WAR PLAN OF ALLIES
Diplomatic Purpose to Forestall
friction With Japan.
WAR AID NOT EXPECTED BY POWERS
Tokio Government Likely to Gain in
Trade by New Move is General
Opinion Among Officials.
Washington, D. C Efforts are be
ing made by Great Britain, France and
Russia to include China in the mem
bership of the entente now aligned
againBt the Germanic powers. Dis
closure of this fact directed the atten
tion of official Washington Saturday to
a complicated situation in the Far
East, the seriousness of which has not
hitherto been realized.
, It became known that to insure
friendly relations between Japan and
China conversations and exchanges had
been proceeding in Pekin and the Eu
ropean capitals looking to the formal
entrance of China on an equal footing
with Japan into the alliance that now
includes Great Britain, France, Rus
sia, Italy, Japan and Serbia.
Military participation by China in
the war would not be expected, but
the political necessity of adding China
to the allies is looked upon by them as
of vast importance.
It was learned that recently several
Japanese warships were placed at
strategic points along the Chinese
coast, and that the possibility of in
ternal revolution in China through the
proposed change from republic to par
liamentary monarchy had caused some
Japanese officials to believe munitions
of war should be husbanded for emer
gency cases. When the recent Japanese-Chinese
negotiations were in prog
ress, Japan similarly felt compelled to
hold her ammunition supply for devel
opments, a circumstance that is known
to have embarrassed Russia consider
ably. So far as is known here, most of the
conversations have been conducted at
. Pekin, and it is not clear ' how far the
proposal has been discussed with the
Japanese government at Tokio.
Lumber Shipping Rate Hearing
Causes Sectional Testimony Duel
Portland Lumber business in Port
land is good, say the Willamette val
ley millmen.
Lumber business in the Willamette
valley is good, say the Portland mill
men. Two conflicting lines of testimony
developed at the hearing before Ex
aminer Butler, of the Interstate Com'
merce commission, when the complaint
of the Portland mills against the
Southern Pacific for maintaining a
differential of 4 cents in favor of the
valley mills on California business was
heard.
Each side was willing to admit that
busines in the other fellow's territory
is good, while each as readily conceded
that business at home is decidedly bad.
The Portland mills contend that
their market has been restricted in
various ways in the last four or five
years; that the new California rates
have restricted it still further, and
that their production and earnings
have diminished in direct proportion
with their losses of markets.
At the same time, the Portland wit
nesses were ready to point out that
many new mills have been built in the
Willamette valley within the last de
cade, that the capacity of existing
plants has been increased within the
last year, and that the market of the
valley mills has expanded.
On the other hand the valley men re
ferred sadly to their own lack and loss
of business, the while pointing to the
improvement in the situation in Port
land.
From this conflicting mass of testi
mony the commission is expected to
decide the reasonableness of existing
rates and adjust the rate situation be
tween Portland and California and be.
tween the Willamette valley and Cali
fornia accordingly. '
Union Labor Faces Crisis.
San Francisco What was said by
labor leaders to be the most se
crisis that ever confronted organized
labor developed late Saturday night
when a resolution was presented to the
American Federation of Labor, in con
vention here, for the suspension of the
charter of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners. The organiz
ation has a membership of more than
200.000 and is Baid to be the second
largest international union in America.
A substitute resolution, omitting ex
pulsion, finally was adopted.
9 Hours Passed in Well.
Enterprise, Or. After being buried
for nine hours under a pile of debris in
the bottom of a well, Charles C. Col
gate was rescued with only a few
bruises to show for his experince. Col
gate was working alone at the bottom
of the well, on the John T. Trainor
farm five miles north of Enterprise,
when the cribbing began to move and
finally pinned him in, while the dirt
fell about him but did not quite cover
him up. Neighbors who heard his tries
teleDhoned to town, and tnree auto
loads of recruits responded.
Poor to See Fair Free.
San Francisco The3 attendance fig
ures for the the Panama-Pacific Expo
aition passed the 17,000,000 mark Sat
urday. There remain practically 16
days in which they exposition may
reach the 18,000,000 mark set for it by
officials some time ago. Every person
in San Francisco too poor to buy a
ticket will be admitted free on a day
aet apart. Patrolmen on every beat
began taking: the names of such as
have not seen the exposition.
BRITISH REPORTED AJJONASTIR
AND GERMANHUONSTANTINOPLE
London Press dispatches from
Bucharest, by way of Geneva and
Paris, say that British forces have ar
rived at the Serbian city of Monastir
and are being reinforced.
A telegram from Constantinople, bv
way of Bucharest, says the first con
tingent of German troopB has reached
that city and that Field Marshal von
Mackensen is expected there next
week.
The entente allies have demanded
that Greece either join with them and
fulfill her treaty obligations to Serbia,
or demobilize, and, ,to impress King
Constantino that they mean what they
say, the allies have declared a com
mercial blockade of the Hellenic em
pire, according to dispatches from
Athens.
There is confirmation of these state
ments available here, and it is certain
that Lord Kitchener, the British War
secretary, who had an hour's audinece
with the . King of Greece Monday and
afterward Baw Premier Skouloudis
took a firm stand and told them what
the allies could and would do unless
their demands were conceded.
The Greek cabinet met to consider
the situation and a few hours should
MARQUIS OF ABERDEEN
The marquis of Aberdeen, accompa
nied by the marchioness, Is making
an extended tour of the United States,
attending meetings and delivering lec
tures on social topics. Lord Aberdeen
ha twice been lord lieutenant of Ire
land. He received th title of marquis
last January.
show what Greece's future attitude
will be. The Greek government has
again affirmed its friendliness to the
allies, but has not yet taken the steps
required to prevent Greece from being
counted among the friends of the cen
tral powers.
The entente allies will not tolerate
delay. The position of the Serbian
armies makes prolongation of the
present uncertainty impossible. Al
ready the Serbians are making what
may be their last stand before Monas
tir and also on the plains of Kossovo.
The Bulgarians are being held by un
favorable weather, but they are al
most at the gates of the Macedonian
capital, while the Austo-Germans and
Bulgarians are pressing back the
northern army.
Russians Regain Ground Lost.
London According to news from the
Russian scenes of war operations, the
armies of the Czar are regaining
ground which they lost along the Styr
river last week. Czartorysk, a little
village unknown before the war, and
which became famouB for the bitter
fighting that has occurred around it, is
again in the possession of the Rus
sians, who evidently let the Germans
enter simply to shell them out the
next day.
The German attack, which met with
initial success, was doomed to final
failure, as the country around it is
great marsh.
Canada Asks Concession.
Washington, D. C Efforts are be
ing made by Canadian capital, it was
learned here, to secure from the Nica-
raguan government permission to build
a railroad across Nicaragua from the
Atlantic to the Pacific. A representa
tive of the Canadian company just re
turned from Managua, where he dis
cussed the subject with President Diaz,
Nicaraguan officials are understood to
have decided against granting the con
cession, but have indicated it might lat
er if the U. S. senate fails again to
ratify the Nicaraguan treaty.
Panama In Urgent Need.
Panama President Porras has mail
ed instructions to the Panama minister
to the United States to endeavor to ob
tain the approval of Secretary Lansing
to the proposed Panama loan of $1,
250,000 on the best terms possible,
even to consenting to the appointment
of a fiscal agent for Panama's finances,
The consent to the appointment of a
fiscal agent is contingent on the ap
proval of Secretary Lansing to Pana
ma's plan of giving interest from
$600,000,000 invested in securities in
the United States for the new loan.
Chickenpox Is Prevented.
Berkeley, Cal. Dr. J. T. Beach
poultry expert of the University of
Caifornia, has announced the discovery
of what he termed a certain preventa
tive for chickenpox by the hypodermic
injection of a vaccine virus procured
from a diseased fowl. University au
thorities said that the cost of the treat
ment was low. Dr. Beach addressed
delegates to the convention of the
American Poultry association at the
, ,
I
B f
f 1
r - 3
'f i
exposition on his discovery.
DEFECTIVE INFANT
PERMITTED TO DIE
Death Sentence Is Praised, Also
Severely Criticised.
MOTHER Of DEFORMED BABE IS FIRM
Doctor Who Condemned It Declared
Tot Would Be Great Sufferer
and Burden All Its Life.
Chicago The Bollinger baby, a de
fective, whose mother, Xn professional
advice, decided it should not undergo
an operation which probably would
have saved its life, died Thursday at
the German-American hospital here.
The child was baptized with the
name of John shortly before its death.
Mrs. Bollinger was not immediately
informed of the death of the baby.
The subject of the propriety of 'the
sacrificing the life of the infant, that
it might not grow up a burden to itself
and a possible menace to Bociety, was
the subject of widespread discussion.
Dr. H. J. Haiselden, on whose ad
vice the mother acted, was visited by
many medical men and telephone calls
alternately accused and praised him.
He remained unaltered in his convic
tion that death was the greatest bless
ing which could be hoped for.
The principal physical deformities
of he baby were the closure of the in
testinal tract, paralysis of the nerves
of the right Bide of the face, the ab
sence of the right ear, blindness of
one eye and malformation of its shoul
ders. Dr. Haiselden, who officiated at
the birth, noted the absence of a neck.
The brain he found to be only slightly
subnormal, but the cranial nerves were
absent or undeveloped.
"If he grew up he would be a hope
less cripple and would suffer from
fits," said the doctor, before the child
died.
"Would his mind be clear? Would
his soul be normally alive?" one of
the visitors asked.
"That I do not know, but the
chances are against it."
Dr. John B. Murphy, ex-president of
the American Medical association, and
physicians and professional men and
women, including several clergymen,
generally took sides with Dr. Haisel
den. But his critics were just as
numerous.
Mrs. Anna Bollinger, the mother,
remained in a room nearby. Many
times she asked :
"Is it dead?"
She remained steadfast in her belief
that death was best for the little one,
She has three healthy children and the
plight of the condemned one is be
lieved to have been due to an attack
of typhoid fever which the mother
suffered recently.
The authorities took no action fur
ther than to determine that no death
certificate should be issued until after
an investigation by the coroner.
Serbian Armies Almost
Surrounded by Bulgarians
London The fact that the Balkan
situation, both military and diplo
matic, is disquieting, if not critical, is
believed in London to have led to the
visit of the British prime minister, M,
Asquith, David Lloyd George and A.
J. Balfour to Paris for a conference
with the French cabinet and General
Joffre, the French commander-in-chief.
The mam Serbian army, which is
operating under General Putnik in the
north, is now encompassed on every
side but one, and, being cut off from
the south by the Bulgarian advance
beyond Tetovo, must depend on the
rough roads through Montenegro and
Albania for any supplies from the sea.
In the south the Serbian position is
almost as bad. The success of the
Bulgarian flanking attack on Babuna
Pass and the advice from Veles have
prevented the hoped-for junction of
the Sebrian and French forces. This
leaves the Serbians only two lines of
retreat, one into Albania, where they
may be harassed by unfriendly tribes,
and the other the Greek border, where
they are in danger of being disarmed
and interned.
Young American It Free.
New York Friends of Wolfgang C.
Triest, a New xork contractor, re
ceived word from London that Mr
Triest's son, Kenneth W. Triest, form
erly a Princeton student, will be re
leased from the British detention camp
at Chateam and will start for Amen
ca with his father. Young Triest ran
away from Princeton and enlisted in
the British navy, was arrested as a
German spy and was saved from pos
sible execution through representation
by the State department that he was
not responsible for his actions.
Social Leaders to Nurse.
Chicago Twenty women prominent
in Chicago society have organized an
emergency Red Cross nursing corps
and begun a course of training for the
work that army nurses must do. Not
only is it their purpose to be ready at
a moment's notice should the United
States need their services, but in case
of a disaster similar to the Iroquois
fire or Eastland steamer disaster they
wilt be ready to supplement the serv
ices of the hospital nurses. Arrange
ments have been made with one of the
large hospitals for instructions.
445 Receiving Pensions.
New.York Pensioni amounting to
$674,000 were distributed to 445 pro
fessors or widows of professors by the
Carnegie Foundaion in the last year,
according to a report made at the tenth
annual meeting of the trustees Thurs
day.
The general endowment fund now
was reported to be $14,382,000 and the
income for the year $712,000. Twenty-
eight allowances were terminated by
death and 43 were added to the list.
NORTHWEST MARKET REPORTS;
GENERAL CROP CONDITIONS
Portland Wheat Bluestem, 95c
bushel; forty-fold, 94c; club, 92c; red
Fife, 89c; red Russian, 89c.
Millfeed Spot prices: Bran, $24
ton; shorts, $25; rolled barley, $30
31.
Corn White, $36 ton; cracked, $37.
Hay Eastern Oregon timothy, $15
16; valley timothy, $1213; alfalfa,
$13.5014.50; cheat, $9 10; oats
and vetch, $1112.
Vegetables Artichokes, 75c$l per
dozen; tomatoes, $11.25; cabbage.
90c hundred; garlic, 15c pound; pep
pers, 45c; eggplant, 46c; sprouts,
89e; horseradish, 8c; cauliflower,
75c$1.25 dozen; celery, 60 75c;
beans, 88jc; lettuce, $2.252.50
crate.
Green Fruits Apples, 75c$1.75
box; pears, $11.50; grapes, 85c
$1.35 crate; casabas, ljc pound; cran
berries, $9.5010.50 barrel.
Potatoes Oregon, 90c$l; Yaki-
mas, $1.10 per Back; sweets, $1.902
per hundred.
Onions Oregon, buiyng price, $1 f.
b. shipping points.
Eggs Oregon ranch, buying prices:
No. 1, 40c dozen; No. 2, 30c; No. 3,
20c. Jobbing prices : No. 1, 42c doz. ;
Oregon storage, 2628c.
Poultry Hens, 11 J13Jc pound;
springs, 13 lajc; turkeys, , 18c;
dressed, 2223c; ducks, white, 14
15c; colored, 12c; geese, 10llc.
Butter City creamery, cubes, ex
tras, selling at 31ic pound; firsts, 29c;
print and cartons, ektra. Prices paid
to producers; Country creamery, 24
28c; butter fat, premium quality, 33c;
No. 1, average quality, 31c; No. 2,
29c.
Veal Fancy, 1010ic pound.
Pork Block, 7J8c pound.
Hops 1915 crop, 1012jc pound.
Wool Eastern Oregon, 1825c
pound; valley, 2526c; fall lambs'
wool, 25c; mohair, Oregon, 28c pound.
Cascara Bark Old and new, 844c
pound.
Apple and Potato Crop Big.
The average yield, all crops, per
acre in the Pacific Coast states made a
very favorable showing, according to
a government crop report just issued,
The comparison is made with the aver
age yields oi recent years and is
shown in percentage as follows :
Oregon, 100.4; Washington, 104.3;
Idaho, 97.9; California, 103.8.
In its detailed report on the Amer
ican apple crop, the department Bays :
"The apple production for local and
farms, as well as commerical consump
tion, as reported November 1, 76,670,-
000 barrels, more than confirms the
earlier promise of a large crop. The
crop is approximately 8,000,000 bar
rels less than last year's bumper crop,
but 18,000,000 barrels above the five-
year average.
Of the American potato crop the
government report says :
"The estimates of potato yield show
a decline of 2.3 bushels per acre from
the promise of a month ago. The es
timated yield of 96.3 bushels indicates
a total crop of 359,000,000 bushels,
47,000,000 bushels less than the large
crop of last year, and 3,000,000 bush
els greater than the five-year average.
Hog Market Good.
In general price conditions of swine
in Portland are unchanged. Catle
values are quoted steady with demand
for good quality. Sheep are firm.
The undertone of the hog market is
inclined to be weak in view of the
large receiptB of late, but a smaller
run is looked for this week than last.
Commenting on the marketing of
swine, the Livestock Reporter says
For the period from November 1 to
November 13 there has been nearly
100 per cent gain made in the mar
keting. This period last year the
total receipts were 11,779, this year
for the same period 22,542, a net gain
of 10,763. For the year to November
13, 1914, there were received 188,471
and the Bame period this year 220,267,
a gain to November 13 for the year of
31,796, which is a very substantial In
crease and reflects in the very best
way the popularity of the Portland
market. It looks as if the total re
ceipts for 1915 at the end of this
month will more than equal the total
receipts of hogs for the, entire year of
1914."
Centralia to Get Big Corporation
Centralia, Wash. The Prundential
Savings & Loan association, a $2,000,
000 corporation, is being organized
here by L. M. Holden, of Seattle,
man experienced in this line of work
who just completed the organization of
the Grays Harbor Savings & Loan
association. George Barner, clerk of
the school board, will be secretary of
the organization and ten prominent
men of the city will be numbered
among the incorporators. The new
company will operate In nine counties
in Southwest Washington.
Benton Hogs Grow Fast.
Kennewick, Wash. Within the past
3 years the growth of the hog industry
in this section has been marvelous,
With the advent, of the doctrine of di
versity of crops, about five years ago,
the hog industry has been growing un
til now there are literally thousands of
hogs produced in Benton county where
hundreds were not grown before. The
problem confronting the growers of
swine in this section, and which is
threatening to destroy the industry,
however, is not how to produce hogs,
but how to market them.
Storage Butter and Egg Stocks.
The national Warehousemen's re
port, representing 45 large warehouses
of the country, shows that November
1 there were 77,913,000 pounds of
butter in the freezers against 64,478,
000 pounds the same date a year ago;
an increase of 23,436,000 pounds.
The holdings of eggs November 1
were 2,826,000 cases against 2,388,000
cases the same date a year ago; an
increase of 483,000 cases.
Oregon Hop Market It Quiet.
There has been a slowing down of
trading in the Oregon hop market this
week, and dealers are not so disposed
to outbid one another as was the case
a few days ago. The only repoted
dealings were in the Yakima section.
CHARITY LACKING AT HOME
Wife Spends Year on Piece of Fancy
work and Then It Requested to
Sew Button on Trousers.
"There," said Mrs. Goodwin, as she
laid down her work, "my contribution
to the charity bazaar is finished at
last."
"What is It, my dear?" Inquired her
husband, looking up from his paper.
It's a piece of fancy needlework,"
replied Mrs. O. "I have beon working
on it at odd times for nearly a year.
It contains exactly 21,397 stitches."
"Well, I'm glad it's finished," said
the patient and long-suffering Good
win. "Perhaps you can now find time
to sew a button on my trousers for
the purpose of relieving the nail that
has connected them with my suspen
ders for lo, these many moons."
Good-By to the Sergeant.
Private Doherty was six feet four
In his socks; the sergeant was a
foot shorter. The sergeant looked
along the line.
"Head up there, Doherty," he cried.
Doherty raised his head.
"Up higher," said the little ser
geant. "There, that's better. Don't
let me see your head down again."
Am I to be always like this?"
asked Doherty, staring away above the
little sergeant's head.
"You are."
"Then I'll say good-by to ye, ser
geant, for I'll never see yaz again."
Putting on Airt.
" "I presume your boy is getting
ready to return to college, Mr. Top-
soil."
Yes. Me an' his ma expect to
breathe easier when he goes."
"I'm surprised to hear you say that.
Won't you miss your son?"
"Oh, yes. We'll miss him, of course,
but it's been quite a strain on us to
keep from gittin" rattled when he'd
set down at th' table an' say, "Well,
mother, What's the meenu for to
day?' "
AMONG THE FLYERS.
"I took a flyer in Wall street."
"And the result?"
"Same old aviation news. A fine
start and all of a sudden a tearful
bump."
Unchanged.
'Money makes a big difference in
people," remarked the near philoso
pher.
'I don't agree with you," answered
his friend.
'No?"
'I've known money to alter the
outward appeafance of people consld
erably and make radical changes in
their mode of living, but their gram
mar remains much the same."
Practical Poetry.
'What is your favorite poem?" asked
the literary young woman.
"The Boy Stood on the Burning
Deck,'" answered the commonplace
young man, "I used to recite it every
time father and mother had com
pany."
"And did you recite It with effect?
Father thought the effect was
pretty good. He said he honestly be
lieved it kept us from having so much
company."
Behlnd the Scenes.
"The audience is pretty chilly,'
marked the leading lady.
re-
"That's right," rejoined the low
comedian, "but I guess the snowstorm
in the next act will warm them up,
all right."
Rapid Thinker,
Mother Always think twice before
you speak.
Tommy Gee. ma. if you do that
yourself you must do Borne swift think
ing when you git golu' for pa."
A Broad Hint.
"Please, mum, ye remember sendin'
some brandy to a feller we saved from
drownin' last Toosday?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"He fell in again today." Life.
Escaped With Hit "Load."
"Hallo, Bibber, so you got home
last night without being torpedoed?"
"Whadyamean 'torpedoed V "
"Why, you were taking a zigzag
course when I saw you."
Appropriate Fate.
"What's become of the clerk you
used to have here, named Cannon 7"
"I fired him. But whore is your old
porter, Ball?"
"I bounced him."
Opportunity De Luxe.
"Then he doesn't expect Opportu
nity to knock at his door?"
"No; to interest him, Opportunity
will have to honk outside with an au
tomobile horn."
A Saving Quality.
"He la too much of an egotist
make a faux pas."
to
"What's his being an egotist gat to
do with It?"
"He couldn't so far forget himself.
Disappointed.
"Ferdy had one .great disappoint
ment while In Greece."
"What was that?"
"He coudlu't Cud anybody that ie
longed to a Urok letter society.'
0 m b4
rymg
c
ONCERNING a specific instance
of the continuous decrease of
surface water from the earth,
especially in Asia and Africa,
the "dry continents," Advocate
Eugene N. Marals, R. J. P., writes
from Rietfontein, Waterberg, South
Africa, an astonishing article recently
published in a report of the Smithson
ian institution.
After mentioning some of the gen
eral facts relative to the drying up of
the whole earth, which, according to
the French astronomer Flammarion,
will ultimately cause the end of the
world; the author cites a number of
appalling instances of the increasing
dryness of Africa. N'gami, a real lake
less than fifty years ago, is now no
more than a marsh threatened with
speedy extinction, and Lake Rudolph
rapidly shrinking, which fact is
alarming when It is realized that this
body of water feeds the Nile and wa
ters Egypt. Mr. Marals believes false
the old doctrine regarding the perfect
cycle of moisture evaporation and
precipitation being equal and thinks
PRiniTIVt
that the earth Is sucking up moisture
like a gigantic sponge,
The name Waterberg was given orig
inally when this country was very
fertile, watered by lakes, streams,
springs and dotted with marshes. Ac
cording to the writer, its name was
synonymous with a sort of lotus land
of fertility; It literally overflowed
with milk, honey and fruits. It was
also the last stronghold of the big
game of the northern Transvaal. To
day, after the culminating drought of
19K1, It is practically a deBert, with
dried up water courses and springs,
dead orange groves, some of thom over
fifty years old, trees three centuries
old now lifeless, desolate pasture lands
devoid of cattle and othor life. There
Is no game, either birds or animals,
and the fields whore fine crops once
grew are now parched and dead.
No Running Water There.
It Is hard to believe, but true, that
In the entire district of Watorberg,
which Is larger than the Free State,
there was last year no running water,
and In the north of the district there
Is a tract ovor 4,000 square miles in
extent where there is no single drop
of water, running or stagnant, above
the surface of the ground. The great
Limpopo Itself is dry for pll the dis
tance that Its course covers In this dis
trict and only by digging deep In Its
sandy bed can drinking water be
found. Even after a very heavy rain
In the neighborhood of Its source,
which flooded Its tributaries at the
time, the stream reached but a little
way down the Limpopo, and not one
drop of the water which fell In the up
per regions reached the sea; all lost
In the burning sands of the river's
bed. Only the fairly numerous thermal
springs of the district remain unaf
fected by the drought, and on them
the dwellers depend for drinking and
MACHINE GUN COOLED BY AIR
Declared to Be Superior to Weapons
Which Have Hitherto Employed
Water for the Purpose.
Most of the machine guns used in
the British army are water-cooiea.
The steam given off by tne water,
which Is boiled through the heat of
firing, Is liable to betray the position
of the gunner, however, and for some
time Inventors have been busy invent
ing an air-cooled machine.
They have been successful, ana me
Lewis air-cooled gun Is now usod by
our soldiers. The Lewis gun weighs
only 26V4 pounds and It can be fired
from the shoulder.
It very much resembles, Indeed, an
ordinary rifle, but It has a horizontal
revolving magazine above the trigger,
and the barrel Is four Inches in
diameter on the outside, appearing
much bigger than that of a rifle.
The gun is air-cooled by a sheath of
aluminum, with radiating wings, like
aa electric fan, This sheath extends
beyond the actual barrel of the gun.
4s the gases, caused bv the firing of
f w
III " 1
Irrigation. The famous sweet grass
of this region Is nearly gone, though
In its place has come a coarser
"sour" grass with peculiar drought
resisting qualities.
The life hiBtory of this "sour" grass
Is truly a fairy tale of botany. Its
seeds are highly specialized, having a
body shaped like a torpedo with long,
tapering tall.
An opportunity of seeing a startling
wonder of plant life Is offered when
one comes across a mass of these seeds
drifted together by the wind. If a lit
tle water Is sprinkled on them, a tre
mor of awakening life is seen to stir
them; movements in all directions fol
low, so animal-like as to leave one In
doubt whether they are really seeds
or insects. First each seed disentan
gles Itself, then the seedhead Is lifted
clear of the ground, following which
a bend of the supporting tall turns the
torpedo head earthward, and the nee
dle point with its bristles is thrust
Into the damp soil by a continuous
pressure of the tail. This latter move
ment is continued until the seed is
IRRIGATION
embedded In the soil, the whole opera
tion occupying 15 minutes. It the soil
is only slightly damp, the seed pene
trates just beyond the line of mois
ture and remains without germinating
until enough rain Insures the sate
sprouting of the future seedling. Thus
equipped, the sour grass exists despite
the severe drought against which the
sweet grass Is holpless.
All Animal Life Fled.
s.The effects of the drought were so
far-reaching on the animal world that
those animals capable ot escape fled
early from the stricken area man
with his live stock among the first
and now the entire middle veld la
without human Inhabitant, and the
north practically a desert. Over every
thing lies the silence of absolute life-
lessness. It seems as if the desert had
reached out an arm and taken unto it
self for all time this great extent of
once fertile country, where for four
and a half hours dally in no spot is
the temperature less than 100 degrees
Fahrenheit.
The big gane have nearly all disap
peared, most of them having trekked
to more fertile country. Some of the
remaining animals have had to change
their natural habits; the nocturnal
ant-bear is forced to search Its food tn
broad daylight on account of the fact
that the anta in the hard ground can
not be dug out during a night. Most
nocturnal beasts of prey also hunt
during the day as well as by night;
some leopards raided a nearby camp In
the early afternoon, and the baboons,
usually so afraid of the dark, seem
never to sleep, but walk about both
day and night In search of food in any
form. A crocodile was unearthed by
the author's party when digging for
water In the bed of a Btream, four and
a half foet beneath the surface.
the cartridges, come out ot the barrel
they act on tlfese fans and drive them
around, causing a continual draft ot
cool air to pass along the barrel.
The Lewis takes 48 cartridges at
a time, but It can be reloaded in a few
seconds. Pearson's.
Check Frauds Busy Last Year.
L. W. Gammon, manager of the pro
tective department of the American
Bankers' association, In his annual re
port, recited that the last year has
been active for the protective depart
ment owing to the unsettled condi
tions prevailing throughout the coun
try, which always have a tendency
to Increase all classes ot crime.
"There has been no marked in
crease in the operations of the profes
sional operator," Mr. Gammon said,
"but there has been a considerable
Increase in the operations of the
amateur."
Altogether Different.
Someone has said that there are but
few women who are great orators. But
when It cornea to great talkers well,
that's another affair..