1901 
L 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
j 
155 
Events of the Week 
DOMESTIC.—February 10, a mammoth manufacturing 
plant at Springfield, O., covering 44 acres, was destroyed 
by fire; loss, $500,000. The plant burned consisted of a 
number of small industries giving employment to about 
1,100 men, who are thus thrown out of work. . . . The 
New York grand jury indicted four men for manslaughter 
in the first degree for having caused the death of five 
persons in the late tunnel explosion, growing out of the 
illegal storage and neglectful handling of dynamite. Of 
course, the killing and destruction of property were unin¬ 
tentional, but it all happened while the parties indicted 
were violating the city ordinances.Des Moines, 
Iowa, is suffering from a severe outbreak of smallpox. 
.... February 18, the New York State Senate passed 
Senator Slater’s bill, prohibiting the use of live pigeons 
at shooting tournaments by a vote of 31 to 6. 
February 18, the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Battle Creek, 
Mich., was destroyed by fire. All the patients were 
rescued; loss, $300,000. 
CONGRESS.—February 12, the House passed the first 
bill for the payment of claims of United States citizens 
arising out of the Spanish War. It carried something 
over $55,000 for the payment of 202 claims for property 
taken within the United States for the use of the army. 
An omnibus bill, carrying claims aggregating $2,114,552 
for stores and supplies taken from loyal citizens during 
the Civil War, also was passed. These claims were al¬ 
lowed under the provisions of the Bowman act, and the 
bill was identical with one passed by the House at the 
last session. Two other bills, which have been before 
Congress for 28 years, to refer certain claims for addi¬ 
tional compensation by the builders of certain monitors 
during the Civil War to the Court of Claims were passed. 
.... February 13, the House adopted unanimously a 
resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution 
for the election of Senators by direct popular vote. . . . 
February 17, the Senate ratified the treaty for the pur¬ 
chase of the Danish West Indies. 
PHILIPPINES.—Additional troops for service in the 
Philippines have been asked for by Major General Chaf¬ 
fee. General Chaffee has strongly protested against the 
original purpose of the Department in reducing the mili¬ 
tary strength by 3,000 men, and his views have the almost 
unanimous indorsement of the officers stationed in the 
Islands. Secretary Root had expected before the Sum¬ 
mer closed he could show a material reduction of troops 
in the Philippines. General Chaffee’s latest cable ad¬ 
vices report the military strength in the Philippines as 
40,870 enlisted men, exclusive of the troops now on their 
way to Manila to relieve the returning short-term men. 
.... The insurrection in Batangas Province has been 
cleared up by troops under Gen. Bell. Not all of the in¬ 
surgent arms have been captured or surrendered, but a 
number of them have been taken by the insurgents to 
other provinces or safely hidden. The increase of robber 
bands in the Provinces of Tayabas and Cavite shows the 
effects of the drastic measures adopted in Batangas and 
Laguna Provinces. Gen. Bell says the people of these 
latter Provinces never realized the terrors of war until 
they personally experienced its hardships. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—An earthquake about 
February 12 destroyed the town of Shamaka, Russian 
Transcaucasia. More than 200 bodies have been recov¬ 
ered, and the total death list is estimated at 2,000. East 
of Shamaka a volcano has broken out. . . . The State 
Department has received cable advices confirming the re¬ 
ports that the ransom money for Miss Stone has been 
paid to the brigand captors. It is not known when her 
release will occur, but it is understood that the brigands 
have made a condition that they shall have a period of 
a week or 10 days in which to make sure their safe re¬ 
treat before the prisoner is delivered up. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Wisconsin State Dairymen’s 
Association met at Menominee February 11. An address 
of welcome was made by Senator J. H. Stout, and a re¬ 
sponse by C. H. Everett, of Racine. The annual address 
was by C. P. Goodrich, of Fort Atkinson. A general dis¬ 
cussion was led by F. IP. Scribner, of Rosendale, and E. 
L. Aderhold, Neenah. Owing to sickness PI. C. Adams, 
Dairy and Food Commissioner, was absent, and former 
Governor W. D. Hoard spoke in his place. A large num¬ 
ber of well-known men from various parts of the State 
were present. 
At a recent meeting of the Wisconsin Live Stock San¬ 
itary Board, at Madison, State Veterinarian E. D. Rob¬ 
erts, of Janesville, reported a continued increase in the 
number of cases of glanders in the State. At its last 
meeting the board appointed Dr. H. L. Russell, bacteri¬ 
ologist of the university, to go to Washington and confer 
with Dr. D. E. Salmon, chief of the Bureau of Animal 
Industry, regarding some plan of cooperation between 
the National Government and Minnesota and Wisconsin, 
whereby horses imported from the western ranges might 
be inspected before being brought into the State. It has 
been discovered that most all of the cases of glanders 
come from these imported horses. 
The Census Bureau has issued an advance bulletin on 
the manufacture of oleomargarine in the United States. 
It shows that the number of establishments increased 
from 12 to 24 between 1890 and 1900, with a total capital 
of $3,023,406, an increase of 376 per cent. The value of the 
products was $12,988,525, an increase of 318 per cent. Oleo¬ 
margarine manufactured as a by-product by slaughter¬ 
ing and meat packing establishments is not included in 
these statistics. 
Judge C. C. Clutenden, in the Circuit Court at Cadillac, 
Mich., declared the State law prohibiting the sale of col¬ 
ored oleomargarine was unconstitutional, and discharged 
Frank Johnson, who was being prosecuted under that law. 
State Food Commissioner Snow will carry the case to 
the Superior Court. 
The Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, at its re¬ 
cent meeting, elected the following officers for the ensu¬ 
ing year: President, T. E. Loope, Eureka; vice-presi¬ 
dent, F. C. Edwards, Ft. Atkinson; secretary, J. L. 
Herbst, Sparta; corresponding secretary, S. M. Marshall, 
Madison; treasurer, L. G. Kellogg, Ripon. 
The Indiana Wool Growers’ Association held its annual 
meeting at Crawfordsville February 19. 
The second annual convention of the American Cattle 
Growers’ Association will meet at Denver, Col., March 4. 
George A. Ricker, a banker of Quincy, III., has bought 
the Riverside Hereford Cattle Company property at Ash¬ 
land, Neb., for $481,000. It is understood that Ricker is 
acting for a syndicate composed of several members of 
his family. The Riverside herd of Herefords is the larg¬ 
est in the world, and two of the bulls—Admiral and 
Thickset—cost the company over $5,000 each. The entire 
herd is estimated to be worth $300,0091 
CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
The eleventh annual convention of the Connecticut fruit 
growers was held under the auspices of the Connecticut 
Pomological Society, at Hartford, February 4-5. This 
association is rapidly pushing its way to the very front 
rank of horticultural organizations, and its proceedings 
should be closely watched, not only on account of the 
representative men who address its meetings, but be¬ 
cause of the many valuable points brought out in the 
talks, papers and discussions presented at these gather¬ 
ings. The following notes do not pretend to cover all 
the instructive features of the various sessions, but aim 
merely to give what appears to be of most value to the 
general fruit grower. 
Cover Crops.— The illustrated lecture by G. Harold 
Powell, Assistant Pomologist, Washington, D. C., was a 
very clear exposition of the practice of growing humus 
crops in orchards, a plan now followed by many suc¬ 
cessful growers. Much has been learned concerning the 
intelligent use of various plants for this purpose, and 
experiments are still being carried on along these lines. 
Mr. Powell emphasizes the necessity of treating each 
orchard according to its needs, as opposed to the plan of 
following any fixed rule. In one orchard conditions may 
be such that a leguminous plant, such as Crimson clover, 
cow peas or Hairy vetch would give good results; while 
on another piece of land, where there was plenty of 
available nitrogen, etc., growing of such a crop might 
work positive injury. Among the non-leguminous plants 
suited to orchard use were mentioned corn, buckwheat, 
Cow-horn turnips and rape. The growing of these crops 
does not add fertility to the soil, but they furnish a great 
quantity of vegetable matter, and are of value in 
clearing out pernicious weeds. Mr. Powell’s idea of a 
perfect cover crop is one that can be sown late, after 
the season for cultivation is over, one that will form 
a thick covering over the entire surface of the orchard, 
and one not killed by slight frosts, so that it may con¬ 
tinue to grow during the Fall and early Winter. Cow 
peas and Soy beans, which go down with the first frost, 
are therefore not ideal cover crops. Crimson clover, 
where it succeeds, and Hairy vetch, for more severe 
climates, are recommended where a leguminous plant Is 
required. The greatly increased ability of soils where 
successive crops of such plants have been turned under, 
to hold water and withstand severe drought, was one of 
the many strong points presented favoring the use of 
such plants. 
Sod Culture.— Quite in contrast to many of the meth¬ 
ods employed by successful apple-growers, are the prin¬ 
ciples laid down by Grant G. Plitchings, Onondaga Co., 
N. Y. Mr. Hitchings is certainly a successful grower or 
high-quality apples, and his orchards are all in sod. He 
sets his trees in rich, well-prepared land, then seeds 
the orchard down with Timothy and Red-top. About the 
first of July, and again later, he cuts the grass between 
the rows, and spreads it around the trees. As the tree 
increases in size, he enlarges the circle, until finally 
the ground is covered with a mass of decaying grass. 
Mr. Hitchings is an ardent advocate of spraying, some¬ 
times going over his trees as often as six times in a 
single season. If results count for anything, his method 
is certainly a good one to follow where conditions are 
similar to those on his farm. The danger of making a 
general application of a practice because it gives good 
results under a peculiar set of conditions is here ap¬ 
parent. While admitting that there are cases where sod 
culture was the proper practice to pursue, most of those 
present were of the opinion that the method would yield 
very unsatisfactory results under conditions obtaining in 
most parts of Connecticut. 
Cold Storage.— The practice of keeping fruit in cold 
storage until the market will take it at satisfactory 
prices, is rapidly becoming a necessity, and the proper 
ways of handling fruit for cold storage purposes is 
greatly interesting progressive growers. The paper by 
William H. Hart, of Poughkeepsie, supplemented by talk 
by Mr. Powell, and remarks by several others, served 
to bring out many points not known to most growers. 
The Department of Agriculture is at present holding 
an exhaustive series of tests, and so the results as given 
by Mr. Powell constitute the latest knowledge of cold 
storage of fruit. None but perfect fruit should ever be 
put into cold storage; it doesn’t pay to handle second- 
grade stock, as there is nothing in the process which 
will in any way improve it; on the contrary, it deterior¬ 
ates very rapidly. Fruit should be put into the cold 
rooms at once after picking, and kept at the lowest pos¬ 
sible temperature without danger from freezing. A 
temperature of 31 degrees is giving much better results, 
especially with pears, than are higher temperatures. 
Much depends upon the degree of ripeness of the fruit 
when picked. Apples which are allowed to ripen on the 
tree keep but a short time, while fruit picked before 
maturity never develop perfect flavor, and is apt to 
shrivel badly. There seems to be a critical point when 
the tissues of the apple are well filled out, but before 
the real ripening process commences. This is the time 
to pick for storage purposes. Fruit from orchards which 
have been sprayed and well cared for is found to keep 
much' better than that grown where neglect is the rule. 
Markets and Marketing.— Many Connecticut fruit¬ 
growers are realizing that production is more than keep¬ 
ing pace with approved ways of marketing the crops 
produced. It is scant satisfaction to grow good fruit, 
only to find the market over-supplied, and no outlet at 
any price. This is seldom due to overproduction, but 
more often to lack of facilities, and Ignorance of re¬ 
quirements of various markets. The talk by Charles 
Forster, a New York commission man, was an eye-opener 
t»o many. He urged all to use honest methods in pack¬ 
ing their wares. The finding of a bushel of culls in the 
middle of a barrel of well-faced fruit does not tend to 
inspire the defrauded buyer with confidence, and a de¬ 
sire for more of the same kind. Better grading of fruit 
is also needed. It is much more profitable to separate 
the fruit into strict grades, than to have different varie¬ 
ties and various sizes mixed in the same package. 
Choice fruit, especially apples, finds a ready market in 
Great Britain; and there is a great future before eastern 
orchardists if they will grow good fruit and handle it 
in the proper way. A discussion of varieties followed; 
Mr. Forster, looking from the standpoint of the commis¬ 
sion man of to-day, is enthusiastic over the Ben Davis. 
It handles well and sells well. What more can anyone 
ask (who doesn’t have to eat one)? He is also a friend 
of the old R. I. Greening. He finds great trouble in se¬ 
curing good Greenings, and says it has been much 
neglected for sorts not half so good or profitable. The 
problem of shipping peaches to foreign markets was 
discussed at length. While very little in the way of en¬ 
couragement was met with along this line, there seems 
to be a growing conviction that the thing can be done. 
J. H. Hale talks as though he intended to do it. I guess 
he will. 
Rot of Stone Fruits.— Rot of peaches and plums 
wrought havoc in Connecticut and other sections during 
the past season. Preventive measures, such as picking 
and burning all decayed and mummied fruits were 
recommended to bn used in conjunction with spraying. 
A thorough spraying with standard Bordeaux before the 
trees leaf out, and later sprayings with dilute Bordeaux 
or with clear copper sulphate at the rate of two to four 
ounces to 50 gallons of water, has materially lessened loss 
from rot in some cases. 
Odds and Ends.— George H. Hale does not approve the 
pnactice of planting peach trees closer than 15x15 feet. 
He has trees set 13x13, and is thoroughly tired of the 
system. The future of plum growing in the State was 
discussed by Mr. Malumphy. He has no place for va¬ 
rieties other than the Japan. He urged the adoption of 
a uniform package for the marketing of superior plums, 
a covered basket, much like the common grape basket, 
but larger, was suggested. J. H. Hale pointed out the 
advantage of packing choice eating apples in suitable 
baskets for family trade. He contends that it would 
be much better for the producer to market his fruit in 
small packages, than to have the retailer repack the 
fruit, to the profit of the latter. It was asked whether 
the 'lime, sulphur and salt mixture had been tried in 
Connecticut for the control of San Jos6 scale; if so, 
with what result? Recent experiments in the East seem 
to show that this formula is of value here, as well as 
in California, where it is the standard remedy. 
Election of Officers.— The election of officers for the 
ensuing year resulted in the choice of the following: 
President, N. S. Platt; vice-president, J. C. Eddy; sec¬ 
retary, H. C. C. Miles; treasurer, R. A. Moor* 
_ R. W. R. 
NATIONAL IRRIGATION FOR HEALTH. 
I have read with interest the letters from Mr. Parsons, 
of Colorado, and G. W. B., of Illinois; also your comment 
on the same in February 8 issue. You have missed a 
point which is, in our estimation, the most vital. In 
your editorial you seem to think it is a question of land 
value, “since farm lands are now so cheap that anyone 
who could buy an irrigated farm can now buy one in the 
older sections of the country.” It is not a question of 
money, nor the comforts of eastern life, but a question 
of health, and even in some cases of life. Two-thirds of 
the settlers in our locality are here on account of climatic 
reasons. The country is a natural sanitarium for con¬ 
sumption and similar afflictions. Almost every State in 
the Union is represented in our section. We are from In¬ 
diana; came here for my father’s asthma, and he has 
been almost entirely relieved. Not wealth nor irrigated 
lands, but health, and, having found it, employment in 
the open air must be sought. This the small irrigated 
farms furnish. The products are sold in the immediate 
neighborhood to the cattle and sheep raisers, who graze 
their herds on the unirrigable land. Even with Govern¬ 
ment aid, water won’t flow up hill and for every acre oi 
irrigable land there will be a thousand acres of grazing 
land surrounding it. Why should the eastern farmer 
object to making a few of these acres productive? How 
soon may he or some of his sons and daughters be ready 
to flee from the scourge of consumption? Our country 
offers both relief and immunity. Outside of melons and 
fruit, there can be no possible competition between the 
products of the arid West and the East. Illinois, Wis¬ 
consin, Iowa and Kansas furnish the grain, bacon, butter 
and cheese which competes with your section. Not a 
pound of it comes from the arid West. Our arid ranges 
furnish beef, and will continue to do so, with or without 
Irrigation. As to melons, the Pecos Valley and Rocky 
Ford cantaloupes are the finest in the world. If they will 
bear transportation for thousands of miles, pay the 
freight charges, the commission man and the grower, and 
the eastern consumers still want them, are they not en¬ 
titled to the worth of their money in quality? 
There are other reasons put forth by the opponents of 
the bill, the principal one being that private capital 
should be employed. Private capital has exploited all 
profitable irrigation schemes from a capitalistic stand¬ 
point. The Government should build reservoirs and main 
canals, selling the land, in place of homesteading it, at a 
reasonable price, say $10 or $12 per acre, with water- 
right, in small tracts, to actual settlers; then sell the 
water annually at something near the cost of running 
expenses of the water service. The arid West has seen 
for many years vast sums spent for the improvement of 
rivers and harbors in other sections of the country. A 
new scheme, the ship subsidy, is imminent, to deplete the 
Treasury. The eastern manufacturers have had the 
benefit of a high tariff given them by the votes of the 
eastern farmers. The agricultural papers in general 
have made no protest, but they all unite in clubbing irri¬ 
gation. m. k, w. 
Carlsbad, New Mexico. 
