Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Mynheer Joe BY ST. QCORqC JWTHBORNE. QHiPltB xn^ ot la over to tlw. iboot Joe do? MVfMfliwk. AMMf h h* kaowi kiv to knflh a woItw la a tray ?tor an esa eqush Mr. Grimes 4oa I?t rhsms his mind With ths sword 9m to absolutely tafe, mm) as much IM aartf bt ait eooccrnlnf Bo to pksssd to note, bowcritf, thai twsnlj pica Jos to at his best, h&fsrlorto ths baron on either of this figure. lCr. Grlmss mssts ths profss who hss ss much fun with him Im afforded Jos. The stout, red* trarstor to not built for a and soon tires of being a Into a corner like a rat at bay; be has pat ths professor Into a humor. The three friends pass out Into the and head toward Shepherd's bj. Again Is the (rand square ited and the clattering of many heard. It Is about the same, aad night, here, at times more ?oto? than at others, but only compar atively quiet from midnight until which period the countless of the city select for their sere laade, keying the moon. If there be nas, snsrilng and lighting In the pub Jtoc squares* and carrying on like a of hyenas let loose. they enter the hotel, a pair of fasten upon them, and a man alarts forward. Mynheer Joe recog a French officer. It Is the tame Mr. Grimes watched In conver with the baron the morning Me holds something In his letter. Judging from Its sp psarance. "Now we have It," mutters Sandy, to he and Mr. Qrimes purposely fall hack a pace. The courteous French officer bows ??Pardon! Am I addressing Mon* atour Miner?" "That Is my name, sir," replies Joe, "I hare something for you, mon -Thanks." He tears It open, glances at It, totBei In a careless way. and passes Ve to Mr. Grimes. * "You are Captain Faltoute, I pre* "Qui, monsieur, at your service," ?lowing. "Captain Faltoute, my friend Colo* Ml Grimes. He will second me. All arrangements made with him will afcsad. Good evening," and Mynheer flTss walks complacently sway, fol lowed by an sdmtrlng glance from the frenchman, who, under his breath, aurtters: "Parbleu! A brave man. deserving af a better fate than a dog's death VI his hands; but It Is the decree of Bortune," shrugging his shoulders. Be and "Colonel" Grimes walk aside ftm make all necessary arrangements. .This Is the first time the American has ^ssn a second In a duel, but he has a Ely fair Idea as to what his duties and always carries a clear head i bis shoulders. I The arraDgemots are soon made, aa the challenged party, has the of weapons, time and place, ore selected, and the officer to have a pair on the gronnd exactly alike that Joe shall pick Ms own first' It Is also arranged that the meeting Sccnr on the Mokkatam Hills above jOslro, an honr aftkr sunrise on the following morning. Noticing the Vtf&chman's look of wonder at snch Sastn "Colonel" Grimes adds quietly: "My principal salla for India on 8at vrday, and cannot delay for any little t>y-play such as this. To-morrow It must be." "Advise blm not to be too hasty In ?rderlng his state-room. Colonel. ?*a many a slip betwixt the cup the lip," saya the Frenchman grtth significant meaning. i? "Don't worry about Mynheer Joe. I know he Is able to hoe his own row, Monsieur le Csptalne. We meet then tot daybreak on the Delhi wharf." "Tee?the boats will be In readiness ??I shall have two, because my prin cipal may have scn/ples about re taming alongside his victim." Mr. Grimes laughs quietly at this He Imagines there may be a to store for Captain Faltoute aa well as the baron, and the pseudo tfver king Is a firm believer In the maxim that be laughs loudest who twghs last. , So he. bids the Frenchman bon solr 1MB resumes his talk with Bandy, While Faltoute walks out of the hotel, poking back at the red-faced Amerl lliu who*e eccentricities^ no .dfiubt, Jsv% made fifin twMVtHie oFKer a Jtaflure specimen. 1, So It Is all arranged. 1 Bach principal la to have a second Mi aa additional friend. The French saaa has suggested bringing a doctor, ?t which Grimes smiles. "We expect to have no need of one; who knows T My principal would Set like to have a human life on his heads, especially a white man's. Yes. taring your doctor along, with plenty af ' Unt and bandages, for sword Wofende a as 'sometimes ugly things." in this way, he declares, he gave , the other a Roland for an Oliver, and broke even. Bandy takes it all in ngerly. As a newspaper man, he linn seen many strange sights, but yet Ims anever had the luck to be present at n tfoel. The nearest he came to it was rwhen he endeavored to see the Ben nett-May affair across the water, and arrived on the duelling-ground Just In time to sco the carriages drive iMStlly away. It begins to look ns though he may now have the desired opportunity, and he means to mnke Vio most of It, as such affairs aro not It* , Mr. Oriaw, havtetf Dm mad* a ^ wnwBh^ hn ? vcight of responsibility on his akoiMm; but ?o ?t pres Sh? *?*,o* ?*??**??< altfbts alc?p and la up betimes. The peeudo ellver kin* hu a watch of peculiar make, with an alarm that <*albe set for any. time, jot like a dock. Placed wider his pillow, it wUL make boIm enough at tha deto nated hour to arouae a light sleeper ?=y'. ?? ^ 'ml depended rajTr^any a Ob? and not bean dlaaj^ *jnl*er Joe hu fonnd Molly in the !?!?n?m?0n' ?~ms *> *? well content to pew tha balance of tha r7*nl?fjn *** company, drinking the Intoxicating enp of love from bar cUrar ?ray eyes. ?mr' 2rtmef 1**Te* hlm *lone. This make him nervoua In the kL.*1" eye un*teady- Better to he to her company listening to her V*an <>rtnkln? with convivial companions, aa the baron Is doing at htUr' pU*,n* baccarat The news has cone abroad?strange theW 60 traTel M m'fbt the mist that cornea silently In from *~T?ea spreads over the land like f?p,e pretty generally know twin ti, n5llt }*** be?n P"1^ be wen the Russian baron and tha American traveler who was with Oor don, to the Soudan. Knowing also tha reputation one of these men has ss a duelist. It Is set down aa certain that a meetin* must take place soon. H^nce, Mynheer Joe finds himself e cynosure for many eyes, and he la annoyed at the Interest people seem to take to him, but that Is the fate or any one whom fortune destines to move on s Richer plane than hla fel w'i, he mn*t set uaed to It Molly, on her part. believing this Sl!fni?0; C*,IMed ?lm^y because the people have learned that be la the sole survivor of the massacre at Khar toom. Is proud of the fact that he la her friend?pleased to think he Is an American, and thinks more of him than ever. <Pe ***?? no bin* of what Is to mTLT?* i*!e mornJnS' tGr H la not h*? way to boast and be can keen a ???t to .? how 00 wonW tbtok he hae anything on hi. mtod. Those who are In the secret are amased. and not a few make up their minds that the JT report may be a canard, for they cannot imagine a man who ex t*cts to meet the Russian baron at be so cool .bout it I. The evening passes, and finally Myn bid* ^ lad,e8 ffood night Mr Grimes sees that he retires to his I worn to get a few hours' sleep. At the proper time Grimes is up and Joe.and Sandy. . Together they quickly repair to the of the hoteL A cook has ,been bribed to be up and hands them *Jrup of fln? coffee, than which thJJrtS U bad * wort<? right *here at- Shepherd's to their eyes and makea *"w though they have a warmth next their heart Outelde the Poor moon hangs up in the sky, but thl 1 I,ght already STiven way to Jha coming of early morning. Soon ST S.^, of U*ht wl? rush up from their stronghold below the eastern horlson, whan the rout of the night-king will be complete. isirtJ . at tb,# bo,lr' Mo,17 Tanner, * wh5? wrapper and with her hair showering down her back enters her father's rooms by means' of the connecting door .?>. T?n?? jprOTpu owrarp-BSE^,^ "Only Molly, father," comes the re ply. "What the dickens ore yon wander ing around for? Go back to your bed, child," he enys, softly, for his love to ward his daughter is very great. "It is early morning. You can heat the birds twittering out in the trees, I was awake, and, catching voices, went to the window. Below I saw three men move toward the river. I am almost positive I recognized one of their voices." "Well," grunts the orator, getting ready to resume his nap, "what of that, Molly?" "But It was Mynheer Joe." "Eh?" "And I heard one of the others ?I am rare it must have been Mr. Grimes -say: 'I will examine the swords, lie ihall have no advantage.'" Tanner grunts again. "Then the report was true?" "What report, governor?" "Ntver mind, child. Irt doesn't con corn yon. G% back and get your beau ty nap," be growls. "Not until you tell me what this means. Three men leave the hotel at daybreak. They talk about swords. What Is about to happen?" "Bah! Some officers on a lack, per haps." "You knOw better, governor. You betrayed youraelf when you wild the. report was true. What report? It concern* Mynheer Joe. I remember now hew utrangely they looked nt hlio last nlglit." "onfound it, child, you are a little t.vrant and 1 a bulldozed old man! Lldtcn then. It was reported that Mynheer Joe and the baron were to fight a duel about sunrise this tuoru Ing." Molly covers her face with lie* hand* and uttcra a low cry. Then she eagerly question* Tanner and learns all that he knows, until at last he atubbornly drop* back on his pil low and feigns aleep; so there Is notli Ing for the wretched girl to do but re turn to her room, and, sitting there, await the rising of the sun, with ? dumb feeling of pain at her heart. to 9* F* by the if the tto tlwMrthwhfl 11 Hlght la at her fnIL Koowlnf the waj they no trouble in widlif thi point whMf they barb bMa taternd the twc boats win ha la rtadlneaft., Thla time thmh m attempt aartt to rob thorn. Parhapa tha rascally Araba who prowl ?bout tha narrow aUeeta totoi thi sight looMif for victims have retired, Uk? baaata of prey, to their various dens at tha approach of dawn. At any rata, tha three ma meet with no adventure aa they advance to the Nile. "Here we ?are,"- oaya Bandy, whan they brine np at the deelgnatad apot 1 Sure enough, two boats are seep nnon th? w?t>r. both of ? trtm myd?l Volcea can De beard. II UUMfh tBt tailors are on deck, and all la la i?adl> oe?s for casting off. Bandy takee one look Into the fact of Mynheer Joe aa they come upon the boats. It li enough to reawore him, for the man doea not ihow tha least emotion. If he were made of Ice llya beer Joe could not take the iltuattoc In a oooler manner than he doea. Thfc satisfied the newspaper man that the Buaalan duellist Is about to be sun prised. He may have had plain sail ing in past affairs of the kind, but when he run acroM Mynheer Joe h? certainly struck a mag that now give* promise of wrecking his bark. Mr. Grimes halls and a voice an ?were?the voice of the French offices who met him as the baron'i represent tatlve. They are to take the dab a be ah nearer the shore. The other* have just arrived, and If all their party can be counted there la nothing to be done but to push off and get up "Captain, one question." says Mr. Grimes. "At your service." replies the polite Gaul, whom they can just Indistinctly ?ee standing on the roof of the second cabin in a brave attitude, such as French officers delight to assume, al though those of other natlona are not far behind them In this respect. "You spoke of a doctor?the family doctor of the baron, wbo understands his constitution and knows how tc treat him. Pardon me, but is be on board with you?" Silence follows this cool question, at though the Frenchman haa been stag gered by it; then, in his courteous way ?he would be polite even if thrusting his sword through an enemy?the offl cer of the Khedive replies: "He Is with us, air." "Good. Then we consent to start," says Grimes, conscious that the ba< ron's ears have caught all that hat been uttered, and willing to let him know that there is no such thing aa ficarell In their party. ! JJiTfiiore is KilC I Orders are given and the two N1I< River boats gotten under way witlj the rapidity that distinguishes the pe culiar model common to this country, Mynheer Joe clasps the hand of hlf second and gives it a squeeze. "Thanks, my good friend. That dl| Is worth something to me, you finder stand," he says in his quiet but ear> nest way. ' "Of course, sir. You know, my In terests are bound up in yours. I anc determined that this story shall en<J In the proper way, and It can hardly do that If the baron spits you on hi< sword like a fowl before the lire. ) have confidence in you. Mynheer Joe,r replied Mr. Grimes. No more is said just now, for the boat is being gotten under way. The breeze chances to be favorable, and there Is more of it than usual at thlr time in the morning. It comes from t quarter not far removed from north east, and the three-cornered sails of the dababeah are peculiarly fitted to catch a quartering current of air. Both boats are speedily rushing through the water at a lively rate The situation is rather romantic, with the moon nearly overhead, day begin nlng to break in the east, and the great sails of the rival river boat! catching the fresh breeze that hai worked in across the Intervening delta of the Nile from the Medlterra nean. Was ever a duel fought under slml lar circumstances as those which promise to mark this one? Probably not. [To be Continued.! mow Tosds unorsM. For a marvel of economy you will never beat the toad. He eats his own clothes, says a devout lover of that harmless and slimy creature. At cer* tain seasons be begins to undress. He begins by rubbing his elbows hard against hib sides, sad pressing down* ward. In a second th? old suit Lursts open along his back, and he keeps on rubbing until he has worked it all in folds cn his sides and hips; then hs seizes one of his hind legs and begins to haul off one leg of his trousers, and next the other leg Is served in the same way. Of course a brand new suit is discovered by this disrobing process. Befpre he takes off the rest of his old clothes he folds his trous ers up quite neatly and swallows them. Then, by raising and lowering his head, and swallowing little by little, he feauls off bis coat until he comes to the sleeves. Grasping or.e of these with the opposite hand, he drags it off, wrong side out, and aval lows It also, rubbing his neck at tht. same time, so that his collar, ctav.***. au<3. In fact* every vestige of his old kult, disappear altogether. What One Woman Cbcrsvcs. "If children could be sent to a chew ing school as they are sent, to a kin dergarten." ?ays a common sense phy sician. "there would be a marked im provement in the race." Many women are wandering rest lessly in search of happiness with ttelr hands ft.ll of materials of which the truest happiness Is made. Each Is called on to do only hei part?and that part is never Impos siblc. When a man is really bungty, his wife is apt to be a good cook.?Phila delphia North American. Agricultural. WiO totted nwdwt la an excellent for small pilMMCdtf quick itftoa Is wants*. Sftttstcs and, oas come* with well rotted will produce leaves several days ahead of the save seeds planted, ? tie eaase date lit covered with earth. Melons and ether Tine crops like a top dressing of this eawdnst, for tt aot only holds shdatsnt moisture, but will, if a heavy application be given, hold the small wesds and grass In check. ce?Titim* Hi ?>!. Mine oat of every ten farm horses suffer from abrasions of the skin on the neck, and this is so gevere In many casts aa to keep the horse from doing n full day's work. Try this plan of tree ting the farm horse daring the season of hard work. After feeding the horee brush off si! the perspiration .with a soft brush or. bstter still, wipe It off with a large cloth. Then, with tepid water, sponge the head, neck and shoulders and wipe dry. with a dean cloth. The object in feeding mature rsms should be to keep them in thrifty, ?cry rigorous condition, sad not too fat, and this can only bs brought about by ressonsble, wholesome food snd sufficient exercise. When once a rsm has been made too fat It is a difficult mstter to thin him down again with out impairing his vitality; and In every esse relisnce should be placed on ad dltlonal exercise rather than on lessen, lng the food supply. An overfst ram Is likely to beget only comparatively small progeny, if be breeds at all. To Kin TtM ?W?Tt. One of our greatest enemies in growing the apple orchard is the tree borer, and many remedies have been tried with varying success. About the most effectual remedy is the following iwash to be applied to body of trees: Ten pounds whale carbolic soap, one pound crude carbolic add, half a gal lon coal oil, live gallons water, ten pounds slaked lime, four ouncea parls green. Thoroughly mix and as used add sifted wood ashes to thicken to consistency of ordinary paint and ap ply with brush. Care should be used to make sure of covering all bark sur face near the ground as the borer eggs are most frequently laid there. This wash will destroy all eggs and young borers, slso wooly aphis, and should be used beginning with first year of young orchard. ? V ? Balky Food*. If the shoulders show indications of soreness rub over them s little vase line and let it remain over night Bee that the collar worn fits well and after taking off wipe it thoroughly with a damp cloth and hang it where it will be thoroughly dry in the monring. It iwtll pay well to take this little addi tional care of the horse during the forking season if st no other time. It is not necessary to cut up potatoes, beets or carrota for the poultry. Put them in the feeding places, after cut ting them in half, and the fowls will pick them to pieces. It is well to men tion that if dark yolks in eggs ace de sired feed carrots snd the yolks will be colored s deep yellow. The color of the yolk does not indicate quality, but there are some who prefer a dark color. Vegetables may be given to poultry, and also tubers, without un dergoing unnecessary labor for that purpose. /jl: Caring ? Kicking Hons, ?'A horse that kicks at any time Is a nuisance, and particularly so If it is in the habit of kicking while In tlie stable. The illustration shows a con trivance which works well In breaking up this bad habit. From the rafters of the barn hang two wires that are thick snd hesvy, and to the lower end of eacb attach a long block of wood. It need not be round, as sbown in the cut, but the corners should be smoothed down so thnt the horse will not be injured. Flace these blocks at about the height where the hoofs would strike. as yon have observed tbe,klck. The horse will kick the blot ks, one or both, and they will promptly fly back ami kick him. After a number of kicks the animal will obsuve that he re ceives a blow in rteurn, and which he can not understand. It will not take long for hi* anger to give way to won der, his wonder to feur, and after that he will gradually* atop the kicking. While the device will not work with all horses, It la simple, harmless and Inexpensive, and works enough times to warrant any one with ? kicking horse in giving the Idea a trial. Dairy Wlnlom. In running a separator, turn the handle steadily, keeping an evpn pees- | sure. If the milk is not skimming clear at the speed, an increase of three to five turns per minute will help mat ters. The milk will separate best when first token from the cow, but if not done then, allow It to stand for some time and then raise it to eighty or uinety degrees. Milk Is beat warmed by placing the can In warm water. As usual, a good mnny men are asking whether they can afford to buy high-priced grain to feed their cowa until pasture co?ies. Nine out of ten will not decide to do it; and by so deciding they will handicap their dairies for tt>? .work of the touting mmmm, *fbe fact It. w? cannot afford not to Imp oar cow* tn pood tab and heart. Wo will be tho ones suffer If wo 4a-F?m JoornaL la nmmer tken la leea mlail beat to be produced and the food required la cobmqmbUj 1ms in gammer than in winter. If all who keep fowls would consider this fact, and never overlook it, there wookl not only be a savin# in the coat of food but the fowls would thrive better. The summer food need not be so concentrated, bat should con tain more bulk. Where birds are con fined it ?-eqalree seed Judgment in ffcedlng. not because enough may not b? allowed but because of the disposi tion to give too much. When at llb? erty the flocks will sometimes thrive better and lay more egga If given no food at all other than that secured on the grass plot, but in confinement the food must be provided, and it will be safe to use green food and lean meat, allowing little or no grain when the weather is very warm. The refuse vegetable tops, smsll potatoes, chopped grsss or any material that will serve the purpose, may be cooked together and thickened with ground oats, which will make a cheap and nourlahlng food for the fowls in summer, as they do not demand as much concentrated food during the warm season as in winter. If it is not convenient to cook such, then chop the msterials to a fine condition and feed to the hens. Ploattag of Potatoes. Many who have experimented with planting potatoes claim to get the best results from shallow planting. While we are not inclined to question such reports. It Is certain that the deep planting and the shallow covering will give the best results. Naturally, under this system of planting, the tubers may be set deeper in light 6oil than in heavy, but this plsn has been found very satisfactory. The furrow is made of considerable depth and the tubers planted so that the first covering ie about two inobes of soil. As the plant grows the cultivation throws the soil closer to It, so that by the time the plants get a little above the surface of the soil the furrows have been filled by cultivation. Just after the plants got through the ground in good shape some fertilizer ie distributed in the furrow, and by the time the furrow is entirely closed and level with the surrounding soil, this fertilizer will begiu to benefit the growing plant. After the furrow is closed, rather deep cultivation is car. ried on until the plant is of consider able size and after that all is needed is to keep the surface free from weeds. The plan is at least worth experiment ing with by those who have never tried it A Scratching Shod. Tnere is more or less being written against the scratching-shed in connec tion with the poultry-house, and it is admitted that when the fowls can be put on a free range during the summer the scratching-shed is a superfluity. On the other hand, when the fowls must be kept in rather close confine ment during the summer the scratch lug-shed 1s a valuable adjunct to the poultry-t use, just as It is, in our opinion, during the winter, when the birds must be cooped up in a close house or go out into the sno wfr ex ercise. The house shown in the illustration was built to economize space and for keeping two breeds. Tiie scratching shed portion Is partitioned off in the middle with wire and boarded up from the bott ' three feet, so that the hens on either Bide cnn not see those on the other. During the summer the pro jecting roof, us shown, casts n deep shadow and the scratching-sbed is cool, especially as a wire-covered door in the rear permits a current of air. The yards are located at the ends of each house, so each flock lias the var iety which goes with the yard, the house and the scratebing-shed. enab ling them to keep reasonably cool and in the 6bade at all times. During the winter a tight door takes the place of the wire one at the back of the scrntebing-shed and a heavy muslin curtain is hung on poles to lie let down over the front on stormy days. The scratchlng-pe.i.if properly arranged and used, is too a good * thing to abandon. On the Divide of tlie Amlti. All things come to him who rides n good mule. And, sure enough, at last 1 Mood on the top of that greatest of natural monuments of the West. It was n moment that I hud dreamed of; and when we dream of u moment, and the moment becomes a tangible reality, it takes time to readjust our thoughts If we are to readjust them at all, for there is much fiction in the world, and particulnry in the world of dreams. To admit the truth, the moment was no twhat I hnd pictured. There I stood, a drenched, cold, hungry Ameri can, under a cloudy sky. An done may reason as one will, being wet is not n romantic predicament. But, wet or dry, hungry or otherwise, 'neath clouds or sunshine, I was, nevertheless, ou the summit of the great Audean Cor? dlllera. I stood face to face with a great mllepost of my life, 10.300 feet above the wa. Everywhere, to the right and left of me. before and behind me, was a landscape of snow. And on every side the mountains stretched to the dark horizon,' so far, oh! so far away. To the west of me little rivu lets of liquid snow forked into one another and flowed to the Pacific. To the ea*t of rne, and not many yardi : away, a little stream was gathering ' momentum for its long ruce to the At lantic. Behold, tht Great Divide.? I Field and Stream. Contrast* In Mice. Lord Kelvin calculated that if a drop of water were magnified to the sizo of the earth tta constituent atoms would be somewhere between the six* of a small shot and baseball*. A MOXG the elements and forces of nature there are several enemies of good roads, hat the greatest of them is water. It washes ?way the material of the road. It ?oaka Into the road and aoftens It so that the wagon wheels cnt Into the surface, making ruts and hole*. It permeates and softens the foundation so that the aurface of the road sinks or breaks up. In tbe winter the water that is in the road freezes, expands and loosens and disintegrates the road material. The most Important thing in tbe building of roads is to lessen or pre vent tbe ravages of water, yet no feat ure of tbe work is so neglected as this. Many local road supervisors teem tc give no consideration to the question of drainage, and the result is a regular mud blockage duriug several weeks or months of the year. The following are a few simple rule* the observance of wblch would go fat toward bettering the roads of tbl* country: First?Tbe road should be so located and constructed as to avoid steep grades, down wblch the water rushes during heavy rains, tearing up and washing away the road material. Second?The foundation of the road should be thoroughly drained by open side ditches which will carry off the water, aud where necessary tU4 drains should be laid in fhe foundation Itself. Third?The surface of the road should be hard and smooth aud have sufficient slope toward the sides to shed tbe sur face water. Fourth?Ruts and boies on ihe sur face of the finished road should be tilled as fast as made so that no watei can lie on the surface to be worked up luto mud. Tliesfr rules are simple and easy tc follow, and any ode who gives any se rious thought to tbe matter can see the wisdom of following them. Still thej are almost universally ignored as the condition of our roads abundantly proves. What this country needs Is a radlca! change, n now era iu road building The people have been moving in rut? in more senses than one, and if each local community is left to work out tbe road problem alon? they will contiuue to move in tbe 6amc ruts, and everj year millions of dollars will be thrown into tbe mud. to say nothing of the losses resulting from the use of bad roads. Lectures on road improvement seem to do very little good. Books and bulletins on road building appear to have very little effect. What the local communities need If practical objcct lessons and actual ns sistance, and these can cone only fron* the State Governments and the Fed' eral Government. It is for this reusoc that rood reformers everywhere ore turning toward State and National aid as the only solution of tbe road prol> letn. The bad roads of the United State* are a blight a curse, a disgrace, aud all patriotic progressive citizens should make u grand united effort to wipe tlicrn out. and put our nat.on on a level with the advanced nations of Euro; in the matter of roads. Wnterway*; Why Not Hlcliwnya? Tlio United States Government bar taken up the improvement of tbf waterways in no uncertain way. W( have in this country twonty-tive thou sand miles of coast line, where are hid den rocks and bowlders, and thousand* of lives have been lost and millions of dollars' worth of property destroyed Our Government has reached out in a protecting way for the relief of the people along this line. A sail along our coast line is attended to-day with almost perfect safety. We have IKK.' lighthouses mul lighted beacons. We have abqut 354 siren signals, hesidca others. There are nearly BOOO whist ling buoys of various kinds. The ser vice requires 4'JOO men, at an annual cost of $4,000,000. Every one of these light houses and every man is needed to protect the commerce of this great country. The money expended Is wise ly used in preserving the lives and property of our people. Having so well provided for the country in this respect, the pei-plr* ol the United States should now take up this great question of the Improve ment of our highways, thus enabling us to carry \he produce of the farm as expeditiously and economically as it is possible to do. I'ablle (Sentiment. The Minneapolis Progress, In an edi torial 011 good roads legislation in general, says that "Public sentiment hns lately grown in favor of State aid and National aid combined. State aid alone enn accomplish much, in co operation wltb local authorities; but, backed by National aid, the work of road Improvement Is put ui>on the most substantial basis. National aid has been given to river and harbor improvements, to the building of rail roads, to the-erection of public build ings. and to other public works and In stitutions; but, the formers, to whom good roads are a necessity for agri cultural prosperity, have had compara tively little National aid In the way of Improvement appropriations or helpful legislation." The Duluth Herald is of the same opinion. "Good roads are economical; the farmer knows It, an<? the consumer knows It, and their in? flucnce Is being felt," the Herald sayi, The MaMnHinnrtt* Plan. In Massachusetts the S'ate pays thf entire cost of building the roads, but requires the counties io pay back one fourth of the cost. Nearly a half mil lion is appropriated for this purpose. Nearly tlve million dollars have al ready been Invested In roads by the State. As a result Massachusetts has hundreds of miles of as flue roads as any in the world. I,srgeat Appropriation. The largest appropriation for good roads was that made at the last session of the New York legislature. It was ? million and a half. SPRAYING. Spraying the trees and vines should be made a portion of the routine work, whether disease appears or not. as c protection to the neighborhood. Ac orchard may become affected and not show such diseased conditions until the a est year, when more work will then be necessary to keep the tree? from attack or Injury. EARLY APPLES. F. H. Bollard asks Green's Fruit Grower to publish a list of the rarie ties of spplea that bear fruit *oor. af ter being planted. Whether fruit trees bear soon or not depends somewhat ipun the soil, methods of culture, cli mate and other conditions. It Is a !act. however, thftt some varieties l>ea? Trult sooner after planting than others ander ordinary conditions. Amouy those varieties that have a tendency :o bear fruit soon after planting are? fellow Transparent. Banana. Kins, Bismark. Tieee which are growing 'apidly do not come into fruiting sa luick as those trees which are som? irliat stunted in their growth. ADVICE TO TREE PLANTERS. Trees set out this season should have their branches cut back more than rwo-thirds. This rule applies to alf tlnds of fruit trees recently planted. Do not hesitate to cut buck brancliea :o within six inches of the trunk, and m the case of peach trees cut off all :he branches close to the trunk and :ut the trunk back three feet from the ground. The severe pruning at the lime of planting seems to the novice to be severe, but it is the kind of pruning that all newly planted trees ihould receive. The tree you Have re ceived from the nursery has all the top left on and it possesses from 10t> to 800 buds, which is fur too many. Ail the buds you need on the top of aewly planted fruit trees Is enough to form the head of the tree which should never huve over four to sir main branches. Therefore, if you cut the head of the tree back closely the Tew buds remaining make u vigorous growth, but if the buds and all the top ire left on the numerous buds uuike a small f.'owth, and the top thus formed is thick aud dense, requlriug rcry severe pruning in future years. NEEDS OP THE GARDEN. Are there fruits in your garden's So garden is complete without a row >r two of dwarf pears growing through :t. Dwarf pearR can be planted three 'eet apart in the row with the rows far enough apart so the garden can be planted without difficult.*. There tbould be u row or two devoted to cur ?ants, gooseberries and raspberries. If rour garden is restricted in size you ?an plant the grape vines against the louse or the barn, or along fences. There should be a strawberry bed in 'very garden. You should plant a few, itrawberry plants every spring Its ^pril or May. I)o not rely entirely ipon the old strawberry bed. If you >lant a few strawberries every spring rou will have a continuous supply, >therwise you will not. No garden i* roinplete without rows of asparagiiH ?r without a few plants of rhubarb >r pieplant. There should also be a !ew plants of sage, which may be as easily grown as weeds. Perhaps your garden should be enriched a little. If rou have plenty of room it may be in advantage to let your garden patch rest and start a new patch in another place. GROWING GARDEN TEAS. The money In growing garden pear In in the early nnd late sorts. tlio ine iiura varieties bringing low price*. ?j? i rule. Nearly ail market gardener* pontine their operations in pea grow ing to the early sorts, which is often i mistake, and particularly so if one tias a good market for the reason that many people will l?ny the late sort? who will not eat the mid-season va rieties because they are likely to be tough and hard. On the grounds of '.he writer the Juno, shown in the il lustration, hit* proved to be by far the best of tbo lute varieties, although It bas been grown in many sections a? ?.he one variety for tlie main crop. The plants are dwarf and require little or oo staking, and are most remarkable producers. The pods grow In pair* and are fllle<1 with from seven t<? nine pens each. The flavor of the pen* Ik of the finest, which flavor Ik retained ?ven when a little old. TIiIk feature, together with the fact that they also retain their green color, rarely turn ing yellow, even when very old, makes the variety peculiarly valuable '.o the market gardener. Bread L?wi, There Ik a curious provision In tlio ttrltlsh Kread Acts of IMtW and 1KW. which are Mill In force, to the effect that "every person who shall make for sale, or sell or expose for Halo any bread made wholly or partially of peas or beans or potatoes, or of any ?ort of corn or grain other than wheat, dial! cause all such bread to be marked with a large Hotnun letter *M.'" It would thus appear that the baker who chooses to put potatoes In his bread could escape the charge of adulteration by marking the loaf io the manner described.