1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER] 
821 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—The Supreme Court of Minnesota has de¬ 
cided that it is legal for Indians to hunt upon their reser¬ 
vation without regard to game laws, so long as they do 
not store their game to be sold contrary to law. . . The 
report of the Board of Survey on the overcrowding of 
sick soldiers on the transport Tartar will not be made 
public. Secretary Root intends to investigate and punish 
neglect or inefficiency on the part of army officials, but 
he does not believe in the publication of official scandals. 
. . Admiral Bradford, in his report to the Secretary of 
the Navy, made public November 9, says that the navy 
is seriously hampered by the lack of coaling stations. . . 
A Michigan Central train, from Toledo to Detroit, was 
derailed by train wreckers near Alexis, Mich., November 
9. Three persons were injured fatally, 10 seriously, and 
about 20 others slightly injured. . . A fire in the busi¬ 
ness section of Memphis, Tenn., November 9, resulted in 
a loss of about $250,000. . . A number of cases of small¬ 
pox have appeared in Brooklyn, N. Y., and it is feared 
that the disease may spread. . . Natural gas is failing 
in the northern Indiana district, and one large gas syndi¬ 
cate is abandoning its plants in five towns in Howard 
County, which are thus left without fuel. Coal and wood 
are almost impossible to secure, under present conditions. 
A scarcity of gas is expected throughout the State. . . 
An explosion of rubber cement in a St. Louis, Mx>., fac¬ 
tory, November 6 , fatally burned four men. . .A munici¬ 
pal pawnshop has been opened in Chicago. . . The New 
York State Board of Health has investigated the deaths 
of two children at Brewster’s, said to be the result of 
vaccination. It is found that the cause of death was the 
neglect, ignorance, and filthy habits of the parents, who 
failed to give the children needed care. . . Hour high¬ 
waymen held up a trolley car in a lonely place near Glen¬ 
dale, L. I., November 12. There were no passengers on 
board, but after robbing the crew the bandits ran away 
with the car, abandoning it later. . . November 9, a 
young woman lost her way near East Meadowbrook, L. 
I., and wandered about without food for three days before 
being found. . . A fire which started in a biscuit fac¬ 
tory at Montreal, Canada, November 12, caused a loss of 
$500,000. . . The price of steel bars was advanced No¬ 
vember 9 from $2.50 to $2.75 per 100 pounds. . . Charges 
of cruelty against Mrs. Myrtle B. Eyler, matron of the 
New Jersey State Industrial School for Girls, have been 
dismissed, and she will be retained in office. . . A Lake 
Shore train dashed into a street car at a grade crossing 
in Cleveland, O., November 13. The casualty was due 
to the carelessness of the crossing tender, who signalled 
the car to cross when a train was approaching; 13 pas¬ 
sengers were injured, four fatally. . . Two Hungarians, 
fighting on the railroad track near Enterprise, Pa., No¬ 
vember 11 , refused to move for an approaching train, and 
both were killed. . . A terrific storm passd over Nova 
Scotia November 13, and many casualties are reported at 
sea. . . Trouble has started with the Navajo Indians 
in Arizona. They have been hunting off their reserva¬ 
tion, and attacked cowboys. November 12, a sheriff’s 
posse went to arrest the Indians, near Flagstaff, and a 
fight ensued, in which live Indians and one cowboy were 
killed. Further trouble is expected. . . During the 
typhoon encountered by the transport Siam, on her way 
to Manila, 350 horses were killed by being stampeded, and 
the bodies could not be thrown overboard for four days. 
. . Dr. Louis L. Seaman, who has just returned from 
the Philippines, says that the system of feeding Ameri¬ 
can troops in the tropics is almost criminally wrong. . . 
Southern iron interests have consolidated into one con¬ 
cern, with a capital of $20,000,000. . . A coal famine is 
threatened in New England. . . Secretary Gage issued 
a circular November 15, offering to purchase for the 
Treasury $25,000,000 worth of four and five-per-cent bonds 
at market rates, the intention being thus to relieve the 
tightness of the money market. 
PHILIPPINES.—Refugees reported November 8 that 
Aguinaldo had escaped from Tarlac, and he is now be¬ 
lieved to be in the mountains of the Province of Neuva 
Viscaya, about 166 miles from Manila. Gen. Wheaton s 
expedition to the Gulf of Lingayan has been landed, 
though not without opposition. . . November 10, Gen. 
Lawton reported that a typhoon was rendering opera¬ 
tions extremely difficult, the roads being impassable. The 
advance continues, however, San Fabian being taken, 
and rebel guns being captured. . . November 12, our 
troops took Tarlac. It had been abandoned by the in¬ 
surgents. It is now considered that the rebels organiza¬ 
tion is hopelessly broken, and that future fighting will 
be against scattered bodies of brigands. . . T he cruiser 
Charleston struck a reef November 7, while patroling 
the northern coast of Luzon, and became a total wreck. 
No lives were lost. . . There was a sharp fight at San 
Jacinto November 14, in which Major John A. Logan 
was killed. The rebels are now surrounded. The roads 
are very bad. 
CUBA.—The Administration is considering the advisa¬ 
bility of replacing the military government of the Island, 
by civil government, but military occupation will not be 
withdrawn. . . The police force of Havana is to. be re¬ 
organized upon a militai'y basis. . . The fluctuation in 
the value of money is causing trouble in several Prov¬ 
inces. The merchants refuse to accept Spanish money. 
Three Americans were sentenced in Havana No¬ 
vember 14, for refusing to cater to colored persons. . . 
At a mass meeting held at Cienfuegos the fear was ex¬ 
pressed that the Island would become the prey of trusts 
if annexed to the United States. The high price of meat 
at Cienfuegos is causing much complaint. Good meat 
costs 36 cents a pound, and many people are compelled to 
do without it. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—A serious earthquake 
shock occurred at Leghorn, Italy, November 10. . . 
There was a fierce battle between revolutionists and gov¬ 
ernment troops at Puerto Cabella, Venezuela, November 
12. The city was devastated, and 650 persons were killed 
or wounded. . . Cases of bubonic plague are reported in 
Spain, and two deaths from the disease are reported in 
Bordeaux, France. . . The Belgian steamer Belgique, 
from Antwerp for Alexandria, foundered off the Casket 
Rocks in the English Channel November 11; 18 lives lost. 
. . The Hamburg-American steamship Patria from New 
York, was destroyed by fire in the English Channel No¬ 
vember 15. The 122 passengers were taken off by the 
Russian steamer Ceres, and landed at Dover, but they 
secured none of their baggage, and many of them were 
only half clothed. The crew stayed with the burning 
steamer in an attempt to beach her; the cargo consisted 
chiefly of linseed oil. . . Little authentic news comes 
from the Transvaal. There is continued skirmishing, 
and the Boers continue to bombard Mafeking, Kimberley, 
and Ladysmith, but all three hold out. Mafeking has a 
very small garrison, but makes a strong resistance. The 
Basutos continue loyal to the English, but are anxious to 
fight the Boers. . . At Kimberley the Boers are shell¬ 
ing the mines, and are throwing shells at the dynamite 
huts. Cecil Rhodes is employing 8,000 men, black and 
white, in roadmaking, as a remedy for destitution. Since 
November 10, 19,000 troops have been landed, but their 
destination is kept secret. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Tobacco growers in Lancaster 
County, Pa., advanced prices about 25 per cent during the 
first two weeks in November. 
Oregon requires all stock brands to be registered with 
the county clerk. A man in Malheur County, Ore., is 
charged with stealing a band of 200 or 300 horses, whose 
brand had not been registered, by registering the brand 
as his own. 
It is reported from several localities in Oregon that dry 
rot has started in the newly-dug potatoes, and extensive 
damage is feared. 
The annual meeting of the Kansas State Horticultural 
Society will be held at Topeka, December 27-29. Secre¬ 
tary, W. H. Barnes, Topeka. 
The annual meeting of the Vermont Horticultural So¬ 
ciety will be held at Burlington December 12-13. Secre¬ 
tary, F. A. Waugh. 
The annual meeting of the Ohio State Horticultural So¬ 
ciety will be held at Newark December 6-8. In addition 
to the usual programme, some interesting lectures will be 
given. Secretary, W. W. Farnsworth, Waterville, O. 
The South Texas fruit and vegetable festival will be 
held at Houston early in December. 
The North Jersey Agricultural and Driving Association 
will make a strong effort to succeed the State Fair form¬ 
erly held at Waverly, which is now discontinued. The 
grounds at Waverly have been taken by Essex County 
for a park. 
The Kansas State Dairy Association met at Topeka, No¬ 
vember 22 Henry Van Leuwen of Atchison County, read 
a paper on State control of milk testing, and inspection 
of creameries. 
The Rhode Island Horticultural Society held its annual 
chrysanthemum show at Providence November 9-10. 
The farmers of Skagit County, Wash., are uniting to 
obtain better transportation rates for their products. 
The National Grange Convention opened at Springfield, 
O., November 13. 
The New York hox-se show opened in the Madison Square 
Garden November 13. 
The public Winter meeting of the Massachusetts State 
Board of Agriculture will be held at Westfield December 
5-7. 
The Illinois State Horticultural Society will hold its 
Winter meeting at Springfield, Ill., December 26-28 
The Horticultural Society of Northern Illinois will meet 
at Freeport, Ill., November 28-29. 
The Indiana celery crop is short, owing to hot winds in 
September and early frosts in October. 
Dr. Lane’s mammoth apple house at Hartville, Mo., was 
burned November 10; loss $40,000. It was equipped with 
the largest vinegar plant in southern Missouri, and 150,000 
gallons of vinegar were destroyed. 
All the broom corn not controlled by the trust was sold 
in Chicago November 15, prices ranging from $150 to $200 
a ton. Brooms which formerly sold at $1.75 a dozen have 
advanced to $3 a dozen, and cheaper grades are with¬ 
drawn from the market. 
There is a prospect of an Australian wool famine owing 
to the great demand for mutton to feed the British troops. 
WINDING UP THE INSTITUTE WORKERS. 
DIRECTOR DAWLEY MARSHALS IIIS MEN. 
A Helpful and Uplifting Meeting. 
A GOOD IDEA.—Director F. E. Dawley and his as¬ 
sistants in the New York State farmers’ institute 
work held a “wind-up” meeting last week which, it 
must be sa'id, was a success. The object of this 
meeting was to get together and compare notes, and 
lay in ammunition for the Winter campaign. In 
many States a round-up meeting is held at the end 
of the season. In Indiana, and we think in a few 
other States, speakers have come together at the 
beginning of the season for a general conference. 
Mr. Dawley’s plan of taking the workers to both 
State Experiment Stations is, we think, original with 
him, and is certainly an excellent idea. On Monday, 
the workers visited Ithaca, and spent the day look¬ 
ing over Cornell, so as to become familiar with the 
scientific work that is being done there. This work 
was explained by Prof. Roberts and his assistants, 
and on the following day, the workers moved on to 
Geneva, where Dr. Jordan and his helpers took them 
in charge, and explained their scientific methods and 
work. The following day a meeting was held at the 
Geneva Station, and opportunity was given for vari¬ 
ous men to read papers and give short talks. In one 
sense, these men were on trial. They were mostly 
new workers, or candidates for places on the platform. 
The older workers criticised these papers or made 
suggestions, and this was all done in the kindest 
spirit, with a desire to help the cause by securing 
promising young blood. 
SCIENTIFIC MIDDLEMEN.—There can be no 
doubt about the value of this wind-up meeting. Un¬ 
questionably, the workers, old and young, were thor¬ 
oughly wound up with enthusiasm, with a sense of 
responsibility, and with new practical and scientific 
ideas. New York State has at Ithaca and Geneva 
two experiment stations remarkably well equipped 
with apparatus and men. Scientific truths of the 
greatest value to agriculture are being carefully 
studied, and there is every reason why our institute 
speakers should carry these facts home to the people. 
By going straight to the stations before beginning 
their annual work, the speakers have, we think, done 
wisely. It has been hinted in the past that practical 
men do not make sufficient use of scientific agricul¬ 
ture in their talks and writings. We think that the 
scientific men understand that they cannot them¬ 
selves get down as close to the common life of the 
farmer as they would like. The very nature of their 
calling, and the work they find it necessary to do, 
put them out of the class of the “man behind the 
plow,” Who has not been educated to appreciate the 
full importance of scientific work. In other words, 
the experiment station needs a middleman in order 
to reach the common farmer effectively, and we think 
that the scientific men are beginning to understand 
that the most effective middleman is the common 
farmer who has grown slowly and carefully up into 
scientific methods. To put it another way, the scien¬ 
tist cannot grow down to the farmer, but a fair pro¬ 
portion of the farmers can grow up to the scientist, 
and thus form a connecting link between the ex¬ 
periment stations and their brother farmers. 
A REMARKABLE GROWTH.—If some of the * 
older men who were pioneers in the institute move¬ 
ment could have attended these meetings, we think 
that they would have recognized how surely and 
swiftly our educational methods are changing. Eight 
years ago probably any of the new papers read before 
this meeting would have been considered strong 
enough and clear enough for the average institute. 
To-day, however, only three or four of them would 
probably be voted good enough to be presented with¬ 
out change. When the institutes started, many farm¬ 
ers themselves distrusted them and questioned their 
value. The money to support them was given 
grudgingly. Older readers Will remember how, on 
the old farm, sometimes the life of a young animal, 
like a colt or a calf, hung in the balance. Feed was 
often scarce and high, and there was hardly enough 
on the farm to support the money-earning stock. 
Sometimes a family consultation would be held to de¬ 
cide the question, Is the little thing worth raising, or 
ghall we knock it on the head to save feed? We all 
know how, 'in some cases, the women folks or the 
children decided the question, and how some little, 
puny, unpromising thing, with loving care and good 
handling, developed into an animal that won the 
prize at the cattle show. It was much the same 
thing with this farmers’ institute movement in the 
early days. There were many who questioned the 
wisdom of this method of instruction. Many thought 
that the movement would get into the hands of the 
politicians; others felt that it would cost more than it 
came to; still others held that it would create classes 
among farmers, which would result in 10 per cent of 
them benefiting by scientific instruction, while the 
other 90 per cent would be worse off than before, in 
consequence of the increased competition from the 
other 10 per cent. Yet, in spite of all these criticisms 
and doubts, the farmers’ institute system of educa¬ 
tion was kept alive by strong and faithful men who 
realized its possibilities. To-day, it may be called a 
mighty educational force. It has, without doubt, 
established itself so thoroughly in public confidence, 
that it will never be given up. 
SOME HARD PROBLEMS.—As the system has 
grown, new problems have presented themselves. 
Shall the institute speakers go on with the educated 
10 per cent, or shall they go down into simpler lan¬ 
guage and thoughts, and deal more directly with the 
uneducated 90 per cent? It is probable that barely 
10 per cent of the farmers of New York State attend 
the institutes regularly. Those men who do attend, 
have been greatly benefited. Most of them have gone 
up higher, in the sense that they have improved their 
farming to some extent. Is the State justified in 
going on with this comparatively small number, or 
shall lit change its tactics, and attempt to get down 
closer to those farmers who most need instruction? 
This is a great problem to-day, and it will require 
the wisest thought and the clearest instinct to settle 
this matter satisfactorily. The experiment stations 
with their bulletins, cannot reach the 90 per cent who 
most need tneir help. As a rule, these men have not 
been taught to think, and reading represents with 
them, in large measure, a meaningless killing of 
time. What is to be done with them, for the good of 
the agriculture of New York State? That is the 
greatest problem of the day. It was not touched 
upon to any great extent at this meeting, but it is, 
none the less, one of the most important things to 
be considered. Prof. Roberts and Dr. Jordan did 
everything in their power to entertain and instruct 
the institute workers. One of the most interesting 
talks of the meeting was that by Mr. Flanders, the 
Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture. He came be¬ 
fore the meeting, and in an easy, offhand way, ex¬ 
plained the woi;k that the Agricultural Department 
<is doing, and among other things, made the Depart¬ 
ment’s position on the oleo question very clear in¬ 
deed. This was a wise thing to do, for the institute 
workers can now go to the people, and state, on 
good authority, just what the Department is doing 
and What it seeks to accomplish. 
No one claims that the farmers’ institutes are per¬ 
fect. That would be folly, for it would be an admis¬ 
sion that little additional thought, or drill, or study 
is needed. One of the most hopeful things about the 
institutes is the fact that the workers recognize that 
they are teachers, and that drill in platform teaching 
is a necessary part of their outfit. The institute 
speaker must not only know it, but he must be able 
to make others know it. The key used in winding 
up this “wind-up” meeting, was the thought that the 
workers must be true, clear, sympathetic and exact— 
that they are not out for a picnic, but on serious and 
responsible business for the State. In addition to the 
members of the staff at Ithaca and Geneva, the fol¬ 
lowing, among others, were present: F. A. Taber, E. 
C. Gabriel, F. D. Ward, H. S. Wright, Nathan Jen¬ 
kins, D. P. Hardy, W. H. Jenkins, A. C. Huff, C. D. 
Smead, D. P. Witter, Willard H. Knapp, Jas, Miller, 
A. W. Lichard, Chas. Mann, H. A. Cook, F. A. Con¬ 
verse, John Gould, L. A. Clinton, J. H. Durkee, H. 
H. Wing, W. Taylor and E. Van Alstyne. 
