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= T Say?R T -? Dy MYRA VV! VV VV VV > V VV VV VV VV VV W W > V VV fi.t/. rr. r/.rr.sr. //. //. // ^tOJ^ IE Burgomaster's wife sat ^ at her window darning one O | 0 of ber husband's socks. |t From time to time she put WW down ber work, and then resumed ber mending with a heavy Siirlt. It was so terrible nuiot outside that it soeiued as if the entire town was wrapped in slumber from which nothing would ever rouse it. But suddenly a flower seller commenced caIIiig out. "Real roses for sale, real roses for saie!" The Burgomaster's wife was so pleased with this noise that she leaned out of the window to have a look at the man. and she was glad to ascertain that, although he was a good distance down the street, he seemed to be gradually working his way in the direction of her home. The Burgomaster slouched into the room; he was wearing large carpet slippers that tried to fall oft with every step he took, so he could not raise his feet properly from the ground. He had a long pipe in his mouth at which he slowly puffed, and ho seemed to be very stout and contented ? as stout and contented as a miller's cat, for instance. He approached his wife and patted her heavily on the shoulder. "Come, come, Martha." he said *'Vaii toil .. it. Who* i>,i uuiti . xvu i\j\ji\ oavi u^iiii. " ihu is amiss now? Anything wrong with the dinner?" "Oh. William," sighed his wife, "have yon forgotten that if we had not lost our little ones they would have been six years old to-day?" "Nay," said the Burgomaster, solemnly scratching his head; "I remember well enough. The way they disappeared with their nurse that summer's afternoon lias always puzzled me. Not a sign, not a trace of them did we discover after they started for that illfated walk. But perhaps what happened was all for the best." "All for the best. For shame. William!" cried Martha, indignantly. "What mean you by thus speaking of your own flesh and blood? For shame!" "I dread to think what their food. , let alone their schooling, would have cost me." he replied. "And then Gretehen, their nurse. te>o. What an appetite she had! Her keep would have ruined me entirely!" "Silence!" screameel his wife; "you have always been close-fisted with your money, but I won't listen to your grumbles any more," and she burst into such an angry storm or weeping that her husband's mean heart was touched. "Do not cry so. my dear." he objected. slowly. "See, to show you I do not fear to spend my hard earned gold. I will buy you a pot of these flowers the man in the street is selling." The Burgomaster's wife glanced out of the window once more, and when she saw the rose bushes the man offered for sale she longed to possess one- but her husband grumbled at the exorbitant price when he heard it. "I can't give that for a little rose plant," he protested; "it may die." "William," pleaded his wife, "you promised to buy me one. I must have it." "Nice little rose trees," urged the man, edging near the window. "Pink and white buds in the same pot." Then he lowered his voice and whispered to Martha: "Lady, don't refuse them. These are wonderful flowers, charged with magic. You could never guess what they represent." "Aren't they roses?" she questioned in some surprise. "In truth they are now." be said. "But they will not always remain so. Lady, don't turn your back on your future happiness. Take this one pot. Yon will never regret it." "I will give you one sl.ver piece for tbein." said the Burgomaster, walking away to fill his pipe. "Take my offer or begone." But the man still lingered to dispute the price, until he finally consented to accept the silver piece the Burgomaster offered him. augmented by a pair of bis wife's gold earrings as payment. As he handed the pot up to the windew he whispered to Martha. "These are your children. You did well not to refuse them. My master, who is a magician, charmed them away five years ago. but now he wants money, so they must be sold. I cannot tell what strange shape he caused their nurse to wear, but these pink and white rosebuds are your lost babes, I can swear. Tend them carefully, good mother, but do not divulge the secret I have told you. otherwise my master will whip me for not asking a greater sum for them." But the Burgomaster's wife held his ' baud tightly as she took the pot from bim. "Tell ir.e what I must do to remove the spell over them." she entreated. "See. litre is another silver piece for you." The magician's servant popped the money in 111s wanet ana tnen ne snook his head laughingly. ' Ask the rain drops." he retorted as he went away: "ask the rain drops." For several days the Burgomaster's wife tended her rosebuds with great care. She was conviuoed they must be her lost children laboring under a terrible enchantment, for every morning and evening.# when she watered them, the two little rosebuds would bend forward and bob their soft petals against her cheek as though they wanted to kiss her, and once she felt sure s? heard them sigh as she talked to them. One day she started to walk to a pottery at the ned of the town; she wanted buy a larger pot for her| rosebush, hoping it would thrive belter in it: but on the way back a terrible thunderstorm came cn. Lifting her skirts we'd away from the muddy road, the Burgomaster's wife ran quickly toward her home; she objected to her clothes being spoiled by the wet, j Htiist - . \ HE : ^EAR JQROP HAMILTON. > 'im^u-j^jxrvvM,1 v> -Tirg.^yL' (St. ** *T.fi. ti.Jl.tl.fi. ft. tt. fi.jf. ft. ti.fi. ? j and she desired to place her little rosebuds out in the ruin, as she thought it might freshen them up. As she carried the plant into the garden, she remembered what the magician's servant told her. so sh<? decided to ask tire aid of the rain drops in regaining her children. Raising her eyes to the gray-looking sky. she said to the water as it splashed upon her face: "Little rain drops, tell me what I must do to win my children again':" Suddenly she heard a shrill voice call out: "Sprinkle them with a silver tear drop from the moon:" but when Martha looked in the direction of the sound she could see nothing. "Where are yon':" she called softly. "Where are you?" One large drop had fallen upon her cotton glove, and when she asked this question she saw it move a little. But the reply came so faintly that sl?Lad to raise her hand to hear it at^Ll. "I am here on your glove." said tie little voice. "In a minute I shall have completely soaked in. and then I shall not be able to speak again. But attend to my last words. Fetch the moon's tear drop." All that evening the Burgomaster's wife wondered how she could send to the moon. At first she thought of a balloon, but she knew it could never travel so far, and she was sure also that her husband could not afford to buy her one, even if she begged him to do so. She crept into the garden, for uer nusoanu was dozing in ms cliair and his snores disturbed lier. so she sat down under a large tree to listen to a nightingale singing in its branches, and tried to make plans for this tremendous journey. Suddenly the nightingale stopped its song and flew on to her lap. "What is the use of me singing to you," it objected fretfully, "if you don't listen?" "I am very sorry." said the Burgomaster's wife penitently, "but I am so worried that I came here to think of a way out of my difficulties. Will you sing again, and then I really will listen?" But the nightingale shook his little gray head. "Certainly not." it said, haughtily: "I never waste my music on people who want to think. You had better tell me your trouble," it went on, patronizingly: "I am exceedingly clever, and no doubt I shall be able to help you." So the Burgomaster's wife told the nightingale how much she wished to obtain the silver tear from the moon, aud she also explained her reason for desiring it. "I understand perfectly." said the conceited little bird, nodding its head thoughtfully for a few seconds. "It is a good thing you asked my advice, for I see directly what you must do." "How clever you are!" said Martha, enviously. "What must I do?" "You must send for ir," declared the nightingale, solemnly. The Burgomaster's wife was so angry that she wanted to shake the bird. "ur course, I know that." she said, crossly. "I knew that ever so long ajro. But how am I to send for it, silly?" "You need not call me names," retorted the bird, "because you are too stout to fly to the moon yourself. Well, I will tell you what I will do. You are always so frood to us in the winter that, as a great favor. I will go , to the moon for you. I will start tonight and be back before the dawn. Get me a yellow king cup from the brook and tie it around my neck, and | then I will set off." In great delight Martha hurried to fetch the king cup, and in a.few minutes the nightingale was equipped for its Journey. "Little bird, how can I thank you?" cried the Burgomaster's wife, sobbing from pure'joy as she watched the little thing preparing to leave. "Go to bed," it replied; "I will tap at your window when I return and give you the silver dyop. Farewell!" , Away flew the little bird, and. after , watching it soar out of sight, Martha retired to bed. thoucrh she did not sleeD. She lay awake for the bird's little beak to couie tap-tap on the window ( pane. Suddenly she thought she heard it. She sat up in bed and listened in- , tently. Something was e^Hainly rapping on the glass, but it was much too soon for the nightingale to be back. The Burgomaster's wife slipped out of bed and opened the casement, and then, to her horror, she realized that her little gray messenger had arrived home, but it had not brought the drop. "I am very sorry," explained the bird, when he saw her pale face in the moonlight. "I started off to the moon, but when I discovered what a long distance it was, I felt I could not go, 'especially as I want to sing to-night to a pair of young lovers in the grove. They aiways admire my voice so much, and I really can't be bothered to fly so far. You must not expect it." "You are a selfish little bird," cried the poor, disappointed woman, as she took the king cup away from him. "I have a great mind to wring your neck." TCnf fliA nltrliflntrolA flnxr r\Cf n'itliAnt waiting for her to put her threat into action, and it never looked back, although it knew Martha laid her head 011 the window sill aud was weeping bitterly. Suddenly the Burgomaster's wife heard another voice addressing her. "Why arc you crying?" said the little voice; "can I help you?" When Martha looked up she was very much surprised to see that it was a little bat speaking to her. as he sat on the window sill by iter side. "I don't know," she said sadly; "I am afraid nobody will help me. The nightingale promised to do so. but now he has declined, and I am powerless to act alone." "I am sure I could do anything that the nightingale promised to do," plead* w { y f f tlie bat. "I wish ycu would let me try. Won't you tell me what it isV" "My two little children are under a magician's spell, and it can only l?e removed by sprinkling them with tlie silver tear drop from the moon.*' explained Martha. "I cannot liy up there, and the nightingale refused to go for me. so what am I to do?" "I will go." announced the bat.proudly, "if you will grant inc one favor .vhfti I return." "Indeed, I will," cried the Burgomaster's wife, gratefully. "Will you promise to spare a wee portion of the tear drop for me?'* he begged. "I am not a bat. really; I am a mortal like yourself, though I have been under ihis charm live ycai.s now."' "Of course. I will promise," said Martha, gratefully. "See. here is the king eup all ready. May I tie it round your neck? And then you shall start." "I have not a moment to lose." said the bat. nervously. "I must return while it is still dark, otherwise I shall bo blind and unable to find this window again. Farewell. Do not fret, for 1 shall bring back the moon's silver tear. I know." All through the night the Burgomaster's wife waited at the window for the little bat to return, but there was no sign of it in the sky; and at last, with an aching heart, she was forced to believe that she had again been deceived. She watched the tirst streak of dawn spread over the sky, she heard a cock in the yard crowing vigorously, while the birds in the adjacent trees answered it cheerily: and then she proceeded to dress herself, for she was obliged to work hard, even if she was unhappy. As she returned from milking the cows she was surprised to see a girl she did not know walking over the dewy grass toward her. "Who can this be?" said Martha to herself, but when she approached nearer the stranger site tnrew down her milkpail and rushed forward to meet her. "Why, Gretchen," she cried in amazement. "where have you come from? For five years I have searched for you, knowing you were under an evil spell, and now I find you in my own field." "I come from the moon." answered Gretchen merrily: "I was the little hat you sent last night. The distance was so tremendous that I knew it would he light before I returned to your window. so I sprinkled myself with a little of the silver tear when I reached the earth, so I might resume my original shape and need not delay further. See, here is the king cup with the remains of the drop in it. Let us go and release your children, which I am sure are in your possession disguised as rosebuds. But before we go I havq^a favor to ask you." "What is it?" asked the Burgomaster's wife, impatiently, for she was fretting to get to her little ones. "May I be your children's nurse once again?" pleaded the girl. "Even when the magician turned them into rosebuds I did not desert them. I followed them here, and I vow I will guard them from all dangers if you will only give mo another chance."' "Of course, I will, dear Grefrhon." cried the Burgomaster's wife, throwing her arms around the girl's neck and embracing her warmly: "and now come with me and remove the charm." Directly they emptied the contents of the king cup on the rosebuds, thrt children sprang from the pot and stood by their mother's side in their natural form; and I am sure you can imagine what rejoicing there was in the house at their return. Even the Burgomaster was pleased when he saw how pretty his little son and daughter had grown, and he did not grumble at the extra expense they would mean to him. but went out and bought them some toys instead.?Cassell's Magazine. The Close of a Hot Day. At last the glaring sun descends, then a sudden breeze flutters the foliage, light straws of dust begin to dance in circles, first a few steps, then a fierce measure. The fairy fiddles are still with dread. The valley darkens in awful silence and clouds roll together on the rushing wind. Trees bend and shiver and turn out the white linings of their foliage, dogs and poultry crawl into shelter, and wise men shut doers and windows, for lightning rides on the draught and is sure to touch more than one of those trees or houses with its fiery sword. The roar and flash are such as England never sees. A Niagara of rain, welcome though terrible, bathes the dry earth, and soon the world, cooled and moistened, sparkles in the setting sun. Then people in light vehicles drive out to taste the air. my young friends come on horseback, and while we sit in the darkness sipping iced lemonade or 5herbert the multitudinous voices of the grass and leaves again rehearse their symphony. From the distant pond booms the heavy frdg note, from overbanging branches trills the contented undiseoverable tree-frog. The myriad grasshoppers tune up their wiry legs and fiddle with fresh enthusiasm. The stinging swarm of mosquitoes sing around a little lamp in the hall. Fireflies flicker everywhere. We listen to them and are idle.?LJppincott's Magazine. A Voice From the Dead. A baggage-man on the Hannibal division of the Burlington was hauling a corpse into his car, and imagine his feelings when lie heard a strange, unnatural voice coming from the oblong box. saying: "Let me out of here." When he recovered from his first fright he ran for his conductor, who arrived just in time to hear the uncanny sound. The whole train crew was called and a brave engineer Investigated. Sitting near the coffin was a small square box. Listening, the engineer heard a scratching, and again the voice "Let me out of here." The smaller box was opened and a lUtle green parrot popped out.?Kansas mty Journal. Keeping A Tonch With One't Self. It's good have money and things that mone.v^yi buy, btu it's good, too. to check up once in a while and make sure you haven't lost the things that money won't buy. When a fellow's got what he set out for in this world he should go off into the woods for a few weeks now and then to make sure he's still a man, and not a plug hat, and a frock coat and a wad of bills.?Saturday Evening Post. A iUaUkiijiiiUj " - -I: .w. i. .-'-a ' SOUTHERN / C? 0i 70f/CS OF INTEREST TO THE PLAN Is Alfalfa a? a Pantnre Crop. Alfalfa may ho pastured by all classes of live stock, but it is not pood practice to pasture the plant too closely, for | its nature of growth is different from | the grasses, as it grows from terminal i and lateral buds and not by increase | in the lengtli of stem and blades as 1 with the grasses. This is a very im; portant difference and explains why ; the close grazing proves injurious. It | should never be grazed when the ground is frozen or wet. for the tread: ing of the crowns will certainly result in their destruction under these conditions and then the compacting of the soil is a serious objection in itself. It should not be grazed closely at any i time, for the gnawing down of the ; crowns will often result in their doi struction. Where alfalfa is pastured it should be run over with a mower to j even up the growth and preserve a I uniform condition in the meadow. Alternating pasturing with hay making is not seriously objectionable, but alfalfa Is so valuable for hay. soiling and green feed that it is doubtful if it will ojten be well to pasture it in the rfstern States, where the difficulty of ^establishing it is very considerable. There is another objection to the pasturing of alfalfa found in the fact that it is very apt to make stock bloat. It the weather is warm and wet and the growth rapid, the danger of bloat is increased thereby: hence, additional precautions are necessary under these circumstances. Stock should never be turned on alfalfa when they are bun gry. They should first be given a full feed and the dew allowed to evap 1 orate from the fields before they arr j turned on. Under these conditions they are not likely to be injured unless they are allowed to graze on mature or over-succulent alfalfa or that which has been frosted. It is a mistake tc turn stock on young alfalfa. The plants should be budding and getting readj to bloom before grazing commences. Ii animals are put on alfalfa when theii hunger is satiated they will not eat toe j much of it and so are not iiKeiy n i snfTer from bloat. Once they are or ! they should not he taken off until they | are taken off permanently. Should j bloat occur it may be cured in one ol several ways. From a pint to a quart of linseed oil with a teaspoonful 01 more of turpentine will generally re lieve the trouble. The dose should be 1 in proportion to the size and age of the j animal. In extreme cases the trochai 4 must be used. It is a preferable knife though some skill is required in using either one to make the insertion at the right place. Alfalfa is particularly valuable as a pasture for sheep. They seem to do remarkably well on it and are not as subject to diseases of various kinds as where they graze more closely to the ground and thus come in contact with the various pests to which they arc subject and with which the ground may be infected. This is a matter of Importance. In some sections of the West alfalfa is often sown with grass, particularly Bromus inermis. for pasture purposes. This is not advisable in the East, because it is difficult enough to keep the grass out of an alfalfa meadow, whether of a desirable or undurable variety. Spring lambs may be grazed on alfalfa to the greatest advantage, and if a good pasture were available on every farm in Virginia it would add immensely to the profits of the sheep growers and enable them to raise larger, thriftier and better lambs at a much lower ?ost and with greater safety. The attempt to make "hot-house" lambs on rich concentrated foods is attended with many cases ol acute indigestion, and there is often a great toss to the feeder and grower even under the most careful system ol management. With alfalfa pasture? this could be largely obviated, and the ewes and lambs maintained at less expense, for it would not be necessary to feed more than one-half the amount of grain usually fed. The alfalfa would come on so early in many places In Virginia that it would insure ideal pasture for lambs and ewes at the Tight season of the year, enabling the feeders to turn their lambs off earlier at heavier weights than they secure at present. As a pasture for swine, alfalfa Is unexcelled. Young pigs do finely on it, because it is a protein food and well suited to their needs. The sweet, tender herbage is much relished, and if given a small amount of grain, they will grow very fast. In many sections of tto West they are grown with practically no grain at all. though, of course, they are not made fat by this treatment. Alfalfa will carry a surprising amount of pork per acre, it being claimed from investigation at the Kansas station that as much as 100C pounds may be made during a single | season and from ten to twenty fairI sized hogs carried on an acre of land. ! For horses, there is nothing better I than alfalfa pasture, though great care should be taken in getting them accustomed to it, as they are more subject to Jets and Flashes. The abiding place of a man's hono is in his pocketbook; a woman's in he heart. A man has to be awfully fond of woman to want her to sit in his lap or a hot day. There is a lot of responsibility in making your family think what a lot of it you have in your family. Generally a man can grumble about its being too hot when ho isn't gn:m bling about its being too cold. Girls with pretty faces seldom thin", it is worth while to act pretty. A wife it alwaj's willing to love i. her husba will honor and obey. Any ma an make a raise if he can get his na on an umbrella. Many or nbryo statesman lands ir. jail before ae has a chance to make good. It sometimes happens that a man ic almost as mean to his wife as che is U him. Unless a man is his own worst enemy he is on speaking term with but few bartenders. Most spinsters have reasons of their own for being man-haters. - ' r - r"'' :v\'~ CARM : [iOTES. jj ? c ?> I j TER, STOCKMAN AND TRUCK GROWER. I i bloat on it than some other classes of stock. It is particularly valuable to those who are engaged in the raising of colts, as it furnishes a palatable muscle and bone-building food of great value to rapidly growing animals. Alfalfa gives excellent satisfaction when used as a soiling crop, and as it ^ or n'nnr if on n wiiio uji irnnj m iur q uiig, 11 vim often be used in this way to great advantage. The lirst crop is more difficult to make into hay than any of the others. Silage has often been made ( from alfalfa, but corn and sorghum are ( preferable for a number of reasons. Generally speaking, alfalfa should be . made into hay in the East or used as a soiling crop.?Knoxville Journal and Tribune. Soil Inoculation For AIfalfa< While many of the principles connected with soil inoculation are not well understood, it is generally recognized ; as necessary to add cultures of desirable bacteria to soils where they do not already exist. This may be accomplished in one or two years; either by ! > means of artificial cultures or by the ' use of soil from fields where alfalfa has been grown successfully. Probably , the method of soil inoculation is the . most certain. In fact, it has been tried ' with uniformly good results. It is . very important to make certain that [ the plants growing in the soil to bp I used are well supplied with nodules. > Alfalfa does not produce nodules as ' > freely as cowpeas and soy beans, and . it will be impossible to discover the I nodules by pulling up the roots. To see ( th?m It is nooossarv to take a shovel . or spade and dig deeply into the soil, i lifting the roots gently and separating i the earth therefrom. The nodules will > appear as little whitish, rounded balls ( , on the feeding roots and occasionally , on the main tap root. Make certain ; that the nodules are present in the soil - to be used as the medium of inocula; tion and your chances of success with alfalfa will be greatly increased. One , to two hundred pounds of soil to the > acre will be sufficient to secure inoeula, tion. Mix with the seed or scatter - broadcast over the land and work in I with the harrow or sow through the - fertilizer attachment of any ordinary t grain drill. Inoculation is always best . accomplished before seeding, and larg. er amounts of earth will render inoc, illation more certain. It is often very , difficult and expensive to obtain earth . because of the scarcity of alfalfa fields and the objection on the part of farmers to digging up the soil. Most per[ sons who have it for sale ask ?1 a | hundred pounds for it and the freight ; [ in addition makes it a considerable ' . item. [ , In sections of the country where al. falfa has not been cultivated patches , of sweet clover (Melilotus alba) or burr 1 , clover (Medlcags Maculata) may be ' ? T ^ T I , miiiiii. inYt?miKU(iuii? muutr at nit* ir I llnols and North Carolina stations in* ? di'cate that the bacteria which live In , association with these plants are similar or identical with those found in the ' nodules on the roots of alfalfa, and ( that soils taken from fields where either one of these clovers has been successfully grown will iitoculate land in[ tended for alfalfa. In many places . burr clover is grown with profit as a winter pasture, and If alfalfa is sown on th's land the following year it should be well supplied with the necessary bacteria. Sweet clover might be sown on land where difficulty has been experienced in getting alfalfa, for owing to its hardihood, it would often succeed where alfalfa would fall, and thus pave the way for the successful inoculation of the latter crop. One se rious oojeciiou 10 swcei ciover is iu?r , fact that it seeds very freely, and un> less carefully clipped so as to prevent , seeding it may become a weed pest. As j it is a biennial it can be destroyed by , vigorous clipping for two years.?Pro. fessor Soule. Proper Direction of Corn Rowl, . An important matter that has never | been settled is whether corn rows , should run north and south or east and | west. Some contend that north and I south rows give the stalks more sun, shine: that run the other way the whole field is more or less shaded except the most southerly rows. Others contend that the rows running east and west give the rows the needed protection against hot winds and burn, ing sunshine. Perhaps it would be better to disregard the cardinal points and , plant as indicated by the "lay of the land." unless the land is quite flat. , There is more in the cultivation than in , the direction in which the rows are laid off.?Farm and Ranch. Plant Haupbtrry Plant* In the Fall. ( The principal advantage In setting , raspberry plants in the fall is that they . are in their place ready to grow as soon as the season opens. Raspberry nlniits start lr? crrnw early in the snrilltr , and It is an item to have thorn in their . place when the season opens.?South! ern Fruit Grower. Pointed Paragraphs. Our cat carries a night key in hia oice. Trying to get rich is terribly expensive on what you had before you tried. A woman wears a veil for the way she looks in it first, and second because .t saves her complexion. It's queer how many ways of ending iife there are when there is only one way of beginning it. An old bachelor says that bossing 3 not a woman's province. No married man would dare say such a ?hing. A woman likes to have a man tell her that he 'hinks her feet at least two sizes samller that he trinhs they are. It's awfully hard for a girl not to get interested in a man if he can make her believe that he is very much interested in her. If the devil is dead his successor* know a whole lot more about human nature than He did. The noblest mission la the world is ( to he a noble man. THE PROBLEM OF SI <3 >( FACTS WHICH DISCREDIT A WHO PRETEND TO FORETEL # # # -if * * # $ * -if ^ i:- # * * * # * * IIE infinite desirability of __ foreknowing the seasons O I O for the benefit of husbandmen is at once the oppor<VO>f tunity of charlatans and the justification of national weather services. It avails little to decry the methods of impostors or to Liana tnem as fakirs; the court of final resort must always be a comparison of results, and such comparison every one can now make for himself. Weather maps showing the actual conditions on every day are now published by practically every civilized nation, and are accessible to all, and all that is needed to cure the most implicit belief in almanac predictions is an honest comparison of these predictions for a single season with the actual occurrences as shown by these maps. Conspicuous instances of failure, such as those of the artificial rain makers, who a decade ago were given the fullest opportunity to lest and exploit their theories, or the colorless results of the extensive campaign of bombardment as a protection against liail, which has been conducted for several years in Southern Europe, do not convince the credulous. They do servo, however, to illustrate the "confusion of tongues" among the prophets of these latter days, who bombard the skies to precipitate storms and bombard the clouds to dissipate tuem. Government meteorologists are not alone in the denunciation of the fallacies, absurdities and pernicious efforts of so-called long-range forecasts. Professor Young, probably the foremost American astronomer, speaking of lunar influences, points out that the irequeucy ui lue inuun s cuuugro in ju great that it is always easy to find instances by which to verify a belief that changes of the moon control conditions on the earth. A change of the moon necessarily occurs about once a week. All changes of the weather must, therefore. occur within three and threefourths days of a change of the moon, and one-half of all changes ought to occur within forty-six hours of a change in the moon, even if there were no casual connection whatever. Now, it requires only a- very slight predisposition in favor of a belief in the effectiveness of the moon'sl changes to make one forget a'few of the changes that occur too far from the proper time. Coincidence enough can easily be found to justify pre-existent belief. Unquestionably there is a general deSire for an extension of the range of forecasts to cover the near future, and, if possible, the coming season. If some explorer in meteorology and astronomy should discover some fundamental law, aitberto unknown, whereby he could accurately calculate the time of arrival, the force aud pathway of storms for weeks and months in advance, and eouid warn me people or iurure uoous or droughts in detined localities, he would at once take rank as the greatest scientist of the world. And then if he would reveal the secret of his discovery for the benclit of future generations, he would be honored as the greatest of philanthropists as well as the wisest of mankind. Cut, alas, up to date this, man has not arrived. Some of the ablest scientists of this country and Europe have devoted much time and labor to the study of this problem. They have* consulted weather records of all countries, taking notes of the dates of heavy storms and making comparison with the position of the moon and planets, to determine if there is any diseoveraole connection between the movement of those minor bodies and the sweep of storm eddies in the earth's atmosphere. The consensus of opinion has been that there is no foundation cf fact or philosophy for that system of long-range forecasts. So thus far there has been entire failure to establish a scientific and practical basis for any kind of trustworthy predictions as to the occurrence of storms, floods or droughts in specified localities and at certain dates in future months or seasons. Though such foreknowledge is very desirable, yet at the present stage of human progress it is. beyond the possibility of realization. In this field of scientific research the wisest students have been most deeply sensible of the limitations of .human Knowledge, ur.i charlatans anil pretenders claim to hold a key to mysteries in earth and the heavens that are hidden to the balance of mankind: Quackery in meteorology, s well as in medicine, is indicated by the extravagant pretentions of Its practitioners. Modern astrologers, following closely the lines of their ancient prototypes, give the sua a minor or passive role, while the moon and planets form an all-star aggregation in the ever-shifting scenes of the earth's drama. To each planet is assigned some specialty act on the stage, each producing a different type of weather, and when the three act in conjunction the complex results are startling. Really, it is difficult to treat such ludicrous matter with becoming dignity and seriousness. A certain almanac's description of "Each planet's peculiar phenomena" is absolutely irresistible as a mirth provoker to any reader who possesses a sense of the ridiculous and some elementary knowledge of meteor ology astronomy. One is impressed by the evident earnestness of the author, and yet it seems that he must be too diligent to believe In his absurdly fantastic theories. They are no more believable than the myths and legends of the ancients. It is inconceivable that a learned astronomer and meteorologist actually believes that the sun First New Hampshire Apples. The first apple trees that) were grafted in Dover, N. H., were in orchards on Dover Neck; the work was done in 1741 by Major Samuel Hale, who was then a school teacher. The major graduated from Harvard College in 1740 and went there to teach in the fall of that year; the following winter he cut scions from choice fruit trees in Boston and in the spring grafted them into trees. The impure thought is easily crushed lefore It is spoken, but who cure its contagion afterwards? SALWCf^H ? ST.ROLOGERS AND PROPHETS r vf " :- : ; .* i> * ? * v *! >] is passive except when it is turbed" by some planet's equinox; tnt \\g mists and vapors are injected tind Jink fused into the snn by Mercury's per-sfe|g^B turbation. and then thrown out by soIar euergy to form mists and sleet on the earth, and that during the so-called v". "Jupiter period" the carrying capacity of the earth's atmosphere becomes disordered and weakened, so that it can not transport and diffuse humidity, / \i thereby causing consuming droughts In,-^ JS places and destructive cloudbursts in s/%; other localities. One who actually be lieves that kind of absurdity is reaiiy lK?3*ond the reach of influence by evl- MB dence and argument. The bare statement of such propositions is a sufficient refutation. Students in the primary class In meteorology learn that the ever-changing phenomena of the weather are all referable to. the action of the sun upon the earth and its atmosphere, vapors . \ and gases; that the constantly radiated energy of the sun supports heat, light J and electric force in the solar system. ? The planets possess no form of inde- ; pendent energy whereby they may r "perturb" the sun and increase its potency. The libraries of the United States Weather Bureau contain the substance '(5>? and much of the detail of all that Is known of weather wisdom, ancient and modern, and the scientists of this bureau certainly are familiar with the essence of this knowledge. Those who Jj are In a position to know are well aware that every possible effort is being made to extend our knowledge the laws that control weather condi- j tions, and meanwhile to give <5 those .^3 who are vitally concerned the most trustworthy information obtainable. It vB is a matter of common experience that the notable success of some commer- 3j cial article of merit is sure to flood the market with spurious goods of the JjB same class, which unscrupulous vendors spread before the indlseriminatlng public. The rapid strides of the United States Weather Bureau in recent years toward popular favor through the widespread dissemination of the yijM forecasts ? a service made possible larger by the phenomenal spread of i3| the telephone and the development of the rural delivery service?has appar- ^ ently given a new impetus to unscientifle, not to say unscrupulous, forecasts, based upon some theory of cy- ,'^B cles or of planetary control. And the il Chief of the Weather Bureau is believed to be not only justified, but morally enjoined to counteract as far as possible the mischievous effects of, ' Jfi the work of astrologers, who pretend to foretell the character of coming seasons or the progress of storms and J0 ordinary weather conditions for a month or a year in ativance, ana wuo?e unfounded and unreliable forecasts are too often given undue circulation by 3 the less careful publishers. The problem of seasonal forecasts is receiving at the hands of the ablest ^ and most painstaking students of both continents a comprehensive consideration that is certain to be fruitful and far-rcaching in its ultimate results. So important and so pressing is the worh and so promising is the field that the Chief of the Weather Bureau is building and equipping a large observatory, wherein the best talent available will soon be employed to study the intricate and profound problems of the atmosphere, whose solution promises improvement over present methoAs *2 and results in forecasting and may lead J In time to seasonal predictions on a j I truly scientific basis. 9 Why Women Work. There Is always a good deal of talk as to why some women prefer to earn their own living rather tjian marry. The wherefore might be discussed till M ail of the disputants reached the chlor- Jj oform age and not get all the right answers; but one reason of it Is that some married women have a habit of 3 talking. And in these little monologues 3 VitioKonHo thov finmPtimPi turn the limelight on a few hard facts. One of them is that there are some men?very often good men, too?who provide their wives with enough to eat and wear, but never allow them the * handling of a single cent of money. One man, for instance, gives his wife $5 for shoes, but insists upon going with her to she that she spends all of it for that and doesn't buy a pair at a bargain and save a little for a matinee that she couldn't see if she didn't scheme for the price of the ticket.?Detroit Free Press. Twere Better So. Stewart Edward White, the author,, lost some money recently through the failure of a trust company. In Rnnfa Barbara one dav he was in troduoed to an interesting young man , from New York. "What does that young man do?" Mr. White asked on the stranger's departure. "He is attached to the Commercial Bank," was the reply. "Ah." said Mr. White, "so they attach tkem now, do they? It's nut a bad idea."?Cincinnati Inquirer. A Worthy Charity. A certain English actor, whose debts had made him an object of interest to various bailiffs, met a fr^ifl one day who asked him if he. spare ten shillings toward a funu^viPi which to bury a bailiff who had just died. "By all means," replied the actor: "here's twenty shillings?bury two."? Harper's Weekly. NOT HER VOCATION. |j "During my six weeks' absence," said the proprietor of a rental agency, "I left my wife in charge of the office, and she didn't rent a single house in all that time." "Well, that jibes well with the eternal fitness of things," rejoined his friend, the attorney. "A woman is naturally a housekeeper, not a house . renter."?Detroit Tribune. In recent years several wealthy Parsees have married Europeftfc wives. J