1901 
rilE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
665 
Events of the Week 
DOMESTIC.—An explosion in the powder works at Oak¬ 
land, N. J., September 13, killed five men .iiul injured 
eight others. . . . The Canadian Government, at the 
instance of the Imperial authorities, has disallowed two 
measures passed by the Legislature of British Columbia. 
One bill restricted Oriental immigration and the other 
concerned the employment of Chinese and Jai)anese on 
public works. . . . The great steel strike, which began 
on June 30. was brought to an end at a conference Sep¬ 
tember 15, between the leaders of the Amalgamated 
Association and the officers of the subsidiary companies 
of the United States Steel Corporation. The full terms 
of the settlement were not divulged. . . . Crazy Snake, 
the Creek Indian, who led the rebellion last Spring 
against the Government, has been released, and is again 
inciting his people to rebellion. He claims to have come 
recently from Washington, where he ascertained that 
tribal rights are to be restored to the Indians. . . . 
Rev. Henry P. Whipple, Episcopal Bishop of Minnesota, 
died at Faribault, September 16, aged 79. He is known 
its the "Apostle to the Indians," having devoted himself 
both to their spiritual and material welfare in the North¬ 
west for 40 years, and he received from them the aborig¬ 
inal name of Straight Tongue. ... A special commis¬ 
sion has reported a resolution to the Texas House recom¬ 
mending that all States in the Union enact and enforce 
the most stringent laws for the complete suppression of 
anarchism. 
ADMINISTRATION.—After lying in state at Buffalo 
one day, the remains of the late President were taicen to 
Washington September 16, to lie in state there, the funeral 
being at Canton, O., September lit . . . The official an¬ 
nouncement of the physicians, as the result of their 
autopsy on the President’s body, that death resulted 
from gangrene of the wounds, led to much discussion 
of the causes leading up to the gangrenous condition. It 
developed that Dr. Wasdin, one of the consulting physi¬ 
cians, and an expert of high standing in the Marine Hos¬ 
pital service, strongly supported the view that the mur¬ 
derous bullet had been poisoned, and that this was one 
of the moving causes of the dangerous conditions. The 
area of this dead and gangrened flesh was a source of 
much surprise to the surgeons, reaching a circumference 
about the size of a silver dollar about the internal 
wounds. The injury was fatal from the beginning. . . . 
Leon F. Czolgosz, alias Fred Nieman, was indicted in 
Buffalo September 16, for murder in the first degree. . . 
The British Government has ordered 30 days’ official 
mourning for President McKinley, and on the day of the 
funeral memorial services were held in St. Paul’s Cathe¬ 
dral and Westminster Abbey, London, it being the first 
time such a service has ever been held in Westminster 
for a foreigner. --Vll the European countries united in 
tributes to the dead President. . . . Concerning the 
new President, it may be said that he is the only man 
who ever rose from police commissioner to President. He 
is the youngest man who ever took the oath of office as 
President. He is the only New York City man ever in 
the Presidential chair. He is the only man of Knicker¬ 
bocker stock who ever became President, except Marlin 
Van Buren, of Kinderhook. He is the only Vice President 
with a military record who ever succeeded to the Presi¬ 
dency. . . . President Roosevelt announces that there 
will be no extraordinary session of Congress. The Con¬ 
stitution does not demand it, and, after discussion with 
those members of the Cabinet here, he decided that it 
was not necessary. At a meeting of the Cabinet Septem¬ 
ber 14, President Rooset elt requested that the members 
retain their positions at least for the present, and they 
promised that they would do so. He also has received as¬ 
surances that Secretaries Hay and Gage, who were ab¬ 
sent, w'ill also remain for the time being. 
PORTO RICO.—It is reported that haif the coffee crop 
has been partially ruined by the recent rainstorms, and 
«iat the banana crop has suffered serious damage. The 
poorer classes will probably appeal for assistance in 
consequence. The new railway bridge across the Anasco 
has been destroyed by the floods. 
'I'HE PHILIPPINES.—A force of brigands recently at¬ 
tacked and plundered the town of Castillina, island of 
Negros, which was guarded by Filipino police. Three of 
the latter were killed and five were w'ounded. The mili¬ 
tary situation is unchanged. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Illinois State Horticultural 
Society will hold its annual Winter meeting at Cham¬ 
paign December 10-12. A large exhibit of fruit is ex¬ 
pected, the premium list being the same as last year. 
Secretary, L. R. Bryant, Princeton, Ill. 
The managers of the Minnesota State Fair intend to 
make extensive improvements in their grounds at Ham¬ 
line. It was decided that a machinery hall, a power and 
light plant, a permanent live stock pavilion, and addi¬ 
tion to the grand stand, additional live stock barns and 
a new fence at the western end of the grounds are neces¬ 
sary. The necessity for a sheep barn was so evident, part 
of the exhibitors this year having to be contented with 
temporary outside pens, that the secretary was instructed 
to have a large sheep barn built this Fall. 
'I'he Southern Nurserymen’s Association was in session 
recently at Asheville, N. C. By a unanimous vote it was 
decided to change the date of meeting to the third Mon¬ 
day in January each year, and Charleston, S. C., was 
chosen for the meeting of 1902. The following officers 
were elected: President, J. Van Lindley, Pomona, N. C.; 
vice-president, H. B. Chase, Huntsville, Ala.; secretary 
and treasurer, W. Lee Wilson, Winchester, Tenn. N. W. 
Hale was made chairman of the executive committee; 
G. H. Miller, Rome, Ga., chairman of the transportation 
committee, and S. Dougherty, Winsted, Tenn., chairman 
of the legislative committee. 
'I'he California State Fair was held at Sacramento Sep¬ 
tember 2 to 14. 
The New York Florists’ Club will hold an Autumn ex¬ 
hibition at Madison Square Garden, New York City, Oc¬ 
tober 21 to 28. 
At a recent meeting of the British Columbia Fruit 
Growers’ Association, it was decided that B. G. Stoddard, 
the expert fruit packer, of Portland, Ore., should give 
demonstrations of fruit packing during the progress of 
the Pall fairs at Ashcroft, Kamloops, Kelowna, Salmon 
Arm. and during the exhibitions at New Westmln.ster and 
Victoria. A sample carload of mixed B. C. fruit was 
shipped to the Northwest, J. C. Metcalfe, of Hammond, 
traveling with the car as the representative of the As- 
.sociation. 
TALK WITH A DRIED FRUIT MAN. 
On account of the short apple crop this season an effort 
W’ill be made to market in one way or another a large 
tiuantity that would ordinarily be considered tit only for 
hog feed, in order to learn from the dealers’ stand¬ 
point what can be done in the way of drying this low 
grade fruit, an R. N. Y. reporter called on A. C. Worth, 
a dried-fruit merchant, at 51 Jay street, New York. 
“Is there any demand for dried apples made from 
natural fruit w’hich is so small or of such poor quality 
that it will not sell in the fresh fruit market?” 
“Yes; such apples may be worked up into chops to 
advantage, which at present are selling at nearly twice 
last year’s price.” 
“Would it pay to get a chop machine for making up 
as small a quantity as 10 or 15 barrels?” 
“I doubt it. My judgment is that one should have 
nearly 100 barrels to make the best use of one of these 
machines.” 
“How, then, can a man who has only a few barrels of 
this fruit handle it?” 
“He can make the chops without a machine. All that 
is necessary is to take a knife and cut the apple in slices 
crosswise the core, without peeling.” 
"How thick should the slices be?’’ 
“That is not material, but, of course, the thinner and 
more nearly uniform they are, the quicker and more 
evenly they dry. They may be dried in the sun or by 
artificial heat.” 
“is that all there is to it?” 
“To bring the highest prices they should be bleached.” 
“How is this done?” 
“By exposing them to sulphur fumes for a short time. 
This operation cannot be carried on very well in a living 
room, as the fumes would be offensive. The fruit in 
trays could be put into a box out of doors and the sulphur 
burned in the bottom. Of course, where drying is done 
on a large scale, special appliances are used. I am now 
speaking of methods that might be employed where only 
a few apples are being prepared.” 
“How long should they be exposed to the sulphur 
fumes?” 
“That cannot be answered definitely, and can only be 
told by trying. The flesh of properly bleached apples 
is of a light cream color.” 
“Can windfall apples be used?” 
“Yes. anything that is not rotten may be worked up 
into chops.” 
“What about the better grades that are intended for 
drying?” 
“More care should be taken with them. They may be 
peeled and quartered, and, of course, should be bleached.” 
“Are the cores and skins of any value?” 
•‘Yes; when dried they bring nearly as high prices as 
chops.” 
These chops and cores and skins do not look at all in¬ 
viting. Of course, they are not fit to be stewed up into 
apple sauce, for an apple that is not suitable for food 
when fresh cannot be much improved by drying. It is 
said that a large quantity of this waste is used in the 
manufacture of wines. Those who attempt to make 
apple chops by hand would do well to go rather care¬ 
fully on the start, as with a sharp knife and a few reck¬ 
less moves one may find himself minus a finger-tip. 
FRUIT EXHIBIT AT THE N. Y. STATE FAIR. 
It was said by many that this was the finest exhibit 
of hardy fruits ever seen in the United States, and it 
certainiy was much larger than any previous exhibit at 
this State Fair. The fine quality of fruit shown was no¬ 
ticeable, this being an off year for most kinds of fruit in 
New York State. The amount exhibited and the interest 
shown by the horticultural societies of the State were 
very gratifying. The fine collection of apples, plums, 
peaches and pears shown by the New York State Experi¬ 
ment Station of Geneva was admirabie. The Station 
should be complimented upon the neatness and com¬ 
pleteness of its exhibit. 'i'he exhibit of the Cornell Ex¬ 
periment Station, consisting of about 40 plates each of 
plums and grapes, was of fine quality, 'i'he exhibit of 
cold storage apples, crop of 1900, shown by the New York 
State Pan-American Commission, was noteworthy. While 
it is impossible to mention all of the individual exhibits 
of merit, I shall mention those that struck me most 
forcibly. Ellwanger & Barry’s collection of pears and 
grapes was as usual of the finest quality, and occupied a 
prominent position. C. C. Corby, Montclair, N. J., this 
year, as usual, brought his collection of grapes, and 
size of cluster and berry being considered, they were the 
finest shown. S. D. Willard, Geneva, was on hand with his 
largest and best collection of plums, and William Palmer, 
Grooms, with collection of pears, apples and plums. 
Grant Hitchlngs, South Onondaga, exhibited apples alone, 
and I have never seen a collection of apples grown by 
one man that would surpass it in size of varieties, 
color and quality of exhibit as a whole. Mr. Hitchings 
advocates a new method of apple culture, and his results, 
as seen this year at the New York State Fair, would jus¬ 
tify any apple grower in investigating his methods. M. F. 
Peck & Nephew, Albany, Ontario, Canada, exhibited a 
fine lot of apples, and a large number of varieties of the 
finest quality. David K. Bell, Rochester, showed in sin¬ 
gle plates and collections of pears, and, as usual, took a 
large share of the premiums. 'I'he New York State Fruit 
Growers’ Association, which was organized about six 
months ago, captured the first premium lor the largest 
and best exhibit by any horticultural society. Its mem¬ 
bers certainly did respond to the call for fruit with a 
will. They were handicapped by being compelled to move 
from a small to a larger tent, so did not have the time 
to arrange their exhibit in good form for the first day of 
the Fair. They made an exceptionally fine show in 
peaches and apples. The Western New York Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s exhibit was a model of neatness, and In 
quality as a whole, I think was the finest of the three 
societies. The New York State Fruit Growers surpassed 
them on number of plates and number of varieties of 
ponchos, plums, apples and grapes. In talkin.g with snme 
of the members of the different societies, the tiuestioii 
was raised if it was practical to have the Society prize 
awarded to the society having the largest number of 
correctly named varieties and best quality, leaving out 
the largest number of plates. A very large number of 
duplicates was noted in the different exhibits. v. u. 
THE CANADIAN CENSUS RETURNS. 
'I'he sUtw rate of increase is caused, to a certain ex¬ 
tent, by better inducements to other countries, which 
have been a heavy drain to this country in the last 20 
years. Farm lands seem to be about the same as 20 
years ago, but the values have risen and fallen since 
then. In some localities it is no trouble to dispose of 
a farm, especially those having conveniences, such as 
being near a good market or a good road, and the in¬ 
come from such* is, I think, equal to former years, but 
those away back have depreciated, as ail farms situated 
as above stated have a certain amount of fruit which 
is always in demand, and those farther back have sailed 
in the same old boat that their grandfathers did. 
Ancaster, Ont. J. r". s. 
Regarding census returns, the small increase for the 
Province of Ontario can be accounted for on account of 
the migration to Manitoba and the Canadian Northwest. 
Also, the families of the present generation are much 
smaller than those of previous years, the present being 
only two to four against eight to 12 formerly. On the 
whole, the returns are not satisfactory, 'i'he values of 
farm lands are higher by 5U per cent than 20 years ago 
in the Niagara Peninsula. Farms of 200 or 300 acres 
have been divided and sold in lots of 10 to 50 acres for fruit 
growing, which has given fairly good returns to the 
grower. The incomes are better than in former years, 
from the same number of acres. k. r. u. 
Hamilton, Ont. 
T@ the patriotic Canadian farmer the late census re¬ 
turns are not very satisfactory, seeing there is a gen¬ 
eral decrease of the rural population in the older sections 
of the Dominion. It would seem that there is a general 
tendency to drift toward the large cities and to “go 
west” into the newer regions, 'i'his, of course, indicates 
a dissatisfaction with conditions in the older rural sec¬ 
tions, or at least a desire on the part of many to better 
themselves. No doubt this same influence has induced 
not a few to seek their fortunes in the United States. 
Farm lands have depreciated in value during the last 
20 years at least 25 per cent, with a firmer tendency and 
slight increase within the last two or three years. While 
this is true generally, in some cases farm lands have 
not only not decreased in value but have Increased, 
especially in districts where fruit growing is the leading 
industry, 'i'hose farmers who are industrious and able 
to take advantage of the present facilities for gaining 
a better knowledge of the principles of successful farm¬ 
ing, and ■who can adapt themselves to the varying and 
ever-changing conditions, receive as large an income as 
formerly, and I am of the opinion that in many cases 
of failure to make both ends meet the cause has been 
increased expenses rather than diminished incomes. In 
this locaiity farm lands meet a rather readier saie than 
a few years ago, though there are not very many farms 
changing hands or being offered for sale. a. e. 11 . 
Tintern, Ont. _ 
Farm Lands in Illinois. 
1 have been interested in reading the notes on farm 
values in 'I'he R. N.-Y. for some time, and am at a loss 
to know why the property is almost universally rated at 
a depreciation of 25 to 40 per cent. Better to illustrate 
this I have in mind a farm of 185 acres, with a fine equip¬ 
ment of good buildings, fine water for stock and a large 
supply of all kinds of fruit. In 1882 the owner was offered 
8100 per acre for it, and refused to sell at that price; it 
paid a net profit of 10 per cent on the valuation. The 
same place, under the same management, now pays 15 
per cent on the offered price, and the owner (owing to 
old age he wishes to sell) can’t get a bid of $65 per acre 
for it. 'Phis land is near the Illinois Central Railroad, 
that furnishes the best of transportation facilities to 
Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Omaha, Milwaukee and 
other good markets, and the soil will produce the finest 
crops of wheat, corn, hay and all kinds of fruit and vege¬ 
tables. Many acres have this year paid a net profit of 
$250 to $300 each in cucumbers and Gem melons, while 
strawberries average $75 to $100 per acre net each year. 
But with all this the land continues to depreciate in sell¬ 
ing price, while the taxes are held up to the hi&hesi 
limit. Why is it so? Q. w. e. 
Villa Ridge, Ill. 
Crop and Weather Notes. 
There have been frosts in the upper Missouri Valiey 
and northern California. Cool weather has checked the 
maturing of corn in the the Central West, yet most of it 
is believed to be out of danger of frost. The hop crop 
in Washington is suffering for lack of sunshine. Heavy 
rains in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi have interfered 
with cotton picking, and damaged the crop. In the South 
Atlantic States drought is damaging crops. Plowing for 
Fali grain has advanced rapidly where the rains have 
not been excessive. Heavy winds have blown off many 
of the apples remaining on the trees in Illinois and 
Indiana. 
SEPTEMBER 12.—We have had a good, heavy rain in 
the past week, the first of any account since July 4, al¬ 
though there has been plenty of rain within 10 miles 
north of us all Summer. Crops somewhat streaked; some 
places a full crop, and in others only one-half crop. 
Several carloads of corn harvesters have been sold at 
Cresco, and much corn is being cut for fodder; cuttjng 
about half done. Oats went from 20 to 40 bushels per 
acre, worth 30 to 35 cents. Not much wheat raised here. 
Flax, from five to 15 bushels, mostly sold at $1.50, now at 
$1.25. Hay, $6 to $8, not half crop. Hogs, about $6 for 
the best; no cholera reported so far this Fall. Cattle and 
sheep rather off in price. Pastures poor. Clover seed, 
where saved, turning out well. Potatoes high; have been 
selling all Fall for $1.50 to $1.75 per bushel. Late potatoes 
will be one-half crop. No apples. Land has at least 
doubled in value in the last 12 or 15 years, with much 
changing hands. Land that could have been bought 15 
years ago at $10 per acre is now worth $40. Land in this 
vicinity is worth from $35 to $80, with some pieces close 
to town or with extra improvements worth more. Values 
have gone up $10 to $15 in the past year. w. r. 
Ci'csco, Iowa. 
