-by say it was called the “Cuban itch,” 
and no quarantine w r as enforced. The disease has spread 
into Iowa, where the power of the State Board of Health 
has been invoked, and the Nebraska State Board of 
Health will establish quarantine.A stationary 
life line has been stretched along the Chicago Drainage 
Canal for 34 miles, at a cost of $12,000. The line is 
stretched along a portion of the canal where it is cut 
through rocks, which form straight walls on either side. 
. . . . Snow is four to six feet deep at Vancouver, B. 
C.The steamer Empress of China, which left 
Vancouver, B. C., December 4, included in her cargo 50,000 
barrels of beer for the Philippines.Public 
schools have been closed and other measures taken in 
Winona, Minn., to stop the spread of a disease supposed 
to be smallpox. There are mox - e than 400 cases of the 
disease, but no deaths have yet occurred.Six 
persons were killed and 16 injured in Chicago December 
3, by the explosion of a boiler in the power house near 
the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad passenger sta¬ 
tion.The Supreme Court of the United States 
declared invalid, December 3, a Minnesota law of 1895 
repealing a former law providing that railroad com¬ 
panies should pay 3 per cent on their gross earnings in 
lieu of taxes on all their property, and seeking to sepa¬ 
rate the land of railroads from their other property 
for purposes of taxation, still retaining the 3 per cent on 
gross earnings.Eight workmen were killed and 
20 injured as the result of a collision between a con¬ 
struction train and a freight on the Southern Pacific 
Railroad, near Suisun, Cal., December 4.During 
the gale which prevailed along the New England coast 
December 5-6, a number of wrecks were reported, one 
schooner going ashore at Hampton Beach, N. H., with 
the loss of seven men. 
CONGRESS.—The Fifty-sixth Congress assembled for 
its short session December 3. The President’s message 
discussed affairs in China, defining the American policy; 
the situation in the Philippines, with instructions given 
to the Commission; the claims against Turkey and the 
Alaska boundary were briefly touched upon and reduc¬ 
tion of war taxes and army reorganization were recom¬ 
mended.Secretary Root’s Army Reorganiza¬ 
tion bill was introduced in the House and referred to the 
Committee on Military Affairs. The Senate “Steering 
Committee” decided to bring the Ship Subsidy bill for¬ 
ward for immediate consideration. Mr. Babcock, of 
Wisconsin, was appointed a member of the House Ways 
and Means Committee, to succeed Mr. Dolliver. 
December 4, the Ship Subsidy was given precedence of 
the Spooner Philippine measure in the Senate, and the 
Army Reorganization bill was introduced in the House. 
The preliminary report of the Isthmian Canal Commission 
was sent to Congress by the President. The Nicaragua 
route is recommended, and the cost estimated at $200,540,- 
000.A resolution was introduced December 4 in 
Congress, and referred to the Military Committee, direct¬ 
ing the Secretary of War to investigate the published 
charge that Cadet Oscar L. Booz, of Bristol, was com¬ 
pelled to retire from the West Point Military Academy 
because of brutal treatment, in consequence of which he 
died.Secretary Root, in his annual report, 
said provision should be made 'for a minimum force of 
60,000 in the Philippines.Reduction of the war 
taxes is being discussed, and it is believed that a cut of 
about $40,000,000 will be made, chiefly affecting beer, 
cigars, proprietary articles and legacies. 
PORTO RICO.—The recently elected Porto Rican House 
of Delegates met in San Juan December 3, 31 delegates 
being present. No action was taken beyond the work of 
organizing the chamber and electing the Speaker and 
other officei’s. Governor Allen read his annual message 
in the House of Delegates December 4. He said all con¬ 
ditions are satisfactox-y. He declaimed that the civil gov¬ 
ernment must devise a system of taxation, and hints at 
a bond issue. He recommends more schools, reorganiza¬ 
tion of the judiciary, establishment of a jury system, the 
centralization of municipal government and the estab¬ 
lishment of a municipal police system in all towns hav¬ 
ing less than 20,000 inhabitants. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—A recent typhoon at 
Tourane and Quinhon, Cochin China, is reported to have 
killed over 1,500 persons.November 29, the Boers 
captured Dewetsdoi-p and 400 British, and they are also 
making incursions into Cape Colony. Dewetsdorp was 
retaken by the British later. . . . Mr. Kruger’s re¬ 
ception in France continued most enthusiastic, but the 
rulei'S of Germany, Austria and Belgium decline to re¬ 
ceive him. He has gone to Holland.The Czar 
of Russia is recovering, and his condition is very favor¬ 
able to early convalescence.Negotiations now 
in progress between the powei-s with respect to China 
seem to presage a satisfactory solution of the Chinese 
problem. Secretary of State Hay is anxious that only 
demands shall be formulated which China can comply 
with, and to his gratification the apparent disposition of 
all the powers, even Germany, is to moderate the severe 
penalties imposed by the ministers in Pekin. It seems to 
be certain that none of the Chinese will be executed, but 
what the punishment will be has not yet been deter¬ 
mined. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—President McKinley, in Wash¬ 
ington, November 28, received a committee appointed by 
the National Irx-igation Congress, who presented the reso- 
lustions adopted by the Congress at Chicago, December 
1, urging the Government to inaugurate the work of 
reclaiming the arid lands of the West. 
The annual meeting of the American Leicester Breed¬ 
ers’ Association was held at Guelph, Ont., December 13. 
A cassava meeting was recently held at Ocala, Fla., 
attended by a number of persons interested in this nlant. 
Miss Clara Barton, president of the Red Cross Society, 
has placed an order with J. W. Vestal, Little Rock, 
Ark., for one million strawberry plants, which are to be 
distributed among those growers of Texas who suffered 
from the recent floods. 
Agricultural lands in four ceded townships on the 
White Earth Reservation, in Minnesota, were thrown 
open to settlement December 4, and by noon nearly every 
available piece of land had been filed upon. 
The Wisconsin State Grange met at Eau Claire De¬ 
cember 11-13. 
The National Wool Growex's’ Association will meet at 
Salt Lake City, Utah, January 19, 1901; secretary, B. F. 
Saunders, Salt Lake, Utah. 
The Chicago Intel-national Live Stock Show opened De¬ 
cember 3. President John W. Springer, of the National 
Live Stock Association, said in his opening address that 
the show was the greatest event of the kind ever held 
in the world. His opinion was seconded by all the stock- 
men who have attended similar displays for a quarter 
of a century. Cattle, hog and sheep men from Canada, 
South America and the United States were in attendance 
by thousands. 
The annual meeting of the Pennsylvania State Dairy 
Union was held at Corry, Pa., December 12-13. A corps 
Uxjcle Saji : “ Which shall X order first?”—P hila. Record. 
of eminent speakers were engaged, among them Prof. 
Harry Hayward and Prof. H. P. Armsby, of Pennsylva¬ 
nia State College; Henry Van Dresser, of Cobleskill, N. 
Y.; J. B. Rackliff, of Corinna, Me.; Prof. A. L. Martin, 
Deputy Secretary of Agricultui-e, of Pennsylvania, and 
Dr. R. A. Pearsons, of United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture. A distinctive feature of the meeting was a dis¬ 
cussion of the merits of the several breeds of daix-y cattle. 
Prof. W. H. Caldwell, secretary of the Guernsey Asso¬ 
ciation; C. M. Winslow, secretary of the Ayrshire Asso¬ 
ciation; S. Hoxie, of the Holstein Association, and speak¬ 
ers selected by the Jersey and Durham associations, 
represented the interests of the several breeds. 
Cox-nell University will give a Winter course in agri¬ 
culture, especially designed to meet the needs of practi¬ 
cal farmers. Full particulars may be obtained from Prof. 
John Craig, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
THE OUTLOOK FOR TRADE. 
Apple growers generally believe that efforts were made 
this year by the dealers to secure the apple crop at less 
than it was worth. Early in the Summer reports were 
circulated throughout the country that the crop was the 
largest on record. These reports were printed by many 
papers, and it seems evident that an oi-ganized effort 
was made to discourage the growers. Many farmers sold 
part or all of their crop at a low figure, as they were 
frightened at these reports. Later in the season it be¬ 
gan to be evident that something was wrong, and the 
great windstorm which swept thx-ough western New York 
disclosed the fact that there was really a short crop of 
fii-st-class fruit. Plenty of instances are given where 
apple-buying firms were sending out circulars telling of 
the great crop that could be easily obtained. At the same 
time, their agents or buyers wex-e rushing through the 
country with private instructions to buy fruit even if 
they had to pay more than the quoted figures. In New 
York State many farmers were ready to let their fruit 
go at 75 cents a barrel. Reports printed in The R. N.-Y. 
convinced many of these farmers that the crop was 
smaller than the buyers claimed. The result was that 
many apples were held, carefully sorted and packed, with 
the result that far better prices were obtained for them. 
We find a general belief all over the country that the 
dealei’s endeavored to secure the crop at less than it was 
worth. Farmers now see the value of reliable reports 
from their own point of view. The Government reports 
are not as reliable as they might be. We hear both the 
grower and the dealer complaining about them. For their 
own satisfaction at least the farmers themselves should 
have some system of collecting reliable crop reports, and 
not be obliged to depend too much on the Government 
reports, or on the stories of dealers or buyers. 
Some southern growers have held their cx-ops of sweet 
potatoes, hoping to obtain increased prices. Many grow¬ 
ers sell directly from the field, as they are not prepared 
to hold the crop in warm houses, as is necessax-y in 
order to protect it. Early in October the price was low, 
and it was thought that good potatoes would be worth 
far more by Thanksgiving. They are still low in price 
in this market, although they are doing better in some 
western cities. It is explained that a warm open Fall 
and Winter are not the best for the sale of sweet pota¬ 
toes. The northern people prefer them in colder weather, 
and they sell best in a sharp and frosty season. The 
cabbage crop has been rushing into market of late vex-y 
x-apidly. In our local markets cabbage has been low. 
The reason given is that the mild open season has caused 
many of the heads to split and rot. This cabbage is 
rushed to market in order to get rid of it. By Christmas 
it is thought that prices will advance considerably. As 
one dealer puts it, at that time anything that looks like 
cabbage will be salable. We are keeping our small hard 
heads and some of the better soft ones in storage, ex¬ 
pecting that this prophecy will come true. 
Potato Growing on Prince Edward Island. 
The yield on the Island is a little above the average, 
but the rot has been very bad, and shippers are handling 
vex-y few. Our vax-ieties are numerous. We find the 
Prince Albert or Calico and Dakota Red, with some few 
white kinds, do best with us. We also grow some Gar¬ 
nets which go to the West Indies for seed. Our method 
of culture in genex-al is as follows: We plow our oat 
stubble one year from sod as soon as possible after har- 
vest. If the land is clean we simply hax-row the surface 
smoothly and leave it until the following Spring, when 
it is manured and planted, plowing the potato sets and 
manure down at the same time. We drop all seed by 
hand, with rows about 20 inches apart, or in every other 
furrow after the plow, our planting furrows plowed a 
little shallower than the covering one. They are then 
harrowed lightly and left until they commence to appear 
above ground, when they are thoroughly harrowed and 
x oiled. When the plants are a few inches high we culti¬ 
vate between the rows once or twice at intervals, and 
when they are high enough to hill we hill them with a 
double moldboard plow; they are then left until ready 
to dig which we do usually with a digger. Our yield is 
from 100 to 300 bushels per acre. If, as is often the case, 
our land is weedy, then after the Fall plowing of stubble 
we cultivate it thoroughly with a three-horse cultivator, 
leaving it in the rough, when the action of the frost by 
freezing and thawing will destroy lots of weed roots. 
- We find this method especially adapted for clearing land 
of Couch-grass roots; the roots will be there in the 
Spring, but they are dead, and serve as a manure for 
following crops. The amount of potatoes grown on the 
Island is not over one-half what was grown about 15 
years ago. Prices now realized do not pay, and dairy 
farming is coming largely into vogue. Other roots are 
grown to feed stock, such as turnips and mangels, and 
thus things are changed. a. h. 
We have had a terrible storm here; it was freezing just 
enough to make the ice freeze to trees. It rained most 
of the time for 36 hours, froze one night. It has ruined 
hundreds of fruit trees, and has wrenched many out by 
the roots. I think that if valuable they might be straight¬ 
ened up and made to grow again d. c. s. 
Jasper, N. Y. 
Stock for Sale.— Feed is so scarce that it is almost 
impossible to sell any stock. Fine beef cattle are in de¬ 
mand at the local butcher’s, and prime new milch cows 
are called for at a very good price, though usually only 
for shipment to some one who has a fancy Winter mar¬ 
ket for milk. Cows due to freshen in the Spring have 
little value. I have known of some sales at $10 to $12, and 
heard, quite directly, of one dairy being sold at $7. A 
few cows have sold at $15 or a little over. Grain is much 
higher than it was a few years ago, when we had a similar 
shortage in fodders. Then it was possible to purchase 
grain and winter stock at a profit, but now it hardly 
looks like it. For many it will be cheaper to buy some 
grain than to sell stock at such low figures. We intend 
to feed considerable wheat bran, so as to get as much 
bulk as possible in the grain feed. h. h. l. 
New York. 
Figures and Quotations.— We have discussed the 
methods of making prices for quotations, and the value 
of such figures. There is another side to it which is 
illustrated by the following. Formerly the only part of 
the cotton crop worth considering was the lint. This was 
quoted in the usual way. Gradually the seed became 
useful, until it is now worth 15 per cent of the entire 
cotton crop. The New Orleans Cotton Exchange now 
proposes to furnish official quotations for cotton seed and 
its products. The reasons given are: That under existing 
conditions the farmer is at the mercy of a monopoly 
which in order to pay dividends on inflated and watered 
stock grinds him down on the price paid for crude cotton¬ 
seed or arbitrarily advances the price in certain locali¬ 
ties in order to crush out independent opposition. That 
accomplished, the combine decreases prices to the ex¬ 
treme limit without any corresponding fluctuations in the 
value of oil, meal, cake or hulls. There is certainly a 
parity of value between these products and the crude 
cotton seed, and by giving daily official quotations for 
the guidance of the planter this institution will be the 
pioneer in a new field of usefulness and of gi-eat benefit 
to our agricultural people. We believe it is true that re¬ 
liable pure figures are of great value to farmers, provided 
they can be sent out on time. 
