/'l'h?re are loyal hearts, tber? nre spirits
brave. '??'-..
There are so?la that are nore.an true;
$ 'Then give to the wari'd' the'Vst ywa have, .
; And the best will'.come back to'.ycu.
.>. Give love, pml love to your life wil' low,
A strength in your utmost need;
-.Have fa ?th.-an-li score of heart? will show
Their faith in your word and deed. . .
: -Madeline ?, Br.dj
i
ft I - . ;
Old Mr. Howard did not stop talk
ing when he had told thc family
..party about tis victory . over Aiec
Prevanchu and the other rurri-drink.
iug voya?fturs whose" wood-chopping
on Bois Blanc Isiaud he had been
, Bent to oversee when he was sixteen
? years, old. The boy still had to pay
penalty for his previous palterins
.with' the voyageur who had tempted
: him to desert from his enlistment of
five years lu the Astor Fur Company's
service, ,aud the old man went on to
-tell what that penalty turnad out to
be.
When I went to bed a Tier that Erst
day on Bois Blanc? Island I was proud
and happy. I had found that-1 could
command" men. and the1'*discovery '
changed my views of fur-trader's
life. But in the midst of my -satis
faction 1 suddenly remembered how I
had encouraged Francois ?tohidaux's
plan that he and I should slip away
in two days, taking some of the com
pany's boats with ns. Now I saw my
conduct iu its true light, and in the
darkness of 'my 'tdht shame came
over me. and I felt that I was a
sneak. But'when-I thought of my,'
.'sister lying III, perhaps dead, and of
my natural longing to go home and
share the family grief, I could find
some excuse for myself, although not
S enough to justify me in my: own
j mind. .
It was on a Saturday that ? re
turned to Mackinac. The few days
at Bois' Blanc and the chcnge from
sorting furs in tae warehouse had
done me good. I knew. I could do
. my duty, and I resolved to do it
Cheerfully to the end) of my five
years' term. . .. '<
Late on Sunday afternoon I met
Francois, who had^Jbeen looking for
me. He wanted HIE to be ready to
steal away on Tuesday night>with a
party of deserters." I told him I.was
riot, going.
"Eh, not going?" he said.
"I promised to stay with the Fur
Company five years," 1 told him,
.'arid I'm going to stay."
/Francois was white with anger.
"And I suppose'you're sneak enough
to tell.Mr. Crooks dr Mr. Stewart!"
be. said, cursing me. "If you do, I'll
kill you!"
"I'm no sneak!" I told him, for
the taunt made me angry.
"Then you'll promise that you
won't te)I on the restvof us," Fran
cois said, and without" stopping to
think, I did promise. He:had clev
erly thrown me off my,guard.
Monday evening it happened that
Mr. Stewart sent me to the ware
house to bring him the tally book,
and before I left the storeroom I
. happened to notice that .a very valu
able pack of marten, otter and silver
fox skins was not in the place where
I had last seen it. I hurried back
to the office and told Mr. Stewart,
"who made nothing of the report, for
?ll he said was:
"Oh, some of the boys must have
moved it just befon they locked up.
.No one- co-aid possibly have got in
.and stolen itt." '
i But f was not satisfied. I had
seen Francois watching that pack
very eagerly as it was being made up
that afternoon. If ho would steal a
bateau and three weeks' provisions,
he might, pot be above stealing ?
bale ot furs. 1 left the store and
walked, down to the beach, thinking
that the deserters might have decided
to start- twenty-four hours earlier
than had been planned. I wished I
had not pre mised not to report them,
but at any'rate i would make sure
that they were not carrying oft any
peltries.
I found no" one on the beach but
some Indians Jn their wigwams. A
storm was rising in the northeast,'
'ifi although as yet there was rio wind.
It was too dark for me to see any
great distance, but as I stood on the
shore 1 thought I heard the dip oj!
oars to the. southward-the direc
tion that the deserters had" planned
too take. 1 ran to the house where
Francois Ilobidaux boarded. He
was gone.
I felt sure that Francois' party
had embarked only a few minutes
before, and that they had stolen a
bale of the company's finest furs.
Of course. I should haye at - once
told Mr. Crooks or'Mr. Stewart all
that'l knew, but my mind was con
fused hy my promise to Francois.
Suddenly. 1 saw a . way. I would
take a canoe-and catch the desert
ers. What fl should do.nett I did
notT foresee, but some plan would
stfggest itself. It was as reckless a
project as boy ever made", but I was
In a vni?od for a desperate adven
. ture.
I broke into, a run: there was not
a moment to lose. I went first to
the boarding-house for my gun, and
then hurried back to the beach. I
. picked, out one of the .?estv of the
smaller . canoes, and ' paddled away
into the darkness.
The wind was beginning to come
in puffs from the northeast, and the
clouds . were rising fast. It was too
dark for me to see the land ahead,
but I thought I ccfuld* get across to
Bois Blanc betsre; the last of the
"stars were biot'?d out, As long asv
I could se.-" tbeijt !'.conM tell which
way to steer. If they disappeared, I
would keep tLe wind on my left
shoulder and a little behind me. I
felt sure that I could cross.
The deserters, I knew, would fol
low tue west shore of Bois Blanc un
til they reached its ' southwestern
point What they would do then I
could only guess, but I was 'inclined
to think they would kc?p to*the shel
ter of th? Island..as 'nag as possible,
and would creep along under the lee
Give truth, and jour gift will he paid in
kind.
And honor will honor meet;
'And a smile .that it sweet will surely find
A smile that is ;ust as sweet.
For-life is the minor of kine and slave,
Tis just what wc are and do;
Then ?ive to the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you.
;??; in Boston Cooking School Magazine:
HULBERT,
of the southern shore before crossing
to the mainland. If the storm should
be .very severe, they might possibly
c?mp there, trusting the weather to
keep hack'any pursuit.
I crossed to Bois Blanc all right,
but then a squall burst and 1 was
obliged to go ashore for a few min
utes. Its worst fury was roon ovar
and I set out again, keeping in the
smooth water under the lee of Bois
Blanc.
There were no more squalls, but'
the wind settled down to a steady
gale. I was pretty well protected
from ?t, however, ..and when an occa
sional gust reached me it usually
came from behind and was a bit of a
help. I was making good time, but
the bateau, ^manned by five or sis
stout voyageurs, was probably doing
better. I wondered if- they would
dare, to hoist the sail. , Suppose they
should be swamped! And suppose
I'should-be swamped, too! Mr.
Crooks and Mr.' Stewart would, of
course, suppose I "had died as a de
serter and a thief!
but there was no stopping now\ 1
'rounJl?d the southwestern point of
the ii'land and started eastward, fol
lowing the southern shore; and now
my troubles began in earnest: Al
though rStill sheltered for the most
.part from the wind and sea, stray
gusts came from ahead rather than
from behind. It had: begun to rain,
the stars had disappeared, and I
could see hardly a rod ahead. I
crept, along very slowly, sometimes
steering byk the wind, sometimes
keeping in the shallow water close
to shore and feeling the bottom with
my paddle.
After three hours or so, I found
myself becoming tired, and I was
drenched with rain from head to
foot. But I paddled on. right into
great luck. My bow struck some
thing that was neither rock nor sand
nor gravel. My canoe' ?lid along the
thing, and I put out my hand. It
grasped the stern-post of the bateau..
One end was evidently drawn up on
the shore while the other projected
Into the water, and if I had been a
foot farther from the beach I might
have missed it altogether.
I stepped ashore and began to ex
amine the boat very cautiously. Un
der a tarpaulin I found the bale of
furs, a bag of corn and- some other
provisions. A mast arid sail and
three pairs of heavy oars lay across
thwarts. The men were gone.
Where? I caught sight of a very
faint gleam of firelight among the
trees at some distance. Toward this
I started.
, Crawling through the bushes, I
saw a tarpaulin stretched on poles
so as to form a tent. A fire was
burning brightly in front of it, and
I made out four men lying on the
ground undei.ihe tent, while a fifth
sat with his back to a tree. A gun
lay across .his knees and two others
were beside the sleepers. The man
on guard was Alec Prevanche, from
whom I hjacl taken the jug of rum a
few days earlier. He had another
jug beside him and seemed to have
drawn freely from it. Probably all
firs had been drinking ever since
they left Mackinac.
Two or three times in the next"
half-hour I saw Alec give a start and
rub his eyes with his hands, but at
last his head sank down on his
breast, his mouth opened and he
began to snore. I waited a little
longer and' then, very cautiously,
carried the guns one by one out of
the circle of firelight. Then I took
them down to the beach and placed
them in the canoe. The ase I* secured
In the same way. From the bateau
I took th? provisions. Then I had
all the little canoe could carry. Push
ing well out from the land, I threw
them all overboard.
Then I went back, took the mast
and sail and all the oars but one,
towed them out till the wind took
hold of them and let <lhem drift
away in the darkness. Nexi, I trans
ferred the bale of furs to my own
craft, moored the canoe to the stern
of the ba*eau with a cord, and sat
?jj (gg ft BMHBBBBB Tfr BWBMWMB 9 05
I
Self-pity and
*:4.i jj^ ? By ESTHER
?There is nothing the cynic pc
apparent composure with which
fortunes of their friends; yes, ei
foucauld, of taking: some actual p
such a grain of malice, a survival
does lurk in the complicated mak
of the matter. Hes far deeper th,
cynic eau penetrate!
And yot, at flr?t show, our t
have the right of it, when, with a
he bids us observe ?the effect the
and dear'friend have had on a ma
crushed by his own troubles.
' Irritable and morose or shro
suffering and disappointment, this
with the friend o? his youth nev
emerging from the house of grie:
we behold! True, his eye is moi
brow is gone; he holds his head <
thing of its old spring.
.'See," whispers the cynical r,
resignation does this good man
dearly beloved friend; altnust on
helped bim!"
Our cynical philosopher is- :
him. And how? Simply by reve
man; by forcing the engines that
pestilent vapors of self-absorptio
demnation into every vein and a:
begin pumping clear and reviving
and love from the man's own si
dormant. Sorely in need of such
on his own part, but self-pity, sc
springs of living water, and not
brought to bear on the granite ro
compassion, could they burst foi
sparkling a stream! The fountair
5 of a friend, brims also for him.
I
wown to walt.
This was the hardest part, "but a
July night is short tere at Mackinac,
and the dawn came nt last, gray and
dreary. A little later- the five voy
ageurs burst through the bushes and
came running down across the beach.
."Hold on! " I said,, raising my gun.
They all stopped short. Francois,
with a great volley of French oaths,
asked' what I was doing.
"I want you to go back to Mack-.I
inac with me," I said. "I told you^
Francois, that I wouldn't tell Mr.
Crooks or Mr. Stewart that you were
going, and' I haven't told, them; bu/|
I didn't suppose that you were going
to break Into the warehouse and
steal the best of the furs. Now I've
taken your guns and your provisions
and oars and thrown-them into the
lake. You can't go on without them. |
If you'll go back to Mackinac and
give yourselves up, I'll try to get Mr.
Stewart to be, easy on you; but if
you won't, I'll go back myself and
tell him where you are."/'
"You will, hey?"? and Francois
dashed forward without heeding my
(gun. Before he coirtd reach the
bateau I cut the cord, q.n? with a
quick shove sent the canoe well out
from shore.
Eut Alec Pr evan che caught up a
heavy stone and threw lt. It struck
my paddle and grazed the gunwale
without doing any damage. Two?
inches lower and it would have
crashed through the birch-bark sides
as if they had been paper.
"Try that again and I'll ? shoot
you!" I remarked, and brought the
rifle to my shoulder.
Alec picked up another stone, but
the other men took him by the
j arms and held him.
! "I'll give you ten minutes to think
it over," I said, "and if you ?re not
ready to start by that time I'll go."
The five went off among the bushes
to hold a consultation, but they soon
reappeared. * v "
"You've got us tight." Francois
said. "If we go back will you fix it
with Mr. Stewart and Mr. Crooks'
I told them I would try to do so,
and they took their places in the
bateau, looking sulky and muttering
French curses.
Alec stood in the stern and sculled
with the one oar that was left, and
I followed in the canoe. The short
summer gale had nearly blown itself
out and the wind was rapidly sub
siding.
We had made our way several
miles up the shore of the island and
were nearing its southwestern point,
when Francois gave a shout. ?
bateau full of men was coming round
the point, and in its bow stood Mr.
Stewart. The sight/was too much
for the deserters, i They ran their
boat ashore and dashed across the
beach and into the woods.
I never saw them again, hut I
afterward learned from Indians that
they remained on the island for some
time, living on berries and a little
corn which they had carried up from
the bateau from the spot where I
had found them. They finally built
a raft of driftwood, crossed over to
the south shore, and made their way
through the woods and along the
beach to Detroit and Lower Canada.
No one ever knew how they got the
bale? of furs out of the warehouse.
Well, that night's work helped me,
to tell the whole truth to Mr. Stew
art. Two weeks later my prepara
tions were all made for going back
into the Indian country in charge of
two bateaux and half a dozen men.
The brigade to which I was assigned
was to leave the next morning, and
in the evening I was summoned to
the private office, where I found Mr.
Crooks and Mr. Stewart.
They both greeted me kindly, and
Mr. Crooks handed me two letters
and told me to look them over. The
first, which had been brought by a
schooner just arrived from Buffalo,
was' from my mother, and told me
that my sister h,ad recovered. The
other was my commission, authoriz
ing me to act as an agent of the
American Fur Company in the In
dian country. I have never forgot
ten the concluding words of the let
ter that accompanied it; they were:
"Accept our individual thanks, as
well as those which we give on be
half of the American Fur Company,
for the zeal you have at all times
evinced, and your unremitting atten
tion to the interests of the concern."
It was more than I deserved, for
I. had not been all the time zealous
and attentive. But it does rome men
good to get more than they deserve.
I felt bound to deserve after that. '
The next morning I took my seat
in. my bateau an? sailed away up the
Straits, of Mackinac, my five years'
service fairly begun. When it was
en'ded, I had done so well for John
Jacob Astor and his partners that I
found them disposed to do well by
me.-Youth's Companion.
Friend-pity.
4 i : ,J^
'?roe
1
P. TIFFANI.
lints out with more gusto than toe
the best of people bear the mis
rem. to the degree, asserts Rocher
lea?ure in them. Whether or not"
of our evolution from the savage,
e-up of the best of us, the essence
an the shallow philosophy of the
?ynlcal philosopher may appear to
sly nudge of his elbow in our ribs,
misfortunes of an apparently near
.n already weighed down and half
uded in melancholy through long
i man, let us say, goes to condole
fly overcome by disaster; but, on
?, what a startling transformation
1st, but the lowering cloud on his
?rect; his step has regained some
ihilosopher in our ear, "with what
bear the desperate case of his
e cduld swear it has cheered and
right: it has cheered and helped
xsing the whole machinery of the
had been pumpiug enervating and
n, self-pity and morbid self-con
rtery, to reverse their action, and
streams of compassion, sympathy
Dui, where they had so lons lain
wells of recuperation had he been
?lf-absorption could not tap those
till, like Moses in the desert, he
ck the miraculous rod of love and
"th. And now, how copious and
i of healing, unsealed for the thirst
tams
. ..' - FINGER NAILS.
.?. Be careful not to break them,
: And bite them you must not,
For if you do it's no excuse
{ To say that you forgot.
Go straight away to mother,
If nails are long or rough.
Then she will take the scissors out
And cut them just enough.
It doesn't hurt to cut them, /
>. 'Yet children often cry
"When mother fixes finger nails
I wish.they'd tell me why.
-Ajde? Arthur Knipe, in St. Nichola
VOYAGE DOWN THE RIVER
I The.first thing that I can rem<
ber is that a. boy had me in his hi
and that he, with a jackknife, fa
ioned me a little sall of birch ba
He then took me and put me in
water and made me go wherever
wanted me, by means of a stick.
The waves as they went frolick
by called to me to come and play w
them. I tried to run after them,
every time the stick brought me ba
? tried again and again to go ai
them, but the old stick still kept i
Finally a great hand reached
after meNand picked me up. Bu
heard a dear little wave call, "Co;
come and play with me, aud w
have some fun," and it called in si
a plaintive way that I could not
sist; so I fell out of the hand i
went down the river with the w?
before the stick could catch me.
The wave dashed a bit of spi
over my deck? .and said: "I am i
fully, glad you came with me; wh
do you wish to go?" I said, as !
wind puffe/, up my sail: "I do
care where I.go, as long as I am w
you." "Thank you," said the wa
as she lifted me lightly over a pebt
"I do hope Fin-going fast enough ;
you. "
"Oh, yes," I said.
"Well, I'm going faster still,"
said.
"Oh, don't," I managed to say.
The wave went on with me, but
had to mind 'the great current, ai
as the current was going slow, t
wave had to go slow, also.
Now the chip had time to lo
about it Here is the description
what it saw:
I now was carried past a vast f<
est and the murmuring trees wh
pered to the brook and to me.
Three little lambs came down
drink at the little brook. As I sail
past them, r heard one of .them s
to another: "See the little chip th
goes sailing by.; I wish I were havi
a sail like tha\. What fun it mi
be! "
The scenery was beautiful. I sail
past some rushes now, and in the
sat a family of.frogs. "Croak, croai
cried the father. "See, children, s
the little chip boat'that sails by t
Look at her little sail. See-" ai
then my wave carried me past thei
and I heard no more.
. The pretty little flowers beside tl
brook noddea?"they pretty heads
me as I sailed by them; the grass
that hung over .the water brushi
my sail gently, and the wind fanni
by "me with his breath, that smell?
sweetly of fresh wild flowers.
We now came to some stones and
little girl in a pink dress was goli
across the brook with a basket in h
hand. When she saw me she crie<
"Oh, what a pretty, little boat!" ar
she reached out after me, lost hi
footing and. fell into the water. Thei
was a big gurgle that came from tl
basket, and a liquid poured, out of i
The water at once became discolore
I bumped into an eggshell, turne
around twice and then sailed on.
never saw anything more of the litt
girl.
A beautiful' dragon-fly came ar
took a sail on me. It had the Jovi
liest wings that I ever saw. The
were of a beautiful blue tinge, an
oh! they were so light and gauzy. K
sailed along with me for quite a litti
while and then flew away.
My wave carried me along for quit
a little} w^ay further, and then li
gently said "Goodby," pushed me int
a gentle eddy and was gone.
I sailed around and around for
long, long while, and then the edd
shot me Into a little harbor betwee
two rocks, where the water was ver
smooth and the bottom was ver
sandy, so now I am content to liste
to the gentle - whisperings of th
leaves of a large maple tree abov
me.
And I do feel so happy that I
chip boat-pould be carried down
? river and come to such a nice restin
place as this at last.-Mary Esthe
Oaks, in the Brooklyn Eagle.
- .;.? . - ' -"??"j;.
" A FEW INSECT MUSICIANS.
Surely you haye heard them-i
band of Insect musicians-it is :
treat! Who " are they ? "Why," th
crickets and their cousins, the grass
hoppers, locusts and katydids. The;
j all . carry' fine ' musical instrument;
with them, wherever they go. So, ?
concert or a serenade, can be givei
at a moment's notice, and I fane:
they never make the excuse, "I can't;
I am out of practice! "
I .have' been kept awake many i
night by the little glossy brown 01
black house cricket, which, well hid'
den behind"" some article of furniture
insisted on tre?ting me to a m?sica:
program. ?
"I wonder if he. makes it with his
mouth." I have asked, and I decided
to really Und out, and was surprised
to know where all sthat noise carno
from. You know a cricket is not
slender like a grasshopper, but is
short and thick, and looks like he is
carrying a little bundle of something
under his wings all the time.
Well, near where his left wing
cover joins his body he-has three
veins on his wiug. The largest is
rough like a file, and this ls his "bow"
for his violin. He-I say "he" be
causs Mrs. Cricket cr r.iot i.iake music
-draws this rough vein across the
right wing-cover, which trembles and
quivers and gives out sound-his
music, In other words.
The field cricket sings all day.
'while the house cricket (my friend)
takes the night for his concerts'.
I In Spain crickets are so con ular
they Lave little cages for them, like
we do for our canaries. But they
have only one cricket in a cage, aa
they will fight if' put together. .
"The Murmurer," as Mr. Grass
hopper is called-and I don't see why,
as his songs to Mrs. Grasshopper are
so loud and shrill-makes his music
by rubbing his wings together. He
has a little piece of skin like a tight
drumhead set in each wing, and as
he moves his wings tlftse tiny drums
vibrate-thus his music.
Mrs. Grasshopper doesn't have a
drum In her wings, but listens to her
lord's music wlthvher ears, which are
on her fore legs! Isn't -it queer?
Think of having one's ears in such an
inconvenient place, as near a knee!
Or, as the locusts have, on each side
of the abdomen. At least, they have
a round plate there, Which is sup
posed to be an ear, on each side. '
Mr. Grasshopper sits perfectly still
while making His music, looking very
grave and quite correct, In his long
tailed dress suit coat, which he al
ways wears.
Mr. Locust, however, stands on his
two front fore legs to sing, and is
really a ludicrous sight as he lifts his
hind legs and draw's one by one, and
then both together, across his wings.
The inner side of his hind legs has
rough, file-like edges, and the wings
thick veins, like cords, and the file of
the legs on the cords of the wings
produces the sound. He is a finished
musician, too, for he can make two
tones, and as one or two legs are
used, make the music loud or soft.
The beautiful light-green katydid
sings only at night, and his song,
"Katydid, Katydid? Katy broke ?he
teapot lid; Katydidn't," and all the
different versions of it, is one of my
earliest recollections.-Mrs. Helen B,
Bell, in Baptist Boys and Girls.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
Quite the most Interesting bit in
the alluring pages of the St. Nicholas
ls the story of how that dearest of
all children's classics, "Alice in Won
derland," came io be written, told by
Helen Marshall Pratt. It is a charm
ing tale of the friendship of a quiet,
reserved, bookish young lecturer at
Christ Church College, Oxford, and
of three children, daughters of the
dean of the.cathedral.
Boating on the river, with tea on
the banks, and story telling along the
way, was the favorite play of those
four comrades; and of the many stor
ies told on these outings the adven
tures of "Alice in Wonderland" were
written down to please little Alice
Liddel, second of the children, later
finding their way Into print.
So little did the author understand
what a wonderfully ingenious and
fascinating book he had written that
he did not expect the first edition
would ever be sold. But the 2000
books were very quickly disposed of.
Every one wanted- to read "Alice,"
and to have his friends read it. Not
only little children, but grown people
enjoyed it, and edition after edition
has been printed and sold, ana to-day
it is even*more sought after than
when it was first published. It has
become a classic and holds a place
on children's bookshelves with "Rob
inson Crusoe" and "Hans Christian
Andersen." There is not a spot in
the civilized world, not a library with
any pretension to literature, where
the Jabberwock and the Cheshire Cat
are unknown.
An inch of rain is rain falling at
the rate of about 100 tons to the
acre.
Arrangements will soon be perfect
ed for the proper protection of Amer
ican patents in Japan. At present
the Japs appropriate anything that
suits their fancy.
Signor Caminada, a hydraulic engi
neer, has drawn up a scheme for the
construction, of a canal to cross the
Alps and connect Genoa, Italy, with
Lake Constance, Switzerland.
An Austrian journal tells of a plant
called Parkid biglobosa, recently dis
covered in Africa, which produces a
fruit containing twenty per cent, re
ducing sugar, which puts lt in tho
first rank of sugar-producing plants,
One of the biggest pieces o', engi
neering in New England 1." a 2500
1 horsepower dam in tho Union River,
j at Ellsworth, Me. It ls constructed of
I hollow concrete, and cost nearly
8500,000. ^ ' i<t
Three naval officers, acting on be
half of the French Admiralty, suc
ceeded on August 5 and G in telephon
ing without wire betweeu Paris and
Dieppe, a distance of about ninety
miles. The experiment Includrd an
ordinary conversation, songs and
whistling, all of which were heard
perfectly clearly. The experiment
has been kept a secret until recently,
and no details of tho apparatus have
yet transpired.
At a recent meeting 61 scientists In
Dublin, Professor G. Elliott Smith,
tho Egyptologist, said that tho ear
liest known human remains found in
the Nile Valley, when compared with
those of later times, demonstrated tho
fact that at a very remote period
Egypt and Nubia were inhabited by
the same race, which had existed in
Egypt with little- or no change in
physical characteristics throughout
the intervening C000 years until the
present day. They had been, and still
were, a small people, tho averago
height of the men being about live
feet three inches at every period o?
their history.
The German Baptist brethren have
organizations in ?crty-oae o? the
Siates, with 1154 churches, an in
crease of fifty-eight over last report.
Madera Method* T
Farmer, Fruit Gro\
Developing Types of Cotton.
In recent years the farmers of the
South have been giving the breeding
of seed some attention. Naturally
this work has been directed to im
provement of cotton to a large f;;fcui;
Many years ago the average yield of
cotton to the plow in the cotton belt
was about three bales, but now it is
nearer nine in fair years. While in
tensive - cutivation is in a large
measure responsible for this Increase,
still the. high grade seed is the most
essential feature. Such men as
Trultt, Russell and King have made
names for themselves that will live
for centuries just through the breed
ing of high types of cotton. r
Men are still at work on the prob
lem, and it has beep hoped that some
one would get a weevil proof cotton
that would stand the ravages of the
Mexican boll weevil, and time and
again somebody has tried to put out
the notion that it had been done.
However, to date !t has not been dem
onstrated, and the fear is that it will
je many years before such a s ate of
affairs can be brought aboutrif ever.
But men have succeeded in getting
cotton up to such a high standard
that lt cannot well be compared to
the old types. A. T. Drake, a Geor
gian, has been working on a typ.3 of
cotton that he thinks is the greatest
cotton in the world, and last year he
sold a limited amount of the seed at
the prodigious price of $100 a bushel.
The writer planted a peck of it in two
different sections this year. On one
of the farms the soil is of a stiff, red
character, and on the other it is black,
sandy loam, and despite adverse con
ditions the cotton is doing remarka
bly well in both cases, and promises
to- yield twice the amount of ordinary
cotton. This cotton branches out suf
ficiently, and yet It seems to be a
cluster cotton, for the bolls grow very
closely together. '
Another cotton I am experimenting
with is the Jackson wilt proof cotton.
The seed of this was furnished by the
National Department of Agriculture
from its own farm down in South
Georgia, where .the wilt has put cot
ton growers o(ut of business In some
instances. Up here we do not have
?uch wilt, but it will be a good thing
io get on the safe side early in case
such a trouble does develop.
In talking with the Assistant State
Entomologist, who has charge of the
State division of agricultural experi
ments, he tells me that the Jackson
cotton has shown wonderfully re
sistant qualities. While other cotton?
have died down to twenty per cent.,
tb.e Jackson cotton is flourishing, and
only about twenty per cent, of it has
shown signs of attack by the disease.
This leaves a difference of sixty per
cent. In favor of the Jackson cotton.
That, of course, means the whole
thing.
Rust Is one disease that attacks
the whole cotton belt in some years.
Now there is a rust proof cotton that
promises to overcome this trouble.
This new cotton is a wonderful sight
to see. The whole field shows a solid
front of red and brown. This is the
natural color, and therefore there is
no ?show for the rust to ge;- inte it.
One great trouble that has confronted
the grower of this variety is the lack
of fruition, but Mr. Dickinson, who
is building uu the type, has ?selected
so long that he has largely overcome
this trouble, and will develop a type
as good as any cotton. With the rust
proof and blight proof at our com
mand, there is hope that we may In
time have a weevil proof cotton. In
the case cf the personal experience
of the writer with the Jackson wilt
proof, it seems as if I am going to
have some trouble in getting a full
crop on it this year, so that il; seems
that there may be some 'trouble in
the way of getting each variety of the
disease resistant/cotton to put on a
fuH crop. However, this year has
been a very poor one for testing
either of the cottons in this respect.
I selected the soil that I thought was
most subject to rust and blight to
plant the cotton on, and the rains
have been so incessant that there hp"
been an overdoing of the v ..er.
. Next year may show somctb' .? quite
different as far as I am concerned.
The situation in regard to labor
and land values makes it necessary
for farmers to consider the matter j
with much care. One trouble that
farmers of the South have is the dis
regard for seed of high type. It is
rather costly, as compared to the
ordinary seed, but in the end it is
far the cheapest. There is no profit
In working forty r.?res to get the
same yield that "caa be easily obtained
from twenty acres. A little extra
work in the way of preparation, a!
little extra cultivation, and a little
extra seed are the only essentials that.'
will be required to work this change j
in profits. As soon as the farmer
finds this to be the case there will be
a widespread prosperity wave.
But tn the meantime this cannot be
confined to cotton alone. There is
>o ero" +hp world that r^oDonds
saana ? ? ? ? i = -??
Proverbs and Phrases.
Suspicion is the poison of friend
ship.-St Augustine.
A dbg'e friendship is better than
his hate.-Welsh.
Mrs. William Astor died in' New
York.
Corruption wins not more than
honesty.-Shakespeare.
Kindness and courtesy need elbow
room and are smothered to death in
a crowd
Pert Paragraphs.
Let him who has bestowed a bene
fit bc silent.-Seneca.
The man who makes a great deal
of his failures doesn't make much of
a suecess.
Women don't have to swear to
show how mad they arc. There are
other ways.
The clocks in some households suf
fer so much from congestion of the
face that it seems impossible for any
members bf the household eve]: to bo
on time.
ultural Topics.
hat Are Helpful to
ver and Stockman.
more readily to seed Improvement
than corn. The South needs corn,
and it needs it badly. I have known
this year of hundreds of farmers who
have bought corn on the credit sys
tem, paying $1 a bushel for it, when
it can be grown here for less than
twenty-five cents a bushel. , There is
no chance for the average cotton
farmer to get his prosperity on .the
standing basis till he gets to growing
his home supplies. When he does
that, then he can dictate his terms to
the rest of the world, if they be in
reason. There are more ways than
one by which this can be done. In
deed, it is well for them to work in
more ways than one. To-day there
are thousands of bushels of cowpeas
going to waste in the fields because
the farmers are busy picking cotton
and will not stop to pick the peas/ .
The same ls true of the pea hay .crop.
Hundreds of tons are drying up in the
fields around my farms, and the
farmers will not stop to try to save it,
as they want to rush on with the cot
ton.
Nextyear they will be paying $1.50
a bushel'for seed peas and $20 for
hay. What cotton I have in the field
could stay there if I had to leave my
pea crop in the field to ruin. A man
can make $25 easy cutting pea hay,
and he cannot make one-fourth that
amount picking cotton. I advocate
the picking of cotton at once, but I
would rather let It stay in the fields
for a while, as it will keep and the
peas and hay will rot. What we
want to do is to get onto the idea
that we want the things needed at
home 'more than we do anything else.
I can't see why folk will go ahead* and
grab at what they have at hand when
they let the very best slip by them.
Just because we happen .to need a
little money now and won't need the
hay and peas till next year is no
reason why we should not give the
most valuable subject our considera-.,
tion.
Going back to our original starting
point: Let the farmers of the South,
take the lesson to heart and see if.,
they cannot get some good from the
idea of seed improvement. I believe
in every man doing what he can for
himself, and .therefore I think it is '
a duty a man owes to himself to do
his best in getting the best seed from
his own supply, and he will then
know that he is getting something
.that is good. This way of buying
something that you do not know is
good is often- working against the
man who has something good to sell
that will help the world along. Good
seeds are advertised by responsible
farmers, and there is no longer any
excuse why men should not hava
them.-J. C. McAuliffe, Harlem, Ga
in the New York Tribune.
Poultry Pointers.
Much depends upon care and.
watchfulness now in securing a good
balance on the side of profit. An
early moult and high condition of
heUth before going into winter will '
bring eggs when eggs bring the-most
ir.oney.
The pullets that are to be early
layvTs are to be liberally fed and
have special attention now, and in
their selection there is usually room
for choice.
It is the condition of the flock
abott the time of early frosts that
chiefty decides the question of profit
or loss for the next three months.
It is really at this time that skill
and good judgment are most in de
mand to put the flock on a paying
basis. Marketing the surplus of tSe
young stock, weeding out all oldish or
unproductive hens and securing real
working value in every individual
hen and pullet-those are what will
make the investment in a score or &
hundred hens pay an annual profit of
a hundred per cent.
Every hen can easily be made t?
earn a dollar in addition to her keep,
but to be sure of it there must be no
neglect of a single important detail.
-Progressive Farmer.
Sweet Potatoes.
Cuttings can be made of the tops
of the sweet potato vines for a late
crop for winter keeping. For making
a crop of bedding roots, I prefer to set
the cuttings In August. Then make
them a yard long and coil the cutting
around the hand and set, the whole
coil in the hill with only the tip ex
posed. This will give you a hill full
of little potatoes that will make far
more plants per bushel .than the gen
eral crop, and they are the easiest
kept in winter.-Progressive Farmer,
Keeps Out Weevils.
Try sassafras bushes packed in
layers with your corn, and" kerosene
sticks In your cleaned peas tor keep?
lng weevils out.
WhAt Should Follow Cotton.
Cotton- should always follow a le
gume crop. See that your next year"* *
cotton.land is chosen br this wile.
Fallen By che Wayatda.
Out of a great evil comes a great
good.-Italian.
Gold is proved with fire; friend
ship in need.-Danish.
A smooth river washes away' its
banka-Servian.
Learn to unlearn what yaa have
learned amiss.-German.
Oats firm ; No. 2 mixed 511-2 to 62.
Rye easy; No. 2 Western export ?2
asked.
Say but little and say it welL.
Necessity is stronger than human
nature.
A candle' lights others and con
sumes itself.-Dutch.
Men are neither suddenly rich nor
suddenly good.-Libanius.
Jf you wish to reach the highest,
begin at the lowest.-Syrus.
A man rarely realizes how his
tates have changed until he goes back
in after years for a plunge in the hole
where he learned to, swim.-Dalllas
News.