1909. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—March 31 fire destroyed two buildings at 
the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., loss 
$ 100,000.March 31 an attempt was made to 
blow up with dynamite a big viaduct at Hoboken, N. J., 
but the damage was small. There has been trouble with 
the structural ironworkers' unions over the work. 
. . . . The abolition of the convict lease system in 
Georgia became effective April 1 and the 2,500 unfortu¬ 
nates were transferred from the lessees to the custody of 
the State. The end of the lease system was hailed with 
joy by the convicts and in many camps they broke into 
prayer and song as they were transferred to the State 
authorities. At the Durham mines, where evidence taken 
by the investigating committee of the Legislature showed 
that great cruelty had been practiced, the 300 convicts 
marched out singing “Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow.'’ Similar scenes occurred when the convicts left 
t he turpentine camps. The Chattahoochee Brick Company, 
near Atlanta, turned over 300 convicts, and these cele¬ 
brated by falling on their knees and thanking God. 
Georgia has been leasing convicts for 40 years. The 
system was abolished because of the graft and cruelty 
revealed by the investigation set on foot by Gov. Iloke 
Smith. Hereafter able-bodied convicts will be worked on 
the public roads of the State and a great system of 
highways is to be developed.ruder the direc¬ 
tion of the collector of (he port of New York, a reliquida¬ 
tion of sugar duties due from the American Sugar Re¬ 
fining Company has beeu completed, and a formal demand 
has been made on the company for $1,239,000 additional 
duties—of which the trial recently terminated has shown 
the Government to have been defrauded. Work on the 
reliquidation or reassessment of these sugar duties was 
begun immediately after the jury in the Federal courts 
returned a verdict awarding the Government fines amount¬ 
ing to $134,000. It is on the evidence laid before the 
collector which showed that the entries of the company 
since its formation in December, 1901,, have all been 
fraudulent that reliquidation is based. In addition to these 
reliquidated duties the Government proposes to proceed at 
once against the sugar refining company for the collec¬ 
tion of more than $1;000,000 in other duties of which the 
Government asserts, the company defrauded it prior to 
December, 1901, at the Havemeycr and Elder refinery in 
Brooklyn running as far back as 1897, when the Dingley 
tariff went into effect; and also 10 years’ back duties at 
the Jersey City refinery. Criminal prosecutions of those 
guilty of the frauds will also be undertaken. 
News was received April 2 of the complete destruction by 
dynamite of the Mermentau dam at Grand Cheniere, 40 
miles south of Lake Charles, La. The dam was built at 
a cost of nearly $100,000 by the rice growers of south¬ 
west Louisiana. This is the third time a dam there has 
been blown up. For many years there has been a bitter 
controversy between the rice growers, through whose 
efforts the dam was built, and cattle raisers of Cameron 
parish. The former asserted that it was essential to keep 
salt water from the gulf out of the Mermentau River 
and its tributaries, while the latter declared much of their 
stock was drowned by the overflow thus caused. The 
situation was brought to the attention of the War De¬ 
partment last Fall, but it decided to take no action. 
. . . . The Mason bill providing that intoxicating 
liquor shall not be sold in less quantity that one quart 
and that liquor shall not be drunk on the premises where 
sold was reported favorably April 3 without a dissenting 
vote by the House Committee on Liquor Traffic of the 
Texas Legislature. The bill also provides that malt 
liquor dealers shall pay the same license as dealers in 
whiskey. The bill by the same author providing that any 
violation of the local option laws shall be a felony was also 
reported favorably by the committee without a dissenting 
vote. Should these measures become law' it would be al¬ 
most equivalent to prohibition and would eliminate the 
barroom entirely.The large grain elevator and 
warehouses of the Wilkinson-Gaddis Company at Pennsyl¬ 
vania Railroad avenue and Murray street, Newark, N. J., 
were burned April 4. The loss is estimated at $125,000. 
. . . . F*ire at Fbrt Worth, Texas, April 3, destroyed 
entirely 281 residences, killed one man and injured several 
others, some fatally, and caused a property loss esti¬ 
mated at over $3,000,000.Fire at Oak Cliff, 
a suburb of Dallas, Texas, April 3, caused a loss of 
$500.000.Fire which started in a paper box 
factory at Front and Laurel Sts., Philadelphia, April 3, 
caused a loss of $150,000.A heavy snowstorm 
prevailed April 5 over the Rocky Mountain region, ex¬ 
tending as far south as Santa Fe, north into central 
Wyoming and west to Salt Lake City. At Denver more 
than eight inches fell. Lander, Wyo., reported nine 
inches.The argument in behalf of the Gov¬ 
ernment in its fight to have the Standard Oil Company 
declared a monopoly in restraint of trade was begun April 
5 in the United States Circuit*Court at St. Louis before 
Judges Walter H. Sanborn, Willis Van Decanter, W. C. 
Hook and E. B. Adams. The present suit was brought 
under the Sherman law and has been under way since 
November, 1900. The defendant entered a motion in the 
St. Louis court to dismiss the suit. This was denied and 
a referee was appointed. Both sides were heard at dif¬ 
ferent times at New York, Cleveland and Chicago. In 
New York nearly all the big Standard Oil men from John 
D. Rockefeller down gave testimony. The record as now 7 
compiled contains, it is said, about 7,000,000 words. 
• . . . Two persons were killed, many others were 
hurt, and considerable property was damaged by a tor¬ 
nado which struck Marion, Ill., and vicinity April 6. The 
deaths were in Pittsburgh, a village nearby, the victims 
being crushed in the collapse of their homes. Property 
loss is $150,000.Nineteen counties in Michi¬ 
gan voted “dry’’ in the elections April 6, forcing out of 
business about 600 saloons and 10 breweries. 
The Supreme Court of Alabama has declared the State 
prohibition law 7 valid, all ,the judges concurring in the 
opinion. The Alabama State-wide prohibition law w 7 ent 
into effect on January 1. At once an attack was made 
upon it in Birmingham, Mobile and Selma, the case from 
the last place being taken to the high court. All the 
judges agree that the law 7 is valid. It is understood now 
that the law officers will begin a campaign for the en¬ 
forcement of the act. Heretofore, they have been very 
lax. because of the doubt about its validity. The opinion 
was rendered by Justice Anderson. .... Gov. Shal- 
lenberger, of Nebraska, signed the daylight, saloon bill 
April 6. The measure forbids the sale of liquor except 
between 7 a. m. and 8 p. m. The bill goes into effect 
July 6. Omaha business men bitterly opposed the measure. 
. . . . The New Jersey Senate April 6 passed the 
Frelinghuysen measure, w r hich makes taxes on corpora¬ 
tions having a capital of $5,000,000 and over $100 for 
every million of capital, instead of $50. The bill is really 
directed at the many large trusts incorporated under the 
New Jersey corporation laws. Senator Fielder said that 
this increase would mean $100,000 additional tax to the 
United States Steel Corporation alone, and legislation of 
this character would tend to drive large corporations from 
the State. This is one of the measures looked upon to 
replenish the lean State Treasury, and the bill passed. 
It is estimated that $500,000 or more additional revenue 
from this source will be realized.Fire started 
by incendiaries April 5 swept over 10,000 acres of land 
reforested by the Biltmore estate near Asheville, N. C., 
and destroyed the choicest, second growth of timber in the 
forest, entailing a loss estimated at about $200,000. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—For some time past the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture at Washington has been conduct¬ 
ing experiments with cornstalks w 7 ith relation to its avail¬ 
ability for use in the manufacture of paper. Now 7 Rep¬ 
resentative Stanley (Kentucky) has introduced a bill 
asking for an appropriation of $30,000 to enable the sec¬ 
retary to conduct "experiments to determine the practic¬ 
ability of making paper material out of cornstalks, and to 
put in operation and improve the processes now in use 
for that purpose.” 
“THE TRUTH ABOUT FLORIDA.” 
Since we printed the article on page 191 under the 
above title, w 7 e have received many letters about Florida— 
some praising the State and others finding fault with it. 
It is impossible to print them all, but at this time w r e 
select two which seem to be honest statements of con¬ 
ditions. It is due our readers to know the truth. Sbme 
of them are seeking a warmer clime. They have little 
capital and must not be misled. Here is a story of 
experience: 
Frozen Out in Florida. 
I read so much about Florida in yours and other farm 
papers, but never the real truth about it. First, don't let 
anybody come here without having plenty of money, about 
10 times as much as one would need in the North to 
start farming with, because it takes three to five times as 
much fertilizer to make a crop, and then there is one 
chance in a dozen to get a profitable crop. We have to 
live, if the crop is good or none at all. Many will ask 
how it is the crops are* so uncertain. First is the weather, 
second the insects, third the market, and there are many 
more reasons. I planted Irish potatoes, beans, peas be¬ 
fore and after Christmas, and many others planted at 
this time. Everything grew finely and looked well. On 
first of February the thermometer' went down to 32, and 
this settled everything, with beans and peas ready to pick 
in a week to 10 days. Some potatoes sprouted out again, 
but not half of it. I planted again the same day, and 
others did too; that means those w 7 ho had the money to 
buy or had seed ready for such replanting. Everything 
came up and grew till the evening of March 4, when 
another heavy frost came and lasted all night. It stood 
at 36 at 4 a. m. March 5, and another crop of beans, peas, 
tomatoes, most of Irish potatoes, egg plants, peppers and 
several other 1 lungs were gone, and w 7 ith it faith and hope 
for myself and others. It is too late now 7 to plant again, 
and too dry. Sbme may say they would fire; I fired them 
two nights, but two feet away every plant had frost on. 
The worst thing of this is, the real estate men say there 
is never a killing frost in St. Petersburg, as the one did 
who made me come here. It is true some few make 
money, but mostly those who have an unlimited supply of 
money to fall back on. I came to Florida three years ago 
with only a limited amount of money and a big family, 
wife and seven children. We lost all we had, and we 
worked every day and lived very close, no drinking, no 
tobacco for me, no sweets for wife and children. We 
w r ould be glad if we could go back again, but have not 
the money to start for ourselves on a farm in the North 
again, and nobody wants a man with a wife and seven 
children, no matter what I can and am willing to do. I 
answered some advertisements from The R. N.-Y. and other 
farm papers; if everything is right, when it comes to 
seven children, there it stops, as nobody wants a man with 
such a big family, and five of the children are earning 
their board, some their clothes, too. It is very discouraging 
for a man, if he has to hear there is no room on the farm 
for such a big family, and the landowners who need farm 
help the most are generally those who don’t want a big 
family on their farm. I am able and willing to do any 
sort of farm work, hand or head ; can handle all sorts of 
farm machines and steam or gasoline engine. 
Hillsboro Co., Fla. albert schlcdecker. 
What Is the Truth? 
It is passing strange how many different tales can be 
told about some things, and all of them be true. Now 
comes A. W. S. to tell “The Truth About Florida,” and I 
don’t question for a moment that he may be telling the 
truth about the part of Florida in which he lives, and 
you add a footnote and say, “It is surely refreshing to 
have a man tell the truth about his section.” I am glad 
you put it section instead of State. You say, “As you 
have seen Florida this is a fair picture.” Once upon a 
time “II. W. C.’’ came to Florida and I judge he was 
caught with “sucker bait” and tried to grow crops where 
there is lots of sand and but little soil, somewhere over 
on the eastern side. He promised to make me a visit, 
and I believe he actually started and got as near as 
Palatka, and lie wrote me that he missed his train con¬ 
nection, and I judge he did, but I also think he had 
but little faith, and thought it would be but a wild goose 
chase; that he would find nothing but sand or little nar¬ 
row low-lying ridges of sand, winding about between little 
lakes. There are lots of this kind of places in the State, 
and he just concluded to go home. Since then I have 
written him and dared him to visit this part of the State. 
I find "II. W. C.” and J. E. Wing a good deal alike. I 
have begged and pleaded with .Toe Wing to make me a 
visit, and I could not understand why Joe Wing looked 
at me with a queer sideways look until I learned that he 
too had lived a few months over on the east side, where 
Ihere were lots of lakes, little ridges of sand, and little 
or no soil. Then I knew that Joe Wing thought 1 was 
giving him “hot air.” I, too, think it is refreshing to 
have a man tell the truth about a place, and “H. W. C.” 
owes it to himself and to the readers of Tiie R. N.-Y. to 
know the things he writes about, and he owes the State 
of Florida a visit that he may be able to tell more of the 
State. I readily grant that he has told the truth—so 
far as he knows—but he has not told the truth about all 
of the State of Florida. This is a largo State. A man 
could go to the Everglade country and travel for days and 
say it was all water. He could go to parts of the State 
west of the Everglades and say all a dead level and not 
a tree to be seen. He can ride all day and not see a tree; 
in other places he could say all swamp; then he could 
come to this section and say a hilly country, a good fertile 
land, good clay subsoil, good natural drainage, good crops 
growing, good oak, hickory, ash, wild cherry and other 
trees of that character, many of them three feet in diam¬ 
eter, and he could name any of these different places 
Florida, and “tell the truth.’ r once had a preacher tell 
me that he would not give six feet square of land in 
Kentucky for all of Florida. I asked him where he had 
been in Florida, and he had been on the eastern side. I 
asked: “Suppose you had come into Kentucky on the 
C. & O. R. R., from the east, and had stopped in Rowan 
county, what would you have said about Kentucky?” He 
answered, “Not worth having.” Florida is like Kentucky 
in that she has Rowan counties and Bourbon and Fayette 
counties, and Florida has Marion and Alachua counties, 
and not all of the land in these counties good, but lots of 
good land in them. I hope “some day” to see both Mr. 
Wing and “H. W. C.” here, and I will show them cribs 
full of good sound corn and lofts full of good hay, all 
home grown; meal in the bin and meat in the smoke¬ 
house, all home grown, with fields of lettuce, not little 
10-foot square patches, but five and 10-acre patches, and 
from 20 to 50 acres in cabbage, and alongside orange 
groves, from 10 to 100 acres in a grove, with lettuce bring¬ 
ing to-day $2 to $3 per hamper and cabbage $1.50 per 
crate. My oranges the past season netted me around $1.70 
per box f. o. b. McIntosh. I would show him some good cattle 
and hogs, but he won't come; I believe he is afraid that 
he would be convinced. I dare him to come here, and 
theu write the plain unvarnished truth about this section. 
I know lie will not knowingly, wilfully, misrepresent ; he 
is not afraid to tell the truth, as his fight for the pedi¬ 
greed cow has shown. Now I want him to see that there¬ 
in some purebred land in Florida, and see that the papers 
fit the land as well as the cow. He made a good fight 
to see justice done the cow, will he do as much for the 
land? If he will only come, I am quite willing to risk his 
judgment. s. H. gaitskill. 
Marion Co., Fla. 
Note.-—I t is true that four years ago I spent a short 
time in Florida and started for Marion County. One train 
was five hours late, another was six hours, and there 
seemed no way of telling when they would come back. As 
I had only a few days at best in the State I gave up be¬ 
fore that awful train service. From others I learn that 
Mr. Gaitskill does just what he claims. When 1 go to 
Florida again I expect to accept his challenge and go to 
Marion County. If there are such spots in the State the 
world should know it. Florida has been cursed harder 
than any State in the Union, while land agents can paint 
rainbow halos over her a foot thick. h. w. c. 
OHIO NOTES.—Recently we have had some much- 
needed showers and as the weather is warm, wheat and 
grass are responding nicely. About all sod land is plowed, 
much being plowed during December, January and Feb¬ 
ruary. In December the complaint was that the soil was 
too dry. The land breaks up nicely now and should be 
easy to prepare for corn, of which there will likely be a 
large acreage. Oats area below the average. Dry feed 
plentiful and grass showing nicely in the pastures. Corn 
sells for 75 cents per bushel aud some is being fed to 
stock even at that price. Beach, apple and plum buds are 
swelling (April 7) and will be in full bloom in 10 or 15 
days if the weather remains warm. Gardens are being 
made and potatoes planted, and altogether the farmers 
here are well up with their Spring work. w. e. d. 
Ilillboro, Ohio. 
Ohio Crops. —The April crop report from the Ohio 
Department of Agriculture indicates the following condi¬ 
tion of crops : 
Per cent. 
Wheat—Conditiou compared with an average. 62 
Crop of 1908 still in producers' hands. 12 
Winter barley—Condition compared with an average.. 6.3 
Rye—Condition compared with an average.. .. 7!) 
Corn—Condition in crib compared with an average.... 98 
“ Remained unlmsked during Winter. 4 
“ Damage to unhusked during Winter. 6 
“ Damage to fodder during Winter. 1.5 
Snow—Weeks of protection to wheat. 2 
Fruit—Buds winter-killed . ir> 
Prospects compared with the average. 8<> 
The present condition of the growing wheat is far from 
encouraging, being estimated from the State as a whole 
at 62 per cent compared with an average. 
The Germans are famous cooks. One reason 
for it is that they use good fats for frying ancl 
baking.. Goose grease and butter are largely used, 
and this has kept the price of butter high. “Oleo” 
is largely used in Germany, but inspection is strict, 
and but little of it, apparently, is sold as butter. It 
does not compare with butter as a cooking fat. 
The demand for a cheaper fat for this purpose has 
led German manufacturers to offer “palmin” and 
“palmona.” The former is a snow white fat, very 
hard and with little water. It is made from cocoa- 
nut oil or fat, and for cooking purposes is highly 
esteemed by the Germans. “Palmola” is made by 
mixing palmin with the yolk of eggs and other 
substances. While table butter in Germany costs 
35 cents, palmola sells at 22 T / 2 , with “oleo” at an 
average of 17^2, while goose grease brings 50. The 
point is that butter is recognized as the best fat 
cooking and eating with bread. It will hold its price 
legitimately when other fats used as substitutes are 
sold on their own merits and not sold as imitation 
butter. The point of all oleo legislation is that 
the manufacturers are striving for the right to 
imitate or counterfeit butter. 
