c7,
. . New Bird Game.
This Is a novel way of giving a
"bird party," .the idea is given by
Martha Burr Banks.
Supply the guests with cards bear
ing as many members as' there are
birds portrayed, by various methods
on the walls. -These examples will
show how the names of the birds
are demonstrated, each illustration is
numbered, bo the guest may write
his guess down opposite the corre
sponding number on the card. It is
well to attach pencils to the cards
and to start the contest after all have
arrived. A half hour is sufficient time
to allow for the guessing.
Blackbird; A bird cut from black
paper. Redwing; A home with a
wing painted red. Flicker; A candle
blowing in the wind. Hlghhole; A
hole in the top of the paper. Cuckoo;
A cook and two o's. "Woodpecker;
A match, a peck measure, and an R.
Meadow lark; Children romping in a
meadow. Yellow-breasted chat; Two
men, with yellow shirt-fronts, talking
together. Brown thrasher; A school
master in brown, with a rod in his
hand. Cardinal; A church dignitary.
Crow; A cock in the act of crowing;
Hawk; A peddler. Swallow; A child
eating. Swift; A boy running. CroBS
bill; A bill on which are written
these words:- "Pay at once!" Spoon
bill ; A spoon and a bird's beak.
Blue-jay; A blue J. Fox sparrow; A
fox and the letters S and P above
an arrow. Song sparrow; A bar of a
song, a spar, and a man rowing.
Junco; A junk csflrt and an O. Blue
bird; A bird with drooping head and
-wings. Wagtail; A dog. Maryland
yellow-throat; A map of Maryland
and a stork with a yellow neck.
Chippy; A man chopping wood. Fly
catcher; A piece of fly-paper. Red
start;; The word "start" written in
red ink. Indigo bunting; A scrap of
Hue bunting. Kinglet; A child wear
ing a crown. Pewee; A small P.
.Humming-bird; A Bpinnig top. The
names of other birds, such as cat
bird, oven bird, nut-hatch, snowflake,
yellow-hammer, brown creeper, king
fis2er,sandpiper,. chickadee, etc., will
suggest their own illustrations.
Have chicken in some form (sand
wiches are always acceptable) and
ices or cream in shape of birds would
he appropriate. It will be easy to
manage "bird" cookies and perhaps
the confectioneer will make nests of
spun sugar in which candy eggs may
he placed.
These would be charming at each
place on the table. There are many
Two of the Season's
The costume on the right is in sand
colored pique, the skirt slightly draped
at the right side, the fulness being
fixed under the wrapped seam.
The coat is one of the fashionable
chape that hangs rather long at the
back and cut up at bust in front,
where It Is fastened by two buttons.
The. collar and revers are faced with
black satin.
Hat of sand-colored Tagel, trimmed
with feathers and blac& satin ribbon.
Materials required for the costume:
f yards 42 Inches wide, yard black
satin 22 inches wide."
The other ia a comtlnatloa cf dark
I
delightful as well as Inexpensive bird
hookB to give for prizes.
A Field Day Party.
..This is just the season for a '.'Field
Day" party with all sorts of athletic
sports. The guests may be any num
ber, but twenty-four I find is just
about right for the competition. This
affair is fine for children, young peo
ple and those who are oldergrown.
Egg and spoon races are great fun,
as well as .the "needle and thread"
contest. Then there should be run
ning races, forty yard dashes, inter
spersed with three legged and sack
races. -
Rope climbing is most laughable as
well as the merry "obstacle" race.
A time-keeper, referee " ands a
"judge" add to the interest and the
prizes may be as many, and elabor
ate as the hostess wishes. In some
of the races blue and red ribbons
may be awarded.
Perhaps tennis, croquet, archery
and baseball matches may be ar
ranged. .
Refreshments or supper should bo
served on the lawn or porch. Such
a party as this was recently given at
a country place called "Glimmerglen."
It would be a jolly tiding to have
the guests conveyed to and from the
place in a hay wagon drawn by four
horses. Provide horns and have bells
on the harness.
It is needless to-say that outing
suits should be worn. From four to
ten .are good hours, but the time
should be set to suit the convenience
of the largest -number. -.
Unique Card Party.
Any game of cards may be played
that the hostess prefers or that is
popular in the town. Request the
guests to dress in costumes repre
senting either the face or suit cards.
For instance, have two five of dia
monds, one a lady and one a man,
so that when all have arrived partners
may be chosen for the first game.
The prizes may be a handsome deck
of cards in a case, a book on card
games, ferns growing in a pretty Jar,
a bit of brass or a piece of pottery.
The score cards may be cut out of
cardboard in the shape of diamonds,
hearts, clubs and spades; the mark
ers may be of these same figures, cut
out of thin colored paper and gummed
a. few days before they are used, so
they will be dry.
Serve hot bouillon in cups, patties
of chicken and sweetbreads, salad,
orange sherbet, small cakes, coffee,
nuts, bon-bons. If Ice cream is pre
ferred, use the brick, cut In thin
slices, ornament with tiny hearts,
diamonds, clubs and spades cut
from citron and candied cherries.
MME MERRI.
On Parasols.'
Fine shadow lace decorates some
of the daintiest parasols, and it ris
put on In many pretty ways. Some
times tiny lace squares are inserted
in the silk, but in a number of cases
the lace is put on in the shape of a
frill and caught here and there with
a tiny pink rosebud. "When the para
sol is simple and of one color it is
a pretty fancy to have the edge out
fined with tiny closely packed silk
blossoms.
Smart Costumes.
h!ne, and blue and gray checked
loth. The skirt is of the check; the
fiat of the plain cloth, with revers
and cuffs of the check; vest of white
corded silk, with collar of the same,
which lies over the coat. Small gold
buttons trim the vest; It is fastened
with press studs.
Hat of gray Pedal straw, trimmed
with a blue mount.
Materials required for the costume:
2 yards check 44 Inches wide, 2
yards plain cloth 44 inches wide, I
yard corded silk 20 inches wide, 1
dozen small buttons, 1 large one for
coat, 4Va yarcla lining silk for coat.
s.
TIME TO CUT ALFALFA
One of Controlling Factors in
Taking Care of Hay.
Start Mower In Morning as Soon as
Dew Is Off and Prospects
Seem Good for Three Days
of Good Weather.
The best time to cut alfalfa is when
about one-tenth of the blooms are out,
or if an examination is made at the
base of the stalk new shoots are
seen making their appearance. Many
times it is even practical to cut the
first crop a few days earlier, especial
ly If a large acreage is to be-harvested.
Time is one of the controll
ing factors in taking care of the hay,
so it is necessary for the grower to
exercise judicious planning to utilize
his time to the best advantage.
It is a good plan to start the
mower as soon as the dew is" off in
the morning and the prospects seem
good for two or three days of con
tinued good weather. This hay
should be tedded in the swath in the
afternoon, so that it will dry out un
derneath. The side delivery rake is
good, in fact, the ideal machine to
turn, the hay. Beginning -on, the out
side of the field, the hay is carried
further out, leaving an open space
which will be heated byjthe sun be
fore the next round is made. On
turning the next swath the dry, hot
stubble and sell will quickly draw
the moisture from it, therefore the
hay is curing from below as well as
from above. The following morning
the same rake is used as soon as the
hay is sufficiently dry, and two
swaths put in one, and in the after
noon it is " ready to be stacked or
hauled into the mow.
The following method is practiced,
and lends itself admirably to taking
care of a hay crop if it is not too
heavy: The mower would be run late
in. the afternoon, when not much wilt
ing will take place and when the
undergrowth is perfectly dry. The
advantage of this over the early morn
ing is that the soil is warm-and dry,
and that less surface is exposed to
become wet by dew than when alfalfa
is- standing. The hay is turned in the
following morning just. before noon,
and will be ready to rake and stack
in the middle of the afternoon. An
other plan is to rake in the afternoon
and put It up in small cocks, turning
these over the following day, replac
ing these two Into one, and letting
them cure for a few days before
stacking." It is of the greatest im
portance that the hay be absolutely
dry from dew before putting it into
the barn or stack.' Alfalfa is more
difficult to cure properly than the
grasses, because the leaves fall off so
readily, and when we consider that
these make up 48 per cent of the crop
by weight, their true value is very
significant. -
FARMING IN HAPHAZARD WAY
Course at State Agricultural College
Will, Imbed Desire to Work In
More Modern Methods.
(By R. G. WEATHERSTONE..
There is no need for any farmer
to keep on farming in the same old
haphazard way. A course at his state
agricultural college will fill him with
a strong desire to farm in the more
modern way the way which brings
success. Plan to spend a few weeks
or months, if possible, at the college
this winter.
All of these schools have short
courses for those farmers, young and
old, who cannot be away from home
for any length of time, but in these
courses, the time is so fully taken
Farmers Learning to Pick Apples.
up morning, afternoon and evening,
that the wide-awake farmer can ac
complish a great amount in a very
short time. -
A. course in general agriculture Is
given for farmers, who do not care to
specialize in any particular branch of
farming, but wish to secure a better
knowledge of all phases of agriculture.
It includes work in soil fertility, farm
management, farm crops, , poultry
raising, dairying in all of its branches,
animal husbandry, horticulture, in
sect study, and plant diseases.
A study of these subjects will in
crease the earning capacity of every
farmer.
Salt for Horses.
Horses at hard work and on full
grain feed should have salt often. A
good way is to keep a lump of root
salt in the corner of each feed box
they are the best judges of the
amount of salt they require, and if
afforded a constant Bupply will not
eat much.
German Forestera.
There are nearly six thousand pro
fessional foresters yi Germany, who
are associated with various technical
societies.
Importance of Cleanliness.
Cleanliness is always Important but
It never goes further toward making
good butter than during dog days.
BENEFIT BY USING CONCRETE
Farmer Adds Both Comfort and Safe
4 ty, Besides Saving Money Cem
ent Is Not Large Item.
(By WALTER B. LEUTZ.)
Safety, economy and utility are the
prime, considerations in silo building
and on all of these points farmers are
finding themselves gainers from the
use of concrete. Concrete structures
are much safer and in the long run
are more economical. The original
cost is about the same as for silos Of
other materials If the farmer is able
to do the work with his regular force.
When the durability and lessened risk
are considered it is seen that the con
crete construction ia economical in
almost all circumstances. The con
crete silo is sanitary and preserves
the fodder in a satisfactory way. This
fact has been demonstrated by gov
ernment tests.
Farmers who have not studied the
subject of concrete construction will
do well to take it up. In most cases
the material will be cheaper and
handler than lumber. It Is of high
value for walks, dairy floors, milk
houses, watering troughs and steps,
as well as for general architectural
work.
"Where the farmer is able to supply
the sand and gravel without much
expense and has time to perform the
labor of construction, or at least to
Concrete Trough for Stock.
supervise it, the outlay for any given
piece of work will probably be less
than it would be if lumber were used.
The proportion of cement required ia
not a large item of expense.
The farmer also gains in the matter
of insurance as he goes forward wkh
his experiments in concrete construc
tion. This is an important considera
tion, and he adds both comfort and
safety, besides saving money.
HOW MUCH WILL SILO HOLD?
Amount Can Be Closely Calculated
Provided Number and Kind of
Animals Are Known.
(By A. D. WILSON.)
The amount of silage required and
the size of silo needed to hold it can
be quite closely calculated provided
the number and kind of animals to be
fed from it are known before build
ing. An average cow or beef animal may
be fed about thirty-five pounds of sil
age per day and the usual period
during which, silage is used in this
latitude will be about 210 days. Large
animals or those that are being fat
tened may consume considerably
more than thirty-five pounds per day,
but this has been found a fair aver
age. In a silo of ordinary depth, the
average weight of the silage is about
forty pounds per cubic foot. Near the
top of the silo, however, where the
presure is not great, it will weigh
only twenty-flve pounds per cubic foot
while at the bottom of a thirty-five
foot silo It may weigh sixty pounds.
Taking these averages, if a cow eats
thirty-five pounds of ensilage In a
day, she will eat thirty-five fortieths,
or seven-eighths, of a cubic foot per
day, and with this as a basis it is easy
to determine the number of cubic feet
of ensilage required to feed a cow or
any number of cows throughout the
season. The diameter of the 6llo
muBt be such that the stock on hand,
can use one or two inches of silage
off the top each day during the win
ter and at least three inches per day
when summer feeding of silage is to
be practiced. This Is necessary to
keep the silage from spoiling.
A silo ten feet In diameter is adapt
ed to feeding ten mature cattle. One
twelve feet in diameter will feed fif
teen head, and one fourteen feet in
diameter will meet the needs of twen
ty head; but if there are thirty or
more cows to feed, a sixteen-foot silo
should be erected. These silos should
be thirty or forty feet, or even more
In height.
SOME GOOD POULTRY DO NTS
Particular Attention Should Be Paid
to Drinking Fountains and
Character of Feed.
Don't let the drinking fountain sit
in the sun, for If you do your poultry
will curely get diseased.
Don't feed sour and unwholesome
food, because if you do the fowls will
have indigestion and liver trouble.
Don't forget to provide shade for
the poultry, the scorching hot sun
will be sure to make the hens Bick.
Don't keep the males in the same
yards with the females. If you have
no separate pen, sell them to the
butcher.
Don't forget to supply grit and oy
ster shells. The hens need them as
badly during summer as they do in
the winter.
Don't forget to bury any fowl that
chances to die. Disease is spread
through a whole flock by allowing a
decaying carcass to lie around.
Don't wait till fall to sell all sur
plus stock. Now is the best and
most profitable time.
Useful Tool.
A tool used to fight fires on the
California forests combines a rake,
spade and hoe. It is compact, so that
it can hi carried on horseback, and
weighs less than 5 pounds.
1 Remains of One of the Spanish Forts at Porto Bello. 2 Native Vil
lage on Taboga Island.
"Down verdure-clad slopes and ter
, racing reaches
Where orange and mango and pine
apple grow,
One wanders through Eden to ocean
washed beaches
An Eden that only the sun-children
know."
Thus James S. Gilbert, the late la
mented poet of Panama, wrote of
Taboga Island. It was so enticing
that I determined to be one of the
sun-children for a day or two and so
steamed away In a little launch twelve
miles out into the Pacific to that
beauty spot. It is all that Mr. Gil
bert called it, and more, and It is no
wonder that the sanitarium, estab
lished there by the French canal com
pany and reopened by the Americans,
is so well patronized. If you are a
canal employe white and have
been ill, the doctor may be kind
enough to send you over to Taboga
for two- weeks to recuperate. If you
are a mere" visitor you can put up at
the unpretentious little hotel con
ducted by William Jones, the Ameri
can six-footer who looks like a
miner and dances like a cotillon
leader. In either case you will be
fortunate, for you will find those
"verdure-clad slopes" gorgeous with
flowers and alive with brilliant birds,
and the "ocean-washed beaches," the
finest places in the world for a swim.
You can sail about the pretty bays
with the native fishermen, or you can
climb up the hills where the boys are
vociferously driving the kine home to
be milked, or you can merely He in
the shade and dream dreams of the
Spanish galleons and the buccaneers.
A more delightful place for rest and
the repair of shattered nerves would
be hard to find.
Taboga has a history, too, small as
it Is. De Luque, the second bishop
of Panama, looked upon the island,
saw that it was good and established
there his country residence. In fact
he maintained a household there the
year round, for, like many another
churchman of the old days, hs did not
adhere closely to th rul of celibacy.
His memory is preserved by a bath
ing place in a stream that runs down
the mountain side, called the Bish
op's Pool. It was reserved for the
use tf him and his retinue. Above it
is the Family Pool, for women and
children, and still higher up Is the
Pool of the Letters, for the men.
The last one derives its name from
the inscription "J. F. B., Ohio" carved
on a near-by rock. This is a reminder
that in 1852 the Fourth infantry, U.
S. A.,- crossed the Isthmus en route
for garrison duty in California, hav
ing sailed from New York on the
United States mall steamer Ohio.
Cholera was prevalent at the time in
Panama and the American soldiers
and the sailors from the Ohio were
attacked by the disease, about eighty
of them dying. Some of the sick
were left on Taboga island to recov
er, and evidently one of them did re
cover sufficiently to climb up to the
bathing pool and leave the record
that is a mystery to the native in
habitants of this day. Incidentally
U. S. Grant, then a captain, was with
the Fourth infantry on that trip.
If you climb up the hill, following
this stream most of the way, you will
come to a place at the summit of a
pass called Las Cruces. There, set
In cement, are three small crosses
commemorating the most exciting in
cident in the island's history. Ac
cording to a Spanish work written
early in the last century, a shipload
of Peruvian pirates came sailing up
the coast In 1815 and decided Taboga
was a good place to loot. They land
ed and drove the small Spanish gar
rison out of the village and up the
mountain. But in the pass the sol
diers rallied, the Inhabitants came to
their assistance and there, says the
chronicler, a most bloody combat
raged for hours. Finally the pirates
were routed and fled to their ship,
leaving three men dead on the field
of battle!
The Isthmus reeks with history,
some of the most interesting pas
sage of which have to do with Porto
Bello, But the visitor who goes
there with mind full of the mighty
fights and great trade of th old
'$4- ;::-
Spanish days will be woefully dis
appointed by the town as it now is.
Romance, commerce, everything at
tractive has fled long ago "from that
place and Porto Bello is nothing but
a dirty, Immoral little village, full of
low cantinas, slatternly natives and
mangy curs. At each Bide of the
town is the ruin of a Spanish fort,
its picturesqueness marred by fisher
men's nets and the local washing
hung up to dry.
Thus the work of man has decayed,
but Nature is as kind as ever to
Porto Bello. Its bottle-shaped har
bor Is one of the prettiest to be
found, with promontories guarding the
entrance, beautiful hills on both
sides and entrancing little livers
meandering down from the moun
tains and through the Jungle Into
its upper end. One hill opposite, the
town boasts the remains of three un
usually interesting Spanish forts.
One is at the water's edge, another'
several hundred yards up the slope,
and these two were once connected
by a covered stone stairway the ruins
of which still provide the easiest
means of ascending. On the sum
mit of the hill Is the third fort, a
mighty square tower surrounded by
a deep moat The walls are almost
Intact but the roof has fallen in and
the fortress is full of trees and shrub
bery. With these three forts, two others
protecting the harbor entrance, the
two at the ends of the town and an
other Just above it, Porto Bello might
well seem to have been impregnable,
yet it was taken twice by the Eng
lish. Sir Francis Drake planned to
capture it In 1596, but Just as his
ships were about to begin the attack
Drake died and was buried in the
mouth of the harbor. Dispirited by
the loss of their leader, the English
sailed away, but Capt. William Parker
took up the project In ' 1602. With
two ships he got past the first forts
at night and after a desperate fight
captured and sacked the city, carry
ing off 10,000 ducts' worth of plunder.
The second taking of Porto Bello
was the first notable exploit of Henry
Morgan, the famous buccaneer, as an
Independent commander of a , fleet.
Sailing into what is now Colon har
bor, he. took his mh up a river in
canoes, landed -at a place called Es
tera Longa Lemos and marching
through the jungle, attacked the city
from the rear. First capturing the
castle above th town, he shut the
garrison In one room and blew them
and the fort to pieces with gunpow
der. The governor, the citizens and
the rest of the soldiers, surprised and
terror-stricken, were soon driven into
one of the other forts and for hours
they , bravely withstood the assaults
of the buccaneers until, as Esquemel
ing tells us. Captain Morgan began to
despair of the whole success of the
enterprise. Finally he had a number
of ladders made and forced -. the
priests and nuns whom-' he had cap
tured to set them up against the
walls. Many of these poor creatures
were killed by the defenders, but at
last the ladders were placed. and the
buccaneers swarmed up them carrying
fireballs and pots of powder which
they kindled and hurled among the
Spaniards. The garrison surrendered
at discretion, but the gallant governor
defended himself so obstinately that
the English were forced to kill him.
Morgan remained In Porto Bello sev
eral weeks, plundering the place and
torturing the citizens to induce them
to reveal the hiding places of their
riches.
Though an important place In the
transshipment of gold from the west
coast of South America, Porto Bello
ever was a large town, but for sev
eral weeks each year It was very
populous. This was at the time at
the annual fair, when the galleons
from Spain were in the harbor wait
ing for the mule trains to bring the
gold from Panama. Then merchants
and adventurers from all that part of
the world gathered In the village and
trade was brisk in the big building
now called the custom house, whose
ruined walls 'still are Btandlng. Mer
chandising, drinking and fighting divid
ed the time until the galleons set sail
for Spain with their golden cargoes.