1905 . 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
2l5 
Events of the Week. - 
DOMESTIC.—February 20 an explosion of after-damp in 
a coal mine at Virginia City, Ala., buried 110 men, all of 
whom were killed. ... An explosion in a coal mine at 
Gar, W. Va., February 2(1, caused the death of 23 men. . . . 
The worst lire ever known in New Orleans, entailing a loss 
in excess of $5,000,000, started February 2(1 at the docks 
and wharves of the Illinois Central Railroad, known as the 
Stuyvesant Docks, - occupying nearly a mile front on the 
Mississippi River, in the very center of the city. The docks 
were built six years ago and named in honor of Stuyvesant 
Fish, president of the Illinois Central. They were the finest 
freight terminals in the South, and handled more than half 
the grain trade of New Orleans and nearly half the total 
commerce of the port. The loss is conlined almost wholly to 
the railroad and the freight in its warehouses awaiting ship¬ 
ment to Europe. . . . Hot Springs, Ark., was visited by 
a disastrous fire February 25, entailing a loss of $2,000,000, 
and causing the death of five persons. . . . The 
California State Senate February 27 by a unanimous vote 
expelled Senators Wright, French. Emmons and Bunkers for 
accepting bribes. Wright made an appeal for mercy, declar¬ 
ing that he was innocent, but bis words were without effect. 
Emmons is sick with appendicitis and may die. These four 
men were convicted of accepting $350 each to give immunity 
from prosecution to several building and loan and get-rich- 
quick concerns. The whole scheme of bribery was planned 
by the Continental Building and Loan Company, which 
adopted this method of exposing the venality of the Senate 
committee in charge of investigating the company and other 
concerns. Four Senators fell into the trap, and the con¬ 
fession of the go-between who gave them the money com¬ 
pleted the case against them. . . . Just as the funeral 
service of a negro musician was beginning February 27 in 
the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, in Fleet 
street, near Myrtle avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y., the floor of the 
chapel, on the second floor, crowded with mourners, gave 
way. Of the 400 or more persons who were hurled down¬ 
ward with tremendous force and jammed together on the floor 
of the Sunday School room below. 11 were killed and at least 
40 were injured. ... A. L. Horton, a negro post¬ 
master at Way Station, M'adison County. Miss., makes the 
charge that he is being held in peonage by the l’ost Office 
Department. Horton has frequently attempted to resign, but 
the l’ost Office Department refused to accept the resignation 
for the reason that no other person can be found willing to 
take the office. The negro asserts that the Postmaster 
General is holding him in involuntary servitude, and that 
lie is losing money by serving as postmaster. 
ADMINISTRATION.—The House Committee on Agricul¬ 
ture authorized February 15 a favorable report on the Lover¬ 
ing bill to prohibit interstate transportation of insect pests, 
and the use of the United States mails for that purpose. 
The pests mentioned in the bill are the Gypsy moth, the 
Brown-tail moth, the Leopard moth, the Plum curculio and 
the Hop plant-louse. A fine of $5,000 and imprisonment at 
hard labor for live years are made the penalty for violating 
the provisions of the bill. . . . The Government of the 
United States lias called upon the Russian Government for 
an explanation of a serious breach of international good 
faith on the part of officers of the Russian cruiser Lena, 
which sought refuge in the harbor of San Francisco last 
September. The Lena was dismantled and sent to the Mare 
Island Navy Yard, while her officers were paroled for the 
period of war and her crew placed under the surveillance 
of Government officials. Through naval officers at Mare 
Island the authorities have learned that three officers of the 
Lena, an engineer and two midshipmen, have broken their 
parole and an investigation of the State Denartment has 
disclosed that they have returned to Russia and offered their 
services to their Government. . . . President Roosevelt 
has directed Commissioner of Corporations Garfield to begin 
an immediate investigation of the operations of the Standard 
Oil Company in Kansas. The President's action was taken 
on representations made to him by Representative Campbell, 
of Kansas, author of the resolution which was passed by the 
House requesting the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to 
investigate “the'cause or causes of the low price of crude oil 
or petroleum in the United States, especially in the Kansas 
fields." ... A clause inserted by the Senate Committee 
of the Indian Appropriation bill has aroused the opposition 
of the Osage Indians. It directs the payment of $180,000 
to the executors of the late C. N. Vann and William I*. 
Adair, being an alletred balance due the persons named for 
services in securing the defeat of a treaty in the early seven- 
ties. It is asserted that a contract was made by the Osage 
National Council with Vann and Adair under which they 
were to he paid $230,000 for their services. W. T. Leahv 
and Julian Trumbly, delegates of the Osage Indians, have 
addressed a petition to the President and to Congress which 
declares: “This is a fictitious, fabricated claim, not one 
cent of which does the Osage tribe of Indians justly owe. 
It is a fraud most Infamous, and of the deepest dye. It Is 
a dastardly attempt to filch from the Osae-e trust funds 
$180,000 under false pretenses." It is alleged by the Osage 
delegates that there was never passed by the Osage Council 
such a resolution as that, on which the claim for the pay¬ 
ment of $180,000 is based. . . . Two pending Philippine 
tariff bills have apparently become confused in the public 
mind. Their present status is this: The bill affecting the 
rates on Imports from the Philippines to this country has 
been reported by the Ways and Means Committee. It pro¬ 
vides for 25 per cent of the Dingley duties on sugar and 
tobacco, all other items free. There is a remote possibility 
that this measure will pass the House, but none whatever 
that it will be considered by the Senate. The second bill is 
concerned with imports into the Philippines from all coun¬ 
tries. It was drawn by the Philippine Commission, and its 
most important change is a reduction of the duties on agri¬ 
cultural machinery. It was approved by Secretary Taft and 
passed by the House. The Senate committee has authorized 
a favorable report on the House bill, and Mr. Lodge will 
endeavor to get a vote in the tipper chamber before the end 
of the session. Ilis success is dependent upon chance, and 
the finding of a favorable opening in the crowded calendar. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—A pure milk bill made its ap¬ 
pearance in the New York State Assembly February 1(5. be¬ 
ing introduced by Mr. Cowan. Republican, of Delaware. It 
provides that less than 3 3-10 per centum of fat shall con¬ 
stitute adulterated milk. The present fat standard is three 
per cent. Three bills introduced by Senator Ambler at the 
request of the State Department of Agriculture amending the 
laws in regard to the sale of “bob" veal, and butter and 
milk inspection, were reported favorablv Februarv 22 by the 
Senate Committee on Agriculture. The committee gave a 
hearing March 1 on Senator M’alby’s hill amending the law 
providing for compensation for diseased farm animals de¬ 
stroyed. 
The annual meeting of the Ohio Dairymen’s Association 
was held at Salem, O.. March 7-8, and local meetings will he 
Held at Chardon, March 9, and at Jefferson, March 10. 
THE GOSPEL OF GOOD CORN. 
The daily papers have told remarkable stories of the work 
done by Prof. P. G. Holden, of the Iowa Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, in educating farmers so that thev will take greater 
pains in selecting seed corn. Our readers speak in the high¬ 
est terms of Prof. Holden’s work. One of them, S. T. Per¬ 
kins. sends us a statement from a local paper of Prof. 
Holden's talk. Here are extracts from it: 
SELECTING SEED EARS.—-When harvesting seed corn 
close attention should be paid to the selection of the seed 
ears. In the field, however, the farmer cannot make as 
careful a selection as he can after the ears have dried out 
thoroughlv. The selecting and grading of the seed in the 
Spring should not be left until the rush of Spring begins. 
If left until then there is danger that the work will be hur¬ 
riedly done. If is best to do the selecting in Februarv or 
early March. At this time corn is thoroughly dry and the 
farmer has more leisure time than at any other period. To 
select well one should have plenty of room and work slowly 
and carefully. The first step is to lay the ears out in rows 
on planks or tables, or If these are not available they may 
he laid on the floor. Then ..ie best ear should he selected 
and with this in hand, or a more perfect ear In mind, the 
rows of ears should he gone over and all ears discarded that 
do not conform to the ideal in size, shape, color or uniform¬ 
ity of kernels. When the faultv ears, as judged from out¬ 
ward appearances, have been discarded, two or three ker¬ 
nels should be taken out of each remaining ear and laid 
germ side up in front of the ear from which they were 
taken. Then with an ideal kernel iu mind, or better, with 
one in hand, the ears should be gone over again and those 
kernels which do not conform to the ideal should be dis¬ 
carded. In yellow corn any mixed kernels should be taken 
out before shelling, as they are more easily seen on the ear. 
In white corn they should be left until the ear is shelled, as 
they are more readily seen then. This process of selection 
will greatly reduce the number of ears. For this reason one 
should gather two or three times as much seed in the Fall 
as he has any intention of using. 
TESTING SEED CORN.—After the seed ears have been 
carefully selected as to character of both ear and kernel 
each ear should be tested for germination. Testing eacli 
ear separately seems at first too big a task to undertake 
but experience shows it to be practicable. The following 
plan has proven very satisfactory : The ears are first laid 
out on a table or floor. By driving nails after each tenth 
ear it will only be necessary to number the first set of 
10 ears. When this has been done, remove one kernel from 
near the butt, middle and tip of ear. Turn the ear over, 
and remove three kernels in like manner from the opposite 
side, making six kernels in all, thus securing a sample from 
the entire ear. Place the six kernels at the end from which 
they were taken. Be careful that, the kernels do not get 
mixed with the kernels from the ear lying next to it. Take 
a shallow box about two by three feet in size, put several 
inches of moist sand, dirt or sawdust in the bottom, place 
over this a cloth which has l>een ruled off into squares 
one and one-half inch each way, numbers one, two, three 
and so on. Place the kernels from ear No. 1 in square No. 
1, from ear No. 2 in square No. 2 and so on with all the 
ears. Always place the kernels germ side up, as this makes 
it easier to see just, how strong the germination of each 
kernel really is. Now place over this a cloth considerably 
larger than the box, cover with one and one-halt' to two 
inches of sand, earth or sawdust, moisten well, keep in a 
warm place, and the kernels will germinate in from three 
to five days. When sufficient time has been allowed for the 
kernels to germinate remove the cover carefully to avoid 
misplacing the kernels. (A piece of cheese cloth placed on 
the kernels before top covering is put on will prevent the 
kernels from sticking in the cloth.) Examine the kernels in 
the first row of the germinating box. For example, if the 
kernels in squares Nos. 4. 8, 13 and 20 have failed to grow 
or show weak germination, ears Nos. 4, 8, 13 and 20 on 
the floor should be rejected. Do not fail to remove the 
ears showing weak germination. If the ground is cold and 
the weather unfavorable in the Spring these kernels will rot, 
or if thev grow at all will produce weak plants. The above 
method is inexpensive, and germination boxes can be pre¬ 
pared for testing any amount of corn required. 
COTTON AND WOOL PRICES. 
Will the present low price of cotton affect the wool market? 
We do not consider that the size of the cotton crop will 
have any serious effect upon the (trice of wool. The large 
consumption of mercerized cotton in men's-wear goods will 
tend to lessen the demand for wool in so far as it takes 
the place of that commodity. h. c. judd & root. 
Hartford, Conn. 
It is our opinion that this will have very little effect 
on wool values from the fact that those making mixed 
goods are now using as large a percentage of cotton as 
possible. The fact is that wools are now worth 33 per 
cent more than when cotton was selling for double its 
present price. the p. m’uraw worn, co. 
Allegheny, Pa. 
Our opinion is that neither cotton nor wool affect each 
other as far as prices go. It is supply and demand that 
regulates the wool market, and while the manufacturer may 
adulterate some goods when wool gets high by adding more 
cotton we do not think it likely to change the price much ; 
in fact we think that during the free wool period the 
manufacturers in the United States adulterated all -that it 
was possible to do in the way of substitutes. 
Philadelphia, Pa. Henderson & co. 
In reference to the influence on the price of wool in sym¬ 
pathy with the fall in cotton, as far as our experience has 
gone, the two commodities have no relation to one another 
with regard to price. During the late rise in cotton, when 
it went to 17 cents per pound, wool was probablv 25 per 
cent lower than it is to-dav. The great rise in cotton had 
no effect on the price, and we see none to-day now that 
cotton is on a low basis. There seems to be no connection 
between them whatever with regard to price; each article is 
affected by the supply and demand. 
Philadelphia, Pa. Cunningham & seal. 
A NORTHERN MAN’S FLORIDA NOTES. 
The Florida trip and proposed farming experiment in that 
soil and climate of the Hope Farm man awakens recollec¬ 
tions of two or three garden experiments of my own during 
the past 20 years iu. three different localities in that same 
State. I found it difficult to obtain definite information as 
to growing crops, largely. I think, because the crops I 
wanted to try, which were my specialties here at the 
North, had not then been grown much there. Besides, there 
seemed to be a fear on the part of the farmers of “giving 
away” something, as is usually the case with those who 
know the least about growing any crop. That same char- 
acteristic is seen in the North, hut is confined mostly also 
to those who know much less than thev themselves think 
they know. I began on a small scale, knowing that I could 
learn my first lesson as to soil and climate just as well 
on a few hundred plants as on a hundred acres, and the 
tuition would cost less. I soon learned some things tHat 
"couldn’t be did"—especially in trying to grow crops there 
in the open in the Winter season that we grow under glass 
at the North with artificial heat in Winter. While the 
days were warm enough, the nights woVe too cool for our 
tender greenhouse-grown crops, like cucumbers. Lettuce 
requiring only a night temperature of 40 to 45 degrees will 
grow finely there on the right kind of soil and for one 
who knows just how to do it. But some of Florida’s Win¬ 
ters are too warm for good lettuce growing, as lettuce will 
not head up well except in cool weather. Again, these un¬ 
certain blizzards are liable to sweep across the State and 
utterly ruin in a night all your well-grown lettuce, some¬ 
times even that covered with cotton canvas, and sometimes 
ruin even the cabbage crop. Five Winters and one Sum¬ 
mer when there I was laboriously diligent in studying the 
soil and climate, the latter with the help of Government 
bulletins from the Weather Bureau at Washington, D. C., 
as to the daily temperature and rainfall at 37 different sta¬ 
tions in the State of Florida. 
My last two trips, 1895-6 and 1896-7, I traveled over one 
thousand miles inside the State each Winter. I went for 
every lettuce and vegetable grower that I could hear of, and 
sat on the fence—figuratively speaking, for Florida uses 
barbed wire for fence—and watched the other fellows do 
it. It was cheaper to see them make the mistakes than to 
make them myself. The vegetable growing for northern 
shipment is mostly on the rich hard-wood, or “hammock" 
soil. There is also some good pine land for vegetable grow¬ 
ing, sugar growing, or almost any other crop desired. I ha-e 
walked over thousands and tens of thousands of acres of the 
best soil that I could find in the State. I learned some pecul¬ 
iarities about Florida soil and climate that may be of use to 
you in your experiments there. Florida soil, whether pine 
or hammock, is apt to be “spotted.” as they term it. That 
is, the soil, looking precisely the same in every square foot, 
is as wide as the antipodes in its productive capacity. 
Your onions, cabbages, lettuce, beets or any other vegeta¬ 
ble may grow as vigorous, and handsome as could be de¬ 
sired in one spot, and perhaps not 10 feet away in the 
same row they would scarcely grow at all. No difference 
can be seen in the color or quality of the soil, and the 
owner can assure you there is no difference in the quantity 
or quality of fertilizer used. An acre or a four-acre field 
may grow as fine lettuce as was ever seen, and just over 
the fence in the next field of equally good-looking soil it 
will not grow at all—or so poorly, that it would be waste 
of time and fertilizer to trv it. In sandy, pine land some 
spots exist called “sand-sinks." where nothing will grow 
with all the manure that can be applied. I would scarcely 
dare buy or cultivate a piece of ground until I had seen 
a crop grow on it. Again, the Winters in Florida, espe¬ 
cially the middle and southern part, are apt to dry. From 
January to June at Tampa l had no occasion to spread my 
umbrellaiexcept as a sunshade). Sometimes a little shower 
might last a few minutes, and then all is clear again. But 
when the rainy season sets in don't, forget your umbrella 
if you are only going to the post office a half mile away, 
and not a cloud to be seen. The dry Winters suggest a 
probable error of Charlie's proposed method of applying 
his fertilizer a little at a time. Whether it would do for 
potatoes I cannot say, but I should fear not. For straw¬ 
berries it would be almost fatal in Florida. Scattering fer¬ 
tilizer on top of the ground coaxes the rootlets up near the 
surface, and the long dry weather is almost as sure to dry 
up and kill the plants. I have seen them so killed after 
berries had begun to ripen, and green ones enough to make 
a whole quart on a single plant, all dried up. If the fertil¬ 
izer is put deep down below the roots before planting, a 
good crop will result, close beside those that dried up and 
died by the other treatment. s. h. record. 
Massachusetts. 
TAXES IN TENNESSEE.—Our State, Tenn., has been 
badly in debt ever since the Civil War, and is not out yet, 
but reducing the debt gradually. We are behind many States 
in educational advantages, and have been making special 
efforts for two years to improve them, and now have a school 
fund guaranteed to run our public schools about six months 
in the year, which is nearly double former terms. I am 
glad to say that we have no saloons in Tennessee except in 
the large cities, viz., Memphis, Nashville, Jackson. Chatta¬ 
nooga and Knoxville, but some whiskey is shipped to small 
towns in jugs by express to individuals, and some illicit 
“stills” in the mountains are doing a small business on the 
sly. We had a law that proffibited the sale of liquor within 
four miles of a church or schoolhouse except in incorporated 
towns. 'I his was called the “Four-Mile law.” and our last 
Legislature extended it to all small cities, and after nearly 
two years’ trial we are well pleased with its results. Our 
January court has just announced our tax rate for 1905 • 
it is as follows: State, 35 cents; county, 32 cents; school’ 
45 cents: roads, 10 cents; poorhouse, 7 ‘cents; special 6 
cents; total, $1.35 on each $100 of assessed property and 
$2 for each poll. Our railroad and iron and coal companies 
and telephone companies pay over half of this, and farmers 
are prosperous. K , „ 
Dayton, Tenn. 
1 'Y/\ ha y. e had a mighty snug Winter, a good twin to 
1.103-4. Mercury went to 18 below one night. the reals 
tering thermometer said that: 14 below was the lowest seen 
Stock is doing well, and those who have fed Iambs are wear¬ 
ing their hats on side of head. We have about 400 Win¬ 
ter lambs, and are doing finely: prices are and have been 
good. Orchards are looking well, and peach buds so far 
Sa *ri „ - . j. S. WOODWARD. 
Niagara Co., N. 1. 
BUSINESS BITS . 
The Johnston Harvester Company of Batavia, N Y has 
the distinction of having been awarded the Grand Brize for 
its exhibit at St. Louis, and may feel justly proud of its 
achievement. 1 he Johnston line includes grain and corn 
binders, mowers, header, rake, tedder, disk harrows and disk 
cultivators. A good line of the excellence and utilitv of 
these machines may be obtained from the 1905 catalogue 
issued by the Johnston Harvester Company. This hook" is 
most artistically prepared, beautifully illustrated and worthy 
of a place on the center table. It will be mailed free to 
anyone who will address the Johnson Harvester Comnanv 
Batavia, N. Y., requesting the same. . 
The Ohio Carriage Mfg. Co. have always held strictly to 
the lines of straightforward business policy. Thev keen 
their vehicles up to the highest standard of - Split Hickory 
Quality always, regardless of competition. We have carried 
the advertisements of the Ohio Carriage Mfg Co in our 
columns for years and have never had a complaint from a 
single subscriber. Those of our readers who think of buy¬ 
ing a buggy or a vehicle of any kind, should send for a 
free copy of their beautiful 1905 catalogue, containing 192 
pages, and showing their entire line of split hickory vehi¬ 
cles and oak tanned harness. A postal card request will 
bring it. Address The Ohio Carriage Mfg Co 1C II 
Phelps, Pres.), Station 290, Cincinnati, O. ... 
We are frequently asked to advise readers in regard to the 
choice of a feed mill. To get the right mill is important, 
chat there are different degrees of excellence in feed grind¬ 
ers, as in all other makes of machinery, cannot be doubted 
Naturally we cannot be conversant with the good qualities 
of all the mills. We can refer to a mill which, upon the un¬ 
broken testimony of users covering a period of nearly 40 
years, will be in every wav satisfactory. We refer to the 
Quaker City made by Straub & Co., of Philadelphia. When 
a feed mill continues on the market for almost forty years 
with increasing sales all the while, there must be those 
qualities in it which fit it for feeder's use. The Quaker City¬ 
's built in eight sizes, running from one to twenty horse 
power. There is no question in our judgment that anyone 
about to buy a feed mill would be serving their own Interests 
by corresponding with the Straub Company before placing an 
order. The company maintains offices both in Philadelphia 
and Chicago. Catalogue and full particulars can be had bv 
writing to either place. 
The time Is certainly approaching when practically every 
farmer in tHe land will own a manure spreader, just as he 
now owns a twine binder or harvesting machine of some 
kind. The experiment stations and the best, farmers from 
every section endorse their use. This much in substantiation 
of our first statement. The manufacturers of the Great 
Western Endless Apron M’anure Spreader lay claim to points 
of superiority in its construction which seem to us to he 
well founded. As its name implies, this is the only manure 
spreader equipped with, and possessing the advantages of the 
endless apron. Stated simply, this means that the slat web 
which holds the load and which carries it gradually hack 
to the beater in the rear is continuous. This means further 
that the machine is ever ready to load—that is, it does not 
need to he turned back into a special position before the ma¬ 
chine can he loaded. This certainlv is a very positive ad¬ 
vantage and one which saves much time, annoyance and 
danger of breakage. We suggest that all those of our read¬ 
ers who are in any way interested in manure spreaders write 
at once to the manufacturers for their illustrated and de¬ 
scriptive catalogue. Address the Smith Manure Spreader 
Co., 16-18 S. Clinton Street, Chicago. ’ 
Every farmer wants to get his field in the best possible 
condition at sowing time. Other things being equal the 
bettor the seed 1>ed the better start the plants will make 
The desire to have the ground properly prepared for sowing 
and planting has caused farmers to welcome the Acme pul¬ 
verizing harrow, advertised elsewhere, which, perhaps better 
than any other, accomplishes this purpose. It is a riding 
harrow, and this makes a strong appeal to farmers as it 
does away with one of the most slavish pieces of work on 
the farm. The clods are crushed, and its backward sloped, 
peculiar-shaped coulters cut under, stir, turn and level the 
ground. It is not a harrow for a special purpose, but for 
all purposes. It does all that, any other harrow will do and 
does it to better purpose. The manufacturer, Duane II. 
Nash, Millington, N. .1.. makes a generous offer to our read¬ 
ers in his free trial plan of selling. We regard the Acme 
harrow as a good investment, and have no hesitancy in 
commending the manufacturer’s proposition to our readers 
The stock company at Proctor's Fiftv-eighth Street Thea¬ 
tre is meeting with unparalleled success, which is due not 
alone to the excellent quality of the organization, but also 
to the manner in which the productions are staged, one of 
the noticeable features being the little difference between the 
plays when originally produced and now bv the stock com¬ 
pany. In all the plays presented thus far - MY. Proctor has 
employed a wealth of original scenery, electrical effects and 
in every way striven to make the productions a faithful fol¬ 
lowing of the original. An admirable addition to the com¬ 
pany has recently been made in Mr. William Ingersol! the 
new leading man. whose magnetic personality has won him 
favor from his first performance. Miss Edna Phillips also 
continues adding to her throng of admirers as does Miss 
Agnes Scott. Mr. Harold Hartsell, Mr. Charles Arthur, Mr 
William Norton and the other members of the company. 
