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The Rickertonian Theory^ of Partial Impact By J. R. Wilkinson, of Cantcrbu ry College, New Zealand. . . T KB hwillm scientists of the day a till teach that, through the working of gravitation. all matter in the universe la gradually tending to com? together In one mass, losing all light and heat Into unknown space. The theory of Prof. Blckerton crlea halt to anch dismal pessimism, and In the aplendtd chapter on the Im mortality of the oosmos It Is shown that the expanslrs power of the heat of partial Impacts scatters and redistributes through ?pace the matter that gravitation brines together. Bat what Is "partial Impact?" The stars (commonly, but wrongly fixed) more, each with Its own direction and rate ot motion. There must also be In space dead suns, that is, stars whose light has shone in ages past and has died out, tearing them Invisible. Each ot them has Its own motion and di rection. Occasionally, therefore, two stars that have felt each other's attrac tive Influence (or Immense periods of time will approach each other with ever increasing speed, and finally will either curve round each other as a comfit curves round the sun, or else will come into awful collision. Thp original motion ot the two stars will practically always prevent the blow from being a fair and square one, that Is to say a complete impact; but it will be * grazing or partial Impact, a part of one star striking a part of the other. Thwse two parts coming to a standstill as one mass, the energy of their huge speed is turned Into the fiercest heat, and the mass begins at cnce to expand as gas and a new star is thus formed. The parts that do not strike shear oil with great friction and go on their way with a brightly Incandescent patch on one side. Perhaps they may never return to vach ether, as a comet may never return round the sun; but under certain conditions they may return and smite, again or become associated together as double stars. But the possibilities that may happen are too complex for discussion here. The Lion Checkmates The Bear By \V. C.-Jnme?on Rcid. we are to believe British statesmen, the purpose in Thibet I* simply an armed demonstration to impress Thibetan officials, anc oblige them to maintain safety and freedom of trade on the read? extending from 'northern Iniiia to tho western borders of China Thibetan officials huvo countenanced brigandage against trading caravans using these "highways b. twein India and China; and now according to India's artmfclstraUve circles, it is time that these barbarous neighbors on the north be taugn: a salutary lesson. Tins is N.:t j official explanation for the cars of the mildly inquiring world. England's reason; i for thus profiting by Russia's present embarrassment are such a.s any axtutt I rival would adopt against a wily nnu powerful adversary. Tiiere can be nc doubt that toad the sphere t>f influence In Thibet passed into Russian hands. a? | has seomed almost certain for years past. India would have proved a veritable hell of Achilles to British existence in Asia. On the other hand, with this great natural barrier-country of Thibet under British influence and control, RuksIe ?would be obliged to abandon all attempts of expansion Indiaward. England': sole purpose In her present Invasion of Thibet Is to thwart Russian designs or her Indian empire. Henceforth Thibet may for all practical purposes be paintci red to mark English control, for no one can imagine that England will give ui the tremendous advantage whiclh she has gained, save by compulsion of i stronger force.?Booklovers' Magazine. ina's Empress Dowager. By Minnie Norton. w HEN the time camc fur adieus, her Majesty mingled with her guests, the Emperor following closely; and as Mrs. Conger got beyond me I stepped aside for royalty. Imagine my astonish-, raent when the Empress Dowager turned, took me by both hands, stroked my arm and Inquired how I liked China and how long I would remain, concluding by asking me to come and see her again when I returtie^ to visit Mrs. Conger! I did not lose my equanimity, but studied this most remarkable woman at closest range. Could she of dignified mein, deep-set unflinching eyes, rare smile and melodious voice 'be the most despotic female sovereign in the history of the world? Has she twto distinctly oppcsKe natures? Is this the secret of hci marvelous power? Born in obscurity, the daughter of a minor officer, a fav orite concubine of the harem, young and inexperienced, she reached the pin nacle of authority by incredible ability, shrewdness and daring. Through all the intrigue of the Chinese court since she first usurped the throne, she has borne a charmed life, and her enemies have arisen only to disappear with terrible swiftness, while her autocracy remain* unchallenged. With relent less will she has stripped the Emperor of the last vestige of the legitimate authority which for a brief period he had exercised under the wis-e guidance of Kang Yu Wei, absolutely controlling his every word and act, as well as tho earthly destiny of 400,000,000 of subjects. And this most fascinating of hosts urged un to "stay longer" and "come again," annihiliating conventionality and precedent, was Tsi An the Great, woman ruler in this land of Confucius, where to be a woman, according to tho philosophy of the Great Sage, Is to be despised among men!?The Cen tary. FRENCH OF NEW ORLEANS. Described by Jules Huret in the Paris "Figaro." How fondly they cling to their old two-storied houses with green blinds, their courts and their Spanish galler ies. In that also they are Indeed of eur blood. While the Anglo-Saxons go to create new districts with broad avenues like St. Charles avenue, they refuse to follow. They live in their ancient streets where they were born, without paving and to illthv that it is impossible to cross thein except at the corners where a few paving stones have been placed to form a ford. In these streets one bears French ex clusively. It is here that one finds the few passably good restaurants of the city, called "Frenche Restau rants"?kept by the garulous South erners?which have the apearanco of those old restaurants of our meridion al cities, where one Is served on cook ery highly spiced, as will give it the Southern tradition, but which in real ity holds scarcely any relation to the French culslno But In all the streets one meets constantly the Southern type, eyes .black and brilliant, black mustache, an easy supple walk with nothing ?of the Anglo-Saxon rigidity to which one becomes accustomed In the Northern States. It seems anoma lous to hear these people speaking English. Likewise it is a delight on ;addressing them to hear them express 'themselves at once in our language >M purely and as clearly as if they ihad just left Fran<ffc. And the life there led is charming ?-a life easy yet active and without Abe rigorous hypocrisy of New Eng land. People know how to amuse themselves, to entertain themselves and :lo mix work with pleasure. The carnival which I have already de scribed, Is one of the signs of It. But all the year balls, dinners, recep tion* and excursions follow one an other. Sundays one goes to break fast, or to dine at West End, a res taurant built on the water, full of They Even Hold Up Trains. The Klondyke mosquito is raid to be Ihe worst on earth, bat here comes a /Siberian traveler, Mr. Dobble, who ln elstii that the venomous mid-Asian variety is hard to boat. Residents nlong the line of tho Siberian road never seem to stray abroad without I eixr?/oplng their hands and facea in thick green volls. Whenever a mos quito enters a railroad car all the pa? songers with one accord make for It, and a period of restlessness and un< usual activity supvrrenea until the tormentor Is dead. entertainments and music, the ren dezvous of elegant society as early as March or April That whlck above all renders New Orleans a dellclously habitable city, perhaps unique In the United States, is that which remains of the viva city of the French element, or rrther of the Creole element, for to the French there came to be added and amalgamated 110 years ago a Spanish colony. Itself very distinguished, which conceded nothing to our own. It is from tho fusion of the two races that has been formed the Creole ele ment of New Orleans, polished, se ductive and grand seigneur. One afternoon I counted there fifty young ladies in light, elegant toilets of perfect taste, who created for me a distant vision of Parisian bal blanc and put to rest at once my homesick ness. Invention of Trousers. Trousers originated In the high lands of Central Asia, the first of which there is any record having been worn by the Ay ran people, who, un der Cyrus, descended from the moun tains into the plains of Mesopotamia. The Itomaas later observed that trousers were wtorn by their "barbar ian" neighbors, the Germanic tribes, as well as by the Persians and others. The Romans themselves finally adopt ed trousers when campaigning or traveling north of the Alps, but were careful to doff them as soon as they re-entered Italy. For small children tiu be left en tirely nude was customary among our classical forbears. It Is still a custom among the lower classes la many of the tropical couutries, nota bly the West Indies. Indian chil dren outside the zone of the Indian sclrool rarely wear clothing when the weather is warm.?Washington Star. A white headed vulture taken In lfOfl died in the zoological gardens at Vienna in 1824, thus living 118 years in captivity. Crab Trap of Bamboo. A cnrlou? use of the bamboo In some islands of the Pacific Is as a crab trap. Tho Jointed bamboo In stuck into the ground. Kach pWce hac n little bow half'way up, and a string set. at tension to shoot, off an arrow, passed through an aperature In the lower part of the Cylinder. It Is set at the mouth of crnb holes and when the crab proceeds to climb up to the upper part of the tube a delicately set hook releases the broad arrow which closes the lower aperture and Imprisons the crnb. ROMANCE REALITY. By Miss Annie Edwards. CHAPTER V. Continued. Left so terribly badly off! Dear, dear, could neither of the younger la dle* turn their thoughts toward becom ing Companion? Or thore were Ref uged for Decayed Gentlewomen, con cerning tvhioh Rome 01 the more influ ential friends even offered to write letters of inquiry. Or au addition to Income might sometimes be made by fancy work, delicately disposed of, un der shop prices of course, among one's own acquaintance*. And then it was the thought of Qnerncc. the possibility of leading a life of outdoor work und Independence, . *st crossed Aunt Hosle's mind. ? I.ong years before, when Generous j George was in command of his regi ment in the Channel Islands, a great darkness had fallen across llenrietta Vanslttart's path: upon the eve of marriage her lover had proved un- | worthy, and deserted her. No new ca tastrophe, said the world?a catastro phe. Indeed, that so plain a girl might reasonably have anticipated, yet like some other human griefs not percept ibly lessened to the victim by reason of Its triteness. At twenty, as at fifty. Aunt Tlosie was no coward. The burden that fell to her lot she bore, unaided by any of those little pious frauds whereby ortho dox resignation contrives to shift over bra v.v weights to the shoulders of others. Hut she very nearly died: kept ui?. with a brave white face, and a manner curiously like her own, for a pood many weeks, then suddenly fell *i<k and had brain fever. As she re-; covered, slowly, titfully taking up the threads of life, she would so will ingly have let go. the doctors proposed country air for the girl. Miss Theodora, then in the maturity of her pink-and-whlte charms, could l>oast ad> mirers not a few among her father's subalterns. Colonel Yansittart. so soon as his daughter was pronounced de cently far from danger, must have his rubber of whist, his little dinners abroad and at home, as usual. Knocks, rings, announcements of visitors, clanking of swords and spurs (in those days young warriors held It giw>d fornl to wear their uniform*)?all the bustle and clatter of a house whose inmates welcome any society save their own? these were not surrounding* amidst w'uich shattered nerves and a heart fftrlcken to dcspcralion could rally. So the girl w:ft sent for a fortnight's change to Qucrnec. a farmer's wife ae TBtTwo slept TWI*yTBd?ftlfr>feim in her white cot, with her tranquil angel face, awakening some pangs, yon may be sure, in Aunt Hosle's heart? the fine old heart wherein lore, crushed aa regarded self, jhad but opened Inttf fuller and more perfect blossom tor otoer*. They rose early, and. before the elder sisters had breakfasted .were on their way, hand In hand! through the crisp morning air to the fields. Whatever Henrietta Vansit tart's business, whatever the season of the yesr. the little figure, faithful as shadow to substance, followed close ?upon her footsteps; father, mother, playmate?she was *11 these, snd some thing more besides, to the child's in stinct. She was Aunt Hosie! So. In sunslilae snd shower, life weut on until Daphne was eighteen 5*ears eld. Then, In a dark hour. It was resolved, owing to the fact of Theodora Vunsittart's possessing a dove-colored Katln with Honiton flounces, that the girl must be kept a child no longer?must "come out." "We middle-aged people are apt to rrow selfish. Henrietta." said Miss The6dora?her mind fixed, as she apoke, on those poor, obsolete fineries, | last worn, alas! at 'Cheltenham dinner ' parties, but which dexterous manipula. 1 tlon and close study of the Petit Cour-' ier des Dames might bring approxi mately close to the fashion of the day.' ?"The prospects of the potato harvest, the fortunes of a handful of common laborers, may he vital enough Interests tfor you and ine. Daphne is eighteen years old. and I call it a positive duty a duty that we owe to her grandfath-1 er's memory and to the girl, not to let such an opportunity as the present slip through our lingers." The opportunity was a big Govern*, ment House ball, given in honor of thc? arrival of a new regiment (always in little outlying military stations an event of magnitude) and to which thek Miss Vansittarts were bidden. 1 Theodora's early prognostications had proved correct. Colonel Vansit tart's position was not forgotten in the Channel Islands, and. on all occa sions of state or official gayety, cards' of invitation were dispatched, as a. matter of received usage, to the lonely! farmhouse at Quernec. Up to the presJ ent hour even Theodora had been able to extract no pleasure from these invi tations. beyond arranging them In company with the time-yellowed cards of Cheltenham notabilities, in a china dish upon the parlor table. What maiden lady, with her half-century of existence well struck, could have the valor to enter concert or ballroom save in the character of a chaperone! But now that Daphne Was eighteen?; now that Inclination could robe itself in Ilonlton-flonnced satin, and call that Karb duty-Mis* Theodora felt that her whole moral attitude toward the outside world had shifted. ; "Let her Judge for herself?let the ?*hild Judge for herself," she cried. In terpreting. by her own lights, a certain' wistful irresolution on Aunt Hosle's honest face. "Daphne, you are invited with ourselves to a hall at Government House on the twenty-first ("to go into society again under our altered cir cumstances." said Miss Theodora in parenthetic mlnor-"to follow where in brighter days one used to lead re quires an etiort! Still. I am ready to sacrifice personal feeling at the call of Duty). Are we to refuse or accept?" Need I record Daphne's answer? Did the lips of n girl of eighteen ever say nay to the first bewildering temptation of white shoes, gossamer skirts, mili tary music, and n fresh scarlet-Jack eted partner for every dance? The in vitation was accepted; and during ths next three weeks ribbons and gauzes were canvassed as surely no millinery .details were ever canvassed before within the sober walls of Flef-de-la: Relne. Daphne should be dressed in blue, in green, in pink. No?in this, at least, Aunt Hosic'n finer sense of fib jiess carried the day?Daphne should he drpftfted in wliite, only a degree le?n simple than she wore at Confirmation, aud with a natural flower in her hair pr wnist-belt for adornment. And then arose the question of quad ( rllles and lancers. i Daphne had frequented the Christ inas farmhonse parties round Quer nec ever since she was seven years old. and understood what dancing in itij severer sense meant. In such exercises as "J'allals chez la Boulangere," or "Grande Maman, que voulez vous?" she was proficient. Exercises carried on. without haste, without rest solemnly as religious ceri emonles. and to the steutorian mono* tone of the performer's own voices, straight through the hours of a win tern night. Neither of her round dance* was she afraid. Such of Uie islau(J children nr, had been to school la France were nlways furious waltzers. and In some room apart would whirl round at these festivities like so many small dervishes, while their ciders car ried on the legitimate Christmas rites, of which I have spoken, in the best kitchen. But quadrilles and lancers. It came to a matter of necessity that the three poor old indies-yea,* ?yen deaf Aunt Isaheili; -must form theui Helves into n set. and. with Theodora's weak treble ln<lle:iiing Hie oti"c-fa mil iar score, go tlii.-rvii the figures pe oi.y.hmtl Margo; i.rr nprcui over her luotifh. .Tcun at her cNow, doing an nleneo. x Thus Daphne. Ncrloiw as though she ?were learning i? decipher cuneiform inscriptions, got her first formal danc ing lesson; and as "steps"?In t tor ment *. ohpsscr-crnlsoes. and the like mysteries of elegant movement?had not >rone out of Cushion in the Miss \ anslttarts' youth, the lesson was a .lengthy one. 1 tv the afternoon of the twenty-first, however, all preparations Nore complete: quadrilles and lancers mastered; a while dress containing so many yards it hud needed two work girls to bring it home, lying, with the Inevitable satin shoes, lace handker , of, 0,,d sash, on Daphne's little customed to Pick people taking her in charge. and. Instead of n fortnight. re mained there six months. The whole some quickness of the salt air. the in termittenee of sunshine and storm, the fur-reaching Horizon, the rough. kind fisher folk. buried on hopes and en res so alien to the frivolous word in which ?he hnd trot ten her death wound?such were the influences that saved Hen rietta Vansittart. Influences that.could not bring hack the vanished joy of life. !>ul that taught her how a personal sorrow may he made io turn the wheel of unselfish activity, and remained graven on her heart long after she had returned to the visit-paying, dinner Riving, promenade-pacing existence of places like Hath and Cheltenham! "At Quernec. if we are lucky enough to find a vacant farmhouse, we shall 1?e among people poorer than our selves." So she argued with her sisters when successive fine friends had given In their schemes of companionship, wool-work and refuges. "We shall he Independent., get as much fresh air as we like to hreathe and have excellent butter with our own bread. 1 make myself responsible for so much." "The terrible thing will be !o part Tilth Tylers." said the eldest sister. Owing rather to her deafness, or to noine inherent elements of her father's genial constitution, i: was impossible to bring poor IsahcHn nearer to the realization of poverty than this?that she. Isabella Vansittart. must hence foree face the remnant of her mortal span, rice of a morning, go to rest at night, look over summer dresses in. May. over winter ono? in October, tin-, assisted by n forty-five guinea lady's maid! "I mn as ready to make sncrl-i flees as any one. I am sure, and during the summer months n seaside life f not unendurable! If only we eouhl. keep Tylers.* s "Our father's military position will be remembered in the Channel Isl ands.*' mused Miss Theodora. ''Peo ple will know who we are uud what we are. There is comfort at least In that." Filially Aunt Ilosie's project was car ried out. Ficf-de-ln-Heine. by a lucky chance, stood tenantless. the land wanting drainage, the house repairs; and l?y the time illtle Daphne. In her black frock first ran wild among the Qnernee lanes, the sisters, even the two cider ones. bad settled down with a sense of security. If not precisely of affection, to their isolated life. Never was life better fitted for de light and liberty, tlie natural creed of childhood. At Brighton every item of, maternal care had been honestly ren dered in exchange for Caotain Van sitiart's checks. Daphne was unscru pulously evivlscd twice a day. learned her letters by the '.cry newest kinder garten lights, swallowed codlivev oil after her grace at ? ?:<l:fas? tied din ner. hi.if pined a lit lie under if all! llcre itt Iji'onicc she lived in !r * ait und suii?h!ir< from morning till night Jiftt! a garden to dig in. animals to feed, it lid the secure heaven of Aunt Ilosie's indie? shining over all. A young child {wants mother's love, not professional Innternal solicitude, as Imperatively a? its lungs wants oxygen: and Daphne, wy temperament, craved for nflfectlon even more than other children of bet age. ' fllte received?she gave It back?li| amplest measure at Flef-de-la-Rclne. No further need to trust to Jean Marle'ft discrimination in the matter of feedllng* and groundsel. Daphne'* fingerit?"waxen touches" ?till?were never tired of working, m long as the i^oyk.grrltfJ0TMM flgflfr bed. * "The 21st of J?Df has tone! The greatest Joy la the world to at hand!" So her heart un| as she flew la trena il ion* excitement about the house and garden, at this moment consulting the ?old clock on the stairs, at the next the broken dial on the grasaplot. Oh. If the sun for once would mend his pace! If ?he could only feel herself on the road to Gorernment House, catch a glimpse rot the lighted windows, hear an echo of the band, to whose strains?a dif ferent partner for every waltz and lan. cers and quadrille?she meant to dance .till morning. was the last day of her childhood. ir!^oo3 b3re to pure, uumixed happi ness. Already the clock lagged, al ready the shade upon the dial moved with pace too slow for Daphne Van slttart. Kighf o'clock came, and with It the rickety Imrowlic. hired for economy at a country inn. that was to convey the ball-goers to Covcrumcnt House. Marmot autl Jcau Mario, at that period in the earliest stage of sheepish <*ourt : liip, stood together with a knot of fisher people outside the i?orch. to seo the hulios depart. The nearest approach' to full dress ever beheld by Quernee e.ves were the shorf skirts, the jackets trimmed with as many Ih>\vs as spun- i gles of itinerant beauty n't the annual fair: and a long-drawn "Ah!" burst forth from tlie lips of all when Daphne tr'ppeil forth, her face blooming as the j sunset sky that shone on it. her girlish 1 neck and arms looking white even | <*ontrnsted with the whiteness of her dress?a solitary spray of roses in her yellow hair lier only ornament. *'<*ood. honest creatures! They have never seen me dressed before." re marked Theodora Vansittart. as the barouche swung heavily into motion Theodora. not wholly uuconseious of J her charms. upright as a wand in her rejuvenated dofc-t olorcd satin, and i With Iloniton lace. ribbons anil plumes i*!?:e> crib;: hie :is a headdress. "Hut . I trust this is the beginning of n new J life. Only for me. child--only for my . taking the initiative?you might never j have dam-cd anything but barbarous j Koulungeres and r.ouriers to the end J of your days. Our poor Henrietta. I with all her sterling qualities, is so painfully wanting in munition! Now. who can tell what this very ball, your tirst introduction into the society be fitting your birth, may lead to?" It led. as a primary, to Daphne's cheeks looking paler on the following morning than they had ever lookcjl be fore in Fief-de-ln-Heine. j "Of course, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Aunt nosle,' said the girl, as she sat trifling. Miss Theodora at her side, over mi II o'clock break | fast. Daphne, who usually consumed | two or three thick slices of bread and j butter and her bowl of coffee before S j o'clock! "Still, big balls are not what j I expected. (Srowii-up partners do i waltz so out of time, and hold you ho tight, and. as to the quadrilles and lan cers. you might crush your way Uirnugh them just as well without hav ing learned a single step. Only once I found room to dance a chasser-eroi sees, and then 1 saw two of the la dies give a look at each other behind their faus. No. for real dancing the Quernec parties at Christmas are bet ter. after all." i "And Mr.. Chester, the partner you ! danced five times with, who took you ' to supper, who handed us to our car j riage." cried Miss Theodora. "If you | did not feel flattered by such ntten I lions as these, all I can say l?. you are | more difficult to please than most [ fc-lrls." j "Mr. Chester waltzed no better than j the rest," uusweretl Daphne, coolly, i "I would sootier go straight through j the Boulangerc any day than struggle , through those five stupid round dances , with Mr. Chester again." I "Mr. Chester made a very favorable impression upon my mind." said Miss Theodora, almost with a blush. "The ! young man has an unmistakable aris tocratic line of profile, and is a con I nectlon. It would seem, of the War i wickshire St a mors. 1 hesitated, at i first, when he asked my permission to | call?for, of course, with no gentleman I in the family, one cannot he too cir cumspect. Hut the moment he men tioned the Warwickshire Stumers " "To call here!" Interrupted Aunt Ilosie, brusquely. "You have given : permission to a young mail of whom we know nothing to call upon Daphne, I here, at Flof-de-la-Koine?" To be Continued. The "annual report or the Western Union Telegraph Company, just issued, shows 80,000 messages transmitted. $20,000,000 earned: net revenue.. SS, 000,000, and u surplus of $11},000.000. TO DRIVE AWAY MOSQUITOES. Galveston Man Recommends a Bed of New-Mown Hay. ? gentleman living in the city who occasionally goes Into (he country for u 'lay or two came bark from a recont trip with 11 brand new mosquito rem i edy. "You cr.n-talk about your screens on the cisterns and buy the beat bars for your bed, but I am here to tell you that there is nothing like new mown nay to keep tlie little pests from you. I have Jint been up In the country, where tht* mosquitoes are as thick ns fleas on a common rur. and after vainly trying to sleep In the house; I got up and went out onto a pile of lew hoy and slept soundly the rest ;if the nipht. I was i^ the open with out any bar or covering of ?uy Ul*d nnd not one mosquito cuine near me. "How do I account for that? Well, ?it firjt I did not know Just the rer.sor.. but after trying the experiment sev eral times I enmo to the conclusion tl.fit the mosquitoes do not like the smell of new mown hay, or any hny ft t that matter. No. I would not mi vl?;o the citizens of Galveston to buy a bale of hay apiece and spread it out on their bedroom floors for a place to Heep, but If any of thorn havo occa sion to go Into the country and arc driven out of the house by tt;e pests, let them make their bed in the hay and I'll guaranteo that they will get n refreshing night's sleep."?Galveston ttews. VKRY EXPERT. "Do you know Woodby Booth the si tor?" "Ye.*, but he'* not an actor, he's an a? robat. I saw him jump his board IV.i iuht week." SOUTHERN FARM JfOTES. TOPICS Of INTEREST TO THE PLANTER, STOCK UAH AMD TRUCK GROWER. 8oaih?ni CaltU Mu'i OppArtully. Those who have kept In touch with the great cattle business of the United States will have observed a note of dlscouragcmeut running through the writings and talks of our Northern and Western friends for the past year, and especially during tbe latter months of the year. Tbe ranges and feed lots have thrown onto an already over stocked market tbonsands upon thou sands of cattle good, bad and Indiffer ent. Tbe principal reasons for this suicidal policy have been a gradual increase of land values making the cost of beef growing through the corn belt greater, the rise In tbe price of corn, tbe staple feeding product of that section; the high price of (arm labor, and the natural teudency of mankind to follow the crowd like a flock of sheep. Whatever the rea*ou. the fact is a glutted market, with con tinually falling prices, and this lu the face of the further fact of there being ?according to our most reliable Infor mation?a less number of cattle pro duced in proportion to population than several years ago, when prices were much higher than to-day. In tbe writ er's opinion, only one result can follow this foolish scramble to knock out all present profits in cattle feeding, .and that 1$ a short supply of good cattle in the near-future, and a consequent stiff rise in prices. To-day the Southeast is not figured upon at all as a cattlc producing sec tion. Now. how could I he farmers of our sectiou display better judgment than to go "quiet*1 to work breeding really f -st-class cattle and be ready for the good prices that are sure to be paid for top cattle within the next two years. We have?or can have if we will?as good pastures as the Northern and Western stockmen can boast, can grow corn and other grain as cheaply as can our neighbors, and have right at our doors cottonseed meal, one ot the very best foods for beef produc tion. The truth is. corn silage and cottonseed meal are a hard comUina tion to beat in the feeding of beef cat tle. And then we can grow the best rough feed of any section of the coun try. Cow peas, soja hcan?. vetch, crimson clover, etc., are ?>urf for the planting. With all our natural advan tages it would seem to the writer that j there must be something wrong with us If we do not avail ourselves of tuis opportunity offered, and prepare our selves to put on the market thousands of carloads of lirst-class cattle, when the market calls for them, which it is sure to do by the time we can get them ready. And in this cotiiiceiion I want to iiiRist that the cattle must be A1 if we are to reap the reward that should be ours. No warmed up scrub steers will do. We must have good, well bred beef cattle, tfl'cnty to thirty months of age. that wiM weigh from 12Q0 to 1500 pounds. Brother farmers, is not this matter worthy of our attention along with tbe cotton and tobacco??A. I French Rockingham County, N. C. Intrnalvo I'?rii>jii~ Nrcilril. The mechanical and physical eondi tion of the soil in which the seed is planted has more bearing upon the yield than any fertilizer that may b? ' applied ,yet we are daily in receipt of letters from farmers a 1 over 11:?> country asking us to tell them what fertilizer to use. and what quantity to apply in order to obtain certain named yields of crops. *'pon most of the lands of the parties asking these questions, and. Indeed, upon most of ? 'the laud of the South, it would not be possible to secure maximum yields of crops of any kind, even though fertil iser of the highest grade was poured out in tons instead of pounds to the acre. What all the laud of this coun try most needs Is deep p.* j wing and perfect cultivation, so that all the soil is broken into fine particles to tne depth of at least twelve to eighteen inches, and that this soil so broken shall be filled with decayed vegetable matter (humus). When put into this condition the soil will hold moisture, and mainly upon the moisture content of the soil depends Its ability to dis J solve and make available the plant food naturally contained in it. and j that which may be supplied in the ; form of manure or fertilizer, and upon I this ability depends the crop yield, as all plant food is taken up by plants In liquid form alone. Without an abuiuldnt supply of labor and teams It Is impossible to do tills full justice to the soil over a large area of land, but a smaller area may be so handled, and If so handled, j iay be tnade to yield as much as the larger area would do imperfectly prepared and the sub sequent cultivation and harvesting of the increased crop cost but little if any more than a small yield on the same area. With such a backward season as the present one and with the scarcity of laboi common all over the KouNi. it h <>s*rnMal if profit Is to be made, that intensive and not ex tensive farming sbou'd bo done. The first step in this system ir. deep aud thorough preparation of the soil. Con m rtoa* Fact*:. There seem to be a growing dl*p<v. sitlon on the pnrf of our farmer* to abandon the production of corn and wheat for tobacco, or what they c.i.l truck farming, strangely enough on the ground that the latter pays tin n better because labor is so scarce and unsatisfactory. Now. the tobacco grower and trucker both much more and better skilled labor than the corn and wheat grower, and whil ? it is indisputable that an acre of gov.ral other kinds of crops uia.i yield ami,, revenue than one planted in cort or wheat, are the latter not prime neces sities. and it their cultivation is aban doned, how are they to be supplied? If the farmer has labor and capital enough to produce both the ,struck?" and the cereals, this maj be we I. but tin ground upon which the -tru? ks' I are advocated Is the scarcity of I.'h.ir and .ipltal, and therefore it I* ? ? <tl poiic; to make most revenue from ?' ?? I acreage in cultivation. ?ven wic: he ! wl ! have to use the money or a it part ..f it to l.uy " food for bis I ,. bold and stock at tin most exorin" it rates, even if he ??an grk i* nt al'. annual rcpo;t befi re ns r.iOv| wisely :im voeatcs the production of in.nv < n instead of 1 ?ss. I ulcus: Pi acii ? !> an.t make as much corn on n a i ,<s possible com .stent with pr. per ? -ii omy ( is we have heard of ><r?io \ ? ry largr- yields in t oinpetilive trials < ?-t ing more in fertilizer and labor ? urn they were wort III, but every Yir:. . ..? farmer should rank the p: idm-tion of corn as the prime facior in agr tural succ?Kf.?P. S. Hunter. Vir/i:. a. Tho Nutrition* P?;inut*. The Savannah Sews prints the f<v.. lowing about the peanut: There is good reason for the large*! cultivation of this excellent nut. From all accounts the supply does-- :?t equal the denvunl. and prices .ire bound to rule at a tlgnre that Will make their cultivation profitable. The peanut is richer in ii.od e!?v ments than lean beef. It has twi-.'ty five per cent of protein, where b-ei has only fifteen per cent. As an oil producer it comes sc? ml te the eoconnut. lVanut butter i< becoming a v< ry popular article of food. It is said to possess great merit, am! for the follow ing reasons: It does no; absorb of fensive odors. It withstands .. mudi higher temperature without mclt.ng than ordinary butter. h is a long time before it become* ram-id when it Is tundi* pure. A recent analysis i>y I'rof. At water shows the butter 10 have the following composition: Water 1 Protein Fat ?" Carbohydrates iT.I Ash ".'i , It will be s-en that pool old f -li inned CJeorgla ? orn pone we!' bn.l ? -d with peanut bntt"i* would -.i; e r' life a goad Jong time. ('nMm on l!or<cf.' Fnlon City. Teim. -I have a hv.*e that lias a bad corn in bis front f.> ?!. and at times ii makes him .ji-ile * There is a red place in bis b<*i I and when cut into it bleeds and eac'i i'liie be is shod be go.- lame for few ?' :y>. I am anxious to gi t him cured a ml would be grateful if you eeuld s"g..* *t a remedy tliroiigb the columns o. Southern,Agriculturist -11. T. Answer.?1'einove tin* sin .. from :!.<? foot and have the corn pat oil ott' '? fully by a good blacksmith. A", "id drawing any blood if as ??? it will make the place sow. Soak !iis foot in a bucket of cold water for half an hour once a day until all the .sere liess has left tin" foot. Then have'I. in shod as follows. Have your bl.-n-k smith make a bar shoe which will '!:s tribute the weight on the frog as well us over the wall of llio foot. For half an Inch on each side of the corn tr in the foot so that it docs not rest o:i or touch the shoe. Change bis shoes once a month. There is more in preven tion of corns by proper shoeing than there is in the treatment after fhey have once developed. By following the above instructions in regard to shoeing your horse should go riloiig aud give you very satisfactory service. Sorghum Hecri For Poultry. It Is not always convenient to pr<v cure a supply of cane sorghum seed, but in some localities It Is as common as corn. It makes a good poultry food, stimulating egg production and adds variety to the daily ration.?Commer cial Poultry. A Preliminary. Lniul intended to be planted in strawberries should be plowed ami J worked so ns to encouragc germina tion of weed seeds. Minor Events. The automobllists' own book Is forthcoming. It It* entitled, "Tho Com plete Mortorlst," and has been pre pared by A. B. Fllson, one of the most i enthusiastic and accomplished young j drivers of puff-snorters In England, j Kudyard Kipling has contrlbute<l one : chapter, and there Is another from the | pen of C. N. Williamson, part author I of that remarkably successful automo bile romance, "Tho Lightning Conduc tor." Recent Investigations upon the nub fect by life insurance exports in Great Britain and tho United States show that total abstainers have a much higher chance of life than the moderate drinkers have. Between 20 and 30 tho number of deaths is 11 per cent; between 40 and 50 it is 14 per cent; between 50 and CO It Is 415 per cent, and from 60 on tho per cent hge gradually decreases. The fair In toforenco is that under 50 tho weak ling drinkers 'are mostly killed off, leaving only thorfe with oxcoptlonally ?trout ohjralauo. Odds and End*. Tho London County Council, cording to the Ixnulon News, iti i?-< official explanation of 22 Til'job.'iiii ?; Kond, W. C., as the birthplace of 1) ? rati I, makes the following utatem wr. which, though all right, mhiN a IU'l? queerly at llrst sight: "Benjamin wan horn on December 21, 1804, and unions his mother was away from homo nt (ho time, this event must have ?a!cr:> place at tho bouse In question." The Japanese Alpine Club, which is the oldest in tho world. Is aJso a reli gious society, and the ascents acconi* pllBhed by its members aro preluded by a prayer which runs: "May our hearts be pnro, and may tho weather on tho honorable peak be fine." In London, the othor day, Antoinette Ambrose, a little girl of six, fell si* stories, a dlstaoco of ninety-five C??l. She was caught by ? clothes lino, bounced high/ and fell to the ground. She sustained no Injury whatever. It was no worse, she said, than Call Ink out ?i,be4.