% I .
THE (XLEANER
VOL. L
NEW RECORD IN -
RAW SILK RAGE
America Winning Heats in
Contests Whose Stakes
Are Millions.
Washington.—Uncle Sum lias ■ been
winning heats in one of the most dra
matic races ever staged by trade —the
raw silk trunspbrt ruce.
The, course is miles. Swiftest
steamships, special trains for which
speed limits are waived, seaplanes and
airplanes participate. But there is
no cheering crowd in the stands, be
cause every mile of th 6 race is con
cealed with the closest secrecy.. The
stakes are millions.
In 1918, 81 per cent of the .United
States' huge silk imports from Japan
came In foreign steamers but within
two years steamers flying the Ameri
can flag in the Pacific have obtained
an Important share of this valuable
trade.
Why silk is rushed from Yokohama
to New York 'at breack-neck speed,
outdistancing tlie best passenger
service, and the thrilling details of
this contest ugainst time over the
world's longest race course are told
in the following bulletin issued by the
National Geographic society:
Excepting gold and silver bullion,
silk probubly is the most- precious com
modity, weight for weight, carried ou
a large scale by commerce. A single
speclul train will bring $5,000,000
worth of silk. Just as it costs dearly
to ship money, high charges are put
on silk shipments. The saving of two
days' sailing time between Yokohama
and Seattle is said to make a differ
ence of 50 cents a bale at New York.
Interest on the millions of dollars tied
up multiplies at the rate of thousands
, of dollars a day and, in addition, there
is costly insurance.
New Silk Course Record.
The World's record on the Yoko
liama-New York silk course was set
up u few months ago when the Orient
was brought within 13 days, 3 hours
and 8 minutes of Manhattan. Laden
with $5,500,000 worth of raw silk, the
President Jackson made Seattle on
the ninth day. A United States mail
seaplane met the liner at Victoria
and winged its way, to Seattle, 100
miles owuy. It brought port docu
ments and forwurded cargo papers to
New York before the President Jack
son docked.
Special port forces moved the rich
consignment in three hours to, a spe
cial silk train wnltlng with stciun up.
The swift Oriental limited passenger
trains take 70 hours to reach Chicago;
the "reefer," as the silk special -is
known to railroaders, makes It In 65
hours. Twelve cars were required
for the President Jackson cargo.
With Queen Silk goes a
of train guards armed to the teeth.
When the treasure train safely reaches
New York the shipment is divided
quickly among the consignees for stor
age in warehouses or dispatched to
mills in such famous silk rrr-na as
Paterson, N. J., or Woonsocket, it. 1.
Carried on Mystery Train.
Few people know when the ''reefer"
is on the rails. Like a ship of war, It
virtually runs under sealed orders.
Railroad divisions seldom know when
it is coming or where it is going un
til it and orders arrive.
The previous speed record for silk
shipments was made when the Presi
dent Grant landed a $10,000,000 con
signment at Seattle. The "reefer*
brought this product of billions ol
caterpillars Into New York In 18 days
4 hours and 55 minutes opt of Yoko
hama. Night air mall will be a boon
to these New York silk merchants. Be
fore silk shipments can be released
many papers must be approved and
Inspected. Seattle has one of the twt
seaplane mall services In the United
States, hence Queen Silk will sufTer n.
embarrassment of delay. Nlgbt ali
mall will hasten dispatch of silk ship
ment papers to New York so there
will be no slip when the dusty "reef
er" readies the Hudson.
Although silk culture originated In
China and the very name China finds
lta birth In a term meaning "silk peo
ple," the United States looks to Japan
for most of this raw material. Amer
ican mills are weaving nearly 50,000,-
000 'pounds of raw silk Annually, of
which about 80 per cent comes from
Japanese mulberry orchards. The
ugly little silk worm Is treated with
great respect In the Orient for It
brings to tbe Far Eastern peqples
more than $800,000,000 from the
United Statea alone.
Queen Silk's throne is as solid as
the year It was set up by a Chinese
princess, centuries before the birth of
Christ The Western world began to
worship her when the crusaders went
to the East "to kin the horned devils
and returned to'imitate the fine gen
tlemen they found there." The mer
chants of Venice, thriving on the
West's new knowledge, like the mer
chants of Jfew Ygfk today, guarded
Queen Sllif/well; this single city-state
built S(XT men-of-war to convey lta
gllk fleets.
Innocent c* a Barber
Maysvllle, Mo.—rW. R\ Taylor, who
lives on a farm between this city and
Cameron, declares that he has lived
72 years and has never been shaved
by a barber. Taylor revealed this
fact when he read In a local newspa
per that a man has reported that he
was flfty-one years old and had never
been shared by a barber. As a result
of his claim. Taylor beats the other
ipan by SI >ear».
Smelling a Rainbow ■ !
From time immemorial English
country folk have believed that they
can smell a rainbow. Of course it Is
a mistake to believe that a rainbow
has any smell, but the peculiar odor
may be caused In this way: Rainbows
are most common li\,the warm days of
spring, when growing vegetation of
many kinds is giving out fragrance
and the moist air Is tilled with a won
derful blending of aromatic odors. How
many people believe that the direction
of the wind at the turn of the season
indicates what is to be expected dur
ing the coming three months I There
is no scientific evidence that such Is
the case. Probably the Idea arose from
the circumstance that British weather
-tends to preserve its character. Thus,
if a certain kind of weather Is experi
enced for ten days, the probability Is
greater that the type will persist for
another period, rather than that a
change will come about."
High Value of Brick
It Is an Interesting fact that brick
making, the most ancient of ail the
industries producing manufactured
building materials, Is today one of the
basic Industries of the nation. It is
difficult to destroy a brick. Vast quan
tities of the bricks made in 4he early
days of the industry may v stHl be
found on the sites of the ruined cities
of antiquity. Bricks made nowadays
are composed of the same ma
teria) and manufactured according to
the same principles as the ancient
product. The composite price; of brick
all over the United States wo.rks out
today at a little over sls "per thousand.
Brick, therefore, Is a manufactured
article weighing from four to five
pounds, costing about a cent and a
half, and capable of giving several
thousand years of service. It is the
cheapest manufactured material on the
market.
Cuckoo Superstitions
There are numerous superstitions
associated with the hearing of the
ct;ckoo'B first call. In the maritime
highlands and Hebrides' If the cuckoo
Is first heard by one who has not
broken his fast some misfortune Is ex
pected. Indeed, besides the danger, If
is considered a reproach to one to
have heard the cuckoo while bungry,
says the Detroit News.
In France' to hear tbe cuckoo for
the first time fasting Is to make tbe
hearer "an idle do-nothing for the rest
of the year" or "to numb his limbs"
for the same period. There Is a simi
lar belief In certain parts of tbe west
of England. In Northumberland one
Is told, if walking on a hard road when
the cuckoo first calls, that the ensuing
season will be full of calamity. To be
on soft ground is a lucky omen.'
r
:j
Prometheus
The word Prometheus, the name of
a character In Orecian mythology,
means forethought, and forethought is
the father of Invention. According to
tbe Grecian tradition, Prometheus
taught man the use of fire, and In
structed blm In architecture, astron
omy, mathematics, writing, rearing cat
tle, navigation, medicine, the art of
prophecy, working metal, and indeed,
every art known to man. The tale Is
that he made man of clay, and. In or
der to endow bis clay with life, stole
fire from heaven and brought It to
earth In hollow tube. Zeus, who
In Grecian mythology corresponds to
'Jupiter In the Roman mythology. In
punishing Prometheus, chained him to
a rock, and sent an eag|e to consume
his liver dally. During the night it
grew again, and thus the torment of
Prometheus was ceaseless, until Her
culei shtff _ and unchained
the captive.
. -
4 Shakespeare or Bacon ?
' A heated discussion arose In tbe
Nineteenth century from an attempt,
on tbe part of Miss Delia Bacon, to
prove that Lord Franels Bacon was
tbe author of the plays commonly at
tributed to Shakespeare. William EL
Smith, an English scholar; Nathaniel
Holmes, in bis "Authorship ot Shake
speare." and Mrs. Henry Holmes bsve
also labored In the same direction. Is
1888 Ignatius Donnelly produced bis
work entitled "Tbe Great Cryptogram."
wherein he endeavored to show "that
.Bacon's suthorsblp is avowed under a
cypher In the text of tbe plays In the
folio of 1653." Shakespearean schol
ars do not accept tbe Baconian theory
of authorship.
GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY. OCTOBER 9. 1924
EXPLORBtS SEEK HARDY
' ' PUNTS IN NORTH CHINA
Department of Agriculture Men Hep*
to Find Many Valuable Btralns
of Cereale There.
Washington.—To seek new plants
for cultivation In this country. P. H.
Dorsett, for 25 years with the office
Of foreign seed and plant introduction
of the United States Department of
Agrlculure, and his son, J. H. Dorseft,
left this country recently for Shang
hai, where they will begin a three-year
plnnt exploration tMp in China. Mr
Dorsett Is a well-known scientist and
wins one of the foundation builders of
the bureau of plant Industry, says the
announcement of the department tell
ing of the trip. He has been on sev
eral plant exploration trips and made
an extensive search In Brazil.
In the course of a long stay In north
ern China the two Investigators will
search particularly for hardy plants
for cultivation in this country's north-
era Great Plains region. The work
will differ from ordinary plant ex
ploration, It Is explained, In that In
stead of traveling widely the scien
tists will concentrate on a small area
and study Intensively the more Impor
tant crop plants there. Other inves
tigators In China have shown that
there are In the gardens, fields and
orchards of thst country many va
rieties of fruits, vegetables and fleld
crops still unknown and which may
prove valuable in this country.
"Many Interesting strains of wheat,
barley and other cereals are known to
exist In Manchuria and northern
China," says the department. "Some
of these are likely to prove of great
value In the United States. Soy beans,
rapidly becoming an Important crop In
this country, are extensively cultivat
ed In northern China, and many va
rieties will be Introduced tor trial.
Hardy forage crops likely to j>rove of
value In the Great Plains region al«3
will be secured. The Dorsetts will
search for these plants and will send
roots, cuttings or seeds for propaga
tion and trial In department gardens.
"The department has In, mind hardy
Chinese bush cherries, which prelimi
nary Investigations shown to b«
adapted as far north as Mandan, N.
D„ and whose fruit Is similar to the
sour cherry of tyls country and.used
in the same way. Attempts will be
made to find superior varieties of
blight-resistant Chinese chestnuts,
which the gradual destruction of the
chestnuts of this country by blight has
rendered Important to secure.
"Attention also will be given to the
Introduction of hardy shade and wind
break trees able to withstand the se
verity of the winters of the northern
Great Plains region. It Is probable
that Manchuria may furnish many
such trees. For the Western states
the explorers expect to obtain su
perior varieties of Japanese persim
mons and of the Chinese jujube. Other
Chinese fruits of probable value for
which they will search are peaches,
pears, apricots and plums, all of which
exist In wide variety. Many varieties
of these fruits are now being grown
here, but large numbers of them are
yet to be tested.
"The explorers go provided with
necessary materials for packing and
shipping seeds and plants which will
he shipped from Shanghai to Washing
ton, where they will be Inspected and
freed from any diseases or pests be
fore they are sent to the gardens for
preliminary trial and propagation. On
this exploration Mr. Dorsett and his
son will travel In the provinces of
Chihll and Shansl, and In Manchuria."
-» --
Venus' Basket
Venus' basket Is a glass-silk sponge
which grows In the tropical seas of
the*Paclflc, from the Fujiyama region
to the Indian ocean. By the Japanese
It Is called the mineral silk sponge,
snd Is used for Its liber, which Is
woven Into chemical flber cloths. Into
fireproof candlesticks and Into deli
cate fireproof curtains. In its natural
state the glsss sponge Is covered with
these long silky fibers which are used
In the arts referred to. A small tuft
of these fibers covers the base.
The specimens are raked up from
the ocean bed, and the framework,
which cannot be separated Into flber
for weaving. Is employed In the cov
ering of ataus pipes ami in cold-stor
age Insulation, where It has been
found equal to aabestos.
Inspires Confidence
Picture postcards of a Kansas City
hotel csrry this message:
"This hotel fulljr equipped with auto
matic sprinklers. Btstlstlcs show lam
of life bss never occurred in ■
sprinkled building. ID case of Ore you
may get wet."But not burned."
To one traveler that brought a woo
derful thought aud he wrote there
under I lie following prayer: "Now 1
lay me down to sleep. Statistics guard
my slumber deep. If I should die I'm
not concerned. I may get wet but I
won't get burned." —Tavern Talk.
———""' " -*~SJ
Oldest Plate Presented
sto National Museum
WHI 111 111 mi in IfH I
What is probably the oldest plate In
the world has been presented to the
National museum In Washington by
Miss Leila Lleberman of Washington.
For ino'fe than a thousand years tbe
relic has been handed down through
succeeding generations in tbe Lleber
man family. The plate, which Is about
fourteen inches in diameter, was orig
inally own«jl by King David and it
bears the crest of the famous mon
arch. Along the outer rim of tbe plate
are engraved characters setting forth
tbe use of the plate and a record of
the various branches of the family
through which It has passed.
Find Coin of 1150
Armstrong, Mo.—A coin, bearing the
date of 1150 and tbe Itcuge of Queen
Mary,'was plowed up the other day
by P. W. Shiffett, a farmer near here.
The coin Is made of green gold, the
metal used In ancient times for colh-
Ing mone* and, besides, the date and
the Image of the queen, is marked
with a cross, ten stars und has a ripg
soldered to It, huv'ng evidently been
used as a watch churin ut one time.
Crawled Into Telescope t
The arrival of a new 21-lucb lens
at Wesleyan university for the giant
telescope In the Van Vleck observa
tory recently presented the problem of
how It was to be Inserted In the long
barrel of the telescope, the New York
World states. Prof. Frederick C. Slo
cum, head of the astronomy depart
ment. undertook to crawl 11 feet Into
the telescope and adjust tbe lens.
Members of the department awaited
wltlf bated breath 'he outcome of Pro
fessor Slocum's muffled efforts. On
receiving his signal—the wiggling of
bis toes —he was pulled out, looking
none the worse for his experience. He
took occasion to remind his confreres
that bolng the thlnneat man on the
faculty had Its sdvantsges. He Is of
Cspe Ood Yankee stock.
Blg-Heerted Bachelor
An old bachelor, who Is* fond of
children, especially penniless ones who
know the treat that a dish of Ice cream
on a warm evening brings, while stroll
ing about a northern suburb recently
made a score of youngsters happy
when he rounded them up and took
them In a boo to a church lawn so
cial. Tbe youngsters didn't wait for
a second invitation to be his guests
snd none of them backed away from
the fables when the Iced delicacy and
cake came around their way. They
left the tables with three cheers for
the phllsnthroplc friend and the
church society was grateful for the
acquisition of aeverul quarters to lta
exchequer, made possible by his gen
erosity to the kids.—Detroit News.
Caught Crows Nap/ting
Mark Lowe, s farmer, used a cheap
and effective method to kill crows snd
at the same time made a good profit
In collecting the bounty, a Parsons
(Kan.) correspondent of the New
York World states. When be appeared
at (lie county clerk's office with jißo
crows and collected S2B the cleric fig
ured he shot them one at a lime, and
that they cost him five cents splece la
ammunition.
Lowe set tbe county clerk right,
however, when he Informed him be
got the crows In two shots. Ut ex
plained be hsd exploded two charges
of dynamite beneath two trees where
tbe cmws perched at night, and It lit
erslly rallied dead crows several is ta
ut ea.
"Iberian"
The Iberian pfenlasuia was so named
from tbe ancient Inhabitants, who
were known as the Iberes. According
to some authorities the word merely
means "Inhabitants." Tbe same
seems to have been applied by tbe
earlier Greek navigators to tbe
peoples on the eastern coast of Spain,
probably originally those who dwelt
by tbe River Iberus. tbe modern Ebro.
Iberian thus means sometimes tbe pop
ulation of the penlnsnls In general
and sometimes tbe peoples of soma
definite race who' formed ooe element
I* tbe population.
DESIRE FOR SILK
HOSE NOT MODERN
Much Appreciated by Roy
alty, Centuries Ago.
There la a popular notion that silk
stockings are a recent vogue, and oue
sometimes hears them compared rath
er deprecatlngly with the fashions of
our grandmothers.
But If critics would take the trou
ble to dip Into the social" THiISPy of
tbe past, they would find that silk
stockings, far from being an Invention
of tbe moderns, were really In popular
use before even worsted stockings
were thought of.
Until the reign of Henry VIH stock
ings were made out of ordinary cloth,
bis majesty'! own hose being of yard
wide taffeta.
Long before this, however, silk
stockings were largely worn on the
continent, and In Henry VHl'a own
time they were Indispensable to the
attire of Spanish courtiers, and In
deed of the gemral aristocracy of
Spain.
f hey had, of course, been heard of
In England, and were greatly coveted.
What is spoken of by the famous
chronicler. Stow, as "a ver/ great
present" was in reality, a gift of Span
ish silk stocking* from Sic Thomas
Gresham to Edward VI, King Henry's
son. Latterly, King Henry himself
evinced a decided weakness for these,
nether garments of "rtilny texture,"
and he lost no opportunity of getting
a pair across .when circumstances
were favorable.
Again In 1500 we find the same Sir
Thomas Gresham writing thus from
Antwerp to tbe celebrated Elisabeth
an minister. Sir Wllllsm Cecil—"l
have written into Spain for silk hose
both for you and my lady, your wife;
to whom it may please you I may be
remembered." The black silk stock
ings, Gresham's biographer tells us,
duly arrived, much to the, gratifica
tion of the recipients.
Subsequent* troubles with Spain
made It impoaslble to.get the dainty
hosiery across, and when Queen Elis
abeth cam* throne silk stock
ings were not to be luid. But the
queen'* allkworaan, Mrs. Montague,
waa not content that her royal mis
tress should go with unsatisfied wants,
so she secretly knitted a pair of black
silk hose and presented them to hrr
majesty as a New Year's gift.
The queen, of course, wus over-
Joyed. Mrs. Montague was Immedi
ately sent for, courteously thanked,
and commissioned to keep her majesty
regularly supplied. "I like silt stock
ings so well," she said, "because they
are pleasant, flpe, and delicate, that
henceforth I will wear no more cloth
stockings." And, sccordlng to the
contemporary gossipers, she never did.
It was thus that the fashion wss
set, snd the manufacture of silk stock
ings In England started. But at first
the price waa prohibitive, and It was
long before any but the highest In tbe
land cou' afford to wear them. What
they ot.».dally cost cannot very well
be ascertained. But ths. diary of
Pblllp Hens!owe tells us thst whereas
as little as £4 wss psld for s pair In
later Elizabethan days, as much as
4 14s. was {(aid for a pair of silk hose
for one of tbe actors!
Breeding Up Hen Flock
for Higher Production
If the Oregon experiment station
had not bred from their high produc
ing birds, they could not have secured
the results they did. As a result they
have Increased the average of the en
tire flock.
Not all 800-eggrrs will reproduce
themselves. Heredity does not al
ways pass down to the first genera
tion. Sometimes It skips a generation.
High productivity can only be secured
In the flock where there Is vigor and
vitality.
Vigor Is not always Indicated by the
appearance of tbe bird. Factors which
Indicate vitality Include a heavy pro
duction of eggs of good fertility and
good hatchsblllty, and the hen's
chicks must grow well snd develop
well.
Tbe average In commercial breeders'
flocks over tbe state of Oregon was
about 100 eggs. The college etarted
trapnestlng and selecting their birds
In five years from that Ume we rfad
Increased tbe production from an av
erage of 100 egga to 200 eggs, done en
tirely by selective breeding, eliminat
ing the poor producers. We had
Jumped from the 200*gg individual to
the 800-egg Individual. At the pres
ent time the 800-egg Individual Is quite
common.—A. G. Lunn, Oregon Agricul
tural CoU«"*e
A Suggestion -
Mr. Btuioblefoot—l'd rather dance
than eat
Miss Trippit—M you're so fond of
dancing, why don't you learn how?
/ Exceptionally Quiet
Visitor—Your housemsld seems very
quiet.
lady of tbe House— Sbe Is I Why,;
she doesn't even disturb tbe dust 1
Main Road Lacking in
Allurement of Byway
Even before the automobiles took
over the main roads/ft was better to
walk in the bywaya/Along the lesser
roads people are riot too hurried for a
friendly greet lijtfaa they pass, and the
very animals'of the back country are
less sophisticated—the horses and cat
tle look up from their pasture to gaze
with frank Interest at each passerby.
Then, coming from time to time
across the quiet of the countryside,
are sounds that men have always
beard gladly—the far-off crowing, Uke
a mellow bugle, of a barnyard king—
the distant creak and rumble of a
farmer'a heavy wagon rolling on upon
tbe bllla.
But best of all are the momenta of
discovery: late afternoon, when the
Shadows are growing long, and the
road, bending suddenly about a low
hill facing toward the bay, comes out
upon a wide view down a valley wood
ed with darlf green pines—and then,
beyond, a great stretch of faft water,
deeply blue.
lliat Is the allurement of the by
ways; qualntneas Is all about, and
beauty lies In wait—perhaps around
ithe next turning of the lane.—Col
lier's.
Pearls Gathered in
Many Parts'of World
The pearl la a globular concretion
found in the shells of certain bivalve
'molluscs, highly valued for orna
mental •purposes, and classed among
'gems. The principal sources of pearls
'are the pearl oyster, found through
out the Pacific ocean; the pearf mus
sel; and the freshwater mussel. Tbe
chief pearl fisheries are those of Cey
lon, carried on principally In the Gulf
of Manaar. Those of the Persian gulf
were known to the ancients. Pearls
are also obtslned from the Sulu archi
pelago, northeastern Borneo; New
Guinea, Gulf of Mexico, and Australia.
Native divers descend 00 or TO. feet,
weighted by s stone and lowered from
a boat by a rope. They carry a net
and gather the pearl oysters In It
They remain below for 80 or 40 sec
onds at a time, and are hoisted to the
surface after signaling with a rope.
The oysters sre allowed to rot on the
beach In the sun's rays. Then In seven
or ten days the decayed oysters are
searched for pearls,
i Artificial pearls are largely made In
France. Germany, and Italy, by blow
ing a thin globe of glass and filling It
jwlth a solution of ammonia and fish
scales.
Odd Form of Punishment
In the days when It was cuatomary
to beatow the title "Mrs." on all women
of mature years, whether married or
unmarried, deprivation of the prefixes
Mr. snd Mrs. was among the punish
ments enforced In tbe Americsn colo
nies, says the Detroit News. The rec
ords of Massachusetts show that In
1080 Joalas Plalstowe was condemned
"for stealing- four baskets of corn
from the Indiana, tp return them eight
baakets again, to lie fined five pounds
snd hereafter to he called Joslas, not
Mr., as he used to be."
Though the penal code also provided
for depriving women of the prefix,
there is no record of this clause hav
ing been enforced. -
The First Ad
The first known- English newspaper
sdvertisement concerned, not pills,
soap, tobacco, liquor or indies' elotb
ing, but a lost horse. It appeared In
the Moderate, of March 27. 1040, and
ran; "Header, thoi: art entreated to
enquire after a blackish and kind of
piebald nag, very poor, his face, feet
and flank white, and a little white tip
on his tall, wall eyes. He wus stolen
from grass from John Uofherlmm, of
Barnet. in Hertfordshire. Whosoever
will enquire, find him out. und bring
or send tiding of him shall have what
content they will for their iaiina."
Chicken Lice Destroyed
by Dipping in Solution
Chicken lice can lie easily destroyed
by dipping the birds in a solution of
sodium fluorid and water. Five ounces
of sodium fluorid dissolved In a tub
containing five gallons of water will
be sufficient to treat 100 adult birds
or twice that number of chickens ten
to twelve weeks old. Every bird on
the place should be drenched In this
solution to entirely eliminate poultry
lice for the next few months. Select
a warm day and dip the bird* early
In the forenoon.
. \
Meat in Growing-Mash
Do not feed over 10 par cent meat
la tbe growing mash, as a high pro
tein ration will mature tbe pallet In
stead of developing growth. Thirty
five pounds of cornmeal, 25 pounds
bran, C 5 pounds middlings, 10 pounds
meat scrap and 5 pounds bone meal Is
suggested. Milk msy replace the meat,
but do not leave out the bone meal,
particularly In this case.
• NO * 36
Danger in Carrying
Good Humor Toe Fdr ;
There was once a woodcutter n|
had the reputation of (being the most
good-humored man for twenty mttflfl
rouni), says a writer In the Ydrifl
shire Post. His life had been haris|
for bis parents had died when he wad
barely sixteen, and he bad had ttj|
support himself by woodcutting, willy
no help from any one. He hadf never
been able to marry, and lived by him- j
self in a small but deep In the foresß
One day be was out cutting down W
very hard oak tree; he bad onl9
struck a few blows when—cradc—Uml
handle of his ax broke in twot an|9
the head, bouncing off a knot in tbaj
wood, rolled away down the steep hQM
side, and In a pioment had vanisbefl
from sigttt into a deep ravine.
This was the only as that -the wood- j
cutter possessed, but he simply smlled,Jj
scratched his head, lit his pipe and real
turned home. It was cold weather, J
and on reaching his hut be found thatkl
wolves had broken in and eaten nearly J
all his food. "Never mind," he said 1
to himself. "No use getting angry.J
It's lucky I still have a bit of cheese j
locked In the cupboard, and as for tbd j
ax, I'll have to try to borrow one."
That night there was a heavy snow-'j
fall and the woodcutter woke to ftadfl
his roof leaking, and snow Btreaminfj
onto the floor. "I must mend that
he thought Tm lucky to
have a bed to lie in." But during tbsj j
aext hour, the blizzard redoubled; the
woodcutter's roof gave way complete-;*]
ly; he was snowed under In his sleep' j
and never woke. This story shows'i
plainly that good humor, though a
useful quality. Is a little dangerous It i
entirely unmixed.
Esparto Grass Used ~ N
for Many Purposes
The route to Gafsa Is constantly, j
traversed by trains of camels with ee- :
parto grusk This grass Is very plea- j
tiful in the central uplands 9t Tunisia,'
bpt us ti depot Is sometimes a six days'
Journey and GO centimes is the price
of-u load, there is not mnch of a for
tune In It for the collectors, remarks i
the Christian Science Monitor.
At the depots It Is pressed late
bales with primitive presses and then
exported. Esparto Is cf raj tough
texture and great flexibility, and for
centuries It has been used for making j
ropes, sandals, mats and baskets, b
the Bpanlsh navy cables made of es- I
parto are used.
Gafsa Is an Arab town with no Bo- •
ropean buildings except the barrack*,;]
Two Arab houses, st a little distance
apart, constitute the only hoteL The ,
oasis here Is specially beautiful, par
ticularly the apricot trees which are |
of immense size and apparent age and
laden with very small fruit. Araha
never prune their trees; when the fruit ■
becomes too woody to eat, down comes
the tree. .
% 4
Minerals Fed Steers
Found to Be Beneficial j
Minerals for steers were tried at
the lowa stution during the past win- j
ter. A mixture of 50 pounds ground
limestone, 50 pounds spent bone-black
and one-third ounce of potassium 10-.
dide was fed to the steers at the rate
of one ounce per bead per day. The
steers in this experiment got shelled
corn, corn silage, clover hay and oil ,
meal, with salt available at all times,
The cattle which had minerals gained !
slkhtly better, had a- better appetite
and were a little better finished at
the end of the feeding period than
other cattle which had the same ration
minus the minerals.
Mineral feeding to steers 1s still hi j
the experimental stage, but the results .
st the lowa station Indicate that It
may be worth while. Where good i
clover or alfalfa hay Is fed, we should ,
expect that minerals have leas efTect
than In a ration In which the hay has '
less mineral "matter than clover or
alfalfa. Those who can easily secure
the minerals can well afford to try the
lowa mixture with their next load.of
steers.
Profitable Practice to
Feed Foals Fresh Grain
Foals should not be allowed to fol
low mares that are working on the
farm, but should run together In a
roomy, clean, well ventilated box stall
or paddock. If a small pasture, sur
rounded by a good fence and contain
ing shade Is available. It makes s
good place for foals. If fresh water
Is not available should
be supplied often.
The foals should be nursed morn- j
Ing, noon and night and allowed to 1
run with their dams during the night. 
In this way they go through the sum- j
mer In good condition and caa he j
weaned without any setback.
Foals will learn to eat readily and j
It Is profitable to let them have ae- j
cess to clean, fresh grain. Two parts !
crushed corn, two parts crushed oatsy
and one part, bran Is a
mixture. If crushed graln ls not avaOffl
able, shelled corn and shelled oatM
may be used.