SEMI-WEEKUY.
VlfZSiZVl'jril'e. i ConsoMated Feb., 1899.
CORVALLIS, BENTON COimTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1002.
VOL. III. NO. 17.
A STUDY IN SCARLET.
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
CHAPTER HI Continued.
No. 3 Lauriston Gardens wore an ill
omened and minatory look. It was one
of four, which stood back some little
way from the street, two being occu
pied and two empty.
The latter looked out with three
tiers of vacant, melancholy windows,
- which were blank and dreary, save
that here and there a "To Let" card
had developed like a cataract upon
the bleared panes.
A small garden sprinkled over with
a scattered eruption of sickly plants
separated each of these houses from
the street, and was traversed "by a nar
row pathway, yellowish in color, and
consisting apparently of a mixture of
clay and gravel.
The whole place was very sloppy
from the rain which had fallen through
the night. The garden was bounded
Dy a tnree-ioot DrlcK wan with a
- fringe of wood rails upon the top, and
against this wall was leaning a stal
wart police constable, surrounded by
a small knot of loafers, who craned
their necks and strained their eyes In
the vain hope of catching some glimpse
of the proceedings within.
I had imagined that Sherlock
Holmes would at once have hurried
into tne nouse ana plunged into a
study of the mystery.
Nothing appeared to be further from
nis intention, witn an air of non
chalance, which under the circum
stances seemed to me to border upon
affectation, he lounged up and down
the pavement, and gazed vacantly at
the ground, the sky, the opposite
houses and the line of railings.
Having finished his scrutiny, he pro
ceedly slowly down the path, or rather
down the fringe of grass which flanked
the path, keeping his eyes riveted upon
the ground.
Twice he stopped and once I saw
him smile and heard him utter an ex
clamation of satisfaction. There were
many .marks of footsteps upon the wet,
clayey soil, but since the police had
been coming and going over it I was
unable to see how my companion could
hope to learn anything from it.
. Still, I had had such extraordinary
evidence of the quickness of his per
ceptive faculties that I had no doubt
he could see a great deal which was
hidden from me.
At the door of the house we were
met by a tall,'"white-faced, flaxen-haired
man, with a notebook In his hand, who
rushed forward and wrung my com
panion's hand with effusion.
"It is indeed kind of you to come,"
he said. "I have had everything left
untouched."
"Except that!" my friend answered,
pointing to the pathway. "If a herd
of buffaloes had passed along, there
could not be a greater .mess. No doubt,
however, you had drawn your own con
clusions, Gregson, before you permit
ted this."
"I have had so much to do inside
the house," the detective said, evas
ively. "My colleague, Mr. Lestrade, is
here. I had relied upon him to look
after this." j
Holmes glanced at me and raised
his eyebrows sardonically.
"With two such men as yourself
and Lestrade upon the- ground, there
will not be much for a third party to
to find out," he said.
Gregson rubbed his hands in a self
satisfied way.
"I think we have done all that can
be done," he answered. "It's a queer
case, though, and I knew your taste
for such things." ' .
"You did not come here in a cab?"
asked Sherlock Holmes.
"No, sir."
"Nor Lestrade?"
"No, sir."
"Then let us go and look at the
room."
With which Inconsequent remark he
strode on Into the house, followed by
Gregson. whose features expressed his
astonishment.
Holmes walked in and I followed
him with that subdued feeling at my
heart which the presence of death in
spires.
It was a large, square room, looking
all the larger for the absence of all
furniture.
Opposite the door was a showy fire
place. On one corner of this was stuck
the stump of a red wax candle.
The solitary window was so dirty
that the light was hazy and uncertain,
giving a dull gray tinge to everything,
which was intensified by the thick
layer of dust which coated the whole
apartment.
All these details I observed after
ward. At present my attention was
centered upon the single grim, mo
tionless figure which lay stretched
upon the boards, with vacant, sight
less eyes staring up at the discolored
ceiling.
It was that of a man about forty
three oc forty-four years of age, middle-sized,
broad shouldered, with crisp,
curling black hair, and a short, stubby
beard.
His hands were clenched and his
arms thrown abroad, while his lower
limbs were interlocked as though his
death struggle bad been a grievous
one.
On his rigid face there stood an ex
pression of horror, and. as it seemed
to me, of hatred, such as I have never
seen upon human features.
'rnis malignant and terrioie contor
tion, combined with the low forehead,
blunt nose, and prognathous jaw, gave
the dead man a singularly simious and
ape-like appearance, which was in
creased by his writhing, unnatural pos
ture. Lestrade, lean and ferret-like as
ever, was standing by the doorway and
greeted my companion and myself.
"This case will make a stir, sir," he
remarked. "It beats anything I have
seen, and I am no chicken."
"There Is no clew," said Gregson.
"None at all," chimed in Lestrade.
Sherlock Holmes approached the
body and kneeling down, examined it
Intently. -
"You are sure that there is no
wound?" he asked, pointing to numer
ous gouts and splashes of blood which
ay all around. - . ...
"Positive! "-cried both detectives.
"Then of course this blood belongs
to a second individual presumably
the murderer, if murder has been com
mitted. It reminds me of the circum
stances attending on the death of Van
Jansen, in Utrecht, in the year 34. Do
you remember the case, Gregson?"
"No, sir."
"Read it up you really should.
There is nothing new under the sun,
It has all been done before."
As he spoke his nimble fingers were
flying here, there and everywhere,
feeling, pressing, unbuttoning, exam
ining, while his eyes wore'-the same
far away expression which I have al
ready remarked upon.
So swiftly was the examination made
that one would hardly have guessed
the minuteness with which it was con
ducted. Finally, he sniffed the dead
man's lips and then glanced at the
soles of his patent leather boots.
"He has not been moved at all?" he
asked.
"No more than was necessary for
the purpose of our examination."
"You can take him to tne mortuary
now," he said. "There is nothing more
to be learned."
Gregson had a stretcher and four
men at hand. At his call they entered
the room, and the stranger was lifted
and carried out.
As they raised him a ring tingled
down and rolled across the floor. Le
strade grabbed it up and stared at it
with mystified eyes.
"There's been a woman here," he
cried. "It's a woman's wedding ring.
He held it out as he spoke, upon the
palm of his hand. We all gathered
round him and gazed at it. There
could be no doubt that that circle of
plain gold had once adorned the finger
of a bride.
"This complicates matters," said
Gregson. "Heaven knows, they were
complicated enough before!"
"You're sure it doesn't simplify
them?" observed Holmes. "There's
nothing to be learned by staring at it.
What did you find in his pockets?" .
We have it all here," said Greg
son, pointing to a litter of objects upon
one of the bottom steps of the stairs.
A gold watch, No. 97,163, by Barraud,
of London. Gold Albert -chain, very
heavy and solid. Gold ring,' with Ma
sonic device. Gold pin bulldog's
head, with rubies as eyes. Russian
leather card case,, with cards of Enoch
J. Drebber, of Cleveland, correspond
ing with the E. J. D. upon the linen.
No purse, but loose money to the ex
tent of seven pounds thirteen. Pock
et edition of Boccaccio's 'Decameron,'
with name of Joseph Stangerson upon
the fly leaf. Two letters one address
ed to E. J. Drebber and one to Joseph
Stangerson."
"At what addressT'
"American Exchange, Strand to be
left till called for. They are both from
the Guion Steamship Company, and
refer to the sailing of their boats from
Liverpool. It is clear that this unfor
tunate man was about to return to New
York."
"Have you made any inquiries as to
this man Stangerson?"
"I did it at once," said Gregson. "I
have had advertisements sent to all the
newspapers, and one of my .men has
gone to the American Exchange, " but
he has not returned yet."
"Have you sent to Cleveland?"
"We telegraphed this morning."
"How did you word your inquiries?"
"We simply detailed the circum
stances, and said " that we should be
glad of any information which could
help us."
"You did not ask, for particulars on
any point which appeared to you to be
crucial?
"I asked about Stangerson."
"Nothing else? Is there no circum
stance on which this whole case ap
pears to hinge? Will you not tele
graph again?"
"I have said all I have to say," said
Gregson, in an offended voice.
Sherlock Holmes chuckled to him
self, and appeared to be about to make
some remark, when Lestrade, who had
been in the front room while we were
holding this conversation in the -hall,
reappeared upon the scene, rubbing his
hands in a pompous and. well-satisfied
manner.
"Mr. Gregson," he said, "I have just
made a discovery of the highest im
portance, and one which would have
been overlooked had I not made a care
ful examination of the walls."
The little man's eyes sparkled as he
spoke, and he was evidently in a state
of suppressed exultation at " having
scored a point against his colleague.
"Come here,' he said, bustling back
into the room, the atmosphere of which
felt cleaner since the removal of its
ghastly inmate.
"Now, stand there!"
He struck a match on his boot and
held it up against the wall.
"Look at that!" he said triumphant
ly.
I have remarked that the paper had
fallen away in parts. In this particu
lar corner of the room a large piece
had peeled off, leaving a yellow square
of coarse plastering.
"Across this bare space there was
scrawled in blood-red letters a single
word:
RACHE.
"What do you think of that?" cried
the detective, with the air of a show
man exhibiting his show. "This was
overlooked because it was in the dark
est corner of the room, and no one
thought of looking there. The mur
derer has written it with" hfs or her own
blood. See this smear where it has
trickled down the wall! That disposes
of the idea of suicide, anyhow. " Why
was that corner chosen to write it on?
I will tell you. See that candle on the
mantelpiece. It was lighted at the.
time, and if it was lighted this corner
would be the brightest instead of the
darkest portion of the wall."
"And what does It mean, now taat
you have found it?" asked Gregson, in
a deprecatory tone.
"Mean? Why, it means that the
writer was going to put the female
name Rachel, but was disturbed before
he or she had time to finish. You mark
my words, when this case comes to be
cleared up you'll find that a woman
named Rachel has something to do
with it. It's all very well for you to
laugh, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. You"may
be very smart and clever, but the old
hound is the best, when all is said and
done."
"I really beg your pardon!" said jny
companion, who had ruffled the little
man's temper by bursting into an ex
plosion of laughter. "You certainly
have the credit of being the first of .us
to find out, and, as you say, it bears
every mark Of having been written by
the other participant in last night's
mystery. I have not had time to ex
amine this room yet, but with your
permission I shall do so now." .j:
As he spoke he" whipped a tape meas
ure andr a large, round, magnifying
glass from his pocket.
So engrossed was he with his occu-
pation that he appeared to have for
gotten our presence, for he chattered
away to himself under his breath the
whole time, keeping up a running fire
of exclamations, groans, whistles and
little cries suggestive of encourage
ment and of hope. .
As I watched him I was Irresistibly
reminded of a pure-blooded, well
trained fox hound as it dashes back
ward and forward through the covert,
whining in its eagerness, until it comes
across the lost scent. - ' j
For twenty minutes or more he con-1
tinued his researches, measuring with J
the most exact care the distance be- j
tween marks which were entirely in-.
visible to me, and occasionally apply
ing his tape to the walls in an equally
incomprehensible .manner. '"
In one place he gathered very care
fully a little pile of gray dust from the
floor, and packed it away in an envel
ope. Finally he examined with his glass
the word upon the wall, going over ev
ery letter of it with the most minute
exactness.
This done, he appeared to be satis
fled, for he replaced his tape and his
glass in his pocket. -
They say that genius is an lnnnit6
capacity for taking pains," he re
marked, with a smile. "It's a very
bad definition, but it does apply to de
tective work."
Gregson and Lestrade had watched
the maneuvers of their amateur com
panion with considerable curiosity and
some contempt.
They evidently failed to appreciate
the fact, which I had begun to realize,
that Sherlock Holmes' smallest actions
were all directed toward some definite
and practical end.
WJhat do you think of it, sir?" they
both asked.
It would be robbing you of the cred--
it of the case if I was to presume to
help you," remarked my friend. "You
are doing so well now that it would be
a pity for any one to interfere." There
was a world of sarcasm in his voice as
he spoke. "If you will let me. know
how your investigations go," he con-i
tinued, "I shall be happy to give you
any help I can. In the meantime, I
should like to speak to the constable
who found the body. Can you give me
his name and address?" . - - "
"John Ranee," he said. "He is off
duty now. You will find him at 46
Audley Court, Kensington Park Gate."
Holmes took a note of the address.
"Came along, doctor," he said; "we
shall go and look him up. I'll tell you
one thing which may help you in the
case, he continued, turning to tne two
detectives. "There has been murder
done, and the murderer was a man.
He was more than six feet high, was
in the prime of life, had small feet for
his height, wore coarse, square-toed
boots, and smoked a Trichinopoly
cigar. He came here with his victim
in a four-wheeled cab, which was
drawn by a horse with three old shoes
and one new one on his off foreleg. In
all probability the murderer had a flor
id face, and the finger nails or his
right hand were remarkably long.
These are only a few indications, but
they may assist you."
Lestrade and Gregson looked at each
other with an incredulous smile. ;
"If this man was murdered, "how was
it done?" asked the former.
"Poison," said Sherlock Holmes,
curtly, and strode off. "One other
thing, Lestrade," he added, turning
round at the. door; " 'Rache' Is the
German for 'revenge;' so don't lose
your time looking for Miss Rachel."
With which Parthian shot he walked
away leaving the two rivals open
mouthed behind him.
(To be continued.)
Why lie Wanted to Go.
Up at primry school No. 9 in Brook
lyn the other day, one of the boys pre
sented a note from his mother, asking
tr Iia flllrtwcw? tft on linmA a? 9 rtflnnb I
fcW W V p. uv.uv WW v v.ww. . ' . I" u 1 1 1. 1 V. gui UUU (3 11 1 U 11 UfJ tTUUIUg.
The teacher looked at him severely, j On another are two wee "new women"
"See bete," she fcaid, "you've been, in bloomers exercising with dumb-bells
out a great deal lately, and here you '"and Indian clubs. Other note paper
have a note to go out again. Now, we j bears on the top a scene of tiny sum
can 't do things that way. If you are mer belle and her attendant cavalier
coming to school I want you to stay,0n board, a yacht What is known as
here. What do you want to go out j "harlequin paper" Is decorated with
tori" . I an elephant in scarlet trousers plavna
aujt wuLiiei nuwu lua w m nc
York," replied the small boy.
"Wouldn't Saturday afternoon
do
just as well?1'
".No, ma am."
"Do you have to go at 2 o'clock?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Wouldn't half past 2 do as well?"
"No, ma'am'.
"Well, what do you have to go for
anyway? -
iidi J . :t js i tt
x leHoe, uin nut, uiv cuusiu urau.. i ,
The expression on the teacher's face '
was wonderful to behold as she gave the
bov nermission toco. New York Even-
ine Mail.
Make Bequests of Their Brains,
The Cornell Brain Association, of
which Prof. Burt G. Wilder is presi
dent, has received more than 100 be
quests of the brains of highly educated '
people, as a result of the circulation
of a unique " form of "will and testa-
ment," which he drew up and asked
them to sign. I
I
A Good "Word .for the Spider.
Followlngthe wave of nature -study
now passing ovet our land will cornea
better understanding of the economy
of nature. We "are not only . learning
to know better the habits of animals.
birds and insects, out otir eyer are be
ing opened to the, effect of one .upon
the other and God's great plan in it all.
How few of us regard the spider, for
Instance, as other than -an ; enemy.
Spiders are ugly to be sure, some of
tbem are" even repulsive,, but would
we not.oe able -to; find In tbem same
thing not so bad after all, If we stopped
to think what they are and what they
do. You say, "Oh, they catch, flies, of
course." So they do, and tlies are mi
crobe carriers, but . files -are not thelt
only food. Caterpillars, .grasshoppers,
locusts, June bugs, mosquitos, moths,
and leaf eating, beetles are their far
more numerous victims. ' ,
The most useful of all our spiders
are those that destroy the caterpillars
which prey upon the foliage of out
shade and fruit trees. Have we hot all
seen the large, unsightly webs on fruit
trees, elms, ailanthus, and maple
trees? ' These nests are made by the
larvae of different kinds of web worms
and each nest is the home of a colon
of worms that crawl out at night to
devour the surrounding leaves. . A sin
gle web contains hundreds of worms
and -as the web' protects the "caterpil
lars from their bird - enemies theyJ
would so rapidly Increase that the
trees would be bare of foliage if It
were not that spiders also make these
nests- their homes and devour the
worms in great numbers.
Until I learned of the spider Inmates
I thought when I saw a tree disfigured
with one or more ugly webs that the
next year the . increase . would have
been so great that the tree would be
stripped. I discovered my neighbor
whose negligence I had so deplored
still had fruit to eat and that the very
trees whose sad fate I had prophesied
would often come forth in beauty the
next spring and be without a vestige
of a web through the entire season. . I
did not know wh'y until a spider
showed me.
f V V V 2
Rainy Day Friends
One lonesome day I felt . so bad,
--Because it rained, you see; . .
I couldn't go to see my friends,
Nor could they come to me. ;
Then mamma said, "I'll make some
friends
With whom you'll like to play;"
And so she folded paper up
A sort of fanlike way.-
She snipped and snipped with scissors
then
The paper opened wide,
And such a lot of little girls
Before me then I spied!
They all took hold of hands, like- this,
Just so they wouldn't fall,.
And I made noses, eyes and mouths
(With pencil) for them all.
I gave them names, and set them in
A row on my footstool;
I played they were my company,
My sisters, and my school.
I took" them boating in a pan,
And riding on the train;
We "Ring Round Rosy" played a while.
And I forgot the rain.
We "snapped the whip" and skipped the
rope, . .
. And played menagerie,
And mamma gave us pop-corn balls
And frosted cake and tea.
Oh. dear! 'twas such, a lovely time '
The hours just flew away!
I really hope 'fore long we'll have
Another rainy day.
Youth's Companion.
Paper for Invitations.
There Is specially Imported station
ery for little maidens to use in sending
out their party invitations.. One style
has the small sheets of heavy white
paper decorated at the top in colors
with a llttla o?vl onrl small YiAr, nnAtM
a trombone, ana below: - --
The elephant played the trombone
With his trunk so very long.
He played the airs so finely,
That never a note was wrong.
Onr Patriotic Songa.
How many boys and girls of 12 can
write the words of "The Star Span
gled Banner" and "America?" We
I ought to know our patriotic songs as
ie" ia "f we other day the
Snron scn oara examined the
" oruannia, ana me
London" Chronicle published the work.
One boy wrote down as the first line of
the chorus, "Royl Brick Tanner, Brick
Tanner rules the Way." Another be
gan, "Rore Britainer.'" A third thus
adjured his country, "Rail Briltanil,
Briltanil Rails the Way," doubtless
thinking of -the Gape " to Cairo 'project
A fourth, more ambitious, gave a
whole - verse, thus: - "The1 nations not
so blest has he but still in stern but
stU1 stern to God most all this was the
nhltr and f"heltr nf tha Srnll and
I God In Angles sang the Strang Bul-
biantanya biatanya woves the Waves
for Britains never will be slain." "Bui
biatanya" has a fine South African
twang about It. :
Lord Kitchener a Schoolboy.
Lord Kitchener received a part of This
education at a school about four miles
from Montreux, not far from the point
where the Rhone enters the Lake of
Geneya"Grand-Clos," as' the school
was called,- numbered some "thirteen
boys, and the headmaster was a cler
gyman of the name of Bennett. They
seem to have bad an enjoyable time
there. A former master of the school,
says- the . London Express, describes
Kitchener at the age of 15. "He was
of medium height, broad chested, a
veryv model, of . strength, but not pas
sienately addicted to sports. Solitary
in his habits,, not chumming especially
with any of his. school fellows, he
worked - quietly and steadily, and
proved always amenable to discipline."
Where Potatoes Grow;
"Humboldt says that at the time of
the discovery of ""America the potato
was--cultivated In .all the temperate
parts of South America from Chile up
the coast: The Spaniards at first no
ticed it In Peru. " The. variety of potato
cultivated in Europe and North Ameri
ca grows wild in Chile. Different spe
cies of the plant are found growing
wim .In most parts .of South America,
and, It Is claimed by many botanists,
in aiexico ana Arizona.
GIVING TO UNCLE SAM.
Donations that Are Constantly Com
insr in for the Government.
Among the miscellaneous receipts of
the national government are included
gifts of money from persons, here and
abroad, who desire to "do something"
for Uncle Sam. It was recalled on a recent-anniversary
of the death of Gen.
Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed in the
Civil War, at the battle of Wilson's
Creek, that he left by will the most of
his property to the United States Gov
ernment. In fact, it Is In times of war that peo
ple are most stimulated to make gifts.
Miss Helen Gould'scontribution of one
hundred thousand dollars during the
war- with Spain Is well remembered.
Among those who ga.ve in smaller
amounts was a New York man, who
sent one thousand dollars to be used
In .the secret service, "without any ac
counting for it" . He had read -that In
former wars such funds, without the
ordinary legal restrictions, had been of
great service to the detective corps. An
Englishman enclosed a postal order for
ne pound sterling, "as a-contributlon
toward carrying on your war with
Spain." "From another Englishman, a
clergyman,, came' half a guinea, which
he hoped might, "furnish a cup of cold
water to some member of the army or
navy." V--. .. - - "" "''. "'
Two little girls In1 St," Paul sent to
Washington one dollar and forty cents
at about, the same time. One man now
sends to the Treasury four times in
every year a present of seventy-two
dollars, the' amount of his "pensiSh,
which he purposes not to retain so long
as he holds a Government position.
These gifts are small in the aggre
gate by comparison with' the. national
expenditure, but they reyeal a benev
olent purpose. What the Government
desires of all itsrsons, really' more than
money gifts, is an earnest and. abiding
love of country, and this is a return
which we can all make, in peace as
well as in war. Youth's Companion.
AN OLD DEBT.
Wagrner Paid the Reckoning
Lapse of Fourteen Tears,
After
The Uttle Steiger. Inn, hear Dresden,
has celebrated its centennial,; and this,
among other memories, is quoted by
the Staats-Zeitung as belonging to It.
In 1849, on a morning In May, the
hostess of the inn heard distant firing,
and' saw armed insurgents ; running
along the road, as if in -flight This
was. the last remnant -contributed by
Dresden to the May revolution, and the
Prussians were liard upon their track.
Suddenly the hostess found herself
confronted by a little man with smoke
begrimed face and hands, who nodded
and rushed Into the inn.
"Give me a basin of" water," he pant
ed, "and sonie bread and meat! Quick!
An instant's delay may meaii death!"
The hostess obeyed him.. , ;
"You don't seem to know me," he
said. . ' X-'m
"Oh, I have seen you often, but"
" ell, I hope I have credit enough
for my breakfast, for I. haven't a pf en-
nig about me.
i waui a gniae to 1
sliow me the way through the forest to
Freiburg," - - .
-So the hostess sent her son to guide
him through the woods.
Fourteen years after a weILdressed4
nrtmnn nr&WhS kCTT
at tho Yinm. nf tna nrA '
J " mw " 1.111. n 11 VI 1 vi -.
dressed the hostess, with a smile:
"Good day, Frau Wirthinr I have
come to pay m debts. I have not for
gotten what you did for me that ninth
of May."
He then paid for the breakfast eaten find casy vtctlins ln tne fatmillg Com
so long before. - munities. One of the latest schemes
Now,' said he. "that is off my eon- jor e tree agent to. offer to plant an
science, remaps you . wouta use xo
know whom you have trusted so long.
Allow me to introduce myself as Rich
ard Wagner, then a rebel, now amnes
tied by 'the king." . .- -
a i .1.- . .
A. woru io me wist; may ue suiqcieni. j
. , , ' " , .
-yet doubtlessiyou have observed that
most of the letters you receive are writ-.
ten at length. . . j
it Is easier to get a man to tell you
how a thing should be done than it is
to get a man to do it ' ----- I
.
The man who is always calling for
the fool-killer would be the first to hide 1
if he saw him coming. . - .. - . - (
. Circular Form of Silo.
The consensus of opinion of those
who have studied the slid problem in
dicates that the circular form Is pref
erable. There are, however, many
square and rectangular silos in success
ful operation. Especially is this the
case with those having rounded corners.
Where great strength and large capac
ity are demanded the frame circular
silo will best meet . the requirements.
This form of silo can be made quite
durable by plastering the inside with
cement The circular stave silo, owing
to its simplicity and economical con-
-struction, seems to fully meet the re
quirements of the farmer. With the
form of silo properly erected the waste
of silage is reduced to the minimum.
Hoops for the silo can be made of
any suitable material, - such as half
Inch, seven-sixteenths Inch or five
eighths inch' round Iron, one-eighth
inch flat Iron two inches wide or wire.
The "woven ' wire fence hoop Is often
used since it is regarded as being very
economical. - Doors may. be simply
sawed out, or made continuous from
the bottom to thetop of the: silo. The
CIRCULAR SILO.' Vj- !
sawed out doors may be ranged one
above the other, with a "stationary
ladder placed alongside running to the
top of the silo, as shown in the cut
When the silo is built on the outside
of the barn, a roof is needed. This
may be simply a shed roof constructed
with plank, or a heat, inexpensive shin
gle roof, as shown in the cut.
A Suitable Dust Bath.
All chickens seem to thoroughly en
joy a dust bath, and its use undoubted
ly is a benefit to their plumage, besides
ridding them of lice." If the plumage
is to be kept clean and bright especial
ly ou birds intended for exhibition' pur
poses or of white varieties, it is essen-.
tial that the dusting place be kept abJ
solutely dry,, as otherwise it will soil
the plumage and the fine bird on which
you may pride yourself will look very
dingy.
The roofed box in the sketch will
give an Idea of how birds may be pro
vided with a. dry dust bath In nearly
all kinds of weather. Cloths may be
tacked across the top ends, with hooks
at bottom for stormy weather,' if the
box is in a field. Some poultry raisers
allow their fowls, -the' "liberty of the
sheds where the farm machinery Is
housed and here they get a fine dusting
in all sorts of weather, but if the birds
roost on them it does not improve their
AN ALL-WEATHER DUST BOX.
looks nor the working of the farm im
plements. ' Better keep them out and
assign them quarters more fitting. The
cost of cleaning machinery of hen
manure on some rarms woura ouua
palatial abodes -for the hens and make,
tbem aprpfitable part of the farm.
John G. Knott in Farm and Home.
cnee" m
K is really surprising how frequent-
ly farmers are taken in by tree sharps,
..... .
tion concerning tree growth -and soils
possessed by all farmers would be suf
ficient to make them suspicious of big
j stories, but it Is evident, from the way
i In mKlnh 1 n rrto.ii aa thrliro that tliov
acre with trees for $100 and to care
for the trees for five years. In addi
tion he agrees that the firm he repre
sents will buy all the fruit from the
trees at an advance of from 10 to 25 per
-cent over me iuims manci piiv.c. ii
. , m - .
would hardly seem as if any man of In-
te,a e would De a by such a
j- yet hundrcd9 6t doUars
are being put in the pockets of these
rogues by unsuspecting farmers. There
are many nurserymen in the country
who sell their products entirely
through agents, and such men are re-
liable, but they do not tell Improbable
tories or exhibit wax fruit and claim
t to be genuine; neither do they make
offers such as the one above stated. As
a rule, it is entirely safe to refuse to
sign! any paper offered by a stranger
for even a simple reeeipt may turn up
a note, which must be paid:
- A On- At a n Raw
A cross-cut saw will get through
great deal more wood with" a given
amount of muscle than any other hand
device. With this rocking walking
ueuui auacuiueui auu its weuruieu aim
swinging pendulums, one mau can eas
ily manage the saw. - The ' post, as
shown in the cut should betibou't eight
feet high to admit of having a pendent
sufficiently -long to give the required
length of stroke. The ; weight-on the
outer, pendent should be just sufficient
to prevent the saw from riding. Tha
spring from main post to the saw
ONE-MAN CKOSSCUT SAW.
should be strong enough to help the
sawyer on the return stroke. A stout
cord running over a pulley with a
weight attached, may take theilace of
the spring. A. stiff wire with a hook
in the lower end answers very well In
place of the wooden pendent shown in
the cut When It is adjusted just right
the walking beam will see-saw easily,
as it follows the motion of the saw.
John Jackson, in Agricultural Epito
mist .
Aids to Whitewashing:.
The use of the fruit-spraying pumps
makes easy the task of whitewashing
stables, henhouses and cellars, and it
Is much more effectual than the use of
the brush, because by 'making the
stream a little larger and more forci
ble," which most spraying nozzles ad
mit of, a stream can be sent Into cracks
and crevices where the brush would
not reach. It may not prove as pene
trating or as powerful a disinfectant
as the gas from burning sulphur and
charcoal, but it takes next rank, and
can be used where it might not be well
to use the sulphuric acid gas, as In
cellars, under living rooms. If. it is to
be used as a disinfectant or as an in
sect destroyer, the addition of a llttlo
carbolic acid or a little dissolved cop
peras to the whitewash may be an ad
vantage, and -we prefer the 'latter, at
least -In -cow, stables, because-jit emits
no offensive odor. Let thelime be
thoroughly slaked, and strained, through
a cloth, so that it may be thin enough
to work well In the nozzle. And sides,
ceilings, corners and floor's can be well
sprayed in onerfourth the time needed
for the use of the brush: Applied dur
ing the hot., weather, it does not take
long to dry,' and two coats can easily be
given if one does not look thick enough
when dried. New England ' Home
stead. ' ' , ';
Handy Hay Derrick.
W. A. Clearweather, of Indiana,
sends Iowa Homestead a sketch of a
derrick which he has found very handy
for building stacks
out in the field.
The runners are
B$dout of 2x12
stuff fourteen feet
long, the center
cross piece 3x8j
and the outside
cross pieces 5x8,
all let in as shown
in the illustration.
The four braces are ,made of 4x4
stuff. The post may be either round or
be ten feet high. The pole "a" should
square and should be about thirty feet
long, so. as to. make a goodized stack.
It should be made of pretty good tim
ber. White oak is good and seasoned red
elm is also very good for this purpose.
Have the" blacksmith make a fork like
that seen at "b" to fasten on the top
Of the post upon which the pole re
volves.' An old buggy spindle Is a'
very good.thbag for putting on this
piece. The illustration shows the lo
cation of pulleys and the method of
adjusting the pole for stacking. In
stacking set the- derrick to the wind
ward of the stack.
Feeding; Grain to Steers.
Feeding grain to steers on grass la
justified when pastures are short and
where these cannot be supplemented
with some kind of fodder.' Where
steers are partly warmed up with
grain before being turned to grass it
may prove an excellent practice to con-
.tinue feeding them about one peck per
day. By following this practice the
animals may be kept going from the
first day. Such animals may be mar
keted earlier than those that are grass
fed alone and invariably will command
a little higher price. It is generally ad
visable to grind corn for grass fed
steers. Animals on grass' alone fre
quently lose weight during: the first
weeks after being turned out, so that
the time required to make this up is
entirely lost When grain is feed it is
a good plan to feed a" little roughage,
such as timothy or clover hay- during
the first week after turning' to grass in
order to - prevent scouring. Iowa
Homestead. -
Poultry as Insect Destroyers.
No. one who has ,np. made tobserva
tion in that direction'' can form any es
timate of the large number of ' insects
destroyed by -farm poultry in a season.
The guinea Is constantly at work and
carefully searches -every square foot of
land. In an orchard a .flock of active
hens, such as Leghorns, will do excel
lent service, and they, will need but
little assistance, If any, as they will
secure more food than may be supposed-
.
I