1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
57 
WHAT I SEE ASD HEAR. 
remove them before offering the carcasses for sale ; if 
this is not done, the lambs are liable to be confiscated. 
Efforts have been made to have this ordinance changed, 
but they have, so far, been unsuccessful. These lambs 
should now weigh not less than 35 pounds each, be as 
well fattened as possible, carefully dressed and neatly 
packed. No use in sending poor ones. f. h. v. 
Florida Strawberries. —None now. Were a few 
oefore the freeze, but none since. Dealers say that 
it will, probably, be a month yet before there will be 
any more to amount to anything, perhaps longer. 
Meanwhile the growers of hothouse berries will have 
a better chance. “ It’s an ill wind that blows nobody 
good ! ” 
X X X 
Gray Squirrels. —I saw a few in the market this 
morning. There is only a moderate demand for them. 
They make a much more picturesque appearance when 
gamboling about their native forests, than they do 
when dead and hung up by the heels in a common¬ 
place market stall. Some things are better dead, and 
the deader the better, but not these pretty, playful 
creatures. 
X X X 
Overripe Hothouse Tomatoes. —One commission 
merchant had a lot of these which were not picked 
soon enough, and when received, they presented a 
very unattractive appearance. In his endeavor to get 
rid of them, he had taken them out of the boxes and 
put them in quart boxes in crates, but it was a hard 
job selling them. There is often loss from leaving per¬ 
ishable products until too ripe before shipping. A 
great deal of the southern truck is injured in this way 
It takes an expert to tell just the best time to harvest 
fruits and vegetables to have them at their best. 
X X X 
Unpicked Poultry. —In one commission house, I 
saw an old hen hanging up by the heels with her 
original suit of feathers still intact. The merchant 
said that some one shipped two of them in that con¬ 
dition. Had they been nicely dressed, they would 
have sold for 10 cents per pound. The boys picked the 
feathers from one, and that one was sold for that 
price ; but it was too much work plucking the feath¬ 
ers from a cold, dead hen, and they left the other to 
her fate. She was still waiting for a purchaser. Prob¬ 
ably some wandering bargain-seeker will gather her 
in. “ No reasonable offer refused.” 
t * X 
That Gamky Flavor. —I saw a basketful of snipe 
exposed for sale by one dealer. Some of them were 
so “ripe” that they would hardly hold together un¬ 
less handled very carefully. “ That’s the kind you get 
in some of these swell restaurants where they charge 
you $1 for a meal ”, said the dealer. “ Not I; they are 
altogether too rich for my stomach.” But some one 
will buy them, and some one else will eat them, for 
many think that game is not fit to eat until it is what 
we ordinary mortals would call rotten. It seems to 
me that here’s a chance for the Board of Health, but, 
probably, the heat in cooking kills all the germs, mi¬ 
crobes, bacteria, bacilli and what not. 
X X X 
Fresh Eggs. —A friend writes asking about a mar¬ 
ket for his “ nice fresh eggs”. Then he says that he 
will “ have a crate about every two weeks”. This 
brings up the question of “fresh” eggs again. 
Strictly fresh-laid eggs are supposed not to be more 
than three days old. For a fancy trade, one would 
need to ship oftener than once in two weeks. Still, in 
cool weather, if the eggs are kept closely gathered, 
and afterwards kept in a cool place, they are not likely 
to be in very bad condition at the end of two weeks. 
They will keep still better if infertile, and this is 
more especially the case in warm weather. Eggs 
for liming or refrigerating, or to be kept for any 
length of time, should always be infertile. Some 
fancy eggs are stamped when laid, with the name of 
the farm, and the date. This shows the consumer 
just how old they are. Eggs should be kept in a clean 
place, as they absorb odors very readily. 
XXX 
Hothou8e Lambs. —These have been arriving in ex¬ 
cessive quantities, and prices have been low. There 
were more here for the Christmas market than there 
was a demand for. Just now receipts are not so 
heavy, especially for choice, heavy ones, and prices for 
these are fair. But too many small, poor ones are 
sent. I saw one hanging in a commission house, for 
which the receiver said he wouldn’t refuse any offer 
made. It wouldn’t weigh over 25 pounds, hoofs, horns 
and hide included, and no one wanted it. The Board 
of Health passed an ordinance about the close of last 
season, making it unlawful to sell these lambs unless 
the heads and feet are removed. Many are still send¬ 
ing lambs with these on, and receivers are forced to 
NEW YORK STATE vs. OLEOMARGARINE. 
As most farmers of New York State know, the firm 
of Armour & Co. have been sued by the State for vio¬ 
lating the law against manufacturing and selling oleo¬ 
margarine. Legal action was taken against them 
about three years ago, by F. C. Schraub, then Com¬ 
missioner of Agriculture. Claims to the amount of 
more than $1,700,000 were brought against Armour & 
Co., which firm, throughout all the proceedings, 
brazenly continued to sell the stuff. After Mr. Schraub 
went out of office, he continued to conduct the case as 
a lawyer. In March, 1895, the legislature authorized 
the commissioner to settle and compromise this and 
other oleomargarine suits—subject to the approval of 
the Governor and Attorney-General. Mr. Schraub 
now states that Armour & Co. offer $20,000 to com¬ 
promise the matter. While he does not say so directly, 
he intimates that this would be a good way to close 
the matter. It is understood, also, that the Governor 
favors this plan, “as a lawyer”, which seems to in¬ 
dicate that the case of the State is too weak to convict 
Armour & Co. The original law fixed a penalty of 
$100 for every package of “oleo” sold in violation of 
the law. The last legislature weakened this by in¬ 
serting the words “ not exceeding”, and this is said to 
have greatly reduced the amount of fine that should 
be collected by the State. Some so-called “ authori¬ 
ties ” advise the Commissioner to accept this offer. 
The protest against such compromising is well stated 
as follows by the New York Produce Review and 
American Creamery: 
Bat can the great State of New York afford to effect any com¬ 
promise with offenders of the law ? What are $20,000, or five times 
that amount, in comparison with a clear vindication of its stat¬ 
utes through the proper tribunal ? If the Agricultural Depart¬ 
ment has evidence enough to prove its case in all the courts 
through which it will undoubtedly be carried, it should not con¬ 
sider at all the question of penalty. Better have a full vindica¬ 
tion of its position than any amount of money that offenders of 
the law would give. If the State lacks sufficient evidence upon 
which it dare go to trial, it should obtain that evidence at once, 
or acknowledge its weakness. A compromise of a case of so 
much importance as the one now pending is beneath the dignity 
of the Empire State. 
That is The R. N.-Y.’s position exactly. The Agri¬ 
cultural Department should push these suits to a 
finish. It looks to an outsider as though some one 
was trying to cover something up in this matter. Let 
the fight go on ! No compromise for the great State 
of New York ! 
AN ORCHARD INSPECTION LAW IN MICHIGAN 
WIIAT IT IS ; HOW IT WORKS. 
The nursery and orchard inspection law passed by 
the last Michigan Legislature was prepared by the 
legislative committee of the State Horticultural Soci¬ 
ety, at the request of a number of leading fruit grow¬ 
ers, with the idea that it would aid in preventing the 
introduction and spread upon nursery trees and from 
orchard to orchard, of the San Jos6 scale and other 
dangerous insects and diseases. 
The enforcement of the law is placed in the hands 
of the State Board of Agriculture, which is authorized 
to appoint a State inspector of nurseries and the neces¬ 
sary deputies. The law provides for the inspection of 
all nursery stock grown in the State, and requires all 
persons selling stock in the State to take out a license 
and give a bond for $1,000 that they will not sell stock 
that has not been inspected, and that if requested, 
they will file a list of their customers for the confi¬ 
dential use of the inspector. A per diem fee of $3 
must be paid for the services of the inspector. Nur¬ 
serymen in other States who sell stock in the State 
are required to take out a license and give a bond, as 
well as to have their stock inspected by a State or 
National inspector, or by some person approved by the 
Michigan Board of Agriculture. Persons doing a mail¬ 
order business, and who have no agents in Michigan, 
are not required to take out a license, or to give a 
bond, but their stock should be inspected, and each 
package must be accompanied by a certificate of in¬ 
spection. In case a certificate of inspection does not 
accompany a shipment, the transportation company 
is required to notify the State inspector, giving the 
names of the consignee and consignor. The law does 
not require the quarantining of the trees as has been 
attempted in other States. 
The State inspector is by the law required to ex¬ 
amine orchards supposed to be infested with danger¬ 
ous insects or diseases, and to see that the proper 
measures are taken. He is also the referee in case a 
dispute arises between an owner and the Township 
Yellows Commissioners as to the identity of a disease 
or insect, or its presence in the orchard. 
The law went into effect September 1, 1897, and the 
Board of Agriculture appointed Prof. U. P. Hedrick, 
who had had considerable experience with fruit-tree 
insects and diseases in Oregon, as well as in Michigan, 
to the office of inspector. He entered upon his duties 
September 20, and for two months was occupied in the 
inspection of nurseries. Seventy-five were visited and 
received certificates, and licenses were granted to a 
large number of tree dealers and foreign nurseries. 
While the nurseries proper were without exception 
found to be free from San Jos6 scale, the dreaded in¬ 
sects were found in three places. In one case a florist 
who had been handling ornamental stock, had planted 
out a few surplus shrubs near his greenhouse, and 
some of them were found to be infested, as were some 
of the neighboring shrubs. The other cases were 
where tree dealers had planted out surplus trees in 
their packing grounds, and the scale was found upon 
them. In these cases licenses were refused and steps 
were taken to stamp out the insects by the destruction 
of the infested trees. Several nurseries were found 
where the trees were infected with “ crown gall ”, and 
in one case the black peach aphis was present. The 
destruction of infected trees in one case and their 
thorough treatment in the other was required. 
The San Jos6 scale has been found in several or¬ 
chards. Nurseries in other States known to be in¬ 
fested furnished lists to their customers, and by means 
of correspondence and personal visits, 13 infestations 
were found in eight counties. In most of them only a 
few trees were infested, and these were promptly de¬ 
stroyed; but in the others the insects had been there 
for from four to eight years, and in one case had 
spread from one tree until fully 500 were infested. 
Under the law it is hoped that, if other orchards have 
been infested, they can be located and measures taken 
to prevent further spread, either by destruction of the 
trees, or by the thorough use of the proper insecticides. 
The fruit growers of Michigan are well pleased with 
the law, and expect that, if properly enforced, it will 
prove of great benefit to them. The nurserymen seem 
well suited with the inspection feature of the law 
and while, at first, some of them demurred at the 
license and bond idea (as they claimed that it grouped 
them with the liquor dealers), none of them has re¬ 
fused to take out his license, and in all cases, they 
have cheerfully aided the inspector in the performance 
of his duties. As might be expected, they have made 
free use of their certificates in their catalogues and 
advertisements. l. b. taft. 
Michigan Agricultural CoUege. 
At a farmers’ institute in Cape May County, N. J., 
two different lots of potatoes were shown, which had 
been grown on the same ground in the same season. 
One lot were Houlton Rose, planted in April, har¬ 
vested the last of June, yield about 200 bushels per 
acre. The others were White Elephant, planted the 
first week in July, harvested in October, yield about 
100 bushels per acre. The latter would, in all prob¬ 
ability, have given a much heavier yield had it not 
been for a severe drought extending all through the lat¬ 
ter part of the Summer. The specimens of the latter 
variety shown were fine, hard potatoes, in the best of 
condition for eating or wintering for seed, but the 
former were badly wilted, and sprouted somewhat. 
The land of southern New Jersey is, evidently, good 
for something besides growing Red cedars. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
This is just as good a time as any to look after berry baskets. 
If done now, trouble will be saved later on in the busy season. 
One good place to get them is from Wm. May, New Springfield, O. 
He makes crates, also. 
Among the oldest manufacturers of bone cutters is F. W. Mann, 
Milford, Mass. He has now got out a new one that is claimed to 
run easier and cut faster than any other bone cutter made. He 
will send you a circular describing it if you ask him to do so. 
We want once more to remind The U. N.-Y. readers that O. H. 
Stearns, 115 Nassau Street, New York, has a way of receiving 
money from farmers for hen food and fertilizers, and refuses then 
to send the goods. He was once an attorney, but was, we under¬ 
stand, disbarred. If lawyers can’t stand him, farmers would better 
let him severely alone. 
The announcement is made that the auction sale of the live 
stock at Mountainside Farm, recently advertised in The R. N.-Y'., 
has been declared off. Mr. John Mayer, for many years superin¬ 
tendent of the farm, has made arrangements with the estate to 
run the farm on his own account, hence the business will be car¬ 
ried on much as before, and there will be no sale. 
About the meanest specimen of beat and petty swindler that 
has recently come to our attention, is G. A. McCormick, of 
Altoona, Pa. He represents himself as president of the Altoona 
Fuel and Ice Co., and issues notes with great readiness, but only 
to fleece his dupes still more in protest fees. He has swindled one 
reader of The R. N.-Y. We do not want any other readers to suffer 
through him. 
A good disk harrow is just the thing to work up some soils and 
make a good seed bed. But smoothing harrows are needed on 
some soils, and as a rule, both are needed on the same soil. One 
of the great faults on many farms is that cultivation is not thor¬ 
ough enough. The Empire Mfg. Co., 62 River Street, Rock Falls, 
Ill., make harrows and cultivators of almost every description, 
and will send you catalogue of them if you ask for it. 
We never knew a time when there were so many “ fake ” 
schemes under way to allure a dollar from the pockets of the un¬ 
suspecting public. When you get a letter or a circular from a 
practical stranger, addressing you as “ dear friend ” and offering 
you some great big thing for nothing, provided you will send a 
remittance for something else, and your money back, if so and 
so, etc., put the whole business into the stove, don’t intrust it to 
the waste basket. 
