1909. 
029 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—The anti-race betting law passed by the 
last Texas legislature went into effect June 11 and ar¬ 
rangements were made to discontinue racing there, at 
Houston and at other cities in Texas.The Gov¬ 
ernor of Florida, June 11, signed the bill prohibiting race¬ 
track gambling.The Cunarder Slavonia, which 
«.,iled from New York for Gibraltar, Naples, Trieste and 
Fill me on June 3 with 110 cabin and 300 steerage pas¬ 
sengers, was stranded June 11 on Flores Island, the most 
westerly of the Azores group. The steamer will be a 
total wreck, but all the passengers were taken off in 
safety.A tornado did extensive damage in the 
Texas Panhandle, .Tune 10. At Leuders four persons were 
killed, two others were seriously hurt, thirteen houses 
were wrecked, and scores of cattle killed. The little town 
of Ilawlin, in western Texas, was destroyed, and three 
persons were seriously injured. Merkle, Knox City, and 
other towns suffered severely A Kansas City, Mexico & 
Orient, passenger train was blown from the bridge across 
the Brazos River, between Knox City and Benjamin. Texas, 
one passenger was killed. Several person were injured; 
none fatally .... The special commissioner of the 
Kansas Supreme Court filed June 12 his finding in the 
ouster suit against the International Harvester Company. 
He holds that the company violated the anti-trust laws 
and did not pay its charter fee. This means that the 
company must either change its methods and pay .$(10,000 
or go out of business.The flooring in one of 
the main buildings of the Peninsular Stove Company at 
Detroit, Mich., gave way June 12 carrying with the wreck¬ 
age two men, who were rescued, and possibly others who 
are unaccounted for. The building contained practically 
the whole stock of the Peninsular company to be sold for 
the Winter of 1909-10. The first floor to cave in was the 
sixth. From there a mass of timbers, stoves, crates and 
stove parts crashed through to the basement. A gas pipe 
in the basement which burst started a fire which was 
extinguished in about half an hour. The building was 
built thirty-two years ago by the llavemoyer Sugar Com¬ 
pany and had been occupied by the stove company for 
twenty-seven years.Lionel R. Hare, formerly 
president of the Kongarch Alaska Mining Company, was 
arrested at his home in Ia>s Angeles, Cal., June 11, charged 
with defrauding eight New York business men of $.10,000 
by making false representations regarding Alaska njining 
properties. Hare is a mining broker and formerly lived 
in New York. He was taken to the county jail in default 
of $50,000 bail. The arrest was the result of a civil suit 
begun on Juno 2 and was made upon an order issued by 
Judge Curlis D. Wilbur. The complainants are John D. 
Barrett, Herbert Appleton, William Brookie, Douglas F. 
Cox, William R. Coe. James B. Dickson, William II. Davi- 
dage and John A. Hopkins. They recently assigned their 
interest in the Alaska mining property in question to 
Attorney Frank E. Powers, instructing him to take action 
against Hare. Hare organized the Kongarch Mining Com¬ 
pany in 1907 and sold nearly 300,000 of the 1,000,000 
shares of stock. He is said by the complainants in the 
suit to have made false statements regarding develop¬ 
ment work and extent of mineralization.The 
excursion boat Sheerwater, carrying fifty-five passengers, 
nearly all women and children, on a pleasure trip to Rau- 
cocas Creek, N. .T., went down in midstream in the Dela¬ 
ware River opposite Philadelphia, l’a.. June 12. Hun¬ 
dreds of spectators on the wharves saw her sink. That 
not a life was lost was due to the prompt and splendid 
service of the crew of the police boat Ashbridge aided by 
the tireboat Edwin S. Stuart and her crew. There were 
many thrilling rescues.In a tire in a Cincin¬ 
nati, O., tenement house June 14, police and firemen pre¬ 
vented several persons from leaping from windows. One 
woman, while being assisted, broke away panic-stricken 
and ran back into the fire. She will probably die from 
her bums. This is the thirtieth fire started in cellars in 
the neighborhood by an Incendiary.The Fed¬ 
eral Grand Jury for the May term June 15 banded down 
indictments against F. Augustus Iieinze, head of the 
United Copper Company ; his brother, Arthur P. Iieinze, 
and Sanford Robinson, Heinze's counsel, charging con¬ 
spiracy, and alleging an attempt to obstruct the due art- 
ministration of justice by spiriting away the books of the 
Fnited Copper Company while the company was under 
Federal scrutiny, and also by interfering with United 
Slates marshals in the performance of their duty. 
. . . . More than two thousand relatives, friends 
and sympathizers attended the memorial services held at 
the graves of victims of the Slocum disaster in the Luth¬ 
eran Cemetery, Middle Village, Long Island, June 15. It 
was the fifth anniversary of the tragedy of the burning 
of the steamboat Gen. Slocum while on its way up the 
East River with a Sunday school excursion party of St. 
Mark's Lutheran Church in Seventh street, Manhattan. 
More than a thousand lives were lost, most of them being 
women and children. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—E. II. Iiarriman has sent to 
the Vermont State Fair officials $100 for a prize at the 
fair to be held at White River Junction September 21. 
Mr. Uarriman suggests that the prize be offered to the boy 
or girl under 20 years of age who qualifies as the best 
judge of horses, cattle and sheep. 
According to a decision of the Court of Appeals at 
Albany, June 15, the sale of skimmed milk in New York 
City can be stopped. The court sustained the lower courts 
in overruling a demurrer of a dairy company to an action 
brought by the State to recover a $5,000 penalty for 
selling skimmed milk. The company demurred on the 
ground that the statute under which the action was com¬ 
menced was unconstitutional in that it discriminated be¬ 
tween New York and the other counties, 
PHILIPPINES.—The second company of constabulary 
stationed at Davao, Mindanao, mutinied on the night of 
June 6 and attacked their officers. A native lieutenant 
was wounded. After the attack the mutineers were in- 
active for a while. This delay fortunately permitted 
Gov. Walker to rally the Americans in a church, which 
was hastily fortified. The mutineers attacked the church 
the next afternoon and shots were exchanged for 
three hours. One American planter was killed and 
three others were wounded. The mutineers then, with¬ 
drew to the mountains, apparently frightened by the ap¬ 
proach of loyal constabulary from the garrison at Mati 
and detachments of the Twenty-third Infantry. The 
troops now occupy Davao and are co-operating with the 
constabulary in searching the hills for the mutineers. The 
cause of the mutinv is unknown. It is apparently merely 
a local defection. ‘ Davao is the capital of a district of 
the same name and a pueblo on the bead of the western 
arm of Davao Gulf. The town was founded in 1847 and 
had in 1902 a population of 3.308. Davao Bay is on the 
south shore of Mindanao Island. The province of Davao, 
which takes in the whole southeastern part of Mindanao, 
is only partially organized, It is extremely mountainous, 
its highest peak being 10.312 feet, with many summits 
ranging from 2,000 to 0,000 feet.. The distance of the 
capital where the mutiny took place from Manila is 995 
miles. Except in the vicinity of Davao all tin' towns and 
villages are on the coast. There is some communication 
by river and wagon roads, but for the most part only by 
sea. United States troops, however, have been busy con¬ 
structing new roads for several years. 
THE FRENCH EARTHQUAKE.—An earthquake of con¬ 
siderable violence was felt in Southern France June -11. 
Aix is reported to be in ruins. Other villages within a 
radius of several miles are also said to have been de¬ 
stroyed. Troops have been sent from Marseilles and Tou¬ 
lon to aid In the work of rescue. There is a large Italian 
population in the region, mostly laborers from southern 
Italy and Sicily. These are familiar with earthquake 
horrors, and they fled wildly in all directions without 
stopping to rescue their comrades who were injured or 
buried in the ruins. The general direction of the shock 
was from oast to west. It was followed by a heavy rain¬ 
storm. The last earthquake of any consequence in France 
occurred in 1887, when flic Alpes Maritimes departments 
were shaken. The Prefect of the Department of Pouches 
du Rhone, of which Marseilles is the capital, after visiting 
THE RURAL NEW-YOl-i KER 
the places damaged by the earthquake, places the number 
of those dead in tlie department at IK) and the injured 
at 250. Rognes is little more than a mass of ruins. One- 
third of Lambose was destroyed. The beautiful church 
there that was about to he classed as a historic monu¬ 
ment was three-quarters destroyed and the remainder must 
be demolished. Slight shocks were felt in Spain and 
Portugal. _ 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
This section is having excessive rains, much harm being 
already done to about nil crops, except hay. I trust that 
‘‘Hope Farm” lias had more seasonable weather, w. G- D. 
Cambridge, Md. 
Apples in Orleans Co., N. Y., promise a moderate crop. 
Weather lias been favorable to a good set of fruit, and 
spraying is now in order. Potatoes arc coming up well, 
and an average crop of pea beans will be planted. 
Knowlesville, N. Y. R. M. f. 
The weather has been rainy and cloudy; wheat, oats 
and Timothy much heavier growth than usual. An im¬ 
mense acreage of corn has been planted, as the ground 
was in fine condition this Spring. There will lie no apples, 
as there was no bloom. There will bo a light crop of 
peaches. Elberta and Niagara did not bloom; the buds 
winter-killed. Crosby and Arctic are loaded. A fair crop 
of American plums is in evidence ; European varieties are 
nearly a total failure. Potatoes have grown more to vines 
because of heavy rains. H. h. s- 
Central Illinois. 
We are having an old-fashioned, all-day-and-night rain, 
and thought we had plenty when this started. It seems 
to us as if the earth must be soaked to its very center. 
No crops need fail now on account of drought. But this 
is not a circumstance to May and June, 1892. Apples will 
be scarce bore. Cherries and strawberries are about all 
we can count on. I would think the people would get so 
disgusted with the trust-manipulated tactics on tin? tariff 
in Congress that they would fire the whole gang and adopt 
free trade. I believe farmers would be better off. And 
the express companies and other public servants ( ?) are 
becoming so hold and defiant that a system of Socialism 
will surely have to curb their barefaced extortions. 
Jo Daviess Co., Ill. w. s. 
Since June 1 up to the present date, June 10, it has 
rained once every 24 hours. About the usual acreage of 
corn has been planted; prospects for a good crop fairly 
good, should it stop raining so farmerg could cultivate 
the crop. Damage from web and wireworms quite se¬ 
vere in some fields, making replanting necessary. An un¬ 
usually large acreage of oats bus been sown, which looks 
very good. Much of the wheat and wheat land has been 
sown to oats. Sugar beet prospects are fairly good : cul¬ 
tivating and thinning very much delayed on account of 
rain. Dairying is receiving quite a bit of attention, as 
the farmers are beginning to see the possibilities and 
advantages of feeding up the rough feeds and in turn 
having the manure for the soli. Corn land is selling as 
high as $155 per acre, and renting as high as $9 per 
acre. Wheat is worth $1.55 per bushel: corn, $1.07 per 
100; oats, 55 cents per bushel; eggs, 19 to 20 cents; 
butter, 18 cents. e. v. a. 
I'aulding Co., O. _ 
HAY CAPS IN NEW ENGLAND. 
One of the best investments for our farming in New 
England is a lot of hay caps. They should he two 
breadths wide, making them six feet square, with each 
corner turned up two inches and sown to form a loop 
through which a stout cord is run to the stakes. The 
cord is doubled and passed through a 3-16 inch hole in 
t lie stake, which should he of oak. and 15 inches long, so 
that the stake top is about one foot from the cap. Pieces 
of barrel staves split 1'/j inch wide and sawed the right 
length make strong and durable stakes. Caps of cotton 
cloth are superior to those of wood pulp, which need no 
stakes, hut are so tight that hay sometimes spoils under 
them. When preparing for a rain, the smaller bunches of 
bay are often doubled or trebled, so that 100 caps can he 
made to cover a large, amount of hay, and the same is 
true of grain. Often when a greater amount of hay Is 
down than can be handled in the day, yet well made 
and ready to get in, in just the condition to he damaged 
most by rain, caps can lie put on and left if necessary 
for several days, when it. will come out bright and dry. 
Hay partly made keeps its color if not left too long, and 
is easily shaken out, and the saving in labor also is great 
compared with .handling wet ha.v. In catchy seasons, 
when showers are frequent, caps may pay for themselves 
more than once. In use the caps are left on the hay till 
dry, when the stakes arq pulled from the ground with¬ 
out disturbing the caps, and when a suflielenf number has 
been loosened the collector takes each by the center and 
the stakes fall together as ho tucks the bundle under his 
arm, till he has 10 or 12, when he lays them In a heap 
to he tied. This is about the right number to handle 
easily and carry about over 1 the farm. I often load up 
a rake with bundles of caps so as to make a quick run to 
the Add before a shower. G. s. taine. 
Maine. 
In reply to II. F. 1)., page 578, in regard to liay caps, 
we use grade A sheeting, being three feet wide. We cut 
two yards long, sow two edges together, hem the two raw 
edges, making a square sheet. We make about 12 to each 
boit of cloth. A piece or strip half au inch wide anil 
three inches long can he sewn on any two corners to 
enable you to put a peg through into the earth or thrust 
under the haycock on the weather side to keep It on if 
desired. We use also another, two grades lighter, cut 36 
feet loug, sewn through both edges, and loops sewn on 
both edges three feet apart, one in the middle at each 
end, which we use to cover six by three feet sash, also 
to take the place of sash on cold frames. Having uni¬ 
form frames everything goes smooth, and often gives the 
use of 12 sash for another bed or frame. We use both 
kinds of sheets for various things, to cover from frost, or 
sunburn. After the season’s work they are washed clean, 
dried and folded, and placed ready for future use. Our 
clovers grow very rank, and by building the heaps; not 
rolling up, we lind the six-foot caps just right. Upon our 
orchard grass heaps they work well also; we have to 
cut early, as we take two crops off it, second one often 
the best. We do not oil the sheets. a. w. s. 
Hartford, Conn. _ 
AN INSURANCE EXPERIENCE.—Some time ago you 
printed some matter about insurance companies which I 
thought was a little hard on them, but I am coming 
around to your way of thinking. 1 have always argued 
that they were an excellent thing, as they gave not only 
protection in case of death, hut also, as I supposed, a fair 
rate of interest. Before going into it: I looked up the 
promises of several old-line companies and figured out 
their payments through a series of years, and decided that 
the investment parr was as good as four per cent com¬ 
pound Interest. I got the impression from my figuring 
that the -- -, which has an excellent reputa¬ 
tion. looked the most promising as an investment, so I 
subscribed for. one $1,000 endowment on a five payment 
plan, i. e., I paid $83.03 for five consecutive years, after 
which the insurance company would use this money until 
It earned enough, above the cost of carrying the risk, lo 
equal face of policy, $1,000, whereupon I would receive 
the $1,000. T made my first payment in 1900. my last 
in 1904. Lately I wrote in to find how much my policy 
had earned, and found the magnificent sum of $11.72 
approximately. They write that, my policy is credited 
$42(1.87. At $83.03, my payments, five of them would.be 
$415.15 actual cash paid by me, the first $83.03 having 
been earning interest for them since 1900. At four per 
cent compound interest these payments would figure to 
considerably over $500. about $530.98. Now. if a person 
wants straight insurance simply for protection, some of 
tfio old-line companies are no doubt all right, but as an 
Investment, in any way whatever, count mo out. 
New Jersey. f. m. c. 
It. N.-Y.—The only argument we have heard in favor 
of this sort of Insurance is that if you had not put the 
money with the company you would have spent it anyway! 
THE COST OF MILK. 
On page 584 wo printed some figures by E. S. Lovell 
taken from the Newtown (Conn.) Bee. A number of other 
dairymen in that section are coming in with figures, and 
we are able to give a few of them. 
PROFIT OF 23 CENTS.—J. B. Fairchild makes this 
statement : 
“On May 10 I was milking 16 cows, and taking the 
average of the milk for May 9. 10 and 11, I had, on 
May 10, 310 pounds at $1.25 per hundred pounds, or 
$3.87. The feed for the 16 cows was: 
Cornmeal, 60 lbs., at $32 per ton.96 
Wheat bran, 55 lbs., at $32 per ton.88 
liay, 240 lbs., at $15 per ton. $1.80 
$3.64 
Received for milk . $3.87 
Profit over cost of milk.23 
“Think this over, then think again, and if opportunity 
offers for you to speak, speak twice.” 
THE COST OF GRAIN.—The following is part of a 
statement made by R. C. Mitchell : 
“One of the great drawbacks with many dairies is the 
number of boarders in it. It. is safe to say there are 
hundreds of cows in this State that do not produce auy 
more than enough milk to pay for their feed. No dairy¬ 
man can afford to keep such cows. You want the milk 
scales to find them. I will give the average cost: of grain 
and amount received per cow for the years 1907-1908. In 
addition to the grain the cows were fed silage mornings, 
hay at noon and dry stalks, cut, at night. In 1907 : cost 
of grain, $29.52; received $127.71. in 1908: cost of 
grain, $37.71 ; received $128.35. I will not attempt to 
say what proportion of the cost of help should he charged 
to the dairy, as the help that cares for the dairy grows 
tobacco and potatoes for money crops, and there are some 
days when I take hold pretty well myself. Every dairy¬ 
man should have plenty of oats and peas and sweet corn 
to feed green; it is hotter than grain to feed during the 
late Summer and early Fall. But for four acres of sweet 
corn I would have been put out of business last Fall. 
Try a small piece of Alfalfa. It will grow all right here 
if you get the conditions right. I started one acre last 
August. It looks fine now.” 
A BOOKKEEPER'S OPINION.—Look back to page 584 
and read Mr. Lovell's figures, and then the following from 
T. Lee Roberts, who is a manager for the Borden Com¬ 
pany : 
“First, corn and cob meal can’t he worth more than 
$16 a ton, while the price lie quotes on wheat bran and 
cotton seed ($32) will go one-half cob meal at 80 cents 
per 100 and one-half at $1.60 averages $1.20 for the mix¬ 
ture. Please read, therefore, 358 pounds at $1.20, $4.30 
for grain. Second, feeding hay; Roughage, as fed to 
milch cows, is not worth $15 in the bay; $12-$15 is this 
week’s quotation for New York—pure clover at that. 
However, call his hay $12 in the barn, and 465 pounds 
at 60 cents costs $2.79 a day. Third, his labor is too 
high; three men ought to feed aud milk 31 cows in one 
and one-fourth hours, i. e., four hours’ work. Again at 
night four hours more. Due mau ought to feed 31 cows 
in the noon hour, another hour; and one man and yoke 
of oxen could clean out stables and spread manure in 
another hour. One and a half hour delivering milk makes 
a total of 11% hours at 15 cents, or $1.73 per day. This 
Is to say, a right handy farm hand, to whom one would 
pay $1.75 a day the year around to do all these chores, 
could get around to do them on time in a day of 12 hours. 
“Summarized, Mr. Lovell's expense should read as re¬ 
vised : 
Grain . $4.30 
Hay . 2.79 
Labor . 1.73 
Total . $8.82 
“His receipts are all right except that there is no ac¬ 
count for manure. Add 3,000 pounds of fertilizer at $1 
per ton, or $1.50 per diem, to $10.01 for milk, and liis 
receipts from cows are $11.51, or a profit of $2.69 on 
dairy account. Very different from a deficit of $1.98, 
which at that rate must put Mr. Lovell iuto the hole to 
the tune of $722.70 a year.” 
A DAIRYMAN’S OPINION.—Mr. Chas. A. Bearinger 
discusses the various articles. From his letter we can 
take hut a few extracts ; 
"It seems to me that the figures Mr. Lovell gives are 
conservative and accurate, and no clear-thinking, practical 
man who has had to wrestle with the conditions during 
the past eight months will take exception to any of his 
statements. The only reasons I can see that will keep 
Mr. Lovell or any of us from going “in the hole” is the 
fact that there are a few mouths when we can make 
milk without the use of grain, and also grow as much as 
we can of what we must use. 
“in Mr. Roberts’ article is clearly visible the hand of 
the accountant, but it lacks force because it is not prac¬ 
tical. To the man who must pay out a dollar for milk 
tickets regularly it will probably look all right. But 
where is the man who will do what he has laid out for a 
day’s work? The nature of dairy work is such that we 
must have plenty of help at milking time, but bow must 
we employ the men during the intervening hours so that 
their labor will return us a profit ? True, there are cer¬ 
tain instances where outside work is obtainable so that 
the men can be employed to advantage, but this is the 
exception rather than the rule. 
“In both Mr. Lovell’s and Mr. Roberts’ statements no 
account is taken of the value of the teams used in han¬ 
dling milk and manure. These teams must be maintained. 
The bouts at which they must necessarily he used for 
both these operations render it impossible to devote much 
time to other work, and a charge should he made ac¬ 
cordingly. If it was as easy for us to get the grain 
mixture which Mr. Roberts mentions at: the price lie 
quotes as it is for him to quote it. we would have a little 
more to show for our past year’s work. I shall always 
be glad to think of Mr. Roberts as an expert accountant, 
but judging from these two articles I must look to Mr. 
Lovell for practical advice in running a dairy. Most of 
us have not the ability to tabulate and arrange figures 
so that they wiU make a good showing, but we do know 
that after a year of faithful work and no extravagances 
we have nothing left hut the manure, with which to raise 
more crops, to feed more stock, to make more manure-.” 
LONG ISLAND LAND.—A table of the cultivated and 
uncultivated lands of Long Island, prepared by Ralph 
Peters, president of the Long Island railroad, is full of 
significance. In Queens County only 10,000 acres out of 
a total of 82,580 arc cultivated as farms. In Nassau 
County 20,000 out of a total of 161,280 acres are cul¬ 
tivated, and in Suffolk County 200JJ0O out of a total of 
587,520 acres are cultivated. Out of a total of good 
farm lands of 831,380 acres, only 230,000 acres are being 
utilized as farms under cultivation. This is within an 
average say of 50 miles from the best markets for farm 
produce in the world. No wonder vegetables aud farm 
produce generally is scarce and high in price. In this 
particular case the reason is not far to find. If is due 
chiefly to the excessive rates charged h.v the Long Island 
Express and Railroad Company for marketing the produce 
and supplying the required fertilizer. In many cases, for 
example green corn, cabbage or any similar crop often 
costs nearly or quite as much for expressage—the only 
way to get it to market in good condition—as it is worth 
after it gets there. These condition, however, are rather 
encouraging for farmers farther away from New York, for 
if such a large proportion of farm lands on Long Island 
are being permitted to grow up in weeds and underbrush, 
under the name of city lots it must add to the value of 
farm lands and increase the farmers' profits elsewhere. 
J. H. G. 
It N.-Y.—These figures also show that on Long Island 
60,000 acres are “under lot development.” This may in¬ 
terest some of our people who insist upon investing money 
in new towns! There were 73,000 acres given up to 
private estates, and 35,000 acres for private clubs, golf 
grounds, etc. 
•> 
