1904 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
355 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—The trial of a civil action brought by the 
United States against Charles P. W. Neely, who as chief 
of the Bureau of Finance under E'stes G. Rathbone dur¬ 
ing our military occupation of Cuba was convicted of 
converting the proceeds of stamp sales to his own use, 
was begun before Judge Lacombe and a jury April 6 in 
the United States Circuit Court, New York. It was 
alleged in Cuba that more than $140,000 disappeared while 
he was around. By the Cuban General Amnesty act, 
which pardoned all American prisoners and convicts, 
Neely escaped punishment, but a cash bond of $20,000 
which he gave upon his arrest in this country and about 
$7,000 found upon his person were attached by the United 
States Government at the instance of Assistant United 
States District Attorney Capt. Ball and civil suit was 
begun to get that money. ... At Chicago, Ill., April 
4. members of a pressman’s union attacked a non-union 
woman worker, three men beating her brutally, knock¬ 
ing out teeth, breaking her nose, and otherwise maltreat¬ 
ing her as punishment for working against union orders. 
. . . Senator J. R. Burton, of Kansas, was sentenced 
April 6 to six months’ imprisonment in jail and a fine 
of $2,500 for using his influence before the Postoffice De¬ 
partment in behalf of the Rialto Grain and Securities 
Company, of St. Louis, and for having received payment 
from the company for his services. . . . Five persons 
were killed in a fire at Mount Vernon, N. Y., April 6. 
The building had long been regarded as a death trap. 
It was a wooden structure, four stories high, covered 
with sheet iron. Tt contained a music hall and roof gar¬ 
den. The two upper floors were occupied by about 10 
families. . . . John B. Honor & Co., stevedores, have 
secured a judgment in the Civil District Court, New 
Orleans, La., against the Longshoremen’s Union for 
damages in the sum of $12,000 for violation of contract. 
This is the first decision of the kind ever rendered in 
the far South, and will have a decisive effect on other 
labor union troubles pending. On August 29 Honor signed 
a three-year contract with the longshoremen. It stipu¬ 
lated that they should “do such work as was required 
of them.” On September 1. when other levee troubles 
broke out. Honor’s men were called out, despite the con¬ 
tract signed. Three of his men refused to strike and 
they were afterward expelled from the union and boy¬ 
cotted. Honor brought suit, demanding the reinstate¬ 
ment of the three men. and also suits for $20,000 against 
both the white and negro Longshoremen’s Associations. 
Judge Theard rendered a verdict compelling the rein¬ 
statement of the three men. Judge Ellis handed down a 
decree in the suit against the white longshoremen, 
awarding $12,000 damages. . . . Harry Olsen, a sailor 
runner, who was found guilty at Savannah, Ga., April 6, 
of shanghaiing a number of negroes and sending them 
to England on the Russian bark Alice, was sentenced 
April 7 to five years in the penitentiary, the maximum 
term, and to pay a fine of $5,000. . . . Five persons 
were killed and a number were injured in a tornado 
which swept Freestone and Limestone counties, Texas, 
April 7. The force of the cyclone was most felt four 
miles east of Prairie Grove. At Lake Creek settlement 
13 persons were injured, some of them mortally. . . . 
The Ferris wheel, which was one of the attractions of 
the Columbian Exposition, has been moved to St. Louis 
to become a feature of the exposition there. It took four 
months to erect the huge merry-go-round. 1,000,000 feet 
of timbers 12x12 to 20x20 being required for the false 
work. One hundred and forty freight and flat cars, each 
loaded to its fullest capacity, conveyed the many parts 
of the huge device from Chicago to St. Louis. It is 
estimated that 150,000 passengers can be accommodated 
each day. The wheel, with its cars and passengers, 
weighs about 1,200 tons. Its axis is supported on two 
skeleton iron towers, pyramidal in form, one at each 
end of it. They are 40x50 feet at the bottom and six feet 
square at top, and about 140 feet high. 
ADMINISTRATION.—The gross postal receipts at the 
largest 50 postoffiees in the United States for March, 
1904, as compared with March, 1903, aggregated $6,458,301, 
a net increase of 13 per cent. The largest per¬ 
centage of increase was over 38, at Los An¬ 
geles, and the only decrease was 3 per cent, at 
Jersey City. New York’s receipts were $1,384,115, 
or 15 per cent increase, and Chicago’s, $1,067,468, or almost 
14 per cent increase. . . . Books issued periodically 
cannot be transmitted through the mails as second-class 
matter, according to a decision handed down by the 
United States Supreme Court April 10. The opinion was 
delivered by Justice Brown, and covered three cases 
against the Postmaster-General, instituted respectively 
by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Smith and others and Bates 
& Guild. The Chief Justice and Justice Harlan dis¬ 
sented. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Floyd County, Iowa, Agri¬ 
cultural Society offers some fine premiums to the best 
hired girl and the best hired man employed upon a farm, 
and is limited to farmers’ help in Floyd County. The 
contest is to commence April 20, 1904, and close Septem¬ 
ber 6, 1904. In offering the premiums the fair manage¬ 
ment believes that the hired man and the hired girl are 
entitled to due credit for helping to make and maintain 
the State of Iowa as the first State in the Union in 
agriculture and improved stock. The management be¬ 
lieves that it will be to the financial interest of many 
farmers to nominate the hired man or hired girl, as the 
case may be, fn this contest. The fair officials argue 
that it will stimulate them to do, and remind them of 
their duties, and that the farmers’ hired help that is 
nominated in the contest will strive to earn the prizes 
offered and will be worth $5 or $10 a month more than 
the help that has no stimulating object in view. The 
outcome of this unique contest is watched with interest 
in the community. The prizes include trips to the St. 
Louis Fair, with all expenses paid. 
Practical investigations to determine the exact com¬ 
position of the loco weed, which is the cause of much 
worry and expense to cattlemen throughout the West, 
and to detect the cause of its poisonous effects upon 
ar.imals, will be undertaken early in May by Dr. H. H. 
True, of the Bureau of Plant. Industry of the Depart¬ 
ment of AsfrteuUufp, jfi conjunction with Prof, w. L. 
Carlyle, of the Colorado Experiment Station at Fort 
Collins, and Secretary Johnson, of the Colorado Cattle 
and Horse Growers’ Association. 
FRUIT DAMAGE IN THE HUDSON VALLEY . 
The daily papers have reported great loss of fruit trees 
in the section drained by the Hudson River. Such re¬ 
ports are not always accurate. We prefer individual 
reports from representative men, like the following: 
I think that some of the papers have exaggerated frost 
damage to quite an extent, and also that the nurseries 
have made it appear worse than it is, but there is a 
good deal of damage done to peach trees. I have some 
that are quite badly frozen that I do not think ever will 
amount to anything, about four years old, being on 
low land where others that face the west on hillside are 
not damaged to any extent. It is hard to tell; some 
are total loss where others are not much damaged, hav¬ 
ing the same cultivation. Apple orchard is damaged to 
some extent; it is quite old on hillside and sod. I think 
that locality around me suffered more than we did; 
people are holding back somewhat in planting new trees. 
Newburgh, N. Y. j. w. c. 
I do not think the papers have exaggerated the story 
in regard to damage done to fruit trees. I find in our 
locality that the peaches are very much hurt, freezing 
nearly all of two-year growth. Also, I find that hardy 
roses that stood 12 or 15 years have been frozen nearly 
to the ground. Cherries I have examined and found all 
fruit buds killed, Black Tartarian and White Oxheart. 
About four miles from my residence a man has lost a 
Bartlett pear orchard of about 500 trees, which are 
grown on hillside and in sod. As to variety of pear I 
think Bartletts have proved less hardy than others. As 
to growers changing varieties and pulling trees, I cannot 
say, as it is rather early in season. I do not think cul¬ 
tivation had anything to do with it, as I think it lies 
all in the location. w. h. 
Barry town, N. Y. 
I believe the reports have been greatly exaggerated; 
from my personal observation, and from what informa¬ 
tion I can gather, I believe very few trees that were in 
a vigorous condition in the Fall are killed. Of course 
most of the peach fruit buds are killed, but some or- 
chardists report a few live buds in elevated locations on 
such varieties as Triumph, Champion and Iron Moun¬ 
tain. Pear trees are in quite bad condition, due more 
to the ravages of the aphis last year than to the severity 
of the Winter. The Bartlett, having a light foliage and 
thin bark, has suffered more than other varieties; a 
great many trees that were not cultivated undoubtedly 
are dead. Plums have come through all right; fruit 
buds mostly all alive. Cherry fruit buds are killed. I 
find that the inclination among fruit growers is to tear 
out trees that are not in good condition, and set new 
ones rather than doctor up the old. j. g. m. 
Newburgh, N. Y. 
We have been in several of the peach orchards in this 
locality, and have only found one orchard where the 
trees withstood the severe cold of the past Winter. In 
this one case the trees were on a steep sidehill sloping 
to the east, and the snow was drifted by the west wind 
from the top of the hill until the trees were almost 
entirely covered, and thus saved from the 47 degrees 
below zero weather. It has been fully demonstrated in 
this section that 47 degrees below zero will freeze peach 
trees stiff to the snow line, and all trees examined—with 
the exception of the one orchard referred to—seem to be 
entirely dead right down to the top of the snow, or to 
speak more correctly, down to where the snow was at 
the time of the freeze. Some of the owners say they 
cannot believe the trees will not recover, but we feel 
that this is a false hope, and in our own orchard are 
sawing the trees off from four to eight inches from the 
ground. We strip the bark from the tree trunk down¬ 
ward until we come to live bark and at this point saw 
the tree off. It Is better to do this work now than to 
wait until the young shoots appear, as it will then be 
almost impossible to saw the tree off without injuring 
the shoots, and as these stumps cannot live long with¬ 
out lungs (leaves) it is best to give them every chance 
possible after they once get started. There is no wav 
of telling which variety might have stood the most cold, 
as all varieties have gone the same road, and high 
ground, low ground, cultivated ground or sod seems to 
have cut no figure. Our orchard is but three years old, 
and we hope by the methods we have adopted yet to 
see it in bearing, but if we had an old orchard we should 
certainly tear it out root and. branch, and this seems to 
be the method of most growers. We know of one 
orchard of 60 acres, three and four-year-old trees, and the 
owner says there is not a peach tree,in the whole orchard 
that is alive higher than eight inches from the ground. 
He is sawing them all off down to the live wood. The 
frost is just out of the ground here (April 11). and so 
no plowing is done or orchards set. but we imagine the 
old methods will be adhered to. Were I to set a new 
orchard myself I should set part bv the String-fellow 
method as an experiment, but am of the opinion that 
with our soil the old and more laborious way is the best. 
T will say in fairness to the new method that my opin¬ 
ion on the subject is of little value, as I have never 
even seen an orchard that was set in that way. I will, 
however, venture the prediction that no matter what 
methods are used in planting or in culture, Orange 
County will not produce another crop of peaches inside 
of five years. j. c g. 
Blooming Grove, N. Y. 
It is very hard to tell just what damage has been done 
to our fruit trees in this section, as this is our first 
experience with frozen trees. I found that the tree 
doctors did not agree and the agricultural papers all per¬ 
sisted in telling us to cut back all the dead wood from 
the tops of the trees, when in fact there was not any 
dead wood to cut off, but the damage was all at the 
butts just above the snow line. So I packed my grip 
with samples of damaged peach and pear wood and 
went to Washington, after first writing, asking them to 
send on an expert, which could not be done just at that 
time. After conferring with the proper authority, and 
getting much encouragement, it was decided to send 
Prof. Waite, pathologist in charge of investigations of 
diseases of orchard fruits, to look the situation over, and 
the result was the publication of Bulletin No. 51, Part 3, 
which can be had by writing a postal to Department of 
Agriculture at Washington. Peach trees are damaged 
fiom 10 to 20 per cent (killed). The fruit buds damaged 
75 per cent. There will be some peaches on very high 
and favorably located ridges. Plum trees are not hurt 
in tree or bud nearly as much as peach, five per cent in 
trees killed. 15 to 20 per cent buds. Pear trees seem to 
be the most damaged. We would have had some dead 
pear trees anyway from effect of severe attack of psylla 
and leaf blight last season. The freeze no doubt has 
finished a great many trees that might have lived with 
extra care this season. On low land 50 to 70 per cent of 
the near trees are killed, old and young. T have Seckel 
and Bartletts 20 years old with the bark loose all the 
way around, and breaking now. Clapp’s Favorite is least 
injured. Of young pear trees, Seckel. Bartletts, and 
Keiffers from three to five years old, 90 per cent will 
have to be cut off just below the snow line to get to 
sound, healthy wood to form shoots to renew the trees. 
Reports all along the Hudson are very discouraging in 
regard to damage to pear trees. Cherry buds 50 per cent 
killed: trees not injured much. Of grapes. Concords, we 
cannot tell about buds yet; vines two to five per cent 
hurt; Delaware, 20 per cent; buds from past experience 
25 per cent. Red raspberries are badly damaged except, 
where laid down. Blackberries from past experience 
must be injured very much. Strawberries are looking 
fine, except where too heavily mulched with manure and 
manure not removed early; they seem to have been 
smothered. Currants do not show any damage yet. Ap¬ 
ple trees ara not hurt any on my place, and I have not 
heard of any damage to them in this section. Pear trees 
in sod are killed as badly as where cultivated. Yellow 
varieties of peaches are damaged most. Very few have 
pulled - out any trees to replan i again this Spring. Some 
have cut down a few trees, but most growers seem to 
bo inclined to let the trees alone and wait the outcome. 
The sod culture has not struck this section yet. I have 
a slight touch of the fever and have two acres of five- 
year-old apple and four-year-old plum trees on steep 
sidehill that goes into sod this season as soon as the 
peach stumps from trees killed this Winter are pulled 
out; also three or four acres partly cleared, hilly wood¬ 
land (rough and stony). I shall punch holes in with a 
crowbar, fill the holes with peach trees “dishorned” at 
both ends and assist nature by keeping the brush cut 
off and grubbed, and old stumps sprouted, and as a tonic 
will tickle the earth around the trees with a hoe, as I 
cannot get at them with anything else. J. a. h. 
Marlboro, N. Y._ 
Peaches have set a full crop; they have nearly all 
retted the past few years; brown rot. Plums are set 
full. Strawberries look well; they are now ripening. 
Aiken, S. C. _ w. t. 
DOWN IN GEORGIA.—Why any farmer would spend 
two Winters North is incomprehensible to me, when he 
can live in comfort all the Winter and make two crops 
here where he makes one there and can generally get 
about twice as much for produce here as there. My 
Gradus peas are in bloom (April 6 ), tomatoes showing 
buds; potatoes, squash, onions, beets, cabbages, corn and 
cucumber plants well up and growing finely. Cabbage 
about 18 inches to two feet across, while asparagus and 
splendid strawberries grace the table daily. Our mid¬ 
summer heated term when garden vegetables, except 
egg plant, okra, corn and sweet potatoes take their rest, 
is welcomed, for the delicious peaches, blackberries, 
watermelons and cantaloupes, to say nothing of Scupper- 
nong and other grapes which then come on. a. w. s. 
Americus, Ga. 
THE OSWEGO COUNTY FRUIT GROWERS recently 
held their annual meeting. Next Summer, during the 
picking season, the berry growers will hold a straw berry 
exhibition at Oswego. Whenever these strawberry shows 
have been held they have been largely patronized, and 
the extraordinarily large berries and ihe great number 
of varieties shown have caused admiration and astomrh- 
ment. While Oswego County is noted for its luscious 
strawberries it also has many hundred acres in apples 
and pears. It is the desire of the. Society to increase its 
membership, and at the same time enthuse all of our 
fruit growers with the idea of growing the best grades 
of apples. Next Winter an exhibition will be held in 
connection with the annual meetin.g. A prize of $4 is 
offered for the best, and $2 for the second best exhibit 
of apples grown in this county. Open to all. It is earn¬ 
estly hoped that all fruit growers will compete. The 
annual membership fee is 25 cents. A. C. Pease, R. F. D. 
No. 5, Oswego, N. Y., is secretary and treasurer. 
D. D. S. 
NITROGEN AND RAPE.—On page 237 I notice F. W. 
S. has trouble with dwarf rape, and was much surprised 
at reason given by Prof. Craig. T have had but little 
experience with this plant, but a few years ago I sowed 
some for a cover crop. A part of it did fairly well, but 
most of it was very feeble, and of the color mentioned 
bv F. W. S., but I concluded it was for two reasons; 
lateness of season when sown, and lack of fertility. 
Last season I sowed some with my squashes for feeding 
hogs; some spots where it was well manured did fairly 
well, but none of it grew much more than two feet. 
Later I sowed some for a cover crop; the strip was 40 
feet wide. Twenty feet grew fairly well, but not to my 
entire satisfaction, while the remainder of the strip grew 
very slowly and turned to reddish purple. T decided that 
it was a lack of nitrogen that caused the trouble, so took 
a. little nitrate of soda and sowed on a small piece, and 
the first shower that came soon made a vast improve¬ 
ment in growth and in color, it becoming as green as a 
leek. Tt seems to me that was the trouble with the spots 
in the field of Prof. Craig’s, as mixed seed would hardly 
bo enough together to affect the field in spots. e. p. 
Westboro, Mass. 
BUSINESS BITS 
Springbanjc herd of Berkshires, J. E. Watson, pro¬ 
prietor, announces in this issue some of his Berkshires 
of different ages. It is a good time to buy stock of the 
character Mr. Watson offers, when it is to be had. He 
ships Berkshires of his breeding over a wide area, from 
Colorado to Cuba. 
In a catalogue of gasoline engines especially prepared 
for farmers the Stoddard Mfg. Co., of Rutland, Vt., make 
ihe following statement: “We shall try to treat the 
subject so that any person, no matter how indifferent 
his previous knowledge on the subject may have been, 
will know, v/hen he has finished this book, more about 
the principles used in gas-engine construction and will 
understand fully what we offer him in the Stoddard en¬ 
gine.” A copy of the catalogue can be had for the 
asking, and we think you will agree that the company 
has accomplished its purpose. 
With the gasoline engine all the difficulties of other 
powers are overcome, as the engine can be started in a 
moment’s time and is always ready for service. The 
expense of the gasoline engine at the present time is 
very reasonable when you consider the variety of work 
they will do. Those of our readers looking for farm 
power at this time will do well to look into the merits 
of the Chicago engine. A large, beautiful illustrated 
catalogue of this engine can be had by addressing the 
manufacturers, the Chicago Gasoline ‘ Engine Co., 57 
North Jefferson St., Chicago, Ill. 
The Harder Mfg. Co., Cobleskill, N. Y., manufacture 
no less than 200 sizes of silos. Having pursued this line 
of manufacture for many years, we believe ever since 
silage feeding began to be popular in this country, it is 
but natural that they should have learned and embodied 
in their silo the best thought and teachings pertaining 
to silage use and silo building. The Harder silos can be 
quickly set up on the farm. Buying from this company 
saves time of planning, saves on the first cost, gets voii 
the approved style, any size wanted, and makes short 
work of installing it ready for use. The company will 
gladly supply descriptive matter and detailed informa¬ 
tion to anyone writing them. 
.. — ..ciu ouwi a, lwu jcj-lc oyriug Liiat larmera 
who usually clip their horses in March have deferred 
doing so until this month. April promises this year to 
be the best month for that work. The Twentieth Century 
horse clipper, sold for $5 by the Chicago Flexible Shaft 
Co., -will clip a horse and do it. right in 30 rninutes. This 
firm also makes the famous Stewart sheep shear, which 
is popular with the owners of large flocks everywhere 
A very interesting little book has just been published 
by them entitled “Some Shearing Suggestions.” by R M 
Marquis, chamnion shearer of the world, which will be 
sent to all applying for same -who mention this paper. 
Jt is worth reading and can be had free bv addressing 
the Chicago Flexible Shaft Co., 143 La Salle St. Chi¬ 
cago, Ill. 
.. .. ~mo in u ic wuiury uavR 
»V 7 1 i iny years been supplied with water by the use 
of Rider and Ericsson hot air pumping engines -which 
are the simplest motive nower of anything within our 
knowledge. The only skill necessary is sufficient to build 
a little fire of coal or wood or to light a kerosene 
burner. In case the latter fuel is used the engines will 
run for hours -without attention, and when 'sufficient 
water is procured it is only necessary to shut a valve 
in the supply pipe, -which cuts off the supply of kero- 
sene The makers of these engines, the Rider-Ericsson 
Engine Co. of New York. Boston. Chicago and Phila" 
delphia. originally brought out hot air engines more 
than half a centurv ago and their experiments have 
been most exhaustive, A letter to the company will 
full? catalog® which will explain th<*m 
