1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
57 
Events of the Week 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK.—The Joint committee of the 
Mississippi Legislature, appointed for the investigation 
of the State Prison, has reported gross mismanagement 
in the renting of the State’s convicts and collections of 
funds for their hire.Farmers living near In¬ 
dependence, la., say they have been made the victims of 
Chicago confidence men, who obtained their signatures 
to notes for large amounts by fraud. They discovered 
the swindle January 9, when they were called upon by the 
First National Bank of Independence to pay notes aggre¬ 
gating $14,000, sent to the bank for collection by Attorney 
Walter A. Lantz, of Chicago. They met Lantz’s demand 
for payment by replevining the notes. The Chicago law¬ 
yer, when seen in his office, said he had been forced to 
give up his trip to Iowa because of illness. Notes ob¬ 
tained in a similar manner against Iowa farmers, 
amounting to $35,000, have been sent to a bank in Jesup, 
la., by Lantz for collection. The farmers have obtained 
counsel and will make a thorough investigation. Advices 
from Iowa say that last Summer a stranger giving the 
name of John Smith circulated petitions bearing on local 
political matters. Many signatures to the petitions were 
obtained. The farmers wtio signed now find that, printed 
above their signatures, is a promissory note, due on De¬ 
cember 18, 1901. Attorney Lantz explains that the notes 
were given him for collection by a client whom he is now 
unable to find.Arrangements have been made 
at Washington for the reception of Prince Henry of 
Prussia upon the occasion of his visit to this country. 
Coming as he does as the personal representative of the 
Emperor, he will be accorded high honors. His mission, 
it is understood, will take him to Washington as the 
guest of the nation, and he will be entertained by the 
President at the White House. His landing at New York 
will be marked by a national salute.The small¬ 
pox epidemic still continues in Philadelphia. The week 
ending January 12 there were 131 new cases and 15 deaths. 
There are 1,000 cases in the city.Investigation 
by the officials who are charged with ascertaining the 
cause of the New York tunnel disaster, in which 16 per¬ 
sons lost their lives, has made It almost certain that the 
signal lights which should have guided the engineer of 
the colliding train were obscured by smoke and steam. 
His case appears so favorable that he has been admitted 
to bail, and has been promised another position by the 
company, which is a virtual admission by his superiors 
that it was not by his fault that the accident happened. 
He was the only man arrested and held for trial. . . . 
The Alaska steamer Bristol went ashore on Green Island, 
British America, January 6; seven lives lost. 
CONGRESS.—The Nicaraguan Canal bill passed the 
House of Representatives January 9 by practicallya unan- 
mous vote, only two members out of 310 voting against 
it. The amendment to lodge with the President discre¬ 
tionary power as to the route was defeated by a vote of 
102 to 170.Mr. Hoar in the Senate January 13 
introduced a resolution providing for the appointment of 
a committee of seven Senators to examine into the con¬ 
duct of the war in the Philippines, the administration of 
the Government there, and the condition and character 
of the inhabitants.All negotiations for the sale 
of the Danish West Indies to the United States have 
come to an end. the Danish government having declined 
to proceed further.The representatives of the 
United States at the coronation of King Edward VII. 
were named January 14 by the President. They are: 
Whltelaw Reid, special ambassador; Gen. James H. Wil¬ 
son, for the army, and Capt. Charles E. Clark, for the 
navy. 
PHILIPPINES.—The expedition to Loboo, in Batangas, 
has been a complete success. The columns, under Colo¬ 
nels Wint and Wells, have destroyed a large number of 
barracks and hamlets and enough rations to keep 20,000 
Filipinos for six months. There was not a single Ameri¬ 
can casualty during the expedition. The enemy fled be¬ 
fore the Americans; many of them were killed and sev¬ 
eral surrendered. Major Henry Allen, formerly Governor 
of the Island of Leyte and now chief of the insular con¬ 
stabulary, who has been making a tour of inspection 
through the islands of Leyte and Mindanao, has returned 
to Manila, and reports that the native constabulary is 
fully able to control the situation in the Province of Mis- 
amis, in northern Mindanao. With the exception of the 
church the entire town of Quingua, in Bulacan Province, 
Lukon, has burned to the ground, and thousands of Fil¬ 
ipinos have been rendered homeless. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Landscape gardening and 
floriculture in connection with rural homes is to be taught 
at the State Normal University, Bloomington, Ill. New 
ideas in floral adornment for the home and the school 
will be instilled into the minds of the pupils, with an 
elementary knowledge of plant life and soil influences. 
A practical demonstration is to be made of the science 
of propagation and horticulture, under the direction of 
the State Board of Education. 
The annual meeting of the New York State Bee Keep¬ 
ers’ Societies will meet at Geneva, N. Y., February 5. 
Subjects of importance will be brought before this meet¬ 
ing, and a representative meeting is desired. President, 
W. F. Marks, Chapinville; secretary, C. B. Howard, 
Romulus. 
The first annual exhibition of the Interstate Poultry 
an* Pet Stock Club will be held at Clinton, Iowa, Janu¬ 
ary 27-30; corresponding secretary, M. E. Wilcox, Lyons, 
Iowa. 
During the year 1899 we referred to the destruction by 
fire of a small barn on the nursery farm owned by T. J. 
Dwyer, of Cornwall, N. Y., and the' refusal of the Con¬ 
tinental Insurance Company to pay the insurance on 
tools and machinery stored therein on the ground that 
the tools should have been stored in the home barn, the 
burned building having been located at some distance 
from the main building. We referred to the contention 
of the company at the time as being untenable, as the 
policy covered the tools no matter where stored. Mr. 
Dwyer brought suit, and the jury rendered him a 
judgment for the full amount of the claim. Insurance 
companies are always prompt to collect their premiums. 
and they have increased them materially in recent years; 
but some of them seem to think it good business to bluff 
a farmer out of his insurance when damage has occurred 
on "6ne pretext or another. They figure on the fact that 
farmers as a class do not like to go to law, and will often 
suffer an injustice rather than resort to this expensive 
way of insisting on their rights. When the issue is fairly 
tested, however, the courts usually insist that the com¬ 
panies fulfill their contracts. It would seem to us that 
a case of this kind is not intended to increase the busi¬ 
ness of the contesting company in the neighborhood in 
which such losses occur. 
Those desiring to attend the annual session of the New 
York State Grange at Olean, February 4, should write 
F. N. Godfrey, Olean, N. Y., for information regarding 
accommodations. _ 
THE COST OF MARKETING FRUIT. 
Interesting Figures from Minnesota. 
On page 8, January 4 issue of The R. N.-Y., you ask 
for the cost of marketing fruit, produce, etc. I have 
made a statement from my books for 1901, which I send 
you; I have not carried it out in decimals. I ship to a 
large retail grocery store in St. Paul, which is 130 miles, 
also to a commission house in Minneapolis, 140 miles, and 
have made the statement from both places, which shows 
that it is best to sell direct to the retailer if one can do 
so. Cherries and plums were picked by the family, so 
had no account of picking. 
PERCENTAGE OF EXPENSE. 
Com. 
Strawberries . 10 
Strawberries, store .— 
Cherries . 10 
Cherries, store . — 
Currants . 10 
Currants, store . — 
Black raspberries. 10 
Black raspberries, store. — 
Red raspberries . 10 
Red raspberries, store... — 
Blackberries . 10 
Plums .. 10 
Plums, store . — 
Minnesota. 
Ex¬ 
Pack¬ 
Pick¬ 
press 
ing. 
ing. 
15% 
12 1-5 
29 1-3 
11 
8% 
20 1-3 
8% 
6 1-3 
— 
7% 
5% 
— 
18 1-5 
14 
22 1-3 
16% 
12 3-5 
22 1-3 
7% 
7% 
18 
7% 
7% 
18 
7% 
7% 
18 
6% 
6% 
16% 
8% 
8 1-3 
16 
12% 
81-3 
— 
12% 
121-3 - 
W. S. WIDMOYER. 
Close Rubbing in Massachusetts. 
Below find notes on our crops for 1901: Asparagus, home 
market, value $90, cartage six per cent, commission one 
per cent. Strawberries, value $500, market, cartage and 
commission the same as for asparagus. Currants, sold 
in Boston, value $140, transportation 10 per cent, commis¬ 
sion 10 per cent. Raspberries, sold at home, value $85, 
cost of selling five per cent. Blackberries, $45, sold at 
home, expenses five per cent. Peaches, value $600, sold 
at home at a cost of 13 per cent. Plums, $75, sold in Bos¬ 
ton at a cost of 10 per cent for transportation and 10 per 
cent commission. Apples, value $125, and pears, value $50, 
both sold in Boston at a cost of 15 per cent for transpor¬ 
tation and 10 per cent for commission. The commission 
charges in some cases were eight per cent. We lost about 
$100 on asparagus and $50 on currants. Strawberries 
gave about $200 profit and raspberries $14. Blackberries 
stand about even. Other crops we have not yet figured 
on. Total loss on farm business for 1901, $1,100. Average 
yearly loss for past 20 years $1,800. In 1900 a peach crop 
made the accounts come out about even. All improve¬ 
ments have been put on the credit side, also Increased 
value of wood land. We don’t see this kind of stories 
in many papers, but we trust you can tell your readers 
that all is not jjrofit in the fruit business. 
MASSACHUSETTS GROWER. 
THE GRANGE AND CHINESE EXCLUSION. 
I do not think that the introduction or' Chinese and 
Japanese labor would be of real benefit to the American 
farmer, but on the other hand, 1 do think their intro¬ 
duction into our country a detriment to all classes of 
American laborers, without regard to age, sex or the 
particular line of labor they may be engaged in. I think 
the farmer and all others interested in the upbuilding of 
the farmer and American laborer generally should not 
only favor, but work for the strict enforcement of the 
Chinese Exclusion act. john m. williams. 
Master Nebraska State Grange. 
In my opinion the introduction of Chinese and Japanese 
labor would be detrimental to the best interests of the 
American farmer. The farmer should not oppose the 
proposed law, but should give his earnest and loyal sup¬ 
port to the law excluding Chinese, Japanese, and what 
is of just as much importance, the pauper labor of any 
other foreign country. Our immigration laws should be 
radically revised so that only the better class of foreign¬ 
ers, if any, can land on our shores. We must exclude 
any foreigners who will not become true loyal Ameri¬ 
can citizens in word and deed. I am a firm believer in 
the motto, “America for Americans.’’ Our doors should 
be closed and guarded with integrity and fidelity. I am 
very much interested in this matter, having as I have 
been, brought face to face with the reality, as we have 
here a great many foreigners who are not or never will 
be true American citizens, and the farmers are brought 
in direct competition with this low-down element. They 
are detrimental to our social condition, to our public 
school system, to politics, in fact, they are no benefit to 
the community, State or Nation. b. g. leedy. 
Master Oregon State Grange. 
Regarding the enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion 
act, I do not take quite as strong grounds as perhaps 
some of the Californians do. The farm laborers are 
growing scarcer in our section of the State, and the 
question often arises with me: “What are the farmers 
to do in the future?’’ Hardly any of the boys who have 
been reared on the farm seem to care to stay, and the 
class of laborers we get now are a very uncertain quan¬ 
tity, in fact, they are a class of people very little de¬ 
pendence can be placed upon. I am inclined to think 
that many of the people who come from China are fully 
as respectable as some of these people. The only trouble 
with the Chinamen is this; just as quickly as they get 
forehanded they go back to China to die. They do not 
care to become citizens of our country, nor to participate 
any in our customs or laws. I am inclined to think on 
the whole that an extended immigration to our country 
of the Celestials is not desirable, but I would not exclude 
the Japanese, as I believe they are a different class of 
people, more enlightened and more agreeable, and will 
better affiliate with our laws and customs. I would not 
exclude immigration of Japanese for I think they are 
more desirable than the Italians, although the Italians 
are doing now pretty much all of our public work. I think 
that our Government should be liberal in one sense, and 
if we find that certain people are coming to our shores, 
the offscouring of foreign countries, bringing disease and 
anarchist principles into our country, immediately the 
doors should be closed against all such. e. b. norris. 
Master New York State Grange. 
THE SHARE OF THE MILLER. 
In this county the millers return 36 pounds standard 
flour and 12 pounds feed for 60 pounds of wheat. They 
claim that they have a hard road to make one end lap 
on the other. All that I know are roller mills. J. e. d. 
Seneca Co., N. Y. 
in this section there is in nearly every village a local 
grist mill. The price for grinding at these mills is three 
cents per bushel; if a full carload is to be ground price 
two cents per bushel. We can have the grain ground fine 
or coarse, as the owner orders. J. h. r. 
Portland, Me. 
Here, in and around East Aurora, N. Y., we are served 
in what 1 call a reasonable way. i place a quantity of 
wheat on the cars, 17 miles from East Aurora, pay 
freight, about 30 cents for 10 or 12 bushels. The miller 
takes it from the station, grinds by roller process; returns 
to station at 10 cents per bushel. Return freight is the 
same as sending, so the sum total is about 16 cents per 
bushel. The flour is as nice and white as almost any we 
find in market. Many of our farmers drive and get 
their grist to return the same day. b. b. 
Sardinia, N. Y. 
Where 1 reside in Cayuga Co., N. Y., about seven miles 
north of Auburn, we are within reach of six flouring 
mills. None of these mills will give over 30 pounds of 
llrst-grade flour for 60 pounds of No. 1 wheat. For the 
poorer grades of flour, and they claim to have two, they 
give 33 or 35 pounds for the 60 pounds of wheat, and this 
is all we get; no bran or middlings. I think this is the 
case, so far as 1 have been able to learn, all over this 
part of the State. This kind of business is outrageous. 
But bad as it is it is no worse than the tax question and 
many others. Many thanks for the stand The R. N.-Y. 
takes on all these important questions. m. m. 
Port Byron, N. Y. 
MARKET PROSPECTS FOR BEANS. 
The bean market is quite dull at present. There seems 
to be a good deal of stock offering from dealers who are 
anxious to sell. On the other hand, farmers are not 
moving beans at all freely. We do not know that the 
scarcity of potatoes has increased the demand for beans; 
in fact, we doubt whether there is any scarcity, al¬ 
though, perhaps, the crop is not as large as it was last 
year. ferrin brothers comfany. 
Detroit, Mich. 
Very few beans are grown in this section, and while 
we know something about beans arriving from the pro¬ 
ducing sections of New York State, Canada and the 
West, yet we know nothing that would be of value to 
you about the size of the local crop. Our bean market 
since the first of the year has lacked activity, and is at 
the moment rather weak. The quantity in this country 
and the amount that may be imported are such unknown 
factors that it is impossible to give any estimate regard¬ 
ing value during the remainder of the consuming year. 
Our private opinion is that they will probably be a trifle 
lower. It is difficult to answer your second question, 
viz.: Has the scarcity of potatoes increased the demand 
for beans,” for the reason that nearly everything in the 
produce line as well as cereals is higher because of the 
general drought during the last Summer, so that no 
doubt beans are participating in the general advance, 
but we hardly think that the quantity or value of po¬ 
tatoes has very much to do with the value or consump¬ 
tion of beans, for the reason that their use is not gen¬ 
erally interchangeable. barker & co. 
Philadelphia. 
PRICES FOR CANNING TOMATOES.—This county 
(Johnson) is well supplied with factories, having three 
that run almost every year, and do quite a large busi¬ 
ness. but tomatoes last year were almost a failure, and 
1900 not a very good season, nor was 1899 extra for the 
growers. They no doubt could have realized more clear 
money by growing corn, for which our county stands 
among the best. Last year 20 cents per bushel was paid, 
which is $6.66 2-3 per ton, the growers paying $1.80 per 
1,000 for the plants grown by the canning company. Tne 
season being bad for setting, most growers had to make 
as much as two settings, and then not a very good 
stand. Picking is figured at about four cents per bushel, 
and the cultivation, then the docking at factory, all go 
to make the expense very great, so that owing to short 
crop no grower hardly paid expenses. The company has 
been offering 21 cents per bushel, or about $7 per ton for 
coming season, but the farmers are not taking hold, and 
do not talk of contracting very liberally if 25 cents should 
be offered, as the prospect Is good for high prices for 
corn, which they can grow for less trouble and expense. 
So, under existing circumstances, I think if the factories 
get a very large acreage contracted they will have to 
bid up pretty well in order to get their stuff grown. In 
consideration of present prices for canned goods and fu¬ 
ture prospects, I think they can afford to pay liberal 
prices. evan swift. 
Indiana. 
