$1.00 a Year, In Advance.
"FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH."
Single Copy 5 Cents.
VOL. XVI.
PLYMOUTH, N, C. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1905.
NO. 12.
A Battle With Polar Bears
By Arthur
A curious story told by n veteran whaler. How the whaling crew went In
starch of a whale they had killed, only to And the carcass in posses
sion of a dozen ferocious Polar bears! The battle royal that ensued
whs a most exciting affair.
OJ3h tne pursuit of the ardu
J, ous calling of Arctic whal
O I o 3n8' the. crews of whaling
5J . ships are often called upon
ttfOf face extraordinary haz
arus. .Nfldoiu, however, after killing
their wiuile, are they obliged to wrest
their booty from a troop of ravenous
Polar bars, angrily disputing posses
sion of their prize. The thrilling story
of such mi unparalleled encounter was
narrated 10 me under the following
-ircuinstrii:oes:
It was a lovely evening in June when
we -swung clear of Port-aux-Basques
Harbor, and. catching a light land
breeze, steered northwards towards
the coasrs of Labrador. Our craft was
a smart Nova Scotia-built schooner of
about a hundred and fifty tons, and
our crew were picked from a settle
ment of tLe nearest modern representa
tives of the old Norsemen the sturdy
fishing folk of the iron-bound coasts
f Newfoundland. I was peculiarly
attracted by the first mate, Harry
Jewer. a man still in the prime of life,
with hard-bitten, weather-roughened
t ea lures, yet with a merry twinkle in
bis eye that bespoke a happy. Hiber
nian temperament and a capacity for
facing with equal cheerfulness the
sunshine nr.d the storm of an adven
turous career. His face was tanned
like leather with being so often set
against the blinding glare of sunshine
from illimitable glistening fields of
drifting ice, and deeply scarred and
seamed by repeated scourgings of
fierce wi.ds armed with stinging ice
fragments, which smite like the knot
ted cords of cruel whips.
Notwithstanding this hard and per
ilous mode of life his character had
been fashioned into a hearty admira
tion of this awful beauty, grandeur
and terror of the great Arctic solitude,
lake many others of his class, he was
captivated by the' fascinating glamor
which the Arctic casts like a spell upon
those who have once penetrated its
mysteries-. An opportunity came to
listen to the tale of his varied exploits
when suddenly one afternoon the wind
grew light, and we ran into a heavy
-smoke-like bank of grey fog which ob
scured all around us. When at length
we emerged there was no breath of
wind. The sun beat down on a sea
motionless and becalmed.
At this moment, to my great de
light, Hcrry, pulling at his blackened
clay pipe, tainting the balmy sea air
with pungent odors, seated himself at
iny side and told me the following
tale of a strange adventure that' befell
him in the Far North:
It was in Lancaster Sound, on board
the good ship Aurora, that I found my
self, in the summer of 1S9G. We were
after "right"' whales, and had already
taken live on this voyage. "While near
ly all our casks were full to bursting
with oil, we had room to stow away
the blubber of yet another carcass.
"This the crew were anxious to accom
plish as1 speedily as possible, for after
si nightress period, the sun was now
beginning tp dip each day below the
horizon for a few hours at a stretch,
.aud cool fitful northwesters were giv
ing warning of the approach of winter.
If only we could secure our booty and
turn our course to the south, "with
1hc Newfoundland girls pulling at the
1ow-rope," as the saying is in the
fo'c's'le, everyone would be happy.
For although the seafarer, wherever
you find him, cannot remain content
ashore for long, one of the greatest
of all the pleasures of his calling is
the return home with a pocket full of
coin after a successful voyage.
A good Greenland or Arctic "right"
whale is worth a lot of money. "Right"
whales are those producing whalebone,
and a good specimen is1 worth at least
ix hundred to seven hundred pounds.
There are other large whales which
we let alone the "tinners" or rorquals,
and even' the giant 'blue whales, as
ihe bisrsrest of them are not worth one-
tenth part of the value of the "right"
whale. Of late these valuable prizes,
.as well as the "sperm" whale,' are
getting scarce, but in those days they
were abundant. Each man was sure
to come home with a snug little sum
to his credit, what with wages aud his
hare of the "bounty," as the men's
narrow percentage of interest in the
uet profits is termed.
"There she blows!" All hearts fairly
throbbed for joy as the look-out from
the "crow's nest" cheerily shouted the
tfrlad news of an enormous "right"
whale sighted against the sun in the
offing. Blithely the ropes sang out
through the tackle-blocks while the
men tsok their places, and as the little
flotilla of boats darted away with
alacrity from the black sides of the
great ship, like so many arrows shot
; front a bow, a strange gleam came
into the men's eyes, and their bronzed
faces relaxed in a smile as if they al
ready anticipated their triumph.
P. Silver.
They made towards a spot where
at intervals of from ten to fifteen min
utes a white column of spray was seen
to shoot high in the air from the ex
tremity of a black rolling mass which
glittered in the sun's rays like wet
indiarubber. My boat led, and all
hands gave me a cheer when I threw
the harpoon, which with a heavy thud
embedded itself deeply behind the huge
central fin of the mighty whale. Those
were the "good old days" of whaling,
before the craft was made compara
tively easy by modern methods; be
fore the days of the fast steamship
armed with the fatal "harpoon gun."
After the stroke the whale suddenly
headed away from the boats, sent up
an enormous jet of water and blood
some twenty feet in the air, lashed the
water into -foam with a terrible flurry
of his gigantic tail, and then suddenly
dipped beneath the surface of the
ocean. To such a vast depth did he
plunge in his agony of pain and fright
that two boats were compelled to join
their lines to ours; and three times he
dived,'' staying under nearly twenty
minutes on each occasion, before Ave
could get near enough to lance him in
a vital part. Unfortunately, as he
sped away he drew on the boats to
wards a large field of ice known to be
in the vicinity before it was actually
sighted, because of the extraordinary
coldness pervading the atmosphere.
As the custom is with a wounded
whale, he made to get under the ice
in hot haste. The only chance for suc
cess was to finish him before he disap
peared beneath the floe. He would
have to come up once more to breathe
before he could dive beneath the ice
floor, and we got ready to dispatch
him. Soon the line began to grow
slack, and up, up he came with start
ling speed. For a few minutes there
was an awful flurry on the surface,
while our boat became entirely ob
scured by the flying spume. The crea
ture had been pierced with lances un
til the water was reddeued with blood,
yet so padded with fat was he after
his summer's gorging on herrings that
the lances failed to reach a vital organ.
To our great chagrin he dived under
the ice, and, as the boats could now no
longer follow him beyound the edge
of the ice-field, the order was reluct
antly given to cut the line, abandon
the prize, and return to the ship. Very
keen was the disappointment of the
bieu. Here was a line whale "gone
to the deuce!" Gone, too, cut clean
away from the grasp of the men, was
half a ton of good whalebone. How
ever, there was a feeling pervading
the fo'c's'le all that evening that 1
would not yet give, up, but would or
ganize a search party, and each one
hoped that he might be one of those
chosen to go out to try and retrieve
the lost booty.
On the morning following, after
thinking the matter over, I decided
that the whale must be dead, as the
lances had been driven well home, and
had drawn so much blood. Thereupon
I picked out six of the best men on
board to help me hunt for the carcass.
Two rifles were stowed in the bat.
and enough biscuit to last the seven
of us for a couple of days.
All day the men rowed hard, while I
swept the sea with my glasses. The
vast ice-floe had slowly drifted south
ward, and it was a long time ere we
came up with it, which we did to
wards nightfall. In the clear water
behind its wake we made out an island
of black rock fringed with a wide
tawny sand beach, and soon we sight
ed something unusual on a yellow bar
that ran far out from the island among
the beating waves. Presently, to our
great joy. it revealed itself as the
stranded body of the dead whale.
The men were delighted at the pros
pect of recovering the valuable whale
bone, for here was prize enough even
if it became necessary to abandon the
blubber.
That night we camped In a sheltered
cove of the island, and needing no rock
ing, for Ave were tired out after our
long pull. What Avas our astonish
ment next morning when we found
our prize in possession of a company
of Polar bears! There Avere a round
dozen of them not to speak of a
couple of yearling cubs which kept
close to their dams all fighting, snarl
ing and tearing at the flesh of the
whale. It Avas evident that a pitched
battle would be necessary to decide
Avhether the carcass belonged to us
who had killed the Avhale or to the
bears who Avere now in full possession.
Bigger than grizzlies, at times raising
to their full height as dancing bears
are trained to do, the monsters before
us .bore out the reputation of Lancas
ter Sound for its extremely large breed
of bears, noted for their ravenous pro
pensities and extreme daring and fer
ocity. It was at the ebb of the tide dead
low water when we decided to make
our attack. The boat., was brought
round and headed towards the sand
spit Avhere lay the stranded bodj of
the whale. The feeding bears had ap
parently scented battle from afar, for
two of the biggest took to the water
and swam far out toAvards the boat.
These became an easy prey, for they
were dispatched while swimming
alongside; but there still remained ten,
and of these ten, five were indeed for
midable monsters. Seeing the fate of
their companions, the remainder of
those which had entered the water
returned to the beach. Five lined up
in front of the whale, while the other
five, including the two she-bears with
their cubs, fell to the rear of the car
cassexactly like a fighting corps held
in reserve. The receding tide had left
a broad border of shelving sand, so
that AA'hen our party landed we were
still some sixty yards from the front
squad of bears.
A trusted shot at one end of the line
and myself at the other Avere armed
each Avith a rifle and had fifty rounds
of ball cartridge between us. The
other men were equipped with long
Avhalers' lances. I opened the conflict
by dropping on my right knee and tak
ing deliberate aim at the largest bear.
There Avas a moment's pause. Then
came the sharp report of the rifle fol
lowed by an angry roar, and through
the smoke, the bear, only silghtly
Avounded, made a rush at us. The
spearmen promptly fell back, but the
other rifleman knelt down with great
coolness and discharged his gun at the
furious animal. Again, however, the
wound was not fatal. Springing to his
feet the man made a lunge at the in
furiated bear Avith his empty gun, but
with a swift blow the great brute sent
the rifle flying in the air, and Avith an
other laid low the unfortunate sailor.
The forepaAvs of the bear were laid on
the shoulders of the prostrate man, and
the hind feet Avere being brought to
bear Avith repeated efforts to rip his
tough tarpaulin jacket, when, carried
away by my excitement, I rushed up
and, Avith the muzzle of my gun held
almost at the ear of the savage beast,
literally blew its head to fragments.
Unmindful of a few hurts and a stream
of blood trickling from his face and
neck, the fallen man, to our amaze
ment, jumped to his feet and, appar
ently half-crazed by his recent maul
ing, performed something very like a
Avar-dance on the dead body of his late
assailant.
The bears now appeared to be some
what cowed by the death of their com
rades. The reserve line Avas Aveakened
by the desertion of the two she-bears
with their cubs, and the four monsters
in the front rank did not seem much
Inclined to take the aggressive.
All wild beasts, however, wiil usually
forget their fear of man on three oc
casions: at mating time, when their
young are in danger, and when their
fowl is threatened. There was nothing
for it, therefore, but to keep blazing
away at the front guard until nil Avere
wounded. Finally, I ordered an ad
vance of my little force. Avhereupon
the disconcerted animals suddenly
broke and fled, carrying away the rear
line In their retreat. The bears- Avere
utterly routed.
We were now kept busy for hours
in skinning the slain bears and in cut
ting out the whalebone from the jaws
of the prize. Then, Aveli satisfied with
our work, Ave loaded down the boat
with our spoils and proceeded on our
way to rejoin the ship. But our perils
were not yet over. A breeze sprang
up which rapidly developed into a
gale, accompanied by blinding sleet
and snow showers, until our position
grew hazardous in the extreme. Great
white-capped Avaves broke over the
heavy-laden boat, and Ave were kept
incessantly occupied baling out the wa
ter. Nevertheless we rowed on doggedly
for hours, until at length our wrists
grcAv swollen, and it really seemed as
if out of the peril of the bears we had
rushed into a greater danger still.
Fainter and fainter grew our hopes of
safety, as the gale rose and the bil
Ioavs rushed past madly, driven to fury
by the scourging blasts.
Suddenly, through a rift in the driv
ing storm-clouds the aAvful form of a
towering iceberg Avas seen, rearing its
glistening columns against the dull
greyuess of the snow-darkened sky.
The Aveather-sido of the iceberg re
ceived the full shock of the long, grey-
green rollers as they swung up and
broke again and again over its shelv
ing icy strand, Avhile the steep ice-
side, sinking sheer into the ocean
depths, kept the water there as calm
as some landlocked harbor. Quickly
we seized the proffered opportunity.
By herculean efforts the boat was
brought up against the full force of
opposing Avind and tide, aud safely
steered to the lee-side of the iceberg.
Then the ice anchor Avas got out .and
she Avas made fast to the giant berg.
The next danger which confronted us
was that in the long Avait Ave might
perish Qf cold. There was coffee
aboard and fresh water, but how were
avo to manage for fuel and cooking
utensils? I thought for a moment,
and then ordered the men to pare off
wood shavings from the thwarts, floor
ing and gunwale of the boat until avo
collected a good-sized parcel of fuel.
For a stove avo perforated the bot
tom of a large kettle, hanging a smaller
one over the fire. Soou jye .were able
to pass round a draught of steaming
hot coffee, .which wonderfully cheered
our spirits. This was repeated towards
the break of day. Then the storm
gradually subsided, and we knew that
the danger Avas over. Once more we
steered our course to the ship, and
finally arrived safely with the rich
prize of the Avhalebone which had cost
us so much labor and peril.
Some of the rest of the crew were
anxious to be allowed to visit the de
relict carcass for another bear hunt.
fut the captain v:as known to hold
Avhite bears in high respect, and it
surprised nobody when he announced
his immediate intention of proceeding
homewards. And so the ship's course
was set towards the Straits of Belle
isle, where, like a jagged tooth gnaw
ing at the Arctic current, the Island
of Newfoundland rears its rocky bas
tions out of the cold, ice-laden seas.
The snoAV-white skin of one of the
biggest of the bears now decorates the
little front parlor of my cabin, and
furnishes an excuse for a frequent re
vival of the story of the battle, be
tAveen a boat's crew and a dozen Polar
bears. The Wide World Magazine.
The French Government has recom
mended an appropriation of $200,000
for the International Congress of Tu
berculosis, to be held shortly in Paris.
A dispatch from Christiania states
that at Nesdal, north of Bergen, re
cently, a mass of rock slipped into the
Leonvand Lake. A wave of AA-ater
twenty feet high, Avhich resulted from
the fall, swept the neighborhood, car
rying away houses, people and cattle.
Edward Donohue. superintendent of
plumbing of the City of Peoria, Ill
was recently granted a patent on an
improved compression stop and Avaste
cock Avhich is designed to prevent
Avaste of Avater resulting from the
slight wear of the parts of an ordinary
faucet. The principle is said to be
applicable to street hydrants as well as
domestic faucets.
The Congress of Naturalists and
Physicians, which recently met in
Breslau, strongly condemned the
"goose-step" as practiced, in the Ger
man and some other armies. Dr.
Thalwitzer read a paper on the sub
ject, in which he showed that adop
tion of this ridiculous step accounts
for numerous knee and foot complaints
among the troops. Sixty per cent, of
the sores on the feet of the men are in
consequence of persistent adherence
to this antiquated step.
The silk production of the world for
1003 is estimated at 39,S97,000 pounds
avoirdupois, not including the home
consumption of China and Japan, the
amount of which is difficult to esti
mate. China still leads in this indus
try. Its exports of silk amounted to
14,010,000 pounds, as against 10,138,-
000 pounds exported by Japan. Per
sia, Turkestan and,India together ex
ported 1.000,000 pounds. In Europe
Italy is far in the lead in silk produc
tion, the amount for 1003 being 7,737,-
000 pounds. Turkey in Asia and Cy
press together produced 2,900,000
pounds, France 1,043,000 pounds, and
other European countries together.
2,(hl,000 pounds.
In 1S73 a great rat-like rodent,
named Dinomys. was discovered in
the Peruvian Andes. But a single
specimen was found, and this is now
presetted in the Berlin Museum. Last
spring Doctor Goeldi of Para redis
covered the Dinomys in the lowlands
of Brazil. Its natural habitat is noAV
supposed to be the almost unexplored
regions lying among the foot-hills of
the Andes, between Brazil, Bolivia and
Peru. The animal is described as re
minding one of an immense rat, AA-ell
adA'anced in development toward a
bear. It is about tAA'o feet long, with
a bushy tail nine inches long, thickset
and has a Avaddling gait. Its charac
ter is "a combination of leisurely
movements and supreme good nature."
It seems well provided for digging,
but "knows absolutely nothing of
haste." Doctor Goeldi keeps a mother
and her young one in a cage.
Tale of a RaRolan Shell.
The offending battery at St. Peters
burg which fired case shot at the Win
ter Palace by accident or design has
recalled an anecdote of another Rus
sian battery. It AA-as at the siege ol
WarsaAv, where a Russian Marshal or
dered the battery to concentrate its fire
on a certain point. Nothing came ol
this, and the Marshal rode up to the
artillerymen in great wrath. "Whal
imbecile is in command here?" he de
manded. ,"I am," said an officer calm
ly. "Consider yourself under arrest.
Your shells are no good." "Wrhat can
you expect?" retorted the other. "They
won't explode. See for yourself." He
took up a shell, lighted the match, ami
held it out to the Marshal, Avho stood
Avith his hands behind him waiting the
result. If the shell had burst both
men would have been blown to pieces.
But the match Avent out, and the Mar
shal remarked simply: "You are quite
right" London Chuonicle. .... -
r
SOUTHERN fARM flOTES.
TOP i CSOF IN 7 ERE S T TO THE PLANTER, STOCKMAN AND TRUCK CROWEJt
Urattes Hint Forage Plants.
Bulletin 03 of the South Carolina Sta
tion is on "Grasses and Forage Plants."
II. Benton, the author, says Avhat he
has written is based upon experiments
and close obsen-ation for twelve years.
Among the forage crops treated are
cowpeas, trhich Home and Farm has,
for many years, done so much to bring
Into profitable cultiA-ation.
The Avritsr says: The cowpea is un
questionably the best summer growing
legume for the South. It is perfectly
adapted to our soils and climate.
There are a very large number of
named varieties of cowpeas, and neAV
ones are constantly appearing, due to
variations in habit of growth, color or
leaf, stem, pod and the color and size
of the soed: or its physiological charac
teristics. The most important A'ariety
recently developed is the Iron, which is
Avilt resisting on our commonly called
"pea sick lands." As soon as some
variety has attained sufficient local
reputation, a name is given to it, and
sooner or later the supposed neAV vari
ety is placed upon the market. In this
way one variety may be cultivated in
a dozen different localities under as
many names, or a dozen different vari
eties may bear the same name. We
liaAe at present thirty-one so-called
varieties growing. I' have no doubt
but that Avhen they are carefully com
pared and notes completed, that the so
called varieties Avill be reduced at least
twenty-five per cent.
Almost any land will grow cowpeas,
but like other economic plants the
richer the land the larger the crop,
Avhen grown for hay; frequently rich
lands fail to produce anything like a
fair crop of peas. Many of our sandy
and silty soils are so-called "pea sick,
on which all varieties except the Iron
are attacked by a fungus. Drainage
seems to have no effect on the appear
ance of the disease, as damage from
Avilt is as great on well drained high
soils as on Ioav soils which are not
Avell drained. Comparatively little wilt
is knoAvn on our Southern soils, which
contain an abundance of clay. The
past season is the first time I have no
ticed the wilt appearing in the Pied
mont region. Then it did not attack
the well established varieties, only
some recent crosses which had not be
come Avell established. The wilt is at
present much less severe on loam and
clay soils, and so far as my observation
goes, is largely confined to the coast
and lower pine belt regions. In many
localities the plants Avilt so badly that
It is unprofitable to attempt to grow
any other variety than the Iron." This
variety is a compact, vigorous grower
of medium size, sonieAvhat trailing in
its habits, but less so than the Un
known. The foliage is dark green, pos
sessing a peculiar bluish luster that
distinguishes this variety from others.
It is of the clay type. It holds its
leaves under adverse conditions of
drouth and disease better than any
other varieties. It remains green up
to frost, even if plants contain many
ripe pods.
The cowpea has A'arious uses in
Southern agriculture. It is used ex
tensively as a catch crop on truck or
grain lands; is used as a full season j
crop for the purpose of improving the j
soil; for hay and for the seed. The
seed of some A-arieties is used to supply
the tabic. The inferior varieties are
used extensively for stock food.
The preparation of soil for coAvpeas
depends upon the season at which they
are planted. If planted early In the
spring and it is desired thai they
should occupy the land the entire sum
mer, the soil should be well prepared
and fertilized with 200 or 400 pounds
of acid phosphates and 100 to 200
pounds kainit per acre. If planted in
corn, they may be planted in the siding
furroAVS late in the season, and culti
vated in the operation elf cultivating
the middles; or they may be sown
broadcast before the last cultivation
and worked in. If sown after grain,
the most economical method is to sow
the peas on the stubble and cross disc
them in. I have harvested as good
crops of hay after the latter method as
when the land was plowed.
The amount of seed to plant depends
upon the use to Avhich they are to be
put. If for seed, they should be plant
ed in roAVS about three feet apart and
seA-en to tAvelves peas planted every
eighteen inches: this will take about
one-half bushel seed per acre. If
planted as a catch crop, or for hay, it
is generally better to plant them broad
cast at the rate of one to two bushels
per acre.
Cowpeas mnke excellent silage, but
are somewhat difficult to haul and pass
through a silage cutter In the green
state. OAving to their usual tangled con
dition. I have seen as brisrht &nd free
of mould silage produced from pea
vines as from any other plant.
The chief use of cowpeas in the
South is for the purpose of soil im
provement and for hay. The yield of
hay depends upon the fertility of the
soil on Avhich it is grown, varying from
one-half to three tons cured hay per
acre. When grown, for hay, tt is gen
-r
erally better to sow a few sorghois o
corn seed with the peas co the stalk
will support the pea vines, rendering
them easier to cut with mowers. Tber
are many methods used in curing pe
vine hay. The two most commonly
used are: First, setting up poles, nail
ing cross pieces on the upright pole
and throwing the vines around then
while green; second, letting -the vine
wilt thoroughly after being cut, raking
into windrows, then throwing intc
small, loose cocks, and as they dry,
throAV them into larger cocks. Both
methods have their advantages. The
former will save the hay in almost any
season, but it is rather expensive. The
latter is less expensive, but AA'ill not
save the hay in rainy seasons. The
length of time the vines are allowed to
remain in the SAA'ath, A-indrows, cocks;
etc., and the method of curing, are
problems that must be determined by
the climatic conditions at the time.
The rule is to allow them to remain in
the swath as short a time as possible
consistent with good curing, in ordei
that the leaves may fall off as little ar
possible.
Acclimation of Corn.
Other things being equal, it Is. nol Nx
wise' generally to import corn fronj
a distance, especially a different lati
tude, because it will not, as a general
rule, yield satisfactory returns until tt
nas Decome tnorougniy accnmaieo,
Avhich usually requires from two to
three or more years. We have had
many striking instances of this fact
in our tests of varieties of corn brought
from the Northwestern States. None
of these varieties have done very well
Avith us.- although they are the most
prolific ones in the Northwest. ' This la
the reason that it is urged in another
part of this series of articles that the
history of all seed corn purchased bt
ascertained from the dealer. Neithe
is it prudent to buy seed' corn that wa
grown in the extreme South, for it;
being accustomed to a longer growing
period than we have. in North Caro -Una,
will be liable to be caught by
frost, and thereby give a diminished
yield of immature grain, especially it
fall comes early. The small yield et
the Northwestern corns, on the othet
hand, being accustomed to a shortei
growing period than Ave have is forced
to maturity at an earlier period than Is
conducive to the largest yields in oui
climate. t
In our experiments we have gotten
the higher yields of shelled corn pet - -acre
from the white than from the
yellow varieties of corn. This greate
yield may be due to the fact that the
Southern people, being partial as a gen
eral rule, to white corns, have improved
them more than they have the yellow
varieties. From the standpoint ot
chemical composition, the yellow corn
are no richer in feeding value than the
white corns, which fact is contrary ta
a common belief prevalent in this and . -
ther States. The only difference In
the two is that there is coloring mat
ter present in the kernels of the yellow f
corn which is not found in the kernel
of white varities of corn. By C. B.
Williams and B. W. Kilgore, of th
North Carolina Department ofAgri-
culture.
now 10 Handle Ducklings.
Feed after thirty-six hours boiled
eggs chopped flne for fiivst two or three
feeds. Allow no water until first feed.
About third day feed bran and corn
meal mixed in crumbly state
sweet milk with a little meat meal;
to this add a good portion of clean
sand, mixing thoroughly. After' the
first week the above ration can be im
proved on by adding cut green clover,
onion tops, lettuce, or in fact, anything
green that would be palatable.
Never allow the old duck to "carry"
the duckling, as she would run thelt
legs off or drown them in no time-.
Put her In a coop for a day Or two and
she will be ready to go back to the
flock. .
After the ducks are two or three days
old it is a good plan to make a little
run In some quiet spot near the house
where they can be watched, placing a
box in the run arranged so thej can
hover under it.
CnltiTatinr Sugar Cane.
The sugar cane has no main root, bat
like all grasses possesses a great num
ber of flne rootlets; these spread to a
great distance and to a considerable
depth in suitable soil. The results
would be of considerable interest and
value if planters would make a series
of observations on the range of the
roots of the sugar cane. In good eoil
the majority of the rootlets reach a
depth of about two feet; a smaller
number extending even to four or five
feet; in moderately well tilled soli the
roots grow downwards until they reach
the layer of soil but little disturbed
by cultivation, and then spread later
ally, so that the depth to which tha
roots descend in stiff soil depends ;
the depth of the tillage. . '