LEAF "BLIGHT." ".'
It Frequently Causes Much Damage to
the Strawberry Crop.
Strawberry leaf blight frequently
Causes great damage to the straw
berry crop, as explained by a grower
In Rural New Yorker, who says that
It makes Its appearance about the
time the fruit sets and begins its de
structive ravages as the berries begin
to ripen. It first manifests itself by
turning the leaves a brownish red; It
will then attack the fruit stems and
hulls, cutting off the supply of nourish
ment from the berries; the calyx be
gins to wither and dry up, and the
berries become soft and insipid and are
of little value.
As the Berry Season Advances.
It usually grows more destructive as
the berry season advances. The condi
tions conducive to the development of
the disease appear to be a general
weakness of the plants. This may be
bronght about from various causes,
such as old and wornout beds, im
poverished soil, plants with a heavy
set of fruit with Insufficient nourish
ment, plants exposed during winter
without protection or nnmulched beds
during hot, dry weather. Any one of
these conditions will have a tendency
to weaken the constitution of the
pbints, making them an easy prey to
rust, blight and other diseases.
Kinds Susceptible to Blight.
During the time we have been en
gaged in growing strawberries we
have found some varieties so consti
tutionally strong In their vegetative
parts and so vigorous in their fruit
organs that they will do well almost
anywhere, while other sorts are con
stitutionally weak In foliage, yet
strong In fruit bearing propensities.
Tbey set a great quantity of berries
with little or no vitality to mature the
fruit. Such varieties are very suscept
ible to blight and should not be culti
vated except by those who are well
acquainted with their natural require
ments. It requires a healthy, vigorous
foliage to digest the various plant
foods found In the different soils, and
probably the safest method' of protect
ing the plants from blight and other
fungous diseases Is to conserve mois
ture by thorough cultivation while the
plants are growing, protecting them
well during the winter with a liberal
mulch of horse manure. This material
If left on the plant during the summer
prevents the escape of moisture at a
time It Is most needed, and It keens
the soil cool in fact, it is to the bear
ing bed what the cultivation Is to the
newly planted field.
THE LINCOLN PLUM.
A Variety of Rare Beauty and Excel
lent For Market.
The Lincoln plum here shown is de
scribed by the Ohio experiment station
as being a variety of rare beauty and
excellent for market, one of the best
second early plums; quite free from
rot in some seasons; first blossoms
May 7, full bloom May 10, last blos
soms May 15; In full fruitage Aug. 15.
Fruit large to very large, roundish
oblong, blunt at apex, slightly necked;
THB UNCOLN PLUU.
stem long and strong and set at an
angle; suture distinct, slightly depress
ed; color light greenish yellow, over
Epread with a beautiful shade of crim
son; dots many, very minute and In
distinct; bloom, thin lilac; flesh light
yellow, firm; pit rather large, free;
quality only fair; tree only a mod
erate grower, but healthy, and forms
a round, shapely bead; foliage very
luxuriant; leaves large; quite proline,
but not so much so as to require thin
ning of the fruit
Rough Feeds.
Rough feeds, including pasture, are
usually so plentiful that frequently we
feed them without any idea as to what
and how much will produce the de
sired results. Much rough feed Is
wasted In careless feeding. The cow
will eat the best of her menu first and
If given too much will pick the most
desirable morsels, leaving what might
Itc called passably good, which too
frequently Is treated as waste and
thrown underfoot. No more hay should
be given an animal than it will eat up
clean. This refers to first class quali
ty, however, as we could not expect a
cow to eat up clean a poor quality of
hay.
Poultry Products and Wheat.
The values of poultry products now
reach an annual figure of half a bil
lion dollars or more, or an amount
about equal to the value of the wheat
crop. The price of eggs has been high
land growing higher for several years,
because consumers have wanted more
eggs than have been produced. The
exports are not worth mentioning. Ap
parently there is no limit to the con
sumption of fresh eggs at a moderate
price G. K. Holmes.
ALL OVER THE HOUSE.",
-, -
Kerosene Useful In Various Way In
Domestic Economy.
Kerosene oil is a great help to
loosen dirt, used in various ways.
It is good for cleaning an iron sink.
If the children's hands are stuck up
. with balsam or wagon grease, try
I rubbing them with a rag wet in ker-
I nea-na Vtafnra ortrtl V1T1 fr Gnon And Wfl-
ter. If they get wagon grease on
their clothes, a little soap and kero
sene will take it out. To clean dirty
clothes, such as coarse towels, take
a tablespoonful of kerosene and a
small piece of soap. Boil thes-e to
gether with a quart of water till it
makes an emulsion. Put this in
your boiler with enough cold water
to cover your clothes and let it come
to a boil, stirring the clothes occa
sionally. This saves a lot of hard
rubbing. Suburban Life.
Cleaning Brass and Copper.
For cleaning brass pans use salt
and vinegar, which should be rubbed
in well. Then rub with finely pow
dered bath brick and water or any
brass polish. Thoroughly rinse out
with hot water and polish with a
clean dry cloth or leather. For the
copper pans take half a lemon. One
that has the juice squeezed out will
do. Dip in powdered bath brick
and with it rub the outside of the
pan. Do not use acid for the inside,
but clean off all marks with powder
ed bath brick and soap. Einse well
with hot water, then dry and polish.
Working Buttonholes.
When working a buttonhole in a
heavy clott or one that pulls and
frays, it saves much trouble to work
the hole by basting thread, then
stitching close to this on the ma
chine, putting in two rows just the
length of the buttonhole to be. Cut
with a sharp penknife between these
lines and work closely in the ordi
nary way over the machine stitch
ing. This buttonhole will keep its
shape and remain intact as long as
the cloth holds together.
Salted Almonds.
Salted almonds prepared at home
always seem better than those pur
chased, perhaps because they are
usually fresher. One only needs to
blanch them and to each half pint
add one tablespoonful of melted
butter and one teaspoonful of fine
salt. Stir well and then spread the
nuts in a shallow cake tin, baking in
a rather cool oven until the almonds
become brown. This will take about
twenty minutes.
Household Hints.
Remove vaseline stains by wash
ing in warm water and soap; rinse
and apply chlorinated soda to the
stain.
To keep trass or copper bright
for some time after cleaning rub
it over with beaten white of egg.
To prevent cane or bamboo from
yellowing when washed use warm
salt water; rub with soft cloths un
til dry.
Stains on Mattresses.
Stains on mattresses may be re
moved by making a paste of fuller's
earth and water to which ammonia
in the proportion of one teaspoon
ful to half a pint has been added.
Lay this over the stains, rub
slightly in with the fingers and
leave till it is dry. A second ap
plication may be necessary if the
etain 'has not been removed. '
Cement For China.
A good cement for mending bro
ken china: Dissolve a little gum
arabic in a little warm water so
that it is rather thick; put enough
plaster of paris into this to make a
thick paste. Cement broken pieces
of china together, and in half an
hour they cannot be broken in the
same place. Hot water seems to
make it more firm.
Washing White Stockings.
Good laundresses when washing
white stockings, whether, of silk or
thread, add a few drops of oxalic
acid to the water. The reason of
this is that, the acid has the effect
of removing stains caused by the
boots and shoes, which are only
"set" when washed with orSinary
soap and water.
Stains on Leather.
Stains from leather are removed
by the use of paraffin. It likewise
gives a brilliant polish. To remove
sugar and sirup stains wash the
stained part with warm water with
out soap, then rub with ammonia
! diluted with warm water. If not
washable, use diluted alcohol.
Baked Shad.
Clean a shad and stuff with mash
ed potatoes to which is added a
j teaspoon of finely minced parsley.
! Lay the fish on a baking dish on
! several slices of salt pork. Bake
and baste often with the fat from
i the pork.
J The Care of Carpets.
Sponge carpets occasionally with
not water m wnicn eiiner common
salt or powdered alum has been dis
solved. This not only brightens the
carpets, but prevents moths.
TOUGH OLD "CA'NNQN. T"
A irood etory is being told at the
Mare Island navy yard concerning
a San Francisco contractor, who
bought; all the old obsolete cannon
j which were 6old at the local yard
jSome time ago. The cannon were
jail of the smoothbore kind, and in
'order that they might be easily
I handled for shipment to the city
all sorts of schemes were tried m
an. endeavor , to break them , with
dynamite and blasting powder, but
they were unsuccessful. An electric
drill machine was even set up at the
vard, and the cannon were-i drilled
fall, of holes in order to weaken
tlie'ni for - breaking , open with
wedges, but this was also unsuccess
ful. ,The cannon, were then taken
away, and the last heard of them
they were corralled in the hills near
Point Richmond, where an effort
was being made to break them open
with dynamite again. The cannon
which proved to be so strong were
among the armament of the war
craft which sailed the seas in 1812.
San Francisco Chronicle.
Squaw at a Bank.
A full blood Indian squaw attired
i in the regulation costume of a well
bred soeiety.wqman in Indian life
brightly colored blanket and skirt
with beaded . leggings and mocca
sins, with the. latest 'approved Chey
enne co:fTure, which is the same
they have been wearing the past
hundred years was recently seen to
walk into the El, Reno State bank
and fill out a check in a full round
hand, 'ivhich she presented at the
proper window and received her pin
money, supposedly. The officials at
the bank say it is a common occur
rence, but. to the average citizen it
seemed a (singular proceeding: El
Reno American.
When Ohio Failed.
In the midst of C. B. Galbreath's
lecture on "Lafayette" the other
night at the Young Men's Christian
association he spent quite a little
time on the incident of the princely
sum of $140,000 which he brought
with him to this country and gave
to congress.
"When Lafayette returned to the
United States about forty-two years
later congress voted him $200,000
in return for the $140,000 which he
gave to us in that time of great
need. When the vote was taken ev
ery state in the Union voted for it
with let us mention it softly the
exception of Ohio." Columbus
Dispatch.
Modern Forestry.
One of the curiosities of modern
forestry is the care of beautiful old
shade trees. The amputation of
diseased or dead limbs is as careful
ly performed to prevent further de
cay from the elements as in sur
gical operations on human beings.
Decaying cavities are cleaned and
filled with a preserving cement, as is
done by the modern dentist. And
the latest advance is to build a tin
roof along the upper surface of wide
spreading branches, where little
hollows might hold dampness and
promote decay. Some handsome
patriarchs well deserve it.
The Deepest Gold Mine.
Australia now possesses the deep
est gold mine in the world. The
shafts at the New Chum railway at
Bendigo, Victoria, have been sunk
to a depth of over 4,300 feet, and
the quartz there tapped has been
sampled and crushed, with the re
sult that a yield of gold equal to an
ounce per ton has been obtained.
The operations in the mine have
been tested by government officials
in view of the fact that never before
in the world's history has gold been
obtained from so low a depth as
three quarters of a mile.
Great Britain's Foxhounds.
There are about 170 packs of fox
hounds, consisting of about 6,000
couples, in England and Wales, and
as the average number of days the
hounds are out is about three per
week the cost of the packs alone is
at least 500,000 a year. This is
taking no account of Ireland's twenty-six
packs, with about 1,100 cou
ples, and Scotland's eleven packs of
390 couples.
Uses of Earthquakes.
This is a paragraph from the com
position of a cynical eastern school
boy: "The earthquake and fire in
San Francisco, although first look
ed upon as a calamity, really did a
great deal of good. It purified the
city of the great curse of under
ground Chinatown and burned down
thirty-nine churches. San Francis
K Argonaut.
A Curious Cave.
An immense natural cave of great
beauty has been discovered underly
ing three of the principal streets of
Constantine, Algeria. The interior
is of dazzling white stone, worn by
the forces of nature into all kinds
of fantastic and beautiful forms.
There are three ponds, the water
being lukewarm and crowded with
fish.
A LITTLE NONSENSE'
Qtory ' of a ' Suburbanite Who Forgot
4 f. What Ho Forgot 1 : ;
"Wait a minute," said the subur
banite. "I've forgotten something."
; , "What ?" asked the man who was
generally his running mate.
r "I forgot what I've forgotten."
"That's plain enough.'? .
"Too bad I can't remember it."
"My dear -fellow, can't you. see
how impossible it is to remember
what we forget or. what we forget
we've forgotten?" "
'That's all right, but what'll my
wife- say when I tell her I forgot to
get what she told me to ? And she'll
be ' still sorer if I tell her I didn't
forget to get it, but that I had for
gotten what I was to get. I can't
! tell her I knew I had forgotten to
get what I had forgotten, but that
I remembered I forgot, can I?
j She'll tell me I should have forgot
ten to forget it,
"Oh, come on! Forget it."
"You mean I should forget that
I forgot what I had forgotten."
But just then the car came along,
and as he took his seat near the
stove he remarked' to his neighbor,
"I remember now."
"Remember what?"
"I remember what I've forgot
ten." "Look at the impossibility of that
proposition. How can you remem
ber what you have forgotten any
more than you can forget what you
remember?"
' "But I do remember. ' It was cof
fee. Can't you see how I've forgot
ten what I remember? And I re
member what I forgot too. And I
remember what I had forgotten I
had forgotten." Chicago Journal.
Jilted.
Mag Billy, I regrets ter say dat
our engagement has got ter be
broke off.
Billy Wot's de trouble now ?
Mag Me ma won't leave me wear
yer ring no more, 'cos it makes me
finger black. Leslie's Weekly.
Sarcasm.
"Shorry I'm sho late, m'dear,"
began Dingle apologetically, "but
shome fresh jokers stopped me an'
wouldn't lemme go"
"Indeed!" interrupted his wife.
"Why didn't you take the brick out
of your hat and hit them with it?"
Catholic Standard and Times.
How He Won Her.
"The man 1 marry," said the girl
in the parlor scene, "must be but a
little lower than the angels."
"Well, what's the matter with
me ?" queried the young man as he
dropped on his knees at her feet.
"You see, I'm a little lower than
one of them." Houston Post.
Reassuring Him.
Cholly Doctor, tell me the
worst. Am I suffering from a brain
storm ?
His Physician Calm yourself,
my dear fellow. You have some of
the symptoms, but the conditions
are totally lacking. Boston Tran
script. Infallible Sign.
"That man," said the great de
tective, "is evidently a genius."
"Why do you think so?" queried
the ordinary person.
"The fringe is beginning to form
on the bottom of his trousers," ex
plained the G. D. Chicago News.
Method.
"Why do you give that man en
couragement in offering you so
much advice?"
"I have some things I want to
ay to him, and I want to let him
go ahead until I get a good open
ing." Washington Star.
Coming Scandal.
Potato Masher Look out for a
bi sensation next week.
T. Pot Is that right?
Potato Masher Yes; the broom
is going to make some sweeping
charges, I hear. St. Louis Post
Dispatch. Peerless. -
"Yonder is our peerless young so
ciety leader."
"Peerless?"
"Yes; jilted by a duke, you
know." Washington Herald.
A Partnership Affair.
"Boggins and his partner are of
the same mind about everything."
"Well, I never thought that either
of them had a mind of his own."
Detroit Free Press.
I NEW ARMY PISTOLS.
. Y' f ' 'rrn - i a.- : - .
This new arm, which the United
States army is preparing to adopt,
is an automatic magazine pistol that,
neither looks like the revolver nor
loads like it nor shoots like it. The
cartridges, in packets of ten, are in
serted in the stock. The firing re
coil throws ut the empty cartridge,
a new one rising into place. Firing
is automatic at pleasure. The sol
dier, can thus discharge the 200 car
tridges he carries almost without
stepping. If the man who makes
two blades of grass grow where but
one grew before and the man who
makes four incandescent electric
lights burn where but one burned
before are benefactors of their race,
what shall be said of the man who
makes it possible for the fighting
man to kill ten men where before
he could kill but six? Chicago In
ter Ocean.
' Alvarado and the Yaquis.
The temptation of a gift of $10,
000,000 from the Mexican Croesus,
Pedro Alvarado of Parral, evidently
proved too strong for the Mexican
government to resist, and the great
sum will, it appears from the words
I of the Mexican minister of war, be
I used in. supporting an army for a
j war of extermination against the
Yaquis. The minister says Diaz
will accept the offer upon condition
that all the officers of the command
I be selected from the Mexican army
I and that none but Mexicans be en-
listed in the campaign, which is a
wise precaution, though it does not
; meet exactly the ideas of Alvarado.
Boston Advertiser.
Checking Watches.
The other afternoon a man stop
ped at the checking room of a New
i York department store and checked
his watch. Lots of people do that
nowadays," remarked the attendant.
"Somehow the impression has got
abroad that an unusually large num
ber of crooks are conducting their
special line of business in depart
'ment stores just now. When one
begins to take precautions against
pickpockets the first thing he looks
out for is his watch. He is willing
: to take chances on letting the rest
' of his possessions guard themselves,
but his watch he leaves with us un
til he is through shopping." New
York Globe.
Reads His Own Epitaph.
Eichard Bartholdt, congressman
from Missouri, is one of the few
men who already have bronze tab
lets erected to their memory. The
house in which he was born in Ger
many is marked with a tablet show
ing the interesting events in the
life of the doctor, together with a
statement to the effect that he went
to America and there became fa
mous, becoming a member of the
national lawmaking body and a
prominent figure in the worldwide
movement looking toward disarma
ment and universal peace.
The Dutch Fear Balloons.
A bill has been introduced in the
Dutch parliament to prohibit bal
loons, aeroplanes and all other kinds
of flying machines from landing on
Dutch territory, under a penalty of
a fine not exceeding 40 or three
months' imprisonment. Further leg
islation is proposed to make it com
pulsory on all aeronauts passing
overhead to obey immediate signals
to descend and to pay a deposit in
case of inflicting damage by throw
ing out ballast or from other causes.
London Express.
Edinburgh's Unemployed.
Edinburgh is to attempt a new
way of dealing with the unemploy
ed. Eecognizing that a -permanent
scheme is desirable, the corporation
has bought a farm fifteen miles from
Edinburgh which has 235 acres, sev
erity being unimproved moss land.
Eefuse from the city destructor is
to be deposited on about 100 acres,
rendering that land ready in course
of time for tillage. The aim is to
use the whole farm for spade work
and to sell market garden produce.
American Navy Is Third.
Investigation by the navy depart
ment shows that the United States
stands third as a naval power and
Japan fifth and that if all the ships
now building in the two navies were
completed the relative positions
would remain the same. The war
ship tonnage of the world on Feb. 2
stood: Great Britain, 1,612,857;
France, 625,498; United States,
525,970; Germany, 475,067; Japan,
347,461; Eussia 261.945; Italy,
204,253; Austria, 114,127.
Singers of the Future.
The prediction is made by one
giving much thought to music that
the majority of the American sing
ers of the future will hail from the
south. This belief is founded on
the fact that the people of southern
climes have the soft voices and tem
perament requisite to the success of
a singer. The prediction is of es
pecial interest, as it comes from a
woman of New England origin and
training. Circle Magazine.
If You Head This
It win be to learn that the leading- meflN
eal writers and teachers of all the several
schools of ' practice recommend, in the
strongest terms possible, e,ich and every
Ingredient entering into the composition
of Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery
for the cure of weak stomach, dyspepsia,
catarrh of. stomach, "liver complaint,"
torpid'liver, or biliousness, chronic bowel
affections, and all catarrh.:, diseases of
whatever region, nuo or nature. It is
also a specific remedy for all such chronio
or long standing cases of catarrhal affec
tions and their resultants, as bronchia),
throat ud lung diseaf-e (except consump
tion) accompanied with severe coughs. It
is not so good for acute colds and coughs,
but for hngmnij, or chronic cases It la
especially eilicacions in producing pe
feet cures. It, contains Black Cherrybaric,
Golden Seal root, Bloodroot, Stone root,
Mandrake root and Queen's root all of
which are highly praised as remedies for
all the above mentioned affections by such
-minent medical writers and teachers as
Prof. Bartholow, of Jefferson Med. Cob
lege; Prof. Hare.0T the Univ. of Pa.;
Prof. Finley-SWagwood, M. D., of Ben
nett Med. tollege, Chicago; Prof. John
Ring, M. IT, of Cincinnati; Prof. John
M. Scudder D., of Cincinnati; Prof.
Edwin M-?fiai6. M. D., of Hahnemann
Med. Cpffegs, Chicago, and scores t
othersJli''iy eminent in their several
schoxas'Oi practice.
Jhe"Gofc -x Medical Discovery is tfra
dr uggists to-- iiko niirra.sps. thii s :,7
8.UCH pfUf&riOniil endorsement, wnr.
'TUV mcqjc PHI, tlil H'r fylij jnimga
mfrhia s. Open publicity ot us iorui' .
Is the best possible guaranty of its mer'
A elance at this published formula v-:i
show that iolden Medical Discover;-"
contains no ooisonous. harmful or hab -
forming dru-fs and no alcohol chemical .y
pure, triple-.efined glycerine being Ufi-4
Instead. Glycerine is entirely unobjfvv
tionablo and hesides is a most useful agent
In the cure of all stomach as well as bron
chial, throat and lung affections. The;
is the highest medical authority for its
use in aUsuch cases. The " Discovery " a
a concentrated glyceric extract of nail'.-,
medicinal roots and is safe and reliaino,
A booklet, of extracts from eminent,
medical authorities, endorsing Its ingre
dients mailed free on request. Address
Dr. B V. Fierce Buffalo. N. Y.
The handling of milk the first few
hours after it has come from the cow
has a great influence on Its quality and
the commercial value of the products
made from it. The care of milk seen
a simple matter, but better methods in
our dairies are of the greatest impor
tance to the success and reputation of
American dairying.
Testing of Dairy Cows.
Officially authenticated testing of dai
ry cows is becoming more and more
the leading feature of the work of
breeders. These tests are regarded by
the public as the true index of the
value and of the capacity of all breeds.
Practical dairymen are placing abso
lute reliance upon them as an invalua
ble aid in the selection of sires with
which certainly to improve the capaci
ty and profitable production of their
cows.
Dairy Products In Demand.
The greatest profit Is in selling milk
and cream to customers, the next in,
having annual customers who will take
either cheese or butter as it is made.
Then follows the selling of cream ta
the creamery and, lastly, butter to the
store trade as one can catch the mar
ket There seems to be a constantly
increasing demand for the products
of the dairy which keeps pace with the
Increase of cows. There is a bright
prospect ahead for all who wish to en
gage in this great branch of agricul
ture. S. F. Emerson.
Where the Expense Comes In.
Professor W. J. Praser of the Illinois
College of Agriculture says, "It is what
the farmer does not know about bis
cows that hurts." If he knew how ex
pensive it is to keep a poor cow, be
would not do it. Twenty-five good
cows will earn more net than a hun
dred moderately good cows and more
than 1,000 poor cows. The poor cows
will not pay their way. In one case the
cows will keep the farmer; in the other
the farmer will keep the cows.
The Milking Machine.
The Farmers Advocate says: "We
did not believe in the efficiency of the--'.clng
machine until we saw one at
T.i-k. Now that we have been shown
we cannot say too much In Its favor.
There are milking machines and milk
ing machines, so be careful what you
buy when you are approached by a
smooth tongued milking machine sales
man. So far as we know, there Is only
one or two approved makes of milking
machines. Better go slow in the pur
chase of a machine and be sure you
.get a good one."
Culling the Herd.
It is the constant aim of progressive
dairymen to improve their herds, and
such improvement must depend largely
upon culling the herd and getting rid
of the unprofitable animals.
Keep Out the Bacteria.
The most careful handling of milk
after it is once infected with bacteria
will not suffice to make a good product
from it. The bacteria must not be al
lowed to gain ingress if clean, whole
some products are desired. Thorough
washing with boiling water, or, better,
live steam, followed by rapid cooling
and subsequent exposure to the direct
rays of the sun, Is the only sanitary
way of handling the dairy's utensils.
iiom imagine that cows and young
stock grow hardy and keep strong from
exposure. Exposure costs feed and
costs vital force. It works for the sur
vival of the physically fittest.
Quick fattening makes tender meat.
Let it help out with the old cows.
Round up all the poor cows for the
butcher.
Don't keep unprofitable cows In the
herd, and don't sell them to an unsus
pecting neighbor.
The careless man and the good cow
can never win out.
Breeding and feeding are of equal im
portance in developing the dairy calf
Into a dairy cow.
.
Dairy Talk of Today.
i . ,