BRITTLE BONES.
STHANGB PHTSICAL PUEN03IS
v 'NON OP A SAlIiOR.
. . , j .
East .fnlngf Fracture After Fracture
The Bones of His Body Little
. More'Than Dust Held To- -gether
bj an Oily Fluid.
A New York letter to the Cincinnati
Enquirer describes tho extraordinary con
dition of John Hughes, a sailor under
going treatment in the Charity Hospital
on Blaekwell's Island. The writer says:
Hughes has had an eventful career,
though he has only just begun to climb
into the fifties, he has passed through
enough .variety of scenes, pleasures and
hardships to make decent histories for a
half dozen men. IIe:was born on a New
Bedford whaling ship, and has ever since
trod the deck of a vessel of some. sort.
The particular portion of his busy life
which may be said to throw some light
upon his present disease was that spent
upon a little island in the Southern Pa
cific Ocean. It was through no choice of
his that he visitedthis.islan.fi, It was
all the work of one of those terrific cy
clones that loiter around the Southern
.Pacific waiting for something to
run . against. It struck the sh.p on
which Hughes was sailing as mate,,
and when the vessel turned a double
' back actioc hand-spring, Hughes was
thrown into tho life bojat and set adrift
in the fury of the storm. How long he
was in the boat he has no knowledge,
but he thinks it was several days, and
the first that he remembers was finding
himself upon a sandy beach, with the
'tun pouring full upon his upturned face.
His clothes were dry, showing that he
had been on shore some time, and his
emaciated form indicated that he had
been days without food. He was much
further inland than the boat. As soon
as he collected his senses, he crawled to a
sheltered spot in the woodland, which
fortunately was near a spring. After
getting water, then 'came the search for
food. It was a dreary hunt, but finally
Hughes found some birds of large size
feeding upon a peculiar vegetable or
plant having a light yellow flower, and
concluded he could stand what the birds
could. He ate freely of this plant, ; and ;
soon there followed a pleasant sense of j
' exhilaration or stimulation. The food
was nourishing and- he gained strength.
He made trips over the island, but save
the half sunken timbers in the sand that
marked the burial-place of many a good
ship there was nothing to show the foot
of a human eing had ever trod the des-
. olate place. He varied his vegetable diet
by killing some of the birds. He built
a little hut out of the trees and boughs
and prepared to spend the rest of his
days, on the island.
lie had hopes, as is natural to the fol
lower of the sea, of being rescued some
day.' There was ever a chance that a
?' vessel might be blown his way. In order
that the attention of any passing ship
might be attracted, lie fastened his red
shirt every clear day to the top of a dead
tree. Days, weeks and months passed,
and never the sign of a sail. It was a
monotonous existence, but it was finally
broken by the appearance of a long, black
streak on the horizon. This indicated
that a steamer was passing, but would it
come near the island? was the question
that racked the mind of the castaway. It
did, and the look-out's eye caught the
waving shjrt. The stemogifrtrsTSTopIp
- ; - v - v
a boat nut on tofrtrShore. and Hughes.
wTtiT dcliffht, was taken aboard.
The rescued man, altera few days, recov
ered the usual tenor of his mind, and
worked his passage on the vessel, which
proved to be an ocean tramp, to France.
The day after the vessel got to France
Hughes shipped on a brigantine for New
York. Three days before the vessel got
here Hughes stumbled over a stool and
broke his right leg. It was a bad frac
ture, and it was thought strange that
such a serious result should have followed
so slight a cause,
Hughes ' was
taken to the Charity
Hospital wnen me vessel got .10 mis
port. This was months ago. Both the
tibia and fibula bones in the leg were
found by Dr. Willetts, the attending sur
geon, to be fractured. After some pre
liminary treatment, the leg was done up
in a plaster of Paris bandage. It was sun-
. 1 1 ll 1 A A. J 1 ?
when
posed that the usual lcsult would follow, j
and that in a few weeks the patient would
be able to hobble on a crutch for a while
and then leave the hospital. At the end
of six weeks the upper portion of the
plaster bandage was cut away.
-This gave the patient the liberty to
move the leg, and it proved decidedly
unfortunate." The foot and lower part of
the leg being heavy, the patient, in get
ting out of bed, let His leg fall heavily,
and it struck the edge of the bed in the
middle of the thigh bone, which snapped
as if it were a pipe-stem. This fracture
was thought to be due to the weakened
condition of, the bone and muscles from
inaction. The pain was so great that
Hughes became delirious, and after his
entire leg had been bandaged he threw
his right arm around wildly, and frac
tured both the radius and ulna and the
collar bone. These were put up in
plaster. Soon after this the patient to
get relief f roin the position in which he
had been so long, threw his left leg over
.the risrht quickly, and the shock broke
the thigh bone near the knee.
The last fracture was of such an un
usual nature that, taken in consideration
with the others, it was thought to dem
onstrate some defect in the organic struc
ture of the bones. Such a case had never
been seen before, i In experimenting by
pressure upon the uninjured arm, the
ulna was broken near the wrist. This
led to a practical examination of the
bone. An opening was made in the arm,
and a piece of bone taken out It was
found to be very fragile and' crumbled
like calcined bone. A chemical and
microscopical examination showed that
the disease was an extraordinary case of
fragilites ossium. The brittleness was
caused by an undue proportion of earthy
matter; and the quantity was so great
in this case that the bone was, in some
places, but little more than dust, held
together by an oleaginous fluid. The
bones of the entire body were found to
be affected. In order to stiffen the spine
and protect the ribs a chain shirt was
put on the body. This consisted of a
tight-fitting network wire,-and stiff
ened the body so that it was the same as
if it was all incased in a solid bone.
Internal remedies Svere given to coun
teract the crumbling tendency of the
bones and the removal of tissue from the
body. A good result followed, and at
the end of two months an examination
showed a perceptible hardening of the
bones. Fortunately, the skull was least
affected. Th fractures united rapidly
in the legs and arms, and the piaster was
taken olf - at the expiration of three
months.
Tn order that there might be no strain
upon the bones, Dr. Willets constructed
an ingenious piece of mechanism of steel
bands. These were fitted tightly to the
legs and arms lengthwise on both sides,
with a movable attachment at the joints
. to admit of natural motion. The bands
were very stifl though elastic, and took
.aJ?
Fhe atient could stand, and the har-
ieu sustained the weight, and with this
relief there is a possibility that1 the bones
may; with properc treatment, be restored
to their normal condition. Tt is esti
mated that two years will be consumed
at least in doing this, and it may be that
the patient will never get well. r
Hushes attributes his coniition to eat?
ing the vegetable food on the island
Here he was cast ashore. " He says that
he noticed that the bones of the birds he
caught crumbled in his fingers without
being subject to heat, and broke easily
when twisted. Dr. Willets has no con
fidence in this idea, but thinks that the
disease was caused by the repeated at
tacks of scurvy which Hughes had in his
seafaring life. . Scurvy is known to ren
der the hones brittle in those who have
the disease. The name of the plant
Hughes ate is not knowu. -
A Hired Man's Romance
A dozen or so years ago a young man
in Harrisburg was employed by a gentle
man as man-of -all-work about the house.
He was a comely youth a? to face and
shape, and he was intelligent There
was something in him above thenenial,
and, as subsequently transpired; all that
he wanted was a chance, and he would -go
up higher. It happened that in the
gentleman's house was a pretty daughter
(setat twenty-two), accomplished and gay,
quite a society girl, but sensible for all
that. Seeing her every day, it was the
most natural thing in the world for the
young fellow the "hired man" -to fall
in love with her, and one bright day he
braced himself and told his love. But
the girl was not looking with favor on
hired men just then. She was shocked.
She told her sire. After reproving the
young fellow, the venerable parent
fired him. But the young man had blood,
ne gathered together his earthly posses
sions and faced toward the West. He
took Greeley's advice and landed in one
of the mining towns of Coloralo. There
he went to work as a prospector. JDo
you know what the life of a prospector
means ? It means hope deferred it
means continued disappointments hard
work, toiling and digging and hunting
until death itself would be a welcome
release.
The young man went through it all.'
He didn't miss a trick. Many "a time he
wanted to lay right down and pass in
his checks right then and there,, but the
sand in him wouldn't let him. He kept
digging away in a perfunctory sort of
way, until one day he struck pay dirt,
and all at once he found himself, the pos
sessor of great riches. Struck it fat, just
like many another poor devil, in the last
ditch. He sold out well, and then sat
down to think. His first thoughts were
of the Harrisburg girl who refused him.
Ah, the old love was still there, brethren,
still there. He resolved to try again.
( Gathering together a nice wallet full of
boodle he hied him East, and at last
landed in Harrisburg. The girl he loved
was still there, but turning the corner of
old maidism. Father was dead, and
things had not gone right. She was
poor. The young fellow minted her up.
There was a scene that I hope you will
not insist upon my describing, and last
week there was a quiet wedding that did
not get into the papers.: llarrisbnrg
(Penn.) Telegraph.
A Ride Down a Flume.
A. G. Mason left the mills at 12
o'clock yesterday on a raft jn the flume
wKf-iATv' fi z-rZix
- Strft fuX&tcTVaico. He expectecT to
' ) malm fnn.Tnn tn thrai flnri ft half hnnrc
but met with several thrilling mishaps
that delayed him until after dark and
effectually cured him for a raft ride to
Chico. The ride for the first fifteen
miles was novel and grand scenery as
magnificent as any in the Sierra Nevada.
But when the raft struck the deep canons
and mountain gorges, with the flume
stretched along looking like a silvery
thread from the bottom, the ride began
to take on dangers, for the lumber that
had been shipped in the morning was
here met with, and the real trouble
commenced. In one of the deep cuts the
V-box ran onto a board, up-ending the
raft and throwing Bert high into the
air. In falling he grasped a small board
nailed to the flume and hung suspended
fifty feet from the bottom of the canyon.
Bert, having but one arm, found himself
-in a dangerous position, and, too add to
this horror, the board he was hanging
to began to break. About twenty feet
below him was a small platform between
the joists, so, iust as the board gave
way, Bert
swung
out, let go his bold,
and dropped. He struck the platform,
but the rebound threw him thirty feet
to the bottom of the canyon, striking on
his shoulder and the side of his face.
He was stunned for a moment, but when
he came to, he hurried down the flume
and caught the raft. When twelve miles
from' Chico he was again thrown, but
this time' he struck in the flume, with a
narrow escape from drowning. His hat
was lost and ,he was wet through. As
soon as he got j out Bert concluded that he
did not want any more raft-riding, and
walked , the remaining ' twele miles to
town, aprivicg at 7:30 o'clock. Chico
( Cat. )&nterpitie.
The Harvest Moon.
The harvest moon is the full moon
which falls on or near September 21. Its
peculiarity is that its rises more closely
after sunset for a number of nights after
the full than any other full moon in the
year. This results in four or five suc
cessive nights being almost moonlit, and
the opportunity thus given for evening
work in harvesting has led to this full
moon being distinguished by the naihe of
harvest moon. The difference between
the moon's times of rising on successive
nights averages about fifty minutes. The
greatest difference occurs in the spring,
when it may reach an hour and a half.
The harvest moon may rise over half an
hour late each night, while under the
most favorable conditions the difference
is only about ten minutes. The full moon
following September likewise rises but
little later from night to night, and is
called the hunter's moon. The moon's
orbit makes the least angle with the hori
zon at the autumn equinox, and as it be
comes, in advancing one day's motion
along its orbit, less depressed below. the
horizon than at any time, it has but a
little greater hour angle to travel over
each succeeding night after sunset to
bring it into view. Hence the full moon
for so many successive evenings in the
lasW of September. Popular Science
News. "'
Superstitions Steam boatmen.
Says an old deckhand on a steamboat :
"There is one peculiar superstition among
steamboatmen that does not lose any of
its interest by age. .Whenever a minis
ter and a white horse happen to make
the trip at the same time on a steamboat,
there is always an accident ot some kind
to follow. It may not be always to the
steamboat, but it is certain to be to the
boat or some of the passengers. This
superstition is so strong among the deck
hands that they will positively refuse to
go on a boat which carries a minister and
a white horse." New Tori Tribune.
Dogs are said to kill $5,000,000 worth
of sheep annually in Texas.
A 'SNAKE '.DANCE.
grotesque: -ceremony of
arizona indians.
Festival Celebrated Once Every
Two Years Indians Dancing
. With Writhing Snakes in
Their Hands and Months.
.':v .. ;
( A letter to the Apvhe County Critic
from the Mbqui villages of Arizona gives
the following description of a snake
dance: . ,
This ceremony is celebrated' enly once
every two years, and it takes sixteen
days to prepare for it, the first eight days
being observed by the high priests and
leaders in getting together the various
articles used in the dance, and in the
preparation of the infusion which is
drank by those who are to take part,
that the fumes "of the serpents or even
their bite may not prove injurious to any
one. It is the preparation of this drink
that is the profound secret of the order,
and it is known to but four living be
ings at the same time.
The remaining eight days are devoted
to hunting snakes of all kinds, handling
and washing them, or, rather, 'subdu
ing their vicious habits," as the" 3Ioqui
puts it. This washing is more .of a
shower-bath, and is accomplished by
putting fhe snakes into large stone jars ;
then pouring the water over them. This,
f course, chills.the serpents puts them
into a semi-comatose condition - that
leaves them comparatively helpless. They
are then taken put of the jars, rolled in
sand until dry, and then replaced in the
vessels, where, covered as they are with
a tanned buckskin, neither light nor
breeze can get at them to disturb their
quietness. Usually from a half to a third
are fullgrown rattlesnakes, and the idea
f the removal of the fangs is altogether
erroneous. .
The evening before the dance proper a
preliminary one was held, but, as no j
saakes were handled, it was of no real
importance. 1 After singing a song of
several verses, in the archaic, the mem
bers returned to their quarters. Next
day, however, the programme was more
elaborate. A large cotton wood shade
r wicki-up was erected upon the
western edge of the dance-space, close to
the line of the houses,' into which just
before the hour of commencing the ex
.ercises the snakes, inclosed in sacks of
various sizes, were placed, with the
Mouths of the sacks securely tied, that
aone mightvescape, After the placing of
the 6nakes in this bower, a large cotton
wood board, which was securely fastened
to the ground immediately in front of the
ioorway, .in the shade," was brushed
clean and splinked with meal mixed
with corn pollen. This, I was told, was
to dispel all evil influences from harming
I the dancers.
When this act of seeming devotion was
finished, attention was drawn to the
furthermost part of the village, where
arose mingled sounds of rattles, shells
and other tinkling ornaments. This was
the signal for the coming up from the
estufas and on to the arena, of the men
who, dancing the next hour, would take
into their hands and mouths specimens
of the most repulsive of nature's handi
work, the creeping, slimy, terror-bearing
snake, with its little glistening black
eyes, bearing vengeful spite in every
sparkle and lightning flash of its
iiW1
t The
The participants were composed of two
bo'dies of men, thirty -six of whom
danced with snakes, and a smaller num
ber who formed a chorus of singing men.
These latter were the first to come upon
the scene,. and were dressedin bright
colored embroidered kilts, sashes,'
anklets, and with beautifully -tanned
yellow foxskins hanging down behind
the body, bearing small flat rattles in
one hand, while confined in the grasp of
the other was held a stick, to which was
fastened a couple of turkey feathers.
This stick, they claim, carries the neces
sary protection for one's life, and lets
the snakes' tutelary god know that none
of his progeny will be injured or carried
to remote lands. These men made four
or five circuits of . the small plaza, and
then took up a position to the west side
of it, leaving the cotton wood shade in
the center of their line. After they had
arranged themselves properly, in a state
of extraordinary exaltation, the snake-men
came marching with tremendous energy,
as though inspired- to bound across the
entire mesa at a single stndeT
These dancing men, like their prede
cessors, made four circuits around the
same rock, which stands near the center
of the plaza, halting to face the chorus,
where as on the day before a song was
gone through with. The snake-men were"
formed into groups of three each, and
How an individual from each group went
into the cotton-wood shade and extracted
a snake from one of the bag?, and, after
putting it into his mouth and firmly fix
ing it there by the teeth, started on his
round. His companion, with an arm
around his neck, kept the tail oftthe
snake in position, while with the right,
in which was carried a stick with two
long feathers attached, he held the ser
pent away from becoming tangled m the
hair of his friend.
The snake, after being carried around
the circle, is thrown from the mouth,
when the third member of the group
gathers his snakeship up and carries him
the balance of the dance, occasionally,
however, giving the dancing men some
to hold, which they do in a rather modest
manner. How many times theeircuit
was made or how many snakes were on
hand would be hard to tell, yet serpent3
were plenty, and seemed to be in excel
lent condition, to judge from the manner
in which they resisted recapture after hav
ing been dropped from the mouth, but
there were at least one hundred and
fifty.
At the. close of the dance the snakes
were all gathered in a heap at the foot of
the snake rock ; meal was thrown over
them, and then begana scramble among
the snake men to geti double handfnls,
with which they ran off at the top of
their speed, carrying their burdens down
into the4 valley, where the snakes were
turned loose and allowed to find places
of security beneath rocks and in boles.
That the performers are thoroughly doc
tored or medicated prior to the com
mencement of the ceremonies there can
be no doubt. The eyes and the ecstatic
bearing of the bodies attracts attention
at once; there is a peculiar luster in the
orbs, and an abnormal elasticity in t e
movement of the body.
The reaction after the dance is remark
able, and while no serious or lasting ef
fects follow, still they are left in a very
weak state,requiring many hours of sleep
to fully restore them to their normal con
dition. The wives, mothers and sisters
of those who take part in the ceremonies
carry great bowls of cooked food to the
estufas, where the men. after first wash
ing in a liquor prepared by the Chiefs,
partake of the food, and thus ends the
festival. .1 -
A North Branch XMich.) hotel dog
takes a bell in his mouth each morning
and rings at every door along the hall,
and, failing to get a response, bangs the
bell against the door until he does get it.
i; (General Grant's Physician.
- Rumors have been current for some
time that Dr. John IL Douglas, who was
the physician in constant attendance on
General Grant during the illness of , the
latter, had lost his practice,1 bis health
and his fortune. For the purpose of as
certaining the reasons for these state
ments a reporter of the-' New York Herald
had aconver3ation Wpdh the Doctor at
his residence. He said :
"The published statements with re
gard to me in some of the newspapers
convey a wrong impression. " I am not in
pecuniary difficulty, neither have I an
complaint to make of the Grant family.
'What is true is this. My health is
very much impaired and my practice has
suffered from my . constant attendance
upon General Grant. lam much better in
health than I was, but I am not able to
attend to the heavier duties of my profes
sion. Those are now taken by my part
ner. What I need is more rest to enable
me to recuperate, and I am not pecuni
arily in a position to get as much rest as
I think I need.
"With regard" to the money compensa
tion for my professional attendance upon
General Grant, made to me by his fam
ily, I have received all I asked for. It is
well known to thoee who had the oppor
tunity of acquaintance with me during
the illness of the General that I did not
devote myself to him night and day in
the expectation that I should ever re
ceive an adequate pecuniary reward.
What I did in thit respect was done out
of admiration of and love for the General.
"In compliance with the urgent re
quests of the family on two occasions I
rendered a bill for my services. These
two amounted to $7,000. That amount
has been paid, and also $5,000 which
Mrs. Grant sent me, informing me that it
had been designated by the General to be
given to me. This $12,000 is what I have
received for nine months' medical services.
It is more than I asked for. I did not
know that General Grant had dhected
that anything beyond my bill should be
paid to me until Mrs Grant informed me.
It, therefore, can be readily seen that I
have no complaint to make in regard to
my remuneration." ,c:
A Great Glacier in Alaska.
Eliot F. Shepherd, describing a trip to
Alaska, says in the New York Tribune :
"The greatest natural wonder of this
trip is Muir Glacier, in Glacier Bay. This
glacier is about sixty miles long, and five
miles from tho bay it is about twenty-hve
miles wide. In its course it is fed by
nine principal and eleven lesser glaciers.
This accumulated mass of ice move by an
inexorable law through a gate of moun
tains only two miles wide, piling and
jamming itself up into turrets and pinna
cles from three, hundred to a thousand
feet high, grinding the mountains till
they have yielded it a sand beach of
beauty and smoothness. The near moun
tains are from 2,500 to 4,000 feet high;
Mount Grillon, ten miles away, is 16,000
feet, and Mount Fairweather, distant
twenty-five miles, is 15,000. At its pro
jection into the sea the glacier travels at
the rate of forty feet a day, avalanching
icebergs into the bay with the sounds of
thunder and earthquake. These retain
! .the splendid blue tints of the parent
glacier, when floating around us m great
masses, some of them four hundred feet
squ&e and standing from fifty to one
hundred feet out of -the water. The fall
ot these icebergs rocks our boat like a
storing aQd we, count twenty-six of them
at one time. But the steamer fearlessly
lies to within six hundred feet of the
place of metamorphosis from glac'er to
iceberg, hej soundings with her longest
line showing no bottom at 103 fathoms.
When the iceberg- is carried from" the
breast of the glacier it plunges almostr
out of sight in the sea, then rises to its
full height, as if seeking to regain its
place, and again sinks to rise again and
again till it finally finds its equilibrium
and is carried away by the wind or tide,
or both.
Curious Belies of a Prehistoric Age.
At the White Plains Saltworks on the
line of the Central Pacific Railroad, be
yond Wadsworth,- in sinking large pit3
or wells many fish, perfectly preserved,
have been found in the strata of rock
salt cut through. The salt field occupies
what was once the bottom of a large
lake. The fish found are - of the pike
or pickerel species, and from twelve to
sixteen inches in length. No such fish
are now seen in any of our Nevada lakes.
The specimens are not petrified, but are
preserved in perfect form, flesh and all,
as though they had been frozen up in
cakes of ice. The saltworks are located
near the centre of a basin in which was
once a lake thirty miles long, by from
twelve to fifteen miles in width and over
300 feet deep in places, as is shown by
tho ancient water lines on the bordering
hills. The fish found imbedded in the
layers of rock salt are doubtless thousands
of years old. After being exposed to the
sun and air for a day or two they be
come as hard as wood. At the time
'Jason Baldwin, now watchman at the"
Osbiston shaft in this city, was Superin
tendent of the White Plains works, he
found great numbers of these fish. In a
pit eiglit feet square and about sixteen
feet deep dozens of them were found,
there being sometimes five or six in a
bunch. It -vas found that they could
even be eaten, but they were not very
palatable, and it was necessary to soak
them in fresh water for two or three days
before attempting to cook them. Vir
ginia (Nev.) Enterprise.
Miserly. -The
avaricious person's boast of his
humble beginnings never awakes admira
tion on the part of others. It was in
Paris that a very rich and very miserly
banker, hearing of the hard times that
certain other rich men had had in their
youth, exclaimed:
"And I, too, came into Paris with
wooden shoes on my feet." -
"That could not be," said one of the
party who heard the boast. "You must
have carried your wooden shoes in your
hand, to save the wear on them.
Another miser, seeing a wooden-legged
maa walking along the .street one day,
exclaimed:
"A lucky fellow, that." ;
"'Lucky? Why should you call him
lucky?'
"Because he needs only half as many
shoes as a two-legged man." Youth's
Companion. ''-""i
The Hisfortnnes of Giants.
I should not like to be as tall and
bulky as the Emperor of Russia and af
flicted with rheumatism. It's very well
to be a giant when young, but if the mass
of bones, flesh and muscle " gets inert
through, the weight of years or disease
the big; body becomes a fearful dead
weight to the spirit which has to desert
it. I do not know anything more won
derful than the longevity of the German
Emperor, who is a very tall man. M.
Chevreuil (101 years old), is under the
middle height and spare. Turgeniefl!
was as tall as the present Czar, but of a
less burly figure, He found, as he ad
vanced in life his bulk a fearful load, and
envied little men their small stature.
London Truth.
FABJl AND GARDEN.
Pruning Peach Trees.
Peach tree produce fruit next year on
the present year's growth. .Consequently
this should nos bo cut away or shortened
too much. It is better to ct away a
portion ... of the young growth wholly,
leaving sufficient wood to bear fruit next
season, and shorten this about one-third
so as to secure perfect ripening before
winter. It is the unripe- wood which is
killed by severe weather and the cold
winds in the winter; hence, the pruning
should be done early in the fall, ifi Oc
tober, for instance, rather than later, if
manure is applied it is better to defer
this until late in the winter, when it will
tend to prevent early growth and escape
the danger from early frosts. New Tort
Times. . ' ..
Seed Corn.
The importance of improving seed
corn by careful! selection has been
preached from' time ont of date, and ex
periment has proven that there is also a
necessity for care in the storing of the
selected seed. In sections where short
seasons have to be provided for, early
varieties may not only be kept early, but
in two or three seasons , be made still
earlier, by selecting for seed such, ears
as ripen first. The importance of choos
ing fair-sized,-well-developed ears taken
from stalks which produced at least two
ears, is also apparent to any one who has
given the subject any thought. In the
selection of seed corn too much care can
not be observed in keeping a well-tried
and desirable variety unmixed. Remem
ber that two sorts growing in near prox
imity will in the nature of things mix,
hence it is not wise to save for seed such
corn. ..
There does not appear to be any safer
course or better mode of sowing seed corn
than the old-time oner of pulling back
and braiding the husks of twenty or more
ears together and. then hanging these
braided strands of corn from the rafters
of a corn house, a smoke house, the attic
or some dry outhouse. The corn must
be kepi dry and out of reac&of rats and"
mice. Dampness and mould will ruin it.
It is a wise plan to select only well
ripened ears. When picked a little green
they do not dry quickly and are liable to
mould. Not a few farmers plan to hang
their seed corn between the rafters of
their smoke houses, believeing that in
addition to the dryness there found, the
smoke permeating the kernels has an ex
cellent effect as a preventive to insect
pests after the crop is planted. New York
World.
A New Method With Dahlias.
A new method in Dahlia cultivation,
successfully practiced in France, is de
scribed in VicVi Magazine. It consists
in pegging down-the stems of the plants
as they grow ; by so doing the foliage pre
sents a horizontal surface a carpet of
green through which rise the flour
stems beariug the blooms.
In planting a bed for Dahlias to be
trained in this manner, set the plants
with a slight inclination, in order to fa
vor laying down the stems afterward.
The stems are to be fastened down as
they grow, and so arranged as in time to
cover all the soil. Wooden pegs are
used for fastening, the same as in peg
ging down Verbenas, Petunias and other
plants.
The only care necessary is to direct
the flower stems, to an upright position.
Plants of strong growing varieties will
cover a space of a square yard or more.
All the stems and branches should be
preserved and allowed to grow their full
length.
The pegs are used to keep the stems in
place at the commencement and after
ward can be pulled out and used asrain.
thus economizing them.
According to the writer jin the Revue
Horticole, from which these notes are
taken, this mode of culture will adapt
itself to a great number of ornamental
combinations. Borders can be formed of a
single-colored flower, or. on the contrary,
the cotrcan be varied, and every other
plant can be introduced
some prepared design.
according to
In planting large- grounds these ideas
are well worthy of beinsr put into prac
tice, and the skillful gardner will readily
perceive the
advantages offered.
Application of Manure.
Not' only is the preservation of the
manure with minimum los3 a matter of
great importance, but application to the
soil, or to crops,' is also an important
matter. Science would, perhaps, indi
cate that to spread it upon the soil just
before plowing, and then to sow the seed
and have the roots of plants ready to ab
sorb the plant-food as fast as released by
decomposition, would be the better way
of saving the valuable ingredients . of
mai
inure, but recent practice of many far-
mers would seem to afford evidence that
there are some things which chemists
have not yet satisfactorily explained.
Since the ordinary rotation of crops,
so generally adopted in Western New
York, has been practiced, that is, ma
nure upon clover and timothy sod, fol
lowed by barley and oats, those crops by
wheat and that by meadow, many far
mers have practiced hauling out their
manure at convenient seasons; during
the winter, sometimes daily or weekly,
when the weather and circumstances
would permit, and continuing so to
do until ready 4 - to plow for
corn in the spring. Many farmers
have informed us that the favorable re
sults cf this course were plainly visible
in the corn, and that on those parts of
the fields where manure was spread
earliest in winter the corn was best, the
growth diminishing asthe time of spread
ing neared the time of plowing. A Ger
man farmer who watched for several
years the effects of surf ace application of
manure became convinced that a load of
quite raw, un fermented manure had
quite as much effect as a load of manure
that had been condensed and shrunken
by fermentation. If, then, farmers will,
by the use of absorbing litter and gyp
sum and compacting in the stables or
manure sheds, do what they -can toward
preserving the "manural elements before
the manure is applied to the soil, and
will, from time to time through the win
ter, when the weather is favorable, the
earth frozen and little or no snow
upon the surface, haul out and spread
the manure evenly over the surface, they
will do the best possible, in the light
now shed upon the subject by both
science and experience toward husband
ing the manure of the fann and prevent
ing the soil from deterioratiE":. Ameri
can Rural Hni.
Farm and Garden Notes. -
Rye sown now will give a welccme bite
to milch cows several months later.
Feed pigs little and often. They have
small stomachs and great- appetites and
they are easily gorgea, but their diges
tion is rapid."
One of the greatest drawbacks o be
ginners in poultry raising is to attempt
to keep fifty fowls in a house or lot none
too large for twenty-five. ; j
"Jlogs are capital gleaners of wheat -
fields, especially if there be also a good
set of clover In the field and-'drinking
water is convenient to them.
When the farmer has wood ashes and
charcoal on hand, it is a great advantage
to mix salt wltlrthein' and civo the mix
ture to swino as a preventive of disease.
, Authorities differ as to. the best time to
cut . hay. As a rule, farmers wait "too
long before cutting, and to strike it just
right; requires judgment and! experience."
In regard to the use of pUstcr ia asso
ciation with manure, the 'best way is . to
sprinkle a little behind the cattle every
day say two or three ounces per. head.'
Save the wood ashes to use as a fertil
izer. It is more profitable than to sell
them to the soap maker. Wood ashe
never come amiss bnpthe farm or in the
garden. -
. Turkeys as . well as chickens should
not be allowed to roost on narrow roosts
while growing, as it causes crooked
breasts, especially in the large variety of
fowls. -
Mixed farming is most useful in keep
ing up the soil to a decree of fertility.
The specialties engaged in should be in
keeping -with the soil and conditions of
the farm.
A more profitable crop' or a more pala
table crop cannot be grown than green
Lima beans, picked in the cool of the
morning and shelled by ready fingers for
the noonday meal.
The Saffolk sheep, as claimed by their
friends, have few superiors as a mutton
sheep. They make extraordinary weights
and are popular in " England. They are
hardy and good grazers.
To prevent lice on fowls, the best
thing is the dust bath, which must con
sist of fine dry clay or coal ashes. Kero
sene should not be used on the bodies of
hens, as it may sometimes kill them.
The opinion is gaining ground that
ths proper feeding and care of swine has
much to do in warding off disease; and
this in the face of the fact that the most
carefully fed lots sometimes die in an in
credibly short time. ;
At sixty days of age, says an exchange,
lambs will net from $2 to $5 or more a
neaaj flccoraijagto quality; ana tne pus
Ifiess is jnsl as proper as to keep them
two or three years to sell, them for the
same price per heaL as wethers, :
The Iowa Agricultural College experi
ments show that deep cultuie in the
middle of the row does less injury than
near the hills. Level culture of a medium
depth accomplishes all the purposes of
working the soil without serious injury
to the roots.
Hogs are excellent gleaners of the
wheat fields. We have never observed
any ill effects upon the animals if there is
plenty of clover and water as well as some
wheat in the field,- , Sheep, on the other
hand, we should hardly care to trust on
the stubbles. "
Horses put to hard work will almost
surely show puffy spots 1 under the har
ness which will soon make bad galls if
neglected. Lift the harness and bathe
spots with cold water when the team
rests at evening. Make sure that collars
especially fit well and are smooth and
hard.
Many farmers who have an abundance
of straw are too careless about stacking
it. The stack should be will built, even
if one intends to rot the straw. Dry
straw is comparatively light . and easy to
handle, and it can be thrown from the
ttack and scattered over the yard from
sime to time without much trouble.
Poultry yards should be on sandy soil.
if possible, in order to avoid mud oi
slush on the ground, as roup is liable to
j h?eak out in flocks that are kept in damp
flocations. The yards should be well
drained, the surface covered with sharp,
fine gravel, and cleaned off at least once
every two weeks where the flock is large.
Oxford Down sheep attain to very
heavy weights, the ram at three years of
age reaching as high as 400 pounds, and
ewes 300. They are the largest of the
mutton breeds, and yield a fleece of me
dium wool weighing, twenty pounds.
These weights are for special individuals
that have been on exhibition, but 300
pounds is not an unusual weight for rams
over two years old.
Bats Are Not Birds.
There arc few animals about which
so many superstitions have been believed
from very early times, as the bat, and
even now the creatures are by many re
garded with dread. When one of them
flies into a room at night, all hands give
chase, and the useful little insect huntei
is too often killed. Our bats are quite
harmless, and the stories of blood suck
ing, told of those in South America,
are only- partly true. Our bats, of which
we have about half a dozen, are all
small, being but a few inches in length,
but there are those in the East Indies,
the wings of which have a spread of
four feet. These monsters are fruit eat
ers, and do not attack animals at all.
The early naturalists classed the bats
with the birds, but their ability to fly is
the only thing they have in common
with birds. They only differ from other
animals in their having long fingers,
over which a thin skin is stretched,
reaching to the hind feet and tail ; this
forms the wing, and usually ends in a
hook by which the animals can suspend
themselves. Ihe hinder feet are sup
plied with stout claws, by which they
also hang when at rest. The eyes of the
bat are so small and hidden by hair, that
it was at one time supposed that they
had no eyes, and "as blind as a bat'' is
proverb sti.ll.in use. However it may
be as to their sight, their senses of smell
and hearing are very acute. Some
species of bats, like the Long-eared Bat
of Europe, - have enormous ears, and
some species have curious leafy append
ages, to their nose, which are thought to
aid the sense of smelL ,
Bats are nocturnal in their habits, fly-
mg at night with great rapidity, ana
whirling about with the ease of a bird,
in their chase after night-flying insects,
of which they consume great numbers.
In the day time, they secrete themselves
in old bauamgs, in caves, in nouow
trees,and such places." In Texas there
are a number of churches which, when
that State belonged to Mexico, were
built by the missionaries among the In
dians. These are now deserted, and
more or less in ruins. We visited one of
these buildings that had been taken pos
session of by the bats, which hung to
the timbers of the open-work roof, and
wherever they could geta foot-hold, in
myriads. Upon being disturbed, they
would set up a tremendous chattering,
and, although it was daytime, would fly
about our heads in swarms. Some idea
of their great numbers may 1e formed
from the fact that their droppings cov
ered the floor to a depth of three or four
feet. American Agrtculturut.
Feminine Perception.
"Oh dear! how I do hate to see cold
weather coming," sighed Miss Brown in
church the other day to Miss de James.
And then Miss de James leaned over and
whispered to Miss Smyth : ,
"Poor thing. I don't suppose she ever
had a sealskin sacque to her name.,
Merchant-Traveler. ;
Sixty millions of matches are said to ba
made daily in Akron, Ohio. '
NEWS AND K0TL3 TOll ITGHiri.
Velvet yokes are seen upon dresses c-T
all material. .
- Apron fronts - are again a feature v
skirt mak ing. - i
Colored pearls are much estceincvS
elegant jewels. .
Jerseys have, come to bo more pajad'faa'
than fashionable.- - - , '
lToire silks have lately become exxsae-
Ingly fashionable.
The tournure is narrower, but Ii2ee"-v
perceptibly smaller.
Stripes and plaids still hold' a I3i
position in popular favor. '
- Braiding is used in great qaantiHsaFaa
a garniture for tailor-made go wnsa
, Fancy hairpins are generally woc-a3
continue to be ornamental and elabsaafc.
; Belts made entirely of gilt br&L22ET
itylish and are worn with white- c.w
tumes. - -'v.
; The gilt and silk braid trimmin gzZjnt
an attractive garniture for tail orjxsJ
costumes. . :
The sailor jacket with a. blouse
underneath is a favorite model to
with a kilted skirt.
Beads made of Swiss lapis-laxulv va3. -about
the size of a pea, are favorite flrsafc
ments with young ladies,,.
Blue and black is a new color-cwstfii-nation
which is exemplified: in somr stsy
pretty woolen materials. J - - -.-
Brier stitching, as well as fSamr
stitch, is used on children'- clotiiw,
both dresses and jacket.
Large buttons enter into the tarns
mings.of many costumes, and aze-4cT
very beautiful .workmanship.
Checked silk' handkerchiefs, in'TarfUKoi
color-combinations, are much lavorstitaty
a garniture upon-traveling hats. .
Plaited" shirt waists of vaiious factor
.materials - are in high favor for nsstt
wear with skirts of plain fabricsx ?
Nancy. iLewaJlen, aged 102 years,.
been sent to . the poor-farm at Mkrtlac
rille, Ind., from,Monroe TownshTpj.
The" prettiest footgear are the slBrt
of dull kid in darker shades. Theytsask
a Jloliere buckle and large bow of ssCcetl
The prophecy is that less jewelry wZ2
1 be worn on undresa occasions than "csaL
Only with full dress will diamond fcnk
permitted.
A wide band of velvet at the foe aSt
the dress is one of the most attraxfiEMBt
models of trimming, and promises tz Bne
popular again.
, Miss Ada Leigh, who succeasCsSLiy
founded a home, for Americai girl w
Paris, is endeavoring to establish a sou
lar home for young men. :
Costumes of striped fabrics arc meo3
times varied by making the skirt waH
bodice one way of the material, anl Kara
draperies and vest the other.
Patent . leather tips and foxings'i
still worn.andr'will continue to-be dimer:
the present season. Lace boots- c$51i
hold the favor of young people. .
Sashes are often worn with-bas-jca.
being folded .narrow and arranged
follow the outline of the basque in f rrot
and over the hips, and tied in a largos
bow at the back.
Jet has not yet been superseded kii
popular favor. Bead trimming in eotzrv
and colored cord passementer.es wrtbejeflt
beads, are fashionable decorations tar-
woolen costumes. ' -
Pinked-out flounces appear as
niture upon silk skirts. The deep sc&2
lops or points are plaited very ekc?y
together, the flounces thus made biflc?y
carried entirely around the skirt.
come popular. It is worn with a leSa.
and shirred at the neck to form a rozraS
yoke. It is but little shorter than t!
dress skirt, and very slightly drapcL
The large pins for fastening batssaQ
bonnets are becoming elaborate afTiS4
Even the precious metals, jewels aotil
pearls are used to ornament themy sesll
the heads are in many artistic shapepv ,,
Coat sleeves are gradually beng kx$x
seaeu oy more eiaoorate acsisn izrc
dressy toilets. It is not probable,, fceww
ever, that anything equally appcprais .
will rival them for tailor mado cqsIxbeox.
now, mat iuu mouses arc bv cuaw
worn, fancy belts are coming into Crcuc
llany tasteful designs are seen, xxixl
young ladies who are skilled at faaerry
work make beautiful belts for tStaaa
selves with comparatively small experac
The Khedive's wife is at most 2$ jwx
old, and has an extremely charauflnpjj
face. Her whole appearance wo&
bewitching were she not an OriaXJ,
and, therefore, young as she isr afaruiSy
too stout to be perfectly beautiful so
cording to European notions.
The searis of basques have undcrsptta
I no change, but tho outside is put tn uk
various ways. A preference is snoira jjxc
V-shaped trimmings both back and ftrxf,
set between folds of the material wtx
are plaited wide on the shonlder susuX
taper into verv Jno plaits at tl
Mrs. ,rfl6race Lewis, of Ke"xi-ra.
Idaho, recently received a young tsn&
lope as a present, and the animal Kbsk
become so thoroughly domesticated GaiX.
it follows its mistress at all times iia
vades the kitchen, and seemingly tafctsua
great interest in what is being- f ro
pared for the meals.
The widow - of Ezekiel Webster, sou
elder brother of Daniel Webster, warn
born with the century, but she reads a31
current literature, hears well, and a
verses with great intelligence on the-a-rent
topics of the day. Ezekiel Wflaar
was forty-five years old and she fc
twenty-four when they were man5i.
and he lived only five years after tlxsSi
event, dying in 1819.
Poisoned Arrows, v
The Nome-cults were the only tribe: im
the vicinity of Round Valley (Cab) 3nb
used poisoned arrows. The largesixaft
tlesnakes obtainable,' and conseo wrsir
the most venomous, were caught xbxlI
killed, the poison glands carefully ess
tracied and placed in the gall bladderr
animals until the whole becamtbTO3
ly mixed and decomposed; the arrow
heads were then anointed with ' mass
sticky substance, usually the pitch vrwtry
of the pine, and then dipped into-tXt
composition and left for a fixed trf..Tnr.
These arrows were always used in. war
fare, and also when the deer apdi c&esr
game were wanted for the skins co?
The animal even if only slightly wonm22
would soon swell up and die, and net Sav
ing able to run very far would sown 2a
come up with. Ocerland. . r
Beoicmbraoce.
How like a picture comes the past again.
With various scenee of pleasure and jwei
As musing in the lonely smoking-car,
I sit and speed toward home, from. earaaCss.
How sweet to dream of days that are men ra
And live some nappy momens u er uu m -
To resurrect the hours of many joysv
And burled leave remembrance that araxrrpt.
Tis pleasure unalloyed to think Greatfcc
That thread ana worstea, wca an
Why con Idnt I remember that before.
Merchant-TratZssz. .
p;