Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

THE MAN OF TI= HOUR. Thnilmidi chance- .hec c:amb.;cr:"in oi A- iumb:e n the t r:.inr htr.di Scattered the crua of aahe, Iroim the wick A' lighted every c rncr of the land! -Aloyjlus Coll. in i-:L'.ry y Magazne. r 7Ar V.' THE GOLD STRIK *y S. A. WEISS. ES, Robert, I know it's a 'poor place, but i don't feel Y willing to give it up. It's been my home-as it was g* my father's before me; and I did hope"-with a si.gh "that you'd ha' takea to it, and made it as good as 'twsvs 1i hs time. Pe: haps if you'd marry and settle dow"n here, with a go :::naging wife to help you, you'd do better and be bett 'r satisiied; and if it wrien't for oild David G:at-Gers ob.sin:y, y:~a a:ad Letty-" "iiiough, mot'" interrupted Itoh ert Langiy, 1ius:ing all over his hand some, Suln'lb, nt f:'-: "it's no use say ing anytii!g moe'o: on that subject. I'll nevc' ask any woman to marry me so long as I know timt I cannot afford her a sc.rva:. or so.long as there's a mortgage hanging over the roof that I'd bring her to." His mother looked at him anxiously over her spectaeir s. "It it wasn't for the mortgage." she said, slowly. "'we might get along. 'Twas that worried your father into his grave-that, and not finding the gold-streak--" Her son made an impatient mnove mnnt, and she added: "Don't you think you could get a lit tle more time allowed us, Robert? Maybe when the crop's sold, and the apples and eider--" "Mr. Davis won't hear of it. mother. I saw him yesterday and talked it over, but he insists it must all be paid by the first of August. Ah, here he comes now." And Robert went out to' meet the well-dressed. sharp-eyed man in a handsome trap, while his mother re mained in the back porch, with sleeves rolled up, mixing food for the poultry. "There ain't many of 'em to feed now," she said, talking aloud to her self, as she had been accustomed with her late husband. "Then there's old Speck missing-the best layer of 'em all, and Gold4treak': fit for nothing since her leg's broke. Ah, me! I'm mighty afeared that she's the only gold-streak we'll ever know at this place!" "What's that about a gold-streak, Mrs. Langly?" exclaimed a clear, young voice. And a girl 'ritn a sweet face and bright brown eyes and a blue-striped chintz dress, fitting perfectly to her trim figure, stood smiling before her. Mrs. Langly's face brightened imme diately. "Why, Letty, how do you always nmanage to take one by surprise, as if you'd risen out o' the earth or dropped down from the clouds! Well, you're weir-ome. I'll tell you about the gold streak if you care to listen." "foYu see," she continued, "the Lang lys come of Scotch stock, and it's been said that Rob's great-grandfather Langly, over in Scotland, had the gift #' second sight-that is. seeing and kno'w.ing things that are going to hap pen. But I never did think mauch of it, though my husband-poor departed Jeemns:-believed in it as firmly as~ he believed in summer and winter. WVell, about eleven years ago old Aliek Lang ly paid us a visit. I hadn't seen hi~m but once before in my lfe-for he lived a long way from here. Him and Jeems, they walked all over the farm. and it was a far better cultivated plice then than it is now, though nothing -compared to what it was in my father's time. Jeems' Uncle Alick didn't se m to think much of it. though. "The day he went away," she went on, "he was standing and looking all around him on the farm. All of a sad den lhe says, 'Jemmy-Jemmiy and Mary'- turning to me-Tv'~e one thing -to say before I go. Stick to your fa::m, for there's a streak of golden luck in it.' Of course, I asked what he meant; but all he would say was, 'Ive seea it -I've seen it by the power that's gil-en us to look into the future. I've seen a streak of gold-luck running throuigh your land that's to better your fortunes in good time. Don't p)art with it until your luck's found.' And that same day he wvent away, an~d the first we heard of him after he got home was tha: he .was (lead.' There was another pause, and Letty "And you think there is realIly a vein of :zoId to be found on your fari": '"Jeems thoughti so. T!o his digday lie beOlievedl in is'. "Ad ha des Rehhrt thin1k abiout 2t:"*uired lte girl!. v.ith a fain. it'lusi "Oh. :ethinks it all nonsense-about the gold. and tihe sec:ond si:4it, and all."' Juist at tis mnovent they heard Mr. LDavis' trap roll away, and Rtobert came around the corner of the house. He' looked a little excited. but f'hat mi:ght he from finding Letty there. Hie -walked home with her across tihe 11elds to the next farm. When he returnied, he said. quite abruptly: ' "Mother. Mr. Davis wants to buy the farm. Hie's offered more for it than I ever dreamed it would bring. He seems quite anxious to get it: and when I toid1 him that you objected to part with it. be actually offered to let us off' with the balance of the mnortre. prr"v-ded the bu:siness is' sttled a.. "Why. Robert, what can he mean?" "I don't know. There's something in it I don't undlerstand: but, if you'v'e no' objection. I'll go to-morrow and see Aiwyer rannell about it." Robert bad expected to b: onlr' one day from home; but he stayed three. And. meantime. the odd boy. going to bring the cows from the meadow. re ported that there were a numtl er of men passing through the farm, icoking abont, examining the grmmAd anr act ng in a very strange ano. maccou t e was ve ; ,i for her son's return77. W ti n he 1':'l ce; a , she ltoticed1 the bri;t > g:u and thle brisk manner in w1,:eh he (Iiiuounited f1roml his horse nd e1:!l' s:r:!ilt to'.wTird her, as she stood at the steps to welc"oIne him. "\Veil Iob, I sue you've got good news." "Tie best news, mother," he an- N swered, cheerfully. Tears came into her eyes. "I shall hate to give up the old home, after all." "You needn't give it up, mother. We won't sell the farm. Mr. Davis was sharp," he added, contemptuously, "but t fortunately we escaped the trap he baited so nicely." f "Why, what is the. matter, Robert?" "Why, only this, moiher. They are going to run a new railway through our farm, which will increas_ its value tenfold." is mother's first words showed how c much she had the happiness of her son at her motherly heart, when she said, with moistening eyes: "You and Lctty can marry now, Rob A few months afterward Mr. Robert Langly stood with his mother on one side, and his wife leaning on his arm. on the meadow slope, watching from a dis:ance the busy labofers throwing up i a clay embankment, where the new t railway w"s to be laid. The sun was slowly sinking on the horizon, and its almosr level rays shone redly on the yellow clay, freshly turned up and gleaming in a long bright- line C against the green of the fields beyond. 1 "Dear me:" said Mrs. Langly. "I K never knew there was so much clay on the land; for all father's talk about a t clay substratum over there, and his 1 plowing in clover and marl. How red t and yellow it-locks! and how that long line of wet clay shines in the sunlight like a streak of gold." p At this, Letty turned with bright t eyes, full of a sudden surprise. - "A streak of gold? 0 Robert. how 3 strange! Can this be the streak of s gold-luck that your father's Uncle Alick a foretold?" t Mrs. Langly sank on the grassy bank, r quite "shaken," as she declared, with c this realization of. the fulfillment of 1 the propheey.-New York News. r Freak Periodical Puzzles Realere. t A peculiar periodical named the Bru- I talitarian has appeared. in London. t and its readers are puzzled over the d true meaning of its frankly brutal ut- 1 terances. They are not sure whether i: the editor is a wag or a crank, yet the a concluding paragraph of the follow- 1 lug extract from its pages would seem a to indicate that the Brutalitarian is s animated by the spirit of irony: v "It is full time, in this age of deca- f dent humanitarianism, that some p trumpet tongued protest were rai'ed t against the prevalent sentimentality, e and that there should be an attempt h to organize and consolidate the forces j' * * * that make for manliness and r patriotism. "If we are fools enough to allow the 5 use of the lash to-die out. good-by to 11 all the sterling traits of an English- t man's character! '"What could be more pitiful than the e plea put forward by the naval lords. t 'or instance, that boys in the Royal hi Navy are not 'flogged.' but 'birched,' t in spite of the fact that every public I school man in the country knoews that e the terms are identical? c 'The Brutalitarian will at least e make it impossible for our fri ends to ti repeat these errors, for it will frankly, t] fully and consistently uphold flogging g (under that name), whether with b:irch t: r cane or 'cat,' or any other instru- f ment, as the mainstay of British6 edu- ri ation. h1 "-War and sport, flesh eating and1 viv- ih isetion are all kindred practices i! which must stand or fall together."-- o Nw York Mail. Kimberle~y "Siege" Babies. C During Lord Roberts' tour in South h Africa he chanced to be in Kimberley e n his seventy-second birthday and s the peopleC of that city presented him r with a pair of diamonds. One of the 1) siege babies," a boy of four years, n made the presentation speech. Dur- c; ing the siege of Kimberley by the n Boers about fifty babies were born. f, Lod Roberts had his photograph taken in the midst of the "siege babies" te on the steps of the town hall. Most n of the '-siege babies" bear names re- t: calling the wvar. Thus, while "'French." v "Buller," "-Methuen," "Bobs" and s. "Kekewich" occur, "Rhodes" is even ti more frequently used and "Siege" g seems most popular of all. e: Algiers as a Coaling Station. k For many y'ears Algiers has been oner f the principal ports in the Medirer-t ranean as a coaling station. The coal ing trade at Algiers has steadily in reased from the year 1S885 to 100, during which period it successfully rose from 500X0 tens in 1S90 to 244.000 tons in 1893, and 20,000 tons in 1900.a Dring the same time the coal trade at Gibraltar, which bad risenI to 362,000 tons in 1'880, gradually decreased to 272.(00 tons in 189., to rise no 308.000 it tons in 1900. Algiers sulppied in 190)2 for ships' bunkers 297.000 tons, and in 1908 she supplied 3'sD.000 tons, where s the amount supplied by Gibraltar fell to 1(7,000 tons, and finally to 123, 00 tons. Eirls. Can You Carve? i i One of the minor accomplishments to tt be ac(quire'Cd by ev-ery girl is the scil- ti ne or art of carving. Let her learn wt o cook by all means, if she has any tI gift for that divine art, but to under- in stand the graceful dissection of a joint ti f a fowl is still more important if bf she intends being at the head of an sy establishment. Generally this duty ni falls to the man of the house, who. though he may not be skillful. is yet p t:'ng of wrist, andl whose right is to mn hack and' slash without reproof from st the other end of the board. But when sr alady can easily and dexterously per- rc form this share of a man's prerogative til it has a very pretty appearance. si An Oriental Answer. C It was in a Maine Sunday-school thatb teacher recently asked a Chinese Pu- bE pil she was teaching to read if he un derstood the meaning of the words of "ani old cow." v "Been cow a long time," was the. b prompt answe.-I4ppincott's. D SA TYPE o. Making the Most f Dirt Roads. NRY P. MORRISON, member Am. Soc. C. E., says: The severest econ omy in the expendifre of public funds that can be racticed in any locality will never ucceed in making the tax gath rer a welcome guest. This will be rue because to the mass he brings a urden and a difticult probl^lm ir. nance. To a few his coming is r. ented because they have no apparent lterest in either the betterment or the ecent maintenauc of their home local ty. Keeping these facts in mind it is ot ditheult to understand that the tasi f bettering the highway system of a tate, county or town is no easy ma* 'r, and that it is one in which the ob tacles increase in proportion as the 10 ality to be improved is removed from he centres of population and financial etivity. Therefore the honecst advo ate of good roads, who hope.s to suc eed. must point these facts to the armer: that with care and itelligent reatmeit a large mileage of his h1om:1 irt road system (Inn be iade to :in wer for years to come: that the only elp the good roads people require of he farmer is ihat he stone, gravel or therwise improve such mileage of his )cal highway system as cannot he suc essfully- maintained in its present iiape: and that his State stands ready )-day to aid him financially in the latter, or will in all probability be able ) do so before the adjournment of its ext legislative body. The highway system v:hich acom lishes the greatest good is the system rhich is available for eco omical ransportation at all seasons of the ear. A highway system like the afore aid is not infrequently the result of n expenditure which would render his same system an impossibility in iany farming localities; yet these lo alities are to-day absolute!y in need of etter roads in order that their citizens lay compete successfully. Localities are not wiped from the raveler's map because the roads which ad to them are not macadainizeci. but bey are left out because the roads of irt are improperly cared for. Through tk of expenditure in permanent road nprovement or intelligent inainten nee of existing dirt roads how many )ealities, directly in the line of profit ble and frequent road traffic. are ab lutely cut off because bad roads di ert the travel! The citizens of the af icted comnunity not only lose the robable commercial value of this raffie, but win the enmity of the tray ler because their road conditions rob im of the opportunity to make his mrney in a direct and therefore eo omical manner. Not infrequently investigation will how that the community which per its the condition of its road system istand as a harrier 'to its own pro rss, and an element of unnecessary tpense to the traveler, simply main ins that position because its citizens onestly believe thatt they have not ie financial ability to do otherwise. L all probability that community had stimates furnished as to the probable st of improving its highways. These timates, when received, disheartened e citizens of that community so that iy have put aside the cuestion of ood roadIs as being for them an unat inable blessing. Whereas, had they illen into the hands of a really expert ad engineer. their money. no matter ow small in amount, would have been ivested in stoning the bad and direct g the treatment or the fair mileage f their roads. and -that community -ould to-day have been on the map of r-cessible Incalities. In the past the ine of it hlms been that engineers who ad had no~ particulhar training for or s)erience in highway work w;ere 'oin ilted as to thesc improvements; the ~sult was thaut they seemed to know n one specilication for road improve ent, and that a specitication which tiled for such an expenditure of ~ony as rendered it imupracticabmle in mr out of every live communities. Te necessities of our nation for bet r roads, and the financial inability of any of 'our farming districts to build men has forced and hastened, in the ork of road improvement, the same vere economy in design and c'onstrue on practiced in other .branehes of on ineering, with the result that the roid gineer of to-day is not limited to one ecifeation, an~d possesses extended nowledge of the treatment of dirt >ads, and so applies it as to render mom available until such time as the mds can be raised for their perma ent improvement. A decade ago the engineers who 2ndled road improvement insisted on uniform depth of stone in a road im rovement plan miles in length, and ding its foundation on a hundred d one different soil conditions. The >ad engineer of to-day would1 consider (uii[e as good practice to follow this :ctice as it would be0 for a bridge iginer to design a bridge truss with I its mtembiers of the same dimen ons. But the present road engineer practice, so schooled as to take ad ntage of favorable foundation condi cns and reserve its heavier expendi tres for absoltely necessary loca is. coupled with the knowledge hih the road engineer possesses in e matter of bettering and maintain g earth roads, will aid many locali s per-nmanent ly yet inexpensively to ter serious sections of their- highway 'stein and economically maintain the iimproved mileage. The truth is that no matter to what oportions the good roads movement ny row the close of this century will ill find a great mileage of highway 'pporting vehicular traffic without a ad carpet. It is therefore plain that e road engineer should not only be illed in designing a vr.riety of road verings, but he shoumld be and is fast coming a. past master in the art of tterig disagreeable and dangerous isting conditions on the earth roads theC country. The old time super sor, maker and mender of n>ads, has -no manner of means outlived his en1ncess The are hundreds Of these men who can give valuable infor mation concerning the mailtainatnce of earth roads. being qualified for the task by long years of experience and observation. The proper organizat;uIon of a school for the training of to.-dd engineers should inclutde in its fa :nit men of extended experience in the handling of earth roadt.-Good i:o .ds Ma;gazine. A Patriotic Neform. I believe that the gigantic task of bringing the highways of this cou1ry to the highest standard possible is a reform advocated in the 4iterest. the direct personal interest of every m.n, woman and child ;n these United States, and that it constitutes a reform1 from existing conditions as unselfish and as patriotic as any movement nt dertaken in the last quarter of a cen tury. Its full accomplishment through- ) out the length and the breadth of this Nation would add immeasurably to the National wealth and premnote the gen cral development more than any other one thing yet .lacking in the Nation's equipment for the final struggle for world wide supremacy in the colmmer eia: wars among the nations. That there is such : struggle coling on no one can doubt who gives intelligent study to the trend of the modern com nerelal condition amd cireulistan t.:es. -Governor Bliss. of Mi,Ihigan. AAd to Prosperity. No:n'ng can add more to the prosper ity of the State, nothing can serve to lift farut vIlups so m:oerially, nothing all bring suumer tourists and resi dents to settle and beautify and enrich our valleys so much as permanent road building. I would not only r.rge the contin-1 ance of the present State tax, but I would advise an increase of the sante, and even more liberal treatment. And in this coilnection. and as a cor ollary. I would recommend that the I State begin a system of elimination of grade crossings of both steam and electric roads and the highways. j The laws of 3Massachusetts and New York furnish desirable methods. Pro ceed slowly, but make a beginning. Governor McCullough, of Vermont. JAPAN'S "HUMAN HORSES." The Power an.1 End:rance of the Famed f Itickshawmnen. The feats of which the Japanese 1 riekshawimen are capable are almost s incredible. I remember some years i a,go of being driven ashore in a yacht 1 in the Inland Sea during a typhoon. s It was far beyond the treaty limits t which then existed, and foreigners I were not allowed to travel outside I those limits without special passports. 2 But the Mayor of the neaist fishing village was kindness ;tself. He prom. t ised to supply the best rickshawmen 3 which the neighborhood could produce. c so as to take us to a railway station a some forty miles away. And he kept t his word, for the distance was covered 1 in less thLn six hours, including a hali f for refreshments. Each rickshaw was drawn by two men, tandem wise, the t' usual fashion when long distances havE ~ to be covered. The leaders in eaet g went through the whole distance, whilE t the wheelers, so to speak. were changed r half way. The road was over thE t greater part of the distance little bettei thant a mountain track, and it was rain ing most of the time, but thtere was never a break in our progress except l to allow the coolies to take off er put t on their clotjies. Thtey prefer running ~ in nothing but a loincloth, and do s< wenever they get safely beyond thEr eye of the :police, who have order' strictly to administer the lawv against e nudity. The fare paid for this prolongec a journey was, if I rememnber right1.x tE aout three sillings for each rickshav the extra shlillintg being a gratul it thrown in for good service. I know t that it purchaised so mtany blessing' on my honorable head as canlnot yet b k quite exhausted. And ha.ving madf our farewells at the -railway station the coolies started ha'ak at once foia their own village.-London MIail. WORDS OF WISDOM. b Excitement is but ai poor thintg to live fi MIany consider a poor excuse bettet s than none.s Great blessings are often hteld wait- I ing for some small obedience.c The Bible, in its wonderful an:1 va ned imagery, is the reflection of all hu man experiences.-J. S. David. a He who waits for God is not mis- b spending Is' time. Sucht waiting is N rute living-such tarryintg is t.he truest speed.-Joseph Parker. That actiont is not warrantable which either fears to ask the divine blessing n its performance, or. havintg succeed- t ed. does not come witht thanksgiving to God for its success.-Quarles. d Say all that you hlave to say in the c< fewest possible words, or your reader ~ will be sure to skip them; antd in the 35 plainest possible words, or he will cer- s tainly misunderstand them.-Ruskin. g Quick is the succession of htuman ri events. The cares of to-day are sel- 01 dom the cares of to-morriow. anld when b; we lie down at nighlt we may safely t< say to most of our troubles: "Y have 0: done your worst, and wve shall meet no Ia ore.-Cowper. tl Chorus Girls and the Peerage. CE An epidemic of matrimony with -lorus girls has broken out again in e British perge. Three young lords a uId a marquis are depleting the stage of te same theatre. Contrary to the eeent antnouncemnent by the solicitor of 1 another peer thtat as soon as he had E aed an Amtericanl heiress his debts t wotld be paid,. thtese thteatrical al-a iances can have no fintancial motive,.1 Yet the chorus-girl mtarriages seem to t turn out as well ats those arrantged onC purely business princeiples.. And mar- t ra~ges out of their own circle keep the British peerage mtore virile than the eS Continental nobility with their _inter- b 'inable quarterings. SIamese EIce.0 Rleports from Bangkok, the capital of Siam, are to the effect that the exports of rice from the country of the whitet elephant have been larger than ever be-g fore in the history of the country. This is said to be due chiefly to the heavy demand from Japan. During the firsta nine months of the year the exports of t rice from Siam amounted in value to morethit ~1,OOOOOQa Eifec's of Tran-portation. It-will not injure the eggs for hatch [ng if they are properly packed. In fact, an egg can stand more jarring 11han1 is supposed. Eggs have been ,haken with thr hand until they were ipparently "churned," and yet they 2atcred. There is no vaguum in a rsh egg. and it is a ditiieult matter to shake wne so a: to injure it. Many .ace tested the jarring of eggs under i hen by passing railroad trains, also be effects of thunder storms, but have lever known injury to result from mch causes. Poultry' can be sent by ?xpress with safety to almost any )oint, especially if killed and dressed, hnd particulariy in winter. Poultry lnd eggs reach the market nearly as ;oon as will a letter by mail.-Mirror mud Farmer. A Fence End Finish. The accompanying sketch simplifies he end and covers fence post question. nd for effectiveness and stay-there tbi!ity none can excel, also for cheap .ess of labor and material. First es netial is a proper sized post. No. 1, race twelve feet long, four by four, S , durable material, mitred at 3 2 oth ends to fit bearings snugly. No. stone of good size and flat. firmly mbeddel in ground. No. 3, four trands No. !) wire, proper length, or wo single wires double length from ost to end of brace, serurely fastened o end of brace and to post. as shown; raw tight and use stick to twist until ill slack is taken up.-Edwin E. Town end, in The Epitomist. ITegin Feeain. Roots. Roots, such as carrots, turnips, man les and potatoes, may be fed profitably o cows, swine, sheep and poultry. In eeding to sheep it is best to start in vith a small quantity until they are ised to them, else they are apt to have cours. There are many ways of feed ig the roots. but. a.4 a rule, they should le fed by themselves and in rather mall quantities, more as an appetizer an anything else. in feeding them to oultry. it is a good plan to feed one >t chopped up in very small pieces nd mixed with grain, like corn meal. It is good plan to cook small pota es and mix them in the bran mash -lhich is fed in the morning. Another ay a lot of carrots chopped small. bout the size of a kernel of corn, this o be fed at noon in the trough, fol )wed by a smaller feed than usual of rain scattered through the chaff on le scratching shed fioor. In feeding hogs put the roots in the trough ilhout any slop and in pieces of quite ood size, for the hogs prefer to have rem this way. An occasional feed of ots from now on until spring will do ie stock a great deal of good. Splendid For Fattening. After an experience of nearly twenty ears in raising poultry the writer has .arned not to take any radical view on me subject, hence is not in harmony ith'the advice of experts who would it corn entirely out of the poultry tion. There is a medium ground that much safer. W~hmen we admit that )n is the cheapest and most readily ised of all the foods given animals i the farm some way of feeding it the best advantage should be ~olved rather than planning to take out of the ration. True, corn is fat ning when fed to poultry in large ~antities, or with considerable regu rity, and the over-fat hen is not an ;producer. On the other hand, corn may be fed id even in considerable quatities by coperly varying the ration as well as y varying the forms of feeding corn. orn ha:s its least fattening effect whien d with somec other grain, and while e prefer the plan of feeding grains ~parately, and feeding so that the mie gramin comes not more often than ery third or fourth meal, we would it hesitate to feed corn and wheat or >rn and oats together and expect good suIts. p)articuiarly if the fowls had msiderable green food between meals well as a fair supply of ground ne and animal meal.-Indianapolis ews. Food For the Stock. Those who have tested the use of >oked and uncooked foods for stock, ore particularly for swine, agree that i uncooked foods are by far the ost digestible. This opinion would light the vegetarians who urge un oked fruits and vegetables as being ore w:holesome. Yet there are two des to the story, as usual. There ems to be no denying the value of the 2cooked food, with animals at any te. but we all know that a quantity raw fruits and vegetables eaten rhumans during the 'unmmer is apt create a disturbance of the digestive 'gans. Not always does it cause oreness of the bowels. but acidity of e stomach, which is very paliful. it not fair to assume that if uin oked food has this effect on the hiu n stomach that it must hamve some id effect on the stomach of the farm i mal? This may be a little far-fetched, but cerience has taught the writer that. ithout exception, one warm meal a iy during the winter is beneficial the animals. Even our horses have warmi br. u mash. and it has been eli cooked. too. The poultry have me warm cooked mash and the hot >rn at night every other day, and rive on it. This being our experi ice, our argument is that animals ould have cooked food occasionally, it that most of their meals should )fsit of food not cooked.-Indianaip is News. ..g. . Sheep on the Farroi.. Many stock farms have no sheep o'im em at all- and there seerns to be no od reason for this, en pecially on rmins that are adapted to sheep grow og. After long experience in breeding nd raising stock the writer believes mat sheep are one of the most profit bla nnimn1e that can behased on the farm and they give quicker returns than cattle. There is always a good market for nice, fat lambs that can be raised at a very small cost to any f,rier. There are many weeds and shrubs in all pastures where cattle are grazed that the cattle will not eat. and the sheep is so constructed that it will thrive on these weeds and shrubs and keep fat and yield a fine fleece of wool each year. In the writer's opin ion. any pasture where cattle are kept will grow more grass if about three head of sheep to every ten head of cattle are allowed to run on the pas ture. There is another decided advan tage in pasturing sheep in that they will improve land more than any other stock. by dropping manure over almost every square inch of the pasture. Let every farmer who has not raised sheep heretofore buy a few and pasture them with his cattle and he will be sur prised to see how ricely they will clean out all weeds and shrubs. be sides yielding a good fleece and drop ping a fine bunch of lambs each spring. It is nice to see the lamlis playing, and still nicer to see how fast they will swell your bank account.-A. N. Horn, in The Epitouist. A Leso For the Farmer. It is not true that because many of the sections of the country where most of the ab,Onddoned farms are located are being rapidly .settled, the end of the abandoned farm is near. The fact re mains that in all such sections the resi dents must largely work out their own salvation. If there were no more cheap lands to be had in the Northwest, and in Canada. then the abandoned farm question would be speedily settled, but until such a time, not likely to come in this generation, the abandoned farm regions must look largely to the city residents for relief. There are thousands of busy city men who would be glad to take up Qpe of these farms if the situation were brought to their attention in a proper light. Here is work for the State of ficials of each State containing aban doned farms. A busy New York City merchant is gloating over the posses sion of an abandoned New England farm, bought for a song, and his joy has attracted others to the locality to an extent that since this first farm was bought, five years ago, other farms have sold for from one-quarter to one third higher, and even then were sold very- cheap. Those in rural districts can scarcely realize the glee of the shrewd. successful city man over the possession of a few acres of country land where'he can breathe freely, with no one to bother him. A concerted effort would interest more city men and bring to the abandoned farm re gion money and brains which would slowly but surely change the situa tion. Perhaps as farms they would do no.better than before, but they have in them the making of a country liome which would delight the average city man.-Indianapolis News. V ictoria Swin The Victoria is a composite breed of comparatively modern origin. -There are two Aistinct branches of breeds that are called Victorias and have orig inated from two different sources and molded into a breed by two different individuals. The okler btanch was ogirinated in Saratoga County, New York, by Colonel Frank D. Curtis, and denominated a breed as early as 1850. It was made up of a combination of the blood of the Grazier, Byfield, York shire and Suffolk. These bear a close resemblance to the Suffolk. except the lack of a deep dish-in-face. The other was originated by George Davis, Dyer, Lake County, Indiana. They are the outcome of the amalga mation of the Poland China, Chester Whites. Berkshires and Suffolks. They were called a breed as early as 1870. They appeared at the fairs In Indiana and Illinois, and at the Fat Stock Show in Chicago, in 1878. They were ac knowledged as a distinct breed by the Illinois State Board of Agriculture in 1882. Since tha.t time they have been quite successful winners at the Fat Stock Show, Chicago, and have re ceived recognition from several other State organizations. The Victoria Swine Breeders' Associ ation was organized in 1886. In 1887 the first volume of the register was published and two subsequent volumes have followed. From the small begin nings the number of animals recorded has reached beyond 1600, which shows that the breed is growing in popularity. When we consider that only stock that is or likely to be kept for breeders will be placed on record, it is a good show ing. The Victorias seem to occupy a posi tion distinctively their own and are not close imitators of the other breed. In size they are not the equal of the Poland China, but somewhat larger than some of the so-called breeds, de pending greatly on the individual in whose hands they are reared. It is claimed that they are easily adapted to surrounding conditions, and thrive either in tield or pen. We conclude from a close examination and study of them that they are fattened at any age. The superior feeding qualities, as well as the quality of their meat, have been proven by their winnings, in both live and (lead classes, at the Fat Stock Shows at Chicago. In general appearance the Victorias are stong and growthy, and in the typical specimens are quite symmnetri cal in outline. They are not quite so large as the Berkshires. nor do they seem to, .'s yet, equal them in uni formity. They are white, while the Berkshire is black, with white points. The originator once declared that he had "produced the model hog, guaran teed to reproduce itself wvhite."-De troit Free Press Farm and Livestock Journal. Vast Riches in 0er. The greatest hoard of the yellow metal ever gathered in any country could not buy one year's harvest of the American corn and wheat. To buy one season's corn crop would take all the gold minted In this country i six years. Ini the last seven years all the gold mines have produced only enough to buy one year's yield of our ix ladin cerena. UNPRODUCTIVE FRUIT TREES. Great luxuriance in growth of fruit trees is often the cause of unfruitful ness. No tree commences to flower and fruit until its vegetative exuber ance has been partiali checkedThose who understand the art of fruit cul ture thoroughly can bring these way ward trees into bearing- by root prun ing them. This may be done by dig ging a trench around the tree and then filling it up with the earth that has been thrown out. The cutting off the ends of the roots causes check to the extreme v:or, and the result is the production of floivers instead of branches. The distance from the trunk that the trechcl should be dug will, of course, depend upon the age and size of the tree. and also its ratio of luxuriance; the aim should be to dig so as to cut off about one-third of it* roots. Root pruning iuay.'be done at any time during fall or winter.-E. B. Rice, in The Enitomi t. SINGLE WIIEELI TRUVK. With this truck c::' c' pick up a barrel or lbpg of gra;::, fruit or vegeta bles and wheel it a eay,tCen over a rough path, so-ethiiug alnost impOssi ble with the s douhle wheelP grocery and frlght -tracks. A black smith will mount- a wheel beneath a frame, as shown' in the cut, and the SINLE WNZ3TimYWse frame ought to be within the ability of any one handy with tools. A me dium sized single wheel truck will do much work and do It easier than is possible with a smaU .doubhJaheel truck.--Ora.nge Judd Farmer. BROWN RO. This is one of the most 'troublesome diseases which affects the pluai or chard. When affected-with It they fruit A rots at the time of ripening, showing the fitst indications of the trouble where two plums touch each other on the tree. In moist, warm -weather the disease develops most rapidly,'the fruit turns brown and a gray mold 'or, fun gous covering will be observed. M uch of the fruit drops off, but some of it will dry up and hang on the trees over tinter. Not only is the fruit affected, ut often the leaves and tender twigs f the trees will be attacked , and lighted where the disease .asstms n aggravated form; sometimsi lIng he trees outright: but' :more often veakening them to a degree whleeh de ~troys their future usefulnesk yet eaving life enough to perpetuate and listribute the disease. the following ear. All diseased fruit and twigs ~hould be removed and destroyed as oon as observed, as well as the trees rhich have been so badly damaged as' o be half dead from this seaus. As t preventive measure tihe trees should e sprayed with Bordeaux m@1ture ~arly in the spring n~ hen the budi comn nence to swell and agali after ,the ~alling of the calyxes, or green slyeaths t the, base of the blossoms. While :his will not entirely ;'revent the dis ~ase In a year in which it is preva ent, It will altogec.her with the ~autionary measures abwe re nended and a judiciou- thinn'ag ' :he fruit go far toward aeeping~ it' ~ubjection.-Nationlal Fruit. Grower.' 'ABOUT TRANSPLANTING. In the West trees do better w lanted in November or December, ~arly In the spring. A neightfor nine set out twenty acres of appi ast year in December, and lost none hem, and over 300 acres more 'll et out this December by apple,growe f this section of Oregon. Cloudy ire preferable for setting out trees, a ~ere in Oregon, where somn bas ad It rains thirteen t&ponths of the rear, cloudy days are plentiful In De ~ember, but In other States they may lot be so, and it is best under those :ircumstances to do as much of the ork as possible late in the afternoon. oots should be dipped In water, and. ;et In freshly-stirred soil as soon after ~emoval from the nursery as possible. :t is imperative that the soil 1)e.pressed. irmly around the roots. It. is-a good lan, when digging holes for trees to ;et that removed near the top -to the de, and place this firit about the *oots. Trim off carefully all broken r mangled roots, and cut back the ops in the same proportion that the ~oots have been curtaile'd. 'The holes ;hould be of sufficient size to allow the oots- to spread in the naturat con :ions. and deep enough to 'have :runks stand a little lower than stood in the nursery. Mul a'-e omewhat larger than that6 y the roots of the uree is 'of great antage, especially in dry soHls. T ranspanting of trees ?Nom the f s a much more difficult matter th :hat of trees from the kurseryg as th atter have already been emoved from heir parent seed-bed, and%bence forced o keep their roots compicf. 'in tal ng up such trees care' should'be taken o secure good roots and to leave asr nuch earth on them as possible.-D. L. Stovall, in The Epitomist.. Bicycles Popular in Europe. The export of bicycles from Ger any has been constantly increasing td this year promises to be a' record Lreaker in the trade. German's prin Ipal markets are Denmark, the Neth ~rlands, Austria and Russia. Japan iso takes a few. Camels in aas=a A Kansas man is going to try to aise camels in that State. As the ramel is reputed to be able to go with-. cut drinking longer than any other inimal, the experiment may be u~ aesnt-tO KSnDne -Qmnaa Des.