V 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
633 
1901 
Events of the Week 
ATTACK ON PRESIDENT.—September 6 an attempt 
was made to assassinate President McKinley while at 
the Pan-American Exposition. He was holding a public 
reception, the assassin while apparently preparing to 
shake hands with him, firing two shots from a concealed 
weapon, one bullet penetrating the stomach, and causing 
a serious, though not necessarily fatal wound. The 
criminal is a Pole, giving the names of Czegolz or Nie- 
man. He asserts that he is an anarchist, but members 
of the anarchist party disclaim his assertions. 
DOMESTIC.—A boiler explosion wrecked the steamer 
City of Trenton on the Delaware River below Philadel¬ 
phia August 28, killing 29 persons and injuring many 
others. The victims were horribly injured.A 
dynamite explosion in a coal mine at Shamokin, Pa., 
August 29, shockingly mangled eight men, two fatally. 
. . . . State Treasurer J. R. Stowers, of Mississippi, 
was suspended by Gov, Longino August 28. Mr. Stowers 
had admitted that 1107,000, missing and unaccounted for 
when the Governor counted the cash August 15, had been 
deposited in banks, which is forbidden by law. The 
Jackson banks denied having any of the money on de¬ 
posit, and Mr, Stowers’ explanation of its whereabouts 
was not satisfactory to the Governor.During 
a tei’rific storm at Altoona, Pa., August 31, while a golf 
tournament was in progress, one person was killed, seven 
were rendered unconscious, and 200 spectators were more 
or less seriously shocked by three successive bolts of 
lightning.An appeal to President McKinley for 
protection for the negroes who are being lynched for 
their crimes was formulated and indorsed by the negro 
territorial Haptist Sunday school convention, in session 
in Oklahoma City, O. T., August 30. The convention does 
not attempt to excuse offenses, but asks the President to 
use his executive power in securing for them a fair 
trial in the courts before punishment is meted out. 
.... A rainstorm that prevailed September 1 in 
Cleveland, O., wrought havoc all over the city. Houses 
wei'e wrecked, and only heroic work prevented heavy 
loss of life. Trains were delayed by washouts, and 
street car traflic on many lines was at a standstill. The 
river was a raging torrent. The property loss Is esti¬ 
mated at lfl,0U0,U00.A railway collision at New¬ 
ark, N. Y,, August 31, killed 16 persons.At Kal- 
ispell, Mont., August 31, 18 freight cars broke loose and 
rushed down a mountain, crashing into a passenger train. 
A terrilic wreck resulted, the cars taking fire; 41 persons 
were killed.The revenue cutter Rush has re¬ 
turned to Bitka from Yakutat, 200 miles westward, where 
it went to quell serious Indian troubles, which have 
caused great alarm among the whites. Governor Brady 
addressed the Indians, warning them to obey the laws 
and refrain from disorders. They also were ordered to 
stop polygamy. Nearly 200 were vaccinated by the sur¬ 
geon of the Rush.The seventh week of the 
great steel strike shows no actual change in the situa¬ 
tion. Except in a few scattered cases the strike has 
been noticeable for its quiet and orderly character. The 
most serious blow the men have received is the refusal 
of J. P. Morgan to make contracts directly with a labor 
organization unless it is an incorporated body. 
ADMINISTRATION.—Mr. Tracewell, the Comptroller 
of the Treasury, has rendered a decision which aisposes 
of the famous De Lima case. He holds that under the 
recent decision of the United States Supreme Court the 
judgment obtained by De Lima &, Co. for ?14,597 from the 
United States on account of duties paid by them on 
goods shipped fi'om Porto Rico to the United States, 
between the date of the ratification of the Treaty of 
Paris and that of the approval of the Foraker act, may 
be paid out of the general appropriation of the Treasury 
Department, without further action by Congress. 
The President has appointed Wm. H. Hunt, of Montana, 
Secretary of Porto Rico, to be Governor of the Island, 
vice Allen, resigned. 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.—The members of the Bar As¬ 
sociation of the Islands ask for the removal of Abram 
S. Humphreys, judge of the circuit court of the First 
Judicial Circuit Territory. They charge that Judge 
Humphreys controls and is actively engaged in the pub¬ 
lication of a partisan newspaper while exercising the 
powers and performing the duties of circuit judge; that 
he takes an active part in bitter political controversies; 
that he uses his powers as judge to promote his own 
personal and political ends; that he is narsh, arbitrary, 
tyrannical and vindictive towards members of the bar 
and others, and that he has held in disregard the obliga¬ 
tions devolving upon him as judge, ana has brought the 
same into public disrepute and under suspicion. Judge 
Humphreys denies the charges, and the matter is under 
investigation. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Plow manufacturers of the 
United States have decided upon an advance of 10 per 
cent in the price of plows during the coming year. They 
claim that the cost of production is much greater than 
it was a year ago. 
The county fair at Brandywine Springs, Del., opened 
August 28. Addresses were made by Aaron Jones, of 
South Bend, Ind., Master of the National Grange, and 
R. H. Daly, Master of the State Grange. The largest 
prize winner was J, Edward Addicks, receiving 17 on his 
exhibit of swine, vegetables and horses. The next largest 
prize winner was Arnold Naudaln, who received 10 
awards on cattle. 
Prof. Leroy Anderson, late of Cornell Agricultural 
College, is now instructor in dairy husbandry at the 
University of California, Berkeley. The special course in 
dairy work is attracting students from all parts of that 
State. 
The Wolverine Sugar Company, at Benton Harbor, 
Mich., failed August 28, the announcement being made 
August 31. Legal proceedings already have been begun to 
protect the holders of outstanding notes to the amount 
of $107,700 and the Chicago Trust Company, which holds 
$125,000 of the company’s bonds. Local fields during the 
last two years have not raised enough beets to run the 
factory, and the managers had contracted for the pro¬ 
duct from 4,000 acres near Shelby, Ind., for this season. 
The factory cost $320,000. 
A meeting of the Gloucester County (N. J.) Board of 
Agriculture was held at Mullica Hill, N. J., September 3. 
The question of “Needed Legislation for the Good of 
Agriculture and How to Procure the Same’’ brought out 
the views of the farmers. William H. Hoffman said 
legislation that would regulate sending produce to mar¬ 
ket might be a good thing. He didn’t believe it was 
good policy to send truck to market that some farmers 
wouldn’t feed to hogs. In the matter of legislation, 
Thomas Borton thought the farmer was not fairly rep¬ 
resented. “Farmers,” he said, “should agree among 
themselves, organize and stay organized, and work as a 
unit.” He said it lies with the farmer to correct politics, 
and what Interests a Republican farmer should interest 
a Democrat farmer. The question, “How Can We Main¬ 
tain and Increase the Dignity and Honor of Our Occupa¬ 
tion,” was ably discussed, the leading thought being 
that the Grange is one of the best means of elevating 
the farmer in his occupation. 
The fruit crop of Kansas, comprising apples, pears, 
peaches, plums and grapes, is very promising, and, with 
good weather, will be abundant in all fruit-growing 
counties. Some have more than ever in their history. 
Apples, and in fact all fruit, is freer from insect depre¬ 
dations and fungous diseases than usual. There will be 
a larger proportion of first-grade apples than ever. 
Trees generally in excellent condition, mainly owing to 
the excessive Spring rains. 
Oregon will produce between 20,000,000 and 24,000,000 
pounds of dried prunes this year. 
The sixth annual meeting of the American Association 
of Farmers’ Institute Workers will be held at Buffalo, 
N. Y., September 18-19. A large number of delegates 
will be present from the United States and Canada. 
Crop Prospects. 
AUGUST 31.—We are very busy in bean harvest; 
weather extremely bad for beans. They are ripening 
unevenly and heavy showers cover a good many with 
mud; great complaint of not podding well. Big vines 
but few pods. Potatoes late and poor mostly; apples, 
none; wheat ruined by Hessian fly, but farmers peg away 
as if there was no such word as fail. s. w. c. 
Caledonia, N. Y , 
We are having ideal corn weather, and the outlook for 
late-planted fields grows brighter every day. Nothing 
but a very early frost can prevent a good average crop. 
There seems to be a special crop of Potato bugs provided 
for the late-planted fields. Wheat is yielding better than 
expected, but there will be a large acreage of rye sown 
this Fall. Buyers began to ship Bartlett pears about 
August 25, paying $1 per bushel and 60 cents for Clapp’s 
Favorite. Evaporator men are hustling for the few ap¬ 
ples we have. They are paying from 40 to 60 cents for 
everything on the tree. The Ben Davis brings the latter 
price, but the time will undoubtedly soon come when 
the picture given of that variety by Editor Collingwood 
at our Wayne County Fruit Growers’ Association will 
be a reality, and expert grafters will be in great de¬ 
mand. At least 75 per cent of all the apple trees planted 
in this section during the last decade have been of that 
variety, and it will so continue while growers realize a 
greater profit from them. E. a. g. 
North Rose, N. Y. 
The Western Corn Crop. 
Reports from the West about the corn crop vary widely. 
The truth seems to be that on the whole the damage 
done by the drought is not as serious as was at first 
supposed. There will be more corn than dealers figured 
on a month ago. One thing however is true. The drought 
has taught farmers to save the stalks. The following 
note taken from the Live Stock World is a fair statement 
of conditions; 
“Those who never used shredded fodder don’t know its 
value, and they seem hard to convince. For two seasons 
previous to this we have cut no hay, have fattened and 
sold five loads of cattle, and they were fed no hay. 
Fodder and oat straw in addition to the grain ration also 
wintered stock and breeding cattle in good condition. I 
consider it one of the best of feeds for horses either idle 
or at work. All that is not eaten makes the best of bed¬ 
ding, and is well worth all it costs for manure. I be¬ 
lieve it only a question of time, which should be now, 
where there will be as stable a demand for it as there 
is for hay and straw. There will be fodder enough left 
standing in the fields here if properly cared for to winter, 
in good condition, a large portion of the stock sacrificed 
by owners in the States affected by drought. Yet people 
here still continue to let the cornstalks stand in the field, 
and what cattle they keep grow poor all Winter when 
here is forage abundant if they would only save it.” 
Macaroni Wheats for America. 
In The R. N.-Y. for August 24, under Brevities, page 
584, you speak of macaroni wheats. Are there any special 
conditions required for those wheats? This portion of 
North Carolina is at present producing a fine quality of 
wheat. The last half-dozen years have proven wheat to 
be one of our best crops—cash crop at that. Cotton and 
tobacco no longer have that exclusive distinction. In 
fact, southern agriculture has shown a tendency during 
the last few years to grow the crop best suited to the 
soil and climate, and nearest to the market. With the 
culture of wheat our milling facilities have almost kept 
pace. Not more than a decade back this section was a 
large buyer of northern and western ship stuff and flour; 
now flour and feed Is shipped from here. Last Fall, 
within the neighborhood of Thomasvllle and mostly to 
the south of it, there were upwards of 100,000 bushels of 
wheat thrashed. That meant $75,000 to the farmers. This 
Summer has not been as favorable to the perfection of 
the crop as last; too much rain. Now we begin to need 
something like a wheat exchange or elevator facilities 
to handle the large crop that is being raised, and which 
every effort will be directed to keep raising in the future. 
It is reported that it took 400 binders to gather the wheat 
crop of 1900 in Randolph County, the county joining 
Davidson on the east. During the last three years more 
than 1,000 binders were brought into this section. Each 
year sees an Increase of Improved machinery coming 
here. The one-horse plow is not the breaking plow, as 
it was not many years ago; more heavy disk plows and 
heavy three-horse plows are used to break the wheat 
land. Last Summer, at the time to break land for wheat, 
the weather was dry and ground hard. We put four 
horses abreast to the big three-horse plow, weighted the 
plow—it had a wheel at the end of the beam—and the 
plowing went right on. The disk harrow, drag and 
roller, made a good seed bed. Last Fall the early seed¬ 
ing was almost destroyed by the Hessian fly; years 
ago, during the days of slavery, when not much wheat 
was grown, the early seeding would do the best. But 
now with so much greater acreage and better tillage, with 
land made so much richer by growing clover and fer¬ 
tilizing heavily, the later seedings, after the middle of 
October, are better and safer. Besides the Hessian fly 
in the Fall the late frosts in the Spring right often kill 
the early-sown wheat. 1 would like to see the macaroni 
wheat tried here. J. B. 
Thomasville, N. C. 
R. N.-Y.—The National Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C., has issued an interesting pamphlet 
on this subject. Send and get a copy of it. Seed is to be 
bixuught from Italy, as we understand it, and sent into 
the most desirable places for experiment. 
Crop and Weather Notes. 
Heavy rains have injured crops and hindered farm 
work in parts of the South Atlantic States. The weather 
continues hot and dry In the Missouri and upper Mis¬ 
sissippi valleys, and late corn is suffering, in California 
the weather has been too cool for the proper maturing 
and drying of fruits, and light frost is reported in Ne¬ 
vada. Late corn in the central valleys is doing well, 
and will be out of the way of frost by September 20. 
The week has been unfavorable for cotton. Rust and 
shedding and premature opening are reported. The ap¬ 
ple outlook has slightly improved in Kansas, Indiana, 
Illinois, Arkansas and West Virginia. Plowing and 
seeding are well advanced except in Virginia, where there 
has been an excess of rain, and in Missouri, Nebraska 
and Arkansas, where the soil is too dry to plow. 
The Potato Beetle in Europe. 
The agricultural authorities of England wisely take 
great precautions to prevent the spread of the Colorado 
potato beetle in that country. Considering the amount 
of shipping to English ports, and the wandering habit 
of the bug, which delights in crawling into boxes and 
barrels, it is surprising that the pest has not gained a 
stronger foothold there. The following from the Journal 
of Commerce tells of the lively reception the bug gets 
when found in an English potato field: 
“Several specimens were discovered Sunday in a potato 
patch near the Tilbury Docks, on the Thames, which 
caused an extraordinary commotion among the agricul¬ 
turists. Since the presence of the bug was reported, the 
Board has caused the ground to be quarantined and all 
plant and animal life upon it was destroyed. The en¬ 
virons were searched for other specimens and a notice 
was issued to the public, calling attention to the law, 
which provides that any person may be fined £10 who 
does not immediately notify the police of the discovery 
of the bug. The policemen are obliged, under heavy 
penalties, to warn the Board of the presence of the bug.” 
A Practical Method of Co-operation. 
One of the chief drawbacks to selling farm produce is 
the fact that it seems necessary to sell it through middle¬ 
men. Why is it not possible for farmers to exchange 
products to a greater extent than is now practiced? For 
example, the farmers of the sandy portions of south 
Jersey produce fruit and sweet potatoes to sell. They 
buy a part or all of their Winter supply of round pota¬ 
toes, apples, oats, corn, hay and bran. In Vineland there 
is a successful Sweet Potato Growers’ Association, which 
sells the produce of a large number of farmers. One 
barrel or a carload of sweet potatoes can be shipped at 
short notice. Sweet potatoes have been shipped as far 
as Dakota every Fall by Vineland growers, and have 
been stored there for Winter use. Therefore, it is rea¬ 
sonably safe for any Grange or other farmers’ organiza¬ 
tion within 500 miles of Vineland to buy sweet potatoes 
for members to store for their own use in Winter. Full 
instructions would be sent for storing. When distant 
farmers have It.arned to store them successfully, they 
can fill their cellars and sell them at a high price during 
the cold spells in Winter when their nearby village can¬ 
not have them shipped in because of danger of freezing 
en route. So much for the sweet potato side of the 
problem. Fruit could also be shipped to advantage, but 
sweet potatoes would be the best to start with. 
The farmers of Vineland could use or sell, in car lots 
at our local markets, round potatoes, apples, oats, corn, 
hay and lumber; and in smaller quantities butter, cheese, 
wheat, etc. Even if our sweet potatoes and fruit were 
not wanted we would like to buy our products in large 
lots direct from producers. If this method were prac¬ 
ticed farmers would gain on both buying and selling, and 
especially if carloads were shipped on transportation also. 
If a business of this kind developed sufficiently probably 
The R. N.-Y. and other farm papers would set apart a 
special column for advertising products of the different 
sections of the country. All that would be needed would 
be a heading to the column something like this: “This 
column is devoted to the advertising of farm products 
particularly with a view to bringing producer and con¬ 
sumer nearer together by means of exchange of produce 
wherever possible.” Under this heading the advertise¬ 
ment could be made very short; for example, “John 
Smith,-Grange, Little Falls, N. Y. Cheese, apples, pota¬ 
toes.” GEO. A. MITCHELL. 
New Jersey. _ 
Wages for Grape Packers. 
“Grape help” as we understand the term here in the 
Chautauqua grape belt, applies to harvest hands, also 
those employed in tying the vines to the wire in early 
Spring. It is composed of sturdy women, also boys and 
girls from 14 to 20 years, and “sissy” men. The prevail¬ 
ing wages are $1 per day without board and $3 to $3.50 
per week with board. During the past four years piece¬ 
work method has developed to some extent. For pick¬ 
ing and packing eight-pound baskets in the vineyard, 
one cent per basket is paid. During the same period 
there has been consldei’able development in selling grapes 
in bulk. These are picked in gift crates holding about 
30 pounds each, for which two cents per crate is paid. 
The piece-work price means that the picker boards her¬ 
self. Picking and packing baskets in the vineyard is 
often carelessly done, and to such extent as to impair 
the reputation of grapes from this belt. Our help, for 
the most part, is from good families; more so formerly 
than now. Near canning centers, Italian help is being 
used more and more. jno. w. sbkncer. 
