Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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4 * IALS VOL. XV. PICKENS, S. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 21 V O L X V _ __ _ _ _ _1 8 8 . N . 2 5 .. / A Land of Gladness. How softly flow among Sonoma's hills The loo-cold springs, the merry-hearted rills Fragrance of pin my wandering fanoy thrills, Till, oven through the city's noise'built walls, 1 hoar the chant of sudden waterfalls, Onco more, through codar boughs the black bird calls. Thero are wild cliffs on Mendocino's shore, And well I know the seaweed on thn floor Of hidden caves, and nany a arvel more. Pucific's heart hath legends wise and old; fio thou, and wait in voices mnanifold When storms are loose, to hear the story told. A ain I see gray mountains purely clad With gleamning snow, vast peaks forever clad Such heights as these the elder singers had. Again one hails the sunlight's burst of foam On Lassen's peaks, on Shasta's snowy dome, Whete JIlIes bloorn beneath the glacier's homo. But best the redwood shado, the peace it brings, Where fancies rise as crystal mountain srprings Beneath tall trees; and <loar each bird that sings In rainless sumners; dear the ferns which grow By cool Navarro, where sea-breezes blow And white azaleas touch the river's flow. -Charles Howard Shiun, in the Century for February. A SOLI)E 'S TRUST. BY DAVID LOWRY. "How we will live Heaven only knows! All is dark now." Mrs. Paine sat down suddenly and lifted a hand to her eyes. Her daugh ter, Caroline, a bright, pretty girl of seventeen, noted among her associates for her energy and resolution, caught her breath suddenly. Sie was going to cry, but resolved not to yield now when her mother was overcome with dread of the future. The world had been the aN erage world to Ellen Paine. She had enjoyed its sweets till the war came and robbed her of her husband for years. There were some jolts in life's journey when he came home. He was not as strong as when he went away--lost tile, and of choice changed his vocation. Still content sweetened the things the gods provided the Paines through sickness and idleness; the increasing family and growing responsibilities all were a cepted cheerfully till one day the sun seemed to drop out of the firmament. Andrew Paine was brought home un conscious, a terrible accident had hap pened; in twenty-four hours Mrs. Paine was a widow. Time moved on. Providen,e raised a friend to her in her brother-in-law, who found work for his nephew, and thus kept the roof over Mrs. Paine's head. But. death claimed the son, and then the burden began to fall on Caroline. The mother strove to lighten it-to make the girl's life as joyous as she could. It was a dull life at best; the grind began -zwhen she fell ill with rhetmatism. The future lookcctdark, but the uncle still turned (lie cloud aside until the silver lining- shone again. Sidenly trade stopped. 'T'hen it really seemed as if all the world stop ped, so far as Mrs. Paine and her daugli ter were concerned. The establishment where Caroline worked ceased opera tions tinexpectedly. Mrs. Paine- was unable to move a hand that nontb. Would they ever, even if work offered again, le able to catch up-to repay wtat they owed? These were queries mother ".nd tatiter asked themselves an hutlred timles. WIn>!re the question was answered. fate---rcnmorsoless fate--- swept away their last hope. 'l'he tnele, Arthur Paine, was stiiunnoned to his final accolot with lore swiftn:e,s tlant iis brother. 'J'he two women --one sullering, in broken health; the olltet hungering for joys she saw herself forever shut out, of ---looked at each othe"r f tftllly. lhcy didl not dare to re:ithe their fears. ''he miotheir's lieart ached~ for her chihill, the doighlter's for her mother. But tihe world wrings answelvirs from all. The da:y emi wheni thi miothcr when i enun itfo: lh mohe as .4 babe)t. ''Mothier, t here u1,1 ii bet way,"' said 'Carolinie Painei, hiopefu'ltIly. Ml 1. Painie ghiook her hieadi, si ill keepi ng her'i eyes -"'mi surt molhler --wa it. unt i ltMr. TDrin>1s ('omes hiomie. TIheni I wiill till Mrli. lroo6ks wast wvell upl in y'ears--anit ol bache'lorli who Iromed( on'the samiie floor with thle iniles. iIe was a clerk, wih ai : varied experience. Tlo Caroline tl iewas aL walkingt ein'eeopedia. An hiour latter, Mir. iBrooks, in responis to C.ar'ol ineh's requstli, steppedi( nloiselessly hito th rtoo thOilIle iPaiine occuipied. '"Mr. Birooks," sa idi ('ar ol ilt', br-iskhy. "'I wat to ask you about soldiers' elaimis. You kniow what soldiers are ientitle'd to?'' "1 ioughit to. I was~ chief clerk for a claimi agent (eight year-s, and live years in theo Pension Olliee here.'' Mr-. Brooks wasted no0 worids. lie sat dlowni, look ing ingiquirinagly att the earnest fatce be foire him. "'Tihen you can hellp us, Mrl. Brooks. I wvant you to sell the land my father 01' myl motheri is entitled to. Father nover- sold it, idt he, mother?'' Mrts. Paine lo iokedl biewildiereid. "'What "Why, the 1601 acres I ulsed to hoar' father sav1 was lying- ouit West wvaiting for hi.,' -''O!"' said Mr. Brooks-" 'that's nll a'' . -h-iere lie (ceked himlself. TFhe. gir.l's face fell. Why not softntll th isap~ SPoin)tment. "You see-- there reallmy :never- was anything in that. I mean' 'You dontt nm'ani fat her' sold hiis ilaimP"' Mtr. Brioo>ks 'ouldnl't invent a lie, or he would have done it. ie lurtedi out thle truth: '"I've no0 doubht your- father thioug-ht lie was entitled to the land-"' "h,Mr. Brooks, i've heard him~ say, tme atnd again, the Government owedl him thle land; that lie would sell is claim when the time camne if he ever wa:s, -wats, as we ar-c now --hard press. (01.'. "J reeme now; so lie did,'' said .JIrs. Pinet. "Ciarolinle is right.'' Mr-s. aine sp)oke~ (heerlfully. '"T'he trumth is thle hovernm1ent never' really promiised thei land.'' "Why, Mi'. Brtooks, I've heard of sol -lier's sell ing thieir landi wi-aat.s,'" said Caroline. ''So they did, Miss; that's just wher-e th'e mistake was maude. Youl see, before the civil warii, the Goverinment gave soldiers lanid warra-mnts; the volunteers were led to believe they'd get the same" "Yes, alnd pay in gold,"' saidl Mrs. "Yes-pay in gold. But they were paid in paper money, worth forty to sixty cents on the dollar, when gold see sawed up and down. It was a swindle on the soldier, but a big thing it hus proved for the bondholder." "And mother has no claim to any thing?" " bt an inch of land." Caroline thought rapidly. "Then, since you know the law, she is entitled to pension money. Everybody knows my father lost his health in the army.'' "Did he over apply for a pension?" "Hie Wa1s too independent to (10 that," said Mrs. Paine, wearily. "Well, if there never was anything done about it, it is too late now. Is his doctor living?" "Dr. Hamilton is dead-he was our physician for twenty years." "No case," said Brooks. "Is there no way-no hope in any di rection ?" i'rooks pondered. It was disagree able, but the truth was best in this case. "1 don't. see a glimmer of hope. Miss Paine only disappointnent. If your father had beenl wounded --lost an arm or leg-- but, you see, dying so long after the war---makimg no sign-doctors dead -it's a case debarred, as I might say." Caroline's brows contracte( involun tarily. She looked at. Brooks steadily, revolving new thoughts in her mind. '"If a man lost an arm, and is in goo( health and can clerk just as well as ever he could-" Brooks anticipated her. "If lhe has an ilcomhe of ten thousand a year, and only had his big toe hurt, he gets a pen sion. I know people who dr-w pesions for less." "But a inain whose health was bro. ken-who couldn't show any wound and --" "Precisely, Miss Paine. A complica tion of diseases carries a man ofl. It don't, matter if he went into the army as healthy as any man who never had a pain or ache, or never was in bed a day n his life--if the doctors were sure the service ruined his health, there's lots of cases where its hard to prove it--they don't prove it in such cases, as a rule. If there was any.doctor who could swear to the facts - Mrs. Paine and her daughter shook their herids slowly. "Thank you, Mr. Brooks." How Brooks managed to get out, of the roon he never knew hinself. The picture the mother and daughter pre sented at that moment was stamped on his memory forever. He thought so much about them that, instead of going to the theatre, he went to a cigar store where he was in the habit of meeting somec friends, and, in a very discreet manner, set about; collecting a little money "for a very vorthy object." The next day, at noon, a tap sounded on Paine's door. Caroline opened it on the instant, and, seeing Mr. Brooks, blushed. He spoke quikly, as if lhe had it great press of business on hand. "Miss Paine, a few friends--of your father's, 1 mean-they knew him very well, sent me with this and their con pliments." Here he broke dowl. Caroline's eyes seemed to read his very soul. Brooks wanted to back out.- Instead he ad vanced quickly to a small table, where Mrs. Paine was seated, deposited a bank note on the table, and, bowing to Caro line, withdrew so quickly she had not time to intercept the movement. Mrs. Paine turned to look after him. Her elbow swept the bank note off the table. The draught caused by the quiily closed door Brooks pulled to after him swept the note under the op>en grate. Caroline sprang forward with a smothered cry. She was not a moment too quick. A live coal ignited the note. She had the pr'esenice of mind to crush it hi her hand, at the risk- of a broad blister. Whieni sh( op)ened her hand slowvly, onte-hailf the note had disap pearel'd. The~ half in her hand showecd that it had been a ten-dollar note. She burst into tears. It seemied as if mis fortuites wouild never end. ''What is it. Caroline?" "Ie gave uts ten dlollai's, andi it is lost." ' She wep)t p)assioinately. ''It would have paid wvhat we owe in the stor'e, a mionth s rent, and le'ft us two dollars." ''Burned --Jurned, Caroliine?'' T1here was a wvgrid of anxiety, of driead, in Mrs. Paine s voice. C2aroline extenided heri burned palm, on which lay the half of the note. "It is not all lost. I read of ways to get money made righit, I'mi sure, some where. You caii get./ive foi' it, may "Yes; but that wouild just a sy the store bill. And thien what coal d we (10? Bhut we'll see'."' She dried her eyes bravely, laid the burnaed note carefully away, and re solved to make the imost of it the next mfoirmng. She was dressed, and on her' wvay to the olhece of the ''Customs of the Port,'' whiithier she had been directedl, long b'e fore the ollice wals oenied. After walk ig an hour on the street, she returned, to be told that it was a legal holiday, so no business would be done that day. As she turnaed away, she stumbled uI)nI Mr. Brooks. Would she tell him? 1ot for' herself---but her mother. lin t(en w',ords1 Brooks hiad the stoi'y. lHe eIxpriessed regret. r'tlected, bid her wvait at a drug store, and hastened to ''a fi'iend,"' ho said. lie was absent fifteen 01' tw(enty inuiites. WXheni hie returned, lie hanivded her' a crisp $4 note, talkedh ab)out thme weather'; e'verythin g but money, got thle bui'ned n iote', and bad e her good-day in his brisk way. C'aroline returned hiom, calling at grocer's on thle wamy, amti pui'chiasiing a few niecessitie.-- enoiigh to keep1 body and soul togetherm a lit tlec longer. As, from that, hour thieiir fortutnes :mproved, sonmehow wvork came to her, and a physician kindly iintei'ested himself In Mr.Pie's case, to it degree that re stor'ed her' health. My I story hais no mtor'e to dol with the 1m, fur'ther' than to state t,bat the Granid Army of the Re public dh1( for Ilhemi what the Govern. mont should hiav'e done. I will follow Brooks andtt the burned note'. Tlhe next (liy Bro'toks dIropped into the U. S.- -the r/r'eat Unaited States l)e pository, (deliberately recited so much of the facts its concerned thle gentlemniuly clerk, and wits told the note, the whole note', would be r'ephlced. Hie had Miss Caroline Paine make affidavit to the fact, the burned note was forwarded, Ian din two weeks Brookscareto h1. . another $5; thus the Paines had the benefit of the entire amount the little knot at the cigar store made up for her. ''ho incident nmade a deep impression on Brooks. He pondered over it, and pondered until he got to talking about It. From talking to his friends, he got to talking about it in the Post. Finailly he was inspired,I can think of no other as fitting-to write a lecture, which he has been delivering with much earnest nesstnd unequivocal success all over the State. - He be,ins with Paine's vol untary four years service, exposes the swindle involved in the silence conccrn ing the land warrants when men signed muster-rolls, recites the slow pay-day experiences, calls up months of waiting by wivee and children, compares the purchasing power of the soldiers' pay with the purchasing power of a silver dollar to-day, burns-stnges the bond holders until there is nothino left of them, and winds up with the incident of the burnt note which the Government was honest enough to replace. He makes out very clearly- --proves to every man within sound of his voice or logic, that the system--the financial system the Government has pursued, is exactly as if every note given in payment to a soldier had been burned at one end burned a quarter, third, half or live b;riths. as the price of gold went and dlown. What is very curious, although some people say behind his back that Brooks is a blatherskite, nobody has ever had the courage to tackle him face to face. An Electrical Engineer. There are two roads to take if you wish to become an electrical enaincer. Although this occupation of elcetrical enineering is so new, there are three colleges in our country where the theo retical part of the profession is taught, namely: 'The stevens Institute of Tech nology, at. loboken, New Jersey; the University of Pennsylvania; and the Massachusetts Institute are the best known. If a young man has gone through the t4i-oretical and partially practical training to be had in either of these institutions, he does not require a great deal of actual experience in doing the work itself to fit him for undertak ing almost any task pertaining to the calling. But some hovs may not he able to spare the time ir pay the money for this collegiate part of the training. In that case, they endeavor to find employment in one of the factories of the great com panies I have mentioned. To obtain admission, however, t hey must be bright, they must give good promise in the taste they have for mechanical pursuits, as well as in their habits, that they are suited for the profession they seek to en ter. Having obtained an entrance, they begin as ordinary employes, do ing the simplest kind of work or even drudgery; then they are transferred from one department to another, learn ing a little at each step they take; until, finally, they have a good knowledge of the manufacturing branch of the pro fession. From there they should go to the la boratory, where they obtain the scien tific knowledge of the business. To know how the different parts are put to gether is not of itself sufficient; they must be able to tell why they are put to gether in that particular way; it is just that knowledge which makes them elec trical engineers. Then they are sent out as assistants to the various electric-lighting stations or are temporarily placed in charge of plants which have just been established, and which some amateur engineer is learning how to run. Finally they may be put in charge of a lighting station, that is, a building from which the light ing power is furnished for the lamps in the immediate neighborhood; and last 13y, they may become members of the engineering corps, and put up the elec tric Ii ghits for some people in the man ner Ihave decscri bed.-From "Rteadi/ for Bulsiness," b>y George ,J. Manson, in St. Nicholas for Februar y. A Caifornita Ifzar-d's Queer Trfck. ''There are sonie curious eases amiong the geckos," said1 a Los Angeles country naturalist. "Hlere is one dead that is called the leaf-tail gecko. You see the tail bulges out soon after leaving the body and assumes a leaf or arrow shape; hence the name of the animal. Now, when the little creature is chased you will see It dodge around a limb and hold up the curious leaf-like tauil. That is all you can see, and so naturally, would think it a par-t of the tree itself. But the lizard has a more remarkable method of escape yet. We will imagine that you have tried to pluck the leaf. The animal drops dlunmsily to the ground andl darts away among the rocks, where it attracts the attention of some of the hawks that are forever prowling around. Immediately a chase ensues; the bird gains, and ls finially about to pounce upon its prey, when all at once two liz ardsB appear, one making ofl, while the other (lances up aind down into the air andl along the groundl in a mysterious way, so that the astonished oirdl stops and looks. In the meantime the origi nal lizard escape's; the other, that is really the tail, soon becomes quiescent. You see the gecko has the faculty of thirowing ofi its tail when hard pressced, andl, while the pulrslier's attentioni is dIrawn to the squir-mng member, the an i mal itself escapes."' '"lit it hoses its tail ?' suggested the reporter. "Only for a timie. Tfhey can repro duce this or.gani, and -uriouisly enough, somietimies tw ta) iils are prioduced mn ltead of one." Ha-.n F'ranio Call. Two( colored b)rothiers fell out ini the church about a smnal m iat ter. Th'le of fending br-ot her went to the offend(ed one ani said: 'Bruddecr, the Lord hias forgiveun me, and( won't youl?"' The offended br-ot her replied: "'You go bring deC Lord's certihiente that lie has forgiven youi, dlen I will see about de~ matter. Johln d e I aptist required (Ie Jcws to bring a cerif icaute of der repentance 'lore he would baptize um."'-Newman (Ua.) I!rrahd. -- T1. V. l'owderly, general miaster work man of the Knights of Labor, says: "If every laborer and every manufacturer would1( read( daiily a good( paper and keep p)osted onl topics of the time I feel cer t.ain thiere would be less trouble."' HIS HAND WASN'T STEADY. Nor Ills Eye Quick, but When 1Is Gun Went Off the noys Felt fiheoplsh. An Equinunk, 'a., correspondent writes: John Finley Teople. known all4 over northern 'enisvlvania as Uncle Fin, was 79 years old 'his last birthdav. For more than sixty years le hunted and trapped from the Delaware to the AllegTheny, and never missed a season until two years ago. 'Then he made up his mind to take a rest, more because game was gettin;g scarce than because ie was tired. Ibls two boys, Lije and Sim, could take care of all that was leCt, he said. From that time until a few days before the past deer season closed he hadn't touched his gun - a gun that he claims has lain low hear and deer by the thousand. One morning recent ly he got out of bed and said to his son Lije: "Lije, I'm goin' down in Pike county an' knock over (leer before I hole up fur good." Lije and the rest of the family tried to change Uncle Fin's mnind. for they thought. he was too old to go Iramuping through the woods on a deer hunt. IlIe was deteruined, however, and so his boys, Lijo and Sim, fixed themselves up, and got ready to go with the old hun ter. They went down on the Mast Hope ridge, twenty-tive miles from home. Sim drove for deer, and Uncle Fin and Lije stood on the runways. "Father," said Lije, "I guess I'll stay close by you, for your hand Isn't as steady as it was fifty years ago, and your eye isn't as quick. So I'll keep close by you, and if Sim sends it deer alon and you miss it I'll knock it over.' "Ye will, hey?" exclaimed the old man, indignantfv. "My han' hain't ez stiddy cz twere fifty vears ago, hain't it? Nor my eye hain(t so quick? Wall, now, my fresh young Nimrod, you jist plank yerself over on that runway up ycnder half a mile or so, an' I'll,stay right whar I be. If a deer comes pitch in 'long here 'thin gunshot o' me i'll show yu wuther my han' haint' cr stid dy or my eye hain't ez quick ex they usety be. Grlong with ye, an' look out fur yer own han an' eye!" 'All right," said Lije; "but if you lose the deer don't blame m1e." Lije went reluctantly to the upp runway. Uncle Fin remained where h was. Sim went out on the ridge, and after an half hour or so started a rous ing buck. It was a good way off, but within reach, and he blazed away at it. It kept right on. It bounded (lown the ridge and passed along within good range of Lije. Lije sent a bullet after it, but the buck kept right on. "Blame the luck!" said he. "Now, just for the old man's contrariness, we're liable to lose that deer. He won't be able to see it unless it runs over him, to say nothing of hitting it.'' The buck tore along throug i the brush, and was clearing thirty feet at a j unlp as it passed Uncle Fin, a hundred yards away. his eyesight hadn't en tirely failed, for he saw the buck. He drew bead Oil it, and let "old Betsey" speak. The buck gave two or three wild bounds, and fell in the brus!. Uncle Fin didn't move toward it. When the boys came up Lije asked the old man what he had shot at. "A buck, I reckon," said he. "What'd you fellers blaze at?" "A big buck," said Lije, "but I didn't reach him. Which way did lie go from here?" "Which way'd he go?" said Uncle Fin, contemptously. ''Ye heerd me shoot, didn't ye? If you smart roosters don't know how to handle a gun yit mebbo ye know how to dress a dea<d deer. If ye do0, jist trot ov& yender by that big heemloc k an' hano- up that b)uck. i'd go an' (10 it, bu(t by 'an~' hain't cz stid d ez 'twere fifty years ago, ye know, an' my eyesight.s failin'. ' Lijo anid Sim~ could( hear the 01(d man laugh all the way over to the hemlock tree, and when thley' found the buck 13y ing there, dead as a mao'keral, and with one bullet-hole in it, and1( thatt through the kidneys, they felt like butting thoeir heads againast a rock. They dressed the doer and brought it in wvithout a word. "It's a ter'ble thiing w'"en a nuan gIts 01(1 an' shaky an' dlurnl nighl blind, hain't it, boys?" said Uncle Fin, serious ly, as the boys stumbled the buck on the ground at his feet. "It's the sappy young feller with stiddy nerves that knocks over the ven'zin, hain't it boys?" T1hen the waye) this old man laughed m)adle the boys feel more sheepish than ever. They took the big buck to Mast Hope, loaed it on) thle cers, andl got home the samiie dayi) they wenit away. But the result of the liunt has sat.isfiedl Uncle F"in t hat lie made a mistake ini re tiring from the ebase two years ago. "1 se'e I've got to go out an' give them boys o' mine a little more trainein','" ho says. "Why, if I were the side of a barn I wouldn't be 'feerd to stan' up an' let them boys peg' away at mue all (lay, I'll be on the turf?ag'in next season, ez usual, an' take 'emi in han' an' 1' arn 'cm suimph)in!"' There are many curious facts in American history. Three Vice Presi dents, Gerry, Hendricks and Wilson, (1ied in November at (dates which might all come in a single week. No Presi dent, either in or out of ofilce, has (lied in November, though six have (lied in July and four in June. Garfield (died in Se ptemb)er, Lincoln in April, Taylor in July and Harrison in April. Two Vice Presid1ents leave been indicted for trea soni. These were Aaron Burr andl John C. Breckenridge. One Vice President, John C. Calhoun, resigned his office, and seven nmen have held both Presi dlen tal and1( Vice Precsidenitial chairs. John Adams, Washington's Vice Presi dent,succeeded lime in the White House. Jefferson, Adr.ims' 'Vice P'reiient, did likewise, andl Martin. Van ihuren, one) of Jackson's Vice P'residlents, was his successor. Tlhe other four became Pres ident by dleath. They were TIyler, Fil more,J Johinson and Arthur. The follo'wing( story, withiout a volichl er., is told oni Mayor lii ce: The day aifter his election to oflhee lhe was applied to by a street miendicant for aied. Ihis I lioo askoed himi wheat causedh his pov erty. 'Ilie reply was, "'I have fallen aiiong thieves.'' "'Ale,'' sauid the Mayor re:tlectively, ''so have I."' For sweet charity's sauke and1( the b)ond( that existedl betw~een the t wo mn the pauper)O received a (nliier. --NS. IPanl P oe-es Na Ensilago for Stock. A REMEDY FOR HARD TIMES-LET OUR FAUI MERS PONDER THE SUGFSTIONS CON TAINED HEREIN. We wish to urge most carefully up on our farmer friends the importancc of putting up ensilage every year with which to feed their stock. Ex perience has proved it to be the best and cheapest food that can be fed t< cattle, and every farmer ought to use it. The silos arc buildings, formerly pits, in which the green food (called ensilage) is kept. In order that out farmers may know how to make their silos we copy the following letter written to the Richmond Dpa1etch by Mr. C. W. Garrett, of Halifax county, North Carolina. He relates his own experience and his letter ought to be carefully read, and every farmer ought to build one or more silos. The following is Mr. Garrett's letter: ENFIELD, HALAX CouNrY, N. C., December 3, 1885. MY DAi SI:-I am just in receipt of your favor of the 27th ultimo, in quiring about my experience with en silage. I gladly comply: I have been cutting up ensilage and my experience causes me to value it more aad more highly as I learn how to take care of it more cheaply. When I built my first silos, in the summer of 1880, the idea was that only those built of cement or brick, in the ground, would answer the pur pose, and costing at least $5 per ton to build. Now they are built upon the top of the ground, entirely of wood and earth, and at a cost of 75 cents to $1 per ton. These keep the ensilage as well as those constructed of cement or brick, and much more convenient, and involve less labor to feed from. I have two wood silos, built in 1881, above ground, and holding 180 tons, both costing not more than $126, which are now in good order and full of ensilage, and have been filled every year since they were built. The contents, without exception, have been fed in goo't con dition. The silos I built in 1880, (of cement below ground), held 125 tons, and cost me about $3 per ton. These also have been filled every year since --sometimes twice a year-and the ensilage was not any better preserved than in those built of wood. Since I began to make ensilage, in the fall of 1880, I hayo fed ,ny horses, mules and cows almost exclusively on it, and have yet to see any bad results fron it; on the contrary, I have been abl to keep them in much better condi tion than before I commenced its use In the year 1879 I had nine mnile. and horses, and about as many cattle and besides the long forage I could conveniently make on my farm, I paid out over $700 for hay, bought by th< car-load in Richmond. I am now feeding fifteen head of horses and mules and thirty head of cattle, and pay out nothing for hay, and mi, farm is no larger than it was then. The extra manure I now produce pays me fully ,I ant persuaded, for the cost of the ensilage. I use corn and cow-pea vines exclusively for en silago -the former I use is cheaper; the latter makes the best ensilage. For the past three years I have used corn constantly for this p)urpose, after it was sufficiently matured to sustain no injury, when the blades were ripe eonough for fodder. 1 1)u11 the corn, then cut the stalk down to the grounmd--blades on-haul and cut them in three-quartcr inch lengths, and pack in the silo; then wveightt as usual. This makes a very desirable food; the stock all like it., and I have never seen any bad effects fromt it. During thte threc years named I have put UP 100 per year from this source, My exp)erienco is that land producing five barrels of corn to the acre will make five tons of ensilage, or a ton to the barrel. I regard thte ensilage as more valuable than the corn, and the cost of putting it into thte silo is less than seventy-five cents per~ toni. I growv no corn exclusively for ensilage; most of it made in the United States is from corn grown exp)ressly for the purpose. I am of the opinion that at the t 'e I cut it it is as valuable for ensih~ y as at any period of its growtht -hence a great saving in making a crop of corn and ensilage--I see th it others are adopting this p)lan to ad vantage. My rr* at plant for ensilage is the ordiiary field or cow-pca. Of thtis I put up about 200 tons yearly, antd it is greatly preferred by my stock to that made of corn. This pea crop I growv chiefly after wheat and oats.I break the land as soon as the wheat is taken oft, then plant in drills three feet ap)art, eight to twelve peas in a hill, using thte Eureka corn planlter, dropping every twenty inches; side them up once or twice, if nteed be and grass is troublesome; plant from thte 25th of June to the 10th of Juily.which gives amplle timo for thto maturity of the plant for ensilage, prod ucintg from five to ten tons per acre, at a cost not exceeding $1.50 per ton, worth 26 per~ cent. more in feed value than corn at any stage of its growth. With this plant properly utilized with tho sys tem of ensilage, thme South can feed and raise slhep, cattle, mules and htorses as cheaply as any portion of thte United States, except the very far West. Thtis fact will be demonstrated some day. I htave often seen publish ed a statement that corn stalks or an.y other suitable material made good on silage without chopping up fine witl: a cutter. For fear of loss Ive boo afraid, to try it. A neighbor who built a silo three years ago had his silo, machinery and cutter burnt up last winter. The silo was rebuilt last summer and filled with corn stalks, pea vines, uncut. This onsilage is as good as any-I have over seen-sweet or than mine, which was cut fine, and is little more trouble to take from the silo than that cut fine. I shall put tip a large portion of mine next year without cutting. This fact renders it possible for every fanner who makes a one-horse crop to put up onsilage, as the great bar of their doing so was the outlay of money for cutter, ma chinery, &c. This may all be obviated now. The only outlay required is the building of a silo, at a cost of not over $1 per ton, and which any one can do, of mechanical capacity, without the help of a skilled mechanic. Kncwing its great value, I earnestly hope the Southern people will adopt thi:i sys tom. It is an outrage that,, having such advantages, we should bo so do pendent. That our friends may not go wrong in the construction of the above ground silo I will here give a do scription of it in detail: These silos were built in 1881, and have been fill ed four times, the onsilage being well preserved. First, I dug a trench for foundation sills 43 feet long, 14 wide and 8 inches deep. Into these I put the sills, of white oak, all heart, 10 inches squaire, framing a sill of the same size across the middle. This makes the foundation for two silos, inside measure 20 feet long by 12 feet wide. I put studs of heart oak into these sills, ten feet long, two by six inches, two feet apart, intending the silos to be 10 feet deep, then with one-inch plank boarded up each side, studs being 10 feet high,fill the spaces between the studs and inner and out er walls of plank with sand (saw-dust will answer as well), thus making an air-tight wall, which is all that is nec essary, however it may be done. The 6 feet of studding above the galls or body of the silo is necessary for the purpose of filling, tramping, weight ing, &c. I have one door to each silo at the outer end, made by having the two middle studs 3 feet apart. T( these hang two doors 18 inches wide, I 5 feet long to the inner edge of studs, the doors to open outward. Then close the doors and nail on boards to outer edge of studs, and fill between doors and boards with earth, and you have the same wall as the other parts of the silo. When you wish to open the doors rip oft the boards ini front, when the earth falls and the doors open outward, exposing the ensilage. Of course, the studs are framed into plates above, which should be done in a substantial manner, as the pres sure from weighting the silo is quite severe. My roofs extend 3 feet, be yond the sides and ends, to prevent rain from being blown in on tho en silage. After filling the silo I first cover the ensilage with inch-plank, placing of themr down lengthwise; then cover these with pine or wheat straw to prevent earth or sand from getting in; then cover with earth 18 inches deel nd you may rest ussured that your ensilago is safe. I p)rofer conmmon earth for weighiting, for two reasons-f--irst, it is more easily han diled; and second it excludes the air better than anything else. 'When feeding the ensilage first take out the front doors from bottom to top), about two feet; then on each side, until the end is taken out; then put in good substantial pr1op)s to hold the lanLmks and keep the weight from bending them down, which repeat, propping every 3 feet as the ensilage is taken out, until the whole is ex hausted. Care should bo taken thait this propping be well done, otherwise the plauiks above may give way and endlanger the safety of the feeders. It has been wvell said that "our people must learn to grow everything for mnan and beast before they can claim to be self-sustaining ;" and more, they niust learn to make it without running in debt. No general pros p)erity can prevail until we can make what we consume before woe consume it. Easy credits will destroy any people; it demoralizes the thrifty and makes paupers of the unthrifty. Very truly yours, 0. W. GAiwEr. To Mr. JonN 0mR, Secretary, &c. Richmond, Va. Ani AllIeged( Comph1roieH. 'The Senate committee on finance has voted to rep)ort favorably upon the nominatlins of a number of internal roevenume collectors whose p)redecessors were suispeiided, aiid is likely to rec port all thme nomninations before it In a few (lays. A mutual i'nderstanmding bet weenm the commiiittee and the secre taLry of the treasury has been reached covering all suspensions from and niominations to oftlces which have no fixed tenure. The nature of the ar rangement is not made public, but a considerable number of letters have recently been sent by the secretary to the committee in response to an equal number of inquiries, and the corre sponidence is still ini progress. This arrangement covers alt inoiinations before the committee. -Th'lo feeling ini Europe is a tridoe more optimistic on the Balkan matter. T1hie Berlin financiers lead the senti ment b)y booming the new Servini loan at rising prices. Thore is a re crudoscence of~ the rumor that Lord Rtosebory intends tradling Cyprus for Crete with the Porte and to prssent Crete to Greece. Wonders of the Sky. A VIsIT TO THE NAVAL OBSERvATORY AT wAsHINGTON - WHAT GEN. JOHNSTONE JONES SAW THERE--SATURN, RIs RINGS AND sATELLITIA; THE NEBULE IN OBION; THE PLEIADES A HANDFUL Or DIAMONZi; THE MOON A GREAT SNOW-FIELD. Gen. Johnstone Jones, son of Col. C. Jones, of York County, recently visited the Naval Observatory at Washington, and upon his return home wrote his father an interesting letter descriptive of what he saw there. We have been permitted - to make the following extracts from the letter; Remembering your suggestion as to looking at Saturn through the great telescope, I procured a letter of intro duction to Commodore Belknap from his son-in-law Dr. Westray Battle, who resides here, and called at the Naval Observatory. The Commodore received me kindly, and invited me to look through the telescope the first fair night. The night of February 9th was tolerably fair, and I visited the Observatory, and in company with the Commodore and his wife called upon Professor Hall, who has charge of the great instrument. I saw Sat urn, his rings and satellites; the nebuh in Orion; Sirius; the Moon; the Pleiades, and the star Aldebaran. Of all these eight Saturn was the grandest and most beautiful; but the nebulio in Orion the most sublime and impressive. Saturn appeared a perfectly round, imooth bali, with well defined edges, is yellow as gold, and without scin illation. The sphere was encircled ky two bright, flat rings of the same molor as the planet, separated by a lark line, supposed to be empty space aetween them. All along the interior dgo of the inside ring was a cloudy )r vaporous appearance. The rings ad clear-cut edges and seemed to be ;olid bodies. In the black space sur ounding these luminous bodies shone ,he eight satellites-each a brilliant tar--a diamond pointof clear, steady, nilvery-whito light-at unequal dis Lances from the rings. It appeared to be about the size of the full moon. Tho wonder of the spectacle is great l, increased when we reflect that it is '490 millions of miles distant from the earth, or 880 millions from the sun, and that it is more than fifty times as largo as the earth. Compared to this ringed-wonder of the skies our planet is small, commonplace and insignifi cant. The Pleiades under the power of the telescope spread out into about thirty beautiful stars. They seemed a handful of diamonds strewn on the sky, without order or system. Sirius, the largest of the fixed stars, if not the neakest, was brilliant beyond description. It scintillated violently, blindingly, flashing out a reddish, yellowish light. 'Tho Moon seemed a great snow field, with the crater, the mountains, and the shadows of the mountains all plainly visible. These shadows, made by the distant sun, filled me with a reeling of indescribable awe. I had mlways thought the moon appeared lark under the telescope, but the only lark spots about it are the. shadows f the mountains on the plains and ralloys. The most sublime spectacle is the icbulho in Orion. It is a faint, whitish loud, shaped like a ploughsharo. In he centre are four brilliant stars ~alled the Trapezium-flanked by two atars that appear to be in the cloud eiled, as it were. Whether they are n this nebulous matter, or on the >ther side of it, seen though it as birough a veil, is an unsolved and most puazzling question. Off below the point, wvhich juts out into the black, unpty space, appear two beautiful stars, with no nebulous matter around ~hem. This field of cloud must be nany millions of miles in extent, and hoe stars each a great sun, the centre fsonic mighty solar system,perhaps. ~t this immense ~stance Saturn vould not be seen at all, even w~ith he greatest telescope; our own aun vould appear but a small point of .ight-size of a star as it appears to he naked eye. This nebulke and the l'rapezium cannot be seen with the 2aked eye. When I meet you again [ will tell you more of these wonders >f the sky. The subject is one all ' mnfamilia catly OrainI of the Word Texas. Ini a recent article published in the North~ Ame rican Review, GAov. Ireland, of Texas, assertsq that the wordl Texas means "welcome,"' and that on the landing of the first white men on the coast of Tlexas the Indlians greetedl thema with the exclamation of ~"Texas!" or welcome!"' This theory, according to a corre sp)ondent in the TIexas Vorwaerts, is not' correct. In the ancient Spanish archives, storedi away in the land offe at Austin it appeairs that certain lands were situatedl "en ci pais de los Tcja.s," or, in the country of the Texas, or Tejias Indlianis, x and J being pronounlCed alike. It is wecll-knownI that the Texas or 'as Inians1t were a tribe of Indians living in the valley of the Rio Grande, who weoro oxterinfatedl or driven oft by a mo savage tribe. The word Texas or Tejas~ is thle root of thle names of all the Indhian tribecs in Texas and Mexico. The prelix indicated the l2cality of the tribe. Thel As-Tejas, or Astees, dwelt on uigh lands of Anahuac. The Tol-Tojas, >r Toitecs, lived as far south as Yuca. an. The Hluas-Tejas lived on the gulf toast between Matamioras and Vera Druz, and1( the Tial-Tejas were located nm the state of Coahulla.-Texas Sift