University of South Carolina Libraries
s ni itotsrs. Thete lads carry samples for commercial drummers in the Western cities. A reporter interviewed one recently which disclosed the fact that he is a shtewd chief, with well-dedned business ideas -and a thorough knowledge of all the ramifications of his "trade." "Well, youngster," said the reporter, "how's traflo this season?" "'Bout up to the av'rage," was the serene reply. "Have many regular customers?" "Yes; thirty or forty." "kiow many regulars and transients do you do business for in the course of a year?" "Two or three hundred." "Is the work bard?" "Sometimes pretty tough." "Tell me exactly what you do." "Well. I come down to the tussell at 8 o'clock In the morning. If any of my cus tomers show up I'm all right for the day; but if they don't, why I ketch on to some other feller." "Hew do you grade your charges?" "Oh, we've got a reg'lar price list-scale of prices, you know." "And that is?" "Carryma' notes ten to twenty-five cents, 'cordin' to distance; luggin' samples thirty cents an hour or $1 60 a day. If we carry two hours straight in the morntn' it's $1. If we go out both forenoon and afternoon it's only $1.50." "Have very long days?" "Not more n four or five hours with any one customer?" "How do you J11 in the remainder of the time?" "Runnin' errands. (Excuse me; there's a feller tippin' me the wink now.") And the leader of the guild darted away, to receive instructions about the delivery of a letter. He disappeared, but in about ten minutes he returned and silently inti mated his willingness to renew the inter view. "Got thirty cents for takin' that note down to Guy Hinchman'a," he remarked in a confidential tone. "day, young feller," he exclaimed, as if suddenly struck with an idea, "are you a interviewin' me?" "Perhaps." "Well, I've been acquainted. with you so long I guess 1 won't go back on you now. Ask me sometbin' more." "Have you ever been to school?" "Sh'd think so-seven years at the Bishop and Irving, and 'm gon' to the night school this fall." "Good idea." "Think so? Well, I guess so, too. A feller can't git too much learnin', not by no means." "What drummers-that is to say, what lines of business-do you like best?'" "Joolry men." "Why?" "They stay in the stores the longest; they're lib'ral, and we're more liable to git extry from 'em. If they do a good trade they don't mind an extry half dollar. Why Frolick, my friend from blew York, who's in the jewelry line, sends nie a new suit of clothes every Christmas, rog'lar. Hie's a dandy, he is. There's other good fellers, too, but he's my partic'lar pard." "Don't you tackle some heavy loadsi" "You're shoutin'. The Just job a-carry in' I ever teck was flatirons-patent flat irons. They broke me all up," he added, in a mournful tone, as if recollection of the incident had something of the pathetic in it. "Linen's heavy, toc-next to joolry but we git used to It, and doi't mindi a pretty big lug." "Does the custom of showing samples in the agents' rooms at the hotel interfere with your profits?" "'T1 used to, but that's played out now. Merchants won't go to the rooms any miore, so we've got to go to them. We find our trade a good deal better for it--sell more goods and git through with a town quick er'n we used to when we had sanple-rooims so much." "How much money do you make?" "I av'rage about $9 a week. Pretty fair, ain't It?" "Don't you have any diull seasons in your line?" *.Of course, from about Christmas to, say the 20th of January, we don't do nothin' to speak of; and then agmn we have a dull summer season. We're jest gittin' over ft now. Business Is very good. th~ough. I don't complair. (There's another feller wants mec. Go '1 day, misater. il see you tuture.'') And the boss oi the sample toters agaim whisked away on an errand for a dude, whose hair was ported in the miiddle and the ends of whose mustache tickled his cars. Blloosing. The balloon In which the Count doe Dion and M. Rtmibielusky recently made an aEcension fr(m Paris prese.nted several novel feature' of great Interest and value to the study of' aerial navigation. Tlhe principal of these is the invention of the Comtne de Dion himse.f. It Is a double balloon, so to speak. Over the ordinary oiled silk, o1 which the balloon proper is made, is a cevering of white calico whiich extends over its upper half. From this outer covering a long funnel of oiled silk extends downward, and connects 'with a 'ventiating mBehIne attached to the outside of the car, which, by turning a cran, sands a blast of cold air out of the fut nel and underneath the outer layer. The object of this is topiace a layercof cold air between the two coverings, which shall preserve t he gas In the balloon from being unduly influenced by the rays of ti.e sun. Anotner novelty was the method of attaching the car to the balloon, the cords being arrangedi in a ecientific system of triangulation, enabling the weiglit of th ecar to be equally distributed around its circumference antd keeping It in a perfectly horizontal position insspiteoof any shif ting of weight wlthiiiit. In nautical parlance, the balloon would always be trimmed, The anchor itself was another novelty, consisting of a nuimber of formi dable,-looking flukes so arranged that they could not fail to hold, or at least catch In any obstacle which they might meet. It was attached to a powerful hawser which itself weIghed 120 ki',grammes. TIhe anchor looks as If, with the vast balloon exertiug its power above it, it could uproot a forest or unroof a house with ease. The car is of extremely neat basket-work, light and yet strong. It is comfortably lined with padded uray American oloth, with cane seats. Over the lockers at each end it is oblong, and there was ample room in it for the four aeronauts, their scientific Instruments, laid out on a wicker table, and for the hampers of proviaions wIth which the travellers were to make good cheer betwixt earth and heaven. 'rho solentitic instruments are of the finest quality, and comprise a hygrometer for the measurement of the moisture or dryness of the atmosphere, a psychrometer for meas uring 'the tersston of aqueous vapor, an aneroid barometer and ant extremely sensi tive metailic thermometer. The scientifie equipment of the balloon was compbeted by some beautiful little eleottic lights, with their compleihent of charged batteries, among them being a tiny electric bull's eye lantern, the rays of .which could be directed tup on the balloon and search Out any weak spot which mignt require atten 'ion, Courting WithbihA ftbeeh. Courting, from all accounts is a pret ty tough Job in Mexico. '1hle young man is first supposed to meet the young lady on the plaza. They never speak, but they always gaze at each other as they pass. When the lady does not make her appearance on the plaza the young man will repair to the street fronting the house, and walk up and down in front of it for several hours. He will always gaze earnestly at the window as he passes. The young lady and her female friends are inside, and she will return his glance. After 10 o'clock the young man will go home. This performance is continued for a couple of months, and at last the young man will knock boldly at the door and ask for the lady of the house. Be will tell her he is in despair. That her daughter is an angel from the Paradise valley of Heav en; that she is beautiful beyond compare; that she is better than she is beautiful; that he is wildly in love with her, and that life has no possible inter est for him unless he can win her. He will then tell of his prospects in life, what he is possessed of and hopes to be possessed of. If this latter part is satisfactory to the mamma, she will commisserate with him, tell. him that she has noticed his attentions to her daughter, and finally conclude by invit ing him to the inner circle and introdu oing him to the young lady in the pres ence of the assembled family. The grandma (if there is a grandma in the family) will sit between the young people and witness their cooing. All the rest of the family remain in the room also, unless they are otherwise engaged, but under no circumstances must the young people be left alone a second. This, you will admit, is pretty tough, but that is not half what the young man must suffer before the padre closes the bargain and gives him a proprietary in terest in his lady love, It, percharce, the young lady has a pair of big broth ers-and such is generally the case the unfortunate swain is expected to treat them to mescal and cigarettes every time they meet. It a circus or a theatre company visit the town it is the prerogative of the young lady to ask all her female relatives to accompany her to the show, and the young man of course is expected and required to foot the bill. But the worse part of the business for the love-sick young man re malns to be told. He cannot walk by the side of his affianced on the way to or from the theater. She will start off ahead in company with some femalo friend, while the young man will bring up the rear on the arm of his grand mamma, or some equally venerable dame. This is the recognized and in violable custom of the country, and while it exists the American young man will not be a social success in Mexico. He cannot stand the racket. If the young couple are very spoony they can be married in six months, tl'ough well regulated society demands a twelve months' courtship. The wedding is a simple affair enough, but usually consists of two ceremonies. There must be a civil marriage under the law, and the ladies invariably insist on a religious ceremony afterward. The marriage ceremony is conducted cheap ly, though I have been informed of a few instances where the grooms weore Americanus, and wore, consequently, bled to the tune of $200. When thre young couple are married they cain en joy the first real privacy of this acquain tanceship. Not even an hour iefore they are married will they be allowed a few moments ot uninterrupted converse. All the tender nothings and sweet bill ing arid cooing habitual to lovers in the United States are deniedi them, unless they choose to indulge in such luxuries before witnesses. Tais rule of etiquette is carried to such an extent that a young lady's reputation suilers it she is seen for a moment alone in the company of a young man. As an illustration of this I will give a little personal experience. There us a young girl in the family, about 20 y ears old. Bhec was educated in San iFrancisco, as were her mother and lather, and as a consequence thle are somewhat more progressive in cer tain mat ters .than their i.eigh bors. 1 formed the acquaintance of the family, and was invited to make a visit. I cabll ed at the house a 2 o'clock in the after noon. The mother was busy, and left the young lady to entertain me in the parlor. Soon a nueighboring' woman arrived unannounced. A look of terror seized my fair vis-a-vls, and with a flut ter she p>ointed to an adjacent door, and begged me to retire hastily. I <tid so, the door was closed immediately, andi I found myself in a bed-room, There was no window, the only ventila tion being the door opening to the sit ting-room. Thiis being closed, you may lmagine my condition, with the ther inometer J. 05 decgrees in the shade. There, however, 1 had to remain for full forty minutes, when the visiting ladly took her departure. When the dooer was opened I was in a very amiale anct a very warm condition. Apologies, how ever, weue profuse. Both the mother and1 daughter spoke at the same time. Tney said that they f ormerly lived in the United States, and consequently wore net so rigidi in enforcing parlor rules when Americans were the visitors. But the sudden appearance c.f the neighbor ing woman struck terror in the young lady, and in pitying tones she Informed me that if she was seen alone with me in the parlor her reputation would be torn to pieces in twenty-four hours. Such Is the rigidity of etiquette in that count.ry. A Thirniing sceno. At Perranporth, near Trut o, England, the dIriver of a wagonotte party, wander ing on the beach round his retreat out off by the tide. Ho essayed to climb the cliffs, but when half way up he found progress impossible. !!ti ledge on which he was supported would only give space for one foot, and the groundi to which he clung above was loose and crumbling. For sonme hours he endured this suspense, when the visitors descried him from above. The news spread and a crowd congregated, but none dared venture along the slight edge by which alone the man could be approached. To have thrown a rope would have been useless, for the elfort to catch it would have certainly caused the poor fellow to fall. A coast guardsinan named Began volunteered to be let down 100 feet over the face of the cliff, and whlp he de scernded the excitement was quickened tenfold. By a sudden effort the coast guardsman clasped the man with a strong grip, and they swung off the ledge together. Even then the danger was net at an end, but a descent was safely effected to a lodge below, whence access to the summit was gradually gained. The spectators collected a good round sum for the gallant oast-guards enan. An Indlan Seare. 'rbe Lake Street House, dhloago, one of the earliest hotels of Ohicage, 'of which the bibulous Mark i$aubien was mine host, stood near the river, oii Lake street, ald was, ber>iaps, the most po9u. lar hostelry of its-time in the'oity. It is not generally known that' this touse is still in existence, but such is In reality the case. It was removed one blook northwest of its original site. where, in a much-improved and remodeled state, it now stands, bearing no suggestion of antiquity in .its outward appearance. Many incidents are related of this hotel, and of the scenes and incidents which occurred there. Some of these are well worth repeating, but limited space for. bids the mention of more than one. Quests who stopped at the house and were given the best chamber sometimes had a strange and startling experience. A man would go to bed and sleep sound ly until just before dawn; when he would be awakened by a cry of "Indi ans, Indians. ' At the same time some one would rush into the room, snatch the bed-clothing from the bed, and dart out again before the astonished guest could get his eyes fairly opened. With visions of infuriated savages, glancing tomahawks and flowing blood, the terri fied man would jump ont of bed, hurry himself into his garments and bolt out of the room, confident that a terrible Indian massacre was in progress. But imagine his overwhelming amazement and confusion when, on rushing into the cuisine of the hotel, where breakfast was in course of preparation, he would be oorlly Informed that he was alarming himself without cause-that there were no signs of an Indian outbreak or any disturbance of the peace whatever. To make the mystery more dense, nobody could tell him who the person was that had wakened him in such an outrageous manner. He would question everybody about the hotel, but each and all of them would wear a look of hopeless be wilderment, and either pronounce the whole affiir a perplexing puzzle, or in sinuate that he had been dreaming. This same thing occurred at different times, and with different guests, always with the same result, The victims gen erally arrived at the conclusion that it was a practical joke, perpetrated by somebody in the hotel for his own indi vidual amusement. One night a man stopped at the house who had heard about this trick, and was prepared to bsWfe the joker if any attempt should be made to deprive him of his morning nap. Sure enough, shortly before day light, he was aroused by a terrible com motion. His door was thrown open and somebody plunged into the room, shout ing in thrilling tones: "Indians, Indi ans; quick, for your lives! The Indians are upon us!" The bedclothes were whisked off the bed, and the mysterious intruder vanished. The man coolly rose, picked up the bedclothes from the floor, put them back in their place, crawled into bed again, and was soon enjoying a comfortable nap. Some time later a hand shook him gently. He looked up into the anxious lace of the landlord. "Say, mister, it's 6 o'clock; you'll have to get up." "Why, what's the matter?" '-Well, breakfast ought to have been ready an hour ago, and we can't finish it till you get up." "Do you take me for the cook?" "No, but I want that sheet you're ly ing on. It's the only one in the house that can ibe used for a tablecloth, and we wvant toe set the table," That .was the explanation. The Indi an scarc wvas a ruse to get the sheet for the breaktast table. LU rning Ulothing. It is well to know that fire makes headway more rapidly In burning clothes when the endangered person Is standmir up. The difference in progress between a nurning Jamplighter of twisted paper, held in tne hand perpendicularly, Ilamne down, and in the same paper laid liat on a marble heartn can be seen in a moment. The first thimg to do 'when clothing catches fire Is to lie flat and 'cover up the flames, if there is nothing within reach to smother it. if, as it is probable, there was a bed in the room where Miss Alanship was standing, gettimg Into the bed, between the biankbts, and rolling up In them, would have been a sure way of putting out, the fire In a burning skirt or sleeve. The worst, tne vely worst, thing to do 'v as to run down stairs. Openmng the door made one draught, the flight down stairs another, andl rushing out into the street, In the last frenzied moment, the worst of all. The Impulse to get out of doors is very strange in all such cases, because within the house there arc always means for putting out a Bire, and outside there arc rone. Rugs, rag carpet torn oft tbe kitchen floor, a heavy overeoat, blankets fronm the bedit, even pieces of bedside carpet, put round the person In the twinkling of an eye, while water pails andt( pitchers are thiere to hand, rnady to be emptied. In every case let the person whose clothes or hair has cauight fire throw herself flat on the floor and roll upon the flame. It there is any thing in the room of thick woolen or carpets to smother It, even a gossamer waterproof cloak, snatch these and smother the fire while calling for help. If the fire has caught the hair, bury the head in bed-clothes. Fire cannot burn without air, and by shutting out alt air from the flames, they must go out. But an open door fans the flames and a stand ing position gives them headway. Girls are mutch more liable, frocm t,heIr long, flowing hair, their cotton aprons, and, altogether, thinner and more loosely bouf.. fant dress, to be set on fire than boy's, whose stout cloth jackets are not easily ignitedI. The rules for putting eut fire in burning clothing may not be taught in the normal school, but every teacher ought to know them, and so thoroughly that even the fright of mounting flames will nt drive them out of niindl. The London Engineer, in referring to the power of the albatross,lts weight of twenty eight pounds, its wings thIr teen feet from tip to tip, and Its ability to keep in mction for a whole day says: "We have in this bird a machine burn. ing concentrated fuel in a large grate at a tremendous rate, and developing a very large power in a very small space. There is no engine In existence which, weIght for weight, gives out anything like the mnechainical poweor exhibited by the albatross, ,We wvore taught tnat the ability of flies to walk on the ceiling was owing to a powver in theIr feet which enable them to hold on by suction. But Mr. H1. De Wits, of the Berlin Society .of Natural History, has discovered an ex udation o1 a sticky matter from the foot of a fly by lnstenmng the Insect on the undler side of a plate and viewing it through a microscope. The adhebive mat ter seems to pass dollh throiih thd hollow of the hair, ?r6bably.the samei method of holding on applies to all In. yeN twW On Trees. A }ntilti> case t at came up from t olwer CQud a finaing of facts by Ju1o -Culver, been on trial re" cently, befOie the supreme Court of Errors, in Conn@ot ut. It concerns a iovel in4ustry, u ard of outside this c'hnty-the artigo 1 'propagation of oysters on trees. Poquonoc R1ver| is a broad arm of Long Island 8outd, penetrating the Connecticut coast 'few miles east of New London, div ding the great level sea meadows for t ee or four miles in lard. The tide r s the whole length of the river. For years the waters of the Poquonoc Riter have been noted as producing the at delicious oysters known in the wor . They outranked the famous "Blue oints," selling read ily at $10 a barrel 'hen the latter might be bought for $5. 1 On account of the thick black mud tbat plastered the bed of the river, and which is fatal to oys ter culture, only a'small margin of the bottom, a rook strip far in shoret could be utilized y the oyster-growers. Annually the oys rs that had attached themselves to the rocks and other ob structions over this district were knocked off and ld at tempting pri ces, but there we not enough of them. It was not until three or four years ago that a speculative and inventive Yan kee devised a plan for extending the oyter cultivation upon the mud bot toms. He went into his woods and cut down a forent of tough, wiry white birches, dragged them to the banI, bore them In his boAt upon the river and dumped them overbua, taking care that they should be left at proper intervals on the bottom. He had an idea that the oyster spawn would come sailing along in the season, catch hold of the birch boughs, and grow into a fa bulous fortune for him. The idea was a good one, but not perfected. le al lowed the birch to lie a suitable time and then pulled thei up. Every bough and twig' was thick with half-grown bivalves, but the weight of the growing shells had dragged the brush down into the fatal mud, and the oysters had perished by the million. Enlightened by his failure he made another trial. lie planted the birches upright on the bottom, setting them at an angle with the current. The sub merged trees, as described in the judi cial linding, were from fifteen to twenty feet in length, and the butts, wihich were three or four inches in diameter, were thrust three or four feet in the mud. Their tops just pricked through the waves at low tide. It is stated In the report of the Oyster Commission of the State that each female oyster will produce in the bieediug season from 9,000,000 to 40,000,0U eggs, which float with the current and a' tach tlm selves as spat or spawn to any obstacle they encounter. in the breeding sea son that followed the planting of the birch trees, millions, billions of spat came floating down the current of Po quouoo River to the submarine forest. It was just what they wanted-a ready made home. They drifted as thick as snowilakes to the bending boughs and pliant twigs. Singly they vero so small as to be almost invisible, but their legion speckled the trees with brownish patches. Finally every branch and twig was covered, but apparently there wvas no diminutioni in the army of floating immigrant,s. The new..comn ers multiplied on thme speckles already attached unt there werd dozens in a bunch, it requires two years for an oyster spawn or spat to reach maturity. From a mere speck it' will gro w in a month or six weeks to the size or a quarter of a dollar. .in twvo years an acre of brush willi produce 1000 bushels of full-grown oysters. TIhe trees bowed under their load of growing shells, but the elastio wood kep)t the fruit clear of mud. At the end of a few months it was seen that the oyster orchards pro mised an astonishing harvest. All the oystermen along the river were anxious to try their hand at the niew atyle of oyster farming. Under the law of the State the mud bottom on each side of the 100-foot channel was staked and set off in plats to a dozen or more appli cants to be planted wvith oyster trees. Soon both sides of Poquonoc Rivr, from Its head for a long way toward the sea, was bristling with sunken birches waving an ebbing and flowmng welcome to the drifting spat. Among the marine hiorticulturists was Oideon F. Raymond, the plaintiff, who in the years 1879J-80-81 placed upon his plats, in all, about (5700 white birches. Onie encouraginig crop of oys ters had beeni gathered from the trees, the forests replanted, and the cultiva tors were looking forward to a second and larger harvest, when an event oc curredl which p)rovoked the p)resent suit in Court, and has nearly ruined the business of raising oysters on trees, in May, 1881, scarlet fever and diphtheria broke out in the village 'and neighbor hood of P?oquonoc anid soon assumed the most virulent character. T1he d.is eases raiged1 through the spring and summer. Out of lifty cases twentv' terminmated fatally. Tihe dlistress was terrIble. Tme village wams barred ott from the rest of the worldi. Few per sons dared to cross the plague-stricken district. Out-door work was in part or wvholly abandoned. Tihe streets were seldom disturbed except by the passing of a funeral train. Often in the same house two and three persons lay dead at the same time. Tne well had all they could do to wait on tihe ill imd bury the d6hd. in the general ter ror and fever of excitement some imagi native person rushed to the conclusion that thme p)estilence was caused by oys ter brush decaying on the mud plate. lie whispered his suspicion abroad. In a moment the villagers were aflame with resentment againust the owners of thme oyster-beds. ".Lull up the trees at once and burnm them on the river banks," w&s the wild demand. .Few men were calm enough to investigate or brave enough to resist the popular clamor. in the town of Groton, in which is Poquonoc village, the belectmen and Peace Justices constitute the Board of health. ~Nearly all the members were either large oyster bed owners or sym p)athizers. Tihey were impelled to make an investigation. They pulled up soe trees. Th'ie odor from them was not unwholesome. 'They examined a filthy pig-sty anid said in their report: "Here lies the cause of the epidemic." "Down with the oyster-brushi Board of Hecalthl'" was the last Reply of the stricken vil.. lagers. An appeal was sent to D)r. Charles WV. Chamberlam, Chairman of the state Board of Heoaltu. Hie visited and examined the oyster plats. ito re turned to ilartfordi and wrote back an order that the Local Board remove'the trees at one,.say4nig thab the rotting brush had poisoned tihe air. The Lo cal Board proceeded to act, but were met by am ijunction served by the tihermen who owned the beds. There upon the citizens . held a special town meeting, electing anti-brush men as ofidewi Who formed a iiew Soard of Healtli . Tho fiU oart dlled A hear ing, at Which the' antlabrush nien weoe represented by the Hone Thomad M, Wailer, the present Governor of the State. Gideon F. Raymond appeared with the other oystermen in 6pposition. The excitement at the hearing was so fierce that Mr. Raymond was, glad td escape from the audience-room and from the town. The Board decided that the brush must be taken up. W. S. Fish and Thomas W. Noyes were appointed a committee to execute the task. A dozen men were hired to pull up the trees. They worked industriously from late in the autumn of 1881 till the spring of 1882 before their work was accom plished. The trees were found to be covered with oysters in all stages of growth. Every bough and twig was bent with the load. They were thrown in a rattling heap on the shore where they were frozen and died by the cart loads. It was found that most of the crop of the year 1879 were fit for mar ket, and many of the year 1880 were in like condition. The oysters on trees planted latest, though only a few weeks old, were as large as silver quarter dol lars. Many were found no larger than a shad scale. Raymond promptly brought suit against the Board of Health, claiming $25,000 damages. His legal statement was first, that the Board was not a legally coitituted body; second, that they were respons ible as a Board for any mistake they might have made, and, third, that it was conferring extraordinary powers on any Board to authorize them to des troy property merely at their own ca price. The case came before the Su perior Court in New London last fall. The Court-room was thronged. The most interesting evidence for the oyster brush men was furnished by Captain James M. Buddington, of Groton, a polar whaler and explorer and owner of an oyster forest. He estimated that 500 bushels of oysters had been les troyod on the Raymond lot alone, though the greater part of the crop was not a. quarter grown. He said that he had- seen from fourteen to twenty five bushels of oysters oi a single tren. le presented in Court two or three twigs of birch that were loaded with oysters. During the trial the merits of the PY quoioc River oysters were thoroughly discussed. In the opinion of one ex pert cultivator their delicious flavor was due in part to the strong solution of iron brought down in the streams from the rocky hillsides of inland,to wns. All the witnesses asserted that the Po quonoc oyster was entirely free from the hard substance that injures the quality of other kinds. One Poquonoc enthusiast said that they were the finest oysters in the world on the half-shell. ''iie scarlet fever and diphtheria ceased to be epidemic in Poquonoc on Septem ber 1, 1881, though cases of malarial fever, an unusual disease in the town, appeared later. Wolves and Doge. H1ow is it that th$ wolf of Russia is so aich more formidable an enemy to the human race than his French or German brother? Writers and novelists of all ages have accused this ubiquitous quad ruped of treachery, stealthiness and ferocity, until children, who take their impressions from books and not from experie!nce, have come to regard hira as the incarnation of that ism mean, blood thirsty, tricky, and dangerous. "Truth compels me, however," says Lieutenant Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, of the U.itel i tatei Army, "to affirm that of all tne carnivorous animals of equal size and strength he is the most harmless to beast and the least dangerous to man. Ho will not even attack when wounded; and though he will snap at pursuing dogs in self-defense, he never follows up the advantage given him by his sharp teeth and powerful jaws, but takes to Iight as fast as he can." These words, written about the buffalo womf of the American plains, tall, gaunt, lean and hungry looking, may with equal truth be applied to his congener in Brittany and k'oitou. In the former province wolves are rarely seen, although they commit terrible nocturnal depredations among sheep, ealves and dogs. Such, however, is their cowaraice, that every Breton farmer is in the habit of sending his flock of sheep out to pasturage dur ing the day with a little chid, jften a girl not more than 6 or 7 years of age, in charge of them, and nothing is more uncommon than for the hungry marau der, who lies licking his chops on the edge of the adjoining thicket, to issue forth from his fastness and pounce upon a sheep so long as the intantile repre sentative of 'the lord of creation is close at hand. At night, however, the wolf is bolder, and will scale walls and1 scratch his way through the thatched roof of the sheepfold to get at his prey, Strange as it may seem, the dog-es pecially if he' be .of the smooth-haired breed, like the pointer or fox terrier has more attractions for the "canis lupus," wvhose relative or descendant he is generally believed to be, than the woolly sheep. "When a wolf is hungry," writes an English gentleman who has long resided in Brittany, "and smells an appetizing dog, he wilt spring upon him and carry hiam off, even under the nose ;of his master. It is certain, in fact, that the wolf prefers a dog to any other pre.y. When I was at ilnelgoet three years since a wolf jumped over the wall of the hotel yard and carried off a dog whose piteous howls awoke the entire village. An empty collar, suspended at the end of the chain, and covered with blood, bore testimony to the untimely fate of its late wearer." The lively author of "Wolf-hunting in Brittany relates that a Breton peasant named Antoine lived some years since with his wife in the Forest of Dualt or "Black Rock." A heavy snow-storm had fallen to the mountains, and for several nights in succession Antoine found it necessary to protect his there. sheep by admitting them to his hut. Six or seven wolves paced around hls dwelling all night, uttering the most dismal howls; but a large wood-fire and the presence of man kept off the fam ished besieger s. At last the peasant and his wife fell asleep, and the fire burnt low. A sudden dash was made at the roof, and ive jaunt wolves leaped down into the hut. Before Antoine could strike a light the three sheep were devoured and a favorite little dog was swallowed at a gulp, and then she in vaders sprang upon an old oaken cup board and disappeared through the roof. Professor Treadwell, of Massachu sette, found that a half-grown American robin in confinement ate in one day sixty eight worms, weighing together once and a half as much as the bird himself, and another had previously starved upon a daily allowance of elit to ten worms,or about 20 per cent.of his own weighta AGRIOJU 1, h Irstw yeai's of the ads of an apple tree is the moat important period for exercising bare and difigenoe in re gard to prunlog. A well-known pomo logist once said that he could grow a model apple orchard. and -ney-er prune with any other implement than a lack knife. He would begin with the tree as soon as it was taken from the nu'rse ry, and would at once begin to form the future top. Then is the time to avoid crotches, which will be almost sure to split in after years, and to begin at the top at the right height and in the proper shape. One is apt to begin at the top too low; it looks bighe* on a small tree than on a large one.. It may not be desirable for the general grower to undertake to do. all his pruning by means of a knife, but he can always use it to good advantage. Excessive prun ing of large trees should always be avoided. Tau striped bug, wuich destroys young plants, is a great obstacle to en oumber culture. Various expedients are resortetl to in attempts at protection against this pest. An efficient remedy is sprinkling the plants and surface of the hills, while wet with ashes, soot and superphosphate. There is probably no better remedy than soot when this can be obtained in sufficient quantity. Box es with mosquito-netting or glass for the top are cheaply and readily made, and when placed over the hills prevent the bugs from their work of destruc tiod. EARLY HomNG.-By this we do not mean hoeing early in the season, but early in the morning. In the early morning the dew is on and this is charg ed with an auailable amount of ammo nia, which, of course, feeds' the roots below. If the surface is neglected a crust forms and the air does not circu late in the soil. Get the farm hands to begin work a couple of hours earlier in the morning and give them the same time at noon to rest. STIR THE SoIL.-This cannot be too strongly urged upon farmers. Thor ough pulverization of the soil is some times worth an extra dressing of ma nure. Two fields, lying side by side, were sown in wheat. One was plowed and harrowed the usual way while the other was harrowed five times. The result was that the latter gs,ve seven bushels more to the acre than the for mer. OSIoxENs, when first hatched, should not be hurried out of the setting nest. For twenty-four hours at least from the time the earliest.. commence to show themselyes, it is better to leave them under or with the hen mother. They need no food for from a day to a day and a half usually, When they get strong en' ugh to venture from beneath their mother's wings it is time to move the brood. A Du PAGE, ILL., farmer claims that for three consecutive years he has ob tained sound apples free from worms on trees in his orchard by sowing three or four quarts of salt under each tree,while the fruit on trees not so salted was all inlared or ruined by the codling moth. The ground in this case was under cut tivation, and he had never tried the salt remedy on trees growing in grouud that was seeded down. It will cost butlittle to try the salt remedy, add now is the time to do it. VER careful experiments made in New York last season show that the flat, culture of potatoes prodncess the finest tubers and the largest yields. The best results followed the Dutch method of planting, which consists of keeping the surface of the ground level, planting a single eye in a place, covering it six ir-ches deep and allowing but a single stalk to grow in a hill, which are a foot apart each way. A conIimsroNDENT of the Farmer'. Review has preticed during several winters the plan of keeping apples in dry sand, poured into the filled barrels after storiig in the eellar, and finds It a "decided improvement" on any other ever tried, the fruit remaining till late spring"as crisp and app)arently as tresh as when first gathered." He does like wise with potaLtoes, and uses the name sand year after year. THIsTLES IN OAT.-When thistles ap pear in oats their tops may be mown off a week or two before the oats shoot up into heaoing. At this time the thistles are sev(ral inches higher than the oat loaves. If cut thoun, blossomnidg and seeding are not only preventad, but the short stubs of thistles fall out of the bundles in binding and leave the straw clean. 1VOLEs PnoTEoT STRAWnERRIES.--An Indianapolis, Indiana, fruit grower says: "Last year I put twelve moles in my strawbeiry patch of five acres to catch the grubs, and they did the work. I never had a dozen plants Injured during the summer, either by the grubs or moles. I know some people do not care for moles on their farms, but I want them in my strawberry patch." 'inn practice or some of the best far mers.*now is to keep pigs through the summer on green food, cut and carried to the pens, with a little grain,and what milk can be spared after cutter- making. Spring pigs are thus mrnde to weigh 200 pounds at seven months old, and,except in the last month, they get little grain. The best time to gtell such pigs is at the beginning of cold weather, usually in October. MELON YINES.-A writer states that he has positively driven bugs away from his vines by putting a gallon of clean sand around every sine. Where sand can be obtained this is a very con venient protection against a very bad enemy, and a single trial may satisfy any oi.e whethor it is dffect'.al. THE fat on a cow known to be a jarge and rich milker will mostly go into the cream pot (during the season. It is never safe to buy a milk cow In poor condlition,as she will require heavy feed ing, or make poor thin milk. OuT grats when in bloom, and it will make more nutritive hay than If cut later. The amount of water has di minished, and therefore shrinkage will be less. In late-out hay the increased fiber makes It more Indigestible. As soN as onions show signs of mag get work, pull the affected Ones by the roots, and carry them from the field. Children can do this work, and many onions can thus be saved, as no worm can destro m thn . lepat THE VERDICT THE PEOPLE. BUY THE BEST! Ma. J. 0. IIoAO-Dear Sir: I bought the brat Davis Machine mold by you over flive years ago for my wife who has given it a long and fair trial. I am well pleased with it. It never Rives any rouble, and is as good as when first bought. J. W. Bot1'o0. Winnsboro, S. C., Aprh 1888. Mr. DoAo: Teu wish to know what I have-to say In regard to the Davis Machine bought of you three years ago. I feel I can't say too much In its favor. I made about 580,00 within five months, at times running it so fast that the needle would get per fectly hot from friction. I feel confident I could not have done the same work with as much ease and so well with any other machine. No time lost in adjusting attachments. The lightest running machine I have ever treadled. BrotherJames and Williams' families are as much pleased with their Davis Machines bought or you. I want no better machine. As I said before, I don't think too much can be said for the Davis Machine. ltespectfully, li.LEN STSVENSON, Fairfhld County, April, 1883. Mn. BOAO : My macitn gives me perfect sati faction. I find no fault with it. The attachments are so simple. I wish for no better than the Davis Vertical Feed. Respectfully. MRs. R. MIIJ.ING. Fairfield county, April, 1883. Mn. BOAO: I bought a Davis Vertical b'oed ewing Machine from yoit four years ago. I am elighted with it. It never has given me any rouble, and has never been the least out of order. It is as good as when I first bought it. I can cheerfully recommend it. iespectfully, MDs.j1. J. KiaND. Montlcello, April 30, 1881. This is to certify that I have been using a Davis Vertical Feed Sewing Machine for over t w,years, purchased of Mr. J. 0. ioag. I haven't found I t possessed of any fault-all the attachments are so aimple. It never refuses to work, and is certainly the lightest running in tle market. I consider it a first-class machine. Very respectfull MINNi il1. WILLINovl. Oakland, Fairfield county, 8. C. MR DOAO : I an wen pieasett in every partieui with the Davis Machine nought of you. I think a first-class uiachine in every respect. You knw you sold several machines of the same make to different members of our families, all of whom, as far as I know, are well pleased with them. tespectfully, Mis. M. H. Most .Y. Fairlield county, April, 18S3. This isto certify we nave has in constant use she Davis Machine bought of you about three years ago. As we take in work, and have made the price of it several times over, we don't want any beer machiine. It is always ready to do any kind of work we hlave to (10. No puckeringor skipping stitches. We can only say we are well pleased andi wash no better machine, April 25, 18t3..UT* IEWrI N tTu I hayc no fault to ind withi my machine, and don't. want aniy better. I have made tae price of it neverat. timles by taking In sewing. It is always ready to do its work. I think it a flrst-class ma chine. I feel I can' t say too much for ihe Davis Vertical Fced Machine. Mas. Tuo0t As SuiTe. Mit. J. 0. BIoA--Dear Sir: It gives me much pleasure to testify to the merits of the Davis Ver tkia Feed Sewving Machine. Th'ie machine I got of you about five year. iago. has been almost ia con stant use ever since that time. I cannot see that it ia worii any, andit has not cost me one cent for repaiirs since we have had it. Am Well pleaseid and doin't wish for any better. Yotirs truly, hODT. CRAWPORD, Granite Qcarry, niear Winnsboro 8. C. We have used the Davis Vertical Feed Sewing Machine for the lust five years. We would not have any othier make at any price. The machine has given us unbounden satisfaction. Very respectfully, Mns. WV. K. TiUtNERt AND D)AUogTgss F"airilili cotunty, n. U., Jan. 2T, 1858. Having bought a Davis Vertical Feed Sewing Machine from Mr. J. 0. Bioag some three years ago, and it having given me perfect satisfactIon in every respect as a lamily machine, both for heavy and light sewing, and never ne ded the least re pair ini any way, I can cheerfuly recommend it to any one as a first-class machine in every particu lar, and think it secondi to none. It is one ot t1he simpiest nmachines made; my children use it with all ease. The attachments are more easily ad justedl andl it does a greater range of work by means of its VertIcal I'eed than any other ma chine I have ever seen or used. Winnshoro, h'airiield ot . y'Tn10 As Ow!Noa, We have had one of the Davis Maclines about four years and have always found it ready to do all kinds of work we have hind occasion to do. Can't see hant the macline is wvorn atny, and works as well as when new. Mas. W. Jr. CRaWPORn, Jackson's Creek, FairfIel county, 8.'C. My wife Is highly pleased with the Davis Ma. chine bought of you. She wotuld not take double what she gave for it. The mnachine has not been otut of order since site had it, and she can de any kind of work on it. Very Itespectfull35' .Pag Monteello* lairfleld county, 8. C. F a 'he Davis Sewing Machine is simply a (mreas Itidgoway, N. C., Jan, 10, 1as's.A.oow . ha onu a ai eng DMacltine conat. ly fr the past fouir years, and it has never needed any repairs and works just as well as when first practical wok Dudo (1t easier ani bettr tha any machine site has ever used. We cheerfully recoimmendc It as a No. I family machine, Your tru.y, Winnaboro, S. C., Janm. 8, 1JAR. Q. DAVIS. chine reay do al indis of to work Imhav ad easlon tode. I cannot, see that the machine is Worni a particle and it works as weid as when new, Rtespectfully, Winnsboro, S. C., April, 1883,1..GonN. ao. I have never regrtte baigi,adti away areay for an ldof faiy sewig aeith Very respectfu fil, Fairfneld 13 n. Ma-hi 1-888..LDD