1913. 
646 
RUEtA.I» NEW-YORKER 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—March 26 it was said 100,- 
000 men were idle in Pittsburgh, Pa., be¬ 
cause of the floods. At Newcastle the She- 
nango and Mahoning rivers were higher 
than ever before. At Sharon, Pa., early re¬ 
ports put the property loss at $3,500,000. 
In country districts numbers of cattle have 
been drowned, and farmers have experienced 
heavy losses. _ The damage to bridges and 
roads is very great. The total death list 
is very much less than at first reported, 
and it is hoped may not exceed 500 in Ohio 
and Indiana. In New York State the flood 
loss is said to equal $3,000,000. It is said, 
however, that the damage to the great 
Barge Canal will increase its cost enor¬ 
mously, and greatly delay the work. In 
Ohio the State Highway Commissioner esti¬ 
mates the property loss at $253,000,000. 
March 31 the crest of the Ohio flood 
reached Cincinnati, flooding many sections 
of the city. Cairo, Ill., was in serious con¬ 
dition, because of weakened levees; Shaw- 
neetown. Ill., was entirely cut off and ser¬ 
ious loss was anticipated. 
John Pierpont Morgan, the great financier, 
died at Koine, Italy, March 31, of a general 
breakdown and brain exhaustion. He was 
76 years old. Mr. Morgan was a native of 
Hartford, Conn. His father was a banker 
of old Puritan family, and the son inherited 
large means and important business con¬ 
nections. lie was educated in Boston and 
at Gottingen, Germany. He became one of 
the most famous and discriminating art 
collectors in the world. Mr. Morgan was 
twice married. His first wife was Miss 
Amelia Sturgis, whom he married in 1861. 
She died a year later. In 1865 he married 
Miss Frances Tracy, daughter of Charles 
Tracy, a well known New York lawyer. The 
children by this marriage were John Pief- 
pont Morgan, Jr., Miss Louisa Morgan, the 
wife of Herbert L. Satterlee; Miss Juliet 
Pierpont Morgan, who married William 
Pierson Hamilton, and Miss Anne Tracy 
Morgan, whose interest in charity is so well 
known. Mr. Morgan was possessed of more 
foreign decorations than any other Ameri¬ 
can. Upon him had been conferred the 
Grand Cross of the Bed Eagle, of Prussia ; 
the Grand Cross of the Order of SS. Mau¬ 
rice and Lazarus, and the Grand Cross of 
the Crown of Italy; he was Commander of 
the Legion of Honor of France; medallist 
of the Queen Victoria jubilee, the corona¬ 
tion of King Edward VII and of the corona¬ 
tion of King George V. He was also a 
member of the Order of Osmanieh, Turkey. 
Mr. Morgan was seldom spoken of as a 
philanthropist. His gifts in the world of 
art and literature, however, great as they 
were, formed only a small portion of his 
liberality. No man ever gave less osten¬ 
tatiously. Although he bestowed many 
millions of dollars, his name was never con¬ 
nected with a single gift. His philan¬ 
thropies were not local or narrow in their 
scope. lie gave wherever his human or 
artistic sympathies were aroused. This he 
illustrated in 1899, when he made a gift 
of $25,000 to provide electric light for St. 
Paul's Cathedral in London. To Harvard 
University he gave for the medical school, 
$1,000,000 ; for the Society of the Lying-in 
Hospital, near St. George’s Church, $1,350,- 
000; for S.t. John’s Cathedral. $4,500.000: 
for help toward paying the debts of the 
Young Men's Christian Association. $100.- 
000; for the Loomis Hospital for Consump¬ 
tives, some $500,000 ; for a library in Holy¬ 
oke, Mass., his father's birthplace.'$100,000 ; 
for preserving the Palisades, $125,000; for 
a new parish house and rectorv for St. 
George's Church, $300,000, and $100,000 to 
churches in San Francisco in 1908. lie 
also contributed largely to the Queen Vic¬ 
toria memorial fund and to the Galveston 
relief fund. At the time of the cholera 
scare he furnished the steamer Stonington. 
to assist in the work of getting passengers 
off the affected steamships. He gave $500,- 
000 to build the Auchmuty Industrial 
School. During a Winter of unusual acute 
distress among the poor of this city he 
furnished the means to establish cheap coal 
and wood yards, and gave $10,000 to the 
Italian earthquake fund in 1905. He gave 
very largely to many interests connected 
with the Episcopal Church, of which he 
was a communicant. 
Washington, March 31.—Walter H. Page, 
editor of World’s Work, has accepted the 
President’s offer of the post of Ambassador 
to Great Britain to succeed the late White- 
law Reid. Mr. Page, who is a native of 
Aortb Carolina, is a resident of Garden 
C lty. Long Island. He is a member of the 
publishing firm of Doubleday, Page & Co. 
since 1899. He was born at Cary, N. C.. 
on August 15, 1855. lie was a student at 
“ 1 ®®“'olph-Macon College in Virginia from 
. to 1876, and a fellow at Johns Hop¬ 
kins University from 1876 to 1878. He was 
editor of The Forum from 1890 to 1895 and 
editor of The Atlantic Monthly until 1899. 
1\ alter D. Hines, chief counsel for the 
Adams, American, Wells Fargo and United 
Mates express companies, went to Washing¬ 
ton March 31 with a brief containing argu¬ 
ments against the parcel post to be used 
at a hearing of the Interstate Commerce 
J ‘"omission. He shows that the parcel post 
nas deprived the express companies of ap¬ 
proximately 25 per cent of their total busi¬ 
ness on packages up to 11 pounds. The 
nearing before the Commerce Commission is 
to discuss the general question of lowering 
tile rates charged by express companies. This 
gives Mr. Hines the opportunity to bring 
netore the Commission the arguments 
against the parcel post on the ground that 
K has already affected the express com¬ 
panies business, so that any further low¬ 
ering of rates would work harm to the com- 
patnes and also to strike at the whole par¬ 
cel post system. 1 
AMONG THE POTATO GROWERS. 
On the 26th of March I attended and 
lectured at the meeting of the farmers in¬ 
terested in the Eastern Shore of Virginia 
Produce Exchange at Capeville, in the lower 
end of Northampton County, just a little 
way above the end of the Cape. I had 
never been below the railroad terminus 
at Cape Charles City before this, though 
I was born in the adjoining county of 
Accomac, and I was surprised to see that 
that lower end of the Cape is a beautiful 
farming country, and there were evidences 
of great prosperity among the potato grow¬ 
ers, since fine farm homes are the rule 
and many of the houses are really fine and 
costly. It seemed that every one of the 
farmers owns an automobile, for they 
crowded to the meeting in them from 
every direction till the grove there seemed 
to be full of motor cars. About 500 pros¬ 
perous looking men gathered there to hear 
a discussion on the aims and purposes of 
the organization after I had made a sort of 
general talk on intensive methods in truck¬ 
ing. Mr. Westcott, one of the leading 
spirits in the Virginia Produce Exchange 
made a lengthy explanation of its purposes, 
the object being to induce the growers in 
that lower end to take more interest in 
the work of the Exchange that is aiming 
to include both counties, its headquarters 
being at Onley in Accomac County. He 
explained the wonderful success that has 
attended the work of the exchange, and 
the benefits that would accrue to all who 
enlisted in it, saying that the exchange 
was not organized as a money-making con¬ 
cern, for the organization, but for the bene¬ 
fit of the growers. His figures for the 
business of the past year were surprising. 
With a capital stock of $40,000 they have 
a surplus of $85,000. Recognizing the im¬ 
portance of having the most experienced 
and skillful manager they engaged Mr. Bur¬ 
ton, a general in that line, at a salary 
of $5,000 a year, and his management 
has been the cause of the success of the 
organization. Last season the exchange did 
a business amounting to $3,750,000, charg¬ 
ing five per cent, for selling. The mere 
matter of telegrams often runs up to $25,- 
000 in a season, for the manager keeps 
continually posted from the traveling 
agents in all directions north and in Can¬ 
ada, and makes sales by wire in carloads 
at every point. Whenever a carload is 
reported not up to the claim an agent goes 
at once to see if the complaint is correct, 
and in case it is the matter is at once 
adjusted. Inspectors are at every shlp^ 
ping point to see that the produce brought 
is properly graded before he puts on the 
barrel or package the red star of the ex¬ 
change, and in this way the effort is made 
to have every shipment come up to the 
quality claimed for it, so that complaints 
are rare. 
The exchange ships not only for its own 
stockholders but for everyone, and at 
the close of the season ouo-half the profits 
are carried to the surplus fund and the 
other half paid in a rebate to the stock¬ 
holder shippers. Hence it is to the interest 
of all the growers to take some stock in 
the exchange, for they need a large amount 
of cash to pay on delivery at the station 
for produce less the 5 per cent, charged, 
for the manager knows in advance what 
the car is sold for, for every carload is 
sold before shipping, and it is a groat 
convenience to the shipper to get the cash. 
Since the stock is but $5 a share it takes 
but one share to make a man a member 
of the exchange and entitled to his pro¬ 
portion of the benefits. This organization 
has brought prosperity to the growers, and 
they are no longer the prey of irresponsible 
commission merchants in the northern 
cities. The orders are taken in advance 
by wire in carloads, and the manager knows 
just where to ship, for many carloads late 
in the season of early potatoes are shipped 
South, after the southern crop has been 
cleaned up, and they ship on orders taken 
by their traveling agents in all the north¬ 
ern towns and cities and all over Canada. 
The main crop in lower end of the 
peninsula is the early Irish potatoes. In 
fact at that tip end of Northampton, it 
seemed to me that the whole country is 
now planted in Irish potatoes, though 
strawberries, cabbages, and in the upper 
sections immense areas are planted in 
sweet potatoes. Down on the Cape the 26th 
of March the potatoes were peeping above 
the ground, and the growers were busy 
harrowing the ridges down level, to be 
ready for the regular cultivation. I urged 
them to make a greater diversification of 
crops, for one disastrous season in potatoes 
would make a great loss, while a diversity 
of crops would give them a far better 
chance. I told them of the great industry 
along the Lake Shore north in Winter 
forcing under glass, and tried to show 
them tlif great advantage of their sunny 
Winters and milder climate would give 
them in this same work of growing to¬ 
matoes and cucumbers under glass. Then 
the outdoor crop of early tomatoes does 
not seem to have attracted attention, 
though north of them in the lower end 
of Maryland these are being made a profit¬ 
able crop. I tried to show them the greater 
profit that would accrue from intensive 
work even on cold frames with sashes, and 
one man said that doubtless they would 
gradually get at it, for they are thought¬ 
ful men, and ready to take a new idea 
if it promises success. They have made 
money so fast in early potatoes the past 
two seasons that it is like arguing against 
a success to warn them of danger of a 
bad season, and I told them that their 
great area in Irish potatoes this season 
made me rather uneasy because of the 
great mass of old potatoes still on the 
markets north this Spring. 
Early potato shipments from that sec¬ 
tion are wonderful in amount. Cape 
Charles City station alone shipped last 
Spring close to half a million barrels of 
Irish potatoes. I have not the figures for 
the long list of stations along the railroad 
north of Cape Charles, but I live near the 
railroad, and I know that during the 
shipping season it is one long train after 
another going north as closely as they 
dare to run them on the double-tracked 
railroad. The great strawberry crop opens 
the season, and in lower Maryland and 
Delaware by the latter part of April one 
will see the sidings crowded with long 
lines of refrigerator cars waiting for the 
strawberries. Then come the cabbages and 
then the Irish potatoes, and after a short 
lull in the shipments the rush of the early 
sweet potatoes from Virginia begins, and 
the cantaloupes and watermelons and 
cucumbers of lower Maryland keep the 
trains busy till late in Summer. This 
whole Peninsula is rapidly becoming the 
market garden for the Northern cities, 
with its rapid transportation and early 
warm soil and mild climate. 
w. P. MASSEY. 
TRICKS OF COMMISSION MEN. 
The need of a bill to regulate commis¬ 
sion trade is illustrated by the following 
personal experience: In October, 1909. a 
personal friend of mine, who was agent 
for a commmission house in New York 
City, solicited from me a car of peaches. 
The inducement they held out was that 
these peaches would be sold out of their 
store to an exclusive hotel trade, and 
would bring a much higher price on this 
account. I shipped to them a solid car 
of 430 crates, sold October 15, 1909, at 
$1.37% per crate, which was 37% cents 
under the market. They telegraphed the 
price at once, and that the peaches had 
arrived in poor condition. Their agent here 
wired the firm that there must be some 
mistake, as he knew these peaches were 
all right. When they sent the returns 
they explained that the car arrived late 
and the weather was rainy. 
Now, at that time I was shipping a car¬ 
load of peaches to New York nearly every 
day. This fruit was of the same grade and 
brand, and was being sold by my regular 
commission house for $1.75-$1.85 per 
crate. Later in the Fall my friend, the 
agent, returned to New York and took the 
matter up with his firm, endeavoring to 
settle the matter to my satisfaction. He 
told them he “wished them to give me a 
square deal, that I was no backwoods 
farmer and sometimes went to New York 
myself." He soon after left the firm and 
I found out from him that at the same 
time they sent me returns of $1.37% per 
crate, they were buying the same grade 
of peaches from other commission houses 
at $1.75. 
The next time I was in New York I 
took counsel and called on the firm for an 
explanation. I found from them that these 
peaches were not sold at their store or to 
the hotel trade, as they had agreed, but to 
other commission men on the dock. The 
only explanation they vouchsafed was that 
they were not responsible for what their 
agent might have said. While it may not 
be possible to legislate honesty into men, it 
is possible to legislate dishonest men out 
of business. f. w. Cornwall. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
PARCEL POST. 
Eggs by Mail. 
I notice on page 468 letter from T. T. 
Hibben, under “Parcel Post Notes.” Mr. 
Ilibben says we can send eggs by parcel 
post for hatching, for he sent a box to 
a friend and had friend return them to 
him, and but one egg was broken each way, 
and the box was in good condition. Under 
the circumstances I would like to bet Mr. 
Ilibben a big apple that if he sets the 
remaining 13 eggs he won’t hatch a chick. 
I have had 10 years’ experience in shipping 
eggs for_ hatching. I can pack eggs so 
that it is practically impossible to break 
them, short of smashing the box, but that 
doesn't mean that the eggs will hatch 
The most satisfactory package I have found 
is a basket or a box with a handle. These 
receive more consideration from expressmen 
than a package without a handle. Express- 
men are supposed to handle a lot of pack¬ 
ages in a short time. That is what they 
are hired for. They have no time to pick 
up a single box of eggs, and carry it on 
or off the cars and wagons; such boxes get 
thrown or slid along. Where there is a 
handle, the handle is apt to be made use 
of, and one can carry several packages by 
the handle at one time. One good sharp 
jolt to a package of eggs will finish the 
hatching possibilities of the eggs, although 
the eggs be so carefully packed that none 
are cracked. I have received and shipped 
packages of eggs, where several eggs were 
broken, and remainder hatched fairly 
well, but in every such case the package 
had been partially smashed, evidently by 
some heavy object falling on them, or a 
similar mishap. I have also received re¬ 
ports of eggs cracked or broken, yet pack¬ 
age was in good condition when received, 
and purchasers also reported very poor 
results from remainder of eggs. This shows 
that it is the shocks that such packages 
receive, that destroy hatching possibilities. 
T nder present condition of parcel post it 
certainly is not adapted for shipping hatch¬ 
ing eggs, and I feel sure that if you had 
had as much experience in shipping hatch¬ 
ing eggs as I have, and knowing what we 
do as to how parcels are handled by the 
I’ost Office Department, you would refuse 
to accept advertising from any breeder of¬ 
fering to ship eggs via parcel post. Per¬ 
sonally, when I see an advertiser making 
such an offer, I put him down as very 
inexperienced. Of course, I would like to 
be able to ship eggs via parcel post, but 
in justice to myself and customers I cannot, 
although I have received some requests 
to do so. I would like Mr. Hibben to re¬ 
port results, if he set that box of eggs, 
also any others who have shipped hatching 
eggs via parcel post. j. e. willmarth. 
New York. 
Advantages of Parcel Post. 
While our experience is limited, yet we 
know that in rural communities many 
advantages are being derived from the in¬ 
creasing use of the parcel post system. The 
village in which we live is located 10 
miles east of Mill Creek express office. A 
stage makes daily trips to the above place, 
carrying the mail, conveying passengers 
and hauling freight and express matter. 
The transportation charge made by the 
stage driver is 10 cents for the smaller 
packages, while the rates increase accord¬ 
ing to the size of the package. In sending 
goods by parcel post the cost is much less 
than when sent by express, and the stage 
driver’s charges are also avoided, as he is 
compelled to haul all mail matter according 
to his contract. Another advantage is that 
many articles, among them being fresh 
country butter, sausage, medicine in liquid 
form, and many other articles which could 
not be sent by mail, either because they 
■were unmailable, or because the cost of 
mailing was too great, can now be sent by 
parcel post much cheaper than heretofore. 
We can also purchase dry goods from 
large establishments in the cities and have 
them sent to us by parcel post at less cost 
than if sent by express. Not only does the 
parcel post system benefit the public, but is 
also proving beneficial to the fourth class 
postmaster, who frequently receives but a 
small compensation for his work. During 
the brief time in which the system has been 
in use, the cancellation in our post office 
has increased to a marked degree, and we 
believe that during the holiday season the 
parcel post system will be more appre¬ 
ciated than at any other time, by both the 
general public and the postmaster. The 
few facts derived from our experience in a 
rural community are decidedly iu favor of 
the parcel post, although there may exist 
disadvantages in other places. o. C. H. 
Mifflin Co., Penna. 
s/o 
PRIZES FOR PHOTOGRAPHS 
The Rural New-Yorker will give $50—divided as above for the 
Three Best Original Photographs illustrating scenes in our new book 
“THE CHILD” 
This book is full of pathetic or dramatic situations which afford opportunity 
for effective grouping of characters to form illustrations. Here are a few: 
“Childless and alone’' 
The Elder and The Child 
Shep and his new friend 
* ‘Sunday comes in the middle of the week” 
First lesson in milking 
Hiram Bently’s anger 
Hen Bingham’s atonement 
Ike Barber’s cider mill 
“Berryin’ a boy” 
Advertising with cider apple* 
Bill King’s heme run 
Joe Burgess and his song 
Mr. Cabot of the Austin Cabots 
“Mother” and the Child 
These and other scenes will form effective groupings for pictures, and the 
characters may be found right in your home neighborhood. You are to 
arrange the groups to suit yourself. The prizes will be awarded to the 
pictures which most nearly carry out the idea of the book. Each contest¬ 
ant may send 6 pictures but no individual can win more than one prize. 
Suitable pictures not winning prizes will be paid for. Others will be 
promptly returned on receipt of postage. 
The Pictures Must be in Our Hands May 31,1913 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
NEW YORK 
