1909. 
741 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—J. A. McNulty and H. Van Vleet, presi¬ 
dent and secretary respectively, of the American Civil 
Service Institute, with headquarters in Washington, D. 
C., who were arrested for alleged use of the mails to 
defraud, were arraigned before a United States Commis¬ 
sioner July 27 and pleaded not guilty. They were re¬ 
manded to jail in default of $2,000 each. Post office in¬ 
spectors arrested the men and seized certain papers as 
evidence. It is charged by the inspectors that the men 
inserted “want” advertisements in many newspapers 
throughout the country soliciting “bright, hustling men” 
to act as “district superintendents” of the American Civil 
Service Institute at a salary of $3,200 a year. Before 
receiving the appointment the applicant was required to 
subscribe to $500 worth of stock in the concern. The 
police and post office inspectors say they have received 
so many complaints against the men of applicants w'lio 
had made advances but were put off witli flimsy excuses. 
The object of the “institute” was to prepare young men 
for Government examinations. The inspectors say that 
McNulty has an office in Buffalo and operated from there, 
while Van Vleet has been attending to the Washington 
end of the game. The investigation which led to the 
arrest of the men was caused by the complaint of John 
Ivclby, of Brooklyn, who compelled the men to return 
him $100 which he had advanced. It is also alleged that 
the men have operated in Rochester and Syracuse. . . . 
Cutting Government “red tape,” Mr. Valentine, Commis¬ 
sioner of Indian Affairs, took quick steps July 30 to 
relieve more than twelve hundred Indians in Wisconsin, 
who were left without shelter and food, through the 
recent cloudbursts. According to the report of Mr. Camp¬ 
bell, of the La Pointe Indian Agency, the Bad River 
Indian reservation suffered most. The Indian village of 
Odanah, on the banks of a river, suffered heavily. When 
the dam gave way several miles above the town, the 
water and debris poured down upon the Indian settlement, 
sweeping away several houses, overturning others, and all 
household goods were either destroyed or rendered un¬ 
serviceable. Many Indian families lost all their posses¬ 
sions, and have been deprived of earning a livelihood. 
• . . In a head-on collision between two electric trains 
at La Crosse, one mile west of Cceur d’Alene, Idaho, 
July 31. probably twenty persons were killed and between 
seventy and eighty injured, many of them mortally. 
A misunderstanding of orders is said to have been the 
cause of the collision. . . . Six persons were killed 
and a serious fire was started by a gasoline explosion in 
a four-story building occupied by F. J. Wendelick & Co., 
at St. Paul, Minn., July 31. A university student named 
McAuley was experimenting with an engine he had in¬ 
vented, when it blew up and the brick structure came 
crashing down upon him, scattering bricks in every direc¬ 
tion for hundreds of feet. The shock was felt for blocks. 
Three adjoining buildings were shattered, among them 
being the Central police station. Five or more of the 
thirteen who were seriously injured will die. One of the 
bodies is that of an unidentified child. . . . Monon- 
gah, W. Va., a coal town of the Fairmont Coal Company, 
on the Pittsburg-Fairmont division of the Baltimore and 
Ohio Railroad, had a fire July 31 in which twenty-two 
buildings wore burned down. The fire spread the entire 
length of Bridge street, the business street of the town. 
The loss will amount to $150,000. . . . Thomas B. 
Ilarned, who was jointly indicted with the officers and 
directors of the American Sugar Refining Company, with¬ 
drew August 3 his tentative plea of not guilty and pleaded 
the statute of limitations as exempting him from lia¬ 
bility. Ilarned was indicted on July 1, 1909, for con¬ 
spiracy in restraint of interstate and foreign trade. In 
the indictment it is alleged that Ilarned on December 30, 
1906, as president of the Champion Construction Company, 
transferred to Gustave V. Kissel 20.000 shares - of the 
capital stock of the Pennsylvania Sugar Refining Company 
which could be voted under a proxy at all stockholders' 
meetings, and in pursuance of this agreement Kissel did 
attend a stockholders' meeting on December 30, 1903, 
and vote as director in favor of the adoption of a resolu¬ 
tion closing up the company’s plant. . . . Under a 
decision handed down August 3 by Justice Mills of the 
Supreme Court, at White Plains, N. Y., the verdict of 
$22,000 against the New' York Central Railroad in the 
suit of Warren Palmer for damages for injuries sustained 
in an accident in West Nyack, about u year and a half 
ago, stands. In the accident seven out of nine persons 
who were in a wagon were killed and the others injured. 
Counsel for the railroad company moved the verdict be 
set aside as excessive. In court Mr. Palmer maintained a 
stooping position as the result of his injuries, and the 
Justice in his decision refers to this as follows: “If the 
stooping posture of the plaintiff, so evident to observation, 
is to be permanent, that alone constitutes a serious ele¬ 
ment of damage.” 
FARM AND GARDEN.—While all the Western States 
and a number of foreign countries are preparing exhibits 
tor the International Exposition of Dry-Farm Products, 
which will be held at Billings, Mont., in October in con¬ 
nection with the fourth Dry-Farming Congress, October 
26-28. the congress is making arrangements to have repre¬ 
sentation at a national exposition of agriculture to be 
h<>kl at Tashkent. Turkestan, Russia, on the occasion of 
the quarter-centennial anniversary of that society. John 
I ■ Burns, secretary of the Dry-Farming Congress, has 
received an official invitation from the president of the 
lurkestan Agricultural Society, asking the Dry-Farming 
' ongress to participate in the anniversary of that organi¬ 
zation. The invitation states that there wdll be organ¬ 
ized an extensive dry-farming section with exhibits from 
I urkestan and other semi-arid regions of Russia. Prepa¬ 
rations for an exhibit are being made in South Dakota, 
Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. 
The sixth annual meeting of the American Breeders’ 
Association is called for December 8, 9. and 10, at' 
Amalia. Nebraska, in association with the National Corn 
show held at that place December 6 to 18. A programme 
ot addresses by prominent breeders of live stock, promi- 
nent breeders of plants, and scientists prominent in the 
study of the heredity of plants, animals and men is be- 
jr®. Prepared. Arrangements - are being made to have 
many of the addresses illustrated with stereopticon view's 
(ii i)° V p nf? P ictures - W. M. Hays, Secretary, Washing- 
a nnual picnic of the New York State TTon Grow 
Tni-,, oi 0ciatl j n was held ®t Sylvan Beach on Oneida Lak 
hvC 1 '’ , “ 1 ’ an( i drew a crowd exceeding 10.000 persons 
in growers’ picnic years - ago was a great occasio 
York and frequently as many as 50,00 
L 'vrrVL,‘ended to discuss crops and listen to speeche 
oy Political leaders. But hop growing has been fallin 
in central New York of late years and each recurrin 
THE RURA.I> NEW-YORKER 
picnic of the association witnesses a decrease in attend¬ 
ance. The principal speech at the picnic was delivered by 
James Tobin of Cortland. 
The State Department of Agriculture has received copy 
of ministerial order from the Veterinary Director-General, 
Ottawa, removing the last Canadian restrictions against 
stock from the United States on account of foot and 
mouth disease. The appearance of foot and mouth dis¬ 
ease cost New York State a little over $25,000. After the 
State Department took charge there was not one instance 
of the disease spreading from one farm to another in 
violation of the quarantine orders. 
For violation of a rabies quarantine issued by the 
State Department of Agriculture, an offender in Wyoming 
county has been found guilty and sentenced to 15 days 
imprisonment or the payment of $15 fine. 
During the month of July the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture referred to the Attorney-General for prosecution 81 
cases of violation of the Agricultural law; sixty of these 
were violations of the article relating to dairy products, 
most on account of milk and oleomargarine; ten were vio¬ 
lations of the. article relative to diseases of domestic ani¬ 
mals, being violations of rabies quarantines; three we. 
violations of the feeding stuffs law: seven of the com¬ 
mercial feeding stuffs law, and one was a violation of tb 
pure food law. Of the 81 cases. 21 were from the second 
division, comprising New York City and vicinity; 14 from 
the third division, being the counties on each side of the 
Hudson river between New York and Albany; 12 in the 
fifth division—the five northern counties of the State: 
and 21 cases were from the ninth division, in and near 
Buffalo. 
FHE . TARIFF BILL.—The conference report on the 
tariff bill was adopted by the House of Representatives 
July 31, by a vote of 195 to 183. The margin was 
rather narrow. Just before the vote was - taken a motion 
to recommit the conference report failed by onlv five 
votes. On the acceptance of the report eighteen Re¬ 
publicans cast negative votes and two Louisiana Demo¬ 
crats supported the measure. The eighteen Republicans 
who voted against the conference report wore: 
Cary, Lenroot and Nelson of Wisconsin ; Haugen, Hub¬ 
bard and Wood of Iowa; Iveifer of Ohio, Lindbergh, 
Steenerson, Stevens, Volstead, Miller and Nye of Minne¬ 
sota ; Madison and Murdock of Kansas, Mann of Illinois, 
Poindexter of Washington and Southwick of New York. 
Kendall of Iowa, a Republican, did not vote. 
Chairman Payne moved that the conference report be 
recommitted. As was expected this was lost. The 
vote was 191 to 186. The insurgents lost an opportunity 
to send the bill back to conference, with such revision 
upward or downward as they wished. The Republicans 
who voted to recommit the bill were: Southwick of New 
lork, Cary of Wisconsin, Davis of Minnesota, Goode of 
Iowa, Lronna of North Dakota. Haugen, Hubbard and 
Kendall of Iowa, Lenroot of Wisconsin, Lindbergh of 
«W‘ sota ’ of Kansas, Mann of Illinois, Miller 
ot Minnesota, Murdock of Kansas, Nelson of Wisconsin 
Norris of Nebraska, Nye of Minnesota, Poindexter of 
Washington, Pickett of Iowa, Steenerson and Volstead of 
Minnesota and Woods. of Iowa—22 in all. Reprosenta- 
tive Broussard of Louisiana was the only Democrat who 
sided with the Republican majority against the motion 
to recommit. On August 2, however, a group of “range 
Senators” from the cattle growing States of the inter- 
mountain. country under the leadership of Senators 
Borah, IV arren and Carter compelled the reconvening of 
the late conference committee and wrung from the conferees 
an agreement to rewrite the paragraph of the tariff bill 
relating to the duties on boots and shoes. The Western 
uprising against the bill was provoked by the discovery 
°J an alleged joker in the bill which limited the effect 
of the language intended to make reductions in leather 
products, in return for free hides. The words of limita¬ 
tion which gave so much offence to the Senators from 
the cattle growing States were “hides of cattle.” The 
»* estern Senators subjected the language to the acid test 
and decided that it would not do. They reached the 
conclusion that by the most liberal construction of the 
words most of the boots and shoes worn by the masses 
would still be subject to the higher duties which were 
carried in the Senate bill before President Taft forced 
the concession which resulted in free hides. The Aldrich 
bill is compared below with the Dingley bill, as it relates 
to agricultural products: 
Dingley. Aldrich. 
Swine, per head. 
Dorses - and mules, worth $150 or less, pci- 
head . 
Valued at over $150 per head .......... ’ 
Sheep, one year or older, per head. 
Less than one year old, per head. 
All other live animals. 
Barley, per bushel. 
Buckwheat, per bushel. 
Corn, per bushel... 
Oats, per bushel. ...!.. 
Rico, per pound . ’ 
Wheat, per bushel .. 
Butter and substitutes therefor, per Ib..i. 
Cheese and substitutes therefor, per ib. . 
Beans, per bushel. 
Cabbages, each .. 
Eggs, per dozen. 
Hay, per ton. 
Honey, per gallon. 
Hops, per pound . 
Onions, per bushel . 
Peas, green, per bushel... 
Pens, dried, per bushel. 
Straw, per ton. 
Potatoes, per bushel. 
Apples, peaches, quinces, cherries - , plums 
and pears, green or ripe, per bushel.. 
Cranberries. 
Bacon and hams, per lb. 
Fresh beef, veal, mutton and pork, per lb. 
Lard, per lb... 
Poultry, live, per lb. \ 
Dressed, per lb. 
Hides. 
Merino and other wools graded as first- 
class, per lb. 
Leicester and other combing wools, second 
class . 
Rough wools and camel’s hair, third class'. 
$2.00 
$2.00 
3.75 
3.75 
27 Vi % 
2714% 
1.50 
1.50 
30.00 
30.00 
25% 
25% 
1.50 
1.50 
.75 
. 75 
20% 
20% 
.30 
.30 
. 15 
. 15 
.15 
.15 
. 15 
.15 
.02 
.02 
.25 
.25 
.06 
.06 
.06 
.06 
.45 
.45 
. 03 
. 02 
. 05 
.05 
4.00 
4.00 
.20 
.20 
. 12 
. 16 
.40 
.40 
.40 
.25 
.30 
.25 
1.50 
1.50 
.25 
.25 
.25 
.25 
25% 
25% 
.05 
.04 
.02 
.0114 
. 02 
. 01 % 
.03 
.03 
.05 
. 05 
15% 
Free 
.11 
.11 
.12 
.12 
.04 
.04 
J HE MEXICAN EARTHQUAKE.-—-An earthquake which 
shook a large section of Mexico July 30, especially to the 
south, caused widespread ruin. It is feared that the 
loss of life is very great. Immense damage has been 
wrought on the west coast of Mexico. A long death 
list is expected from the State of Guerrero. In Acapulco 
alone the death list will total several hundred. A tidal 
wave also swept in on a part of the city at the same 
time as the earthquake. This wave did more damage 
than the quake, for it swept tlx* bamboo houses that 
line the shore from their foundations and carried manv 
of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, to their 
death in the water. The city is right on the bay. The 
more substantial houses are built back on a cliff, and 
the smaller houses run down to the waterfront. There is 
a prison in the bay on an island, and this is reported 
inundated. This is the second catastrophe in Acapulco 
recently. A few months ago the Flores Theatre burned 
from a moving picture film and several hundred people 
met death. The fire started when over a thousand people 
had gathered to do honor to Gov. Damien Flores of the 
State of Guerrero. Between Mexico city and the city of 
Acapulco, a distance of 180 miles in an airline south, are 
many large towns, from all of which come reports of 
loss of life and great destruction to property. Toluca. 
Puebla, Morelos and Chilnaneingo are the other biggest 
towns that suffered. Chilpancingo, about sixty miles in¬ 
land from Acapulco, suffered great damage, and fifty peo¬ 
ple were reported as killed or seriously injured. The 
town of Mazatlan—not the seaport—near there, which 
was recently wiped out by fire, and which the people 
were just rebuilding, suffered again, but as there were 
few substantial houses to be shaken down few people were 
injured there. Rio Balsas, the southern terminus of the 
Cuernavaca road, was hard hit and several people were 
buried beneath falling buildings. It is a very old town 
on the banks of the River Balsas and many of the adobe 
structures were frail and easily thrown over. Many had 
suffered in previous earthquakes and it did not require any 
great shock to topple them over. Great fissures are re¬ 
ported in the ground in many places and bridges are 
reported as thrown out of plumb along the line of the 
Cuernavaca Railroad at the southern end near the Raisas 
River. The shock was felt as far southeast as - Oaxaca, 
where there was some damage, but not of a heavy 
nature. So many of the towns are isolated that it will 
be weeks before complete reports are in. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
The fruit outlook is very poor; pears next te nothing; 
apples injured severely by the louse. There will be lots 
of cider stock, and little first class fruit. The drought 
caught the strawberries, and hurt raspberries ; other small 
fruits good ; peaches also look well; honey yield good. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. j. a. c. 
. The prospect fo’r the fruit crop in Colorado this year 
is on the whole very good. We expect to have twice as 
large a crop of apples as - last year, which was less than 
50 per cent of a normal crop. The peach crop in most 
localities will also be very good. 
Denver, Col. the lawuknce-iiensley fruit co. 
The fruit crop upon an average will not be better here 
than it was last year. Some troes are full of apples, 
some have none on them. It looks as if the quality will 
not be good. There has been too much rain here for 
the best development of any crop. We have no large 
orchards but most farms produce a small surplus which 
goes to supply the demand at the coal works. We have 
not had a real good crop of apples here for several 
Years. A . j. L . 
Nicholas Co., W. Va. 
Two weeks ago corn was exceedingly promising. The 
winds and rains did immense damage in some parts of 
the State. Apple crop generally very poor and not much 
of other fruit. _ It makes me • sick to hear some writers 
speak of the immense added wealth of farmers. They 
do not seem to see that a verv small part is net and 
permanent. On “Fertility of Soil,” I’rof. Hopkins of the 
Illinois State University has left no standing room for 
the U. S. Agricultural Department. He plainly shows 
their arguments valueless. c. o. d. b. 
Mascoutah, Ill. 
The wheat crop in this part of the State before it was 
cut promised better than it did for twenty years, but 
since the thrashers are at work farmers find that the 
grains are not very plump, and hence are a little disap¬ 
pointed as to yield: still it is a fair crop. We are 
having a great drought which cuts down the crops. Hay 
was not a heavy crop but of good quality. Potatoes 
promised very well a month ago, but now, unless we 
get rain very soon, they will be a failure. Bugs are very 
plentiful. Corn looks promising but should have raiii 
now too. Oats will be light—not well filled out. Apples 
half crop: newly set out trees dyiug some. Wheat. $1.20; 
new potatoes, $1.20; corn. 95 cents; rye, 80 cents: oats! 
60 cents ^middlings, $1.70 per 100 pounds. Labor' high, 
$1 to $1.75 per day and board during harvest; $16 per 
month and board and washing. Land cheap but of good 
quality. c . K B 
Bethel, Berks Co., Pa. 
HAY IN NORTHERN NEW YORK. 
The hay crop in Jefferson county, the leading hay 
county of the State, is light this season, the crop which 
has just been gathered being below an average yield, 
though of good quality. In some years the hay shipments 
of Jefferson county have reached 7.500 carloads, or about 
7.>0.000 tons - , valued at three-quarters of a million dol¬ 
lars. But this year there will not be over one-fifth that 
amount for shipment, and it is probable that the surplus 
will not exceed 1.000 cars. The Northern section of the 
county, where the principal part of the shipping hay 
is grown, will have one of the lightest yields of hav 
in the history of the county. In the southern half of 
the county the yield is fully up to the normal, but as 
that is - a dairy section most of the hay produced is fed 
to stock. The old hay is practically all out of the hands 
ot the growers. Some of the shippers have a little hay 
yet in storage. The fact that the southern section of the 
county, where dairying is the chief industry, has a far 
better yield than the northern section, where hay grow- 
lng for shipment leads over dairying, would Indicate that 
dairying maintains the fertility of the soil better than 
commercial hay growing, as the same comparative crop 
conditions have prevailed for the two seasons preceding 
the present. 
showing an increased area devoted to this crop. Many 
silos have been built in the county this Summer, as 
silage is now generally regarded as a necessary ' ad¬ 
junct to profitable dairying. The corn crop is, with other 
crops, later than usual, though it is making rapid growth. 
Oats are also very backward, and from present indica¬ 
tions there will be a short growth of straw. Potatoes 
are quite promising, though late. The yield of milk 
shows a considerable decline, the shrinkage from the 
.Tune flush being about 30 per cent July 25. Pastures 
nave been somewhat improved by the rains during the 
last half of the month. Jeffei-son county, besides leading 
Production of hay. is also the chief cheese county 
of the Empire State, the countv's cheese output each 
season ranging from 175.000 to 200,000 boxes, 
far this year have exceeded all previous 
•Jolycheese selling at 13 to 13% cents, with 
$1.20 or better at the factories - . l 
Watertown, N. Y. 
Prices thus 
records, the 
milk netting 
L. ALLEN. 
NEW 5 0RK FARMERS’ INSTITUTES.—For the con¬ 
duct of farmers’ institute work next Winter the Commis¬ 
sioner of Agriculture has divided the State into four 
parts, with an institute conductor practically in full charge 
of each of these districts. The conductors and their dis¬ 
tricts are as follows : 
. District No. 1.—Jared Van Wagenen, Jr., Lawversville 
in charge in counties of Albany. Franklin, Fulton'. Greene, 
Hamilton. Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison. Montgom¬ 
ery, Oneida, Onondago. Schoharie and St. Lawrence. 
District No. 2.—Edward Van Alst.vne, Kinderhook, in 
charge in counties of Clinton, Columbia. Dutchess Essex 
Nassau. Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland. Saratoga 
Schenectady, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren. Washington and 
W estcliester. 
District No. 3.—D. P. Witter. Berkshire, in charge in 
counties of Allegany, Broome. Cattaraugus. Chautauqua, 
Chemung. Chenango. Cortland, Delaware, Otsego. Schuy- 
ler, Steuben, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins and Yates. 
. District No. 4.—Fred E. Gott, Sponeerport, in charge 
in counties of Cayuga. Erie. Genesee. Livingston. Mon¬ 
roe, Niagara. Ontario, Orleans. Oswego, Seneca, Wayne 
and Wyoming. 
Alternates: Geo. A. Smith. Geneva: Charles IT. Tuck, 
Ithaca : Thomas - B. Wilson, nails Corners. In no case has 
the time allotted to a county been decreased from what 
it was last year and in several cases owing to increased 
interest and special conditions there has been an increase 
in the number of days allowed. The normal institute this 
year will be held at the State College of Agriculture dur¬ 
ing the first or second week before Thanksgiving The 
regular institute season will begin November ‘ 29 and con¬ 
tinue until nearly the middle of March. 
It is reported that the Atchison. Topeka and Santa 
Fe railroad is experimenting with railroad ties from 
Japan, the wood being Japanese oak and cocobolo. The 
wood costs more than the ordinarv American tie. but 
is said to be capable of 25 to 30 years’ service, being so 
hard that spikes cannot be driven into it. Holes will 
be bored and screw spikes used. 
