190 ?. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
6o9 
THOSE INSURANCE STATE SENATORS. 
The Grape Belt, published at Dunkirk, N. Y., is a 
political newspaper with an excellent farmer’s depart¬ 
ment. It does good service for the grape growers in 
southwestern New York. It doesn’t like The R. N. Y.’s 
advice to defeat those insurance Senators. Here is its 
cautious essay on the subject: 
Personalities in Farm Papers. 
It is a serious question as to the advisability or justice 
even of agricultural papers taking part in politics to the 
extent of personal attacks on prominent men in official 
positions. A leading agricultural paper opposes the re-elec¬ 
tions of S. P. Franchot, of the Orleans district, and also 
Albert T. Fancher, of Salamanca, both New York State 
Senators. Farmers—dairy, grain, stock and fruit—are a 
class. Their interests are first of all class interests. Be¬ 
cause of some grievance, fancied or even in a sense real, is 
it well to rush into print with a too ill-considered opposi¬ 
tion to the men who are judged offenders? A political 
partisan paper is justified in favoring the election of the 
candidates of Its own party and ‘opposing those of the 
opposite party. A farm paper is not primarily a political 
sheet. Agriculture and the science of government require 
in many respects both differing and dis-similar discussions. 
The field is broad in both cases and we suggest that it is 
belter to thoroughly treat the one in a comprehensive and 
intelligent manner, than to rush into the other almost cer¬ 
tain to be only partially understood. Besides this political 
discussion almost necessarily has in it an element of per¬ 
sonality and bitterness which agriculture does not have. 
It looks like a mistake for a farm paper to leave its legi¬ 
timate field for one in many respects radically different. 
Such a course will tend to prejudice fair-minded thinkers 
against farming and the farmers’ profession. 
We not only oppose Mr. Fancher and Mr. Franchot, 
but every Senator from a rural ddistrict who opposed 
Governor Hughes when he tried to remove the insur¬ 
ance commissioner. Here are their names: 
Jotham P. Allds, Norwich, N. Y.; Albert T. 
Fancher, Salamanca, N. Y.; S. P. Franchot, Niagara 
Falls, N. Y.; S. Percy Hooker, LeRoy, N. Y.; John 
Raines, Canandaigua, N. Y.; Sanford W. Smith, 
Chatham, N. Y.; Wm. J. Tully, Corning, N. Y.; 
Horace White, Syracuse, N. Y.; Benj. M. Wilcox, 
Auburn, N. Y.; Joseph Ackroyd, Utica, N. Y.; 
Frank M. Boyce, East Schodack, N. Y. 
Some are Republicans and others Democrats. Their 
politics, character and ability are not considered in op¬ 
posing them as we do. We have made no personal 
attacks whatever, and shall not do so. Governor 
Flughes made certain definite promises before election. 
We believe that his attempt to remove the Insurance 
Commissioner was part of his effort to keep this prom¬ 
ise. These eleven men made it impossible for the Gov¬ 
ernor to carry out a plan which, we believe, was ap¬ 
proved by 75 per cent of the people in the State. In 
the 22 counties which these men represented, Governor 
Hughes received 183,873 votes, while the combined vote 
of these Senators was 174,366. If there is any man 
in New York who has really sized up the evils of life 
insurance that man is Governor Hughes. If any one of 
these Senators- had announced before election that he 
would oppose the Governor he would have been beaten 
out of sight. Let any one of them go before the people 
this year on the single issue of his insurance vote, and 
the chances are that he never could get back to Albany. 
His only hope will be to appeal to his party because 
he is the party candidate. Does The Grape Belt sup¬ 
pose that “fair-minded thinkers” have less respect for 
those farmers in the Thirty-fourth District because 
they defeated J. W. Wadsworth for Congress? The 
fact is that no class of people in this country ever won 
a quicker reputation for good sense and moral cour¬ 
age than these farmers did. Here is a chance for 
farmers to rise above “class legislation,” politics and 
prejudice into that independence which always com¬ 
mands respect. The farmers in these eleven districts 
never had just such a chance before, and if they reject 
it, it is doubtful if their sons will see another like it. 
As for this talk about the “legitimate field” of a farm 
paper, we have heard that before. Most of it comes 
from politicians and office holders who would like to 
have the farmer remain a crude producer, content to 
keep on furnishing food, men and votes—the food at 
such price as the middlemen see fit to give him, the 
men to supply th'e blood and bone for town and citv 
and the votes to keep politicians in office. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC—Statistics compiled from the official records 
of the Coroner of Allegheny County and the police of 
Pittsburg, Pa., show that since January 1, 1006, 17 persons 
have been killed and 136 seriously injured in automobile 
accidents. This does not take into account many Who 
were hurt, but were able to get away without making their 
names public. In commenting upon these figures F. O. 
Ayres, fourth vice-president of the Metropolitan Life In¬ 
surance Company, said : “If automobilists continue on the 
reckless course many of them are now pursuing and if the 
number of fatalities continues as alarming as they now 
are the insurance companies will have to insert clauses in 
their policies covering the dangers to which many persons 
are now exposing themselves. Automobile accidents were 
the subject of special consideration at the recent meeting 
of the General Accident Insurance Association at Fron- 
tenac, N. Y. At its next meeting the association will take 
definite action, which will probably be to increase the cost 
of insurance for automobilists.’’ ... A cloudburst that 
broke over Wheeling, W. Va., July 24, inflicted damage aggre¬ 
gating thousands of dollars. One life was lost, that of 
Lee Pretiman, a teamster, who was drowned while trying 
to get his horse away from a rush of water. All traffic 
on the trolley lines was suspended, bridges on all roads 
were washed away and in the city the streets of the busi¬ 
ness district were flooded. ... A fire at Victoria, B. C., 
July 23, destroyed five blocks and many detached buildings. 
Firemen, aided by the soldiers of the garrison and a host 
of volunteers, fought desperately, pulling down many build¬ 
ings in the pa Hi of the fire. The loss is estimated at 
$250,000. . . . New Edinburgh, the portion of Ottawa, Can¬ 
ada, that lies in the direction of Rideau Ilall, was visited 
July 25 by the most destructive fire that has occurred in 
Ottawa since the burning of the Gllmour Hotel last Au¬ 
tumn. The fire was discovered in the machinery hall of 
the W. C. Edwards lumber mills. For a time it was 
feared that all of New Edinburgh and the lower town would 
be destroyed. The total loss will be nearly half a million. 
. . . . The United Verde smelter at Jerome, Ariz., is closed 
down on account of the sinking of the ground upon which 
it is built. Reports say the shutdown is only temporary, 
but considerable uneasiness is felt, as the smelter is built 
over underground workings of a great copper deposit. Fear 
is expressed that the plant may fall through. It has been 
sinking more or less for the last five years. . . . Senator 
Pettus of Alabama died at Hot Springs, N. C-, July 27, 
aged 86. Senator Pettus was born in Limestone County, 
Alabama, on July 6, 1821. He was graduated from Clinton 
College in Tennessee and was admitted to the Alabama bar 
in 1842, settling down in Gainesville to practice. / On June 
27, 1844, he was married to Mary S. Chapman. When the 
Mexican war broke out Pettus was 25 years old and went 
in as a lieutenant, serving with distinction. In 1849, with 
a party of 31 young men of Gainesville, he started on 
horseback for the California gold fields. He was active in 
raising the Twentieth Alabama Regiment, C. S. A., and 
served with it as a major when the civil war started. lie 
came out of the war a Brigadier-General, but he was 
wrecked financially, and like General Morgan, who lived 
also at Selma, he had to start in all over to make a living. 
In the troublous times of reconstruction General Pettus 
performed notable services in the cause of law and order. 
He endeavored to win the respect and confidence of the 
negroes. One day when the blacks rose in a mob and 
started to lynch a young hot-headed friend of his who had 
shot a negro after a quarrel Pettus single handed overawed 
the mob and then restored its members to reason and 
quiet. He even took the young man away from the mob 
and not a negro endeavored to stop him. He held no 
political office of any sort except a solicitorship and a 
judgeship until he was elected to the United States Senate. 
. . . Wm. D. Haywood, on trial at Boise, Idaho, for the 
murder of ex-Governor Steunenberg of Idaho, was acquitted 
July 28. The trial may be summarized as follows: Frank 
Steunenberg assassinated December 30, 1905. Harry Or¬ 
chard arrested January 1, 1906. Moyer, Haywood and Pet- 
tibonc arrested February 1.7, 1906. Trial begun May 9, 
1907. Jury completed June 3, 1907. Number of veniremen 
summoned 248. Number of witnesses for prosecution, 89. 
Number of witnesses for defense (including depositions), 
97. Verdict of “Not guilty” returned July 28, 1907. Cost 
of trial to State of Idaho, $95,000. Cost of trial to Canyon 
County, $25,000. . . . Coney Island was fire swept for the 
third time in eight, years at dawn July 28. George C. 
Tilyou’s Steeplechase Park was laid in ruins, causing a loss 
of $1,000,000, on which there was not a penny of insur¬ 
ance. It will not be rebuilt. Twenty-seven buildings along 
the east side of the old Bowery, between Steeplechase Park 
and Henderson’s Walk, were licked up like houses of paper, 
adding an approximate $250,000 to the loss sustained by 
Mr. Tilyou. The fire is believed to have started from a 
lighted cigarette. . . . The hot wave that, prevailed over 
Texas for more than a week began moderating July 29. 
The mercury at Dallas registered 102 in the shade. July 
28 it stood at 104 at Gainesville. A report from McGregor, 
100 miles southwest of Dallas, says that for more than an 
hour July 28 the mercury registered 179 in the sun and 
117 in the shade. The report said that more than 20 
persons were overcome and that nearly a hundred head of 
live stock died from the heat. . . . Fire started in an upper 
room at the extreme western end of the Long Beach Hotel 
at Long Beach, on the south shore of Long Island, at 5 
o’clock in the morning, July 29. In an hour and five min¬ 
utes the flames swept the entire length of the four-story 
wooden structure, nearly a quarter of a mile, burning it 
down to the black, charred stumps of the foundation piling, 
and also consuming a large frame cottage, the church, the 
big four-story house occupied by the servants and several 
other smaller buildings. The 1,100 guests of the hotel 
were asleep when the fire broke out. They escaped in every 
variety of costume, from nightgowns and pajamas to auto¬ 
mobile coats and rubber boots. Nine persons were injured. 
Two of them, guests at the hotel, were hurt by jumping 
and by flames. Seven servants were bruised and suffered 
broken legs and arms in the course of the exciting hour 
that followed the giving of the alarm. None of the injured 
will die. The loss is believed to reach $1,000,000. . . . 
Fire in a tenement house on Chrystie street, New York, 
July 29, caused the death of 19 persons. . . . The steam¬ 
boat Frontenac was burned and beached opposite Farley’s 
Point on Lake Cayuga, N. Y., July 27, and eight lives were 
lost. The victims were all women and children passen¬ 
gers, and all wore drowned. Several other passengers were 
severely burned before the boat could be beached. The 
bodies of the drowned women and children have been re¬ 
covered and the injured were cared for at the homes of 
persons near the scene of the wreck. ... A serious break in 
the Erie Canal July 30 at Syracuse, where the canal passes 
over Onondaga Creek resulted in a loss of more than 
$100,000. Stone arches that held the canal bed gave way, 
letting the water of the canal into the creek with a rush. 
Five canal boats fell through and were smashed up. The 
force of the water undermined the building of the Standard 
Milling Company and the rear wall fell into the water on 
top of the canal boats. No persons were hurt. . . . July 
30, after 10 hours of debate, the lower house of the Georgia 
General Assembly, by a vote of 139 to 39, passed the Sen¬ 
ate bill prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic 
beverages in the State after January 1. 1908. The bill is 
drastic in its provisions and after the Senate concurs in a 
few amendments made by the lower house it will go to 
Governor Hoke Smith for his signature. Governor Smith 
has announced that he will sign the bill, although prohi¬ 
bition means the closing of the bar of the Piedmont Hotel, 
from which the Governor receives a handsome income. 
STATE FAIR EXCURSION TICKETS—In response to a 
request of the State Fair Commission, the Public Service 
Commission, in the Second District, announced July 26 that 
it has ruled that railroad companies may sell round-trip 
excursion tickets to the State Fair Grounds at Syracuse 
which shall have appendant thereto a coupon covering ad¬ 
mission to the fair, providing that the price charged for 
the admission coupon shall be in addition to the round-trip 
fare charged to the State Fair Grounds. The carrier may 
at its option sell fair admission tickets separately or by 
coupon attached to the round-trip ^excursion ticket; but the 
passenger must not be compelled to purchase admission to 
the fair in order to avail himself of the round-trip excur¬ 
sion rate to the Fair Grounds. “This ruling,” says the 
commission, “has been made for the comfort, and con¬ 
venience of the public who attend the State Fair and to 
prevent crushing and crowding about ticket stands at the 
fair should they be compelled to purchase tickets at the 
grounds before entering.” 
FARM AND GARDEN—Governor Hughes has appointed 
Prof. \V. G. Johnson of the American Agriculturist trustee 
of the State Experiment Station in place of M. II. Olin, 
deceased. 
The construction of the building of the new Agricultural 
School at St. Lawrence University, Canton, N. Y., has com¬ 
menced, and the work will be pushed with the utmost speed. 
The building is to be large and commodious, finely equipped 
with class rooms, laboratories, libraries, rooms for carpen¬ 
try, blacksmithing, manual training and domestic science. 
All branches of agricultural knowledge will be taught by 
competent instructors. While a year will be necessary for 
the construction of the building, the school will be opened 
on September 18 of the present year. Apartments in other 
buildings of the University will be used temporarily. Tui¬ 
tion will be free. The regular course will take two years, 
but partial courses, taking less time, will be provided. Pros¬ 
pective students and others desiring information can obtain 
it by writing to the Agricultural School, Canton, N. Y. 
THE MARKET FOR APPLE BARRELS. 
We usually buy our barrel stock in the flat, having it made 
up as the picking season approaches according to require¬ 
ments. We purchased a carload in January. 1906, and have 
plenty on hand for this season. The cost will be from 25 to 
28 cents made up. We think the usual plan in this State 
is to wait until near packing season, and then buy barrels 
made up at the prevailing price. Not being personally in¬ 
terested in the price of cooperage this season we have not 
made inquiries. It is rumored, however, that the price will 
be high ; some think that cooperage stock will run as high 
as 40 and 50 cents per barrel made up. 
Indiana. bubton fkcit co. 
I had not had any information in regard to apple barrels 
until I made it my business to look up the manufacturers in 
this part of the county, and was very much surprised to 
find that the price is 38 cents. Last year we bought for 
30 cents, that is. those who bought early in the season, and 
later they sold for 33 cents. By buying early one can gen¬ 
erally save about three cents per barrel, and generally get 
better ones than one does later in the season. I do not 
think there is any condition to warrant the price some men 
are asking at the present time, and do not know of anyone 
paying it. I understand barrels can be bought in western 
New York for 32 cents at the present time, and just why our 
people should ask so much more I do not understand, unless 
they think they have a corner on barrels and can force the 
price, but I think they will fail in the end. l . l. w. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
TEXAS NOTES.—I read your articles on Alfalfa growing, 
and have a piece of nice ground, deep sandy soil with a 
sandy clay subsoil. I am manuring heavily with manure 
from mules fed on Alfalfa, and am also going to put on in 
different plots wood ashes and lime and soil shipped to me 
from an Alfalfa field 80 miles west. I have tried It be¬ 
fore, but made a failure. This is a cotton country and if 
we could grow Alfalfa it would make the country rich. Our 
crops are six weeks late and the boll-weevil is here; the 
chance for cotton is very bad. I make oat, Crab grass and 
Sorghum hay, (he latter yielding last year three tons at 
one cutting. Crab grass made one ton after oats; the oat 
heads are very light. I cut mine in the milk, and made 
good hay. j. o’b. 
Gladewater, Texas. 
THE HAY CROP. 
Hay is two-thirds of a crop in this section. o. m. 
Mount Upton, N. Y. 
There will be very little prairie hay cut in this (central) 
portion of Iowa this year, and any that Is offered for sale 
will be taken by feed stables in local markets at $6 to $8 
per ton. Considerable prairie hay is annually cut in the 
northwest portion of this State, and baled for shipment. 
During the past year or two it has been shipped in car lots 
to Kansas City and thence to Georgia and other Southern 
States. Demand is always in excess of the supply. The 
crop of Timothy hay will be light in the Central West owing 
to the very dry weather during April and May. Farm 
crops generally will be light. Corn is now making a fine 
growth ; but there Is only about three-quarters of a “stand." 
due to the dry, cold weather in May. The latest crop re¬ 
ports indicate that the corn crop of Iowa will fall eighty 
million bushels short of last year, or that the yield will bo 
about 75 per cent, of a normal crop. m. j. q, 
Iowa. 
Haying Is now (July 29), at flood tide, and the bulk of 
it will be secured this week if the weather holds as fine as 
it now promises. We have had abundance of rain and hot 
weather for a month, and would be glad if it would give 
us two or three weeks of drought. The hay crop is heavier 
than last year. The corn has done wonderfully well the 
past three weeks, but is quite weedy, and most fields are 
rather a poor stand on account of worms and other enemies 
that seemed more plentiful than usual this Spring. Potato 
crop is good, though most raisers had to put up a hard 
fight with the old Colorado beetle. The young bugs seem 
to have become immune to Paris-green, as I could see very 
little effect in its use. Berries are plentiful, but other 
fruit nearly a total failure. w. s. s. 
Jo Daviess Co., Ill. 
