1809 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
873 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—The Boston fishing schooner, Sylvester 
Whalen, foundered November 26 after a collision with an¬ 
other schooner, two men being lost. . . The silver Re¬ 
publicans are not in harmony with the new currency bill, 
and practically assure their fusion with Democrats and 
Populists. . . A great fire in Philadelphia November 29 
destroyed business property to the value of 52,000,000. The 
J. B. Lippincott Publishing Company was the heaviest 
loser. . . The annual report of the Life Saving Service 
shows that 4,511 persons were rescued, out of 4,674 in peril, 
and nearly $3,000,000 in property was saved. . . A rear- 
end collision on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 
Railroad at Paterson, N. J., November 29, killed six per¬ 
sons and injured 26 others. The dead included one entire 
family of four persons. Blame for the accident is laid 
entirely upon the engineer of the rear train. . . The 
Senate Finance Committee is considering a proposition to 
refund almost the entire interest-bearing National debt, 
except the issue maturing in 1925. The plan is to extend 
the time of maturity of all the bonds except this one issue, 
the total amount being more than $1,000,000,000. They are 
to be refunded at two or 2*£ per cent, instead of three, 
four and five per cent, thus saving the Government, annu¬ 
ally, between $16,000,000 and $20,000,000 interest. . . A 
powder mill at Turck, Kan., blew up December 1; two men 
killed and several injured. . . The will of the late Vice- 
President Hobart was probated at Paterson, N. J., De¬ 
cember 1. He left an estate valued at $2,000,000, his wife 
being the chief beneficiary. . . Three boys, aged about 
12 or 13 years, attempted to wreck a fast express train on 
the West Shore Railroad, near Indian Castle, N. Y., De¬ 
cember 1, by placing railroad ties upon the track. The 
train was stopped without damage. One of the young 
ruffians was captured. . . Heavy snow was reported 
throughout Nebraska and Minnesota December 3. In the 
former State much damage to cattle is feared. . . A 
provision train loaded with salt pork for the British army 
was wrecked near Kenilworth, Ill., December 3, and 14 
cars demolished. . . Seven persons were killed and sev¬ 
eral injured in a rear-end collision near Salida, Colo., De¬ 
cember 4. . . A heavy snowstorm struck Ohio December 
4; near Ashtabula the snow reached a depth of nearly 
three feet on the level, and in some places four feet. . . 
A parcels-post treaty has been signed between this coun¬ 
try and Guatemala, to go into effect January 1, 1900. . . 
At Meridian, Miss., December 5, fire in a business block 
caused a loss of $250,000. . . At Maysville, Ky., December 
5, a negro murderer was burned to death, after shocking 
torture, by a mob of about 2,000, who took the criminal 
away from the officers who were taking him to jail. 
CONGRESS.—After reorganizing, December 4, both 
Houses adjourned out of respect to the memory or the 
Vice-President. Senator Frye, of Maine, will be acting 
Vice-President until the end of the McKinley Adminis¬ 
tration. In the House of Representatives, D. B. Hender¬ 
son, of Iowa, occupied the Speaker’s chair. There was 
a preliminary skirmish over the seating of Representative 
Roberts, of Utah, Taylor, of Ohio, and McRae, of Arkan¬ 
sas, offering objections. The case has been referred to a 
special committee by a vote of more than 10 to one, the 
House refusing to let Roberts take his seat now. Roberts 
made a defiant speech, in which he did not deny the 
charges of polygamy, but asserted that the President had 
appointed to office men under similar charges. This was 
vigorously denied by Gen. Grosvenor, of Ohio. . . The 
President’s message recommends legislation regarding 
trusts, refers Philippine questions to Congress, speaks of 
the necessity for preparing Cuba for self-government, 
and proposes civil rule for Porto Rico. Foreign relations 
were declared satisfactory; freedom from entangling alli¬ 
ances was assured, and neutrality in the Transvaal was 
expressed. The report of Secretary Gage showed a finan¬ 
cial deficit during the year of $89,111,559.67. In the mili¬ 
tary department the net increase of expenditures was 
$137,849,254.18. The Secretary advocated the gold standard, 
and urged amendment of the currency laws. 
PHILIPPINES.—A battle occurred at Pavia, Panay, No¬ 
vember 26, in which the insurgents were driven from their 
trenches into the mountains. The American loss was 
two killed. . . Gen. Young’s command occupied Tagu- 
din December 4, the rebels having retreated from an al¬ 
most impregnable position. . . December 4, 1,000 insur¬ 
gents attacked 200 of our men at Vigan. There was a 
desperate fight at close range, our loss being eight killed 
and three wounded. The enemy retreated. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Oregon hopgrowers have united 
to incorporate the Oregon Hopgrowers’ Association, with 
a capital stock of $100,000. The Association will endeavor 
to handle the product to the best advantage, avoiding the 
forcing of goods on an unwilling market, and the ship¬ 
ment of small consignments. 
The first full cargo of wheat ever shipped from a Pacific 
coast port for the Orient will leave Portland, Ore., for 
Yokohama, Japan, in January, 1900. The Japanese are 
reported to be making preparations for milling on an 
extensive scale. 
The seventh annual session of the Missouri Swine Breed¬ 
ers’ Association was held at Sedalia, Mo., December 5. 
Farmers in Saline County, Kan., report that wheat is 
being damaged by Red rust. 
The American Live Stock Association, formed in 1892, 
has gone out of existence, being merged in the National 
Live Stock Association, which represents more than $300,- 
000,000 in capital. The Association is making arrange¬ 
ments for a great international live stock and pure food 
exhibition in Chicago, in the Fall of 1900. 
The annual report of Secretary Wilson summarizes the 
work of the Department of Agriculture during the past 
year, touches upon the introduction of new plants, and 
urges a more rigid inspection of export dairy products. 
The experiment-station work of the Department has been 
extended to Alaska, and it is urged that it be extended to 
Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii and the Philippines. 
The twenty-fourth annual session of the Iowa State 
Horticultural Society will be held at Des Moines Decem¬ 
ber 12-15. Wesley Greene, Davenport, Iowa, is secretary. 
The Missouri State Board of Agriculture, at a recent 
meeting in Jefferson City, decided to hold the State Fair, 
next Fall, at Sedalia. 
The San Diego County (Cal.) Poultry and Pet Stock 
Association will hold a large show at San Diego De¬ 
cember 19-21. Much interest is reported in Belgian hares 
in that locality, a pair of purebreds selling recently for $50. 
The Iowa Improved Stock Breeders’ Association will 
meet at Ames, Iowa, December 13; secretary, W. M. Mc- 
Fadden, West Liberty, Iowa. 
The Beekeepers’ Association of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and 
New York will meet at Andover, O., January 10-11, 1900; 
secretary, Ed. Jolly, Franklin, Pa. 
The Maine State Grange will meet at Augusta December 
19-21; secretary, E. H. Libby, Dirigo, Me. 
The Vermont Dairymen’s Association will meet at Brat- 
tleboro, Vt., January 9-11, 1900. 
The Indiana State Dairy Association met at Cambridge 
December 7-8; secretary, H. Van Norman, Lafayette, Ind. 
The National Duroc-Jersey Record Association will meet 
at Chicago January 2, 1900; secretary, R. J. Evans, El 
Paso, Ill. 
Wisconsin cheesemakers are uniting in an effort to se¬ 
cure lower railroad rates on cheese, present charges in 
that State being too high. 
The Wisconsin State Poultry Association, which will 
meet in Waupaca December 26-30, has over $3,000 to dis¬ 
tribute in cash and other prizes, and a fine exhibition is 
assured. I. K. Felch, of Natick, Mass., has been en¬ 
gaged as judge. 
The crop bulletin of the Kansas Board of Agriculture 
for the present year, issued December 5, shows that the 
Winter wheat yield amounts to 42,815,471 bushels. The 
yield of corn is 225,183,432 bushels. Excepting that of 
1889, (278,S88,321 bushels), this is the largest corn crop the 
State has yet produced, and exceeds in value any pre¬ 
ceding crop by $1,134,627. The combined home value of the 
three grains—wheat, corn, and oats—is $80,888,622, or a 
total increase over the 1898 value of the same crops of 
$13,384,621. 
Great Britain is to purchase 10,000 more mules for army 
use in South Africa. They will be obtained in Texas, 
Missouri and Kansas. So far, the British officials buy¬ 
ing mules have spent over $1,000,000 in Kansas, and, in 
addition to the animals, vast quantities of provisions are 
being purchased here. 
Dairymen and stock dealers from Iowa, Illinois, In¬ 
diana and Wisconsin met at Chicago December 1 to dis¬ 
cuss the eradication of bovine tuberculosis. 
Wool continues to advance, and dollar wool has been 
reached for the first time since 1884. The Boston Com¬ 
mercial stated Dec. 2 that a line of Tasmanian scoured 
had reached $1 a pound. London public sales show an 
advance of 16 per cent since the last auctions. Merino 
wool is reported scarce all over the world. 
A convention of shippers and growers will be held at 
Kansas City, Mo., January 16, 1900. The intention is to 
form a protective association, which will work for the 
best interests of growers and shippers all over the Union. 
At the meeting of the Pennsylvania Dairy Union, De¬ 
cember 5, President II. W. Comfort, of Bucks County, 
said that the producer should receive for his milk an 
amount equal to half the retail price, after paying ship¬ 
ping charges. “If we do not learn to co-operate,” he 
said, “in many places our business will be run for us by 
theorists or busybodies, or Boards of Health acting, not 
for the public good, but to carry out some hobby at our 
expense, or to maintain themselves in office. I am glad 
to say that these remarks do not apply to the Pennsyl¬ 
vania Live Stock Sanitary Board; but there is a constant 
effort to pass unjust laws and municipal ordinances which 
would make it impossible either to sell or grow milk at 
a profit.” _ 
NEW YORK STATE BREEDERS. 
SUCCESSFUL MEETING AT ROCHESTER. 
Judging Stock; The Tuberculosis Question. 
The meeting of New York State breeders at Roch¬ 
ester, December 5-7, was a success. It was the largest 
meeting ever held—over 100 representative breeders 
being present. President F. D. Ward spoke of the 
possible benefits of a thorough organization, and 
there was a general conviction that the breeders of 
New York State should get together. The sheep 
breeders appeared to be in the majority, with dairy 
breeders next. The indications are that New York is 
again to become famous for her sheep. The Merino 
men were out in force, and that breed seems to have 
taken on new life. President Martin spoke of the 
adulteration of woolen goods by the use of shoddy. 
This 'is almost as great an evil as the fraudulent use 
of oleo, and the wool producer, like the butter-maker, 
should be protected against frauds. The Hampshire 
men are alive, and confident that they have the best 
mutton sheep for certain localities. Even the Shrop¬ 
shire men are ready to admit that the Hampshires are 
hardier. The Shropshires, however, seem to be the 
popular sheep in New York, and will doubtless remain 
so for several years. Prof. C. F. Curtiss spoke on feed¬ 
ing sheep and beef cattle. He made a forcible illus¬ 
tration of the value of steers of good breeding and 
shape by showing how the meat on the loin and ribs 
represents a great proportion of the value of the car¬ 
cass. It seems that beef making is becoming popular 
again in New York State. It would be hard to buy a 
good young Short-horn bull, so closely have stock 
been bought up. Outside of New York City, at least 
$30,000,000 are spent by the people of the State for 
western beef each year. That is a mistake, with our 
rich pasture lands. 
SCALE OF POINTS.—All breeders recognize the 
need of a definite standard or “scale of points.” Dr. 
Twitchell, of Maine, delivered two lectures on judging 
cattle. A cow was brought into the hall, and the 
breeders gathered around her, suggesting or criti¬ 
cizing as Dr. Twitchell went over her and explained 
how and why each part of the form was scaled. The 
county fair was also discussed, for it is understood 
that these fairs give the breeder an opportunity of 
getting close to the farmer. Of course the showing of 
grade males was denounced, though everyone under¬ 
stands that the grade female is the true farmer’s ani¬ 
mal. Much depends on the judges who decide on the 
animals put on exhibition. They must know their 
business, and understand what a good animal ought to 
be. The discussions of the Shropshire men gave a 
good idea of the need of a true knowledge of animal 
type. The tendency has been to breed for a coarse, 
heavy sheep. Breeders now realize their mistake, and 
are breeumg for what Dr. Smead rightly calls the 
“dairy type” of sheep. They have been developing 
“beefy” sheep to the detriment of the milk-giving 
tendency. Now, as with some breeds of cattle, they 
come back to develop the finer dairy type as best 
suited to the general farmer. The following resolu¬ 
tions will give an idea of the feeling of the Associa- v 
tion: 
Resolved, That we request all judges recommended by 
this Association to base their decisions on the scale of 
points adopted by the associations of the various breeds, 
and that we require these judges to familiarize themselves 
with the various scales of points. 
Resolved, That we request all fair associations to place 
in their premium lists this stipulation: "All grades ex¬ 
hibited must show outward evidences of being a grade of 
the breed claimed.” 
Resolved, That we request all fair associations to cease 
giving prizes on grade sires. 
Whereas, Difference in type between the Scotch and 
Scotch strains of Ayrshire cattle is so marked that it 
practically forbids an attempt to judge correctly by the 
competitive system, and as this constitutes a source of 
error and dissatisfaction. 
Resolved, That the United States and Canada Ayrshire 
Breeders’ Association be requested to make their scale 
of points more exact and clear, and that they notify the 
president of this Association of their action, in order that 
our judges may act with intelligence and secure greater 
uniformity in judging Ayrshire stock at the fairs. 
BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS.—The thing of deepest 
interest at this meeting was the question of disposing 
of tuberculous cows. It is known, of course, that this 
dread disease has attacked many cows in the State. 
The people who buy milk and other dairy products in 
town anu city have been badly frightened, and have, 
in many cases, been taught to believe that the disease 
is easily carried in the milk from cow to human. Of 
course, if it is simply a matter of life or death to 
those who buy milk, and if a consumptive cow is a 
sure breeder of disease in humans, the matter of ex¬ 
pense needed to stamp out the disease should not be 
considered. The breeders generally, we think, take 
that position, but first they demand conclusive evi¬ 
dence that bovine tuberculosis is carried from the 
cow to the human in the milk. They are not pre¬ 
pared to accept guesswork or presumptive evidence, 
for there is too much at stake, and the old cow, though 
dumb, has a right to a fair trial. Is it a question of 
the health of human beings or of cow health? If the 
latter, the breeders do not see why the State Board 
of Health should have charge of it. 
Dr. Edward Moore, of Albany, read a careful and 
elaborate paper. He argued that the burden of proof 
lies with those who claim that consumption can be 
traced from cow to man. He went over the evidence, 
and explained some of the differences in behavior be¬ 
tween the bacilli of bovine and human consumption. 
He claims that in spite of all the noise the cow stands 
to-day “not guilty,” or at least, “not proven!” 
TUBERCULOSIS LEGISLATION—Hon. D. P. 
Witter gave a very clear and exhaustive review of 
the work done by his committee. Many witnesses 
have been examined, and some valuable evidence has 
been obtained. Mr. Witter explained how Pennsyl¬ 
vania, New Jersey and Massachusetts are handling 
t'he matter. As to the value of the tuberculin test, 
the evidence seems to be that it is only reliable in 
the hands of careful and accurate men. To send men 
with small experience out to apply this delicate test 
would be thoroughly unfair. The speaker took a 
conservative view of the matter. No real evidence 
had been given that actually proved the cow guilty. 
At present the vital qucst.on seemed to be one of cow 
health largely. The chief point was to prevent the 
spread of the disease among cattle. Unquestionably, 
many badly-diseased animals should be destroyed, 
but the delicate tuberculin test, especially in inex¬ 
perienced hands, should not alone decide. The 
chances are that a system of thoroughly enforced 
sanitary condition, keeping the barns drier, 
cleaner, and with more air and sun, will be the first 
outcome of this investigation. The great majority of 
the breeders seemed fully to endorse the position 
taken by Dr. Moore and Mr. Witter. As the follow¬ 
ing resolution will show, they have confidence that the 
final report of the legislative committee, and the bill 
to be introduced later, will express their wishes. The 
Association is now a power for effective work: 
Whereas, We realize the great damage that has been 
done to our cattle breeding industry, and to our milk 
producers and dairy interests, under the present system 
of executing the laws regarding tuberculosis by the State 
Board of Health; and, 
Whereas, The legislative committee appointed to in¬ 
vestigate animal diseases has made a most careful and 
complete investigation regarding tuberculosis and other 
diseases, and, whereas, the most careful scientific deduc¬ 
tions do not conclusively show that bovine tuberculosis 
is a menace to public health and is, therefore, an agricul¬ 
tural rather than a public health problem, 
Resolved, That we heartily appreciate and approve 
the thorough and conscientious work done by this com¬ 
mittee, and that the Association appoint a committee of 
three to aid the legislative committee in every possible 
way. 
