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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 1900)
rod cieverdaie's fiaventure. ft ,! 13 y Seuard frl Copyrighted. 1803, by Uobcrt rtonnr' CHAPTER V. (Continued.) As Itob, dressed In his picturesque Spanish costume, stood on tho deck, ho thought ho had never seen so ninny villainous-looking men. They would propol tho largo llat boats to tho schooner's side, make them fast and Jump aboard. .Then tho black boat men and the crew of tho "Black Cat" would bo busy for a tlmo In trans ferring from tho hold of tho cchooncr to tho bonis the packages ond ca3es and casks of tho contraband cargo. Captain Torrevo was hero, tlioro and everywhere, giving loud commands In n language that Hob did not under stand, and which would scarcely bo un derstood by any ono whoso tongue was limited to tho precise language of any ono country. Captain Torrovo paused Itob sovcral times without paying him any atten tion. What was Hob's great surprise, (hen, when tho captain of the "Black Cat" suddenly turned on him with a frightful oath and struck him with a ropo's end. "Will you do nothing?" roared Cap tain Torrovo, In what nppoarcd :i most frightful rage. "Will you stand there, and mo trying to got unloaded? Get to work there, or I'll kick you Into tho water!" Hob was thunderstruck and terribly frightened. "I'll do anything!" ho cried. "Don't strlko mo! Tell mc what you want mo to do!" "Got Into that boat. Do your sharo of tho work! Help carry tho Btuff to tho cave!" x As Hob, without trying to soften the terrific wrath of his seemingly cruel master, turned to obey, he saw, stand ing on tho shoro, a largo, black horse. Upon this horso was seated n man of apparently flfty-flvo years of ago. This "GET ON man was tall, nnd had a hoavy beard. lie wna dressed In a well-flttlng riding suit, with high boots. Tlioro was n look of masterful cruelty about him that mado Hob shiver. Hob noticed that tho blackB, and tho crow of tho "Blnck Cat" ns woll, shot glances of fear toward tho calm and ipoworfulooklng innu on horseback. Poor Hob 'did not know what to do first. All around him woro groaning nnd chattering blacks, nnd tho cruel, sharp words of Torrovo wcro ringing iii its curs "Toko it! Tnko it!" said ono. of tho Inborora to him, holding out n pack age, Hob tried to tnko it from tho fellow nnd put It with othors, ns ho saw tho men nround him doing, but It wna too hoavy. Ho lot it fall, nnd thcro wns tho sound of breaking glass. Immediately tho captain of tho "Black Cat" lot out n shrill yell of rngc, nnd leaped Into tho boat. Ho gavo Hob a cut across tho shoulders nml ovon on Jits fnco with tho ropo's end ho carried. Ttoh cried out with pain, but Torrovo cursed nnd struck him ngnln. ''Cub! Good for nothing!" ho vstironmod, seemingly bosldo hlmsolt with rage. "Will you bronk tho enp tain's bottles? Tnko thnt for your clumsiness." Tho schooner was nenr enough to shoro for tho man on horsoback to hoar nnd seo what was going on. IIo turned a calm, Impassive fnco townrd tho boat. "It's thnt good-for-nothing nophow of'mluo, Senor Cnptnln," sang out Tor rovo. "Ho would go on n voyngo with mo, nnd what good Is ho, except to steal and lto and bronk things? I'll break him I Como, tako this and seo If you enn brenK It!" Itob tremblingly took tho packago from tho dark hands thnt hold It out to him, r.ad succeeded In getting It In plaro without n mishap. In this way, with much roaring nnd curalng by Torrovo, tho boat waB load ed, and then started toward tho shore TIm tall man on tho hor3o now got down on tho ground, nnd stood with n hoavy whip In his hand nnd n ma lovolont expression on his face. This man was evidently an Englishman or an American. Hob had thought tho dark, ovll faces on tho "Blnck Cat" dreadful to look nt, but thcro was something eo utterly cruel in this 8 VU. IlopkliiB, Son. men's faco that he seemed to make tho others jrentlo by comparison. "Ilurr up, thcro!" ho shouted In English, flourishing his whip, "Wo aro being watched ovecy day now. Thoro may bo soldiers hero nny minute. Get the stuff nshoro In u hurry." The men strained harder, and soon tho Hat noso of tho boat was shoved up on the sandr Tho men leaped out, each one giving a quick look nt the master, as if expecting every moment a cut with the honvy whip. "Hey, Torrovo, who Is this?" ho shouted, pointing to Hob. "Thnt fool of n nophow of mlno," shouted back tho captain of the "Black Cat." "Ho Is no good, but ho would make a trip with mc. Whip him, If ho Is lazy." Hob remembered what Torrovo had said about his nppoaranco as the nephow of tho captain of "131 Goto Negro," nnd wondered if he, as Hob Clovcrdale, had any more to fear than ho was getting as Torrevo's nophow. It seemed to be the object of Torrovo to make him out as stupid and worthless as possible, and to give tho English man tho Impression that he hated his nephow. Tho men on the boat now began to pick up their burdens, and poor Rub, not onc-ilftli as strong as one of theso fellnwB, did the same. He unfortunate ly picked up n packago that was too heavy for him, and stnKgcred with It right boforo tho tall, Satanic Individ ual, whom nil so palpably feared. In an Instant there was a swish, nnd the Englishman's whip came down on Hob's shoulders. "Get on with you!" ho said. "If you can't do better than that, what good arc you?" Hob, not knowing but an answer would bring him nuothor blow, shut WITH YOU!" his teeth hard and took up n smaller package. With this, which ho could Just carry, ho fell Into lino. 1 horo whs now a steady lino of men going from tho shore, whoro two boats woro unloading, ovor n rldgo somo few hundred feet off, up to which thoro was a constant rise. Thoy disappeared over this ridge, nnd Hob wondorcd whoro thoy took the contruband uoods nut ho wns soon to And out. As part of tho endless procession, with dnrk. shining bodlos, beforo him, nnd others coming nftor him, ho walked up tho slopo, nnd nt tho summit of tho rldgo found thnt thoro was n steop descent on tho other side. And down this thoro was n swampy place, townrd which tho men wont. Thoy did not go Into tho swamp, however. Turning ono sldo, thoy contlnuod till thoy renched n spot whorq tho sldo of tho hill wus nlmo3t Btralght. Horo thoro wns n small open ing, almost hlddon by n growth of trcos nnd bushes. Theso wcro bolng held nsldo by mon whllo tho burden car vlors went Into tho oponlng. To ac compllsh this thoy woro compelled to put tho burden thoy carried on tho ground, roll or push It In, nnd then get down on their knees nnd crawl In thomsolves. Hob did Just us ho had seen tho others do, nnd whon ho ngaln stood upright ho found hlmsolt In great envo, almost totally dnrk, with tho mon moving like spectres of dark ncss hero nnd there. Aftor a few min utes ho muunged to seo u llttlo, ntd then found thnt tho cavo ho wns In was only ono of n sorles of vaulted caverns loading back from tho rldgo toward and perhaps under, tho water, of tho bay. Thoro was u constant slopo down ward, and Hob Judgod that tho hot torn of tho cave was nt least fifty foot below tho river bed. From ono of tho caverns mon now enmo with torches and Hob saw that this strango place was n vnst storohou3o of smugglod goods. Bales of tobacco lined ono rock room. Bales of silk nnd cloth filled nuothor. Horo thoro wero casks of brnndy nnd In nnother plnco n quan tlty of liquor In bottles. Thoro wns wealth represented thoro - ctolon wenlth for, oven If tho smugglors had bought tho goods honestly, thoy woro stealing It Into tho country, which wns In itself dishonest. And It thoy would do this, no doubt thoy would steal It nml Hob did not doubt that tho crew of the "Ulnck Cat" were plratts as well as smugglers. CHAPTER VI. He felt a thrill of n7prohon3lon as he saw tho black shadows cast by tho blazing torches and heard tho grumb ling tonc3 of the moving men in that grewsomo place. Oh! What hiding places there wero among those pllos of bale3 or in thoso black rccessos of rock, where ho could hear tho con stant trickling of water from above! Shivering, ho went tho wholo length of tho place, dopo3lted his burden, and followed tho lino of spectres out again, What glad sigh of relief escaped him ns ho breathed once moro tho fresh nlr outside. But thero wns no time to stop to enjoy It. Tho procos3lon moved on, nnd Hob, with trembling limbs nnd perspiring brow, went back for nnother load. Tho boats had brought some casks from tho schooner by this time, nnd theso were to bo taken Into tho cave. It was hard work, and when Hob saw Torrovo standing on shore by the sldo of tho Englishman, his heart gavo n bound of fear. Whcl was tho mystery f tho hatred felt by these men toward himself? He could not understand It. But It scorned cortnln that thoy were bent on his destruction; or, perhap3, ho was to bo henceforth n slnvc. Per haps nil these dark fellows woro slnves. Hob did not know whether there wero nny slnvea In South America now, but theso men wcro slnves In reality, oven If they wcro not such In name. And what would be his own fate? Again he foil to work with the others, but could not resist sending n look of appeal Into the eyes of Tor rovo, Tho captain of the "Black Cat" saw this, nnd saw nlao that at tho samo tlmo tho tall Englishman was looking nt the boy. "Curso you!" shouted Torrevo. "1 will kill you yet!" Ho struck' him fiercely, nnd poor Rob, feeling now certain that the friendship Torrevo had shown on board tho schooner was assumed, fell to work with a heart that was like a lump of lead In his bosom. Ho helped roll a heavy keg to tho opening, nnd was almost run down b.v it ns it Bped downwnrd from tho top of tho ridge. A grcnt, ugly fellow, hnlf Indian nnd halt negro, caught him in a powerful grasp and swung him out of tho wny to safoty. "Oh, thank you!" gasped poor Rob. "Uhf No Tank!" said tho black fel low, with a hideous grin. "Mo no want to seo kill. Cnpltang Elvin htm kill soon 'miff." "Captain Elvin! la that tho man's name?" "Ho! Yes. Him Capltang Elvin. Him great man. Him chief nil de gnngs. IHm kill you." "Why does he wantv to kill me?" asked Hob. 'Ura! "Mo not know. Look out, dat all." Again Hob wont Into tho dark cav erns, doing his best toward his share of the work. But It was un nstonlsh Ing fact that ns soon ns they wcro out of sight over the rldgo, no ono enred whethor ho did nny work or not. In fact, in tho work of placing tho casks, barrels and kegs, ho wn3 decidedly In tho way of tho experienced men, and thoy shoved him aside. Whllo doing nothing ho looked nround tho caverns, but was sure to follow the men of his gang out when they rotumcd for another load. Four or five trips ho mado Into tho enverns In this wny, winning nothing but blows tind kicks nnd curses from Torrovo, no mntter how hard ho worked. (To bo continued.) Kvtinlnir tlin Honor Up. It was nt President Hadloy's ro icptlon thnt tho following bit of con versation wns overheard: Dr. Dwlght. turning to n prominent young nlumnus of Ynlo, nftor greeting him with "llol- o. classmate." snld something nbout his own very recent return from tho country, nddlng nfterwnrd: "By tho wny, I owo ono of tho New Ilnvon nowspnpors n grudgo. It printed nn Item nbout uiu somo tlmo ngo to this effect: 'Ex-President Theodoro Dwlght hns JiiBt returned from his summer homo nt Norfolk.' Now, my nnmo is rimothy, nnd my summer homo Is at ,ltchflold." "Woll. that Is ono of tho thtncH. nt nil events thnt can bo vory easily rectified, doctor," snld tho nlum nus nlcnsantly. "Yes," replied tho doctor, with n droll smile, "thoy might say, nnd I think It would bo satisfac tory to mo, that 'Prof. Alfred Hndloy hns Just been elected president of nn Institution nt Wuterbury.' "Now Haven Hcglstor. A Qnnkor Woiiiiimr. Tho ElK City (Knn.) Enterprise de scribes ii Qunkor wedding which took plnco In thnt city tho other dny. The bridal couplo camo into tho mooting houso nnd took their seats nil nlone on tho rostrum, whllo 200 peoplo ent silently on tho benches, Aftor a long wait, during which not n sound wns uttered, the groom uroso nnd tnklng tho brldo by tho hnnd, said: "Friends, In tho prcsonco of God nnd beforo thlr assembly I tnko Mnrlotto Stovcns to bo my wlfo, promising with dlvlno nsslst unco to bo unto her n faithful husband until death shall aopamto us." Then tho brldo In llko manner promised to bo to him a loving nnd faithful wlfo, nnd tho ceremony wns ovor. Nut tho Vlrnl Tlmti. Mrs. Cfllllnn Now, Mrs. Wyckoff, wo renlly must sny good-by. Dear, whllo you put your ovorcont on, I want to toll Mrs. Wyckott a socrot. Mr. Gillian All right I'll Just go and got my hair cut nnd meet you nt tho cornor PAEM AND GARDEN. MATTERS OF INTEREST TO AGRICULTURISTS. loms U-toIAtn Hint About Cut tlrntlmi of Urn Soil nml Ylrlil Thereof Horticulture, Viticulture nnd floriculture. Horticultural Olxerrntlon. On Jan. 1(1 thcro will bo held in Kan as City a convention of growers and thlppers of fruit nnd farm produce. It Is proposed to form an association of national magnitude. Whether tho plan will succeed or not wo will soon see. But It Is a fait that the science of or ganization Is being learned, na Is evi denced by tho success of tho California alelu growem association. Thcro nro at present a number of small associa tions thnt havo been doing business for yen.;3, nnd Hint, too, with success. TKro Is llttlo doubt that such a com bination ns that proposed has In It great possibilities for good and evil. Ione&tly nnd Justly managed. It may give a uniformity to prices and prevent dishonesty among the retailers, espe cially among the stand fruit dealers In large cities. Fruit men should in some way com- blno to prevent retailers re-sorting their fruit when It 13 put on the mar ket. This ro-sortlng of fruit by tho retailers 13 a very wide-spread hab it Is in every sen39 dishon est, and Lijures tho producer of lino fruit as much as It does the buyer of what is supposed to bo fine fruit. Go among tho fruit stands in Chicago very early In tho morn ing, sny, in peach tlmo, beforo the rush tor tho day has commenced. Tho fruit dealers will bo found vigorously nt work packing fruit to bo sold during tho day. All the gooj fruit has been emptied out In ono pile nnd the little, worthless fruit In nnothef pile. Tho packer puts tho llttlo green peaches In tho bottom nnd faces tho baskot with good-sized and possibly good-col ored fruit. If It lacks good color, he stretches some red netting over tho green fruit and gives It tho proper color. Now when tho basket of fruit ..hat Fruit-Grower John Smith has packed, with hla stamp, comes into tho bauds of these samo men, It Is quickly emptied out and s?rted with the rest. If, later, John Smith should como along and buy ono ot tho honestly packed baskota that ho has sent to markot ho woiild experience a shock on opening it, for ho would not find under tho top layer Just as good peaches as on top, but the said green ones referred to. Fruit producers that aro trying to make their brand recog nized . nnd respected on tho market should find somo way to compel deal ers to sell tho fruit as it comes to hand or tko off their brand. Agricultural N'ntcs. To "what extent drain tile was pul verized by tho hard freezes of last winter Is not yet apparent. Inqulrle8 sent out by tho Farmers' Review re vealed tho fact that mo3t farmers do not know whether their drains havo been Injured or not. Tho compara tively dry fall has not put them to the test. Should we havo a wet winter wo would probnbly find out If tho drains nre In condition to enrry off wntor or not. It Is not necessary that tho wholo lino of drain bo broken up to render It useless. A rod or two thoroughly pulverized docs much to render tho wholo Incapable of carry ing off water. Perhaps It would have been .1 good Idea If farmers with largo quaucltles of tiled land had mnde some examination with the object of finding out Its truo condition. Tho loss to n slnglo crop through a disintegrated drnln may bo lnrge, nnd In nddltlon largo nreas of land may be rendered unplownblo In tho spring Just at the tlmo It Is most necessary to get onto tho land. Prlzo corn crops nro not always what thoy appear to be. Thero are corn crops and corn crops. It Is poa siblo for two men to raise each 100 bushels of corn to the aero and yet have ono man rnlso twice as much corn to tho aero as the other. This nppenrn paradoxical, but Is easily explained. One man may plant his corn at such a Into day that It will becomo only well glazed at tho tlmo It has to bo gathered for exhibition; whllo tho other man may plant his corn enrly nnd thus' give It time to thoroughly mnturo beforo it must bo gathered. Corn gathered Just after tho roastlng-car period Is very heavy, nnd will nt thnt tlmo sometimes weigh double what It will when It has been well dried. This Is tho secrot ot somo of tho enormous ylolds of corn that havo been recently reported, Tho fig urea that claim ylolds per aero well up to tho 200-bushol mark aro based on weighed nnd not monsared bushels. Inspect that samo prlzo corn n few months ntter It has been gathered, and It will bo found looking vory shaky. Every kernel will bo found standing by itself and with nn abundance of rooai between it and Its neighbors. Really such prlzo corn does not 1111 the requirements, or should not. Tho wnfer contont of corn should bo taken Into consideration, and wo nre not suro thnt it would ;iot bo a good Idea to havo ench sample entered nnnlyzod for Its wntor content, nnd this nnnly sls bo taken into consideration when mnklug tho nwnrds. A (loot! AppoJntmont. Mr. J. II. Monrnd has been anointed assistant dairy nnd food commisjlouor of Illinois. Tho appointment Is n yood ono. All who kuow Mr. Monrnd bi llovo thnt ho will discharge ovory duty faithfully. As n dnlry export ho Is known on both uldoa of U10 Atlantic add Pacific. He has had cxperlooxo in dairy matters in Denmark, Nu.wajr, New Zealand and tho United Stato. Whlla progressive ho Is conservative, and is not easily led to lndorso new things till ho Is thoroughly convinced of their utility. Illinois needs a strong man In tho ofilco ot assistant commissioner, which oftlco is supposed to bo filled by a flrst-clas3 dairy ex pert. Another gratifying thing nbout tho appointment of Mr. Monrnd Is thnt it is In no seuso a political nppolntmonL This Is nn Indlcntlon thnt the commls.' slon Is to bo run for real effectiveness. Tho nines of work to be dono In Illi nois requires tho best tnlcnt thnt enn be secured Irrespective of party, nnd the sentiment of tho peoplo should bo expressed In fnvor of keeping, na much ns possible, partisan politics out of It. Illinois has tho reputation of being tho Btnte In which moro ndulterntcd product aro mailn. than nny other stnto In the Union. It Is charged that Illi nois hns had moro to do with ruin ing our foreign markets for dnlry goods than any other stato in tho Union, nnd it Is to bo hoped thnt n reform is to follow. Every farmer in Illinois should do his utmost to uphold tho hands of Mr. Jones and Mr. Mon rad. TcoRluto Herewith wo lllustrato teoslnte. Tho explanation of the plate I3: "a," ono of the ears enclosed by tho husk; "b," the samo with a portion of tho husk show ing tho grnlns; "c" and "d," vlows of the grain. " The scientific namo of this plant la Euchloena luxurlans. This Is a grass of tropical nativity and much resem bles Indian corn. It Is said to havo been Introduced Into this country from Central or South America, though It was first cultivated In Australia. In its nativo habit as it grows freely and often attains a height of from 10 to 15 feot In a few months. It suckers out or tillers to a remark ablo degree, often as ninny ns thirty to fifty suckers springing from n single stalk. In this country tho climate Is not hot enough, neither nro tho seasons long enough to ripen tho seed, except In n very few plnces. While this is true, It does well ns a foddor plant as far north as Pennsylvania and Kansas. In somo of our moro southern states It has given larger yields than any oth er forage plant. Georgia reported a yield of 19 tons to tho acre, Mississip pi 22 tons to tho acre, but at tho Louis lann station It yielded over 50 tons pel acre. To succeed well It needs abund ant moisture, a great deal of heat, rich soil and u long season. It is useless to plant It where these conditions can not be had. If cut when it reaches four or five feet In height It makes excellent fodder. If allowed to grow till Octo ber It mnkea a good plant for tho silo. Its value as a soiling crop may be seen by tho fact that tho 50-ton per acre crop raised at the Louisiana station wns sold to dairymen at tho rate of $2 per ton. Neighboring Flocks. With but ona or two small flocks In a neighborhood there is sometimes a lnck ot buyers for both wool and mutton, but as flocks In crease in size and number this diffi culty will bo largely overcome. An other ndvnntago In being in a neigh borhood where thoro nra mauy small flocks Is that rams can bo exchanged frequently to good advantage; again, dogs never trouble so much, nnd It thoy do, their dopredntlons nro moro Bcnttored. A neighborhood pretty well stocl-.od with profltuble sheep Is not na likely to bo overrun with unprofltnblo dogs as ono Is whero sheop aro scarce. There, too, Is moro or les3 competition to seo who has tho best-looking flock, as well ns tho best-paying ono, nnd tho per cent of lncreaso la vYatched moro closely when irenr-by shepherds keep track of tho lambing tlmo, -Ex. Our "Butter" In Cuba. -American butter soils for less In tin Cuban mar kot than butter from France, Holland and Denmark. And yot American but ter Is generally better than that com ing from tho other countfles. Tho troublo Is that oleomargarine and othor Imitations nro sold Id Cuba ns American butter. It Is precisely tho same dishonest methods wl'lch havo so greatly Injured tho American butter trado In Europe. When our govern ment stops this fraudulent trade, American butter and eheoso will soli again In tho markota of the world at prices na high ns slmllnr nrtlcles from othor countries. This dishonest prac tice on tho prt of exporters not only disgraces the United Stntes, but It takes millions of dollars annually out of tho farmers' pockets, by, depreciat ing the vnluo ot their products. Phil ndelphla Press. Have the wool In good condition without aur tags Ir fleecos. JIliltiK Chcinlctl rcrtllUcr. A bulletin of tho Tcnnessoo Experl met : Stntion says: Farmers should mnko their own manuro at home, by growing feed, feeding It to milch cows or othor stoclc and saving tho manure They should by all means produco their own nitro genous fertilizers by growing legdmln ous plants, which catch and fix tho nl trogen of tho nlr, ns explnlned In Press Bulletin 1. Tho good farmer will do this nnd will thus nover need to buy any fertilizer unless It la phosphnto nnd potash. If they will buy fertiliz ers thero is no mystery or difllculty about mixing them nt homo. Nitrogen costs 12 to 15 cento a pound In fertil izers. Mnnufncturers prepnro them by mixing with ncld phosphnto somo sourco of nitrogen, llko tnnkngo. drlod blood, or cotton seed menl, nnd a pot ash compound like murlnto of pot ush or kanlto. Why mny not thtj rnrmor mix them for himself? is a question frequently nsked of tho Ton nessco Agricultural Experiment Btn tlon. The station nlwnys mixes fer tilizers for its own use, nnd nny farmer enn do tho snmo as follows: Uso as tho basis for your mlxturo ncld phos phnto mado from the Tcnncssco rock. It Is tho highest grndo and tho cheap est phosphnto wo hnvo. It should bo hnd nny where In 'lenncsseo for $12 n ton or less, nnd should contnln 10 to 18 per cent nvnllnble phosphoric acid. For potash uso murlato of potash, con taining CO per cent potash. It costs, in Tennessee, $42 to $45. Two clnsses of mixtures nro sold: 1. Mixtures of ncld phosphnto nnd potnsh enn bo prepared thus: Tnko 1,850 pounds ot Tennesseo ncld phos phnto, 160 pounds murlnto ot potash, nnd mix thoroughly. At tho nbovo prices n ton of tho mixture will cost nbout $14.25, nnd will contnln at lca3t 13.5 per cont nvnllnblo phosphoric ncld und 3.5 per cent potnsh. It Is tho best fertilizer for cow-peas, grasses nnd for vgo plants generally, corn nnd wheat, ad makes a fine compost with ma Vtre. 1. So-called completo fertilizers may Lv prepared by mixing proper amounts ot ncld phosphates, potash and "ura moIatcs," as tho substances supply ing nitrogen arc called. Hero is a rood mixture mado with "tankage," or tied animal matter from tho slnughter yluses, which contain 7 per cent nltro m and 12 per cent avallablo phos phoric acid, and costing $20 a ton. Any of theso can bo easily mixed on tho barn lloor or a smooth, dry place, by breaking nil tho lumps, and sprink ling out, first a thin layer of ono and then of nnother Ingredient until tho wholo is laid out. Shovol together until very thoroughly mixed and put through a sand screen. Can you not afford to mix your own fertilizers for from $5 to $10 a ton? Agents nro run ning ovor tho country selling formulna for fertilizers not half as good as the nbove, for $5 a recipe. Farm Vegetables. Tho fresh, crisp, Juicy and finely flavored products of tho farm garden may bo set down U3 ono of tho most attractive things In farm life. Tho farmer may not appre ciate theso products as greatly a3 do tho peoplo of the towns, who sou only Btale, wilted, discolored and generally out-of-condltlon vegetables In tho mnr kets. Tho farmer who will not give a thought to his lettuce or his onions or its green, or other vegetable, becauso o is accustomed to them in their most nttractlvo stato, would find a now In terest In such things, could ho return to them after a visit to a city and a diet on vegetables in the usual city condition. The farmer at homo Is mastor of his own supplies of tables, and ho misses ono of tho liret things within his reach when ho fallcs to sccuro for himself and his family a largo garden growing a variety ot o ccllent and wholesome vegetables. Ex- Storing Onions. Onions, unless they have been properly prepared, ar diffi cult to keep, but properly ripened off, dug at tho right season and dried as thoy should bo, they will keep woll. Tho temperature must be low nnd tho nlr 6ry, as in a warm, moist atmos phere they soon grow nnd nro spoiled. If I hnd onions to store, not knowing how they hnd been dried, I should sub ject them to 100 degrees heat for sev eral days, which has almost the effect &t kiln drying. Then place In shallow, slatted boxes, piled ono nbovo nnother, in a collnr well ventilated nnd kept Just nbovo freezing. If this way la not practicable they can bo kept in n build ing nwny from firo, stored In n bin 'vfelch has a thick lining nnd covering cIiDsf And fine liny. Vlck's Muga tlne. Tho Prickly Pear. Tho Opuvf irown In Sicily, produco dollcloua rnms in great abundnnce, often ten .ons per acre. In Almerla, Spain, 33 felgh aa fifteen tons of fruits nro somo t!meo produced. In Sicily tho well ripened prickly pears aro really dollcl ens, and these Improved varlotles should bo tried In all tho southern and southwestern states. Somo ot theso best sorts havo been obtained and will bo distributed to tho experiment sta tions for trial. Miniature Trees. Ono of tho most re markable features of Japaneso garden ing is tho wny In which ovory plnnt nnd treo In n fnmous gnrdon will bo re produced In ralnlaturo, by a system of dwnrflng which has beon handed down from many generations back. Evry characteristic of a large treo will bo preserved, tho foliage, color and the texture of tho branches, and yet tho miniature copy will often bo not moro than from ono to three feot high. Ex. Somo rcllnblo fertilizer ought nlways to bo kept on hand also, if this Is not dono, plnnt8 aro often allowed to Buffor for food nt tho very tlmo when It Is most needed. Exchange.