1605. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
5 2 5 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—Running at the rate of 50 or 60 miles an 
hour, the Twentieth Century Limited on the Lake Shore 
Railroad dashed into an open switch at the passenger sta¬ 
tion at Mentor, O., June 21. Nineteen persons were killed 
and 12 or 15 badly injured. The combination baggage and 
smoking buffet car and the sleeping car behind it caught fire 
and were destroyed. The train was eastbound. The engine 
left the rails and plowed into the ground, tearing up the 
track for yards. The two coaches following the engine 
jammed into it with great force and were crushed, the tire 
from the engine setting them ablaze. Fortunately most of 
the occupants of the two coaches were rescued before the 
fire reached them. . . . One of the worst floods in the 
history of Ithaca, N. Y., came down from the hills June 21, 
sweeping bridges, buildings and trees before it. The damage 
is estimated at close to $100,000. Heavy rain fell for hours 
in the country to the southeast of Ithaca and Six Mile Creek, 
which runs through the center of the town, became a roaring 
torrent. Five bridges were carried out along the course of 
the stream, thousands of feet of lumber were swept away 
from the yards of Driscoll Bros., and two houses and a shop 
belonging to L. D. Crance were borne out into Cayuga Lake 
by the flood. No lives were lost, although many persons 
had narrow escapes. . . . June 20 it was discovered 
that more than a million dollars was fraudulently obtained 
from banks and trust companies by means of raised stock 
certificates, winch were used as collateral for loans by Ben¬ 
jamin II. GaskiH, one of the best known bankers and brokers 
in Philadelphia, who died suddenly May 25. A hurried ex¬ 
amination of collateral by banks and trust companies shows 
that they have lost between $750,000 and $840,000 by Gas- 
kill’s skill as a forger. When a complete examination of all 
collateral is made it is expected that it will be found that 
GaskiH's profits from his forgeries were far in excess of 
$1,000,000. GaskiH's credit was never questioned. lie was 
a member of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and was rated 
as a millionaire by his fellow-brokers. lie was a director in 
the Manufacturers’ Club, and in the Fifty Club, a most ex¬ 
clusive organization composed of business men. . . 
Evidence tending to implicate officials of the Postoffice De¬ 
partment in the affairs of the Continental Financing Com¬ 
pany, the alleged get-rich-quick concern in Chicago, has been 
unearthed by Attorney Gordon Ramsey, who is conducting 
the Investigation for Attorney General Stead. From letters 
found in the headquarters of the concern it appears that the 
financing company, of which Henry Wulff, ex-State Treas¬ 
urer of Illinois, was president, became Involved in trouble 
with the Postoffice authorities, and that its secretary, J. W. 
Lobb, went; to Washington with an attorney and “settled 
matters” in such a manner that the business was allowed 
to continue. Inspector Ketcham made a report on the financ 
ing company to Washington on May 12. He also made cer¬ 
tain recommendations for the guidance of the Department, 
as a result of which Lobb was cited to appear in Washing- 
Ion and show cause why a fraud order should not he issued 
against his concern by the Postoffice authorities. Lobb im¬ 
mediately retained an attorney, who presented his case to the 
Department at Washington. The fraud order was not issued 
but Lobb was compellod to reform the literature of the con- 
cern to a marked degree. It is this agreement involving 
changes in the literature which the State investigators would 
like to have the Washington authorities explain. The num 
her of persons at one time or another who “invested” in the 
financing company is now known to be 32,670. The amounts 
invested were small, as a rule. It is believed that the total 
receipts were about $100,000. The accountants have found 
thus far records of $60,000 received. . . . After having 
been locked up for 48 hours the jury in the case of William 
G. Crawford, indicted jointly with August W. Machen. the 
former postal official who is now serving a term in prison, 
and Dr. George E. Lorenz, of Toledo, on a charge of con¬ 
spiracy to defraud the United States through a contract to 
furnish letter carriers’ satchels and straps to the Postoffice 
Department, reported June 22 a disagreement to Justice 
\Vright, presiding in Criminal Court No. 1. Washington. 
I his was the ending of the second big case in which Machen 
was involved, a case that has occupied five weeks in trial 
u!lir„ n ™ eD T- tl l at 1,as cost the Government thousands 
S ’ United States District Attorney Beach, who. 
'' .I’ Conrad as special counsel, prosecuted Crawford. 
, ! „ Y as intention to call the case up for retrial 
in the ball term of the Court. Although the charge was 
conspii acy, Crawford was tried alone, having secured a sev¬ 
erance from the case of Machen and Lorenz. Machen pleaded 
guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison. Lorenz 
turned State s evidence. He was sentenced to two vears in 
prison June ~7. . . . The National Oleomargarine Asso- 
clatlon, formed at Worcester. Mass., more than a year and a 
half ago by oleomargarine dealers, large and small, through¬ 
out the United States, to secure the repeal of the National 
Oleomargarine or Grout law, which levies a tax of 10 cents 
a pound on every pound manufactured, is to disband at once 
without having accomplished anvthing. . . . Fire In a 
New York chair factory June 26 caused a loss of $75,000. 
I lie same day a fire in a clothing warehouse and factorv in 
another part of the city amounted to $150,000. while a third 
fire nearby caused a loss of $50,000. ... A band of 100 
Yaqui Indians is terrorizing the district along the San 
Miguel River in the Tires district of Sonora. Mexico. Ten 
ranchers, and probably as many women and children, have 
been killed, according to the latest intelligence to reach 
Tucson. As the descent of the Indians was so unexpected 
and so cunningly planned that no organized effort could be 
made to beat them off, the number of whites who have been 
murdered will likely reach a much larger figure. 
The United States Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a 
decision June 27 declaring the Compagnie G^n^rale Trans- 
atlantique without blame for the sinking of the steamship 
La Bourgogne of the French line eight years ago, but pro 
viding that the $26,700 received for freight and passenger 
transportation should be given over with interest to a trustee 
and paid out pro rata on proven claims. Nearly $3,000,000 
in claims has already been filed. The court decides that the 
subsidy paid for mail service cannot be levied upon, as it is 
Impossible to divide it for separate trips. The United States 
District Court is reversed only in that it did not hold the 
freight and passenger moneys liable to claims for losses in 
the disaster. 
,-ADMINISlRATION.—In view of the imminent danger 
that an effective boycott against American goods in China 
niay be put in force by the Chinese merchant guilds. Pres¬ 
ident Roosevelt has taken decisive action looking to a more 
lenient administration of the Chinese exclusion law' by the 
officers of the immigration service. To this end he directed 
June 24 that the State Department issue a circular letter of 
instructions on the subject to our diplomatic and consular 
officers in China, and he has informed the Secretary of Com¬ 
merce and Labor, who is charged with the enforcement of 
the exclusion law, that any officer of the immigration service 
who show's discourtesy to any Chinese of the exempted 
classes applying at United States ports for admission will 
forthwith lose his place. . . . It is understood that the 
“cotton scandal” investigation has reached such a point as 
to warrant the summary dismissal of one and possibly two 
officials of the Department of Agriculture. Edwin S. Holmes, 
associate statistician, was suspended some time ago. At the 
time Secretary Richard Cheatham, of the Southern Cotton 
Growers’ Association, who is responsible for the present in¬ 
quiry, expressed the opinion that Mr. Holmes w'ould not be 
reinstated. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The faculty of the agricultural 
department of the University of Missouri has just completed 
an experiment in teaching agriculture to high school stu¬ 
dents. The Columbia high school w'as chosen for the exper¬ 
iment. Three lectures a week were given—one on horticul¬ 
ture, one on farm crops and another on animal husbandry. 
K. Kayu, a wealthy Japanese merchant, of Tokio, accom¬ 
panied by his interpreter, W. Ijima, has come to Canada to 
investigate the dairying business of the country at first 
hand, and is much impressed by the methods employed by 
Canadians in the making of butter and cheese. Mr. Kayu 
has decided to introduce into Japan the Canadian dairying 
methods as w'ell as Canadian cattle. lie has purchased fifty 
head of Ayrshire cattle in Ontario and has forwarded them 
to his native land. This is tHe first consignment of Cana¬ 
dian cattle that has ever been shipped to Japan. 
THE OUTLOOK FOR HORSE BREEDING. 
The Oldenburg German coach horse seems to be the com¬ 
ing horse of America, as these horses have plenty of size, 
substance and action, and when crossed on our trotting-bred 
mares they get a high-class coach horse. Around here they 
have been knowm to sell all the way from $250 to $1,000, 
and in pairs from $2,500 to $4,000. J. crouch & son. 
Lafayette, Ind. 
The demand in this vicinity seems to increase for good 
general-purpose horses and drafters with size, w'hile there 
is a decline in the demand for driving horses. There are 
not enough colts raised here to make a price, individual merit 
being so different in the few that are raised. So far as I 
can learn there was not. a single colt foaled in this township 
last year. As to risk and profit, there is a general law 
that governs those things, comparative risk accompanying 
comparative profit, the average man being quite willing to 
take up any line that he thinks is yielding his neighbor a 
greater profit than he enjoys. geo. l. Gordon. 
Connecticut. 
The present outlook seems bright for all classes of good 
horses. All useful animals are in demand, from the chil¬ 
dren’s pony to the heavy drafter, but probably the most reli¬ 
able and active demand is for the heavy, clean-limbed and 
active draft horse. Prices for these, if first-class, run from 
$200 up to $300, or even more in rare instances, and even 
if not first-class, if they have the requisite weight they are 
in demand. Good three-year-old colts bring from $lf>0 to 
$225. There has been a gradual rise in prices since 1896 
after the severe depression for the few' years previous to that 
time to last year, when they probably reached as high a 
mark as before the depression, although buyers are rather 
more discriminating in their demands. As in other lines 
of business, greater profits involve greater risks, and there 
are probably rather more risks connected with the breeding 
of horses than some other farm animals. This on account 
of the sometimes sudden fluctuations in the market and the 
frequent high per cent of mortality, often due to lack of 
intelligent care. »mc lay bros. 
Janesville, Wis. 
We import all the leading breeds of draft horses, and after 
an experience of 27 years in this business we have concluded 
that the best draft horse to cross on the average American 
draft-bred mares is the English Shire, from the fact that 
he is the heaviest boned, deepest ribbed; in fact, the most 
rugged draft horse in the world. Grade Shires have topped 
the Chicago markets for the past 10 years, and only last 
week we sold a pair of Shire geldings for the record price of 
$2,400, and they were only four years old. and scaled 4,280 
w'hen sold. I may also say that at the farm sales around 
this section w’eaning colts, grades, are selling at from $75 
to $115, and nine times out of 10 w'hen the latter or $100 
price is reached it is for a grade Shire. Eastern feeders are 
paying from $200 to $350 for grade Shire geldings from three 
to four years old to ta».e into Ohio and Pennsylvania and 
finish for the New York market. With reference to the light 
horse market, will say that there has not been a time during 
my experience when high-acting geldings or mares, compact 
in build, would bring the price they will do now. There is 
simply no limit as to their value, and I w'ould advise any 
farmer or breeder having a few well-bred trotting mares to 
breed them to the highest-going and best-bred hackney stal¬ 
lion he can find within reach. They are the best heavy har¬ 
ness horse to-day in the world, and thev have proved this 
assertion to be true at Chicago and New York horse shows. 
Bushnell, III. ,t. g. truman. 
There was never a time in the history of the horse-breed¬ 
ing business when the outlook for the future wms more prom¬ 
ising than it is at present. When other things are pros¬ 
perous the horse business is most prosperous. In fact, horses 
have been selling at higher prices each succeeding year for 
about eight years past. Raising horses is one of the most 
profitable branches of farming. It does not cost much more 
to raise a draft horse than it does to raise and maintain 
a steer, and the price of a very common horse is double that 
of a fattened steer. From western Pennsylvania westward 
to central Kansas and Nebraska is the draft horse breeding 
section of this country. Here our farmers and breeders 
realize the larger profit there is in breeding draft horses over 
raising any other kind of live stock. There is one branch of 
the horse business that has been most deplorablv neglected, 
viz., the raising of high-class carriage horses. The ordinary 
farmer has bred the draft horse and the professional breeder 
has undertaken to raise trotters, and neither of these has 
been the kind that our wealthy people in the cities are paying 
extravagant prices for to use before their broughams, 
landaus and other pleasure conveyances. If a man who 
owns a good trotting mare or a good roadster mare that can¬ 
not show much speed, breeds to a handsome, magnificent 
high-acting coach stallion, he will produce the kind that do 
now and always will demand the highest prices in every good 
horse market. mc laughlin bros. 
Columbus, O. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
It is early to say what the apple crop will be in this part, 
as I have no reports at hand. Here in my vicinity it does 
not promise much ; the fruit is very poor and scabby. 
Chandler, Ind. e. t. j. 
There will be about a half crop of apples. Pears almost 
a total failure. The prospect for peaches and plums is 
very good ; perhaps a full crop, though the rot is showing 
some in spite of our spraying, and may destroy the entire 
crop. Cherries full crop ; also a full crop of blackberries and 
raspberries. j. w. t. 
Madison, Ind. 
The fruit conditions in my locality are not the best for all 
the growers. A few growers who sprayed well and at the right 
times have fair crops of good apples, and the others have 
all the way from that down to nothing. Those who did not 
spray at all have nothing. The scab is worse than common, 
the worst I ever saw it on both fruit and foliage. Where 
good, timely spraying has been done the scab has done very 
little damage. I have sprayed four times, and my prospects 
are good on most of the orchards. Some that did not get 
treated on time are very scabby, and the foliage looks bad 
and is dropping. The others look as well as mine usually 
do, and I have prospect for a good half crop or more. The 
country around will not have more than 15 or 20 per cent 
of a crop, and the State and. in fact, all the Ohio and Mis¬ 
sissippi Valley are in much the same condition as to apples. 
Some places and some orchards are good, but most are light 
and poor. We have some good peaches and plenty of plums, 
but pears are few. The Ensee has a fair crop in sight, and 
they are nice and in good condition. My brother took quite 
a lot of good ones to Indiana last week to the nurserymen’s 
meeting, and they had a good opinion of it. I still have 
more than half a barrel of fine ones in cold storage, and 
they have just as good flavor yet as they ever had, and the 
color is just as bright. The Ohio Experiment Station has 
a barrel of Rome Beauty, York and Ensee in cold storage 
at Columbus, and is going to keep them till the State Fair 
to test their keeping. u. t. cox. 
Lawrence Co., O._ 
THE PRICE OF MILK. 
The New York Sun has been printing a discussion between 
W. A. Linn, of Sussex Co., N. .T., a milk producer, and 
George Slaughter, a member of the so-called Milk Exchange. 
Mr. Linn claimed there was no fair reason for_ the recent 
cut in milk prices, while Mr. Slaughter says there is too 
much milk, and that the Exchange was justified. He under¬ 
took to argue that ex-Senator McBride, of New Jersey, is a 
member of the Exchange and also a milk producer, and that 
he favored the reduction. Mr. Linn nails this statement in 
an interview with Senator McBride, who says : 
“I have not attended a meeting of the Exchange in three 
months, as I have been unable to do so by reason of ill 
health. I was not there when the half cent reduction was 
made, and had I been there I should have opposed it with 
all my power. I regard it (and in this opinion I am sus¬ 
tained by other members of the Exchange) as wholly unnec¬ 
essary, without excuse, and an act of gross injustice to the 
producers of milk. Seventy cents per can (of 40 quarts) for 
milk does not pay for cost of production, and when Mr. 
Slaughter says that such a cut was necessary he asserts 
something wholly without foundation. The common day 
laborer is much better off financially with his $1.50 per day 
than the owner of a farm with capital invested making milk 
for one and three-quarters cent per quart. It is strikingly 
suggestive that milk is retailed in the city at from six to 
10 cents per quart, while the wholesale producers receive 
the fabulous sum of 70 cents per can of 40 quarts. In other 
words, the dealers in the Exchange who retail get more on 
the average for nine quarts than does the farmer for 40 
quarts. Farmers are required to comply with rigid rules, 
send standard milk, have everything first class. On its very 
face the price of 70 cents per can is an imposition, and only 
the most insatiate greed would expect it, much less decree 
it as an emergency price. All talk that farmers have the 
privilege of doing better than the prices named bv the Ex¬ 
change is nonsense. Mr. Slaughter knows that nine-tenths 
of the milk sent to market is bought either on a six months’ 
or one year contract, with Borden’s or Exchange prices as a. 
basis. I have not talked with one farmer, one creamer^ 
man or one dealer (including those who have New York id 
terests) who does not declare that the June cut in price wa 
unnecessary, unwarranted and unjust.” 
EGGS IN COLD STORAGE. 
The stocks in storage are about 35 per cent greater than 
they were this time last year. As to the future of the mar¬ 
ket, we do not pretend to predict. lepman & iieggie 
Chicago. 
The stocks are large: April storage about the same as last 
year. The future outlook is absolutely a weather market 
If heat is excessive prices for fresh will hold firm. If con¬ 
ditions are below normal the market will rule low, as daily 
receipts will continue large and storage eggs held. Person¬ 
ally. I have been a bear on the egg market for several 
months. e. b. woodward. 
New York. 
It would be as easy for us to tell what the weather will 
be next Fall as to predict the future price on eggs. Eggs 
are usually controlled by weather conditions; favorable 
weather for laying means production and lower prices ; cold 
hard Winter means advance in price. In our opinion there 
are a great many more eggs in storage this year at higher 
prices than a year ago. j. g. visiiion & co. 
Buffalo, N. Y. 
The amount of eggs stored in our section is about the same 
as last year, owing to our storage capacity, which is limited 
to about 25,000 cases. We have but one house in our city 
that makes a specialty of storing eggs; their capacity is 
16,000 cases, and on .Tune 15 it. was filled. There is an¬ 
other house that takes in about 8,000 to 10,000; however, 
this year they are filled up two weeks earlier than usual It 
is our belief that eggs will sell in the Winter at the same 
price as they did in April. ciias. h. hess & co. 
Cincinnati, O. 
I am of the opinion that it is somewhat weaker, owing to 
the extraordinarily large stock held in storage, which is a 
great deal more in amount than last year, and there cer¬ 
tainly were enough eggs stored last year to meet all require¬ 
ments. The production at the present time is heavy. 
Weather conditions have quickened destruction, and I would 
not be surprised to see large draughts made on the finer 
grades of eggs now in cold storage to meet the demands of 
the discriminating high-class trade for Summer use. This 
will, of course, strengthen the situation. I look for a very 
hot Summer, and if that occurs the situation will be very 
much stronger than if the present heavy production keeps up. 
St. Louis, Mo, F. W. BROCKMAN COMMISSION CO. 
Eggs will never be as cheap as we once knew them years 
gone by. I have been traveling the past 10 days in the 
great State of Texas, which at some day in the near future 
will have the largest population of any one State. There is 
hardly any road to travel on in east and middle Texas, but 
there is a station every five to eight miles. This same con¬ 
dition of affairs that is taking place in Texas is taking 
place in the great Northwest, and owing to this fact, instead 
of their being egg shippers, they become egg consumers, and 
for this reason we cannot expect the prices to be as low as 
in former years. It is true the eggs went into storage this 
Spring, in our opinion, at least one to 1V5 too high, 
which makes us think that those who have stored heavily 
beyond the actual trade for their home market, will come 
out even or a small loss. If, on the other hand, we have a 
very hot July and August, that would mean, on the con¬ 
trary, possibly a profit. t. c. h. W'egeforth co. 
Chicago, Ill. _ 
DESERT DAIRYING; CONSUMPTION. 
The possibilities of the Salt. River Valley as a dairy region 
are beyond the imagination of the average eastern dairyman. 
But the filthy mess of fluid called milk put upon the market 
by the majority of so-called dairymen is still further beyond 
their imagination. Why such stuff is permitted to go upon 
the market I cannot understand. This is a health resort, 
and thousands come here and virtually live upon the prover¬ 
bial milk and eggs, little dreaming of what they are con¬ 
suming. This is a matter of local interest, and I should not 
mention it if it were not for the fact that such conditions 
exist to a greater or lesser degree near nearly every city in 
the country. This brings up to a point I should like to see 
discussed. It is this: Tuberculosis or consumption seems to 
be increasing to an alarming extent? and the victims of this 
disease are not entirely blameless for its spread. One has 
only to sit a little while in the depots of some of the cities 
of the Middle West, or travel on a train bound for some of 
the health resorts to see why this is true. These persons, 
some of them in the last stages, so-called, of this disease, 
drink from the cups found at the public drinking places 
found on trains and in depots, and various other places. 
Besides this they expectorate with apparent immunity about 
upon the floor of the cars and depots. Is it not possible for 
measures to be taken to stop this not only dangerous but 
loathsome practice? I think The R. N.-Y’. as good place as 
any to start this discussion, for I have noticed that as a rule 
discussions upon any subject in this paper bring results 
sooner or later. j. d. p. 
Arizona. 
BUSINESS BITS . 
Emil Linderman, of Corona, L. I., N. Y., has found Ken¬ 
dall’s Spavin Cure very effective for horse ailments. He 
writes the manufacturers, B. J. Kendall Co., Enosburg Falls, 
Vt., as follows: “Please send me a copy of your Treatise 
on the Horse and Ills Diseases. I have two horses which 
had bog spavin on both legs. I have treated them with 
Kendall’s Spavin Cure for two months and find the spavins 
cured. I spent considerable money on veterinarians until a 
friend of mine recommended Kendall’s Spavin Cure, which 
I am satisfied will cure any case.” 
Not alone for the comfort of animals, but from a busi¬ 
ness standpoint as well, farmers and dairymen should pro¬ 
tect their cattle from flies and insects during the Summer. 
Almost a quarter of a century ago there was first offered 
for sale a complete remedy for keeping flies off cattle, called 
“Shoo-Fiy.” “Slioo-Fly” is known as the animals’ friend. 
It has earned for itself a great reputation, not only at home, 
but in foreign countries. It is harmless to man or beast. 
Besides being the greatest stock protector known. “Shoo-Fiy” 
cures all sores, scratches, skin diseases, hoof ailments, etc. 
“Shoo-Fiy” is for sa'e by mostly all dealers, but if for any 
reason it cannot be obtained, send $1 to the Shoo-Fiy Manu¬ 
facturing Company, 1026 Fnirmount Avenue. Philadelphia, 
Pa., and get in return the latest improved three-tube sprayer 
and enough “Shoo-Fiy” to protect 200 cows. If it does not 
do what is claimed for it, money will be cheerfully returned. 
