1912 . 
THE K'LJRA.I> NEW-YORKEE 
13 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Millions of tons of eartli- 
and rock tumbled down the sides of Lizard 
Mountain near Telluride, Col., December 21, 
when the entire top of that giant peak 
literally toppled over. The peak was 14,160 
feet high, within 300 feet of Mount Mas¬ 
sive, the highest mountain in Colorado. 
The crash greatly alarmed residents in the 
vicinity of Lofty Mountain, who at first 
thought it was an earthquake. The fall 
shook the country for miles around. So far 
as is known nobody was killed or injured, 
there being few mines on that mountain 
and prospectors having come to the city 
for the Winter. It is estimated that fully 
1,000 feet fell from the top of the peak. 
The break is believed to have been caused 
by heavy snows. 
Acting in conjunction with wholesale 
grocers of New York City, the Rochester 
Retail Grocers’ Association is endeavoring 
to obtain 200,000 signatures to a petition 
praying for the repeal of the two cents a 
pound duty on sugar. The petition will be 
sent to Washington. Blank sheets have 
been placed in every grocery store in the 
city. The petition sets forth that the duty 
on sugar is not justified, is paid by the 
consumer and is an unjust burden on one 
of the principal articles of food. 
Shelton C. Burr, president; Eugene II. 
Burr, secretary and treasurer; Charles H. 
Tobey, vice-president, and Edwin Wesley 
Preston, an officer of the Burr Bros., Inc., 
whose offices in the Flatiron building were 
raided a year ago by the postal authori¬ 
ties, pleaded guilty December 22 before 
Judge Holt in the United States Circuit 
Court at New York, to a charge of using the 
mails to defraud investors. At the time 
of the arrest it was said that the men had 
obtained between .$4,000,000 and $5,000,- 
000, and that they had $15,000 cash on 
hand. They were sentenced to one year 
each in the penitentiary on Blackwell’s 
Island. None of the other “get-rich-quick” 
swindlers ever had such a valuable “sucker 
list”_ as the Burr brothers, who carried on 
a $500,000-a-year business from their offi¬ 
ces in the Flatiron building before the Gov¬ 
ernment grew suspicious of their methods 
and finally shut down on them. They be¬ 
gan business in a Harlem flat, but the dupes 
were many, and they succeeded eventually 
in persuading hundreds of thousands of 
the men and women on their lists to ex¬ 
change good money for lithographic repre¬ 
sentations of gushing oil wells or miners 
pickings at mountains of crusted ore. In the 
course of their career, they launched rather 
more than a score of industrial, mining, and 
development companies, as well as two boom 
towns. These companies were incorporated 
at something like $50,000,000. The Burrs 
confessed to having received in one year 
in commissions on the sale of their litho¬ 
graphs $158,851.17, and as they also said 
they kept only a third of their gross revenue, 
their total sales of worthless paper must 
have been $500,000. 
Judge Carpenter December 20 denied the 
ten packers on trial in the Federal court at 
Chicago for conspiracy in restraint of trade 
the benefit of the immunity baths they re¬ 
ceived in 1905. and ruled the Government 
may submit evidence regarding all acts al¬ 
leged to have been committed by the de¬ 
fendants at any time prior to the bringing 
of the indictments. Attorneys for the de¬ 
fence had objected to the introduction of 
any evidence regarding acts prior to 1905 
because of the ruling of the Federal court 
in the previous cases against the packers. 
It was argued by John S. Miller of packers’ 
counsel, that Francis A. Fowler, Edward 
Tilden and L. II. Heyman, who were not in¬ 
dicted in 1905. furnished information to 
James R. Garfield, the Government’s investi¬ 
gator. and that they were entitled to the 
same immunity from prosecution for acts 
prior to that time as the seven other in¬ 
dicted packers. The motions overruled 
were ; That the evidence introduced by the 
prosecution on matters prior to 1905 be 
held invalid. That three of the defendants, 
Francis A. Fowler, Edward Tilden and 
Louis S. Heyman, be given an “immunity 
bath” such as the seven other defendants 
were given in 1905 by Federal Judge Hum¬ 
phrey. The existence of a phantom “asso¬ 
ciation” which never had a name, whose 
purpose was known only to those who at¬ 
tended and which met every Tuesday after¬ 
noon on the sixth floor of the Counselman 
building in La Salle street, at which all the 
"Big Six” in the packing industry were 
represented by leading officers, was revealed 
in the cross examination of Albert H. 
Veeder. Veeder has been legal representa¬ 
tive of the Swift interests for more than a 
quarter of a century, and was the organizer 
of the Swift Packing Company when it 
was formed into a corporation. 
THE WOOL SCHEDULE.—The Tariff 
Board’s report on Schedule K. sent to Con¬ 
gress December 20 by President Taft, sug¬ 
gests a general revision of the duties on 
wool and woollens, and many reductions in 
the rates. The board makes no recommen¬ 
dations. but points out what changes are 
desirable. In nearly all classes of the 
schedule the board’s experts report the ma¬ 
jority of the rates of duty prohibitory and 
condemn the systems of levying them. The 
report points the way to two great changes 
in the present system of levying duties on 
raw wool and finished cloth. It would 
assess duty on scoured wool—not wool and 
grease combined, and suggests a graduated 
scale of ad valorem rate on cloth. The 
board finds the present system of levying 
duty on raw wool bad and the duties higher 
than the difference in cost of production 
in the United States as compared with the 
cost abroad. The method of levying duty 
is condemned because it charges for grease 
as well as for wool and operates to keep 
out of this country the heavy shrinking 
woollens. On tops, from which yarn is 
made, the present rate of duty is found to 
be prohibitory. It costs 80 per cent more 
in the United States to convert tops into 
yarn than it does anywhere else. On yarn 
from which cloth is woven, the present rate 
of duty is found to be prohibitory because 
it keeps out all except the finer grades. On 
cloth the present rate of duty is pro¬ 
nounced prohibitory on heavyweight, cheap 
and medium grade cloths, principally because 
of the specific compensatory duty which fixes 
a certain charge a pound before the ad 
valorem rate begins. It costs 100 per cent 
more to make cloth from yarn in the United 
States than it does in England or France. 
The present system of fixing the same ad 
valorem rates of duty on different grades 
of fabric is condemned as unfair. The 
board holds that a fair solution would be 
the adoption of a graduated scale under 
which the ad valorem rate properly as¬ 
sessed on goods of low value should then 
increase progressively according to slight 
increments of value up to whatever maxi¬ 
mum rate should be fixed. The cost of a 
suit of clothes from the back of sheep to 
the back of a man is computed in the re¬ 
port, and the profits which accrue in the 
process are traced to their sources. For 
purposes of computation the board takes 
a suit of clothes retailing at $23 and whole¬ 
saling at $16.50. This is said fairly to rep¬ 
resent the suit of clothes worn by the 
average American. The farmer receives 
$2.23 for the wool in such a suit, and his 
profit is 68 cents; the manufacturer of 
cloth receives $4.78 for his product, and 
his profit is 23 cents; the wholesale cloth¬ 
ing dealer receives $16.50 for his product, 
and his profit is $2.18; the retail clothing 
dealer receives $23, and his profit is $6.50. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—In many of the 
orange districts of Southern California the 
weather December 26 was the coldest reg¬ 
istered in many years. In one section the 
mercury fell to 16 degrees above zero, while 
in San Bernardino the thermometer regis¬ 
tered 22 and in Riverside 20 degrees above. 
Persistent smudging probably has saved the 
growing orange crop from injury. What 
damage already has been done is not con¬ 
sidered sufficient to bring the crop below 
the average. 
Jonathan Periam, a well-known writer on 
agricultural subjects, formerly editor of the 
Prairie Farmer, died at Chicago, Ill., De¬ 
cember 9. aged 88. Mr. Periam was a vet¬ 
eran of the Civil War, a life member of 
the Illinois Horticultural Society, and an 
honorary member of the Wisconsin Horti¬ 
cultural Society. He is survived by four 
daughters. 
The forty-sixth annual convention of the 
Illinois State Horticultural Society was 
held in Agricultural building of the Uni¬ 
versity of Illinois at Urbana December 11- 
16. Many valuable and interesting papers 
regarding fruit and vegetable culture and 
the care of orchards were read and dis¬ 
cussed. Discourses on floral subjects were 
delivered by Prof. II. B. Dorner, “Flowers 
for the Home;” A. M. Augustine, “Arrange¬ 
ment and Treatment of Shrubs and Peren¬ 
nials for the Home Grounds ;” W, N. Rudd, 
“School Yards and Church Grounds;” E. 
Bolinger, “Arrangement of Shrubs and Or¬ 
namental Plants in the Home Grounds.” 
New York State Agricultural Society. 
The annual meeting of this society on 
January 18 promises to be the best ever 
held if we may judge from the programme. 
Practical farmers will be on the pro¬ 
gramme, including such men as E. H. Dol¬ 
lar, dairyman, Heuvelton, who sold the' 
famous “Rag Apple” cow for $8,000, to 
talk on the cost of producing farm prod¬ 
ucts; II. R. Talmadge, of the Long Island 
Potato Exchange, will discuss the work 
of that Exchange: .1. Frank Dimon, secretary 
of the Cauliflower Exchange, Riverhead, 
will discuss his Association’s work; Wm. 
Church Osborn, a prominent lawyer in 
New York City, former legal adviser to 
Governor Dix. and living on a farm near 
Garrisons, will tell of the work of the 
New York Food Investigating Commission. 
Ezra Tuttle, farmer at Eastport, L. I., 
will suggest a practical method for pro¬ 
ducers and consumers to get closer to¬ 
gether; Albert Manning, dairyman, at Otis- 
ville. Delaware Co., will talk on the milk 
question; Secretary Giles of the State 
Grange will tell of cooperative buying and 
selling in the Grange: Timothy Costello, 
prominent fruit grower in Yates County, 
will show the cost of producing apples; 
B. J. Case, fruit grower. Sodus, N. Y., 
former president of the New York State 
Fruit Growers’ Association, will discuss the 
cost side of farming. 
Dean Cook of the St. Lawrence School of 
Agriculture, and Prof. G. F. Warren, of the 
State College of Agriculture, will discuss 
cost of farm products, and both of them 
will base their discussions on practical 
work on their own farms as well as scien¬ 
tific investigations. James A. D. S. Find¬ 
lay. successful Alfalfa grower and dairyman, 
near Salisbury Mills, will discuss cost of 
Alfalfa growing; W. II. Ingling, manager 
of Monmouth County Farmers’ Exchange 
of New Jersey, will explain methods of 
work of that organization ; and W. 1 T . Velie, 
of Marlborough, will tell us what it costs 
to produce asparagus. Homer II. Jones, 
of Homer. N. Y.. will discuss cost of pro¬ 
ducing milk. John N. Carlisle, of Water- 
town, former Public Service Commissioner 
and now lawyer and farmer, will discuss 
advantages of public market places in cit¬ 
ies. Dr. Fritz Reichmann, Superintendent 
of Weights and Measures, will explain the 
relation between his work and cost of liv¬ 
ing. Prof. Martha Van Renssalaer, of Cor¬ 
nell University, will take up the cost of 
living from the standpoint of the house¬ 
keeper and show how it is within the power 
of the buyer to economize. Trof. .T. A. 
Ruddick. Dairy and Cold Storage Commis¬ 
sioner of Canada, will tell about the Fruit 
Products Act in Canada, which lias done 
so much to bring about uniform grades 
of fruit and thus stimulate the demand for 
Canadian fruit. Mr. John Pincus. promi¬ 
nent in the work of the Federation of Jew¬ 
ish Farmers of America, will take up the 
subject from the standpoint of the con¬ 
gested population in New York City. Be¬ 
sides these, it is expected to have noted 
and practical men from six to eight States 
and Canada attend these meetings. 
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GENUINE THOMAS PHOSPHATE POWDER 
'(Basic Slag Meal) 
Grows Big' Red Apples and Other Fruits 
TROPHIES WON BY USERS OF 
Genuine Thomas Phosphate Powder 
AT THE 
GREAT NEW ENGLAND FRUIT SHOW 
Held at Boston, Mass., October 23-28, 1911 
International Apple Shippers’ Association’s Cup for Best Commercial Exhibit of 
Packed Fruit. Won by Conyer’s Farm, G. A. Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
Silver Cup for Best Display of Baldwin Apples offered by Governor Foss, of 
Massachusetts. Won by T. K. Winsor, Rhode Island. 
Silver Shield for Best Exhibit of Rhode Island Greenings offered by Governor 
Pothier, of Rhode Island. Won by T. K. Winsor, Rhode Island. 
$25.00 Cash for Best Barrel of King Apples offered by W. & B. Douglas Company, 
of Connecticut. Won by Elijah Rogers, Connecticut. 
First Prize for Best Barrel of Rhode Island Greenings. Won by Elijah Rogers, 
Connecticut. 
First Prize $50.00—Best 5 Boxes of Apples. Any Variety or Varieties. Won by 
Conyer’s Farm, G. A. Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
Second Prize $25.00—for Best 5 Boxes of Apples. Any Variety or Varieties. 
Won by N. S. Winsor, Rhode Island. 
First Prize—Best Box Exhibit of Apples. Won by Conyer’s Farm, G. A. Drew, 
Manager, Connecticut. 
Silver Medal—Best Packed Exhibit of Apples. Won by Conyer’s Farm, G. A. 
Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
First Prize—Best Box of Rhode Island Greenings. Won by T. K. Winsor, 
Rhode Island. 
Sweepstakes for Best Box of Apples Packed for Market $75.00, Won by Conyer’s 
Farm, G. A. Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
Berlin Prize—$25.00 Cash and Silver Medal. Won by Conyer’s Farm, G. A. 
Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
Connecticut Pomological Society—Silver Medal for Best Table of Fruit. Won 
by Conyer’s Farm, G. A. Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
Massachusetts Agricultural College Sweepstakes for Winning Largest Number of 
Prizes. Won by Conyer’s Farm, G. A. Drew, Manager, Connecticut. 
Numerous Other Prizes. Won by the above and other users of Genuine Thomas Phosphate Powder. 
Why Not Put YOUR Fruit in the Prize Winning Class by Purchasing 
GENUINE THOMAS PHOSPHATE POWDER 
Key-Tree Brand 
FROM 
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51 Chambers Street, New York City 
Our Booklet, “Up-to-Date Fruit Growing with Thomas Phosphate Powder,” is sent free 
if you mention The Rural New-Yorker 
