Women and Ilniiitrkeeplns;.
If there he any one thing more tlirtn
nother calculated to try the patience
of a faithful housekeeper, it is to dis
cover, after dutifully m-complisliiiig a
morning's routine work, a rip In the
carpet, or a worn place in the rug, grin
ning Insinuatingly nl one. with the sug
gestion In Its open countenance of the
truth of the wiylng Hint woman's vork
In never done.
I have long wondered, and ant still
t n loss to decide (having tried both
methods), which Is the happier woman,
he who at onee pies and mends the
rip. or dams the hole, of she who Mils
her shawl over her head and runs Into
a neighbor's to gossip till time to get
dinner. One thing is certain, the wom
an who doesn't let the rip a fl eet her
conscience will keep a smooth complex
ion longer, and the question is, will
her husband he more disgusted by
eatcnlng his foot in the rip, or with
the wrinkles she brings upon her fact
by persistent application to the petty
duties that waste the heart and wear
the body?
It Is a fact that men are not given
to a warm appreciation of domestic
virtues; they take them too much as
a matter of course; they do not stop
to consider that washing dishes and
weeping floors and cooking meals Is
work, and work of the very hardest
and most trying kind.
The average man comes home from
his business In the evening expecting
to find a nicely cooked, nicely served
dinner awaiting him. lie Is ignorant
of the many steps, the Infinite care,
the Inconvenience of being roasted over
the stove, and the countless trials and
annoyances that are Incident to the
preparation of a meal. He thinks It Is
natural to a woman to keep house, and
If she does it well she Is only doing
what she ought to.
hnve frequently noticed that wom
en who are not too careful In house
keeping have the most devoted litis-
bauds. Women who wear themselves
nut accomplishing narrow perfections
must find In those perfections their
own reward, for men will never ap
preciate them.
The good dinner, the general aspect
of comfort, these Impress man deeply
but for the rest, he would rather have
a pretty and smiling wife than one too
earnest !n her household duties.
Hence I believe It Is Just as well to
put a rug over the ripped place, or set
A footstool over it, aud go gossiping,
an to get down on all fours and make
your hack in'he and ruin your fingers
(owing It up. Blessed be the woman
whose blood and Judgment are so well
co-minglcd that she tlnds time for both
mending and gossiping, and does not
allow heiM'lf to become hopelessly ad
dicted either to the mliiutiu of lions
keeping or to the habit of ImlMcrlml
liate gadding. Juliet V. Strauss In Chi
cago Journal.
Getting; to Sleep.
If you are troubled with Insomnia
noma of the following ideas are worth
trying out, as they me certain to at'
comnlish what seems Impossible of
achievement, wooing sleep successfully
A warm hath betorc retiring not a
cold one, for the hitter will wake you.
Iirlnk a cup of cool, not Iced, water,
and this will bring good repose. Sleep
with your windows open at the top and
bottom, be It ever so small a space,
o you can Just feel n breeze on your
face. Put In your hath a little bag
containing dried clover tops and lawn
dor flowers, and as the water cools
there will be a delightful odor arising
from It. It Is thus medicated and
lightly perfunuMl and a sure cure for
Insomnia.
lint with High Crown.
The frame of this hat had a high
crowu and narrow turn-down brim. It
was covered with dark blue liberty
satin, which whs plain under the brim
and tucked on top. A wide piece of
embroidered velvet was draped around
the crown. A pearl buckle was placet!
on the right side near the front. A
large- bunch of fancy feathers orna
ments the left side.
When You YUU.
When you contemplate a visit try to
make It a point to arrive at your des
tlnatlon during the daytime. It la oft
en difficult to locate a place at ulght
and ' embarrassing to the hostess ant)
guest. Many women could confess to
their great annoyance at receiving a
ard stating that a guest would ar
rive that day and "please meet me at
the truln." Possibly there Is not a va
cant room In the house for a guest and
hundreds of trains may come In dur
ing the day, yet the writer never states
what train to meet and the annoyance
f preparing meals ami the like makes
n guest of this kind anything hut wel
come. Some women swoop down upon
a hostess, never sending word, but an
excuse Is made tlVat she wished to sur
prise them. She does. A woman Is a
hospitable creature and entertaining Is
one of her delights, but she does not
want It n comnulsorv affair and she
fjrnts time to prepare for it. When
vou desire to visit a friend write her
relative to your desires, wait for her
reply, prepare for the appointed day
and go on the train you tell her to
meet, or telegraph any change. A
woman who has no consideration for
her hostess Is not deserving of a very
cordial welcome.
Elaborate braiding Is seen on many
of the newest models, both In cloth
and velvet, the narrow soutache being
the most popular. Hraldlng, combined
with 'heavy embroidery, Is particularly
effective on broadcloth or velvet.
A Jacket showing a decided point
at the front la one of the styles seen
among the newly arrived linen cos-
tunics. It Is a pattern carried over
from early wluter which had Its share
of popularity among the more dressy
Jacket suits.
Tiny folds of satin or of taffeta are
used to trim semldress costumes and
lend themselves admirably to original
effects. They may he applied In broad
ening designs und also In ser;vruiiue
lines and short zlgiags on hems and
waistcoats nn.i are also used to frame
motifs.
With the summer dress will be worn
some pretty ribbon sashes. But these
ribbons will be wide, ethereal in ap
pearance, and tied In four loops at the
back. Some of the streamers are also
knotted a few inches trom the eud.
Tho idea Is to get a ribbon to match
the delicate weave of the dress.
The smartest dresses worn at pres
ent are hose composed of cloth skirt,
velvet jacket, braided and fancy or old
time waistcoat fastening down the
front with small antique buttons. The
popularity of gossamer tissues much
embroidered Is very evident, the Idea
having been borrowed from the East.
A simple house wrapper Is made
with a square yoke, rolling collar,
bishop sleeves and five-gored skirt that
Is attached to the waist. While a
wrapper, yet It has a Bhlrtwalat flulsh
that Is neat. Polka-dot materials
that Is, of the small design with bind
ings or bands of plain trimming, look
neat for such garments.
The handsomest and most expensive
of the stiff collars have Irish lace In
sertion used lu a sort of conventional
design. While these collars may be
very beautiful, they are less satisfac
tory than are the hand-embroidered
collars, for the lace will not hold the
starch aud constant heavy washing
soon tears the fragile material.
lu making up a black spangled robe
over a ruffle of plaited chiffon It Is a
clever idea to connect the two by sew
ing to the ruffle at regular Intervals
big disks of black velvet. These may
le cut out, leaving the edges raw, for
they will not fray, and they relieve
the dead whiteness of the ruffle In con
trast with the black above and make a
connecting link between the two ma
terials. To Whiten the Skin.
After you have washed and dried
your fact carefully, apply the following
lotion : On quart of water previously
DAINTY HOME-MADE NEGLIGEE.
boiled and strained, thirty drops of al
cohol, one ounce of oxide of zinc, eight
grains of bichloride of mercury, twenty
drops of glycerin.
The most simple way to reduce your
flesh Is to avoid all starchy and sweet
ened food, all cereals, , vegetables con
taining sugar or starch, such as peas,
beans, corn, potatoes. Have your bread
toasted, sprinkle It with salt Instead
of using butter. Milk, I regret to say,
If It be pure enough, Is fattening.
Skimmed milk, may be drunk. Jlot
water Is an excellent substitute for
other liquids. Add a little Juice of
limes or lemons to It, If you choose.
Limit your sleeping hours to seven at
the outside. No naps. You must take
exercise.
The Economical Woman.
The woman who must study economy
In planning her new spring clothes will
find a separate skirt a useful addi
tion to her wardrobe. If she carefully
studies the latest fashion Teports from
abroad she knows that the costume
that Is, the skirt and waist made of
the same material and sometimes cut
In one is much more the vogue than
the separate skirt and the shirt waist, j
Yet sometimes it is not always conve-1
nlent to have an entire new gown, In
which case the separate skirt will
prove Invaluable.
Hiccough Easily Stopped.
This is a most distressing and ob
stinate complaint to those in whom
it occurs, says the Family Doctor.
We do not refer, of course, to tho
hiccough attendant upon great pros
tration of the system, but to those
Instances (very frequent, Indeed) of a
simple spasmodic condition of stomach
and' esophagus which assails the In
dividual without any other symptom
of disease, and in the treatment of
which antl-spasmodlcs prove Inert.
Relief can be obtained by directing
the patient to hold the arms straight
nbove the head and to keep Inspiring
as long as Is feasible, so as to retain
the air In the lungs for as long a
period as possible.
The average weekly wages paid to
female laborers of all classes In Ger
many is a little over $2.25 each.
Out of every 1,000,000 girl babies
born 871,206 are alive at the age of
12 months; 30,000 less boys
live
through the first year.
The possession of $15,000 left to her
hy a relative so unhinged the mind of
a young woman named Bell of Sterk
stroom, Cape Colony, that she commit
ted suicide.
The medal presented to Grace Darl
ing for her heroism In saving nine
lives from the wreck of a Forfarshire
steamer In 1S38 will shortly be sold at
auction In London.
Miss Mlra L. Dock, who Is one of
the vice presidents of the State Federa
tion of Pennsylvania Women, has the
unique bouor of being the only woman
on the forestry commission of Penn
sylvania. Ohio stands second in the numbei
of clubs In the general federation and
seventh In the club membership among
the States represented In the general
federation, with 305 club and 12,500
clubwomen eurolled.
Miss Martha E. Johnson, of Laconia,
X. H., has the somewhat unusual honor and artiess ringing laughter he appro
rtr her sex of being a tax collector. clated jle admired Tope, too; but
She does it well, too, and her first an- whUe Emitting Milton's greatness,
mial report Is so satisfactory that sh ( tn0ught him "such a bore that no one
is to be reappointed. ' could read him." It la not surprising,
One of the most fearless adventurer therefore, that Thackeray never rt-
In the world Is Miss Lavinla Rudberg,
who, under the auspices of Yale Unl-
vorsity, was sent up Into the wilds of j
the Qulnault Indian reservation to tak
the physical measurements of the Indians,
LONDON FOB A QUIET LIFE.
Cowi, Kln-hUns-alea and Fowl Makt
Country Too Kolar.
There Is only one spot on earth whert
the Jaded spirit, weary of the rush ami
noise and hustle of modern life, can
find true peace and perfect quiet. It Is
known as London Town. What with
cows, dogs, poultry, motor cars and
nightingales the country nowadays Is
such an uproarious pandemonium that
U UV 111 IIIUU Vt U U1U1IV1IDV .mu
live there in comfort, says the London
Daily News.
Such were the arguments which Dr.
Robinson, town clerk of Shoredlteh, ad
vanced when G. S. D. Murray conclud
ed his inquiry on behalf of the charity
commissioners into the application of
the Ironmongers' company to remove
their almshouses from Klngsland road,
Shoreditch.
It has been suggested, Dr. Robinson
said, that the old ladles In the alms
houses were disturbed by the noise In
the district, but probably the site was
always noisy. The coaches going to
York In the old days made quite as
much noise as any London county coun
cil tram car did to-day. If the old la-
dlea thought they were going to escape
nolge b -pmovw to the country they
would be bitterly disappointed.
He lived In the country himself and
he was often awakened at 1 o'clock In
the morning by the passing of an old
wheezing, croaking motor car belong
ing to his majesty's postoflice. If peo
ple wanted to know what dust and
noise and stink meant, let them go Into
the country, where there was no po
lice commissioner to stop motor omni
buses from carrying on their infernal
traffic.
To take only one night of his life,
there was a corncrake rasping outside
his door till 10 o'clock. Then he was
awakened by a nightingale a bird
which made music for a quarter of an
hour, but became troublesome when It
sung for two hours. When that ceased
a cow began bellowing and then a dog
heard the local policeman walking
down the street and barked for an
hour. At dawn tie birds began again.
London was the one place where peo
ple could get rest from such noises.
There are forty-flve medical socie
ties In New York City.
"American butter" is the name given
in Syria to oleomargarine.
An Iowa man has invented a ma
chine for paraffining butter tubs and
boxes.
The estimated value of dairy prod
ucts for 1!)07 was $800,000,000, and that
of poultry $000,000,000.
Bears are liable to taxation in some
Japanese villages. The origin of this
curious custom Is unknown.
The paper cops used on milk bottles
are made at the rate of 000,000 a day,
and one man operates five machines.
Imports Into Canada In 1907 (esti
mated) from the United States will
amount to $105,000,000, against only
$78,000,000 from Great Britain.
Canada's government revenue from
all sources this year will be more than
$100,000,000. In the first seven months
the customs receipts Increased $0,500,
000. A few days ago David PIngree, of
Salem, Mass., bought several hundred
thousand acres of the "wild lands" of
Maine, thereby becoming possessor of a
tract of land larger than the entire
State of Rhode Island. It Is the best
hunting ground in the eastern part of
the United States.
A cosmopolitan citizen says that the
foreigners, artists, philanthropists, edi
tors, scientists and sociologists who go
to New York City to study America
are likely to be led into all sorts of
errors If they confine their studies and
observations to the metropolis, for New
York City is less typical of America
than any other part of the country.
The linen industry Is the greatest
manufacturine industry Ireland dos-
1 sesses. There is luvested in It some-
Besses,
tnln "Ke ntieeu iuiu a uhii million
pounds, and It gives employment to
70,000 people. It Is a matter for much
uneasiness that year after year for a
considerable time has marked a decline
in the area under flax in Ireland.
Northern Whig.
Few people will have hnd the cour
age to sit down thirteen at table for the
greetings of a new year. But flve-and-flfty
years ago Lord Roberts was one
of thirteen who sat down to dinner on
New Year's day at Teshawar. Eleven
years later though most of them had
been through the Indian mutiny and
half of them had been wounded they
were all alive. And Lord Roberts Is
still very much alive. London Chron
icle. ' ,
Thackeray's Poeta.
Thackeray's favorite poets were
Goldsmith and the "sweet lyric Bing
ers," Prior, whom he thought the easi
est, the richest, the most charmingly
humorous of Enellsta lyrical noets. and
the force 0f whose simple melody
ayed the "big bow-wow sina
poetry.
of
When your ship comes in, if you art
tike most people,' Instead of being
.thankful, you will find -fsjjjf r4tb
captain for the dslar. C .
Convenient Harrow.
After working several years among
stones, stumps, grubs and young or
chards, I learned I needed a special
harrow for the
work. - I - could
find none to suit
me ; so studied
and planned and
made one last
spring, which
does even better
coon harbow. than I expected.
The cut will to some extent explain
how it is made. I made mine of oak
timber 2 inches by 34 Indies, 4 feet
long and 6 feet 3 Inches wide. It is
composed of a middle section and two
wings, the latter fastened to the mid
dle section by Inch bolts 8 inches
long, on which the wings fold very
easily. The teeth are scattered over
the harrow so that they are 9 inches or
more apart, and yet cut every 3 Inches,
and are placed In the harrow sloping
back, about 20 to 25 degrees from a
perpendicular. They cut Just as well
and do not catch as If placed in per
pendicular, and are easier on man and
team. I have heddles to the middle
section of mine, and a rope from each
heddle to the outside corner of each
wing, so as to lift It conveniently and
quickly. I can pass readily between
trees or stumps less than 3 feet apart
It is Just the thing for orchards and
rough ground, while on clean smooth
ground It works Just as well as any
other smoothing harrow. A. J. Um
hqltz. . '
Cheese Under Falae Color.
According to a recent consular re
port about 2,000 Imported empty Ca
membert cheese boxes, bearing the
names of well-known French cheeses,
were Imported at New York on one
steamer recently. Duty had to be paid
on the printed matter on their 2,000
labels and another duty on the Import
ed boxes. According to a New York
trade Journal, these boxes are distrib
uted In New York State, filled and sold
In this country, and represented as
being made abroad. It Is said that
many dealers claim that their domestic
cheeses when put up in the Imported
boxes, can not be told from the import
ed brands except by experts.
When Tree Are Blown Over.
Should excessive winds blow the top
of a tree out of shape, which often oc
curs, cut it oujj, leaving a nearly erect
southwest branch to become the new
central stem. Shallow, loosely planted
trees sometimes blow over. They may
be put back by excavating on the op
posite side and pushing the tree back,
tamping the earth as firmly as possible
on the side toward which It leaned
Care should be taken not to wrench
the roots loose In this operation.
Cutting- Back Trees.
In highly interesting experiments at
the Woburn (England) experimental
fruit farm in cutting back apple trees
when planted the ultimate result was
found to be that trees not cut back un
til the end of the first year continued
to form wood in subsequent years, and
the crop borne by them during the first
ten years was only one-third of that
borne by those which were cut back
when planted. '
A Balanced Ration.
In the ration-fed farm animals either
alfalfa or clover should be given to
balance the corn. Either one of these
legumes will likewise be needed to
"balance" the effects of corn on the
soil. Considerable plant food, espe
daily nitrogen, Is removed from the
soil by corn, while alfalfa or clover
gathers a great deal of nitrogen from
the air and places it back In the soli.
When Horaea Are in Condition.
A bright, clear eye, a brilliant coat.
high spirit and mettle, are good signs
of perfect condition in the horse. T
this might be added sufficient flesh thor
oughly to" "round him out' but' no
enough to Interfere In the slightest de-
gree with his natural action, which on
wo account must De impeded.
" Pruning.
In trimming trees the wound ma
or cutting "off a limb close to t
trunk will soon heal over, while the
wouud made by cutting off the limb
two or three Inches from the tinnb
leads to decay and sometimes causes
the ultimate loss of the tree Itself.
Sawduat aa Fuel.
Sawdust is turned into transportable
fuel In Germany by a very simple pro
cess. It is heated under high steam
pressure until the resinous Ingredients
become sticky, when it Is pressed Into
bricks.
Qelck-Growlaa; Seed.
A turnip seed increases Its own
Weight fifteen times In a minute. On
peat grounds turnips have been found
to. Increase by growth times the
relgbt or their seed each day they stood
upon the soli
Value of Himii.
1. Humus Is decaying vegetable mat
ter In the soil.
2. It Is the storehouse of nitrogen.
the most expensive and the most nec
essary of all plant foods.
' 3. It contains the food upon wnicn
the soil organisms live, whose func
tion is to convert organic nitrogen Into
nitrates In order to be available for
the use of plants. It materially as
sists In decomposing the mineral con
stituents of the soil, such as potasn
and phosphoric acid, making mem
available for the use of plants.
4. It increases the power of the
soil to hold water without becoming
water-logged.
5. It makes clay soil more open
and friable. It serves to compact
sandy soil and Increases Its drouth-re
sisting power.
0. It orevents wasihlng to a great
extent; thereby diminishing the loss of
fertility by that cause.
7. Soil filled with humus more read
ily admits the air so necessary to all
useful plant growth.
8. There aDDears to be a distinct
relationship between the amount of hu
mus In the soil and the amount of
available nitrogen therein. It has been
observed that when it is absent from
the soil there Is a distinct reduction
of the ability of that soli to grow
crops. Hence In practice In order to
obtain the best crops we have to re
sort to barnyard manure rather than
the use of concentrated fertilizers.
Rural World. .
Grading; Applea.
Some apple growers have been uslnj
the grading board shown In the fig- ,
ure. A common board or , piece of
pasteboard is hung up'fjJefbre the
wiper. In this board holes are cut
the size of various tiers, such as three,
three and one-half and our tier, eta
As the apples are wiped they are prop
erly tiered. The advantage of this
method Is that the packers have the
apples practically graded and can do
GRADING BOARD.
much more work In a day, and after
the first half day the wipers can usu
ally accomplish fully as much as with
the old method.-s-Denver Farm.
Nitrate.
In purchasing nitrate of soda, the
most quickly available source of nitro
gen for plants, buyers should steer
clear of low grade nitrate. . The more
usual adulterants are common salt, and
salt . cake " from ' the manufacture of
acids, both worthless as fertilizers and
containing no plant food. Nitrate of
soda now comes in original bags, which
now contain about 200 pounds. The
old 310-pound bag was very clumsy.
Watering the Uorae.
A successful horse ralsef says: "I
count the swallows ' niy horses take
while drinking a pailful. Some take
larger swallows than others, but I know
them ail. If I am out on the road and
come to a trough, I get out and count
while my horse drinks, so that he will
not take too much at once. I give watei
often, and so keep my horses free from
bowel trouble caused by overdrinking."
Wood Aahea.
It is seldom that a farmer can a
cumulate a sufficient amount of wood
ashes for a large "field, but on farnu
where wood is used there Is a limited
supply which can be put to good um
on the garden or on the young clover.
Ashes lire excellent also on all grass
lauds and In orchards. They are ap
plied broadcast, in any quantity de
sired, as many as 100 bushels per acre
having been used on certain soils.
Maklna; S tramp Land Tillable.
A drainage ditch twenty-four and
one-quarter miles long that will drain
85,000 acres of Iowa land Is fairly
under way in Monona and Harrison
Counties. It will cost about $750,000,
and will empty into the Missouri River
Just a little above the town of Little
Slouxv The swamp land reclaimed will
make some of the most valuable farm
land in the State. -
' Cure for Roup.
A recommended roup cure for chick
ens Is to take two parts sweet oiL
one part gum camphor, one part tur
pentine. To each ounce of this mixture
add ten grains menthol and one tea
spoonful listerlne. Take a small drop
syringe or oil can and put this remedy
into the roof of the mouth and in tbs
nostrils twice a day.
Farm Notes.
Many brcbardists make a great mis
take planting trees too deep.
Hogging down corn has a great deal
In Its favor, but the hogging process
should be finished before heavy snowt
conie. ' -; '
The advantage of testing each ear ot
seed corn separately is-Jhat nearly al
the poor seed can be thrown out II
only one ear in each bushel is found ts
be imp 4 It will pay to do the test
ins ....