1911. 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—While working 1,500 feet 
underground June 28 James Conroy of 
Kingston, Pa., was struck by lightning and 
so badly injured that he is not expected to 
live. He was mining coal in the Courtdale 
tunnel and did not know there was a storm 
until his chamber was filled with a blazing 
light and he was knocked senseless. The 
lightning had followed the intake of the air 
current as far as Conroy’s chamber. For¬ 
tunately there was no powder or dynamite 
in the chamber. This is not the first acci¬ 
dent of its kind, and Foreman Neal Mc¬ 
Hugh arranged for a telephone system at 
the colliery so that when a lightning storm 
is approaching the mine workers may be 
summoned to the surface. 
The jury which for two weeks had been 
hearing the evidence against Joseph B. 
Reichmann of the Carnegie Trust Company, 
New York, took one ballot June 28 and 
found him guilty of having made a false 
report to the State Banking Department 
while he was president of the Carnegie 
Trust Company. Then for about an hour 
the jury debated as to whether it should 
recommend him to the court for mercy and 
decided it would not. The verdict was a 
surprise to Reichmann and his counsel, who 
were confident of a disagreement, if not an 
acquittal. Reichmann is the first banker to 
be convicted in this country of making a 
false statement to the Banking Department. 
He did not go on the witness stand in his 
own defence. Reichrfiann was sentenced to 
4% months in the penitentiary. 
Charles W. Morse lost in his effort to 
gain freedom by habeas corpus proceedings. 
Without passing upon the validity of that 
part of Morse’s 15-year sentence bevond 10 
years, District Judge Newman denied the 
petition for a writ, declaring that 10 years 
of the sentence unquestionably was good, 
and as Morse had not served out that time 
the court had no right now to consider the 
matter. The attorneys for the ex-banker 
immediately gave notice that the case would 
be taken to the United States Circuit Court 
of Appeals. 
At 2.01 o’clock July 1 San Francisco, a 
large part of Central California and parts 
of Nevada #ere shaken by the severest 
earthquake since the big shake five years 
ago. There were two distinct shocks, sepa¬ 
rated only by a second of calm. The first 
shock was comparatively slight, but in the 
second there were two violent wrenchings 
of the earth which caused tall buildings to 
totter ominously. A chunk of the granite 
cornice of the Bank of California crashed 
to the pavement, but fortunatelv no one 
was in the way. The coping of the Hall of 
Justice, one of the few big buildings to 
survive the quake and fire of 1906, was 
cracked by earth wrenchings this time, and 
a good deal of the wainscoting in the 
building was split. 
Excessive heat extended all over the 
country June 28-.Tuly 6 ; at Rocklesse, Ont., 
the thermometer registered 108 degrees July 
2. The hottest place in the United States 
was Marquette, Mich., 104, while St. Jo¬ 
seph and Kansas City, Mo., Des Moines, 
Iowa, Omaha, Charles City, Iowa, reported 
102 degrees; Fort Smith. Ark., Louisville, 
Keokuk, Iowa. Alpena, Mich., and Sioux 
City, Iowa. 100; Chicago, St. Louis, De¬ 
troit, Harrisburg, Cairo, Ill., and Toledo, 
Ohio, 98. The oat yield in Northern and 
Central Iowa has been reduced fully 50 
per cent., and the heat is very damaging to 
corn. The leaves are twisting up and turn¬ 
ing brown. The temperature in Nebraska 
has ranged from 102 to 108. Corn is failing 
badly in many districts, remaining curled 
during the night. July 2 was the hottest 
day in Detroit since 1887, the street tem¬ 
perature being 110. July 3 was the hottest 
day in New York since 1899, and July 4 
35 deaths from heat were reported in this 
city, while 15 persons were drowned in 
this vicinity. In Chicago the temperature 
was 101. 
STEEL TRUST INDICTMENT.—Eighty- 
four wire manufacturers and their em¬ 
ployees, representing 35 companies, have 
been indicted by the Federal Grand Jury 
at New Y’ork on the ground that they had 
offended against the Sherman anti-trust 
law by forming nine pooling associations 
which acted in restraint of trade. The 
American Steel and Wire Company, one of 
the largest subsidiary concerns of the Unit¬ 
ed States Steel Corporation, was declared to 
have been represented in seven of the pool¬ 
ing associations, and its president, William 
P. Palmer, was indicted seven times. The 
name of Ferdinand W. Roebling of John 
A. Roebling’s Sons Company appears in 
eight indictments. On the list also are 
representatives of the General Electric 
Company, the National Conduit and Cable 
Company, the Standard Underground Cable 
Company, the American Horse Shoe Com¬ 
pany and the Hazai’d Manufacturing Com¬ 
pany. There is one indictment against 
Ersklne Hewitt, vice-president of the Tren¬ 
ton Iron Company, secretary of the embassy 
sent to London for Queen Victoria’s jubilee 
in 1897, son of the late Mayor Hewitt and 
grandson of Peter Cooper, and one against 
Herbert L. Satterlee, who is a son-in-law 
of .T. P. Morgan, and who gets in because 
he is president of the Habishaw Wire Com¬ 
pany. There are two indictments against 
Charles F. Brooker, vice-president of the 
Ansonia Brass and Copper Company, and 
Republican national committeeman for Con¬ 
necticut. Others indicted are Edward S. 
Perot, who is president of the National 
Conduit and Cable' Company; Frank J. 
Gould, on the score of being president of 
the Old Dominion Iron and Nail Works; 
Le Baron C. Colt of Rhode Island, and Ed¬ 
win E. Jackson, Jr., a lawyer at No. 52 
William street. Mr. Jackson is indicted 
nine time on the ground that he was super¬ 
visor of all nine pools; Joseph W. Marsh, 
president of the Standard Underground 
Cable Company, is indicted six times. Sales¬ 
men and minor officers of the various com¬ 
panies are also indicted many times over. 
The indictments cover the whole field of 
the wire industry, including electrical 
cables, steel and copper wire and wire 
nails, and take in horseshoes. 
LOWERED EXPRESS RATES.—Mem¬ 
bers of the Interstate Commerce Commis¬ 
sion were taken by surprise June 30, 
when bulky packages were delivered 
to them containing new express tariffs from 
all the express companies in the United 
States except the Long Island Company. 
The new rates were dumped in on the com¬ 
mission only a short time before the closing 
hour, but a hasty checking showed that the 
tariffs call for a large reduction in express 
rates beginning August 1. In the hurried 
comparison that has been made between the 
new and the old rates it appears for one 
thing that in the case of long hauls of 
express packages to non-competitive points 
the general reductions amount to as much 
as 50 per cent. Officials of the commission 
say that the new rates will bring substan¬ 
tial reductions on 90 per cent, of the traf¬ 
fic handled by the sixteen or seventeen ex¬ 
press companies of the country. The new 
tariffs also show that the companies have 
abandoned their double graduate system of 
charging for express packages weighing less 
than 100 pounds. Under this system every 
express company participating in the tx - ans- 
portation charged its own separate rate 
for the distance hauled. The now tariffs 
provide for a charge based on a through 
haul. The impression here is that this vol¬ 
untary action on the part of the express 
companies is designed to anticipate orders 
by the Interstate Commerce Commission 
reducing expi-ess rates. The commission 
has been conducting an investigation into 
the rates, rules and regulations of express 
companies for some time, and the geneial 
belief is that the commission will hand 
down a report holding that the rates are 
too high. The question of establishing a 
parcels post has come up again and is being 
actively promoted before the Post Office 
Committee of the House. In addition to 
the agitation for the parcels post. Demo¬ 
crats have been stirring up the subject of 
an investigation of the express companies. 
All of these activities may have had an 
influence upon the decision of the companies 
in regard to these tariff changes. Under 
the law railroad and express companies 
are compelled to give thirty days’ notice of 
changes in rates unless excused from doing 
so by the commission. The express com¬ 
panies are apparently anxious to have the 
new rates go into effect on August 1. June 
30 was the last day on which they could 
file them to become effective on that date. 
WASHINGTON.—Geoi’ge A. Earle. Jr., 
of Philadelphia, .Tune 28 told the Hard¬ 
wick special committee of the House of his 
repeated and unsuccessful efforts in 1906 
to induce President Roosevelt and Attor¬ 
ney-General Bonapart to proceed against 
the sugar trust after the wrecking of the 
Real Estate Trust Company of Philadelphia 
by the American Sugar Refining Company. 
Mr. Earle rehearsed the history of the 
Pennsylvania Refining Company which had 
been built by Adolph Segal to compete 
with the sugar trust. Ho told how the 
trust had loaned Segal money on the stock 
of the Pennsylvania Refining Company 
which he was holding as trustee and how 
the American Sugar Company then elected 
its own trustees of the Philadelphia plant 
and dismantled it. Then Earle spoke of 
his appointment as receiver of the Real 
Estate Trust Company, of his efforts to 
straighten out the tangle and of the indict¬ 
ments of the sugar trust dii'ectors for con¬ 
spiracy by Attorney-General Wickersham 
after the Roosevelt administration had 
failed to touch the case. Notwithstanding 
it was apparent the Government did not 
intend to prosecute, Mr. Eaide said he con¬ 
tinued to appeal to Attorney-General Bona¬ 
parte until April 15, 1907. Mr. Bonaparte 
continued to take the view, he said, that a 
previous decision of the United States Su- 
pi-eme Court indicated that the prosecution 
of the trust could not be successful. The 
case on which Mr. Bonaparte based this 
opinion was, Mr. Earle said, as different 
from the case in point as black was from 
white. When he lost all hope that the 
Government would interfere he proceeded 
to press a civil suit against the sugar 
trust and secured a compromise while the 
trial was going on, the trust returning to 
the injured parties all the collateral for the 
big loan that had wrecked the Real Estate 
Trust Company, and paying besides three- 
quarters of a million in cash. 
DIARY OF FARM WORK. 
A Family Fruit Farm. 
We bought this farm in 1907 for a 
trifle over $17 per acre. The buildings 
were poor, and the farm was in a run¬ 
down condition. The farm contains 146 
acres. Work is done upon this farm by 
my father, a brother (age 14) and myself 
(age 21). The live stock on the farm 
consists of three horses, six milch cows, 
3 shotes and about 75 hens. We also 
pastui'e eight head of young stock for a 
neighbor. We have the following crops to 
care for this year: Seven acres two-year- 
old grapes put on wires last Spring, six 
acres one-year-old grapes, two acres black 
raspberries which bear the first this year, 
800 black raspberries and 200 currant 
plants set last Spring, one-eighth acre 
strawberries, which are bearing this year, 
and one-eighth aci'e which we set last 
Spring, 75 pear and 50 aprxle trees in 
bearing, about 30 acres hay. five acres oats, 
five acres Winter wheat, nine acres sweet 
corn for canning factory, three aei’es hard 
corn, one-half acre peas for canning fac¬ 
tory, about one-half acre early potatoes 
and one-quarter acre onions. 
Sunday, June 18—No work done except 
chores. 
Monday, June 19—The first thing in iiie 
morning I hitched up a horse and drove 
to a neighbor on business. Father and 
brother did chores and brother went to 
cheese factory with milk. I got back at 
eight and cultivated sweet corn with the 
riding cultivator the remainder of the day. 
Father and brother hoed grapes. Mother 
and _ a neighbor picked a crate of straw¬ 
berries. After supper I did chores and 
worked in gai’den until dark. 
Tuesday, June 20—Choices same as yes- 
tex-day, except that I cared for horses. I 
took a crate of strawberi'ies to depot and 
brought back a carpenter and his tools to 
begin work on the new barn. The barn 
is to be 36x60, with a shod stable full 
length of barn on one side; driveway full 
length of barn on side next to stable, also 
driveway full length of stable. Aci'oss the 
barn floor from the stable is to be a large 
bay for storing hay. Permanent scaffold 
over stable and removable scaffold over 
driveway. Cement floors throughout ex¬ 
cept in horse stable. I finished cultivating 
sweet corn while father Helped carpenter. 
Brother did odd jobs. I worked in garden 
after chores. 
Wednesday, June 21—Father and I drew 
timbers from mill until 4 P. M. I worked 
in garden until six, while father helped 
carpenter. Another man began work with 
carpenter this morning. 
Thursday, June 22—Father and I drew 
stack of partly rotted straw away from 
side of bairn. Part of this straw was piled 
to be used as manure, part will be used 
as bedding and part we di-ew into the 
apple orchard and piled under the trees 
to be used for a mulch. Brother trimmed 
a few young grapes that had been left by 
mistake. 
Friday, June 23—I harrowed grapes in 
forenoon, while father and brother hoed 
grapes. In the afternoon father went to 
mill with wheat, while brother and I be¬ 
gan to tear old barn down. 
Saturday, June 24—I worked at tearing 
down barn in foi'enoon, while father fixed 
fence and helped fi-ame timbers. In the 
afternoon we all went to Forestville to the 
automobile hill climbing contest; had a 
good time, came home, did the chores, ate 
supper and went to bed feeling that life 
is worth living even if we do work hard. 
Foi-estville, N. Y. l. g. s. 
On a Texas Dairy Farm, 
We are on a daii-y farm, eight miles east 
of San Antonio, Tex., and are engaged in 
the business of producing sanitary milk. 
We also handle cream, butter, buttermilk 
and cream cheese made from milk which 
we buy from our neighbors. Our business 
is so organized that there is not a mo¬ 
ment, day or night, when some part of it 
is not in opei'ation, either producing, trans¬ 
portation or delivery. I got up at 6.30 
A. M., mixed the cream and started the 
ice plant so that the cooler could be well 
fx-ozen, by the time we had the milk. 
Then we had breakfast, and by 8 o’clock 
the milking was started. Our eight- 
horsepower engine pulls the ice plant, milk¬ 
ing machines, bottle washer and churn. 
At 12 the load was ready to be hauled to 
our city depot, where it was divided up 
among the delivery wagons, and distrib¬ 
uted over the city. After milking the milk¬ 
ers fed the calves and cleaned the barn. 
We save all our manure. All the sewage, 
wash water from the dairy and cow man¬ 
ure goes down the sewer to a box in the 
valley field. Here we drive a wagon along¬ 
side and let it run in till the wagon is 
loaded. We then drive over the field and 
let the sewage run out at the back end. 
We do not have to handle the stuff, and 
by this system can keep things so dry that 
the flies find life a hard proposition. We 
have a few flies, but I think they come to 
pay us a visit from our neighbors. 
By 1 P. M. everything is washed up, 
and we are ready for dinner. After that 
the men rest until 7 P. M., when they get 
supper and go thi’ough the same routine 
once more. We have the advantage of 
i - esting during the heat of the day. The 
Mexican idea of the noonday siesta is very 
sensible. I had received notice to appear 
before the Commissioners’ Court, to show 
cause why our assessment should not be 
raised. We are as willing as anybody else 
to pay our taxes if we feel that the money 
will be properly used. But when the Com- 
missioners pay $3,500 for an automobile 
which is not needed in the service of the 
county, and which is now used mainly to 
convey the County Judge to and from his 
dinner, we feel that we ai'e not having a 
“square deal.” When I arrived at our 
depot I found the sales manager and the 
collector laying their plans for the day’s 
collecting. The delivery wagons were in 
and the drivers probably asleep getting 
ready for the next trip. After running 
round town all day on business I got in 
the auto and went home, where I found 
enough work to keep me busy till 1 P. M. 
This is no eight-hour job. Our men work 
nine or sometimes 10 hours, but if we 
tried those hours it would not be long 
before everything would be going wrong. 
I have always found that to get ahead I 
have to put in 14 or 16 hours a day. 
Texas. wm. Sinclair. 
On a New York Sheep Farm. 
At 4 :45 A. M., all astir except the chief 
partner in our business, who is often 
broken of her rest by the little one, the 
ruler of the household. Thanks to our 
faithful, old colored mamrnie, who is al¬ 
ways on deck as soon as the fire is started 
in the kitchen store, it wasn’t necessary 
for her to appear until breakfast was well 
on the way. With three men beside the 
"boss,” the six cows are milked, cream 
separated, calves and hogs fed, horses 
cared for and harnessed. We are all in to 
breakfast at 6 A. M. At 6.30 we are ready 
to begin the work for the day. The three 
men unload thi'ee loads of hay left on the 
wagons overnight, then turned over the 
hay cocks to air, as what was put up yes¬ 
terday afternoon was rather tough and 
heavy, owing to cloudy weather and lack 
of wind. When all was turned at about 
9.30 they began hauling in, got in two 
loads before dinner. • During this time I 
mowed down about five acres more of 
mixed hay, clover and Timothy, which 
makes about 12 acres that we have cut 
from an 18-acre field that we turned our 
cows and lambs into three weeks ago. 
Thei’e was considerably more than they 
could use, and our very dry weather was 
drying it up. We have secured ten loads 
of very nice hay and will probably ge* 
eight moi-e. Of course, the Timothy is 
-'ot at its best, as it is about one-third 
in blossom. In the afternoon we finished 
hauling the hay ready to come in, three 
loads, then we raked and cocked up—or 
as one of my men says—we “boodled up” 
what was cut this afternoon. The men 
all worked as if interested, and all was 
done and ready for chores at six o’clock. 
We finished our first cutting of Alfalfa yes¬ 
terday at noon, having secured 36 good 
loads without a drop of rain to discolor 
it in the least. In fact, during the past 
four seasons we have not had any dam¬ 
aged to speak of by rains or otheiwise. 
We do not attribute this to any superior 
foreknowledge of the weather on our part, 
but rather it has been our good fortune, 
or as a certain friend of mine would say, 
“bull-head luck.” I believe, however 1 , that 
our method of handling Alfalfa—and by 
the way, we handle all other hay much the 
same way now—reduces the danger of 
damage from rains to a minimum. We 
usually let our grass lie but a few hours 
after _ cutting, raking in the afternoon 
what is cut in the morning or before noon 
next day what is cut after noon if good 
curing weather. When gi-ass is very heavy 
and weather unfavoi-able wo sometimes use 
the tedder, but usually it stands by the 
barn during the haying season, waiting for 
an emergency. We put up in small or me¬ 
dium-sized cocks and let it stand one or 
two nights to cure and sweat out. In this 
way it is cured with nearly all the leaves 
on. If weather looks threatening we hurry 
the hay in, even though it is given and 
heavy, sprinkling each course liberally with 
salt, using six to 12 quarts for each load, 
being careful to tramp as little as pos¬ 
sible'. We use the salt curing method in 
putting away all of our hay, and are satis¬ 
fied that it is of givat benefit, whether the 
hay is green or vei'y dry. Of course it 
will sweat, but is a cold sweat and the 
hay comes out the same color as it goes in. 
.Tune 24—There was no dew last night, 
and the hay put up yesterday afternoon 
seems. to have cured considerably during 
the night, and while the men wei’c unload¬ 
ing the wagons I tipped over some of the 
heaviest to air, then hauled in. The men 
finished the hay, cleaning up about 5 
o’clock, which ended the work for the day 
aside from the chores. We have put in 
58 loads of hay so far without any rain. 
By invitation from the superintendent 
of New York State Industrial School at 
Industry, located four miles from us, our 
better half, baby and myself drove over to 
attend the annual inspection of the gar¬ 
dens. Awards were made to the boys hav¬ 
ing the best set of gardens, and an award 
to the lad having the best individual gar¬ 
den. There are over 700 boys at the 
school, divided into companies, each com¬ 
pany having a garden to tend. An inspec¬ 
tion is made of these gardens once a year, 
and awards are given to stimulate the boys 
in their work. The inspection was con¬ 
ducted under the direction of Superintend¬ 
ent Franklin S. Briggs of the school. The 
judges were selected from Rochester and 
the surrounding towns. The boys take 
pride in the planting and care of their 
gardens, and on the whole, they made a 
good showing, considering the very dry 
weather the past six weeks. They have 
a time for work and a time for play. Ball 
grounds and tennis courts are provided 
and they appear to enjoy them immensely. 
In the Fall a fair is held. The product 
of the gaivlens and fields are exliibited, 
poultry and stock, also manufactured ar¬ 
ticles, carpenter work, hlacksmithing, etc., 
baked . goods, preserves, tailoring and 
everything the boys are engaged in at the 
school. Judges are selected from the sur¬ 
rounding country who serve without pay. 
The public is invited to attend and in¬ 
spect the exhibits and witness the judging 
and awarding of premiums. Under the in¬ 
fluence and tx-aining at this farm many of 
the boys are encouraged to make a new 
start in life aand become industrious and 
useful citizens. j. n. m. 
Scottsville, N. Y r . 
GOVERNMENT COTTON REPORT. 
At the end of June the ci'op outlook was 
88.2 per cent., which is 8.2 per cent, above 
the 10-year average at this date. The esti¬ 
mate in South Carolina was 84, the lowest 
noted. Texas was 85, Mississippi, Tennes¬ 
see and Oklahoma 87, North Carolina, Ark- 
kansas and Louisiana 89. Of the heavy 
producing States, Georgia stood highest, 94. 
FOREIGN CROPS. 
The wheat yield of India was the largest 
on record. 369,000,000 bushels. The coun¬ 
tries of Western Europe promise a larger 
wheat yield than last year. In the central 
and eastern sections the yield will apparent¬ 
ly be considerable lower, so that the whole 
Eux-opean wheat crop will evidently fall 
short of the 2,000,000 bushels of last sea¬ 
son. The wheat and rye outlook in Rus¬ 
sia is especially unfavorable. In Germany 
about 18 per cent, of Fall sowing has been 
plowed under. In France the weather has 
been favorable, and the outlook, except for 
oats, is considered good. Spring sown 
crops, potatoes and peas, in Great Britain, 
are in good condition. The Winter in Italy 
was severe, vineyards having suffered from 
late frosts. 
Canadian Crops. 
The season has been favor-able • for field 
crops in all parts of Canada. The lowest 
percentage of condition is made for Fall 
wheat, which suffered from inadequate pro¬ 
tection in the Winter months, and also to 
some extent from Spring fi-osts. The areas 
of Fall wheat are gi-eater than last year by 
4.50 per cent., and of Spring wheat by 13.70 
per cent. The total area in wheat is 10,- 
503,400 acres, as compared with 9,294,800 
in 1910, and 7,750.400 in 1909. The per 
cent, condition of Fall wheat at the end of 
May was 80.63, and of Spring wheat 96.69. 
The area of oats is 10,279,800 acres and its 
condition is 94.76, as compared with 9.864,- 
100 aci-es and 93.95 per cent, condition last 
yeai\ Barley and rye each show a small 
decrease in area, but the condition is higher 
than at the same period last year. Slight 
decreases are also reported for areas of 
peas, mixed grains, and hay and clover, 
with per cent, condition of over 90. Hay 
and clover have a reported condition of 
91.45 for the Dominion, being practically 
100 in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Al¬ 
berta. The apple crop as a whole promises 
to be below medium, the best outlook being 
in Nova Scotia, where both Fall and Win¬ 
ter varieties are well set. Baldwin and 
Spy are the most scarce of any varieties 
throughout the Dominion. 
Virginia Fruit. —The Virginia Horticul¬ 
tural Society reports the apple outlook to 
he from 30 to 35 per cent, of a full yield, 
or about half last year’s crop. There has 
been a heavy drop, owing to unfavorable 
weather at blooming time and drought later. 
Peaches will be about 25 per cent, of last 
year’s yield. 
