1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
537 
Events of the PEeek. 
domestic.—A prairie fire which started eight miles 
north of Lamed, Kan., July 16, burned over a large ex¬ 
tent of country and destroyed over 40,000 bushels of wheat 
in the stack. Prank Lunod, from whose thrashing en¬ 
gine the fire started, in his endeavor to put it out, In¬ 
haled the flames and was dangerously hurt. The resi¬ 
dences and barns were destroyed with their contents. 
Some stock and many tons of prairie hay were also 
burned.All records were broken at El Reno, 
O. T., July 16, by the registration clerks, when 10,%7 
people were given papers entitling them to numbers in 
the great drawing for Indian lands, which began July 29. 
This makes a total registration of 31,015 at El Reno. At 
Lawton there were 7,800 persons registered in the four 
days ending July 13.Manuel Armenia has been 
convicted at Casper, Wyo., of stealing sheep. He has 
been tried 14 times in three counties for larceny. In these 
trials he has cost the State $100,000. He and his followers 
are said to have driven the range cattle business out of 
that section. He is a half-breed Mexican and makes his 
home just south of the Hole in the Wall country. . . . : 
A boatload of nitro-glycerine exploded in midriver about 
a mile below Toronto, Canada, July 18. The owner of the 
boat had just returned to it when the explosion occurred, 
leaving no trace of the boat or man. The cargo of 24U 
quarts of nitro-glycerine was going from some upriver 
point to the oil fields below. The detonation was plainly 
heard 12 miles distant.At Sharon, Pa., July 19, 
two men were killed and three badly injured by lightning, 
which struck a chimney and passed down it into a room 
where the men were sitting.Pive employees of 
the Harlan & Hollingsworth Company, of Wilmington, 
Del., were terribly scalded July 22 by the bursting of a 
boiler tube in the torpedo boat Stringham, as it was pre¬ 
paring for a speed test in Narragansett Bay. 
At Pittsburg, Pa., July 22, Mrs. Sophie Ratza poured coal 
oil from a can on to the embers in her stove, to hurry 
llie fire. A terrific explosion followed, and Mrs. Ratza 
and her three children, aged eight, four and two, were 
burned to death. Prancis Ratza, the husband, suffered 
severe burns in trying to rescue the unfortunates, but 
will recover.Mattoon, 111., has suffered within 
a month from 18 lires of incendiary origin, resulting in 
losses aggregating $2,400,000. The authorities have been 
very active in destroying gambling outfits, and they be¬ 
lieve that the fires are a retaliatory measure, 
.tUlMINlSTRATlON.—Retaliatory legislation may be 
enacted by Congress if the German government yields 
to the demands of the agrarians and imposes the pro¬ 
posed increased duties on farm products. Representa¬ 
tions may be made to Germany through Ambassador 
White, protesting in diplomatic language against tlie 
proposed increases of duty, but the President can go 
no further. There can be no retaliation without action 
by Congress, as there is nothing in the present law au¬ 
thorizing the Executive Department to adopt such meas¬ 
ures, except to a very limited extent. 
PHILIPPINES.—Investigation into tlie case of Capt An¬ 
drew S. Rowan, of the Nineteenth Infantry, charged with 
burning a town on the Island of Bohol, failed to prove 
Capt. Rowan had ordered the town to be burned. 
The Islands of Cebu and Bohol and the Province of Ba- 
langas, Luzon, after three months’ trial of civil govern¬ 
ment, are to be returned to military rule, owing to their 
incomplete pacification.According to Manila ad¬ 
vices the conferences between Adjutant-General Corbin 
and General Chaffee will probably result in radical eco¬ 
nomical and administrative reforms in the army of occu¬ 
pation. The present force is to be reduced to between 
29,000 and 30,000 men. 
GENERAL EOREIGN NEWS.—The weather through¬ 
out Germany continues excessively hot, and numerous 
sections have sulfered severely from hail, wind and 
lightning. Berlin had a cloudburst July 22, with hall and 
a whirlwind. Many trees were uprooted and houses 
damaged. Violent thunderstorms have occurred in the 
llarlz Mountains. An entire street was burned in con¬ 
sequence of an electric bolt in Stiege. In the Valley of 
the Pulda hail storms have done great havoc among 
crops. Some sections report deaths from lightning. 
.... Intense heat prevails in most parts of Austria. 
The temperature in Vienna rose, July 22, to 99 degrees. 
Numerous cases of apoplexy and sunstroke were report¬ 
ed.The two hottest days ever recorded in 
Christiania, Norway, were July 20, when the temperature 
reached 94 degrees in the shade, and July 21, when it 
reached 95.Mrs. Paul Kruger died at Pretoria, 
South Africa, July 20, of pneumonia. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Missouri has been highly hon¬ 
ored by the jury of awards in the dairy division at the 
Pan-American Exposition, that State securing eight di¬ 
plomas, surpassing every State in the West and coming 
within one-fourth of a point of equaling the best butter 
made in New York and New Hampshire. The Missouri 
commissioners are greatly pleased over their success, 
especially in view of the extieme drought which pre¬ 
vailed over their State while the butter was being made. 
The highest score, 97^4 points, out of a possible 100, was 
won by 11. C. Goodrich, of Calhoun, Henry County, Mo. 
The next highest for Missouri were as follows; Holden 
Creamery Company, regular make, 96; unsalted, 94; East 
Lynee bianch, 95',4; Magnolia branch, Garden City 
Creamery Company, 94>4: Crosby Creamery Company, 
94*4; L. E. Shatluc, Stanberry, Mo., dairy class, 96%. 
J. 11. Durkee, president of the Stale Association of 
County Pairs, says arrangements will be made with all 
of the county fairs to send collections of first prizes of 
fruits and vegetables to the Pan-American Exposition 
during the months of September and October. It is ex¬ 
pected that an unusually large and fine collection will 
be secured in this way. 
The Western Association of Nurserymen met at the 
Centropolis Hotel, Kansas City, Mo., July 9. About 20 
members from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, 
Iowa and Arkansas attended the meeting. The officers 
of the Association are: A. L. Brooks, Topeka, president; 
R. H. Blair, Lee’s Summit, vice-president; E. J. Holman, 
Leavenworth, secretary. 
Wilton E. Britton, who has for seven years been horti¬ 
culturist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment 
Station, has received the appointment of State ento¬ 
mologist in accordance with the new law which went 
into effect on July 1, relative to insect pests. The work 
to which Mr. Britton is assigned is under the new law 
transferred to the Experiment Station, and is to be con¬ 
ducted there under the appropriation made by the State. 
The law provides for the inspection of all nurseries in 
the State, and stock brought into the State from else¬ 
where must bear a certificate of inspection under the 
new law. Mr. Britton begins his new duties at once. 
He will remain at the experiment station. 
The wheat crop of the Canadian west is very large this 
season. It is thought well within the mark to estimate 
that Manitoba and the Territories together will have 
55,000,000 bushels of wheat this year, or, deducting 10,000 
bushels for food and seed, about 45,000,000 bushels for ex¬ 
port. The largest crop on record was that of 1895, when 
32,000,000 bushels of wheat were reaped in Manitoba, and 
3,500,000 in the Territories, but the area was only about 
half of what it is to-day. Putting wheat, oats and barley 
together, there will be an aggregate yield in Manitoba 
of 80 , 000,000 bushels at least, since the oat crop is certain 
to amount to at least 25,000,000 bushels, while barley will 
exceed 7,000,000. In short, taking it all around, this is by 
far the fattest year ever experienced in the Canadian 
Northwest. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
JULY 18.—Making hay and cutting oats will be finished 
this week, both about one-half crop; potatoes one-third 
crop; pasture short. Cbrn is remarkably clean and will 
make a good crop but is needing rain now; had a good 
rain July 4, but ground is so dry that we need another 
badly. Potatoes are 80 cents; oats, 30; corn, 45 cents per 
bushel; apples a small crop; have dropped badly; worth 
50 cents per bushel. Blackberries are a large crop, worth 
$1 for 24-quart case at station. Pine prospect for peaches 
and pears. Strawberries a good crop and good prices. 
Parina, 111. n. d. c. 
JULY 19.—In this section corn will be a very light crop; 
poor stand on account of worms. Much of it was plant¬ 
ed late. If the present dry hot weather continues pota¬ 
toes will be a light crop. It cannot be more than medium 
at best. Apples are very light, and will be poor quality, 
from present indications. Tlie hay crop is heavy and 
is being well secured. Oats generally good. We have 
had quite fair success with Pall seeding of Timothy, 
without foster crop the present year. The gicaicst 
trouble we have in getting a stand with Pall seeding is 
with grasshoppers. They sometimes destroy it com¬ 
pletely wherever it joins meadow land. We have some 
seeded last September that will cut nearly two tons to 
the acre. n. o. 
Beaver Center. Pa. 
JULY 20.—Late planted crops need rain badly; many 
pieces of corn and potatoes cannot be more than half a 
crop, and they need more cultivation, as the planting 
and haying were so close together and help so scarce 
that many pieces of corn have not been worked more 
than twice. Clover has given a greater bloom than for 
many years; some was cut early in hope of a crop of 
seed, but the present dry weather is against that. Yet 
tliose who cut clover early, also mixed hay, have secured 
some fine hay, very bright and nice, wh.ie the late oxres 
liave had to put up with hay that looks as if it had 
been rained on, while not a drop of rain touched it. 
Wheat was badly infested with ily. On my own farm 
one piece sown after silage corn was cut off was about 
half ruined. At present it looks as thougli the acreage 
will be greatly reduced this Fall, and there will be a 
call for red wheat of a stiff strawed variety. Barley 
and oats will hardly be a full crop. Many pieces of oats 
are too short to bind. Corn, one of the most valuable 
crops to tlie farmer, will be greatly deficient, yet some 
very line crops are noted, especially silage and common 
field varieties. Sweet corn did not come well, and is 
very much spotted. Potatoes are the most varied crop, 
from a good stand to very poor. Pastures have been 
very good in a few places, especially on the milk dairy 
farms; they are short on account of the great growth 
early in the season. l..ess acreage was given the cows 
and more hay cut. Where oats and peas have been sub¬ 
stituted or silage fed the milk flow has been kept up. 
One milk seller is at present feeding heavily on grain 
and buying the milk of 19 cows once a day of his neigh¬ 
bors to keep up his supply, he himself milking nearly 40 
cows and drawing the refuse from a canning factory for 
feed, i note he has the foundation for two silos. Fruit, 
especially berries, has been plentiful. No cherries ex¬ 
cept a few sour ones. Apples are scarce, except King, 
Greening and early ones, such as Red Astrachan, Maiden 
Blush, etc. A. D. B. 
Aurelius, N. Y. 
JULY 22.—Corn, although planted very late on account 
of the wet Spring, is looking well and growing rapidly. 
Feed in pastures is unusually good for this season of the 
year, the frequent rains having kept them fresh and 
green. Prospects now are that farmers will not have as 
large feed bills the coming Winter as they did during 
the last. Cows have given a good flow of milk and are 
holding out fairly well. The Chenango Valley Dairy 
Company is receiving at its cooperative creamery 200 cans 
of milk per day. All this cream is now sold in Phila¬ 
delphia and Buffalo. The skim-milk is made into curd. 
The Empire State Dairy Company is getting considerable 
milk, but gets it at quite a distance from the station, 
the hot weather making such a demand for milk that the 
company is buying from cheese factories to increase the 
supply. The price since July 1 has been 64 cents per can; 
for June, 54 cents per can. The Chenango Valley Dairy 
Company paid for June 6074 cents per can. e. c. j. 
Greene, N. Y. 
JULY 22.—The central and northern part of this county 
is feeling the effects of the hot and dry weather. 
Plenty of rain in southern part. With the exception of 
a few fields here of Dawson’s Golden Chaff the wheat 
crop is the nearest to an utter failure I ever knew; too 
many Hessian fly. Oats have a wonderful growth. Hay¬ 
ing is about done: crop heavy. Beans are looking fine; 
planting fully as large as usual. I am Inclined to think 
that the acreage to cabbages is about 20 per cent greater 
than last year. Cabbage is looking fine for this time of 
season. Cherries are nearly a failure. I don’t see or 
hear very good reports of pear crop; apparently, consid¬ 
erably less than last year. Of apples we have hardly 
enough to talk about. If there is a barrel now growing, 
where 10 grew last year, I am unable to see or hear of 
it. I was talking recently with seven or eight apple 
growers, who raised last year from 700 to 4,000 barrels 
each; they were asked their opinion of the signs of the 
crop, taking 10 years for an average. Answers ranged 
from 10 to 25 per cent; the man estimating 10 per cent is 
owner of a large cold storage plant, and has had a wide 
range of sight-seeing among the orchards. Peaches from 
light to fair. h. 
Albion, N. Y. _ 
The Bean Crop in Western New York. 
At the present time I think the prospects are favor¬ 
able for a fair crop of beans. How much damage will 
be done by a maggot that is now eating the beanstalk 
off I cannot tell. Already a few fields have been plowed 
up in this locality. The acreage is rather large. I have 
noticed no blight on beans. j. b. collamer. 
Hilton. 
I have been riding several days, and think the acreage 
of beans is larger this year than for some time, but do 
not think there will be a large yield, as so much wet 
weather has packed the surface, and now the ground is 
baking. We should have rain soon or beans will not 
turn out much better than last year. It is too early to 
give more than a guess, but do not think there is any 
blight or rust yet. The weevil or Ily took some pieces 
quite badly, but pieces that had a good application of 
phosphate got out of the ground before the bug got in 
his work. c. a. 
Orleans Co. 
Owing to the late, cold, wet Spring, the usual amount 
of barley and oats was not sown. This, together with 
continued high prices of beans, stimulated farmers to 
plant a much larger acreage than at any time since 1895; 
I think 76 per cent more than in either of the last two 
seasons. The soil and weather conditions were very un¬ 
favorable for early planting, but later, farmers were 
enabled to complete bean planting. On many pieces 
beans were destroyed by grubs, before and just after 
they were up, but in most cases they were replanted. 
In other instances, the damage to the crop by the grub 
was so slight that replanting was unnecessary. It is 
too early for blight of any kind, and if Injury comes 
from this source it will be later. On the whole, the 
pi’ospect is favorable for a large crop of beans, but 
drought or blight may change the present outlook. 
Few beans of any kind have been planted except Me¬ 
dium and Pea, the latter predominating. s. c. bowen. 
Medina. 
At present beans are doing exceptionally well. The 
farmers experienced great dltliculty in getting the seed 
into the ground on account of the heavy rainfall which 
occurred during the latter half of May and first part of 
June. However, the seed was all finally got into the 
ground, and made a very quick germination on account 
of the warm and moist condition of the soil. We have 
had frequent showers and warm weather, which has 
materially aided the development of the young plants, 
and should these conditions continue throughout the 
season we will have a very large crop. However, it is 
as yet altogether too early to make any estimate of 
probable yields, as the vines are simply making growth, 
none as yet even being budded. It is too early for the 
blight to make its appearance. We have heard of a few 
instances in which tlie cutworms have seriously Injured 
the young plants. We think the acreage this year is 
fully up to that of last season, if not a little in excess. 
The crop will mature later this year than usual on ac¬ 
count of the late planting. n. b. kbeney son. 
Le Roy. 
Wheat and Hessian Fly. 
The fly is practically unknown in this locality. 1 never 
liear it spoken of except by eastern men. Nothing but 
Spring wheat is raised here. 'The chinch bug is taking 
hundreds of acres of grain this year. When the smal 
grain is ripe the chincli bugs take the corn and grass. 
Hampton, Minn. ■*" 
There is not as much trouble from the fly as was ex¬ 
pected in the early Spring. The wheat crop is very good 
in this locality. 20 to 25 bushels per acre; some more, 
some less. The varieties grown here are Fultz and Pool; 
some are raising the Democrat; not many. I do not think 
any one variety more liable to damage from tlie fly than 
the other. , 
Windsor, O. 
My experience with the Hessian fly is rather limited, 
.ut I am inclined to believe that the location of wheat- 
leld has more to do with the ravages of the fly than 
he variety. Last year at least 90 per cent of wheat crop 
vas destroyed by the fly, in this section, and I believe 
hat only the sand knolls had enough on to pay for cut- 
ing though the whole of the fields were sown to the 
lam’e variety. Elevation of field or character of soil 
;eemed to cut more ot a ligure than did variety. 
Clyde, O. 
Crop and Weather Report. 
The intense heat continues throughout the ceritral val- 
eys and the section east of the Rocky Mountains, with 
mly slight relief from local showers. On the Pacific 
■oast the weather continues unseasonably cool, and 
here has been a decided drop in temperature in the 
■lorth Atlantic States. In the Southeast there has been 
in excess of rain. The most critical conditions are now 
seen in the Central West, In Kansas, Nebraska and 
Missouri early corn is practically ruined. Rains would 
rive the late-planted a chance to make at least half a 
deld. Spring wheat harvest has begun in the southern 
jortion of the belt, where the excessive heat has caused 
iremature ripening. The conditions are more promising 
n the extreme north. The outlook for grain of all kinds 
n Washington is very favorable, and it is thought that 
he yield of wheat will beat all previous records. Oats 
ind wheat in shock in the Middle States have been 
somewhat damaged by rains. Haying throughout the 
mlire country is finished, good crops having been se- 
;ured in the Ohio Valley, I.ake region. North Dakota, 
Minnesota, and parts of the East. Cotton conditions in 
Vlississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida have Im- 
iroved. In the Carolinas it is suffering from lack of cul- 
ivatlon. The prospects for apples both east and west 
ire still further reduced. 
