1 § 06 . 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
525 
“SPOILING NIAGARA FALLS/' 
The Practical Side of It. 
It is amusing to us dwelling so near Niagara Falls that 
we can see the mist rising like incense from some great 
sacrificial altar, to see the great hue and cry raised over 
the danger of ruining the beauty of the falls by using the 
water of the river to run machinery. Ninety-nine out of 
every hundred of these supersensitive people never saw 
Niagara Falls and have no just idea of their immensity. In 
fact, one to stand and look at the cataract can form no ade¬ 
quate estimate of the amount of water going over. But go 
up to Detroit and see that mighty river with its steady 
rapid flow emptying into Lake Erie and then consider all 
the other rivers pouring their great volume into the same 
lake and one will see the utter impossibility of doing any 
material injury by diverting all the water that will ever be 
taken out. 
But what is the good of the Falls anyway? Who is bene¬ 
fited by them? Only a few hotel keepers and saloon men, 
a few hack drivers and curio sellers and a crowd of fakeis 
and gamblers. It may be nice for a few rich nabobs of this 
and other countries to come and see the water pouring over 
the brink and into the gulf below. Neither the people of 
New York or Ontario or of the United States or Canada 
or of all the world are any better off. or happier for their 
existence. But every horse power of energy derived by run¬ 
ning some of this water through a wheel adds to the wealth 
of the world. Is a direct benefit not only to the imme¬ 
diate vicinity, but to humanity everywhere. If I had the 
power and it were possible to do so (which it is not) I 
would take the last drop out of the river and run it through 
a waterwheel. That is just what it was made for, and I 
would have the greatest manufacturing city in the world 
here in Western New York and Niagara Peninsula in Can¬ 
ada, and thus add millions and millions to the prosperity of 
the two countries, giving employment to thousands and thou¬ 
sands of people, and thus be a blessing to the masses, in¬ 
stead of a few saloon keepers and hotels. It makes me 
tired to read this twaddle about ruining Niagara Falls. 
j. s. WOODWARl? 
What the Preservers Say. 
Undoubtedly there are those who will argue that it is wise 
to use all the water. They are the sort of people who see 
no value in beauty, and then wonder why purchasers pass 
by their farms with ugly, uncomfortable buildings and with 
an adornment of bill boards. 
The Niagara preservation situation is economic from two 
standpoints : First, 800,000 people each year come to see the 
Falls. ,Moie than $16,000,000 are conservatively estimated 
to be spent by these people in this travel, and the pilgrimage 
is increasing every year. If you will capitalize an income 
of $16,000,000, you will see what the Falls are worth from 
the scenic standpoint, and when you add to that the in¬ 
creasing attraction of the Falls and the fact that they draw 
people from all over the world, you will note that the 
economic side is pretty strong for preservation. Now, it is 
a fact that not one dollar is paid by any power development 
company on the American side for the use it makes of this 
great income-producing property of the people. It is a fur¬ 
ther fact that up to this date no cheap power has been given 
to anyone, except under pressure of coal competition. That 
is, Buffalo was paying more for her lights than the average 
of American cities until Mayor Adam was elected on a 
basis which gave the people’s approval to the establishment 
of a municipal lighting plant driven by coal. Then a reduc¬ 
tion in the price of the light was made to a point about 
110 per cent higher than Harrisburg now pays for the same 
service from coal-produced electricity. 
Tims these great benefits have not been distributed gen¬ 
erally. I argue that Niagara is worth more as a scenic 
feature than as a power-producing feature but that if power 
is ever to be produced from it, it should be handled by the 
State and distributed equitably, under conditions which will 
either give every user a fair chance at it or will by a large 
income inure in some wav to the benefit of the people. I 
regard as vicious the principle that the so-called vested 
rights—which I have sometimes characterized as “invested 
wrongs”—should control the people's property. The prin¬ 
cipal power canal at Niagara for instance, is the Schoelkopf 
Canal. The whole organization is owned by one family. 
Their “vested rights,” upon which thev have made the air 
blue in Washington, are based on a sheriff’s sale title, by 
which the man who really invested the first money was 
divested of his rights some 25 or 30 years ago. It is this 
sort of thing that the people of Western New York are sat¬ 
isfied to help ! j. tioraoe Me farland. 
President'American Civic Association. 
N. Y. STATE ENT0M0L0GIC SERVICE. 
Aphids or plant lice have become abundant on cherry trees 
and threaten to cause serious injury, particularly to young 
apple trees. These pests can be controlled by thorough 
and early spraying with a kerosene emulsion (standard 
formula diluted with nine parts of water) or a whale oil 
soap solution, using one pound to six or seven gallons. 
Cabbage maggots are reported as causing some injury. 
The ravages of this pest may be prevented by putting a 
closely fitting paper collar around recently set plants, or 
they may be treated, when the first evidences of trouble 
appear, with a carbolic soap emulsion prepared by dissolving 
one pound of hard soap in a gallon of hot or boiling water, 
adding one pint of crude carbolic acid, emulsifying and di¬ 
luting with 30 parts of water. Pour this mixture around 
the base of infested plants. A correspondent reports very 
good results by putting two moth balls, one on each side 
of a cabbage plant. 
Canker worms are causing some damage in Wyoming 
County. They can be controlled by prompt spraying with a 
strong arsenical preparation. 
Cicadas or periodical locusts are very abundant and caus¬ 
ing considerable unnecessary alarm in some Long Island 
localities. These insects are not destructive pests. The 
most serious injury is that caused by the females slitting the 
young twigs preparatory to egg laying, an operation Iikelv 
to kill the twigs and one which occasions severe injury only 
in the case of young trees. 
Cucumber beetles, the common striped form, are becoming 
abundant. Y r oung cucumber and squash plants may be pro¬ 
tected from these pests by placing arched sticks or hoops 
at right angles over each hill and covering the same with a 
small piece of netting, putting a little soil upon the edges 
in order to prevent the insects from crawling beneath. 
Tight, oval, wire screens can be employed in the same way. 
Considerable protection is afforded by thorough dusting, 
when the plants are wet with dew. with either plaster 
paris, ashes or even dry road dust. Spraying with a pois¬ 
oned Bordeaux mixture is more effective. , 
Currant worms are reported as having entirely stripped 
unprotected currant and gooseberry bushes in Westchester 
County. This pest succumbs easily to arsenical poisons or 
fresh hellebore preparations. 
The elm beetle is said to be more numerous and destruc¬ 
tive in Westchester County than last year. Timely pois¬ 
oned applications are the best method of checking this 
pest. 
Crass webworms are causing some injury in Columbia 
County to corn planted on recently turned sod land. About 
the only thing that can be done is to replant the worst 
infested spots. 
Hessian fly is causing some injury to wheat in Wyoming 
County. E. P. FELT. 
New York State Entomologist. 
THE WESTERN MEAT PRODUCERS. 
The meat producers of the West fully realize that their 
business depends in a great measure on the successful ter¬ 
mination of the efforts of the Government in regulating the 
manufacturing and transportation of meat products. Our 
people believe that if freight rebates were impossible, pack¬ 
ing houses would spring up in many places over the corn 
belt. The granting of rebates made it possible for the big 
packers to freeze out or control all small establishments 
that were started before they found out how it worked. 
If the rebate system can not be rooted completely out by the 
Government the whole producing West will demand Gov¬ 
ernment ownership of transportation facilities which might 
be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire but the de¬ 
mand will come just the'same and come Soon. The meat 
producers have given all tneir influence toward bringing 
about the proposed rate legislation now pending in Congress. 
At the same time they are not altogether confident of its 
operation as desired in any shape that it will pass both 
houses of Congress. We fully realize that members who 
fought the movement stubbornly until the pressure became 
greater than they could bear, have had a hand in shaping 
the proposed law and full faith will be given when it proves 
itself by its operation in such a way as to give everybody 
a “square deal." The recent exposures in regard to the 
unsanitary practices and conditions in the packing establish¬ 
ments in Chicago is injurious to both the packers and pro¬ 
ducers and will become disastrous to the producer if a rigid 
inspection law is not passed and enforced very soon. It is 
generally believed here that the worst conditions and prac¬ 
tices complained of, were not in any way general, and might 
have been corrected without so much loss to the business 
if the packers had done what they have since undertaken in 
the way of cleaning up their premises, instead of denying 
that the conditions reported existed when they knew that the 
reports were true in part at least. There is no better meat 
produced than is grown in the corn belt of the United States 
and in the interest of the producer inspection regulations 
should be speedily adopted that the most skeptical might be 
assured that our packinghouse products are wholesome and 
cleanlv put up. In the meantime our people can eat ham, 
bacon and steak and be assured that they are all right, as 
there was no complaint made as to how the dressed and 
cured meats were handled, but such delicacies as potted ham. 
sausage, etc., can be left out until the Government will put 
its brand oh it guaranteeing purity.So far the agitation 
does not seem to have affected the market price of good 
hogs and cattle but the lower grades have suffered material¬ 
ly and it is only a question of lime unless the matter is set¬ 
tled right that the better animals of the lower grade will 
be worked off with better ones and thus produce an over 
Supply. JEROME SMITH. 
Iowa. _ 
WHEN TO BUY APPLE BARRELS. 
Get In Ahead of the Rush. 
Most of our large growers buy their barrels for apple pack¬ 
ing early in the season. Small growers always buy at pack¬ 
ing time. Tfibre is plenty cooperage stock. It would seem, for 
the crop is not as large as expected. I expect it will go 
up at gathering time as usual. l. a. Goodman. 
Sec’y Mo. Horticultural Society. 
In this section farmers do not themselves purchase cooper¬ 
age and make their own barrels. They contract their bar¬ 
rels from local coopers, who make this their business. In 
talking with some of these men I find tnat they are well 
stocked up in anticipation of a large demand for barrels. 
They are talking 35 cents for barrels. The set of apples 
is much lighter tlian expected two weeks ago. w. t. mann. 
I am not very well posted in regard to the cooperage 
stock of apple barrels that is in sight. We had a chance 
in the Winter and bought 2,000 barrels at 28 cents. I do 
not know whether that was cheap or not. I am inclined 
to think that I am the only party in this section that has 
bought any barrels up to the present time. After the apple 
crop is set a certain per .cent of our growers will buy one- 
half of thi> barrels which they think they will need, the bal¬ 
ance is usually bought later in the season. The outlook in 
this section at the present time is good for all kinds of fruit 
except peaches and plums, and we will have with favorable 
conditions from now on probably 50 or 60 per cent of last 
year’s crop. b. J- case. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
Last vear we paid 32 cents for our apple barrels f. o. b. 
Philadelphia, at the time of picking. The following prices 
have been received: For six-hooped chestnut barrels, 34% 
cents each f. o. b. Philadelphia, Pa.: for six-hooped mixed 
barrels. 36% cents. There is every indication that barrels 
will be much higher this year at the time of picking than 
they were last. There are no apple growers that we know 
in this section who order in advance. All the barrels must 
be bought in the cities, as there are no local dealers from 
whom we can buy the barrels. It has been our custom to 
buy first-class second-hand barrels in the Spring, but as it 
requires so much time to fit many of heads we have decided 
to use them only for our own fourth and fifth grades. The 
first three grades will be packed in boxes and new barrels. 
The box is a very desirable package for fancy apples. We 
have been paving from 15 to 20 cents for our second-hand 
barrels f. o. b. Philadelphia. f. m. soper & son. 
Delaware. 
Buying barrels for apples is like some other farm work, 
An uncertainty. But if one waits until the apples are 
ready to harvest there is a certainty that two things will 
happen, a big price and lots of bother, even if one is success¬ 
ful in getting the barrels, so I buy ahead. Last year there 
was not much demand for apple barrels or stock, so last 
Fall I bought 2.000 barrels to be made up in the 'Winter at 
26 cents and paid for them about April 1. I have bought 
more since and have 4.000 bought and option on more. I 
think all things indicate a good crop of apples, and by Sep¬ 
tember 1 barrels will be selling for about 40 cents. 
Farmers should put themselves in the place of men that 
deal in cooperage stock, barrel manufacturings ahd see it 
is hardly fair to wait until Fall before getting their apple 
barrels. ’ I do not know of many (very few) that have any 
barrels in yet. but some will buy during the Summer. Bar¬ 
rels are 30 cents now. CLARK allis. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. 
Until the last two years not many apple barrels have been 
made in the State. 'There are now several establishments 
that are making barrels. Some of these have relied on West¬ 
ern stock for the barrels, but several are getting out the 
stock for themselves. There is an abundance of hard wood 
suitable for this use, and as the call for the barrels has In¬ 
creased the supply has also increased. For a guess, half 
of the barrels used the past year were new. the others being 
picked up about the towns and cities, but the demand for 
them has now reached a point where the supply may be more 
certain. More apples have gone from the State in boxes this 
year than ever before, and the indications are that there will 
be a still larger increase for the dessert apples. One car¬ 
load of apples went from,a Franklin County orchard the past 
Winter containing 61 barrels No. 2 and 110 barrels No. 1. 
The fruit netted the grower just $611.91. Hall & Cole wrote 
that the apples sold for more money than any carload sold 
in Boston during the season. d. h. knowlton. 
Secretary Maine Pomological Society. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
The fruit outlook is fair as near as I can estimate I think 
about one-half of a crop. Spraying more than last year and 
better care is taken than before. J. w. w. 
Ontario, N. Y. 
The oresent outlook for fruit in our section is only fair. 
Strawberries, 75 per cent of a crop ; raspberries full, black¬ 
berries good, peaches one-half, pears fair, apples good. 
Marlboro, N. Y. J. f. w. 
Summer and Fall apples are full crop. Winter varieties 
I do not think more than 40 per cent of last year. Peaches 
and plums full crop. I think the majority in the neighbor¬ 
hood are spraying with Bordeaux or some other fungicide 
and insecticide. w. s. a. 
Bendersville, Pa. 
Apples look now like a good crop, especially Fall fruit 
and Baldwins. We had a hail storm here June 10 which 
Spoiled some orchards: those with large orchards are spray¬ 
ing, cultivating and fertilizing. Small ones are neglected. 
Pears, plums and berries give promise of a fair crop now ; 
peaches will not be a good crop here. We are having a fine 
rain now. A. 
Ionia, N. Y. 
We are In the throes of a wet backward Spring (.Tune 2). 
Fruit trees wintered well and are consequently vigorous. 
Gravensteins just in bloom : later varieties not opened out, 
but all varieties are budded for a full crop provided no dam¬ 
age by frost or atmosphere conditions occurs during the next 
two weeks. Spraying with Bordeaux this season is much 
more systematic, thorough and general than hitherto. Fruit 
growers have learned by experience that the onlv successful 
method to combat fungi and insect pests is bv spraying. 
All fruit growers cultivate thoroughly up to .Tulv 1 to 10, 
and feed more liberally, which of course makes larger and 
finer fruit, especially when to this process is added spray¬ 
ing. It is to me a remarkable fact that notwithstanding 
the improved methods now adopted with reference to fruit 
culture and the great number of trees being planted that the 
production of apples has been steadily declining for the past 
10 years. E. L. i. 
Nova Scotia. 
The prospect for pears is very poor. Peaches will be 
a part of a crop. The late varieties promise to be 75 
per cent of crop. Early varieties are killed by frost. The 
outlook for apples is fair; Baldwins 50 per cent, Greenings, 
75 per cent: other kinds about 50 per cent. Op account of 
higher priced labor farmers are not spraying as much as they 
ought: perhaps 30 per cent of the orchards that are sprayed 
will be the limit. Bordeaux Mixture is generously used, 
as we are troubled with the fungus: a little more attention 
is paid to the cultivation of the apple orchard than form¬ 
erly. The high price of apples last year stimulated the 
farmer to care for his orchard. w. r. f. 
Rushville. N. Y. 
The weather has been cooler and drier than the average so 
far this Spring. Yet there is a promising outlook for crops 
of all kinds that are well cared for. Fruit of the kinds com¬ 
mon to this section appears to be quite plentiful. Frost in 
May did some damage. The old Colorado beetle is more nu¬ 
merous than for 10 years and the first time I have had to 
fight it to save injury to potato and tomato vines. Flea 
beetles also worst I ever saw them. Grass on old meadow 
and high land will be nearly a failure. Last Winter hay 
was very cheap and considerable is being kept over. Butter 
nets only 18% cents per pound, and makes a rather low 
price for milk that tests only from three to 3% per cent. 
Cows mostly a mixture of Hereford and Short-horn. Lum¬ 
ber getting too high for building material. Stock boards 
$25 to $30 per M. w. S. s. 
Elmoville, Ill. _ 
CHILDREN'S GARDENS. 
In connection with the New York University Summer 
School, there will be a six weeks' course in the practical 
making and management of children’s gardens by Henry Gris- 
com Parsons, Assistant-Director of Children's Gardens under 
the Park Department of Manhattan and Richmond. This 
course is to fit teachers to take charge of children's gar¬ 
dens. The course will consist of 30 lectures with the actual 
practice of conducting a model garden in the open. The 
lectures will be given daily from 11.30-12.30. The work 
in the garden will be conducted during the morning hours. 
The charge for the course is $25.00. The old English garden 
of the Schwab estate, which adjoins the University 
grounds, has been loaned for the use of this class, who will 
find it a treasure house of material. It is overgrown with 
just the weeds they should know of, and, hardly hidden by 
this growth are the old box hedges, old fashioned garden 
herbs, and descendants of the fine old garden flowers are 
now blooming, regardless of neglect. The class will be 
within easy reach of the children's school farm in DeWitt 
Clinton Park where 500 little farms and farmers are giving 
daily evidence of the value of this work to children. Chil¬ 
dren's gardens were this Spring incorporated in the New 
York Park Department under the Directorship of Mrs. Henry 
Parsons, who founded and has successfully conducted the 
DeWitt Clinton Park garden since 11)02 and at whose sug¬ 
gestion this course is to be given. The Board of Education 
is ready to establish Children's Gardens, but there is a 
scarcity of trained teachers to fill these positions. Any fur¬ 
ther particulars desired may be had from .Tames E. Lough, 
Director N. Y. University Summer School, Washington 
Square, N. Y. _ 
NOTES FROM NORTHWEST FLORIDA.—We have had a 
dry Spring. Corn is looking well, cotton small and late. 
Potatoes were poor, too dry; a fine rain is falling now. 
Not much farming is done here. The agricultural resources 
are not developed here. But very little attention is paid to 
fruit or vegetables, but they can lie grown here to per¬ 
fection. I have been here eight years; am a Hoosier. 
Climate is healthy, land is advancing in price, ranging 
from $5 to $20 per acre. c. H. h. 
Chip ley, Fla. 
Within two hours on June 9 there were two of the most 
violent thunder storms ever known in these parts, with tre¬ 
mendous downpour of rain, some hail and a terrific wind 
storm of such force as to unroof a very substantial church 
in the neighborhood, and uproot numbers of large trees in all 
directions. The hail did not do much damage, but the tor¬ 
rents of rain gashed the fields and carried away more soil 
in that short time than in the whole time previous that we 
have lived here. It is almost certain that there was a fall 
of nearly a foot of water, perhaps more, for a neighbor tells 
me he had a straight sided 12-quart galvanized iron pail 
standing in an open space. This pail was over 10 inches 
deep and was overflowing after the storm, and how long before 
no one knows. The crops are not entirely ruined, in fact, 
with care most of them can be got into pretty fair shape, 
but the prospects for any profit or satisfaction from the 
season's work are very slender. So far the season here all 
through has been altogether unfavorable. We had almost 
constant rain in early April, the last occurred on the 14th. 
Then followed a period of eight weeks without rain except 
two light showers that penetrated only a few inches. The 
dry weather together w T ith high winds and alternate heat 
and cold of May gave vegetables a poor chance. The straw¬ 
berries had set an immense crop of fruit but they are in 
wide matted rows and rather thick. We wuitched patiently 
for rain to carry the crop through, but while local showers 
passed both to the north and south within a few miles, our 
turn did not come until it was too late. There will be 
about one-third of a crop of inferior berries. There is a 
prospect of a fair crop of raspberries and blackberries. 
Cumberland Co., Pa. d. l. hartman. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Fruit growers will always find a ready supply of berry 
baskets and crates at Coles & Company, 109-11 Warren 
St.. New York. In fact this firm is headquarters for every¬ 
thing in the fruit and vegetable basket line. Mail orders 
will receive the same consideration as though you were 
able to call at their store in person. 
The new' Smalley Special. No. 18, is one of the best silo 
fillers in use. It is strong, rigid, durable and capable of 
an enormous amount of work. Its capacity is limited only 
by the ability of the operator to keep the traveling table 
filled. Full details of this machine and other styles of the 
Smalley goods may be had free by addressing Smalley 
Mfg. Co., Boy 70, Manitowoc, Wis. 
Canton, Me., February 10, 1606, Tuttle’s Elixir Co., I am 
using Tuttle’s Elixir on an old spavin with most pleasing re¬ 
sults. The first application showed astonishing results. 
While I do not expect an entire cure and removal of the 
spavin, I am satisfied from results obtained by the use of 
Tuttle’s Elixir so far, that my horse wdll recover sufficiently 
to become as useful as before spavined. Yours truly, Wil¬ 
liam C. Bisbee. 
The Anderton Mfg. Co., of Cincinnati, O., makers of vehi¬ 
cles, are noted for the excellence of build and superior ma¬ 
terials used. While not “cheap.” they are sold at a re¬ 
markably low price, direct to the user. If in need of a 
buggy, spring w'agon, surrey, phaeton or anything in the 
vehicle line, send for the Anderton catalogue, 16 Third St.. 
Cincinnati, O., and learn how to get a first class convey¬ 
ance and save money. 
At one time a serious drawback to the dipping of compara¬ 
tively small numbers of sheep and hogs was the cost of the 
dipping tanks, but this has now been greatly minimized by 
F. S. Burch & Co., of Chicago, manufacturers of the Milk 
Oil dip, who. for several years past, have made a combina¬ 
tion offer of a tank and a certain quantity of dip for an 
inclusive figure, the tank being thrown in at cost price. 
Their offer is repeated in this issue. 
We are in receipt of a new picture issued by the makers 
of the Stevens rifles and shotguns—a beautiful art piece 
lithographed in 10 colors. The subject of the picture is one 
dear to the heart of every sportsman, and the painting is 
so fine that anvone, W'hether a hunter or not. can appreciate 
and enjoy its beauties. Two figures are shown—one a fair 
huntress, and her companion w r ho is carrying the result of 
the day’s sport. This picture w'ill be sent free to anyone 
who will w'rite for it to the ,T. Stevens Arms & Tool Co., 
Chicopee Falls, Mass., if they send six cents in stamps for 
packing and postage. 
