1004. 
Events of the Week 
DOMESTIC.—The destruction wrougut L>y the severe hail¬ 
storm in the Laurinsburg district of North Carolina is even 
greater than the first reports indicated. The country for 
miles around is completely devastated, vegetation destroyed 
and cotton, corn and all growing crops ruined. The condi¬ 
tion of the victims of the fearful storm is said to be most 
pitiable. The farmers have lost everything. Mass meet¬ 
ings are to be held in both Scotland and Laurinsburg Coun¬ 
ties to raise funds for the sufferers. . . . Fire which 
started in a lumber yard at Paterson, N. J., June 23, spread 
to an adjoining silk mill and caused a total loss of $500,- 
000. . . . Uprooted trees, wrecked buildings, broken 
windows and washouts along the highways and the rail¬ 
road mark the path of a tornado which swept across Cape 
Cod, Mass., June 22. Its severity far exceeded the memor¬ 
able gale of 1898, but fortunately it was of short duration. 
The damage will amount to thousands of dollars, and it is 
feared that the cranberry crop in the line of the tempest 
has been totally ruined. . . . Testimony of witnesses at 
the Slocum inquest June 22 developed: That not the slight¬ 
est attention was paid to the law requiring steam con¬ 
nection from the boilers into the hold compartments to 
drown out fire. That the inspector did not enforce this 
requirement, declaring that the Slocum, not carrying freight, 
had no “hold,” and that the chief engineer had never heard 
of this requirement. That there were no new life pre¬ 
servers since 1895. That, according to one deckhand, the 
hose did not burst, for the water never came, and that no¬ 
body gave any orders while the lire was being fought. June 
25 the apparent total dead, including bodies recovered and 
those still missing, was 947. ... In the United States 
Circuit Court, in Brooklyn, June 27, John J. Harrington 
liled a libel against 149 Angora goats. Mr. Harrington 
alleges that he is in the lighterage business and that on 
May 24 was employed to transport 149 Angora goats from 
the steamship Susquehanna, lying in the Port of New York, 
to East Rockaway inlet. The charge was to be 5100. He 
was also compelled to pay $51 for towage, wharfage and in¬ 
surance. He presented his bill, but payment has been re¬ 
fused. Therefore he libels the goats. . . . International 
complications are promised as the result of the local de¬ 
velopments of the strike which has placed Teller and Tel- 
lurlde Counties in Colorado under martial law. Thomas 
Erskine, Acting Consul of Great Britain in Chicago, has 
been called upon for Intervention by nearly 80 subjects of 
the Empire, who are imprisoned in the “bull pens" estab¬ 
lished by military rule, or have been deported. Of these 
men who demand the protection of the Government, six 
have served in the British navy, eight have proof of recent 
residence in England, fourteen claim to be Scotch born, and 
three are Welshmen. The other three score and over failed 
to submit evidence that their claims were good, although 
in many cases it is thought lack of knowledge in making 
application was responsible for this. ... A thunder¬ 
storm, accompanied by heavy wind, which struck New York 
and vicinity June 26, caused the death of eight persons in 
Brooklyn, seven being drowned by the capsizing of a yacht, 
and one killed by lightning. . . . An alleged lottery 
scheme which is said to have netted its operators hundreds 
of thousands of dollars annually was disclosed at Chicago 
.Tune 27, when the Manhattan Exchange Bank was entered 
~by United States Marshals, wuo arrested John H. Dalton, 
a politician, and L. A. Gourdan on warrants sworn out in 
the United States District Court by postoffice detectives. 
The warrants charge that lottery tickets were sent out of 
Illinois by the Manhattan Exchange Bank in violation of 
the Interstate Commerce law. When the prisoners were 
arraigned before United States Commissioner Foote the hear¬ 
ing of their cases was sot for July 7. Both furnished $5,000 
bonds. Dalton is well known in the Federal courts for his 
connection with lottery concerns in the last few years, 
having paid fines aggregating several thousand dollars. 
Large quantities of advertising matter found in the “bank” 
were seized, and will be used as evidence. 
ADMINISTRATION.—Edwin C. Madden, Third Assistant 
Postmaster General, is found guiltless of improper conduct 
In connection with the printing and disposition of specimen 
postage stamps. Assistant Attorney General Charles H. 
Robb, who investigated the alleged' irregularities in Mr. 
Madden’s office, submitted his report to the President to-day, 
and it was made public. The report finds nothing to con¬ 
demn in Mr. Madden's conduct, and declares the practice of 
the gratuitous distribution of a limited number of these 
books has obtained in the Postoffice Department ever since 
postage stamps were first printed. The report recommends 
that the practice be discontinued, as “theoretically wrong 
from an administrative point of view.” . . . .Tune 23 
the Republican National Convention nominated Roosevelt 
and Fairbanks for President and Vice-President, both by 
unanimous vote. . . . The Secretary of the Interior has 
withdrawn from all forms of disposal 1,013,760 acres of 
public land in Nebraska for incorporation in what is known 
ns the North Platte irrigation project. It is one of the 
largest of the irrigation reservations made by the Govern¬ 
ment. In accordance with the recent directions of the Pres¬ 
ident, the Secretary of the Interior also has withdrawn 
23,000 acres of public lands adjoining Fort Niobrara, Neb., 
for the use of the army. ... At the meeting of the 
Cabinet June 24 it was decided that the customs rates Im¬ 
posed by the Dingley tariff law should be imposed upon all 
goods imported into" the American zone on the Isthmus of 
Panama except on such goods as may be shipped there from 
the United States, the American zone being regarded as 
United States territory. . . . The appointment for Sec¬ 
retary of Commerce and Labor has again been changed, 
being given to Victor S. Metcalfe, of California, while Paul 
Morton, who is a railroad official, will succeed Moody as 
Secretary of the Navy. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—One of the first conse¬ 
quences of the Russian-Japanese war was the serious crip¬ 
pling of the trade of Siberia with European Russia, the 
Caucasus and Poland. The unskilled laboring element of 
Russia was the first to feel these consequences. Workmen 
gradually are being thrown out of employment, and are 
left with their families to subsist as best they may. Har¬ 
vesting may afford to a small percentage of the unem¬ 
ployed opportunity of earning a little, though the relief can 
only be temporary, and in view of the wretched wages paid 
in the agricultural districts this must be materially insig¬ 
nificant. Even the State railways have been compelled to 
discharge squads of loaders owing to the shrinkage in ordi¬ 
nary goods traffic. In the last four months the shrinkage 
has been close on to 11 per cent, and is increasing. . . . 
The prize court at Vladivostok has condemned the British 
steamship Allanton (captured by the Russian Vladivostok 
squadron recently in the Straits of Korea), for carrying 
contraband of war, and has confiscated the ship and her 
cargo of 6,500 tons of anthracite coal, valued at $500,000. 
The firm at Singapore to which the coal was consigned 
is the same concern that supplied Japan with contraband 
during the Japanese-Chinese war. . . . Ion Perdicaris, 
a wealthy United States citizen, who has for 34 years re¬ 
sided in a beautiful home on the outskirts of Tangier, and 
his stepson, Cromwell Varley, a British subject, were carried 
off on the night of May 18 by Rais Uli, and released June 
24. As the price of their release the bandit demanded 
a ransom of $55,000, that the Governor of Tangier be de¬ 
posed, that the Moorish troops at Tangier be withdrawn, 
that the members of his (Rais Uli’s) tribe in jail be re¬ 
leased, and that he himself be appointed Governor over 
a considerable tract of territory. These demands were not 
made all at once, but as soon as they were made the Sultan, 
terrified by the appearance of American and other warships 
at Tangier, granted them. The diplomatic representatives 
at Tangier will now have to meet Rais Uli on friendly terms. 
They must deal with him in regard to any question con¬ 
cerning the territory unuer his Governorship, and. if they 
follow the usual etiquette, will exchange friendly visits 
with them. The prospect is said to be highly unwelcome 
to them. Walter B. Harris. The London Times’s corre¬ 
spondent at Tangier, and a close friend of Mr. Perdicaris, 
offered to act as a substitute captive if Rais Uli would 
consent to free Perdicaris. The bandit declined the pro¬ 
posal. which was made because of Perdicaris’s poor health. 
Mr. Harris himself was captured bv Rais Uli some months 
ago, and was exchanged for some of the brigand’s followers 
who were in jail at Tangier. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Hampshire Down Breeders’ 
Association issues a convincing little leaflet devoted to that 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
breed, which may be obtained from the secretary, Comfort 
A. Tyler, Nottawa, Mich. 
The Steuben Co., N. Y., Agricultural Society will hold 
its annual fair at Bath September 27-30. One of the special 
features of the fair is its nature study work. Children's 
prizes amounting to $ 1,000 are offered, and the prize list, 
which may be obtained from H. L. Drummer, Bath, N. Y., 
will be found instructive by teachers and others interested 
in this work. 
The Georgia State Horticultural Society will hold its 
twenty-eighth annual meeting at Tallulah Falls, Ga., Aug¬ 
ust 4-5. 
ALFALFA NOTES FROM KANSAS. 
I notice on page 95, a question regarding when to sow 
Alfalfa. I notice a number of answers also, which will 
leave the “Reader” still at sea. My experience has been 
that pasturing sheep or cattle on Alfalfa is extremely 
dangerous on account of bloat. I cut and feed green, and 
do not know of any forage plant to equal it in results, espe¬ 
cially for milk, or when fed with corn to either hogs or 
cattle. Five pounds of wet green Alfalfa might cause blqat. 
Great care must be used. It wants good potato land. Any 
well-underdrained soil will grow it with more or less suc¬ 
cess, according to quality of soil. x>ever sow it on soggy 
soil. Sow 25 pounds per acre, half each way. Prepare your 
land as for onions. Do not plow it. Cultivate, harrow and 
plank drag until it is rnei.ow and line two or three inches, 
not deeper. Sow seed and cover with smoothing harrow 
and plank drag. Be sure to clip it every two weeks; it 
will stimulate the little plant by extra root growth. Do 
not neglect this. Never sow a nurse crop. Cut for hay 
when you can stand and count 20 blossoms. Be sure to try 
a patch for green feed or hay. If you pasture it mix it with 
half Red-top or English Blue grass. Give stock access to 
dry feed—hay or straw. Always carry a sharp jack knife 
with a small blade; you will need it sooner or later; 15 
minutes will mean life or death to a bloated animal. Sow 
it just before you plant corn. It does not stool. Better 
too thick than too thin. It is very difficult to cure as 
hay. Also liable to white dry mold in stack. Worms work 
in the hay. The proper place for it is in silo. Be sure to 
try it. Wet weather; crops very backward; berries a full 
crop; other fruit scarce; two floods and another threat¬ 
ened. G. P. 
Fort Scott, Kan. 
POTATOES LEFT OVER WINTER IN GROUND 
I have heard of but one instance near here. One farm 
had about 10 or 12 bushels remaining in the ground over 
Winter. On digging them this Spring about one-half were 
decayed; the remainder all right. These were dug before 
time for them to sprout. We hear of a good many fields 
in Wayne Co. that were left over last Fall. The Winter 
set In last year the middle of November and the ground did 
not thaw until March. Help enough here after the apples 
were harvested; nearly everything was closed up by Novem¬ 
ber 10. i. N. s. 
Albion, N. Y. 
Many acres of potatoes were left in the ground from last 
season on account of the scarcity of farm help and the 
early Winter; also many acres of sugar beet. I have made 
diligent inquiry, and 1 cannot find where any of the crop 
was saved. Where the ground was plowed for other crops 
this Spring few came up, not as many as were left from 
the usual way of harvesting the crop, showing that the 
severe Winter destroyed those left in the soil. Beets left in 
the ground were also a total loss. The new crop of early 
potatoes are looking fine; very heavy crop of vines, a little 
early to say about the potatoes; no bugs of any account so 
far, no spraying required to protect the vines. a. d. b. 
Cayuga Co., N. Y. 
Quite a number of patches of potatoes were caught out 
by the November freeze in this section of central New York. 
Some of these were dug this Spring and gave a good yield, 
notably the case near Lyons, referred to on page 396, 
the result of which are now being settled by the courts. 
I do not know of any being left to sprout in the Spring, 
and give a volunteer crop, but I do know that they would 
sprout and grow if kept undisturbed, as I had about a 
dozen hills of a new seedling left in the ground in 1902, 
being forgotten, and they came up in Spring of 1903 and 
gave me a nice volunteer crop of about one-half a bushel 
that I have planted this Spring. c. e. c. 
Wayne Co., N. Y._ 
THE COW FOR NEW YORK. 
Straight Dairy Animal, Says Mr. Cook. 
DUAL-PURPOSE COWS.—Very little has been done by 
our agricultural institutions in New York for the improve¬ 
ment of live stock. That there is an opportunity, no one 
will question. 1 was recently discussing the animal hus¬ 
bandry needs with Dean Bailey, of the State College, who 
is deeply -interested in laying the foundation right. He pur¬ 
poses to act, and is desirous of getting into the closest touch 
with the breeders of the commonwealth, to know their senti¬ 
ments. The question arises whether or not our State shoulcj 
become interested in beef production. There is no more 
misleading fallacy connected with the farm, none which has 
led more men astray, than the effort to breed an animal 
for both milk and beef. Occasionally such an one is found, 
and then begins a chase to reproduce another. The Ameri¬ 
can is a natural gambler. It makes but little difference 
what the game may be, provided only that there Is uncer¬ 
tainty in its make-up. The aual-purpose cow, as seen from 
a western point of view, is a speculation pure and simple, 
and I hope there will be no such ideal at our State Col¬ 
lege. 
BEEF PRODUCTION.-—Do we need a beef interest in 
the East? Primarily, what does it mean? It is easy to 
say New York sends millions west for beef; why not raise 
and mature it here? So she sends money west for horses, 
why not raise them here? The fact is we are keeping live 
stock at the present time far in excess of our corn-producing 
power, as shown by the immense purchase of feed. To be 
sure, we can double and treble our crop production, but 
not at a profit if the effort is forced. Prices for farm 
products are now only fairly remunerative at the best: 
taking this in connection with the scarcity and high cost of 
labor, and we are up against a great question of rural econ¬ 
omy. Will it pay? As our production is organized now, if 
beef was added, there must be one of two changes, reduction 
in milk production or increased purchase of western corn. 
New York, and, in fact, all of our eastern land, including 
Pennsylvania, can never become the natural corn-growing 
section like the Mississippi Valley, and no one will dispute 
that corn must be, as it has been, the backbone of beef pro¬ 
duction. The protein by-products are now more than for¬ 
merly entering into beef making, but it is incidental after 
all. ' From the growing point of view we certainly have 
nothing to offer not now utilized. If there is any change 
needed it is sheep to keep down ever-increasing weed 
growth, and not the presence of a lazy beef steer. It would 
be Idle to undertake beef making with our dairy-bred steers, 
and that is all we have unless the beef-breeding West is 
drawn upon. 
BEEF PROFITS.—Is there more profit in beef, that we 
should reduce our milk flow? I know of no figure to prove 
such. I was greatly interested in the comparative profits 
as given by Wisconsin farmers a few years ago, which were 
invariably on the dairy side. Where milking is a serious 
objection' there may be some debatable ground. There is 
no doubt that where poor dairy cows are kept, up-to-date 
beef production would be more satisfactory, but a poor 
dairy cow feeder would rarely evolve himself into a success¬ 
ful beef feeder at a single turn of the crank. In fact, It 
is only the educated liberal feeder who could for one mo¬ 
ment expect to produce prime beef even upon the best of 
beef form. And it has never been contended that there was 
profit in poorly-bred beef stock, half fed. Again, if New 
York should introduce Herefords. Short-horns and Angus 
bulls, I fear the temptation would be too great to with¬ 
stand, and the desire to “see how it would come out” would 
overpower many dairy farmers, and we should see the dual 
529 
cow with a vengeance. Our milk yield is already small 
enough; let us do nothing to reduce it. 
IMPROVING THE DAIRY.—What we do need, however, 
is a greater number of 10 , 000 -pound three and five-tenths 
per cent cows, or 7,000-pound five per cent cows. There is 
a place for both. In the milk markets the bulk of the trade 
will only pay for the low-grade milk. We do not need 
more breeds or more crosses. It is humiliating that this 
country has not produced a breed of dairy cows. We have 
tried hard to make a breed of the dual-purpose cow, but as 
she never reproduced herself in anything like the same form 
we could not make a success. But it seems to me we would 
appear to the onloouing dairy world to much better advan¬ 
tage to take the Jerseys and Guernseys for high-grade milk, 
and the Ayrshires and llolsteins for low-grade milk, and 
improve them. We have already quite passed the necessity 
of importation of Ayrshire and Holstein stock, and as soon 
as we learn that the Channel Island cows must have Chan¬ 
nel Island temperature and environment we shall cease 
importing from that favored land. I firmly believe that our 
newly organized State College should alienate itself from 
western sentiment and custom so far as it pertains to live 
stock interests. I know it is wonderfully fascinating to 
breed and handle the smooth beef beauties, but is not the 
machinery that can produce 10 to 20 times its own weight 
of milk annually, but a more complex and wonderful 
mechanism, requiring more genius to .develop and skill to 
feed? We have in the East conditions peculiar in many 
respects that cannot be changed; it is therefore a problem 
to meet them and organize for development upon our own 
lines. 
DAIRY COW EDUCATION or development is the one 
great thing we need at the present time. Probably not one- 
tenth of the cow-keepers in New York have the skill and 
persistence fully to develop the stock in hand, or know its 
possibilities. This is not a question of breeding, but does 
concern our farm economy. In animal building the one 
essential that stands out as pre-eminently requisite is 
greater power of assimilation for this one man out of 10 
to handle. We do not need greater hardiness, in the usual 
acceptance of the term. Dairy cows are to have greater 
comforts in the future by way of protection and warmth. 
Nor in my judgment is there any place for a cow with 
unusual strength of bone and muscle, especially adapted to 
long range foraging while cows are to be pastured. The 
tendency must be towards increased stable feeding (soiling) 
or smaller pastures with more herbage. Nature’s laws are 
fast and immutable. The dairy cow will develop no faster 
than we develop the dairyman to look after her wants; 
else there would come destruction to her race. New York 
is naturally, if the word has not lost its significance in the 
dairy world, adapted to the dairy cow. She must have, so 
long as manufacture and commerce remain its great wealth 
producers, splendid markets for her product, hence her de¬ 
velopment should be guided along specific lines of increased 
power of assimilation and milk secretion. H. e. cook. 
FRUIT AND CROP PROSPECTS. 
Fruit is about as follows: Apples, some varieties a good 
setting, other very light or none; pears, a light crop, except 
where Kieffers had other kinds to fertilize blossoms, where 
there is a fine setting; peaches, very light; plums, a beauti¬ 
ful setting, promise a large crop; strawberries, a good crop ; 
blackberries and raspberries, a small crop, as canes were 
killed to snow line; cherries, about half a crop. w. h. s. 
Central New Jersey. 
Splendid weather, all crops booming with the exception of 
wheat, and that, what there is left, is doing well. A usual 
acreage of beans being planted, as well as potatoes, cab¬ 
bage and sugar beets are not looked upon as favorably as 
formerly. An encouraging fruit crop in sight, particularly 
apples of the Baldwin variety. Pears a very good average. 
Prunes and peaches a shortened crop prospect, particularly 
the latter; hundreds of peach trees entirely killed by frost. 
Genesee Co., N. Y. i. d. c. 
Vineyardlsts are waking up to the importance of spray¬ 
ing as never before. Until recent years people of this grape 
belt thought themselves God’s chosen fruit growers, and 
many times when I have advocated spraying I would be 
met'with the question: “Have you any spraying machinery 
to sell?” Now the cry is “What can I do to be saved from 
insects and disease?” J. w. s. 
Chautauqua Co., N. Y. 
TEXAS CHANGES.—In the early days, northeastern 
Texas was the choicest grazing spot in all Texas, and was 
filled with cattle during the open range days. But it is hard 
for the old-time cowmen to realize that such changes could 
have been made. The once open range country is now cut 
up into small farms, and the land which in early days 
was worth but little is now worth from $50 to $75 per 
acre, and is going up right along. Diversified farming is 
the order, and almost everything is raised there. In the 
more recent years great quantities of early vegelables for 
the northern markets are being raised, as well as a great 
deal of fruit. This has become a popular as well as profit¬ 
able feature of the farming in that section. The crops this 
year are good, and the farmers are counting on a very 
prosperous year. The corn crop, which is made, is good, 
and wheat and other grains are good. We have had an 
abundance of rain all Spring, and the pastures are good 
and stock is doing well everywhere. Of course, there is not 
as much stock raised there as formerly, but what is raised 
is high grade.—Galveston News. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
For nearly 30 years Geo. P. Hammond & Co., 34-36 Little 
Twelfth street, New York, have been engaged in the produce 
commission business. They have a large trade and good 
facilities for handling fruits, vegetables, poultry and dairy 
products, etc. 
We are in receipt of a little booklet issued by the Mot- 
singer Device Mfg. Co., Pendleton, Ind., which is of interest 
and value to any man operating a gas or gasoline engine. 
It contains all details relating to the “Auto-Sparker” and 
will be sent free on request. 
At this season appetizing and nutritious food is a neces¬ 
sity, but a heavy and heating diet should be avoided, and It 
is wise to limit the supply of rich cake, pie, etc. Quickly 
made light desserts are a relief to the housewife, and among 
these Jell-O stands pre-eminent. It can be made in two min¬ 
utes, requiring no cooking, merely the addition of boiling 
water, and its sparkling translucent color and delicious flavor 
makes it a favorite with everyone. It may be purchased any¬ 
where, costing only 10 cents, and should always be kept in 
the house. An article like this, which relieves work while 
adding to the number of wholesome table delicacies, should 
be included in your next grocery list. 
The offer of the 1900 Washer people, Binghamton, N. Y., 
to send their washer free of all cost to any applicant for 30 
days’ trial has resulted in selling more goods for them than 
any other move they ever made. The following Is a sample 
of letters which the company receive from pleased customers: 
“It would have been impossible to convince me that your 
washer would do everything you claim for it had you' not 
sent it to me free of cost for 30 days’ trial. I made up my 
mind if you had that much confidence in the washer it was 
worth my while to try it, especially as you offered to pay the 
cost of returning it if it was not satisfactory.” Their an¬ 
nouncement in another column renews this free trial offer; 
write them for particulars. 
The heated season is with us again, and with it all the 
pests which tend to make life, unbearable for both man and 
beast. While science has failed of any practical means of 
eradicating the much-dreaded mosquito, some ingenious and 
enterprising business men have discovered effective ammuni¬ 
tion against his first cousins which annoy domestic animals. 
We refer to the product with the very appropriate name 
“Shoo Fly.” Any dairyman who will make a little test of 
the extra quantity of milk a cow will give when free from 
the annoyance of flies will never be without this protection. 
While not so apparent the loss is just as great with horses 
and other animals left unprotected against the Summer pests. 
Just write Shoo-Fly Mfg. Co., Philadelphia, Pa., for full 
information and prices. 
