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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1902)
n. ORVA GAZE SEMI-WEEKLY. V SSS,&,2JLaSi. Consolidated Feb., 1899. COEVALLIS, BENTON COUNTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1902. VOL. III. NO. 14. A' STUDY IN SCARLET. BY A. CONAN DOYLE. PART I. Being a reprint from the reminis cences of John H. Watson, M. D., late of the army medical department. CHAPTER I. In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London and proceeded to Netley to go through the coarse presented for sur geon b in the army. Having completed my studies there, I was daly attached to the Fifth North umberland Fusiliers as assistant sur geon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it the second Afghan war had broken oat. On landing at Bombay I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes and was already deep in the enemy's country. I followed, however, with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my legiment, and at once entered upon my new duties. The campaign brought honors and promotion to many, but for me it had nothing but disaster and misfortune. I was removed from my brigade and attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served at the fatal battle of Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen ioto the hands of the murderous Ghazia had it not been for the courage and devotion shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a pack horse and succeeded in bringing me safely into the British lines. Worn with pain and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had under gone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawur. Here I rallied, and had already im proved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a lit tle on the veranda, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions. For months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I was so weak and emaciated' that a medical board determined that iiot a day should be lgst in sending me back to England. I was dispatched accordingly in the troopship Orontes, and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in at tempting to improve it. I had neither kith nor kin in Eng land, and was therefore as free as air or as free as an income of eleven shill ings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances I natural ly gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the empire are iireaistab ly drained. There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortable, meaningless existence and spending such money as I had consid erably more freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country or that I must make a complete altera tion in my style of living. Choosing the latter alternative, I be gan by making up my mind to leave the hotel and take up my quarters in some less pretentious and less expen sive domicile. On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Criterion bar, when some one tapped me on the shoulder, and, turning round, I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser undei me at Bart's. The sight of a friend's face in the great wilderness of London is a pleasant thing, indeed, for a lonely man. In old days Stamford had never been a particular crony of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm, and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me. In the exuberance of my joy I asked him to lunch with me at the Hoi born, and we started off together in a hansom. "Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?" he asked, in undin- guised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. "You are as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut." I gave him a short sketch of my ad ventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our desti nation. "Poor devil!" he said, com mine rat ingly, after he had listened to my mis fortunes. "What are you up to now?" "Looking for lodgings," I answered. "Trying to solve the problem as to whether it is possible to get comforta ble rooms at a reasonable price." "That's a strange thing," remarked my companion; "you are the sceond man today that has used that expres sion to me." ''And who was the first,' I asked. "A fellow who is working at the chemical laboratory up at the hospital. He was oemoaning himself this morn ing because he could not get some one j to go halves with him in some nice rooms which he had found and which j were too much for his purse." "By Jove!" I cried, "if he really wants some to share the rooms and the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner to be ing alone." Young Stamford looked rather HI strangely at me over his wine glass. "You don't know Sherlock Holmes yet, he said; "perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion." "Why, what is there against him?" "Oh, I didn't say there was anything against him. He is a little queer in his ideas an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as I know, he is a decent fellow enough." "A medical student, I suppose?" I said. "No; I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy, and he is a first class chemist; but, as far as I know, he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out-of-the-way knowledge which would astonish his professors." "Did you ever ask him what he was going in for," I asked. "No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be commu nicative enough when the fancy seizes him." "I should like to meet him," I said. "If I am to lodge with any one, I should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence. How could I meet this friend of yours?" "He is sure to be at the laboratory. He either avoids the place for weeks or else he works there from morning to night. If you like we shall drive round together after luncheon." "Certainly," I answered; and the conversation drifted away into other channels. As we made our way into the hos pital after leaving the Hoi born Stam ford gave me a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to take as a fellow lodger. "You mustn't blame me if you don't get on with him ;" he said; "I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in the laboratory. You proposecLthis ar rangement, so you must not hold me responsible." "If we don't get on it will be easy to part company," I answered. "It seems to me, Stamford," I added, look ing hard at my companion, "that you have some reasons for washing your hands of the matter. Is this fellow's temper so formidable, or what is it. Don't be mealy-mouthed about it." It is not easy to express the inex pressible," he answered, with a laugh. Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes it approaches to cold blooded ness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vege table alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry, in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do him justice, I think he would take it him self with the same readiness. He ap pears to have a passion for exact and definite knowledge." "Very right, too." "Yes, but it may be pushed to ex cess. When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking rather a bizarre shape." "Beating the eubjects? "Yes, to verify how far bruises may be produced after death. I saw him at it with my own eyes." "And yet you say he is not a medical student?" "No. Heaven knows what the ob jects of his studies are! But here we are, and you must form your own im pressions about him." As he spoke we turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small door, which opened into a wing of. the great hospital. It was familiar ground to me, and I needed no guiding as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and made our way down the long corridor, with its vista of whitewashed walls and dun colored doors. Near the farther end a low arched passage branched away from it and led to the chemical laboratory. This was a lofty chamber, lined and littered with countless bottles. Broad, low tables were scattered about, which bristled with retorts, test tubes and lit tle Bunsen lamps, with their blue, flickering flames. There was only one student in the room, who was bending over a distant table absorbed in his work. At the sound of our steps he glanced around and sprang to his feet with a cry of pleasure. "I've found it! I've found it!" he shouted to my companion, running to ward us with a test tube in his hand. I have found a reagent which is preci pitated by haemogoblin, and by noth ing el 6e. ' Had he discovered a gold mine great er delight could not have shone upon his features. "Doctor Watson Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said Stamord, introducing us. "How are you? he said, cordially, gripping my hand with a strength fr which I should hardly have given him credit. "You have been in Afghanis tan, I perceive." "How on earth did you know that," I asked in astonishment. '"Never mind," said he, chuckling to himself. "The question now is about haemogoblin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of mine?" "It is interesting, chemically, no doubt," I answered; "but prac tically " "Why , man, it is the most practical medico-legal discovery for years. Don't yon see that it gives us an lnfai lible test for blood stains? Come over here now!" He seized me by the coat sleeve in hia. eagerness and drew me over to the table at which he had been working. "Let us have some fresh blood,", he said, digging a long bodkin into his finger and drawing off the re sulting drop of blood in a chemical pipette. "Now I add this small quan tity of blood to a litre of water. You see that the resutling mixture has the appearance of true water. The pro portion of blood cannot be more than one in a million. I have no doubt, however, that we shall be able to ob tain the characteristic raection." As he spoke he threw into the vessel a few white crystals . and then added some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a dull mahogany color, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom of the glass jar. "Ha! Ha!" he cried, clapping his hands and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. "What do you think of that?" "It seems to be a very delicate test," I remarked. "Beautiful! Beautiful! The old guaiacum test was very clumsy and un certain. So is the microscopic examin ation for blood corpuscles. The latter is valueless if the stains are a few hours old. Now, this appears to act as well whether the blood is old or new. Had this test been invented there are hun dreds of men now walking the earth who would long ago have paid the pen alty of their crimes." "Indeed!" I murmured. "Criminal cases are continually hing ing on that one point. A man is sua pected of a crime months perhaps after it is committed. His linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains dis covered upon them. Are they blood stains, or mudstains, or ruststaine, or fruitstains, or what are they? There is a question which has puzzled many an expert; and why? Because there was no reliable test. Now we have the Sherlock Holmes test, and there will no longer be any difficulty." His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up in his imagination. "You are to be congratulated," I remarked, considerably surprised at his enthusiasm. "There was the case of Von Bischoff at Frankfort last year. He would cer tainly have been hung had? this test been in existence. Then there was Mason, of Bradford, and the notorious Muller, and Lefevre, of Montpelier, and Samson, of New Orleans. I could name a score of cases in which it would have been decisive." "You seem to be a walking calendar of crime," said Stamford, with a laugh. You might start a paper on those lines. Call it the 'Police News of the Pat.' " "Very interesting reading it might make, too," remarked Sherlock Holmes, sticking a small piece of plaster over the prick on his finger. "I have to be careful," he continued, turning to me with a smile, for I dabble with poi sons a good deal." He held out his hand as he spoke, and I noticed that it was all mottled over with similar pieces of plaster and discolored with strong acids. "We came here on business." said Stamford, sitting down on a three- legged stool and pushing another one in my direction with his foot. "My friend here wants to take diggings, and as you were complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought that I had better bring you together." (To be Continued.) BKIEF BUT KILLING. Remedy Was Not Recommended, But Wat Very Effective In Its Way. A recent West Philadelphia political meeting was maraed by the telling of the following story as illustrative of the evil of being too laconic in everyday speech. Brevity was the distinguish ing characteristic of the village where in lived Jim and Zach, farmers, and each the owner of a horse. They met one day and spoke as follows, relates the-Philadelphia Times: "Mornin', Jim!" "Mornin', Zach!" "What did you give your horse for the botts?" "Turpentine." "Good mornin'." "Good mornin'." They again encountered each other a few days later, with this result: "Mornin', Jim!" "Mornin'. Zach!" "What did you say you gave your horse for the botts?" ""Turpentine." "Killed mine." "Mine, too." "Good mornin'!" "Good mornin'!" And Yet, Why Not Make 'Em Happy. An Att-hisoirnian told an old maid recently that she was a sweet old thing, and she has lain awake nights ever since dreaming of him. Men snould be careful tq whom they throw boqnets. Some nice old girls get so few that they exaggerate the importance of a stray blossom. Atchison Globe.' Poker Laws. j White You don't like to play poker with Brown, do you Green No; to tell "the truth, I don't. But why did you think that such was the case? White Because Brown says he likes to play with you. Chicago News. Pertinent. Lady Lecturer My dear children, I love all auimals. I never under any circumstances hurt one. I even have a family of pet toads. I love them so that I catch flies for them. Small Boy Please, missus, ain't flies animals? Hsw te Hike Good Kite. Kite fly In Is one of the best out door amusement that a boy could have; indeed, we know a good many - nen that enjoy It as much as they did when they - were young. The r writer of this is one of them. There la a fascination about it that Is not ' easily described. City boys have lit ' tie chance to In dulge in the sport, except when they A GOOD SXYKB- go to the country or the seashore dur ing vacation, but those who live in the suburbs, or in places where they may conveniently reach the open fields, ought all to have their kites. Fancy designs of all kinds are sold In the shops, but If a boy wishes to have all the fun that there Is In the sport, he ought to make his own kite. Besides, It will give him better service. The accompanying cut shows how a good flyer can be made.' Out of some straight-grained light wood cedar pre ferredmake four sticks, about one eighth of an inch In thickness. Let two of them be twenty-two Inches in length, one seventeen and one-half inches, and the other thirteen and three-fourths Inches. --.Place them as shown In the picture, and tack them firmly where they cross. Cut little notches at the ends of the sticks, and put a string around the whole frame, making it taut and tying it so that It will not slip. Now cut out a piece of very thin manlla paper tissue paper would do, but thin manlla is more serviceable one Inch larger, all around, than the frame, and paste the edge over the string. Make a small hole in the end of the sticks at A, B, C, D. E. and F, and put in a string loosely from A to F, from B to E, and from C to D. Make a string loop from E to F, to which the tall of the kite is to be attached. The string must come through the pa per side of the kite, not the stick side. The cord by which you are to fly the kite should be' attached where the strings cross each other; do this with a loose "knot enclosing 'aSthe strings. For the tail use a strip of muslin about one Inch In width and fifteen feet in length, and attach ten bobs made of paper rolled up. If the kite should dive, add more tail until It sails stead ily. Use fine but strong cord for the fly ing, and don't attempt it in a high wind. Kites always fly better in a moderate wind. - Land of "Pretty Soon." I know of a land where the streets are paved With the things which we meant to achieve. It is walled with the money we meant to have saved. And the pleasures for which we grieve. The kind words unspoken, the promises broken, And many a coveted boon, Are stowed away there in that land somewhere The land of "Pretty Soon." There are uncut jewels, of possible fame, Lying about in the dust, And many a noble and lofty aim Covered with mold and rust; And oh! thislace, while it Beems so near, Is farther away than the moon, Though our purpose is fair, yet we never get there The land of "Pretty Soon." The road that leads to that mystic land Is strewed with pitiful wrecks, And the ships that have sailed- for its shining strand Bear skeletons on their decks, It is farther at noon than it is at dawn, Farther at night than at noon; Oh! let us beware of that land down there The land of "Pretty Soon." Author unknown. K Mrs. Kangaroo. Mrs. Kangaroo has a big pocket, in which she carries her young ones. It Is the coziest kind of a place for a lit tle kangaroo, and sometimes you will find a whole family of brothers and sisters In the pouch at once. However, this Is not the only way Mrs. Kangaroo has of carrying her children. When hunters pursue her she puts all her babies into .her pocket and runs for dear life, but If she feels that the enemy is gaining on her, and that she Is in danger of being captured, she seizes one little one after another with her forepaws and hurls it out of the pocket to one side of her pathway as far as she can throw it. She takes care to do this only at times when the enemy Is not in sight. In this way she is relieved of the weight of the youngs ters, and she can run faster. At the same time her motive is not a selfish one. She throws her babies out In so skillful a manner that It does not hurt them. They are "Soft little creatures, and when they land In a brush heap they are none the worse for It The hunter loses all scent of the little kangaroos by this move ment on the part of the mother, and, at the most, the pursuing party can capture only self-sacrificing Mrs. Kan garoo. Johnny Wanted Jam. Mamma was serving the jam pod ding. "Johnny, will you take a little pud ding?" Johnny Yes; will you give me the ends, please? Mamma But why do you wish to have the ends, Johnny I Johnny Why, when I was in the J kitchen I heard Mary say to cook: "Put a good lot of jam in the ends, cook, because, you know, the ends are always left for us." Nothing-Better Required. Once my sister Floy was sent on an errand for some things for my mother. There was a traveling man there who was selling carpet spankers, and he asked her: : "Has your mother got one of these spankers?" - "No, sir," she replied. "What does she use?" he asked. "Her hand." was the prompt reply. Little Chronicle. Willie's Trouble. "What's the trouble, Willie?" said Mrs. Brown to her small son, who was crying. - "My kite won't fly," sobbed Willie, "and I made it out of fly paper, too." The Little Chronicle. A Fool Qneation. Father (sternly) How many times have I told you to keep quiet? Do you want me to shut you up in the dark closet? Johnny (aged 5) What makes you ask such fool questions, papa? Why He Didn't Play. Old Lady How is it you are not play ing ball with the other little boys? - Small Boy 'Cause I'm de manager of de team, dat's why. BOYS OF FIFTEEN PREFERRED. Employer Saya Those of That Acre Are More Adaptable. "You want a place for a boy?" re peated the head of a large concern, as be glanced up from his desk and looked thoughtfully into the face of an ac quaintance. "How old is the boy?"he Inquired. "Between 14 and 15 years of age," was the reply. "That Is a good age," he commented. "It is easier for him to get a place now that is, of course, providing he has no special training, than it would be three or four years hence. A boy at that time of life has nothing to unlearn in business ways and methods and em ployers are. inclined to give the prefer ence to those who are likely to take hold quickly and make themselves use ful "Then, too, a boy at that time of life begins to show what he is good for, and in the course of two or three years he pretty well determines his future. Of course, there are exceptions to all rules, but It is my experience that boys, like water, soon find their level. Those who are ambitious and become proficient go ahead, while others stay about where they started." "You believe in letting boys make the start in life for themselves?" Inquired his friend, who became interested In the general subject and for the time being lost sight of the specific purposes of his call. "It sounds hard to say that," was the ready response, says the Washington Star, "and as a parent I would hesitate about subjecting my son to the dis couragements which I encountered In my younger days. Still, after all, gen erally speaking, It is the best way. Give a boy a fair mental equipment in fact, a thorough education If he shows an interest In his studies and then let him rely on his own resources. Such a policy Is infinitely better than the cod dling which we sometimes witness. By the way, send the boy you speak of to me and I will see what we can do for him. Good-day." HE REALIZED A GOOD DEAL. The Veteran's Experience at Speculat ing; in Stocks. There are different sorts of interest to be drawn from investments. A man of broad experience values them all. "Speculation is all very well for people who live In the city, right in touch with everything," said the spring goods "drummer" in an airy tone to a group of men gathered on the steps of the postofflce to await the arrival of the stage, "but I never would advise a man who's lived In the country all his days to try any of these schemes for quick money-making. He's sure to lose." "It's all gambling, more or less, I take it," said Obed Pearson, thought fully. "Still, nobody could say I didn't realize anything from my speculation in the Bingtail Gulch Company's stock." "Why, I didn't know I was speaking to a successful operator!" said the drummer, with more respect In his voice and manner. "Would you mind telling me about it?" he asked, as he noted the expectant gaze of the rest of the group. "Seeing It's you, I don't mind," said Mr. Pearson, slowly. "I bought the stock for twenty-five dollars a share six shares with the expectation, bore out and led on by clrc'lars and pros pectuses, that 'twould touch the hun dred mark in the course o' three months. And in eight weeks it had gone down to zero, and would've gone below that, I Judge, If the president and directors hadn't disbanded, so to speak, and gone traveling. "But I realized something; yes, sir! I realized that unless I wanted to spend my last years, and more'n that, the next to last ones, on the poor-farm, the thing for me to do was to burn up all the clrc'lars and prospectuses that come to me in the future without read ing 'em. And I've kept on realizing it to this day, sir." Had Got It All Fixed. "Have you made up your mind where yon will go for, the summer?" "Better than that.- I have made up my husband's mind." Life. One might as well attempt to dip Lake Michigan dry with a pint cup as to get a girl to give up the man she really loves. An Automatic Tank Valve. Begulating the flow of water Into troughs and tanks Is something which causes farmers more or less anxiety and trouble. In the plan as illustrated, the water pipe enters near the top of the tank, which places the valve out of water, thus relieving it of all danger from rust or the collection of sediment Such a valve may.be bought at any hardware store. The pipe may enter nearer the bottom of the tank and If the valve Is kept clear the device will still serve its purpose. Another point In Its favor Is that. If desired, the valve can be closed just as effectually when the tank is one-fourth full as when filled to the brim. The lower half of the long, jointed lever connecting the valve and float 1 gjHkJSJltl 'llJaa J has a shorter one attached to it, the upper end of the latter having a num ber of holes in it. By having a hole In the upper half of the jointed lever and using a pin, the angle at the joint can be changed at will. Making it as large as possible will necessitate the float being lifted near the top of the tank before the valve is entirely closed, but by decreasing the angle the valve will be closed, while the float is still near the bottom. A sealed can or bot tle makes a good float A board or block of wood soon - becomes soaked, and In consequence Its lifting power is greatly diminished. A. L. Williams, In Farm and Home. Killing Peach Tree Borers. For the last eight years I have set peach trees every year, and I never fail to make a thorough application of the tar. With an old paint brush I put it upon the trunk of the trees before set ting, spreading the tar from the roots up the trunk from eight to twelve Inch es. I am careful to remove any borers (hat may be in the trees, as they come lrom the nursery. I keep in mind this fact that the coal tar will not kill the borer, deeply buried under the bark, but will prevent the moth from depos iting Its eggs at the base of the tree. The application of the tar must be made annually thereafter, being sure to finish the work before the moth be gins to fly, which I believe Is from June 1 to 15, usually. In making these annual applications It is necessary, to insure success, that the earth be re moved down to the roots. The bark from the roots up eight to twelve inch es must be completely covered with the tar. In case the tree Is suffering from the effects of the shot-hole borer or fruit bark beetle, I know of nothing that is equal to the coal tar as a remedy. In case of mechanical Injury to a tree the tar Is better than any paint or wash we have ever tried. O. J. Farmer. Feed Trough for Yonnar Pies.' One of the difficulties in feeding young pigs is seeing that each has a fair share of the slop. At the ordinary trough the stronger pigs will drive the -weaker ones off and they fall to get enough food to keep up their growth. A trough .designed to accommodate eight small pigs Is eight-cornered and is made of inch lumber. The sides slant about as those of the ordinary V trough. A spout Is fastened in the mid- FEED TROUGH FOB FIGS. die, into which the slop is poured, which runs down Into the trough. To make this trough first construct a bot tom sixteen inches in diameter. Nail two-by-four pieces around the bottom and use ten-Inch boards for the sides, nailing them securely. No. 12 wire Is stapled around the top and also around the outside, about three Inches down from the top. Nali stout braces from the center spout about seven inches from the bottom, up to every other cor ner of the trough, making four braces and giving between each room for two small pigs to feed. Indianapolis News. To Prevent Soil Washing. Soil washing, to a greater or less ex tent takes place on 75 per cent of roll ing farms, according to one writer. Where It occurs the very best surface soil Is washed Into the valleys, leaving the bare and much less productive clay on higher land. As a certain portion of all farnr.a must be kept under grass it is advisable to allow steep inclines to remain in blue grass or some form of meadow. Such places furnish a good location for trees. These will not only - 'y ! A j prevent washing, but will tend to mod ify the climate by affording protection to stock and checking the heavy winds at all seasons of the year. In any case these slopes furnish excellent sheep pasture so that the land may be made quite as profitable as any that is under the plow. Where it is necessary to cul tivate hillsides It is a good plan to plow under coarse manure, as this will pre vent washing. In some Instances It may be necessary to throw brush Into the gullies and stake it down. Iowa Homestead. Propagating; Grape Vines. To layer a grapevine to obtain new vines to set of some choice variety, let a branch run until there can: be about six feet of It placed on the ground. Then pinch off the end, which will throw the growth into the buds along the cane. JVhen these are well under way place it in the soil about two or three inches deep In a trench about four inches deep. In a few weeks tha trench may be filled level with the sur face. By fall there will be roots from every Joint and they may be separated from the parent stem and from one an other and transplanted where they ara wanted. This is less trouble and more sure than growing them from slips, which should be cut In the fall after the leaves drop, and heeled In. The tops Incline toward the north, at some place where they will be sheltered and not molested during the winter. If well ripened wood of this year's growth Is used, and one or two buds left above ground, with another below, most of them will be found to have rooted in the spring.. If one has but a parent vine of a good sort or can get the branches that his neighbor cuts off when he cuts back In the fall, he can soon start a vineyard at no cost but a little labor. American Cultivator. Dust for Melon Vines. Make some dry arsenite to dust on your melons and cucumber vines at first appearance of the vitora and oth er beetles, made in this way: Boll rne half pound of white arsenic, one pound of salsoda In one-third gallon of water, until the arsenic is all dissolved. Take some quicklime and slake it with ar senic solution until the lime Is a pow der, and It will take about a gallon of lime, perhaps less, to take up the arsen ical water; then dilute this with more lime to make five gallons of dry lime and arsenic to dust on the buggy plants. Make dry Bordeaux for fungus by dis solving your bluestone in water, then, taking enough of the blue water to slake enough quicklime to make a dry, blue dust to shake on. Fruit World. Keep the Cow's Tail Clean. The simple device here illustrated can be used in nearly every cow stable to keep the tails clean and prevent the cows from switch ing during milking in fly time. A piece of heavy cord, with a loop In each end, is fastened above the cow at a and the other end slipped around her tail as shown. When she lies down, this will keep her tall out of the gutter and filth. When about to milk, hang the' cord over a beam or hook at b, which will pull the tail above harm's way.-r New England Homestead. Sheep In the Black Hills. Sheepmen are flocking to the Black: Hills section of South Dakota. It is estimated that the wool clip for this season will amount to nearly half a million pounds of wool for the south ern Black Hills districts. Nearly as many - Angora goats are going In as sheep. These animals have thrived better than expected on the buffalo grass of the Hills ranges, and since Angora wool is worth twice as much as common wool there is much money ill the Angora. When Horses Bolt Their Food. Horses that are greedy and inclined to bolt their food should be fed grain In a wide bottomed manger, and even then It Is well to place a few large pebbles In the bottom the size of a man's fist or larger. This compels slower eating and secures better mas tication. The Chinch Bust in Wheat. The progress of chinch bugs from field to field may be obstructed by making a V shaped trench with the corner of a hoe and filling it with coal tar, the tar to be renewed as soon as It becomes crusted over. Agricultural Notes. Muskmelon blight has become trou blesome in some localities. Failing to get all the buttermilk out, causes butter to become rancid soon. In cultivating onions care should be taken not to work the soil to the bulbs or to hill them. In seeding sour (acid) land to tim othy lime should be thoroughly worked into the soil before the seed is sown. For late strawberry crops a northern exposure, clay soil and late varieties are recommended by the New Jersey station. Even seeds that are strong and large should be watered with care after sow-. Ing them. Drenching is usually bad for them. How long to keep a cow depends upon her work. Age should be given no consideration as long as the old cows are giving a profit : On the farm, to make the most out of the milk and butter, the cows should be bred so as to be coming in fresh : throughout the whole year. All varieties of grapes may be propa gated by layering, and many, like Nor ton Cynthiana, Scuppernong and other hard wooded aestivalis varieties, can not easily be propagated otherwise.