The Fairfield news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1881-1900, January 11, 1883, Image 4
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Ureat Gold I Sax.
We recently saw at the Sank of Cali
fornia, the largest gold bar ever oast in
the United States. It was shipped to
the bank by the North Bloomfield
(hydraulic) Mining Company, of Smarts-
viile, Nevada County, Cal. The value
of the bar is $114,000. and weighs 511}
pounds troy. Its length is 15 inches,
width 6 inches, and depth 7 inches. It
contains 630 cubic inches of gold, and
is worth about $19 per ounce.
The mould for this bar was east at the
Nevada foundry of George G. Allan,
Nevada City. The entire dimensions of
the mould are as follows: On top, 17
inches long and 7 inches wide; on bot
tom, 16 inches long and 6 inches wide.
It contains 715-20 cubic inches. The
thickness of the sides is } inch and bot
tom 1 inch. The mould weighs 138
pounds, and was oast expressly for
making this bar. 'He castings were
from iron produced at Clipper Gap, in
this State.
The North Bloomfield mine, from
which the gold came, is one of the most
prominent hydraulic mines in Cali
fornia. The run is not an exceptional
one, though tho bar is. The line of
the tnanel is cleaned up about twice a
year, and this time they thought they
would see what they could do in the
way of casting a big bar. The bar is
said to have been the result of a twenty
days’ run.
It was in 1873, if wc remember aright,
that the Spring Valley Mining Company
sent down to this city a bar weighing
141 pounds, worth $41,000. At the
time they thought this the largest bar
ever made, but at their request we
made inquiries and found that Selig-
man & Co., bankers, of this city, had
received one from Helena, Montana,
wortn an even $50,000; the London and
San Francisco Bank had one worth
$35,000, and the Mint and Bank of Cali
fornia had each had one worth $40,090.
The San Francisco Assaying and Refin
ing Company had also had one worth
$41,000.
The Spring Valley people then went
to work, and after thirty-five days’ run.
with 1,000 inches of water, with a par
tial clean np of 800 feet of head flume
and 14 undercurrents, produced a bar
worth $71,273.15, weighing 299 pounds.
Since then, however, the Spring Val-
ey Mine, Chcrok e Flat, Butte County,
shipped to this city a gold bar valued
at about $90,000, and that was consid
ered an exceptionally large one. The
North Bloomfield Company, consider
ing it owned the biggest hydraulic mine
iu the State, thought it would make the
biggest bar, with the result noted.
There is no special advantage in mak
ing bars so large, except in happening
to have the gold to do it with. Smaller
bars are more convenient to handle,
and some people even prefer tho metal
iu small circular shape, such as we are
accustomed to see on bankers’ trays.
The big bar we refer to is on the way to
tho Mint, out ou Ffth street, where it
will soon bo transferred into coin. The
North Bloomfield and the Milton hy
draulic mines, both under tho same
management, have produced this season
about $1,000,000 in gold, and the
ground they are in is increasing in rich
ness right along. This doesn’t look
much as though dydraulic mining was
a dead industry.
detecting Counterfeit*,
It is a good rule in receiving bank
notes to carefully examine the general
appearance of the no*;e, the geometrical
lathe work, shading of the letters, rul
ing engine work, vignettes, and solid
print, carefully noting whether they
compare with standard work. The ink,
printing and paper must be considered.
The charter number appears on all bank
notes issued since 1875. All National-
bank notes are signed by F. E. Spinner,
Treasurer, prior to 1875. All genuine
notes of the United States Treasury
bear check letters, A, B, C or D, and
are numbered consecutively, commenc
ing with 1, thus: A is 1; B is 2; C 3 and
D 4; or a number, which if divided by
4, will show the number to be even.
Genuine bank notes are usually piint-
ed on paper of good quality, though
varying much in thickness—some being
quite thin. It is not impossible for
counterfeiters to procure good quahty
of paper, yet couuterfeits usually have
a smooth greasy touch, while the genu
ine note has not, but will cleave to the
fingers. The paper, though important
in question, is not infallible, and it will
not do to rely too much on the quality.
All notes in the United States are now
printed on fiber paper, the fiber con
sisting of silk threads which are in and
form a part of the substance. The gov
ernment are now also manufacturing
the note paper, having two silk threads
which extend the whole length of the
note, one a red, the other blue, which
are discernible by holding the note to
the light. These the counterfeiter has
endeavored to imitate, by drawing two
parallel lines on the surface. This will
be found in the counterfeit United States
silver certificates.
Water and sky, when doae with the
ruling engine, cannot be successfully
imitated. It is rare to see fine vignettes
on counterfeit notes, yet masy very
dangerous imitations have been pro
duced. But, however, perfect, a coun
terfeit can not be the same as the origi
nal or genuine.
Then there is the geometrical lathe
work. All designs, such as circles,
ovals, squares, etc., and upoa which tne
denomination is usually placed, com
posed of a net-work of fine lines cross
ing each other at such angles and dis
tances as to procure tbe desired effect is
called the geometrical lathe work, aud
is produced by the geometrical lathe, a
wonderful as well as beautiful machine.
The patterns produced by the lathe are
of every conceivable variety of form
and shape. The fine lines is the ohar-
acteriatic of this description of engrav
ing, and in the genuine note can be
traosd throughout the design, never
breaking or losing itself in another line,
or having any irregularity whatever.
The line is usually white, on black or
green ground, or sometimes red, but
may be a black, green or red on vrtiite.
In the counterfeit engraving the design
is engraved upon the plate and fails in
various ways. First, it is impossible to
prodnee the perfect line as in the genu
ine, and the effect to the eye will be
more or less dull or sunken in appear
ance as well as having a scratchy look.
The design-will also be darker or light
in spots, as the lines are sometimes
heavier aud sometimes lighter, as well
as the spaces between are sometimes
wide and again near together, being
irregular in size and sometimes broken.
Second, it is impossible for the counter
feiter to produce two designs exactly
alike. As the counterfeit is engraved
by hand and seperately, it is impossible
to produce two exactly alike. On ex
amination of the genuine bill the designs
of the geometrical lathe work will show
the beautiful clear raised impression
produced by the correct and regular
lines in the engraving. Sometimes the
whole, face of the note except the vig
nettes and dies will be tinted. The tin
is composed of fiue carved or looped
lines miming across the whole face of
the bill.
Genuine bank notes are always print
ed with great care. The plate is covered
with ink, which is then carefully wiped
off, except what remains in the lines of
the engraving. The engraving is then
taken with a powerful press. Should
any irregularity appear on tbe note it is
immediately [canceled, and not issued.
Thus all genuine notes have a clear and
beautiful impression, which is very unu
sual for a counterfeit. The ink used in
bank-note printing gives a clear impres
sion, without any smutty appearance.
The green ink, aud also that used for
the numbering of United States notes,
is with great difficulty produced by the
counterfeiters. The ink usually used
by them for printing counterfeits has a
heavy, dull look; while the numbering
has a bricky appearanc i.
Tbe Year and th- Calendar.
The Assault an Tel-el-Ueber.
Writer’s Cramp.
This ailment consists mainly of
spasms caused by excessive labor of the
muscles of the hand, especially of the
fingers.
It is not confined to writers—as the
name would imply—but persons are
liable to it who are engaged in sewing,
knitting, drawing, playing on the piano
and in other employments which de
mand continuous use of the fingers and
hands. Only those, however, seem to
have a special tendency to it who are of
a nervous diathesis—have inherited an
undue nervous sensitiveness.
Writing is a veiy comp ioate.l process,
involving the harmonious action of sev
eral small muscles of tho fingers, and a
few of the hand and forearm.
Some of these muscles draw the fin
gers in toward each other; others draw
them outward^ still others tarn the
hand to the right or left. The spasms
so act on these muscles as either to
cause the thumb and forefinger to grasp
the pen convulsively, or to twirl it ou
its axis, or to lift it suddenly from the
paper.
In the earlier stages of the disease
there is a slight, hardly noticed sensa
tion of tension in the hand. If the
trouble progresses, the Land becomes
fatigued, aud there is a tremor of tho
fingers; the formation of strokes be
comes more aud more difficult; the
spasms and weakness increase, aud the
tension becomes painful, and extends to
tho forearm, aud even to tho muscles cf
the shoulder and breast.
In some patients neuralgic paius may
be added. Rosenthal regards it as
somewhat analogous to stuttering, and
says it may be termed a “stuttering of
the muscles.”
The lighter forms connected with an
impoverished condition of the blood
(ausemia), dyspepsia, or over-exertion,
may be arrested by the rest of the hand
and a tonic treatment of the system.
The severe forms are incurable,
though they may be helped by pro
longed rest, and by whatever will tend
to moderate the nervous excitability.
Stage Iiifttaud ot the Pulpit.
On the day after the 4th ot October,
i5r2, the people of Italy, Spain and
Poitugal wrote the date October 15.
Ten days had been dropped altogether.
Tnis was because of the adoption of
what is known as the Gregorian calen
dar, because it was decreed by a bull
issued by Pope Gregory XIII.
The early division of time was very
irregular and inaccurate. The reckon
ing by months did not bring out even
years, and it was only when astronomy
became something like an exact science,
that the actual length of the year was
known.
In the ume of ancient Rome, there
were button months an 1 the Roman
kings fixed the length of the year at
thi ee hundred and fifty-five days. When
this inexact division caused trouble, an
extra month was inserted hero and there
to restore the system to a degree of
order.
We owe it to Julius Caesar that the
year was fixed at three hundred and
sixty-five days, with an additional day
onoo in four years. The fourth year iu
which the day is added is bissextile, or
as wo call it, leap year. The year of
865 1-4 days is known os the Julian
year.
But even this is not accurate. The
true solar year is 365 1-4 days, 5 hours,
48 minutes and 49.62 seconds long.
That is, it is 11 minutes and 10.38 sec
onds shorter than the Julian year. The
Julian calendar was adopted forty-six
years before Christ, so that in A.D. 1582,
more than sixteen centuries later, the
error had amounted to about ten days.
It was this error which the Gregorian
calendar corrected. But iu making the
correction it was necessary to guard
against a similar accumulation of error.
That object was accomplished in this
way.
The error amounts to very nearly
eighteen hours on a century. Accord
ingly it was decreed that each year
whose number was divisible by one hun
dred should not be a leap year unless it
were divisible by four hundred.
Consequently the year 1900 will not
be a leap year bat the year 2000 will be
one. Three leap years are omitted every
four hundred years by this plan, and the
result is that the average ciyil year dif
ference will amount to a whole day in
something Jess than four thousand
years.
The new system was adopted gradu
ally. By the Roman Catholic world it
was adopted almost at once—the last of
the Catholic countries making the
change in 1587. But it was not until
1700 that Protestant Germany adopted
it; and in England and America* the
Gregorian calendar was not used until
1752.
The Greek church has never sanc
tioned the change. Iu Russia to this
day the t>ld style is in use, and the error,
which was only ten days in 1582, is now
more than twelve days. The Russian
Christmas does not come until nearly a
fortnight after all the rest of the Christ
ian world has celebrated it.
It is also a curious fact of which few
are probably awate, that until one hun
dred and thirty years ago, the year be
gan in England and this country, not
twith the first of January, but on the
twenty-fifth of March.
Before th it time, however, the prac
tice had become common of indicating
that there was a doubt to which year the
days iu the first three months belonged.
Thus in the old Boston newspapers of
the last century we see sucu dates as
this: ‘ February 4,1723-4,”—from which
anybody can discover that the date, ac
cording to the Gregorian calendar, is
February 15 (eleven davs correction),
1724.
The year is a varying quantity accord
ing to the standard by which it is meas
ured. Of course, it is the time within
which the earth makes her passage
around the sun,
But if this time be measured by the
period of the earth’s return to the same
apparent place in the heavens, os seen
from the sun, it is a “sidereal year;”
365 days, 6 floors, 9 minutes, 9,6 sec
onds.
The time in which the earth makes
the circuit from her perihelion, that is,
the point of her orbit where she is near
est to the sun, around to the same point
again, is the “anomalistic” year, 365
days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, 4S.6 seconds.
The ’tropical” year, however, is that
which astronomers have so ected as tne
true solar year, it is the time included
between two “vernalequinoxes.” This
vernal equinox is that instant in the
spring of the year when the equator of
the earth, if extended, woutd pass
through the center of the sun.
It as also the time when the days and
nights, all over the globe, are of equal
length. The period between two vernal
equinoxes is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 min
utes, 48.6 seconds.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher should
have gone ou the stage instead of the
pulpit. He makes of his pulpit a stage,
he does commonplace things in such a
dramatic way. Plymouth Church was
crowded on Monday evening with one
of its characteristic audiouoes, and Miss
Frances E. Willard, of Chicago, deliv
ered a lecture on the work of the
Women’s Gospel Temperance Union,
which was received with great enthusi
asm. As the prolonged applause at the
dose of her lecture died away Mr.
Beocher ascended the platform, slowly,
thoughtfully, and stood for a moment
regarding—almost staring at—the lec
turer with an expression of mingled
wonder and admiration. Then, turn
ing to the audience, ho remarked, slowly
and meditatively, emphasizing tho
words with nods of his head: “And—
yet—she cannot vote!” It is hardly
necessary to add that it was some time
before the audience was quiet enough
for him to add in ringing tones: “Are
you not ashamed of it?”
| |Chanoxd his tune: Fogg says that
etellem is the most fickle-minded m«n he
ever saw. For the last six months he
has been talking about his fiue country
house, with its spacious rooms, grand
views and splendid surroundings and
not an “out” about it “Well,” says
Fogg, “will you believe it, he told me
to-day he had sold and mighty glad he
Id rattle trap.
ble
to get rid of the old
Yes, sir, bellem is the most changeabi
fellow I ever saw.”
Lnxurtoua Room*.
The latest sensation in Washington is
over the newly furnished and decorated
rooms of Attorney General Brewster in the
Department of Justice. Tbe furniture and
decorations have all been made from de
signs specially prepared in pursuance of
an order from Attorney General Brewster
himself, with carte blanche to make the
rooms perfect. The principal room, the
one need by the Attorney General to trans
act official business, is turmshed with
ebony chairs and lounges covered with the
finest moruoco leather, and said to be the
most elegant and costly suit of furniture m
Washington. The center table, designed
and made to order, is a gem of its kind.
Although measuring only six feet by lour,
it cost $250. This table has for a cover an
exquisite piece of Algerian lace work, said
to have cost $100. Tne smaller tables are
also elegantly finished and strictly in keep
ing with the central one. The carpet in
this room, consisting of a turhisb rug, cost
the Government $1,200. To walk upon it
makes one imagine himself to be treading
upon do*n. To complete this, there is
also a rich, fleecy rag, cosliug $150. But
the most gorgeous adornments in this room
are the curtains. They are made of the
finest silk plush, rich and dazz'ing in tex
ture, hoed and interlined with fine Turkish
g&tine, with cardinal cords and tassels.
The brass rods, holders, and other acces
sories are equally elaborate m pattern, and
were specially designed for the Department
of Justice. There are four windows in
the room, and as the price paid for each
curiam was $800, the cost is $1,200 for
curtains alone.
The Attorney General’s private office,
his sanctum sauctorum. is certainly remar
kable for splendor and elegance. Turkish
carpet and rugs, handsome Oriental furni
ture, covered w.lh French velours, with
silk plush trimmings, and elaborate fres
coing and fine pictures, make this a most
luxurious room. The Attorney General’s
expensive tastes have already cost the tax
payers over $5,000, and by the time the
innumerable additions aud fluisbing touch
es are given to these offloes, making them
what he designed they should be, the cost
will reach $10,000.
The daik line in front lit up with a
blaze of fire ; rifled and big guns roared
and crackled ; rockets whizzed overhead,
and at the magic word “Charge I” the
whole brigade sprang to its feet and
rushed straight at the blazing line, the
battalion on the left meeting so het a
fire that five officers and sixty men went
down before they got to the ditch. For
an instant the onward rush was checked,
but the bugler beside Sir Archibald
sounded the “advance.” A wild cheer
was the response, and the Highlanders
dashed forward with a bound, and, after
a race of some 450 yards, found them
selves under the great sand heaps which
formed the enemy’s stronghold. No
time te stop now—over they went, clam
bering and climbing, using each other’s
shoulders as ladders ; sticking their ri
fles into the sand as posts to hold on to;
one way and another they got over and
inside, to begin that short, ghastly
work, the beginning and end of a
“glorious victory.” There was no
pause on the parapet, but eaeh group
of soldiers us it gained the crest dashed
at the enemy, and the melee became
general and desperate. The Seventy-
ninth and Seventy fifth could be seen
in a large knot engaged in a hand to-
hand fight with a body of rebels who
were desperately defending an inner
line of works, which met the front lino
at right angles and was strengthened
by redoubts at the angles. The men
gallantly stormed these, which were as
resolutely defended. Gens. Alison and
Haleny, the former revolver in hand,
were in the thick of it ; the Scotchman
on foot, leading a dozen different as
saults, where the Highlanders rushed
iu and bayoneted the Egyptians. The
fighting had lasted about half an hour 1
there was still a strong redoubt to be
taken, and a crowd of men went at it.
The enemy’s fire was extraordinaiy
brisk aud rapid ; the air was alive with
bullets and shells. The Highlanders
in front of the curtain found themselves
fired on on tlir.e sides, and a gr.at
number began to retire. That was a
ticklish moment, but the officers suc
ceeded in stopping them, and they
were reinforced from the second line,
aud again went on. The point in the
intrenchment which the Highlanders
carried had been fortified with mnoh
care, and was apparently the key to the
position. \ strong line nearly two
miles long had been constructed, at
right angles to the main line to guard
against a turning movement; a second
line parallel to it in the same directioa.
Everywhere redoubts had been con
structed, and wherever there was cover
there the Egyptians stood. Gen. Hanley
however, rallied the men who were
standing thickly, but in no formation,
inside the front line which they had
just carried, aud led them straight along
those intrench m cuts, getting on both
sides of them, and thus taking their de
fenders in reverse. As one of the Black
Watch says: “Up the bank we went,
aud it was fa 1 of men and they turned
on us like rats in a trap; bat the iulau-
try did not stand long. However, honor
to whom honor is due, the artillerymen
stood to their guns like men, and we
had to bayonet them. As soon as that
job was done I saw two regiments of
cavalry forming on the right. ‘Prepare
for cavalry’ was given, and in less time
than it takes to write this we formed in
a square and were waiting for them ;
but when they saw this they wheeled
to the right about and off; they would
not face a square of Scottish steel.
Just then two batteries of onr artillery
came iuto the field in fine style, and
our men cleared ont and gave them
room to work. Our men helped to
wheel the guns into position, and so
far as we were concerned the fighting
was ove.r
Keep tub Thoroughbreds Pube.—
There is quite a diflerence between cros
srag pure-bred animals of separate breeds
and crossing the pure-breds on common
stock. By using thr 'ughbred males the
common herds or flocks can be elevated to
a higher standard, and at small cost, fer
the reason that the thoroughbreds are fixed
in peculiar characteristics, and have the
power transmit and Impress their qualities
strongly on their offspring. They impart
uniformity ot color especially, and as all
breeds excel in eertaln peculiarities, while
Inferior kinds possess no particular abilities
the dominant quality becomes a fixed hab
it, and It is to this fact that we are able to
breed in any direction for the attainment
of special objects. But it is something
else in breeding together thorouchbred
animals of different breeds. The Jersey
cow is the result oi years of labor. Her
qualities for making beef have been sacri
ficed, her muscles weakened, her frame re
duced and the chraacter of her milk cluing
ed in order to create the butter cow. Bhe
is not a great milker in quantity, nor is she
fit for the dairy when the quality is no ob
ject. She has been bred for a single pur
pose only, which la the production of but
ter. Bhe is exactly the opposite of tbe
larger breeds, and bears no relation to
.them. As the Jersey cow is a butter-pro
ducing animal she is therefore a living
factory for butter production, and if we
desire an animal for milk alone we mist
breed the Holsteins and Ayrshire?, whioh
are rpecially adapted for such a purpose.
By crossing the Jerseys and Ayrshires we
divide the propensities lor both milk and
butter, and the crossed animal is inferior
to both parents. Its heavy milking pro
perties are lessened and the butter yields
are smaller. Bometimes by the superior
power of either parent first class animals
are produced, but the breeder can go no
further with the cross, as the crossed ani
mals are ot no fixed type and cannot re
produce their points of excellence with any
degree of certainty cn their young. The
same may be noticed with horses, The
thoroughbred will improve the common
stock, but a cross between the runner and
a trotter will not produce a runner, though
the trotter is sometimes beneflited because
it is not exactly a thoroughbred, and the
benefit is derived from the finer bone,
strength and endurance of the higher bred
horse. A merino and G'otswold cross de
stroys the combining qualities of the wool
from the Uofcwoln and takes away the
flneneas of belonging lo the merino, and
the produce of the white-colored Chester
hog and black Berkshire is inferior to eith
er. The thoroughbreds are possessors of
only one particular dominant quality to
each breeo, thou.h often good in other
qualities. This excellence is stamj e 1 on
inferior kinds, or its own, only. When
united with another of equal intensity the
union is incompatible and is not perma
nent. No animal is a general purpose
animal, and the only way in which we can
improve our thorougnbreds is to keep them
pure, selecting our breeding animals from
the best of the breeds, each year endeavor
ing to more permanently establish and
adapt the breed to the services required
of it; but as it required long periods of
time lo bring each breed to ns chatacteris-
tic excellence an outcross only renders it
difficult to improve, and is often a back
ward step
Dancing to Death.
T. A. Cox, a young man employed as
book-keeper by a merchant of Bucka-
tunna. Alabama attended a party in the
neighborhood of that town recently and
danced with the young ladies until mid
night, He remarked once or twice to
his partners in the dance that he would
die that night after the dancing was
concluded. About one o’clock, when
the participants in the entertainment
were getting ready to go homp, young
Cox called their attention to the way he
had arranged the chairs around the room
and how he had placed one chalk in the
centre and covered it with a shawl. He
requested the ladies to be seated, One
of the ladies took the centre sejat, but
he asked her to seat herself elsewhere,
as that particular chair was reserved
for himself.
After all had taken places he seated
himself in the centre, and placing his
hand iu the bosom of his coat remarked
that he would certainly die before the
day aud desired the present witnesses
to stay with him until the end was
reached. He said he had been raised
well by his mother, who had sent him
to Sunday school and tried to make a
good Christian of him, but in spite of
her oare he had strayed from the paths
of duty and could never face his mother
again. He then drew a pistol from an
inside pocket and saying, “This never
fails,” placed tho muzzle against his ear
and fired.
The spectators were taken so entirely
by surprise that they could make no
movement to prevent the rash act, and
it was not until his hand dropped
into his lap and the pistol fell o the
floor that they fully realized the horri
ble deed which had been oonu fitted.
When the gentlemen rushed to ti e cen
tre of tho room they fonnd the young
man dead.
The meanest man: The meaner man
on record sent through a post office
presided over by a woman a postal card
on which was written: Dear: Here’s the
details of that scandal." And then the
rest wee In Greek.
DOMESTIC.
HUMOROUS.
Gathskino Grapes —Many good vari
etles of grapes are injured in their reputa
tion from being gathered and eaten before
•hey are fully ripe; Most persons consider
that a grape is fit to eat when it baa color
ed, which is a great mistake. The color
ing is a process toward ripening, but is
not by any meant an indication of full
maturity. boine grapes—Ire’s Seedliag
and Clinton for example—are pretty well
colored black lor weeks before they are fit
to eat. This is one reason fer diversity of
opinion upon the merits of grapes; and one
who eats tbe Ives crape immediately after
it turns black will certainly nat have a
very high opinion as regards its quality.
The same applies even with greater signi-
flcance to the Clinton grape. Although a
lats npening kind, it changes color as early
as some of the most forward sorts, and if
eaten when it first uurns black it is as acid
as the greenest grapes, although when per
mitted to remain on the vine until ripe it
is one of vary late grape*. It is also a
good keeping grape, owing to tha large
percentage ot eugar it contains. Tnere
are but few varieties of native grapes that
show so large an amount of sugar in their
juices as that to be found in a ripe Clin
ton, as analysis has frequently demon
strated, and yet the general opinion is
that it is so acid as to be worthless as g
table truit.
The maturity of the shoot upon which
the fruit is growing is a safe guide as in
dicating ripenes*. When the wood be
comes brown, and hardening toward ma
turity, the fruit is also approaching to
ripeness. A ripe bunch ot grapes cannot
be gathtred from a green shoot; no mat
ter how much the berries may be colored,
the unripe shoot upon which ther are
growing is nroof of immaturity.
Thb manner of milking in the Channel
islands, the home of the Jersey oew, or,
more properly, perhaps, the Alderney, is
peculiar, and has the merit of cleanliness,
at least. Milking and straining the milk
are done at one Operation. The milkmaid
with her tin pall, linen strainer, and sea-
shell proceeds to the pasture Besting her
self beside the cow, she thus completes her
arrangements: The strainer is securely
tied over the narrow-mouthed bucket, and
placing the large shallow shell on the
strainer she vigorously directs the streams
into the sheik Overflowing the narrow
brim, the milk passes through the strain
er into the receptacle beneath, the shell
being used simply to prevent weiring
hole in the linen strainer.
In Professor Sanborn’s experiments the
effects of warmth regulated the degree of
increase, The hay eaten was daily weich-
ed for each lot of cows fed; the w- ight of
the cows noted and the amount of butte r
from a given quantity of milk taken. The
food laved by the warmer stalls was eight
pounds stover and nine pounds hsy per
cow per dsy. and the increase of miik-
flow 2.8 per cent. With nay at $16 per
toa, stover at $8, and a cow giving ten
quarts of railk per day worth 2} cents per
quart, we have a total in lavor of the war
mer stalls of 11 cents per cow pit day.
Toe difference iu temperature of the celled
stalls and those of the open ban: was from
tea to twelve degrees. These experiments
demonstrate the importance of furnishing
good, warm quarters for cattle.
Thb ycung turkeys have uhout. accom
plished their growth now, ana may be put
up on fattening diet. For this purpose
nothing is bette r than old corn, boiled po-
tatoes and milk. Do not pen them up.
Let them have free run. Feed them mod
erately of cornmeal mashed potaucs ami
milk mixed together, in the morning. Dur
rag the day they will range over the farm,
devour ng bugs, worms, young grass
fallen apples and so on, giving them the
variety of tood and exercise needed for
food health, in the evening give what
whole (old) corn they will eat clean. This
course involves but little t ouble, and It Is
in eveiy way satisfactory.
Am old English lady contributes this
recipe for a Christmas cake: She eays:
“It is wine to try making it once before
that day, so as to be sure of success
then.” To five pounds of sifted flour
allow one tablespoonful of salt, one
pound and a half of butter, half a pint
of fresh baker’s yeast, or five teaspoon-
fuis of baking powder; if yon use the
yeast in preference to the baking pow
der, you must allow it time to rise be
fore putting in the fruit, etc.: wash and
mix in the dough three pounds of cur
rants, one pound and a half of sugar, a
whole nutmeg grated, one-quarter of a
pound of candied lemon peel chopped
very fine, one wineglassful of brandy,
and four eggs beaten till they are very
light; line the cake tics with buttered
paper; bake in a moderate oven for a
long time, from an hour and three-quar
ters to two hours; the brandy used in
this recipe is not intended as flavoring,
but to keep the cake from drying.
Reed Bird Pie.—Pluck and dress the
birds, leaving them whole; either stuff
them as already directed in the recipe
for Stewed, Roast and Bboiced Reed
Birds, with veal and ham, bread-crumbs
or oysters; line an earthen baking-dish
with a nice pastry. Put the birds into
the dish, in layers, with flour, butter,
wine or gravy, and seasonings, allowing
to each dozen birds a tablespoon!al each
of butter and flour, a glass of wine and
a cupful of gravy, and a rather high si a
soning of salt, pepper and powdered
spioe. Cover the birds with pastry,
wetting the edges of the crust to make
them adhere; eat some places in tne
crust to permit the escape of steam
while the pie is baking, brush it with
beaten egg, and bake it in a moderate
oven until it is nicely browned
An elegant mantel lambrequin is
made of dark green velvet, and is with
out decoration except across the edge
at the bottom; crescents of thin brass
are attached to cords, and a small tassel
is fastened to each; this hast fleet of a
rich fringe. A great addition to the ap
pearance of the mantel is to have a
piece of the velvet of the width aud
depth of the lambrequin fastened to Ihe
wall above the shelf. It may be tacked
with brass-headed nails, or fastened to
a regular curtain pole with brass rings.
This makes a good background to bring
into relief any handsome aitichs of
mantel turniture. Brasses and paint
ings of any kind are shown to good
a [vantage; china also.
Baked Reed Birds, Carolina Style.
—Pluck and dress the birds, leaving
them whole; in each one put a teaspoon-
iui of butter and a little salt and pep
per. Wash as many small, thick sweet
potatoes as there are birds; split them
lengthwise, and hollow them out in the
middle, so that a bird can be placed in
each one; tie them together with pieces
of tape after the birds are placed in
them, and then bake them until they
are solt, in a moderate oven; remove
the tapes when the potatoes are done,
but take care not to open them, and
sirve them hot at once.
L ainty and yet serviceable aprons are
made of the darned net, which has been
and is so popular a material for dress
trimmings and for pillow shams. A
pretty apron is made of the plain net,
with a deep ruffle, with the pattern
darned in. The bottom aud top oi the
ruffle should both be fiuished with scal
lops, and then the ruffle needs no head
ing, and is easily put on. Above the
ruffle and up the sides of the aprou the
pattern should also be worked. One or
two pockets may be put on; one gives a
little jauntier appearance to tho apron.
If only oue is put on, place it on the left
side.
Hot Cabbage Salad.—Carefully wash
a medium-sized head of tender white
labbfge and cut it in very thin slices.
Cut a quarter of a pound oi ham in half-
inch dice, fry it brown in a tablespoon
ful of butter, aud lay it on the cabbage;
into the fat in which the ham was fried
stir a wine-glassiul of vinegar mixed
with the yelks of two raw eggs, a salt-
spoonful of salt, and a quarter of a salt-
spoonful of popper; stir all those ingre
dients over the fire until they begin to
thicKeu, aud then poor them* ever the
cabbage, aud serve it at once.
Fried Reed Birds.—Pluck and dress
the birds, splitting them down the back;
season tnem rather highly with salt and
pepper, roll them in flour, luuiau meal
or sifted bread or cracker-crumbs, and
fry them brown in butter and lard
equally mixed and made smoking hot
before the birds are put inti it; or,
dress them aud split, season and fry
them without breading or flouring them,
rhey must be served very hot, as soon
as they are brown.
Broiled Reed Birds.—Pluck and
dress the birds, splitting them down the
back; season them with salt and cay
enne pepper, and broil them brown
over a very hot fire. Serve them on
toast, with a small piece ... buuer on
each bird. It the birds are broiled in
front of the fire, the toaat may be placed
under them to catch their gravy as it
falls from them,
»
A nice ginger cup-oake is made of two
cups of powdered sugar, stirred to a
cream with two cups of butter. The
butter may first bo warmed until it is
sott, but not melted; add three well-
beaten eggs, a cup of molasses, four
cups of flour, a tablespoonful of ginger,
and one of souu—thq soda dissolved in
a little hot water. Mix well, and bake
in buttered gem pans, in a moderate
oven.
A nice dish for the supper of a conva
lescent is made by tousling two thin
slices of bread; flatten aud soften the
crust by pounding it a little; butler the
toast while hot, put one slice on a warm
plate, aul spread over it a thin layer of
cooked chicken chopped or out in small
bills; season with pepper and salt, add
a solt-boiled egg, then lay the < tuer
slice of toast over it.
Here is an economical i\cipulorSal'y
Lunn: One tnUiespoonful ol sugar, oue
egg, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one
cup of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking
powder, flour enough to make a batter
as stiff us lor pancake. This is nice for
breakfast or lor tea, and may he baked
in cue tin or in gem pans.
Pretty bell-pulls, to be used in place
of cords, are made of strips of cunraa,
lined with heavy canvas, or of ribbon
hcavi>y lined. The c inuy be ornamen
ted by embroidernt c a vine on them, or
figures, as one muj fancy. The ends
should be finished with tassels or with
fringe.
Bweet cider can be kept fresh and
sparkling by heating it, not boiling hot,
“ d heating until almost boiling, and
then bottling it, aud sealing bght at
once. It is advisable to put one or two
raisins in each bottle.
“Aye,” answered the countryman, •»
hard enough at the bottom I warrai
A young fellow riding down a steep
hill, doubting if the foot of it was hog
gish, sailed out to a clown that was
ditching and asked if it was hard at the
bottom.
•tt
warrant
you.”
But in half a dozen steps the horse
sank up to the saddle-girths, winch
made the young gallant whip and spur
and utter catbs.
“You rascal,” said he to the ditcher,
“didst thow not tell me that it wss hard
at the bottom ?”
“Aye,” said the ditcher, “but you are
not half way to the bottom ye*. ”
Safe, anyhow: Schomourg, upon re
turning to his store, on Galveston ave
nue, from dinner, found Lis clerk very
much excited. The clerk said that a
stranger came in aud after asking aud
paying the price for a cravat, which was
oue dollar, picked up the eutire box,
containing a dozen, and went off with
them. “Did he pay you de'dollar?”
asked Mose. “Yes,” responded the
olerk. “Veil, then, ve makes, anyhow,
fifty per cent, profits on dc investment.”
Presence of mind: A few Bnudavs
ago a Western church was discovered to
be on fire, but the preacher, with great
presence ot mind, said nothing about it
He merely remarked: “This building is
heavily burdened with debt, and I wish
some one would lock the doors uuvh the
amount is raised.” Everybody volun
teered to do the locking, and as every
body forgot to come back there was no
panic, aud no one was hurt.
Fond parent, almost bursting iu'o
tears—‘ ■Angelina, my love, I have bad
news for you. Heaven knows my child,
1 would spare you the sorrow if I could,
but Edwin—” Daughter— “Speak
quickly ! My love, my promised hus
band—” Foud parent— ‘Is a gambler !”
Daughter—“On, pa, is he lucky?”
A story of the street car: ‘ Alas, we
must part,” as the coat-tails said when
the street-car passenger took his seat.
“But we’ll meet again,” as the coat
tails said when three fat women got
aboard. “United we stand,” as the
coat tails said “for the rest of the ride.’
Treatment of children: “Pa," asked
Fogg’s hopeful, the other evening,
“what kind of combs do they use to
curry chickens with?” “Coxcombs,”
replied Fogg, promptly. Fogg says he
believes in always answering a child
when you can.
Definition of a novel: Mr. Swing
says “that a novel is the world’s truth,
with a beautiful woman walking through
it.” Generally, we may add, with a
man after her.
Decidedly practical: William Hen
derson has been arrested out in Utah for
a desperate assault on anti-polvcramv
Bill ' •
About the Diimond.—'lhQ diair
is nothing but crystallized carbou;but
has it been formed? We cannot n
carbon take this crysta’hne form, and
it can have been brought about In na
is one of the moat perplexing of sciet
enigmas. Mr. A. B. Griffiths, ra a c
mumcatioa to the London Chemical A
suggests tbe following as a solution ol
“conundrum:” “We know that the
mond has been found in a fine-gra
sandstone in Brazil, and is nrinclp
found in an alluvial matrix of sands
and quartz pebbles. Knowing these 1
and that there are only three methodi
which crystals are tormed—namely
fufijn, by solution and by sublimate
and as the diamond has been found in
dimentary rock?, and in an alluvial mi
of sands’oue and pe’ bles; and knov
tha' sandstone and pebbles are prodi
by tbe action of water—hence their m
of aqueous rocks—and as aqueoui or (
meutary strata are often fossiliferous
may draw an inference that the carti
ceous matter of the fossils (plants and
mal remains) hss neen dissolved by hi
heated water, aided by great pressure
isting in the crust of the earth. It
well-known fact that highly heated ws
aided by pressure, can dissolve silica,a
the geysers of Iceland, ete., where
deposited around the mouth of the
f ironing the ‘sinter; ’ and also we l av<
experimental researches of De Senarra
and others, on the artificial productio
crystallized minerals, as quartz, mispi
corundum, heavyspar, etc.,by the proioi
action ot water at high temperatures
pressures; aud I think we can see no
eon why highly heated water or watei
shou.d not have the power of dissol
the carbonaceous matter of foseihfe
plants and animals, and then, on coo
depositing the carbon in the crystal
condition, forming the gem known as
diam rad. A* to whether tbe diamond
formed by sublimation, we can drav
inference trom farts or from nature
m ist put this method of forming cry
ou one side, as not being able to solve
problem; and further, the diamond ca
be formed by fusion, because we k
that crystallized carbon, m the fort
graphite, is formed by fusion. There]
it appears from these views on the sut
that the diamond has been formed in
turc by the solvent action ot highly he
water or water-gas, aided by enon
pressure on the carbonaceous matte
fossils contained in sedimentary racks
lowed by slow cooling.”
A co r.spondent asks how doubtful
moods may be tested without Inj
Uytirofluoric acid will not affect the
mond, while it quickly corrodes g
which is the material of most of the
tation gems. The only objection to Iti
is 'hit i‘, will attack certain stones of i
or, but real value, like tho topaz, w
are some nines passed off as diamonds,
course, being a dangerous agent to ex]
meat with, it must be employed
great ca itioo. The Ulowing direcl
from the Manufacturer and Bui
may be safely followed: “Take a lei
vessel, of saucer shape ard moderate i
in which place some powdeied flour*
which cover with enough oil of vitric
completely moisten the powder. 1
put in the stone to be tested, and gt
warm the mu lure over a gas lamp or
other convenient source ot heat. '
should bo done in a good draft, where
vapors will bo drawn up a chimney or
sipatta, as they are dangerous to bres
When the evolution of vapors appear
have ceased, which will occur in from
minutes to a quarter ot an hour, accor
to the quantity of material employed,
heat ehouM be withdrawn and the y<
allowed to coni. The stone may be
fished out from the pasty mass and ei
mod. If it shows no signs of being a ,ti
ed you may be assured that it is a gem
stone. A pa-te stone will be found tc
strongly corroded by tho hydrofluoric i
that has come in contact with it; and,
small ons, it will probably have I
entirely dissolved,”
m&ji;
-
Mi,