GAZETTE
C0RVALLI8
SEMI-WEEKLY.
VlATl. I Consolidated Feb., 1899.
CORVALLIS, BENTON COUNTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1900.
VOL. I. NO. 12.
ir.
If, sitting with his little, worn-out shoe
And scarlet stocking lying on my Knee,
I knew the little feet had pattered
through
The pearl-set gates that lie 'twixt
heaven and me.
I could be reconciled, and happy, too,
And look with glad eyes toward the
jasper sea.
If, in the morning, when the song of birds
Reminds me of music far more sweet,
I listen for his pretty broken words
And for the music of his dimpled feet,
I could be almost happy, though I heard
No answer and but saw his vacant seat.
I could be glad if, when the day is done
And all its cares and heartaches laid
away,
I could look westward to the hidden sun
And with a heart full of sweet yearning
say,
To-night I'm nearer to my little one
By just the travel of a single day."
If I could know those little feet were
shod
In sandals wrought of light in better
lands,
And that the footprints of a tender God
Ran side by side with his in golden
sands,
I could bow cheerfully and kiss the rod,
Since Bennie was in wiser, safer hands.
If he were dead I would not sit to-day
And stain with tears the wee sock on
my knee;
I would not kiss the tiny shoe and say,
"Bring back again my little boy to me!"
I would be patient, knowing 'twas God's
way.
And that he'd lead me to him o'er
death's silent sea.
But, oh, to know the feet once pure and
white
The haunts of vice have boldly ven-
tured in,
The hands that should have battled for
the right
Have been wrung crimson in the clasp
of sin!
And should he knock at heaven's gate to
night I fear my boy could hardly enter in.
Oshawa (Ont.) Vindicator.
5 LOVE AND LAW. J
IM," said Mr. Perkins to his office
(A boy, "put on some more coal."
"Yes. sir."
"And, do you hear? Take this packet
of papers around to Penn & Ink's, and
ask 'em what they mean by sending me
such a blotted piece of work."
"Yea, sir," and Jim, evidently pre
ferring the snow-freighted air and slip
pery sidewalks of the outer world to the
close little law office, darted off like an
arrow out of a bow.
Mr. Perkins took out a fresh bundle
of quill pens and a quire of legal fools
cap and began to work in good earnest,
when, all of a sudden, a tap came to his
office door.
"Come In," said Mr. Perkins, In a
roice that sounded considerably more
like "Clear out," and a young lady en
tered, dressed In currant-colored meri
no, with a little plumed hat.and a neat
looking flat satchel on her arm.
"I haven't anything to give," said Mr.
Perkins, sternly.
The young lady sat down uninvited,
and then Mr. Perkins saw that she was
very pretty.
"I was not begging, sir," she said
"May I ask, then, what was your bus
iness ?" said Mr. Perkins, more frigidly
than ever.
The young lady took a parcel from
her bag.
"I don't want to buy anything," said
Mr. Perkins.
i "I was not selling, sir," said the lady.
"Please explain your business at
once," said he, tartly. "I have no time
to spare."
"Please allow he to do so. then," said
the young lady. "I was soliciting sub
scriptions for "
"I don't want to subscribe," hastily
Interrupted Mr. Perkins.
"How do you know whether you do
or not," inquired the young lady, with
some spirit, "until you have seen the
work, at least?"
Mr. Perkins smiled a little. She was
brusque, but he didn't altogether dis
like that. And, besides, she was decid
edly original.
"Because there have been at least
three of your craft before you this
morning," said he, "all selling 'Illus
trated Lives of Great Men.' "
"But mine is quite different. Mine is
'Careers of Famous Women,' with steel
plate engravings," persisted the young
lady.
"Your business Is overcrowded," said
Mr. Perkins. "No; you needn't take the
trouble to show me the book. Why
don't you do something else 7"
"Will you tell me what?" said the
young lady, despairingly. "Will you
help me to get anything whereby 1 may
support myself V"
"What can vou do?"
"What can I do! That is what every
body says," she answered, "and be
tween you all I should starve. You are
a lawyer. Will you give mo some law
copying?"
"Can you write a clear and legible
hand?" Mr. Perkins asked.
xbe young lady sat boldly down at a
desk by the chimney-piece.
"I'll show you what 1 can do," said
she.
Mr. Perkins looked over her shoulder
as she wrote, in a quaint, distinct style,
the words:
"My name Is Amy Archdale, and I
want to earn my own living."
"Amy Archdale," repeated Mr. Per
kins. "Rather a romantic name, isn't
ttr
"I had no hand in naming myself,"
retorted Miss Archdale, "so I can't just
ly be held up to blame la that matter."
wr. r-erKlns looked meditatively at
her for a second or two.
"I should think you might teach,"
said he.
"I did try it," said Miss Archdale. "I
was governess in a private family."
"And why did you give it up?"
"Is this a catechism ?" said Miss Amy,
smiling. "Well, I haven't any objec
tion to answering. Do you want me to
tell you the plain truth?"
"Certainly."
"Well, then, It was because my lady
employer did not like to have her
grown-up son address me with common
politeness. Perhaps she thought I was
endeavoring to fascinate him, but she
was entirely mistaken."
"Oh!" said Mr. Perkins. "Please write
down your address."
"Are you really going to give me
some copying to do?" she asked eag
erly. "I am going to try you."
For the first time the tears came Into
her eyes.
"I'll try my very best Indeed, I will,"
she faltered. "For I don't mind tell
ing you now I haven't got a single sub
scription, and I was so discouraged."
And so Miss Amy Archdale walked
off with a red-tape-tied parcel of papers
under her shawl.
"If she does them well and prompt
ly," said Mr. Perkins, ina sort of men
tal soliloquy, "there's no reason I can't
let her have some more work. If she
doesn't it won't be the first case of
female swindling in New York. But
she had a pretty, innocent little face,
too hang it, I've half a mind to go to
her address on the sly and see If she
really is a deserving object of charity,
I was going to say. But it isn't. She
wants work, not alms. There's always
somebody wanting something In this
great, chattering Bedlam of a city of
ours," added Mr. Perkins, irately, as he
drove off two match boys, an apple girl,
and a vender of pins and shoestrings
from his doorstep.
Mr. Perkins followed up his crochet
and walked up to No. 6 Meassey street
about dusk that self-same evening,
heedless of snow and sleet.
"Does a lady named Archdale live
here?" he asked In the grocery which
occupied the first floor.
"Yes, sir, she do," the grocer's wife
interrupted, pushing herself before her
husband, "and a nice, hard-working
young lady she is as ever breathed the
breath of life,- and pays her rent regu
larly every Saturday night, if she has
'VtX. SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN BO."
to live on a cup of water and a crust.
And if she's got any rich relation "
"You mistake my purpose," said Mr.
Perkins, coldly. "I am no rich relation
to any one."
Yet the woman's testimony, coarse
and rudely given as It was, uncon
sciously influenced him in Amy Arch
dale's favor.
She brought the folios next day, neat,
legible, and without blot or erasure,
and Mr. Perkins gave her some more
work.
"You needn't bring it," said he. "I
I have business that way and I'll call
for it myself."
"
"We haven't seen your Uncle Ellsha
lately, dear," said Mrs. Molyneux Mar
tin to her eldest daughter. "Kate must
work a penwiper for him, and you must
embroider him a pair of slippers. It
won't do to let him lose sight of bis
nearest relatives."
"Ma," said Miss Katherine, "It's a
pity you discharged Miss Archdale so
suddenly, because she was so handy at
fancy work."
"And, besides," added Edith Rosa
belle, "it really and truly wasn't her
fault because Walter chose to make
eyes at her!"
"Don't use such vulgar expressions,
my dear," said the mamma. "She was
a pert, bold-faced thing, and would
have eloped with your dear brother If
she had remained in the house another
week. And I told her so, pretty plain
ly, too. Who's that? The postman?
Give me the letter at once, Edith Rosa
belle!" "Somebody has sent us wedding
cards," cried the youngest hope of the
family of Molyneux Martin. "Open it,
mamma, quick, and let us see whom
they are from."
Mrs. Molyneux Martin hastily tore
open the envelope, and giving one
glance at its contents, fell backward
with an hysterical scream.
"Elisha Perkins!" she shrieked.
"Girls, it's your uncle. Alas! my poor,
disinherited pets!"
For Mrs. Molyneux Martin has edu
cated her daughters In the full belief
that each and every one of them was
to be an heiress in the right of Uncle
Ellsha Perkins' money.
"But, mamma, who's the bride
whom has he married? You don't tell
us the name," persisted Katherine, who
was endowed with a goodly spice of
Mother Eve's bequest.
"I don't know! I don't care!"
screamed Mrs. Molyneux Martin, tap
ping the soles of her slippered feet on
the carpet in a way that threatened a
yet more violent attack of hysterica.
"Pick up the cards, Kathie, and look,"
urged Edith Rosabelle.
"Amy Archdale," she read aloud
"Why, ma, it's the governess you dis
charged! It's our Miss Archdale."
"The old fool!" shrieked Mrs. Moly
neux Martin. "To go and marry a glri
young enough to be his granddaughter!
Well, that caps the climax!"
"You forget, ma," said Edith Rosa
belle, "Uncle Elisha's only two years
older than you are. I've heard you say
so lots of times."
"Hold your tongue, you ungrateful,
undutiful daughter," ejaculated Mrs.
Molyneux Martin. "I'll never speak to
him again."
But she did. Sober second thoughts
convinced her that it was better to sub
mit to the inevitable and she was one
of the first to call on Mr. and Mrs.
Elisha Perkins in the elegant brown
stone house that the lawyer bought and
furnished for his bride.
And perhaps one of the most triumph
ant moments of Amy Archdale's life
was that in which she extended a gra
cious and patronizing greeting to the
woman who had turned her out of
doors scarcely three months before.
"Things do balance themselves even
ly in this world, If one only has pa
tience and faith to wait!" she said to
her husband. Cleveland Plain Dealer.
NAVAL BATTLE OF THE FUTURE.
How Maritime Engagements Will Be
Fought in the Next Century.
The Stranger Excuse me, I am a
stranger here. Will you kindly inform
me why all these gayly dressed people
are loitering on the shores of this bay?
The Native Eh? Don't you know?
Why, a great naval battle is being
fought here, and the people for miles
around have come to enjoy the event.
The Stranger I'm new in this part
of the country, but I'm not as fresh,
perhaps, as I look. You tell me that
a great naval battle is being fought
here. And yet as far as the eye can
reach I can discern no boat no, nor
even a ripple on those placid waters.
The Native That's all right. It's a
submarine battle fought by submarine
boats. They are now at It tooth and
nail somewhere about the middle of
the bay.
The Stranger You astonish me.
These people do not look as if they were
attending a battle. The women wear
summer frocks, and the men are in
afternoon clothes, with top hats. And,
see, there is a band over there!
The Native Oh, yes; it's quite a
function. That's the Marine band, and
those women and men about it are the
special guests of the Secretary of the
Navy. You wait around a little while
and we'll have some news. There, see!
At that moment a black object like
a mammoth strong cigar leaped up
ward from the waters and lay quiver
ing on the surface. Every opera glass
was leveled at It, and the stranger
slanted his hand above bis eyes so he
could see better. A grimy man crawl
ed from the midst of the thing and
raised a huge megaphone to his lips.
The Native Hooray! That's old
Commodore Bob Evans' grandson!
The man with the megaphone shout
ed in a stentorian voice:
"We've licked the blankety-blank-blank
socks off of 'em!"
Whereat there arose a great cheer
and a flutter of handkerchiefs, and the
Marine band played, and the Secretary
of the Navy held an impromptu recep
tion, and then everybody went home to
dinner. Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Memories of a Walts.
"Did you ever try to dance with a for
eigner?" asked a Louisville gentleman,
who bad been traveling abroad, of the
Detroit Free Press man. "I did once,"
he continued, "and that experience was
more than enough for me. It happened
at a ball at Mustapha, at the Hotel St.
Georges. I asked an Austrian countess
to waltz, and when we started I sup
posed we would dance in the leisurely
American fashion.
"The countess had a different idea in
her head. She preferred to whirl mad
ly, like a dervish, on a space that could
be covered with a parasol, and, on ac
count of her superior strength, I clung
to her and we began to spin.
"Finally, when it seemed to me that
we were performing our antics on the
ceiling with our heads hanging down,
I could stand it no longer, and, gasping
for breath, suggested that we sit down.
I saw two chairs galloping around the
room and prepared to catch them on
the next lap. We steered for them, I
clinging helplessly to the athletic lady,
and then we sank down. I sat dazed
and almost insensible until I was
aroused by the countess saying:
'Excuse me, but we are sitting on
the same chair.' "
Caesar Wasn't There.
The man on the street car was talk
ing to a friend about his trip through
Greece and the tombs of the ancients
he bad met with, and, after awhile, the
old man opposite, who had been listen
ing closely, leaned forward and re
marked: "Sir, do I understand that you were
in Greece?"
"Yes, sir," was the reply.
"And you saw tombs?" .-;v
"Plenty of them."
"Did you happen to run across the
tomb of Julius Caesar?"
"No, sir. Julius Caesar was not a
Greek, you know." ,.
"That's so that's so. Now, that you
mention it, I remember that he wasn't.
You see, I had kind of got Julius Cae
sar and Christopher Columbus and
George Washington mixed up, and I'm
glad you set me straight Thankee, sir.
Do as much for you some time. Go on
with your tombstones." Washington
Post.
Spain's Hold on Africa.
Spain owns In Africa over 200,000
square miles.
FOR SUNDAY READING
THE GOSPEL OF GRACE IS HERE
EX POUNDED.
Word of Wisdom, and Thought
Worth Pondering Upon Spiritual
and Moral Subjects-Gathered front
the Religions and Secular Press.
Archaeologists and anthropologists
have long taken it for granted that the
principles of evolution are especially
applicable to the history of mankind,
that man has progressed and that the
farther back you go into his history
the more savagery you will find.
These scientists have hooted at the
theological premise which starts with
the "fall of man." Now archaeologists
In the employ of the University of
Pennsylvania find in the Euphrates
Valley evidences of civilization 5,000
years before Christ
The party under Prof. Hilprecht has
found on the site of Nippur, which is
the Calneh mentioned in the book of
Genesis, with Accad, Babel, Erech, as
one of the cities built by Nimrod, the
son of Cush, ample evidence to prove
that the nearer you get to "primitive
man" the weaker the theory of squalid
savagery becomes. When the cave men
and savages of Western Europe were
reveling In dirt and ignorance, in the
region between the Caspian Sea and the
Persian Gulf, there was a highly civil
ized people, living in opulence and lux
ury In large cities, with literature, arts
and sciences, with an imposing archi
tecture. At Nippur the excavations
have left the level of the dawn of the
Christian era behind, and down one can
go to the monuments and atmosphere
of Ashurbanapal, B. C. 600; then the
visitor troads the level of the remains
of the era of Kadashmar-Turgu, B. C.
1400, and, proceeding further, are en
countered sculptured and other remains
of a community living there back of the
time of Abraham (about 1900 B. C.) and
further on, the temple platform of Sar
gon I. is reached, of date B. C. 3800,
and, through the debris thirty feet,
altars, urns and arches, constructed B.
C. 4500, are seen. Here Is a civilization
as highly developed as that of the
Greeks. Tablets are found showing
business contracts in legal form; mort
gages, notes and agreements of all
kinds, as leases, bills of sale, etc. The
Inscriptions when read were found to
fill many gaps in history and corrobora
tion of the Bible historic allusions and
statements, of a conclusive character,
has been unearthed. Had not Nippur
been besieged and" looted quite fre
quently, very much more of value
would be found; but enough remains to
reveal highly civilized life in Mesopota
mia and contiguous regions some 7,000
years ago and over. The records run
far back of Abraham, and the first
chapters of Genesis are shown to be
an epitome of genuine history. The
Hilbrecht party have secured over 40,
000 cuneiform tablets, containing dic
tionaries, chapters of history, astronom
ical calculations, architectural Inscrip
tions, lists of taxes, plans of estates,
multiplication tables and other evi
dences that the daily life of the people
was not so very different from our own.
Des Moines News.
A Heavenly Home.
A soldier tells this story of the civil
war: The armies of Grant and Lee
were encamped near each other, and
there was a lull in the fighting for sev
eral days. At such times it was dif
ficult for the commanders to prevent
Intercommunications between the sol
diers on both sides. Federal bread was
often exchanged for Confederate to-
. bacco, and the men engaged in games
J in spite of orders to the contrary. One
evening a band belonging to the Fed-
j eral army played "The Star Spangled
Banner," and the Federal soldiers
cheered the music, but the Confederates
were silent Then the band played
I "Dixie," and it was the turn of the Con
federates to cheer, but the union army
gave no sign of approval. After a few
national airs and favorite airs of the
i Confederates had been played a band
struck up "Home, Sweet Home." Then
both armies cheered till the mingled
voices of the opposing hosts made the
air ring with their gladness. Here was
a sentiment to which all could respond.
The love of home is well-nigh univer
sal In the human breast. Some do not
love England; some have no lova for
Germany; many do not love France;
and some do not love the United States.
They are not charmed by the Stars and
Stripes, nor by our national .airs. But
all men love home. "Be it ever so hum
ble, there's no place like home."
Our heavenly home is bright and fair.
Here Is comfort for the poor and for
the rich. The rich must soon vacate
their magnificent homes and go into
the -silent tomb. The poor have no
homes to vacate, or, If they have any,
they are altogether inadequate. But
those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ
have "a building of God, a house not
made with hands, eternal in the heav
ens." The Father's Attitude.
I have a daughter who Is a very wil
ful child. She loves her own way. Sup
1 pose she should say to me, "Father,
from to-night I am going to put my
life into your hands, to do what you
will. Your will shall be mine." Would
you call her mother in and ask her
what the child disliked, so that I could
force her to do it? No. I say: "Our
child is going to take our will from to
night. Is there anything that is hurt
ing her? Yes. Yes. Does she love It
very much? Yes. Then we'll make it
easy for her. I'll give her all a man
can to make a girl happy. I'll take
away only what will hurt her." ; '"A - "I .
i God knows. He'll take away only
What will hurt us. Say: "I am will
ing to be made willing. Pray make me
again. Make me a man. I yield. I
can hold out no longer. Thy sovereign
love compels me to say that thou art
Conqueror." Before you go to sleep
to-night, yield to Him, and He will be
gin to make every one of you again.
F. B. Meyer.
Next in Importance.
The book next in importance to the
bible is 'The Pilgrim's Progress.' It
has pushed its way to the front rank
of book-making, and holds its place by
the common consent of Christendom
throughout the world, for It has
been translated into many languages
has secured more readers of a relig
ious character than any book entant,
save the Bible. As an allegory it is
true to life; by its charming style it cap
tivates the hearts of its readers and
holds them tenaciously till the Pilgrim
age is completed. It appeals to the ex
perience of all alike to those in the
higher walks of life, the rich and the
great, the student and the philosopher,
as well as to the most lowly. The pea
sant in his cottage, the laborer and the
mechanic, have wept and smiled over
its simple eloquence and enchanting
pages, as over no other book. It has no
peer in the realm of book-making to
dispute the first place with It in tb
estimation of the religious world.--Christian
Herald.
The Guide Wa There.
"Man's extremity is often surely God's
opportunity." Some men were to climb
a high mountain in Norway. A guide
had been hired at a great expense, who
was to call them in the morning. At
the appointed hour they were awaken
ed, but by a boy of only 10 years. The
tourists remonstrated and said tbey
had been cheated, for surely this boy
could not guide them. But the boy
could not understand and simply point
ed to the mountain.
So In disappointment they started,
hoping in some way to et their money
back. The boy led them for about two
miles, when they came to the foot of
the mountain, and there was the guide
with all the appliances for climbing.
He would not waste his strength in
taking them along the comparatively
safe path from the hotel. But he was
ready to aid when the dangers were to
be met. So often God does not reveal
Himself till our time of need.
PERSPIRATION A GOOD THING.
It Saves Many Persons From Sickness
by Cleansing the System.
In hot days many people complain
loudly that' they perspire too freely,
little thinking, that to that fact they
owe the good health they enjoj and Im
munity from heat prostration or sun
stroke. Perspiration is essential to
health. A person in good health never
suffers from the heat or cold uatlesg un
duly exposed. One may be inconven
ienced, but it Is a condition of health,
rather to be sought than to be avoided.
Too much of a good thing, however, is
not desirable. Proper care of the body,
proper diet, proper exercise, with pro
per bathing, will produce the normal
condition in which condition the heat
will not oppress any one. Let me es
pecially caution against the too sudden
checking of perspiration. Millions of
canals and tubes from the inner part
of the body open their little mouths at
the surface and through these channels
as ceaseless as the flow of time, a fluid
containing the wastes and impurities
of the system is passing outward and
is emptied out of the skin.
This fluid must have exit or we die In
a few hours. If it does not have vent
at the surface of the body, it must have
some internal escape. Nature abhors
shocks as she does a vacuum. Heat
distends the mouth of these ducts and
promotes a larger and more rapid flow
of the contained fluid; on the other
hand, cold contracts them, and the fluid
Is at first arrested, then dammed up and
then It rebounds. If these mouths are
gradually closed nature has time to
adapt herself to the circumstances by
opening her cannels into the great in
ternal waterways of the body, and no
harm folloW's; hence the safety and
wisdom of cooling off slowly after any
exertion, and the danger of cooling off
rapidly under the same circumstances.
Encourage perspiration, under proper
conditions and with proper precautions.
Always keep the surface of the body
warm and clean and at the end of the
season you will be mentally, morally
and physically sound.
Mou tains of the Deep.
Many miles off the coast of New
foundland the bottom of the ocean rises
in a remarkable way and forms a com
partively shallow basin enormous in ex
tent and surrounded by water five miles
deep. This region is known as the New
foundland Banks, and is the famous
trysting place of the merciless fogs and
ice-clad brotherhood of the North. As
these Icebergs approach tne warmer
climate the action of the sun and water
upon them is remarkable, and does for
them what the sculptor's chisel does for
the block of marble. Out of shapeless
masses appear forms of the finest arch
itecture; a drifting mountain careens,
topples over, and finally twists itself
into a beautiful cathedral or a many
turreted fortress, set high upon an ele
vation of clearest marble; vast interiors
formed by icy arches springing from
great bits of a breaking berg; and all
these forms draped with rich traceries
of cream-white lace In designs un
dreamed of. Then, too, the melting Ice
on the crests of these bergs falls down
the slippery sides and Into the sea In
streams and cascades; and, strange as
It seems, this water Is always fresh, de
spite the surrounding salt of the ocean.
Woman's Home Companion.
If a man Is made of dust that may
explain way so many men are always
dry.
Portable Poultry Houses.
Here are plans for portable poultry
houses, which may be easily moved
about to fresh ground. They are not
too costly, but yet substantial. The
plans here given are of houses which
will accommodate fifty fowls each at
least, and are light enough to be moved
by a single horse. Fig. 1 Is a house
that will cost about five or six dollars,
needing only four hundred feet of
boards, all complete, but without a
floor which is not really required. The
size is seven by five feet and seven feet
high. The wheels are of wood, made
of five or six pieces a foot In diameter
nailed together, crossing the grain of
each pieces to prevent splitting. Fig.
2 is eleven by eight feet and will easi
ly hold a hundred fowls. It will cost
about one-fourth more than Fig. 1.
These portable houses are moved from
one location to another by one horse
KIG. 2.
hitched by a chain to a ring in the
front sill, and to sustain the draft a
two-Inch plank is dove tailed into the
front and end sills, and strongly spiked.
The house is quite light not weighing
over 1,500 pounds in all, and one-third
less if the common siding, scant three
quarters of an Inch thick is used.
The Value of a Windmill.
We take the following from the
Farming World, as It tells what many
would like to know: "The Wisconsin
Experiment station thus sums up the
value of a wind mill: To test the econ
omic value of the pumping done by the
mill a 2-horse power gas engine was
put to running the same pumps, and it
was found that it cost 95 cents to run
the engine ten hours, and in that time it
pumped 13,202 cubic feet of water,
while the average for the mill was 3,
938 cubic feet in ten hours. Hence, it
cost 32 cents to pump as much water
with the engine as the mill pumped in
ten hours. As the mill had an average
of 14 hours per day, it would have
cost 43 cents to pump as much water
with the engine as the mill pumped
each day, or $156.95 for one year of 365
days. Tests made in grinding corn with
the power furnished by this windmill
showed that when the wind had a ve
locity of nine miles an hour, It would
grind about 100 pounds an hour; a ve
locity of twenty-five miles per hour
g-oundf over 500 pounds per hour, and
a velocity of thirty-five miles per hour
ground over 1,000 pounds per hour.
The 25-mile wind enabled the mill to
develop about 2 2-3 horse power. The
work done shows that In a whole year
the mill would grind 15,560 bushels.
The 2 horse power engine was able to
grind on the same grinding mill as
much in 136 days as the windmill would
grind in 365 days, It costing 99 cents a
day to run the engine. Hence, when
applied to the corn mill the power of
the windmill was worth 136x99 cents,
or $134.64 per year."
Irrigation Problems.
There is probably at present no com
mercial problem more important to the
Western agriculturist than that of Ir
rigation. Nowhere In the world Is fruit
growing more highly developed than
In California, and nowhere in this coun
try Is water more valuable or more
carefully handled and conserved. But
irrigation has to be Intelligently ap
plied, and. like everything else, may be
overdone. Over-irrigation results In
overgrown, insipid rruu. insufficient
j moisture shows Itself In poor growth,
j poor fruit and Intermittent bearing.
One of the most popular methods of
applying irrigation water, and one
which is available to the small farmer,
with a comparatively small outlay, is
the furrow system, which consists In
running the water through furrows,
near together, usually about two feet
' apart. By ditching and the use of
small reservoirs streams from springs
or windmills, which. If left to them
selves, would be lost within a snort dis
FIG. 1.
tance from their source, can be stored
and made to water an acre or two of
fruit and add many times the cost of
the reservoir to the value of the crop.
These and other interesting problems,
some suitable for the humid regions,
as well as the arid regions, are treated
by a recent Farmers' Bulletin on Irri
gation in Fruit Growing, about to be
issued by the Department of Agricul
ture for free distribution.
' Corn as a Substitute for Hay.
The experience of last summer, so
far as the hay crop was concerned,
ought to put farmers on their guard
to avpid a like result this year. To the
man whose experience in growing for
age crops is limited, corn should be the
crop on which to bank, not only for
needed summer fodder, but to harvest
as a substitute for hay, if needed. The
soil should be well fitted and enriched,
and the seed of the variety selected
drilled in so that it may be dropped In
three rows at a time. Cultivate in the
usual way, and that portion not used as
green food during the summer should
be harvested before frost In the fall.
If well cut, cured and housed, this corn
stover will make an excellent substi
tute for hay if properly manipulated
before being fed. Vast quantities of
corn fodder are yearly ruined by being
left in the field cut and uncut during
heavy fall frosts that take much-of
Its nutriment. If a silo is not on the
farm, store the corn stalks under cover
after curing, and when about to feed,
cut in a machine that will split the
stalks as well as cut them. Moisten this
fodder with ground grain and all of the
stock, even the horses, will thrive upon
It. Exchange.
The Prairie-Dog Pest.
A correspondent In the Kansas Farm
er says: "Six years ago I had a prairie
dog town in my pasture. Its noisy pop
ulation on a sunshiny morning could
be counted by the hundreds. We had
tried to reduce it with dogs, drowning
out, and shooting, but the increase
seemed steady and fixed. A miller who
had used bisulphide of carbon to rid
his mill of rats recommended Its use
against prairie dogs. I procured two
gallons of the odoriferous fluid, a buck-,
etful of corn cobs chopped into short
pieces, and a sharp pointed stick. Tak
ing along a man wittf spade, I moved
on the town. A piece of cob placed
temporarily on the sharp point of the
stick and dipped Into the fluid was in
troduced Into each hole, and the stick
withdrawn, leaving the cob. Then the
top of the hole was filled with earth.
Each and every opening we could find
received this treatment. The next
morning only two dogs showed them
selves. When pursued they seemed to
find holes that we had overlooked, but,
as ours was a war of extermination, we
administered the treatment to these
holes, and we have never since seen a
prairie dog in that pasture."
A Good Pea Rake.
Many farmers will And the rake a
very convenient implement for gather
ing fleld-sown peas. They should be
raked out when they are damp, the
windrows immediately loosened and
made into bunches of the proper size
for loading. They can then be drawn
In when dry without much loss by
shelling. I sow three and one-half
bushels of the larger varieties to the
acre with the drill, sowing early and
as deep as possible. I find it is better
to leave the surface of the soil ridged,
so that when the vines go down, the air
having a better chance to circulate un
derneath, they are not so apt to spoil.
Good results have been obtained show
ing three bushels to the acre checked.
C. L. Campbell.
New Plants.
The enthusiasm of seedmen frequent
ly leads them to make statements In
their catalogues that are not borne out
by actual practice under all conditions.
A given forage crop may produce
abundantly under favorable conditions
in a climate very different from that of
Oklahoma. A forage crop that does
well here may yield very poorly else
where. For this reason farmers every
where should be cautious before buy
ing largely of untried seeds and plants.
There Is an experiment station in each
State that , is on the watch for new and
good things, and these stations are in a
position to know the truth about such
things.
" T i
Cow Peas as Green Manure.
The Agricultural Epltomist says
seme of the farmers in the South have
succeeded In growing larger crops after
cow peas when they have taken the
vines off for fodder, and plowed under
the roots and stubble, than when they
have plowed the whole crop under. It
scarcely seems reasonable, and yet
there may be abundant reason for it.
But whether this is exact or not the
crop of cow peas and vines are esti
mated to be worth about $20 per acre
for fodder, and we should much prefer
to feed It out and use the waste, the
excrements of the cattle that eat It to
fertilize the soil with.
Antiquity of Onions.
Onions and cucumbers are two of the
very oldest known vegetables. Like
peas, the Egyptians grew them at least
thirty centuries ago. Indeed, to the
onion belongs probably the honor of
being the first vegetable primeval man
ever made trial of. Onions are not
found growing wild anywhere, but a
kind of leek Is not uncommon In South
ern Siberia, which is very like the
Welsh national emblem.
Planting Sweet Potatoes.
Take an old broom handle, 3 or 3
feet long, and flatten two sides slightly
at one end and cut a notch one-half
inch deep. The vines are cut from 15
to 20 inches long and dropped on raised
rows every 200 baches. Drop three 'or
four rows, then follow with the stick,
pressing the vines in the beds about
4 Inches deep.