1905. 
T1IE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
797 
Events of the Week. 
tract built ship, 
badly done. The 
were not properly 
additional on the 
ion 
was due 
his opin- 
result of 
DOMESTIC.—During the inquiry into the Bennington dis¬ 
aster, at Vallejo, Cal., October 19, Commander George B. 
Ransome, head of the engineering department of the Mare 
Island Navy Yard, an expert witness for the defense said: 
“It is a matter of history that the Bennington is a con- 
Tbe riveting around the furnaces was 
holes were punched, not drilled, and they 
countersunk. For the expenditure of £."0 
riveting on the furnaces the disaster to 
the Bennington would never have occurred." In addi 
to the statement that the collapse of the furnace 
to the failure of its material, he explained that, in 
ion, the crown sheet of the furnace collapsed as a 
overheating and impact, due to changes in temperature, one 
rivet having given way under stress, only to be followed by 
a like failure of others. ... A terrific gale swept the 
Great I.akes October 21 ; many wrecks are reported, with 
loss of life. At Buffalo telephone and telegraph lines and 
poles, chimneys and trees were blown down and plate glass 
windows were broken. One life was lost, that of Stephen 
Gablio, a watchman on the steamer Henry Ifolden. He was 
blown from the dock and was drowned. The gale blew down 
a twelve foot brick wall in front of St. Anne’s Church, and 
John Yeager was killed. Stepliania Francowltz, a young 
girl, was struck by the same wall and her left leg was 
fractured. On the lakes 17 lives were lost, and 20 vessels 
wrecked. . . . October 22 a pleasure launch containing 
was crushed by a barge near Beverly, N. .1.; seven 
10 men 
were drowned, 
by the sinking 
N. Y. . . . 
decided October 
New York must 
On the same day five persons were drowned 
of a rowboat in the Hudson, off Yonkers, 
The Supreme Court of the United States 
2.1 that State Senator George E. Green of 
come to Washington for trial on the charge 
of conspiring with George W. Beavers and others to defraud 
the Government in the purchase of supplies for the I'ost 
Office Department. The decision of the Circuit Court, for 
the Northern District of New York ordering Green taken 
into custody by the United States Marshall was confirmed. 
The proceedings so far have related entirely 
of extradition and the merits of the case 
considered. . . . Jerry Simpson died at 
October 23. Born in the Province of New 
to the question 
have not been 
Wichita, Kan., 
Brunswick 63 
years ago and baptised with the plain name of Jerry, 
ex-Congressman Simpson earned his famous sobriquet of 
“sockless” in his first political campaign by holding out his 
insufficiently clad foot to show (he voters how poor the lot 
of the hard-worked farmer was, while loafing politicians 
were walking about in silk stockings. But before becoming 
a farmer-reformer he had been a sailor for 23 years, with 
a brief three-month period of soldiering thrown in. When 
he was a boy of 6 his parents moved into Oneida County, 
N. Y. At 14 he left home and made his way to the lakes. 
In the Summer he sailed the lakes. In the Winter, when 
navigation was closed, he earned his bread in lumber camps. 
The civil war found him willing to fight and he enlisted in 
the Twelfth Illinois. But hardly had he reached the front 
when illness seized him, and inside of three months he 
was sent back home. He returned to the lakes. He rose 
from mate to Captain. He became a commander of sailing 
and steam craft, with quite a reputation inside his own 
narrow sphere. And, as the years went by, he saved a 
little money. One day he decided he had enough of the sea, 
and with his money he bought a farm in Kansas, settling 
first in one county and then moving to another. The politi¬ 
cal upheaval of 1899 found him rather more prosperous than 
the average Kansas farmer, but even then he was very far 
removed from wealth. When the Farmers’ Alliance lodges 
suddenly decreed that whosoever sought an office should 
go officeless and started to scatter Supreme Court and 
Cngressional and legislative nominations among farmers, 
one of those struck by the political lightning was Jerry 
Simpson, who was intrusted with the task of beating Col. 
James R. Hallowell of Wichita, one of the most popular and 
able Republicans in the Slate for Congress. Col. Hallowed 
thought it a great joke. So did the Republican politicians. 
And, to make it still better, Simpson, it was found, took 
the nomination in earnest. lie went from farm to farm; 
lie spoke to the voters in their own homely language; he 
spoke of their nearest interests. When at last his oppon¬ 
ents began to think him dangerous they tried to finish him 
by telling as a proof of his iliteracy how he was wont to 
spell the name of his home town “Maidson Loge” instead of 
Medicine Lodge. Simpson replied that lie was a poor-witted 
man who did not know how to spell a name in more ways 
than one. And the laugh was on the other side. On election 
day the farmers to a man voted for “Sockless” Jerry, with 
the result that Hallowed was defeated by such a majority as 
the State had never heard of before. This so added to the 
popularity of Simpson that he was generally talked of as 
a candidate for the Senatorship which the Populist Legis¬ 
lature had to dispose of. Judge Peffer got it, however, and 
when at the end of his first term Simpson was renominated, 
defeat was his lot. But two years later he tried again, was 
placed on the ticket both by Democrats and Populists, and 
defeated the Republican candidate by nearly 3,000 majority. 
Of late years Simpson had made his home in New Mexico. 
INSURANCE INVESTIGATION.—October 18 the Legis¬ 
lative Insurance Committee listened to the amazing declara¬ 
tion of a Mutual Life witness that for the last 10 years 
that company had maintained a house at Albany during the 
legislative sessions for the mysterious and missing A. C. 
Fields, legislative agent; that the bills of the cook and the 
butler, the janitor and the caretaker had been paid by the 
policyholders of the Mutual and had been hidden from view 
under blind charges in the supply department accounts. In 
tliis house, while legislators, the witness said, had lived 
Appraisal Commissioner Charles P. McClelland, of West¬ 
chester, a State Senator and member of the Insurance Com¬ 
mittee. and ex-Senator Graney, of the same county, who 
was at first an Assemblyman. Whether the Mutual also 
paid their expenses was not disclosed. 
PHILIPPINES.—By payment made October 20 of 
$3,521,657 the Philippines Government has finally purchased 
all of the Friar lands in the islands. The Bureau of Insular 
Affairs was informed that the Philippines Sugar Estates 
Development Company and the Dominican University of 
Santo Tomas have furnished satisfactory deeds to the 
Insular government and that the full price had been paid 
over. Three hundred thousand dollars was transferred in 
Manila and the remainder in New York was paid to Fran- 
sisco Gutierrez, a representative of the development company 
and of the University of Santo Tomas. The lands which 
were purchased comprise about. 400,000 acres. 
FARM AND GARDEN.-—-Word was received at the Cor¬ 
nell Agricultural College Sept. 6 from the director of the 
Department of Land Records at Bengal, India, that four 
Indian students from Bengal Province will be sent to Cor¬ 
nell this year to take special work in agriculture. They 
will be the first students sent to a college in the United 
States by the government of India. 
The Western Breeders Consignment Company, consisting 
of M. E. Moore, Cameron, Mo., R. W. Maguire. St. Louis, 
Mo., and Geo. C. Mosher, Kansas City, Mo., held its second 
annual sale of high class registered IIolstein-Friesian cattle, 
at (Shady Brook Farm) Cameron, Mo., October 17. The 
sale was spirited and very satisfactory, in view of the fact, 
that dairying in Missouri is in its infancy. The highest 
priced cow brought $310. The average of sale was $109.40. 
Attention is called to the regulations concerning entries 
to the Winter Fair held by the New York State Breeders' 
Association at Syracuse Dec* 19-21, 1905. Entries should 
be made on or before December 1, by application to the secre¬ 
tary, Thomas F. Hunt, Ithaca, N. Y., who will furnish blank 
applications on which to specify exhibitor’s name and ad¬ 
dress; with age and description of animal or other exhibit. 
Exhibitor must state that he has complied with the rules 
of the Fair. Entries received at Ithaca post-office after 
December 1 will be charged double fees. No entries will 
he accepted which have been received at the post-office after 
December 10. Only one entry fee will be charged upon 
each exhibit. The following entry fee will be charged, and 
must accompany each application for entry: cattle, $1; 
sheep, 50 cents; all other entries, 25 cents. Animals and 
other exhibits not entered for prizes may be allowed in the 
buildings at the discretion of the committee on buildings, 
stalls and pens, under such conditions and at such charges 
as said committee may determine. Each exhibitor must he 
a member of the New York State Breeders' Association. 
Non-members must make application for membership accom¬ 
panied by membership fee of $1. on or before making appli¬ 
cation for entries.__ 
CELEBRATION OF APPLE DAY. 
The first account of Apple Day celebration comes from 
Oklahoma. A subscriber of The R. N.-Y. sends the following 
from the Oklahoma State Capital : 
“National Apple Day was celebrated Tuesday by the 
Logan County High school. The celebration was suggested 
by Frank Householder, vice-president of the high school 
board and one of the chief horticulturists of Oklahoma, 
lie furnished from his old farm, eight miles west of Guthrie, 
two bushels of Missouri Pippin and Winesap apples. These 
were hung in festoons over the stage and in front of tin* 
proscenium lights. The apples this year are not large, hut 
prettv and luscious. The crop is short and the price of 
apples will be higher than for a number of years. President 
W. S. Calvert and the entire faculty had taken great interest 
in this unique celebration and it was a decided success. The 
exercises opened with music by the school, with Miss Jessie 
Newby at the piano. The Misses Nellie and Edna Klink— 
both having very sweet and cultivated voices—sang a duet. 
“Apple Blossoms,” by Kent. Dr. II. timer Scott, pastor of 
the Presbyterian church, delivered the invocation. Mr. 
Householder then explained, in a brief address, the signifi¬ 
cance of the day: how it sprang from “Apple Day" at the 
world’s fair last year; that the apple is our greatest fruit 
and worthy of the homage paid it by the people. lie thought 
the day should become of universal observation throughout 
the nation, by speeches and apple feasts. He told about 
how he planted the trees from which the apples displayed 
here grew and what a soil we have for this* excellent fruit. 
Music by the school followed. Dr. Scott spoke entertain¬ 
ingly about the apple and other things. lie is is a ver¬ 
satile talker of wide range and yet succinct and effective 
thought, lie left many things to linger in this student 
memory. The exercises were closed by a brief talk by Presi¬ 
dent Calvert, who is much beloved by the pupils for his 
genial disposition and great work in tin* upbuilding of this 
school. The attendance on this occasion was 353—202 
from the country and 151 from the city. Every township in 
the countv is represented in the high school. Prof. Hen¬ 
nessey conducted the music for this occasion. At the close, 
each pupil in marching out was given an apple.” 
DOMINION FAIR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
It is now the first of October, and I have been making a 
visit to British Columbia, to judge the fruit at the Dominion 
Exhibition, which was held at New Westminster, within a 
few miles of Vancouver. I found a very nice fruit display 
there, and of course, a great exhibit of stock and other 
things that are usually seen at fairs. This was quite a 
large fair, corresponding to our State Fair. It may be sur¬ 
prising to a great many, to know that there is a very mild 
climate in southern British Columbia, compared to what 
we have always been led to believe, and there is really no 
material difference in it. nor in the soil, as compared with 
that part of country on the southern side of the interna¬ 
tional boundary. There are many valleys, and some of 
them very extensive and rich, far to the northward, espe¬ 
cially in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta: for 
this fair covered the provinces to tin* eastward, as far as 
Manitoba, and some of the products of those provinces were 
there. I was told that good apples are grown 400 miles 
north of the international line, and I do not doubt it. The 
climate of all tills region is modified by the Japanese Cur¬ 
rent, which washes the shores of Northwestern America, 
from Alaska southward. 
At the exhibition 1 found the same class of apples that is 
seen in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, and there were some 
very good peaches and grapes, including a number of the 
foreign varieties, such as are only supposed to be grown 
in California. Among them were the Flame Tokay, Black 
Hamburg and others of the same classes. These are not. 
generally grown in British Columbia, hut there are cer¬ 
tain places where the mountains surround beautiful valleys, 
keeping off the cold winds, and the sun warms up the soil 
and air almost to tropical temperatures, in the Summer. 
Neither are the Winters severe in such locations, and 1 was 
told that all over southern British Columbia the thermom¬ 
eter rarely reaches zero, and the orchard and ornamental 
trees and* flowers that I saw would Indicate this to be a 
fact. The tender roses and shrubs, such as we grow in 
the very temperate parts of our own country, are found 
there in abundance. 
The size, appearance and flavor of the fruits, shown at 
this Dominion Exhibition, were very good, except in a few 
eases. The apples were fully as good as any that I have 
ever eaten of the same varieties. The Gravenstein is one 
of the leading Fall apples, and I have never seen nor eaten 
better ones from Nova Scotia, which is considered the most 
genial home of this variety in America. The Newtown, 
Esoptis, Jonathan and Tompkins King are among the lead¬ 
ing Winter apples, and they seem to grow to perfection 
there. The Northern Spy. Baldwin, Yellow Bellflower and 
about all other varieties that are commonly grown in our 
Northern States were seen in almost every exhibit. The 
same is true of the pears, except that the Bartlett was 
practically out of season, but it is* grown there abundantly 
and attains a high state of excellence. I saw the Kieffer 
pear there, hut it was far from being mature, and I should 
consider it entirely out of place there, even in the most 
grovelling commercial orchard. The same is almost true 
of the Ben Davis apple, although it seems to attain fairly 
good size and color, and I suppose the people in Alaska and 
possibly the “Heathen Chinee” may appreciate its “deli¬ 
cious sawdust flavor.” Just as I am saying this, an in¬ 
telligent woman says it is one of her especial favorites. 
How tastes do differ! 
The officials of the Dominion Exhibition and the fruit 
growers and many others, whom I met there, did every¬ 
thing within their power to make my visit pleasant and 
instructive, and I was aide to become acquainted with many 
facts which were before almost unknown to me. We need 
have not feelings of pity for our brothers to the Northward, 
who, we ignorantly believe are freezing and starving, for 
they have everything that is necessary to make comfortable 
and happy homes. The status of the people educationally 
and the general advancement of civilization there is well 
up to our standard. As I traveled through the country, I 
saw well lmilt houses with beautiful surroundings, and or¬ 
chards, fields and live stock, that ought to satisfy anyone. 
In the vicinity of Vancouver, there are some as beautiful 
suburbs as one might wish to see anywhere, and that place 
being the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and of 
some of the great Pacific steamship lines, it has a great 
future before it. Of course (he country is comparatively 
new, and the labor of clearing up the farm is great. The 
timber that has to be cleared away, after the lumbermen 
have taken what they want, is equal to or greater in quan¬ 
tity and larger in size than would be found in many or our 
eastern forests that had never l>een lumbered. One of the 
principal trees is the Port Orford cedar, and there are logs 
of this tree lying on the ground that have evidently been 
there for centuries, and are sound in many cases and make 
the best of lumber, shingles, posts and fuel. There are also 
immense trees of Red fir, and many of them are left standing 
as culls that we would consider good for lumber in the 
Eastern States. To get rid of all this standing and fallen 
timber and the underbrush and stumps, in many cases costs 
more than $100 per acre, and it is indeed a task fit for a 
giant to make a farm in this region. This is really the 
greatest objection that I can see to farming there. How¬ 
ever, when the land is once cleared up, it is exceedingly pro¬ 
ductive, and the growth of all kinds of fruit trees, vines, 
berry bushes, strawberries, flowers, vegetables, etc., is won¬ 
derful, and the growers claim that it pays to make a home 
there. Certainly, the products shown at their fair give evi¬ 
dence of the good things they can and do grow. I did not 
find a trace of Codling moth in an apple or pear, and was 
told that there is none of this pest nor any of the San 
Jose scale in all of British Columbia. Happy is the con¬ 
dition of the fruit growers there, and may they never have 
these enemies to fight. My fear is that they will finally 
find entrance in the face of all their precaution. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
Potatoes turn out from nothing to twenty-five bushels 
per acre. s B 
Ann Arbor, Mich. 
In this immediate vicinity the cabbage crop is big. Also 
in northern part of the State. Prices high at present pav¬ 
ing growers $12 to $13 per ton. We expect lower prices 
next month, probably $8 to $10. the f. w. gunther co 
Racine, Wis. 
There are no potatoes for shipment here this season: we 
are buying new from northern sections at 60 cents from 
car. Local stock averages poor, although there are some 
banner crops from regular potato growers. Probably half 
the farmers will have to buy. w k t 
Vermontville, Mich. 
NEW JERSEY FARMERS’ INSTITUTES, 
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1905. 
Egg Harbor City... Atlantic County.Nov. 20 
\\ rightstown .Burlington County.Nov. 21 
hreehold .Monmouth County.Nov. 22 
Mata wan.Monmouth County.Nov. 23 
Keyport .Monmouth County.Nov! 24 
Clayton .Gloucester County.Nov. 25 
Mvodesboro .Gloucester County.Nov. 27 28 
Hackensack .Bergen County..’..Nov. 2o’ 
Stelton .Middlesex County.Dec. 4 
Moorestown .Burlington County.Dec. 5, 6 
\v illiamstown ,.Gloucester County.Dec. 7 
Blackwood .Camden County...Dec. 8 
Pennington .Mercer County.Dec. 9 
Peemerville .Sussex County.Dec. 11 
Layton .Sussex County.Dec. 12 
Branchville ..Sussex County.Dec. 13, 14 
Blairstown .Warren County.Dec. 15 
Isarbertown .Hunterdon County.Dec. 16 
Harlingen .Somerset County.Dec. 18 
Columbus .Burlington County.Dec. 19 
Allentown .Monmouth County.Dec. 20 
Ilightstown .Mercer County.Dec. 21 
New Egypt.Ocean County.Dec. 22 
Mount Holly.Burlington County.Dec. 23 
Annual Meeting of State Horticultural SocPy, January 
4 and 5. 1906. 
Th S3d Annual Meeting of State Board, January 17, 18 
and 19, 19(M>. 
Seventeen or more Institutes will bo held after the An¬ 
nual Meeting, notice of which will be given later. 
For programs of Institutes or of the Annunr Meeting, ad¬ 
dress Franklin Dye, Secretary, Trenton, N. J. 
ROTT ING POTATOES.—In this year of rotting potatoes, 
I note that the worst rotten ones are on the highest, driest 
ground. I note also in many instances in digging, a hill will 
be all rotten, the next one all good, where there was no 
apparent difference in time of blight and dving vines. Has 
anyone a theory? Have any of the R. N.-Y. readers an 
experience that is satisfactory evidence that spraying with 
Bordeaux Mixture will prevent the rot? j. m c. 
Atwater, N. Y. 
R- N.-Y.—We have had many reports from those who 
used Bordeaux. The only approach to an actual prevention 
of rot was where the Bordeaux was put on when the plants 
came up, and kept on all through the season. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
. The work of hauling heavy loads and the burden of lift¬ 
ing the material on the wagon must be borne many days 
of the year. The team, the man behind the team and the 
earth beneath the team will all be in better condition at 
sunset and at the end of the year if every work wagon is 
supplied with broad tire metal wheels such as are furnished 
to order, if you write for measurement directions, to the 
Havana Metal Wheel Co., Havana, ill., among the largest, 
manufacturers of metal wheels in the country. 
Music is almost a necessity in every household. It 
adds much to the pleasures of life and keeps the boys and 
girls interested in the home. The Cornish Co., of Wash¬ 
ington, N. J., has been making pianos and organs for 50 
years. Their instruments have brought pleasure to thous¬ 
ands of homes and are more popular than ever to-day. You 
can buy direct from this company, thus saving all dealers’ 
profits and getting a fine instrument at a low price. Special 
terms on the installment plan are arranged when desired. 
Write The Cornish Co., Washington, N. .T., for full partic¬ 
ulars. 
The King Harness Co., of Dwego. Tioga Co., New York, 
make a high grade line of oak-tanned harness and they 
make a specialty of selling direct to the individual at 
actual factory prices. The company warrant all their 
harness to be the best, and guarantee perfect satisfaction 
or money hack. The advantage of buying any style of 
oak-tanned harness on these terms at the actual factory 
prices should he apparent to everyone. They are sending 
out a handsomely illustrated catalogue showing styles and 
descriptions of their goods, which may he had free upon 
application to above address. 
One of the best free books of the season is that offered 
by F. W. Bird & Son. East Walpole, Mass., manufacturers 
of Parold Roofing. They will send to all those interested 
a book of complete plans for poultry and farm buildings, 
free of charge, except a 2-cent stamp to cover postage. 
Such plans as these are in great demand, and we know that 
many of our readers will want to receive one of these hooks. 
It doesn't matter whether you intend to erect an elaborate 
building or just a simple poultry shed, you’ll find in this 
hook drawings that will give you substantial help. It is 
just as valuable as a guide to one who is going to remodel 
or add to a building also. 
The fewer parts there are in any machine the less likely 
if is to get out of order. And when a machine is simply 
made and yet does the same work as done by a complicated 
machine, and does more of it. the ideal is closely approached. 
A close examination leads us to believe that the ideal saw¬ 
mill is produced by the DeLoach Mill Mfg. Co., Box 302, 
Atlanta, Ga. For 18 years this company has made a 
specialty of manufactui ing sawmills, principally of the 
portable type, and were the first to make a success 1 of 
operating a sawmill as small as four horse power. The 
result of t.heir experience is a line of sawmills and other 
wood working machinery noted for simplicity, strength and 
durability. Their catalogue will be sent free upon appli¬ 
cation. 
