THE SELECTION AND
TESTING OF SEED CORN
. i
111 the Limelight
Method of Golnjr Into tho Field before Harvest Tlmo and
Selecting tho Cholco Ears By Losran Owen.
"SILENT ADMIRAL" HONORED
Amlral Sir Arthur Knyvot Wilson, grand
comnmndor of the bnth, Brand commandor of tho
Victoria order nnd holdor of tho Victoria cross,
who had Just been appointed a member of tho
committee of Imperial defense, would probably
have gained fame as an Inventor apart from his
career In tho Uritlsh navy, for several Instru
ments of destruction In connection with battle
ships aro the product of his brain. Ho Is also
renowned among his fellow-olllcors nnd men no
being ronder of gun practice than preaching, and
has thereby earned the nickname of "tho silent
admiral." lie is 07 years of ago, and possesses
an iron will and n rough exterior. Ho is extrcmo
ly popular with Jack Tar, running Lord Bcrcs
ford closo In their affections.
By thoao who ought to know ho Is regarded
ub tho ilncst naval tactician and strategist alive, though he hlmsolf would
modestly award this palm to the German Admiral von Koestcr, whom ho
considers the greatest of living commundors.
Among his Inventions tho one for which ho Is best known Is tho double
barreled torpedo tube. When some one else suggested the adoption of the
steel net to protect shlpB from these terrible submarlnVi weapons, ho in turn
went ono better and Invented automatic shears which, attached to tho noso
of the torpedo, cut through this defense. Not content with this, ho deter
mined to outdo his own Invention nnd his unouttable net was tho result, lie
is responsible for several other Inventions of tills kind, torpedo warfare hav
ing always been his special study.
"Tug" Wilson, as tho popular admiral Is known nmong his friends, haB
seen a great doal of active service, He entered the navy In 1855, and served
in both tho Crimean and China wars. Hu was present at tho bombardment
of Alexandria In 1882 and fought at EJ Tcb in 1884. Ho has acted as a lord
commissioner and comptroller of tho navy, commanded tho channel squadron
.in 1901-03. and became admiral of the fleet in 1007. This last appointment
was a signal honor bestowed upon him by King Edward, who, although tho
veteran admiral had reached the age limit of 05, exorcised his royal preroga
tive nnd promoted him to that position, thus placing Sir Arthur's services at
the disposal of his country for another five years.
It wns during the battle of El Teb, while serving with the naval brigade,
that ho earned that most coveted Uttlo bit of brohze tho Victoria cross.
Tho battle had been In progress somo lime and tho British square hitherto,
impregnable was broken by the repeated mad rushes of the dervishes.
Half a dozen Soudanese, seeing the gap, rushed In, and Capt. Wilson as ho
was then tackled them single-handed. His sword brolto off at tho hilt,
but, nothing dismayed, ho continued to lay about with his strong lists, dis
abling sovoral of them and giving the rallying troops time to close up once
more.
FOUR SCORE AND TEN
Women suffragists in all parts of the coun
try celebrated the ninetieth blrthdny of Mrs. Julia
Ward Howe on May 27.
Mrs. Howe wan born In Bowling Green in
1819. If tho house still stands very few know
where it is. Her father came from Hoger Wil
liams stock and on her mother's side Mrs. Howe
Is a French Huguenot.
She has been described as the "most wonder
ful Amorican woman." Her father's house in
Bowling Green was tho meeting plnco of the liter
ary folk of that time Washington Irving, Wil
liam Cullon Bryant and all of that coterie.
Brought up In this Intense literary atmos
phere It was natural that she should write an
onymously for tho papers and magazines of her
girlhood day. Her first poem is snld to have
appeared when she was not yet 7 years old.
In 1843 she went to Boston and married Samuel Grldley Howe, a literary
man. All of her children havo been llternry, but none has become so well
known as tho talented mother.
Mrs. Howo first became interested In the nntl-salvory movement, which
was starting before alio married. Then sho took up prison reform, woman's
suffrage, world peace and she hns lent her able brain to nearly ovory worthy
movement for the good of tho American people. Sho has not only written
many books, but she has lectured over the entire country. Her "Battle
Hymn of the Republic" is known all through tho land.
She Is still wonderfully active mentally for a woman of 90 years, and
sometimes she plays a few moments on her guitar. Her memory of the past
is said to bo astonishing, and those who are permitted to see her consider
the privilege n great treat.
LED "JAMESON RAID'
j
twirrj food
Prlxo Winn Ing Ears.
Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, who has been
the leader in tho movement which hns just re
sulted in bringing the various different states and
colonies of South Africa into ono British colony,
Is a former premier of Capo Colony. Moreover,
ho attained that position aftor the closo of tho
Boor war, a lew years after the tlmo of the colo-
brated "Jameson Transvaal raid," which left him
perhaps the best hated mnn In all South Africa
Ho was sentenced to ten months' Imprisonment
by his homo government when thnt raid failed,
and was banUhed from Africa by Oom Paul
Krugor. He came back as a volunteer Burgeon,
however, during tho Boer war nnd stayed to see
his old influence restored and multiplied.
Under his plan of consolidation, Capo Colony,
Natal, the Trnsvnal and tho Ornngo Freo Stato
make up tho now political organization that becomes a single colony, and
that united the British and Boor peoples. There aro to bo three capitals, ono
executlvo, ono legislative and ono judicial; two ofllclal languages, English
nnd Dutch; and tho wholo arrangement closely resembles In many respectB
the organization of Canada.
Dr. Jameson Is a Scotchman and first went to Afrlcn for his health.
PROPOSES INDIAN STATUE
Rodman Wannamnkor, son of John Wanna
maker, has sturted a movement to havo erected
in upper New York bay, a hronzo statue to tho
Indian, greater and more Imposing than that of
tho Goddess of Liberty. If Mr. Wanamnker's
plan is realized, and ho has been assured that It
will bo, but a few years will pasB when the huge
bronze, representing tho muscular Indian, w
stand where tho Hudson empties into tho bay.
Rodman Wnnnmaker is the younger son of
Jolui Wanamaker and Is associated with the
greater mercantile entorprlBO of his father In
Now York and Philadelphia. Ho established tho
Paris branch of Wanumnkor's and set a prece
dent which all other big stores In Franco woro
obliged to follow. Ho brought about tho practl
cal reciprocity between this country and Franco,
which has worked to tho advantage of both countries. Tho commercial
achievements, quite as much as his patronago of art, hns won for Mr, Wan a
maker ono of tho highest honors in tho dispensation of tho French republic.
Ho was made a chovaller In tho legion or honor ten yeaiB ago In recognition
of his service In tho encouragement of art.
Years ago Solomon set tho valuo
of a good housewife abovo that of ru
bles. To-day, being senrcer than at
tho time when he expressed Ills his
toric opinion, sho Is even more pro
clous. Thore Is a human touch about
the old Joke wherein the nowly-mnr-
rled husband finds troublo In masti
cating his wifo's cake, and, being told
that she made It out of the cookery
book, BtiggestB that his plcco con
tains some of tho cover of tho vol
ume.
Especially nmong tho working-class
cs Is a knowledgo of cookery and the
housewifely arts a luxury rather than
a matter of courao at tho present dny,
and because of tills the London conn
ty council hns inaugurated a special
school of housewifery at Brlxon, and
classes in kindred subjects at over
200 of its ordinary schools.
This bolng the case, when Mary
Smith arrives in one of tho highest
standards of her particular school she
is now initiated into the dnrk myster
ies of cookery, bed-making, tho enro
and feeding of her bnby brother or
sister, tho making and mending of
her own clothes, washing, mangling,
Ironing, nnd other things which her
mother ought to havo taught hor, but
was unnblo to enlighten her upon, for
tho best of all reasons that she wub
Ignorant of them herself.
Mnry, If sho Is lucky enough to at
tend tho special school at Brixton,
learns how to bo a scientific modem
housekeeper. Sho Is sent into the
splendid Inundry nnd shown how to
wash special articles of apparel. For
Instance sho Is taught not to put her
brother's flannel shlr.t into boiling
water with soda In It, becnuso Its
unhuppy owner would never bo nblo
to get Into It again after such treatment.
To Mary's astonishment thoro Is a
wrong and a right way even in such
an apparently simple business as
washing clothes, while, when sho
takes her turn in tho mnngling and
ironing department, and learns how
linen should be ironed and lluished.
she begins to look on a competent
washerwoman as a being worthy of
tho deepest respect.
Of course, dressing nnd undressing
nnd washing "baby" Is the best fun
In Mnry Smith's estimation. What
Mary docs not know nbout tho proper
treatment of an Infant would, as a
rule, fill a large volume, nnd whnt sho
docs know Is hnrdly worth mention
ing. For this reason sho Is not en
couraged to bring a small relation for
practico work; "baby" Is an Inanimuto
infant and takes the form of a largo
doll.
Thus, without any danger to any
one, Mary Smith learns from nctually
doing how to dress and undress a
young child, wnsh it, put it to bed,
nnd generally provide for Its well be
ing. Everything Is done on strictly
economical lines; a superannuated
banana crate makes an excellent cra
dle when money Is a consideration,
and baby will sleep just as happily
in it as in tbo most elaborate resting
place modern skill can provide.
Thoy also tell Mary that boor and
sardines, and similar delicacies, aro
bad for a little thing, although grown
ups may enjoy them with more or
less impunity, and so 'sho Is Instructed
in tho art of preparing the propor
food for babies, nnd how to make a
limited outlay of money go as far as
possible in feeding them.
Although healthy peoplo can sleop
on almost anything, If you have a bed
in tho house It Is as well to under
stand It. Thoro Is moro In making a
bed than meets tho eye, nnd at the
London county council they show
Mary how tho best wives do It. Beds
ought to bo aired properly, too; and
although Mary was taught how to
wash tho blankets and sheets In tho
laundry, alio la told thnt proper venti
lation Is almost as necessary as prop
er washing. Sho also discovers that
a bolster need not really bo lumpy,
and many other Uttlo dotnlls that the
good housewife ought to know.
In tho courso of tlmo Mary becomes
an excellent cook. 'ITj Instruction Is
GIRL6 LEARWNG HOW TO PROyfQF A
k DlnffCR
practical. Tho cookory Is based on
moderate incomes and Mnry la taught
within her means. Tho great aim of
her Instructress Is to teach hor how
to make whatever Income she may
havo at her disposal In the future go
as far as posslblo, nnd to spend It In
tho irtost profitable manner so us to
secure tho utmost value for overy
penny,
Also, the L. C. C. havo another end
In view almost us Important as teach
ing London girls to mako tho most
of what thoy havo-.to spend.
Thoy itrguo thnt if a girl takes an
Interest and a pride In housohold mat
ters, whother In a home of hor own
or In her mother's house, sho has the
best possible occupation, and if she
can bo Induced to make a hobby of
housework It keops her away from
too many amusements, somo of which
may not bo altogether desirable, nnd
saves her from tho feverish desire for
change and excitement at all times,
which Ib such an unfortunate trait In
the characters of tho worklng-classeB,
ns of others, to-day.
Thoy consider that If Mary 1b cook
ing the supper or putting tho bnby to
bed sho will not bo at a music-hall,
and thnt domestic pursuits nro far
more interesting than song and dauco
turns If she oidy know It.
Finally, Mary Smith Is tnught to
make and mond her own clothes. She
Is encouraged to mnko sewing a roc
rcntlon after the sterner occupations
of cooking and washing, nnd It la
pointed out to hor that while you aro
Bitting down to rest you might as
well do a Uttlo needlework as road a
novelette. Moreover, the Instructress
drawB her attention to tho fact that If
you will buy your own matorlnl and
mnko It up yourself, you got a great
deal bettor value for your monoy than
If you buy rendy-mndo clothes.
"You can't mnko your own boots
Mnry, my dear," pursues tho Instruct
ress, "but you can make your own
clothes, nnd they'll look better nnd
last longer than any you can buy
at the shops. And, by tho way, this
Is tho ono nnd only wny to make a
respectable darn," etc., etc.
By tho means described In this nr
tlclo It is hoped to train up a genera
tlon of women who know all thoro Is
to know about managing their homes,
nnd looking nftor their families.
Iu obtaining seed corn from places
nt a distance It is nlwnyB best to so
euro it in tho car, because in this
form It can bo picked over, Judged
and all oars that aro not suited for
planting may bo thrown aside, while
if it is shelled no such selection cnu
bo made.
Tho selection of seed corn by tho
farmer from his own crop Is generally
accomplished In ono of throe ways:
First, by picking out tho iced nftor
tho corn linn been cribbed; second, by
selecting tho best oars while gather
ing, nnd third, by going Into the field
beforo harvesting tlmo nnd solectlng
tho most desirable ears. Of those
three ways my oxpcrlonco has shown
the last to be tho host, because a bet
ter selection cun bo made whoit that
Is tho only aim In vlow and whon tho
entlro plant, and not simply tho car,
can be considered. Whatever tho
mothod, more seed than Is really need
ed should bo solectod, In order that
a second "weeding out" of tho poor
est enrs Just boforo planting may still
lonvo enough good seed.
On our farm wo havo tried bUU
another method for obtaining tho best
seed corn namoly, to grow It In a
Bpsclal plot of ground. Wo used tho
following mothod: Tako any number
of selected cars say CO, for example
and plant them In CO sepnrate
parallel rows, ono oar to tho row.
Thin makoB It necessary for tho plot
of ground to bo at least CO corn rows
wide, nnd It nhould bu long enough for
tho planting of about two-thirds' of an
oar in each row. If possible, this
ground Bhould be nB far removed from
other lleldn of corn us can be, to pre
vent, outsldo pollination. To further
protect from foreign pollen wo havo
found It. a good plan to tako tho re
maining one-third of the solectod corn
and uso It to plant n border nround
tho breeding plot. Before tho pollen
mntureB ovory nlternuto row Is" dctns
soled, to provont self or closo polllnn-
NEW IDEA IN PHOTOGRAPHY.
Woman Has Discovered Method ot
Transferring Negative Directly
to Tile.
It has romnlnod for Miss Marlon
Peters of Mlddlctown, Pa., to photo
graph directly upon ceramics. About
ten specimens of hor work wore In
eluded In the exhibition of photo
graphs that was held a Bhort time at
tho Franklin Institute.
It was tho first exhibit of this kind
to bo mado anywhere, for while me
chanlcnlly printed photographB on
commie's nro quite commoR this 1b
the Hist tlmo where the work, trans'
ferrod directly from tho negative to
tho tile, has been seen. Tho superior
it y of tho work by Miss Peters' pro
cess Is unquestionable, as it retains
all the fine lines and sharpness and
clearness of tho negative, but also has
a f-oftnoss of Its own that makes the
pictures extremely attractive.
The most remnrkablo feature of hor
method Is that the pictures aro mado
pormnnont by reason of their being
covered by tho onamol that Is Insop
arablo from tho tile. Tho subjoctB ox
hlblted are varied and Include an ox
ceptlonnlly flno medallion of Martin
Luther, German market scones nnd
numerous Interior nnd extorlor vlows
Ono of tho Inttor. a view of tho fore
castlo of a steamship, Is wonderful for
dotal!, Tho forecastle Is shown, nnd
beneath that a portion of tho main
dock. So sharp Is the work that ropia
and small objects aro clearly depleted
although tho picture is u miniature.
Not Really Her Fault.
As a rule, the unconscious humor of
childtou Is the funniest of all. Lltllo
LoBtor, relates tho Dellnoator, was try
Ing to fix a broken toy when flvo-yonr
old Beatrice came Into tho room and
said: "I urn older than you. You aro
too little to do much of unythlng, Let
mo fix it."
Her papa told hor It was not kind to
speak that way, and to ask brotlior
to oxcuso. hor.
Thrnwtllir lint' ni-mu nrnniwl lilu nnnlr
she said: '"Oh, Lester, please oxcuso
mo; but you see It was just this way
I had to bo born first."
well covorod. In the spring, boron
planting tlmo, every cur Bhould ba
tosted, especially whon thoro In any
doubt as to Its vitality. Wo havo a box
fixed for thlB purposo; It 1b four fool
long by thrco feet wldo by nix InchoB
deep. Wo havo bored holca through
the slfloB two Inches from tho bottom
and 2Va Inches apart; through these
holca wo havo strctclicd flno wire,
both lengthways nnd croRswnyB, thus
dividing tho box Into Scinch Bqunros.
At ono end these rows ot squnrcB aro
numbered; along ono sldo tho squares
In ench row aro numbered. Whon
ready to tost the corn, we get enough
moist, rich dirt to fill tho box up oven
with tho wlro; next wo numbor tho
cars to bo tested. For cxamplo, tho
first ear Is marked oar ono, row ono;
tho noxt, enr two, row ono. Whon wo
havo enough for tho first row, the
first enr In tho second row 1b mnrked
ear one, row two, and so on. Whon
tho ears are all numbered, tnko four
or five grains from dlfforent pnrtn of
each oar and plant thorn In tho uclunra
with tho corresponding numbor. Ir.
this box we can tost about 275 ears at
ono tlmo. Ot course, tho box cun bb.
lnrgor or smaller, an tho caso may demand.
MAKING MONEY
RAISING SKUNKS
How tlto Anlmnln Aro Bred mill
Why tholr Dructllnu Profitable.
Two Dost Ears.
tlon; nlso any stalks In tho rest of the
rows that are Imperfect to a marked
degrco In any way should bo dotas
seled.
All tho seemingly good ears front
good stalks, In good position on the
stalk, should be gathered from the do
tassolcd tows. Out of all those ears
first pick nut the best ones for noxt
ycnr'B breeding plot. Front thnt re
malnlng tho best ears can be selected
for next season's seod corn for tho
main crop.
In regard to tho typo of oar to so
lect for seed tho following points nro
essontlal: Tho main object In vlow Is
the production of as large a quantity
of grain to the enr as posslblo; tho
oar should bo cylindrical In shape,
about ten Inches In length nnd Vh
Inchos In circumference Both endB
should be well filled out with largo
kornelB. Tho rows of kornols, ns well
ns tbo kornols tiinmsolves, should bo
closoly pressed together, In order that
the ear will bo compact nnd solid.
Each ear can bo readily1 tosted for
weight by wolghlng tho entlro ear
first and then the shelled corn ob
tained from It. The grain should con
Btltuto from 85 to 90 por cent, of tho
wholo ear. Tho kornolB should bo ns
nearly uniform In size as possible, to
Insure a good, even stand; they should
bo wedged shaped.
Tho vitality of tho corn should al
ways ways bo tested. Improper dry.
ing and storing ' away of seed corn
vory ofton lowers tho vitality of the
seed, but If It 1b thoroughly cured and
kept dry no Injury Is llkoly to tako
plnce. We havo found It a vory satis
factory method to string tho corn ami
Skunk farming 1h becoming an Im
portant Industry In sumo pnrts of tho
United Slates, and yet the man who
suggested It was regarded uh mentally
unsound. To-day there nro hundreds
of such farms on a paying basis.
Tho average skunk produces a
quart of oil nnd tho fur or skin always
brings a good price, fashion regu
lating tho vnluo. At tho present tlmo
tho skins, which arc tho most valuable
arc tho darker ones. A pure black
skin Is worth from $1.25 to $2.50, ac
cording to tho quality and size; a.
striped skunk skin brings In tho mar
ket about 50 or (10 cents, while those
with a part atrlpo are worth In tho
neighborhood of a dollar.
B has been figured out thnt a man
who undorstnnds skunk farming can
begin on 20 Bkuukn, 15 fomalcs and
flvo males, and In a few years ho can
have a healthy bank account. It la
not dlflleult to calculate how rapidly
theso 20 skunks will Incronso in num
bor. Say you begin work early In the
fall nnd Hint In December thoy breed.
At once you havo an incrcuso of 120
skunks, putting the nvcrago of each
litter at eight. In Juno thoy breed
again, and if tho same ratio of In
crense bo kept up, at tho expiration
of a year and a half you will havo
7,405 skunks.
Put tho pelts nt one dollar each, the
pelts of 200 mnle skunks would bring;
$200; the oil nt 50 contn an otitico
would bo worth $800. Then figuring;
as wns done on the Increase la
skunks, nt the expiration of u year
and a hair you could kill .1,700 nmlu
skunks, tho pelts of which would bu
worth thnt many dollars.
Tho amount of oil gathered from
this number would bo 29,000 ounces,
worth Just $11,800. At tho expiration
of four yours you would havo killed;
1,81)0,000 males, tho peltB of which
would bo worth $1,890,000, and the oil.
15,120,000 ounces, worth $7,500,001).
And you would still have 3,700,000
skunks left!
It Is not surprising thnt skunk
farming Is being taken up throughout
the country, and if it wns possible to
deodorize tho skunk tho industry
would bo oven moro popular.
Dry Potatoes for Food, According;
to tho MagdoburglBcho .eltung, Consul
Frank S. Hannah says that tho recent
experiments In tho drying of potatoes
under tho nusplces of the Imperial In
terior department has had such good
renults that a new and Important field
of nctlvlty may bo offored for tho Ger
man farmers.
Tho potatoes aro reduced by this
process to about ono qunrter of tholr
original weight and can be kept. lit
good condition In this compressed
.form for an Indefinite length of tlmo.
The military authorities havu mndu
thorough oxporlmonta with this prod
uct and hnvu become convinced thnt
Ub nutritious value Is fully equal to
that of corn, and that the dried pota
toes can take tho place of one-third of.
the former ration ot oats.
Farmers' Families. It is catenated
that thoro aro about 7,000,000 farmers'
families in tho Pulled Statou to-day,
taking tho word farmer In Us broadest
sense, and Including all families living.
tlo It up In tht barn, provided It Is In tho open country.