VOL. LI
MYSTERY SEEN IN
RUINS OF YUCATAN
Explorer» Haunted by Mem
ories of Terrible Things.
A fascinating record of travel In one
of the least known corners of the
etfrth, eastern Yucatan, where the ex
plorer stands a Tery fair chance of
being chopped to death by the Santa
Cruz Indians, Is given by Dr. Hermes
Gann "In an Unknown Land."
The book is also an account of most
Important archeological investigations
and discoveries in that region.
Doctor Gann is one of the greatest
living authorities on the mysterious
Maya people who nearly two thousand
years ago built cities and erected
monuments in- Central America.
At the ruined city of Tuluum Doctor
Gnnn found "the finest and certainly
the most extensive mural paintings
now in existence throughout the Maya
area. Thej are executed in red, black,
blue, violet, green and claret color on
the rock-like stucco which covers both
the Interior and exterior of buildings."*
Some of these figures are of extraor
dinary importance because of their
close resemblance to the aboriginal
Maya paintings in the "Dresden Co
dex," one of thVee Maya works on pa
per which have been preserved to
modern limes. The origin of this co
dex is unknown.
Doctor Gann speaks of "the mystery
vgtolt'h enveloped these grotesque build
ings with their bizarre paintings, the
close alrlessness of the bush and Its
denseness," wheh made every step an
adventure, when people might encoun
ter they knew not what—a few of the
descendants of the ancient Inhabitants
still surviving in this unexplored re
gion, or a. band of modern Maya, ma
chete armed, dodging silently from
tree to tree, to close In gradually on
their victim and with sharp cutlasses
administer the coup de grace. Then
'thoughts filled our minds of the terri
ble things which had been done here
In ancient days, till the human sacri
fices, the obscene r'tes, the torturing
of captives rose before us as we trod
the very spots upon which'they had
been enacted."
These are hannted places. The peo
ple near them held "It was extremely
unlucky to meddle with the belongings
of the old gods, who always revenged
themselves on those who did."
A Mexican who palled down and
smashed an ancient Maya Idol "died
very painfully within two weeks of his
%act of vandalism, his death being
looked upon by the other laborers as a
direct visitation of the wrath of the
ancient god for desecration of his
sanctuary."
Plausible Explanation
The German was ever skilled at self
justification, and it would appeur that
he has not yet lost the knack. Let us
applaud the ready with of the colonel In
the army clothing department for west
ern Germany, who was recently asked
by a higher command to explain why
the milk for his departmental cat cost
a penny a day, when one half-penny
sufficed for the cat of the neighboring
victualing department
The colonel, in no way put out. re;
plied that, while both cats fed largely
upon mice, the mice In the victualing
department grew fat upon army rations
and were consequently more nourishing
than their brothers of tlie clothing
branch, who had only old leather and
rags for their menu. It Is gratifying
to record that this explanation, which
deserves to be printed upon velliuu
and enshrined for posterity, completely
silenced the captious ones.— London
Mall.
Darned Sock Passes
A Detroit laundryman offers what he
says Is the final bit of conclusive evl- i
dence that thte present generation Is
decadent and that modem family life
Is demoralized.
see many darned socks
In a laundry any more." he said. "If
you counted the comparative number
of holes In the stockings that have
come In here over a period of years
and plotted the totals In. statistical
curves you would have an exact
barometer of the spread of femtnlspi. j
"Seriously speaking, the passing of
the darned sock does indicate the ar
rival of a new period of domestic
economy. Any laundryman will tes
tify that the silk age has come to stay.
Judy O'Grady and the colonel's lady
now wear the same thing to their
skln.V-Detrolt News.
Printer's Errors
There to a story of a German print-1
er*s wife who surreptitiously altered
the passage th*t her dbe ;
(Herr) lord to ss to make him be her
tool. Perhaps the best of all printers
enon was that In which n printer had ■
to announce to the world tliat Intoxlca-1
tlon to folly, and altered It Into the
mate r—statement that "lntoxlca
tion is jolly." Theodore Bexa was
stated to have gone to sea In a Can
dian vessel. The printer altered this
to "Canadian" vessel. There to also
n.«» reference to the "battleecarred
warrior," which became "bottle-scared
wvtUnr
i • * ■ ■ «.«»
THE ALAMANCE GLEANER.
Expert Advice on How
to Compote Love Poem
First of all, to compose a love poem.
It Is necessary to know a few facta
about the girl. Don't be alarmed—
nothing Intimate or risque Is neces
sary. Color of eyes—hair—shape of
mouth and general appearance are
good facts to observe. The condition
of teeth Is another good point. How
ever, It Is not considered good form
to pry open the month for a detailed
Inspection. The feet are another good
point If small—and the distance be
tween the ankle and knee—only, how
ever, If voluntarily exposed.
Next Is to think of all the words
that rhyme with "love." Incidentally
don't forget that "you" and "true" are
perfect rhymes. If you want to do
the thing right it is better to borrow—
or If you can't borrow, to buy, a rhym
ing dictionary which will give you
words rhyming with "thou," "ever
more," "sweet," "passion" and others.
\\ rite the poem with due precau-
tlons on the delicate questions of com
plexion and possible changes of color
of hair. I'ay some (but not .too much)
attention to nether extremities, as
previously mentioned. .
Revise the poem. Re-revise it Copy
Stand up and read it aloud, with
appropriate gestures, before your mir
ror. C
Blusn^
'lear It twice, once lengthwise and
once- deposit the whole
In a safe place.—From the Jester.
Water Is Literally
The most amazing race of human be
ings Is undoubtedly the El Molo, a
tribe of "fislinjen," who Inhabit the
desert wastes bordering Lake Rudolf,
In Kenya colony, Africa. This tribe
represents the only known specimens
of semlamphibious people and It Is a
curious fact that any tribesman dies
if he Is kept without water for about
three hours. As-a rule they drink every
hour during the day, for even an ihour
and a half without water causes crack
ing and bleeding of the lips, the Bos
ton Transcript says.
The El Moro tribesmen spend their
days swimming In the waters of Lake
Rudolf and fishing from frail rafts
constructed with palm branches. Fish
is almost'their only diet and they have
no opportunity of varying their menu,
unless they are fortunate enough to
spear a hippopotamus. The water of
Lake Rudolf Is undrlnkable to anyone
but the El Moro, for It contains a
large quantity of soda and has an ob
jectionable taste. The proportion of
soda In that lake Increases yearly, and
It is believed to be this fact that has
caused the "fishermen" to become a
deformed race.
Man-Mad« World
"If I believed In change I should
sketch a world where women would
live upon shelves, shelves without lad
ders. One would take them down
when one wanted them; they would be
delighted to be taken down, clapping
their little hands. cooing like babies,
and yet understand one's deepest
thoughts. One would also take them
down in the. morning to do the house
work; at _other rimes one would live
sternly and brrvely with other men
as stern and bmve, until one came to
need again the women who would be
akin to those very expensive dolls who
say 'Pa-pa' and 'Mam-mS' when you
press a spring. When one got tired
of their reperti-ry one would send
them to the shop to have a different
repertory put 11." W. L. George/In
•The Triumph Oallio."
System Among Birds
Warblers, kinglets, chickadees, nut
hatches and. creepers while working
through the brunches In quest of tiny
Insect prey, keep up an Insistent llsp
;»g so that they need apply their sharp
oyes only to the problem of catching
/iime. Their enrs teU them Jnst where
their nearest neighbor to located. In
tills way much confusion Is avoided.
A bird does not crowd upon his neigh
bor; he picks fresh territory to hunt
and all the while be can keep in touch
with bis fellows.
Only in the Willows
"A characteristic distinguishing the
Willow family from practically all
others to that both the pollen-bearing
and the seed-producing flowers are ar
ranged In drooping tassels, says "Tree
Ilablto" from the American Nature
association. Numerous other trees
have their pollen-bearing flowers ar
ranged in this fashion, but In no other
family are the seed-producing flowers
also grouped In this distinctive way.
Perfectly Safe
"I was afraid my sermon last- Sun
day would annoy some of my people
but It didn't." said the clergyman.
-What was your subject?" asked hto
friend.
"The Duplicity of the Average
Man,' and I spoke pretty plainly."
"You couldn't tread on any corn*
that way. Kvery man considers bin"
aeif above the average."
Their Staff of Life
GRAHAM. N.
Care Needed to Keep
Plants in Good Health j
Gardeners are occasionally asked to '
Inspect unhealthy window plants and
to advise concerning their treatment. '■
Very often it is found that the 111
health of ttie plant Is due to mistaken
kindness on the part of tne owner.
For instance, it Is deluged with water
day after day, with the result that
the soil turns sour and the plant be
comes moribund. ;
" Another hot Infrequent cause of
trouble may l>e traced tp erratic wa- J
terlng; that Js, dally attention for a '
time and then a period of forgetful
ness, during which the unhappy plant
receives no moisture, says Gardening !
Illustratedi • A third cause is not un- j
commonly traceable to the fact that '
the placed directly In a draft.
It is not, as many suppose, the easi
est matter In the world to keep win
dow plants In good health, and It 1$
only by patient attention and close
observation that the cultlvutor learns
the exact requirements—the likes and
dislikes—of individual varieties. Care
ful watering, occasional weuk dose*
of stimulant and, In the case of aspi
distras and other tlne-foliaged plants,
occasional sponglngs of the leaves, will
go far toward success in the case
of pot plants.
J■ . :
Some Observations on
Man, and His Helpmate
"There is only one a man's
character —his attitude to' women."
"A man hates u woman to be re
markable, not because it'renders them
both conspicuous, but because It
lessens Ills chance of being so."
"To find out whether a man Is
worthy of a moment's, consideration
from you, watch Ills attitude to women
who are older and poorer than him
self, -and see him In a moment of un
expected success. Even then you can't
be quite sure, for whereas women
sometimes pose before other people,
men pose all the time, and particu
larly to themselves!"
"It is highly' Inconsiderate of any
wife to be unwilling to spring at once
Into the posture her husband wishes
her to adopt; to be kittenish when he
wishes to toy, adoring when he desires
to soar, submissive when he elects to
swear, and .aspiring when he requires
to converse as with an equal. It la
just like a woman to have moods of
her own at such a time." —From '.'Mere
Man," by Honor Bright.
Green Grocer
"Have you any nice frosh eg;: 8 to
day?" asked the breezy customer.
"Madam," answered the man who
had Jnst started In the grocery busi
ness, "permit me to reining youjthat
nice eggs are necessarily and
fresh eggs always nice. Moreover, if
I have any I have them toduy. My
possession of eggs yesterday or tomor
row does not affect the situation,
therefore—"
"Humph !" snorted the woman as she
started for the door, "eggs are not the
only fresh things In this store. I'll-do
my trading elsewhere." —Boston Tran
script.
Blessings of Quarantine
"I wish to thank the city authorities
for quarantining my. family and me
recently for three weeks because one
of them bad smallpox. During that
time my wife caught up with her sew
ing. We had three square meals every
duy, as no one came In and she was
not permitted to leave. We enjoyed
three weeks of good nights' sleep, and,
best of ail, a cousin with four children,
who had arranged to visit us, saw the
smallpox sign on the door and left
town so scared that she will never
come back again."
The above letter of thanks was re
ceived by a city health department re
cently.— From Hygeia.
Suspicions Confirmed
The story to told of an engraver In
the government printing shops at
Washington who, at the time the fli*st
S2O yellowback gold certificates were
Issued- received Ills salary in theae
new bills and decided to take a short
trip to New York.
When paying his hotel bill In New
York he handed the clerk one of the
yellowbacks, whereupon the clerk
turned It over several times, then re
fused as politely as he could to ac
cept it, saying that lie had never seen
such a bill and thought it of no value.
"Why," said the. engraver. "Of
course it's good. I made It myself Just
last' week."
"That's what I thought," returned
the clerk as be rang for tlie house de
tective—Forbes Magazine.
»
Cloth Made From Bark
A material, made from the bark of
the wild mulberry, to beaten out with
wooden mallets and decorated with
designs made from vegetable dyes, A
canopy of tape cloth Is used by a
widow In Wsnlgella when she crawls
on her bands and kneea to make her
dally visit to ber husband's grave. She
Is bidden from the eyes of tite vU
tocers by a canopy of tapa doth.
C., THURSDAY. MARCH 12, 1925 .
~77_7#«rriii3f
Beautiful in Ruin /«
Famous Dry burgh Abhcy
A beautiful ancient church. Ilk* a
tine old painting or poein, has a me*-
sage for people of the present day.
It is us if the builders challenged the
modern world in tills wise: "Here is
our ideal of beauty; it breathes the
life of our time and marks a step In
our progress. Do you moderns sur
pass us in such expressions of
beauty?"
The abbey of Dryburgh lies In Ber
wickshire, Just across the border not
far from Abhotsford and Melrose ab
bey, says the Christian Science Mon
itor. There is ft question whether it
was founded by David I In 1150, or by
Hugh de Mort'ille. I'robably both men
did much for It. The abbey today is
surrounded by orchards and noble
trees and crowns a peninsula around
which sweeps the Tweed river. Two
gables are still entire, and In the west
one Is a beautifully radiated circular
window, called the wheel of St. Cath
erine. The general architecture of the
abbey shows Itoman, Saxon, Norman
and Gothic Influences. We associate
the spot principally with Sir Walter
Scott, but Thompson composed his
"Winter" here, and long before that
Gower, the friend of Chaucer, occupied
a cell In Dryburgh abbey. Chaucer
himself stayed some time here with
his friend and rival.
Then She Knew All
There Was to Know
"Is this a speedometer?" she asked,
as she tapped on the glass which cov
ered that instrument.
"Yes, denr," 1 replied In a sweet,
gentle voice.
"Don't they call this the dash light?**
she queried, fingering the little nickel
plated Illuminator.
"Yes, honey," my words floated out
softly as before.
"And is this the cut-out?" she in
quired.
"Yes, Toodles," as I took my foot oft
the accelerator. Not more than 200
feet away our course was blocked by
a fust movlnfc train.
"But what on earth la this funny
looking pednlT" she said In a curious
tone, aa she gave tlie accelerator a vig
orous push ftlth her dainty foot.
"This, sweetheart, la heaven," I said
In a soft, celestial voice, as I picked
up a gold harp and flew away.—The
Watchmarf Examiner.
Days of the Guilds
The name "guilds" was given to cer
tain corporations or fraternities of
traders that grew up In the free cltlea
and towns of Europe In the Middle
ages. Free cltlea of this kind in Eng
land were called "boroughs." Them;
corporations were moat powerful In
the towns of Flanders and South Ger
many. Each guild exercised a monop
oly in Its own particular craft, in
return for which privilege the mem
bers rendered itailltary service In de
fending the towns from attack. The
right to exercise one's trade inde
pendently depended upon membership
in a guild, whlc|) membership carried
with It the rights of citizenship. The
guild was expected to supervise the
work of its members and to see that
It was of reasonable quality. Henry
VIII of England gave a death blow to
the guilds by confiscating their prop
erty. on the ground that It was used
for surreptitious purposes.—Kansas
City Star.
. Submarines
There «re a number of things wlitch
make a submarine stay at varying
depths in the water. First, this de
pends upon the size and weight of the
boat; second, the density and condi
tion of the water, and third, the
mechanism of the boat. Some are
built to go deeper thai* others. The
coast submarines are constructed so
ax to stay at a more shallow depth.
Seagoing submarines are constructed
no as to remain at a depth of from CiOO
to ."100 feet.
The Gift Appropriate
"Your daughter." tald Mr*. C*!dcas
tie, after being conducted through the
newly furnlalied wing of the magnlfl
eent' palace occupied bjr the new-rich
Uulllngtons, "has such a splendid vo
cabulary.*
"Do you think SoT" her hoateaa re
plied. "Joalah wanted to get her one
of tliem e«Mtolre». hut I made up niy
mind right at the atart that a vocabu
lary would look better In a room fur
nlahed like her*, even If It didn't coat
quite ao much."
Bordeaux for Apples
Bordeaux /mixture la aeldom u*ed
1 aa a apray for apt>lea In recent year*.
It has been largely replaced by the
oae of llme-aolphur except for the
late season apraya when blotch and
bitter rot are tevere. When used for
the early season apraya it often
cause* ruaaetlng or "bordeaux In
jury." Apple acab la cauaed bjr a
fungous disease which alfeet* both
fruit aad the leaves. It lives over the
winter In tbe leavea and for that rea
son thev should he plowrd under.
Age Clearly Is Not to
Be Estimated by Dates
A medical officer of health, who !■
atoo a coroner, la the west of England,
claims that be Is still quite capable of
performing his duties at the ripe age
of ninety-nine. An example of such
activity in a nonagenarian lends sup
port to the view of some of our
physiologists that human life may be
greatly prolonged In the future. Doc
tor Carrel, of the Rockefeller institute,
has Just announced that his experi
ments show that some of the tissues
of the human body can be "considered
as potentially Immortal."
/Long-lived persons are generally the
descendants of long-living ancestors,
Walter M. Galllghan comments, in the
Washington Post. Their age Is not to
be estimated by dates, but by the con
dition of the arteries, the .retention of
the cdtffcclty for physical and mental
activity, and their recuperative power.
Tenacity of life Is associated with a
vigorous, well-exercised brain, and It
Is notable that many men of science
and thinkers live to a great age.
A considerable number of people
who have survived long after reaching
the age of 100 were born In Scotland.
The longest-lived man, according to u
record said to be fnlrly authentic, was
Colour McCruln, who died in the Island
of Jura, during the reign of Charles I
at the age of one hundred and eighty.
Thomas Parr, known as ''Old Parr,"
was a Shropshire peasant, who showed
no signs of 1(1 health when he was one
hundred and fifty-three. Among the
Scottish super-centenarians we read
of Doctor Movet, of Dumfries, who
died at one hundred and thirty-nine;
Lawrence, of Orkney, one hindred and
forty; Itobert MacHride, one hundred
and thirty; Mary Innes, of* Skye, one
hundred and thirty-seven; and Peter
Gordon, one hundred and thirty-one.
In 1782 Evans Williams died at Car
marthen, aged one hundred and forty
five. Mary Brook, a Staffordshire wom
an, attained the age of one hundred
and forty-eight; and Mrs. Judith Scott,
of Islington, died at one hundred and
sixty-two in 1792.
Compared with these veterans, the
man of sixty Is atlll young and the
man of eighty should be In his prime.
Not All in America
The average Briton who knows any
thing about America never falls to
think that American town names
like Oshkoah and Yuba Dam are the
funniest things that ever happened.
However, they forget the queer
town names In their own tight little
Island.
For Instance, there is a Nasty in
Herefordshire and a Mucking in Es
sex. Norfolk boasts of a Great Snor
ing.
In Lincolnshire one finds Swlneshead
Cowblt, and Dripping Gore In Kent
Yorkshire also has a match for Yuba
Dam.
It has Dam Flask. Then there are
other odd ones Itke Ilellous Bump
stead, Toller Porcoimm, Heck, Over
Wallop and Nether Wallop, Barton
ia-the-Beans and Lynesack-and-Softly.
Sympathy
An untimely frost effectually com
pleted the mischief done earlier by the
insect enemies of Mr. Perkins' pota
toes. The tops of the plant's, which
had served as pasturage for the pests,
were entirely destroyed, and with them
Mr. I'erklns' hopes of a crop. He wus
not selfish, however, and could think
of others In the hour of adversity. In
the afternoon he was accosted at the
post office by a friend.
"Hello, Perkins! How's everything
up to the corners?"
"Trouble enough. Wllllajnson. trou
ble enough I" was the gloomy response.
"Ten million potato bugs, and nothing
for 'em to eat Everybody's Magif
sine.
Other Fish to Fry
The owner of an estate on which
there was a lake was annoyed to see
a stranger fishing therein. He ap
proached tlie trespasser and began to
abuse him.
Thla lake," he *ald, "la privately
owned ami I stocked It my*elf. You
must g *i away at once."
"Ju*t a minute, Kir," anld the fisher
man calmly. "What did >rfi arock the
lake with?"
"Trout," wan the answer. "*nd I
won't have
"Thtt'a all right, air," oald be trea
;nsser u:icono-mcdly. "I'm fl-iiting for
iilke." —Itotn.Ui!!! Sunday llia-uld.
Stray Bit of Wisdom
I «n-e met a wan who had forgiven
an injury. ( hope aome day to meet
the man who has forgiven an Innult.—>
Cbarlea Huston.
Pity Above Wisdom
More healthful* than all wisdom Is
oae draught of simple human pity
that will not forsake u*. —George
Eliot.
Fortune Good and Evil
j Many have bwi ruffled 'j- their for
tunes. many have c«ei)pel ruiu hy tb
wtnt of fort uni'.
At the North Pole
Tlfe North pole, recognized its' the
northern extremity of the earth, Is In
the midst of a hollow which holds no
land In the neighborhood of the pole
Itself. .The most northerly lands pos
sess animal life—musk-ox, reindeer,
polar hear, wolf, fox, erinlne, land
birds, as well as insect life, ami during
a few slvort weeks In summer, bril
liant flowers. Huirtan life Is found
within some 700 miles of the North
pole.
Glycerin on Glatn
To prevent raindrops or water from
beading on glass, wipe off the glass
with a piece of cloth wet with glycerin.
The first few drops remain as drops
spreading and showing a tendency to
run, but as the drops Increase In num
ber they come luto contact with each
other and coalesce, forming n smooth
transparent lllm of water over the en
tire surface, which Is no obstruction
to vision. *
Arithmetic's Origin
Mathematics BH n science made It.i
first definite nppenrance among the
Egyptians. Tlirre are evidences of its
antiquity among the Chinese, 1 Hln:l«is
and Bthytonlans, but the earliest writ
ten records of considerable mat"hewatl
cnl prugtew are Couhd In Egypt and
give an U't civs ting view of U.e state
of the science as early as the (otter
part of the third millennium 'before
Christ. ,
Two Types of ArtizSs
The jrreat artist Is forever en : arginn
the scope of human art and tfrr.6rae!ng
things with love that h.ive nsver
known art before. He can only do
that by making tliem beautiful, and
the W'tuld-bP artist who brings Into
lie culls his art tldngs thai are
ugly and remain Just as ugly after lie
has touched them Is nothing lu the
world.—llavelock Kills.
Wooden Treys
Wooden trays, though labor-saving
Vn the sense that theyTieed no clean
ing. lire often marred by dlshea and
plates that are carried upon them. A
tray mr.rked In this way may ho re
stored by gentle rubbing with warm
Unwed oil. Hub the oil in with a
plfce of cotton wool or some other
equally absorbent material.
Sundog
When other crfhlrinatlons of reflec
tions from snow crystals occur so an to
double or trrble the brightness of fpota
In the pnrliellc circle Is the reflection
of the sitiillght forming n band of
wiiite light around the horizon at the
apparent angular altittiile of the stuu
and usually passing through It, It la
known us a sundog.
Trimming Maple Treet
The Department of Agriculture snya
that the best time to trim maple trees
Is In June, when they are In iiost
active growth. Probably the worst
time Is In August, unless It Is Just
us the buds nre pushing, wtan lliey
are most likely to bleed
Course of Witdom
Bllpke—"What would you do If u
bandit told you to hold
hands?" .links—"Wei;. If after a hur
ried consultation with them my leg*
didn't feel they wwe.equal to the
emergency I'd urge myMMHjji* 7 to go
on up. I think."—Cirdiinatl Bnqalwr.
Worthy of Immortality
Nothing 1* known of the author ot
the first published dictionary of the
English language. e>eopt that his first
name was Henry Co-kernm. Ill* "K'lg
ll.Hll Dktionarle" first appeared in I»'3U,
and by H>7u had tvt'l.c editions.
Epic Pecm
"The Truutjieior of S- K'klnpu," a
popular Oerman epic by Joseph
Victor von Schetiel, In H ilttlw more
than "i 0 years after Its piblication In
1853 bad pn**ed through 200 large
editions in Germany alone.
Embatsy'M Privilege
A foreign en.baw inn. fly n for
eign flag without having It nroompn
nied by the Arnerlrtin flog. The for
eign etnl)ii«*r in under tt>«» Jurisdiction
of the country which It reprseatit;
therefore, tin; law of tliat country ap
pile*.
Town ß of Similar Names
Of the 52,000 natron of towns anl
yout ofllce* to the United Ktatea, 43
appear more than 20 times eaclL
Man's Limit
The boundary of man Is moderation.
When once we pass t!iat pale, our
gnnrdlan angel quits his chargJ? of us.
Heating Value of Peat
Peat, prepared for fuel, ha* about
the name thermal value a* the Penn
sylvania anthracite now obtainable.
Scent of Fox /» Keen
A fox can scent a man a quarter #1
• mile away.
NO. 6
GRAPE PRUNINGS TO
START NEW PLANTS
When grapes are being pruned,
some of the prnnlngs. may well be
wived and used for cuttings to start -
new plants. Grapes are usually prop
agated from straight cuttings, 8 t®
10 inches long, containing two to thro*
buds each.
Well-ripened, vigorous cane*, with
strong, well-developed buds are the.
ones to use, the small wood toward
the- end being discarded, advises J.
Harold Clark, instructor in pomology
at the New Jersey College of Agricul
ture, New Ilrunswick. At the base of
the cutting, the cut Is made about H-
Inch to %-lnch below the bud, while
on the upper end at least an Inch of
eane Is left beyond the bud
As soon as the cuttings are made
they should be tied In bundles of about
with the butts all the sme way.
These* bundles, properly labeled,
should lie burled outdoors In sandy
soil, or'stored In a box of molat sand
In a cold cellar.
When the soil begins to warjn up
In the early spring, the cuttings are
buried upside down In a-well-drained -
place so the butts wHI be about 2
Inches below the surface. Cuttings
left In this position for two or three
weeks should start to grow soon after
planting.
Cuttings should be planted 5 to • '
Inches apart in rows at least 4 feet *
apart In fertile, well-drained soil.
They should be placed in an upright
position and loep enough to bring the
lrppcr bud Just almyo the surface of
the soil. Furthermore, it Is very lm-t
portant that the soli be firmly packed
uround the cutting* to prevent them'
from drying out before growth starts.
The vines may be set out when on&
year obi, or may bo left In the nursery •
row for two year*/
European Black Currant •
Is Not in, Great Favor
The European black currant. Is not
In very great favor Just now becausa '
of its connection with the white pine
blister-runt. There are two specie* of
black currant, llubus nigra, the Ear©-
pean black currant, and Hubus ameri
cana, the American species. The for
mer, because it Is superior, is the one
commonly grown, and It is seldom that
a plant Is found that is not infected
with hlhrter-rust. For this reason It
litis been considered a*publlc nuisance,
and the law requires that a public
nuisance be done away with. * • 1
The blister-rust spreads from the
currants and gooseberries to the whit*
pine.' It Is considered that the white
jilne resources are more valuable than
the few block currant bushes scattered
here'and there. However, in certain
sections devoted to fruit growing It is
customary to permit the growing at
currants and gooseberries.
In Europe the public has become
educated to the flavor of the black cur
rant. and it Is highly esteemed. In
this country It has never been held in
much regard, either because of the
strong flavor or because the public has
not learned to appreciate its vlrtuesi
At any rote, there are very few black
currants now grown.
•, i \
Rabbits and Mice Harm
All Young Fruit Trees
Hundreds of young fruit trees are
girdled by inlce ami rabbits every win
ter In South Dakota. A. L. Ford, ofc
tension sj*eclallst at South Dakota
college, says that this is tM
time to Insure trees against such In
jury with no cost and with but very
iiitle time and work.
"All dead vegetation and other trash
should be rpmoved from the base at
Hie trees, as this makes an Ideal nest
in-,' plnce for the >te«tructly* Held
mice," Is his recommendation. "Com
plete protection from both mice and
rabbits can be had f>y tying cylinders
of old window screening or other finely
im -thed wire around the trunks. Tbls
wire should .-extend from the ground
ti> a height of about two feet. Old
sacks of cornstalks tied around the
trunk will prevent rabbit Injury, but
these materia!* are apt to . ncoursfl
nuAise damage in that they afford
(deal nesting places."
Profitable Apple Crop
In the Middle West apple trees fa relj
bear profit able crops of fruit until they
are eight or ten years old. Where thej
can b" grown titer 1 artKji few varieties
like the Missouri l'lppln that will beai
younger thatt tills. Apple, as well ai
pear tret>s. can be forced into bearlcj
by throwing them, out of balance tg
girdling or Injuring them in some way
and it Is sometimes practiced. Sue!
cessful orehardists d» not regard tM|
practice as sound and use it only Ufl
rare cases.