Changing th St&rs
l. ' r xwm. a r j enan'BaaM- iw
ApffWM
The admission of Oklahoma Into the
Onion has necessitated the rearrange
ment of the stars on the flag to admit
the symbol of the new State, arid it
has been a big task to rearrange the
stars on all the military flags of the
country. .
Various Ideas have been advanced for
the simplification of the field of stars
on Old Glory. The difficulty In adding
new stars Is that the rows are neces
sarily made up of uneven numbers, and
AFTEB LONG YEABS.
Dear, whom I would not know
If I passed you on the street,
So long and long and long ago
" Are the days when we used to meet,
You may be glad to hear
That somewhere out of the blue
Come vague sweet dreams that bring you
near,
That I often think of yon;
That now and then I thrill
At a rustle in the dark ;
That I start as the wind sweeps over the
hill,
As I see the fire-fly's spark.
Somebody stepped on my grave?
Or somebody slipped out of yours?
I cannot tell! There are ghosts that
crave
A bit of the love that endures.
Harper's Magazine.
AUNT HANNAH'S PARTY
"Dear me. Ezral" said good Aunt
Hannah, "I do wish something would
happen 1 Land o' liberty 1 I get so aw
ful tired of this monotonous life not a
single neighbor less than a mile away
an' not a chick or child at home. I
ought to be ashamed to complain, and I
ami But I do wish something would
happen right here In front of our house !
Something to look at!"
Aunt Hannah, good soul, little
dreamed that before three hours had
, passed something would happen.
The one great event In her monoto
nous life was the daily passing of
the overland passenger trains, which
brought their eager tourists to Califor
nia or carried home returning wander
ers back toward the rising sun.
In Aunt Hannah's dally life this sim
ple passing of the trains grew to be an
event of importance. 8he could catch
tantalizing glimpses of women's fair
faces and the laughing eyes of little
children as the Overland flashed by,
not three rods frora her own front door.
Sometimes she waved a snowy dish
towel at them as they rushed past, and
looked wistfully after thrm till the
long cut hid the curving train.
But on this particular day Aunt
Hannah's heart almost stood still in
her ample bosom. For the Overland
came into sight, running more and more
slowly, and finally coming to a labor
ing, clanking stop almost at her very
door.
Such a thing had never happened be
fore, and Aunt Hannah was filled with
wordless excitement. Something had
happened at last ! Uncle Fjsra was stir
ring around near the house, keeping a
watchful eye. upon old Dobbin, the
white horse, which was patiently walk
ing never-ending miles In the treadmill
which pumped water for the house and
garden and the neighboring orchard of
young orange trees.
Aunt Hannah speedily lufornied him
of the great eveut. and Uncle Ezra, as
wonder-fllled s she, walked down to
the railroad track to see what might
be wrong.
Aunt Hannah, from the porch, heard
him say hospitably to the conductor:
"Why, yes, we've got a telephone. Come
right In an' use it."
And in a few moments that won
derful creatnre the blue-uniformed,
brasa-buttoned conductor of the Over
land was standing on Aunt Hannah's
bright rag carpet and talking In crisp,
curt, masterly tones to some unseen de
iiuqu&ui st the city ten miles behind.
It appeared that some one bad blun
dered. The passengers swarmed out of the
cars and waudered aimlessly along the
track. Then the women and children
bejjan to stray luto Auut Hannah's
onQlD
"
this makes It Impossible to arrange a
field of stars that Is perfectly balanced.
In order to obviate this difficulty It has
been suggested that the stars be placed
In a circle, so that no matter how many
new States and stars are destined to
apply for a place in the future they
could all be provided for by the simple
expedient of adding constellations to
the end on the circular line. This is
a radical departure that has found
some favor with the government oflJ
front yard, looking with genuine tour
ist curiosity at every little common
place thing that met their eager gaze.
For this was a trainload of brand-new
tenderfeet from the far East, most of
whom were stepping upon California
soli for the first tlmjfe in their lives.
Aunt Hannah was radiant and over
flowing with hospitality. Before ten
minutes had passed she had discovered
an old lady from her own town In
Iowa, and a young lady from Boston
who had known a second cousin of
Ezra's first wife's nephew or some such
near relative. Aunt Hannah was In her
element. Every rocking chair she pos
sessed and every straight-backed one
as well, she brought out into the front
yard under the great drooping pepper
tree, and her unexpected guests sat
around and asked highly Intelligent
questions of every official they could
waylay. Noon came, and the long
train stood powerless to move. Un
accustomed rivulets of perspiration
trickled-down the portly conductor's
face as he walked up and down in ill
concealed impatience.
Aunt Hannah's hospitable soul ex
panded. "I'll fry every egg on the
place," she said, "and steep that five
pounds of coffee I've Just got, and cut
up the six loaves of bread I baked yes
terday, and open every glass of Jelly
I've got, but these women and children
sha'n't go hungry !"
So she bustled indoors and tied on
her second-best white apron, made a
"I DO WISH SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN.'
fire and set things going in her usual
capable way. "Land !" she said. "It's
a long time since I bad such a run
of company ! Of course, they could get
their dinner on the train, but mebby
good home cook In' '11 taste good to 'em !
Anyway, It wouldn't look right for me
an' Ezra to set down and eat an' not
ask 'em!"
The young lady from Boston tied on
Aunt Hannah's very best white apron,
beautifully Ironed and smelling of old
fashioned lavender, and carried plates
and cups and forks and spoons' out to
the waiting travelers under the great
pepper tree.
And when Aunt Hannah's famous
coffee began to send forth Its enticing
fragrance, one by one the men came,
too, standing around looking sheepish
ly expectant
They sat on the porch steps and
waited patiently for empty cups. Then
the big pan of dougtnuts went around,
and generous slices of Aunt Hannah's
fresh bread and golden butter and de
licious dabs of Aunt Hannah's finest
Jellies and preserves.
The two down eggs did not last long,
but Aunt Hannah helped out with crisp
slices of home-cured bacon, which, as
the blue-uniformed conductor said, went
right to the spot.
The white-capped waiters served a
few select souk In the dining car of
the Overland, but Aunt Hannah's was
by far the more popular lunch. She
bustled about, flushed and happy. It
was like a great beautiful party a
surprise party! Something had hap
pened at last
Out of the abundance of her gener
ous heart Aunt Hannah bad fed the
multitude, but the multitude was not
content to haTe it so. The brass-but
toned conductor himself (who had set
a very bad example by eating of Aunt
Glory1
cials intrusted with the work of re
arranging the flag, but it has not been
thought expedient to adopt the idea
without appeal to Congress and through
Congress to the nation, for it is felt
that such an important matter as the re
designing of Old Glory is a matter of
full national consideration.
Far-seeing citizens have pointed out
that in time the addition of new States
and the unavoidable division of single
States into double or treble common
wealths will so crowd the field of stars
as at present arranged that it will look
inartistic and unsatisfactory. The .
greater the number of stars the smaller
will be the symbols, for the compara-1
tive size of the field cannot be changed
without spoiling the flag and destroy-(
lng the appearance of the finest banner (
on earth or sea. This problem is Demg
discussed by patriotic persons whoake
an interest in national matters, and a
number of designs are on file at the
war office that aim to provide an ar
tistic and striking arrangement of stars
that, like that suggested by the circular
array, will permit of the addition of a I
great number of constellations without
making the flag look at a little distance
like a striped banner with a Jack of
pure white, as would be the case were
the blue field crowded with stars.
Wllliamsport (Pa.) Grit.
Hannah's cooking instead of the col
ored chef's) passed bis official cap and
gathered in a shining shower of sli
ver, which he presented with a neat
little speech to Aunt Hannah.
Then the ever-present tourist cameras
came into action, and Aunt Hannah
was taken with her big white apron
on by at least a dozen amateurs. Then
there were other snapshots, too Un
cle Ezra In his overalls, the great pep
per tree, the disabled engine, the per
spiring conductor, and even old Dob
bin himself.
The old lady from Iowa and th.
young lady from Boston insisted upon
helping with the dishes, and there en
sued a merry clatter from the kitchen.
Some of the young folks gathered i
around Aunt Hannah's parlor organ j
and sang qld Gospel hymns, or looked !
over Aunt Hannah's plush-covered pho
tograph album on the marble-topped
center table.
At last the conductor wiped his
streaming brow and shouted "All
aboard!" and Aunt Hannah's beauti
ful party was over. There were hur
ried handshakes, and one or two im
pulsive hugs and kisses for Aunt Han
nah, many cheery words of thanks and
appreciation, and then they all ran to
ward the cars and scrambled aboard.
Aunt Hannah, looking and feeling
twenty years younger, stood on the
porch and watched the long train as It
got into motion and slowly pulled out
waving her white apron in response to
a score of waving handkerchiefs, and
could scarcely see them for the tears
which dimmed her kind eyes.
And thus she stood as the long trail.
entered the cut and slowly disappeared
from view.
She and Ezra began to carry the
chairs into the house. Aunt Hannah
was a little tremulous from excitement.
"Ezra," she said, "when I wished this
mornln' that something would happen
I didn't really want the Overland
should break down, but I'm awful glad
it did!"
"My ! My ! I don't know when I ever
did have such a good time ! And, Ezra,
here's $2" that conductor took up in
his cap. What, in mercy's name, can
I do with so much money? Oh, I
know ! I know ! I'll pay Ella's fare
out here Ella's and the baby's! Seems
like I ought to use it some way like
that, seeing my opposition restaurant
took a lot of customers away from the
dining car on the Overland !" New Or
leans Times-Democrat
Art In Spanish Bank Note.
To baffle the counterfeiters who are
both numerous and cunning In Madrid,
the Bank of Spain has pursued the
policy of changing its notes with great
frequency and retiring each issue as
fast as possible, says the New York
Sun.
The bank has now determined on a
new plan. It has placed an order
for a series of notes with an English
concern and it will rely for safety
upon a special color process. In ad
dition the notes are to present pictures
of well known buildings In Spain, ex
ecuted with a perfection that will defy
counterfeiting.
"The pictures are to be so beautiful
that amateurs will be tempted to frame
them," says one Spanish newspaper.
"Hardly, rejoins another, "the cost of
the set will be 1,675 pesetas, yon see."
To the Spanish mind $338.50 is a great
deal of money.
Then the Quarrel Cu4,
They were having the usual family
quarrel. As was also usual, she could
not convince him that she knew where
of she argued.
"Didn't I go to school, stupid?" she
screamed.
"Yes, dear, you did." he replied calm
ly. "And you came back stupid."-
The Bohemian.
Make your services so useful that
employers will hunt you in the day
time with a lantern.
A Gate for the Born Doorway.
When the horse stable opens into
the buggy room and It Is necessary to
keep the door open for ventilation, I
find that a small gate constructed of
light material is an excellent protec
tion against horses getting loose and
injuring the buggies. The cut here
with shows a light gate we have in use
In our horse barn. It is very simple
In construction, but serves a very im
portant purpose. Were it not for this
light gate we would find It necessary
to keep the door closed between the
horse stable and buggy room, thus
shutting off ventilation.
The gate is hinged onto the rolling
door with light strap hinges, explains a
writer In the Tralrle Farmer, so that
when the gate is not in use it swings
... i I I LU
SLAT STABLE DOOB.
around and fastens to the large door
out of the way. For material in mak
ing the gate wa use inch strips of good
pine for the horizontal pieces. The up
right pieces are light strips gotten out
for fence pickets. I find a light gate
of this character a good thing to keep
poultry out of the barn during the sum
mer months. ,
The Colony Plan.
If you want vigorous chickens and
hens that lay do not overcrowd them.
Forty or fifty In one flock are suffi
cient If you have more than this num
ber by all means make a change, for
your chickens are probably costing you
more than they are worth. If you do
not care to sell any of your birds then
start into the chicken business on the
colony plan. Divide your flock Into
colonies of about forty fowls each and
build houses for them in different parts
of the farm. For Instance, if you have
one hen house on the east side of the
barn, put another house on the west
side. Then if you have enough birds
put another house down by the calf lot
and another to the farther end of the
barn yard. A dozen different places will
suggest themselves If you look for lo
cations on your farm. If you have
made a failure In raising chickens or
your hens "don't amount to much,"
try this method. It will surprise and
please you. Your hens will be healthier,
will lay better and will require less
feed. The reason for this will be easily
seen when you have once tried it
Chickens, or anything else for that mat
ter, cannot stand crowding. Also the
colony plan gives the fowls wider range
and encourages the birds to hunt for
their living. Exchange.
Bracing Corner Post.
This method, while cheaply devised,
is used very effectively In bracing cor
ner posts. Use as a brace a pole nine
or ten feet long, four or five inches in
diameter and square at both ends. Fit
one end of pole to the post half way
between its middle and top and place
other end of brace on a flat stone. Se
cure one end of a wire around bottom
of post, then take it to outer end of
brace and back to post again, fasten
ing securely. With a short stout stick
twist wires together until very tight
METHOD OF, BRACING.
and your brace is complete, says Farm
ers' Review. This brace comes in line
with your fence and by fastening your
wire or boards to It prevents it from
slipping sideways.
Hen tor Cuba and Mexico.
Some of the coast country farmers
m'hlfa t-luftin (T HnlrofitAn earn tliAt mn.w
IT, U 1 V . . i ' ' 11 EMIT. IUC1. UIOVU
hogs from distant points in Texas and
Oklahoma were oeing snipped to Cuba
. and Mexico and returned home ini
, pressed with the Idea that if it paid the
j North Texas and Oklahoma farmers to
i raise hogs for the Cuban and Mexican
markets, it would pay the coast coun
j try farmers to do the same thing.
Galveston News. .
it Ton Doubt It, Try It.
A man once oacKea muiseir lor a
large amount which he subsequently
lost to move an ordinary brick attach
ed to two miles of cord along a level
road outside Chlcbter. He failed to
move the brick, and it may be roughly
estimated that the friction of the cord
on the road Increased the weight of the
brick (about seven pounds) and cord
to a dead weight of not far short of a
ton. Fry's Magazine.
i s mm
What Beet Met. Tninn ai nm DAIRYING IN DENMARK.
The 'success attending the use of
silage in the dairy business has created Land Worked for Hundrodi of Yeara
much interest among beef cattle men. - still Beats Ours.
Snage furnishes a succulent food. Airican armeri ,d promoters
which is quite essential to the dairy aiculturml industries are rather
sow in keeping her digestive system in opportnuties, and
good condition. The same will be found B f"? ' ..-.il ;
true for the beef animal. Twenty sre danger efbexag outgeneraled !U
pounds of silage per day will supply - of the world unless they
all the bulk and water needed in a improve their methods, it the belief of
fattening ration. The other roughage Dean James E. Eutsell, of Columbia
may consist of either long fodder or University, New York. Tesn Kussell
mixed hay. The economy of. using was recently a visitor at the state col
slliage for fattening purposes is well ege, and during his stay there ad
brought out by rrof. A. M. Soule of dressed an assembly of the teachers of
the Virginia station, who has stated the the Inland Empire who were attending
- , . , the teaohert' institute m Pullman. Hela
fo l owing conclusions: ,. juit ffientioned( B.
"There was a difference of from .3 " .
to .6 of n pound of grain per head per j "Thirty years ago New York was
day in favor of the silage-fed cattle. 'Mnding butter and cheese to the Lon
Thev nlnn flnlahpd nut better and in 'don markets. New York butter and.
any discriminating market would
tainly bring a better price than the
dry-fed cattle.
"Of the three forms of roughage fed,
the silage was eaten with the greatest
relish, and there was absolutely no
loss, whereas with the stover the loss
amounted to 13.5 per cent and with hay
4.16 per cent. Where a large number
of animals are fed this would make a
considerable difference in the cost of
ration, except that the shredded stover
can be utilized to advantage for bed
ding." Silage as It is put up to-day Is bet
ter than when the practice was first
started. Good silage of corn is made
when the grain has passed the milk
stage and has commenced to glaze a yt
tle. Silage Is made also from sorghum,
corn and cowpeas and pea vines.
Double Brooding Coop.
The double brooding coop shown in
the drawing is four feet square and
three feet high at rear, two and one
half In front. It may be built of tongue
and grooved stuff or straight-edge
boards one-half or three-fourths Inch
thick. The hinged lids sBould have two
cleats each to make them firm. In
front is a one-inch mesh wire netting
and at the edges are strips of three
quarter by one and one-half-inch stuff,
to insure rigidity. In one corner, as
shown, is the nest, four inches deep
and fifteen or eighteen inches square,
according to the size of the hens kept
The board floor, explains the Orange
DOUBLE BBOOD COOP.
Judd Farmer, is covered with sawdust
or sand. Food and drink are more
readily supplied through the door,
which preferably lifts in front, as
showlL
Corn Leading Western Crop.
, The statistical bureau of the Union
Pacific passenger . department issues a
statement compiled from government
reports showing the value of farm
products in seventeen States west of
the Mississippi In 1907 to have been
$1,091,000,000. Corn leads In produc
tion, being valued at 'nearly half a
billion dollars. Winter wheat is next,
valued at $200,000,000, and domestic
hay was valued at only $2,000,000 less.
Rye, oats, barley and potatoes follow
in order. The report also shows an in
crease in live stock of 250 per cent
since 1870.
Color ot Egg:
There Is no difference in the color of
the yolk of the eggs laid by different
breeds, nor individually. But the color
of the shell is a matter of breed and
mating, and the color of the yolk Is
governed by the food given. The aver
age length of a hen's egg is 2.27 Inches ;
diameter at the broad end, 1.72 inches;
weight about one-eighth of a pound.
Farm Notee.
Alfalfa seed is now selling in many
parts of the West for 10 to 12 cents a
pound.
Egyptian cotton land produces nearly
four times as much per acre as that of
this country. . " (
In four years a pair of rabbits could
secure a progeuy of nearly 1,500,000. A
doe rabbit produces as many as seven
families a year.
Many important drainage projects are
under way in the marsh land in Lou
islana. which will ultimately make it
a great agricultural country.
A dairy train which recently went
out from Lafayette, Ind., covered 500
miles on the Monon route, and 4,000
people heard the lectures which were
delivered from the cars.
The Sacramento Valley, in Califor
nia, shipped over $3,000,000 worth of
oranges last year, and the growers of
that section estimate that the new crop
will be worth $1,000,000 more.
It is estimated that if the cattle ship
pers of Iowa succeed in establishing
their claims against the railroads for
excessive shipping charges in Chicago
they will get back fully a half million
dollars.
Great Britain now import every
year about 9,000,000 bushels of apples,
one-half of which come from the Unit
ed States. Canada sends ovewiaboul
3,000,000 bushels ad Australia nearly
all the rest. ; . . -.: . '
An effort Is being made to establish
In the Ozark region of Missouri an ex
tensive breeding station for farm an
finals. The project has the approval o:
Secretary Wilson and Dr. Mel in. n:
the Bureau of Animal Industry.
cer-jtheese were ruling out similar products
from Ontario, and other parts of the
world. Just, thirty years ago Denmark
began to think she could make butter (
and put it in the London market. The
question was, How could she overcome
the lead that New York already had in
the. London markets! She sent men to
London to study out the ground; to una
what London wanted. Then she set
about to give them the required product.
"Denmark is a country or poor soii,t
which has been tilled and overworked
for a thousand years. Nevertheless, the
Danish population annually sells in the
markets of London $35,000,000 worth
of butter. In 1903 the entire United
States exported only $1,064,000 worth
of butter. In additioa to the vast quan- ;
tity of butter mentioned, Denmark
tends out one-fifth as much pork at we
do, and just as many horses; and cer
tainly, we should lead the world in the ,
breeding of horses. In the meantime
the Danish nation has taught the hens "
how to work. Four hundred and fifty
thousand dollars worth of eggs were ex
ported by this country in 1875, and in
1903 this export had reached a value
of $8,092,000. In the last ten years
Denmark has taken $8,000,000 worth of
corn from Iowa and Nebraska, via New '
York, which she has fed to Danish eows
and pigs, and then placed the latter in
the . European markets in successful
competition with similar products from
America.
I said a moment ago that twenty
years ago the competitor of Denmark
was the State of New York. In these
twenty years the Danish people have y
increased their exports from $1,000,000 '
to $40,000,000. In the same twenty
years farm values in the State of New
York have decreased $200,000,000. In -
the last fifteen years Ontario has outbid
New York in the same way in the
cheese market. Twenty years ago New
York companies received, Canadian
cheese and put the- New York stamp on
it to get one cent more in the English
market. Today the New York farmers
are sending their cheese over the Cana
dian boundaries, and paying two cents
per pound in order to sell it at all."
Showing the superiority of European
methods of education in comparison
with American education, Dean Russell
said:
' ' Wurtemburg is a small German
state, a little larger than the Inland
Empire of Eastern Washington, and
having a population of about two mil
lion persons. Thirty years ago Wur
tsmburg began to realize that her pop
ulation was beginning to dwindle; that
something had to be done to maintain
her integrity as a state. So she set '
about building up a system of schools
for all the people; that would help the
boy who wished to be a carpenter, a
piumoer, or a farmer, m the same de
gree, according to his needs, as they .
would assist the youth who desired to
be a lawyer, an engineer, or a phy
sician.. Today Wurtemburg has a uni
versity giving courses of worldwide
fame; technical schools, weaving and
manufacturing schools; two hundred and
thirty industrial "schools in towns and
villages; schools for metal workers, and
workers in the textile trades; schools of
art, of agriculture, of preparation for
household management; and numerous
farm schools, and high schools through-
out the state.
" Wnrtembur". a st ; hut little
larger than the Inland Empire of East
ern Washington, supports all these in
stitutions, with an income of ten dollars
per head of population. What would
American citizens think, if in addition
to supporting agricultural colleges, they
were atked to support five hundred
technical and industrial schools for
every two million of population! .This
is wh,t is being done in the small state
of Wurtemburg, and from the point of "
vierr of American citizens today, it is
almost inconceivable; the contemplation
of which must lead any American citi
zen to infer that his country has much
to do and learn before it can success
fully compete with the old country in
the products of industrial education."
Answers t Queries.
By J. L. Aihlock, Washington Experiment Sta
tion, Pullman.
Haverford, Pa. "Is it considered
that hog-raising is practicable in the
northwestern part of the United
States!" , H. W.
"It is probable that there is no place
in the United States where the prices
for pork products average as a high as
in the Pacific Northwest. A condition
of significance, too, is that the people
of this region are not sufficiently alive
to the necessity of their meeting the
demand for pork products. Those who
are in the business are making money.
Conditions are improving, however, for
at the present time we note a growing
tendency among farmers to pay more
attention., to this business. The Perk
shire breed is preferable, in" my
opinion, although'the Duroc Jerseys are
making some headway. At the experi
ment station we have about concluded
that a eross of these two breeds would
be better thaa either pne bv itself.'
Eventually.
Reporter Do yoa ever contribute any
thing to foreign papers?
Comic Bard Why er yes ; on look
ing over the miscellany columns of the
papers I find that I contribute loU vl
stuff to the London Tit-Bits.
' Sane Everything-.
Prosperous Clubman When I first ar
rived in this town, forty years ago, 1
hadn't a shirt to my back.
Old Clubman Worse than that; yoa
hadn't a tooth in your head.