GAZETTE.
CORVALLIS
SEMI-WEEKL.Y.
SIStaKS.S!9i'i... i Consolidated Feb., 1899.
CORVALLIS, BENTON COUNTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1900.
VOL. I. NO. 33.
OLD FRIENDS.
We hire them very dearly, the old famil
iar places,
The road where evei-y turn we know,
the trees that o'er it bend;
The meadow grasses waving, and tiie lit
tle flower faces,
Aad the lifted hills, benignant, each one
a steadfast friend.
We love the soft and springing sod, oft
as our footsteps press it
The little wayside briars that reach
their clinging fingers out;
The lowly nest half hidden in the dusky
hedge God bless it!
And all the common things that gird
the common day about.
There's one wide branching maple that
was tall when we were tending
The baby lambs beneath it in the years
of long ago.
There's one great shadowy oak that
stood, its friendly shelter lending
To our parents, when they courted, it
tenting shade below.
The trees, the hills, the pastures, the
lanes we oft have trodden,
Of us they are a part, our blood has
caught a thrill from them.
We may walk to-day in purple, where
once we walked in hodden,
But the selrf-same soul is in us; we
are theirs in root and stem.
We love them very dearly, the old fa
miliar places;
In Heaven I think the road will wear
a look like ours at home;
The fields of living green recall the pleas
ant beckoning fa.- -Of
the meadow-lands that hold us fast,
how far soe'er we roam.
Youth's Companion.
ROOM-CLERK BROWN
MM
1
s
F
ERSONS who are naturally
bright and observant, and who
give their whole attention to some
particular pursuit or branch of busi
ness, often develop wonderful powers
of observation and memory. Thus with
the teacher whose life is given to the
mental growth of Innumerable pupils,
the physician with his recurring army
of patients, the successful merchant,
the commander of an army.
And so, in a way, was it with Brown,
room clerk of the Rldgewood. He had
accepted the position as a distinct rise
in his fortunes, and had taken to it a
naturally good memory and a genial
disposition. Guests came to look upon
him as a rather pleasant feature of the
house, and the proprietor realized that
to him was owing much of his own
growing reputation as host of a select
family hotel. Transients who stopped
for a few days, arid then went away
for years, came back to be surprised
and warmed by the cordial recognition
Sf Boom-clerk Brown. And not only
were they recognized, but their prefer
ences and peculiarities were remember
ed. This guest was assigned a sunny
room, and that a quiet one on the back,
and very likely at the end of a passage;
the man who loved checkers was unob
trusively made acquainted with others
of like tendency, and the golfers and
fishermen and confirmed trampists
were not forced to wait for slow cir
cumstances to bring them into contact
with congenial associates, but were be
ing Introduced to them within an hour
or two after their arrival. And it was
all through the watchfulness of Brown.
Hecker, the misanthrope and wan
derer, who did not have a tie in the
world, and who rarely remained at a
place more than a week at a time, was
one of these. He had once spent three
days at the Uldgewood, and ten years
later, happening to be crossing that
section of the country, had again gone
there.
It was during the height of winter
travel, and as he stood behind the group
that was pushing eagerly forward to
register, he wondered If he would be
able to obtain accommodation.
But at that moment he caught a
glance from room-clerk Brown.cordial,
reassuring; and a few moments later,
when he had edged his own way for
ward to the desk, he was accosted with :
"Glad to see you back, Mr. Hecker.
Your old room, 37, is all ready; and we
will have the evening papens sejit up,
as usual. I suppose you will want a
carriage in the morning? Yes, well,
we will have it round at the same hour,
and the same driver, too the one you
said knew how to keep still, you re
member? He is still driving."
Mr. Hecker actually smiled as he
went up to his room. He did not have
a home in the world, and scarcely a
friend; but this, he was pleased to
think, seemed very much like both.
He had come with the intention of
staying two or three days, or perhaps
a week; but he had no place planned
for the week following. So he spent
that at the Ridgewood, and the suc
ceeding week, and month, and then did
not go. Two years had slipped away,
and he was still in his old room, 37, to
which the evening papers were sent
up, as usual. And every pleasant morn
ing the same carriage and driver came
round at the same hour and took him
for a drive somewhere out into the
country.
Of course, Mr. Hecker was rather
an extreme case, and one to which the
proprietor was fond of alluding when
speaking of his room-clerk, Brown;
but there were others who came for a
day or week or month, and who linger
ed on indefinitely. In time the perma
nent and regular guests of the Ridge
wood became so numerous that tran
sients were often forced to seek accom
modation elsewhere; and so the name of
Room Clerk Brown went abroad.
one aay, as Mr. uecKer was Jing
down a side street near the railroad
station, he saw the Ridgewood porter
grasping a shrinking figure which
seemed too frightened to protest or
ven to attempt escape. The porter
waa hurrying him .toward the hotel,
and appeared to be both exultant and
angry. As they came opposite, Mr.
Hecker looked at the porter inquiring
ly. "What's up?" he asked.
"It's a thief I've catched, sir," the
man explained; "he was stealing a ride
on the south-bound train, and the con
ductor put him off. I knew the fellow
soon's I set eyes on him. Stand up,
you?" to the prisoner, 'Won't go to fail
ing down now. Wait till you get into
jail for that. You see, sir, he came here
twelve years ago and said he lived ten
or fifteen miles back in ' the woods
somewhere, and that his children were
starving and he must have work. I
felt sorry for him, and went to Mr.
Brown, who got a job for him as as
sistant porter. And, sir, would you be
lieve it," shaking the prisoner violently
and becoming red in the face as he did
so, "the villain worked just three hours,
and then stole Mr. Brown's watch. He
said his wife was sick and needed
medicine, and that his children were
starving; but they always say that
Why, sir, he was so obstinate that he
wouldn't even give up the watch at
first; he said if they'd only let him sell
it and send the money home, they could
put him in jail for all the rest of his
life. Just think," contemptuously, "no
body but a fool would ever say a thing
like that But then, the fellow ain't
over and above sensible, as anybody
can see."
"Perhaps you have made a mistake,"
suggested Mr. Hecker, mildly. He was
looking at the pitiful, shrinking figure
before him, and not at the porter. "You
know people often do. It was twelve
years ago, you say, and the man only
worked a few hours. Perhaps this is
not the one. He has not acknowledged
it, has he?"
"Not he, sir; be ain't opened his
mouth yet But I know. He escaped
the very first night after stealing the
watch, and slipped up north some
where. We've heard of his sending a
few dollars home now and again, in a
roundabout way. I suppose he wanted
to see his folks, and tried this way to
get to them. Maybe he didn't have any
money. No, sir, there ain't any man
ner of doubt it's him. But if you'd like
to feel sure, you can come along with
me. You know, Mr. Brown's way; if
he says it's him, it's him; and if he says
it ain't why then I've been mistaken,
that's all. I'm not putting my memory
up against Mr. Brown's and then, it
was Mr. Brown's watch."
Mr. Hecker looked at them and hesi
tated. He disliked to be mixed up in
anything of this sort But there was
something irresistibly pitiful and ap
pealing about the prisoner, and he was
Interested in the room-clerk's memory;
so he turned and accompanied them.
Mr. Brown was behind his desk, but
looked up as they entered.
"Now you just go right up to him
and ask for a job," whispered the por
ter hurriedly; "Mr. Hecker and I will
look the other way and pretend we've
got business of our own. Now do just
what I say!"
Obediently the prisoner shuffled for
ward. "Have ye got any work for me, sir?"
he mumbled.
Not a muscle of Mr. Brown's face
changed.
"Well, no, I don't think we have any
thing just now," he answered pleas
antly; "but let me see, though, can you
chop wood ?"
Slowly the wavering eyes were lift
ed, to his face; but the man seemed
dazed.
"Yes, sir; hit's what I've allers did,"
he answered mechanically; "I have
done lived " then he stopped sud
denly. "Well," reflectively, "we could use
about fifty cords of pine and oak wood
for our winter fireplaces. If you're
willing to do the work we'll pay you
market wages."
"But look here, Mr. Brown!" ex
ploded the porter excitedly."don't you
know that man? He's the fellow who
stole your watch twelve years ago."
The room-clerk's eyebrows rose a
trifle.
"I don't think you were cut out for a
detective, Thomas," was all he said.
The porter stared and changed color.
"Then It ain't him after all," he ejacu
lated wonderingly; "or or Mr. Brown's
.falling off some. Oh, I I beg your
pardon, sir; I " and overwhelmed by
his confusion and chagrin the porter
turned and rushed away.
Mr. Hecker rubbed his hands under
standingly, for the room-clerk had step
ped from behind his desk and whis
pered a few words to the shrinking
figure, at the same time slipping some
thing into his hand. Then he said aloud:
"There, now you run down home for
a few weeks and see your folk's. When
you are ready to begin on the wood, let
me know."
As the man shuffled out, Mr. Hecker
went forward to the desk.
"I -would like to shake hands with
you, Mr. Brown," he said quietly; "and
at the same time express my opinion
that the porter was mistaken about
your 'falling off.' "Frank H. Sweet.
As She Is SpoVe in China.
The Chinese, If they have mastered
the mysteries of the laundry, have not
yet surmounted the more serious diffi
culties presented by the English
tongue. The following neat little cir
cu'ai has been sent round to prospec
tive English customers in Hongkong
by a firm just starting business: "Toa
dies and Gentlemen: We, the washer of
every kind of clothes, blankets, and so
on; newly established the company and
engaged the business. Contrary to our
opposite company we will most cleanly
and carefully wash our customers with
possible cheap prices. With your
wages we will work the business."
Every mother of a spoiled child says
proudly, as she "fixes" its clothes, "It's
a wonder It isn't spoiled."
FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
A COLUMN OF PARTICULAR IN
TEREST TO THEM.
Something that Will Interest the Ju
venile Members of Every Household
Quaint Actions and Bright Sayings
of Many Cute and Cunning Children.
All the children were begging for a
story. Uncle Hal had told so many
tales that there was scarcely a new
subject left.
"I will tell you a sad story about a
cat," he said at last. "It was a kitten
and It belonged to a little girl named
Rose. Now, this kitten was black and
had long fur, but during the winter
it felt the cold, especially nights, so
the kind cook used to leaVe the oven
door open and there it slept all
night."
"On the oven door?" asked Charlie,
seriously.
"Oh, no. In the oven, the lower
oven, where the wood was kept to dry.
The fires were out, and with the doors
open the oven was just comfortably
warm. Then in the early morning the
cook would call the kitten out and shut
the door before she started the fire.
"One morning she came down and
found the oven door shut. She" was
very busy and did not even think of
the kitten. Of course if the doer had
3een open she would have remembered,
but she started the fire, and a good
hot fire it was. When Rose came down
she ran into the kitchen and looked
around eagerly.
" 'Where is Kitty? she asked. .
"The cook dropped a pan. 'Goodness
gracious,' she cried. She knew that the
beer she had drunk before going to
bed had made her head a little mud
dled, and now she wished she had not
touched it, for then the oven door
would not be found shut. She ran to
the stove, which was nearly red hot by
that time, and w.hen she opened the
door and looked, in, she found that the
poor, little kitten "
"Was all burned up," cried May with
tears In her eyes.
"Oh, Uncle Hal!" exclaimed Charlie.
"The poor little thing!" wailed Edna.
Uncle Hal looked gravely around the
circle of sorrowful faces.
"She found that the poor, little kit
ten," he repeated slowly, "hadn't slept
In the oven at all. for the door had
been shut all night. She was out in
the wood shed in a basket of chips."
"Oh!" cried all the1 children In cho
rus, and then they laughed together,
and Uncle Hal laughed with them.
Optimism vs. Pessimism.
1. Two girls examined a bush. One
observed that it had a rose, the other
that it had a thorn.
2. Two children were gathering flow
ers. One said that the flowers were
plentiful, the other that the sun was
hot
3. Two friends were scaling the
Alps. One exclaimed at the grandeur
of the scenery, the other at the steep
ness of the ascent
4. Two children looked through col
ored glasses. One said, "The world is
bright," the other said, "The world Is
blue." .
5. Two people were out on the sea In
a boat. One admired the beauty of the
waves, the other complained that they
rocked the boat
6. Two boys went out to fly a kite.
One thought the kite mounted finely,
the other grumbled that the string tan
gled. 7. Two people listened to the song of
a bird. One said, "How beautiful the
notes," the other said, "How short the
song."
8. Two maidens by a stream. -One
said, "How clear the water," the other,
"How damp the ground." Fulton Sun.
New people movin' in right next door!
So now I won't fret and fuss no more.
For I can see just all they do,
An' maybe in summer hear 'em, too!
For we alius open winders wide
So's to get the air on ev'ry side.
Course there'll be talkin' an' lots of noise,
That is, if the children's only boys.
Hope there is children, for, oh! dear mel
How tough an' miserable 'twould be
If only old folks should move lb there!
Oh, I'd be so mad! Well, I don't care
They've a dog, i know, for 1 saw him
And I heard the woman call him Jim.
(I'd call him over here if I dared,
An' didn't suppose the woman cared).
There's a baby carriage, and that shows
That they have a baby, I suppose.
And there's another one for a doll!
I'll bet there isn't a boy at all.
Oh. yes, there is, for there goes his wheel.
My, but I'm glad! I'd just like to squeal!
An' now I can see him ev ry day
Mountin' his wheel and ridin' away.
Maylbe he'll holler an' say "Hullo!
Old fellow, look down an' see me go."
He plays baseball, for there is his bat,
An' maybe he'll talk to me of that
An' tell me of the nines, their runs and
all.
I do hope he loves to talk of ball.
An' some day tb dog will come in, too,
An' we can teac him a trick or two
To speak for his food or lie down dead,
Jump through a hoop or stand on his
head.
Guess 'twould take that boy a good long
while
To read all through the books in that
pile.
There goes his sled, an' I s'pose he skates
An' cuts pigeon wings an figure eights.
There's a fishing rod, doubled np Aim;
TKffi
That box, I s'pose, holds his hooks a
line.
Oh, there he comes! An' my! he can
jump
Clear from the steps way down to the
pump.
His back is straight as a soldier's gun
An' his big brown eyes are full of fun.
I wonder now if he 11 notice me,
If I sit right here where he can see.
And kinder whistle soft and yet clear.
But loud enough so he'd have to hear.
He did! An' what d'ye s'pose he did?
Why, winked and hollered, "Hullo there,
kid!
Can you catch?" An' the first thing I
knew
A big red apple came sailin' through
The winder, right square into my lap,
An' he turned away, liftin' his cap.
So now I shan't fret an' fuss no more,
For now I've a neighbor boy next door,
An' I'm sure my back and ugly crutch
Won't bother me now so very much.
Chicago Record.
"He'll Do."
"He'll do," said a gentleman, decisive
ly, speaking of an office boy who had
been In his employ but a single day.
'What makes you think so?"
'Because he gives himself up so en
tirely to the task in hand. I watched
him while he swept the office, and al
though a procession, with three or four
brass bands in it went by the office
while he was at work, he paid no at
tention to it but swept on as if the
sweeping of that room was the only
thing of any consequence on this earth
at that time. Then I set him to ad
dressing some envelopes, and although
there were a lot of picture-papers and
other papers on the desk at which he
sat he paid no attention at all to them.
but kept right on addressing those en
velopes until the last one of them was
done. He'll do, because he Is thorough
and dead in earnest about everything."
You may be naturally a very smart
person; you may fife so gifted that you
can do almost anything; but all that
you do will lack perfection, if you do
not do it with all of your heart and
strength.
MARVELS OF MECHANISM.
Automatons that Have Excited the
Wonder of European Travelers.
Some years ago a jeweler of Bou
logne, France, constructed a wonder
ful automatic conjurer. This figure,
correctly dressed la black, performed
various sleightofeaand tricks with re
markable dexterity, and when it was
applauded gracefully saluted the spec
tators to the right and left One of Its
tricks was the following: It struck &
table several times, and made an egg
come out of it It then blew upon the
latter, when out of it came a bird that
flapped its wings and sang, and after
ward entered the egg again.
This, however, was; nothing as com
pared with the automatic fly manufac
tured by John Miller and which flew
around the table during a dinner and
alighted upon the hand of its owner
and manufacturer, to the great aston
ishment of the guests.
Another wonderful piece of mechan
ism was a minute coach, to which were
harnessed several horses, and which"
rolled over the table. Upon starting the
coachman cracked his whip and the
horses began to prance, and then be
came quiet and started off on a trot
The coach stopped, and the lackey
jumped from his seat and, opening
the door, handed out a handsomely
dressed lady, who saluted and then re
entered the coach. The lackey closed
the door and Jumped upon, the box, the
whip snapped and the horses galloped
off.
The famous mechanical flute player
was a life-long figure, standing by the
side of a broken column, upon which It
slightly leaned. It was capable of
playing a dozen different airs with re
markable ease. To effect this result
there was a system of weights that
actuated a bellows placed in the inte
rior of the automaton, and through an
invisible tube forced air to the flute,
where it acted in the usual way upon
the stopple of the opening. In order
to obtain the modulations, and conse
quently a complete air, the fingers of
the automaton were movable and
closed the holes of the flute hermetic
ally when at rest The fingers were
moved by wires and cords that were
tautened and relaxed by the play of a
toothed cylinder. Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Dog Laughed.
The proprietor of a Third avenue
store owns a little black kitten that cul
tivates a habit of squatting on its
haunches, like a bear or a kangaroo,
and then sparring with Its forepaws as
if it had taken lessons from a pugilist
A gentleman took into the store the
other evening an enormous black dog,
half Newfoundland, half collie, fat
good-natured, and intelligent The tiny
black kitten, instead of bolting at once
for shelter, retreated a few paces, sat
erect on its hind legs, and "put its
fists" in an attitude of defiance. The
contrast In size between the two was
intensely amusing. It reminded one of
Jack' the Giant Killer preparing to de
molish a giant
Slowly and without a sign of excita
bility the huge dog walked as far as his
chain would allow him, and gazed in
tently at the kitten and Its odd posture.
Then, as the comicality of the situation
struck him, he turned bis bead and
shoulders around to the spectators, and
if animal ever laughed in the world that
dog assuredly did so then and there.
He neither barked nor growled, but
indulged in a low chuckle, while eyes
and mouth beamed with merriment
Could Take a Joke.
Barber (absently) Shampoo, sir?
Customer (with shining bald pate)--No;
shine ! Puck .
RAM'S HORN BLASTS.
Warming Notes Calling the Wicked to
Repentance,
ALT in the ser
mon may smart
but it will heal.
Success Is not
in what you have
but in what you
are.
It is little use
lending a hand
unless you give a
heart
No coin is cur
rent with God
without love's
stamp on it
Prayer is a private key to the King's
chamber.
The grasping hand cannot grasp
God's hand.
The warm-hearted church never has
a cold hand.
The violent partisan knows only the
big "I" plank.
It is easier far to sow sin-seeds than
to uproot them.
A picture-perfection in religion pro
hibits progress.
It takes more than high price to make
j I thing highly precious.
If you lose the habit of giving you
lose the happiness of living.
The only limit to God's gifts is the
bag in which we fetch them,
j People who clear away new paths
will be bruised by the thorns.
We may need many of life's hard
ihips to cultivate homesickness.
God may break hard hearts, but He
will never break into wicked ones.
The perpetual protest of Christianity
Is the only thing that saves this world
from ruin.
There is no danger of conforming to
the world without when you have
Christ within.
God is as much glorified when He
stoops to man as when men bend be
fore Him In worship.
VALUE OF FRUIT AS FOOD.
Not Very Nourishing, Though Exert
in g a Beneficial Effect.
Recent experiments of the Depart
ment of Agriculture show that fruits
In general contain remarkably little
ituff that is convertible into muscle and
blood. Bananas and grapes have 2
per cent, while apples, cherries, straw
berries, huckleberries, cranberries, lem
ons and oranges are able to lay claim
to only 1 per cent this, too, when skins
and seeds are put aside. On this ac
count such articles of diet are obvious
ly 111 adapted to sustain human life for
any length of time, though they possess
great medicinal value and contribute
much to health.
Fruits are, however, relatively rich
In sugar and starch, and hence are use
ful as fuel -to keep the bodily machine
going. Bananas have 27 per cent- of
these materials, grapes 21 per cent, ap
ples 16 per cent, cherries and cranber
ries 11 per cent, oranges 9 per cent,
lemons 8 per cent and strawberries 7
per cent. In this case, as before, only
the edible portions are considered.
Blackberries and grapes have 2 per
cent of fat and the other fruits men
tioned contain 1 per cent Watermel
on pulp is' 92 per cent water, says the
Saturday Evening Post.
Among vegetables lima beans have
the highest food value, containing 32
per cent of nutrients. Sweet potatoes
come next, with 29 per cent, green peas
next with 22 per cent, white potatoes
next with 21 per cent and string beans
next with 13 per cent. Green sweet
corn has 19 per cent of nutrients, beets
12 per cent, turnips 11 per cent, cab
bage, cauliflower and spinach 8 per
cent, turnips, eggplant and lettuce 7
per cent toma'toes and asparagus C per
cent and cucumbers 4 per cent. Dry
bens and rice are about the most econ
omical foods one can buy. containing
as they do 88 per cent of solid nutri
ment Fish has high food value in fact
is nearly as nutritious as chicken or
turkey. A pound of eggs, on the other
hand, yields only half as much nourish
ment as a pound of lean beef, notwith
standing a well-known popular theory.
Lay Influence in Methodism.
The general conference of the Wes
leyan Church in England has taken a
step in the same line as tbe general
conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church In this country and taken it
so quietly that if received very' little
notice. From the time in which a min
isterial conference came Into posses
sion of Wesley's autocracy the progres
sive section of the laity have in vari
ous ways been contending for equality
In all matters not exclusively pastoral
and also a share in tbe management of
the publishing. The ministers have held
firmly to their prerogative, but this
year they conceded full co-operation to
the laity on both these long and bit
terly contended points.
A Good Shot.
r.nntain (to artilleryman) Do vou see
that Chinese general there, about three
miles off? Let him have one of those
eight-inch shells in the eye.
Artilleryman (equal to the s:tuation)
Aye, aye, sir. Which eye, your honor?
New York World.
In Memory of King Alfred.
The colossal memorial to King Alfred
the Great now in course of prepara
tion, which is to be erected in Winches
ter, England, will probably be one of
the most remarkable pieces of sculpture
in the kingdom.
Beet Sugar Industry of Germany.
The best lands of Germany are now
devoted to the culture of beet sugar,
the greater portion of which is exported.
Making Cheese.
I have made an occasional cheese
throughout the year and enough in the
spring and summer to go a great way
toward paying the grocery bill, says
Louise A. Nash in the American Agri
culturist Three milkings may be used
in winter and two in summer. Care
must be taken to cool the fresh milk
before adding it to the other. Place
your double boiler on the back of the
stove, the inner one resting on some
thing, and put in the milk. Pour warm
water Into the outer boiler and bring
the milk to 82 degrees. For from five
to seven gallons of milk add about half
a teaspoonful of the coloring fluid and
half that quantity of rennet previously
mixed with a little water. Stir thor
oughly and leave it to coagulate at the
same temperature.
When the curd will break off clean
from the bottom of your finger, it is
time to cut. A long carving knife or
anything that will reach down to the
bottom of the pan will do. Cut each
way, leaving about an inch between
the cuts. The heat may now be raised
gradually about two degrees every five
minutes to 98. Begin in a few minutes
by shaking the boiler to help the flying
off of the whey, but gently, so that the
fat does not escape. Presently stir
and repeat the stirring every two or
three minutes. In about half an hour
the desired temperature ought to be
reached. The curd will soon be half Its
size, and when pressed between the fin
ger and thumb the clots don't stick to
gether. It is now time to take off half
of the whey. Leave It covered an inch
or two that it may develop more lactic
acid and the curd mat together, after
which remove it from the remaining
whey.
At this point I take up the inner boil
er and place the curd in the two colan
ders, leaving it there to drip into the
large boilers. This, the cheddaring
process, goes on at 90 degrees. Occa
sionally change the bottom of the curd
to the top. When cheddared, Instead
of a tough, spongy mass, the curd is
the texture of cooked lean meat, elastic
and fibrous. About the same quantity
of salt is required for cheese as for
butter.
When the heat is lowered to 78 de
grees, it is ready for the press. At a
higher point the fat is liable to escape,
and If too cold the curd particles do not
adhere. Bandages are easy to make of
cheesecloth. Sew a strip the circum
ference and height of your tin to a
round piece the required size. Another
round piece will be needed to lay on
the top of the cheese before folding the
wall piece down on it.
Commission Dealers.
Farmers would often receive more
satisfactory returns from goods shipped
to the commission merchants If they
would take a little more pains to put
fheni up in a neat and attractive man
ner and send them so that they would
arrive in good order and condition; but
the men who do this are apt soon to
find regular customers to take their
goods and do not need to consign them.
The Inexperienced man, who does not
know how to assort, grade and pack his
produce, and the careless one, who will
not try to have them look their best or
the dishonest one, whose goods are not
of the same quality when they are out
of sight as they are on the surface, does
not keep a steady customer long and is
obliged to accept what prices the com
mission dealer may obtain or be will
ing to remit. And if he doubts the qual
ity of the goods he does not offer them
to his best customers, or try to get a
high price for them. He Is ready to dis
pose of them at the first offer. Delays
in transportation are also responsible
for low prices many times, because
produce of a perishable nature loses
quality rapidly and must be sold quick
ly after decay begins, even If sold at a
loss.
To Filter Cider.
Cider is greatly improved by filtering
as soon as it comes from the mill. If the
very best results are wanted a charcoal
filter is necessary. This can be quite
easily made from an ordinary cider or
whisky barrel. Remove one head and
make of It a false bottom two inches
above the other head. On the false
bottom nail strips of hard wood. Be
tween these strips bore holes. Have a
faucet near the bottom of the barrel.
Above the false botom place three
inches of charcoal broken to the size of
birdshot first laying down a piece of
coarse oloth. On top of this charcoal
put another layer of cloth and four or
five inches ot clean, well washed wheat
or rye straw. Above the straw put a
circular, hard wood grating with open
ings an Inch or so square. Fasten this
HOMK-MADK CHKKSB PRESS.
in place. Turn water into the barrel
and keep it running through until it
issues entirely tasteless. When this is
accomplished, the filter is ready for use.
Of course the filter will become clog
ged, when it must be recharged. When
properly filtered, the cider will be free
from albuminous and mucilaginous ma
terial and will keep much better than
when not treated. American Agricub
turist
Selecting Seed Wheat.
The experiment stations and farmers
who have trained themselves to close
observation of cause and effect have
given evidence many times that the
amount and quality of the wheat crop.
and of other grain crops, depends large
ly upon the quality of the seed used.
The larger and plumper seed gives the
most vigorous growing plant It stools
out more, usually has a stiffer straw, if
it is not forced by the use of too rank a
fertilizer, by which we mean one too
rich In nitrogen, and therefore the bet
ter the crop. But there are other things
desirable in 'a good grain crop. One is
to secure large heads .well filled, and it
may also be desirable to have the grain
grow rapidly and mature early, either
to obtain the best result in a short sea
son, or to escape insect attacks. The
best way to secure this would be to se
lect the earliest maturing large heads
to be found, and reserve them for seed.
The farmer who sows large areas may
think this too mnch trouble to get all
the seed he needs, but he should remem
ber that if there Is a profit in doing so
for one acre, there would be a greater
profit in doing so on a hundred. A mod
ification of this plan Is to select in this
way enough to sow a small plot very
thin, so that each plant will have a
chance to do Its best and then reserve
a piece of the best land to sow that on
it to produce seed wheat A continua
tion of this process for a few years
would result In the production of an
extra early, hardy and prolific wheat
Even easier but less effectual would be
the selection of heaviest grain for seed
when winnowing it We think the first
named plan the best because the type
of the entire crop might be fixed In that
way, so that a permanent improvement
would be made. American Cultivator.
Institute Lectures.
The holding of farmers' institutes has
been of great advantage in many locali
ties. Even when 'tbe chief speaker orf
essayist has not been of the best, and
sometimes just because he was not the
best, he has helped to lr.Uog out opin
ions from local farmers whose Ideas,
no matter how poorly clothed In lan
guage, were adapted to the locality and
more valuable there than the opinions
of one who had obtained experience
upon different soil, in different climates
and under different conuitions. There
is also In many places a disposition on
the part of the hearers to ask questions.
They are not content to be told the best
way to do their work, but they want to
know why it is better than some other
way, that they may judge if It will be a
better way under their conditions, or is
only better when conditions are better.
Every step taken In this way is a step
in advance. Farming is not a railroad
where one must follow a certain line of
track, but often a route through an un
known territory where one must ex
plore to find the best path for himself.
House Plants.
Many people have poor success with
house plants because their houses are
too good. They are kept at a uniform
heat by hot air furnaces, which furnish
a dry heat, and the rooms are so care
fully closed against cold in the winter
that not a breath of fresh air gets in.
Plants need pure air, and they need
moisture for their leaves as well as for
their roots. The woman who has a few
plants in the kitchen where they get
the steam from the laundry work, and
where the outer door Is swinging open
often, or windows are opened to let out
the heat or odors, will have thrifty
plants though she devotes but little
time to them, while they may fall to
grow well In the bay window of a mod
ern comfortable sitting-room.
Harrowing Wheat.
Often a rain may come after wheat
has been sown, and on clay land so beat
down the soil that It will crust over or
bake when the sun comes out so that
many of the plants cannot get through.
The use of a light harrow with fine
sharp teeth will remedy this very
quickly without Injury to the plants
that are up, or those that are germin
ating. Nor does It Injure wheat to use
such a harrow on It In the spring when
the clover seed Is sown, unless tbe roots
have been thrown out by the frost, in
which case a roller is needed to press
the plant roots back into the earth.
Hardy Oranges.
The Department of Agriculture Is try
ing to produce an orange which will en
dure frost by crossing our native or
ange with the hardy, trifoliate orange
of Japan. They do not expect success
at the first trial, and may get a bitter
or heavily seeded fruit but from even
such fruit It may be possible to pro
duce better and still retain the hardly
ness. It Is well worth the trial.
Too Mnch Salt.
Too much salt is used by many but
ter makers. The whole tendency among
consumers is toward fresher butter. In
England and on the continent butter
made in those countries is served par
ticularly, fresh and white. In the best
restaurants and hotels In the larger
cities of this countx-j the butter con
tains very little salt