Holland is the only country in Eu
rope that admits coffee free of duty.
The horseless carriage cannot run
in England until an old law "prohibit-
ing vue operation pi iocobuutcs ,wu
public highways is repeated. .
- . it i ' M in l: t
i The year 1895 was a very prosper
xus one for the cotton mills of the
Fall River (SIas?.Vdigtricti ' Average
tlivif?rul riA vrora .Krn t. kavaii VMET
cent, against six per cent.' in 1831
There is a genuine revival in mat
ters of public instruction in Salvador,
the Central American Republic."
i4'lCU BCUUU1H UU IUD auiCilkittU J'tai
have been established in many places.
Antutoxine for diphtheria receives
a strange indorsement from Burling
ton,' Iowa. It is-related t-hat two sis
ters were seriously ill of the disease.
Enough anti-tbxine could be procured
for only one. j The parents could not
decide which should have it, and the
physicians applied it to the one most
seriously affected. It lives, while the
other child died. I '
. Several European countries are op
posed to a war, between- England and
the United States '.because, the At
lanta Constitution explains, they, fear
that it would "diminish the number of
American tourists" who now spend
their money abroad. In England the
merchants and, wage workers are on
the same lino, because they believe
ithat a war would hurt their business
' and industries, .:.
The Atlantaonstitution has com-
pneu inese statistics : juasi year in
this country various persons gave
oio o to con x - 1 1 - - Ar'Bjir eni x
charities; $2,089,150 to churches; to
. i , if : f ai rrri 4 c .
luuBcuiiis uuu art gttixanes civ : ,
to libraries 6530,439, and to other in
stitutions $6,471,976 ; a total of $28,
943,549, ; which is nearly ;$io,000,0()0
more than was given the year before.
Against this bright record we 'must
contrast a very different chapter of
statistics. . Last year this country lost
4ju lives uj Huipwrecs, Huoq.6 uuu
fewer than were lost , in 1894. Our
railways 'killed" 3600 persons, about
CSO more than were killed in 1894.
We lost by fire last year $131,578,206,
about $15,000,000 more than the-pre-vious
y?ar. In the world at jlarge 79,
461 persons lost their lives in epidem
ics, a falling off of fifty per cent, from
the year before. In war 157j,986 lives
were lost last year. Suicided and mur
ders have largely increased. Last year
there were 5759 suicides', and for the
': past ten years they have Increased at
a icuxiui ruitJ. j.u ovo wo uuu iu,uuu
murders, an' increase of 7001 -Lynch- I
lngSBnow a-eh
were 171 persons lynched aa compared
with 194 the year previous. Embez
zlements are also on the decrease, the
- t V.
less than half of the total for 1894.
and shade. Some of it is very black, but
the; bright spots wiJl encourage those
who maintain that the world ia grow
ing bettei. 1 : . : '
Seventy-eight years ago, relates the
. Chicago Tribune,- this country and
Great Britain mad an i agreement
limiting the naval force each of them
.should maintain .in the great lakes.
That "agreement, which has been faith
fully kept by the iUnitedr States, has
been violated grossly in spirit by the
Dominion authorities. For instanoe,
Canada has three vessels1 which are
actually gunboats, but which nomin-
all belong to the Canadian Fish Com
mission, and in times of peace are used
to overhaul American vessels suspected
of fishihg in Canadian waters. They
are steet-vessels with ram bows, and .
are equipped with modern six-pounder
high-power - guns. ' These ves
sels, which have ' crews drilled
j
in the , use I ot guns, ' i are much
of the time in Georgian jBay, The
. are kept there so that in the event' of
hostilities they could compiand Lakes
Huron, Michigan and Superior, with
out having to pass any fort which
Detroit
theso naval vessels xtr
Michigan within fotty-eight hours and
would proceed, to shdl or put to ran
som every city on it These ships
have guns which caa throvr shells three
or four miles. Chicasro has no enns
- 0
The city would be given the option of
being -burned down and havin? the
water cribs destroyed or of paying a
ransom of thirty or forty millions.
' ' The citizens would chooA the latter
and thus help the Canadians defray
- their military expenses. " For a long
time, too, the Dominion- Government
has made arrangement for the conver
siofl. of tbe large fleet of Canadian iron
and steel tteauv freight boats into war
vessels. They are constructed with
portholes and made with decks strong
enough to bear the weight; of gun
platforms and guns. These! platforms
and guns are all in readiness, and it
would take a very short time to put
these propellers in readiness to make
- raids on American porta. The Cana
dians have accumulated great, quanti
ties of ammunition arid guns and have
. men who are "skilled in thenuse of the
latter. All this has been going on for
years, and this Government has been
apathetic and hopelessly remiss. The
rtU is that the lake coastiand cities
are uu,,ly defeilseiesg whiIe the
. Canndian ou are gafe m
THE BIVER,
I am a river flowing from God's sea
Throng h devious ways. He mapped ray
course for me;
I cannot change it ; mine alone the toil
To keep the waters free from grime and
;;;; soil
The winding river ends where it began;
And when my life has 'compassed its brief
I !,; span ' i '
I must return to that mysterious souroe.
So let me gather daily on my course
The perfume from the blossoms as I pass.
Balm from the pines and healing from the
grass. . '"--'-- ' ;! : ,
-And earry down my current as I go !
Not common stones but precious gems to
ShOW. . . ; "'
' And tears (the holy water from sad eyes)
Back to God's sea, which from all rivers rise
Let me convey; not blood from wounded
. hearts, .;- "!.--,
Nor poison which the upas tree Imparts.
TV hen over flowery vales I leap with joy,
Lef me not deyastate them, nor destroy, '
But rather lea ve'them fairer to the sight
Mine be the lot, to comfort, and delight
And if down awful chasms I needs must
' leap - ;. .
Let me not murmur at my lot, but sweep
On bravely to the end without one fear,
Jinowing that He who planned my ways
stands near. '.' '.'
Love sent me forth, to Loye I go again, .
For Love is ah, and over all. Amen, i
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, in Independent
WON BY WHISTLING.
ARTLEY, or rather his
wife, had been giving
rft musical "At Home,"
and a performance o
sifflenrs had proved the
hit of the evening s en
tertamment.
An hour or so later.
the "crowd" having
dispersed, Birdy Jackson, Hartley and
I were idly discussing the eventsf the
.affair in the smoking room. Jaokson
and I were stopping over night with
our host being old chums 'Of his, and
living some distance out of town.
"No idea you could give us such
ripping performance,- rsirdy. i re
marked Hartley ; "and when your wife
joined in I was perfectly astounded. " j
Jackson laughed softly. ! i
"No, she doesn't doit at'all badly,?
he admitted. Yodknow,"Diok, there's
a bit of romance attached to that
.whistle of "herp; in fact, it was the
means of bringing our matrimonial de
sireg to ah abrupt point at an extreme
ly critical period in our courtship."
Hartley gave me gentle kick, r
"Then your union had a spice of
romaoce about it?" he said.
"Bather I Unique in the annals of
love making, I should say. But ! folks
are so incredulous nowadays,! I've
never attempted to tell the yarn but
once, and then 1 swore I'd never do it
again." ' ' ;
But he had to on "this occasion, and
sdon began to interest us as follows :
"First of all, you must know, 'Mr.
King" addressing me" I'm called
Birdy on account of having practiced
from earliest infancy a cheap form of
musical recreation. Though ouffed as
a boyi severely reprimanded for warb
ling in slack business hours and sound
ly execrated by the neighbors, I never-
: "A year this last summer I came in
for a sum of money, which rendered
me a practically wealthy and indepen
dent man, and to celebrate my good
fortune I threw up my business berth
and went into Yorkshire to 'spend a
few weeks with a professional bachelor
friend and to idle generally.
While tnere 1 was introduced to a
Colonel and his daughter Evelyn, aged
twenty-two, who lived at The Cnaso,
and were intimate friends of my chUov
Nice girl she was; plenty of
out being theieast 'fast.' In less than
a fortnight I was over head and ears
in love with her. - The . subsequent af
ternoons at The Chase were too hot for
tennis. " Colonel Alton . apenb them
Bnoozingin his study ; Evelyn's elderly
companion and her father s house
keeper? for Mrs. Alton had. been dead
some yearsnodded in; the shade , of
her favorite elm, 'and my friend -had
invariably to leave for an. important
case before the tea came out. Tery
nice of him, I thought.
Thus thrown together, Evelyn and I
monopolized the arbor, and ! used to
amuse her by trilling selections from
the operas, latest airs (comic and
Her ions), and she would occasionally
join in as a kind of .fillip to my per
formances. Though a woman in every
respect, she. could whistle. In most
of the well-known tunes, up to date or
pathetically aged, she excelled, owing
to the fact that during the winter
months for some Tears past she had'
always officiated at the piano tor the
village popular concerts, fwhen the
vocal and instrumental items were
naturally of. an amusing and ligh
order at times scarcely high class,
perhaps. j '
"Then came the time when the
1 Via,! ha approached. The
He had other views in, hio
cniid. l tried remonstrance, then
dogged persistently; but " with no
avail. Evelyn stood out like a brick.
This burst of independence resulted
in ner immediate banishment to
regions unknown to- me, under the
surveillance of a relative of mature
age and experience, and all communi
cation between us strenuously denied
and forestalled. All chances of elope
ment, even, were reduoed to nil.
"A few days later I left my friend's
for Bournemouth, there to recruit my
shattered health and hopes, and think
things pver quietly. 1 was crushed
for the time being. As I alighted
from my cab at the entra'nee to the
North Cliff, where I had taken rooms,
an elderly lady came down the steps.
Her face seemed somewhat familiar
to me, though I could not at the time
recall to mind when and where I had
teen it before. When she started as
she saw me, and pomewhat hurriedly
re-entered the hotel, I was further
mystified. A thought struebmeas I
was signing my name in the hotel
register of visitors some time later.
Two pages back I found an entrv:
Miss Alton and Miss E. Allen.' " I
stumbled to it in a second, then. The
elderly lady I had encountered was,
undoubtedly; Colonel Alton's sister,
? ,W been 8tajg at The Chase
two day8 aftox m7 arrival in 1
the village, and before I knew any
thing of Evelvn I had
" .ATim ine - Colonel, and
must have recognized me again.
"I remarked on th nt
she
entry to the
clerk iir a casual way, and he Tolun-
teered the information that Miss Alton I
h, but s few moments previously, j
given notice of her intention to va
cate their apartments the next morn
ing. The nowa staggered me. Then
Miss Alton certainly did not know all,
and had decided on flight as the only
safe remedy -under the circumstances.
"Not glimpse could 1 eaten of
Evelyn. After dinner, from a search
on the pier I returned to the
North Cliff, and sat disconsolately
smoking out on the balcony of my
room in" the growing dusk. Almost
unconsciously I lapsed . into melody,
and appropriately commenced to war-
ble softly, 'Alice, Where Art Thou? j
A slight movement on the balcony
above mine, and one window 'to the
left caused me to glance up. - A figure
In white met my gaze, with one of its
hands, as if demanding silence, point
ing warningly to the window behind
her. Yes, it was Evelyn, but her at
tendant dragon of an aunt was evi
dent! at hand; -Verbal communica
tion, as well as writing, was out of the
question. An idea suddenly flashed
upon me. Why not try? No sooner
thought of than done. Softly I whis
tled the last lines of "Whisper and I
Shall Hear' refrain. A slight snake of
the head and then a rendering ot
Goodby, Sweetheart, Goodby,' floated
down. Then they were really going
away.
" 'Evelyn, I don't think it's quite
proper for you to be standing there,'
eame a voice from within, and which,
by straining my ears, I could just
overhear. My heart beat wildly, and
the girl turned to address her aunt
without leaving the balcony. -
" It's almost dark now, and I can't
stay cooped up ail the : evening our
last one, too 1 What does papa want
us back in. such a hurry for?'
" Because he wishes it, my dear;
that's all the reason I can give you.
You really must htlp me to finish the
packing in a few minutes.'
Then her aunt had revealing noth
ing, and believed her yet to be in ig
norance of my presence at the hotel.
Lucky, but the case was a desperate
one. Evelyn rejurnod to her former
position and leaned over again.
Where Are You Going To,
My J
Fretty Maid V I began. Tnere was a
momentary pause, and then the answer
came in a fine of 'Home, Sweet Home,'
from my darling's lips. -
" I do wish you would drop, that
vulgar habit of whistling,' again came
he voice inside the window.
",'But, auntie, there is no piano to
sing to, was the somewhat lame ex
cuse. 'I must do something, and I
can't .possibly shock any one up here. '
"Then there was silence once more,
"Back to Yorkshire again. No
chance there. Anyhow, she Btill oared
or me, and I must
o a severe test.
put heif affections
It was ottr only
VXXMW W UW V WQ It X" w .
" 'Oh. Nannie, Wilt Thou Gang Wi
Me?' I piped,
" Where Are You Going To ?' was
again utilized in reply.
V 'I was stumped for the minute, but
a bar orj two of Big Ben,' a favorite
song of mine, came as a hazardous res
cue. She understood, bless' her 1 but
a length v pause intervened before her
answer. -Then 'No, Sir; No, Sir; No,
succession, one refuse
S M
L, 1111 OXA i
But
why so emphatically?
What
a silly
idiot I was? . The fourth time the girl
in tne song saia xo sne meant -xes. -I
breathed again, i ;
"But about , our departure. The
morning York train via Bath left at
6.45., The earliest Waterloo was 7.45,
and we should be easily tracked and
our intentions frustrated in - conse
quence, if we left it until then. I con
sulted my'watch. It was. 9. 15. The
night train up left at 10.30. Oh,
Why Should We Wait Till To-Mor-row?'
went up without delay. 'All's
Well' from above, soon settled that
question satisfactorily, but was fol
lowed immediately by a lew bars or
Bradshaw's Guide' ditty. I knew
what she wanted, so, after : a slight
hesitation. I warbled 'Come Icto the
Garden, Maud,' and chirped ten times.
Hone on. dear loved one. wo shall
meet again from 'Dream Faces,
proved that I was clearly understood,
and then she turned to address Miss
Alton in louder tones than before.
! " 'I. declare, you're nearly asleep,
auntie. .I'm tired, and have a head
ache, too. We've a long journey be
fore us, so I think I'll go to my room
now. Don't disturb, there's a dear ;
the packing won't take long in the
morning. You'ct better do the same.'
"The proposal evidently suited Miss
Alton down to the ground, for she left
her chair inside and came a little way
out on the balcony."
"A good idea, Evy ;. so we will,'
she answered. ;
"I crept baok, and a minute or two
later 'Good-nights were exchanged ;
and the subsequent slam of a doer
notified that Evelyn had left for her
apartment. "
"By 9.45 I had settled up and left
fiastrjictions that my heavy baggage,
I 'OfmuaiUIJ 11U 1 UMjuUU HUUIJ v
called or sent for in the course f
week or less, dangling an old telegram
form in my hand as 1 did so, to give
color to my hasty departure. At 10
prompt I picked up Evelyn under the
pines in the hotel gardens, and, with a
dressing bag and a small Gladstone be
tween us, walked to the station, and
eventually reached London safely,
early in the morning. I. put her in
one hotel, where I knew she would be
safe,' with strict injunctions not to
venture out till I had fixed everything
up for the ceremony, and went myself
to another. The, long and short of it
was that before we were anything like
tracked the deed had been done by
special license, and the Colonel defeat
ed for once in his life.
"Come round, did he ? Yes, when
he afterward discovered that the man
he intended for his daughter had al
ready been engaged for two years, and
got; married shortly after we did I
Even I could have told the old fellow
that, had he been more communica
tive and explicit in the first instance,
for my rival turned out to be none
other than the friend I was visiting.
He actually -admits now heT couldn't
have wished her a better match, but,
anyhow, he " "
And Birdy broke off into 'Can't
Change It. - " r ;
He rose quietly from his seat and
gently opened the smoking room door.
Listen, he Baid, ."if you can't
quite s wallow the yarn you will not
fail to take this in." t
Then he went through "Oh, Come,
My Lady ralr,w from the Gaiety
Girl song. Scarcely had lie eon
eluded than away from another quarter
of tne ; nouse eame v tne answering
chorus of 'To oomin?," from the
melody, "Poor Old Joe.' Half a min
ute later in strolled Mrs. Jackson and
Hartley's wife.
Birdy winked knowingly at us.
"I've just been telling them howyou
were practically wooea ana won tr
whistling, my dear," he remarked to
his wife, and they want another tune
before we torn In.
Evelyn blushed. "So, Sir," etc.,
I she warbled three times. ' -,. '
.Then Jackson took up his candle
and marched upstairs with the strains
of the National anthem on his lips.
Tit-Bits.
Unknown Re?loa ot Ontario.
Of Ontario's area, estimated at 200,
000 square miles, 100,000 square miles
are in an unknown region, only the
edge of which have been explored.
This is the teritory known as the Hin
terland of Ontario. It lies between
Lakes Huron and Superior to tha
south and the Albany River and St
James Bay to the north. In this vast
area is the Height of Land, which
separates waters flowing to Hudson
Bay from the streams j em pting into
the St. Lawrence and the lakes. North
of the Height is what is called the
Hudson Bay slope, consisting of about
80,000 square miles. This slope, may
be described as an unknown land. '
- The Height of Land is not a ridge of
hills, but is a level plateau some 1200
or 13UU feet above the sea. "ine
scenery7," says a surveyor's report,
"though diversified by hundreds of
streams and rivers and thousands of
lakes and innumerable' crags and hills
of rook, is certainly lacking in that
nobility and largeness of view which
only the presence of lofty mountains
can bestow."' Of the rivers flowing
north from this slope, the Albany is
the most important, being about 475
miles long, and navigable during the
season of high water for 250 miles.
Of the short slopes south of the Height
of Land, in which are situated the set
tlements of North Bay, Sturgeon Falls
and SudburvL there , is . definite a.nd
general knowledge, but the whole ter
ritory sloping north remains unexplored."-,
.. -
The Hinterland is Ontario's reserve.
Much valuable timber in this region
is destroyed by fires that sweep eouth
of the watershed. Pine, spruce, tama
rack, poplar and cedar are varieties
of wood existing in abundance - south
of the Hudson Bay slope. Here, too,
are valvable mineral?, but the treas
ures hidden in the region north of the
plateau and the resources of the plain
itself await the 'searching of some in
trepid explorer." The Hinterland will
reward the eager discoverer, and when
he has exhausted that territory tne
regions of thegreat Northwest remain
unsurveyed. Winnipeg (Manitoba)
Free Press. 4
Candy Peddlers' "Home" Life.
Very nearly all the . dark skinned
men who sell that brilliantly colored
candy from push carts are members of
a regular clan, and, for the most part.
Greeks. : When the day has ended and
their I work is done they gather to-
btrei
T 1U U imi K IH"1B1)1U' UUUB
Roosevelt and Cherry
streets, just at
the 'oot of the famous
Cherry Hill,
there to eat, rest and, before sleeping,
to load up their carts for the morrow
that they may get an early start.- i
One of these rendezvous presents a
unique appearance late aj, night. It
is generally a store on the ground
floor, that the push carts, may- be
trundled out easily when heavily load
ed. From the sidewalk the "store"
does not show a single ray of
light. It looks forbidding 'and de
serted. Bat its door opens readily.
The entire front of tho long apart
ment is filled up with carts, laden with'
the sweets, and displaying their sign?.
Only a narro w passageway is left to
get to the back of the room.
Here, rtround a smudgy table, five
or six chattering Greeks are playing
cards and quarrelling over the game.
On boirds is spread a quantity of
candy, newly made and cooling,' for it
is in "a room back of this that the stuff
is prepared. The candymaker not
only makes a profit selling to the
peddlers, but he gets st;ll more of
their money, , lodging f iem on the
same floor as their push carts. Some
times, when a peddler is "broke," the
maker of sweets sends him out with a
load of candy to sell on shares, but, as
a general thing, ha gets cash for his
product before the carts go out
Beds are, for tbe most part, unknown
luxuries. Only the most prosperous
peddlers seem to be able to afford
them. Generally the floor is marked
out with chalk lines, divided Jnto nar
row squares, and .there, on the hard
boards, without disrobing or chang
ing any article of their clothing, the
candy peddlers sleep. -Ie York
Herald. ;
. ; Coxtes, Smart Trick.
-xn'lffcTJen.ln illustration of a smart
trick said to VM5nfreqaeiitrj played
by coyotes ia securing food from
among the herds of sheep on Western
ranches is related by a rancher of Grant
Uounty, Ureon. He had a herd of
about 1903 sheep, and recently missed
a large number. In searching for
them a herder found three sheep lying
on the. brink of a precipice, thir
throats marked -with the teeth of a
coyote. He made his way to the bot
tom of a canyon, 300 feet below, and
there found the bodies of 110 sheep,
or rather parts of their beiiies, for the
coyotes had been feeding on th'e car
casses for a veek or more. From
other incidents of like character it
was concluded that several coyotes had
got amour, tha herd when the sheep
were driven oil their bedding ground
during a storm, and had herded them
to the brink of the precipice, much as
a lot of sheep dogs would drive sheep.
When the edge wan reached the coyotes
pressed the herd so hard in the rear
that the 110 at the front either jumped
or were pushed over the precipice.
New York Sun. , . -
This Kin? Wants t Bs fa Front.
King Khama, England's African ally. -
nsrorouslv insists on his rdval preced
ence. When driving about Liverpool
and London he always rides on the
box of a four-wheeler,' making the
drivef sit a little behind Mm and his
attendants iiiS&-for, as he punctili
ously remarks,- VI'm the Kin sr. and the
j King goes first.;
AGRICULTURAL
TOPICS OF INTEREST REIiATIVB
.TO FARM. AND GAUD EX .
TIP8 09 COWS HOXKS.
The next best thing to dehorning is
to fit a metal blunt tip over the horns
of cattle so as to prevent the horns
from piercing when in play or anger
it is pushed against other animals.
These tips can be procured at . most
hardware stores, and sawing off enough
of the horn to make them a good fit is
a painless operation that does , not re
quire either skill or severe labor.
American Cultivator.
BE8-HTVES FOB TAKHXBS.
Most farmers would have better suc
cess with bees if they used only the
old straw or box hives. Bee-keeping
with the movable-frame hives is an
art which few care to learn : the straw
hive is a simple tool which any one
can U6e. Before the bee-moth became
prevalent, nearly every farmer kept
bees in this simple way. The intro
duction of the Italian bee has done
away with this trouble. With tbe
old-fashioned hive?, women and chil
dren can do most of the work, and
bee-keeping, like poultry-raising, can
be their special province and profit
Aside irom learning to hive new
swarms, little knowledge is needed.
Country Gentleman.
WATS TO CATCH COT WOBHS.
r
The Florist's Exchange gives the
following ways to catch cutworms: ,
l. Jf lacing around tne plants fruit
(or vegetable cans from which top and
(bottoms have been removed.; The top
iof the can should be three or - four
iinches above the surface of the ground.
The ends can be unsoldered by throw
ing the tins into a fire. ,
2. Plowing the ground early in
September, and not allowing weeds to
grow.
3, Plowing the ground late in the
fall or early in spring, keeping the
surface free from weeds by cultivation,
and not putting a crop on same until
the middle of May or first of June.
j During the first ten days of May, fresh
cat clover, grass Tr weeds which have
been dipped in water containing Paris
green should be. . strewn over the
ground each evening. ;
4. Collecting the worms each even
ing while they are feeding. This re
quires a good light and sharp eyes. ?
5. Hiach mornincr huntincr for the
worms around the fresh cut plants.)
6. Using ''light traps" at intervals
during the months of June, August
and September. These traps are made
by filling a tub or half cask two-thirds
full of water, pouring a little kerosene
over the surface and hanging a lantern
over the tub. '. - -
ESSKNTIlIiS IN STBAWBHEBTGBOWIKQ,
Professor Lozenherry recently 'gave
the following summary of essential
points to be kept in mind : i -'
The mott profitable varieties for the
commercial growers are those not
easily influenced by difierences of soil
and climate. Those which succeed
well on wide areas are usually better
than those which have mere losal repu-
Pistillate varieties', when property
fertilized, are more productive than
the sorts with perfect flowers. I V - '
2. The value of a variety for fertiliz
ing pistillate flowers does not depend
so inuch upon the amount as upon the
potency of pollen. 1
. SL The flowers, of Distillate varieties
are less liable to be injnred by frosts
than the flowers of perfect varieties. V -4-
Varieties that : are neither very
early nor very late in point of ma
turity are tbe most productive; and
have the longest fruiting season. V
; As a rule, varieties that have the
most vigorous and healthy foliage are
the. most productive, while those with
a weaker growth of foliage and greater
susceptibility to leaf blight are usually
tmprolific. - r;
- 6. Winter protection may bo dis
pensed with upon well-trimmed sandy
soils, but appears to be a necessity
upon heavier ones. - 'j ,
7. The leaf blight may be checked
by using the Bordeaux mixtures, be
ginning just as soon as leaves appear,
A IV
ana continuing ine application every
few weeks throughout the season.
PIiANTS FOB DECOBATION3. .
The use of growing plants in pots
for the decoration of the table is
rapidly increasing, and the prastice
has much to commend it, especially to
those who have good collections of
plants, and who either do not feel able
to afford the expense of cut flowers or
are cot able to procure them because
of living in places where there are no
greenhouses,, writes Eben E. Bex ford.
I am also glad to encourage it for an
other reasou ; it will have a tendency
to induce amateurs to make special
efforts to develop iine plants, as such,
and such only, are. available for use
on the table. An ill-shaped, nnhealtby
plant there is far worse than none at
all.: . -:;, c.-U,;r-T
In this paper I shall sneak sl such
kinds as can be grown successfully in
any window. -In another of such as
can be grown in the home green
house. T: "r " - -
Begonias are charming plants for
this purpose when compact and sym
metrical in shape and not too large.
Their foliago is bright and pleasing
and very ornamental in itself, and
when to this is added the chaim of
their delightful flowers we have an
ideal plant for .table use. Wei to
xtiensts, one of the most common va
rieties, as also one of the most beauti
fu', with its shining,, satiny foliage,
shading from dark to pale green,
among which its crimson stems show
vividly, t Its flowers are borne in great
profusion, and are of the softest rose
color andao delicate that they; seem
almost like condensations of pink
frost. This variety grows in symme
trical form, with very little training,
and seldom outgrows the limits allow
able for a table plant; Another fine
variety is argentea guttata, an upright
sort of spreading habit, having: foliage
of rich olive, spotted with, silver, the
under side being a dull red, which
throws the other colors into charming
relief. Its flowers axe a pale, pearly
flesh-color, produced in large, droop
ing, spreading panicles. This plant is
a larger grower than weltonoiensis,and
makes a fine plant for the center of a
group, when it is desirable to combine
several plants for occasions requiring
special efforts ia the way of decora-
tion. B. man! cats aurea is a variety
of low spreading babi V with large
leaves of thick texture of a shining
dark green, irregularly spotted and
blotched with, yellow shades ranging
from cream to a golden tint Olbia
belongs-to the hybrid section, which
has been obtained by crossing the
shrubbery sorts with the rex class. Its
foliage in large, of a rich, Telvety
olive, shaded from light to dark, with
beautifully contrasting flowers of a
cure lemon-white. Metallica has foli
age of a rich green, marked along the
mid-rib and veins .with darker shades,
on. the upper surface, and showing a
network of red when seen Horn below
or with the light shining through it
This makes a charming centre plant
for a CTOUD. Babra is one ox our old
est flowerincr varieties, and is, as it
v - -
deserves to be. one of the most popu
lar varieties in cultivation. Its foli
asre is of a thick, waxen texture, of
bright green color, without shadings
or markings of any kind, - ana pro
duced in ereat luxuriance. Is is a per
oetual and orof use bloomer, Its flow
ers are of a bright, shining coral red,
borne in large, loose, spreading, pen
dulous panicles. They contrast charm
ingly with the foliage. A well shaped
specimen of this begonia lends an air
of grace and distinction to any table.
Each variety named above of this large
family of plants is equally as valuable
for the ornamentation of the window
as for that of the table and all are of
the easiest culture. Chicago Record.
1ITZXET AS A HAI P0B 6HXEP.
"A tnbscriber living at Boss villa,
Kan., asks us if we cannot give some
thing which will enlighten bim upon
the anbieot of - millet as a hay fox
sheen : and after - looking over the
facts whioh we have at hand, we find
onrsel ves bound to confess that we be,
lieva that some other (rrasses can bet
used in its stead which would not only
mtVA hetter hav for sheet. but would
be liable to cive a much larger crop.
because of their ability to withstand
the elements. i
Some time asro a leading agricul
tural journal spoke editorially in re
card to millet and advised its readers
to steer clear of it because of their
having been discovered in its compo
sition, by well-known scientists, a
Doisonous element whioh was exceed
ingly harmlul to cattle wnen xne mil
let was given in large quantities; and
we Tiave no doubt whatever out wnat
this would apply to sheep as well as
cattle. This, of course, i no doubt
true, but nevertheless there are many
who claim a great deal for millet, os
neciallv ; the variety known as the
X C . .....
Jananese. . -
One writer olaims for this variety
that it is distinct from the ordinary
milieu ; growing . . uucu kaixot ,wi i
11 i .V AM I
stouter, and recommends it especially
as a fodder crop either for feeding
creen or for the silo, as it yields from
ten to twelve tons of green fodder per
acre, - and from seventy 1 to ninety
bushels of seed per acre when thinly
sown in rows about a foot apart. The
seed is relished by poultry, and
threshes very easily. For fodder, one
peck of seed per acre is ample; in
drills for seed, three pints , to two
quarts.' The . land upon which it is
sown should be- that which would be
I favorable to other grasses, jmkL the
T "11 n i .1 m a 1 ' .
same win appiy to me lenuizer.
Now for the main point in the query.
Will it be suitable as a hay for sheep?
This we cannot learn from any aocu
rate source, but from tables which we
are in. possession Of, giving the con
stituents of the different fodders, and
from others which describe that which
is supposed to be needed by a full-
grown sheep m order to Keep it in a
thriving condition, we find that it
ought to be suitable as part of a ra
tion, but by no means should it form
a complete ration, for it does not con
tain' all the elements which it is neoes
sary for the animals to have.
-Upon the whole we believe that it
might be used as a fodder for sheep
with beneficial results, providing, of
course, that gram or roots were given
in Borne . quantity, which in r reality
would be .the same course of feeding
which is generally followed by firm
ers, only that the millet&ay be given
instead Of the variety of nay which 'it
has been the custom to feed, New
York Witness.
FAEM AND OAKDSN NOTES. -
Hunt out the borers in tne young
orchard trees.
Many orchards have their vitality
injured by too late and too deep culti
vation. ,
Manure may be drawn out and
spread , whether the ground is frozen
or not. - - ' I
A little lime-water applied to plants
occasionally will kill the earth worms
in the soil. I
It is a good plan to plant out a few
paach and apple trees every year to
keep up the sapply of fruit. If -
whenever a meat animal ceases to
gain in flesh it is kept at a loss, and is
conetantly eating ap ' previous profits.
TheJbtest winter,, cucumber
Telegraph. It will live and be-r .
cumbers all winter if- rightly treated.
Because Alsike clover has finer stems
and is therefore easily cured, it is
commonly preferred for feeding young
stock, as cal es and lambs.
When your work is completed, im
prove your horticultural knowledge
by studying good papers on every sub
ject, and learn how to make the best
use of your land next season. 1 .
Toads are sold by "thedozen ia
France for the purpose of stocking
gardens to free them from many in
jurious insects. The toad lives almost
entirely on winged insects and never
does harm to plants. 1 I
In England tomato plants have been
grafted on potato plants, givin g a
crop of tomatoes above ground and
potatoes below. Potatoes grafted on
tomatoes have 'produced flowers, to
matoes and a few tubers. 5 ! '
. The best time for putting mulch on
the strawberry bed is when the ground
is frozen an inch or two. It is not
necessary, or even desirable, to cover
the leaves completely,' but to cover
the ground around and ' amohg the
plants.' . . ;:;:--v: i-l ;T
Ko successful method has yet been
found for preventing the disease known
as twig blight, affecting apple and pear
trees. The damage may be greatly
lessened by carefully watching ' the
trees during the season of growth and
cutting off the affected twigs a foot be
low the point of injury. The cuttings
should thca be barae4
6KATXNO,
Across yon wavelass lake of light, :
Shored by the silver ot the snow,
The skaters, in their devious flight,
Like shadows through the moonlight g
As'Swift as Arab courses flee.
Or falcons in the fields of air.
The plala they spurn with wlngei feet,
As gods might spurn the ether rare.
The blxJ-foraken groves are still;
In crystal cells the Naiads sleep? .
Bat wild halloo and laughter shrill . .
Alive the ancient echoes keep. .
The summer's leafy lips no more, "
KLsed by the frolic Zephyrs, sing;
But from yon sounding crystal floor
he skates a livelier music fling.
Now right, now left-tbe fl?urfts wheel. .
Shod, as It seems, with lambent flame
Now deftly curve, with trenchant steel, ..
On Nature's glass some well loved name
Xlere, high in air some athlete twirls
His nickory cudgel In tbe van,
And there a romp with strea-ntn? curls
Cries, "Come and catch me it you can!'
Though chill the atr, in guihos wane,
Through youthful veins the curreni flows.
Joy lends each voice a ramr ohar.n,
Sport deepens on each cheek the rose
Xe who in furnace-heated halls . .
Blgh for your vanished bloom in vain, I
Leave your soft seats and gilded walls,
And Join ths skaters, merry train.
jW. B Barber, in Ledger.
PITH A ND rOINT.
;..:. -.4.,- . - -- -
Ton mustn't conclude that a dentist
is mad because you find him grinding
his teeth. Texas Sittings.
An auticrtieer cannot;' expect to have
his own way. He must, follow the
bidding of another. Texas Sittings.
What woman would be the most
likelv to civei her husband a blowing
up if he irritated her? Dinah might.
A man up a tree and a - man below
with a shotgun cannot agree because
they see things differently. Texas
Sif tings. j
"John, did you find any eggs in the
old hen's nest this morning?' "Ho,
sir; if she laid any, she mislaid them.,r
Tit-Bits, j : v-; . .. . ;.
'Such funny hamos out West," said she;
Yet "'twould nave neen muoi moru
uniaus i- ..--.- "
If they had builded Wounded Knee
Upon the nanxs oi unpDie wreeit;
First Cabman "How do you find
things ?" Second Cabman "Slow I
Just think I I bought that horse yes
terday; and he hasn't paid for himself
yet Puck.
Miss Pert "Is Miss Straight L.aca
circumspect?" Miss Caustie "Cir-
oumspecU Why, she won t aooom-
pany a young man on-the piano with
X J.T.MMWn "
vut n wuBjfeivxj.
I'Suppose 1 1 should work myself np
to: the interrogation point I said
a beau to his sweetheart. "I should
respond . with an exolamation l" was
the prompt reply. - 1
Edith "I'm in a quandary 1" Isa
bel "How is that?" Edith "Tom
promises to stop drinking if I marry
aim, and Jack threatens to begin if I
don't !" Tit-Bits. ' .
Muggins-4,,Miss Oldgirl is very tim
id, isn't she?" Buggms es, she
was shy about twenty years wnen tne
last census man, asked for her age.'' ,
Philadelphia: Becord.
Sapphedde "I went to a mind
reader the other day, and he couldn't
do anything j with me at. aU." Miss
Pert' 'Ain't yon ashamed to tell it?"
Philadelphia Record, v
Waiter (toi guest who is absorbed in
the menu) "What do you wish to eat,
please?" The Absent-minded ,Profes- :
ior "I haven't time to talk now. Ask
me after dinner.' Punch.
Yeast "Men turn somersaults on .
horseback ; I supp6se before long we'll
lee them doing it on the bicycle."
Crimsonbeak "Why, ; man alive!
that was the j first thing I did on a .
wheel" j ;; -'" . ' . ' :'
He ''When you are asked to sing.
and don't wish to yod always have,
such a convenient cold. Where do
vou get them?". She "Oh,1 they're
kept 'on draught all over town.":
Harlem Life. .
A Strange j Feature of Many Wills.
- Many peculiar documents, are filed ;
with the Probate Clerk, some of which
are afterward admitted as wills and
others are rejected, Not infrequently
the will is written on a sheet of note
paper or a scrap of other paper. No
matter how informal it may appear, if
the requirements necessary to the
sigting and publication of the will
have been complied with, it is received
and general
iy admitted to probate.
One of the
sently filed
pages of a
strangest documents re
was written on several
book such as is used for
shildren's composition.
One whioh
a few years
was admitted to probate
ago was written, on the inside cover
and first blank page of a German! story
book. It consisted of these words: -"I
leave all my money and house,
"'. 411 " East Eighty-second street,
j half interest in bntoher's bus
i: :3, Ko. 246 Avenue A, Hf. Y, City,
and all other things tbatl may possess
to my wife and child. My -brothers,
Christian and Charles Both, to be ex-
ecutors. In! case my wife shonld die,
then all my property to go to my child,
This is my last will and testament. ?
' "Hxnnaca Bom"
One of the! strange features in many
wills is that the' ' testator bequeaths .
large amounts to various relatives or
to charitable : institutions, and -it is
found at his death that he possesses al
most nothing of value. Sometimes a
sum of money ia a certain bank is be
queathed, and the expectant heir finds
on inquiry that it has all been with- '
drawn and nsed by the testator before
his death. New York Tribune.
Sjria's ilnmmlnT.Bird Plaut.
In Syrianear Damascus, there is '
said to grow a humming-bird plant,
the flower Of which bears a close re-'
semblance to a humming bird. The
breast is red, the wings are dark green,
tne black yellow, the head and tail a
bluish black. San Francisco Chroni
cle, r
- Satire Japanese Pianos.
George A. 1 Steinway stated recent! j
In a letter to his father, William Stein
way, that in the- city of Yokohama he
had found pianos, manufactured by
native Japanese craftsmen, which sold
at the price of $75, and that theix
quality was on a level with their price.
New York Post.