1909. 
THE RURAi NEW-YORKER 
687 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Mrs. J. W. Timmons, daughter of former 
Vice-President Fairbanks, will probably have to pay a fine 
of $200 to the United States Government for violation of 
the coastwise navigation laws. She went to Honolulu 
with her servants on the Japan steamship Cheyo Maru on 
a through ticket to Japan. The party stopped over at 
Honolulu and just before sailing for Japan Mrs. Timmons 
decided to return home. Thus she became no longer a 
layover passenger, but made Honolulu the terminus of her 
outward journey, and having come in a foreign ship the 
steamship was liable to a fine of $200 for landing her. 
. . . Storms in the South, May 20, cost seven lives 
and much damage to property. In Alabama, on the Mo¬ 
bile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad, washouts forced 
the company to annul all trains between Newton and 
Meridian. Vicksburg reported a boat capsized on the Yazoo 
River with seven passengers, six of whom were drowned. 
Forest fires threatened Negaunee, Mich., May 26. Dalton, 
a small town south of Marquette, was entirely destroyed. 
Everything was as dry as tinder. Similar conditions 
prevail all over the northern peninsula. . . . An 
earthquake, the first in several years, was felt in Chicago 
May 26. It embraced many States in its range. The 
shock was felt at Springfield. Peoria, Freeport, Aurora, 
Bloomington, Kewanee, Geneva, Streator, Dixon, Rock¬ 
ford, Moline, Ill.; Milwaukee, Janesville, Beloit, Wis.; 
Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Burlington, la.; Kalamazoo, Mus¬ 
kegon, Mich., and many other places. Broken china and 
windows were reported from South Haven and Benton 
Harbor, Mich. Fires were believed to have been started 
by the disturbance in Aurora, but no losses were sus¬ 
tained. Chimneys were displaced in Joliet, where some 
of the most serious effects were felt. Two separate shocks 
were felt and reports locally indicated that the path of 
the quake followed the line of the Desplaines River Val¬ 
ley. The quake was felt in all the northern Indiana 
towns and lasted for about thirty seconds. In several of 
them the people were badly frightened and gathered on 
the streets expecting other shocks. There was no damage 
to property. Reports of the vibrations were received 
from every city in southern Wisconsin, including Janes¬ 
ville. At Beloit, Wis., the college buildings trembled. At 
Racine, Wis., the city hall building was shaken and an 
electric fixture on the wall fell from its place. . . . 
Indictments against Gov. Charles N. Haskell, F. B. 
Severs, W. R. Baton, A. Z. English, W. T. Hutchings and 
C. B. Turner, prominent Muskogee business men, on the 
charge of conspiracy to defraud the Government in the 
scheduling of town lots in Muskogee eight years ago, 
were returned by the Third Special Federal Jury at Tulsa, 
Okla., May 27. Jesse Hill, the only other man under in¬ 
vestigation and who was indicted at Muskogee in January, 
was not indicted. Bond was fixed at $5000 each. 
A part of the chocolate plant of Stollwerck Bros,, at 
Stamford, Conn., was burned May 27. The loss is about 
$150,000. . . . The strike of white firemen against 
the employment of negroes which tied up the Georgia 
Railroad for one week was settled May 29, and train serv¬ 
ice is being resumed as rapidly as possible. It is declared 
that the railroad restores to duty the white firemen who 
were discharged to make room for negroes and agrees to 
recognize the seniority of white firemen over negroes. 
The other question at issue will be submitted to arbitra¬ 
tion under the Erdman act of Congress. It is believed 
that the white firemen have won nearly a complete victory 
and that the result will be the elimination of negro fire¬ 
men on the Georgia road. . . . Martin B. (Skinny) 
Madden, labor “czar” of Chicago, and president of the 
Associated Building Trades Union; Fred A. l’ouchot, the 
business agent of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Union, and 
M. J. Doyle, assistant business agent of the Electrical 
Workers’ Union, were found guilty May 29 by a jury in 
Judge McSurely’s court, Chicago. The three were charged 
with conspiracy and extortion in the calling and settling 
of strikes in Chicago. Each was fined $500. No prison 
sentence is provided. . . . What is believed to be the 
wreck of the ill-fated British sloop Condor, which was lost 
in December, 1901, has been sighted off Long Beach, 
fourteen miles south of Clayoquot, on the west coast of 
Vancouver Island. The wreck looks like the hull of a 
submerged vessel and is visible from the shore at low 
tide. A heavy spar, a jib boom, stamped with the name 
Condor, and several rocket cases with similar marks have 
previously washed ashore in this vicinity. The Condor 
left Esquimault for Honolulu December 3, 1901, with 140 
men. Nothing has been heard from the vessel since, but 
some . little wreckage has floated ashore. . . . The 
whole face of the country for twenty-five miles around 
Sinton, Texas, was covered with water to a depth of from 
ten inches to five feet as a result of a series of cloud¬ 
bursts, May 28. The 160,000 acre ranch of Charles P. 
Taft, of Cincinnati, which adjoins Sinton, was covered with 
water. Enormous damage lias been done to growing crops 
and other property. The San Antonio and Aransas Pass 
Railroad track is under water for many miles. It was 
the heaviest rainfall recorded in this part of Texas. 
. . . A general street car strike in Philadelphia, May 
31 and June 1 caused much interference with traffic and 
general disorder. Men employed in construction work on 
big buildings attacked police with bolts and other missiles 
thrown from above, and many persons suffered painful 
injuries. ... A car strike was in progress June 1 
at Evansville, lnd., but the city officials were suppressing 
disorder, and announce that no mass meetings or parades 
will be permitted during the progress of the strike. 
. . . The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was opened 
at Seattle, Wash., June 1. President Taft touched a tele¬ 
graph key in the White House which sent across the con¬ 
tinent the spark which set in motion all the machinery 
at the Exposition. 
OBITUARY.—Charles Linnaeus Allen died at his home 
in Floral Park, I.. I., May 21, in the eighty-first year of 
his age. Mr. Allen was widely known, both in this 
country and in Europe, as an authority on horticulture 
and the natural sciences. He was born at Union Springs, 
X. Y., his father being the inventor of the first portable 
thrasher. After a start in other lines, Mr. Allen became 
a bulb grower of note, later specializing in such seeds 
as cabbage, kale, turnips, lettuce and spinach, many 
farmers on the eastern end of Long Island growing for 
him under contract. Mr. Allen was a vigorous writer 
in horticultural lines, and a valued contributor to many 
periodicals during the past half century, including The 
R. X.-Y. He was the author of an authoritative volume 
on “Bulbs and Tuberous Rooted Plants.” and a very 
interesting speaker and lecturer. In private life Mr. 
Allen was known as a collector of rare horticultural 
books, his library being rich in such volumes. He was a 
man of wide interests and unique personality, retaining 
his vigor of mind to the last. He was a fine illustration 
of the fact that mental activity and interest in outside 
things are the secrets of a mind forever young, even when 
bodily vigor is failing. Mr. Allen is survived by two 
sons, his wife having pre-deceased him. 
DEATH OF DR. HEXAMER. 
Dr. F. M. Ilexamer died May 29 in his 77th year. lie 
was born at Heidelberg, Germany. When about 16 years 
old he was in Siegel's army, from which he was mustered 
out as the youngest soldier. Owing to this connection 
lie was exiled from Germany and went to Zurich, Switz¬ 
erland, where he studied medicine under the elder Froebel. 
While there he made a very large collection of Alpine 
plants in the Tyrol and Swiss Alps. This he brought to 
America and the remnants are now in the New York 
Botanical Garden at Bronx I’ark. He practiced medicine 
in New York City for a few years and married the daugh¬ 
ter of the then leading physician. Dr. Reising, with whom 
he afterward formed a partnership at Chappaqua in the 
nursery business, giving up medicine to go into this work. 
He was associated in a very friendly way with Horace 
Greeley, whose daughter used to get notes from Dr. 
Hexamer for the New York Tribune. At her suggestion 
he wrote on horticultural subjects. In, 1880 he became 
editor of American Gardening, and in 1885 editor of the 
American Agriculturist, with which company he was as¬ 
sociated until about three years ago. when he retired 
on account of failing health. For many years he was 
president of the Farmers’ Club of the American Institute. 
In this body he was a leading spirit, though by no means 
conspicuous, his work being largely done in committee 
consultations. He was a member of the New York Hor¬ 
ticultural Society and for many years one of the com¬ 
mittee on new fruits in the American Pomological Society. 
He was the first man to raise strawberries commejpially 
for the New York market, the berries being sold at 50 
cents per quart. He supplied Peter Henderson, B. K. 
Bliss and other seedsmen with plants grown in his nur¬ 
sery at Chappaqua. At the Centennial in 1876 he had a 
coliection of 550 varieties of American potatoes. He 
was the propagator of the Early Rose potato when first 
put on the market, and many other varieties of plants 
were introduced from his nursery. ITe belonged to that 
coterie of men whose influence in American horticulture 
cannot be overestimated. Among them were B. Iv. Bliss, 
Thomas Hogg, A. S. Fuller, P. .T. Berekmans, Peter Hen¬ 
derson and Dr. George Thurber. Dr. Ilexamer s wife 
died four years ago. 
NEW YORK FRUIT PRIZES. 
For the first time in the history of the New York State 
Fair the prizes for fruit are issued in separate form. 
Copies mav be obtained from Wm. Pitkin, Rochester, or 
C. S. Wilson. Ithaca. Several new prizes are offered tor 
the first time. They include: Local society and Grange 
collection; collection of box fruit: collection of fruit 
packages; collection of nursery stock; collection ot truit 
products; bovs’ and girls’ club collection; boys’ and girls 
collection. Many of the old prizes have been changed. 
These changes have been made in the interests of the 
fruit growers and nurseryman, and we believe they offer 
much greater inducements. The prizes for single plates 
have been greatly increased—in some cases to $2.) for the 
first prize. The nuts have been placed in a collection 
and an attractive prize offered for the largest and best 
collection. The entry fee has been changed to encourage 
individual exhibitors. Heretofore the fee was live per 
cent of the first prizes competed for and at least $2 must 
be paid. The fee is now five per cent of the first prizes 
competed for, no matter how small that fee may he. Any 
grower can enter a single plate without paying an exces¬ 
sive fee. _ 
CHEAP FARMS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 
Having read so much about “abandoned farms in New 
•England,” I investigated a little as to their value and 
quality of soil, and came to the conclusion that farms 
here in Pennsylvania are much cheaper than the “aban¬ 
doned farms of New England.” Here we have good soil, 
a better climate, very good neighbors, schools, churches, 
rural free delivery mail service, rural telephone, good 
markets, etc. I think I cannot better illustrate my sub¬ 
ject than by giving a description of the farm I bought 
two years ago. It contains 102 acres; six acres is wood-, 
land, from which I sold $50 worth of telephone poles 
and about as much rails and posts. A four-acre field ad¬ 
joins this wood lot, in which I sowed Alfalfa and fenced 
the 10 acres in for hogs. I keep them in all Summer, 
from May to October. I also grafted the chestnut 
sprouts to Paragon chestnuts. The other 92 acres are 
all cleared, but about 20 acres are not so nice for tilling, 
as about 14 acres are quite low, and the yther was al¬ 
ways tilled, bul is a little barren and rugged, so I fenced 
all (20 acres) in for pasture. Now I have only 60 acres 
for tilling, and this is all very good and fertile soil. I 
shall plant 25 acres to potatoes this season, and I have 
a very good clover sod at that, too. If the weather is 
favorable I am confident that I can raise about enough 
potatoes and wheat the coming season to pay for the en¬ 
tire farm. I have 18 acres in wheat, and the prospects 
at present are very encouraging. I have started in all 
now about eight acres in Alfalfa and intend to start more, 
as the soil is quite well adapted to this crop. Last Sum¬ 
mer I had a large crop of clover hay of extra quality. 
This farm is not isolated, and is passed by, two public 
roads. It is a little over a quarter-mile to church, school- 
house, blacksmith shop and two neighbors within nearer 
distance. Rural free delivery mail and rural telephone 
pass here. The land slopes mostly north, and is not 
what we call a level farm, but is not very hilly, and is 
not so hilly as to wash badly, and it nearly all somewhat 
slopes toward the buildings. It is very convenient in this 
respect. Some is sandy loam and some gravelly loam. I 
raise potatoes, wheat and clover. The barn is a large 
bank barn, 78 feet long, 39 feet wide, as good as new, 
very strongly made; has a new tin roof and faces the 
south. It is located on a good place of blue gravel which 
makes a fine barnyard. The best of pure spring water 
comes through wooden pipes to the water trough in front 
of the barn. This is worth a few hundred dollars. It 
can also be easily run to the house. Such a barn could 
rfot be put up for less than the cost of the farm ($2400). 
The house is remodeled inside, two stories high, 6 rooms, 
good painting, good roof, good well with pump at house; 
good Summer house aside of it. This was, of course, an 
exceptional bargain, but by no means the only such bar¬ 
gains. My friend, M. Eisenhower, about three miles west 
from here, bought last year for $1200, some 80 acres, 
about 60 of which is good tillable land. He sold telephone 
poles for $100, and can sell $100 worth of other lumber 
and, besides, have good woodland left. ITe has a good 
bank barn about 60 feet long, about 35 wide and painted 
red. It is an eight-room, two-story house, but poor roof 
and, in general, a little dilapidated, but is still inhabited. 
This farm lies close to good market town (Pine Grove), 
and railroad station about four miles distant. He has 
rural telephone, rural free delivery mail and public road 
passes building. Of course, there are farms all around us 
that could not be purchased for four times these prices, 
and positively no lx'tter farms. The reason I could buy 
my farm so cheap was because the owner could not work 
well any more, and his son got the “West” fever. He went 
west and then the old folks got very lonesome and sold. 
The other mentioned farm was owned by a man who 
had two farms and had poor tenants on his farm, as his 
son, too went to the city. Another farm of very good 
soil almost level, no stones, one mile from town, on much 
used highway, some 70 acres, was sold at public sale for 
$1100. Everybody was astonished at the price. All of 
these farms are good for 200 bushels potatoes to the acre 
when properly tilled without commercial fertilizer and 
other crops in proportion. It seems to me that farms will 
soon rise in price here. c. R. bash orb. 
THE COST OF MILK. 
On page 584 Mr. E. I,. Lovell gave an estimate on the 
cost of milk compared with the price. In order to get 
a clearer understanding of it we asked several questions. 
Was the hay grown on the farm, and how do you es¬ 
timate its value? 
“Hay was all raised on the farm and was early cut of 
extra quality, especially good for milk. A neighbor runs 
a strictly hay farm and sells all his hay in barn at $15 
per ton loose. I sell some fancy Timothy, delivered, $18 
to $20.” 
What about the corn? 
“Corn was all raised on farm, costs $3 per ton for 
grinding, and I figure it worth $2 to bag, haul to and 
from mil). I think it could not be bought for less than 
$27 wholesale.” 
Are such crops as Alfalfa, cow peas or Soy beans 
grown ? 
“No Alfalfa grown here; I think most land is too wet 
and heavy. One or two who have dry land are experi¬ 
menting with small pieces of Alfalfa. No peas, beans or 
oats and peas are grown that I know of. I think price 
of milk in Summer is too low to pay for labor spent on 
these crops.” 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
There is not a very heavy blossom of Baldwins here 
this year except in about half a dozen orchards. The 
Russet bloom is very heavy and full. Gravenstein, Hub- 
bardston and some of the early varieties are looking well. 
Groton, Mass. f. e- q. 
I make the following estimate for this vicinity on the 
basis of a normal crop of fruit; Apples, 40 per cent of 
a normal crop; peaches, 100 per cent; plums. 70 per cent; 
pears, 75 per cent. Spring crops are backward. Oats 
and barley just nicely out of the ground (May 27) ; corn 
being planted. m. l. s. 
Penn Yan. X. 1’. 
Outlook for fruit is that apples and peaches will be 
a good half crop. Wheat is heading finely, best stand 
of wheat in 10 years; chances are for a bumper crop in 
our district. Hay very poor stand and fields full of 
filth ; do not expect more than half crop. Corn all planted 
and coming on nicely; farmers all working corn the first 
time. nay is $14 a ton; corn, $1.25 barrel of three 
bushels of ears; wheat, $1.55 bushel; butter, 20 cents a 
pound: eggs, 20 cents a dozen; potatoes, $1.25 bushel; 
chickens, 13 cents a pound; horses from $75 to $225; 
milch cows. $30 to $60. s. w. M. 
Smithsburg, Md. 
The present outlook for the fruit crop in this section 
is approximately as follows; The early apples will be 
above the average crop. Winter apples nearly an entire 
failure. Peaches, 50 per cent of a crop. The failure is 
caused by late frosts, but the size will be increased on 
account of thinning. Pears about one-fourth of a crop. 
Blackberries and raspberries full crop. Cherries an aver¬ 
age except the early Richmonds. Currants, gooseberries 
and grapes will be a full crop. The first planting of 
corn is coming up unevenly on account of the heavy 
rains packing the soil. Most farmers done planting (May 
25) ; larger acreage of corn being planted than usual. 
The hay crop will be short, acreage having been decreased 
by plowing up and dry weather during the month of 
Marcli. w. G. b, 
Rochester, Ill. 
Orchards are blooming very heavily, but there are no 
apples raised for market here. There are small orchards 
on most of the farms: most of them are seedling trees. 
Some are very good apples, but most of them are poor. 
We are having a very cold late Spring: some sowing has 
been done this week (May 27) on high ground. Grass 
is poor; it is killed out in lots of places. Many believe 
it is caused by the white grubs; they are very thick. 
The roots of the grass seem to be cut off. Last year’s 
seeding is very thin. We are dairy farmers down here; 
no particular breed of cattle* is kept. Most of them are 
native cows, and some Ayrshire and Holsteins. We send 
our milk to a creamery; it is run on the patron plan. 
We pay 2y 2 cents per pound for making for Summer and 
three cents in Winter. Our butter is shipped to New 
1 ork every week. We are paid on the 20th of each 
month. Milk is tested by the Babcock test and paid for 
by per cent of fat. D j c . 
Brasher Falls, N. Y. 
A SEED EXPERIENCE.—This Spring I wrote for 
prices and a sample of Alsike) clover seed, which, when 
’ ". ils scnt away to be tested. The report names 
10,600 various weed seeds in a pound, besides grass seed 
other than Alsike. The germination of the Alsike was 
about 80 per cent, so that by paying prevailing prices the 
good seed would be very costly, besides obtaining a large 
amount of noxious weeds in purchasing such stuff. When 
mentioned to the dealer it was claimed to be good, clean 
seed, but after a little conversation a confession was made 
that in order to meet competition and the views of pur¬ 
chasers for cheap seed they had to protect themselves 
by buying and selling cheap. w. H. stout. 
PENNSYLVANIA FARMERS MEET.—The largest and 
most enthusiastic four days’ meeting of the farming inter¬ 
ests <*' our entire State closed May 29, at York. The best 
talent of the country was represented on the programme, 
and truly representative delegates of the farming interests 
were present from nearly every county in the Stale. Ag- • 
ricuRural and horticultural interests were carefully con¬ 
sidered. but the home, the school, and the State were con¬ 
spicuously considered. The editor of The It. X.-Y. made 
an eloquent plea for nobler manhood and womanhood, and 
a resolution was unanimously and enthusiastically adopted 
endorsing the present director of institutes, A. L. Martin, 
a Lawrence County, Pa., farmer, for the next Governor of 
Pennsylvania. At last the farmers are waking up, and 
will you advise the politicians to put their ears close to 
the ground and listen? j,. 
CORN PREMIUMS.—The Connecticut State Fair this 
year promises to rank with the great exhibitions. It will 
be held at Berlin, September 14-17. There will be many 
special features—novelties in their way. Connecticut 
farmers have taken the advice to "plant corn" very seri¬ 
ously. and many premiums will be offered, like the fol¬ 
lowing : 
1st. 2nd. 
Best 6 stalks dent corn, regardless of variety.. $1.00 $0.50 
Best 6 stalks Hint corn, regardless of variety.. 1.00 .50 
Best peck dent corn, limited to 6 varieties... 1.00 .50 
Best peck flint corn, limited to 6 varieties... 1.00 .50 
Best trace, not less than 12 ears, sweet corn, 
limited to 6 varieties . 1.00 .50 
Best trace, not less than 12 ears, pop corn, 
limited to 6 varieties . 1.00 .50 
In addition to this the president of the State Agri¬ 
cultural Society has decided to offer what is known as the 
President's Prize, for corn to be shown on the ear. raised 
in the State of Connecticut. The following is the list: 
Best bushel of dent corn 
Best bushel of Hint corn 
1st 2nd 3rd 
Prize. Prize. Prize. 
$10.00 $7.50 $2.50 
10.00 7.50 2.50 
The corn must be grown in Connecticut, and must be 
shown on the ear. 
The sale of imported Jersey cattle, the property of 
T. S. Cooper & Sons, Coopersburg, Pa., May 31. was a 
very important one, and high prices were realized. The 
famous live-year-old bull Viola’s Golden .Tolly was sold 
to Kinloch Farm, Kirkville, Mo., for $12,000: Raleigh’s 
Fairy Boy went to C. I. Hudson. East Norwich, N. Y., 
for $8,200. The highest price paid for an individual cow 
was $2,525 for Oxford's Fontaine 224580, purchased 
by Dr. II. D. Rodman. Shelhyville. Ky., who also pur¬ 
chased Oxford Ixia of St. Saviour 213009 for $2,225, and 
a number of other coveted animals. The total number 
of animals sold was 122; total amount realized $78,895, 
the average price being $647. 
