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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1909)
THE WAB CIOTTD IN THE FAB EAST AS THE LONDON PAPEES PICTURED IT. life WHY EGGS ARE HIGH. A MONTENEGRIN COLUMN ON THE MARCH. When the Montenegrin! are advancing against an enemy the women not only look after the pack mules and transport arrangements generally, but themselves do the work of pack mules. In addition to this they form the Red Cross branch of the army, bringing the wounded in from the front and nursing them. Their strength is greater than that of many men Illustrated London News. A SONG OF FAR TRAVEL. Many a time norne drowsy oar From tbe nearer bank invited, CrosHed a narrow stream, and bore In among the reeds moon-lighted, There to leave, me on a shore No ferryman bath sighted. Many a time a mountain stile, Dark and bright with sudden wetting, Lured my vagrant foot the while 'Twijt uplifting and down-settling Whither? Thousand mile on mile Beyond the last forgetting. HUH by hidden ways I wend, (Past occasion grown a ranger) ; Still enchantment, like a friend, Takes from death the tang of danger j Hardly river or rod can end Where I need step a stranger 1 -Atlantic- Rather a Neal Job v " My profession Isn't a popular one. There Is considerable prejudice against It. I don't myself think It's much worse than a good many others. However, that's nothing to do with my story. Borne years ago me and the gentleman who was at that time connected with me In business he's met with reverses since then, and at present Isn't able to get out were looking around for a Job, being at that time rather hard up, ns you might say. We struck a small country town I ain't a-goln' to give It away by telling where It was, or whnt the name If It was. There was one bank there; the president was a rich old duffer; owned the mills, owned the bank, owned most of the town. There wasn't no other officer but the cashier, and they had a boy, who used to sweep out and run of errands. The bank was on the main street, pretty well up one end of it nice, snug place, on the comer of a cross street. with nothing very near It we too our sbservatious and found there wbbu t no trouble at all about it. There was n )ld .watchman that walked up and down the streets nights, when he didn't fall isleep and forget it. The vault had two floors j the outsldo one was chilled iron, itid a three wheel combination lock; the Inner door wasn't no door t.t all ; fou could kick it open. It didn't pre tend to be nothing but fireproof, and it wasn't even that. The first thing we Son, of course, was to fit a key to the outside door, As the lock on the out ildo door was an old fnshoned Bacon lock, any gentleman In my profession who chances to read this article will kuow just how easy that Job was, and how we did It. This was our plan: After the key was fitted I was to go Into the bank, nut 'Jim that wasn't his name, of xwrse, but let it pass was to keep watch on the outside. When any cce passed he was to tip me a whistle, and then I doused the glim, and lay low; after they got by, I goes on again. Simple and easy, you see. Well, the night as we selected the president hap pened to be out of town ; gone down to the city, as he often did. ; I got Inside all right, with a slide lantern, a breast drill, a small steel jtnuny, a bunch of skeleton keys and green baize bag, to stow the ewag. I fixed my light and rigged my breast drill, and got to work on the door right over tbe lock. Probably a great many of our read? era are not so well posted as me about bank locks, and I may say for thera that a three wheel combination lock ha three wheels In It, and a slot In each wheel. In order to unlock the door, you have to get tbe three slots opixwlte to each o at the top of tb lock. Of course, If you know the number tn lock Is set on you can do this; but If you don't you hare to depend on your In genuity. There Is in each of these wheels a small hole, through which you can put wire through the back of the lock when you change the combination. Now, If you can bow a hole through the door and rick up those wheels by running wire through tboee holes. why, you can open the door. I hope make myself clear. I was boring that hole. The door was chilled Iron ; about the neatest stuff I ever worked on. went on steady enough; only stopped when Jim which, as I said, wasn't his real name whistled outside, and the watchman toddled by. By-and-by, when I'd got pretty near through, I heard Jim so to speak whistle again. I stopped, and pretty soon I heard foot steps outside, and I'm biowed, if they didn't come rljfht up to the bank steps and I heard a key in the lock. I was so dumfounded when I heard that that you could have slipped the bracelets right on me. I picked up the lantern, and I'll be hanged If I didn't let the slide slip down and throw the light right onto the door, and there was the president. Instead of calling for help, as I supposed he would, he took a step Inside the door, and . shaded his eyes with his hand and looked at me. ' I knowed I ought to knock him down and cut out, but 'm blest if I could, I was that surprised. "Who are you?" he says. "Who are you?" says I, thinking that was an innocent remark as he com menced It, and a-trylng all the time to collect myself. , "I'm president of the bank," says he, kinder short ;, "something the matter with the lock?" By George I the Idea came to me then. "Yes, sir," says I, touching my cap; "Mr, Jennings, he ttlegraphed this morning as the lock waw out of order 1 M'fllA - M . A I WAS HIKING TIIAT HOLE. and he couldn't get In and I'm come on to open It for hlm." " "I told Jennings a week ago," says he, "that he ought to get that lock fixed. Where is her "He's been a-wrltlng letters, and he's gone up to his house to get another let ter he wanted, for to answer." "Well, why don't yon go right on?" saya he. ., "I've got almost through," says I, "aud I didn't want to finish up and open the vault till there was somebody here." "That's very creditable of you." says he ; "a very pro;er sentiment, my man. You cau't be too particular about avoid tug the very suspicion of evil." "No, sir," says I, kinder modest like "What dofl-ou suppose Is the matter with the lock?" says he. "I don't rightly know yet," says I; "but I rather think It's a little wore on account of not being oiled enough these "ere locks ought to lie oiled about once a year," "Well," says he, "you might as well go right on. now I'm here; I will stay till Jennings comes. Can't I help you hold your lantern, or something of that ort?" "' V The thought came to me like a flash, and I turned around and says; - "How do I know you're the president? I ain't ever seen yon afore, and you may be a-trylng to crack this bank, for all I knov."v "That's a very proper Inquiry, my man," says he, "ami shows most re markable degree of discretion. I con fess that I should not have thought of the position In which I was placing you. However, I can easily convince you that It's all rtht. Do you know what the president's nam IsT "No, I don't," says I, sorter surly. "W11, you'll find it on that bill," Mid he, taking a bill out of his pocket ; "aud you te the same name ou tbeee let ters," and he took soAit letters from his coat. I suppose I ought to have gone right on then, but I was beginning to feel Interested In making him prove who he was, so I says : "You might have got those letters to put up a Job on me." - . : 'You're a very honest man," snys he; "one among a thousand. Don't think I'm at all offended at your persistence. No, my good fellow, t like It, I like It," and he laid h'9 hand on my shoulder. "Now. here," says he, taking a bundle out of his pocket, "Is a package of ten thousand dollars In bonds. A burglar wouldn't be apt to carry these around with him, would he? I bought them In the city yesterday, and I stopped here to-night on my way home to place them In the vault, and, I may add that your simple and manly honesty has so touch ed me that I would willingly leave them In your hands for safe keeping. You needn't blush at my praise." I suppose I did turn sorter red when I see them bonds. . , "Are you satisfied now?" says he.' I told him I was, thoroughly, and so I was. So I picked up my drill again, and gave him the- lantern to hold so that I could see the door. I got through the lock pretty soon, and put In my wire and opened It. Then he took hold of the door and opened the vault "I'll put my bonds In," says he, "and go home. You can lock up and wait till Mr. Jennings comes. : I don't suppose you will try to fix the lock to-night?" I told him I shouldn't do anything more with It now, as we could get In before morning. "Well, I'll bid you good-night, my man," snys he, as he quietly swung the door to again. Just then I heard Jim, by name, whistle, and I guessed the watchman was a-comlng up the street. "Ah," says I, "you might speak to the watchman, If you Bee him, and tell blm to keep an extra lookout to-night." "I will," says he, and we both went to the front door. 'There conies the watchman up the street," says he. "Watchman, this man has been fixing the bank lock, and I want you to keep a sharp lookout to night. He will stay here and wait until Mr. Jennings returns." "Good-night agalu," s.ays he. and we shook hands, and he leisurely went up the street. . I saw Jim, so called. In the shadow on the other side of the street, as I stood on the step with the watchman. "Well," says I to the watchman, "I , go and pick up my tools, and get ready to go." I went into the bank, and It didn't tnke long to throw the door open and stuff them bonds Into the bag. There was some boxes lying around, and a safe as I should rather have liked to have tackled, but It seemed lll.e tempt ing Providence after the luck we'd had. I looked at my watch and see It was Just a quarter past twelve. There wa3 an express train went through at "half past twelve. I tucked my tools In the bag on top of the bonds, and walked out of the front door. The watchman was on the steps. "I don't believe I'll wait for Mr. Jen nings." says I. "I suppose It will be all right If I give you this key." "That's all right," says the watch man, "I wouldn't go away very far from the bank," says I. "No, I won't," says he; "I'll stay right about here all night", 'Good-night," says I, and 1 shook hunds with him. and me and Jim which wasn't his right name, you nn-, derstand took the twelve-thirty ex press, and the best part of Jiat Job was we never heard nothing of It It never got into the papers. Penn sylvania Grit 1 A Chang. ': , ' Mrs. Larkin I want little money to-day, Fred. : Mr. L. I'm very glad of that Mrs. L. (surprised) Why are you glad? Mr. L. Because generally yoi want a good deal Some Ways This Expensive Necessity : May Be Turned to Profit. Br Jamas Dryden, Poultryman Oregon Agricul tural Colleg, Corvallis. Eggs are 50 cents a dozen, because the hens don't lay. The main reason why they don't lay is because this is not the natural laying season. In a state of nature . fowls lay and breed in the spring season, and they haven t got quite away from that habit. Old hab its die hard with hens as with men, This explains why with little care the hen will lay in the spring and with much care in, the fall arid winter she won't lay, or, very seldom : will. But through .centuries of training and breeding the hen is gradually getting away from her old habit of laying a few eggs in the spring and hatching them, and it is possible now, with .the proper skill in handling, to make pet lay in winter whether she will or no, But the first thing we have to leant is that to get eggs in winter means a fight against' nature, against the old hen na ture. Winter is not the natural laying season. i When a pullet has reached maturity no matter at what season of the year if she be maintained in good health and vigor and - gejts the proper kind and quantity of food, she will lay eggs if she has the laying , capacity. Let us analyze that sentence a little. The first point raised is a question of maturity." The pullet must be mature before she lays. If a pullet lays in Oc tober she must be hatched early enough in the spring so that she will reach ma turity in October. A Plymouth Rock hatched the first of April should lay the middle of October or first of No. vember. If they are to lay a month earlier they should be hatched a month earlier. The. Leghorns should lay the first of October if hatched the first of April. The next point refers to health and vigor. The pullet must come to ma turity with good health and vigor. She must have had proper care during the brooding and growing period. , A stunt ed chick, a chick' hatched from an egg laid by a hen out of condition, a chick that has had to battle with insect pests, or a chick that has not had proper food and exercise, will not be a profitable layer in any season. How to maintain the health and vigor of the flock is the biggest problem in poultry "keeping. To k'et eggs in winter the hens must have constitutional vigor. The third point is that to get eggs the hens must have the proper kind and quantity of food. The hen requires more kinds of food than a cow or a hog. . The cow needs no animal food ; the hen does. The hen gives more con sideration to cleanliness of the product than the cow. She seals it up in - a shell of lime to keep it clean, and she therefore must have a liberal supply of mineral matter. All foods furnish a certain amount of mineral matter, but not enough to supply all the shell ma terial when hens are laying heavily. What foods should they be . fed? They should have grain, but grain alone won't do. What will happen if the hen eats nothing but wheat ? Remem bering that she puts nothing into an egg that she does not eat, that an egg contains about one-fifth ounce of fat and that if she ate nothing but wheat she would get enough far for three or. four eggs a day . and about enough protein for half an egg a day, the thing that will happen will be that she will re fuse to make eggs. The hen does not adulterate her product, otherwise she could fill up the egg with surplus fat. like some people make butter. Out of spurious oil or beef fat. She will make an honest article or none at all. . The point is that the hen should have such foods as will furnish the necessary food elements in proper proportions; in other words, she should have a balanced ration. There are different ways of balancing the ration. For instance, "if the hen has access to wheat, to clover or kale and to grasshoppers, angle worms and grit,' she will balance her own ration. She will eat a little wheat, a little clover and a few grasshoppers or angleworms and eat enough of each to furnish the egg-making elements in right proportion. An occasional feed of corn or oats in place of wheat would improve the ration. . This much for the food. How shall it be fed? Again you must take ac count of the nature of the hen. She is a busy creature naturally: that is oart of her life, and you must keep her busy or let her be busy, if she has free range on the farm she will keen herself busy and her muscle and digestion in good order, but when you shut her up in yards you an imposing artificial conditions and you must provide exer cise for her. I have kept hens for a year on a bare board floor in a small pen and fed them well. They laid about three dozen eggs each during the year, and at the end of the year with this sort of luxury and ease they had lost their constitution -and their usefulness; while other hens fed in the same way, but with a ground floor and deep litter to scratch in and yards to run in, laid over twelve dozen eggs each, and at the end of the year were still in the business. The hen needs exercise. The demand for animal food may be sup plied in different ways. Skim milk, milk curds andbuttertnihVwiltake the place of meat if enough of it, can be fed. Skim niilk is largely water, and a heavy-layiiig hen can scarcely drink enough of it to get the necessary amount of animal food. There is nothing bet ter than fresh-qut lean meat and bones, the danger from uncooked meat scraps, however, being that they are liable to contain disease germs, and 'unless it is known to be free from disease' it is better to cook it The commercial ar ticle of beef scraps put up by the large packing houses are largely used, some of the stuff sold for poultry food is only fit for fertilizer, however. During When a man asks your advtc, be always tells you Just bow he expects you to decide. Raspberry le. Boll four cupf uls of water and one nd a half cup'uls of sugar twenty minutes. Cool, add two cupfuls of rasp berry Jutes) and two tablespoonfola lemon Jute. Strain and freese, using three parts finely crushed Ice to one part rock salt To obtain the rasp berry Juice wash the berries and strt!n through double cbeeeeclotk. ' The niea who caa give satisfactory explanation of thtir failures art tht one who become loafers. . seasons of the year when' insects and worms are plentiful and the fowls have the liberty - of the farm, little animal food, may be fed. ' Another noint about ' feeding gram: Should ft be ground or fed whole? It is known that a certain proportion of the food of fowls is used to produce energy to grind the food, and from this point of view it is cheaper to have the food ground at the mill, cut it has been found by experiment that fowls do not do well when fed altogether on ground food The final ooint in this discussion is the laying capacity of the hen. If all the three things mentioned above be properly, attended -to,' there will still be a scarcity of eggs unless the fowls have the laying capacity, and it is no, fault of the hen if she hasn't; the .'trouble goes back to 'her ancestor." COMMERCIAL POTATO GROWING Some Good Points on One , of the Most Profitable of Crops By A. G. Craig-, Anniatant Horticulturist. Stats' ' r Colleg of Washington. Pullman. " Potato land should be plowed in the fall and allowed to lie rough during the winter. This favors the catching of winter moisture, and allows the sub surface soil to settle and the surface can be worked earlier in the spring, If the fall plowing is impossible, the land should be disced in the fall so that the surface may be rough and open through the winter. Deep plowing usually gives better results than shal low. The plowed land should be well harrowed early in the spring, and if not immediately planted, it should be frequently harrowed in order to con' serve moisture and kill the weeds which start after the nrot harrowing. Spring plowed land should be harrowed immediately, after the plow, to pre vent loss of moisture. In the dryer sections, some form of subsurface packer, should follow the plow, -and this should immediaetly be followed by the harrow to work up a surface mulch, If the soil plows up cloddy, a plank clod masher may be used quite profitably. The time of planting should be gov erned largely by the climate and the purposes for which the potatoes are grown. The potato plant needs ample moisture when the tubers are setting; hence, the grower should endeavor to have the plants reach that stage of de velopment at the time when the moist ure supply is likely to be favorable. For early new potatoes, the seed should be plar. ad as early in the spring as the sou will permit, on light, warm , soil. For late potatoes they may be planted as late as the middle of June, provided the moisture supply is ample and con tinuous; but where summer rains can not be depended upon, the earier the potatoes are planted tbe better, if the danger from frost is guarded against, , The distance between rows and be tween hills in the row is an important point in the potato Culture. .- Varieties that tend to produce very large tubers should be planted close. Soil will ad mit of dose planting in direct propor tion to its fertility and moisture con tent, and the cart given the crop. : In high , priced land, intensive culture should be practiced and the rows and hills planted as closely as the fertility of the land will- permit -. Increasing the size of the seed pieces ' will ac complish the same results as close planting, but the danger of sunburned tubers is apt to be increased. No farmer, who grows six or more acres of potatoes each year can afford to do without a horse planter.'" Of the several methods of hand planting; the following is the most satisfactory ; After the soil is well prepared, open up furrows to tb'i proper depth with a single shovel piuw,v After the seed is dropped, cover with the plow and bar row thoroughly, The flepthof the. planting should depend upon the text ure of the soil, and upon whether early or late potatoes are desired. Five inches is not too deep for late potatoes. on light, mellow soils. but ; three to four inches is better for an early crop, or on very heavy, or very wet soil. The amount of seed to use Varies from three to ten sacks per acre, and depends upon the variety of the -soil. Varieties which tend to produce very large tubers should have a large quan tity of seed. Rich land should receive more seed than poor land. If. the seed pieces are not too large, the number of eyes to each piece makes no difference. It is more important that the size of the pieces sobuld be uniform than that there should be the. same number of eyes in each piece. Frequently only a part of the pota toes which are planted come up. This may be due to one or more of several causess, all of which should be guarded against. Cut seed potatoes . should never be allowed to remain in piles un til they heat, and are thereby seriously injured. Seed potatoes that have been exposed to too low temnerature will edom give a uniform stand. AH de cayed tubers and those which have brown or black spots through the flesh Should not be planted as there are two diseases frhich are found in this state which are sure to' result in an unsatis factory stand if seed infected with them is planted. ..... , 'r Cut seed should never ! be planted deeply in the cold wet soil, or unsatis factory germination is sure to result Finally, in the dryer sections, potatoes should be planted to uniform depth be low the dry surface mulch in order to secure a uniform stand. Krt aarratloa. Old Favorites S ' Flynn of Virginia. Didn't know Flynn Flynn of Virginia Long as he's been 'yar? -Look'ee here, stranger, Whar hev you beeai. . ' i'. v ""' , . ..... i Here in this 'tunnel .... He was, my pardner, , ,... That same Tom Flynn Working together, , -j. In wind and weather, Day out aud in. ? ,... Didn't know Flynn ! -. Well, that is queer. Why, it's a sin, To think pf Tom Flynn , Tom, with his cheer; Tom, without fear . : ; Stranger, look yar ! . .. - 'Thar in the drift, Back to the wall, ' , .He held the timbers Ready to fall; ; Then in the darkness I heard him call : "Run for your life, Jake! - Run for your wife's sake! Don't wait for me."- And that was all Heard in the din, Heard of Tom Flynn - Flynn of Virginia. That lets me out Here in the damp-?-. Out of the sun ' That 'ar derned lamp " Makes my eyes run. ( Well, there I'm done. . : But, sir, when you'll Hear the next fool ' Asking for Flynn ' Flynn of .Virginia - , ? Just you chip In,s . ',' Say you knew Flynn; $ Say that you've been 'yar.'-' -Bret Harte. Awsraa FOB CHAIR. Canopy to Shield tJaei Can . B Attached to Back. Sunshine has been robbed of Its ter rors for the 'fair sex by the Ingenuity of a Scotchman. This man has devised a chair canopy or awning frame, that can be attached to the back of any or dinary chair and put up or down' at will. .The canopy, whjcll is like an Wnlhg frame, Is pivoted to the uprights of the chair back, y At .the top is a roller, on which' the awning folds, and the arms of the frame can also be fold ed together and let down over the back of the chair when not needed. The roller on which the canvas folds works NO 8UNBUB2T HEBE..' by a spring. The convenience of such canopy can be readily seen. Persons lV A k. UVL DVJ, viiuuiv (to vs S-lt v porches will be able to sit In the sun, with no fear of Its effects and collapsi ble chairs, equipped with these awnings, will add to the comfort pfl outings. For use at the seashore alone this contriv ance should have a big demand. Among if other merits is that of being easy to adjust in place. ,, i ; . " 'Tho Treasury Vault.' " ;'The first question Jthe average vis-" Itor to the United . States .treasury building asks isf "Couldn't burglars tunnel under tbe vaults and rob tbe government?"; Well, that is not likely. An armed guard sits .beside the vaults. Every twenty minutes he is required to ring an alarm Just to show that hejs awate. An arnica patrol makes the rounds hourly. Secret service men In plain clothes, with concealed weapons, keep watch and ward outside and In side the building. As to tunneling, the officials hold that if a man by any pos sibility should manage to. bore under neath a vault the heavy metal would crush him to a Jelly, thus administer ing a lasting gold cure. Even if the tunnel ;burglar should get away with his life be could not get away with much gold. Ten thousand dollars' In double eagles weighs thirty-eight pounds.. Forty million dollars In gold certificates of the $10,000 denomination weighs eleven and a , half pounds. Even burglars prefer the gold certlfl catea to the real thing. Buffalo Times. friend "led! I fancy you didn't see All lard t fry fritters and donrJhn.faitler- s"e alan 1 have to be led. When must-bV staling hot before putting la the batter, j:- - . ' v- Candles wlli burn slowly and steadily through tbe evening If they are kept on Ice all day. To keep mold from plcklea, la the top of each Jar or bottle place a layer Or horee-radlsh roots, sllcer' tola. If you art unable to satisfy your self and you cannot how caa tor to satisfy otiersj The Wedding Day.. , "So she was led to the 1 tar at lastr remarked, the girl In blue. l- Led I" repeated the "bride's dearest he t'ttrted down the aisle you couldn't nave driven her off with a regiment of avalry !" Tit-Bits. Just before breakfast every morning Saint Peter works hard and fast charg ing those with falsehoods who com plain that they "never slept a wink all light" . .'V When a man begin to tell a story. you nd Introduce it by asking if we tiTt hearfi It. we can get away. )