GORVA
SEMI-WEEKLY,
SliWir i Consolidated Feb., 1899.
CORVALLIS, BENTON COUXTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1901.
VOL.1. NO. 46.
GAZETTE.
THE CONFESSION.
Where Peter guarded heaven's gate
A woman caine, one day,
And meekly knocked and meekly said:
"Oh, let me in, I pray!" -And
many a fairer one than she '
The good old saint had sighed to see
forever turned away. V
"And why," he asked, "should I unbar
The gate to let you in?
Is there upon your heart no scar,
And did you never sin?
Nay, look me fairly in the face
And hurry up and plead your ease
I'm waiting come begin!"
"Ah, yes! I must confess I sinned,"
The one without replied;
"To keep from paining others I
Well, often, Sir I lied!
But pray do not condemn me yet,
I have some virtues I would set
Upon the other side!
"I didn't hate my husband's folks,
Nor run them down," said she;
"I let him love his mother, and
Be kind to her, and he
Could talk to other women who
Were young and Withe and comely, too,
Without offending me.
"I never, never made him wait
A dismal hour or two;
When he and I agreed to meet
I got there! And I threw
No slurs nor ever tried to taint
The names of pure " "Ah," said the
saint,
"Come in, you angel, you!"
Chicago Times-Herald.
Lady Alice's Novel.
frp HEN that's all settled?" reniark-
J ed Lady Alice.
"I think there is nothing more
to be ah discussed," ponderously re
plied Mr. Popham of the great publish
ing firm of Popham & Snell.
Lady Alice rose and walked to the
looking glass above the great mantel
piece In Mr. Popham's room. She, In
the most unembarrassed manner, gave
the tiniest tilt to the big picture hat
she wore, and the most imperceptible
pat to the fair curls ou her forehead.
"And," said she, without turning
round, "what about the writing of the
novel?"
Mr. Popham's bushy white eyebrows
went up.
"The writing of a novel is, as a mat
ter of practice, generally left to the
ah author," he observed. "You ah
surely don't propose "
"What I propose Is this," broke in
Lady Alice impetuously. "I'll give you
the plot of the story, and the general
Idea, and and all that, and you must
find gome respectable person to do the
writing."
"Tni ah Is most unusual," bald
Mr. Popham helplessly.
"I can't help It," remarked his visitor
coolly. "Surely you have people about
who are capable of such a simple
task?"
She looked round the room vaguely,
as If expecting to find ready writers
concealed in all the cupboards and pro
ducible at a moment's notice.
Mr. Popham rose. He rubbed his
glasses in a bewildered way. He was
a stout man, with many chins and a
shining head the head of a man with
a large balance at his banker's.
"My dear lady," he said at length
"my dear lady!"
"Well," said Lady Alice with a small
frown.
"You understand. Lady Alice," said
Mr. Popham in the same helpless way,
"that when we undertake to publish a
book as a general rule we confine our
selves to the business of printing, bind
ing, advertising and distributing the
ah work. The writing of it, we find.
Is generally preferred to be done by
the author personally. Still, if you are
serious in what you say "
"Of course I am," interrupted Lady
Alice.
"I dare say," continued the publish
er, "I might find some suitable person.
Let me think. Ah, yes! A young man
a Mr. Thorpe, I think called on us
a few days ago with the manuscript of
a war novel a kind of goods with
Which the market is considerably over
stocked. He mentioned that he was
anxious to get some sort of employ
ment, either temporary or permanent,
and I have managed to send him some
translating to do."
"Do you think he would suit?" in
quired the would-be author.
"I think so yes," returned Mr. Pop
ham. "He appears to be able to write
tolerably well. He has ah just re
turned from South Africa, where he
was In some ah Irregular corps or an
other, I believe."
"How jolly!" cried Lady Alice.
"Please send him to me as soon ae pos
sible, dear Mr. Popham. Thank you
so very much."
Lady Alice Lyllle was the only and
spoiled daughter of a venerable orna
ment of the peerage, whom she ruled
with a rod of Iron. Pretty, clever and
rich, she had reached her twenty
fourth birthday without marrying, and
the gossips were beginning to look
knowing when "dear Lai" was men
tioned in the course of conversation.
Meanwhile, "dear Lai" recked not at
all. She was a girl of many hobbies.
Photography, spiritualism and sports
of various kinds each had their little
day-or, one would rather say, hour
with this versatile young woman. Then
music reigned and Lady Alice compos
ed a "Mafeklng March," which was
"arranged" by the patient professor,
who guided her somewhat erratic foot
steps along the paths- of composition.
Finally Lady Alice decided that she
must write a novel. "That stupid Lady
Lister has written one or. says she
has," remarked the young woman
"and I'm sure I'm better able to write
li decent novel than she."
Hence the visit to the great publish
ing firm, and the proposition which so
startled Mr. Popham.
Punctually at 10 o'clock a tall, sol
dierly man, whose shabby clothes cov
ered a spare, sinewy, well-knit figure,
was ushered in. His age might have
been 29, but his dark hair was begin
nlug to thin, and there was a great
disgust and weariness in his eyes. He
wore a pointed beard, and his mus
taches were fiercely turned up toward
his eyes.
. "Mr. Thorpe?"' queried Lady Alice.
The visitor admitted his- identity.
"I'm so impatient!" proceeded Lady
Alice. "Where will you sit? Do begin
at once, please!"
The meek person poised her pencil,
and two pairs of feminine eyes gazed
expectantly upon Mr. Thorpe.
"I think It would be better," remark
ed that gentleman, "if I had some gen
eral idea of the plot you propose."
- "Oh, yes! How stuoid!' eavlv cried
his collaborator. "I don't think vou
need wait this morning, then, Miss
(jrowing. Come again to-morrow at 10.
By then we shall have settled the plot,
and we can begin the writing."
Miss Golding gone. Ladv Alice eaz
ed meditatively into the fire for a few
moments.
"Well," she announced at length, "it's
got to be about a girl."
"Yes."
"And a man."
"Quite so."
"And they must fall in love, you
Know.
"Naturally."
"And they can't marry for ever so
long, and people trv to keen thorn
apart, and they have each other at the
end. l like happy endings," remarked
happy Lady Alice, with a judicial air.
There was a short silence.
"Hasn't something like that been
done before?" Mr. Thorpe ventured to
ask.
"I suppose it has," admitted Lady Al
ice disconsolately. "All the stories
have been done before, I think. Both
er!" "But we might do it over again," sug
gested Mr. Thorpe. "Only in a differ
ent way, you know." .. .
"Oh, so we might!" cried Lady Alice
Joyfully. "How clever of you. Do
let's!"
The writing of the novel went mer
rily on for about a week, when one
morning a radiant vision floated into
the morning room and announced that
it was the chairwoman of the Society
for Bettering the Conditions of the
Middle Classes, and that there was a
committee meeting at 11:30.
. "So we shan't be able to do any novel
this morning," continued Lady Alice.
"Don't wait. Miss Golding."
The meek person removed herself,
but Mr. Thorpe seemed in no hurry to
go. He continued to gaze at Lady
Alice, who certainly was worth look
ing upon. Her gown was an exquisite
creation, but it was upon a simple,' al
most shabby, little pearl brooch at the
throat that Thorpe's eyes were fixed.
"I see you've had your brooch mend
ed, Lai?" he said in a strained voice.
Lady Alice paled.
"The brooch Dick's brooch? Why,
what " she gasped, with her eyes
riveted on the pallid face before her.
Then she took a step forward,
"Dick!" she cried. "You know Dick?"
"No," answered Mr. Thorpe. "I am"
Dick! It was the beard and losing my
hair, I suppose, that prevented you rec
ognizing me." - , .
He walked toward the door.
"Stop, Dick!" whispered Lady Alice.
"We must finish the novel, you know."
"It will never be finished," he an
swered roughly. He turned from her
to hide his ghastly face.
"You must stop, Dick!" panted Lady
Alice. "Listen! I want to write an
other novel. I'll tell you the plot."
She came closer to him and laid her
hand on his arm. He shook from head
to foot. -".
"It's about two people," panted his
lost sweetheart. "And they were en
gaged and awfully in love. Then the
man lost all his money and went to
South Africa to make some more, and
the silly girl promised to wait for him
for she was really awfully fond of him,
you know." . -
"Ah, stop in pity!" he cried. "I can't
bear it!"
She went on;
"And when he was getting on very
well the horrible war broke out and
ruined him over again. Then he wrote
to the girl, and released her from the
engagement, and It nearly killed her.
But he didn't carerHe enlisted in some
Irregulars, and behaved like a hero,
and got mentioned in dispatches, and
all sorts of things. Don't be impatient,
Dick; I've nearly finished. Well, then
he came back, and he didn't tell the
girl who he was, although he met her
again. He was so cruel and hard-hearted.
Oh, he was a brute. Dick! And
the poor girl was breaking her heart
for him all the time, and people won
dered why she didn't marry, for she
was eettinir finite old nearlv twentv-
five! And he was actually going away
from her again, and she got so desper
ate she had to speak. And oh. Dick.
can't you see?"
Dick saw, and that is why Lady
Alice's novel was never finished.
Salvation Army Collections.
By means of small boxes, called
"grace before-meat" -boxes put on the
table for the receipt of coppers as a
thank offering for meals the total
amount collected by the Salvation army
last year, In England, was 11,000.
Corks in Great Britain.
Nearly 75,000 tons of corks are need
ed for the bottled beer and aerated
waters consumed annually in Great
Britain.
A stag party would; be much more
enjoyable If a few dears were Invited.
Yowm
A Potato Flfftat.
A rainy day is almost sure to be a
tedious day to every healthy, normal
boy. Checkers, after a time, lose their
charm, and books cease to be of
Interest. The boy stretches, kicks out
his legs Impatiently and casts many
wistful glances out of the windows. He
Is tired of sitting still. After holding
healthy animal spirits in check for the
larger part of a day they are likely to
break loose with a rush.
Few sports are better calculated than
a potato Joust to amuse Imprisoned
boys. It has all the joys of a combat.
and yet, try as he will, there is no pos
sibility for any boy to become rough.
In the potato Joust each warrior is
armed with a fork, on the end of which
is a potato. The combatants take their
position in the center of the play room,
facing each other. They should be sep
arated by not less than three feet. Each
must lift a leg from the floor, as shown
In the illustration. The fighters may
use their own discretion as to which
leg shall be lifted from the floor, and
may hold it up with either hand they
like. A small cushion placed under
POSITIONS FOR THR FIGHT.
the kuee will add materially to the com
fort of the contestants.
The battle is decided by one of the
warriors knocking the potato from his
opponent's fork. Topping over three
times is also counted as a defeat. If
one of the knights is obliged to let go
of his foot in order to keep his balance
it is counted as a fall. Every time the
battle Is interrupted in this way either
of the contestants is at liberty to
change the foot he is resting upon. If
one of the warriors falls against the
other and upsets him It Is counted
against the one who Is responsible for
the tumble. You are not likely to real
ize on your first introduction to a po
tato joust the amount of skill and' prac
tice required to really become expert
in handling the fork. A slight turn of
the wrist, a quick push and the prac
ticed knight will defeat the novice; so
deftly, so easily, that you are left yon
dering how he did it.
Practice is the only way to learn
how he dld.it. One or two axioms
all the help I can give the novice.
Move your fork as little as possible;
long, sweeping strokes are more likely
to throw off your own potato than to
Interfere with that of your opponent.
The most dangerous stroke is one
from underneath; always. maneuver to
keep your potato below that of your
antagonist.
T'n Rules of Politeness.
1. To be polite is to have a kind re
gard for the feelings and rights of oth
ers. 2. Be as polite to your parents, broth
ers, sisters and schoolmates as you are
to strangers.
3. Look people fairly in the eyes
when you speak to them or they speak
to you.
4. Do not bluntly contradict any one.
5. It Is not discourteous to refuse to
do wrong.
6. Whispering, laughing, chewing
gum or eating at lectures, in school, or
at places of amusement, is rude and
vulgar.
7. Be doubly careful to avoid any
rudeness to strangers, such as calling
out to them, laughing or making re
marks about them. Do not stare at
visitors.
8. In passing a pen, pencil, knife,
or pointer, hand the blunt end toward
the one who receives It.
9. When a classmate Is reciting, do
not raise your hand until after he has
finished.
10. When you pass directly in front
of any one or accidentally annoy him,
say, "Excnse me," and never fail to
say. "Thank you" for the smallest fa
vor. On no account say "Thanks."
School Rules of Santa Barbara, Cal.
The Sena' tive Kettle.
"I don't feel well," the Kettle sighed,
The Pot responded "Eh?"
Then doubtless that's the reason, marm,
You do not sing to-day.
"But what's amiss?" the Kettle sobbed,
"Why, sir, you're surely blind,
Or you'd have noticed that the cook
Is shockingly unkind.
"I watched her make a cake just now
If I'd a pair of legs
I'd run away! Oh, dear! oh, dear!
How she did beat the eggs!
"Nor was that all remember, please,
'Tis truth I tell to you
For with my own two eyes I saw
Her stone the raisins, too!
"And afterward a dreadful sight
I felt inclined to scream!
The cruel creature took a fork
And soundly whipped the cream!
"Now can you wonder that my nerves
Have rather given way?
Although I'm at the boiling point,
- I cannot sing to-day."
Felix Leigh.
Musical Dost of Pa It Take City.
There is a church bell on the east
ids, gays the Salt Lake City Tribune,
that 'seems to have a peculiar attrac
tion for the dogs in the vicinity. Each
Sunday morning, as soon as the bell
begins its noise, many of the canines
in the neighborhood prick up their
ears and start In single file for the
church. Arriving there they array
themselves in front and start iii on a
yowling obligate This beautiful vo
cal effort Is persevered in as long as
the bell keeps going, and when it stops
the. dogs feel that their duty has been
done, and, dropping their ears and
voices, start home again.
Instinct in Bect'es.
Beetles exhibit a wonderful instinct
In caring for their eggs during winter.
Among some species the eggs are rolled
in balls of material suitable for food
and then the balls are packed away in
a nest until the Infant beetle wakes up
and eats Its way out Then there are
the "sexton" beetles, which deposit
their eggs in the bodies of dead birds
or field mice, after which they set to
work and perform the proper rites of
burial, heaping the earth upon the body
of the dead. The young beetle when
hatched from the egg finds a store of
food awaiting Its arrival in the world.
Must Have Been Poor.
"Mamma," said small Harry after
glancing over his Sunday school lesson,
"I don't believe Solomon was half so
rich as they say he was."
"Why not, my dear?" queried his
mother. .
"Because," replied the youthful stu
dent, "It says here, 'And he slept with
his fathers.'' If he had been very rich
I guess he would have had a bed of his
own."
GREAT LUCK IN MINING.
Millionaire Rate) It Below Technical
Knowledge and Ability.
"One of the most valuable mines in
the world, the United Verde copper
mine, at Jerome, Ariz., was discovered
by one of the swarm of prospectors
tl'Ht succeeded Gen. Howard's captive
Indians at Camp Verdi-. It was work
ed unprofitably for years. Senator
William A. Clark of Urmtauii, secured
control of it for about $00,000, says a
writer in Ainslee's. He built a rail
road and a smelter, and applied im
proved methods to tho development of
tht property. To-day it is paying at
ilio rate of $12,000,000 a year.
"Senator Clark started in life driv
ing a mule team to haul supplies into
western mining camps. To-day he is
the richest mining man in the western
hemisphere, if not in the world. He
was asked two questions: .
" 'How much of it part does chauce
play in achieving slieses in mining as
compared with scientific knowledge
and business ability?"
" 'What are the ehmoes for success
in mining as compared with other lines
ft business?'
" Here are his replies:
' "Chance may be a factor In ..tie ac
quisition of a good mining property,
bill -there Its operations cease. The de
velopment and the operations which
loliow depend largely on technical
knowledge in the treatment of ores as
well as on competent business ability
and good judgment.
" 'The chances of success in the min
ing Industry are equally good if not
better than the chances in any other
legitimate business, provided it is man
aged on business principles. I have
known many instances where persons
acquired very valuable mining proper
ty, but their incompetency, resulted in
absolute failure.'
"In a similar vein another wealthy
mint-owner, former Senator U. C.
Chambers of Utah, sas:
" "Not one in 200 prospectors "strikes
it rich" through luck. W. one in fifty
di aspects is worth anchin. Mining
is a business, but it Is uot.a pjor man's
business. If a man hai lost all he has
tht.'e is a chance for hi in to work until
re has got .together a little inoney,
si.-irt out over the hill 3 and perhaps
tups get rich. But the most money is
i:'ade by men of means who invest
carefully.' " '
"Doing" Astor Library.
The " elderly lady " marshaled the
younger one through the library portal
with some dignity, and swept with her
over to the obliging gentleman who re
lieves the entering reader of his cane
and overcoat. "This is the Astor li
brary, is it not?"
"Yes, madam."
"And It has some 300,000 volumes
now?" '
''Yes, madam." -
"It was started by John Jacob Astor
in 1848 with a donation of $400,000, I
believe?"
"Yes, madam.' If you wish any in
formation you "
"And he gave $550,000 more at his
death, and his son donated $800,000 in
1881, I understand?"
"Why, yes, I "
"Well, Lizzie," and the elderly lady
sighed with the satisfaction of a duty
done, "you can see some of the books
up there, through that glass door; and
these are the marble busts. Now we
must hurry along and do the Cooper
Union." New York Commercial Adver
tiser. Proof Positive.
"I am sinking for the third time!"
shrieked the woman in the water.
"Are you positive of this?" asked the
youth who was waiting to rescue her,
ill concealing his anxiety the while.
"Oh, quite!" the woman protested.
"For I am at this moment distinctly re
calling everything in my past life! 1
remember the real color of my hair as
if it were but yesterday that I"
"Say no more!" cried the - youth,
plunging forthwith Into the Icy flood.
The spectators cheered wildly, for
never in their lives had they seen the
thing more gracefully done. Detroit
Journal.
RAM'S HORN BLASTS.
Warning Notes Calling the Wicked to
Repentance.
EAVEN may In
clude earth.
The dance Is
the devil's litany.
You can never
teach a toad to
trot.
You will not
make heaven less
your home by
making home
heavenly.
There Is much
difference between being washed white
and being white-washed.
Every man has his own message.
Souls are not saved by slovenly ser
vice. Probably Paul was a D. D. before he
was converted.
When love calls Him Lord there is
no sweeter word.
The magnified church will often
mean the minimized Christ.
He who takes all he can get often
gets more than he can take.
The only way to have the very pres
ent help is to have the ever present
Helper.
The preacher's oratory in the sanctu
ary must fail unless prayer has Its
oratory in his soul.
The preacher who thinks only of
pruning flowers of rhetoric will pluck
little of the fruit of righteousness.
SET A PRECEDENT IN WAR.
Battle of New Orleans Showed Value
of Good Marksmanship.
"The battle of New Orleans was the
first occasion in history," said an ex
officer of volunteers, "in which highly
disciplined troops, working together
with machinelike precision, were pitted
against individual marksmen, and it is
a curious fact that the tactics adopted
by the Americans in that engagement
are just now, after the lapse of nearly a
century, being recognized by modern
military authorities as the proper way
to fight. Our British cousins are a lit
tle slow to learn," continued the ex
officer, "and history has to repeat itself
a few times before it attracts their at
tention. Nevertheless it seems very
strange that the lesson they received
at Chalmette in 1815 should have been
duplicated in almost every particular
only two years ago at the Tugela Riv
er. On both occasions they were con
fronted by earthworks manned by ci
vilian sharpshooters and attempted to
rush them with compact masses of
splendidly drilled professional' soldiers,
and on both occasions they were
frightfully and expeditiously licked.
"After the Tugela River disaster they
began to do a little hard thinking and
finally came to the conclusion that one
skilled rifleman who fights on his own
hook and brings down a man every
time he pulls the trigger Is worth
twenty fancy-drilled soldiers who fire
in squads and never hit anything ex
cept the landscape. But they might
have acquired exactly the same infor
mation eighty-six years ago at New
Orleans, and when I read the accounts
of that remarkable battle I. am filled
with admiration for the genius of An
drew Jackson. The majority of his
troops were rough backwoodsmen who
knew nothing about the manual of
arms, but were magnificent rifle shots.
Jackson wasted no time at drills and
the only advice he gave was not to
throw away any ammunition and wait
until they saw 'the whites of the ene
my's eyes' before they fired. That was
his sole chance of winning the day,
and if he had commanded a similar
number of trained veterans he would
have been simply overwhelmed. As
it was his backwoodsmen picked off
the British one by one and literally an
nihilated whole battalions before they
could reach the foot of the intrench
ments. .
"It is absolutely certain, In my opin
ion, that the fighting of the future will
be done in that fashion. Less and less
attention will be paid to drills and
more and more attention will be paid
to target practice. When an army en
ters into action It will spread out in
'open formation' and every fellow will
proceed to make It a personal affair.
That's the view taken by the leading
authorities of the present day, but the
originator of the idea was the grim
old gentleman whose effigy bestrides
the prancing steed In Jackson square.
He was over three-quarters "of a cen
tury in advance of the times." New
Orleans Times-Democrat
Extraordinary.
"I am no ordinary murderer!" he cries
and these words of his sink deep into
our hearts. '
Years pass. His case has been np to
the Supreme court, and today the man
hangs.
We are greatly shocked to find him
partaking with evident relish of a sub
stantial breakfast of ham and .eggs.
"You told us you were no ordinary
murderer!" we protest
"Ay, and truly!" exclaims he. "For
last night I did not chat with the
death watch!"
In thought we had all but done him
an injustice. Detroit Journal.
Unnecessary.
Many years ago an Allen county man
announced himself as a canidate for
the Legislature. "But you can't make
a speech," objected a friend.
"Oh, that doesn't make' any differ
ence," innocently responded the candi
date, "for the House always elects a
Speaker." Iola (Kan.) Register.
It is a poor widow who can't remar
ry. . Rich ones are soon gobbled; np.
Virtue Is its own reward and no
questions asked.
About 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 depend 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
De found and reserve them for seed.
The farmer who sows large areas may
think this too much 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
Overfat StocV.
It Is beginning to dawn upon the
minds of farmers and feeders that
there is such a thing as having animals
too fat for the slaughter as well as
for breeding purposes. Butchers and
marketmen have long known it but
they made themselves safe by weigh
ing the meat before cutting off the fat,
a practice which they will probably
keep up until the customer complains
that he gets only 12 ounces of meat to
the pound. But he would complain
quite as badly if he had the other four
ounces in fat that none of the family
would care to eat. Then the price must
be increased if the surplus fat Is to be
trimmed off before weighing. This Is
one reason for the popularity of the
baby beef that has been well fed from
birth. Having been growing while It
was fattening the fat Is not all in a
layer upon the outside of the meat or
stored up around the kidneys, but the
whole flesh is tender, juicy and just
fat enough. The same thing is true in
mutton, and a well-fed yearling gives
better satisfaction than the three-year-old
wether that once used to be called
the best. Even some of the judges at
fat stock shows are beginning to look
a little shy at animals with great lumps
of fat plastered along the backbone.
Effects of Lime on Soils.
There are certain soils in which lime
is naturally deficient, though the use
of ground bone, acid phosphate and
wood ashes for the sake of the phos
phoric acid or potash in them helps to
Increase the lime often to the full
amount of its needs. So also does the
use of land plaster, gypsum or sulphate
of lime, which are all the same thing,
though sold under all three names.
While lime will accumulate in a dry
soil it leaches out of a damp soil or In
a damp climate, which helps to explain
why It should and does prove beneficial
to apply dry slaked lime to soils where
the lime rocks abounds. Whatever of the
lime has become free may have leach
ed away. Good results may be expect
ed from Its use where the soil is nat
urally deficient in it, or where It has
become acid or sour, a frequent result
of the presence of stagnant water in
undrained land, where other plant food
elements are In the soil, but largely un-
avnuauie, iroin a kick or inaDUity and
porousness. This may be in stiff, heavy
soils, and the use of lime will help to
ngnten them np. Lime also holds mois
ture and prevents leaching In loose
soils, and helps to destroy insects and
fungous diseases.
Feeding Acorns.
A writer in Farm and Home, Lon
don, England, says that he has lost
over sixty deer out of a herd of 200,
losing rrom tawns to four years old.
A veterinary was called, who said they
were poisoned by eating too many
acorns. The husk caused indigestion
and destroyed coating or lining of the
stomach. Also lost several young cat
tle in the same way. while older cat
tle lost flesh, pined away and required
weeks to recover from the effects of It
Sheep were taken out when acorns be
gan to fall, so had no loss among them.
As the grass was short because of
drought, cattle and deer ate acorns
freely. The editor says the hog Is the
only animal that can safely eat any
quantity of acorns, and he only when
having exercise and plenty of grass or
other succulent food. When gathered
and well ripened they are safe food in
limited quantities. Another writer In
the same paper says If ducks feed on
acorns the yolk of the egg will be a
greenish yellow and nearly black when
cooked.
Working Butter.
When butter making we used to
work our butter. In the churn. After it
reached the granular form or perhaps
a little coarser than is now thought the
right thing the buttermilk was drawn
off. If any butter ran out with It, It
was skimmed or strained out and put
back. Then it was washed in clear
water once or twice, and once in water
to which salt had been added. A little
stirring In this cold brine brought the
lumps together in a solid mass and
took out the last vestige of buttermilk,
and then we spread It about and added
salt 1 ounces to the pound, and work
ed It together. As soon as It was cool
It was ready to make Into prints, which
process removed all extra moisture.
There may be better methods now, but
we made good butter. American Cultivator.
Stack Hit.
Feed stack hay before that stored In
the barn to avoid loss. While the hay
will dry out nearly as much in one
place as in another, there Is a far great
er loss In feeding value in that put up
in stacks due to spoiling on top by the
weather and on the bottom by damp
ness from the ground. The Colorado
experiment station found the loss to be
12.4 per cent In feeding value in stack
ed hay and but 2.5 per cent In that
stored In barns, a difference of 10 per
cent. Thus nine tons of hay put In the
barn will feed as much stock as ten
tons put in stack. When this test was
made, the conditions were more favora
ble than the average season for feeding
stack hay. American Agriculturist
Intelligence of Farmers.
I really don't see why a farmer
shouldn't be as well posted in general
matters as any other of the professions,
says a contributor to a farm paper. As
sure as you live, neither doctors, law
yers nor preachers are burdened with
overmuch knowledge. The wide-awake
farmer is hand and glove with nature.
The first astronomers were farmers
most certainly. Before the North Star
rose above the northern horizon they
were Improving the varieties of wheat
And those of their number who were
largely shepherds had calculated the
time length of the solar year within
seventeen seconds. The doctors had
discovered a quick road to death, 1. e.,
they had discovered strychnine.
Hay, Straw and Grain Feed.
At the experiment station in Fargo,
N. D they have been trying some of
the various feeds for horses, and find
that hay from brome grass was as good
as that from the best timothy, but
when oat straw was used they needed
25 per cent more grain than when they
fed good hay. Barley did not give as
good results as oats for horses. Ear
corn proved good for the working
horses, 77 pounds being equal to 100
ponnds of oats. Bran and shorts mix
ed proved equal to oats.
Grain Weevils.
It Is said that the grain weevil has a
natural dislike to salt, and that wheat
or other grain stored in salt sacks was
not touched by them, while that In
other sacks in the same pile was bad
ly infested and virtually ruined by
weevils. If this Is true it would be a
simple matter to dip all grain sacks
In brine and dry them before using,
or perhaps to surround the grain bins
with salted sacks. It is an experiment
worthy of trial.
Packasres for Honey.
A large amount of money is spent in
costly glass packages for honey. The
consumer has to pay for these .packages.-
When the consumer is as sure '
of getting pure honey in a tin can as
he is now sure of getting pure rolled
oats in a pasteboard box, then he will
get his honey cheaper. When he can
buy a five or ten-pound can of honey
the cost of the package will not count
In the price.
Beef and Dairying;.
Not all the farmers In the West will
care to go Into the beef producing busi
ness. There are some sections where
dairying has become established and
successful, and where this Is the case
It will doubtless be the most successful
to pursue It, as frequent changes from
one branch of farming to another are
generally demoralizing and unprofit
able. The Winter Muskmelon.
Reports of poor success with the Per
sian winter muskmelon, which has been
a good deal talked of for several sea
sons, come from various quarters.
Some who have grown It claim that it
Is about like the old casaba melon and
apparently no better or longer keeper.
Grit for Ducks.
Grit is absolutely necessary. It
should not only be kept together with
cracked oyster shells, In boxes constant
ly by them, but mixed also in their
food. They must have something dur
ing confinement In bad weather to en
able them to assimilate their food.
Exercise for Hoars.
To produce the best pork hogs should
have exercise. A lazy, sleepy hog may
fatten faster, but the flesh will not be
so good.
Poultry Notes.
Never feed laying hens on one certain
diet or any coarse grain that will pro
duce fat
It costs no more to select the best and
improve the flock than it does to breed
without regard to system.
One advantage with ducks is that a
large number can be raised on a small
space, but more is required.
Fowls in the orchard work a twofold
benefit, the orchard and the fowls se
curing better growth with both.
When hens have scours a good remedy-
is to feed powdered chalk In their soft
feed, but the best regulative Is a variety,
of food.
"Geese live many years and It Is of no
advantage to sell off the old stock, as
they are the best for breeding purposes.
as also for feathers.
If it is desired to have the greatest
number of pounds of meat produced
with the smallest amonnt of feed select
the large breeds Cochins, Brahmas oc
Dorkings. -
V