1004 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
881 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—Many complaints made to the Chicago post 
office have resulted in the arrest of Charles Sturtz. Charles 
Eberling, of Maynard, Iowa, alleged that he received a letter 
from Sturtz, who signs himself President of the “Central 
Railroad Bureau," of Chicago. Eberling said he was in¬ 
formed that for $3 he would he taught the various signals 
and information necessary to become a railroad fireman and 
for an additional if 10 he would be given a position. lie 
alleges he paid tlie money, but failed to secure the position, 
and finally asked the postal authorities to investigate the 
case. . .* . Captain John II. Pratt, of the Canadian 
Fishery Protective cruiser Curlew, seized a dozen fishing 
boats, including two small steamers and two auxiliary boats, 
November 28, in tlie Magaguadavlc River, below St. George, 
N. B. Several of the sailboats were owned by Deer Island, 
N. B., fishermen. The two steamers, the Judge Moore and 
the Quoddy, are owned by Lubec, Me., sardine canners, and 
the two auxiliary boats, valued at $4.0(10 each, are owned by 
a sardine syndicate. The seizures were made for seining in 
Canadian waters, and several seines were taken with the 
boats. The American boats, which were loaded with her¬ 
ring, were sent to Eastport to sell the fish and their owners 
were ordered to return with the money to Captain Pratt. 
. . . The I la (fields, the noted mountaineers of West Vir¬ 
ginia, whose fend with the McCoys lasted nearly 30 years and 
cost the lives of 40 persons, are waging a fierce vendetta with 
the Duty family, and two already have been slain. . . . 
The war of the Government on fake medicines broke out in 
Chicago November 20. Acting on evidence gathered in other 
large cities. Federal detectives, assisted by the Chicago 
police, made raids on tlie places where bogus drugs are said 
to be made, confiscated four patrol wagon loads of “medi¬ 
cine,” and arrested five persons for misusing the mails. The 
evidence upon which the arrests were made was based upon 
a chemical analysis made by Dr. Virgil Coblentz, of Colum¬ 
bia University. ‘lie found that a kind of triethylate, sold to 
druggists as a substitute for trional, a sleep-producing medi¬ 
cine acted as an irritant instead. This doctored drug was 
being disposed of at two cents an ounce, while the genuine 
article sold for $1.50 an ounce. An analysis of the alleged 
arlstol, sold as a substitute for iodoform, showed that it con¬ 
tained 75 per cent of fuller’s earth colored with iron rust. 
. In opening the Circuit Court at Brookliaven. Miss., 
November 20, Circuit Judge Wakein announced that he in¬ 
tended to keep the court open until he had punished every 
one of the whitecappers who have been operating in Lincoln 
and neighboring counties for two years past, driving out a 
number of negro farmers and killing three of them. No 
juror was allowed to serve unless he took an oath that. he 
was not a whitocapper and not a member of any organiza¬ 
tion that intimidated or ill-treated the negroes. The judge 
declared that the outrages were doing more harm to the 
white man who commits them than to the negro. 
ADMINISTRATION.—Thirty-two thousand rural free de¬ 
livery routes will be in operation in the United States on 
July 1. 1005. This service will cost the Government a little 
more than $20,000,000. In the next fiscal year, beginning 
July 1, 1905,- 0,000 additional routes will be established, 
making a total of 38,000. The cost of extending and main¬ 
taining rural free delivery in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 
1905 is estimated at $20,000,000. There are now pending, 
awaiting action by the Post Office Department, 4,000 peti¬ 
tions for routes, as compared with 11.000 when Fourth As¬ 
sistant Bristow took charge of this division of the postal ser¬ 
vice. The cost of the service is expected to decline propor¬ 
tionately from now on, due to the diminished available terri¬ 
tory for rural routes. Up to the last six months special at¬ 
tention has been given to individual petitions, but latterly 
more consideration has been given county services, especially 
in the Northwestern and Middle Western States. By the 
time tlie next fiscal vear rolls around the officials expect to 
be up to date with their work. Routes have been established 
with such rapidity during the last fifteen months that Fourth 
Assistant Bristow is only 4,000 behind, and his orders are 
that these cases shall be disposed of as soon as possible. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The trustees of the Massachusetts 
Society for Promoting Agriculture are contemplating offering 
large cash prizes for the four best practical working farms 
in the State of Massachusetts to be owned and worked by a 
farmer as liis only business and means of support. Only 
those farmers doing general or mixed farming will be allowed 
to compete. The contest will last from April 1, 1905. to 
April 1 1906. It is hoped that general interest will be taken 
in this plan, the details of which are now in the printers 
hands and will he circulated widely throughout the State. 
Any one desiring information please write to N. I. Bowditch, 
Framington, Mass. 
The Minnesota State Horticultural Society will hold its 
thirty-eighth annual meeting at Minneapolis, on December 
6-9, inclusive. An interesting programme has been prepared. 
The recent fire at Altamont Stock Farm, Millbrook, N. J., 
the property of G Howard Davison, destroyed six buildings, 
large quantities of hay, grain and straw, six ponies, two cows 
and six pigs. 
The annual report of the Secretary of Agriculture, just 
transmitted to the President, enumerates some of the more 
Important features of the year's.work. Among them are ex- 
tensive co-operation with agricultural stations; the taking of 
preliminary steps to conduct feeding and breeding experi¬ 
ments; the war waged against the Cotton boll-weevil and 
against cattle mange; plans for education ot engineers In 
road building; the production of a hardy orange, a hybrid 
of the Florida orange and the Japanese Trifoliata: valuable 
research in successful shipping of fruit abroad : the value of 
nitrogen-fixing bacteria; successful introduction of plants 
suited to light rainfall areas; establishment ot pure food 
standards; the extension of agricultural education in primary 
and secondary schools; the extension of instruction to our 
island possessions to enable them to supply the county with 
$‘>00 000 000 worth of domestic products, now imported from 
abroad. The report then discusses the place of agriculture 
in the country’s industrial life. The corn crop of 1904 yields 
a farm value greater than ever before. The farmers could 
from the proceeds of this single crop pay the national debt, 
the interest thereon for one year, and still have enough loll 
to pav a considerable portion of the Government s y ear ’y e n x ’ 
oenses. The cotton crop, valued for lint and seed at $000.- 
000 000, comes second, while hay and wheat contend for the 
third place. Combined, these two crops will about equal in 
value the corn crop. Notwithstanding that the: wheat crop 
shows a lower production than any year since 1900, the faun 
value is the highest since 1881. Potatoes and barley reached 
theii highest production in 1904. Save in 1902 the oat crop 
was never so large by 60,000,000 bushels. The present crop 
of rice promiX yield of 900,000,000 pounds 300,000 000 
more than ever before. Horses and mules reach the highest 
point this year, with an aggregate value exceeding $1,3.>4,- 
000 000 On the other hand, cattle, sheep and hogs all show 
a slight decline. The steady advance in poultry leads to 
some astonishing figures. The farmers’ hens 
one and two-thirds billions of dozens of eggs and at the 
high average price of the year the hens during their busy 
season lav enough eggs in a single month to pay the jeai s 
interest on the National debt. After a careful estimate of 
the value of the products of the farm during 1904, made 
within the census scope, it is safe to place the amount at 
$ 4 , 900 , 000,000 after excluding the value of farm crops fed to 
live stock in order to avoid duplication of values, ^hls L 
9 65 per cent above the product of 1903, and 31.-8 per cent 
above that of the ce nsus of 1899. __ 
SOUTHERN FARMERS AND OLEO LAWS. 
If any farmer in Texas stood opposed to the anti-oleo legis¬ 
lation I confess I never heard of it. 1 am ® ur ® n tl ^.f^ p P°. s ’' 
(ion to the Grout bill rested entirely with the oil mill men 
These mills have multiplied with great rapidity ovei the 
cotton belt within the last few years, and as a result the* 
have grown into a great and influential power. No one 
knows this better than our representatives in Congress, and 
under this pressure they voted against honest buttei. the 
farmers of the South, who, with few exceptions may be 
classed as cotton growers, cared little for the final vote on 
the measure, because they have learned these mills by some 
coincidence (?) unaccountable in a State where we have 
a most rigid anti trust law, have in a most, uniform manner 
set the prioe on cotton seed", which is the material from 
which their products are made. I may say with further 
assurance that if any so-called farmers’ organization ever 
took action concerning the legislation referred to the origin 
of such action was not the work of a practical farmer, but 
that of the grafter. The strongest allies of the oil mill 
men in their opposition to the bill here in Texas were the 
ranchmen, or the Live Stock Association. The southern 
farmer may be slow in backing a political move, but not so 
creeping as not to know that the dairyman who manufactures 
pure and wholesome butter is or should be his friend in 
the consumption of cotton seed. Let me add here as an 
assurance to your northern readers that the southern farmer 
if fast in anything, is in the liberality he is willing at all 
times to accord to every legitimate branch of farming, if 
for no other reason, because he feels secure in a monopoly of 
growing cotton for the world’s greatest use so long as fashion 
and a decent respect for the opinions of others shall demand 
the clothing of the human body. dan ji'Rae. 
Williamson Co., T exas. 
THE NEW YORK NORMAL INSTITUTE. 
The “Normal Institute" has again been held at the Geneva 
Experiment Station and State College of Agriculture at 
Ithaca. It would be impossible to give in detail the work 
during this week of intense activity. This contact between 
the College Station, Department of Agriculture and Insti 
tute force is promoting a better understanding of the prob¬ 
lems concerning our internal welfare. Not that we are com¬ 
ing under the dominion of any man. or even class of men ; 
this statement would easily he proven to anyone attending 
these meetings and observing the personal feeling each one 
possesses towards these problems, and the independence 
shown. I mention this from the fact that a disposition is 
shown by times to criticise these gatherings on the ground 
that thev have altogether a close communion object. This 
is not true. These men feel the necessity of solving prob¬ 
lems of public utility, as they feel the interests that affect 
their own personal welfare and business. This union of 
forces is bearing fruit for agriculture. The demand for such 
legislation one year ago and the successful outcome are ear¬ 
marks for what can be accomplished when the interests and 
forces are brought together for the common good. 
I am sure that these meetings are very stimulating to 
investigation. These men come into contact with the various 
other interests and feel personally the pressing needs of 
their case, and again they also desire to present something 
of interest, which they do, as we gather from year to year. 
At Geneva perhaps the most available work from an imme¬ 
diate economic view is the spraying experiments conducted 
by Prof. Stewart. They have been carried on at the station 
and also upon farms, and the results will soon be shown in 
a bulletin. Every potato grower should read it The work 
at Cornell shows wonderful activity. It is a surprise to note 
the widening field of experiment. It is not confined to any 
one department, from the very fact that Dean Bailey is as 
broad as agriculture in his personal conception of our needs, 
and each department is headed by a leader in his own spe¬ 
cial field of effort. How quickly one observes’the develop¬ 
ment of a department when the chief has strong individuality. 
It would be unfair at this time, under the reorganization, 
to select any division and speak especially of its merits. 
Perhaps, however, the most original, unique and far-reaching 
investigation is that now under way in Prof. Hunt’s Division 
of Agronomy, under the immediate supervision of Prof. 
Fraser. I refer to the breeding of Timothy plants. From 
miscellaneous seed in nine months has come every grade of 
value from a worthless plant to one having 80 long heads 
and a mass of leaf growth, all other conditions being equal. 
The college will in the near future have a home of its own. 
Then will its progressive policy have ample opportunity for 
development. 
A pleasing event of this meeting was the appearance of 
Prof. Roberts and a characteristic address from this agri¬ 
cultural philosopher. This grand old man occupies a field of 
his own, and is not comparable to any other living teacher 
of farm life. May his life he prolonged as an inspiration 
to young men to strive for a higher and nobler conception 
of country living ! ____________ H> B ’ COOK - 
FEEDING PRODUCTS FROM RICE. 
A bulletin from the Texas Experiment Station gives some 
interesting facts about the feeding value of waste rice. 
There are now over 225,000 acres of rice in Texas alone, and 
many more in Louisiana. 
“Rough rice is sold in bags of 102 pounds, which yield 
practically 100 pounds of clean rice. The rice grain is cov¬ 
ered by two layers; the inner coat being a closely fitting 
cuticle or skin, which is hard to remove, and the outer coat 
is a hard, rough, brittle husk, which is removed with com¬ 
parative ease. Both these coatings are removed and the rice 
polished before It is ready for market. Three operations 
are required : Husking, hulling and polishing. Husking is 
accomplished by passing the rice between revolving mill¬ 
stones, which are set far enough apart to crack the hull and 
allow the rice to fall out without breaking it too much. The 
husks or hulls are not removed completely, there always 
being some grains which retain their husks. The by-product 
from this process is rice hulls. The next process consists 
in passing the rige through one or more hullers, which re¬ 
moves the cuticle or skin adhering closely to the rice. The 
products of this machine are rice bran, some flour and clean 
rice. The final process consists in polishing the rice, which 
gives it a luster. The bv-product from this process is rice 
polish. The polished rice is sorted into different grades, as 
a rule into four, fancy head, head, screenings and No. 2. 
Head is chiefly unbroken rice, and is the best grade, while 
No. 2, also called brewers’ rice, is the lowest and is used 
chiefly in brewing. The amount of the different grades 
obtained depends largely upon the quality of the rice, and 
the process of milling. If the rice is brittle and easily 
broken, a larger proportion of the lower grades will result 
than if the rice is not easily broken. We are informed that 
about 62 parts fancy head. 23 parts head, 10 parts straight 
and 5 parts brewers' rice are produced from 100 parts 
clean rice.” 
As compared with some other well-known stock feeds these 
rice wastes analyze as follows: 
Muscle makers. Fat formers. Pure fat. 
Rice hulls . 3.07 34.66 1.12 
Rice polish . H.86 62.22 6.98 
Rice bran . 12.33 18.38 10.3o 
Wheat bran . 15.4 .>3.9 4 
Corn . 10.5 69.6 5.4 
Timothy hay . 5.9 4^> 2.5 
Oats . 11-8 59.7 5 
It will be seen from this that some of these rice products 
are valuable feeds. The rice hulls are hard and sharp, and 
give trouble when heavily fed. The rice bran compares well 
with wheat bran, and we understand is sold at about $10 
per ton. Very likely these products will in time find their 
way into northern markets. 
STOCK BREEDING IN LOUISIANA.—As to the problem 
stated on page 858 I think the manager of farm would bo 
entitled to a salary in proportion to time put in and work 
he did I would use purebred males on our native females, 
reserving best tvpe of females for breeding purposes. I 
would begin in a small way, and grow up in the business 
as well as grow up with the country. South Louisiana is a 
sugar and rice country, and I do not think would suit your 
purpose as well as this section, the Delta portion of the 
State It is the home of the cotton plant; grows luxuriant 
grasses, etc., but land is high, overflows at times and be¬ 
comes boggv in Winter for cattle, but good range for hogs 
on creek bottoms, fattening on pecans, acorns, persimmons, 
etc. The hill section would suit your purposes best. This 
is the “poor man’s paradise.” You can gvow cotton, corn, 
hay, potatoes, fruits, nuts, cane, sorghum and a little of 
nearly everything, but to succeed requires diligence and 
judgment. We have a few good horses, cows, hogs, etc., 
here. The writer raised a litter of five one-half bred 
Chester pigs; at two months one weighed 45 pounds, one 
49; they were fed from two weeks of age. We have some 
good Jersey cows, and a few Herefords and Short-horns have 
recently been brought here. This county is very prosperous 
under present high price of cotton. x. r>. h. 
Kents Store, La. 
TAXES IN VIRGINIA.—I notice the “Hope Farm Man" 
invites comparisons of the tax rates in different States. The 
rate on my tax bill for 1904 is as follows: 
State revenue and school tax.35 
County levy and (list, roads.55 
Railroad .10 
County and dist. school tax.20 
Total $1.20 
This on each $100 of property. In addition there is a poll 
tax of $1.50 on each male 21 years of age. w. L. o. 
Halifax Co., Va. 
WESTERN FEEDING.—I have no experience in feeding 
corn to hogs or cattle, either dry or soaked, but I know it pays 
to soak wheat or barley, which is largely done in this country 
where grain is cheap and stock is high, but for the last 
year or two grain was so high out here that very little 
stock was fed on grain. My experience in feeding corn was 
in Nebraska, where I fed several trainloads of sheep when 
corn was cheaper, but for the last few years corn has been 
too high for sheep that had to be fed in a feed lot 2,000 miles 
away. Wheat and barley are soaked no less than 24 
hours where fed to hogs or cattle out here. Corn in my 
opinion is best fed to sheep, with a good mouth, whole or 
ground, but for hogs I would soak it. Cattle are very low 
here, but horses and sheep are high ; beef sells on foot at 
from $2.50 per hundred to $3; hogs from $5.50 to $6 : sheep 
from $3 to $4 ; eggs 35 cents per dozen ; butter 35 cents for 
creamery. Timothy hay is $13 to $14 per ton; baled 
Alfalfa $4 to $5; loose clover $5 to $7. I believe that cattle 
will bring a good price in less than a year. Times are good. 
Ellensburg. Wash. K. o. k. 
MARKETING IN MAINE.—I am located five miles from 
Gardiner, eight miles from Hollowell and 10 miles from 
Augusta, the capital of our State. The two former cities are 
poor markets, from the producer’s standpoint : the latter a 
good one. Our roads are good, rather above the average. 
Eggs and butter we sell in Augusta. We are in a prime 
apple section. Apples are sold mostly to buyers for export, 
and are f. o. b. Gardiner. Small lots and early fruits are 
shipped to commission men in Boston. The lowest commis¬ 
sion charges are 15 cents per barrel, 5 cents per barrel cart-, 
age and 25 cents per barrel freight. Hay, pressed, is shipped 
to Boston, and when possible sold to the consumer. The 
same person has had ours for seven years. This year the 
price paid is $13 per ton f. o. b. Gardiner. The freight is 
$2 per ton. We have two methods of transportation; via 
Kennebec boat and Maine Central Railroad. The prices by 
boat were lower up to two years ago, but are now the same 
by both lines. They are 25 cents per barrel, apples and 
potatoes, also 25 cents per TOO. Hay goes for $2 per ton 
in 10-ton lots or more; same rate carload lot. a car holding 
about 10 tons, costing $20. The rates 1 think as a rule 
give satisfaction. Prompt delivery of shipments are made. 
We aim to supply the consumer, and often find a trip to Bos¬ 
ton is productive of good results. f. o. w. 
Gardiner, Maine. 
A NURSERY FRAT’D.—Director Chas. E. Thorne, of the 
Ohio Experiment Station (Wooster), sends out the following 
warning: The following letters are received from Greene 
County: 1. “A man is traveling about this community claim¬ 
ing to’ represent the forestry department of the Ohio Exper¬ 
iment Station. After visiting and talking awhile with a 
farmer, he turns out to be a regular tree agent, hailing from 
the nursery of J. K. Denby, Greenville, Ind. He calls him¬ 
self W. O. Walton, and offers trees for sale at $20 per thou¬ 
sand for Catalpa speciosa and ‘North Dakota black locust.' 
He claims they raise all the trees which the Ohio Experiment 
Station sends out. Is this true? [No.] Is such a man con¬ 
nected with the station? TNo. | Is not $20 per thousand an 
exorbitant price? [Two or three times their value. | Is it 
free from the borer, as he cIalms?”[No.l 2. “Has the State 
Forestry Commission, if there is such a commission, a con¬ 
tract or agreement with J. K. Denby & Sons, of Greenfield. 
Ind., to pay for 200 in every 1.000 trees sold by said firm? 
Their salesman. W. O. Walton, has been canvassing this 
vicinity and making such claims.” Replying to the above 
we have to say that Ohio has no “State Forestry Commis¬ 
sion” and that the Ohio Experiment Station once again rec¬ 
ommends that any person who claims to represent this station 
in the selling of nursery stock be arrested and prosecuted for 
obtaining money under false pretenses. 
PRODUCTS. PRICES AND TRADE.—Over 2.000.000 
bushels of potatoes are said to be stored in Aroostook 
County, Maine. Some of the storage houses will hold 80,000 
bushels. No prospect of higher prices at present. . . . 
The Buffalo mill of Washburn Crosby Co. has been bonded to 
grind Canadian wheat and export the flour and by-products. 
Wheat lias dropped several cents in the markets of 
the Central West, owing to heavy receipts at shipping points. 
Flour trade is dull, buyers holding off on account of high 
price asked. . . . The outlook for vegetable crops in 
Florida is good. . . . California celery is later than 
usual; 35 carloads were shipped east for the Thanksgiving 
trade. . . . The mackerel season off the New England 
coast has been very poor, the catch being only 28,400 barrels, 
15,000 less than last year. ... In the fertilizer market 
all ammoniates are firm and higher, with good demand from 
the South. An advance in price of kainit is expected. . . . 
Exports to Mexico thus far this year amount to $46,000,000. 
. . . About 2,000 tons of bran and millfeed have been 
sent to Europe recently. Trade here is dull, asking prices 
being too high for feeders. . . . Hog receipts in the prin¬ 
cipal markets are heavy, but demand large enough to prevent 
any serious drop in price. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
The Robertson Chain Stanchion has given satisfaction for 
so long a time that there can be no question about its merit. 
A little booklet issued by the manufacturer, O. II. Robertson, 
Forestville. Conn., will prove of interest to any dairyman 
who may be studying the stanchion subject. 
With an entirely new plant at Ilackettstown, N. J., and 
directed by men of many years' experience in the business, 
the Am. Sawmill Mchy. Co., 114 Liberty street. New York, 
is well equipped to turn out a first-class line of machinery. 
The product of this firm embraces all sizes of circular saw¬ 
mills. sawmill machinery, wood-working machinery, turbine 
water wheels, etc. An illustrated catalogue with full infor¬ 
mation may be had for the asking. 
“Anything on Runners” for pleasure is the offer of the 
Kalamazoo Carriage and Harness Co., 329 Ransom street, 
Kalamazoo, Mich. This firm has built up a nice business, 
selling carriages and sleighs/direct to consumer, which plan 
saves the dealer’s profit for the purchaser. They will fur¬ 
nish you a set of runners to turn your buggy into a sleigh 
if you desire it. A souvenir edition of the beautiful poem, 
“Snow Bound,” will be sent free to any R. N.-Y. reader 
asking for it. 
The close Winter season is fast approaching. The few 
pleasant days that remain can be most profitably spent in 
repairing old buildings and sheds to make them warm and 
to keep out the rain and snow. Warm houses are absolutely 
indispensable for hens if you would get Winter eggs. Cold 
quickly tells on the dairy cow. The same thing may be said 
of all stabled stock. We wish to suggest that high value of 
Paroid Roofing, manufactured by F. W. Bird & Son. of East 
Walpole, Mass., for just such uses. If a new roof be neces¬ 
sary, It furnishes it. and of a permanent nature, at little 
trouble and little expense. Any one can lay it. This firm 
publishes a little book called “Building Economy" that's 
full of valuable pointers on the matter of repairing roofs 
and providing comfortable quarters for farm animals and 
poultry. It is sent free. 
