,.M
THE WORLD8 WHEAT CROP.
RECLAMATION OF DESERT.
l.'
y.
Baby. i ..I .
Wce tow-homled Imhy, " i i
Llko n fouttor tinll. ,11,
Hnlr Inclined to laughter, , I
llnlf Inclined to nimll.
Dimple In your ulhown,
Dimplo In your aliln:
Looks llko Ciod hnil mado you
To ilit dimples Inl
Looks llko Clod lind mndo you,
Holy poly l)iy.
With your tnnuth n-puckor
KyeH n-ilaiice with Joy,
Just to carry illniplen.
Whut lmo you n pnln?
Dear, such twisty faces
Arc a hIkii of rnln.
llnlf a IntiRli, hnlf rrylntf,
Don't know wlmt to 1I0,
OlllpltlK. hoIiIiIhr-. bIkIiIiik,
Toll you, Imliy: You
Rtlik llko tlmt to mother
Alwnyn whtm In doulit
All the ynnrw of nil your life,
And you enn't lose out.
-llouton Post.
I
Parlor Manic. I
' To'flll with smoke two apparently
fMiipty bottles Hlnso out one bottlo
with hartshorn and another bottlo
with spirits of salts; next, bring tho
liuttlcn togothor, mouth to mouth;
IkiIIi will at once bo Ailed with whlto
vapors. Tho vapors In question aro
composed of sal ammoniac a solid
body, generated by tho union of two
Inn ilble gases.
To obtain flro from water Throw a
Hin:ill quantity of potnsslum on tho
mirfuco of 11 little water In a basin.
Immediately a rose-colored flamo will
be produced. Any chemist will supply
the quantity for sovcrnl of theso ex
periments for a very small sum.
To glvo n party a ghostly appear
nnco Tako hnlf a pint of spirits and,
having warmed it, put a handful of
nit with It iuto 11 basin; then set It
on flro, and it will havo tho effect of
making every person look hideous.
This feat must bo performed In a
room.
To mnko a card jump out of tho
pack Take a pack of cards and lot
any ono draw nny card that ho may
chooso and afterward put it In tho
ipack, but so that you may know whoro
ito find; It .at pleasuro; then tako a
'Iilcco of wax and put it under tho
thumb nail of your hand and fnston a
hair to your thumb and tho othor end
of tho hair to tho card; thon spread
the pack of cards upon on tho tablo
and say "Como forth!" and tho card
will jump out of tho pack.
Magic breath Half All a glass tum
bler with limo water; brcatho Into it
frequently, at tho samo tlmo stirring
It with a plcco of glass. Tho fluid,
which boforo was perfectly transpa
rent, will presently bocomo qulto
white, and, if allowed to romaln at
rest, real chalk will bo deposited.
To produce instantaneous light up
on Ico Throw upon Ico a small plcco
of potassium, and it will burst into a
bright flaino.
To light a lamp with n pleco of ico
Attach a pleco of potassium of tho
alzo of a small shot to tho wick of a
lamp; havo also ready n piece of Ico,
with which, whon you touch tho po
tasflium, flto lamp will blazo Immedi
ately. To porform tho experiment,
place tho lamp upon tho tablo before.
itho audience. Question tho ladles as
Ito what moans they generally employ
to light their lamps. If thoy answer
tin tho usual way, you may respond
that you know a much hotter plan.
Ualso tho lamp, that thoy may per
wlvo that It la not lighted; then tako
tho ico and touch the potassium,
which will blazo Instantaneously. Ad
vIbo tho ladles to try tho experiment
at homo whou thoy wish to light their
lamp;. Diamond.
A Pin and Coin Trick.
Hero is a very stmplo llttlo trick,
which looks not ut all easy and qulto
as if tho performer must bo very
killful indeed. Tako n silver coin,
a quarter' or a half dollar, and pick It
up by placing tho points of two pins,
How to Hold the Coins.
qne on cither sldo of .tho coin's edgo.
You may hold tho coin securely In
this position if you press flrmly with
both pins.
Now, blow smartly against tho up
per edge o"f tho coin, nud It will fly
around nnd around, revolving with
great rapidity between tho pins.
Pretty Parlor Game.
Prom red or pink tissue paper cut
l.irgt medium and small rose leaves
until you havo onough to make an Im
mense, full-blown rose that will At in
a largo salad bowl. Arrango theso to
make tho flower as perfect ns possible.
To as many of the leaves as thoro aro
guorttti tie &rcon baby ribbon, which
must hang over tho outsldo of tho
.bowl. Atho bottom of each leaf thus
ppep'arod fasten a slip of paper on
which Is written a prophecy of some
kind. For instance, on ono wrlto "You
will havo a long, happy life;" on an
other, "You will soon go on a journey
across water,"
A pretty fancy Is to havo a ring
fastened to one of them which will fall
to tho ono who recolves the slip of
paper on which is written "All things
that nre good fall to you."
Ylien thoso are all arranged each
1 v
JSSPiW -
-wi j, nil-
guest takes 0110 of the tiny ribbons
hanging at tho Hide of tlio bowl and
thoy glvo a quick pull all together,
which scatters the leaves In all direc
tions, leaving them (Jangling In tho
hands of those who hold the ribbon at
tho other end.
Tho mottoes may bo comic or sontl
mental. In either caso thoy afTord
plenty of fun, ns they must bo read
aloud.
Making a Cork Walk.
Lots and lots of boys and girls
hnvo scon a match box, a horso fly, a
Ftono fence, and even a board walk,
l-ut wo aro pretty sure that very fow
ol you havo over scon a cork w?Fc.
Still, .under certain circumstances, a
Cork Walking Down the Board,
cork can walk, and this is tho way
to bring about tint unusual spectacle.
Oct as largo a cork as you can And,
and stick Bldo by sldo In one end a
pair of flat-headed nails. , Then get
two fork3 and Insert thorn, ono In
each side, near tho other end of tho
cork, ns shown In tho picture.
Now get a strip of wood four or
five foot long and about two Inches
v.lac, and mako an Inclined plane of
it by piling books or boxes under ono
end. Place tho cork on this, standing
if on its nail legs, with ono fork hang
ing down on either sldo of tho strip
of wood. Start tho fork swinging
from sldo to side, and you will seo
tho cork walk jorklly down tho board,
taking ridiculous stiff-legged llttlo
stops on Its nail legs.
Can You;8pln the Egg SheII7
Hero Is n trick which will Burprlso
tho wholo family.
Tho next tlmo you oat a boiled egg
moisten tho rim not merely tho edgo,
but all tho raised part of your plato
and place tho empty egg shell on tho
wot surface.
Tho shell should bo broken off
evenly all tho way around, so as to
form n llttlo cup.
Now, If you hold tho plato up and
tip it slightly, tho egg will not mere
ly slide, but spin, along tho rim, nnd
Ly contlnunlly altering tho Inclination
angle of tho plato you can mnko tho
shell spin all the way around It. I do
not mean that It will spin rapidly,
llko n top, but that as It goes around
the plato It also revolves slowly about
Its own nxls In tho samo direction.
Now this, you know, is Just what
tho earth doe3 In traveling around tho
sun, so hero you havo an easy and
pretty lesson In nstronomy at tho
breakfast tablo.
It Is not exactly nice to muss with
one's food, but In this caso It may bo
allowable to mako a daub of egg yolk
In tho centor of tho plato, with rays
streaming out all around, torepro
tent tho sun.
A Cat Angler.
Cats can bo trained ns easily as
dogs, nnd form tho same habit of fol
lowing ono about, says n writer. My
big black Tom has gone everywhere
with mo since his kltton days, long
ttitmps In tho woods, coaching tours,
picnics no journey proves too hard
for him. Once whon wo wero start
ing on a Ashing trip, I locked him up,
qulto securely as I thought, suppos
ing, of course, that ho would not en
joy tho uncertain motion of tho boat
or tho Inevitable wetness of tho sur
roundings. But at tho last moment
he camo bounding down the wharf
and serenely established himself on
tho cushions in the stern, evidently
prepared to tako flshorman's luck
vith tho rest of us. Ho showed no
sign of fear as long as we were
around. He onjoyed tho minnows
that foil to his share, nnd since then
tho collection of rods nnd tacklo Is a
plgn for him To trot off happily to
whero tho boats aro moored.
Ho has now bocomo qulto an experi
enced sport, watching tho water keen
ly for the xlpplos that tell of a "bite,"
and cocking his shiny black head ex-
itedly on this sldo and that as tho
lino grows taut and the rod curvos In
tho struggle. Ills Joy knows no
l"unds whon the victim Is landed at
last, and ho runs from one end to an
other, purring nnd rubbing his back
against any projecting hand or foot,
apparently In an ecstasy of congratu
lation. Somo ono frivolously sug
gested that in my black beauty ro
lived the soul of a complcto angler,
and steco then ho has been "Ike" to
his numorous frlonds and acquaint
ances. A Bird Tragedy.
' as sitting o'n tho back voranda,
scvicg, ono bright morning last
Si i
week," said a lady living In a second
Etory flat, "when something flew
f-wlftly past me, almost within reach.
Startled, I glanced up just In tlmo
to seo a beautiful robin alight under
lio caves of the houso opposite. A
long straw in his mouth showed mo
ho was busily nt work building a nest.
"As I sat watching, his mato hopped
In sight from under tho hidden roof,
and seemed most interested in tho
building process, to which in tho
moan time tho builder had added bits
of wool and straw. Much plensed
with his progress, my llttlo friend
hopped upon a branch of a maple
treo closo by and poured forth a short
strain.
"Suddenly a small boy strolled
along and, espying tho bird, stepped
Into the road and gathered a fow peb
bles. Advancing stealthily, he crept
closer to the llttlo songster, nnd In
breathless anxiety I watched him
fling tho stono. O, happy chanco! A
breath of air at that moment lifted
tho branch, nnd the stono went wide
o.' Its mark. Tho little nest builder,
stnrtled by tho mlssilo, flew off lntc
tho distance; but, after sailing In
rr.Id-alr for a moment or two, ho re
turned and lit upon u neighboring
roof.
"Agnln tho boy took aim, nnd again
I awaited In breathless suspense; but
this tlmo tho aim proved too true!
Thero was a fluttering of llttlo wings
and all was still.
"Alas! thought I, for the snug little
half-built nest under tho eaves whlct
was never to bo completed, and, alas!
for tho mother bird that would wall
In vain for her mate's return."
An Autograph Calendar.
', Tho homo made calendar Is Jusl
now ono of the holiday gifts which If
in course, of manufacture, and cer
tainly thco Is no gift which Is war
ranted to keep now all tho year In
tho samo way that tho hand inscribed
calendar Is. To mako this calcndat
It Is first essential that 3G5 no, 3C6
(for 1904 Is leap year) slips of pa
per bo cut of a uniform size three
Inches wide by four inches long Is a
fair measurement and then, aftci
having an Inked lino drawn across
ono Inch from the top edge, thoy nre
ready to Inscribe. A line in red ink
is suggested. Tho Bpaco abovo the
lino Is reserved for tho date, nnd may
bo added last, just beforo tho slips
aro mounted Into a block and cement
ed at both sides bo that tho owner
may not anticipate the contents of
tho various leaves.
The leaves aro now sent about tc
tho various friends of tho ono for
whom tho calendar Is intended, and
each Is Invited to lnscrlbo a leaf with
an appropriate Bcntlment, either orig
inal or quoted, but In tho person's
own handwriting. As may bo seen,
thoro aro dally surprises all during
tho yqar for tho recipient.
Ono of theso autograph calendars is
now in process of construction for o
young fellow at collego, apd it is be
ing made by tho young girls of hit
social set at home. On somo of the
slips ho will find a tiny photograph
of tho sender. On another a Bketch
of somo significant subject; on nn
other an allusion to somo event in
tho past, a reminder of an occasion
to causo him amusement. Thero h
flno opportunity hero for tho dlspln
ot originality, and by tho tlmo each
girl has dono her best, the calendai
is suro to bo filled.
This samo calendar Idea works up
beautifully for a birthday gift, when
it may begin with tho birthday, nc
matter whon it comes, and extend
through the following year to tho next
blrthdny. If It Is preferred, tho slips
of paper, lnstend of being mounted
on a block and cemented, may bo per
forated with two round holes at tho
top and then mounted on tho wooden
back with wlro hooks, tho samo that
finds favor on many desks, enabling
tho owner to exnmlno all at nny time.
A Tripod on a Tea Table.
Somo tlmo, when tea is lato and the
family Is all about tho tablo waiting
The Tripod Complete
jou may surprise all by a very clever
and nt tho same tlmo simple and easy
trick.
Tako a napkin ring and through It
pass threo forks with tho points up
ward and rest their handles on tho
tablo. Spread tho tops of the forks
ft part and inside them place a plate
or any round dish which will fit with
Ir. tho spaco thoy afford. This will
surely lock tho whole thing, and a
heavy dleh may be placed upon tho
plato without fear of Its being broken.
Champion Stalk of Rye.
fThera is on exhibition in Beverly,
Mass., a stalk of ryo moasurlng over
seven feet from tho roots to tho tip.
Tho ryo was grown at Prides Cross
ing by Louis Larson.
Good Work Goes on with. Certainty of
Ultimate Success.
Tho dosert Is commonly considered
. forbidding place, and numerous dif
ficulties aro encounterod in tho en
deavor to mako It "blossom as tho
rose." A dweller on tho Mojavo uays
that "with plenty of land ready for
tho plow, it took three of us sixteen
months to raise onough to feed two
horsos continuously." Tho alkali was
death to almost everything, and oven
r liberal irrigation would not causb
tho bloom to como. Wherever a sprig
of green appeared tho rabbits would
appear also and sweep tho board.
Whllo this was tho industrial situa
tion, tho comforts of Ufa wcro Illus
trated by tho winds, which blow stren
uously for days at a time, and, of
course, tho heat was Intense. Under
tho lnfluenco of tho searching atmos
phere tho melons of a sickly garden
. h
St. Paul
"simply dried up, standing up stiff
in all tho prldo of life," and tho sweep
ing sand carried on an unceasing as
sault upon every vlslblo object. With
ono sido 6f tho plcturo thus revealed,
hopes of reclamation would die, and
It would seem Incredible that any ono
should attompt to maintain tho dis
couraging fight against such odds.
It Is a fact, however, to which this
vory witness testifies In the Los An
soles Times, that tho battle continues,
and that, too, with prospects of ultl
mato success. Human intelligence
finds a way to combat all tho enemies
that aro supplied In naturo and to
dcrlvo aid from nature's gift of a rich
soil. Thoro can bo no doubt that
many vast tracts which now seem con
demned to eternal barrenness will
yield heavy crops in tlmo and support
a largo population. Tho Inducements
for oxtenslvo Irrigation schemes aro
sufficient to Justify tho efforts that aro
being mado by individuals and state
to bring theso wasto areas under cul
tivation. Nor aro tho comforts of tho desert
life all summed up in the driving
winds and sandstorms. Ono comes to
enjoy the dry heat. "When it reaches
105 degrees you will hardly know or
care when It goes five or ten more,
and even another five or ten will not
bother you very much. This Is large
ly offset by tho ease of sleeping out
doors, by tho absenco of fog, alm"o3t
total absenco of rain and tho great
number of lovely days In fall and win
tor." It Is a subject for congratula
tion nlso that thoro aro no fleas, no
mosquitoes, no bedbugs. If alfalfa has
Its trials, flies and gnats havo theirs,
too, and preferably seek other cli
mates. In Uno, what appears uninhabitable
to those who pass on in ignorant re
pulsion and amazement is attractive,
even fascinating, to thoso who under
stand all the conditions and who are
doing tho pioneer work. And If somo
of tho latter may bo carried too far
by their optimism tho country will de
rive its profit from their struggles.
Life's Most Important Acts.
A magazine editor, seeking an in
crease of circulation, sont to each of
his 3,500 subscribers this query:
"What wbb tho most important act of
your life? Fifty dollars for tho best
true answer." Ho received more than
1,000 replies, all but ono relating some
particular deed of which the writer
was proud. Tho exception and prize
winner was brlof and to tho point
"Being born." Encouraged by tho suc
cess of his scheme of advertising, tho
editor sent out a second query, offer
ing another $50 for tho best answer. (
"Last month you stated what was the
most important act of your life, now
tell us what Is tho most Import ant
act of your life." Tho variety of re
plies would havo mado several pages
of rare humor, but tho winner solemn
ly wrote, 'Breathing."
Authority on Penology.
Major R. W. McCIaughry, warden
of the United States penitentiary at
Leavenworth, has just celebrated the
thirtieth anniversary of his manage
ment of prisons. Ho was first ap
pointed warden of a penitentiary in
August, 1874. In the last thirty years
he has been warden of threo different
penitentiaries and two reformatories.
Ho was warden of the Jollct, 111., pen
itentiary longer thun any other. In
tho thirty years' service h3 has had
about 24,000 prisoners under him.
Major McCIaughry has aided In tho
building of two prisons, and tho work
on the big now United States peni
tentiary at Leavenworth is being dono
under his supervision.
1 snpjiiiiri.n ... .jj
WARS COST 14,000,000 LIVE8.
Prof. Charles Rlchet Recounts Marital
Tragedies of Nineteenth Century.
Prof. Charles Rlchet, tho noted
French apostlo of peace, is quotod as
saying that during tho nineteenth cen
tury 14,000,000 human beings died in
cohsequonco of war.
"Napoleon," ho said, "Is usually
credited with having caused tho death
of 2,OCO,000 mon. As a matter of fact,
8,000,000 men died for his glory. Tho
war of tho Crimea cost 300,000 lives,
tho American civil war GOO.000. Prus
sia doomed 800,000 men to death be
tween I860 and 1871, tho Russo-Turk-Ish
war 400,000.
"Tho wars in tho South American
republics nro generally laughed at,"
continued tho professor, "but as a mat
tor of fact thoy liro far from ridicu
lous. In tho nineteenth century they
cost, all told, 500,000 lives, and tho
South American republics nro not
DESTRUCTIVE WORK OF THE STORM AT MINNEAPOLIS.
City and High Bridge, which Was Wrecked.
overburdened with citizens, nro they?
"I am sorry to say that tho twen
tieth century bids fair to rival tho
nineteenth century in tho killing lino."
QUAY GAVE UP STAKES.
"Joo" Cannon's Singing Voice Too
Much For Pennsylvania Senator.
The late Senator Quay circulated a
story wherein Speaker Cannon Is
represented as a singer. Tho occa
sion was a political banquet where a
discussion aroso over the song, "Tho
Old Oaken Bucket." Senator Quay re
marked: "I never heard It sung
through In my life." "I will bet you a
dollar that I can sing It through, as
serted Mr. Cannon. "Tako you," said
tho senator. "And tho toastmaster
will hold tho stakes and be referee."
Mr. Cannon cleared his throat and at
tacked tho famous old melody with
grliti earnestness. At tho end of tho
first stanza Senator Quay got upon his
feet and interrupted tho song. "I
wish to say, if I may bo pardoned," ho
commenced, "that I dislike to loso a
dollar, but I am willing to concede tho
stakes to my adversary and take his
word for tho accuracy of his knowl
edge if he will stop singing right
whero ho Is."
A rah Is 120 Years Old.
Perhaps tho oldest man In tho
world Is Sid Ahmed Sallm, a wonder
ful relic of the eighteenth century,
who has long been one of tho sights
Mu jj mi mwiihi !! 11 in 1
Norwegian Lutheran Church
in Cairo, Egypt. Ho was born about
1784, his father having been a shiek
of tho Cairo tentmakers. Until a few
yoars ago ho could describe with every
appearance of accuracy many of tho
stirring scones he witnessed when
Bonaparte was in Egypt with his
army. Now, at tho ago ,of about 120,
ho is confined to his bed with extreme
feobleness, having lost feeling In his
extremities. Aged Arabs remember
him as an old ma 1 when they were
children. A grcat-f randdaughter, her
self getting along ii 1 years, looks after
him.
EtJBUitittfVaN. fit. rifsfa QMmHaB MtrffiJj V? - 'jsKtot3ntAJJ'V& KXLinlBBBH
BsJHsWlffhfi-yyiMfLsl j iuUmxitvKP'' "tFE toaiTOSfTri
jr"iTPmmmm$mmmm , i t?n HmtiasJ
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Estimates Show a Reduction In AM
most All Countries.
Estimates of tho wheat crop put tho
total yield of this country nt 533,000.
000 bushels. This would Indicate a
reduction from tho yield of last year
of about 100,000,000 bushels, whllo tho
figures aro moro than 200,000,000 be
low thop5 of 1901 and moro than 130,
000,000 below thoso of 1902. It should
bo noted, however, that thoy como
pretty closo to thoso of 1900 and 1899,
being slightly In oxcess of tho ono
and slightly below tho other, and that
only twico beforo 1899 did tho crop
amount to as much as 600,000,000
bushels. ,
But again, whllo this is true, it Is
to bo noted also that there 1b not a
falling off merely, but a very sorlous
loss owing to unfavorablo weather
conditions. Earlier expectations havo
been disappointed and, furthermore.
reports indlcato that thero Is a shorl
crop In many countries. Canada has
been hit llko tho United States, tho
estimates In Manitoba being reduced
by one-half. We learn also from a
genoral rovlow In tho London Econo
mist that tho English crop will bo
much below tho average, and that of
tho entire United Kingdom a meager
one. In Franco thero will bo a reduc
tion of about 33 per cent from tho
yield of last year. Austria-Hungary,
Spain, Italy, Roumanla and Russia aro
all sufferers. Damage by drought has
seriously affected tho prospects In tho
Argentine, and India scorns to fur
nish tho only marked exception to tho
generally discouraging returns. Her
crop of last spring was 352,000.000
bushels, the largest in her history,
and The Economist says: "If wanted
In Europe, India, accordingly, has an
enormous surplus, which would bo at
tracted by a moderate advance In tho
price."
This surplus, however, is not largo
enough to mako up tho deficit in other
countries, and it is certain that tho
world's crop will bo tho smallest pro
duced In recent years. At tho samo
tlmo this country Is fortunate In tho
tho prospect of a largo yield of Indian
corn. The estlmato Is 2,400,000,000
bushels, which would glvo a crop far
abovo the average and second only to
that of 1902.
Baron Rothschild
Nathan Meyer
Changes Politics.
Rothschild, first
imiiMirmii mm
Damaged to the Extent of $5,000.
Baron Rothschild In tho peerage of
Great Britain and head of tho English
branch of the celebrated family of
bankers, has Incurred the displeasure
of the present ministry by transferring
his political allegiance to the liberal
party. Whllo tho great financier has
not much influence over votes by
means of his territorial possessions,
which are small when compared with
a number of his follow members of tho
houso of lords, ho commands a largo
amount of political lnfluenco not only
in the city of London, but throughout
tho United Kingdom.
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