Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

The insovery of the .manmmoth, The banlks of that great Noithern Si berian River, the Lena, are quite peou. liar. Those on the western side are generally low and marshy, while those on the eastern are often from 60 to 100 feet in bight. In the extreme north, this high elevation is out into numerous pyranidal-shaped wounds, which are - formed of layers of earth and ice-some times a clear stratum of the latter many feet in thickness. It was before such a mound that a fisherman stopped, dumb with astonish. ment, one Spring morning. many years ago. About 80 feet above him, half-way up the face of the mpund, appeared the section of a great ice-layer, from which the water wits flowing in numberless streams; while protruding from it, and partly hanging over, was an animal of such large proportions that the simple fishermau could hardly believe hiseyes. Two gigantic horns or tusks wore visible, and a great woolly body was faintly out line in the.blue, icy mass. In the Fall, ie related the story to his comrades up the river, and the coming spring, with a party of his fellow fishermen, he again visited the spot. A year had worked wonders. The great mass had thawed out sufficiently to show the natui o, and on closer inspection proved to be a well preserved i-pecimen of one of those gi, gantie extinct hairy elephants that roamed over the northern parts of Eu. rope aud America in the caraier ages ol the world. '1he budy wasstill toolirmly frozen t. peimit of romoval. For fom successive years the fishermen visitet it, uutiil finally, in March, 1804, fiv< years alter its original discovery, it roku away irom its ioy bed and come thundering down upon the sands boow, The discoverois tirbt dotached the tuske that wore nine feet six inches in longth, and together weighed 300 tiounds. . The hide, covered with wool and haff, was more than 20 men could lift. Part of this, with the tusks, were taken to Ja kutsk and soli for 50 roubles, while t:10 rest of the aiiatl was left where it foil, and cut up at various times 08by the Ja. koutes, who led their dogs with its flosh. A strange feast, this troy--meat that had begn irozon solid in ihLo iCo hou1ool Naturo perhalps 50,000 years, more or less; but so %ell wits it preserved that, when the brain was attoiward compared with a recently killed animal, no differ. once in the tissues could bo detected. Two yeam atter tho animal had lalloil from the CLi, the news reached St., Puterstburg, antd the Museum of Naturad History sunt a seiontit, to secure tht specinion and purchaetu it for the Em peror. li found the natssivo skeletor entn-e, with the exception of one fore leg. '[hie tuasks were repurchased at Jakutsk, ant1d the great franio wis takeui to bt. 'etersburg aud thero mounted. liroihker's wilre's Side. He wandered into the Mayor's ofice, an, vualking slowly up to a desk, asked timidly if his Jolor was engagett, "W'hat is your business, asked the clerk. "Well, you a co, I'd like to speak pri vately to the 1ayor. It's a fimily af fair." "Relative to his Honor's?" 'Nuo. It's about ay fiamily. A per sonal mnatter--you naerstanta?" "Well, hao is enigageud just at present. You tare sure .t u ill tu do n.a well?" "Ycu night. Thait is, naow; but I inust, st~o his lionor hater. 1-I wanat to get matrried,"' said the visitor, blushing tothe roots of hits haair, and inteutly stuidyiing hsis boots. "VYe;y well. Usaing around the una fortunate femaloI," staid the lerk, "You don't expect to get tuatrriedl withot having the bride on (leek do you?" "'Oh, no," staid the visitor, "but I wanst to settlo a questioni thaat's bother ing me, first, i thought, the Mayor might give nto a lhttle adv ice about it, and thaen if every thing is till right .i'll see haim latter." "Wo~Vll, supposo you make mie your advisor, ta~i see the Matyor whoua you have the gha I ailonag," stid theoch rk. '"But the Ahatyor' is so good at. giving advice,' suaid the visitor, \iesitatinug. "Well, I guess 30ou can fell mnc whit to do. You sco thu gil .1 wanat to maurry is ia relitive a0t tiuami." "Vry had pactico to marry rela with a tlighuty brood of kids." ''Tt s ' hiat I've been told," said the visitor. "Lut I think a haap a~ that girl. She's just 11)y style down to hier boots." "1 dona't donubt it," saidl the clerk. "Bui~t I shoulid strongly audviso you to breaft lhel enaga.neaaut at luco. I've haad terrble ricauits tulbowinig initor. xnarriagts ii huisiaea Yin tauay hiave a lot oh eaaldie o.1itildy it to lire out to the dila0 natasl-una, or wojise still, out ad out * deua I've ha aid so," saidt tho visitor. But at' ainlui liariti tO giao that gil upl. You 1-o I (only tanet heur a niuoith aige, and1( we hive been enagedt three weeks at. that.." "Only met her a month ago'g" asked the eni rk. 'I thought you said she was a reltivo." "Bo shoc is." said t'he vasitt r, backing towtardts the door. "Shae's any co~usinaona my brothier's utiae's iide," tbut lie dodgedd the iaikstanid successfully and escaped. J'uit You Tta'ouagh. The mran with the patent (ire eseanpe,pai ent applied ior, is to be encoumaered on every corner. Bom~e of them hiave a rvoot ted rope, othera a canvas tube, amid othe~rs yea a ropec laddler worke.d bay a crane or a pulley ind 'loi'k. E3 ach one la waarraant d to sauve every body hum the i-ixtha story In time of firo withI the ula at pbomaptnesa said espaa chi, and withaout even a bru-se on the slhiand~ the Cost is a incre nothing On 111ush1 street tiere is a curpenter shop on the tirst doior of an (11( honse. The cardtnuer occuples only the first floor,while the garret, Is emtipty, A lire escape mian dlropped around thecro the other day ' tnd pohited cut the datngersa of a holocaust in stuch graphic langtuage th it the carpenter cotuld auimost feel blis ters risting tap on the bacik of late hands. H~e realized thme need of a (Ire cecape, atnd he laid down huis saw and paid1( a call on the owner (of the place saml asked haim to have a hole cut through the floor said roof and a rope ladder put Ia. "Let's see," mustecd the owner, "How '5.large is the room you occupy ?' "About 14 feet square." "And you work '.here alone?'' ^'Yes." "Ho0w many windowsl" "tAnd double doort?' "Yes.'' "Well, of course, I don't want you to burn up in there," observeed the owner; "bat I. wIsh you would do mec a favor. In '-7 case of at fire I wIsh you would'open the 8 wmndowe and the double dlotrs and see it you can,'t possibly exueeze yourself out far enoug~h for some ouitsider to catch hold of your hair and pull you through," Foreign Trade In Dreadstuffs The report of the foreign trade in breadstuffs for December tends to strengthen the opinion that an import. ant change Is in progress in the method of marketing the wheat crop. We used to export more of the natural grain, but lately the exports of flour have grown astonishhigly and promise' to soon take first place. Titus, last month the exports of wheat show a decrease (170,000 bushels) compared withethe same nionth of the previous year. But the exports of flour show the notable increase, comparing the same periods, of 627,520 barrels, or the equivalent of nearly 8,000.000 bushols. The total was 1,031,875 barrels, and the value $6,376,163, being an increase of about 84,000,000. For the O..ical year 1807-8 the exports were a little over 2,000,000 barrels. In eight years the trade dou bled, and in five years more it doubled again, boig nearly 8,000,000 barrels for the fiscal year 1880-81. For the first five moinths of the current yoar the noyevago per month was over 700, 000 barrels, For the year a total of 10,00e,000 barrels is a safe estimate, or over $60,000,000 in value. Much of this increase is due to the excellence of the p oduot, which in turn is traceable to the superiority of the grain. Very little of the Spring wheat of the North west goes abroad. Tho Minneapolis millors mon.opolize it, and, with power as eheap as unfailing water, they grind flour as high in quality as, compara tively, low in price. The processes, too, have improved. Eleotricity is used to purify the meal, and the grain is crushed betwoon rollers instead of ground between the old-fashioned stones. So, while wheat sells for less than it brought two or three years ago, our flour is worth nearly 50 conts more per barrel on thO average. The growth of a direct trado betwoon the interior and foreign countries is another elo mont in this ht. Flour now goes direct from Minneapolis to Liverpool or London. The English dealers buy from American millers. Thus, thero is a saving of two or throo commissions. And, though it is strange, it is true that it costa very little- moro to send such freight across the ocean and half across the (Coitilent than it does to place it at the seal)ort. Other items of breadstuLti show little chango. TLe. total value was $i7.086.041, against $13,806.400, showimg that but for the increase in flour there would havo been an unfavorablo coInpaiison with 1882. Tho Ir iruusa 1,0 of flunidha, A few steps brought us to the chief temple. Before it stood, Furrounded by a railiing, thte tree concerning which Abbe Huoe tells us that its leaves bear the natural impress of Buddhia's like nmess and of the Tibethiaii alphabet. We sought in vain for iuch p~heinmen e, Neither imago nor letters. but a wag *gtln smile) playinig airound the corner of the mouth of the elderly priiest Ca. cortinig us8. In answer to our iinquiries ho informied us that, a long time ago, the tree really p~rodclied leaves wvith Buddha's finage, but thmat at present the miracle was of rare occurrence. A fewv God favored men alone were privileged to discover such leaves. The last so favor'ed was a pious Mandarin, whoe visitedt the monastery seven eor eight years ago. Next day Count Szecheiyi succeeded in finding a leaf on which a rude likeness of Buddha hadl been etchedl, probaibly witlh some acid. The llamias allow no one to lucik 'leaves or blossoms from the tree, and the leaves that fall are carefullyv colleoted'and sold to the pilgi ims as a specillo against, affections of the laryinx. Thie tree belongs to tile Oieneau, and I believe it to be Syringat L (white lilac), which ill all probaibility reached Europe originally fromn China.1 A Litt to stow. "Condciuctor I" excimied an elderly gcntleinan, looking up fromn the Bible h1e had been anxiously pouring over for somen minutes, "OUniductor, I can't indl anythmig about this train in the bcript urea. Whore is it? show it to "What did you expecct to find about it?" growled the conductor. 'IEn't there somethiing about it here somewhere.?" aked the old man, leokimur up innocently. "Isn't your time table here eithiei?" and he fumbled over tho loaves, andi appeared puizzled about the thing. "Of couriso it isn't," responded the conductor, "That Bible all happened eighteen hundred years ago." "And we must have started just be. fore it was out?" mused the old gentle man, putting the book back in the mack. ''Perhaps there's something about it, in the revised edition; got a revised cdi tin. The Largest Cathediralis. Sonmc patient German has collected statistics of the capacity of the wvorld's largest houses of worship. First on lis list, of course, appears St. Peter's at Rome, which io cuapable of containing 54,000 peoplo. Next comes Milan catthedral, withi 37,000 ; then St. Paul's, in Rome, with 8'2,000l ; Cologne, with 30,000 ; St. P'aut's, in Londlon, and the Church of St. Petronius, in Bologna; wnth 25,000 each ; the Mophia miosque, inConwstantinople, with 23,000 ; St. yohn's Lateran, at Rome, with 23,000 ; St. Stephen's, In Vienna, and the cathedral in Pisa, 12,000 each ; St. Domii, in Bologna, 11,400 ; the Frauenkenkircho, in Munich, 11,000 and San Marco, in Venice, 7,000. St. Patrick's Cathedral in Now York city is given a capacity of 18.000. -A Bridgeport, Conn., mah set a trap for eats and canaht a poozi n. AGRIOULTURES Tunanie As A FAut O P.---Very fe% o! the farmers of this country appreciate the value of turnips as a farm crop. Some 'chemists estimate them to contain ninety live per cen.. of water, leaving only five per cent.' of flesh fcrming material; and out of.thiA.small portion they deduct a por tion as woody fibre, only good to help fill up:the stomach of an. animal, I am not prepared to dispute the correctness of this analysis, but I do take issue with the con clusions that turnips have no greater value as food than inay be ludicated by the chemists' figures. Turnips have possibly a mechanical value, as they may .aid in the digestion of more concentrated food, such as corn meal, when fed with it. Per haps the fault Is to be found in the fact that the 95 per cent. of water is put down as worthless. In the economy of nature this very water may prove of more Impor lce than has beeti ascribed to it. I have found that raw turnips will not only sus tain life, but cause hogs to thrive when fed notiing else. I do not mean when fed a large quantity, but an amdunt,which according to the chemists' tables, would be such a small per cent. of the actual food that starvation would be expected. Sheep and cattle will fatten on them, with very little hay. The credit cannot be put d2wn to the bay, but must be carried over to the turnips. Ir I understand the British sys tem of n aking mutton, It is mainly, and sometimes entirely, by the use of turnips. The sheep are confined by hurdles on the turnips, where they help themselves, until the crop within the incbosure is exhausted, when they are moved to a fresh lot. Know Ing the real value of turnips, and how ea sily they may be converted Into meat, why should not the American farmer avail him. self of the opportunity, and not rely so ex clusivo'y upon coral Every farmer should have a turnip patch, the larger the better. The crop can always be made supplemen tary to another on the farm, and is so much clear gain. WE have made the trojecting wood work of his stall distasteful to a mostly idle gnawing horse by painting it over twice with coal tar. A correspondent of the Farmer's Advocate says one thorough saturation with kerosene "producea a permanent cure," and the same saved his halter from the destructive teeth of the restless anhi.al. This is less costly and troublesone than the cover of sheet iron, or use of the muzzle, usually recommen. ded for such cases. FARMince, for self improvement, need to awake 1o their resp3nsibility as men; they need cultivation, interests, care, order and zeal for the welfare of their fellow beings. The intellectual lacultiep, the emotions, affect-ions,'and desires, the will, that con stitute immortality,must be honored as the broadcast and highest of man as mvi. A tarmer must not be a machine. THiE close housing of sheep Is about in order, and many shepLerds, who are care ful not to expose their flucks to the rains ana snow are doing something whichr is perhaps worse, by Jetting the manure ac cutiulate in the houses. Cleanliness is an essential element In the management of any kind of live stock, but the filth ana the heat arising from manure are certaiuly injurious to sheep, they being naturally a cleanly class ot stock. THE Baldwini among ap~ples, the Bartlett and1( Duchess among pears andi the Wilson among strawbe rrica have for twenty years or miore held first place in the fruit lists of tihe North l ya profnt. Their haridiesa a' d umr1 oran producitivenecss gi ve t hem i hIs peC enlinence. 'I hcre are better fruits in their several clatses than eitber of thiese, but ia remiains to be seen whether they possess the other qualirications for poptilarity. Tun peachplow pointo, in the luinltedl proportlion that this kind is now planltedI, sas been uz:usually successful this season. The weather in New York State. particii larly bad for nearly every other kind, has been suited to the peachiblow. WVhile other potatoes dritd up and died in 'he suminer diouth, the peacblow 1 eld on and was ready to make a growth of tubers alter fall rains caime. THE average of an~lyses that we have seen, does not show milk from Jersev cowvs io be poorer' in checsy nattier (c:as ehbe) than' the averaue of other milk. Ii is simply richer in cream. Only 8 pouncis of it are requuired to make a p'und ol cheese, when it rt quires ten pounds fromi other cows-ao mucht does the excess ot cream count in the weight of cheese. "This has been pioved at the factories. YIoETABlas, hike grain, senm to pass through a bwweating process wh'in phiie'u in, a heap, which guides those storirg i i ee' in laige quantities to lie cateful of the. tenm perature of the cellars andl storehouses in whic(h ihey are t'ept. Trheo need not only a temiperstyre suitable, but also more or less Ventilation in the heap. IN manuring fruit ies the cherry should ReceiveS a lghter application than nio4 either kinds, it is not benftted by much stable mianure, but can be top dressed with ashes or atn~thing containing potadh. almiost without stint. All stone fruits, especially those that are acid, need liberal doses of potash. itANoE county, N. Y., farmers say that the cow nas LL eni more prothable with themi than the fast horse. A very few fast trot. ters have brougat much money into the county, but haa usually gone to second hand buy era rather than growers of the stock. Thle good dairy cow buought her income into the pocket of .he farmer. THE Richmond, Ya,,Souern Planter says~ There is no mnean, no proci titean, itandard that can be dtchared off hand uipplicable to a speciat soil. birletly speak lug, inch particular case demand a new aznliais. One field may plodiuce a fbrage livo tines nore nuiritive than another." A aw white pot1ato called( Duke of Al h~any is becoming very popular in Englandi but thme rule does not woik both ways, as A miericans who have plantedl importedl see have foundl to their cost, Fowis need gravel, oyster shells andl some green food. Whieii in coinfinement these substances should not t'o overlooked. A head of cabhage, or an onion or two will always be highly relished. SonoHUM seed 01 the amnber cane varie ty is sold readlily at 65 cents per bushel, andi at this price it will pay all expenses ot the crop. It weighs nearly or quite sixty pounds per bushel. EonT rhells are caused by a deficiency of lime. Oyster shells are composed of car bonate of lime, and serve as "grit'' in grinding the food as well as for mnaterial for forming the shell. STOP the cracks and holes in the stables, whether made of boards or straw, and savel pain to your animals and money for your-1 melt.I DOMESTIC, WORTH KNOwING.- Oolds atid sore throats are now prevailing to a very ide extent, particulary among child. ren. Diptheria is also quite common iu many places, and physicians report -onlshtera) e general sickness. In the ace of these facts too much precaution annot be exercised at the beginning of winter to avoid what may easily become ) dangerous and protracted illness. In regard to that fatal disease, diphthe:1a, the Philadelphia Record contamed the rollowing editorially. We can fully en dorse this remedy, because we know of its virtue: "A gentlemai residing in the northern part of the city, whose two little daughters were dying of diphther. La, saw in the Record of that day a com mumication commending the use of imlphur In oases of diphtheria. As a last resort he made a trial of it, using washed flowers of sulphur and applying it directly to the membraneous growths In throats of the children by means of a oommon clay pipe. The effect was al most magical. Within two hours there was complete relief, and in two days the children, who had been given up by their physician, had completely recover ed. While it is not reasonable to rely entirely upon sulphur in the ills that besot chiklhood, it is doubtful if there has ever been a proper recognition of its value as a destroyer of morbid or fungus mombraneous growths in cases of a diphthiuio type. Distilled or sub limed sulphur, known as flowers of sul phur, should be used, not the powdered crude sulphur." EmuownRy in gold and silver is not very satisfactory, as it soon tarnishes; still, it is oftou used in fashionable work for table-borders, chair-strips and lam brequins. To work well in such mater ial the foundation, which should be of velvt, is stretched on a frame, and the design is drawa upon it in white chalk, Little pieces of parchment are needed to till up the raised portions, and are basted into the required positions. A stiletto is needed to make small holes in the material through whfch the gold and silver thread can be passed, and a large-eyed needle is necessary for con voyig it, hnd the stitches are passed over the padding which has been already arranged in position. It is extremely difficult to work in bullion; the least moisture in the hands of the worker tarnishes the gold, and the work must be perfectly smooth and even or the effect will be spoiled. FRUIT PUDDING FOl WINTER.--Take sour cream and saleratus enough to sweeten it, add a pinch of salt, and mix thick enough for biscuit. 1oll out thin, aLd Lpread any kind of fruit that has been canned, omitting the juice, or preserves, or marmalade, or dried fruit that has been soaked, and stowed and cooled betoro. Roll the crust up care fully so that the fruit will not drop out, close up the ends, and lay it on a white towel tiiat has been wrung out of scald ing-hot water and floured. Pin the to" el looso y around the pudding, leav ing plonty of spaea for it to swell, then put it in a kettle of boiling water, with a Plato at the bottom. Keep boiling constantly until done. EMBOIDRYON YELVET.-The finest emnbauoery upon velvet is applique work. The pattern is cut out in the in rterial, winch has first been backed with coarse linen and stretched on a framen. The designs or patterns timas rnu out are pasted upon a silk founda 01n andareo0ut~lied by laying two lines ogodhraorpurse silix round thie edlges, and~ securing them as in souchia~g, while such stems and tendrils us may bie included in them are worked tu gold bullion, the centre of the flow. irs and buds being in French knot made in sulks or illosello, while the veins of the leaves and other portions 01 tue dooign are a long ssatin-stitchu in fIl. )sello e.r floss silks. RIEBEI CORN BREAD.-Take two cups f homniy, boiled bolt; while hot, nnux Ln a large sp~oontul of butter, Beat four :ggs very light andi stir imto the hiommny Lthen add, gradually, one pint of nulk. Lastly autt half a pint of corn meal, l'he batter should be about the consis tency of: a zicli boika:d custard. Bake with a strong heat at the bottom of tue von antd not too much at the top, in arder to accelorate risiig, The pan should be decep enough to give space ior Lnb mg. .iN making corn bread much depends Lupon the kind of meal used, If it is stale tue bread will necessarily be inns by and niit for use. The meal used at Lno Souath is always ireshily ground, tromt "dint c'>rn," which corn is planted expressly ior the purpose of being yoiund into hominy anid meal. It is very white and sweet, and a great im proveinent on the "indian meal,'' which siout c'ouxs use for corn-bread. YELVET CREA.--Two taolespoonfuls >f geuatiane, dissolved in half a tumbler f waiter; one pint of rich cream; four tablespooniuls of sugar, flavor with aherry, vanilla extract or rose-water, Put in mnoulds and set on the ice, Thise s a delicious dessert, and can be made a a ew minutes. It may be served with or without cream, Mrrx BnEAD-This may be made in this manner, The milk should be scalded and then cooled, as this keeps Lhe bread sweet, The more bread is tueadedt the better, but always until it *s smooth. Use no more than a dust of tour on the board, as much flour worked n that has not been impregnated with he yenst makes the bread dry and 4ughi. .BREBAEFAST WAFFLEs,-After break ast stnr into the hioinny that is left one easpoonful of butter and a little su~t. eot it aside, The next morning thin it vith mdlk and add two eggs, beaten veIl. Stir in flour enough to make the -ught consistency, and bake in wafile ions. A Nmw frame for small mirrors and ietures has the top and left side about mne-htalf the width of the bottom and ighit side, It is covered with plush, ad a small owl placed on a perch or iaments the uppe)Lr right-hand corner, SOUTHERN JissouIT.--Two cups of self ismng flour, one spoonful of lard; mix vith warm milk; knead into soit dough, arid roll; 3ut with biscuit-cutter and )rick each with a straw, Cook in a hot >von ten minutes. PALME 'ro FLANNEL CAKES,.-One pint af buttermilk, two well-beaten eggs, tour enough to make a stiff batter-the tour to be mnixcd, half wheat and half sorn flour. Put a spoonful of sea-foam nto the flour and cook on a griddle. LUATBA 1.dunting is a new art, and can ye appded to ever y l abrio form velvet *o linen and also to wood and the var ou~s articles made of terra-cotta, flUMOBOUS. TuanE is quite a good joke now going the rounds down at Vallejo. A young lady visiting there is quite sweet on a certain young journalist. One morning the pair started out for a long ramble over in the Contra Costa hills. Being gone all day they returned in the even ing completely worn out and fatigued. The young lady and gentleman were met by a party of their friends soon after their return, and were asked as to what kind of a time they had. 140w, the young lady has a very unhandy hab it of proving any assertion she may make by appeiling to any triend that 4he happens to lavo with her at the time. tio, as usual, away she went, and answered the inquiry as follows: "Oh, we had a flue time. But climbing over rooks and bushes has made me black and blue all over, hasn't it, George?" (appealing to the young man who had gone out with her). - George said em phatically that he'd be hangrd it he know aJ)ythiug about it, and now that young couple got no rest from the chaf fing of their friends. MIR. ISAACS and Mr. Blumenthal kept rival clothing stores on the Bowery, within a few doors of each other. Mr. Isaacs was always to be found with his head out of the door, soliciting custom from the verdant passer-by. Mr Blum enthal objected to this shoddy manner of doing business, having found that the watchful Isaacs had captured several ol his customers, and one day he went up to Isaacs and said: "Look here, Mr. Isaaoa, vy don't you keep your ugly face imuide? You might potter get a jaokass to stand py to dobr. He vould p a pig improvement." "Vy," said Isaacs, "I did try dot vonce, und all do people as dey pass py say to him: "Good day, Mr IBlumenthal; I see you've moved." A MAWER of selection: Charles Lover tells of an Irishman who, while a wheel of a stage coach ivas passing over him, cried out, 'What's this for?" We know of an Arkansaw man who was equally self-possessed. While standing in a sa. loon, where a party of convivialists had gathered, a pistol belonging to one oc the party was accidentally discharged, The Arkansa,% man fell, shot througl the body. "Blamed If I understand this I" he exclaimed. "Why the devil that pistol should select me when oldei men are present is beyond my mnenta: research." BOTANICAL: "Ol, Mr. Jonea," ex claimed Miss Liunmu, "I heard yor talking to pa about plants, and I do ac want to talk to you; for, you know, ] dote on botany. I like all . kinds o plants and flowers, as of course you do, too, Mr. Jones; but what varieties o; plants are you 1,articnlarly interestec in?" "The plants which I am most in, tArested in," replied Mr. Jones, with E smile, "are railroad and factory plants.' Miss Linnanus looked mystifted for a moment, but soon brightened up, re ma king: "I guess we haven't got so fai as that yet You know we only took ut botany this term. What a lot thero it to learn I" SoiiE important statistics: At the law meeting of the Lime-Kiln Club the com, mittee on fisheries reported the close o: the season and were dlischarged. The chairman submitted the following sta tisties: Number of person, who wveni fishing on Sunday during the last fisala year, b96,451; number of fish caught by said wicked sinners, 250; number oi ih lies told in the past year, 6,000,000. 000; greatest State in the Union for tisL iles, Georgia. The committee furthec, reported that it was their solemn belief1 founded upon the result of a series oi experiments, that there is twice as mnuch fun hooking harvest apples on a moon. light night use there is sitting on a wvet log on Sunday alternoon. ACKNOwnBDGED, the soft impeachment: "You miusat't touch the top of the baby's head," said a mother to her hit~tle four year-old, "she hasa a soft spot there that is very tender." Tne youngster gazed at it curiously for a moment, and then asked: "Du all ibaies have soft spots on their hieaids?" "Yes." "Did paups have a soft spot on the top of his head wihen he was a baby ?" "Yes,"-replied the mother, with a sigh, "and lie han got it yet.' And the old man. who hiad overheard the conversa'ionu from an ad. Joining room, sang out: "Yes, inde'ed lne has, nmy dlear boy, or he would be i single man to-day." SoIENTIFlo: Mr. J, ,J, H. Gregor) says that an acre of land may con tail six tons of worms. So it may; but ii Mr. Gregory ever tried to dig a box oi bait on ien moinutes' nlotice of an invita. tion to go fishing in a dry time ho knowa it don't. A man, In Oregon has invented a way t0 eaily remove sand out of a river. i remnovet 22, 000 cubte yards at ai cost of $1,000, while by dreCdking the cost would have been 10,000. The process is to load, a steamer by the stern, anchor hter head up stream, and then Jet her turn her pro. peller. This loosens the sad, which a carrIed away by the current. A eteamet in that way deepened the chiannel of the( Columbia Rivet' eighteen feet, by a width of seventy-five teet it twenty inutes, ,Shop W zndows.-A prominent G3ermnan paper recommetnds a remtedy for an evi] which shopkeepers and houseckeepers have I mng experienced-namely, the fading or bleachuig of many kinds of coloredl arti cles when exposed to the lghtt through windows Tr'e authority quoted says that this facing or beaching is t:roughit about, only by the whide rays of thte sun's light, and, when It occura,it sh ows that the glass is more or less pettucily colorless. It is found, that if, mnstecd oi sucht colorless glass, the window panes conslst of glass which Is s~igtly yecllow, the blerchmng or fading process 1s prev~ented. Whlere ithe glass Is colorless and cannot be replaced by slightly yellowish tinted glass, the desired elfect mnay,ut, issaid,be produced b~y simply giving the panes a co-st of copai varnIsh. Timber. -Timber, tmnder certolIn condi tions, as perhaps as mcrombustible as any builldmg~ material thait could be namned. It Is only when wood is soft and cutt up mnte slices that it ce.'lly ignites; the harder kinds obdurately resist the action of hteat or flame, and, when used It considerablie ttlickness, the only a ifect produ~ced by lire is the charring of the surface. AIltm and FIr'e.-lt has been found that water staturaed with alum Is rematrk. ably effcient In extinguishing fires. This propecriy is supposed to be (dute to the coat ing it gives to the otbjects wvet with it, Iwhich prevents contact vwith the oxygen of Ithe air. and thus retaros cotmbuistlon, it Is reported that, as ant e.xperitment, French firemen arc to bie quito extensively sup. pilied with mestramtents for throwing such solutions nf' alum, Peddles's From Etery Lan, Rustic visitors to New York and cor respondents of bucolic newsapeprs won - der, among other-thitigs, how so many pedd ers and street. merchants make a iv ithe nietropolis. The peddlers are scattered through the city, but they have favorite loealities, where travel in heaviest. Fulton street is lined with venders of every imaginable device for catching a few pennies. Sixth avenue at times is enlivened by the presence of scores of small tradesmen. During the holiday. season Grand street was a fa forite rendezvous for these enterprising dealers, but this year the authorities In. terfered, and there was a general exodus from that thoroughfare. "Where do you people buy your goods?" asked a reporter a few das ago of an alfresco tradesman on Halton street. "I deals in several blaces," he said. "Iges my knifes in vin blace und sus penders in anoder,,und so on." "Are there not men who make a budi ness of supplying peddlers with stook?' "Yah. I knows van in Orchard streed, a leetle above Ganal. After ascertaining the name of the Orchard street man, the reporter called upon him, He occupies an old-fashion ed, two-story wooden hodse. Upon the shelves of the store was a varied assort meut of giood', manost of them in paste board boxets. "YesgI iipply peddlers," replied a courteous, pleasant-faced man, in reply to the inquirer's question. "How long have you been in the busi ness?" "This stand has been established for fifteen yeams. I have had it for about live years." "What do )ou sell to peddlers?" "Oh," replied the merchant, slowly, loaniug upon the well-worn counter and looking around him. "no end of things. My specialties are jewelry, combs, col lar-buttous and thlugs of that class; what are commonly known as fancy no tions. Just before Christmas I have ornaments for Christmas trees. I have quite a stock of .them still on hand, for tue city ollicials drove away a groat many of my customers from Grand btreet. That used to be a fine neigh borhood for street peddlers." "What are those things that look like garters?" asked the reporter. "They are sleeve-holders. I sell mirrors,. suspenders, shoulder-braces, button-hooks, fancy soaps, blacking, brushes, paper collars, aud at this time of year, a low toys." Is your custom mostly in New York?" "A fair proportion of it; but not all by any means. Dozens of men who travel through the State buy from me. They do a great deal of advertising by recom mending othe! peddlers to come to ome." "How much stock do the country' peddlers carry?" . "Some of them as much as $500 worth." "That is a great deal for a man to carry on his back?" . "Well, you see, much of their stock is Jewelry, which does not take up much room." "Do the country men come here every tune they wish their stock replen isheti?" "Oh, no, I send the goods wherever the customers direct.". "Do you sell fur cash?" ."Mostly. Although I have' accounts with a few men." "What percentage do peddlers make on their mnvestments?" "it varies Irom 10 to 25 per cent," "Some of the city pedalers have stands of considerable extout. They must pos sess a respctable capital?" "It is common for a man to have $1,00~0 or $2,000 in his trade. But peduling - is not wvh't it used to be in this coutry." "WVhy not?'' "Wl0 s many greenhorns have gone mnt' it. T1hey are Polisih, Russian and lHungarian Jews mostly . They have no families to support, as a rule, and-live so cheaply that, they can save money on a very small invea tuent. They can af ford, to uindersell other men who have families deupending onl them, and cannot hve a~s they do." "Are there manay Americans in the busless?'' "Yes; a nzumber. Now and then you'll uind an Irishman or a German, but mest of the peddlers are Jews." t"They are very poor when they come to mercaare they not?" '-Poor as the preverbial church mouse. They strike theik- Iriends for money for the llrst instalment of goods." "Tis money isI regarded as a loan?" "Not niecessarily; sometimes it is a chality." *'Are the Poles and Hungarians sharp at a barnamn?" "Sharp as razors, and close as a Blue Point oyster. Why, one of those fol lowvs will huggle for an hour to save ten cents. 'lieir competition drives the other men out of the business." 'You miust find it daiult to conduct trade with people who speak no Eg "No, not very; I speak German and Hebrewv. Thaese sullice for the needs of mny busint as." "Where do these Israelites friends of yours live?" "Atound in this neighborhood." "is it a foot that some people who supply peddlers loan the men present. able clothes when the customers have noneg of their own?" "On, no; that is done only in the ease of men who arc advertising a special ar licle." "Are peddlers honest, as a rule?" "Wuen thley find it to be the best policy, they are, just like other men. Of coure tuere are rogues among themn Just, as in otuier classes. You are going? Weoll, if 3 ou shouid fail to make a for tunie writing .(or the papers, just call on me, and 1I'1 he happy to set you up as a pedailer--lor cash, of courne." Two Quarts. 1 Gues,., It Is related that Buffalo man, who had been in the coffee business for several year, was led to blieve thiat he was a sinner. and to come out on the side of religions The morning after lie had takeco this stop lie reached his factory to find business sus pended, and upon detnandling an explana. tion, Is sou replied: "W ell, father, I didn't know what to do I did not suppose after what you said last night that you would mix any more beans wlth the coffee.1 presumed it would make a difference." "Ye", It will make just a little dlffztr ence, " calmly observedi inc oldi mian " We have heretofore been mixing one barrel of beans to four of Coffee, haven't we?' "Yes.' "Well, take out two of the beans-two quarts aboti I annen," The brakeman Is a man who is einploeed by a railroad company to stand tpon the top of a freight bar and rorl both hads at the engtieer atd to help stop the Qtl when it Is necossary. tlext to being a barebacke rider man, so he can sit on tha wheel of a b man, so he cta sit on the wheel of a hba and chew tobacco *4ile the tratn Is run. ning at full speed. The fact that a brake. man is often seen pegging broadcast Over the land on a wooden leg or minus one arm, often causes people to beiltTe that he is an old soldier or has served a term base ball club. There are two kinds of brakemen--. - passenger and freight. The pa=sege brakeman is a gentioman of considerable leitare, and by the nonchalant way i4 wh'oh he comes through a car and tramp1 on the passenger's feet is often mistaken for the conductor. le does not have much else to do but s!am doors, growl at the porter, and when the train arrives at a station yell gpo, nooyah when. he should say, "Pontha. toula." The freight brakeman is an entirei ferent man. He is grim, silent and d fled. He seldom speaks except to C the green hands on the rear end train, whomn he nafection refers t "pudding." Despite his faults, ho Ter, he works hard and vev'y often arises to * position of importauce, unless s)amo day be tries to tie ils body as a coupng and falls. At night when a freight (rain il side. tracked at a meeting point and hiQ qM panions are squatted on a pile of orossil* the brakemna is in his glory. lie t'l dimcusses ad libitum the affairs of the ro4 and criticises every one from the Presideal down to the humblest 'official, lie de not hesitate to say If the president cana run a road- any better than he does hi should go off some where and drive a, canal 'Joat. After he has said this and other th concerning the asininity of oflicial in go ral, ie Curis to one of his companions says: '"J inmie, did you ever know that fel. low, Bill McGinty, who has just been ap. pointed superinteudant of the J. K, & (. 1 "W hat icGinty I Of course i'Ve seen him; and you bet lie's a line old plum to be superintendent." "Well, I should think he was, I \vas a brakeman on the southern division of the 1. C. & N., wlieu lie got his firt job -old Matt Johnson was pulling u&--and byc. Giuty was so green he 'didn't know a drawt, head from a switch frog. No mattershow slow old Matt Johnson backed up, that fAlow couldn't couple a car, and soine. times for half an hour we were backing ur,, and-going ahead, until you could hear Matt Johnson curase for two miles off. I'll be blawed if I don't think he~ tried to kill McGinty. le used to come back and jai the draw-heans under the cars, but when he pulled ahead again McVinty would step out without a scratch on him. A road, I tell you, Is mighty hard up when they take such a thing as McUinity." At the conclusion of such a speech whole crowd ot brakemen will review $h history of McUlity, and finally, without a dissenting voice, will arrive at the con. clusion that hi Is a ".ne old plum." The brakeman is to be admired for the remark. able manner in which he gets wind 'of various and sundry plans which the ma's. gement intend to place in operation aiid wish to keep quiet. The brakeman will set on the end -ofs a ' cross.,tie, swap opinions concerning thie' w'iadom of the prtesident in conicoc / such a plan long before the la-de-da cle&t In rho general ofilcee obtain the mecrest\ inkling of it. If an appointment is to be . made be will tell you the naime of the man and the time the appointment is to go into effect. w1hat a Deer 5ess and Hearse, ~ When a deer is much .hunted his ears become exceedingly acute. Mr. Van Dyke ha~s seen one rp. ing from his bed and ru away at a race horse epeea before lie was within 200 yards of the animal, although' he had touched not a single bush or twis in approaching the game, ant' although lie was positive that a~ mIun could not at twenty yards' distance have henard the soft troaa of imoccasinis on ihe liiht snow. Deer, too, are able to measure with mn~ tave correctness the distance and charac of sounds. They will elten lhe all cay wittun hearing of the normal sounds of the woodman's ax and the shouts of the testh-. ster. As a rule, too, the crash of a squir rel's jump, the ro'ir of thunder, the snalp. olngr of trecs with frott. their creaking Ur falling in the wind, does not alarm them* in the least. Yet the faintest pressing of the leaves beneath the hunter', moccasin may iiatanily send them flying. A deer can also see a long way. On one occasion Mr. Van Dyke sew one watchlng a brother sportsman nearly a nmlle a Ihile away, whose motions lie could hardly himiself make out. It is t rue that ior recogont zag an object at rest the eyes of a doer arne about as dull as those of a dog. It un alarmed he will not distinguish a main from a stump on open ground, if the man Is seate-d and peretly miotionless. Oni the other hand, to catch a motion, a deer's eyes are marvelollsly quick, and the fact that he lsgen-rally at rest while the hunjer is moving gives him an immense advan-' tage. Even the slow lIlting of your head' over a ridge, or the slow dragging of your' limbs over t..e trunks of trees, or the slow - advance of your creeping body along the" ground, is almost instantly detected, un less the motion happens to be made while 'o the (leer have their heads down, feeding. or walking. A artan i'yramnkt, The pyramid which is the most memor able relic to antiquaries on the Amerlean' continent lies a few miles to the west of Puebla. Old Mexico, and has been visited and described by every traveler of note who has interested himself in thie anti quaties of the country. It rises sudden andi unasaciated from the midst of the plain, built in pyramIda' form, of adobes, or large unaburned brieks, and though nmu. ilated and nyergrowa with Irees, the mad aive base and -four storres of the monument are nearly entire. lllumboldlt describes it 9 as a work of such mlagnmtude and vas s4 as, next to the Pa ramidls of Egypt, . preaches nearest the migrhty creations of nature, its hiht is 172 feet, and the. sides of its base 1,8515, being 275 feet fewer than the great J Pyramhd of Uhecps ;mdI 027 longer. The brick materil is in terapea sod with layers of stoine and phastejr, and Lao four -stories connected with each fther by terraces. These apain are ascend ed from bench to bench by regular and bique flights of steps, cut by the old 3pamaarde, as a way to a little chapel on. ~he platform, dedIcated to the Virgin of itemedios. In straIehtening the road fi-om hiexico to Puebla, it became necessary to raverse a portaod of the base, when the lectiion laidY open an Interior chamb~er, >uilt of atone and roofed with beamus of y press. In it were found skeletons, Idols >f basalt and a number of vases curiotusly rarnished and pnted.