1904 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
9 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—At a conference attended by Got. Wells 
and other State officials at Salt Lake, Utah, plans were 
formulated December 16 for saving Great Salt Lake, 
which is gradually disappearing. The plan Is to utilize 
the Lucin cut-off, built by the Union Pacific, as a dam to 
separate the upper part of the lake from the lower and 
let the upper part go back to the desert. The area of the 
entire lake is 21,000 square miles; one-third can be cut off 
by this plan. By this means the remaining two-thirds 
can be saved. Experts are of the opinion that with the 
upper third cut off the level of the balance could be raised 
six feet if necessary by the saving in evaporation. . . . 
Seven years ago Mark Schlesinger, an employee of the 
Bureau of Incumbrances of New York City, while making 
a raid upon trunks on the sidewalk belonging to an Astor 
House trunk store, fractured the skull of Wm. A. Scott, 
a boy. Schlesinger was arrested and indicted for assault 
in the second degree. His trial had to wait two years for 
Scott to recover consciousness. Scott, who had been abie 
to go to the police court after the assault, became uncon¬ 
scious soon after and was unconscious 22 months. When 
he recovered Schlesinger was convicted ana sent to the 
penitentiary for a year. The Appellate Division reversed 
nis conviction. Scott went to Ireland and returned re¬ 
cently entirely recovered. Mr. Jerome had Sciilesinger’s 
bail dismissed December 16. Scott has already recovered 
$o,l*W damages from the city. . . . The largest verdict 
ever recorded in Munroe County, N. Y., for tne death of 
one person was returned in the Supreme Court at Roches¬ 
ter, December 16, when a jury awarded $j.8,wu damages to 
Katie Houman against the New York Central Kanroad. 
Mrs. Hoffman s nusband, who was a brewery wagon 
driver, was killed at if airport last Spring by a light en¬ 
gine hying down the tracks to get out of the way of the 
Empire State Express. Gross negligence on the part of 
the railroad company was alleged. . . . John A. Ben¬ 
son, a rich San Francisco real estate operator, charged by 
the interior Department with being tne head of the al¬ 
leged land frauds extending over a dozen Western States 
and Territories, to which Secretary Hitchcock referred 
in vigorous terms in his annual report, was arrested in 
Washington, D. C., December 18, just as he was prepar¬ 
ing to leave the city for New York. The charge on wnieh 
the arrest was made was bribery, it being alleged in the 
warrant that Benson had paid $500 to Woodford D. Har¬ 
lan, formerly chief of the Special Service Division of the 
General Land Gince and now a clerk in that office, on 
March 16 of last year for the purpose of extracting from 
him information regarding the investigation of Benson’s 
operations at that time being made by the Land Office. 
Benson gave bail for his appearance December 30, when 
the Government attorneys asked to have him held for the 
Grand Jury. . . . One thousand dollars fine for illegal 
acts as a corporate body was imposed upon Franklin 
Union No. 4, Fressfeeders, of Chicago, by Judge Jesse 
Holdom, December 12. The court found the union, as a 
corporation guilty of contempt of court for violating an 
injunction restraining it, as an organization, from inter¬ 
fering with the business and employees of 10 printing 
firms, members of the Chicago Typo the Lye. Judge Hol- 
dom’s action cieaies a precedent, it being the first time in 
the history of trades unionism in this country that a 
court has fined a union as a corporation. An immediate 
appeal was taken. . . . December 20, owing to trouble 
with striking drivers, funerals in Chicago were unable to 
use hearses, and few took place. The drivers said they 
would not interfere with hearses, but riotous scenes at 
funerals a lew days before made undertakers afraid to 
take risks. . . . The first suits brought in Pennsyl¬ 
vania under the so-called Grady-Salus Press Muzzier Law 
passed by the Legislature of that estate last year, and 
which called forth, at the time, bitter criticism from the 
press of the whole country, were recently begun in Ailen- 
town against three local papers. The action is based on 
the publication by the accused newspapers of a statement 
that the plaintiff had escaped from a hotel that was un¬ 
der quarantine for smallpox. In describing him, the pa¬ 
pers said the injured citizen had dyed his beard and 
this, he said, subjected him to ridicule, as he was 65 years 
old and had recently married a very young woman. . . . 
Fire in the Central Tennessee College for Young Negro 
Women, at Nashville, Tenn., December 18, caused the 
death of seven young colored women and injured about 
30 more. ... A fast train running from Fort Worth, 
Tex., to Kansas City, ran into an open switch at God¬ 
frey, Kan., December 21, and was wrecked, 10 persons 
being killed ... A great fire which started in a New 
York furniture factory, December 21, caused the death of 
two firemen and damage amounting to $500,000. 
ADMINISTRATION—The Cuban Reciprocity bill was 
passed by the Senate, December 16, by a vote of 57 to 18. 
. . . Senator Warren, of Wyoming, proposed, December 
17, an amendment to the bill recently introduced by Sen¬ 
ator Lodge which abolishes the duty on hides. The 
amendment adds a section placing also on the free list 
the manufactured products of hides, such as leather, 
leather belting, boots and shoes, harness and saddles. 
The amendment is intended as notice to the eastern 
manufacturers, who are seeking the removal of the duty 
on raw material, that, if they persist, the western pro¬ 
ducers, who regard hides and wool as finished products, 
will insist that the duty on leather and its products also 
be abolished. . . . The Senate ratified the United States 
Chinese commercial treaty, December 18, by a unanimous 
vote. As scon as the vote of ratification was taken it 
was ordered that the seal of secrecy be removed and the 
treaty made public. The treaty is doubtless the most im¬ 
portant convention made by the United States with any 
Oriental country. The greatest advantages gained by the 
agreement are the protection of missionaries, the re¬ 
moval of the likin tax throughout China, the opening of 
Mukden and An-Tung in Manchuria as places of interna¬ 
tional residence and trade, the extension of the United 
States international copyright laws to China, and the 
promise from China to establish a patent office in which 
the inventions of citizens of the United States may be 
protected. The schedule of Chinese import duties that 
went into effect last year is made a part of the treaty. 
China agrees to revise and modernize her mining laws 
and to open her mineral wealth to the citizens of the 
United States. 
FARM AND GARDEN—N. E. France, of Platleville, 
Wis., general manager of the National Bee-Keepers’ As¬ 
sociation, has been secured by the Bureau of Farmers’ 
Institutes to speak at a series of bee-keepers’ institutes 
in connection with the local societies in New York as fol¬ 
lows: Canandaigua, January 6-7; Romulus, January 8; 
Cortland, January 9; Auburn, January 11; Oswego, Janu¬ 
ary 12; Amsterdam, January 13; Syracuse, January 14-15. 
The meeting January 15 will be that of the New York 
State Association of Bee-Keepers’ Societies. 
The thirty-seventh annual meeting and fruit display of 
the Kansas State Horticultural Society was held at To¬ 
peka, December 29-31. 
The first annual meeting of the Agricultural Experi¬ 
menters’ League of New York will be held January 8-9 at 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
The Winter School of Agriculture at Purdue University, 
LaFayette, Ind., offers courses in agriculture, horticul¬ 
ture, live stock husbandry and dairying, the term begin¬ 
ning January 5 and ending March 11. For further infor¬ 
mation apply to Prof. W. C. Latta at above address. 
The Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science 
met at St. Louis December 28. 
The alumni and students of the division of agriculture 
of the Iowa State College, during the week of the Inter¬ 
national Live Stock Exposition, presented to the Saddle 
and Sirloin Club of Chicago an excellent life-sized oil 
portrait of Charles F. Curtiss, Dean of the Division of 
Agriculture and Director of the Experiment Station of 
the Iowa State College. 
RURAL DELIVERY. 
A Great Blessing in Virginia. 
I do not believe rural delivery has hurt our country 
store. A country merchant will always get his pro rata 
of trade consequent upon stock he carries and his own 
business ability. 1 have traveled in a majority of States 
of the Union, calling upon the retail trade, and have 
never found an up-to-date country merchant who car¬ 
ried a good stock suffering for trade, postoffice or not. 
A limited number of patrons of this route buy from de¬ 
partment stores. Unfortunately we have never had a 
country store where we could buy more than a few of 
the things needed. The benefits to the farmers coming 
from free delivery are so great, and in view of the fact 
that free delivery will tend to give us National help for 
better roads, we can well afford to dispense with the 
country stores, such as we have in this section. Our 
people here have always bought the bulk of their sup¬ 
plies from large stores'in towns nearby. We have no de¬ 
partment store (in the true sense) in this county. I am 
satisfied I voice the sentiment of all patrons of our route 
in saying let us have free delivery, pay our carrier more 
(he gets $61)0 j, say $900, legislate us better roads, d. d. a. 
Waynesboro, Va. 
Broaden Out the People. 
1 live four miles out of Anderson, a town of 25,000, and 
so far as I know the retail stores have suffered no loss 
by the mail delivery. They have made no complaint to 
my knowledge, and the patrons of this mail fine have 
continued to trade in Anderson just the same as they 
did before the free delivery of mail. I do not believe 
the trade is affected at all in a town of this size. I do 
not know what the result would be in a smaller town. 
As far as I know all the patrons deal with the depart¬ 
ment stores. The free mail in this neighborhood has 
a tendency to broaden the people. It has made them 
more liberal and more advanced in their business, it 
puts them in touch with the markets, the daily events 
and the world in general. As far as the stores are con¬ 
cerned I believe any good reliable business house will 
gain rather than lose by rural mail. It makes farmers 
want the best. They are becoming more critical and 
particular about what they buy, as to its grade and 
latest improvements. Stores that are ancient in stock 
and high in price will suffer, and it is better for the 
farmer if they do. The mail delivery is changing coun¬ 
try life, and the conservative and out-of-date element 
will have to give way to newer and more comfortable 
things. o. w. m. 
Indiana, 
The Rural Delivery an Advantage. 
The free rural delivery has not hurt the local retail 
trade the least bit. Why should it? It iu no manner 
lessens consumption. Our country people must have the 
same amount of supplies with or without free delivery, 
most farmers in this section have a surplus of eggs, but¬ 
ter, vegetables and fruit, and desire to dispose of some 
surplus as they always have, viz., at the retail stores of 
the small towns and villages in their vicinity. Most of us 
have certain retail stores at which we deal and we ex¬ 
pect such proprietors to buy our surplus, which they do 
now just as they did before the free delivery was inau¬ 
gurated. There are a few who partially deal with de¬ 
partment stores, mostly in the line of harness and farm 
implements, but I know of none who do so exclusively, 
and free delivery in no way adds to the number. The 
Patrons of Husbandry do some buying through the 
Grange, but as said before, free delivery does not have 
any influence in the matter. It does help the daily pa¬ 
pers in a very great degree, because many of our people 
now take a daily paper regularly when they would not if 
they had to go to the postoffice to get it. Eggs generally 
bring from two to three cents more per dozen in trade 
than for cash and butter per pound the same, so the per 
cent saved equals the reduced price of the department 
dealers. Free rural delivery is a blessing to the farmers 
and is no injustice to anyone. J. a. t. 
London, Ohio. 
THE BUSINESS SIDE OF TREE PLANTING. 
As I read Mr. Stringfellow’a article, page 861, last 
volume, I will say that from his side of it he may be in 
the right, for he evidently is In a locality where the s«il 
as nature made it is a suitable place for a young tree. 
Yet if he owned a New England farm with no two acres 
alike, or even if he owned one of those hillsides like Mr. 
Hales’s, full of roots and stones, then he would see the 
other side of the value of big or little holes. In the past 
15 years we have had a few thousand holes dug, perhaps 
an average of two feet deep and as much across at the 
top. When dug by the piece they were two feet across 
at top, 18 inches at bottom and two feet deep. They 
have cost from three to 10 cents each, and scattering 
holes more, where stone had to be moved by team, etc. 
We have had the experience of pulling up a few hun¬ 
dred peach and Japan plums set in those holes, which 
when the trees were set were filled with the top soil 
and set from three to six inches deeper than recommend¬ 
ed by most authorities, and we are satisfied that if a 
team could pull up trees set in small holes by pulling 
an average of two tons, then those set on the same kind 
of land but large holes would require a pull equal to 
three tons or more. We do know that the trees stand 
firmer, and are less liable to damage from wind than 
those set in holes just deep enough to hold the roots. 
If New England is to become the apple orchard of Eu¬ 
rope it will not be by cheap trees, cheaply set, and still 
more cheaply cared for. A young tree (here at least) 
needs care and attention until it is large enough to look 
out for itself, which later in life it seems capable of 
doing under almost any conditions, provided moisture 
and food be supplied to meet its wants. If five, or even 
10-cent holes will prevent anyone from setting apple 
trees, 10 years from now no one will know the difference. 
New England offers golden opportunities for the grow¬ 
ing of high-class fruit, but it must be grown by business 
men, under business methods, recognizing the fact that 
high-class fruit requires high-class methods, while cheap 
land, cheap men, cheap methods, mean cheap apples. 
Worcester Co., Mass. h. o. mead. 
MORE ABOUT SUBSTITUTION. 
No Substitute Without Instruction. 
We take a somewhat different view from the majority 
of nurserymen regarding substitution in orders of nur¬ 
sery stock. We consider this a very serious matter, and 
we have always made it a rule not to substitute unless 
so authorized by our customers, and then we only sub¬ 
stitute when we could send a variety similar to the one 
ordered. We have always considered that the majority 
of our customers know what they want, and that the 
nurseryman has no right to substitute other varieties 
unless so Instructed. The substitution is a good thing 
from a financial standpoint for the nurseryman without 
a conscience, as it permits him to get rid of a lot of 
surplus stock, which otherwise might go to the dump. 
Georgia. P. J. berckmans co. 
What is Ordered or Nothing. 
I have been engaged more or less in the business for 
over 45 years, and consequently filled many orders large¬ 
ly to the planter, and have almost invariably filled orders 
as given or not at all. In cases where I was satisfied it 
would be satisfactory I have done it, but in no other. 
No nurseryman has any moral right to put on a man 
what he does not want or asks for, although something 
else might be better for him. When a man knows (or 
thinks he does) what he wants, and pays for it, give him 
that or nothing, has always been my motto, but if the 
nurserymen were never more dishonest than to substitute 
one variety for another under its right name it would not 
be so bad as giving him what he orders on the label only. 
I regret to say there is too much of this done, and by 
firms that claim a reputation of fair dealing. Where tut 
purchaser intimates that he is willing for the nurseryman 
to use his judgment as to varieties, it is all rigfit, but 
without this he has no right, even if the varieties are 
worthless, without first consulting the purefiaser’s 
wishes. If worthless novelties and varieties are ordered 
without comment I would advise the purchaser, but if 
he would not give consent I would send what he ordered 
or nothing. chas. black. 
New Jersey. 
Go and See the Trees. 
The planter should know what he wants to plant him¬ 
self. In many cases he has an old orchard of certain va¬ 
rieties, and would like to add to his orchard adjoining 
it others that ripen either earlier or later, as it may be, 
and writes for the particular varieties that he does not 
have in his orchard. If a nurseryman substitutes without 
first consulting the customer it may be that he would 
give him just as good varieties, and even better, but at 
the same time it may then be a disadvantage to the pur¬ 
chaser because he has a sufficient amount of trees of this 
variety and probably as many as lie can nandle of the 
fruit himself at fruiting season. We have found the best 
plan to write the customer and ask him if he could not 
use certain others, naming the varieties which we have 
in stock, and give him a fist of those that ripen with the 
ones he asked for. in most cases we do rind that the 
customer will take some of these varieties that we recom¬ 
mend to him that ripen at the same time. We believe 
that many orders are sent from a locality where the nur¬ 
seryman is familiar with the varieties planted and could 
substitute others that would be worth considerably more, 
but it would be like a case where a man had Champion 
substituted for Mt. Rose. When they came into bearing 
he asked the nurseryman to give him another orchard of 
Mt. Rose, which he did without any charge. The second 
year the Champion bore, he having a few Mt. Rose near 
them, the Champion netted more than double the Mt. 
Rose. The purchaser telling the nurseryman about this 
good luck of his by his substitution, the nursery ma n ask¬ 
ed for the net proceeds between the Champion and Mt. 
Rose receipts to compensate him for the orchard he had 
furnishd him free of charge, but he refused to do so. 
there are other instances similar to this, and it is prac¬ 
ticed quite freely by some growers, but this should not 
be done. I believe the best and only way is to write to 
the customer just what he cannot do, and tell him what 
you could do. Again comes the substitution in different 
sizes of all varieties. It is rather difficult to keep a full 
fist of all sizes of all varieties until the last of April. 
in we consider that the first 
thing is that the varieties come true to name. If we vet 
« for c tbree t0 four foot and have to give a man 
~y e root trees in order to fill his order, as we 
do ' and we have to give him two to three 
d° so and throw in some extra trees, but in 
311 E he . wntln S and explanation we could make 
nnt U kn™ n - ake it satisfactory. I regret that we do 
not know every customer personally, that we may ex- 
plain to him that this order could be changed a little to 
° l i r b vane i ie ® an(i would better his conditions. Only 
J'fek we had a customer here who wanted 7,000 trees, 
S mind set just one way; that 3,500 must be 
«Peach trees and 3,500 must be one-year trees, 
wanted certain varieties, and no other varieties 
would even grow or bear fruit on his soil. I spent the 
and after hi J?. F 0ms / rom ° ne block - Of trees to the other, 
aa ^ after felting through he had some one-year trees 
and some June buds. I hope The R. N.-Y. will insist 
that when a man wants a thousand trees, or let it be less, 
he can well afford to take a little time off and go to the 
nursery and see for himself. Probably one trip to the 
nursery will satisfy him. and he can tell whether he 
wants to continue dealing with that firm or not. He can 
see how the trees are grown, taken up. handled and pack- 
e ^L a v? < ^ say that it costs hard cash to grow trees 
ar i d handle them properly. orlando harrison 
Maryland. 
tt 
STOCK IN THE ORCHARD. 
9 9 
I note on page 809 Benj. Buckman says that the state¬ 
ment in my article on what stock to keep in the orchard 
is contradictory, when I say that an observer would 
scarcely tell by the appearance of the ground in my or¬ 
chards that hogs without rings had been running there, 
that they do not root, except occasionally late in the 
r all when they are evidently after some insect larvte- 
then following with the advice that often the best way 
to plow our old orchard that has been long in sod is to 
let the hogs do it, as they will do a better job than a man 
with a plow. I can easily see that a hasty glance would 
lead to this conclusion. If, however, he will carefully re¬ 
read my article he will note that in my own case I was 
speaking of an orchard which has been so pastured for 
years, and where there is comparatively little of sucli 
insect life in the sod, they having been destroyed by the 
stock and spraying; also, that the hogs are ted plenty of 
protein food and mineral matter as well, so that their 
natural appetite for such is satisfied. It will thus be 
easliy seen why I am not troubled with rooting. On the 
°tn e r hand, I had in mind a more or less neglected or¬ 
chard that had been used as a meadow, and where the 
^ was full of such insect larvae. In such a case and 
with hogs that had little or no protein or mineral in their 
food, there will be little doubt but that they will not only 
root, but do a thorough job. Incidentally I will also say 
that I believe the most satisfactory results in the de¬ 
struction of insect life whether by animals or spraying 
are always obtained By such an annual destruction, as 
allows only a few insects to live and perpetuate their 
Klnd - EDWD. VAN AL8TTNB. 
Li I I J. 
The Acme Pulverizing Harrow, while a “general-pur¬ 
pose harrow, is preeminently adapted to the preparation 
of ground for Winter and other grain where the drill is 
to be used and for covering in the seed where the drill 
is not used. It is the lowest priced riding harrow on the 
market. Write to Duane H. Nash, Millington, N. J. 
A feed grinder properly to prepare the food and avoid 
waste is fast coming to be the rule rather than the ex¬ 
ception. This fact has created such a demand that a 
large number of mills have been patented and are of¬ 
fered to feeders. Among the best of the mills, all things 
considered, is the triple-geared, ball-bearing grinder 
manufactured by G. M. Ditto, of Joliet, Ill. He will for¬ 
ward descriptive matter and the trial under his policy 
of selling will cost you nothing if the mill does not prove 
the claims made for ft. 
There are places where broadcast seeding refuses to go 
out in spite of all the modern drill machinery. In -.any 
such places the inseparable companion of the sower for 
45 years has been the Cahoon Broadcast Seeder, a re¬ 
markable term of service for a machine so simple. But 
in its simplicity as well as its perfect working qualities, 
is to be found, perhaps, the cause of its continued popu¬ 
larity. The Goodell Company, Antrim, N. H., is the 
manufacturer. The Sower’s Manual, telling how, when 
and how much to sow, is a valuable little book for the 
planter to have. It will come free If you will write the 
Goodell Company for It. 
The dishorning knife has come to be almost a stable 
necessity to the dairyman and cattle feeder. There are 
several knives on the market, but perhaps none that is so 
satisfactory from every consideration as the one manu¬ 
factured by M. T. Phillips, Pomeroy, Pa. Its great point 
of advantage is that it cuts from all four sides at once, 
and thereby secures a clean, clear cut that is all cut and 
no breaking or crushing. The acting director at Cornell 
University commends especially Its “ease of operation 
and durability,” and describes it as “the best instrument 
of its kind that we have ever used.” It would pay anyone 
Interested to write him for a copy of a little der .riptive 
book he sends out free. 
