592 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 5 
ware which one cannot find fault with—yet it is cloy¬ 
ing. The bunch is large, very compact. Berry, full 
medium, quite black with a heavy, blue bloom. 
Ripens about with the Concord, and has not been in¬ 
jured, unprotected, with the mercury as low as 22 
degrees below zero. Seems productive and about 
free from rot so far. 
Elvicand gives a quite small bunch (unless closely 
pruned), which is often drop-shaped. The berry is 
large, black, with a reddish tinge, and adheres well. 
There is some tough pulp, and an abundance of free 
juice. It does not seem very productive. 
Beacon is worthless from one (at least) fatal fault— 
it shells very badly, not from a thin, tender skin as 
with Lady and Carlotta, but because it loosens from 
the pedicel as Hartford and Champion. If it behaves 
in this way everywhere, then, exeunt Beacon. The 
berry and bunch are large, the latter long and cylin¬ 
drical. The parting is red, and there is a peculiar 
red filament attached to the seeds, which separate 
readily from the pulp. This filament seems a dis¬ 
tinguishing mark. Quality good enough—a rich 
vinous sweet, and it seems productive, and so far, free 
from rot. 
Dr. Hexamer is under the standard for quality, and 
subject to bitter rot (which is the fault here of that 
fine variety, Moore’s Diamond, also). 1 do not think 
it promising, although the bunch is neat and com¬ 
pact, and the berry large. 
Hopkins would like to smother all the other vines 
in the vicinity, if allowed to. The bunch is large and 
very compact; kidney-shaped, but some tapering, 
with a medium, black-blue berry that seems not very 
juicy, but rather seedy. But the fruit is showy. The 
vine seems productive, berry rather free from rot, and 
it may hold a place, especially for wine. 
America and Big Extra are both early, seem pro¬ 
ductive and rather free from rot; the quality is, also, 
very good, the pulp of the former being especially 
melting. Here Munson, Laussel and Opal are late 
kinds. Among them all, new and old, the old, poor 
Florence still holds the lead for earliness. 
_BENJ. liUCKM AN. 
DENDROLENE FOR FRUIT TREES. 
IT HAS KILLED THEM HEBE. 
Mr. Slingerland, in his article, Borers in Fruit and 
Shade Trees, page 557, makes the statement, “ When 
properly applied, there seems to be, as yet, no authen¬ 
tic evidence of either substance ” (Iiaupenleim or 
Dendrolene) “having killed or sevei-ely injured fruit 
or forest trees, either in Europe or in this country.” 
The orchard of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experi¬ 
ment Station can furnish unquestionable evidence 
that Dendrolene has killed many apple trees. As to 
whether or not the Dendrolene was “properly applied,” 
in this orchard, the printed directions on the package 
were strictly followed, except that the coating was, 
in most cases, considerably thinner than the direc¬ 
tions recommend. 
It was applied to some trees set the past spring, 
to others set in the spring of 1895, to still others set 
in 1894, and so on back to 1892. The trees set the 
past spring were the first to show injury ; but some 
of these are still, apparently, uninjured, while many 
that were set in 1892 are entirely dead. The whole 
number of trees to which the Dendrolene was applied, 
was 180. Of these, 42 have already been removed as 
hopelessly dead. Of the remainder, a large number 
have the cambium brown entirely around the trunks. 
These are left standing in the hope that the branches 
may remain fresh until scions can be procured. Some 
do not, as yet, seem to be injured. The season has 
been peculiarly favorable for the growth of trees, and 
at the time the Dendrolene was applied, every tree 
was in apparent health. It is true, however, that a 
certain number of trees, I do not know how many, had 
been injured by borers at the time of the application. 
A very few such trees might have died, without the 
Dendrolene, but in the part of the orchard to which 
this material was not applied, no trees have died this 
season from borers. 
The Dendrolene was mainly applied the last week 
in May and the first week in June, and a few trees 
were coated about two weeks later. The printed 
directions say distinctly, “ It may be applied at any 
time during the year,” and no cautions are offered as 
to time. The second week in July, after the injury to 
the trees was distinctly apparent, a further trial was 
made with a few trees that could be spared of the 
apple, plum and a single one of the wild red cherry. 
The latter was the largest tree to which the Dendro¬ 
lene was applied, being 3% inches in diameter at the 
base, and it is of interest that, within four weeks 
after the application, this tree was dead. 
The Dendrolene has killed the trees, in our case, by 
penetrating through the bark, into the cambium. In 
some cases, it has penetrated some distance into the 
wood. Sometimes it has killed the cambium in 
patches only, laying intervening- spaces aliye. In 
one case, I observed the whole bark dead on one side 
of the tree, while on the other side, it was still alive. 
In many of the trees of which the tops are still fresh, 
the trunk is very perceptibly larger above the point 
reached by the Dendrolene, showing that the growth 
was promptly checked by the application. After the 
injury was discovered, the attempt was made to 
remove the Dendrolene, but it was found very diffi¬ 
cult to do this, and it was evident, also, that the main 
injury had already been done. 
I infer that, as Mr. Slingerland suggests, the Den¬ 
drolene as thus far made, is not uniform in composi¬ 
tion, and that the sample received at this station is 
different from that used in New Jersey last season. I 
do not yet give up hope that something of this kind 
may yet be found that will do much of what has been 
claimed for Dendrolene. The Raupenleim has not 
been tested at this station. e. s. qoff. 
Wisconsin Experiment Station. 
WHERE BUTTER PRICES ARE MADE. 
THE ELGIN BOARD OF TRADE. 
Small Bidding That Affects a Continent. 
It was in a plain room about 40x70 feet and, per¬ 
haps, 25 feet high, situated in the rear of some offices 
on the second floor of a good looking business block 
on a prominent street in Elgin, Ill. From the rear of 
the room, one is refreshed with a view of Fox River. 
This box-shaped room is relieved by a gallery at the 
street end of the building, which will, probably, seat 
100 people, and enables the unintroduced visitor to 
watch the proceedings below. On one side of the 
room, is a platform one step high, and on it is a desk, 
not unlike a good-sized class-room desk, while on the 
wall in the rear of the desk is a blackboard, which is 
ruled as shown below. On the blackboard, one may 
read that a week ago 95 tubs of butter sold at from 14 
to 15 cents ; that at the nearest corresponding date in 
1895, butter sold on the Board at 20 cents, and in 1894 
at 23 % cents. 
At 1:30 p. m., the secretary sits at the desk busily 
writing, when the president steps upon the platform 
and calls for reading of the minutes of the last meet¬ 
ing. After the approval of the minutes, the president 
quietly announces that the Elgin Board of Trade is 
open for the transaction of business. Around a table 
which is on the floor and against the desk, sit about a 
dozen men. All have their hats on, about half of 
them have their feet upon the table, and several are 
smoking, notwithstanding the rule that “ Smoking in 
the Exchange Rooms of the Association shall be 
deemed discourteous and offensive conduct, and the 
same is hereby prohibited.” There is a row of chairs 
around the edge of the room. A railing fences off 
two corners of the room for the use of telegraph 
operators. Near the president and secretary’s desk 
above described, is a table containing the reports of 
the Illinois State Dairy Association, copies of dairy 
papers and similar literature. Aside from this and a 
few pictures upon the wall, the room is destitute of 
furniture. 
Perhaps 25 men are sitting around the edge of the 
room lazily talking in groups. After announcing the 
opening of the Board, the president walks across the 
room and is introduced to a visitor to whom he talks, 
while from the crowd about the table are heard shouts 
of laughter. From the frequency with which 16 to 1 
is heard above the laughter, it is evident that we are 
in the midst of a political campaign. 
Thus for half an hour the time drags wearily on. 
Presently some one shouts, “ Well; come ! Put up 
your butter.” 
“ Why don’t you put up your butter ?” 
“ Tillman Ridge, put up your butter.” 
“I will, if you will give me 16 to 1 for it.” 
“ All right, put it up.” 
The secretary writes at the dictation of Mr. Johns 
that Tillman Ridge puts up 36 tubs at the option of 
the bidder. Mr. Soles promptly bids 14 cents, and 
the secretary so indicates on the blackboard. For 
obvious reasons, fictitious names are here used. Mr. 
Seeds offers the make of five factories, and the secre¬ 
tary having written them down, Mr. Soles bids 14 
cents on them : 
Offered by 
Tubs. 
| Asked. 
Bid. 
Sold to 
Offered by 
Tubs. 
Asked. 
Bid. 
Sold to 
Tillman Ridge 
1 
36 Op. 14 Soles 
Sanford . 
11 Op. 
14 
Hood 
Sliad Run. 
40 Op. 14 Soles 
Andover. 
15 Op. 
14 
Hood 
Sunbury. 
24 Op. 14 Soles 
Colebrook. .. 
36 Op. 
14 
Soles 
silvenon. 
15 Op. 14 
Soles 
14 
Overland. 
43 Op. 14 
Soles 
Delta X. 
25 Op 
14 <4 
Merwin 
Steward. 
38 Op. 14 
Soles 
Flat Rock X. 30 Op. 
14 H 
Merwin 
Bozeman. 
42 Op. 14 
Hood 
Mil brook X.. 
17 Op. 
14 ; 4 
Merwin 
(Jalien . 
55 Op. 14 
Hood 
1 i 
The president steps upon the platform and says 
politely to Mr. Johns, “Isn’t Tillman Ridge con¬ 
tracted ?” 
“We were just guying,” was the reply. ^ Soles 
offered to bid 16 cents.” 
“ Rub it out,” says the president. 
Many of the factories hkVe thteiir butter contracted 
to be sold at stated prices. Manifestly this butter 
cannot be sold on the Board, because a fictitious price 
could thus be made by the contractor bidding off the 
butter, which would affect all contracts which are 
based upon the Elgin markets. No sooner is this 
matter settled, than a member representing Regal 
factory challenges Mr. Seeds’s right to sell the make 
of Silverton factory, on the ground that Mr. Seeds 
does not own the factory. Everybody crowds around 
the desk and listens intently. 
. “ Unless you own the factory dr a share ih it, you 
do not have a right to offer this factory, Mr. Seeds. 1 
leave it to your honor,” firmly states the president 
with a courteous bow. 
“ Rub it out,” says Mr. Seeds. 
The suspense is broken, and for a moment there is 
silence, when some one shouts, “Well, put up your 
butter.” 
Good naturedly, some one else shouts, “ Regal, 
why don’t you put up your butter ?” 
“ Yes, Regal, put up your butter,” says another. 
“ All right,” says Regal nodding to the secretary. 
The secretary writes Regal, and turning, asks the 
number of tubs. Before the secretary can write the 
number of tubs, Hood steps up close to the desk and 
says quietly, “I bid 14 cents.” 
“ You can’t bid until the butter is offered,” some 
one shouts. 
The moment the secretary finishes writing Op, 
which indicates that the butter is offered at the 
option of either the buyer or the seller, several per¬ 
sons bid 14 cents, and the secretary recognizing Soles, 
writes his name opposite the amount bid. 
“Rub it out,” demands Regal, instantly. Evidently, 
he did not wish to sell to Soles, and he Was afraid 
that no one else would raise 14 cents. Sometimes 
there are personal reasons for not wishing to sell to a 
certain party. Sometimes a buyer gets in bad repute 
through the habit of rejec ting butter by claiming 
that it is off in quality. Fraud of this kind is pro¬ 
vided against by official inspectors, and by the com¬ 
mittees of arbitration and appeal. The findings of the 
latter tribunal are final. However, a buyer who 
makes a resort to these officers necessary, is naturally 
shunned. 
The members now stood around and talked more or 
less confidentially to one another until about five 
minutes before the close of the call board, when the 
secretary rang the bell and began to call the bids. 
From 15 to 20 factories had been offered, and 14 cents 
had been bid upon all of them. Members have been 
coming in all the time, and there are now 75 to 100 
members upon the floor, all of whom are now 
standing. 
The secretary calls, “ Shad Run offers 40 tubs. 
Fourteen cents bid by Soles.” 
“ Make it a quarter,” says Hood. The secretary 
adds a quarter to the 14 cents and erasing Soles 
writes Hood. 
“ Make the rest a quarter,” says Hood, meaning 
Sunbury, Overland and Steward factories, all of 
which were offered by Mr. Seeds. 
“ I’ll give a half,” says Merwin. The secretary 
rubs out the one-quarter and writes one-lialf in its 
place and puts Merwin’s name in place of Hood's. 
“ Sold,” shouts Mr. Seeds. The secretary makes a 
cross after each of Mr. Seeds’s factories, and the trans¬ 
action is closed. The price paid is for Extra Cream¬ 
ery butter f. o. b. the cars at the factory or the near¬ 
est shipping point. 
So the bidding went on, until 14% or 14% had been 
bid upon all the factories offered, and most of it had 
been sold. No further offers being made the secre¬ 
tary declared the call board closed at 2:35. At this 
time, 268 tubs had been sold at 14% cents, and 58 tubs 
at 14% cents. There were still unsold, 105 tubs 
carrying bids of 14% cents, and 56 carrying 14% 
cents. 
After the close of the call board, the members have 
the privilege of selling upon the the floor at private 
sale for half an hour, and having the sale recorded as 
regular. Perhaps half the butter sold upon the 
Board is sold in this way, and he Ips to make the price 
at which Elgin butter is quoted. On this day, 82 tubs 
were sold on the floor after the call, at 14% cents. 
This is a true account of the transactions of the 
Elgin Board of Trade for August 3, 1896, except the 
fictitious names as before mentioned. On this date, 
butter sold for 5% cents less than one year ago, and 
for nine cents less than two years ago. It is said to 
be the lowest price for August butter in the history 
of the Elgin Board. 
According to the Report of the Elgin Board of 
Trade for 1895, there were sold in that year 39.028,543 
pounds of butter, and 10,696,010 pounds of cheese. 
This is about 12,500 tubs of butter per week, while, 
probably, not more than one-tenth that amount i§ 
