1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
521 
Events of the IVeek. 
domestic.—N ineteen persons were killed, several 
probably fatally injured and a large number wounded, 
as the result of a head-end collision between passenger 
and stock trains on the Chicago and Alton Railroad, 
near Norton, Mo., July 10.The American fish¬ 
ing schooner Wynonia, of Gloucester, Mass., has been 
run down off the Grand Banks, N. F., by an unknown 
steamer; 18 lives lost.A workmen’s train was 
precipitated 87 feet by the collapse of a trestle on Crook¬ 
ed Creek, Springfield, Pa., July 12, and out of 18 men 
who were carried down in the crash nine were killed, 
five fatally injured and four severely hurt.A 
fire at Enid, O. T., July 14, caused $100,000 damage. 
.... Six persons were drowned while bathing in 
the surf near Savannah, Ga., July 14, five of the bodies 
being swept out to sea.Joseph Bartley, rormer 
State treasurer of Nebraska, who embezzled nearly $100,- 
000, has been released, after serving 49 months of his 
20 years’ sentence.An excursion boat on the 
Susquehanna River blew up at its dock at Sunbury, Pa., 
July 13, killing three persons and injuring several others. 
. . . . Colorado, which abolished capital punishment 
four years ago, has reestablished the death penalty for 
murder. .... Fire destroyed the packing house ot 
Jacob Dold & Sons, at Wichita, Kan., July 16; 7,000,000 
pounds of meat were destroyed, and the total loss was 
$1,000,000.July 15, Gov. Dockery, of Missouri, 
issued a proclamation setting apart July 21 as a day of 
prayer that the drought might be broken. Little rain 
had fallen since April 27. 
PORTO RICO.—The Porto Rican Assembly, July 4, 
unanimously passed the resolution declaring that the 
Island’s revenues are now self-sustaining, and request¬ 
ing the President to proclaim free trade between Porto 
Rico and the United States.The Secretary of 
the Treasury has requested of the Attorney-General an 
opinion as to whether he has a right to refund to im¬ 
porters the amounts of duties collected on merchandise 
brought into this country from Porto Rico between the 
date of the ratification of the Treaty of Paris and the 
date of the approval of the Foraker act, and, if so, under 
what authority and from what appropriation. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—The Turkish govern¬ 
ment has paid to the American Minister at Constan¬ 
tinople $95,000 in settlement of various pending claims 
for indemnity by American citizens against Turkey. 
The State Department will make the distribution among 
the claimants.San Domingo suffered most severe¬ 
ly from the recent storms which swept over the southern 
part of the island. All the crops are damaged. 
Intense heat prevailed all over Europe during the second 
week in July, accompanied by severe storms. Crops 
were damaged by hail in France, Germany and Switzer¬ 
land. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The worst drought ever ex¬ 
perienced in Texas was broken by a heavy storm July 
14. The rain came in time to save the cotton crop. It 
will also benefit fruit and lowland corn. 
A meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society 
was held at Kearney, Neb., July 17 and 18. Among those 
present were Gifford Pinchot, forester of the United 
States Department of Agriculture: William Hall, super¬ 
intendent of the forestry survey of Nebraska, and F. 
H. Newell, hydrographer of the United States geologi¬ 
cal survey. Governor Savage and J. Sterling Morton 
were also present during the session. 
A severe hailstorm seven miles north of Muscogee, I. 
T., July 16, killed some stock and destroyed crops for a 
considerable distance over a strip a mile wide. Heavy 
rains fell over the Creek and Cherokee Nations, generally 
saving crops. 
The annual picnic of the Niagara County (N. Y.) Farm¬ 
ers’ Club, will be held at Lake Island Park, Wilson, N. 
Y., Saturday, July 27. 
Secretary Coburn, of the Kansas State Agricultural 
Bureau, does not believe the damage to Kansas corn 
has been so great as claimed. There are 900,000 acres of 
Kaffir corn not materially affected, and 40,000,000 bushels 
old corn in farmers’ hands, nearly one-quarter of a 
full crop. 
Rain fell over an area of 80 miles around Kansas City, 
Mo., July 16. At Lawrence, Kan., It was the first mois¬ 
ture in 26 days. Ottawa, Wellsville and Toronto, Kan., 
and Camden Point, Mo., also report good rains. Al¬ 
though some fields are reported too far gone to be saved. 
It is believed late corn will be greatly revived. In the 
three Missouri counties east of Kansas City the crop is 
reported in prime condition. Generous rains fell July 
17 over the larger part of the corn belt of the South¬ 
west. The good that will result to late corn and to 
pastures will undoubtedly be great. Scattering showers 
fell over the Southwest July 17 and 18, but in most 
places continued accounts of intense heat were reported. 
Reports from many counties assert that this rain, fol¬ 
lowing what little had fallen within the previous forty- 
eight hours, will insure at least half a crop of corn and 
makes pastures sure. 
The New York State Department of Agriculture placed 
a nursery inspector at Rochester, one at Geneva and 
one at New York as soon as the shipping season began 
in 1901 to look after the shipments of nursery stock 
arriving in the State at those principal points. As a 
result, several lots of stock were detained and found 
slightly Infested with the San Jos6 scale. The infested 
stock was destroyed, the accompanying stock was fumi¬ 
gated, and notice of the discoveries was sent to the 
consignees. About June 1 seven inspectors were as¬ 
signed to the divisions of the State, and commenced the 
Inspection of orchards. Up to July 6 the reports show 
that 326 orchards, embracing 4,776 acres and containing 
over 456,000 trees, most of which are of bearing age, were 
examined. Less than 50 of these orchards show an in¬ 
festation of San Jos6 scale, some of them very slight. 
Badly Infested trees have been destroyed, and many 
trees have been sprayed with kerosene mixtures with 
the expectation of keeping the scales from spreading. 
The “Maple worm” or Forest caterpillar has appeared 
in great numbers in the apple and plum orchards of 
the State, and in some sections the canker worm has 
done much damage. The Department is having a large 
number of experiments made in various parts of the 
State in an effort to ascertain the best Summer treat¬ 
ment for San Jos6 scale on bearing trees. Small trees, 
even if badly crusted with this scale, can be saved by 
fumigation when the trees are dormant. The inspection 
of the nurseries of the State has been commenced, as it 
must be finished before the Fall shipping season begins. 
L. T. Yeomans, president of the New York Fruit Grow¬ 
ers’ Association, writes that the meeting of the Wayne 
County Fruit Growers’ Association is to be held August 
17, instead of August 19, as noted in The R. N.-Y. 
Wayne County will not have 10 per cent of a full crop 
of Winter apples, instead of 25 per cent, as given by one 
correspondent. 
The Connecticut Bornological Society will hold its 
second field meeting of the season on July 30 at West 
Haven, visiting the 25-acre peach orchard of President 
N. S. Platt. Wavei’ly Grove, on the Sound shore, will 
be headquarters for the day, and a shore dinner will be 
served at noon. Visitors should take electric cars to 
ihe Grove, whence they will be conveyed by teams to 
the orchard. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
The apple crop is poor, hardly half crop. Potatoes 
fair, peaches full crop; 100,000 baskets in this vicinity. 
Corn backward, but promising; hay good; wheat good 
in straw, with some rust. w. s. a. 
Bendersville, Pa. 
Iowa is not such an apple-growing State as will in¬ 
terfere largely with the general market. A late report 
from the secretary of our State Horticultural Society, 
based upon replies to inquiries previously mailed to fruit 
growers throughout the State, shows the prospects for 
apples at 52 per cent, while other fruits range from 60 
to 82 per cent. It is rather early to give reliable infor¬ 
mation about the apple crop, because things happen 
after this period profoundly to modify the final result. 
Pres’t Am. Bornological Society. c. H: watrous. 
Prospects for a fruit crop early in the Summer were 
excellent, but the dry weather for the past two months 
has cut down the prospects very materially. The report 
GO days ago was an average for the State of about 75 per 
cent; to-day it is not more than one-half of that, and 
if the dry weather continues much longer it will be still 
lower. In some localities iit the State there have been 
good showers, but these are only a small part. The 
young orchards are seemingly holding their fruit very 
well indeed. We are still in hopes of being able to sup¬ 
ply the buyers from the East, but from the outlook 
now before us we are sure the prices will be very good. 
Kansas City, Mo. l. a. Goodman. 
The wheat and rye crop is very good. I sowed Har¬ 
vest King wheat last Fall and never had a better crop. 
Oats are short and rusty, on account of too much rain 
and cold in Spring. Corn crop is not so very good on 
account of late planting, although some fields look 
quite promising. The potato crop is not very good; 
early potatoes poor and small. Late potatoes may yet 
be a good crop if we get repeated rains. On account of 
late planting and dry weather some are just coming up, 
while those that are up are loaded down with bugs. 
Quite a lot of late cabbage was planted last week. 
Most of the early cabbage failed to grow, the ground 
being too dry for it to take root. Hay is not very good; 
rain came too late to benefit it. It may be called about 
two-thirds of a crop. We had a nice rain recently, the 
first we had since the fore part of June. We had some 
very hot days, the rays of the sun being almost un- 
beai-able; too hot to work in the fields. j. s. 
Drums. Pa. 
JULY 10.—We are having the longest and most ruin¬ 
ous Spring drought and season of extreme heat this 
section has ever experienced. Beginning with early 
Spring, it has been continuous and progressive, until 
yesterday and to-day the temperature was and is 112 
degrees on the north porch of my house. Most of the 
strawberries and all the bush fruits dried .up as they 
stood in the fields, and gardens are gone. Plums, 
peaches, grapes, everything shriveling and drying up. 
Pastures and meadows dry as tinder; early corn ruined, 
oats a failure. Meadows and hay crop very light. All 
the conditions of the most extreme August drought of 
other years are now with us, and have been for' nearly 
two months without change. The most complete all- 
’round failure of crops ever known here is the result. 
Clinton, Mo. J. R. G. 
JULY 11.—The apple crop will not be 50 per cent, on 
account of the dry weather, and the fruit is dropping 
very badly. Corn looks well, but needs rain; the potato 
crop will be poor on account of the drought, but there 
are plenty of Potato bugs. Wheat and rye good; hay 
a fair crop; oats poor on account of rust and drought. 
Newlin, Pa. a. b. w. 
JULY 16.—I am casting longing eyes towards that 
stone house at Hope Farm these days. For the last six 
days our registered thermometer indicates from 99 to 
103 degrees. Uncut hay is curing as it stands. Oats 
and Spring wheat are ripening too fast and should all 
be cut this week. Corn does not seem to be suffering 
materially. All crops were about 10 days later than 
usual, but made it up last week. j. s. 
Corning, Iowa. 
JULY 15.—Owing to rain, harvesting and making hay 
has been very much delayed the past week or 10 days. 
The wheat crop is fair; some fields are bugged badly 
in our section. In an adjoining county the crop is 
mostly destroyed. The peach crop promises to be a 
good one if nothing happens to it. Apples are scarce. 
Hay crop good, hay selling out of the field for $10 a load. 
Oats looked very bad about the first of July, but since 
the rains (which continue right along) came, they have 
grown to make up for lost time, and will be good size 
yet. Corn and potatoes look fine. Farmers are behind 
with their work. Lots of buckwheat to be sown yet, 
and quite some corn to plow. Some will not get plowed 
the last time if the rain continues. It being so dry 
the early part of the Summer the pasture fields got very 
short, which caused a great shrinkage in the quantity 
of milk. ’The farmers in this section are not in the milk 
business to any great extent, keeping only from six to 
10 cows, as it is impossible to get any help. j. w. K. 
Hunterdon Co., N. J. 
JULY 15.—Farmers here have been considerably dis¬ 
couraged, but oats, corn and potatoes promise much 
better at this time. Wheat is now being mowed, as the 
Hessian fly has made it impossible to reap it. There 
was a large acreage of onions this year, but the heavy 
rains damaged them at least 70 per cent. Many fields 
were plowed up and set with cabbage, which looks well. 
Many acres of sugar beets were abandoned on account 
of weeds. Farmers were obliged to reduce the acreage 
of beans on account of wet weather. Apples are not 
one-fourth of last gear’s crop, and Baldwins are “not 
in it.” Peach orchards that have been well cared for 
will produce a fair crop. The orchard of Addison Weed 
is a notable example. Men are now thinning the fruit. 
Pears promise fairly well. Several hundred acres are 
devoted to raspberries, and they promise an extra yield. 
The Ohio and Columbian varieties prevail, and they 
will nearly all be evaporated. Picking began July 15. 
Timely rains since the floods have been to our ad¬ 
vantage. We have had good hay weather, and the crop 
has been nearly all secured. No hot weather since 
July 4. E. A. G. 
North Rose, N. Y. 
MICHIGAN APPLE CROP.—Regarding the apple crop 
in Michigan I can only express an opinion. I believe 
we are going to have not far from 40 or 60 per cent of 
a crop in the State. In some localities there are almost 
no apples, and in others quite a full crop. There was 
some dropping during the excessive heat of a few days 
ago. There have been more than the usual number of 
exigencies during this season. Floods, winds, heat and 
frost have all done their part to shorten the crop. The 
Grand Rapids market is planning to handle a pretty 
large peach crop, and as usual we expect to do it in 
such a way as to be profitable to the grower. Our sys¬ 
tem here, it seems to me, is a very profitable one. All 
of the peach interest tributary to Grand Rapids has 
nothing to do with commission men. Buyers center here 
from the outside and purchase directly on the market- 
having the fruit delivered to some packing station, and 
paying for it at once. This simplifies the marketing for 
the grower very much, and is very satisfactory. 
Michigan. chas. w. Garfield. 
NEW HAMPSHIRE NOTES—July 15.—Since July 4 the 
weather here in southern New Hampshire has been 
ideal—and yet we are never quite satisfied, for it has 
been what old farmers call “catching,” and therefore 
not ideal from the haymaker’s point of view. Showery 
conditions have prevaiied during this period, and, as the 
weather would clear with fine prospects, farmers would 
keep the machines humming, only to get a lot more 
hay wet. The showers here this Summer have been 
peculiar in cloud formation and in duration. Instead 
of a mass of black clouds rolling up and giving us a 
smart shower with a line electrical exhibit, and then 
clearing away in a short time, we get a “sea-turn,” 
which comes in very quickly and it rains easily and 
with scarcely any wind and not much thunder. July 11 
we had such a shower and the rain fell heavily for 
seven hours. This rain caught nearly every farmer with 
hay all open and much of it ready for drawing in. 
Where fleids have been mowed for a week, grass has 
sprung up with surprising rapidity, and this gives a 
beautiful lawn-like appearance. There is a diversity 
of opinion in regard to ihe hay crop here. Many de¬ 
clare the yield to be no better than in 1900. Others say 
a third more. Speaking for myself, I know it is much 
better both as regards quality and quantity than last 
year. Potato patches ai’e well worth looking at now. 
Likewise the cornfields. This is not a grain section, but 
some rye is raised, and Winter rye is now ready for 
harvest and will yield well. Those who raise oats to 
any extent complain of smut. This is an apple section, 
and, while I have not been able to see some of the large 
growers in the Rockingham County belt, it is safe to 
say that the crop wili be pretty near a total failure. 
I should say it would not be up to 10 per cent. This is 
a milk-producing section, and sometime I want to tell 
The R. N.-Y. about the methods in vogue here. There 
is not a great ueal of pasture land here, and the herds 
of cows are like locusts, inasmuch as they consume 
every green thing except the blinds on the farmer’s 
house. Besides, “brewery grain” or malt is fed heavily, 
and many farmers buy tons and tons of hay. Is it 
good farming? D. l. p. 
Dover Point, N. H. 
Government Weekly Report 
From the Rockies to the central valleys the Intense 
heat continues, with but Lttle relief from local showers. 
The late corn has been standing the drought remarkably 
well; but the early crop in the Central West has been 
practically ruined. On the Atlantic coast rains have 
been abundant, and harvesting interfered with to some 
extent on this account. The northern Pacific coast 
continues unseasonably cool, frost being reported in 
Washington, July 12. Wheat is ripening prematurely in 
the southern part of the Spring wheat region. In the 
extreme northerly sections the outlook is more favor¬ 
able. Oat harvesting in the north is in progress. The 
crop has been badly cut by heat and drought. The cot¬ 
ton prospect in Georgia is at present below the average. 
In the Carolinas it is making too much stalk, on ac¬ 
count of the heavy rains, which have also hindered 
cultivation. In Texas early cotton is being picked. Ex¬ 
tensive heat damage to apples is reported in the West. 
The Kansas hay crop Is nearly a failure, on account 
of drought, but there is plenty of wheat straw, and this 
will be used in its place. This makes a boom in straw, 
which is now worth from $5 to $8, while in years of a 
full hay crop it sometimes goes for $1 a ton. 
Several provinces in the Volga region of Russia are in 
a bad state, owing to drought. For nearly two months 
the temperature has ranged from 120 to 140 degrees. 
The streams have dried up and nearly all crops ruined. 
ROOMS AT BUFFALO.—There is an erroneous im¬ 
pression abroad regarding the cost of accommodations 
to Pan-American visitors in Buffalo. While it is true 
that many of the hotels are taking advantage of the 
rush and charging exorbitant prices for accommoda¬ 
tions, it is equally true that better accommodations 
can be secured in private families for less than one- 
third the price charged by hotels. The New York 
State Grange alone has an option on over 6,000 rooms 
located in the best resident sections of the city. By 
writing Mrs. B. B. Lord, Grange Building, Exposition 
Grounds, Buffalo, N. Y., accommodations can be se¬ 
cured in these rooms for $1.00 per day for each person. 
There are more rooms to let in Buffalo than can pos¬ 
sibly be filled, so no one need stay away from this 
greatest of expositions on account of lack of accom¬ 
modations. J- H. DDRKBB. 
