t89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
RURAL SPECIAL CROP REPORTS. 
Delaware. 
Dover, Kent County, July 12.—The har¬ 
vest work of the season is about over. The 
hay crop has been housed in fine condition, 
ns we have had very little rain for a month. 
Hay is a fair crop. The harvest began 
about June 18, and thrashing within a 
week afterwards, and with another week of 
good weather, the latter will be finished. 
Wheat is not above two-thirds of a crop, 
if that. The yield is from six to 18 bushels 
per acre. The straw is heavy. Corn is 
very uneven; some fields will hide a 
horse; others will not be over 18 inches 
high. Rain is much needed in this section. 
Crops of all kinds are suffering, especially 
corn and grass. Early potatoes are a very 
poor crop, and there is but little fruit in 
the market—no peaches and but few pears 
or apples. The strawberry crop, although 
not large, yielded the growers a fine profit. 
The present outlook is anything but bright 
for the farmers. Last Wednesday was the 
hottest day so far—101 in the shade—with 
a stiff wind blowing. The fly season is 
about two months earlier than usual. I 
have never seen the pests worse than now ; 
stock can scarcely feed during the day. 
Wheat (new) 80 cents ; corn, 45 cents; oats, 
40 cents; butter, 12@20 cents; eggs, 15 
cents ; fresh trout, 10@15 cents per string; 
truck of all kinds low. A G. s. 
Kansas. 
Parsons, Labette County, July 12.— 
Thirty days ago we had some rain, and this 
morning at 4 A. M. it commenced to drizzle. 
The temperature during the 30 days has been 
unparalleled. Our nights and mornings 
are always cool, but the thermometer in 
the middle ot the day in July and August 
ranges from 80 to 90 degrees. The tem¬ 
perature this year, however, is entirely ex¬ 
ceptional. During the past month the 
temperature commenced at about 80 de¬ 
grees in the morning and hardly failed 
once to reach 100 in the shade. Indeed 
there has been hardly a day on which the 
thermometer failed to reach 105 degrees at 
3 P. M. The great heat and the entire ab¬ 
sence of rain during this period, have had 
serious effects on horticulture and agricul¬ 
ture. Corn that was not planted either 
early or late has been damaged, probably 
seriously. That portion that was planted 
about May 1, is badly burned, while that 
planted about the 15th of April or the 15th 
of May is comparatively safe, so far. The 
wheat harvest is over and the thrashing 
machine reveals a big crop of unusually 
good quality. Oats and Timothy were cut 
rather short by heat. Strawberries just es¬ 
caped the drought, but blackberries per¬ 
ished on the withered branches. Apples 
are stunted. Early potatoes were a good 
, crop, but the main crop is yet uncertain. 
The numbers of farm mortgages are being 
gradually reduced. j. B. 
Iowa. 
Des Moines, Polk County, July 19.— 
This has been one of Iowa's hard seasons— 
very dry in the early spring; in fact, no 
rain has fallen since April or May. During 
the first half of June we had fine rains, and 
we thought water enough fell to insure 
good crops and to fill our nearly dry wells; 
but we were disappointed ; for as soon as 
the rain ceased the hottest weather ever 
known here set in, and we have had dry, 
hot, scorching winds from the South for 
five weeks, which have nearly scorched up 
all crops and made the ground too dry to 
plow. Oats and hay are badly blighted. 
Corn is burned to the top and the crop is 
late and almost past help from rain, even 
if it should rain soon. The corn tassels 
blight as soon as they are out. Early po¬ 
tatoes are nearly a total failure. They are 
selling from $1.25 to $1.50 per bushel. 
There is very little garden truck on our 
market and what there is is of poor qual¬ 
ity, but is bringing a high price. There is 
no hope for late potatoes or cabbage in this 
section. There was a large crop of berries 
which got cooked on the bushes. Pastures 
would burn over in many places if set on 
lire. Water is very low and scarce. Many 
wells are dry and stock is driven for miles 
to water. Apples are a poor crop. There 
is no prospect for a half crop of anythiug 
in this section, nor is there any prospect of 
laiusoon. Even if it would rain now it 
could only help us out on grass and water 
for our stock. Ours is a gloomy prospect 
now. F. s. W. 
FARMERS IN POLITICS. 
( Continued.) 
Numerous reports from Washington 
depict in lively colors the consternation ex. 
cited by the political activity of the Farm¬ 
ers’ Alliance and other agricultural organ¬ 
izations among most of the Congressmen 
from the South and West, who are candi¬ 
dates for re-election. While the support of 
these organizations is in every case a tower 
of strength, their antagonism is always a 
dangerous or disastrous obstacle on the 
road to success. Still many of the old Con¬ 
gressional “ war-horses,” however anxious 
to return to Washington, cannot consis¬ 
tently with their honest convictions or 
past records, accede to some of the demands 
of the agricultural associations, not a few 
of which are decidedly socialistic or semi- 
socialistic in character. The nature of the 
opposition such men are generally likely to 
encounter, especially in rural districts, can 
be readily inferred from the part farmers 
are taking in politics in about 18 of the 
Southern and Western States, specimen 
cases of which are here given. 
* * * 
In Kansas, never in the history of the 
State has there been such a political awak¬ 
ening or so strong a disposition to make 
old political hacks walk the plank. The 
Farmers’ Alliance there is now upwards of 
75,000 strong, and has the hearty co-opera¬ 
tion of the Grange and other agricultural 
organizations, as well as of the Knights 
and Federation of Labor. United they in¬ 
tend to start independent Congressional, 
State and county tickets. President Clover, 
of the Alliance, is pretty certain to be the 
candidate for governor, and if the rest of 
the State ticket is judiciously selected, it 
will have a fair fighting chance of success, 
as the Prohibitionists are also disgruntled 
with the present Republican control of the 
State. All the revolting organizations are 
very bitter against the old office-holders, 
who have been, it is charged, unscrupu¬ 
lously enriching themselves at the expense 
of the people. “ Nothing for him who 
seeks office !” is inscribed on the banners of 
the Alliance. The sub-Alliances in some 
of the counties go so far as to say they will 
support no man who has ever held an 
office or who has even asked for one; while 
the Barber County Alliance says that its 
support for district judge shall be given 
only to a farmer, and never to a lawyer. A 
large majority of the members of the vari¬ 
ous agricultural organizations have been 
Republicans, and as there will be three 
parties in the field at the next election, the 
Democrats hope to gain several Congress¬ 
men and members of the State legislature. 
The Alliance is making a special effort to 
capture the legislature, as it is strongly 
opposed to the re-election of Senator In¬ 
galls, whose successor is to be chosen by 
the next legislature. There is no question 
that 19 out of every 20 of the sub Alliances 
are against him, and every Alliance candi¬ 
date hitherto nominated has been com 
pelled to pledge himself against the re- 
election of the vitriolic Senator. Kansas, 
however, is the “banner” Republican 
State in the Union, and boasts of a 
Republican majority of S2,000, which 
is expected to grow until it reaches 
Texas’s Democratic majority of 150,- 
000, and the Republicans enthusiasti¬ 
cally declare they have no fear of defeat. 
The farmers of Kansas are almost as bitter 
against the McKinley tariff as those of 
Minnesota, who, in their recent State con¬ 
vention, denounced it as "the crowning 
infamy of Protection.” To strengthen its 
case, the State Alliance has been recently 
investigating the condition of its members. 
The results show that out of 73,000 mem¬ 
bers reported, only 7,500 had unincumoered 
farms, and the majority of these are carry¬ 
ing mortgages on chattels. Against these 
7,500 owners of unincumbered farms, there 
are 21,000 men who rent farms, many of 
which were formerly owned by ^hem, but 
have been lost by foreclosure. The remain¬ 
ing 44,000 hold farms subject to mortgage 
claims aggregating $140,563,134, and the as¬ 
tounding assertion is made that a majority 
of them have defaulted in their interest 
and may be sold out at any time under 
foreclosure suits. Figures gathered for a 
purpose are likely to be somewhat exagger¬ 
ated ; but, at the best, it certainly appears 
time for Kansas farmers to take some ac¬ 
tion to help themselves. In Kansas the 
race question does not enter Into the 
present political embroglio. According to 
the census of ’80, out of 302,944 males en¬ 
gaged in all sorts of occupations in the 
State, 206,080 were employed in one branch 
or another of agriculture. 
♦ * * 
In South Carolina since the overthrow 
of the “carpet-baggers,” the Republicau 
party has had no show, and now there is no 
Democratic party, the Tiliman and anti- 
Tillman parties having taken its place. 
Both sides assert vociferously that they will 
abide by the nomination of the Democratic 
convention in September; but each side 
discredits the assertion of the other. The 
political campaign which has now been 
carried on for about six weeks, is the flerce- 
est and strangest that has ever agitated the 
State, and is growing more and more bitter 
as it progresses. “Farmer Ben Tillman,” 
the farmers’ candidate, has only one eye, 
dresses like a farmer, is a ready writer and 
speaker, and has been the leader of the 
farmers’ movement for years. He has the 
vast majority of the farmers with him, and, 
according to the latest accounts, is steadily 
gaining strength. There are 1,030 active 
Alliances in the State and the labor organi¬ 
zations sympathize with them. Tillman 
has been vigorously stumpingthe State and 
speaking from the same platform with one 
or two of his opponents. The speakers are 
frequently obstreperously interrupted, and 
grossly insulted and sometimes forced from 
the platform, and occasionally the stronger 
party drives the weaker from the field. The 
Tillmanites are always most numerous in 
country places, but, as a rule, the anti- 
Tillmanites outnumber them in the towns 
and cities. The general outside opinion is 
that for vigorous oratory adapted to liis 
audiences, Tillman has hitherto far out¬ 
ranked any of his opponents. He charges 
that the State has been too long under the 
control of one faction of the Democratic 
party ; that this has always been actuated 
by strong aristocratic tendencies, and that 
while favoring the inhabitants of the 
towns, it has defrauded the farmers of 
their just share in the government, failed 
to pay due attention to their just com¬ 
plaints and imposed upon them a dispro¬ 
portionate share of the burthens of the 
State. He accuses the present officials of 
mismanagement, faithlessness and parti¬ 
ality, and the great majority of the farmers 
have enthusiastically echoed his denuncia¬ 
tions. So virulent are the sentiments which 
have been aroused during the canvass that 
both Ben Tillman and his brother, Con¬ 
gressman Tillman, openly declare that 
they expect the former to be assassinated 
before the close of the campaign. The 
anti-Tillmanites most emphatically assev¬ 
erate that Tillman shall never, never be 
Governor of South Carolina. Barring his 
death, his chances of securing the Demo¬ 
cratic nomination are now considered fav¬ 
orable. Of the seven Congressmen from 
South Carolina the Tillmanites appear to 
be certain of electing six, and perhaps the 
seven. The race question has a domin¬ 
ant influence in Palmetto State politics. 
Of the 272,015 males engaged in all the oc¬ 
cupations enumerated in the census of 1380, 
208,672 were employed in the various de¬ 
partments of agriculture, and of these 116,- 
695 were laborers, almost all of whom were 
colored. The total population of the State 
was 995,577, of whom 891,105 were whites 
and 604,332 colored, so that the colored pop¬ 
ulation was nearly twice as large as the 
white ; hence the vital necessity of unity on 
the part of the latter to maintain their 
cherished ascendency. 
♦ * * 
In Georgia the Farmers’ Alliance is the 
Democratic party, or rather the Democratic 
party is a part of the Alliance, which has 
swallowed it. True, some old, moss-grown 
Bourbon Democrats still insist that their 
party has captured the Alliance; but if so 
it has been done in the same way that Jonah 
got away with the whale. It Is, therefore, 
broadly charged by many influential Dem¬ 
ocratic papers in other parts of the country 
that the Georgia Democrats have become 
agricultural socialists, as some of the 
schemes of the Alliance have a decidedlv 
socialistic character. Of these the most 
notable is the sub-treasury or government 
warehouse project which is still a very live 
issue in bouthern politics. This scheme is 
the touchstone applied to every Congres¬ 
sional candidate, not only in Georgia but in 
several of the other Southern States also. 
Most of the present members of Congress 
from that section who are seeking re- 
election, repudiate this “ financial heresy,” 
altogether; and hence most likely a large 
proportion of them will be elected to stay 
home. In Georgia it is quite probable that 
the Alliance will elect all its candidates,both 
Federal and State. W. J. Northen, Presi¬ 
dent of the State Agricultural Society, is 
certain to be the next Governor, and Col. 
Leonidas Livingston, President of the 
State Alliance, a man of great talent, 
magnetic presence, captivating eloquence 
and unbounded ambition, was nominated 
for Congress from the Fifth District, the 
other day, against Congressman Stewart, 
the present Representative, who sought a 
re-election. The first primary was held in 
Walton County last Saturday night, and 
there Stewart was so unmercifully routed 
that he gave to the press his letter of decli¬ 
nation on Monday morning. So over¬ 
whelming was the defeat that the demoral¬ 
ization caused by it among the Bourbon 
5o? 
Democrats has spread into other districts, 
and all other Congressmen seeking a re¬ 
newal of office are on the “ ragged edge,” 
unless they are indorsed by the farmers. 
Hitherto it has been conceded that Gen. J. 
B. Gordon, the soldiers’ darling, was 
certain to succeed Senator Joseph E. 
Brown in the United States Senate. So 
confident were the General and his friends 
that he would meet with no opposition, 
that no efforts were made to get commit¬ 
tals for him in the county meetings. The 
men already named are members of the 
Alliance and are unpledged. The remark¬ 
able success of Livingston in routing 
Stewart, has fired the farmers of the State 
with the ambition of sending him to the 
United States Senate, where he would 
easily become the leader of the farmers’ 
party. He has demonstrated his capacity 
for leadership not in Georgia alone, for 
from every Alliance in the Union come ex¬ 
pressions of a desire that he should take 
up the gage of battle against Gordon In 
the Senatorial arena. Hitherto every issue 
has been subordinated to that of the 
farmer. The State legislature will be 
overwhelmingly agricultural, and as the 
Alliance will have at least 75 members 
in the Lower House, it may not think 
its victory complete unless repre¬ 
sented in the United States Senate. 
Of course, the race question enters very 
strongly into politics in Georgia as in all 
the other Southern States. In 1880, accord¬ 
ing to the census of that year, of the 445,530 
males engaged in all named occupations in 
that State, 329,856 were employed in some 
branch of agriculture. Of them 52 were 
stock raisers, drovers or herders; 547 
gardeners, nurserymen and vine-growers; 
139,618 farmers and planters; and 187,275 
agricultural laborers. As in all the other 
far Southern States, nearly all the farm 
laborers are colored, though the number of 
white agricultural laborers is considerably 
greater, in proportion to the whole popula¬ 
tion, in 1890 than it was in 1880. In the 
latter year, of the total population of 
Georgia, numbering 1,542,039, 816,906 were 
white, and 725,133 colored. 
(To be continued.) 
One of the most successful poultry spec¬ 
ialists in the East says that one of the most 
essential qualifications of a large poultry 
breeder ever has been—and will continue to 
be—brains. 
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