8 13be Conservative *
SPRAYING FRUIT TKEES.
The importance of spraying fruit trees ,
at this season of the year , to prevent
blight and to destroy harmful insects ,
cannot bo overestimated. It was tried
successfully last year by Governor Fur-
nas and was equally satisfactory at
Arbor Lodge. The following reports
from Iowa horticulturists indicate the
splendid results they obtained from
spraying :
Last year was not a favorable one to
test the virtues of spraying in the pear
orchard , as there were no leaf troubles
to speak of. There was more than the
usual amount of rot in the Flemish
Beauty and the spraying did not seem to
have any effect on this. A portion of
the trees were sprayed five times at in
tervals of ten days. The trees of Green
Gage , Spalding and Tatge plums were
treated three times , growing fine crops
of Green Gages and Spaulding , with
but a partial crop of Tatge. The latter
sort is about the worst of domestic va
rieties to rot. It has been bearing six
years , and last season was the first time
any specimens ever ripened. Trees of
Green Gage and Spaulding not sprayed
matured but little fruit. [ B A. Mathews -
ows , Marion Co. , Iowa.
Last year I sprayed apples , plums , cur
rents and gooseberries. There were no
apples , so I cannot report the effect of
spraying on the fruit , but the trees were
never so clean , healthy and free from
blight , and they are thickly studded
with fruit buds. Plum trees not sprayed
had twice the amount of rotten fruit as
trees that had been sprayed. As a rule
the fruit on sprayed trees was finer in
every way , The use of kerosene for the
plum aphis was highly satisfactory.
Two or three applications during the
season will keep the trees entirely free
of this pest. [ O. F. Gardner , Mitchell
Co. , la.
The trees which were sprayed in my
orchard last summer were easily distin
guishable by sight from the others by
their appearance. The foliage was
thicker and of a distinctively dark green
and remained later on the trees. The
trees also matured a larger amount and
more perfect fruit than trees which
were not sprayed. [ 0. L.Watrons , Polk
Co. , Iowa.
RAILWAY POOLING AGREEMENTS.
The following statement was made by
F. B. Thurber , chairman of the com
mittee on railroad transportation of the
New York Board of Trade and Trans-
portatation , to the National Millers' As
sociation.
For many years I have been a student
of the relations of shippers and carriers ,
first from the point of view of a large
shipper and more recently as chairman
of the Committee on Railway Trans
portation of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation , member of
the Committee on Internal Trade of the
IMP
New York Chamber of Commerce , and
chairman of the committee appointed
by the National Board of Trade to ad
vocate amendments to the Inter-State
Commerce Act , which would make that
law equitable and effective in adjusting
the relations of shippers and carriers.
I was one of the earliest advocates of
the Inter-State Commerce law , and of
the law creating a railroad commission
in the state of New York. I believe in
public supervision of these semi-public
institutions in the interest alike of rail
roads and the public but such super
vision must bo reasonable in order to
attain the best results. When the InterState -
State Commerce law was pending in
congress , I advocated the prohibition of
pooling agreements , believing that such
agreements might result in exorbitant
rates of freight , but the logic of events
since the enactment of the law has con
vinced me that there is no longer any
danger of too high rates of freight ; that
the only danger is in unjust discrimina
tions and that the prohibition of pooling
tends to increase these.
The competition of our waterways
with railroads , and railroads with each
other , and the rivalries of interests and
localities , hns resulted in a progressive
reduction of rates until the people of the
United States obtain their trans
portation at about one-half those of
other principal nations , but the unjust
discriminations which the Inter-State
Commerce law was primarily established
to prevent have continued in full force
and indeed have been enhanced by the
prohibition of pooling agreements con
tained in that law , which prohibits
transportation companies from making
and enforcing contracts with each other
which all other corporations and indivi
duals are permitted to make and enforce.
Uniformity of Rates Desired.
The great majority of carriers and the
great majority of shippers desire uni
form , reasonable and stable rates , but a
selfish minority of each , seeking to over
reach their competitors , prefer chaos ,
because they find their profit in that
state of things.
Hon. Martin A. Kuapp , the present
chairman of the InterState Commerce
Commission , in an article which he
wrote for the North American Review ,
says :
'The ultimate effect of preferential
rates is to concentrate the commerce of
the country in a few hands. The favored
shipper , who is usually the larger ship
per , is furnished with a weapon against
which skill , energy and experience are
alike unavailing. "When the natural ad
vantages of capital are augmented by
exemption from charges commonly im
posed , it becomes powerful enough to
force all rivals from the field * * *
It is entirely plain to me therefore that
co-operative methods , the general dis
continuance of competition in rates be
tween rival railroads , would tend strong
ly to remove the inequalities which now
exist , and prove a positive and substan
tial advantage to the great majority of
producers and consumers. And I firmly
believe that while there is a popular ob
jection to railroad pooling , founded
largely upon ignorance of its purpose
and misconception of its effects , the
principal opposition to legalized cooperation
tion , the opposition which has thus far
prevailed , comes from the favored few
who are reaping unearned profits by the
discriminating which they virtually
compel and of which they are the sole
beneficiaries. '
I believe , therefore , that the InterState -
State Commerce law should be amended
so as to permit pooling agreements be
tween railroads , subject to the super
vision of the Inter-State Commerce
Commission , and that some minor
amendments should also be made. When
we have approached the question of just
how the law should be amended , how
ever , there has been a divergence of
opinion between the Inter-State Com
merce Commission , the railroads and
the public. The chief point in contro
versy has been whether the Inter-State
Commerce Commission should have the
power to virtually make r < vtes by saying
to what extent a rate was unreasonable ,
or whether they should simply have the
power to say that it was unreasonable ,
leaving it to the courts to decide as to
what extent it was unreasonable.
There was the further question in
volved in the Cullom bill ( senate 8854 of
1898) ) as to whether the rates fixed by
the Inter-State Commerce Commission
as reasonable , should take effect at once
or wait the final decision of the courts
as to their reasonableness before they
took effect. The railroads have claimed
that this was virtually giving the InterState -
State Commerce Commission the power
to make rates , and that this was con
trary to the intent of the act , as shown
by the debates in congress at the time
the law was enacted.
Views of Congress.
This contention seems to be sustained
by the following extracts from the de
bates :
On December 8 , 1884 , Mr. Findlay
said : 'It is perfectly legitimate to pre
scribe that a rate shall be reasonable and
then leave it to the courts to determine
what is and what is not reasonable , butte
to declare in advance , not merely the
principle by which the fixing of the rate
shall be governed , but to prescribe the
rate itself by referring it to a fixed stan
dard and apply the rule to the complica
ted system of Inter-State transportation ,
with all of its vast ramifications and
subtle competitions , is the exercise of a
power , which , if it be held legislative in
its nature , certainly ought to be sparing
ly and cautiously used. The bill of the
committee keeps this distinction full in
view in all of its provisions , and is con
sistent and symmetrical throughout ; but
