corva:
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SEMI-WEEKLY.
SIXWi'SUTAa.. i Consolidated FeD., 1899.
CORVALLIS, BENTON COUXTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1901.
VOL. I. NO. 38.
fl A rr:
THE LITTLE COAT.
Here's bis ragged "roundabout,"
Turn the pockets inside out:
See; bis penknife, lost to use.
Rusted shut with apple-juice;
Here, with marbles, top and string.
Is his deadly "devil-sling,"
With its rubber limp at last
As the sparrows of the past!
Beeswax buckles leather straps
Bullets, and a box of caps
Not a thing at all, I guess,
But betrays some waywardness
E'en these tickets, blue aud red.
For the Bible-verses said
Such as this his meni'ry kept
"Jesus wept."
Here's fishing hookand-line,
Tangled up with wire and twine,
And dead angle-wornrs, and some
Slugs of lead and chewing gum.
Here's some powder in a quill,
Corked up with a liver pill;
And a spongy little chunk
Of punk.
Here's the little coat but O!
Where is he we've censured so!
Don't you hear us calling, dear?
Back! come back, and never fear:
You may wander where you will,
Over orchard, field and hill;
You may kill the girds, or do
Anything that pleases you!
Ah, this empty coat of bis!
Every tatter worth a kiss;
Every stain as pure instead
As the white stars overhead:
And the pockets homes were they
Of the little hands that play
Now no more but, absent, thus
Beckon us.
James Whitcomb Rilev.
ECO
V
8
DICK NORTON'S LUCK
HT was a wet, sloppy day In late
September. There were only a few
people on the car, and they were all
intent on their own affairs, except two
boys who were chatting together In
true school boy fashion. All at once
one of the boys sprang to his feet, gave
the bell a sharp jerk, and started to
leave the car.
"Here, where are you going, Dick?"
cried his companion, astonished at his
friend's sudden desertion. .. ..
"I'm going to stop and help that old
woman. Just look there!" Dick called
back over his shoulder, pointing to the
pavement, where a mischievous boy
had overset an old, woman's fruit stall,
and then ran on, leaving her to gather
up her scattered stock as best she
could. The poor, bewffdered old crea
ture was bobbing distractedly around,
beneath her dilapidated umbrella, mak
ing frantic grabs at the apples and
"I'M GOING TO STOP AND HLLP THAT
OJ.D WOMAN."
oranges which were rolling about in all
directions.
"Oh, pshaw! Come back here, Dick,
It's past time now, and the boys won't
wait Somebody else'll attend to your
old woman. Come back, I say."
"No, Ned, this Is my business and I
can't afford to leave it to somebody else
to attend to," Dick answered, with a
smile and a wave of his cap.
"That's just like Dick Norton, for all
the world," grumbled his friend, kalf to
himself, half to the keen-eyed man who
sat across the aisle, and who had ob
served the boys with interest during
their short dialogue. "We were going
lo have just a jolly, good time this af
ternoon. A lot of us boys were all go
ing together over to White's to see the
trained dogs, you know, and now he's
gone and run off to help an old woman
that he never even saw before and he'll
miss the fun. There won't be much
fun anyway, without Dick. He's the
jolliest boy In the bunch," he added
drearily, with a little kick at an empty
paper sack which someone had thrown
on the floor.
"Too bad he should miss the fun, but
I suppose the old woman Is glad to
have help in her trouble," said the gen
tleman, as he again took up the paper
which he had laid down when the boy
arose to leave the car.
Two weeks later a long row of boys
at one of the big down-town stores
awaited anxiously the summons to en
ter the merchant's private office, each
hoping that to him would be given the
position which each had come to seek.
They all eyed one another askance, and
when yet another boy entered the room
be was met with looks of decided dis
favor. "Hello, Ned! You here?" he cried. In
evident surprise, walking over to the
boy who stood nearest he door, and
giving him a friendly punch in the ribs,
"Yes, I saw the 'ad.' in the paper, and
thought I'd come " The boy broke
off In tie middle of his sentence, for
just then the office door swung open
and the great man stood Defore them,
"Well, boys," he said, with a smiling
glance at the line of eager faces,
suppose you all want a place and, as
there's only one place for the batch; -of
you, I'm afraid some of you are bound
to be disappointed." Then, as bis keen
.eyes glanced over the Irow of faces
galn, there flashed Into them a look of
recognition, and ae said to the two boys
at the head of the line: "Hello, my
lads! So you want a job, do you? Step
into the office, here," and a moment
later they found themselves- In the
office alone with its owner, who sat
down In his swing chair and regarded
thein intently through his gold-bowed
glasses.
We saw the advertisement In ,"
began Dick, nervously.
Yes, I know," broke . In the mer-
civ'iit. "But first I want to know about
your old apple woman, and if you got
to the show In time."
"Why what " stammered Dick,
confusedly, looking as if he thought the
merchant had suddenly taken leave of
his senses.
"Oh, yes! I know," cried Ned. "He
was on the car that day that you tum
bled off to help that old woman. Don't
you remember, Dick?" ... .
"Oh, yes. Well, sir," he said, -turn
ing with a pleasant smile to the mer
chant. "I missed the show, . but I
helped the old woman a little bit, I
guess. I picked up her rolling stock
and got it on the market again."
"You'll do," chuckled the merchant
and I think you're the boy for us. You
can come down next Monday, and the
manager will set you to work; and if
you attend to your- duties, as I'm in
clined to think you will, I'll do the best
I can to advance you, for I believe a
boy who will do a kindness, unasked,
and at the expense of his own pleasure,
and who thinks he can't afford to leave
It to someone else to attend to, Is the
very boy wr seed in our business."
'Hobbs," he added, as a clerk an
swered his tap of the bell, "tell Mr.
Jamieson to take this boy's name and
set him to work; he'll begin next Mon
day morning. And tell those other boys
they may go. The place is filled. Good
day, my lads," and the busy merchant
turned again to his paper-strewn desk.
A little later the boys found them
selves again in the street. For a few
moments they walked along in silence,
when Ned burst out:
'Well, I declare, Dick Norton, you're
the very luckiest boy in this city. It's
perfectly plain to be seen that old Fara-
ham has taken a shine to you, and your
fortune's made, I haven't any doubt."
'Oh, not quite as good as that, though
I am glad to get the place, I'll confess,"
answered Dick, whose beaming face
showed pleanly his gratification at his
success.
'Who ever would have thought," re
turned Ned, "that your tumbling off the
car that day in the rain would have
got you that snug berth with the very
best house in the city? Yes, sir, Dick,
you surely are a. lucky dog."
But, between you and me, I think it
was luck that Dick well deserved, and
I have no fear that Farnham & Co.
wSl ever regret taking him into their
employ. Detroit Free Press.
PLAYED BALL ON THE SNOW.
Two Ships' Crews Had an Exciting
Cxurae in the Arctic Region ...
Baseball was introduced into the
Arctic regions by the - crew of the
schooner Thallium, which, under com-.
mand of Captain Kent, arrived jecylVJ1. i. mereiore iney
iw tent nrw,nin.t ,,-ht, !T'ul'tu'ss managed to attain a sufficient
of cryolite. ' It is safe to say that the
national pastime was never before at
tempted in the face of such difficulties.
The British bark Silicon was at that
lonely Greenland port with the Thal-
ium, and was loading for Philadelphia.
The temperature while the two ves
sels were receiving their cargoes bor
dered close on to 30 degrees below zero.
The sailors, not being called upon to
handle the curious mineral, shivered
around the galley fires and rapidly be
came imbued with the lassitude which
is almost invariably the portion of
those called upon to endure extreme
cold.
Captain Jansen of the Silicon pro
posedmore in jest than in earnest
that the men play ball. The idea Im
pressed them and -they determined to
brave the temperature and essay the
sport with which all of them were tol
erably familiar. ,.
A level plain was found near Ivigtut,
with a flooring of powdered snow,
frozen to the consistency of adamant.
Under the midnight sun, and with a
wondering audience of fur-clad Es
kimo, home runs and three-baggers
were knocked out.
It was necessary for all the players
to bundle themselves up in true arctic
fashion. All hands wore gloves, so that
wild hrows and errors galore were
many, isoaiswain rsrown 01 xne xnai-
Hum tied the score in the fourth inning
by coming home from second base on
a passed ball, with the sensational ac
companiment of a slide from third base
clear to the plate. The Thallium's crew
eventually won by a score of 48 runs
to their opponents' 31.
The Thallium is the first schooner ta
arrive from Greenland in twenty-five
years. She is a new vessel, launched
at Bucksport, Me., last August, and
built with a heavily timbered hull, es
pecially for this perilous trade. Phil
adelphia North American.
Drawn By Nature.
A remarkable bit of Nature's handi
work was recently found by a Chicago
man while ruralizing. Upon the white
surface of a large piece of fungus at
the root of an old dead tree was drawn
an artistic pastoral scene. A close ex
amination by the aid of a powerful
glass proved beyond a doubt that the
drawing is the workof nature. The
picture represents a comfortable farm
house and grounds. The barn doors
stand open, displaying the well-filled
c-rnnaries and hay mow. fat Rtnr-k
stana in xne uems, mm larmer,
prosperous-looking, is at the gate ready
to mount a weii-iaaen rarin wagon,
filled with the fruits of Jus industry.
The fierce contests over little political
jobs makes the women's fights over a
cheap prhte et cards less ridiculous.
FOE LITTLE FOLKS.
COLUMN OF PARTICULAR IN
TEREST TO THEM.
Something; that 1U Interest the Ju
venile Members of Evcrj Household
Quaint Actions and Bright Sayings
of Many Cute and Canning Children.
Those fond of playing the game of
croquet may keep up their practice and
enjoy the game in the bouse by fash
ioning a set of mallets and wickets
from odds and ends around the house,
with which to play on any large table.
For instance, no better mallets could
be desired for, table croquet than those
made simply by boring a hole In the
side of a, large spool and inserting
therein a shaped stick, as shown
herewith.
Here is about the simplest way for a
boy or girl to quickly complete a set.
Collect twenty of the very small spools
which come with "buttonhole" twist.
Certainly any boy can find around the
house a piece of heavily insulated cop
per electric-light wire, and pieces of
this wire cut six inches in length and
bent arch-shaped will make very ser
viceable wickets when made to stand
up by foi'cing one of the small spools
on each end of the little wickets, fit
ting tightly Figure 2.
The miniature stakes for each end. of
the table may be made of two short
pencils forced into the small spools,
which wil support them Figure 3.
The small wooden balls, sold in the
toy stores for 1 cent each, serve ad
mirably for the game and come in vari
ous colors.
With the mallets, as described, wick
ets and stakes completed, there re
mains but one article to be provided
a railing to fit the table.
Facts A bout Soap,
It is hard to realise that so indis
pensable an article as soap was un
known 500 years ago, yet its origin
dates only from the year 1524, when it
first appeared in London. The ancient
writers, Pliny and Galen, mention it
as an invention of the Gauls, but no
trace of it has been found in records of
Qreek or Roman life. Pompeii's ruins
yield many things which seem quite
modern, but no soap has ever been dis
covered. As a substitute the Romans
used il and clay in their baths. Clay
containing a percentage of . fuller's
earth makes a considerable lather, and
degree , of cleanliness, especially as
they devoted long hours to the bath.
It is supposed that soap originated in
Mediterranean Europe, where great
quantities of olive' oil were produced.
Oil, in fact, combined with either soda
or potash, makes a passable quality of
crude soap, and it is possible that some
Italian or Spaniard accidentally hit
upon the art of making it by letting his
pot of olive oil boil over and mix with
the wood ashes of the fire. Ashes con
tain potash enough for the purpose and
are still used in country places for the
manufacture of home-made soft soap.
The fine soap known as castile is still
made by as primitive a method and is
really one- of the oldest forms of the
article in use to-day. Perhaps It is the
original, discovered by some careless
Castilian olive oil maker who did not
watch his boiling kettle.
A Gentleman.
I knew him for a gentleman
By signs that never fail;
His coat was rough and rather worn,
His cheeks were thin and pale -A
lad who bad his way to make, -
With little time for play;
T knew him for a gentleman
By certain signs to-day.
He met his mother on the street;
Off came his. little cap;
My door was shut; he waited there
Until I heard his rap;
He took the bundle from my hand, -
And when I dropped my pen,
He sprang to pick it up for me
This gentleman of -.ten.
He does not pnsh and crowd along;
His voice is gently pitched;
He does not fling his books aout
As if he were bewitched.
He stands aside to let you pass;
He always shuts the door;
He runs on errands willingly
To forge and mill and store.
He thinks of you before himself;
He serves you if be can;
For, in whatever company,
The manners make the man.
At ten or forty, 'tis the same;
The manner tells the tale.
And I discern the gentleman
By signs that never fail.
Margaret E. Sangster.
. Found the Proof. '
Little 4-year-old Harry was not feel
ing well, and his father suggested that
he might be taking the chicken pox,
then prevalent. Harry went to bed,
laughing at the idea, but early next
morning he came downstairs looking
very serious, and said: "You're right,
j papa; ,t is the chicken pox; I found a
, feather in the' bed " . i
- Comforted Papa.
A well-known business man, whose
head is bare, yet who wears a luxuriant
growth of whiskers, was being railed
ftcently for being bald by some of bis
FOB IX DOOR USE.
Intimate friends In the presence of hli
small daughter. Little Mabel didn't
understand that It was all In jest, and
crawling upon her parent's lap put her
arms about his neck and turned de
fiantly toward his tormentors:
"My papa wu'd ruvver hav' his top
hair on his chin, w'udn't you, papa?"
Teacher Didn't Know. '
"My teacher doesn't know much!"
cried the inevitable little brother, as he
burst into the parlor where his grown
up sister was entertaining Mr. Blank
on a recent evening.
"Why, Archie?" was the very natural
question his sister asked, and now she
wishes she hadn't.
"Coz I ast him wot made you an'
Mr. Blank set so clost t'gether on hot
nites; 'nen he ist laffed and c'udn't tell
me."
An Awful Prospect,
"Pa, let's move In the country. I
don't want to live in town."
"Why not, Bobby T
"Well, pa, ma says If we live here
till I'm grown up an' gray-haired she
won't Iemme keep a pig."
Why Willie Fonght.
Willie's Mamma I hear you have
been fighting with one of those boys
next door, and given him a black ey
Willie Yessem. You see, theys
twins, an' I wanted some way to tell
em apart.
Wanted a Heat Brush.
A little 4-year-old miss wanted a fan.
but she could not remember the nam .
of it, so she said: "Mamma, Where's the
thing you brush the warm away with?"
Heroic Stuff.
The pioneers of Kentucky the great
Indian battle-ground were, men, wom
en and children alike, made of heroic
stuff. The annals of the State abound
in deeds of heroism. In "Kentucky
Sketches" Lewis Collins relates an in
stance of boyish fortitude.
In the year 1791 Captain Hubbell,
with a party of twenty men, women
and children started down the Ohio
River in a flatboat destined for Lime
stone, Kentucky. Twice the little party
was attacked by large bodies of Indians
from the shore. Several of the men
were killed, and the band of pioneers
was in danger of extermination. For
tunately the current of the river bore
the boat into midstream beyond the
range of the redskin bullets.
When the danger was past, a little
son of Mr. Plascut went up to the cap
tain, and with great coolness asked him
to take a bullet out of his forehead.
'Why, Tommy, what's this?" said
Captain Hubbell, as he saw the .boy's
bloody face. . .
; Examination showed that a bullet
had passed through the side of the
boat, penetrated the forehead of the
young hero, and remained under the
skin.
Tommy did jot utter a sound as the
captain with the point of his knife cut
a hole in the skin and pressed the bul
let out. -
"You're a - brave one, Tommy," the
captain -said. "-- -' ' '
aBfefe!sfl't all," said the boy; and rais
ing his arm; he revealed a piece of bone
at the point of his elbow, which had
been, shot off and hung only by the
skin. ... . .
"Why, Tommy, why didn't you tell
me of this?" cried his mother, at sight
of the bleeding arm. '
"Because the captain said we mustn't
make any noise during the fight," re
plied the lad, "and I was afraid if you
knew it you would be scared and
speak." "
Miscarriage of a Joke.
. A Milwaukee wheelman tells a good
joke on himself. The other evening h
left his bicycle with a friend who is
employed In a store on Michigan street
The following morning the friend" took
the wheel to go on an errand, leaving
it in front of a store on West Water
street, where he made a call. Just then
the owner chanced' to come along. He
recognized the "wheel, and seeing an
opportunity for a little fun. took out
his trousers, guards, put them; on,
mounted , the wheer and rode away.
When the. borrower, reappeared on the
walk he found no bicycle. Turning pale
as death, he hurried tiJ the police sta
tion and reported the theft. The po
lice were given a description of the bi
cycle-and now the owner of the wheel
is afraid to ride his own bike for feat
of being arrested as a thief.
English Lace in Russia.
Thomas Fletcher, the mayor of Der
by, England, is at present at Moscow
on a visit to his large lace factory there.
It seems a queer thing to make "Not
tingham lace" in Russia, but that is ex
actly what Mr. Fletcher has been doing
for a number of years past and it has
proved a very successful venture. That
the Moscow work people think the. ar
rangement a very good one was proved
recently, when a deputation from the
factory waited on him at his hotel and
offered for uls acceptance a Valuable
silver platter, .with an Inscription in
Russian and in English, congratulating
him on his election to the civic chair
of the town of Derby and conveying
their good. will. .Mr. Fletcher was
greatly surprised and is immensely
pleased, as, indeed, he has reason to be.
- Wine Barrels.
It is generally stipulated in France
when wine Is sold that the purchaser
shall return the barrel at his own ex
pense, and the cry, "Send back my
barrel," is going out from every wine
dealer's house. It is calculated that
one barrel will serve seven years, if
properly cared for.
There are two reasons why the aver
age woman does not trust the average
man; one Is because she doesn't know
him and the other is because she does.
Probably you never saw ghosts Walk,
but you may have heard the dead
march. .
TRUMPET CALLS
Ram's Horn Sounds a Warning Note
to the Unredeemed.
ORRY wears.
Haste makes
waste.
Wishing is not
willing.
Faith frames
fate.
It Is best to kill
serpents in the egg.
Courtesy Is never,
costly, yet never
cheap.
When heaven is
in the heart here
sies are kept out of the bead.
Patriotism Is based on principles.
God's work must have God's power.
Restraining prayer is retaining care.
That only is done which the heart
does.
No furnace can ever burn" out the
gold.
To take up a cross is to lay down a
care.
Only they who have known the great
change now know no changes.
No man was ever healed of a disease
by reading a medical book alone.
Good things are always beautiful, but
beautiful things are not always good.
The Indiscriminate lash will drive ten
devils into the boy for one it drives out
The prescription for salvation must
have an application as well as an un
derstanding before healing is found.
The difficulty that the Bible presents
to many skeptics Is not that it will not
stand deep and rational examination.
but that ir will not stand superficial
examination.
PRAWNS ARE GOOD EATING.
Those Dried by the fun in Mexico
Highly Esteemed by Gourmets.
In many delicatessen stores the bon
vivant can now purchase sun-dried
prawns, which form an admirable ac
cessory to the daily bill- of fare. Steep
ed over night in warm water, they
swell to twice and thrice their original
dimensions, and in the morning are
ready rto lie made the basis of a score
of toothsome dishes. Nearly all of these
come from the Gulf of Mexico and
their story is an Interesting comment
ary upon the thrift and enterprise of
our Chinese citizens.
'Some fifteen or twenty years ago,
saiu a uninese merchant to-day, "some
Chinese sailors In New Orleans noticed
that the gulf prawns were like those
of south China, only larger and better
flavored. They carried the news to
their countrymen, who Immediately
conceived the project of drying them
in the same way as In Kwang-Tung.
They organized several settlements
nlong the gulf. There is one not far
from Mobile, a second near Pensaeola
and a third in the Tampa district. The
prawns are gathered at low tide, wash
ed, boiled, shelled, salted and then
dried in the sunlight. In bad weather
they often use ovens, but the flavor of
a prawn treated this way Is not as
good as when dried in the open air.
The drying must be very thorough,
and usually takes a week or a fort
night, according to the amount of hu
midity in the air. When thoroughly
desiccated the soft meat Is almost as
hard as wood, and in that condition it
will keep In a warm climate for many
months, and in a cold climate for sev
eral years. They are boxed and bar
reled and shipped all over the United
States. Formerly the dried shrimps
and prawns of this market were
brought from China and Japan, but
the Import trade has been well-nigh
ruined by these establishments upon
the gulf." New York Evening Post
Taking the Time at Noon.
Just before 12 o'clock" each day all
business must be taken off the wlres ,
controlled, by the Western Union Com
pany; and that means absolute cessa
tion of business along the main lines
of electric communication in the prin-
cipal cities of America. Three minutes
before noon wire chiefs In each of the
principal cities and" the town and cities
leading to and from their largo sisters
cease sendirig or receiving messages,
no matter how important thef "lay-be,
and devote themselves to switching on
wires In such a way as to make ar. un
broken circuit of communication from
Washington around , the uttermost
boundaries of-the United States. This
is called an "unbroken national cir
cuit." Thus a smooth track Is made
along which the electric message may
flash encompassing the Union and an
nouncing the time of day. Ten seconds
before the time bell strikes comes an
other silence, "and then a mighty throb,
a titanic heartbeat from the foremost
factor In modern commerce, and an
electric current pulsates from the At
lantic to the Pacific, from Gotham to
the Golden Gate, announcing the fact
that the sun has passed over the seventy-fifth
meridian and It is noon at
Washington. Pearson's Magazine. .
Let Vb Hope Not.
Johnny was spelling his way through
i marriage notice in the morning paper.
" 'At high noon,' " he read, " the cler
gyman took his stand beneath the floral
bell, and to the music of the wedding
march the contradicting parties moved
down the ' "
"Not 'contradicting.' Johnny," inter
rupted his elder sister. " 'Contracting.' "
"Welt" stoutly contended Johnny,
"they'll be contradicting parties after a
while!"
Plausibly Explained.
Dick By the way, old man, jio you
recall why Jacob had to work seven
years for Rachel?
Harry I suppose he was saving up
for a Christmas present to her. Smart
Set
Corn Hn iking Device.
Unless the work of husking is done by
machinery and steam power it is at best
a slow and tedious task, and every fa
cility that will shorten . its duration
needs to be made use of. The cut shows
a convenient way of going at It when
husking. The husker has stretched two
long poles from the hind axle of his
wagon to a support of some kind, and
after piling several shocks of corn on
the poles seats himself on a board
across poles and throws the corn up
Into the wagon box. This plan may be
made use of when husking in the barn.
Ohio Farmer.
Evaporating Eggs.
A carload of evaporated eggs shipped
by express and valued at $14,000 left
Springfield, Mo., recently for San Fran
cisco, says an exchange, where it will
be placed on a steamer bound for Cape
Nome. The eggs were put in one
pound screw top tin cans, sixty cans in
a case, and will answer any purpose in
the1 culinary line except boiling. The
moisture being taken out of them when
they are prepared leaves nothing to
boil. The largest egg evaporating" es
tablishment in the world is located at
Springfield. The process of evaporat
ing is done with hot air, and it takes
eight hours to thoroughly evaporate an
egg. About four dozen are equal to a
pound of the preparation. The Spring
field factory employs seventy-five peo
ple, and its capacity is about 400 cases
a day. The goods are shipped to all
foreign countries and in Europe espe
cially is there a big demand, as the En
glish government has placed the prep
aration on the hospital supply list. The
Klondike country is a heavy . user of
this brand of evaporated eggs, as no
matter what the price of fresh hen
fruit be or how scarce It is, the evap
orated egg -retains its old price, and is
always on hand and ready for busi-
Prize Jersey Cow.
The Jersey cow Golden Lad's Jean-
Tiette 149153 is owned by Mr. W. W.
Harrison. Glenside, Montgomery Coun y,
Pa. She took first prize at St. Mary's
in 1897 and '98, second in "99. She was
got by Golden Lad P. 1242 H. C. out of
Melvina F. 1805. She is a long, rangy
cow with lovely head, prominent eyes,
OOLDKN LAD'S JIASNET. y,
long, tuin neck; straight in back, good
hips, slim, long tail with splendid
switch; neat in bone; sharp withers;
splendid body of great depth and
wiuJi; skin rich, soft and mellow; mag
nificent udder, running away out front
with good-sized and beautifully placed
teats; and she has given, since last calv
ing, as high as twenty-two quarts of
milk daily.
Farm Cattle.
It Is not true' that the cattle business
to be profitable must be conducted on
the broad ranges of the Western plains,
That is one profitable System of cattle
raising, but there is another ' which
yields fully as great profits for the cap
ital invested. Raising cattle on the
farm has in all countries and all ages
been found profitable, and more so
now than ever. By raising cattle on
the farm the farmer has a good mar
ket for all the feed he can raise, saves
labor and expense of transportation
and avoids much loss from waste and
the hocus pocus of commerce. And one
of the main feature's of stock farming
Is that It can be made to continually
improve the:; fertility and value of the
farm. Texas Farm and Ranch.
Digging Sweet Potatoes.
Sweet potatoes should not be dug be
fore the middle of October. Before
frost the vines should be cut off and
the tops of the ridges covered with
earth. After digging keep them in a
dry, airy room for a month in order to
dry them out thoroughly. Then sort
them, rejecting every bruised, broken
or rotten tnBer. Wrap the perfect
ones separately in paper, put in boxes
and keep in dry rooms as for squashes.
Remember they must not chill or get
damp. -. - '
Value of Sign Boards.
The Kansas City Journal tells of
what seems a good device for farmers
who have stock or other merchandise
for local sale. A prosperous farmer of
the neighborhood, named James Jack-
HU8KINU DEVICE.
son, has standing at his gate a sign
board on which is painted in neat let
ters his name, the name of his farm.
'Jackson Farm," and the direction and
distance to his posfoffice. Below this
he has a blackboard on which he may
write what he has for sale. Mr. Jack
son states that be has sold one horse
and two cows and calves since the
erection of his signboard and he thinks
the quick sales were the results of this
advertising. Everyone knows the value
of signboards in towns; why are they
not oT equal use to farmers?
Bees and Clover.
The amount of honey in the blossoms
of the red clover, probably is equal to,
if it does not exceed, that in nearly all
our other honey-producing plants, but
the bees do not seem to find it that Is,
the honey bees, for the bumblebees
are able to reach it. There are two
ways that will make this honey avail
able to our beekeepers, one being the
producing of a strain of bees with
longer tongues which will reach down
Into the cups of the clover blossoms,
and the other to grow a strain of clover
that will have shorter tubes or corollas
which the bees can reach down into to
gather the nectar at their base. Par
ties are working on each of these lines.
and whichever succeeds first should
reap a rich reward, for they will double
the honey crop of the country. Amer
ican Cultivator.
Cruelty of Dock'ng.
Time and time again has the ques-"
tion of docking the tails of horses been
discussed, and always the question of
humanity comes out on top. All the
driving horses in Russia have long
tails and the coachman of an ordinary
Russian carriage takes no trouble to
prevent the reins from dropping about
his horse's hind quarters. In spite of
this, however, the reins rarely become
entangled with the tail, and even if
they should do so the horses never
kick. This striking fact is an eloquent
answer to those who uphold the cruel
practice of docking, on the grounds
that otherwise the horse, is liable to flajl
his tail over the reins.'
Easily Made Poultry Rouse.
The little poultry house shown in the
accompanying illustration can be built
for about one dollar per running foot
It is 14 feet wide at bottom and the
length is determined by the number of
hens one may wish to house. If sawed
timber is used, take one piece 2 inches
thick by 6 inches wide and 14 feet long
with another of like size, but only 12
feet long. Place them together at the
EASILY HADE POULTRY HOUSE.
top and 14 feet apart at the bottom on
a foundation of coarse gravel or cobble
stones with a flat one for the end of the
timber to rest upon. Have a set of
these rafters every six feet On the
south side build out the windows by
nailing on 2 by 4 strips perpendicular
to the surface of the ground. Hang
the windows on hinges at the bottom,
open toward the inside and let them
rest on the main timbers while open.
Cover with boards, paper and shingles.
American Agriculturist
The General Purpose Farmer.
The general purpose farmer who is a
good gardener gets a better living for
himself and family than the special
crop farmer. He raises his own dairy
products, beef, pork and mutton, eggs
and fowls, fruit and vegetables, and if
he wants to eat them he is not obliged
to stop and count the cost He has no
fear of starvation through stoppage of
railroads or strikes. He is not as bad
ly affected by a poor season, for he has
several crops to depend upon, and, as
he usually sells more than be buys, it
is an easy matter to keep out of debt
Fcarcity of Range Horses.
Some two or three years ago the Ne
vada Legislature passed a bill making
it lawful to shoot wild horses on the
ranges. As a result some 6,000 horses
were killed. Now there is a demand
for range horses, which the supply is
not sufficient to allow them to furnish,
and It Is said that 6,000 of them would
be worth at least $250,000 now. They
are bewailing their short-sighted policy
of destruction. .
Pheep Thr've on Beets.
Tuscola County farmers, says the
Grand Rapids Herald, have been ex
perimenting with feeding their' sheep
through the winter exclusively on su
gar beet pulp and pronounce it a suc
cess. Live Stock Notes.
Do not make the slops from the
kitchen answer for water.
It will help maintain health if the
hogs have pure, fresh water every
day.
It is the steady, quiet horse that can
usually be depended upon to do the big
gest day's work.
The farmer ought to be a good judge
Kof live stock and know how to buy and
sell to the best advantage.
When the sheep are sheared is one of
the best times to determine what sheep
should be kept and what sold.
In the end nothing pays so well as
thoroughness in all of the details of
farm management and in the care of
the stock.
According to the official report of the
Board of Agriculture of Great Britain
the past year shows an increase of 396,
538 head of cattle, and decreases of
680,833 sheep and 391,777 bogs. Added
to these figures are others showing a
considerable decrease in the number of
cows, ewes, and brood sows, retained
for breeding purposes. Foreign com
petition and an unfavorable season
may be credited with the losses re
ported. -
Tj