1913. 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
699 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—British Columbia Indians 
have unloaded on American and Canadian 
gold seekers, scores of claims that do not 
contain even a trace of “color,” it was 
learned recently. It developed that the re¬ 
cent stampede to the Teslin country of 
British Columbia was engineered by red 
men, who cleared many thousands of dol¬ 
lars through their trickery. John G. John¬ 
son, one of the discoverers of gold in Nome 
and an Alaskan multimillionaire, brought 
the news from the north May 8 that not a 
sign of gold had been found in the Silver 
Creek district, aU of which was staked by 
Indians and sold to white men. 
Fifty-six electric automobiles were 
burned May 9 in a fire which destroyed a 
garage in East Forty-seventh avenue," Chi¬ 
cago, and a storage warehouse adjoining. 
The loss is $250,000. 
Experts of the United States Public 
Health Service announced in a statement 
May 9, before the annual meeting of the 
National Association for the Studv and 
Prevention of Tuberculosis that results of 
the Friedmann tuberculosis treatment on 
the ninety-four cases in New York hospi¬ 
tals do not justify “the confidence in this 
remedy which has been inspired by wide¬ 
spread publicity.” This first official opinion 
given by the Government authorities on the 
merits of the Friedmann serum was ac¬ 
cepted immediately by the association as 
just grounds for the passing of a resolution 
warning the people against being led astray 
by unproved claims. Dr. Charles L. Miner, 
of Asheville, N. C., opposed the action on 
the ground that it was not strong enough 
in condemning Dr. Friedmann and his 
methods. 
Lieut. J. D. Park, of the U. S. Army 
Aviation Corps, was killed at Olive, Cal., 
May 9. After a trip of 108 miles he had 
lost his way, and during efforts to start 
his aeroplane again it turned a somersault 
and crushed him. Lieut. Park is the ninth 
man killed in the military aero service of 
this country. 
May 10 report made by George W. Blake, 
special commissioner appointed by Gov. 
Sulzer of New York to investigate State 
prisons, exposed shocking conditions at 
Sing Sing. Filthy cells., dripping with 
moisture, barbarous punishments, waste and 
"graft” are all reported. Col. Joseph F. 
Scott, former State Superintendent of Pris¬ 
ons, recently removed by Gov. Sulzer, is 
held chiefly responsible, as he was in the 
abuses at Auburn. At Auburn the prison 
physician was denounced for his brutality, 
but the Sing Sing report states that the 
physicians there endeavored to ameliorate 
conditions, but were helpless. Frederick 
Hamlin Mills, State Prison Sales Agent, 
now removed, is held seriously culpable. 
I ARM AND GARDEN.—E. B. Thompson, 
of Amenia, N. Y., was elected president of 
the American Poultry Association at their 
convention at Danville, Ill., and Atlantic 
City. N. J., was chosen as the next con¬ 
vention place. 
Walnut Boy, the famous pacing stallion, 
which made the fastest pacing record of 
any breeding horse on exhibition at the 
Columbian Exposition, Chicago, in 1S93, 
died recently at Warrensburg, Mo. The 
horse was owned by John Gallison. 
The New York and New Jersev Live 
Stock Exchange has sent a resolution to 
President Wilson asking that livestock be 
put on the free list in the new tariff bill. 
Judge Peter B. McLennan, presiding jus¬ 
tice of the Appellate Division, fourth de¬ 
partment, died suddenly from a fall at 
Syracuse, N. Y., May 8. Judge McLennan 
was widely known among farmers for his 
Interest in purebred stock. 
The fight for “pure” flour has been car- 
r i to the Supreme Court, Attorney Gen¬ 
eral McReynolds and Assistant Attor- 
ncy General Adkins having filed an applica- 
non for a review of the decision of the 
Eighth Unit I'd States Circuit Court of Ap¬ 
peals, which denied the right of the gov¬ 
ernment to condemn flour bleached by elec¬ 
tricity by the AIsop process. The pure food 
and drugs act declares an article adulter¬ 
ated if it contains any added poisonous in¬ 
gredient which may render such article in- 
jurious to health. The government claims 
the addition of any poisonous ingredient, 
even though it be minute, and the result¬ 
ing injury to health be incapable of meas¬ 
urement, is forbidden. The Circuit Court 
ot Appeals held that the poisonous ingredi¬ 
ent must be added in such quantitv that 
tliere was a possibility of injury to health, 
mm F anstl 'uetion will render enforcement 
difficult, according to the Attorney General. 
lbe American Agricultural Commission, 
uiiieh was authorized to investigate the 
Unri i 3yst m 1 ? of Eur °pe. arrived at Rome 
“• J ne members were met by Am- 
H - ; l 0r O Brien, the American representa- 
idont- 1 ^w R ?. me V Ma yor Nathan and the pres- 
of E } e International Agricultural lu- 
-if A Iu ‘ i ; c , was a reception to the dele- 
, w ‘ m ' h they were presented. Dr. 
cover* ^ J” a , spPcch compared the dis- 
tah i/h^f : Vraori< : a b -v Columbus to the es- 
( : a rnr^ ent /?, ltal T by David Lubin of 
Veri.Miit,^ °# the toteruatioual Institute of 
tore,ii ue tour centuries later. Dr. But- 
emrrosseJ> r0S0Ute ^i to tlle Kiu g a resolution 
♦haf T oa vellum expressing the hope 
increatinell" terDati °na1 Institute would be 
tion In f g s y suct “ esslu l in securing cofipera- 
mit-N U i n th J! matt . er of the world’s crop re- 
1 , ™’ disseminating agricultural intel- 
tweon fh D<i facilitating understandings be- 
toV Fmn n, P °? PlCS ° f the «»*h. King ViC- 
Ile Ud h' UCl exprcsso<i his cordial thanks, 
so was , ver y IlllK 'h Pleased to see 
boned tLir V i Cans and atldcd that he 
Ti., thdi work would be successful. 
measures vn° ntine S° Verniup nt is taking 
bina tion in ° 4 P ° Se A be American beef com- 
MinDf a “ Argentina. The Council of 
an oiritf 'i.'r So fully into the question at 
spec„V,H J ate , with a view to preventing 
'Sf °Vo ! VOrab,e t0 the Argentine 
vombiv fi e uews P a pers comment uufa- 
Vretiiin o % tb0 so-called beef trust, and the 
ing „ M t ih R K Soc i p ty lias called a meet- 
an Lrf, Ul bre eclers to protest against 
-Vgrici Rnr' h m , OU ° po,y ' The Minister of 
^nenlture has invited the managers of the 
American refrigerating plants at Buenos 
Ayres to make an explanation of their in¬ 
tentions. 
Fruit, vegetables and Alfalfa crops suf¬ 
fered heavy damage from the cold wave 
that struck Onondaga County May 10. Tem¬ 
peratures ranged from 2G to 32 degrees 
in the farming sections, and at Bridgeport, 
N. Y., two snow flurries were reported. 
Grapes, strawberries, young cherry trees, 
early vegetables and young grass were seri¬ 
ously affected. Frost did enormous dam¬ 
age to crops in Maryland, the tomato pack¬ 
ers in the northern and western counties 
being particularly heavy losers. Ice formed 
in Delaware, and fears are entertained for 
the fruit crop in that State. 
Investigations of agricultural activities 
in the United States, preliminary to the 
establishment of a department of agri¬ 
culture by Uruguay, are being conducted 
under the direction of Prof. Rafael Munoz 
Jiminez, chief of the bureau of animal in¬ 
dustry of that republic, who has come to 
Washington. The Government of Uruguay 
has recently drawn on the United State's 
extensively for assistance in the direction 
of its institutions. Prof. Latham Clarke of 
Harvard and Prof. Zanetti of Columbia are 
now in charge of the institute of animal 
industry in Uruguay, and John N. Wisher, 
also an American, is the fisheries commis¬ 
sioner of that republic. 
The third Indianapolis Apple Show, to be 
held at Indianapolis November 5-11, will 
offer between $4,000 and $5,000 in premi¬ 
ums. For information apply to C. G. Wood¬ 
bury, secretary, Purdue University Experi¬ 
ment Station, Lafayette, Ind. 
WASHINGTON.—May 8 the Underwood 
tariff bill passed the House. Some sort of 
a currency reform measure is the next thing 
to be tackled at this session. Mr. Under¬ 
wood served notice that if any manufac¬ 
turer in the United States attempted for 
political reasons to discredit the new tariff 
the Administration had agencies within its 
power to deal out punishment to such man¬ 
ufacturer by publicity of all the facts. Mr. 
Underwood was referring to the law passed 
a year ago creating the Bureau of Foreign 
and Domestic Commerce. This is the law 
which Secretary Rt'dfleld already has seized 
upon in ordering his investigation into the 
pottery industry, which has been threaten¬ 
ing to cut wages if the Underwood rates 
prevail. Mr. Underwood said that the Ad¬ 
ministration would cause investigations to 
be made in the case of every factory that 
closed on the ground that it was forced to 
do so by conditions precipitated by the new 
tariff. Discussion in the Senate seems like¬ 
ly to continue for some time. 
FARM LEGISLATION IN NEW YORK. 
The following bills were passed by the 
New York Legislature and signed by Gov. 
Sulzer np to May 13 : 
By Senator Thomas, providing for the li¬ 
censing of milk-gathering stations by the 
Commissioner of Agriculture, the fee for 
which shall be $10. The commissioner has 
power to revoke licenses whenever he shall 
have reason to believe that the business of 
such stations is not being conducted in an 
honest manner. 
By Senator Argetsinger, authorizing the 
printing of additional copies of the “Apple 
Book,” the same to be sold at cost price, 
under direction of the Commissioner of 
Agriculture; none for free distribution. 
By Senator Wheeler, empowering the 
Commissioner of Agriculture to investigate 
and examine farm lands at the almshouse 
farms of the various counties, the pur¬ 
poses to which they are best adapted, and 
the crops which may be most profitably 
raised thereon; to give lectures and dem¬ 
onstrations at least once each year at the 
almshouses upon the agricultural methods 
best adaptable to the various communities. 
By Assemblyman Cole, amending the defi¬ 
nition of “adulterated milk.” This law 
places milk produced and kept in unsani¬ 
tary conditions under the operation of the 
present State adulterated milk law. It 
places the question of pure milk exactly 
where it belongs—in the Department of 
Agriculture; and under this bill, as soon 
as proper appropriations are made, the peo¬ 
ple of the State will be assured of an ade¬ 
quate and uniform supply of wholesome 
milk. 
By Assemblyman Cole, an amendment to 
the General Business Law. It seeks to 
make the creation of co-operative associa¬ 
tions throughout the State both easy and 
safe. 
By Assemblyman Cole, prohibiting the 
sale of cheddar cheese made from skimmed 
or partially skimmed milk unless it is 
branded with the words “skim-milk cheese.” 
If it contains 13 per centum of milk fat or 
over, it may be branded “medium skim-milk 
cheese.” or if it contains 18 per centum of 
milk fat or over, it may be branded “spe¬ 
cial skim-milk cheese.” 
By Assemblyman Cole, the “commission 
merchants license bill.” This bill provides 
that all commission merchants shall apply 
to the Commissioner of Agriculture for a 
license each year, and shall tile with the 
eommissionern a bond for $3,000 to insure 
the faithful performance of his duties as 
commission merchant. It establishes the 
principle that the commission merchant is 
agent and trustee for the consignor of 
farm produce, and. as such agent, is at ail 
times responsible to such consignor for an 
honest accounting of all transactions relat¬ 
ing to the sale of farm produce on commis¬ 
sion. 
By Assemblyman Daley, appropriating 
$S0.000 for constructing a poultry building 
on the State Fair Grounds at Syracuse. 
The following bills passed, but had not 
been signed by the Governor by May 15 : 
Senate 233, appropriating $190,000 for 
the purchase of laud and erection of build¬ 
ings for the New York State School of 
Agriculture on Long Island. ” 
Semite 709, adding a new article to the 
Education Law providing for the extension 
to rural communities of the facilities for 
high school education, including agriculture. 
Assembly 322, appropriating $100,000 for 
an administration library and demonstra¬ 
tion building at the New York Agricultural 
Experiment Station. 
Assembly 572, establishing a State School 
of Agriculture at Keuka College and appro¬ 
priating $5,000 therefor. 
Assembly 1S53, appropriating $348,000 for 
the construction and equipment of building's 
in connection with tne College of Agricul¬ 
ture at Cornell. 
Assembly 2039, appropriating $5,000 for 
an examination and report by the Commis¬ 
sioner of Agriculture of all farm lands 
outside the forest preserve acquired by the 
State by tax sales and U. S. D. F. mort¬ 
gage foreclosures. 
Assembly 426, appropriating $250,000 for 
the purchase of land and erection of build¬ 
ings for the New York State College of For¬ 
estry at Syracuse University. 
Assembly 694, appropriating $40,000 for 
the Conservation Commission to establish 
nurseries for the propagation of trees and 
reforesting lands within the State. 
Assembly 940, appropriating $5,000 for 
an investigation by the State Agricultural 
Experiment Station of the hop production 
and the diseases of hops. 
Assembly 986, appropriating $30,000 for 
the erection of a dairy building and equip¬ 
ment, and a barn and equipment, for the 
Schoharie School of Agriculture at Coble- 
skill. 
Assembly 1470, appropriating $10,000 for 
the purchase of a farm site for the anti¬ 
toxin laboratories of the State Depart¬ 
ment of Health. 
Assembly 933, appropriating $3,000 for 
establishing a game farm in Ulster county. 
Senate 1647. appropriating $22,800 for 
maintenance and improvement of buildings 
of the Schoharie State School of Agriculture 
at Cobleskill. 
Assembly 19, appropriating $25,000 for 
the organization and support of county 
farm bureaus, no bureau to receive more 
than $600,00 a year, and on condition that 
the county supervisors shall raise at least 
$600.00. 
Senate 1403, providing that the owner of 
animals condemned or slaughtered by the 
State shall be entitled to interest on the 
amount due him after thirty days from 
the time the animals were slaughtered. 
Assembly 306, providing for a commis¬ 
sion of public officials on sites, grounds and 
buildings for State charitable institutions. 
FARM LEGISLATURE IN INDIANA. 
Among the laws passed by the last In¬ 
diana legislature there are many of par¬ 
ticular interest to farmers. One is designed 
to prevent the spread of hog cholera, and 
makes it unlawful for anyone owning or 
controlling swine which have any contagious 
disease to allow them access to running 
water, or to drive or to transfer such dis¬ 
eased hog along any public highway or rail¬ 
road car. The law names strict precau¬ 
tions for taking care of the carcasses of 
diseased hogs. When swine are exhibited 
at fairs and stock shows the owners must 
show by certificate that such hogs have 
been vaccinated with hog cholera serum. 
Another bill adds to the penalty of fine 
and jail imprisonment for injuring or kill¬ 
ing animals by poison, or any other way, 
a penalty of imprisonment in the State 
prison of not less than one year or more 
than eight years. It is also "enacted that 
whoever hurts or kills homing pigeons is 
guilty of a misdemeanor of fine and im¬ 
prisonment. Th& bird laws are amended so 
as to put blackbirds in the same class 
with crows and hawks. The new law makes 
it a misdemeanor to purchase, as well as 
sell or have possession of, any wild bird 
protected by law. 
Another law requires the cleaning of cans 
and all receptacles used for transporting 
milk, cream and ice cream before returning 
such to the shipper. It is forbidden to 
use such cans as receptacles for refuse, .dirt 
or garbage. Every return of an uncleaned 
can or its delivery to a carrier shall be 
condemned as a separate violation. 
New liquor laws will prohibit the sale 
of any dangerous or deadly weapon to any 
person at the time intoxicated, or who is 
known to be in the habit of becoming in¬ 
toxicated. The penalty for this is any sum 
not exceeding $1,000. or a jail sentence. 
No person is permitted to drink intoxicat¬ 
ing liquors on any public railroad train. 
The railroads are prohibited from carrying 
drunken or disorderly persons. This law 
does not apply to liquors sold on dining 
or buffet cars, which are licensed for the 
purpose. 
A new institution for male prisoners, 
known as the Indiana State Farm, has been 
provided for. Five hundred acres of land 
will he provided and the prisoners will be 
put at work at farm operations. Another 
convict bill provides that the inmates of 
the State prisons may be put at work on 
the public highway whenever there is no 
labor for them within the walls of such 
institutions. 
What is known as the “joy ride” will 
hereafter be punished in Indiana by fine 
or imprisonment, or both. The joy ride 
is defined as taking control of any vehicle 
without consent of the owner and running 
it without his permission. 
Another law relates to untrue and mis¬ 
leading advertisements. This makes it a 
crime to pnblish false or misleading ad¬ 
vertisements either in newspapers or maga¬ 
zines. in circulars or in any public paper. 
Where such advertisements are proved to 
be false the advertiser will be fined from 
$10 to $500 for each offense. 
Another bill is known as the rat bill and, 
singularly enough, introduced by Senator 
Ratts. This forbids the owner of any 
buildiug, grain stack or craft to permit the 
same to become rat infested. It requires 
efforts made in good faith to exterminate 
and destroy rats. Health officers have the 
power to enter premises and ascertain 
whether the rats have been cleaned out or 
not. The bill also authorizes the governor 
by official proclamation to name rat day, 
which is to be observed throughout the 
State as a day for exterminating and de¬ 
stroying the rats. 
Another bill provides that whenever a 
school has been abandoned under the pro¬ 
visions of the school law the trustees shall 
provide for the transportation of all pupils 
to any other school in the township. This 
applies to all pupils who live more than 
two miles, and to all others between the 
ages of six and twelve who live more than 
one mile from the school. Another school 
law provides for pensioning aged, infirm 
or retired teachers in cities having a popu¬ 
lation of between 29,000 and 100,000. Also 
in connection with school or education mat¬ 
ters the carnation has been voted the State 
flower, and the song entitled “On the 
Banks of the Wabash Far Away” is the 
State song. 
NOTES FROM SOUTHERN OHIO. 
A little snow fell at night on May 10. 
It was cold the next day and cleared up 
and froze the next morning with a tem¬ 
perature of 38 on top of the hill and in 
the valleys down to the freezing point; 
some report it as low as 26 and some 20 ; 
plenty of ice, and all tender vegetation was 
killed back. Even the leaves of some kinds 
of trees were killed. On the hills it did no 
damage for me that I have noticed. To¬ 
matoes, cucumbers, beans, corn and other 
tender plants are still green. On low 
ground it looks as though most things will 
have to be replanted. It has been getting 
dry for 10 days now, and it is hard on 
plants that have been set out. Grass is 
showing the effect of dry weather, too. 
There is a very short cherry, peach, pear, 
plum and early apple crop here, still there 
are some of all these fruits. Rome Beauty 
was the most promising variety, and ail 
thrifty trees of that kind will have good 
crops. My own is very promising, and 
there seem to be fewer trees without fruit 
in my orchards than for a long time. 
We have finished spraying once since 
the bloom dropped and are getting along 
pretty well on the next application. So 
far there is no sign of appie scab nor in¬ 
jury except plant lice. The young apples 
are the size of quail eggs now on the early 
bloomers and Rome Beauty about the size 
of the end of the little finger. Fertilizer 
scents to he largely responsible for the 
thrifty condition of the trees and the fruit. 
Many people say their apples are all drop¬ 
ping off and they will have very few. I 
presume that is the case where trees have 
been starved and robbed. One can look 
at the pale foliage and judge about the 
crop quickly on such trees, but when we 
look at the dark heavy foliage we can as¬ 
sure you the apples are there. There will 
not be much thinning of fruit here ex¬ 
cept on Rome Beauty, and they might thin 
themselves yet. Early strawberries are 
ripe, but the frost nipped them on low 
ground and likely killed the blackberry 
blossoms, too. This is twice it has been 
good to be on the hills this Spring, the 
first time was during our flood, and the 
May frost just past. u. r. c. 
Lawrence Co., O. 
FARMING ON THE JERSEY COAST. 
[Many of our readers have been solicited 
to buy town lots and truck farms along 
the sea coast of New Jersey. One argu¬ 
ment is the “wonderful local markets,” and 
some of our people seem to believe every¬ 
thing they see in print. Here is a little of 
the other side from Ocean Co., N. J.] 
There is very little farming in this sec¬ 
tion. and the greater part of crops sold are 
shipped to either New York or Philadelphia. 
Prices of goods in the “towns” seem to be 
governed by Philadelphia prices. The salt 
hay industry overtops everything else com¬ 
bined. and any man without a piece of 
“meadow” is very poor, although I have 
none. Everybody feeds it here. Some few 
who carried over potatoes until Spring are 
now offering them for 65 cents per bushel 
with, few buyers at that. They could have 
sold all last Fall for $1 per bushel. Eggs 
18 cents; poultry, 17 ; no butter. Our local 
market is not to be considered at all. as 
nearly every family has a garden and a 
flock of poultry. We have one dairy farm 
adjoining us. and they sell all the milk 
they raise for seven cents per quart. Cows, 
$59: horses from $59 to $125. During the 
Summer months we have very good market 
at Beach Haven, hut must ship everything 
there by rail, as there is no wagon road. 
There are three small truck gardens near 
here, but they have hard work to sell all 
they raise, and they drive to Tuekerton, 
12 miles, to sell, and compete with venders 
who have everything shipped from Phila¬ 
delphia. Under those conditions the com¬ 
mission merchants do for the farmers what 
the farmers would scorn to do for them¬ 
selves. The produce of one set of farm¬ 
ers is made to undersell and compete with 
another set. Last season I tried to sell 
turnips to one of the local venders and 
made an offer I thought tempting, and he 
said he could beat that at Philadelphia; 
so I shipped mine to Newark, and he had 
supply for town shipped back. The matter 
of ■•high cost of living” will shock lots of 
people if they look into it closely. I am 
placed so I have some eggs to send to mar¬ 
ker. and I send them direct to a “big gro¬ 
cer.” and on the first of this month I com¬ 
plained about the price he was sending 
me. He wrote me that he was selling at 
seven cents per dozen above the price he 
paid me. or, in other terms, he made seven 
cents profit on a dozen, for just the mere 
counting of them, whereas I made about 
niue cents per dozen for caring for the 
hens that laid the eggs, gathering them, 
washing soiled ones, packing them, drawing 
them to the station two miles from home. 
I did all that for two cents more than the 
one who retailed to the consumer. I had 
some fine rutabaga turnips wintered in 
the ground, and when I took them out I 
thought them too nice to “feed out.” so I 
sent four hags (six bushels) and iy, bush¬ 
els of parsnips to the commission merchant 
anil received check for 35 cents. I am 
sending you a statement he sent me: 
4 bags of turnips. 91.99 
Commission . $0.10 
Freight .30 
Cartage . .25 
.65 .65 
Check to balance . $0.35 
I shipped those things on March 26 and 
had written the merchant four times, and 
received no answer, so the fifth time I 
wrote him that I would place his name on 
the “black list" if he failed either to send 
check, or report what he did with turnips. 
I think it should more properly read: “The 
cost of high living." You see that I got 
just 33 cents of the sale dollar, but the 
consume- oaid more than a dollar. 
New Jersey, w. j . doi'gax. 
