THE WEST SHORE.
181
garden, for space in Antwerp is restricted, and a small
" oour," paved with tiles, serves both for light and ven
tilation. It seems strange that the interiors of the ho
tels are as inodorous as they are, since the " cabinet "
are Uounlly without any window, and there is no flutm
ing apparatus. Apparently, the syHtem is like that in
use in Paris; the solids are separated from the liquid,
and the odorless exoavators of the municipality remove
the former at frequent intervals.
In the matter of shops, Antwerp is considerably be
hind Brussels. I say shops, because the American store
is a misnomer when applied to establishments of mod
erate size, devoted entirely to one class of goods. Trades
seem to be more separated thau in the Uuitod States.
Antwerp has no fine continuous line of shops, but they
are dotted about everywhere, many of the best iu the
narrowest street. W. N. Lockinyhm, in liuihliiuj.
REDEEMING TRAITS OF ALKALI SOIL.
Dr. E. W. Ililgard, professor of agriculture and bot
any in the University of California, presented a valuable
paper on "Some Redeeming Traita of Alkali Soils," at
a recent meeting of the Society for the Promotion of
Agricultural Science, from which we gathor the follow.
in facts:
It is the general impression that an alkaline soil, that
is, one manifesting saline elllorcHenoe, is of very littlo
agricultural value. Such soils aro, however, often very
rich in the three ingredient most needed by impovor.
ished soil, via.: the salts of potash, phoephorio acid and
nitrocon. The alkali lands are the result of an arid cli
mate, in which the rainfall is not sulVieiout to leach the
surface soil of its alkaline salts. The salt found in the
alkaline soils of California are of those classes, via.: the
neutral salt of alkali, such as common salt, (Haulier
mlf And auhihatea and chlorido of poIuhIi, etc These
are injurious only when present in considerable qiianti
ties. Secondly, the earth salts, such as Kpsoui salt,
copperas, eta The cheap and effective remedy for those
is lime. Thirdly, the alkaline carUmates. Those are
injurious in small quantities, rendering the soil-water
corrosive to plant. The antidote is gypsum, or land
plaster, which changos the oorrosive carlxmatee into
bland sulohatea. This antidote has been employed and
It mi lil ha mnra irnnnrallv known and Used. Prof, llil-
irard is saturnine that trypsum, in conjunction with ju.
dicious culture will reolaim all but tho worst alkali soils.
The gypsum fixes both the phosphoric acid and jxiUudi,
and prevent their escape when Hie land is aiierwaru ir
riimted.
Those alkali soils have a high nmisture-alsiorbing
nnwnr. which exert a most important influence npon
vegetation. When the moisture supply " thia
high absorption power may turn the scale between a
oood and a Door crop. Passongor on a railroad traiu
are atruck by the occasional apearance of bright green
amour the general drab summer garb of the plain.
Those spot an where there is a greater amount of al
kali, but they are not the preferred feeding places for
cattlo. The soluble salt of tlie alkali soils accumulate
at or near the surface, by capillary ascent and evapora
tion of wntor, on thnt townnl tho cud of sumwur Uy
may bo removed by a aorapor. A soil that before would
grow only alkali gross, will, after this removal, produce
a crop of graiu the next season. Under a hot midday
sun tho surfaco sou of Urn becomes so dry that a gust ot
wind raises a cloud of dust most irritating to the eyes of
man and beast As the sun declines a moist surface
takes tho place of the dry dust, A dressing ot land
plaster, Prof. Hilgard believes, will change these deso
late areas into profitable farm land.
There is no reason for questioning tho power of cul
tivated plant to avail themselves of a part of the mois
ture accumulated by delequescent salts. When those
oorrosive salt aro less abundant, crops, and largo ones,
may be grown. We must not forgot the fact that these
soils are exceedingly rich. Tho author ot the paper
writes from a vory wide experience on the plains, lie
boliovea that many of the mooted questions in agricul
tural chemistry and physics aro more advantageously
studied in the field than iu oxioriiiient ploU or the lab
oratory, lie is also of the opinion that the vast unpro
ductive areas in tho West should form a subject or
careful study for the United State geological survey, or
be placed iu tho bauds of the department ot agriculture
for investigation. If these mm lands oan tiecome pronU
ablo it is now time they te made so.
MISTAKES 07 LIFB.
Hoinoliody ho condensed the mistake of life, and
arrived at the conclusion that there are fourteen of
them. Most iiooplo would say, if they told the truth,
that there was no limit to tho mistakes of life; that they
wore like tho dn of the ocean or tho sand of the
shore in nuuiW, but it i well to I accurate. Here,
then, are fourteen groat misbiku: It i a great mistake
to sot up our own standard of right and wrong and judge
other people accordingly; to measure the enjoyment of
other by our own; to expect uniformity o opinion in
this world; to look for judgment ami xtertonoe in
youth; to endeavor to mould all opinions alike; to yield
... . . k a t t
to immaterial trill.; to look or ioriooiioii in our own
actions; to worry ourwko and others with what oan
t be remedied; not to alleviate all that need allevia
tion a far a lie in our power; not to make allowance
for the iuflrinitie of other; to consider everything Ira
possible that we cannot Hrform; to Mieve only what
our finite miud can grasp; to expect to lo able to tin
derstaud everything.
Tin bt thinir are nearest; breath in our nostril,
light in our eyes, flowers at our foot, dutie at our hand,
the path of Uod lx'fore u. Then do wH grasp ai w
star, Ixit do life's plain common work a it come, oon-
sciou that daily dutio and daily brew! are tne swsei
thing of life.