M
iroiials
IDENTIFICATION OF AMERICAN WOODS
RECENTLY BECOME GREATLY EMPHASIZED
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User's Need of Reliable Means of Recognizing Commercial Tim
ber Increases Because of Demand for Standard Species
Many Expensive Lawsuits Result From Controversies.
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y 1TII tho mild pcrhla-
tcnco cliaructcrlstlo of
tholr taco, tho imtlvus
of Samoa havo docllnud
to purnilt tho vhito
man to nbolluh tho
habits mid custonid
that developed In their
beautiful Islands dur
ing tho long centuries
before the connuerlnu
Btranger camo. They
havo dropped their primitive religion
uud becomo ChrlstlaiiB on tho surface,
at least. Tho "mission girls" allow
themselves to bo clad from neck to heol
In whlto "Mother Hubbards" and In
Apia all tho women wear somo scanty
covering for tho upper part of tho body,
though nono of them will put on shoes
and stockings except whllo attending
church. But In most other respects
theso lovable brown people llvo as they
always havo lived.
This Is notably true concerning the
ceremonies, those of dally observance
as well as those which mark somo creat
occasion. It was my good fortune to be
In Samoa at a time when It was possible
to witness various ceremonials not often
seen. Mnlietoa was recently dead, Ma
taafa was elected king by a majority of
tho people and Tanu had been chosen
by tho minority and, what was more
Important, by tho Protestant mission
aries. From nil parts of the little archi
pelago tho adherents of Matnnfn hail
assembled on Mullnuu Point, Just outsldo Apia,
and there took, place almost dally somo decid
edly picturesque doings.
Hlggest and best of those, naturally, was the
coronation of tho whlto-lmlred old chief, though
tho word is a misnomer for there was no crown.
Mataafa sat alone In tho center of a large open
spaco, and all around, In tho shelter of palms
and banana trees, wero thousands of natives and
tho cntlro white population of Upola island. Tho
king's own house was turned over to tho con
suls, navnl officers and other distinguished per
sons. When nil wns ready flvo ancient "talking
men" representing tho chief districts, advanced
until within a hundred feet of Mataafa and de
livered long addresses to him upon his duties
as ruler, concluding with tho administering of
what passed for tho oath of office. Tho king
Tepllcd with utmost dignity, rising to speak, and
tho talking men thereupon closed in on him and
anointed his head with a sacred oil. His
majesty then retired amid the loud cheers of
his people, and the rest of the afternoon and
the evening was given up to feasting. The inno
cent revelries wero not lessened by the fact that
bloody war was Imminent. On tho other side
of the town wero enenmped the forces of .Tanu,
and to precipitate the conflict thero was needed
only the decision of tho whlto Judge of tho su
premo court that Mataafa's .election was Invalid.
That camo later, and so did tho fighting.
Next day wo nil went out again to seo a "talo
lo," or food procession. Onco moro Mataafa sat
in stato, and before him filed his subjects, a long
lino of men, women and children. Leading tho
delegation from each district or village was Its
especial taupo, tho maiden who Is designated
official hostess of her villago and who rotalns
tho office until her marriage. Slio was nttlrnd
only in tho old-tlmo lava lava, or skirt of bark
cloth, and her ornaments consisted of flowers,
wreaths and plenty of palm oil. Chanting some
ancient song In archaic language, she danced In
advance of tho slowly moving and chanting pro
cession for somo fifty yards and then waited un
til tho talking men who led it reached her sldo.
This was repeated all along tho heautlful path
way until tho "throne" was reached. As each
person passed the king he or sho tossed In a
heap before his majesty somo article of food.
Ono might bring a llvo pig, trussed up but
squealing; another a squawking fowl, or a flno
fish wrapped In fresh leaves; another n huge
bunch of bananas, or a basket of pineapples,
nut not ono was without his offering, even if it
was but a breadfruit or a plcco of taro. So,
dancing and singing, the parado passed, and
then, without nny senso or tho ridiculous, broko
up, turned back and helped the king cat up all
tho gifts. That was indeed a monster feast.
Perhaps the peoplo ato up Mataafa's food with
the less compunction bocauso thoy know how
abstemious ho was. Ono morning I cnlled on
his mnJeBty by appointment and found him at his
breakfast. Tho royal meal consisted of a bowl
of kava and two bananas, big purplo ones of a
variety not known here; and the king, courteous
ly offered to share the fruit with me. Grave,
wise-looking and big physically, mentally and
morally, Mataafa sat there cross-legged in his
simple hut and chatted with mo about his loved
friend, Robert Louis Stevenson, munching his
banana and driving away the flies with his fly.
flapper. Ho was a true nobleman and his deatb
last summer deserved more than the four-line
eBgE2s&r 32eT sl&dw& j&f&
notice it received
in the newspapers.
Perhaps tho German papers paid some tributo to
his moniory, for tho Germans in Samoa, though
thoy could not maintain him on the throne
against tho Americans and the British, recog
nized hlo worth by making him high chief of
German Snmoa after tho partition of tho Islands.
Tho making nnd drinking of kava is a daily
ceremony of tho Samoan household. Kava Is
their ordinary boverago, but there la never any
relaxation of tho formal etiquette connected with
its consumption. It is made nnd served usually
quite enrly in tho morning. Already the mem
bers of tho family have taken their dally bath
in tho sea or, preferably, .In a stream or. fresh
water pool, 'and tho women havo dressed their
abundant black locks. The big wooden kava
bowl is taken down from the hut post and the
maidens prepare the dried root of tho piper
mothystlcum. Formerly they chewed it after
carefully rinBlng out their mouths, but In later
times It usually Is grated. Ono of the girls sits
in front of the bowl and poura water upon the
kava, moanwhlle stirring It with a mass of
fibrous root which serves as a strainer. This
from time to time sho tosses over her shoulder
to another girl, who shakes from It tho debris
and throwB it back into tho bowl. Every mo
tion, the stirring, the tossing, tho Blinking, is
done In a stated way that must not vary.
Finally tho drink 1b brewed and tho fact Is an
nounced by tio clapping of hands. This Is a
general invitation to evoryono within hearing to
enter and participate, and the sound Is a wel
come one to tho thirsty wayfarer. Neighbor and
stranger are allko welcome. When all aro seated
In a clrclo as large as tho house permits, the
maiden who mado tho kava proceeds to servo
it. Filling to tho brim tho polished, thin shell of
a hnlf a cocoanut, she sonds It by another girl
to tho momber of tho household or the guest
who Is highest In rank. Ho receives tho'sholl In
both hands, nnd with the salutation "manula"
good henlth nnd fortune empties It nt a single
draught To removo tho cup from tho lips be
foro It Is empty is a serious breach of etiquette.
The newcomer in tho Islands finds this somo
what of a task, for at first kava Is not n delect
ablo boverage, tasting much Uko soapsuds, n'ut
tho liking for tho drink grows rapidly and ono
soon admits that it Is both refreshing nnd do
llghtful. Hnvlng emptied his cup of kava, tho drlnkor
returns the shell to the maiden by spinning it
across the floor, never by tho hand of tho girl
who brought It to him. My first nttompt to do
this Bont the cup eo far wide of tho mark that
it altogether upset tho gravity of tho occasion
and covered me with confusion.
Not only In the morning does tho kava drink
ing tnko placo. It marks all important events
or conferences, nnd onco It was my privilege to
bo present when every single point of old-tlmo
etiquette waB rigidly obBorvod, oven to tho chow
Ing of tho kava root by the maldent. I had car
ried to Mullnuu an Important bit of Information
for tho Mataafa leaderfl a tip that tho British
were to land a party of marines to search tho
point for weapons and while the guns wore
boing hastily concealed In tho bush or carried
aboard canoes, the leadors wero assembled to
discuss the news. As they talked threo really
handsom taupo maidens prepared tho kava in
the good old-fashioned way, and so nicely was It
done that I had no desire to decline the cup even
if common courtesy had not demanded that I ac
cept It without hesitation.
Perhaps In writing of ceremonies tho marringo
ceremony should not bo omitted. But that rite,
as wo know It, really Is omitted by tho Snmoans,
except those who havo been educated by the
mlsslonarios. Tho latter alwnys demand a "mis
sion marringo," but other natives still aro satis
fled with tho ancient forms, which consist In tho
main of un exchnngo of presents und n fenst.
Divorce with them Is oven ettslor. for the ills
satisfied ono merely leaves his or her mate. But
whllo tho marringo Is in forco tho Samoan sets
nn cxamplo to moro civilized peoples In the mat
ter of conjugal faithfulness. Lack of dress does
not necessarily mean laxity of morals, the opin
ion of tho casual tourist to the contrary not'
withstanding.
HOW ANIMALS LIVE IN WINTER.
Winter Is coming, and tho wild creatures In tho
north are proparing for tho cold months. Somo,
like tho squirrel, Btoro up food, but many moro
go to bed to sleep through tho cold days when
food Is Bcarce. This winter sleep Is called
hibernation.
Each animal chooses somo comfortablo placo
for its long rest. Tho woodchuck rollsUp In a
burrow in the hillside; tho coon and bear And
caves among the rocks. Mnny of the warm
blooded animals do not sleep all winter, but tnko
long naps from which thoy awaken on warm
days.
Tho cold-blooded creatures hlbornato, too.
Snakes knot themselves up under a log or rock;
toads, wood frogs and tortoises nnsh dnwn in i,
soft earth; mud turtles and water frogs bury
themselves In tho bottom of shallow streams and
ponds.
They nil Bleep until hunger wakes them, and
the first thing thoy do in tho spring Is to hunt for
a good meal.
If you want to seo somothlng hlbornato It h
easy to keep a box tortolso or a wntor turtle all
winter, In a box of earth and moss with a pan of
water at ono sldo.
Before they go to sleop don't forget to feed
thorn every two or threo days bits of raw meat
or earthworms. They do not caro to eat ovory
day nnd uro ablo to go a long tlmo without food.
A box tortoise which a boy has had in tho
Iioubo for two years went to sleep tho first winter
Just as though he wero out in the cold, but tho
second-winter ho only took short naps and had
become so tamo ho would eat out or tho hand.
Mabel It. Goodlnndcr In tho Churchman.
A Slight Mistake.
"What aro you doing here? I Bhould not think
such nn out-and-out horsoman as you would find
plensuro In n musical farce."
"I don't enro anything about tho fnrco. I came
to seo tho ponies thoy said wero In tho pleco."
Mutual Distrust.
"You wouldn't tell a trusting girl things you
didn t menn, would you?"
"No, indeed," he answered, "Sny, you wouldn't
ring in a dictagraph on a follow, would you
now?"-LoulBvlIle Courier-Journal.
Superfluous.
"Why does a ship have to havo an anchor?"
"To keep her fast when she Is at a port o;
whore sho wants to stop."
"But doesn't she always keep her bold?"
ny a. ii. sumvoHTii.)
Tho wood uscr'H need of a rellnblo
moans of recognizing commercial
woods luis becomo greatly eniplin
sled In recent jcars because of tho
enormous demand for standard kinds
und species of woods. This Increased
lino Iw necessitating, In homo cases,
tho substitution of similar or entirely
different woodn for many of tho well
known nnd lonjMiHrd ones, tho sup
plies of which ui longer meet the
demand.
Some of the wftitltutca offered aro
as good as HtnncWd timbers, whllo
others are Inferior to them. How
over this may be, tho frequent dis
covery by consumers that they have
not received tho woods ordered hae
led to n great many dllllcultles and to
serious controversies Involving ex
pensive lawsuits.
In many Instances manufacturers
bellovo tlint In substituting, for ox
ample, tho woods of several different
species of tho whlto oak for that of
tho truo whlto oak, thoy aro doing
no Injustice to put chasers, and this
belief Ih reasonably suppoitcd by
facts. Much depends upon tho uses
mado of tho timber.
No ono could dony that for somo
purposes tho woods of tho con oak,
overcup oak. post oak, bur oak and
Blue Oak. The Rate of Growth of
Thli Tree Requires From Fifteen
to Twenty Years to Grow One
Inch In Diameter.
swamp whlto oak aro as good bb that
of whlto oak. But tho substitution,
for example, of tho somewhat Blmllar
black and red oaks for truo white
oak 1b less easily dpfended, because
theso substitutes aro very different in
quality from uny of the whlte-ouk
woods.
With numerous oaks, thcroforo, as
with many other woods, tho consumer
haa occnslon to distinguish, such
superficial characters as color, feel,
odor, hardness, weight, etc., cannot
bo depended upon alouo as distinctive,
because thoy vary not only with tho
ago of tho treo but also according to
tho soil In which tho tree grew and
the season and manner of cutting.
Tho butt log differs from tho top log,
tho henrtwood from tho sapwood, and
tho wood of a rapidly grown tree from
that ..of a less rapidly grown ono of
tho same species.
Whllo tho practical woodworker rec
ognizes tho woods with which con
stant work has made him familiar,
his kuowledgo of other woods Is neces
sarily limited. Confronted with tho
necessity cf distinguishing tho few
oak woods ho knows from a larger
number of different species, tho char
ncteis ho has long mid safely relied
upon aro often Insufllclotit becnuso
they may bo common to tho wood of
somo of the oaks with which ho Is un
familiar. Thus a carefully selected,
wellsennoiied pleco of wnter oak (Q.
nlgrn) may bo so slmtlnr In color and
general appearance to some grades of
whlto oak as to dccolvo not a fow
unacquainted with tho structural char
acteristics of all our oaks.
Another difficulty that may bo en
countered by ono who depends en
til el v upon an empirical kuowledgo of
woods Is to prove his convictions re
garding tho Identity of n wood. For
want of exnet knowledge of tho ana
tomical characteristics of tho wood in
question, ho can only Insist upon his
opinion. It hnppnns In actual practice
that ono Inspector passes as white
oak a shipment composed of white
oak, black oak and red oak, and his
Judgment Is challenged by nnothei
Inspector, yet In such an evont nei
ther Is ablo to do moro thnn nsBert
his opinion.
It must not bo understood that a
study of the Btiucturnl characters of
woods alwayH renders Identification
easy. It Is sometimes extremely dim
cult to And characters that distinguish
tho woods of closely related trees,
which may bo abundantly distinct In
their flowers, fruit and foliage It Is
comparatively ensy to point outslmplo
charncteis which distinguish oak from
other woods. Moreover, It Is not dlfll
cult to find characters that will sepa
rate the whlto oaks (annual fruiting
species) from tho black and red oaka
(biennial fruiting species). Tho task,
however, of pointing out easily ob
served distinctions that can bo rolled
upon to separata tho woods of differ
ent species of whlto oakB, black oaks
and red oaks is difficult, and, in a fow
Instances, Impossible without tho aid'
of tho high magnifying power of a
compound microscope This Is because,
some of the mlnuto structural charac
ters easily demonstrated whi jjyaf
ly magnified cannot bo Been uiiuur the
low magnifying power of a simple
pockctjens.
Of tho approximately 300 different
species of oaks known in the world
about 53 occur within tho United
State?. Thlrty-flvo Include all of the
commercially useful ones nnd a num
ber of other species, tho woods of
which aro likely to becomo more or
less useful in the future Tho remain
ing fifteen species nro of Inferior qual
ity or tho trees occur In such limited
quantities ns to bo of little or no eco
nomic Importance.
Selecting Seed Corn.
Tho stato of Minnesota has taken
official notice of tho Idea of better
seed corn, nnd the governor sot asldo
n week In which tho farmers wero
asked to go ono day Into their flelda
nud chooso thsjjr seed corn for next
year.
AYRSHIRE IS EXCELLENT MILK PRODUCER
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lu quantity or milk produced, Ayr
shire's will probably rank noxt to tho
Iiolstelu-Frleslan. Tho cows owned
by tho Wyoming Agricultural college
averaged last year somothlng over
8,000 pounds apiece, whllo herds aver
aging better than 0,000 pounds nro not
uncommon. In percentago of butter
fat, tho breed stands between the IIol
eteln and the Jersey or Guernsey, 3.C
to 4.5 per cent covering the bulk of
tho fluctuation. The fat globules are
small and tho milk makes au excel
lent quality of cheese.
Tho cattlo aro extremely' hardy and
good rustlers, often winning out
whore other breeds would have diffi
culty In gaining a foothold. They are
rather slow in coming to maturity,
but their period of usefulness is a
long one. Crossed on common stock,
thoy show marked prepotency aaj
materially Improve the milking usll
ties of the offspring. , .
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