University of South Carolina Libraries
Mynheer Joe. BY ST. QEORQE JttTHBORNE. CHAPTHB ? -?4* I Continued.] /*EiAm fortunately had had his open and been able to discover iwhat Is golDf on. Only for that we ?Ifht hare been taken unawares, and Various consequences hare resulted." Sandy pricks up his ears, and hi* Itching hand makes a movement In the direction of the pocket where he keep hla note-book, aa though this nay be aome newa that concerns the general public; but he remembers to time, and forbears. With a smile at Ma action, the traveler continues: "He haa had men In sympathy with Hm right here under the noaea of the British officials in Bombay, strange though It may appear to you. Perhaps there la something rotten In the state ?f Denmark, and England may awak ?a some day to And a wonderful up rialng In the he'art of her rich Indian posaesalons, or I'm no prophet, unless ? **WeIV remarks Sandy, solemnly, .when his friend comes to this pause, significant In Itself, "unless what, friend Josephus?"* "The conspiracy la nipped In the bud This can be done by the overthrow of Baron Popoff now." **By Jove, what a pity you were not a subject of the Queen, Joel" grunts 8andy. "Why so, old man?" "Under such circumstances yon Would have seen yonr duty clearly; tot the time you fought that duel with the baron, your sword could and would liave nipped this Busslan conspiracy in the bud, by ending the baron on tho, banks of the Nile. If bis body were testing in one of those ancient tomt>? among the Chills of Mokkatam, Popoff Would not be able to arouse the people ?f this benighted country to rise ?gainst their British masters and throw off the yoke of England in or ifler to assume one much more galling ?that of the White Csar." Mynheer Joe thoughtfully rubs the and of his nose, as though by that op eration he might arouse his thinking faculties. Thou he turns with a smile Upon his friend. "I begin to see you were right, my Hear boy. That mistake may causo me no end of trouble, and yet some thing held thy hand when I had the Chance to finish the baron. It is be frond me to explain the feeling that teame over me. I only know it existed. Xou've seen such periods in your own fife, when a power controlled your ac tions. Let that go. What I wunt to tell yon now concerns us l>oth. since you appear to l>e In the same ship as myself. In ten hours the Busslan has formed a plan of action to bring about tmr destruction. We are In the web!" He says this as coolly as though ask tng for fire on account of a neglected cigar; not the least trace of emotion tan be detected in* bis voice. One .would not imagine that hs refers to their lives being in jeopardy through this plot of the baron's. As for Sandy, he shows that he can take the matter just aa coolly. Even If the enemy be near, advancing on the double-quick, ao to speak, that it no reason a man of nerve abould be tattled and lose his presence of mind. "Ah! Couple of foolish files, oh? The bloated old spider has managed to ?pin a web around us while we've been taking In the sights of Bombay. Is that the trick, Joe?" be remarks. "Something in that strain, you'll find, friend Sandy. I haven't been quite , Able to make It out myself yet; but, ?11 the same, it's as plain as the nose *a your face that this shrewd old chap has been working while we were playing, and in that way has stolen s march on us nicely. Listen now, and pou shall have some particulars." Mynheer Joe casts a glance around ?m though he would use at least all ordinary caution. Then he glvea the ?aget- war correspondent the benefit of bis late Interview with faithful Has ?ee. Sandy's manner Is aomethlng of a thermometer. Indicating bis feeling*. When the atory grow* warm, he rest lessly fingers his cigar, twirling it be tween his thumb and finger. As d . quiet portion of the recital is reached, lie puffs unconcernedly at tbe weed or ?lae idly flips the ashes from the end All the while be imbibes the facti nrbich fall from tbe lips of Mynheei doe. Sandy Is mucb of tbe nature of ? sponge. He greedily sucks in all bf can reach, but means to give it out ?gain upon tbe least pressure. That la his business in life?{0 take and Sire, retaining nothing. If what Is sues from bis pen Is garbed in a new dees*. |Q that it can hardly be recoa maea as tile same Impression that hi! received, that Is In the nature of things and only to be expected; for Baudy himself Is the wonderful machine that grasps the rough material, and with Ita magic breath transforms it Into the daintiest of fabrics. It can be readily set down, therefore, that the active little newspaper mau ti A good listener. Ills memory Is as tonishingly tenacious for one so accus tomed to making notes, and he will not Boon forget a word of what has been MM. It la a thrilling narrative Joe gives fclm, and would even be so were It any other than themselves thus placed In danger, At the same time, Joe makes HO rhetorical flourishes In his narra tive, but gives It In a plain, every-dny ?tyle, such aa appears to be a part of bi? nature. ? rovhapa I heir nnlque surrounding* have something to do with lending the art,oty color and making It appear more romantic. This Is clearly possible, be ?-!se the bright costumes, the strnnge language, the binnrre contents of the ahelMIke shops where the proprietors ttft ccojus-leggetL smoking calmly and ?waHlBg the advent of rawnen. Iff these things, seen and heard under the name rout colored lights that make Bhendy Basar Bond seem like a gUmpee of fairyland, moat have their effect upon the sensitive nerves, and canae one to look upon the affair to quite another humor than might he the case were It all ? done under the' garish light of day and amid other lest powerful surroundings. v What the full text of Mynheer Joe's narrative may be does not concern ui at present. In good time Its nature must be laid bare, and all Its detail! discussed, as the anticipated thunder bolt falls upon our friends. Bandy feels that the altuatlon It grave and realises his position In the matter. Before he can give an expres sion to his feelings, however, the trav eler stei>s on his foot. It Is no acci dent but an Intentional dig that carries a warning with it. and quick to heed these things the little man bubbles out with a laugh, that causes the last of the serious look to fly from his face. "Capital Joke, that of yours, Joe. Ah, you aly dog. always working In your little pun! It's a beastly shame to Im pose on an unsophisticated Yankee like myself. Never mind, 1*11 have my eye teeth cut If 1 remain long lit such dis reputable company, I'll warrant you.** While thua delivering himself 8sndy is casting his eyes around In the hope of discovering the cause of Joe's sud den new departure. What enetn? hai approached near enough to give the wary explorer alarm? The first discovery that Candy makes, is that Kassee, faithful Kassec, no longer stands near the elbows of hia master, but has vanished as com pletely as though the earth has oiiened and swallowed liim. Of course. It is not a very difficult task for a native to mingle in the crowd and lose him self, but a white man would have much trouble, as he must be one among dozens, and his identity can bu detected even some distance away. Looking further Sandy believes he can place tho threatening danger. As if by mere accident, severol ugly-look ing Hindoos ore near them. They do not move on with the crowd but lin ger In that one spot, which lu itself seems to indicate an intention to do mischief. Sandy has not had any actual ex perience with the dreaded society of Thugs in India, but he knows tuueh of their past history and has liniribed numerous stories concerning their evil deeds. He la also aware of the fact that although Great Britain has dealt very severely with all members of this dreaded society, whenever their guilt could be proven, her strict laws have had little effect in Intimidating the bravos of cord and creeso. As a gen | era! rule, their work is carried ou among the people of their own nation ality, but there have been tlmees when 'foreigners have come under the ban, 'although the secret order Is chary of Indulging In such pastime as It always results In additional energy on the I part of the Government to stamp out the Curse of India. It strikes Bandy very broadly, as he notes the presence of these fellows, that they are standing upon the brink of a precipice, where It will not require much of an effort to hurl them over. At such a critical time. It Is wonderful what confidence he has In the mag netic man beside him. With Myn heer Joe to hold up the other end of the log. It does not seem as though he need fear all the combination of evil that can be brouslil to hear against them. Joe m a natural-boiT leader, and needs nothing beyond th< occasion to develop his powers. "Keep close at my side, Sandy; w? have here an enemy somewhat differ ent from any you may have met?cer talnly as unlike the cowardly Arab! who tackled you In the dark street! of Cairo, as day Is from night. Of course, you are armed?don't answer, simply nod. That's good. I fearet! you might have overlooked the llttlf gun, If the worst comes, remember we are marked men, and let every bullet And Its billet. In plain words. Bandy, shoot to kill. Savvy?" The other grunts a response that seems to satisfy Joe, who continues in the same low voice: "I am In hopes that I may be able to ward off this threatened attack. Much depends upon tbe branch of the fcecret order these Thugs belong to. At any rate, be ready to do your duty. I must fire the first shot, and, when that sounds, let go all. When these fellows get ready for business, yon will henr a peculiar call, loud and thrill. That cry Is known to every 'Hindoo, and means that If they know what It good for themselves ami fami lies. they will keep shy of the spot and leave the worthy Thugs to carry out their own sweet will. Hence you see, Sandy," removing his cigar for a ito ment In a nonchalant way. "we ne*?d ?xpect no aBftlstancc from this crowd.*' "LuckIIv, I hadn't counted on It, Joe." remarks the other, In something jf the same humor. "It will lie a sight worth looking at tvhen the signal Is given. Keep your ?yes open, friend. Yon will receive a tensstlon-that of lielnsc perhaps the 3rst man for whose benefit the signal lias been ?ivcn and who lives to tell :he tale." Thin Is enough In Itself to arouse Sandy's hopes. Wide-awake he gen erally Is, but Just now his eyes seein popping out of his head with eager necs. They saunter slowly on, while their body-guard?for such the ugly-looking pquad of Thugs appears to be?keeps them company. At the same time, their nrmber increases. Sandy can, with only a casual glance, count a doxen men wearing the some peculiar fttyle of turban. There. 1* louetbln* off! oa ?**? iwUifn about tt to mm now tktt k? note* the fact tktt ?**1 im if tW Than OtW tort? h> hu noticed.- bat >**??? ???a to b* a pecalldr f**?1? *b*at this one. which only be explained by the fact that be knows the nature of the society that appear* to hare adopted It Why doe* not the critical moment come. Are the Thug* waiting for a ceitata spot to be .Tcbed w?^ tbTiia? foreigner* shaU drench .I!.b * ?euMtloo to remember tbls walk along the bostllng Bb?ndy Baa r* w,th lt# P?coliar sight* and 22J 5"d "i?** *11 the while at tend?d by ? select body-guard from the Picked member* of a secret society ?' ?M**?1n?. the ramifications of which extend eren beyond the limit* af India's wide borders. The most interesting part of the business comes In Just here; this body guard has not their good at heart and does not tbns convoy them in order to ward off danger. On the contrary, each and every Individual member of I* hnn been bound by his oath to ef fect the death of ?"-,**rnTmi? Their orders come from headquarters, ond they obey with the blindness that generally marks the actiona of these children of destiny. How are they to know that It Is the Russian's gold that bought their leaders? Little they care. since their oath binda them to biiudiy obey. It la coming soon. Sandy note* that numbers of the people hare already edged away. When their eye* note toe strange turban* worn by these men and count the number, the fata! thirteen, they exhibit an the signs of sudden fear. and. turning, hasten from tne spot In undisguised alarm SOU Mynheer Joe shows no alarm himself, strange man that he is. What can he be made of to thus calmly face a death that most men shudder to con template? Really the fellow must have been born without nerves, he has such r< markable control over himself. They have by slow stages reached a point on the road where the bazars are thickest, and ordinarily here can be seen the most Interesting of all the welter y offers to the curioslty Usten," pays Joe, suddenly "It la coming!" lie tosses the remnant of his cljrar away, as if tired of smoking. Sandy ds vIS t0tfo!low 8u,t- for wants r??H? 08 c,ear ns bI? other faculties are at this moment. Mynheer Joe has not made a blun der in tho matter of time. At the verv moment Sandy relieves himself of his ,ar there rises above the babel of lolccs, a startling sound. Sandy has never heard anything like It before knd. please Heaven, he does not waut Mfles ' 8lnCC hC know? what it sig The effect is astounding. A dead Mlence rejgns whore before allwas ?hHnlnp confusIon- I'eopre appear to ,n?y' ?? quIckly flo they get their bodies out of sight. This la part of the business that amazes San-, , f* t. e 8^s tbe eager tradesman stop u the midst of a sentence and no longer attempt to sell his wares.* It would be useless anyway,- alnc* his ate customer has apparently merged Into space, the spot that once knew him knowing him no longer Thus tie With molt ; ?e.8?".aU APr" ?*? *??*??? Sandy can count thirty while this change Is taking place around them, or It might be as he w be able to cover only half of that num ber. so speedily is the metamorphosis accomplished. In one particular there Is no change. i/" "1 thirteen Thugs still sur round them. Not an avenue of es cape has been left open. Plainly if they live through this night It must be because they are able to meet the as saults of the enemy with not only a bold front but weapons that lessen the number of the odds against them at every discharge. Sandy half produced his revolver, but he clearly remembers bis com panion's explicit instructions, and will Dot Are until Mynlieer Joe gives the word, even though these fierce bravos of Bombay advance to the attack anG smite them hip and thigh. [To be Continued.] In German cities merchants are not fallowed to pnt up "selling out" signs junless they are honest. In Mains a |Bne of COO marks Is Inflicted for ever? transgression of this law. Point of a Lightning Rod. Everybody knows in a general way that a lightning rod gives protection to a house, but many persons do not know why the rod has a sharp point, and why It Ib usually made of metal that does not easily corrode. The object of the rod Is to empty a cloud of Its electricity noiselessly and harmlessly, and it must be pointed be cause a One point offers no vesistance to the discharge. The degree of resist* nnce Is lu proporton to the surface of the object, and a point has the leapt possible surface. If the rod were top ped by a ball or a knob the discharge would be violent. The difference between a point and n ball Is shown In discharging a bat tery; perhaps some of our boys and girls have seen their teacher of phys ics make the experiment. The full charge from a large battery may be received quietly on a mttal point, but a moderate charge from a small bat tery will explode with violence on a. hall, it is paid that a full charge may be passed harmlessly through a per son's body if received on the point of a sewing needle, whereas \ae same charge, received on a ball tipped dis charger, would causo Instant death. Non-corrosive metal Is used for the point of the rod because corrlslon makes resistance and must therefore be provided against. Many a lightning rod has received an electrical dis charge when the occupants of the house knew nothing about It. Qrape Vine Hsu Grown Largs. There Is a grape vine on the Era* tss Peck farm In New Haven. Vt., said to be 50 years old, that Is 15? feet long and 22 Inches In clrcutufer ?nee at the base. Man of t too vrglBK fsnnK to nlM beef (or mar tort; ttet the demand exceeds ttoo rapptj- Ibis mjV w tot cer tain extent, but there are several oth er conditions to be met before this In dustry can be made profitable to farm ers generally. As a matter of fact, the farm and Its adsptabUtty baa every thlnf to do 'with success. There sire msny farms, even Id dairying sections not at all suited to dairying, but emi nently fitted to raising cattle for beef, and with such a farm and a proper knowledge of the work the result* would probsbly be successful. The question Is but one of msny which should be decided entirely on locsl con* dltlons and by each man for himself. It Is folly to generalise on some things, and this is one of them. ? Look Out rer This. In several sections of the country ?gents ere offering whst they claim to be trees budded on, four-year-old seedlings. If they deliver what they claim, the trees are likely to be nearly worthless, declares the Indianapolis News, for a seedling four years old Is too old to bud and make a good tree. It could be grafted, of course, but even then would not be superior In any way to the regulation root-grafted trees generally sold by nurserymen. There are so. many reliable nurserymen In the country that It seems Incredible auy one should be victimized by any such absurd claims, much less a farm er who is more or less familiar with fruit' growing. Be on the safe side, and if an agent comes to you with sn offer of trees grown in some manner out of the ordinary, refer the offer to your State experiment ststlon before closing it. Nine times out of ten you will find you have saved money by do ing ?his. A I^rhorn MmMbc.' The above illustration, taken from the Feather, shows a proud and pre cocious pullet of tlie true egg produc lug type of conformation. , Poultry Not**. An elevated site is desirable for a poultry house. See that the poultry bouse is well ventilated. Leg weakness comes from bigb feed ing and forced growth. Sprinkle the placts most frequented by the fowhr with" slaked lluie. A sole diet of oocfc produces-too much fat. when given to laying hens. Mix a little powdered charcoal with the soft feed and it will assist diges tion. With poultry, as with other products, it is a safe rule to market as soon as ready. The turkey is one of the best pay ing fowls the farmer can keep, when the surroundings are fnvorable. The egg shell Is porous and any tilth on it soon affects the meat. Eggs should be cleaned as soon as gathered. The breed of fowls to select from is the one you like the best This has a great deal to do with which is the best fowl. Fresh eggs are more transparent at the centre, old ones at the top. Very old ones are not transparent in either place. The H?? Colony. It should be as far away from public highways as possible, und. If conven ient, in a quiet place, sheltered from high winds, where the bees are not likely to be Interfered with by men or animals. The hives must be secure ly fenced off. If situated on land where cattle ore accustomed to feed. They should also be not so far away as to prevent those engaged about the dwelling honse from seeing ' when swarms are in the air. If the hives can be so placed as to afford a free bee flight toward the open coun try, while the beekeeper has room to work at the side or in rear of thein without Interfering with the flight of the bees, it Is mutually advantageous to them and to the beekeeper. One of the most relhible arguments in favor of combining agriculture with small farming lies In the fact that the beekeeper can time his work so as not to Interfere unduly with the attention needed for harvesting his ordinary ag ricultural produce. Moreover, much valuable help can be rendered by a fanner's wife who'ls so disposed, and many instances are recorded in which women make most successful bee keepers.?Massachusetts Ploughman. On# Fnrui?r'i Method. One of the best formers*we ever knew kept n slate hanging up in the Imrn and on this slate made entries something like these: Weak place In the west field fence; Joe repair It at once. Take cultivator shovels to shop next time buggy goes. Repair Jack's harness and Bob's bri dle first wet day. Frank, see Hmlth and tell him to bring log chain home. Two sows due to farrow May 16; keep sharp lookout. Bunch of red sorrel in south "field near shade; for self. Wood pile must be watched; haul tome first chance. When any Job like the one- noted was done, the rule was to erase the memorandum about it. and the man who kept the slate told us that there was always a friendly rivalry between himself, his ?on and the hired man In the way of keeping the slate clean. The rule was to scan the slate when ever any one came to the barn, and If be wu ctlMt twaj and there was some work of his own to be done. In stead of telling his wife "to tell the boy." a simple entry was made cover lug the work to be done and nil went well. VWrti* Fowls to Monl'. Many poultry men have tried the so called Van Dresser plan of forcing fowls to moult early and have met with varying degrees of success. The plan consists of placing the fowls fn a run of rather limited dimensions and giving them as little food as possible, and yet sustaining life for two weeks. The writer tried the plan for the sec ond season last year and with satis factory results In the case of Leghorns, but only fair results with Plymouth Rocks. The plan of feeding was to scatter in the runs some small grain like, wheat, mixing It with a small quantity of oil meal. The qtiautlty was sufficient to give each fowl about the equivalent of a teaspoonful *of grain, provided she got her share. At the end of two weeks the hens were again fed liberally and on the usual vai^ety of rations. The experi ment was made in August and In four weeks most of the Leghorns had their new stock of feathers and wore be ginning to lay. The Plymouth Rocks dragged along for from six to ten weeks before all of them were laying again. There is enough in the plan to warrant trying it. and if the results obtained with the Leghorns could l>e generally brought about it would give pouitrymen eggs much earlier in the fall than now. Good Mllkta*. Tests at the Storr*s Experiment Sta tion show conclusively that the amount of milk given by the cow* and the purity of the product both depend greatly upon the method adopted by the milker. One young man. who said he could milk, was given charge of the milking of six cows. At the end of a week the quantity given showed a shrinkage of twelve per cent. In an other experiment, in which live boys, previously taught as to proper meth ods. were tested as milkers, four in creased the flow seven, ten n*;l five per cent., respectively. The following Instructions in regard to milking are in use at the station. The milker should milk regularly, thoroughly and quietly. lie should wear clean clothes, wash liis hands before beginning to inilk, and never wet tlieni while milking. The cow should he brushed before being milked, and her tlank and udder wiped with a damp cloth in order to minimize, as far as possible, the number of bacteria floating about In the vicinity of the pail, and likely to get into the milk. To the same end the foremilk should be rejected, and the milking done into covered pails, with strainers arranged fod the milk to puss through. Reject ing the first few spurts of milk from the teat removes the milk containing objectionable germs. The cleaner the milking is done, the fewer the germs.? American Cultivator. Car* of thf? Home. Our farm horses should have the very bent of care that the farmer can give theui. They are faithful animals anil deserve to be kept right. They should have plenty of good hay, corn, oats. bran, etc., the year around. We should strive to Rive them a variety of food, as they like it better and will thrive better upon It. In beginning the spring work do not work the teaiu too much at the start. Their muscles are soft and will blister easily, for they have been idle much or the time during the winter. Go a trifle slow at the start, and then, after getting used to It gradually, the farmer will have a team with tough, bard shoulders, capable of standing the heavy work of the entire season. The team should be thoroughly brushed and cleaned every day. This will help in keeping them in the proper conditiou. Give tliem a good dry stable in the winter and do not be afraid of turning them out at night during the summer when the pasture Is good. Our driving horses should be treated with the same consideration as the work team. Give him good care and do not overwork him by driving him too fast. Be kind to all the animals, and quiet when working with them. Make their duties as light as possible, never requiring them to do more than their strength will admit. Horses well cared for and treated in a humane manner will prove themselves the best servants a man can have about farm.?Cor. Farmers' Guide. Carry Life to the Holt. A recent observation of importance to the agriculturist would seem to in dicate that the enrichment of soil which is observed In forest-covered lands is not altogether due to a con servation of the moisture and the ad dition to the soil of needed elements by the decomposition of the fallen leaves. Of probable greater Import ance is the fixation of atmospheric ni trogen by dead forest leaves when these rest on a moist substratum of soil. In effect this phenomenon Is sim ilar to that which is produced by the tubercle growths on the roots of the legumes and allied plant families. A similar observation has been made In regard to the mountain pine, which, If verified, will account for the hardi ness of this tree and the ease with which It maintains Itself in soils that contain comparatively few nutrients. It has been found by the Danish Heather Improvement .Society, which is Interested In planting trees on bar ren sandy stretchos on the western coast of Jutland, that spruce and mountain pine, when planted togeth er In pairs, mutually help each other to thrive, the valuable nitrogen-fixing functions of the pine serving to pro vide nourishment for both trees. It has been repeatedly observed that where such trees are planted In prox imity on barren lands. If the pine Is cut down while the spruce Is still young, the latter will die, or else make a sickly growth. On the contrary, cu riously enough, if the pine is not cat down until after the spruce gets a good start, the latter will make better progress than if the pine had been al lowed to live.?Indianapolis News. MARKETING SMALL FRUITS. These fruits are seldom teen In our markets, excvpt in the quart straw berry basket, shipped In the thirty-two quart crate. The red raspberry Is in some cases sold In the large pint basket, in which It keeps iu a good condition longer than in the quart basket, yet the latter Is almost uni versally used in New England. Tha currant in some markets is sold In the ten or twelve-pound "diamond" market basket and is then sold by the pound, but the quart basket In thlrty-two quart crates is much the more satis factory. ABOUT FRUIT" TREES. The presence of borers In fruit trees is always a source of great annoyance. An old farmer rubs hard soap iuto every place in the tree that see mm wounded by them. His grandfather always did it before him and he claims that it is an effectual remedy. Strong lye made of potash and swabbed on. In the proportion of one i>ouud to a gallon of water. Is also very beueticinl. This same old farmer prunes the de cayed limbs of his apple trees, and rubs the trunks with a hard brush, then paints them with a mixture of soft soap and stdpliur, five gallons of soap to one of sulphur, lie also strews lime under the trees and around the trunks. This destroys the worms and improves the quality of the fruit aud grass, and will prevent the trees from decaying. He has always been suc cessful In the cultivation of the pear trees. To prevent the disease cnlled fire-blight, which In summer causes the leaves on the extremities of the branches for two or more feet to ap pear as if scorched, he cuts off a foot or more from the diseased part and immediately burns It. If this is faith fully practiced the evil Is arrested. When plum trees become affected by the disease called the "black gum." which Is caused by an insect, if the diseased part be immediately cut off and burned, the tree may be preserved. ?Helen M. Richardson, in The Epito mist. PACKAGE FOR APPLES. The relative advantages of barrels and boxes as packages for fruit were given a thorough discussion at the re cent mooting of the Western Horticul tural Society. The advantages of the boxes are chiefly, that they can be made and obtained more easily and cheaply, and that fancy fruit generally sells for a higher price in them, as It can be packed solid, in nice even rows, like oranges: also the export trade is accustomed to this kind of package and it sells more readily and for a higher price abroad. The principal disadvantage is that it requires an expert packer to put in fruit in this way. It is also true that there Is practically no opportunity to work iu uneven or poor fruit in a box. It depends 011 the point of view Whether this is to be classed as an ad vantage or a disadvantage. As to barrels, they are Increasingly expensive and difficult to get, and it requires skilled labor to make them. Tlielr principal advantage seeins to be that it does not require skilled labor to till them, and that they ore easier to move because they can be rolled. There seems to be a good ileal of conservative clinging to an old fash ioned custom in this respect, despite the fact that barrels tend to bruise and injure fruit. West of the Rocky Mountains, however, barrels are no longer used, partly because they can not be easily obtained and purtly be cause only the choicest fruit is shipped, and boxes are preferable for this grade. ?Prairie Farmer. BORDEAUX MIXTURE. Where a largo orchard is to be sprayed the mixture should he made up In large quantities, so that there will be no delay at spraying time. It Is somewhat difficult to estimate the amount of material' needed 011 a cer tain number of trees, but n safe basis of calculation for trees of moderate size is fifty gnllons of mixture to fifty trees, or one gallon to each tree, writes Professor E. E. Little, in Wallace's Farmer. After an approximate amount required has been determined upon, the mixture should be prepared. A quantity of fifty gallons is most easily made up, an a common barrel will bold this amount. Prepare a stock solution of Bordeaux, the common mixture, by placing fifty pounds of copper sulphate In a gunny sack and suspending it in a barrel hold ing fifty gallons of water. Cold water j will dissolve it providing the lumps have been crushed; if not, It will be necessary to use hot water. The fifty pounds of lime should be carefully slacked In a large box, and when It has assumed a creamy condition place It In a barrel holding fifty gallons, and stir thoroughly. Now you have a stock so Intion of Bordeaux mixture. When ready to use, stir the contents of both barrels. Take five gallons of lime water and place It in the spray barrel; add twenty-five gallons of water, then ?dd five gallon* of copper sulphate so lution, filling the barrel With wnter. Stir thoroughly and apply. For spray ing plums and cherries this should lie diluted more, using only four gal lons of each mixture. Never mix the copper sulphate mid lline mixture to gether. but put each In the spray bar rel separately nhd dilute with water. Factor? WorKfw* Children Id Franco. The Trench Academic de Medicine discussed recently the rights of chil dren and their working mothers against those of the employers. Near ly one-half of the children who die un der the age of one year are victims of diseases of the digestive tract, tho great cause of which Is artificial feed log. It should be made possible, there fore, for working mothers to nurse their children. In Italy, a speaker declared, a law required a nursery in every factory employing as many as fifty workers; and he urged that a similar law be en acted in France. The Academic de Medicine approved his suggestions and sent them to the Minister of the In terior. I windmill hat been put to work in Germany driving dynamos. Argon, the receutly discovered ele tneut of air. U, a? was expected from It? existence iu the chromosphere, very light aud apparently monatlmic. __ A Swiss scientist has made a discov ery of prehistoric remains iu the Jura Mountains which Is so Important that extensive excavations are being made. ? For several years a record has been kept of the wear of locomotive wheels on the Danish State railways. The sin gle drivers are found to wear better thau four coupled, the latter better than six coupled and In all cases wear Is increased l)j- tlimsiness of road. A remarkable luminous meteor trail seen at Madrid has been reported by J. A. Peres. It continued visible from about 10 p. m. until midnight, and the shape gradually changing from an al most closed curve with a loop iu It to an enlarged loop with a very faint de tached portiou of the primary curve. A local study of rural depopulation near l?arls lias been made by Dr. A. F. lMleque. 1I?- finds that the causes Include sanitary Ignoraucc leading to high Infant mortality, migration of young people to towns. effects of con scription, aud alcoholism. IIis sug gested remedy?one that promises suc cess In Belgium?is improved primary and technical education, with special efforts to cultivate a love for farm life. Old age is an infectious disease, [ which we may expect soon to be treat ed by a preventive serum, prolonging life. Such was- the view expressed in the late Paris lecture of Dr. .Menel.nl koff. Senility, he explained, is pro* duccd by certain physiological states, I which cause the "macrophages." which are a beneficed? species of microbes, j to increase too rapidly, when they be j come injurious. These parasites Hour ? isli In the large intestine, which Is pos | sesscd by mammals, hut is almost lack i lug iu birds. The result was illus | trated by the doctor's own dog and I parrot, the former being decrepit at j eighteen, while the latter was hale i and lively at seventy. While the so I ruiu is being awaited, we are advised j to eat curdled milk. "SENSATION" IN VILLA ART. I Wonderful KflVct <i?ln?.?l by u <?Sad Mountain Torrent. Jn>t across the lake, in the deep shade of the wooded cliffs beneath the Plzxo dl Torno. lies another villa still more steeped iu Ihe Italian garden magic. litis is Ihe Villa Pliniaua, built in ir.7o by the Count Augtiissola. of Piaceir/a. and now the property of the Trotti family, of Milan. I he place takes Its name from an intermittent spring in the court, which is supposed to be the one described by Pliny iu 0:10 of his letters, aud it is further cele brated as being the coolest villa on Conio. It lies on a small bay on the east side of the lake, and faces duo north, so that, while the villas of Cer nobbio are bathed in sunlight a deep green shade envelops it. The house stands on a narrow ledge, its founda tions projecting into the lake, and its back built against the almost vertical wooded cliff which protects it from the southern sun. Down this cliff pours ? foaming mountain torrent from the Val dl Calore, just beneath the peak of J Torno. and this torrent the architect of : the Villa Pliniaua has captured In its descent to the lake nnd earrie>1 through the central apartment of the villa. | The effect produced is unlike any thing else, even in the wonderland of j Italian gardens. The two wings of tlia house, a plain and somewhat melan choly looking structure, are Joined l>j nn open a ran led room, against the back wall of which the torrent pours down, over stone work tremulous with moss and ferns, gushing oiii again be neath the balustrade of the loggia, , where It makes a great semicircle of I glittering whiteness iu the dark green i waters of the lake. The old house la I saturated with the freshness aud drenched with the flying spray of the ! caged torrent. The bare vaulted rooms ! reverberate with it. the ston* floors } are green with Its dampness, the air j quivers with its cool incessant rn.-h. j The contrast of this dusky dripping loggia, on its perpetually shaded bay, with the blazing, blue waters of tlie lake au<S their sun-steeped westera s!iores, is cue of the most wonderful effects la scusatloti that the Italian villa art lias ever devised. The architect, not satisfied villi di verting o part of fhe torrent to cool bis hou*e, has IcJ the rest in a fall down the cliff immediately adjoining tlie villa, and has designed winding patl:s through the woods from which one may look down 0:1 the bright rt:sh of the waters. On the other side of the house lies a long balustraded terrace, between the lake and the hanging woodR. and lure. 0:1 the only bit of open aud level ground near the house, are the old formal gardens, now much neglected, but still fill of a melan choly charn.?From Edith Wharton's "Lombard Villas." in the Century. POPULAR SCIENCE All hrat! New?|**t>er?. "The newspaper which circulates among tlio people, nil the people, lu the medium In which 1 advertise my most expensive carpets and runs," mmi?i a high class denier. "IUcli people d<> not linvc papers of their own, hut read tho ttost enterprising. Home of the people who buy costly koo<1k make you won *3er where they get the inonew to do It. Anyhow, they do not read the mag t/.lnes, but do read the newspapers. In short, everybody reads the newspa pers."?Philadelphia Record. A Koyal Athlete. King Carlos of Portugal has the rcp ntatlon of helng a great athlete. Ills rtklll at tennis was recently demon* strated when he defeated lieutenant fc. W. Mclntyre, of the battleship Io wa. during the visit of the United States North Atlantic fleet. The King also gave an exhibition of his ability, as a pistol shot for the entertainment of Ids American visitors, who were as tonished wit* bis accuracy of lira.