The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, December 06, 1882, Image 1
ABBEVILLE PRESS AND BANNER. 1
BY HUGH WILSON AND H. T. WARDLAW. ABBEVILLE, S. C.. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1882. NO. 27. VOLUME XXVII.. II
The Comet,
The cornet! He is on his way,
And singing as he flies;
The whizzing planets shrink before
The specter of the skies;
Ah! well may regal orbs turn blue,
And satellites turn pale,
Ten million cubic miles of head,
Ten billion leagues of tail.
On, on by whistling spheres of light
He flashes and lie flames;
He turns not to tho left nor right,
He asks them not their names;
One spurn from his demoniac heelAway,
away they fly,
Where darkness might be bottled up
And sold for "Tyrian dye."
And what would happen to the land,
And how would look the seft,
If in the bearded devil's path
Our earth should chance to be?
Pull hot and high tho sea would boil,
Full red the forests gleam;
Methonsht I saw and heard it all
In a dyspeptic dream!
I saw a tutor take his tube,
The comet's course to spy;
I heard a scream, the gathered rays
Had stewed the tutor's eye;
I saw a fort?the soldiers all
Were armed with gogglos green;
Pop cracked the guns! whiz flew the balls!
Bang went the magazine.
saw a poet dip a scroll
Each moment in a tub,
I read upon the warning back,
"The dream of Beelzebub;"
He conld not see his verses burn,
Although his brain was fried,
And every now and then he bent
To wet them as they dried.
I saw tho scalding pitch roll down
The crackling, sweating pines,
And streams of smoke, like waterspouts,
Burst through the rumbling mines;
I asked the firemen why they made
Such noise about the town;
They answered not?but all the while
The brakes went up and down.
I saw a roasting pullet sit
Upon a baking egg;
I saw a cripple scorch his hand
Extinguishing his leg;
I saw nine geese upon the wing
Toward the frozen pole,
Arcl every mother's gosling fell
Crisped to a crackling coal.
I saw the or that browsed the grass
Writhe in the blistering rays,
The herbage in his shrinking jaws
Was all a fiery blaze;
I saw huge fishes, boiled to rags,
Bob through the bubbling brine;
And thoughts of supper crossed my soul;
I had been rash at mine.
Strange sights! strange sounds! Oh, fearful
dream!
Its memory haunts me still;
The steaming sea, the crimson glare,
That wreathed each wooded hill.
Stranger! if through thy reeling brain
Such midnight visions sweep,
Spare, spare, oh spare thy evening meal,
And sweet shall be thy sleep.
?Oliver Wendell Holmes.
CHRISTINA.
BY MRS. REBECCA IIARDIXG DAVIS.
She w as the result of an fexperiment
?a desperate experiment. How desperate
it was some of the girls who
read the Companion no doubt know
from experience.
Mother and I lived alone in the dear
old homestead, just outside of a drowsy
village in Delaware. Old Sanders
worked the farm and lived in the tenant
house, as he had done for thirty
years, but he was getting old and
cranky, and threatened every month
to leave us. But our great misery?
" the messenger of Satan sent to buffet
us"?was the " girl" who was not in
the kitchen.
With all the neighborhood we depended
for servants on the free negroes,
who invariably decamped in a body to
the-fields or the great canning-houses
as soon as the peach crop came in.
We tried a wandering woman; she
drank. A genteel woman who had
seen better days; and she disappeared
with my one silk dress.
During'the whole spring and summer
mother and I worked, cleaned,
canned berries, milked and churned,
and "tried" a succession of poor
creatures who left us with our patience
worn to the l;ist thread.
One night mother announced: "I
am goingto try an experiment. Itshall
be with a foreigner who cannot speak
a word of English, who never heard of
' privileges,' of canning-houses, of the
fashions or the beer-shop. I will go j
u rmmueipinu tu-uiurjuw, uuaiu. mi
ei /grant ship and carry off an untamed
savage?a woman Friday."
I laughed at it as a joke, and was a
good deal startled that night when
mother at prayers asked that she
" might be successful in her undertaking,"
adding, after a little pause:
" May the woman I shall bring be
of help to us in making our daily life
more cheerful and peaceable, and may
we help her upward in her way
through life."
"Well, mother," I said, doubtfully,
as we started up to bed, " I never
knew you to ask the Lord before to
control the kitchen affairs."
"Some people," she said, gravely,
" think it an insult to the Almighty to
suppose that lie concerns himself
about our little worries. Perhaps lie
has His messengers for such small
work in the upper world, just as He
has in this. I don't know. But I do
know that He does attend to all the
things that I ask Him about."
Mother was as simple and direct as
a child, even in her religion.
Tiie nejt day she visited the city,
went aboard a Bremen vessel and
Drougnt nome?vjnristma. one was
about sixteen; fat and round as achurn;
with clean skin, blue eyes, a funny little
knob of hair atop of her head, a
white muslin waist, short gray woollen
petticoat and heavy shoes.
" She cannot speak a word of English,"
said mother, looking half scared.
" She is a Norwegian. The agent said
she had a terrible history. But her
honest face tempted me. I seemed to
hear a voice saying: 'Take this one.'"
"She is an escaped convict, no
doubt," I said. "That guiding voice
of yours, little mother, induced you to
bring in Blue Peter out of the almshouse,
who set fire to the barn. "Well,
I'll show her about the supper."
Christina followed me?dumb and
watchful?from kitchen to diningroom,
while I laid the table, prepared
the muflins, fried chicken and made
coffee.
She did not offer to touch anything
or to help me. But the next morning,
when I went down to make ready the
breakfast, there was the table laid, and
the chicken, muffins and coffee precisely
as she had seen them the night
before.
She was faithful and imitative as a
Chinaman, and she was already a good
cook and dairy maid. She learned a
few words of English, and with them
she showed her gratitude for any simple
kindness shown her. we fancied, too,
that she took pleasure in the beautiful
country about her
It never looked more beautiful than
it did that summer. The great orchards
were red with fruit, constant showers
kept the forests pure in tint, the wild
rose and sweet briar covered every field
and roadside.
But the poor Norwegian was
wretchedly unhappy. Her unsmiling
face and wide sad eyes seemed to carry
misery into the barnyard and dairy,
and leavened the very bread we ate.
When she was safely in her own room
I heard her stifled sobs until late in
the night.
" One is almost tempted to remember
your convict theory," said mother,
anxiously, one day.
"It doesn't matter. "We'll keep her
if she were Lucretia Borgia herself,"
fcate/ . wv., v . ... _ ; .
I said, luxuriously loaning back in the
rocking chair on th<? porch. "The
idea of being free from pots, pans and
brooms at last!"
AVe tasted our comfort at leisure;
brought out some fancy work and
books which we had never hoped to
find time to read.
Then came a letter from Julia "Webb.
It was a thunder clap in our clear sky.
Julia was a cousin only by the sheerest
courtesy ; a beauty ; a spoiled heiress ;
a belle withado/.cn lovers. She was
coming en route to Newport, to spend
a week with us.
"Very likely some of these troublesome
men will follow to lind how your
hermitage suits poor little butterfly
nie," she wrote. " Hut you will make
them welcome, darling auntie? There
is a Count Pasco who is my chief
nuisance just now. Such a charming, :
ridiculous creature! L shall be de- <
lighted to give him a peep into an :
American middle-class interior. And
it will be a good opportunity for you <
and Cousin Martha to have a glimpse 1
of a foreign nobleman. Your gloomy i
I lifn nniulc 'i litflo i<tuw?rinrr " 1
I tore the letter up, a little viciousI
ly, I confess, and mother laughed.
" Never mind, Mattie," she said.
"It is true; we are middle-class '
people."
"It isn't that. But you know,
| mother, even if potatoes turn out well, (
we shall not have a dollar over when
the year is out. I low are we going to '
meet this high tide of company and 1
fashion and foreign nobility? .Juliais
quite capable of staying a month if the ^
whim for 'hermitage' life seizes her." '
"We can do without our winter (
dresses," said mother, thoughtfully. 1
"But even with that the table must 1
be very plain."
I wondered secretly if the blessed J
woman had put this calamity in the 1
care of the angels. Afterward, 1 be- {
lieved that she had.
Julia came; so did the lowers; so (
did Count Pasco.
There was a regiment of them at the t
village inn, but they took our house by *
storm all day. <
There were charade-parties, picnics, *
excursions. Julia trailed her magnificent
silks or gauzy lawns up and 1
down the wet meadows; she called s
the old homestead "a charming old c
rookery;" pointed out the magnificent ^
sweep of hill and valley to the east, ]
with the great glittering plane of the
bay beyond, as a "nice little effect;" (
and told Count Pasco that mother and
v/ i I.f
i were "queer uus ui uuuicui unu-ubrae."
^
But she was so pretty, and brilliant,
and willful that nobody could be angry
with her. !
One day I found her in the kitchen *
with a blue silk wrapper perched on a
flour barrel, while Christina, standing f
before her, poured out a Hood of words,
sobbing and wringing her hands.
Tears, too, had wet Julia's rose-leaf ,
cheeks.
"What is the matter? Can you s
understand her?" I asked.
"Pretty well. You know I passed r
a summer in Norway and picked up a
good deal of the language. Poor ;
thing! She was brought here by
mistake."
"By mistake?" ,
"Yes. It seems they were fright- J*
fully poor?her mother and brother ^
and herself?and she went as nurse ,
with some tradesman's wife to Bremen. J5
When her time of service was out she :
was sent home, but by some mistake,
at night, was put aboard the steamer .
for Philadelphia instead of for Christiana."
f
" Why! We ought to send her back a
again!" I cried, feeling as if I had u
been concerned in a case of kidnaivPing.
jj
" No. Better bring her family out I
here. She says it is so beautiful; so
plenty to eat; it is like the Harden
of Eden. If her mother and Jan
could come, she would have nothing
more to ask."
"She might save her money and c
send for thenir a
" It costs a good deal. It would take si
her years to earn so much. Besides, "
Jan is under Donas to pay a aeot 01 a
his father's. I don't know how much, i
One or two thousand dollars. No; si
she'll have to carry her burden like tl
the rest of us. Where's the count?" a
and she skipped out of the kitchen li
humming a song, while Christiana b
turned hopelessly to her work. h
The few stammered words in her t
own tongue, however, had made the a
poor girl a slave to Julia. She followed ii
her around from that day, waited on 'I
her; told her her story a hundred ii
times. a
" I am horribly bored by this unend- t
ing talk of 'mutter, mutter,' and ' Jan, f;
Jan,' said Julia, stretching her tiny p
mouth in a yawn. n
"It is the only thing she knows," h
said mother, gently. v
" Do keep her away from me to-day, p
then," impatiently. p
" To-day was to be signalized by an v
oyster-bake on the shore of the bay. n
The count and four other worshipers a
wpre suimoseil to act as cooks and ser- <1
vitors, but Christina did all the work, t
She built the lire of driftwood ; cut t
the bread; made the coffee and baked ?
the oysters, running incessantly to
Julia with the biggest, her round face c
red as a peony. h
It was a gray, gusty day, too gusty j]
for us to use the little sailboat which ii
was drawn up on the beach. This dis- ii
appointment offered J ulia a chance for c
peLty willful pettishness. s
" Too provoking! I had set my t
heart on a sail!" she cried, pouting, r
" I will wager a rose against a pair of t
gloves that I have it yet, count!" her ;
eyes suddenly sparkling. ii
The bet was taken. Ilall an hour s
afterward we missed Julia, and the o
next moment saw her in the cockle- t
shell of a boat drifting out of the little "
cove, the sail half raised, Happing in <j
the wind. She stood on the bow, her t
red ribbons lluttering, kissing her hand \
saucily. s
" I have won ! I have won the bet!" ?
she cried. f
"Put about!" shouted the count, (j
" You are going out to sea!" ;i
"\\*e rushed down to the edge of the p
water, all shouting orders at once.
Julia, terrified by the sudden conscious- I
ness of her danger, sprang on the bow.
A heavy Haw came just then and the <.
boat was capsized instantly. t
"Mon Dieu ! I cannot swim," cried j
the count. The other men were .in i j
me same case, i wo 01 uieiu, now- j
ever, threw themselves into the water ?.
manfully, lmt were washed back. A
solid tody leaped into the surf with a ?
splash ! It was Christina divested of j
shoes, stockings and outer petticoat, \
striking out boldly for the place where \
the girl went down.
" Hurrah for old Xorje!" cried the f
count. "She swims like a frog!" j
She came back with Julia, a very (
wet and drabbled butterfly, in her ,
arms. '
There was no justice to my mind in ,
the end of the accident. Julia, when j
dry again, was rosy and pert and j.
charming as ever; but poor Christina 11
had been thrown against the hull of ,
the boat. She was quite badly in- ]
jured, and was laid up in bed for a ,
month. Mother and J had her work ;,
to do, while Julia took wing to New- j \
port.
" Things are strangely ordered in j
this world," 1 said, as I laid down a J
half-read letter from her one day in
October, full of her gayeties and sue- j
cesses, and glanced at Christina, beginning
to limp heavily about in the
kitchen,
"They always come out right," said
mother, quietly. " What is that on j
the other side?"
I turned the letter and read.
" Oh, by the way, 1 thought I owed
'Old Xorje' some reparation for her
injuries in my behalf. So I wrote to
our consul in Christiana to pay Jan's
debt for ino, and to send him and his
mother out by the next steamer. You
told me that old Sanders had finally
grumbled himself into his grave. "Why
not take Jan as farm hand and put
him and Ids mother into the tenant
house V 1 have ordered from New
York a few odds and ends to make it
comfortable for them. They will arrive
in Philadelphia on next Monday."
I could hardly finish; the tears
choked me. "I have been very unjust
to Julia," I said.
We agreed not to tell Christina, but
to surprise her. A\'<; had grown very
fond of the patient, affectionate creature
with her everlasting chatter of
" miitt.nr !in<l .T:in "
The 44 odds and ends" proved to be
a very complete, though plain, plenishing
for a house. Christina helped to
clean the house for "the new farmer,"
itnd to arrange the pretty furniture.
On Monday mother went up to Philadelphia
to meet the steamer. She was
to come down in the morning train
next day. I watched it pass on to the
little station.
A handkerchief waved out of the car
w indow the signal that all was well.
[ saw from the porch three figures
alight on the platform and take their
way across the field.
When they had time to reach the
ienant house, I said, carelessly :
" Come, Christina. There is something
yet to be done for the new farmer."
44 I hope," she said, in her pleasant
>roken English, 44 he will be gout neighbor.
It is nice house. It is as goot as
jur pastor lives in. at ho.me. This is
ine country for the poor, Mamzel Mar:ha."
I nodded. I was too excited to
>peak. "When we reached the steps
nother came out, her face all in a
jlow.
" They are inside. They are all we
on nf/itOxr
;uiliu ir>n, cu ucigciij.
1 One minute, Christina," ami she ran
,o the astonished girl, smoothing her
'air hair, retying the gay handkerchief
ibout her neck, while I hurried into
he room.
A heavily-built man in the Nor
vegian dress, with honest blue eyes,
itood waiting, and beside him a tall
rect old woman, with a peculiarly
jentle, kindly countenance. They
vere both greatly agitated and scarcev
noticed me, their eyes being on the
loor.
It opened. I heard mother say,with
t half sob: "Go in, child. God bless
rou," and Christina came in.
She stood one moment dumb and
till, her hands stretched out in ama/.enent.
Then came the cry: " 0, Muter!
Mutter! 0, Jan!"
It was the pent-up love and longing '
>f years forcing its way into speech. ;
We came out and left them alone 1
ogether. 1
Mother and I had prepared a little
east for them ; a good substantial
upper as foundation, and frosted
akes, llowers and grapes as embellish- ]
nents. I
After awhile we brought them out 1
o it, but they only ate to please us.
riiey were too deeply moved for such i
ittle pleasures.
After supper we went into the j
:itchen and the old mother/looking, at ]
he fire upon the hearth that had been ]
;indled for them in a strange land, t
aid a few words in a low voice, and ;
hey all sank reverently upon their j
nees while she prayed. 1
Mother and I knelt with them. "What ;
id it matter that the words were in a <
trange tongue. We understood her, 1
nd the Great Father of us all heard <
s as we kneeled side by side. {
" I think, dear little mother," I said, 1
s we went home that night, "God 1
o;ir?l vnur urnvor wlinn von went out <
[) find your savage that day." <
" lie always hears," she said, quietly.
- Youth's Companion.
A Child Without a Skull.
A remarkable -freak of nature was
xhibited in Cincinnati in the way of
child which has managed to live for
eventeen months without that bony
dome of thought" which is regarded
s essential to continued existence,
loreover, says the Enquirer, the child
eems to have no use for a brain, if
lie eyes may be believed, for, in the
bsence of a skull, the head is trans- ,
tcent and almost transparent, while ,
y the aid of a lamp properly
eld it may he perceived that
lie brain cavity is filled with
colorless fluid. Nothing exists
n this serum that can be perceived,
'lie head is larger than the body, the
icrease of size being almost entirely
hove the temples, and measures
wenty-seven inches around. The lower
iice is perfect, and the child would be
retty but for the monstrous development.
The rapid growth of the head
as drawn the skin until the eyelids
irill not close and the eyebrows are
ulled up an inch above the normal
osition. When an Enquirer reporter
isited the child it was asleep, and its
lother would not allow it to be
wakened for experiments. A rather
im coal oil lamp was placed behind
lie monstrous head and gleamed
hrough it as though the skin formed
he only obstacle to the light.
The child lias every appearance, exept
in the color of the skin, of good
ealtli. It is fully developed, is very
lump, and is said to be strong, while
t has a good appetite. In all its liabts
it is regular, and like any other (
liilU. mat it siiouia nave progressed ,
0 far as to have been weaned, main- ,
aining good he;dth, and should have
eached its teething period, is one of
lie wonders of physiology. Its senses
tre said to be perfect and acute, and !
t possesses enough intelligence to ;
mile faintly when tickled and to rec- i
gni/.e food when lie sees it. When ,
he child was born it was known as
1 the headless lnby," as it seemed cut !
iff above the ears on a line sloping
oward the nape of the neck, while a
vrinkled skin covered the top. It 1
uffered greatly and its life was preerved
with difticulty. At three or
our weeks of age the skin began to (ill
mt, when the child's sufferings ceased
ind it enjoyed good health. The
growth has been constant since.
'eople "Who Live on a Steep Hillside.
Lieutenant Ilealy, of the United
states revenue steamer Corwin, visited
he habitations of the natives of King's
island, in the Arctic ocean, a curious
xjople, who live upon a precipitous
lillftde as no other people live. He
iavs:
The house is erected upon poles,
rhe entrance to each is affected through
i hole in the front wall, about fourteen
nehes in diameter. Having clamlored
through this entrance one finds
ihnself in a room about eight feet
square, which is the common living
room of each house. From the sides
>f this room are found several apertures
t/A fill, main nno of
which lead to as many sleeping apartments.
The appearance presented by
these houses is, to say the least, unique,
md more strikingly so by reason of
their great contrast with those of the
usual Indian village, which is always
Iniilt on low sand spits. The principal
means of livelihood of these natives
lire fishing and walrus and seal h tinting.
To these people the walrus is the
more important animal, inasmuch as
from its hide and intestines they obtain
the covering for their houses and
boats, and the ivory they sell to traders
is the most valuable article in demand.
The necessities of their position have
stimulated such inventions and developed
such superior workmanship as
to cause their articles of manufacture
to be the most greatly prized of any
along the coast.
Minneapolis mills will) this year cut
293,100,000 feet of lumber, 108,750,000
shingles and 50,600,000 laths.
. ' - v-V* ' i '
T1IE FARM ANI) HOUSEHOLD.
Stable MnnnKcmcnt of Horses.
The following hints from the American
Cultivator will aid you in the
proper care of your horses: Never allow
any one to tease or tickle your horse in
the stable. The animal only feels the
torment and does not understand the
joke. Vicious habits are thus easily
brought on. 2. Let the horse's litter
be dry and clean underneath as well as
on top. Standing on hot fermenting
manure makes the hoofs soft and
brings on lameness. 3. Change the
litter partially in some parts and
entirely in others every morning and
brush out and clean the stall thoroughly.
4. To procure a good coat on your
horse naturally use plenty of rubbing
and brushing. Plenty of "elbow
grease" opens the pores, softens the
skin and promotes the animal's general
health. 5. Xever clean a horse in his
stable. The dust fouls the crib and
makes him loathe his food. 6. Use
the currycomb lightly. When used
roughly it is a source of great pain.
7. Let the heels be well brushed out
every night. Dirt, if allowed to cake
in, causes grease and sore heels. 8.
Whenever a horse is washed never
leave him till he is rubbed quite dry.
lie will probably get a chill if neglected.
9. When a horse conies oil a journey,
the first thing is to walk him about
till he is cool, if he is brought in
hot. This prevents his taking cold.
10. The next thing is to groom him
quite dry; lirst with a wisp of straw
and then with a brush. This removes
dust, dirt and sweat, and allows time
for the stomach to recover itself and
the appetite to return. 11. Also let
his legs be well rubbed by the hand.
Nothing so soon removes a strain. It
also detects thorns or splinters, soothes
the animal and enables him to feed
comfortably. 12. Let the horse have
some exercise every day. Otherwise
he will be liable to fever or bad feet.
151 T.of vmir liAron cfnnrl Iahcq if
AV? JUV/U ^UUl JIWIOV.- OUlim I lUUOV/ li |iUO
sible, without being tied to the manger.
Pain and weariness from a confined
position induce bad habits and cause
swollen feet and other disorders. 14.
Look often at the animal's feet and
legs. Disease or wounds in those parts,
if at all neglected, soon become dangerous.
15. Every night look and see
if there is any stone between the hoof
and the shoe. Standing on it all night
the- horse will lie lame next morning.
16. If the horse remains in the stable
his feet must be " stopped." Heat and
dryness cause cracked hoofs and lameness.
17. The feet should not be
" stopped " oftener than twice in the
week. It will make the hoofs soft and
bring on corns. 18. Never allow drugs
to be administered to your horse without
your knowledge. They are not
needed to keep the animal in health,
and may do the greatest and most sudden
mischief.
EiiMiliiffC.
The report on silos and ensilage published
by the department of agriculture
gives returns from records of practical
tests made in various parts ofthe
United States and Canada. The summary
says the, silos are generally built
with reference to convenience in feeding,
in, under or near the feedingrooms,
and may be above, below or
partly below the surface. The form of
1*iu? snu is geiicituiy <i luuuui^uiui jiuiiwntal
section. Tlie cylindrical form
is recommended. Depth is important,
jecause less surface is exposed to the
lir, but if too deep there Is danger of
expressing juice from the ensilage at
the bottom. When the contents are
;ut in a vertical section the narrow
>ilo has the advantage of exposing lit;le
surface to the air. The capacity of
;he silos varied from 304 to 17,200
nil lie feet. The largest would hold
ibout 480 tons. Practically the capacity
s less to the extent that the ensilage
settles under pressure. This should
lot exceed one-fourth. Stone, brick
md concrete are used for walls under
ground. In firm soils that do not become
saturated with water walls are
lot essential to preservation of ensiage.
Above ground two thickness es of
nch boards, with sheathing paper between,
if supported against side pressire,
will answer. Boards generally
jover the top, put on transversely, so
:hata part may be uncovered while the
tYUl^llb X CUlillUD Ull tllU
leavy may do for the weight. The
*ost of a silo runs from fifty cents to
?5 a ton.
Of the crops for ensilage, corn takes
;he lead, but oats, sorghum, clover,
Hungarian grass?almost any crop,
;an be used. Corn, sorghum and similar
crops should be planted in rows, i
;he quantity of seed corn varying from i
sight quarts to a bushel and a ludf for
in acre. The common practice is to
put crops in the silo when they have i
*eached their full growth and before
ippning begins. Corn yields per acre <
ibout twenty tons of fodder. The
largest variety of corn is preferred for
. nsilage. Sweet corn by many is valued
;he most, though it does not yield large
:*rops. Various cutters are employed,
Ine cutting?a half inch or less?being <
n favor because the ensilage packs
closer and is likely to keep better than
If coarse. "While filling the silo the
jnsilage should be kept level and well
trodden. Rapid filling is probably the <
best. The cost of filling the silo is
from ten to thirty-five cents for labor,
und $2 and over per ton includes the
entire cost of the crop. The ensilage
should remain under pressure till cool. ;
rhe loss by decay is nearly always
liirht. .Generally the ensilage has kept
for months in the silo. It is better to
expose a new surface daily than to cut
lown sections. Ensilage is fed to
milch cows with no unsatisfactory results.
Several feeders consider it equal
in value to one-third of its weight of
the best hay. There is a decided increase
in the quantity and improvement
in the quality of milk and butter
nfter changing from dry feed to ensilage,
which is like changing to fresh
pasture. Ensilage has been fed swine,
poultry and every kind of stock excepting
horses with success. The daily
rations for milch cows are fifty to sixty
pounds, with some dry food. It is not
found best to feed cows on ensilage
alone. The stock fed on this food has
gained both in health and weight. The
general use of ensilage depends, of
course, on -i.; apness. There is
hardly a doubt expressed in regard to
its profitableness.
Knriii nntl (<nril<>? Note*.
Pasture is necessary for the healthy
development of swine.
Keep sheep dry under foot. This is
even more necessary than roofing
them. *
Breeding from immature animals is
a great mistake. It is the foundation
of degeneracy.
Manure on all lands, particularly
irrjiss l;in<l. should 110 snrfjid :is evenlv
as if you were sowing grain.
Rock salt dissolved in water is a j
cheap and safe remedy for many of the
skin diseases that afllict animals.
Tlio average shrinkage of wheat
from threshing time for the next six
months is estimated to be six per cent.
Don't overfeed the hogs and let
them eat soar feed or feed left over,
but give them freely three times a day
all they will eat up clean and relish it.
An Ohio dairyman, who claims to
have weighed the shimmed milk fed
to swine and the gain in llesh thereof,
says 100 pounds of skimmed milk
will produce three pounds of pork.
One of the principal causes of the
superior quality of Dutch butter, of
which a large quantity is sold in the
London markets, is the extreme degree
of cleanliness observed during its
management.
The best forage crops to produce on
the side of the roads are white clover
and blue grass. They are ornamental
I i
as well as useful, and the peculiarity
of the location is very favorable to
their growth. The ground is well
drained by tlie ditch on one side, and
is kept fertilized by the dust that rises
from the traveled road. Neither of
these two plants grows to such height
that it interferes with foot travel when
it is desired to walk along the side of
the road.
The length of time that a cow goes
dry has quite as much to do with her
value as a milker as her butter product
per week. Going dry for a long period
is a matter of habit, and if a young
heifer is not milked until pretty nearly
her time for calving, her value as a
/.ah' ill 1\n lncennn/1 tlinrnoi'
V W? >? ill 171/ V1IV.1V.ULtor.
Aftot drying up once for three
or four months before calving it is
very difficult to get a cow to give a
paying amount of milk later than this
date at a subsequent time.
As soon as cows are put on dry feed
the milk falls off, but if they are well
fed what is lost in quantity is gained
in quality. A cow that is milking
should have at least two quarts of
mixed corn meal and bran daily, with
as much chaffed hay as she will eat.
A cow will usually eat two bushels of
the chaff in a day. Some roots in
addition would be useful. Dry cows
should have one quart daily ; it will
not hurt a cow to take on a little fat
at this season, nor make her milk any
less when she comes in.
Dr.. Sturtevant made an examination
of the depth to which the roots of the
potato run. A plant was selected
which grew on a high*ridge, the seed
having been planted six inches deep.
A trench was dug at the side to expose
the soil, and the roots were washed
with a stream of water turned against
it, laying the fibers bare. One root
was found reaching thirty-four inches
below the top of the ridge, or twentyeight
below the tubers. The deeper
roots appeared most fibrous. Very
few roots were ftmnd above the tubers.
For several years after a writer in
the Practical Farmer began raising
wneai no coum noi gei me yieui nigner
than twenty-three bushels per acre,
although the land was rich enough to
raise large crops of grass, corn and potatoes.
The wheat was top-dressed
with rotten manure, but still the yield
was no greater.. Then the two-horse
sulky cultivators came around. lie
bought one and used it freely in connection
with the harrow and roller,
and the next year without any manure
his wheat yield jumped up ten bushels
per acre.
The brown Leghorns I find to be the
best layers; and of all varieties there
are none at the present day receiving
more attention than the brown Leghorns.
I find them to be far superior
to?the white Leghorns. In color they
have a decided advantage over their
white brothers, who always look as if
they were afraid of soiling their white
coats, and look pale and sickly. The
brown Leghorns have a dark, rich colored
plumage, which makes them very
attractive and perfect beauties. I
would never exchange mine for the
w 1 li te. ?Jou rnal of A;/limit u re.
With insects and diseases on various
trees fruit raisers have good
reason for discouragement. One of
the hardest to cope with of these diseases
is the black knot on cherry and
plum trees, a fungus growth, somewhat
similar to smut on corn and other
grains. There is no better remedy or
preventive known at present than cutting
olf All the twigs five or six inches
below the warts or knots and burning
them. As the disease may be carried
from tree to tree for a considerable distance
through the air by means of
spores, which the knots throw off as
they ripen, it will be necessary to destroy
the knots, not only on the trees
we would save, but also upon all others
in the vicinity. A worthless wild tree
standing by the roadside may become
the nursery of the-disease, from which
it will spread to all the valuable tr es
on the farm.
IIeelpcn.
BkefLoaf.?Chop fine three pounds
of steak, add one cup rolled crackers,
two eggs, one cup of milk, one teaspoon
each of pepper and salt, small piece of
butter; bake nearly four hours.
Dressing for Poultry.?Place in
a pun a small loaf of baker's bread,
one half cup of butter, the yolks of.
four eggs, pepper, salt, a little summer
savory and two onions sliced and fried
brown ; pour overboiling water enough
to wet it thoroughly, then mix.
Jumbles.?One pound of butter and
one pound of white sugar?powdered
or granulated?rubbed together to a
cream ; add six well-beaten eggs, the
juice and grated rind of two lemons;
to this add Hour enough so that you
can mold them into shape with your
hands, but not roll them. Dip each
one in cracked loaf sugar, drop a
blanched almond on each, and press in
the center of the jumble. Great care
must be taken to prevent burning
while they are baking. The quantity
here given makes a large number of
cakes!
Fiiied Cabbage.?Cut the cabbage
very line on a slaw cutter, if possible;
salt and pepper, stir well and let stand
five minutes. Have an iron kettle
smoking hot, drop one tablespoonful
of lard into it, then the cabbage, stirring
briskly until quite tender ; send
to table immediately. An agreeable
'ib*?r> /#a io 4-a r\itf /?r> A_l?nlf o mm nf
LJlflll^U ID Ii\J JMIU \/ llly'lllUJ CC V/L4j/ MM.
sweet cream ;ind three tablespoons of
vinegar?the vinegar added after the
cream has been well stirred?into the
cabbage and after taken from the
stove. When properly done an invalid
can eat it without injury, and there is
no offensive odor from cooking.
IIoitKchoId IlintM,
To keep tinware nice and bright
scour it every two or three weeks with
linely-sifted coal ashes.
To clean willow furniture use salt
and water, and apply with a coarse
brush and dry thoroughly.
Machine grease may be removed
from wash goods by dipping the fabric
in cold rain water and soda.
To make pastry llaky mix it two or
three days before using and place in a
very cold place. It can be kept a week
or ten days with good result.
To make good starch, mix with cold
water and add boiling water until it
thickens; then add a dessertspoon of
sugar and a small piece of butter.
This makes a stiff and glossy linish,
equal to new.
A side dish, which will bo new to
many cooks, is made by slicing very
thin some onions and green tomatoes,
in about equal proportions, and frying
them together just as you fry onions
alone. .Salt them well, and if there is
any danger of their being greasy drain
before serving.
Forpot He Was Jlnri led.
A young man who until recently
bad lived at the house, of his father, in
Augusta, Me., married a few weeks
ago and leased apartments in another
part of the city. The other evening,
after completing his day's work, lie
left the ofliee, went up the street,
bought his Boston paper, and then
climbed the hill to his father's house.'
Entering its familiar precincts, he
marched to the wash-room, made his
toilet, anil then presented himself at
the table. The family, who had been
watching his operations, eyed him
with amazement, and at last his mother
softly inquired : ".My son, have you
procured a divorce thus early in your
j wedded career?" A pale Hush suf\
fused the young man's face, which
rapidly deepened into cardinal. Then
he gasped : "I forgot all about being
married." Leaving the table amid a
roar of laughter, the young man hvirried
out and walked hastily home,
where his young wife was impatiently
awaiting hia coming,
FACTS AND COMMENTS.
Tiie English Wreck Register shows
tliat for the year 1880-81 the number
of wrecks, casualties and collisions on
the coasts of the United Kingdom was
3,575, or 1,056 in excess of those of
1879-80, the number of lives lost
during the past year being 984. As
probably between 3,000,000 and 4,000,000
of persons were passengers by
water, the proportion of accidents was
very small.
A correspondent of the American
Cultivator gives the following as a
rule for the location of storms : The
wind almost always blows in a circle
around a storm, and when it- blows
from the north the heaviest rain is
east of you; if it blows from the
south, the heaviest rain is west; if it
blows from the east, the heaviest rain
is south ; if it blows from the west,
the heaviest rain is north of you.
Xursestrained in New Yorkhospitals
are in great demand to attend the sick.
According to an ambulance surgeon,
sufferers from accidents or violence
ask tor be taken to hospitals that have
lady nurses; and, as a matter of course,
wealthy families secure trained nurses
for their invalids. Nursing the sick
is an occupation which is not likely to
be overdone, though there are now
schools for training nurses in most of
our large cities. This, however, is
not a new thing. In the middle ages
women were not only the nurses but
the physicians, and Roman Catholic
hospitals are still under the charge of
nuns.
X" 1
According to information furnished
by recent numbers of the Ferhan, the
journal of Ispahan, civilization is making
considerable progress in Persia. A
large college, which was completed last
year with government aid, has now
commenced in earnest among the upper
classes of Persian youth, who will
have the advantage of tuition at the
hands of nrofessors who. if not Euro
peans, have at least graduated at the
principal seats of learning in Europe.
Further signs of improvement arc to
be found in the increased employment
of Europeans in connection with railways,
telegraphs, etc., and in the recent
decree for the assimilation of
weights and measures throughout
Persia.
There are ten large bath-houses at
Hot Springs, Ark., and the price of a
bath varies from fifteen to thirty cents,
the latter being the limit fixed by the
State government, which owns the
springs. An attendant is paid not
more than $1 a week. The natural
temperature of the water is about 140
degrees, and for bathing it is usually
reduced to 100 or a little less. The
baths are taken, as a rule, in tubs,
placed in a large hot apartment, and
separated by low partitions. There is
not much luxury in the appliances or
surroundings. Vapor baths may be
had, but not much in the style of
New York establishments. Opinions
differ widely among the invalid visitors
as to the curative qualities of the
water, but all agree that at least a
temporary relief is afforded. One of
the springs is set apart, at certain
hour.-* of the dayj for indigent persons,
who are allowed to plunge into a pool.
This daily gathering of crippled and
dying wretches, who have begged their
way to this place, is described as a
most pitiful spectacle.
The extent of wine making in California
astonishes visitors from the
East. At the vineyards of San Gabriel,
the largest in (lie State, 500,000 gallons
of wine and 100,000 of brandy will be
made from this year's crop of grapes.
The unskilled labor employed is usu;dly
Chinese, but the experts are mostly
from the wine districts of France and
Germany, though Americans learn the
process readily. The grapes are
stemmed and squeezed by machinery.
The juice runs into vats, where it ferments
sufficiently and is pumped into
great butts in the cellars. There it
stands until it is clarified by whites of
eggs, isinglass or gelatine, alter which
it is filtered throngh charcoal and
-1 ~-TP rf-.oolra f/\i? ?nmonf A a
uniwil U1L Hi 1/1/ CclOIVO lUi Qiii|nav.uv. axu
to tlie profits of grape culture, it is calculated
that the vines will bear in the
third year after the cuttings are set
out, give a profit in the fourth, and in
the fifth yield enough to pay all expenses,
including the cost of the land.
There are seven wine-producing districts
in California, and the total vintage
this year is 12,000,000 gallons.
Some of this will be distilled for
brandy, and some drunk at home, but
the bulk will be sent Eastward, to be
sold under foreign labels.
An English project which has for
its aim nothing less than a revolution
in the inland transportation of merchandise
will probably be brought before
parliament for its sanction during
the coming winter. It is not the
scheme of penniless adventurers, but
the well-considered enterprise of some
of the leading shipowners and merchants
of Liverpool, who have already
raised a large guarantee fund. The
project is designated "The Lancashire
Plate Railway," and, broadly stated,
the proposal is to lay out a series of
roadways, radiating from Liverpool to
the centers of manufacturing industry
in South Lancashire, to carry along
these roadways a double set of iron
1_A .1 In r-m m h
picllt'S CUIie?[>UUUIllg iu uicuuuu
with the wheels of ordinary
wagons, to set the loaded
wagons on this smooth plate way, and
draw them by steam traction engines
to their appointed destination. P;issenger
traflic is excluded from the
scope of the scheme; it is confined entirely
to goods, and the anticipation
is that it will be possible to carry
these at a much lower rate than is now
charged by the railway companies.
The movement has its origin and motive
in the burdensome charges now
levied, which have been the subject of
persistent protest by all the commercial
bodies of Liverpool. The chief
saving will be in the handling of goods.
The wagons, which will be similar to
those in general use on ordinary roads
except that the axles will be of the
same length, will be loaded directly
from the steamer or the factory,
drawn by horses to the nearest station
of the "plateway," and there attached
to a long line of similar vehicles with
an engine at its head. Arrived at
their destination, horses will draw
them to the factory or steamer. The
metal plates will lie laid in two parallel
rows, with long flanges on the
outer edge to keep the wagons on the
track. It is thought that $35,000 a
mile will construct and equip the plateway,
and that the cost of maintaining
and operating it will be comparatively
small.
Ah Tnniorfiirlmlilo Kinsr.
Of the eccentric king of Havaria
there is a new story, says a Munich
letter. To gain his sympathy and
break into his reserve has been the
aim of many women who have been
summoned to his presence, but so far
all in vain. A well-known actress
was ordered to sing for him in the
winter garden on the roof of the pal|
ace, while he sailed about on the little
i shallow artificial lake in a swani
shaped boat, a la Lohengrin. Instead
j of remaining hidden in a grotto, where
| she might be heard and not seen, she
j caused herself to fall into the water,
I where, she cried to be saved. King
j Louis calmly rang a bell and said to a
servant: "Take that woman out ol
the. water," and that very day sent
her out of the kingdom.? linslmi Trail.?crij)t.
The mind and memory are ] morf
sharply exercised in comprehending
another man's things than our own,
Origin of Thansfegiving Day.
The idea of Thanksgiving day, says
a writer in the Chicago Tribune, is as
old as the human race. It is a part of
natural religion. la connection with
the fruits of the earth the thanksgiving
festival has heen celebrated from
the remotest antiquity. We find it in
the seventh Idyll of Theocritus, where
Simicliidas says: "Now, this is our
way to the Thalysia; for our friends,
in sooth, are making a feast to Demeter
(Ceres) of the beautiful robe, offering
the first fruits of their abundance.
Since, for them, in bounteous
meiisure, the goddess has piled the
trashing fioor with barley." Plutarch
tells of the emperor who, after his re
turn to itome trom a disastrous
campaign, concealed the facts
and proclaimed a "Thanksgiving,"
which was duly observed;
explaining, when the facts came to be
known, that he did not wish to deprive
the people of a day of enjoyment.
Under the Hebrew dispensation
thanksgiving was observed as the
Feast of the Tabernacles, or of the
Ingathering; earlier in the season
there being the festival of first fruits,
in connection with which the people
were reminded of the giving of the
law. The idea of law was also connected
with the feast of Demeter or
Ceres; and the analog)7 between the
classic and the Hebrew festival is significant
and worthy of investigation.
But the ancient thanksgiving did not,
as some have fancied, skip down over
the ages to find an exclusive home
in America. In one way or
another it was always observed
on the continent, as in parts of England,
it. occurred at Martinmas. Indeed,
it was a popular institution in
England before it fairly had a foothold
in Massachusetts. Butler, who wrote
in 1G51, gives a better idea of the true
state of things in a few lines than
could be given by any formal history:
For Hudbras who thought he 'ad won
The field a3 certain as a gun,
And having routed the whole troop,
With a victory was cock-a-hoop;
Thinking he 'ad dono enough to purchase
Thanksgiving day among the churches.
When we go back to the century be
fore Butler it is found to be filled up
with fasts and thanksgivings, especially
during the time of Elizabeth, as the
publications of the Parker society prove.
Under Elizabeth it was expressly
ordered that on Thanksgiving days no
servile labor should be performed, and
severe penalties were attached to the
violation of the order. The New
England worthies adopted the principle.
In 1569 Thanksgiving entered
into Rogation day, and it was ordered
that thanks should then be offered
"for the increase and abundance of
His fruits upon the face of the earth."
In the seventeenth century the custum
was continued; and in the year 1749,
when Massachusetts was dumb, Henry
speaks, in his published sermon, of the
'Te Deums, proclamations, forms of
prayers and thankgivings, sermons,"
etc., that abounded. Such, then, was
AI i? J- ? - e ii-.' ? . - Tn 1 -1 X 3 ~
uie suue 01 uung?m jMigiitiiu. xiiueeu,
just before the Plymouth colonists came
over, the special thanksgivings had
been incorporated into the prayerbook;
while Copeland's "Virginia's God
be thanked," preached before the Virginia
company in Bow church, illustrated
the tendency of the times, he
being followed by Dr. Donne. The
early settlers brought with them a traditional
respect for days of thanksgiving.
Nevertheless false notions on this
subject abound, and Thansgiving day
is popularly supposed to have been established
first at Plymouth, and continued
without interruption from the
landing until now; while a supplemental
theory declares that the socalled
originators of the festival intended
thereby to suppress Christmas.
In the first place, it must be stated
that the earliest service of this kind
was held by the Church of England
men, the Popham colonists, who, August
9,1G07 (0. S.), landed upon Monhegan,
near the Kennebec, and, under
the shadow of a high cross, listened to
a sermon by Chaplain Seymour, also
"gyving God thanks for our happy
meetinge and saffe aryvall into the
contry." Next we pass to Plymouth,
where, in 1621, the autumn after the
arrival, a notable thanksgiving was
held. The brief accounts present a
joyous picture. As we learn from
Winslow. the harvest being cathered,
the governor " sent four men on fowling,
that so we might, after a special
manner, rejoice together," and the traditional
turkey was added to the abundant
venison. The people gave themselves
up to recreation, and the great
chief Massasoit was feasted for three
days with his ninety swarthy retainers.
Cheap Living In Saxony.
A correspondent of the Chicjjgo
News writes that while everything was
exceedingly cheap in Saxony, none of
the Americans with whom he had been
talking had been able to live on less
money per diem than it cost them to
live at home, but they had all lived
more luxuriously.
" I am taking music lessons here,"
said a young fellow from Cincinnati,
who does not talk much. "I take two
lessons a week. I pay for the lessons
about twelve and a half cents each, or
$1 per month. I pay all the teacher
asked."
"Iam paying fifty cents per lesson
to a teacher of German," said another.
" I paid $15 for this suit of clothes,"
said another, "and I couldn't buy it in
+li/? TTnitnil fr?r A40 TIipv wpro
made to order for nie."
"I pay twelve marks, or $3, per
month for my room, with coffee every
morning," said another.
" I rode in a beautiful carriage from
11 o'clock until G o'clock yesterday. I
had a splendid driver. 1 had beer, and
so did he. The day's amusement cost
me &J. It would cost more than that
for the privilege of taking off your hat
to an American hackman."
Other adventures and experiences of
a similar character were gone over. I
have just given enough to show why
it is that people of small means in
England llock to Saxony. They can
live well here for what it would cost
them to live poorly at home. Americans
have not taken advantage of the
inducements offered by Dresden or1
Leipsic as yet, because Americans do j
not live like the English on annuities. j
Hut to persons in America who have I
an income from rents or invested cap- i
ital of say $1,000 a year, the induce- j
mcnts offered by tiiis delightful coun-;
try are beyond computation.
A Practical Joke.
Miss Van Zandt, the American1
prima donna, who has won such envi- j
able honors in Paris, was lately the |
heroine of a little comedy at the* f
Musee (Jrevin. She went to that fa-1
nioits gallery of wax ligures with her
mother and some friends, and, seeing
witli red cur
;i \ ui'iiut iu? ? - ..
tains, in a room whore there were no
other visitors than her own party,
slipped into it, gave her friends an admonitory
glance, and sat still. The
curtains were drawn so that only her
bust and head were visible, l'retty
soon visitors thronged in. "See," said
one, "there is a new li^nre, Mile. Van
Zandt. What a g i likeness!" A
group gathered round, expressing,!
some admiration, others disapproval,
tin? fair singer meanwhile keeping'
perfectly still. At Inst a languid, j
supercilious and altogether superior;
lady came along, viewed the dainty
features, fair locks and sparkling eyes ,
and then said: "So this is Mile. Van
Zandt, is it? Quite pretty, but no likeness.
I never would have recognized
, if if 1 hadn't been told?" and then
tlie supposed wax figure hurst into a
' merry peal of laiighler, sprang from
the niche and tripped away amid the
; .astonishment and chagrin of the critic'
iind the applause of the crowd.
7 1
FOR THE LADIES.
New* and Notes for Women.
Queen Victoria's visit to the/south
of France this winter will be spent at
Cannes.
xne maaeira roau at x>ngnum, iu
I England, has become a great place for
ladies on tricycles.
There have been 184 women students
at Michigan university during 1882.
Of this number 110 were in the literary
department.
Paris is setting women a sensible
fashion in dispensing with high-heeled
shoes. Flat soles are to be the order
hereafter, and women will, be able to
walk without a rotary motion.
It is said that a lady school-teacher
in Auburn, Me., during the summer vacation
raked 100 tons of hay, harnessed
the horse for the meadow and
felt all the better for the field exercise.
Miss Mary S. Pegram, for many
years preceptress and teacher of mathematics
in Illinois female college,
Jacksonville, has accepted a similar
position under Dr. Lie Motte, Xenia
college, Xenia, Ohio.
Mrs. Mary Austin, who recently died
in "Washington, was the mother of
forty-four children, only eleven of
whom are now alive. In addition to
these duties, she was a doctor and sur
geon ana served uirougn tne war wiwi
the rank of major.
The competition of young girls for
appointment in the English postal service
is increasing. At an examination
to test the qualifications of applicants !
there were 800 candidates for thirty
places. The salary is very small, beginning
at only $2.50 a week.
Mrs. Mary Jacklin, Detroit's female I
broker and speculator, has raised a
family of four children with success,
giving them a liberal education, and '
has accumulated a fortune of $50,000
in the produce business. She is now !
sixty-four years old and " smart as a
cricket" yet, being well and favorably
known in the business circles of De- !
troit.
Taking the United States through
there is not a large city, says the Philadelphia
Press, where marriage engagements
are so formally announced and
looked upon as such solemn obligations
as in Philadelphia. Long engagements
also prevail here to a considerable ex
tent, and they are looked upon as good
things, because they familiarize young
people with each other and give them
a chance to test their congenialty and
escape in time if they find they do not
agree. !
Fashion Notes.
Fancy feathers of every description j
are the rage for millinery use.
Arabesques of satouche are the
leading jacket and wrap garnitures.
Telegraph, hussar, electric and loyal
are four very popular shades for blue. ;
Royal cardinal jackets are very fash- 1
ionably worn over black skirts of silk, >
satin or cashmere.
Amazone cloths embroidered' or !
adorned with arabesques of satouche '
compose the favorite trimmings of (
autumn promenade costumes. ,
Shaggy goods of all kinds in brown,
fawn color, dark green, dark blue, or
in plaids of heather mixtures are the
most fashionable of all utility fabrics. ,
The coming of the "Jersey Lily"
has largely increased the sale in Amer- '
ica of the jersey bodice, whose popu- i
larity she long ago inaugurated in i
London.
Derbies and other masculine-looking
hats appear on the heads of many
nrpt.tv and well-dressed vouner women
I" "" ~ ? u
along the fashionable promenades of
New York.
Standing collars of velvet, fastening
behind, have falls or frills of Oriental
lace below them, while the collars rest
upon the neck without any relief of
white or cream lace above them.
The newest linen collars are narrow
bands fastening with a simulated slide
or buckle of linen, through which a
linen tongue is passed, and fastened
afterward with a small gilt screw button.
Jersey waists shaped to the figure
are finished at the bottom with high
scarf draperies, and sometimes with a
box plaiting set on high, with the bottom
of the jersey cut into points back
and front.
A dark, dull green velvet train and
bodice of the same are considered the
correct wear with pale green silk or
satin front breadths, paniers and plastrons
forming the other parts of an
evening toilet.
Dorsay redingotes are imported,
made of black Lyons velvet . and
trimmed with a magnificent applique
work of black embfbidery and jet.
They are fastened down the front
from the throat to the bottom of the
skirt with cosny corueueres auu
handsome cut jet buttons in medallion
designs.
The huge bridal bouquet of white .
roses is now frequently replaced by a
large fan made of gardenais, white
star flowers and stephanotis. This fan
depends from the right side by a gold
or silver chatelaine, but is raised and
carried in the hand in place of the
bouquet as the bride enters church or
parlor.
Some of the most expensive wraps
are simply long cloaks of embossed
plush or velvet or plain fabrics, with
borders of priceless fur or needlework
passementerie, with each raised leaf
and flower worth the price of a yard
of ordinary trimming, while'other garments
are so complicated in construction
and so elaborately garnished as to
be almost as indescribable as some of
the intricate costumes with plaitings,
puffs, plastrons, Vandykes and other
decorative features.
Western Siberians.
The Yuraki and Samoyecles wander
about clad in winter in reindeer skins
from head to foot, leaving exposed only
a small portion of the face. They are
excellent archers, and in hunting they .
still use the bow, lire arms and powder
being not yet easily within their reach.
The women use a good deal of ornament
on their dresses, in the shape of i.
pieces of bright colored cloth, while on i
their tresses, thrown behind, dangle a '
number of trinkets, as odd sometimes J
as the lock of a gun. Their shamans I,
or priests cover their dresses with |'
pieces of metal, which make a noise in j _
their religious dances. They use also '
a magician's drum, which is found i
among the Laplanders. The Yuraki |
are among the least Christianized of i
the Siberian tribes. In many cases |
they transform the trunks of trees '
into idols. Among those furthest north, {
dogs are used for draught, and oeca-l'
sionallv are allowed to mine within 1
?i... ii'itiif;itinn l?ut tliev are i'
nut affectionate animals, having to lie ,
rule. 1 !?y fear rather than by love. The
Wussian exiles living on tin* Obi are
not in confinement, but arc placed in 1
the villages to gel their own living, or !
partly so. This they do by commerce, j
lisliing and hunting. They go about
in winter on snow-shoes. Occasionally \
the belter educated among the exiles
find employment in teaching and in ;
photography. Mr. Lansdcll. in his recently
issued "Through Siberia," says:
"That the commercial value of the!
basin of the Obi, and a large part oft
Western Siberia, is not yet realized by
Kuropean capitalists is the opinion of
most of those who have been there." I
He speaks of the Altai mountains as
rich in silver, copper and iron, and of j
a belt of black earth, GOO miles wide,;
like a vast tract of garden land, well
suited for the production of wheat,
oats, linseed, barley and other cereals, i
and from which the inhabitants can j
easily obtain a great deal more corn '
' than is needed for their consumption.!
i ?London Graphic. j
Giving and Gaining.
Though the river to the sea . .
la forever flowing?
Though the blossom greets the bee,
All its sweets bestowing:
Still the river floweth fleet?
Still the rose's heart is sweet.
'Tis the grand eternal law,
Giving is but gaining; .
Nature knows no single flaw * 3
In her wise ordaining:
He who gives 'mid plenty stands?
Who withholds hath empty hands. \
?Carlotia Perry
HUMOR OF THE DAY.
Late in life George Washington rode
in his own carriage, but in his earlier ,' v?
years he took a hack at the cherry .. J|
We sneer at the Siamese for wor- M
shiping the elephant; but think of * V3
the money that is paid here annually
just to see it I?Saturday Night.
When a man gets into a fit of tern- ' ?!
per, do not allow his example to become
contagious, for there is a law
against counter fits .?Boston Transcript.
V ^ jjjjl
It is said that trained dresses for
evening wear are coming back into -;o
favor. It is very evident that if they
were not trained it would be very hard ^
for the wearers to manage them.? v;
Lowell Citizen. -L
The difference: A young gilded (or*
as they now say, nickel-plated} youth
ot New York ordered a pair or pantar ~ Js
loons of his tailor and returned them . -vj|
as too tight. "You told me to make
them skin-tight," said the man. " Yes,"
Baid the youth, " but I can sit down in
my skin and I can't in these."?Puck.
A chicken at Alliance, Ohio, went . J
to roost upon an axle of a freight car.
During the night the car was attached ,-M
to a train, and when the feathered
bird descended from his unsteady
perch he failed to recognize the scenes :/Jj
of his childhood. He was in Lima,
Indiana, and the man in whose garden
the fowl went to scratching got into a "jS
fight with the whole neighborhood by
accusing everybody of owning the
bird.?Boston Journal.
This country may not be ready to go
to war with a foreign power on a
day's notice, due anetjouia soon una ? ^
substitute for cannon balls* provided ^
there were a shortage in this particnIar.
It is estimated that there are a $
million baseballs in this country, and
if they were fired from a cannon at the
enemy the destruction would be terrible.
The American peace society might
object to such an exhibition of cruelty, / m
however, and want scrap iron used in
their stead.?Norristovm Herald.
How the Lion Kills His Prey.
I once had a rare chance of seeing J
a lion catch and kill his prey in the ^
open daylight. While on a short hunt li
to the north of Waterberg, In the
Transvaal, in the winter of 1874, with ia
Dutch boer, we saddled up one after- .
noon to shoot a couple of quaggas
(Burchell's zebra) for our followers, fM
quagga meat being preferred above all
others by the natives of that country.
We had ridden a considerable round ^
without falling in with any, but about ' <
an hour beforesundown we came across
a troop of about fifty. Galloping up
within shot, we fired, when one mare *?3
dropped. Reloading and mounting, we s
3tarted after the troop, which had now
disappeared over a ridge. On gaining '
the rise we saw the quaggas tailing oat v
in the hollow and commencing to as- 'f'u
cend a second slope, one or two stal- ifM
lions bringing up the rear, as is ? "
usually the case. Cantering on, my
companion suddenly pulled up and t'l
pointed out to me a lion trotting swift- ;
ly up across the quaggas' line of retreat
behind a few scattered bouldera U
and low bushes dotting the slope, evidently
with the intedtion of securing
the supper. "We moved slowly forward,
when the hindmost stallion, thinking
we were getting too close, started after
his companions at a smart caDter. It _
was now exciting. The quagga was
rlnap. t.n the line of the lion's aoDroach; *
a couple of seconds more and the dark
mass of the lion's form shot out from J
behind a stone on his prey. In a mo
ment the quagga was on the ground. ^5
The lion left him instantly, moved a
few yards distant and lay down with
his head away from the quagga, twitching
his tail nervously from side to . *
side, as much as to say: "I have done T*.
that properly." The whole thing was - J
done so quickly and suddenly that it is
difficult to describe. The lion had not
yet seen us, but riding nearer he turned
and faced, looking rather put out at
our appearing on the scene. At first he u
seemed inclined to bolt, but at last lay
down, facing us, evidently unwilling
to give up his game. Being anxious
to examine the quagga, and knowing ? .
my Boer friend to be reliable, we rode ..
up to about fifty yards and dismounted.
I held the horses, keeping my double ? *;
rifle in reserve in case of accident.
The lion, not liking the look of things, '
got up and walked a few steps toward ' '.-i
us, growling savagely. I told the Boer
to shoot straight, which he did, hitting ,f
the lion*with his old six to the pound
on the point of the shoulder; the bullet
passed out behind the other shoulder,
dropped the lion on the spot. On examining
the quagga it would gippear
from the claw mark that the lion's left
forearm was thrown over the wither
and the claws fixed in the shoulder, \
the right forearm's claws in the chest,
tlip left hind claw had been driven *'
into the flank a little below the
level of the hip-bone, the right hind *
foot evidently on the ground, thus
holding the animal as in a vise, while
the teeth had met in the neck about
three inches or four inches behind the * 1
ears, smashing the bone as effectually
as a two-ounce bullet. My two front
fingers met in the bite-hole. Death
was instantaneous. The lion was a
full-grown male with perfect teeth.
On a previous occasion a riding mare
belonging to a friend of mine was
killed near Wonderfontein, Transvaal,
one night close to the wagon,
while on a blesbok hunt. The mare
was hobbled when caught. The claw
marks and the bite that killed were
identical with those on the quagga. '
From all testimony that I could
gather from old hunters during seventeen
years' residence in the Transvaal,
md my own limited observation, I
would say that the lion uses his claws
is a holding power and kills by bit'). ?
London Field. ^
Tim I!ortsftii WIlV.
A writer in the Michiyan Farmer
loses an article on "The Distribution _
[)f Seeds," as follows: We often hear
it remarked?and the fact passes for a
mystery?that when one kind of timber
is cut away another variety will
spring up. This is true in a restricted
sense. The nut-bearing trees do not
spring up so universally as the trees
with winged seeds, ;is the maple, or tho
pine or otlur conifers. "Cut away
beach timber and maples will
grow," simply because the maplj
seeds have been scattered tliero
by the wind, and so with pine. A
hickory nut, an acorn or a beech nut I
mav be carried some distance and j
buried i>v a squirrel or ;i wood-mouse, J
and an accidental tree be the result. m
In every instance where a different m
species of timber has sprung up to replace
that cut away, it has been the 1
winged-seed species, and when this is
remembered, there is no mystery about ,r
it. In fact there is no mystery in any
of (lie plantings of nature if we but
open our cy<s wide enoflgh. It hat
been said that v. hat we term weeds art} ,
only |ilants<n!t of place. Soineofthem J
will persist i:i occupying the places we I
have devoted to other plants which I
we can utilize: that is the trouble,
and they attmd to their own seeding,