1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
645 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC—The carriage in which the President was 
being driven from Pittsfield to Lenox, Mass., September 
3, was struck by a trolley car, and all the occupants 
thrown into the road. Secret Service Officer William 
Craig was instantly killed, and the driver seriously in¬ 
jured; the President and Secretary Cortelyou bruised 
and scratched a little.Dr. Edward Eggleston, 
author, journalist and historian, died at Jones Lock, 
Lake George, N. Y., September 3, aged 65. Dr. Eggles¬ 
ton’s best-known literary work is “The Hoosier School¬ 
master,” published more than 20 years ago. Of late 
years he had been devoting himself to historical research. 
.... Fire in railway freight sheds at Durand, Mich., 
September 6, caused a loss of $150,000.The sev¬ 
enteenth week of the anthracite coal strike ended Sep¬ 
tember 6. The loss caused by it is estimated at $100,000,000. 
The strike began May 12. Number of miners involved, 
147,000. Average weekly wages of a miner, $7. Average 
weekly output of mines, 1,250,000 tons. Normal market 
price of anthracite, $4.50 a ton. Normal cost of produc¬ 
tion, $1.50 a ton. If operated, the mines would have pro¬ 
duced, approximately, 21,250,000 tons in the period covered 
by the strike. At $4.50 a ton the market value of the coal 
would have been $93,625,000. The total weekly wages of 
the strikers is, approximately, $1,029,000. In 17 weeks the 
miners would have earned $17,493,000. The total cost of 
producing the coal ready for market would have been 
$31,875,000. This, taken from $93,625,000—the market value— 
would leave $63,750,000 for the operators. From this, how¬ 
ever, must be taken the cost of transportation of the 
coal from the mines to the markets to get the loss of 
the operators—as operators—as four railroads practically 
control the entire production of the region. The loss to 
the business men of the district is approximately $14,000,- 
000, on the basis that the strikers would have spent three- 
fourths of their weekly wages for the actual necessities 
of life. The loss to the mining property, from idleness, 
according to estimates sent out from the anthracite re¬ 
gion will be more than $6,000,000. The operators have 
spent nearly $1,000,000 in policing their property and im¬ 
porting non-union men, while the State of Pennsylvania 
has spent more than $300,000 keeping troops in the field. 
September 7, Hiram Fisher, a mine guard at Edwards- 
ville, was terribly beaten by a mob after he had slightly 
wounded a woman with shot intended for his assailants. 
Labor organizers in the New River and Kanawha River 
coal fields pleaded with the miners not to return to work, 
but without success. September 8 was marked by great 
unrest in the Wyoming region. Two union miners at the 
Maltby mine were attacked in mistake for non-union 
workmen, and one was killed and the other was probably 
fatally injured. A mob assembled at Edwardsvllle and 
threatened to lynch a wounded mine guard who figured 
in the riot of September 7. Sheriff Jacobs, of Luzerne, 
went to Harrisburg to explain the situation to the mili¬ 
tary authorities.Fifteen cases of plague have 
appeared in the United States since December 12 of last 
year. Every one of them was reported in San Francisco, 
although two of the victims were stricken with the dis¬ 
ease in other towns in California. Of the 15 patients 14 
died. The only one who recovered was stricken last De¬ 
cember.A suit for $75,000 damages against the 
California Raisin combine has been begun in the United 
States Circuit Court at San Francisco under the Sherman 
anti-trust law. The Unitpd States Consolidated Raisin 
Company, a New York corporation, is the plaintiff, and 
the Pacific Coast Seeded Raisin Company, comprising a 
large number of corporations, is the defendant. The 
complaint alleges that the plaintiff granted licenses to 
the different companies in the combine to use its patent 
seeding machinery, on a royalty of one-quarter of a 
cent a pound on all raisins handled. This yielded a profit 
of more than $10,000 last year, but now, by reason of 
combine, the companies refuse to pay the licenses and 
the damages resulting are estimated at $25,000, which, 
under the anti-trust law, must be trebled if awarded. 
ADMINISTRATION.—The joint resolution passed at 
the close of last session to make effective that part of 
the law of 1890 which allowed pensions to men, who, 
after serving for a time with the Confederate forces, en¬ 
listed and served in the Union army, is giving the Pen¬ 
sion Office much trouble. The question that perplexes 
is whether the pension in such a case is to date from 
the time of filing after the original application under the 
law of 1890 or from the time of filing after the passage 
of the joint resolution. The decision involves $5,000,000 as 
the difference between one construction of the law and 
the other. Under the law of 1890 there were over 20,000 
applications. The pensions when allowed will run from 
$6 to $12 a month. If computed from the first applica¬ 
tion under the original law many veterans will receive 
several hundred dollars of back pension money. Last 
year an estimate was made that the amended law would 
call for the expenditure of about $10,000,000.As 
a result of the recent accident to the President and his 
party at Lenox, Mass., a suggestion has been made that 
there be organized a special corps of detectives to look 
after all details relating to the President’s safety while 
in Washington and while traveling about the country. 
This work is now part of the duty of the secret service 
men, but it is proposed to have a number of picked ex¬ 
perts to do this and nothing else. 
CUBA.—The Cuban banditti are overrunning the entire 
island, defying the Government rural guard in every 
province, kidnapping and hiding planters and country 
merchants or their sons for ransom, robbing travelers 
upon the public highway and forcing money from the 
agricultural districts by threat of the torch. Their bold¬ 
ness is even greater in the towns and villages, where in 
broad daylight, dressed in the uniform of rural guards, 
they make a practice of looting stores and even going 
so far as to remove safes In wagons under the very 
noses of the municipal police authorities. General Rod¬ 
riguez, the chief of the militia police which General 
Wood had organized and mounted, claims that the num¬ 
ber of men at his disposal Is Inadequate to the demands 
of the island. Recently an application was approved by 
President Palma and placed before Congress asking for 
authority and an appropriation to justify the increase 
of the rural guard by 1,000 men to meet the increase in 
the militia, but this has been “pigeon-holed.” 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS—A violent eruption of 
Mont Pelee, Martinique, occurred September 3, being the 
second within a week, the number of dead being put at 
2,000. La Soufrlere, on the. island of St. Vincent, was 
also in active eruption. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The forty-third annual Min¬ 
nesota State Fair opened September 1. The number of 
exhibits was the largest on record. National live stock 
shows of the National Hereford and Short-horn associa¬ 
tions were held In connection with the Fair. The good 
roads convention was one of the most popular and in¬ 
structive exhibits. The good roads train, which will tour 
the Northwest this Fall under the direction of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, made its initial appearance at 
the Fair. 
The golden jubilee of the Indiana State Fair was cele¬ 
brated the week of September 15, by the distribution of 
more premiums than the State Board of Agriculture ever 
offered before, by several thousand dollars. The total 
awards will amount to about $35,000 against $4,000 which 
was awarded at the first 50 years ago. The horse show 
premiums amount to $3,150, an increase of $1,000 over last 
year. The purses for the races will reach $14,600, or 
$6,000 more than last year. The awards in the cattle 
show will amount to $5,000, or $2,000 more than at the last 
Fair. In the dairy department awards amount to $1,300. 
The prize sheep will receive $1,500, an increase over last 
year of $500. In the swine department the premiums 
amount to $2,000, an increase of $600. The poultry awards 
amount to $1,600, an increase of $500. The premiums on 
art will reach $1,400, and there is an increase of $200 in 
the awards for the corn show. 
Charles P. Dadant, whose death at Hamilton, Ill., oc¬ 
curred recently, was one of the highest authorities on 
bee culture in the world. He was a native of France, 
but settled in Illinois in 1864, and was 85 years old. 
The Department of Agriculture has made a success 
during the past season of the shipment of Summer ap¬ 
ples and southern peaches to Europe, and is now turn¬ 
ing its attention to an experiment with pears. G. Harold 
Powell, the Assistant Pomologist of the Department, 
and H. S. Fulton, of that division, are in western New 
York selecting the best Fall varieties for shipment and 
superintending packing and shipping them. Every pear 
is carefully inspected and wrapped. The cases are sent 
in cold storage cars and carried on shipboard into cold 
compartments. The success with peaches lead the De¬ 
partment experts to believe that an even greater suc¬ 
cess is possible with pears. The fruit of New York is 
especially fine this year, and the English market prom¬ 
ises a good price. Mr. Powell will also send abroad a 
shipment of Fall peaches. The Department has another 
expert, H. P. Gould, at work in western Maryland and 
West Virginia packing shipments of mountain-grown 
peaches to go to England. 
William Humphrey Haskell died in his ninety-third 
year at Gloucester, Mass., August 26. He was one of the 
first members of the old Cape Ann Horticultural So¬ 
ciety, and its secretary as long as It existed. He was 
a prominent man politically half a century ago. 
THE NEW YORK STATE FAIR. 
The managers were rather blue on Tuesday night. 
They had prepared an expensive exhibit, and were con¬ 
siderably behind with their finances. A violent storm 
had turned the grounds into a mud bank, and there 
seemed to be a long storm in sight. Nothing could save 
the fair but bright clear weather—which meant a large 
attendance of country people. Wednesday opened sunny 
and bright, with Just enough ’ nip” in the air to make 
the day comfortable. Then the farmers of New York 
State responded. They poured in from all directions, 
crowding the grounds as they have never been packed 
before with possibly one exception. Thursday was an¬ 
other record breaker in attendance, so that it is safe to 
say that the farmers saved the Fair. As a whole the 
exhibition was not as good as in former years. There 
was a great slump In the live stock exhibits—though the 
quality of the animals shown was fine. This decrease in 
number was due to several causes. The date of the Fair 
made it Impossible for some breeders to exhibit in New 
York, since they had arranged their circuit and had en¬ 
gagements at other places. There was also great oppo¬ 
sition to the rule which required exhibitors to pay 10 per 
cent of the premiums. To judge from what breeders say 
the exhibits next year will be smaller yet unless this 
rule is changed. The prices charged for feed and fodder 
were considered too high. It would seem that the ener¬ 
gies and money at the command of the live-stock man¬ 
agers had been largely expended in “booming” the racing 
features at the Fair. This is the opinion freely ex¬ 
pressed by common people, especially by those who do 
not particularly care for the racing. This “new ele¬ 
ment” is changing the old character of the Fair. 
There was a fine exhibit of machinery. It was given a 
good chance for display, and crowds of farmers sur¬ 
rounded the more seasonable tools. If one may judge 
from sueh an exhibit windmills and tread powers are not 
so popular as formerly. There was only one windmill 
running, while a few years ago there were a dozen dif¬ 
ferent kinds. Gasoline engines seem to be taking the 
place of wind or tread powers, and farmers who use 
them are usually strong in their praise. The cheap po¬ 
tato diggers which formerly occupied so much space at 
the Fair were not exhibited. Several of the more expen¬ 
sive ones were shown. From the way farmers talk they 
prefer to dig by hand or use the heavy machines. An¬ 
other noticeable thing was the great variety of patent 
wagon-racks of various shapes and sizes. Some of them 
are very convenient. They can be quickly changed so 
as to carry hay, manure, potatoes or live stock. 
The fruit, vegetable and flower show was immense- 
better than ever before. In fruit there were 5,269 plates 
of apples, 464 of peaches, 731 of plums, 1,014 of grapes, 62 
of quinces and 1,981 of pears—9,441 In all. The New York 
State Fruit Growers’ Association made a great display, 
and won first prize on their collection. The fruit they 
exhibited was sold for $80—the funds going to the So¬ 
ciety. Some of the specimens were lacking in color, it 
being too early for late varieties to put on their best 
clothes, but otherwise the specimens were fine. An ex¬ 
hibit of flowers from school gardens attracted a crowd 
at all times. Some of the children, not satisfied to bring 
the flowers alone, brought plants in big pots. At the 
suggestion of S. D. Willard every child bringing a bunch 
of flowers were admitted free—a wise and beautiful sug¬ 
gestion. The horticulturists of New York State owe a 
big debt to Mr. Willard for the efforts he has made to 
maintain the exhibits of fruits and flowers. The vege¬ 
table display was excellent, and more instructive than 
usual. The vast and growing importance of the fruit 
industry in New York Is well understood by those who 
had charge of this department. The crowd which 
thronged the horticultural building, was usually larger 
than that found at any of the live stock exhibits. 
It is always easier to criticise or suggest than to ex¬ 
ecute. We hear some unfavorable comment from those 
who have seen the permanent buildings and grounds oc¬ 
cupied by other State fairs. The grounds at Syracuse 
are not fully capable of adornment. The soil is such 
that trees and shrubs will not thrive as they would in 
better locations. It would be impossible to make a hand¬ 
some park there. The fairest criticism this year was 
that little effort is made to encourage the small ex-, 
hibitor or the county exhibit. At other State fairs this 
county exhibition Is made a special feature, and calls 
out an immense attendance and interest. 
In live stock there ought to be some way of interesting 
farmers to exhibit the well-graded stock which really 
provides the butter and meat on the farm. We would 
like to see good prizes offered for best male with three 
or five daughters from common females. This is the 
class of stock that farmers are most interested in. A 
well-bred male is about the extent of their Investment 
in pure blood. There might well be contests in perform¬ 
ing ordinary farm work. From present appearance these 
things are not likely to be inaugurated while horseracing 
occupies its present place on the programme. As to that 
feature the managers say “that is where the money is.” 
_ H. W. C. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
The apple crop of Mason Co., Mich., will be less than 
last year, and not as good. Orchards hogged down are 
better than the sprayed. The fruit seem to be speckled 
and scabby. Some counties east are a little better. 
Ludington, Mich. q. 
Apples are a large crop and of very fine quality here, 
I think the best I ever saw them. Buyers are offering 
75 cents to $1 per barrel for the fruit. Peaches are a 
light crop. Corn is very poor, oats heavy, and rye a fair 
crop, but much of it sprouted. c. d. 
Greene Co., N. Y. 
The market for barreled apples has not opened yet 
(September 10). There is a large crop here, but not equal 
to 1896, and far below it in quality. A large per cent will 
go to the evaporators. Good prices are expected for No. 
1 fruit. Potatoes have all blighted and 40 per cent is a 
high estimate if none should rot. The corn and bean 
crops are both poor, not over 50 per cent. f. w. h. 
Savannah, N. Y. 
The apple crop in this State will be very short. There 
was about one-fourth crop of the Summer varieties, but 
they were knotty and of poor shape. However, they 
brought good prices in this section—$1.50 to $2.25 per bar¬ 
rel. The hot, dry weather of August damaged very con¬ 
siderably what few Winter apples there were. There is 
a large crop of grapes and of excellent quality. Pears 
are about 75 per cent of a full yield. Peaches light, pos¬ 
sibly 20 per cent. Corn will be about 80 per cent. Hay 
was light and only fair in quality. w. f. d. 
Staunton, Va. 
An apple buyer on a station platform In Middlesex 
County, N. J., was discussing the crop with a keen 
liveryman who wished to take him about among the farm¬ 
ers. “We are offering $1 a barrel. We find barrels and 
send a man to pack them. They just pick them and 
leave them in heaps under the trees. The growers want 
more. They think because the crop is short here, it’s 
that way everywhere else, but they’ll wake up some 
morning and find themselves woefully mistaken.” Some 
remarks were made about the big returns last year from 
the potato crop, and the listener lost the connection with 
what followed. “O, yes, the farmer’s a born gambler. 
He takes a rosy view of everything. He’s a born 
gambler.” w. w. s. 
Hightstown, N. J._ 
I was much pleased with your picture of Friend Barber. 
As to his farming In Tioga County, I will give you an 
example. He came into the store and said; “I wish you 
would hoe out my potatoes; I have just cultivated them 
out.” After the job of three or four hours was done, 
he asked: “How much for the work?” “Fifty cents,” 
replied his neighbor. "Well, here are 75 cents; I would 
not do it for $1.” a. w. b. 
Elmira, N. Y. 
FRUIT AT THE OHIO FAIR.—The Ohio State Fair 
was a very good, clean one. All the departments were 
well filled, and the fruits were of exceptionally fine qual¬ 
ity. Spraying is more generally practiced among the ex¬ 
hibitors than ever before, and as a result the expert 
judges are annually brought up against tougher work in 
their line. The greater part of our apple exhibit was 
absolutely perfect as to specimens—not a defect except, 
perhaps, a slight lack of color, which was due to the 
early date of Fair. A very creditable exhibit of peaches 
came from the Lake region—Lucas and Ottawa counties 
leading. No peaches from the central counties this sea¬ 
son, and but three plates from southern Ohio. Mr. Ver- 
gon, of Delaware, carried away his share of the pre¬ 
miums on apples grown by his "mowing and mulching 
method." His orchard is said to be a wonder this sea¬ 
son. Mr. Vergon is strongly supported by our profes¬ 
sional men in his claims to the honor of originating and 
extensively practicing the method called by New York¬ 
ers the Hitchings method. f. h. b. 
Newark, Ohio. 
