1899 
THE RURAL'NEW-YORKER. 
331 
UNCLE SAM’S NEW ISLANDS. 
A SANDWICH OF VOLCANO AND SKA. 
yf Farmer's Opinion of Its Agricultural Value. 
Pabt II. 
Terrible Insects. —“You, doubtless, had time to 
see some of their insect pests. I have heard they have 
plenty of them? ” 
“So they have. They seem to have all that we 
have, and some besides. I saw a few trees that had 
been killed by some kind of scale insect. The orange, 
lemon and lime trees have Black aphides and other 
pests. It is seldom that one sees a clean tree. People 
pay but little attention to them.” 
“ Don’t they have an occasional mosquito ? ” 
“ Mosquitoes are plentiful at all times. There is a 
day kind, and one for the night. One is darker than 
the other. They are so bold at Honolulu that chickens, 
birds, etc., must be under mosquito netting or die. 
Every one sleeps under mosquito bars. Away from 
the rice and taro patches, up the mountains or on the 
windward sides of the mountains, they are not so bad. 
There are some other insects that trouble the people. 
There are always some roaches in the houses.” 
“ What other tormentors have they ? ” 
“ They have a big spider, and sometimes centipedes 
and scorpions in the houses. But there are no snakes.” 
Mixed Population. —“What did you think of the 
people ?” 
‘ • The population ; s, indeed, a mixed mess of natives, 
or Kanakas, and all sorts of foreigners, mostly Chi¬ 
nese and .Japanese plantation laborers. I met some 
very nice, intelligent people. Only those who took 
oath to support the government can vote, and they 
are only 8,000 out of 109,000 population. If all could 
vote, the white man would go in a hurry. The natives 
love ease—to have a good time, are happy-go-lucky 
mortals, and will never give the government much 
trouble; but they do not think the white man has 
treated them right. They will give you anything for 
the asking. You could not go where you would be 
better treated. You would think they are generous 
if you had my experience. The whites have taken 
advantage of this free and easy spirit.” 
“ Would you want to live there ? ” 
“ No ; I would not. It is a good place to visit, to 
see the strange sights, the tropical vegetation, strange 
fruits, eDjoy the climate, etc , for a few months, but 
to stay there, no. Neither is it so big and wonderful 
a place as the people of the United States think. 
Most writers have overdrawn things. One is likely to 
do so at first sight. A white man would not be re¬ 
spected who worked at anything but the skilled 
trades.” 
“ Is it likely that this group of islands will soon be¬ 
come fit to be one of the States of our Union ? ” 
“ I think not. Each class of people there, and there 
are many, has its own interests, or supposed interests, 
at stake. The people are not fit to vote, and don’t 
care to be fit, as a rule. So they have a good time, 
they care little about public affairs. We have the 
islands now, indebtedness and all, and they have 
shoved their future management on to us. If I had 
been one of the white people there, I would have 
worked for the same end.” h. e. van deman. 
ODD THINGS ABOUT THE SOIL. 
IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT SOIL TEMPERATURE. 
Must Warm Quickly. —In the early Spring, the 
surface temperature of the soil is held down by the 
low temperature of the deeper subsoil, and so great 
is this effect, that unless a deep seed-bed for early 
planting has been thoroughly prepared, the soil will 
be too cold for rapid germination, and weak plants 
are likely to be the result. One of the chief objects 
gained by a thoroughly-prepared feed-bed is the se¬ 
curing of a warmer soil than would otherwise be pos¬ 
sible. When the farmer once understands the im¬ 
portance of this, and how the higher temperature is 
secured, he will then be more particular about it, and 
be sure to secure the desired condition. 
Small grains like oats, barley and wheat do not 
sprout quickly and produce vigorous plants unless the 
soil temperature is first brought up to. at least, 60 de¬ 
grees F. Undisturbed soil in the Spring will main¬ 
tain a temperature as low as 55 and 50 degrees, and 
even 45 degrees quite late at a depth as shallow as 
four to six inches. When a farmer goes into his field 
to sow grain with a drill without first preparing the 
ground, as is done in many cases where the chief 
thought is to get the seed in early, no matter how, the 
seed is dropped directly upon the undisturbed cold 
soil at the bottom of the drill furrow, while a layer 
of loose non-conducting soil over it shuts off the sun, 
and thus places the seed under the very conditions 
which tend to keep the temperature low. More than 
this, the poorly-prepared seed-bed has had the surface 
made very uneven without forming a proper mulch, 
and this hastens the loss of water from the soil, and 
at the same time and in consequence of it, holds the 
temperature much lower than would otherwise be the 
case, so that not only is there a needless waste of 
water, but the soil is kept unnecessarily cold. 
Wetting the bulb of a thermometer in dry air lowers 
its temperature often as much as 15 to 20 degrees, by 
simply using up its heat to evaporate the water ; the 
same thing is true of the soil when water evaporates 
rapidly from it. I have often measured a difference 
in surface temperature of soil equal to 12 degrees F., 
due simply to the fact that water is evaporating faster 
from one soil surface than from another, temperatures 
in April being lowered, in some cases, from 65% to 54 
degrees. The time for haste in the Spring is in get¬ 
ting the seed-bed ready rather than in putting the 
seed in the ground. 
Stirring Warms the Soil. —When a disk harrow 
or other tool has been used on a Fall-plowed field, or 
on corn stubble to prepare it for small grain, stirring 
the soil to a depth of three or four inches, there is 
formed a perfect mulch which prevents the cold mois¬ 
ture from deep in the ground rising rapidly to the sur¬ 
face to be lost by evaporation, and thus keep the sur¬ 
face cold. Every farmer is familiar with the fact that 
thoroughly-stirred soil rapidly dries in the Spring, 
and as soon as it has become dry, it also becomes 
warmer through the direct absorption of sunshine. 
Further than this, having made the upper soil open 
and loose, it does not lose its heat as rapidly by hav¬ 
ing it conducted downward to the cold soil below, for 
the reason that its open structure makes it a poorer 
conductor; its temperature, therefore, rises higher, 
making it possible to sow earlier than would other¬ 
wise be prudent to do. Then when the grain is 
dropped into the mellow and drier soil, cut off from the 
cold soil below, where the heat of the sun will bring 
the temperature up to the degree of healthy and rapid 
germination, it is plain that much better conditions, 
so far as temperature is concerned, are quite certain 
to be secured. F. h. king. 
Wisconsin Experiment^Station. 
Telephones in Rockingham County, Va. —Three 
years ago, we organized a mutual telephone system 
in our county. There were other systems here which 
rented the ’phones in the usual way. But there were 
a number of people, I for one, who wanted ’phones, 
but could not pay the rent; so when the mutual com¬ 
pany was organized, our people took readily to that 
idea. We started very small, but now have about 
500 ’phones. We like our system. Our central office 
is located at Harrisonburg, our county seat. Indi¬ 
viduals in a community form themselves into a com¬ 
pany (known as a local company), and build the line 
to the switchboard. Each stockholder buys and owns 
his ’phone. All the local companies together consti¬ 
tute the general company, which meets annually. 
Each local company elects a committeeman annually; 
these committeemen constitute the executive commit¬ 
tee of the general company. We think we have an 
admirable system and a most excellent service. One 
of the nice points is that we have it at cost. Tele¬ 
phones in our community have become a necessity, 
and one does not appreciate the convenience of a 
’phone till he has one in his house. I have not heard 
of one having a ’phone put in and taken out. 
C. D. WENGER. 
Events of the Week. 
Domestic.—Secretary Alger returned from his Cuban trip April 
14. He emphatically denied the statement that he is to resign his 
office. . . Croker, the Tammany boss, testified before the 
Mazet Committee April 14. He candidly admitted that he and his 
party were out for spoils, and that he believed in the spoils 
system. . . Attorney-General Monnett, of Ohio, has filed in 
the Supreme Court a bill of information concerning the alleged 
attempt to bribe him in connection with the Standard Oil Com¬ 
pany litigation. Monnett says he was offered 8400,000 to drop the 
prosecution. . . While engaged in clearing snow from the 
Great Northern track near Seattle, Wash., April 14, a rotary plow 
with crew of five men, was struck by an avalanche, and hurled 
1 000 feet down the mountain. One man was killed and three 
others mortally wounded. . . There was a heavy fall of snow 
in Sullivan County, N. Y., April 16. . . The cruiser Raleigh, 
from Manila, arrived at New York April 16, receiving a tremen¬ 
dous ovation. . . Rivers are rising in many parts of the West; 
the breaking ice forms gorges which back up the water, and life 
and property are threatened both in Wisconsin and South Dakota. 
. . . April 17 a terrific blizzard was raging throughout the 
Black Hills. . . A gas explosion at Denver, Col., seriously in¬ 
jured nine firemen April 17. . . At Alexandria, Ind., the plate- 
glass workers are out on strike, and serious trouble is feared. 
Gov. Mount is determined to maintain order, but says he will not 
permit the glass companies to bring bodies of armed men into 
the State. . . The coroner’s jury examining into the deaths in 
the recent labor riot at Pana, Ill., fail to fix any blame. . . 
Crude petroleum on the surface of the North Branch of the Chi¬ 
cago River caught fire April 17, setting fire to three railroad 
bridges, and endangering shipping. . . Thomas B. Reed has 
decided to leave Congress, and will practice law in New York. 
He has been in Congress 20 years, and has been Speaker during 
five terms. . . April 20, early in the evening, five armed men 
held up a tailor on West Madison Street, Chicago, looting the 
store and loading an express wagon with their plunder. The 
street was crowded, but the robbers got away without molesta¬ 
tion. . . A cyclone passed over Holt County, Mo., April 19, 
doing much damage to property. It was followed by flood. . . 
Zinc ore has broken previous records by going up to 855 a ton. 
. . . Two counterfeiters were arrested in Philadelphia April 
19; they are heads of a gang setting in circulation spurious notes 
of unusual cleverness. They were arranging to run a paper mill 
of their own, and to make counterfeits by the ton. . . The case 
of ex-Senator C^uay was given to the jury April 20. He was de¬ 
clared innocent, and is appointed Senator. Two jurors voted for 
conviction, but yielded after an all-night session. . . Gustave 
Peterson, an old beggar, was arrested In New York April 21. He 
had 8153.70 in his pockets, and had deposited $10 a day in banks 
for the past six months. 
Army and Supplies.—April 13, Rudolph K. Spicer, of the 
Fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers that served in Porto Rico, was 
a witness before the Army Court of Inquiry. Spicer said that he 
is a professional embalmer and funeral director in Harrisburg, 
Pa. He had observed crystalline scales on the surface of re¬ 
frigerated beef issued to the men of his regiment in Porto Rico- 
The meat also had a greenish color. Replying to questions of 
Major Lee, the witness said that the crystals on the beef brought 
to his mind a recollection of the use of boraclc acid in the em¬ 
balming process. The crystals on the beef appeared more gen¬ 
erally m the cuts of the meat, where the tissue was broken apart. 
He said that, in the process of embalming bodies, boracic acid 
was usually used on parts of the flesh where it had cracked open. 
As to canned roast beef, the soldiers found it unsatisfactory, 
and often rejected It. It was frequently spoiled, and could not 
be eaten. He said he ate some of the refrigerated beef in Porto 
Rico once only. It had a peculiar taste, and made him ill. Dr. 
Bigeiow, a chemist employed by the Department of Agriculture, 
stated that the canned roast beef contained more nourishment 
than fresh beef. Dr. Bigelow also contradicted the testimony of 
Dr. Currie regarding the presence of boric and salicylic acids in 
the meat. April 15, Col. Charles Smart, Deputy Surgeon-General 
of the army, testified to recent examinations made by him of 
some samples of canned roast beef. The analysis had shown 
an average of 17 or 18 per cent of proteids. Prof. W. O Atwater, 
professor of chemistry in Wesleyan University, submitted a re¬ 
port upon examinations made by him of a number of specimens 
of canned roast beef. His analysis failed to disclose any evidence 
of boric or salicylic acid. He detailed his experiments in feeding 
several young men on the canned beef. Their diet, limited 
though It was, was still more varied than that of soldiers. Still 
each of the men bad experiences which were more or less dis¬ 
agreeable when eating the meat. Asked what would be his con¬ 
clusion if he had known of an instance in which canned meat 
had been supplied to men, and 95 per cent of them had refused 
to eat it when hungry, Prof. Atwater replied promptly that he 
would “try to get some other food.” Col. J. F. Weston said that 
he had been compelled to throw overboard 150,000 pounds of vege¬ 
tables. Tomatoes, however, were landed soon after the army at 
Santiago, and potatoes not much later. There was more bacon 
than roast beef landed, but the beef packages were neater, and 
the packers preferred to forward it. There was always more 
food on shore than could be forwarded, and for this reason, if 
the army had been much farther inland, it would have been com¬ 
pelled to fall back. 
Cuba.—The death rate in Havana has greatly diminished, ow¬ 
ing to the sanitary work of the American authorities. . . It Is 
announced that American mining prospectors have located six 
gold mines in the Holguin district. These mines are old Indian 
workings, and are said to be vrry rich. Two copper mines have 
been located in the Cobre district. . . The, town of Caimito, 
seven miles from Havana, was attacked and looted by bandits 
April 14. The attack was made by over 30 well-armed bandits, 
the garrison of the town consisting of only eight Cuban soldiers 
and their sergeant. They fought desperately, but were overpow¬ 
ered, and the bandits then looted the entire town It is said that 
the bandits were Cuban soldiers; but Cubans declare they were 
Spanish. People in outlying towns are taking refuge in Havana, 
owing to the repeated crimes of bandits. . . During a ball 
game in Havana, April 15, an American negro attacked a police¬ 
man with a knife. A general fight occurred, American soldiers 
attacking the police to release the prisoner. , . Gen. Lee has 
sent out a troop of cavalry, to capture bandits in the Province of 
Havana. Many army officers regret the withdrawal of volun¬ 
teers before a strong force, of regulars has been sent to replace 
them. The people are restless and insolent, and the disbanding 
of the Cuban army will let loose a number of turbulent charac¬ 
ters. It Is felt that martial law will be needed in the country 
districts. . . During a parade in honor of Gen. Gomez, at Man¬ 
zanillo, April 19, a bomb was thrown into the crowd, killingthree 
persons and wounding many others. It is said to be the work of 
conspirators who are opposed to Gomez. . . Secretary Alger 
has issued an order extending the time for payment of mort¬ 
gages two years. This gives a chance to the planters, and en¬ 
courages a kindlier feeling toward the United States. . . Sant¬ 
iago is still agitated over the arrangement of municipal taxes. 
Philippines.—The insurgents, followed by Gen. Lawton, are 
retreating northward. Two army gunboats are abreast of the 
troops; April 12 they shelled the hillsides, and dislodged insur¬ 
gents who had killed five North Dakota sharpshooters from 
cover. . . The transport Sheridan has arrived at Manila, and 
reports nine deaths from pneumonia and the disappearance of 
Lieut. R. A. Meyer from the ship. . . Gen. Lawton captured 
Calamba April 14. . . April 12 the cruiser Yorktown was sent 
to Luzon to secure the release of Spaniards who were surrounded 
by insurgents. Lieut. Gillmore and 14 men were ambushed and 
captured by the insurgents; their fate is unknown. . . There 
was a skirmish near Taguig April 20, the insurgents following 
American tactics in forming a skirmish line. The enemy was 
driven back after a sharp fight. Large reenforcements are to be 
sent to Manila, increasing the number of regulars to 27,000. 
Many of the volunteers desire to return. 
Samoa.—An agreement has been made concerning a commis¬ 
sion to inquire into conditions in Samoa. Germany agrees that 
instructions to the commission may include inquiry into the acts 
of German officials at Apia. 
General Foreign News —Riotous negroes set fire to the town 
of La Pointe-it-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and a race war is in progress. 
Guadeloupe is one of the largest Caribbean Islands, and belongs 
to France. . . A great earthquake shock did much damage in 
Argentina, April 13. It was accompanied by a volcanic eruption, 
and several lives weye lost. . . The estate of Baroness de 
Hirsch, who died April 1, is estimated at $125,000,000. Of this 
8100,000,000 is devoted to charities, $1,200,000 being left to the Hirsch 
Charities in New York. . . The United States cruiser Detroit 
has reached Greytown, Nicaragua. The Americans at Bluefields 
are in immediate need of aid. 
