1901 
7i3 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Events of the Week 
DOMESTIC.—The first snow of the sea.son for that 
section fell at Warsaw, Ind., October 3. This is the 
earliest fall there for 30 years. Two inches of snow fell 
in Miami Co., Ind., October 3.Fire in the Pitts¬ 
burg Clay Pot Works, Alleg/ieny, Pa., October 6, dam¬ 
aged the plant to the amount of $230,000.The 
native population of the Aleutian Islands is rapidly dis¬ 
appearing, the people succumbing to disease, measles 
being particularly virulent among them.A fire 
among warehouses at the north side of the - Chicago 
River, on the lake shore, October 6, caused a loss of 
.'TJie American Mission Board, supple- 
menWid by the Government authorities, has matured 
plans that insure the freedom of Miss Stone. Nearly 
$60,000 in cash and pledges for the ransom is in hand, 
and of this sum $35,000 has been transmitted to Con¬ 
stantinople by Kidder, Peabody & Co., through the State 
Department, where it has been placed in the hands of 
an agent for the brigands by the United States Consul. 
The e.xtension of time for the full payment of the $110,000 
demanded by the brigands will afford ample opportunity 
for carrying out the negotiations. The State Depart¬ 
ment is moving diplomatically in the case of Miss Stone, 
and, should it be proven that Bulgaria is imi)licated in 
the plot, a claim for damages will be made against her 
government.October 9 a boiler explosion at 
Erie, Pa., wrecked a brass foundry and a hotel annex; 
nine persons were injured, two fatally, and the property 
loss was $50,000.The State of Te.xas is starting 
prosecutions against fraudulent oil companies. More 
than 100 of that class sold millions of dollars of worth¬ 
less stock during the early stages of the oil excitement. 
The suits will be tried at Austin. 
ADMINISTRATION.—A new Isthmian Canal conven¬ 
tion between the United States and Great Britain will 
be signed next month, at Washington. It will abrogate 
the Clayton-Bulwor treaty, declare the neutrality of the 
projected waterway, and concede the right of the United 
States to protect her own interests in time of war. 
. . . . Both parties to the Venezuela asphalt contro¬ 
versy have declined to enter into the arrangement for 
an amicable settlement, the foundation of which was 
laid by Minister Bowen, at Caracas, recently. 
School-book publishers have asked the Treasury De¬ 
partment for relief from the seizure of several thousand 
arithmetics by the Secret Service. These arithmetics 
were printed for use in the schools of the Philippines, 
and contained i)ictures of American coins. As any t)rint- 
ed fac simile of an American obligation is in violation 
of the counterfeiting laws, the arithmetic was suppre.ssed 
The publishers contend that a wrong has been done, as 
the pictures were educational to the Filipinos and neces¬ 
sary to the information of the children in the schools. 
The question will be taken up by Secretary Gage on his 
return to Washington. 
PHILIPPINES.—Steamship advices say the Island of 
Panay, which has been affected by the plague. Is now 
suffering from famine. One hundred and thirty deaths 
from starvation are reported to have occurred at Capiz 
alone.To prevent the spread of plague. Manila 
has Inaugurated a war against rats, and is paying 2'^ 
cents for each rodent delivered to the board of health. 
.... Major Morris C. Foote, of the Ninth Regiment, 
who was in Balangiga the day before the disaster .at 
that place, says Captain Connell had been fully warned, 
and had taken what he (Major Foote) considered every 
necessary precaution. Major Foote had heard from a 
priest that the natives meant to attack the garrisons at 
both Balangiga and Basey and that the Basey garri.son 
was to be attacked from a cock-pit behind the barracks. 
Orders were Immediately given to demolish the cock¬ 
pit, and extra guards were stationed. He cannot under¬ 
stand how 48 Americans were killed at breakfast. 
General Smith sailed from Manila October 9 for the re¬ 
lief of the Island of Samar. He will take command of 
Samar and Leyte so as to enable General Hughes to de¬ 
vote himself to the Island of Cebu, where trouble Is 
possible unless strone measures are adopted. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—A violent gale prevailed 
over northwestern Europe and Great Britain October 6-7. 
A cyclone and waterspout were reported in the English 
Channel, and much damage was done to shipping. 
.... The Ameer of Afghanistan died October 7. He 
was educated and progressive, and a strong ally of Great 
Britain.The Russian government has barred 
American miners out of Siberia; they will not be allowed 
to take up claims or to work for wages. Next Spring 
the ti-easury department of the Russian government will 
patrol the Siberian coast with revenue steamers, whose 
duty it will be to see that no trading is done with the 
natives except by persons acting under permits from the 
Russian government. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Illinois State Horticultural 
Society will meet at Champaign, December 10-12. A fine 
display of fruits and vegetables is expected, liberal pre¬ 
miums being offered, and an excellent programme, in¬ 
cluding many well-known speakers, is assured. Secre¬ 
tary, L. R. Bryant, Princeton, Ill. 
The Florida State Fair will be held at Jacksonville 
November 19-22; general manager, G. S. Henly. 
An interesting display of French fruit was shown at 
the Pan-American Exposition September 2-1, being sent 
by the Syndicat Central des Primeurlstes Francaise. It 
was the desire of the senders that the fruit should be 
shown at the meeting of the American Pomological So¬ 
ciety, but it did not arrive in time. The fruit consisted 
of five distinct lots and comprised nine varieties of 
grapes, three varieties of apples, nine varieties of pears, 
five varieties of peaches and one variety of muskmelon. 
It was shipped by mail from Paris, September 12, leav¬ 
ing Havre by steamer Aquitaine, September 14, reaching 
New York September 21. The time consumed in transit 
—11 days—was, unfortunately, too long for the require¬ 
ments of melons and thin-skinned grapes, and these 
fruits consequently arrived in bad order. Certain thick- 
skinned gr.apes. Including Black Alicante, Boudales, An- 
gelino and Director Tisserand, and all the pears and 
apples, came in excellent condition, and were found to 
be very fine examples of their respective varieties. 
The dates for farmers’ institutes to be held in New 
York State the coming Winter are now being arranged 
by the director. About 1,200 applications are on file, and 
while this is more than three times as many meetings 
as can be held, there are still some sections of the State 
from which no applications have been received. If our 
readers care for meetings in their respective localities, 
and will send an application at once to F. E. Dawlej,’, 
Director Farmers’ Institutes, Fayetteville. N. Y., the 
application will be considered, and if there is an oppor¬ 
tunity for holding the meeting it will be placed. Quite 
a number of new speakers have been placed on the list 
this Winter, and the present outlook points to a most 
successful series of meetings. 
The Kansas State experimental creamery plant at the 
Agricultural College, heretofore operated only in the 
Winter, will after November 1 be operated the year 
round and the product sold on the market. The Con¬ 
tinental Creamery Company has consented to remove 
its skimming station from Manhattan and so give the 
State a monopoly of that territory. The object of the 
State’s plant, of course, is the instruction of students 
in the art of making butter, and this can only be done 
by running it all the time. The profits of the plant will 
pay the expense of maintenance, and so the State will 
be out nothing. 
The National Cattle Show, to be opened at Kansas 
City, Mo., October 21, is expected to excel all previous 
shows there. The fact that there is to be a combina¬ 
tion exhibit and sale of the three famous breeds of cat¬ 
tle—the Herefords, Short-horns and Galloways—is to a 
great extent responsible for the interest shown this year, 
although the success of the combination show of Here¬ 
fords and Short-horns last year also had something to 
do with it. The entertainment to be provided for the 
visitors this year and the accommodations for the cattle 
will be superior to what they were. The new $40,000 show 
barn, where the thoroughbreds are to be stabled, has 
been completed. The cattle will be shown and judged 
in a large tent near the sale pavilion, but the public will 
also be admitted to view the animals in their stalls in 
the new show barn. 
An alarming disease has made its appearance in the 
potato fields of France, according to a report received 
from Consul Covert, at Lyons. It causes the leaves of 
GEORGE L. FLANDERS. Fia. 323. 
the potato to dry up, while the stem becomes thin and 
covered with yellowish spots, and finally dies. The veins 
of the leaves fill with a gummy substance, and are in¬ 
fested by bacteria. The disease first attacks the roots, 
and then invades all parts of the plant. The bacteria 
is said to be identical with that which once attacked 
tomatoes and egg plants in the United States. 
GEORGE L. FLANDERS. 
President-elect of the National Farmers’ Congress. 
At Fig. 323 is shown a good picture of Geo. L. Flanders, 
the newly-elected president of the National Farmers’ 
Congi-ess. Mr. Flanders owes his election to the fact 
that he has defended the dairy interests of this country 
with great ability, having devoted many years to an 
exhaustive study of the legal aspects of the oleo cases. 
He is a successful farmer, as well as a good lawyer, and 
First Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture. He is 
especially useful in this position, since he has made a 
careful study of constitutional law as it applies to the 
police powers of a State, and inter-state commerce. 
This is of great importance in handling the oleo ques¬ 
tion owing to the former conflict of State regulations. 
Mr. Flanders is a native of St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., 
and is now in the prime of life. Lie entered the State’s 
service in 1S84 as assistant to Dairy Commissioner Brown. 
At that time the present department had not been 
created, but large sales of oleo were made. and the 
adulteration of milk had grown to be a great abuse. 
Mr. Flanders did his share in the work of organizing 
the fight against these evils. This work was done so 
thoroughly and well that now no oleo is made in the 
State, and but little of it sold. Pure milk, wdth the ex¬ 
ception of some partial skimming by creamery men, is 
the rule. To show the growth of this police work for 
pure food we may say that in 1893 the present depart¬ 
ment was created, and now there are 20 articles under 
its supervision instead of only two as formerly. It Is a 
strong tribute to the ability of Mr. Flanders to say that 
he has held his position through at least five different 
administrations—both Republican and Democratic. We 
believe that he has always been true to the Interests 
that he represents. It is safe to say that no influence 
would cause him to hesitate in the performance of his 
duty as he saw it, and his official duties are not made 
secondary to the furthering of personal or political ends. 
It is a good thing for the dairymen of this State and 
country that a man like Geo. L. Flanders is in a position 
which enables him to strike commanding blows at the 
oleo fraud. 
IMPORTED POTATOES. 
and Nova Scotia. The kinds are similar to those grown 
in the States, except those from Nova Scotia. There 
the main crop is Blue Mercer. From across the ocean, 
Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Italy and 
France have all had small trial shipments here this 
year. In no case this season have the shipments been 
a financial success. The stock from Great Britain, is 
usually liked in this market, and consists of Magnum, 
Favorite and Bruce. The potatoes from the Continent 
are usually too small to suit the trade, and are not 
handled as well, nor are they properly sorted. 
New Y'ork. furman & page. 
Regarding imports of European potatoes, our infor¬ 
mation would lead us to say now if the market gets to 
$1 per bushel here that there will be large imports. It 
is generally supposed that Glasgow sends the best stock. 
Potatoes have come to this country from Scotland, Eng¬ 
land, Germany, Belgium and a few from Holland. The 
freight figures about 15 cents a bushel, duty, 25 cents, 
other expenses, five cents; which would make an ex¬ 
pense of 45 cents. We understand that they are glad 
to sell potatoes on the other side at 40 cents a bushel, 
which would make them cost delivered in this country, 
say 85 cents. We are told they have a good quality and 
good quantity this year. Buyers on this side have 
shunned them somewhat because the potato was black¬ 
skinned, showing it had been grown in black soil, but 
they cook well, and are mealy, which is the prime requi¬ 
site for a good potato in the United States. The name 
of the variety of which most come here is Magnum. 
There have been many letters sent to this side regard¬ 
ing shipments of potatoes this year. They all hang 
upon how high our market will be. It Is our Individual 
opinion that next January, February and March a good 
many potatoes will come across. We have some doubts 
about our market getting to $1 this side of January 1. 
If the decay we hear so much about is as represented 
potatoes are bound to advance. We are told that Wis¬ 
consin and Minnesota have enormous crops. Maine, as 
you are aware, has a good crop. The trouble seems to 
lie in New York State. patch & Roberts. 
Boston. 
The Canadian Census Returns. 
The farmers through this portion of the country take 
but very little Interest in the returns given by the last 
census; it is a matter which one will scarcely ever hear 
discussed. By the bulk of the people the taking of the 
census is looked upon as a useless piece of work, and 
one which is undertaken merely to give jobs to the 
enumerators and other officials; consequently, when the 
returns are made public, no interest is taken, whatever, 
by them. There are some, however, who take more in¬ 
terest in all public affairs, but by these, for the most 
part, the matter is viewed with a party bias. The sup¬ 
porters of the present government claim that the census 
of 1891 was stuffed, and that therefore the gain in popu¬ 
lation is much more than is apparent, while the sup¬ 
porters of the opposition claim that it is owing to Lib¬ 
eral misrule that the people have been obliged to go 
elsewhere in order to gain a decent livelihood. It is not 
at all probable that the returns of 1891 were stuffed to 
any extent, as had this been the case, the matter would 
surely have been found out before this. 
In the Province of Ontario, and possibly in many other 
portions of the Dominion, the birth rate is very low. 
Many of our young men are in the habit of seeking new 
homes, and what they consider better opportunities 
across the border. The competition of the large facto¬ 
ries has driven most of the rural industries out of ex¬ 
istence. These three things are the principal factors, I 
believe, to be considered in accounting for the small in¬ 
crease in population. Farm lands in this locality would 
not bring one-half as much as they would 20 years ago, 
and what is the case in this locality is probably that of 
most other portions, although there are, of course, ex¬ 
ceptions in some places. Farm lands are not of easy 
sale, many farms being in the market for years before 
a buyer is found for them. Many live and up-to-date 
farmers are making as much or more from their farms 
now as in the past, but the great bulk of the farming 
community is not making nearly as good an income as 
in former years. p jj p 
Smithville, Ont. _ 
DISEASED CATERPILLARS.-I have ju.st returned 
from a short trip up the Hudson River Valley and found 
there that the Pall web-worm had been a serious plague. 
But an interesting phase of the question presented itself: 
I found hundreds of the caterpillars had crawled up 
on to weeds and grasses and had then died from some 
fungous or bacterial disease. Their stiff and life-like 
corpses were very common in the fields, so that Nature 
seems to have arranged to take care of many, perhaps 
a large majority of this year’s crop, so that they will 
not transform into moths for a next year’s crop of eat¬ 
ing caterpillars. It was a very Interesting and instructive 
M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
COW PEAS IN WAYNE CO.-We had no frost here up 
to October 5 even to Injure our cow peas or melons. 
The piece of cow peas sown In the apple orchard July 9 
is now going down. A very rank growth, some of the 
stalks four feet long and all tangled up. Those sown in 
the vineyards July 25 and 26 are now about one foot 
high, and are still growing nicely. The Hairy vetch 
sown in apple orchard July 9 is now growing much bet¬ 
ter, and in open spaces between the trees is forming a 
thick mat. Some of the vines are three and four feet 
long, and well branched. The Alfalfa sown in apple or¬ 
chard July 16 is knee high in the open spaces. So far 
I like the cow peas best, although the clover and vetch 
are gaining on them. b. j. case. 
Sodus, N. Y. 
