1907. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
689 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—A collision between trolley cars at Charles¬ 
ton. Ill., August 30, killed 20 persons, and injured twice 
as many more. Both cars were running at high speed 
and met as they were rounding a sharp curve. The impact 
was deafening. The express was telescoped hy the local 
car and both were reduced to a tangled mass of wood and 
iron. The passengers had not a moment’s warning of 
danger and were killed or injured without opportunity to 
save themselves. A confusion of orders received over the 
telephone is said to be responsible for the catastrophe. The 
line is twelve miles long, running between Mattoon and 
Charleston, and has hut a single track. Telephones are 
placed at intervals at which orders are transmitted to the 
conductors and motormen. Crews of both the express train 
and the local said they were told to go ahead as there 
was a clear track. The despatcher held responsible com¬ 
mitted suicide. ... A section of the new bridge in 
course of erection across the St. Lawrence River, five miles 
below Quebec, Canada, collapsed and fell August 29, carry¬ 
ing scores of workmen into the river; the death list is put 
at 84. The bridge was about a mile and a half in length, 
and half of it. from the south shore to midstream, crumpled 
up and dropped into the water. The steamer Glenmont had 
just cleared the bridge when the first section fell. The 
water thrown up by the debris came clear over the bridge 
of the steamer. The captain at once lowered boats. The 
small boats nlied backward and forward over the sunken 
wreckage for half an hour, but there was no sign of life. 
The twisted iron and steel held its victims in a death grip. 
A few floating timbers and the broken strands of the 
bridge toward the north shore were the only signs that 
anything unusual had happened. All the men drowned 
were employees of the Phoenixville Bridge Company, and 
sub-contractors of Quebec and Montreal. The Quebec 
bridge was begun about seven years ago, and it was to be 
finished in 1909. Subsidies had been granted by the federal 
and provincial governments and the City of Quebec, and 
the estimated cost of the work was .$10,000,000. . . . 
The first weekly deposits of public money in National banks 
under Secretary Cortelyou’s announced plan for relieving 
the money market and meeting the emergency of crop mov¬ 
ing have been made. For five weeks, beginning August 28, 
deposits will be made each wools in certain National banks. 
The Treasury officers decline to state what banks received 
deposits under the new plan of relief. . , . Fire at 
Rome, N. Y., August 29, caused a loss of $75,000, the 
damage being confined to business blocks. . . . August 
30, fire started among factories on the waterfront at Com- 
munipaw, Jersey City, causing damage amounting to $200,- 
000. ... A Canadian Pacific Railway special train, 
carrying more than three hundred passengers bound for the 
Toronto Exhibition, was wrecked September 3 at Horse¬ 
shoe Falls, nine miles south of Orangeville, Ont. Eight 
persons were killed, and more than two hundred and fifty 
injured. . . . Flames caused the loss of half a million 
dollars’ worth of property at Houston, Tex, September 3, 
and reduced three squares of the business and residence 
sections to ashes The largest loss was to the plant of the 
Standard Milling Company, valued at $300,000, which 
covered an entire block. The elevator and the flour mill 
and rice mill were destroyed. The fire started in this 
plant, and, after consuming it, destroyed about two blocks 
of residences. Fourteen residences, two stores, a shop, a 
woodyard, and fourteen railroad cars were destroyed. One 
fireman was injured by a burning car, and a policeman 
was seriously hurt by his horse falling upon him. 
A GREAT DAY AT GENEVA. 
Several thousand people gathered at the State Experiment 
Station at Geneva, N. Y., on Thursday, August 29, to cele¬ 
brate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the station, 
and to meet and welcome Governor Hughes and other dis¬ 
tinguished guests. The Governor’s party was given an 
automobile ride through the principal streets of the city. 
A stop was made at the armory where the Governor in¬ 
spected the company of State militia quartered here, and 
met many of the prominent citizens and officials of the city. 
They then proceeded to the station grounds where the ad¬ 
dresses of the day were given in an enormous tent erected 
for the occasion. 
Dr. Jordan, in the opening address, spoke of the experi¬ 
ment station as an institution devoted to real scientific 
investigation. He referred to the advantages it had enjoyed 
in its 25 years of existence; a suitable social and agricul¬ 
tural environment, a competent and sympathetic board of 
control, the helpful attitude of the New York State College 
if Agriculture, the Grange, the bureau of institutes, and 
the various other organizations of the farmers and horti¬ 
culturists of the State. He referred to the increasing gen¬ 
erosity of the State in providing buildings and equipment. 
The staff started witii five persons, and now contains 31. 
The farm buildings are now increased to 15, with five more 
promised and planned for. The doctor reviewed some of 
the results of investigation for the past quarter of a cen¬ 
tury. He said-that the three great functions of the station 
are to investigate, teach, and to enforce law. “Investigation 
is the greatest duty of the station. If all the requests for 
addresses and visits were granted, dust would settle on the 
microscope.” “We do not complain because we are asked to 
do these things, but we want you to feel with us that if this 
institution is to remain true to its real function we must 
be allowed to spend a generous share of our time behind 
the closed doors of observation and reflection, whether in 
the field or the laboratory. This, then, is the policy of the 
station as I understand it, to hold mainly to the work of 
real investigation, and leave the teaching and popular dem¬ 
onstration largely to other agencies.” 
Governor Hughes expressed himself as greatly pleased 
-with Geneva, her location, her streets, her homes, her fertile 
lands and her hospitable citizens. He spoke of the station 
as a State institution of noble aims, and said, “I like no 
part of my work better than the visiting of the institutions 
of the State. To me, they represent not acres, not buildings, 
not equipment, but human effort for the benefit of mankind. 
We think too much of institutions in an impersonal way. 
We think too much of the physical manifestations of their 
activities. We pay too little attention to the hard, steady 
work which makes them successful. Whatever need there 
may be throughout this State of here and there correcting 
an error of administration, of here and there perfecting an 
adjustment, of obtaining a more efficient service, and doubt¬ 
less, there is need of it, no one can see the activities of 
the government of this great State in its varied institu¬ 
tions, without thanking God for the splendid efforts of our 
citizenship for the benefit of all the people. Such efforts 
are what make this indeed the Empire State. Now, I do 
not believe that the farmer regards himself as an object 
of State charity. So far as I have observed, the farmer 
is a pretty independent citizen. He generally has a mind 
of his own. In fact, I do not know what our fund of 
intelligence and rationalism w’ould amount to if we did not 
draw upon the farmers for a continual renewal of the sup¬ 
ply. When you get out where a man has a little elbow 
room, and a chance to develop, lie lias thought of his own. 
Ilis thinking is not supplied to him every morning and 
night, and he is less of a machine, and more of a man; 
so I do not think the farmers need to be looked upon, or 
want to be looked upon as dependents of the State govern¬ 
ment. They do not come to the State government asking 
alms. They are self-reliant. Dr. Jordan has said that there 
is not much popularity in scientific method. Scientific 
method, what is it? Why, the scientific method is nothing 
but a patient, careful, persistent search after truth, that is 
all. The scientist is a man who will go through any dan¬ 
ger, and will endure any amount of toil, and will pursue, 
unfailing, the one ambition of his life, the attainment of 
truth in his line; that is what we need regarding agricul¬ 
ture. You have got to experiment and take your failures, 
in order that you may have your successes, and the State 
says in regard to agriculture: ‘We will have a place where 
we can find out the truth in regard to matters pertaining 
to the interests of a large number of our citizens. We will 
have men there that will work till they can see what 
things can he accomplished in certain ways, how the de¬ 
stroyers can themselves be destroyed, how fertility can be 
increased, how particular advantages can be gained, and 
then, when, they have reached the truth, we will provide 
for its dissemination: and meanwhile we will provide a 
place for educating young men who are going on to the 
farm, broadening their outlook and giving them a proper 
perspective.’ I want to say in conclusion that this same 
scientific method which we admire in the work of this ex¬ 
periment station, which promises so much for the agricul¬ 
tural interests of the State, we want to see applied every¬ 
where throughout the State in the administration of gov¬ 
ernment. We cannot, as I said the other day, as human 
beings, dealing with the affairs of human beings have things 
done with exact regard to scientific formulas and I tell you, 
my friends, what you want, what the citizens of this State 
want in connection with their government, are men who 
will stand for truth, and who are ready to account to the 
people according to the truth.” 
Congressman Sereno E. Payne followed the Governor with 
an address in which he reviewed the various kinds of work 
that the Federal Government has undertaken for the benefit 
of the agricultural interests of the country; speaking of the 
foundation of the land grant colleges, the annual appropria¬ 
tion to experiment stations and agricultural colleges, and 
the extensive work of the Department of Agriculture. He 
also spoke of the improvements in rural conditions by the 
introduction of rural free delivery, and the extension of the 
telephone into the country. He also attacked the system of 
free seed distribution, and said that he had exercised the 
privilege of voting against it a great many times. He had 
been asked by his fellow-congressmen how he dared to vote 
against it coming as he did from an agricultural district. 
Ilis reply to them was that he thanked God that the votes 
of his district were not to be bought with a 10-cent package 
of seed. 
Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture G. L. Flanders gave 
an address consisting mostly of statistics culled from census 
reports, covering the production of various crops in New 
York State, the cost per acre, and the gain by the use of 
improved methods. Master of the State Grange, Mr. F. N. 
Godfrey, of Glean, N. Y., said that the Grange was the 
prime mover in securing the State farm. A Granger intro¬ 
duced the first bill in the Legislature asking for an appro¬ 
priation for an experimental farm. He mentioned the fol¬ 
lowing as some of the problems which will demand the 
serious attention of the people of New York State during 
the next few years: Farm labor: retaining the boys and 
girls on the farm; proper agricultural education in the 
common schools: abandoned farms; and forestry. J. S. 
Woodward, of Ix>ekport, N. Y., the only living member of 
tbe first Board of Control, was introduced, and gave some 
very pleasing reminiscences of the early days. A very able 
and scholarly address was given by Dr. W. O. Thompson, 
president of the Ohio State University.- It was a review 
of what the general government, through Congress and the 
Executive, has done toward the education of the public. 
He began with th Morrell act of 1862, and showed how the 
controlling idea from that time till now has been that the 
public domain belonged to all the people. He discussed that 
act and all that have followed bearing on education and in¬ 
vestigation down to the Nelson act of the present year. 
The address was considered of so much importance that 
Dr. Jordan announced that it would be published in pamph¬ 
let form. 
In the last address of the day. Dr. L. II. Bailey, of Cor¬ 
nell University, said that the fundamental business of all 
experiment stations was to increase the fertility and produc¬ 
tiveness of the land. He said that there were 12,000 aban¬ 
doned farms in this State, or as he chose to term them, 
abandoned homes, for he said that in most instances, the 
land was worked, or at least, allowed to produce hay, 
though in some Instances the land is returning to its 
natural condition, that of forest. The principal causes of 
abandoned homes are, scarcity of labor, lack of underdrain¬ 
ing, elevation too high for profitable tillage, lack of trans¬ 
portation facilities, a change in what the market demands, 
too high taxes, and a desire to live better than our fathers 
did. Now-a-days some of these farms would never have 
been cleared, and it is best to let them return to forest 
tree production. 
He discussed at some length the question of abandoned 
farms, the causes and remedies. He thought the key to the 
situation was held by the experiment stations, the College 
of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture working 
together He thought the State should bear the expense of 
testing apple orchards on some of these poorer lands. 
IP 1 closed with a fine poetic description of a visit to some 
of the abandoned farms of New England, and especially to 
the home of his ancestors. e. c. g. 
SUMMER MEETING OF THE N. Y. STATE 
FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 
Pleasant skies, bracing, balmy air, a large attendance, 
and practical, entertaining and instructive addresses com¬ 
bined to make the joint meeting of the N. Y. State Fruit 
Growers and the Ontario County Fruit Growers at the 
State Experiment Farm at Geneva, N. Y., an unqualified 
success. After a few well-chosen words of welcome, on 
behalf of the city and the station, by C. K. Scoon, of 
Geneva, and a fitting response by J. R. Cornell, of Newburg, 
N. Y., Dr. II. ,T. Webber, of Cornell University, gav > a very 
excellent address on plant breeding. He first showed the 
need and benefits of plant breeding. He showed how wheat, 
oats, corn and potatoes have been increased both in quan¬ 
tity per acre, and in quality of product by this method, 
and traced, at some length, the increase of sugar in the 
sugar beet, from a very low percentage to something more 
than four times as much as it contained 75 years ago. 
Plant breeding is simply nature guided and assisted. Dr. 
Webber showed a number of Timothy plants which varied 
greatly in height of plant, length of head, color and other 
characteristics, and gave an account of the experiments at 
Cornell with Timothy; where they have 20,000 plants grow¬ 
ing in Hills like corn. Referring to plant breeding in 
horticulture, he said that the field was wide for investiga¬ 
tion and improvement. We need an apple of long-keeping 
quality like Ben, Davis, combined with the high quality of 
Grimes Golden. We need more hardy, frost and disease 
resisting varieties. He referred to the good results ob¬ 
tained by crossing the native gooseberry with the European 
varieties: and with oranges in crossing the hardy tri¬ 
foliate orange with the sweet and tender orange of Florida. 
He closed with a plea for interesting the boys in the 
mysteries of nature along plant breeding lines as a magnet 
to keep them on the farm. 
Prof. U. I’. Hedrick, of the Experiment Station, gave a 
very practical, concise, boiled-down address on the hardi¬ 
ness of the peach. The facts brought out in this paper 
were gathered from answers to questions sent to about 100 
prominent peach growers in the State. The conclusions 
were as follows: Severe Winter cold and late Spring 
frosts are the worst enemies of the peach. There is no 
difference in the hardiness of the peach, on different soils, 
provided the soil is warm and dry. The amount of water 
in the soil is a strong factor in winter-killing; soil should 
be neither too wet nor too dry; both are detrimental. 
Young trees suffer more than old trees. Old trees that are 
diseased are easily killed, while young trees, full of 
vitality, will often recover from what seems to be serious 
injury. Trees of soft, succulent growth like the Craw¬ 
fords are often injured, while the compact growers like 
Hill’s Chili, Kalamazoo, Wager and Fitzgerald will escape. 
Proper fertilizers rightly used, do not necessarily induce a 
soft, sappy growth. The underfed tree is more apt to be 
injured than the overfed or the properly fed one. A cover 
crop, which aids in holding a muffler of snow, helps greatly 
in protecting tbe trees from winter-killing. Seedling trees 
seem hardier than budded ones, and low-beaded trees than 
high-headed ones. Wind-breaks are generally a detriment, 
by shutting off air drainage. The hardiest varieties seem 
to be Hill’s Chili, Crosby, Stevens Rareripe, Gold Drop, 
and Elberta ; while the most tender ones are the Crawfords, 
Chairs Choice, St. John and Reeves Favorite. 
Prof. Parrott gave a brief statement of what there was 
of interest to be seen at the Station, and an account of a 
good many of the experiments that are being conducted, 
which enabled the visitors to inspect the grounds under- 
standingly. Signs were in evidence all over the grounds, 
which explained many things, and the station staff did 
everything possible to entertain and interest the visitors. 
The evening session opened with a question box, which 
brought out a free discussion of a good many problems. A 
pleasant feature of this session was the presence of Mr. 
W. C. Barry, president of the Western New York Horti¬ 
cultural Society, who gave an impromptu address in which 
he set forth the pleasures of the life of the horticulturist; 
the benefits of fruit eating; the work which the various 
organizations of fruit men in this State are doing; and 
closed with a strong plea for a larger membership. He 
said that our Society should have 5,000 members, then we 
would be a power in the State. The closing address was 
given by Dr. L. H. Bailey, of Cornell University, on the 
“Place and Possibilities of New York State in Fruit Grow¬ 
ing.” He showed by figures from the census reports, that 
New York State is exceeded only by California in fruit 
growing, and he predicted that many of the so-called 
abandoned farms of the State would, in the near future, 
be devoted to apple growing, E . c. g. 
CROP NOTES. 
The farmers are thrashing their grain; wheat yields 
well, oats and rye good. Root crops are good; apples 
fall a good deal, and are made into cider. It is too dry 
to get the land ready to do the Fall seeding. Wheat 
sells at 88 cents per bushel, rye G5, oats 53, corn 72. 
Hay, $1.15 per 100 pounds; straw, $1.10 per 100 pounds; 
beef cattle sell higher in price than any time this Summer. 
York Co., Pa. E . D . K . 
It is very dry about here, so much so that everything 
is suffering I have just returned from our fair. The 
exhibit of fruit and everything in flowers and vegetables 
is very scarce. I exhibited 10 varieties of grapes, in which 
I received first premium on all except Brighton. The heavy 
hail we had here seemed to have cut that worse than the 
others. There was a very good exhibit of apples for the 
season, nearly all green. In riding from Newburg to Middle- 
town, I did not see one good piece of corn. Everything is 
dried up. w . B . B- 
Newburgh, N. Y. 
MORE GREAT THINGS IN DELAWARE.—This year as 
high as 50 cars were loaded with strawberries in a single 
day at Bridgeville, Del., about 100 miles south of Philadel¬ 
phia, and buyers paid as high as 17 cents per quart right 
at the station; $35,000 changed hands for berries in a 
single day. Individual fanners have made from $2,000 to 
$5,000 on a few acres this year. There are not many 
peaches in this section, but buyers are paying from $3 to 
$4 per carrier right here. One man near here has cleared 
hundreds of dollars on cantaloupes from a couple of acres. 
Tomatoes are bringing a good price and hundreds more are 
being taken from small acreages. Wheat was good and 
corn is better. I have been more or less familiar with con¬ 
ditions in this section ever since 1869. The vast improve¬ 
ment cannot well be imagined. It is, as you have called 
it, “the land of cow peas and Scarlet clover"—the cheapest 
and most valuable legumes, for both fine feed and manuring 
purposes as well. A man from this section visited a friend 
in Montgomery Co., Pa. After seeing the fine farms there 
he said to his friend: “I wouldn’t give one acre in old 
Sussex Co.. Del., for all your bill farms in Montgomery 
Co., Pa. Down there, if the farmers have a crop once in 
three years they pay all back debts and build new houses.” 
That is to say, that one dollar here goes as far as two 
and three go elsewhere. Farm lands will never be bought 
as cheaply as they can be now. I have no interest in them 
save that I have owned one of them for three years, and 
it is improving rapidly. I have about 2,000 fruit trees 
on it, which are growing finely; two acres seeded to 
Alfalfa; three and a half acres in strawberries, and the 
usual crops of the season. I have 40 acres clear, with a 
wood lot of five acres—a farm large enough for the average 
farmer in this fruit and truck section. Few sections of 
the country so near to the large cities—Baltimore, Philadel¬ 
phia, Wilmington and New York—and so eifby of access to 
Ihem, can offer such Inducements to men of the field as 
can lower Delaware. A . M . V- 
Cannon, Del. 
ILLINOIS 5IOTES.—My father in digging a well more 
than 40 years ago struck a rock so hard that it could 
not be blasted with powder. Only small holes could be 
blown out. He built fires in well and after heated I 
think, threw water on. Thus he dug or went through the 
hard rock. It is a success. An inquirer asks whether 
there is any danger of Sweet clover becoming a pest. It 
has done so along the roads of central and northern 
Illinois. It must be cut by road authorities yearly It 
is a good starter for Alfalfa. I was on a fine field of 
Alfalfa of 11 acres In Saline Co.. Ill., both last year and 
this. Sweet clover had been grown for bees on farm 
before sowing Alfalfa ; no other bacteria was used They 
were ready for third cutting in August. Had tiiev cut 
as early as they ought both last year and this they'could 
have secured four cuttings. Land was low' and flat, and 
had not even been tiled. They had so many acres in 
farm that they could not cut in time. We have a farm of 
240 acres bought about 10 and 15 vears ago. that last 
year we put a dredge boat ditch through. It will cost 
us at least $1,200, and then at least $8 per acre to tile 
same. I think I spent approximately $7 per acre for 
taking out stumps this year on some' 30 acres. It costs 
to improve. I am a teacher, and must hire all my work 
done. There Is 35 to 40 feet of sedimentarv deposit of 
all kinds on said land. As to your trip West last year, 
you got an entirely too high an idea of the productive 
power of the corn land. You took exceptional yields for 
general. An average of 60 bushels per acre of corn on a 
farm in the corn belt is considered a good crop, reallv a 
big crop. I hear even here of people who think that 
80 or 90 bushels are common yields in the best lands. 
There is nothing in it except in rare cases. Southern 
Illinois has been very wet. Corn poor except on tiled 
lands or those having good drainage. Fruit almost a 
failure. Some peaches, almost no apples. Wheat, hay and 
oats usually got in under unfavorable circumstances. The 
rainy season has been a year long now. Southern Illinois 
has developed into a great mining region. Oil has been 
found in large quantities also. As usual the syndicates 
have bought most of the mines and have raised the price 
to local trade equal at least to that shipped to a distance 
and delivered in bins. Catalpa grows naturally on wettest 
land on farm. c. Q. D. B. 
Mascoutah, Ill. 
