1S05. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
573 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—The Chicago Tribune has been investigating 
the subject of “graft" in public offices throughout the United 
States. The reports from correspondents show that in fully 
two-thirds of the States of the Union graft is prevailing on 
a wholesale scale and that the flagrant offenses have aroused 
the victims to demand and inflict punishment. In some 
States it is found that legislators have been guilty of ac¬ 
cepting bribes. In California they have been expelled and 
one lias been sent to jail. In other States, as in Arkansas, 
Ihey are under indictment. In many, as in New York, favors 
are admittedly a matter of barter and sale. In New Orleans 
and other cities it is found that the police are leagued with 
criminals to prey upon the law-abiding citizens, and in 
others, as in Philadelphia, politicians have grown rich from 
the earnings of disreputable dives. In scores of cities the 
city administrations are being investigated by grand juries, 
who are uncovering corrupt practices that were suspected but 
now revealed. Prominent citizens are being brought to 
shame before those who had been taught to regard their 
probity as above reproach, and they stand before their fel¬ 
low-citizens as perverters of justice and instigators of 
violations of the laws for their private profit. In Oregon a 
Senator of the United States has been convicted, and Con¬ 
gressmen are on trial. The Inquiry develops that in only 11 
States is there no charge of graft or investigation threat¬ 
ening. But among those exempt are Colorado, which has 
been recently the scene of tremendous ballot frauds; Dela¬ 
ware, whose electorate is notoriously corrupt; Kentucky, 
where, however, a Governor was shot not many months 
ago to prevent his inauguration; Mississippi, where more 
than half the citizens are disfranchised; Montana, where 
politics is a mere struggle between rival copper kings. Of 
those exempt only six really stand with clear skirts—viz. : 
Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan and North 
Carolina. . . . Fifteen girls employed in a mattress 
factory at Pittsburg, Pa., went on strike July 11, because 
the firm employed Estella Wells, a young negress, in the 
office of the company as a stenographer and typewriter. 
The strikers were employed at sewing mattresses and they 
demanded the dismissal of the colored girl because they 
claimed that a negress had no right to be employed at such 
pleasant work, in the olttce, while they were compelled to 
work in the factory. When the firm refused to dismiss the 
girl, they struck. . . . The Norwegian steamship Bratten, 
Captain II. Ilolm, from Ceiba, Honduras, which reached New 
Orleans July 12, reported a startling tragedy on the small 
trading schooner Olympia, bound from Utilla for Truxillo, 
via Kuatan, to purchase cattle. The crew and passengers, 
12 in all, were murdered by a negro, Robert McGill, except 
one passenger, a young woman, who escaped by swimming 
ashore, after being struck on the head with an oar. McGill 
shot all his victims. He forced one of the crew of the 
schooner to scuttle her. He then shot him and escaped in 
a dory. He was subsequently captured at El l’rovener, Hon¬ 
duras. The captain of the Olympia had .$1,400 in his cabin. 
The murderer was subsequently lynched by_citizens of Utilla. 
A mob of natives surrounded the jail and demanded the 
prisoner, who was surrendered to them. A disposition was 
shown at first to burn him at the stake, but the more con¬ 
servative citizens prevented this and the negro was hanged, 
lie is described as a giant. The Constitution of Honduras 
prohibits capital punishment and the only punishment for 
McGill's 11 murders would have been imprisonment. 
One person was killed and 14 injured, two probably fatally, 
by a tornado which swept a portion of the Rosebud Iteserva- 
iiuii. t..i,. iv At least three small towns 
are known to have been struck by the storm. Roy McFadden 
was killed near St. Elmo. Eight persons were injured at 
Herrick and several buildings destroyed. At Burke six peo¬ 
ple were injured, including James’ Jensen, his wife and 
baby, the latter two of whom may die. . . . The Chicago 
express drivers formerly employed by the seven railway ex¬ 
press companies will remain on strike for the present at 
least. This was decided July 10 by the members of the Ex¬ 
press Drivers’ Union when a referendum vote was taken 
on the proposition of calling off the strike. The decision 
to continue the struggle was carried by a majority of 42 
votes. ... In the presence of 2.000 persons who had 
gathered July 18 at the Santa Clara College grounds. Santa 
Clara, Cal., to see the flight of Prof. John .1. Montgomery's 
aeroplane, (he Santa Clara, the machine collapsed when at 
the height of nearly half a mile and Aeronaut Daniel Ma¬ 
loney was hurled to the ground. The wings of the flying 
machine were splintered into match wood, and Maloney, 
who was picked up with a fractured skull, lived only an 
hour. . . . Chief Statistician Hyde of the Department of 
Agriculture resigned his position July 18, and the resigna¬ 
tion has been accepted by Secretary Wilson. Assistant Sec¬ 
retary Hays has been detailed to take charge of the statis¬ 
tical work until the vacancy shall be filled. . . . At 
Penn Yan, N. Y„ on July 10. in the action for loss of sheep 
by a dog brought by Charles C. Underwood, of Potter, 
against Cassius C. and Hattie A. Lester, which was tried be¬ 
fore Justice of the Peace Gilbert II. Baker, the verdict was 
tor the plaintiff for $188.85, the sum which the appraisers 
decided the sheep worth. . . Six persons were burned 
to death in a hotel fire at Wabasha. Minn., July 18. . 
Philadelphia, Atlantic City and Baltimore were the three 
hottest cities in the country July 18. At Philadelphia the 
official temperature was recorded at 98.8 degrees, although 
street thermometers showed that the mercury had climbed 
beyond the century mark. The hot wave is general east of 
the Rocky Mountains, extending well into the New England 
States. Deaths are reported by the hundreds, 25 dying in 
Chicago. New Yorkers sweltered, while the suffering’ in the 
tenement district passed all bounds. To add to the discom¬ 
fiture of Brooklynites, a water famine was imminent and the 
icemen were on strike. In New York the city authorities 
gave permission for the parks to be used as sleeping places, 
and many thousands took advantage of the onnortunity 
. . . Arguments were begun before Judge Smith Mc¬ 
Pherson, in the United States Circuit Court. St. Louis, 
Mo., July 18, on the petition filed by Edward G. Lewis, ask¬ 
ing that the fraud order issued by Postmaster General Cor- 
telyou denying Lewis and the People’s United States Bank 
the use of the mails, be set aside. At the opening of the 
court District Attorney Dyer filed an answer to Lewis’s 
petition for injunction. He alleges that Congress has au¬ 
thorized the Postmaster General to issue such a fraud order 
as that against the Lewis bank, and has constituted him a 
court of last resort in such cases, and that under the Con¬ 
gressional act the Postmaster General’s action cannot be 
attacked in a court of equity unless he is charged with fraud 
or malice. 
ENRICH COUNTRY RATHER THAN CITY. 
Commenting on the 10.000.000 poverty-stricken (mostly 
in our cities) and the “tragical figure” of the “hungry lab¬ 
orer wandering about the crowded centers of industry and 
wealth, begging in vain for permission to share in that 
industry” (page 300). The R. N.-Y. remarks in closing that 
“It; remains true that the improvement of this great army 
of poverty so that it may buy food and clothing offers the 
best industrial opportunity which farmers have in sight.” 
To this comment allow me to interpose the objection that 
P is based on an entirely unsound philosophy, as shown by 
the history of society and logical sequence in the develop¬ 
ment of industries. Were cities first formed and then 
farms developed to supply those cities, or were cities and 
towns developed as a logical outcome of the needs of, and 
for the service of. the country people? This comment to 
me seems to involve the old sophistry that has so often 
fooled so many farmers, and has done so much to impov¬ 
erish the country and consequently to depopulate it. and 
so much to enrich and build up and ultimately crowd the 
cities and towns. It puts the cart before the horse. It is 
not for the service of the cities that th n country was 
created, but, on the other hand, it was on the country 
surplus, and only as there was a surplus, that the cities 
and towns were developed for the service of the country 
through the specialization of parts of the original farm life 
and work, as country prosperity could afford it, particu¬ 
larly manufacturers. 
It has long been the argument of cities, and, sad to say, 
the sophistry has been effective, that the country should 
first enrich the cities and towns, that they may buy of the 
country. Is it not quite time, especially for farmers and 
farm papers, to turn this statement of the case squarely 
around to face with fact and the true philosophy and his¬ 
tory of industrial development, and insist that the country 
should first be made rich enough to buy of and support the 
cities? Then according as the country prospered the cities 
that were developed to serve the country needs would also 
prosper. For example : If a reasonable prosperity enabled 
the farmers to furnish their homes as city homes are fur¬ 
nished, and as in a very few exceptional cases once in a 
while a country home is furnished (with steam or hot 
water, heat and other things to match), supplying these 
crying needs of the farmers would keep our factories run¬ 
ning overtime for a long while. But no. the farmers are too 
poor. They have been told to build up and enrich the cities 
and towns so as to have a big market to sell to. They 
have been robbed, and are being robbed, and scarcely any 
of the coveted comforts and necessities .but cost every cent 
of double what they ought to. The country people fool¬ 
ishly followed this unphilosophical policy of city enrich¬ 
ment instead of country enrichment, this putting the cart 
before the horse plan. They have been robbed or have 
robbed themselves; have become discouraged, and have 
flocked to the cities and towns in the often vain hope of 
bettering their condition by sharing in the spoils they see 
there being heaped up. The greatest problem of this coun¬ 
try, indeed of all countries, is to establish a proper equilib¬ 
rium between country and city population, and the most 
patriotic life work, it seems to me, is to labor for the solu¬ 
tion of that problem. a.. wetmork. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
As far as I have been able to ascertain, the Potato beetles 
are very much in evidence in this section. I know of only 
one potato grower in this vicinity, besides myself, who uses 
Bordeaux Mixture. e. a. h. 
Windham, N. Y. 
The Maine fruit crop will not be over 50 per cent of last 
year's crop. The hot. dry weather that has prevailed since 
the first of the month is causing the apples to drop. The 
foliage is rank, however, and except the Baldwins, and now 
and then an old variety, the trees are generally looking 
well. d. h. K. 
Farmington, Me. 
Haying was retarded by wet weather but is being pushed 
now. Those who did not wait for settled weather lost 
heavily. Wheat, of which very little is grown, is in shock, 
also the early oats; a good crop. Corn promises a full crop 
with us. Summer apples are plentiful, green, but have been 
using them for two weeks. Fall apples will be about the 
usual crop, while the crop of Winter apples will be< short. 
We had lots of berries, and grapevines are loaded. No 
peaches or plums this year. j. s. 
Corning, Iowa. 
The strawberry season has been shortened by the intense 
heat of the past week : still the crop has panned out rather 
better than the previous two seasons. For three weeks we 
have had no rain beyond slight sprinklings, hardly suffi¬ 
cient to wet the surface of the ground, but fortunately the 
latter part of June gave us inside of 24 hours about four 
inches of rainfall. This and frequent heavy dews and fogs 
have prevented what might have been a disastrous drought. 
The hay crop is somewhat better than last year, and all 
crops now promise well. Raspberries and blackberries win¬ 
ter-killed somewhat, but not to the extent of the previous 
season, and will have fair crops. h. ii. b. 
Jewett, Conn. _ 
THE OUTLOOK FOR HAY. 
From information we are in receipt of from the different 
States which ship hay to this market we believe there will 
be a good average crop; but from several States we are in¬ 
formed the harvesting has been interrupted more or less 
by rain, which impairs the crop to some extent; we believe, 
however, there will be an average yield. The above applies 
to Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and New York. 
New York. dusenbery & co. 
Reports as far as I have heard them are varied, but in 
boiling them down we are convinced that in this section of 
the country, say Pennsylvania. New Jersey. Delaware and 
Maryland, which cut quite a figure in supplying the Phila¬ 
delphia market, there is a decidedly light crop, particularly 
in New Jersey, while parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland 
do better. The quality of the new crop will be pretty gen 
erally poor; it is unfortunate that so many of our Penn¬ 
sylvania farmers have allowed their meadows to become 
old and foul, consequently the hay will be more or less 
grassy and weedy, with the hay grown from higher lands 
showing a very large percentage of clover; in fact, the 
percentage of clover from all points, including Ohio Indiana 
and Michigan, we understand will predominate, and we are 
afraid that the percentage of strictly pure Timothy will be 
much smaller this year than last. Prices are perhaps so low 
that it will prevent a very early movement of the new 
crop', and we do not look for it to appear on the market to 
any very great extent until our prices get at least $1 to $•> 
a ton higher. e. jl. rogbrs, 
Philadelphia. __ 
ASPARAGUS RUST IN CALIFORNIA. 
Asparagus rust has been known as a not particularly seri¬ 
ous disease in Europe for the last hundred years, and has 
probably existed in some form .since asparagus was brought 
under cultivation, but it only became a disastrous epidemic 
in our Atlantic States in 189(5, and spread steadily west¬ 
ward until it appeared in California in 1901. It ‘is now 
thoroughly established on the Pacific coast, and fully as 
destructive there as elsewhere. It may be said to be ‘even 
more so, as California growers, in order to cover the ex¬ 
orbitant freight charges on their product, whether fresh or 
canned, when shipped to eastern markets, cut from March 
to early July, through a season of quite 100 days, thus giv¬ 
ing the plants only a comparatively short growing season 
to recuperate, which the rust, by killing the tops long be¬ 
fore growth would naturally cease, greatly curtails. Aspar¬ 
agus planting in California enjoyed a great boom during 
the years following the first outbreak of rust in New Eng¬ 
land. Long Island and New Jersey. The eastern output fell 
off. and the demand, especially for the canned article, rap¬ 
idly increased. R. N.-Y. readers may remember talk of a 
boycott by California growers against eastern asparagus 
plants and seeds. They greatly dreaded invasion by rust, 
and were apprehensive that seeds or plants from infested 
localities would bring in the disease, but subsequent investi¬ 
gation has shown it is not disseminated by this means, but 
spreads rapidly by Summer spores blown about by winds, 
occasionally skipping extensive districts where little as¬ 
paragus is grown. Although rust only appeared in Cali¬ 
fornia fields in 1901, by 1903, seven years after its first 
outbreak on the Atlantic Coast, the effects were so disas¬ 
trous that the alarmed growers asked their State Legis¬ 
lature for an appropriation to enable the University of 
California to investigate and aid in suppressing the pest. 
The Legislature “turned down” the appeal, and as the 
university had no funds it could legally devote to the matter 
a sum of $2,500 was contributed by the growers for this 
purpose. The University selected Prof. Ralph E. Smith, 
formerly of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, as in¬ 
vestigator. ITis report has lately been published as Bulle¬ 
tin No. 165, California Experiment Station. Tn this bulletin 
we have the most lucid account of Asparagus rust that has 
come to us. The life history of the pest has been well 
worked out, but practical means for controlling it are far 
from being perfected. 
THE RUST A TOUGH CUSTOMER.—The rust is a para¬ 
sitic organism belonging to the genus Puccinia. growing 
solely on the green tops of asparagus. It does not trouble 
the young sprouts as cut for market, but lives over Winter 
in the form of spores that germinate in Summer and attack 
the tissues of the stem and foliage, growing in between the 
cells and feeding on the chlorophyll or vital green matter 
contained therein, thus causing the early death and decay 
of the tops, preventing the roots from storing up food sup¬ 
plies for next season's crop, and in the end greatly weak¬ 
ening or killing the plant. Three kinds of spores are de¬ 
veloped in a season, the Spring or green spore, the red or 
Summer spore, which is very abundant, causing the ap¬ 
pearance popularly known as rust, and the black or Winter 
spore, which does not become dusty like the Summer rust, 
but carries the infection over in the soil or on decayed 
leaves and branches until the following Spring. Each spore, 
so minute that it can only be distinguished under a micro¬ 
scope, but so abundant that millions are set free from 
every plant, is capable of reproducing and continuing the 
plague under suitable conditions. Each stage is worse than 
rhe preceding. The Spring form does little harm; the 
Summer or red rust stage is highly destructive, and is 
responsible for the general spread of the parasite, but the 
black or Winter rust finishes the growth of the asparagus 
for the season, and securely cans the pest, so to speak, until 
another season arrives. The last two stages are closely 
linked together, the red and black rusts being borne on the 
same mycelium, which permeates the asparagus tops and 
breaks out in numerous pustules or fruiting patches. The 
Spring and Summer spores are borne everywhere by slight 
air currents, and germinate in a few hours in a drop of 
dew or moisture, sending out tubes that penetrate the 
breathing pores of the asparagus plant on which they may 
be lodged. Countless numbers die because the moisture dries 
before they acquire a foothold, but enough survive to in¬ 
fect about every susceptible plant in the vicinity. So far as 
known this organism, I’uccinia asparagi, does not thrive on 
any other plant, than garden asparagus. The black or 
Winter rust is heavier, and lies in the soil about the clump, 
ready to grow and penetrate the young shoots at the 
proper time. 
CONTROLLING THE RUST.—Much experimental work 
has been done with fungicides, for preventing attacks and 
controlling the disease, without particularly brilliant suc¬ 
cess. Bordeaux and similar mixtures are uncertain in their 
action, and cannot profitably be used. The smooth stems 
and needle-like foliage of asparagus are hard to cover with 
any liquid preparation. They have a tendency to gather 
in drops and fall off before the fungicide effect is product. 
SULPHUR PROMISES WELL.—The most successful ap¬ 
plication is that of fine, dry sulphur blown on with a pow¬ 
erful dust gun when the plants are moist with dew or 
freshly covered with Bordeaux and soap. The hot 'ali- 
fornia sun vaporizes the sulphur later to an appreciable ex¬ 
tent. and has been shown greatly to reduce the ravages 
of the pest. Fungus organisms and their spores are very 
sensitive to sulphurous fumes and vapors, even when so 
enormously diluted that they have little effect on plants 
of higher organization. Sulphur promises well, and may 
be practically handled by large growers able to procure the 
necessary equipment, but does not hold out much hope for 
the small cultivator. From 100 to 200 pounds of powdered 
sulphur should be used for an application, which should 
probably be repeated in midsummer. Sulphur only prom¬ 
ises well in a climate that is hot and practically rainless 
during the growing season, from May to October. It must 
remain on the plants or in the soil, and there must he 
sufficient solar hea.t to convert some of it into fumes or 
vapor. In the East it would probably soon be washed away 
by rain. Eastern growers must still rely on selection of re¬ 
sistant varieties, give high fertilization, thorough culture, 
and be content with a shorter cutting season. These re¬ 
sources have been well worked out by the practical Long 
Inland and New Jersey growers, aided by the experiment 
stations of their respective States. w. v. f. 
MEASURE OF DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF 
WARRANTY IN THE SALE OF SEEDS. 
Dealers in seeds and farmers’ supplies no doubt have a 
good many risks in their business, but they are as nothing 
compared with the chances they take in selling their goods, 
for if a seedsman by some accident or mistake sell one 
seed tor another, he becomes liable in heavy damages, as 
will appear from the following instances which have been 
decided by the courts: First it becomes necessary to ex¬ 
plain and define a legal term which has to be used in con¬ 
nection with this subject. It is the word warranty. A 
warranty is an agreement by which the seller of an article 
undertakes to guarantee the existence of certain facts in 
regard to that article. Thus when one man buys a horse 
from another, and the seller represents the horse to be 
sound, and the other buys the horse upon the strength of 
that representation, there is a warranty, and if the horse 
turns out to be unsound the buyer is entitled to damages. 
The measure of damages in a case like this would be the 
difference between the value of the horse and the nrice paid 
for him. But where there is a breach of warranty, in 
the sale of seeds, the damages are far greater than they 
would be in the case of some other commodity. The follow¬ 
ing is a summary of the leading cases that have been de¬ 
cided by the courts touching this subject: 
A sold to B a quantity of wheat, warranting that it would 
grow. The wheat turned out to be old crop wheat and 
the crop proved a failure. The court held that A was en¬ 
titled to recover what the wheat would have been worth if 
the crop had been good, less the value of the bad crop. 
Another seedsman sold seed barley, representing it to be 
Chevalier seed barley. The purchaser re-sold it to a far¬ 
mer who sowed it. It turned out to be of an inferior qual¬ 
ity. The court held the buyer entitled to the value of a 
crop of Chevalier barley less the value of the inferior 
crop. The case where a seedsman sold a quantity of cab¬ 
bage seed should prove of interest. The seed was repre¬ 
sented to be Bristol cabbage seed. It was not, and the 
seedsman was required to pay the value of the crop of 
Bristol cabbages, such as ordinarily would have been pro¬ 
duced, less the expense of raising the crop and the value 
of the crop actually raised. Then there was a case where 
a seedsman sold some cabbage seed which he warranted to 
be “Van Wycklin’s Early Flat Dutch cabbage seed" It 
resembled that seed, but it was not, and upon being planted 
proved unproductive. In that case the court decided as in 
the other, with the additional remark that the seedsman 
was not entitled to deduct the cost of the tillage of the 
ground from the value of the crop produced by the inferior 
seed. 
Still another seedsman sold turnip seed, representing it 
to be “Early Strap-leaf Red-top turnip seed.” It turned 
out to be a different kind, and the crop was lost. The 
seedsman had to pay the same damages. A florist bought 
bulbs with the understanding that they were to be used for 
the purpose of raising lilies for a certain market. The 
measure of damages was held to be the difference between 
the value of the crop raised and the crop that could have 
been raised if the mistake had not been made. The courts 
have even gone so far as to hold that where a farmer 
ordered a thrashing machine which was not delivered on 
time, and in consequence of which the farmer’s wheat was 
stacked and afterwards injured by rain, that the manu¬ 
facturer of the machine was liable for the value of the 
wheat. 
The most interesting case of all is where a farmer went 
to a druggist to buy some Paris-green, which he needed for 
killing cotton worms, and the druggist, knowing this, de¬ 
livered an inferior article as Paris-green. Although the 
druggist did this in good faith and without warranty, he 
was nevertheless held liable in damages for the failure of 
the crop caused thereby, and the measure of damages was the 
value of the crop just before its destruction with the cost of 
the compound and its preparation and application, together 
with the interest on the money thus expended. Thus we 
see that a seedsman by making a slight mistake can put 
himself in a very embarrassing position. But the law is 
perfectly just, for the damage sustained bv the farmer Is 
even greater than the law allows him to recover: for it is 
not at all likely that in the cases mentioned above the in¬ 
jured parties were given the benefit of anv rise in price in 
the respective commodities. henry keein. 
