1890 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER; 
8o5 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—The lumber steamer Colwell, from Fer- 
nandina, Fla., to New York, with 300,000 feet of lumber, 
was wrecked in the hurricane October 31, and only one 
man saved, 12 being drowned. The one survivor drifted 
on a raft for 22 hours. . . Frost at Jackson, Miss., No¬ 
vember 1 , has assured relief from the yellow fever. . . 
An explosion of flour dust in the New England Mills, 
Chicago, November 1, caused the death of four persons 
and property damage of $200,000. . . The Aberdeen 
Packing Company’s cannery at Fairhaven, Wash., was 
burned October 30; loss $150,000. . . An explosion in a 
powder mill near Terre Haute, Ind., October 31, killed 
two men. . . A Newfoundland coasting schooner, which 
has been missing for six weeks, is believed to have 
foundered with its crew of 10 men, seven of whom were 
married. They belonged to Griquette, a settlement which 
is thus practically depopulated of males. . . The re¬ 
cent forest fires in Pennsylvania have left an area 100 
miles square completely bare of timber. . . The Ad¬ 
ministration at Washington is planning the formation of 
an insular bureau to govern the new dependencies. . 
All the oyster interests along Dong Island Sound belong¬ 
ing to Connecticut and Rhode Island are to be consoli¬ 
dated into a trust, with a capital of $20,000,000. . . A 
Michigan woman was lost in the woods near Atkinson for 
17 days, subsisting during that time on wintergreen ber¬ 
ries. . . Fire broke out in a bedding factory on Mott 
Street, New York City, November 3; four lives lost, and 
a property loss of $200,000. . . Nine persons were in¬ 
jured, one mortally, by an accident at a grade crossing 
in Rouisville, Ky., November 4. A street car was struck 
by a freight train. . . Thomas Daw, a New York fer¬ 
tilizer manufacturer, was killed November 4 by the col¬ 
lapse of a folding bed, which closed upon him, breaking 
his neck. . . The transport Ohio, which arrived at San 
Francisco from Manila November 5, reports an alarming 
scarcity of food at Guam, both among the natives and 
the military forces. They have had no potatoes or 
onions for six months, and flour was entirely exhausted. 
The Ohio was short of supplies, and unable to aid Guam. 
. . Four men were killed and two seriously injured by 
a rush of dirt in a mine at Mahoney Plane, Pa., Novem¬ 
ber 5. . . A fire which started in a department store in 
Kansas City, Mo., November 5, extended to a number of 
other buildings, and caused a total loss of $500,000. . . 
An elevator fell five stories in the Phoenix Building, Min¬ 
neapolis, Minn., November 6 ; 10 persons were injured, 
none fatally. . . State Senator Phillips and Deputy 
Sheriff Green have been arrested in Choteau County, 
Mont., charged with sheep stealing. It is said that they 
got away with a flock of sheep numbering 1,737. . . The 
larger part of the American Steel and Wire Company’s 
plant at Waukegan, Ill., was burned November 4, the 
loss being $400,000. . . Admiral Dewey was married at 
Washington, D. C., November 9, to Mrs. Mildred McLean 
Hazen. Rev. Father Mackin of the Roman Catholic 
Church performed the ceremony. . . The gasoline tank 
of an automobile exploded in New York November 8 , 
burning the operator quite severely. The explosion was 
caused by a leak in the supply pipe. . . Two more 
bodies from the wreck of the ferryboat Chicago were 
found In the North River November 8. . . The No¬ 
vember elections showed Republican gains in Kentucky, 
Taylor being elected Governor, but the Democrats talk 
of contesting the result. The Legislature is Democratic. 
Ohio went Republican by 55,000. Bryan retains his hold 
on Nebraska, which shows a fusion gain of 50,000 over 
last year. New York City was strongly Democratic, but 
the remainder of the State gave Republican gains. Iowa 
and Pennsylvania went Republican; Maryland Demo¬ 
cratic. In New Jersey the Democrats carried all but 
four counties of the State. Massacl. ..setts elected a Re¬ 
publican Governor, but the Democrats gained seven seats 
in the Legislature. Mississippi, California and Virginia 
were Democratic; South Dakota Republican. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Chicago dealers have formed 
a corner in broom corn. Agents have been scouring the 
West, buying up this commodity at $70 to $110 a ton, and 
broom manufacturers now find that all the material in 
sight, about 2,000 tons out of a possible 2,400, is in the 
hands of the combine. . . Grape growers in the vi¬ 
cinity of Silver Creek, N. Y., report extra prices and 
large yield this year. This district has shipped about 
769,500 baskets this season, which, at an average of nine 
cents a basket, would amount to $69,255. . . Farmers in 
the vicinity of Two Rivers, Wis., are said to be opposing 
the good-roads movement, because of its anticipated 
cost. . . British buyers have purchased 6,665 mules in 
Texas and Indian Territory. . . A decision has been 
rendered by Judge Haines of Oklahoma holding that a 
brand is not sufficient proof of the ownership of cattle. 
Cattlemen who have always regarded brands as proof of 
ownership say that this will cause endless trouble. . . 
The annual meeting of the American Oxford Down 
Record Association will be held at Springfield, Ill., No¬ 
vember 15. The president of the Association is George 
McKerrow, Sussex, Wis.; secretary, W. A. Shafor, Mid¬ 
dletown, O. . . The German delegates to the Com¬ 
mercial Congress at Philadelphia have been visiting the 
Chicago packinghouses, and declare that there is no 
basis for the German attacks on the American system of 
meat inspection. . . The annual meeting of the Ontario 
Fruit Growers’ Association will be held at Whitby, One., 
December 5 and 6 ; secretary, L. Woolverton. . . The 
meeting of the Maryland Horticultural Society will be 
held at Baltimore December 6 and 7; secretary, W. G. 
Johnson. . . The Illinois Board of Veterinary Exami¬ 
ners will meet at Springfield, November 23. . . M. A. 
Thayer, of Sparta, Wis., well known among growers of 
small fruit, died recently. . . The annual meeting of 
the Maine State Pomological Society will be held at New¬ 
port, Me., November 16-17; secretary, Elijah Cook, Vas- 
salboro. . . The annual meeting of the American 
Guernsey Cattle Club will be held in New York City De¬ 
cember 13. . . The annual meeting of the Southeastern 
Iowa Horticultural Society will be held at Mt. Pleasant 
November 21-23. 
PHILIPPINES.—November 1, large quantities of rebel 
supplies were captured at Aliaza. Lawton’s command 
continued to advance. . . The preliminary report of the 
Philippine Commission declares that we must hold the 
Islands, and that anarchy would follow our withdrawal. 
The Commission aided in forming municipal government 
in several towns, but the people showed lack of experi¬ 
ence in self-government. . . The Americans occupy 
Iloilo and the adjoining towns of Molo and Jaro with 
4,000 men. The insurgent force nearby is estimated at 
from 3,500 to 5,000 armed men, and many unarmed. They 
are building trenches between Jaro and Santa Barbara. 
. . Transportation difficulties impede the movements of 
the troops; supplies arrive slowly, and November 3, men 
at the front were put on half rations. . . At Bacolat 
in the Island of Negros, the first autonomous government 
was established November 6 . Native officials were elect¬ 
ed; property qualification and ability to read and write 
determined suffrage. . . Gen. MacArthur’s brigade has 
captured the town of Mabalacat, driving out two com¬ 
panies of insurgents. 
CUBA.—Representatives of the Cuban Board of Agri¬ 
culture are visiting the United States, trying to obtain 
recognition of the planters’ interests. They hope for 
such readjustment of the sugar tariff as shall serve to 
revive this chief industry of the Island. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—The Venezuelan revo¬ 
lutionists, under Gen. Castro, continue to defeat the gov¬ 
ernment party. . . Costa Rica authorities refuse to 
surrender a man accused of murdering an American in 
Jamaica, unless the British government guarantees that 
the death penalty will not be inflicted. . . The break¬ 
ing of a landing stage at a ferry in Antwerp, November 
3, drowned 30 persons. . . Great Britain has made an 
agreement with Germany to retire from Samoa, receiv¬ 
ing in exchange other Pacific territory and special rights 
in Africa. The United States is to receive the Island 
of Tutuila, and Pago-Pago Harbor. . . In the British 
defeat at Ladysmith October 30-31, six officers were 
killed and nine wounded, 54 men killed, 231 wounded, and 
400 taken prisoners. . . November 2, Gen. White broke 
out from Ladysmith and routed a camp of Free State 
Boers at Van Reenen’s Pass. . . It is confidently as¬ 
serted by European authority that the Transvaal is 
granting letters of marque to privateers, who purpose 
preying on British shipping. . . Later reports appear 
to confirm the assertion that in the fight November 2 the 
Boers raised a white flag to draw the British nearer, and 
then fired upon them, causing great loss. The British 
responded with a bayonet charge, which routed the 
Boers. 
A“CREAMERY SHARK"TURNED MILK FRAUD 
IIOW A RASCAL MILKED THE FARMERS. 
Misfortunes of New England Dairymen. 
THE NEW ENGLAND SITUATION.—Most of the 
milk sold in Boston, Mass., retains at seven cents per 
quart the year around. Five or six contractors in 
that city control the supply. Seven cents is reason¬ 
able for the city consumer, and it ought to give the 
producer a living price, and pay a profit to all hand¬ 
lers. The facts are, however, that the consumer gets 
the milk, the railroads and contractors take the prof¬ 
its, and the producer does most of the work for 
nothing, often paying a percentage of actual loss for 
thJis privilege (?). A large milk producer a few miles 
east of Worcester told me that not a can of milk 
ought to be given up from now until May 1 for less 
than 30 cents. The cost of making milk has in¬ 
creased, and on account of the short hay crop and 
poor Fall pasture, some of the Winter feed has al¬ 
ready been used. Yet the price per can of 8% quarts 
—the standard size for the Boston market—has been, 
according to the season, only 22 to 26 cents, subject 
to a surplus clause. This means that if more milk be 
delivered than can be peddled in Boston, all surplus 
above 2V 2 per cent goes to the butter factories, and 
the farmer gets what the butter brings, less three 
cents per pound Charge for making. The price per 
can is thus lowered one to three cents, sometimes 
dropping to 18 or 19 cents. 
RESULTS TO FARMERS.—During the past two 
years there has been a surplus every month, which 
means that they have never actually received the 22 
to 26 cents that they are said to get. There is also an 
uncertainty as to whether this surplus business is 
always handled in a strictly honest manner. There 
are suspicions that an extra supply is sometimes 
bought, and a surplus thus created purposely to drop 
the price of milk. These contractors go into sections 
where local creameries are flourishing, and offer some 
of the largest producers an extra price if they will 
ship their milk to the city. Enough is thus diverted 
to cripple the creamery, and it has to stop. The con¬ 
tractors agree to take all of the milk at a straight 
price. Then they get control of the creamery plant, 
and, when the producers are in their power, a cold 
wave strikes the price, and the surplus clause is put 
on. They talk bad markets, and offer numerous rea¬ 
sons for the drop in price, which the farmers, for lack 
of positive knowledge, are unable to contradict. The 
New England Milk Producers’ Union sold the milk to 
the Boston contractors, and the farmers were, of 
course, subjected to all of thlis unfair treatment. 
THE CREAMERY SHARK APPEARS.—A pro¬ 
moter named Briggs came into eastern Massachusetts 
last Spring. He showed President Patch, of the old 
Union, how a new company could be organized, with 
farmers as stockholders, and capitalized by a big syn¬ 
dicate that would cut out 'the Boston contractors, and 
sell the milk direct to the consumers, at an increase 
to the farmers of four cents per can, handling the 
milk on this plan for five years. Mr. Patch evidently 
thought well of the scheme, and lent hlis influence to 
it; the farmers, having great confidence in him, bit 
on the bait, glad of any chance to get out of the 
clutches of the contractors. There is no end to the 
tricks and dodges of sharpers in this milk business. 
When an old scheme wears out, a new one springs up 
like a mushroom, but the principle is always the 
same, getting something for nothing. These sharpers 
are keen enough to build barbed wire fences of legal 
technicalities all around themselves, so that they can¬ 
not be touched. How this company was organized, $2 
subscriptions on stock being collected from the farm¬ 
ers to the amount of $18,000, all but $4,000 of which 
seems to have disappeared from the treasury, and 
how the syndicate which was to make such a big sav¬ 
ing in the cost of handling the milk has failed to 
show up with its $150,000 capital, to take the milk 
October 1, as agreed, are well-known facts. Worst of 
all, a heavy fog of mystery has settled down on many 
important points. All the books of the company are 
said to be in the office of Briggs, in New York, and 
no one seems to know just how much money has been 
collected, or what has been done with it. In fact, the 
whole thing has had an unwholesome amount of se¬ 
crecy about i't. 
CAN’T FIND OUT.—A meeting of the stockholders 
was called at Worcester recently, and about 40 at¬ 
tended. The officers were requested to be on hand to 
answer some questions, but did not come. At this 
meeting a committee of five was appointed to look 
up the officers, and to try to find out the exact status 
of the case. Some were in favor of legal action, and 
a subscription will be taken among the stockholders 
for this purpose. They naturally feel exasperated at 
being thus beaten. While some still have confidence 
in President Patch, and believe that he has been 
duped by Briggs, others say very uncomplimentary 
tMngs about him, and the most charitable acknowl¬ 
edge that he has been very imprudent in not keeping 
a more careful watch over the affairs of this new com¬ 
pany, of which he is President. Briggs has protected 
himself by a clause in the contract stating that, if the 
amount of milk offered exceeded a certain quantity, 
he should not be under obligations to find a buyer for 
any of lit. Of course it was an easy thing to take care 
that the offerings did exceed this quantity, thus lib¬ 
erating him. 
A notice warning the public against this man Briggs 
was published in The R. N.-Y. April 9, 1898. He was 
in the employ of a reliable da'iry supply company in 
New York State for a short time, but, on account of 
his obnoxious business methods, they dropped him. 
He then came to this city, and tried to set up a dairy 
supply concern of his own, but was unable to get 
credit, and so bodily appropriated the name of the 
New York company for which he had worked, repre¬ 
senting himself as their city manager. They brought 
proceedings against him, exposed him publicly, and 
the post office authorities stopped his mail on the 
charge of fraud. It is to be hoped that this investi¬ 
gating committee may be aole to get the tangle 
straightened out, but lit looks as though they had a 
hard task before them. Milk producers in other sec¬ 
tions will watch this struggle with interest, for 
nearly all who supply the large cities have had more 
or less trouble of this sort. w. w. h. 
PRESERVING MILK. 
English papers tell of a new method of preserving 
milk, invented by an Austrian. This account is 
given: 
The milk about to be preserved is taken direct from 
the cow and placed in a vessel at a temperature of about 
104 degrees Fahrenheit, and is there kept until the whole 
of the water contained in it has evaporated. The re¬ 
sulting residue is then thoroughly dried in suitable cham¬ 
bers, and after complete dessication it is finally put into 
cans, which are hermetically sealed. With the object 
of increasing the keeping quality of the powder, and ren¬ 
dering it more readily soluble, the milk, prior to being 
evaporated, has added to it about one-tenth per cent of 
an alkaline carbonate which, when combined with fatty 
matters, forms a compound capable of easy solution in 
water. 
Thlis method of preserving milk seems to be of 
doubtful utility. It is not a difficult process to evap¬ 
orate milk until all the water is driven off, and only 
the dry substances remain. But there is then the 
question whether these solids can be again restored to 
anywhere near their palatability when in the natural 
state. Probably their nourishing properties are 
equally as great as before evaporation, but it is quite 
likely that they would lack much in palatability, and 
thus lessen the practical value of the process. I 
imagine this evaporated, or dessicated milk would 
bear a similar relation to whole mlilk that evaporated 
apples do to fresh apples, with the comparison much 
in favor of the apples. We greatly prefer fresh ap¬ 
ples, but if they are not obtainable, we will try to 
make dried ones do. If the alkali renders the dried 
milk more soluble, it also saponifies a portion, at 
least, of the milk fat. This may, or may not affect the 
food value of the product. What alkaline preparation 
is used, I am unable to state; possibly sodium car¬ 
bonate. L. A. 
