1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
373 
AONG»THE* 
MARKCTO 
This picture, which is reproduced from the New York Herald, shows in a forcible way the 
present condition of the war. Big Uncle Sam has taken the Spaniard by the hair as one would 
take the small boy that needs punishment. The Spaniard would, probably, sue for peace if he 
dared to, but at home he fears a revolution in case he does not light to the death. Don Carlos, 
the Spanish pretender, is already gathering his friends about him, knowing that in case of a 
revolution, the Spanish people would naturally turn to him. Thus between these two tires, the 
present Spanish dynasty finds itself unable to satisfy any party. Spain’s army and navy are 
both unprepared and inefficient, the Spanish treasury is empty, and credit practically dead. 
The people are clamoring for food, and demanding a change in the conduct of the war. Surely 
Spain’s position is a desperate one. It may be said, too, that Uncle Sam is not having any 
sinecure. He finds that it takes time and money to make trained soldiers out of clerks, 
mechanics and farmers. He has won a great victory in the Philippine Islands, and is now 
confronted with the difficult task of governing millions of half-wild people, 5,000 miles away 
from his own home. Germany is the first of the European nations to intimate that she will take 
a hand in the final settlement of the Philippines. The Spanish fleet can hardly be cornered and 
laade to fight while the rainy season is coming on in Cuba. Take it all in all, Uncle Sam must 
take off his coat and vest, and roll up his sleeves for action, if he expects to settle this war on 
schedule time. 
Risky Lamb Shipments. —In one com¬ 
mission store, a large one, too, a few 
days ago, I discovered a lot of dressed 
lambs with feet and heads on, contrary 
to the rules of the New York City Board 
of Health, in force now for a year or 
more. I asked the commission man 
w r hether he was not afraid of having 
them seized hy the inspectors of the 
Board of Health. He wanted to know 
why, and when I told him, he said that 
was the first he had heard of it. This 
seems strange, but only goes to show 
that men right in the business are not 
always posted on every point, and may 
be caught violating some city ordinance 
or other. The offense consists in offer¬ 
ing such lambs for sale. 
X X X 
Pineapples and the War. —The pres¬ 
ent little diversion with Spain has had 
its effect on the pineapple trade. The 
Florida pineapple crop has been curtailed 
by the frosts of past Winters; our chief 
sources of supply have been largely Cuba 
and Porto Rico, heretofore under Spanish 
domination. Last season’s receipts from 
Cuba footed up about 125,000 barrels. 
The duty on pineapples in barrels or 
other packages is 7 cents per cubic foot 
of the capacity of the packages, or $7 per 
1,000 in bulk. Dealers do not look for 
more than two-thirds as large receipts 
this year as last, possibly much less if 
trade with the Island of Cuba be seriously 
interfered with. The quality of the re¬ 
ceipts this year is below average, showing 
that the crop has been neglected. The 
largest and best pines (no one in the 
market ever spends breath to call them 
pineapples) come from Porto Rico, and 
trade from there is also likely to be 
seriously interfered with. Considerable quantities of 
pineapples are also received from the Bahamas, so 
that the market is not likely to be entirely robbed 
of this fruit, in any event. 
X X X 
Best Berry Packages. —“ What are the best crates 
and baskets for berries for this market ?” I asked a 
large receiver. “ The ordinary bushel crate holding 
32 standard quart baskets. There is nothing better, 
unless for fancy berries and red raspberries, when 
pints and smaller cups are used. The Standard quart 
basket is the one most in demand by the trade. It is 
well-known to all users of berry baskets, and is mid¬ 
way between the extra large quart and what is known 
to the trade as the skin quart, which doesn't hold 
nearly a quart.” “ What about gift crates ? ” “ Well, 
I know that I have hard work getting crates returned 
from retailers ; in fact, I can’t get half of them back.” 
“ Where would you recommend growers to buy crates 
and baskets ? ” “ For any one in this vicinity, I know 
of no better or cheaper place than A. H. Montague & 
Son, 120 Warren Street. Probably there are manu¬ 
facturers in most berry-growing sections, and if one 
can buy the right crates near home, he will save 
freight.” Many growers witfi a mechanical turn of 
mind make their own crates, as suggested by J. D. on 
page 368. F. H. v. 
In the Florists’ Exchange for March 5, 1898, Prof. L. 
R. Taft, of the Agricultural College, Michigan, speak¬ 
ing of the Michigan nursery law, says, “It is stated that 
the inspector cannot guarantee that the stock is free 
from these insects and diseases, and this is, of course, 
true. The Michigan law requires only that the stock 
be carefully examined by the inspector, and if no 
trace of dangerous insects or diseases is found, he 
gives a certificate to that effect.” 
Do not these quotations fully sustain my position ? 
I hold that it is unsafe to rely upon a certificate which 
says nothing definite, and that the purchaser should 
rather rely upon a thorough examination and upon a 
nurseryman’s guarantee; which means, of course, 
that he should deal only with a reliable firm. That 
the most energetic measures should be adopted to 
control the pest where it exists, and that nurserymen 
whose stock is infested should be urged to take the 
most radical measures for their own protection, goes 
almost without saying. The careful fruit grower has 
a right to be protected against the carelessness of his 
neighbor, and State legislation which enables him to 
take advantage of that right, and which compels the 
ignorant or obstinate agriculturist to adopt measures 
to control those pests that may become a nuisance to 
his neighbors, is entirely proper, and has always been 
supported by me. 
On the general subject of legislation to keep out 
BUSINESS BITS. 
The Silver Mfg. Co., Salem, O., are sending out free on applica¬ 
tion a book on ensilage, that seems to answer almost any ques¬ 
tion that is liable to arise in regard to this popular subject. The 
first and last pages are given up to advertisements of the goods 
made by this firm, but the information is no less reliable on that 
account. 
The Chilton Manufacturing Company, 69 Cortlandt Street, N. Y., 
are offering to send free to any one who uses paint, a handsome 
little folder giving the description and strength of all the vessels 
of the American navy, and also of the Spanish navy. A hasty 
glance at this will convince the most timid that Spain has but 
little chance of a successful combat with the American navy. 
Inclose two-cent stamp for postage. 
There is a new feature in the Kraus cultivator made by the 
Akron Cultivator Company, Akron, O., that is likely to become 
popular. This is a lever that permits the operator to close the 
gangs or press them wide apart while in operation. The depth 
of culture is also easily regulated by levers. We think the feature 
that makes it possible to broaden or narrow the space covered by 
the teeth, will be appreciated where the ground is a little uneven, 
and rows not entirely even and straight. Full description of it 
will be furnished on application. 
Did you ever notice that when you are busiest and most hur¬ 
ried is the time that a strap of the harness is sure to break or a 
buckle to loosen ? If you let it go, a bigger break is quite sure to 
follow, and a trip to the shop becomes necessary. The Hartman 
Mfg. Co., Ellwood City, Pa., having observed these conditions, 
provide a remedy in a little tool called the Keystone riveter. It is 
claimed that a farmer can mend a break in his harness with this 
tool as readily as he can drive a nail in a board fence. The firm 
will send descriptive circular, if you want one. 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
Banana Prices. —“ I read in de pape’ dat dey was 
goin’ to put a duty on bananas, an’ ef dey do, I guess 
de price’ll go up,” said a dusky son of Italy, as he sold 
me for 20 cents a “ band” of bananas such as I have 
usually been buying for 15. There is no duty on 
bananas, and isn’t likely to be. Imports during recent 
months have been even heavier than usual, the supply 
is not likely to be reduced, and there is no occasion for 
higher prices. Yet this just illustrates the situation 
in dozens of instances. Prices on many staples have 
been advanced on one pretext or another, where there 
was not the shadow of reason for doing so. Of such 
staples as wheat and potatoes, there is a shortage, 
and the same is true to some extent of other goods, 
but a good many of these advances are 
the work of speculators, who are simply 
taking advantage of the situation to 
enrich themselves. Such work is detest¬ 
able, and such patriots (?) should be put 
in the front rank of the army against 
Spain. 
X X X 
REGULA TING THE SAN JOSE SCALE BY LAW. 
DOES INSPECTION OF NURSERY STOCK REALLY INSPECT? 
(Continuedfrom May 7.) 
On this point let me quote Mr. F. M. Webster, a 
fellow member on the executive committee of which 
Mr. Alwood is chairman. He said in Entomological 
News for December, 1897, page 249, concerning a small 
block of nursery stock, “ This I examined once care¬ 
fully, and later my assistant examined it twice very 
thoroughly, and neither of us could detect a single 
scale on the stock. This being the case, the owner 
could not be refused a certificate of apparent freedom 
from San Jos6 scale. This Fall, this same block was 
found to be infested to a very slight degree from one 
side to the other, and it now seems possible that there 
might have been a few scales in it when the certificate 
was given.” He says on the same page, “ I fully be¬ 
lieve that one may go over nursery stock with the 
greatest caution practicable, and still overlook enough 
of these insects to cause the death of the trees on 
which they happen to be located, within a few years.” 
THE WAR SITUATION IN A NUTSHELL. Fig. 163 
foreign insects by act of Congress, I have, also, a few 
words to say, which are to be taken as an expression 
of opinion based upon knowledge of the habits of in¬ 
sects. It is not to be understood that thereby I object 
to the legislation ; that is for those who are affected 
by it; simply that I do not feel that any practical 
benefit will be derived from it, except in so far as it 
will provide positions for a number of deserving 
entomologists. I am fully aware that the expression 
of this opinion will cut me off from any possible share 
in the appropriation which the bill carries, and my 
only purpose is to warn against too much reliance 
upon law, to the exclusion of personal effort. The 
bill now before Congress is intended to prevent the 
further dissemination of the San Jos6 scale or other 
dangerous insects within the United States, and for 
that purpose, provides for an inspection of such plants 
as are intended for interstate commerce. This point 
has been made by an objector to the measure : A nur¬ 
sery maybe infested by the San Jos6 scale at one point, 
and may contain only one block of trees that it is in¬ 
tended to ship to any point outside of the 
State. The inspector can be asked 
under the bill to inspect this stock, and 
he would not have any right to carry 
his official examination further. If that 
stock should happen to be a block of 
peach trees covering several acres, I 
would feel sorry for the man who under¬ 
took to make certain that the scale did 
not exist in it. Unless he luckily found 
a badly infested tree, he might be, as 
Mr. Webster was, compelled to give a 
certificate, while he would yet feel that 
there could be plenty of scale scattered 
throughout the block, which he did not 
succeed in finding, and this is no reflec¬ 
tion whatever on the ability of the in¬ 
spector. I have had an experience of 
just that kind, except that I was able 
to avoid giving a certificate, because I 
found the scale upon an adjoining block 
of apple trees. Two hundred thousand 
peach trees were to be examined, and I 
crossed and recrossed the block in every 
direction, so as to hit every row at dif¬ 
ferent points, and 1 found not a single 
San Jos6 scale. Yet a year later, there 
was no difficulty in discovering scaly 
trees of some varieties, and I know that 
trees sold out of this block proved scaly 
in the hands of the purchasers. I knew 
the scale existed in the vicinity, and 
I felt morally sure that it was on this 
block of trees ; but I could not find it at 
that time. Given a man who performs 
his duty in even the most careful way, 
and an examination of a block of trees 
like this affords absolutely no protec¬ 
tion to the purchaser, for the fact that 
scale is known to exist in the vicinity 
will not authorize a refusal of a cer¬ 
tificate of “ apparent ” freedom if none 
is actually found. As to the possibil¬ 
ity of excluding insects from foreign 
countries, I am decidedly skeptical, for 
after a careful consideration of most of 
the cases of foreign insects introduced 
into this country which have become 
injurious, I am forced to believe that 
such inspection as is to be provided 
would have been useless, and could 
not have kept them out. John b. smith. 
(To be continued.) 
