1!K>9. 
em 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Seventeen miners were kill'd and 16 
others terribly burned in an explosion June 23 at YVehrum, 
Pa., in mine No. 4 of the Lackawanna Coal and Coke Co. 
Mine No. 4, where the explosion occurred, is the most 
modern plant in Indiana County. The slope and a shaft 
pierce a virgin coal field of 10,000 acres, which had been 
untouched by a pick until about 1902, when the Lacka¬ 
wanna Coal and Coke Company bought the property. The 
entire product of the mine is shipped to Buffalo, to the 
Lackawanna Steel Company, where it is coked. . . . 
To prevent kidnaping in the schools of Nutley, N. J., the 
Board of Education has adopted a resolution prohibiting 
a visitor from taking any child in a grade below the sev¬ 
enth from any of the school buildings during class hours. 
. . . Frank II. Roland, a chauffeur of 168 West Forty- 
sixth street. New York, who recently took his employer's 
car for an extended joy ride and was charged with steal¬ 
ing the car, pleaded guilty June 24 in General Sessions 
before Judge Swann and was sentenced to not more than 
three nor less than two years in Sing Sing. Roland worked 
for Charles B. Church, of 205 West Fifty-seventh street, 
lie borrowed Mr. Church's car on April 29 last without 
asking permission and, taking on board a party of friends, 
started on a 10 days’ trip. He was arrested in Wash¬ 
ington, D. C. . . . Fire June 24 destroyed the big 
Fort William Henry Hotel, at the head of Lake George, 
i ntailing a loss of 8500.000. The property is owned by 
i lie Delaware and Hudson Company, and will doubtless 
• e rebuilt. Manager J. F. Wilson. Mrs. Wilson and 150 
servants were in the building making ready for the open¬ 
ing, and it was with difficulty that they escaped in their 
night-clothing. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson lost over $1,000 
worth of personal effects. . . . Arthur P. Heinze, 
brother of F. Augustus Heinze, the> copper man. and a 
member of the brokerage firm of Otto Heinze & Co., was 
found guilty by a jury in the United States Circuit Court, 
June 26, of impeding corruptly the administration of jus¬ 
tice by inducing Tracy S. Buckingham, the transfer clerk 
of the United Copper Company, to go to Canada and thus 
escape service of a Federal Grand Jury subpoena. 
Fire which started in the storage plant of the Atlas Oil 
Company, a Cleveland concern, at Omaha, Neb., .Tune 25, 
destroyed the oil company’s plant and the warehouse of 
the Orchard & Wilhelm Furniture Company, causing a loss 
estimated at from $125,000 to $150,000. . . . One of 
the most destructive fires that has visited Trenton, N. ,T.. 
in years swept away the plant of the Trenton Rubber 
Company. June 26. The loss will reach $125,000, and 
200 men are thrown out of employment. . . . Mayor 
Busse, of Chicago, has demanded vigorous action on the 
part of the police and all other city departments toward 
solving the bomb explosion in the down-town district, 
June 27. The explosion in the center of the block bounded 
by Dearborn, Clark, Madison and Washington streets, 
which shook the loop district at midnight, has aroused 
the greatest concern and indignation among business men. 
Itj resulted in probably fatal injuries to one man, more 
or less serious injuries to a score of other persons, put 
1.800 telephones out of commission and caused damage 
exceeding $100,000 to surrounding property. Police officials 
are of the opinion that labor troubles of the Chicago Tele¬ 
phone Company are responsible for the outrage. The State 
authorities threaten to take the matter out of the hands 
uf the Chicago police, as this is the thirty-first case of 
bomb-throwing for which they find no adequate explana¬ 
tion, nor have they succeeded in convicting the perpe¬ 
trators. . . . During a violent thunder-storm, June 28. 
lightning struck a feed-wire of the Edison Company’s line 
in Crescent street, near Glen street, East New York, 
burned the insulation from a wire running down a pole 
and short-circuited the electric current. John Keenan 
took a tin pail of water and went out to quench the 
blaze, which the current had started near the foot of 
t he pole. Keenan's clothing was wet and the ground on 
which he stood was soaked with rain. As he dashed the 
water on the sputtering wire a circuit was completed with 
the flying water, the metal pail and its 1 ale, the person 
of Keenan and the ground, and the illuminating current 
of 2.700 volts passed through his body, no was Instantly 
killed. . . . The Interstate Commerce Commission 
handed down, June 29, a decision in the case of the five 
Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who 
charged that the Southern railroads in general discrimi¬ 
nated against negro passengers. The complaint of the 
negro Bishops was submitted first to President Roosevelt 
last Summer and he referred it to the Interstate Com¬ 
merce Commission, informally suggesting to members of 
the commission that a comprehensive investigation be made 
of t He manner in which negroes were treated by the 
Southern carriers. The commission made an exhaustive 
investigation and gave extended hearings. It developed 
t lie fact that it is not the policy of Southern carriers or 
tin* Pullman company to discriminate against negro pas¬ 
sengers, and in its opinion handed down to-day it was 
held “that discrimination or prejudice has not been 
shown,” and ordered the dismissal of the complaint. 
POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS.—Senator Carter, of Mon¬ 
tana, introduced a bill in the Senate, June 26, establish¬ 
ing a postal savings bank system. A board of trustees is 
provided for, consisting of the Secretary of the Treasurer, 
the Postmaster-General, and the Attorney-General, who 
shall have charge of the postal bank system and who 
shall make annual reports to Congress. Any person more 
than 20 years old may make deposits and married women 
are allowed to open accounts free from any control or in¬ 
terference by their husbands. An initial deposit of $1 is 
necessary to open an account, tut no person will be al¬ 
lowed to deposit more than $100 in one month. No per¬ 
son can have more than one account. For the accommo¬ 
dation of persons who desire to deposit amounts of money 
less than one dollar, postal savings stamps of 10 cents 
and multiples thereof may be bought and affixed on a 
postal savings card. When this card is full the amount 
represented by the stamps it contains is entered upon a 
bank book. Interest is allowed at the rate of two per 
cent a year. The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Post Offices and Post Roads. 
OLEO LEGISLATION.—■Secretary MacVeagh considers 
that the present oleo law is ineffective, and permits fraud 
and deception, lb* suggests the following changes: The 
restriction of the sale of oleomargarine to consumers, sizes 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
of packages, say one, two and three pounds; the plain 
marking of the package and inside wrappings as oleo¬ 
margarine, the stamping of each package with a revenue 
stamp in such manner that the package could not be 
opened without destruction of the stamp, the stamping 
of the package to make it distinctive, and such other de¬ 
vices as would make it as nearly as possible impracticable 
to sell oleomargarine as butter. These devices would be 
aided by improved administrative aids for the detection 
of any infraction of the law. A tax of two cents a pound 
on loth oleo and renovated butter is suggested. All oleo¬ 
margarine now pays one-quarter of a cent a pound, being 
rated as uncolored, only one-tenth paying the tax of 10 
cents, as colored, although a great bulk of the former is 
fraudulently colored and is sold as butter. Consequently 
the proposed tax of two cents a pound on oleomargarine 
and renovated butter would increase the revenues nearly 
82.000,000 a year. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The New Jersey State Horti¬ 
cultural Society expects to hold its Summer field meeting 
at the home of Wm. II. Reid, at Tennent, near Freehold, 
Monmouth County, Wednesday, July 21. Winter meeting, 
December 21 and 22, at Trenton. 
A meeting of the directors of the Dairymen’s League 
was held in Middletown, N. Y., June 26. They report 
8.000 cows have been added since their last meeting, with 
several counties just starting to join the organization. 
THE REMEDY FOR MILK PRICES. 
I have been much interested in the articles which have 
appeared in The It. N.-Y. concerning the cost of producing 
milk. The correspondents generally agree that milk can¬ 
not be produced at the present prices of grain and labor, 
and sold at the average price of milk for the last year, 
with profit to the producer, and he must be a good man¬ 
ager, and give careful attention to his business or he 
will be a loser. My own experience as a milk producer 
has proved to my satisfaction that I cannot afford to pro¬ 
duce milk unless conditions change. 1 have noted various 
remedies suggested for the bettering of conditions. While 
l laming the Bordens and tin* N. Y. Milk Exchange for the 
low prices, the only possible remedy is in the hands 
of the milk producers, and it is so simple and easy to 
apply that I wonder at their lethargy in the matter. Let 
every shipper of milk cut down his output 10, 15 o.r 25 
per cent, and see how quickly conditions will change. 
There are very few dairies of 15 or more cows that could 
not be reduced by taking out several of the poorest cows 
and not make the herd more valuable. You cannot ex¬ 
pect. the Bordens' price nor the N. Y. Milk Exchange price 
of milk to increase when you are forcing upon them more 
milk than they want. The price of feed sniffs the coming 
Winter will be very high. Prepare to meet that condition 
by planning to need and feed less. Less production is the 
only remedy for an increase in price. amos smith. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
THE PEOPLE vs. THE U. S. SENATE. 
I have taken some interest lately in the attitude of 
different Congressmen in regard to the tariff measure. The 
olden times when the Republicans were for high tariff and 
the Democrats were for low tariff have passed away, and 
the true principle of the tariff is being so generally un¬ 
derstood that now both Democrats and Republicans alike 
are crying for “protection.” 
In ti recent issue, the “Youth's Companion." in com¬ 
menting on “The Price of Wheat,” says: “The wheat 
situation deserves the serious attention of the country, for 
unless there is an increase of production, the price will 
be permanently higher than now. In 1880, less than 30 
years ago, the United States produced 10 bushels of 
wheat for every person in the country. Last year it 
produced only 7% bushels. There is only one possible 
result, and that is an increase in price. This unde¬ 
sirable outcome can only be prevented by planting more 
acres of wheat or making those acres already planted 
produce more to the acre.” What the “Youth’s Com¬ 
panion” says in regard to wheat is just as applicable to 
other farm staples. A few years ago the Kansas farmers 
were! actually burning corn for fuel, yet to-day corn in 
Kansas is worth more than it used to be in New York. 
“Production is not keeping pace with the population.” 
There can be no doubt about that. Still Congress keeps 
merrily on giving “protection to infant industries,” even 
though these infant industries have grown until they re¬ 
semble the spectacle of a yearling Durham bull calf suck¬ 
ing his little Jersey mother. The manufactories of the 
country are prosperous. They are “protected” to the ex¬ 
tent that they can afford to pay higher wages than the 
farmer can pay, and they are protected to the extent that 
they can produce a poorer quality of goods (and force 
the people to buy them) than any other country in the 
world. Our Congressmen are not fools, and they must 
know that these conditions are not good for the country 
in general. Why, then, do they pursue this line of 
action? Is it because the protected ones contribute so 
liberally to the campaign funds, and are willing to help 
out the meager salaries of the Congressmen? Or are so 
many of our representatives either directly or indirectly 
engaged in “protected” business that they simply “pro¬ 
tect” themselves? If these things should lie so, would 
not a sensible direct primary law prove a “protection" 
to the farmers? J. chart mouse. 
COST OF A QUART OF MILK. 
We continue the discussion by printing another article 
from the Newtown (Conn.) Bee. This is written by F. 
II. McCarthy. Mr. Smith argued that farmers who figured 
the cost of milk charged too much for the hay they fed, 
and that the manure pile represented a good profit: 
“When once tiie farmers begin to look squarely at their 
condition and realize the depressed state of affairs, espe¬ 
cially in the milk business, there is some chance that 
action will he taken. As I am engaged in the production 
of milk I am willing to give my opinion as to where that 
“loose screw” (bat Mr. Lovell suggested is. In the first 
place, I will- have to take exception in a friendly way 
to some of the statements made by Mr. Smith. lie says 
that the Bordens net as a shield to us from the "big 
stick” of the New York Board of Health. 1 cannot see 
it in this way. The Board of Health, sends a man every 
year to inspect our dairies and he aets independently of 
the Bordens. They merely furnish him with a lisi of the 
dairies supplying milk to their creameries. If I were to 
carry out full^ tin* suggestions sent me last Winter by 
the Board of Health in which a “reasonable time would 
be given to comply,” I would be producing practically cer¬ 
tified milk, which retails for 12 and 15 cents per quart, 
and would be receiving for it a price that is being paid 
by city people for spring water. lie further says that we 
might lessen the cost of production by feeding a cheaper 
quality of hay. My experience has been that the farmer 
tvho tries to fool the cow gets the worst end of the 
bargain. Early cut bay of prime quality is very necessary 
for economical milk production. Any variation in the 
quality of bay or stalks will be noted immediately in the 
pail. This question of lessening the cost of production 
has been worn pretty thin. It is about time* that w»* 
looked for a price for our milk that will pay for producing 
it under present conditions. As Mr. Mitchell stated, 
everything in the line of operating expenses has advanced, 
yet we who are furnishing Bordens are obliged to accept 
a price five cents a hundred less Ilian last year. If the 
price to the consumer was reduced accordingly we might 
accept the situation gracefully, but not so: it remains the 
same. Before leaving this cost of production I want to 
call attention to the present month. The cheapest food 
on which milk can be produced is good pasture. We are 
getting this month two and a quarter cents per quart. 
Now let the dairyman figure his pasture at so much per 
cow, tlie time spent milking, hauling, his hired help, ice. 
etc., and charge it up against his check and see how far 
ahead of the game he will be. Some people tell us that 
we ought to raise potatoes and sell them to gel money 
with which to buy feed for our cows. This policy always 
reminds me of the Irishman who, finding the sheet too 
short to cover his pedal extremities, said he would rem¬ 
edy that by cutting a piece from the top and sewing il 
on the bottom. If we raise potatoes the profit from them 
should be credited to potatoes, and if we produce milk we 
should got enough for it to pay for all feed and labor 
that enter into its production, and the only way we can 
get this is by proper organization. I say it is not a 
square deal for any milk company to fix a schedule of 
prices where no dairyman is represented and the para¬ 
mount question being to maintain dividends and provide 
big salaries to an army of non-producers, the poor sub¬ 
missive farmer getting what is left. How long would 
these milk companies exist if the farmers decided by co¬ 
operation to market their own produce?” 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
The Baldwins have not set very well, and only six 
orchards had a good blossom ; the June dropping has been 
heavy. My best Gravenstein tree, 45 feet across from tip 
to tip of limbs, well cultivated and sprayed, contains about 
13 apples to the square foot in the thickest spots on tin* 
ground. All I opened showed the Codling moth work. 
Groton, Mass. f. e. g. 
Weather unfavorable to farm work. Great electrical 
storms daily for the past week; two large barns were 
burned by lightning here in the last two days. Wheal 
is fine, but acreage small. Oats are good, grass and clover 
heavy. Corn needs work, but it cannot be giveu. Fruit 
scarcer than for years; no small fruits worth naming: 
cherries, plums, pears very scarce; some apples, peaches 
and blackberries. Feed of all kinds high ; stock scarce; 
horses cost like autos. Land is changing bands rapidly 
owing to indebtedness of farmers and high prices now 
offered for farms. Several persons here invested in the 
Wonderberry enterprise, hut so far as I can learn not 
a seed germinated, so Burbank’s $10,000 won't come to us! 
No wheat nor corn offered now: millers are shipping in 
their grain. j. h. iiavxes- 
Carroll Co., Ind. 
CANADIAN APPLES IN SOUTH AFRICA.—Consul 
Frederick M. Ryder, of Rimouski, says that the Canadian 
trade commissioner at Cape Town reports the following 
results of the shipment last November of 4,868 barrels of 
apples from St. Lawrence ports to South Africa: The 
Cape Town importers sold them to the local trade at $9.60 
to $9.75 per barrel for Kings, $9.25 to $9.50 for Golden 
Russets, $8.60 to $9.25 for Ben Davis, and $7.90 to $8.60 
for other varieties. The freight charges from Montreal 
were $2.50 per barrel, and the dock charges, cold storage, 
and all other charges, except insurance, brought the de¬ 
livery rate up to only $3.05. 
KANSAS FRUIT PROSPECTS.—Reports received by 
tin* Kansas State Horticultural Society indicate the 
prospects for the fruit crop to be as follows: For the 
State compared with the pros[>otts of June, 1908: 
June, June. 
1909. 190s. 
Apples . 21 39 
Pears . 8 26 
Peaches . 3 51 
Plums . 16 38 
Cherries . 26 41 
Grapes . 58 62 
Strawberries . 45 48 
Raspberries . 50 63 
Blackberries . 61 70 
The condition of fruit trees and vines is reported as 
good throughout nearly all parts of the State. The severe 
weather of January and the late Spring frosts are re¬ 
sponsible for the shortage in fruit crops again this year. 
WALTER WEI.Lit OUSE, Sec’y. 
Under the pure food and drug law a package is 
“misbranded” when it fails to come up to the de¬ 
scription in quality or weight. In Utah a seizure 
of 1,224 cans of canned sweet corn was made. Each 
case was labeled and branded “two dozen two- 
pound sweet corn.” Careful weighing showed that 
the cans averaged less than 24 ounces each. They 
were called “misbranded” anil condemned. Under 
this law the goods inside the package must lit the 
label. We suggest that you try the plan of weigh¬ 
ing packages of food as you buy them. In another 
case canned beans, stated to weigh two pounds, were 
found to weigh only 25 ounces. They were seized 
and condemned. So also were cans of sweet corn 
marked “packed with Heyden sugar,” when analysis 
showed that they contained a substance known as 
saccharin. 
