1908. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
©03 
“THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.’’ 
Provided You Can Know It! 
This was the slogan of one of the speakers at the New 
York State Dairymen’s convention held at Utica, N. Y., 
from December 8 to 11, and as so very little of the 
truth was used up at this meeting, I make bold to head 
this article as above, and hope that I shall be able to 
keep close to the subject. 
In the first place, I must apologize for calling this a 
dairyman’s convention. For where there is not a prac¬ 
tical dairyman among its officers or speakers, and the 
dairymen are allowed no voice in the election of these 
officers or in the conducting of the meeting, and are only 
supposed to cheer when the presiding officer gives the 
signal, and in fact the only part they are invited to 
take is the paying of the bills, I think it is time that 
the name of the organization should be changed. 
The meeting was called to order by Dr. W. H. Jordan, 
of the Geneva Experiment Station, who introduced Seward 
A. Miller, assistant corporation counsel, in behalf of the 
city of^ Utica, representing Mayor Tom Wheeler, who was 
otherwise engaged. Response was by Jared Van Wagenen, 
Jr., who was introduced as one of the “aristocracy” of 
the land, in that he “ lives by the soil.” Mr. Wagenen 
may “live by the soiL” but he shows very little evidence 
of it. But he spoke in a very fluent, easy manner, and 
expressed the belief ‘that the man of the city and the 
man of the town should stand shoulder to shoulder in 
the fight for civic righteousness and Ideal conditions, and 
closed with the hope expressed that the meeting might 
be productive of knowledge gained in the best things 
attainable. 
Gov. Hughes was advertised to speak at this time, 
but the president announced that the Governor had ac¬ 
cepted an invitation to dine with President-Elect Taft. 
1 he next speaker was Assistant Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture George E. Flanders, who was introduced as “the 
man who knows most about agricultural law,” and he 
i® ,d . l js som e things about the pure food laws. He said 
pure food laws were based upon the declaration 
of the Gospel, “The truth shall make you free,” and that 
as a result, most of the food products now on sale were 
just what they were represented to be. While speaking 
of colored products, Mr. Flanders said that the flour was 
oeing bleached, and.that the chemical experts were trying 
to determine if this bleaching process was injurious to 
the health of the consumer or if it detracted from the 
food value of the flour. 
Mr. Flanders was followed bv President Jordan, who 
spoke on “Human food in its relation to the home.” Dr 
Jordan said that his grandfather was six feet tall in 
Ms stockings and that when a boy he lived all one 
Winter on “ ‘samp,’ corn bread and pork,” and he cited 
this example as an illustration of the value of plain 
food; among other things, he declared that butter at 
40 cents a pound was a luxury. But he ended his address 
by smilingly admitting that he did not like to follow the 
rules he laid down, but as he laid them down, he evi¬ 
dently though them good for the dairymen, whom he 
cordially invited to pay a dollar apiece to become mem¬ 
bers of the Association for_ one year. 
The president announced the following committees: 
Resolutions: H. E. Cook. Harry Winters. S. B. Richard¬ 
son JD. Harkness and E. A. Harding. Nominations: 
A. It. Eastman, D. P. Witter, C. E. Sackett. .1. D Fred- 
eriksen and R. R. Kirkland. Finance: Geo. A. Smith, 
I'" J. Preston and F. G. Urner. Location next meeting: 
“• T. E. Tiquin and J. D. Frederiksen. Ban- 
ciuet: T. E. Tiquin, F. W r . Sessions and IT. C. Elwood. 
W ednesday morning the meeting was opened bv Hon 
S B. Richardson, who first introduced Mr. J. H. C. Sco- 
ville. the only living charter member of the State Asso¬ 
ciation. Mr. Scoville confined himself to the early history 
of the Association, and as the only real dairyman on 
the programme, he showed a striking illustration of what 
the Association was intended to be and what it has 
turned into, ne brought to mind the fact that its mem¬ 
bers were the leading dairymen and breeders of dairy 
cattle in the State, and told of one of these members 
selling a cow for $40,000. This was the only mention 
of purebred dairy cattle during the whole convention, 
except in answer to a question, when the president an¬ 
swered that it was well for some dairymen to keep a 
purebred bull. 
Then came the annual address of President Jordan, 
and he sounded the keynote of the convention—“Bovine 
Tuberculosis. He. said : “Our opportunity in eradi- 
cating or mitigating this scourge lies in promoting an 
Intelligent understanding of the situation, and in bringing 
about a harmonious co-operation of all those who are 
called upon to deal with this proposition in any of its 
phases ’ He spoke of the necessity of public sentiment, 
and said that the State and National Government should 
deal with the subject in all its aspects and that sufficient 
funds should be provided for all necessary and prompt 
action at all times. 
Dr. V. A. Moore, of the State Veterinary College, spoke 
on “Bovine Tuberculosis.” He said there were three 
reasons why he should speak once more on an old sub¬ 
ject. Those reasons were: “First, tuberculosis is the 
greatest destroyer of human and animal life known among 
men ana beasts. And evidence of the strongest kind is 
accumulating that bovine tuberculosis is responsible for 
a few of the untimely deaths in the human species, espe¬ 
cially in children. Secondly, bovine tuberculosis is the 
most destructive scourge of cattle which we have to deal 
with. It was stated at the International Congress on 
Tuberculosis, by a distinguished statistician, that a very 
conservative estimate of the loss it causes the farmers 
of this State is 81,500.000 annually. Dr. Melvin. Chief 
of the Bureau of Animal Industry, estimates the loss 
from bovine tuberculosis in the United States to lie 
$14,000,000 annually. Thirdly, I know what it means to 
a farmer of small means and often to his cnildren, to 
have a cow die. Tuberculosis kills more of them than 
most of the other diseases combined.” He then went on 
to say among other things: 
“If we are to eliminate a great scourge of cattle, as 
tuberculosis is. we must come to understand what it reai.v 
is. The extent and spread of this disease in New York 
Is interesting. In 1894 there was comparatively little 
tuberculosis in the cattle of New York State. It was 
estimated then that not to exceed four per cent of the 
animals were infected. In 1907 the actual figures for 
083 tested herds containing a total of 12,721 animals, 
distributed in 50 counties, showed that 423 of the herds 
were infected and that 32 per cent of all the cattle in 
these herds responded to the tuberculin test. As the 
great increase in bovine tuberculosis has been brought 
about by man’s action in defiance of nature’s teaching 
and methods, it is certainly possible to return to the 
former healthy condition if men will direct their actions 
to prevent the spread of tubercle bacilli. If every cattle 
owner who has a sound herd will keep it well protected, 
and owners of diseased herds will proceed to eliminate 
the infected individuals, the disease would disappear with 
the present infected animals. This is all there is to 
prevention. 
“The slaughter and destruction of reacting animals 
except in advanced cases, is a wanton waste of property 
We are to be congratulated that our commissioner of 
agriculture recognizes the importance of utilizing as far 
as possible the slightly infected animals, as it is the only 
economical and humane procedure for eliminating all react¬ 
ing, but apparently healthy, animals that are to be killed 
If the dairymen are to eliminate tuberculosis from their 
herds they must adjust their habits of dealing with their 
animals, to prevent the introduction of the virus The 
selling of dry cows and the buying of fresh ones is a 
dangerous procedure, unless the purchase can be made 
from sound herds. All that is lacking to remove bovine 
tuberculosis is the introduction of efficient methods for 
preventing its entrance and spread and for cleaning up 
infected herds. The details of these methods are to be 
worked out for each group of animals, according to the 
existing conditions. There can be no rule for the wise 
and economic eradication of this disease that can be ap¬ 
plied generally. As the conditions vary, it is the veter¬ 
inarian. who. being versed in the disease, can direct the 
procedure that promises the best results. Bovine tuber¬ 
culosis is a great destroyer of cattle and like other things, 
it will disappear when dairymen learn to avoid it.” 
At the opening of the afternoon session a question box 
was discussed : 
“Is it safe to employ others than veterinarians to make 
the tuberculin test?” Ans.—“There are many men who 
have studied the matter who can and do make the test: 
but generally speaking, it is not safe to employ any one 
but a professional man.” 
“Can a cured cow be put back into a healthy herd?” 
Ans.—“A farmer cannot afford to take the chances, for 
one individual, by jeopardizing the whole herd.” 
“Does the use of tuberculin make a healthy cow more 
susceptible to contracting the disease?” Ans.—“No." 
“Can bovine tuberculosis be transmitted to human 
beings!” This question was not answered yes or no, 
but Dr. Moore said it did not make so much difference 
whether it could or could not be. The disease should be 
eradicated from the herds as a money pro-position to the 
owners, if for no other reason. 
A variation in the line of questions came in: “Is 
butter at 40 cents a pound a luxury?” 
“Well, that depends on who is eating it,” replied 
President Jordan. 
The chairman introduced Dean II. E. Cook of the St. 
Lawrence Agricultural School, who spoke on “The Pro¬ 
ducers* Attitude Toward the City Milk Supply.” In dis¬ 
cussing the subject Dean Cook said that the dairy cow 
had become a “manure producer instead of a milk pro¬ 
ducer. and that the milk had become one of the by¬ 
products.” He advocated the use of chemical fertiliz¬ 
ers on the dairy farm, and made the most astonishing 
statement that the cows were actually robbing the farms 
of fertility by eating up all the grass and thus im¬ 
poverishing the soil. To one casuaily dropping into the 
meeting, Mr. Cook might have been mistaken for the 
agent of ^ chemical works. 
In the evening Dr. Roland G. Freeman of New York 
gave an address on “The City Milk Supply from the 
Standpoint of a Physician.” He said that a “bacterio¬ 
logical examination of milk, showing a bacterial content 
only comparable to sewage, made it evident that some¬ 
thing must be done to secure a pure and safe milk sup¬ 
ply.” Dr. Freeman illustrated his lecture with magic- 
lantern views, and showed us that the cow’s udder was 
hung right between her hind legs where it could be easily 
contaminated. He said it would be much better situated 
on top of her back. If there Is a Burbank among the 
breeders who can evolve a dairy cow with her udder on 
her back, he will receive the heartfelt thanks of Dr. 
Freeman. 
A little diversion was caused by a veterinarian in the 
employ of the Borden Milk Company who protested vig¬ 
orously both to the remarks of the tuberculosis experts 
and Dr. Freeman. This man said that he had examined 
1(1,000 dairy cows, and that he did not believe that five 
per cent of the cows of New Y’ork State were affected 
with the disease in any way, and further that he did 
not believe that ten per cent of the affected cows were 
affected in a way to contaminate the milk. He also said 
that a vast majority of the stables and surroundings of 
tbe dairymen were in a good, clean condition, and above 
the average of the factories where other food products 
were prepared or manufactured. This man’s remarks 
met with the strong disapproval of the management of 
the meeting, but were cheered by the assemblage as no 
others were during the whole convention, which clearly 
showed the sentiment of the people in general. 
Dr. H. L. Russell, Dean of the Wisconsin College of 
Agriculture, spoke on “Wisconsin's Experience with the 
Tuberculosis Problem,” and gave a history of the work- 
in that State. He said that while at first estimates of 25 
or 30 per cent of affected cows were made, it was not 
now believed that over five per cent of the dairy cows 
were affected. He said also that a good many short- 
course students were instructed in the use of tuberculin 
and were given the serum with which to test their cows 
when they went home; also that a great many farmers 
came to the college and took one week’s instruction to 
prepare them to make the test, and that he considered 
these men better fitted for the work than many of the 
veterinary surgeons at large. 
Hon. Raymond A. Pearson, Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture, arrived from Washington the last day of the con¬ 
vention. He told of the outbreak of foot and mouth 
disease, and reported that the disease had been practi¬ 
cally stamped out, and that no further trouble was antici¬ 
pated. He also spoke on the “Policies and Work of the 
.State Department of Agriculture in the Suppression of 
Bovine Tuberculosis,” and said among other things that 
a law would soon be passed to prevent the shipment of 
tuberculous cattle into the State. 
The committee on nominations reported the names of 
the men to act as officers for the following year. The 
report was accepted and the chairman instructed to cast 
one ballot to elect them, for the by-laws of the associa¬ 
tion say that all officers must be elected by ballot Thus 
was the idea that the dairymen of New York State' should 
elect the officers of their own convention thwarted, and a 
lot of men as remote from the farms as if they lived in 
the moon elected. j. gbant jiobse. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Thirty days in the city prison and a 
fine of $250 was the sentence imposed Dec. 9 on Felix 
Droit, a speeding automobile driver, who pleaded guilty 
to his third offence in the New York Court of Special 
Sessions. Droit will have to serve one day for each dol¬ 
lar of the fine that he fails to pay. It was the heaviest 
sentence for such an offence ever imposed in this city. 
In addition the District Attorney said that he wouid 
ask the Attorney-General to revoke Droit’s license, a 
new move in speeding annals. The offence was com¬ 
mitted ^August 23 at 5 :30 in the morning. Bicycle Police¬ 
man Rickert and Sergt. Casey caught Droit after a chase 
of many blocks, but not until he had run his machine 
against an elevated railroad pillar and ripped off a 
wheel. Rickert had fired five shots at the tires, but 
that did not stop Droit. . . . Abe Ruef. the San Fran¬ 
cisco political boss, was found guilty of bribery Dec. 10. 
The jury was out twenty-four hours. The result was re¬ 
ceived in absolute silence, as Judge Lawlor had warn<*d the 
big court room crowd that it would be punished for 
any expression of feeling. The trial had lasted 15 weeks. 
Sentence has not yet been pronounced. . . . Freight 
rates on railroads in the United States from the Atlan¬ 
tic seaboard to the Pacific coast will lie increased on 
January 1. From east to west the increases will amount 
to an average of 10 per cent. From west to east the 
increases will amount to 18 per cent; the increases 
ranging from 3 to 50 per cent. Before January 1 the 
rail and water lines transporting freight and merchandise 
from Atlantic ports to Gulf ports will have effective 
rates showing increases of from 3 to 10 per cent. Begin¬ 
ning August 1 trunk lines reaching into the Southeast 
and Southwest increased freight rates, so that there is 
now in sure prospect a uniform increase In freight rates 
covering the whole United States. ... A complete 
statement was made Dec. 12 by one of the men indicted 
for alleged complicity in Night Rider crimes at Union 
City, Tenn., detailing the story of earlier raids made by 
the Reel Foot Lake outlaws. The Grand Jurv returned 
thirty-two additional indictments against thirty-eight 
persons. The seventy-three true bills brought altogether 
will involve 134 men, which is eleven more than repre¬ 
sented in the indictments presented by the first special 
Grand Jury, the legality of whose action was called into 
question. . . . Lieut,-Col. George W. Goethals. chair¬ 
man and chief engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, 
sent a cable to the War Department December 13 giving 
details of the premature explosion of twentv-one tons 
of dynamite at Bas Obisno, Dec. 12. The explosion killed 
fourteen persons instantly and injured fifty. Two Ameri¬ 
cans were killed outright and one other American em¬ 
ployee was so badly injured that he died later. Three 
or four of the injured will probably die. . . . The 
case of Mrs. Mary S. Roper, of Brooklyn, who, through 
becoming entangled in the guide ropes, made an involun¬ 
tary balloon ascension at the fair of the Ulster County 
Agricultural Society in the Summer of 190(1, was begun 
in the Supreme Court at Kingston, N. Y., Dec. 11. The 
complainant demands . $25,000 damages. The Fair Com¬ 
mittee had engaged Maggie Daley, a professional, to make 
an ascension, and in the crowd that gathered about the 
inflating bag was Mrs. Roper. Suddenly the balloon 
shot upward, carrying Mrs. Roper suspended by one 
ankle from a rope attached to the basket. As the bag 
was released the trailed rope had taken a half twist 
about the complainant’s ankle and she found herself bein ; 
pulled violently along the ground. In a desperate effort 
to free herself a little finger was caught in a loop or 
the tightening rope. Suspended from ankle and finger 
30 feet l>elow the basket, Mrs. Roper, it is alleged, rose 
400 feet in the air, and while other women fainted at. 
the sight, sailed along for half a mile until the aeronaut, 
by skilful manoeuvring, brought the balloon and its bur¬ 
den safely to the ground. . . . The record of Maine’s 
hunting season which closed Dec. 15, shows that sixteen 
persons met their death, thirteen by the use of firearms, 
one by falling on his knife and two. were drowned Of 
the number killed by firearms, two were shot by brothers, 
two by companions, six shot themselves by accidental 
discharges of their weapons, two were shot through 
being mistaken for deer and one man was shot by a 
hunter when he was aiming at a deer. There were the 
usual number of accidents which did not result fatally. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—This year’s farm product and 
live stock values in Kansas, as shown by the report 
of the State Board of Agriculture, are more than $475,- 
000,000. or $11,000,000 more than the State’s red letter 
year, ,1907. The total yield of wheat this year is 
77,000.000 bushels, and Us value over $03,000,000. The 
corn yield is over 150.000,000 bushels and its value is 
more than $82,000,000. 
The Union Tobacco Society, representing tobacco grow¬ 
ing interests in Kentucky. Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and 
Wisconsin, with estimated assets of $30,000,000, was 
organized at Louisville, Ivy., Dec. 10. The purpose of 
the organization was said to be to protect the tobacco 
growers from a minimum price and the consumer from a 
maximum scale. The interests of the growers in the 
Slates named will be pooled and the tobacco sold through 
a board of directors. 
From the office of Secretary T. W. Tomlinson, of the 
American National Live Stock Association, has just been 
issued the call for the twelfth annual convention of the 
association, which will be held in Los Angeles, January 
26 to 28, 1909. Among questions to be discussed are 
the tariff. Federal control of grazing on unappropriated 
public lands in the semi-arid States and Territories; 
the administration of forest reserves by the Federal 
government ; further consideration of service given by 
railroads to shipments of stock, especially the furnishing 
of cars and the speed minimum ; and correction of unrea¬ 
sonable railroad rates. 
The Pennsylvania State Live Stock Sanitary Board 
issued Dec. 14 a warning to all farmers to beware of 
men representing themselves as agents of the State and 
charging for examination of cattle under pretense of 
searching for foot and mouth disease. They are also 
warned that the State has sanctioned no reduction of 
price for calves because of the presence of the disease. 
Both complaints came from York County, and in one 
instance farmers were victimized by sharpers who in 
buying calves stated that an official recommendation had 
been issued that $1 be deducted from prices because of 
the prevalence of the disease. Doctor Pearson stated 
that no agents of the State or Government are allowed 
to ask or receive fees, and that no regulations as to 
prices have even been contemplated. 
The first movement of Canadian grain to Mexico under 
the new tariff conditions began Dec. 15. II. II. Cooper, 
representing a Mexican syndicate, arrived in Winnipeg 
to ship wheat and oats south via Vancouver He will 
buy all grain he can get over the mountains 'in Alberta 
and it will go to the west coast of Mexico via the Can- 
adian-Mexican Line to Port of Manzanillo. The rate 
is 50 cents on wheat and 47 cents on oats to the City 
of Mexico. Cooper says from 8.000,000 to 16,000,000 
of hard wheat can go from Canada to Mexico if it can 
be moved, as the soft Kansas variety cannot compete with 
the hard Northern stuff in spite of a difference of 10 
cents in favor of the Kansas rates. These rates are 
on the hundred pounds. 
TARIFF ON WOOL.—Sheep raisers of New Mexico 
and Idaho were represented before the Ways and Means 
Committee of Congress Dec. 11 In a further hearing 
on the wool schedule. Their spokesman insisted that 
the duty on wool could not be changed without hardships 
to them. At the very best the sheep men of those sec¬ 
tions of country found it difficult to get along, accord¬ 
ing to the speakers, who offered details of cost and 
maintenance and margin of profit of their business in 
support of their statements. It was their conclusion 
that if the slight benefit that reaches them indirectly bv 
the import tax on wool were removed they would be 
backed out of business. The committee was inclined to 
think that the sheep men were doing pretty well despite 
their tale of woe after they heard from John De Felder, 
of Wyoming, later in the day. He started out with the 
assurance that the duty on wool should be doubled and 
added that the sheep men could not think of a cut. He 
thought the business paid only about 3 >4 or 4 per cent 
Questions by the committee elicited from him the infor¬ 
mation that he started out with $960 cash and 2,500 
bead of sheep fourteen years ago, and now he has a 
flock of 21,000, which he values at more than $100.<‘00 
This, he argued, was proof that he needed protection, 
for in 1894 his 2.500 sheep were worth onlv $2 apiece 
Now they are worth $5. Then he used to get 12 cents 
a pound for his wool; now he gets 16 cents. Mutton, 
he said, had advanced in price correspondingly. 
CONGRESS.-—In accordance with the programme agreed 
upon Dec. 10, the House unanimously adopted Dec. 11 
a resolution offered by Representative - James B. Perkins, 
of Rochester, N. Y., providing for the appointment of a 
committee to report what action, if any. should be taken 
in reference to the objectionable language used by the 
President in his annual message on the subject o'f the 
Secret Service. Speaker Cannon named for the commit¬ 
tee Mr. Perkins, Mr. Denby and Mr. Weeks, Republicans, 
and John Sharp W’illiams and James T. Llovd, Democrats 
They are expected to report before the holiday recess! 
The House leaders had carefully planned every detaii 
of the proceedings. The members were impressed with 
the solemnity of the proceeding, the like of which has 
not been witnessed for sixty-eight years. On the last oc¬ 
casion John Quincy Adams, the ex-President. who was 
rounding out his career as a member of the House, played 
the role that Mr. Perkins played on this occasion. . 
President Roosevelt sent to the Senate Dec. 14 a special" 
message on the subject of the Brownsville affair of 
August 13, 1906, together with a report made by Her¬ 
bert J. Browne, of Washington, D. C-, telling of detective 
work done under the direction of himself and Capt. Will¬ 
iam G. Baldwin, of Roanoke. Va„ with the object of 
obtaining confessions from former negro soldiers of the 
Twenty-fifth Infantry, who were discharged without honor 
from the army by President Roosevelt’s order on account 
of the alleged participation of part of the Twenty-fifth 
Infantry in the Brownsville affray. In his message the 
President says that the report submitted by Browne, to¬ 
gether with appended statements, establishes clearly 
that the colored soldiers did the shooting and fixes with 
tolerable definiteness at least some of those who took 
part in the shooting at Brownsville. In the message 
tbe President holds out hope of reinstatement to those 
of the discharged negro soldiers who will give informa¬ 
tion to fix the responsibility for the affair, provided they 
bad no guilty knowledge beforehand and were not impli¬ 
cated in it. He recommends that a law be passed per¬ 
mitting the Secretary of War within a fixed' period to 
reinstate any soldiers found to have been innocent who 
will do all in their power to bring the guilty to justice 
