1902 
853 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—The explosion of an oil tank on the 
steamer Progreso in San Francisco Harbor December 3 
killed 12 persons, injured 20 others, and caused damage 
amounting to $200,000. As the ship was built of steel, the 
fire was nearly all below decks. There were fourteen oil 
tanks, containing about 400 barrels of oil in all, and 
despite the efforts of the fire department, this continued 
to burn fiercely for hours after the explosion. Several 
minor explosions, due to the flames going from tank to 
tank, occurred at short intervals, but all the injury and 
loss of life was caused by the first one.George 
W. Streeter, whose long fight for filled-in land on the 
lake front makes a curious chapter in Chicago history, 
was found guilty of manslaughter December 3. Henry 
Hoeldke and William McManners, members of Streeter's 
“squatter” colony on the filled-in land, were also found 
guilty of manslaughter and similar penalties ordered. 
The defendants were charged with the murder of John 
S. Kirk, a guard employed by interests contesting 
Streeter's right to the land. Kirk was shot in a fight 
between Streeter’s forces and the opposition guards last 
February. Streeter some years ago, claiming that the 
“dump,” then covering several acres and valued at mil¬ 
lions of dollars, was not on the man. set up a govern¬ 
ment on the land, called it the District of Lake Michi¬ 
gan, and proclaimed allegiance as an independent State 
to the National Government. He planted cannon, and 
one day the whole police force of Chicago, including a 
Gatling gun squad, was mobilized to dislodge him. The 
whole city feared slaughter, but the matter terminated 
with the peaceable arrest of Streeter and his followers, 
the only shot fired having wounded a child in no way 
connected with the trouble. Streeter, however, was not 
vanquished. Fights between Streeter and the police and 
constabulary continued until the climax was reached in 
the killing of Kirk. Streeter’s claim to the district wait 
based on the fact that his boat foundered there twenty 
years ago when the land was a mere dot on the lake's 
surface, and that he continued to live there as a squatter 
on new land.The wife of Lee Phillips, recently 
sent to prison for life at Terre Haute, Ind., for the mur¬ 
der of Charles Markin, has brought suit for $10,000 dam¬ 
ages against the administrator of Markin’s estate, on 
the ground that she is deprived of the support of her 
husband through Markin’s violation of the law in selling 
him liquor on a legal holiday, under the influence of 
which Phillips committed the murder.What is 
said to be the largest verdict ever awarded in the courts 
of the United States or England in a damage suit for 
causing death or disability was returned by a jury in 
the Supreme Court at New York December 2, when u 
gave Mrs. Jennie Leys, widow of William Leys, manager 
of B. Altman & Co., a verdict for $100,000. The verdict 
was against the New York Central for the death of Mr. 
Leys in the Park Avenue tunnel accident last January. 
The only other verdict approaching this one for causing 
the death of the victim of an accident was in England, 
where damages of £14,000 were awarded to the heirs of 
Dr. Phillips. In an action for injuries, a western jury 
some time ago awarded the victim $75,000.The 
Immigration Bureau has specific information as to sev¬ 
eral points on both the Canadian and Mexican frontiers 
where immigrants have been crossing into the United 
States quite unmolested. Arrangements are perfecting 
under which these runways will be closed and a more 
rigid inspection of the frontiers put into operation. . . . 
Fire in a small hotel in Chicago, Ill., December 4, caused 
the death of 14 persons, most of them out-of-town visitors 
to the Live Stock Exposition.The Grand Opera 
House at Stillwater, Minn., was burned December 5; loss 
$175,000.Thomas Brackett Reed, of Maine, form¬ 
erly Speaker of the House of Representatives, died in 
Washington December 7, aged 63. He had served in Con¬ 
gress for 22 years previous to his retirement in 1899. The 
death of Mr. Reed removes the last of the famous Maine 
quartette which had so large a share in National legisla¬ 
tion for so many years. The State of Maine, with only 
four Representatives and two Senators, had an influence 
on public affairs out of all proportion to her size, owing 
to the high character of her representation. No State was 
so strong, and the difference between Maine, with her 
four Representatives, and New York and Pennsylvania, 
the greatest States in the Union, with their sixty-two, 
was a common theme for political critics. The four Maine 
men were Reed, Boutelle, Dingley and Milliken. Within 
five years all have passed away. Mr. Milliken died In 
1897, Mr. Dingley in 1899 and Mr. Boutelle in 1901. Mr. 
Reed resigned from Congress in 1899. Mr. Hale and Mr. 
Frye are still left in the Senate, where they continue to 
exert Maine’s old influence. Mr. Frye is president pro 
tern, of that body. In 1897, just before the breaking up 
of the quartette began, each of the four Maine men was 
so placed as to be a power. Mr. Reed was the Speaker. 
Mr. Dingley was Chairman of the Ways and Means Com¬ 
mittee, and was about to begin his labors on the tariff 
law which bears his name. Mr. Boutelle was Chairman 
of the Naval Affairs Committee, and Mr. Milliken of the 
Public Buildings Committee. In the Senate Mr. Frye 
was, as he still is, President pro tempore. . . . Thomas 
Nast, the cartoonist, who became famous by his attacks 
on the Tweed ring, who was United States Consul at 
Guayaquil, Ecuador, died there of yellow fever December 
7. After service with various publications as an illustra¬ 
tor and cartoonist, Mr. Nast retired from active work 
several years ago, making his home at Morristown, N. J. 
Mr. Nast was nominated Consul General at Guayaquil on 
May 1, 19Q2, and left New York for his post on July 1. 
He was born in Bavaria in 1840.Four men were 
killed and eight seriously wounded by a dynamite explo¬ 
sion in a mine at Wilkesbarre, Pa., December 9. A miner 
carrying the explosive stumbled and fell with it. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Northwestern Beekeepers’ 
Association met at Chicago December 3 to consider, 
among other things, the securing of legislation in the 
various States represented to prevent the illegal use of 
the term “honey” in the sale of artificial product. Rep¬ 
resentatives were present from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa and from Ontario. 
The National iAve Stock Association will hold Its sixth 
annual convention at Kansas City, Mo., January 13-16, 
1903. 
December 3 Dr. Salmon, chief of the Bureau of Animal 
Industry, who was in New England directing the work 
of stamping out the foot-and-mouth epidemic, reported 
to the Acting Secretary of Agriculture that the situa¬ 
tion was very serious, and that there were about 3,000 
cattle in herds known to be affected. New cases are con¬ 
stantly being found. Extensive outbreaks of the dis¬ 
ease have occurred in Vermont, but Dr. Salmon believes 
the situation can be handled by slaughtering and disin¬ 
fection there. 
Boston steamship agents were informed December 5 
from London that the British government had positively 
refused to relax its order against the shipment of cattle 
in bond through Maine, and also that prohibiting the 
loading of cattle at Canadian ports on vessels clearing 
from New England ports. This put a stop to the pro¬ 
ceedings which had been begun to have Western cait.e 
shipped to Montreal, and thence to Portland, although 
Dr. Salmon, of the Agricultural Department, reasserted 
in an official statement the opinion he expressed previ¬ 
ously that cattle could be exported from Portland with¬ 
out any danger of infection from the foot-and-mouth 
disease. Mr. Hanbury, president of the British Board of 
Agriculture, has decided that, owing to the existence of 
1'oot-and-mouLh disease in some of the New England 
States, he will be unable to permit the landing in Eng¬ 
land of a herd of buffaloes belonging to the “Wild West” 
show, which opens in London, December 26. 
The American Apple Growers’ Congress at St. Louis 
elected the following officers for the coming year: Sen¬ 
ator H. M. Dunlap, Savoy, ill., president; W. R. Wilkin¬ 
son, St. Louis, vice-president; R. T. C. Wilson, Hannibal, 
Mo., secretary; Wesley Green, Des Moines, Iowa, treas¬ 
urer; Professor John T. Stinson, Mountain Grove, Mo., 
official statistician. The following were elected State 
vice-presidents: A. T. Erwin, Iowa; George R. Keill, 
Alabama; William Miller, Ohio; W. C. Rudd, Indiana; 
Louis E'rb, Tennessee; George Woolsey, Arkansas; W. F. 
Fourney, Missouri; William H. Barnes, Kansas; C. H. 
Williamson, Illinois, and S. W. Moon, West Virginia. 
The next meeting will be held in St. Louis. 
The third annual International Live Stock Exposition 
at Chicago came to a successful close December 6. Dur¬ 
ing the week the show attracted 350,000 people, a larger 
number than attended either of the two preceding ex¬ 
hibitions. The day was set aside for the reception of 
school children. Nearly 25,000 attended the Exposition. 
A feature of the closing day was the award of prizes 
in the stock judging contest. This contest was partici¬ 
pated in by the students of agricultural colleges and 
farmers’ sons, the latter being admitted this year for 
the first time. The Spoor trophy, awarded to the agri¬ 
cultural college whose three students made the highest 
standing in judging all classes of stock, went to the 
Iowa Agricultural College. 
The meeting of the New York State Fruit Growers’ As¬ 
sociation at Buffalo January 7-8, 1903, promises to pos¬ 
sess unusual interest. Among the subjects which will 
be taken up are the cooperative purchase of fertilizers 
and plant food in general. Prof. Bailey will speak on 
recent opinion regarding the tillage of orchards. Reports 
of the various committees will cover the season’s insect 
depredations, the serious attack of Apple scab during 
1902, the value of the box as against the barrel for apple 
packing, the cooperative experiments in dwarf apples, a 
more effective basis for ascertaining crop reports, etc. 
The second annual convention of the Oregon Farmers’ 
Congress opened at Hillsboro, December 16, continuing 
three days. Many important topics of interest to the 
farmers of all the State were discussed, and a number of 
papers read. The Congress consisted of the following 
organizations: Oregon Dairymen’s Association, Oregon 
Live Stock Association, Oregon Hop Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion, State Board of Agriculture, State Board of Horti¬ 
culture, State Grange and State Poultry Association. 
The International Stock Food Company, of Minneapolis, 
Minn., has purchased the famous stallion Dan Patch, 
paying $60,000 for him. 
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN NEW YORK 
Cornell Should Be Supported. 
I am and always have been in favor of agricultural 
education; it cannot be advanced too rapidly. President 
Schurinan’s ideas are very good, and I hope they may 
be carried out so that agricultural education may be 
advanced. The State ought to furnish financial support 
sufficient for Cornell or any other institution that is 
trying to advance agricultural interests, so that the poor 
may be able to receive the benefit as well as the rich. 
Master Schuyler Co. Pomona Grange. l. h. tunison. 
Hearty Support Should Be Given. 
I am in hearty accord with the sentiments expressed 
by President Schurman, and sincerely, hope that the day 
is not far distant when the Legislature of our State will 
recognize the importance of appropriating money enough 
to place our agricultural college at Cornell University 
on a basis second to no other agricultural college in this 
nation. Our Grange organization is doing much to ele¬ 
vate the standing of those engaged in agricultural pur¬ 
suits and we are continually urging farmers to educate 
their sons and daughters that they may take a place in 
the front ranks of that broad system of,culture that em¬ 
braces man’s moral as well as intellectual powers. No 
other profession demands so wide a range of scientific 
knowledge. The completely furnished farmer must know 
the chemistry of the earth and air, fire and water, the 
structure and properties of plants, the natural history 
of domestic animals and the principles of breeding and 
raising them, also the cure of diseases. He must know 
the use of many tools, and be able to test them upon 
mechanical principles. He should familiarize himself 
with the laws governing contracts, highways and ditches, 
and he should be no unskilled accountant. One of the 
most hopeful signs of the present period of the history 
of agriculture is that it is able to call the highest talent 
to its aid. Every person engaged in agriculture should 
have a personal concern in the success of the college of 
agriculture at Cornell University, as it is doing so much 
to elevate the standing of those engaged in farming. 
We should heartily support any effort made by President 
Schurman and Erof. I. P. Roberts to secure a State ap¬ 
propriation of money sufficient to maintain the college 
of agriculture at Cornell University. e. p. cole. 
Master Seneca Co. Pomona Grange. 
Practical Education Wanted. 
I have read President Schurman’s interview very care¬ 
fully and I believe that his views lead in the right direc¬ 
tion. It certainly behooves the agriculturists of this 
State to ask intelligently what is needed fully to equip 
Cornell University for the agricultural course. Presi¬ 
dent Schurman’s plea for district or county schools is in 
line with the bill introduced in the Assembly last Winter 
by C. S. Plank, of St. Lawrence. The necessity of doing 
something to keep the farmers’ sons and daughters on 
the farm, is most pressing if we would elevate the stand¬ 
ard of agriculture, and nothing can do as much in this 
line as practical education in the subjects which apply 
to farm life. I believe the rudiments of agriculture could 
and should be taught in our common schools. Make the 
college course practical. Concentrate it along those lines 
which most closely concern agriculture. The Grange 
stands for education. It is the cornerstone of the order. 
FKED SHEPARD. 
Master St. Lawrence Co. Pomona Grange. 
Agriculture in the Public Schools. 
I have been very much interested in reading the inter¬ 
view with President Schurman in regard to proposed im¬ 
provements in agricultural education. I am glad that 
there is a movement on foot that promises to result in 
improving the opportunities for the education of farm¬ 
ers’ sons in practical agriculture. I am not unfriendly 
to the College of Agriculture at Cornell University. As 
a former student for a short time I am proud of Cor¬ 
nell, and what she has done for the farmers of our State, 
and I would not lessen an iota the high standard of the 
full course in agriculture, but I believe that course is 
not suited to the training of farmers’ sons for the prac¬ 
tical work of the farms; I believe it tends to educate 
away from the farm and is suited only for the training 
of teachers of agriculture. Present conditions require 
seven or eight years of close application to study In high 
school and college to complete a full course in agriculture, 
and I think experience has shown that almost all young 
men who are alienated for so long a time from the prac¬ 
tical work of the farm are not inclined to return to it 
for a livelihood. It seems to me we ought to have for 
practical agriculture a course somewhat shorter and less 
technical than the present full course, and it should be 
one which the young man could enter«ifter one or two 
years of good work in the high school. That would re¬ 
duce the time from seven or eight years to four or five. 
It would seem as though such a course might be estab¬ 
lished by the College of Agriculture at Cornell. I fancy 
It would more nearly satisfy the present needs of the 
farmers of our State .than is now being done. 
I note also the statement of President Schurman in 
regard to the establishment of agricultural schools of 
high-school grade in different parts of the State. Several 
years ago, in correspondence, I advocated some such 
plan, but more recently I have thought the object sought 
could be gained in large degree, at least, in a more prac¬ 
tical way by introducing courses of agriculture into the 
high schools, especially those that are patronized mainly 
by farmers’ sons, and daughters. In correspondence with 
the Department of Public Instruction at Albany I found 
there was nothing in the organization of these schools 
that would prevent the introduction of such a course. I 
would not urge any radical departure from present meth¬ 
ods, but would place the emphasis on agriculture rather 
than the arts. As President Schurman says: “The high 
schools of the country, through their instruction in 
mathematics and the sciences, fit boys for the mechanic 
arts and engineering.” What I have proposed is that 
these sciences should be so taught as to show their rela¬ 
tion to agriculture and the problems the boy would have 
to meet on the farm. I would not confine the course in 
the high school to agriculture alone, because the primary 
purpose should be to educate for citizenship, and sec¬ 
ondarily for agriculture. w. t. mann. 
Niagara Co., N. Y. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
The cob and feed mills made by the New Holland 
Machine Works, New Holland, Pa.., have a high degree 
of efficiency for grinding all kinds of feed. A mill will 
be sent on trial to any responsible person. Write for 
their handsome 1903 catalogue. 
Ice harvesting machinery is a topic that is getting in¬ 
teresting with the approach of cold weather. The Wood 
Ice Plow, manufactured by Wm. T. Wood & Company, 
of Arlington, Mass., is a plow that gives very general 
satisfaction in use, cutting any size of cakes and to any 
depth desired. Two plows, the Ice King and the Twin 
Cut, are made specialties. \Yhoever is going to be inter¬ 
ested along this line should write Wood & Company for 
further information and particularly for their little book 
on Ice Harvesting. 
One of the best catalogues that has come to our at¬ 
tention this season is issued by the F. W. Mann Co., 
Milford, Mass., illustrating and describing their green 
bone and vegetable cutters. It is beautifully illustrated, 
printed in colors, but the best part of it is that it tells 
about a thoroughly good machine and one that will 
make money for any hen owner that will use It. The 
catalogue will be sent free to any reader of The R. N.-Y. 
who will ask for it. 
Experiment has demonstrated that green cut bone is 
the most economical of poultry foods, and the most pro¬ 
ductive of eggs and growth. The bone must be prepared 
In the proper manner. The manufacturers of the Stearns 
bone cutter build a machine which does not break the 
bone up into chunks nor gouge it out into rough shavings, 
but mills it, producing a coarse granular meal, which 
even young chicks can eat with perfect safety. It will 
pay our readers to send to E. C. Stearns & Company, 
Syracuse, N. Y., for their new book on this subject. 
