U !!--
ftWmnttiGrtfc
Idea fop Cotton Wedding.
Tho first year of wedded life brings
tho "cotton" celobratlon and tho occa
Hlon may be mado a regular frolic If
(Only a congenial few are bidden to
jmako merry. Mako tho Invitation spool
shape, a good slxed one. Then deco
rate with cotton batting sifted over
with diamond dust; mass It on tho
window sills, mantel, on the piano and
everywhere that It will bo effective.
The host may wear a cotton suit, for
this occasion and It -flll bo easy for
tho hostess to wear a cotton gown. If
a suit cannot bo managed for tho
bridegroom, he can wear a cotton shirt
and necktie. Perhaps It will bo pos
sible to get real cotton plantB with
tho bursting cotton pods which may be
used in lieu of flowers. Here Is a
laughable stunt with which to start
tho evening's fun. Havo narrow white
cotton tapo arranged as for an old
fashioned spider web, wind It In and
out, over and under furniture, but In
stead of having all tho guests play at
once ask ono person at a tlmo and al
low three minutes to see how much
tapo ho can entangle and roll up in
that time. When the umpire calls,
"Time's up," the piece of tapo Is cut
off, and after all havo had a chance,
each piece of tapo is measured and the
one having the longest piece Is award
ed a prize, which should be of cotton
fabric. In tho Instance where thlB wae
done tho reward was a cotton batting
doll candy box filled with candy. We
have all seen the cotton Santa Claus
figures and the little doll Christmas
tree ornaments? Well, these would be
Just tho thing for favors at an affair of
this kind.
Another pastime would bo to pass a
basket filled with different colors and
lengths of cotton tapo with knots tied
in them and the trick is to see who
can untie tho greatest number of knots
in the time set. A prize may be of
fered for this. In the south llttlo bales
of cotton may bo obtained, which
would be appropriate souvenirs for
itda. calebration.
Novel Hard Times Party.
Hero is a new version of a "hard
times" or "poverty" party. The invi
tations wore written on brown paper
such as butchers uso for wrapping
meat, and the lettering was done with
a heavy lead pencil. At tho top of tho
ehdet was this nursery rhyme:
Hark hark; the dogs do bark;
The beggars are coming to town-.-Somo
in rags, and somo in tags,
And somo In a silken sown,
followed by the request to dress "in
gladdest rags" and como to tho ad
dress on tho day, date and hour given.
Masks to bo romoved at 10:30. The
hostess, handed each "beggar" a dance
program, number as high as tho nunv
ber of her guests, and as each entered
tho largo living-room, which had been
cleared for dancing, a number was
pinned upon tho back so votes could
bo registered as to "who was who,"
for the best (or worst) costume. One
may imagine tho fun such a party
would make. Prizes were awarded and
card tables wero provided for thoso
who did not care to dance. Refresh
PRETTY SHAMROCK ALPHABET
Three llttlo lenvc of Irlih green
United on one item
On lrltli (all are ahvayi seen.
They form a magic gem.
Tho dainty woman's belonglnfes may be mado daintier by using letters
with this emblem of pretty sentiment embroidered on them.
ments wero served after tho unmask
lng. Somo of tho beggars represented
wero tho typical tramp with his on
tiro worldly goods done up In a ban
danna handkerchief, which ho carried
on n stick over his shoulder; the wan
dcrlng band of gypsies in gaudy colors
and many beads and gowgaws; an old
organ grinder with a llfe-slzcd toy
monkey, which was a mechanical toy
and performed most natural stunts,
and tho little flower girl with her twin
sister, tho "match" girl.
Alphabet Contest.
Perhaps somo of you can devise a
better name for this paHtlme, but I am
suro ovory one who knows their "A, 13,
C'b" can play It.
Tho answerB to all tho queries are
made by simply using letters, and It
will bo well for tho hostess to glvo
several examples bpforo beginning the
contest:
1. Containing nothing, M T (empty),
2. Statement of indebtedness. I O
U (I owe you).
3. Part of a house. L (ell).
4. An Insect. B (bee).
6. To behold. C (seo)
G. A famous poem. LEG (elegy).
7. A tent. T P (topco).
8. A number. A T (eighty.
0. Unit of measure used in printing.
M (em).
10. All right. O K.
11. Slang expressions. G or 0 G or
O U (see oh gee oh you).
12. A foe. N M E (enemy).
13. Indefinite quantity. N E (any).
14. A vegetable. P (pea).
15. Intemperance. X S (excess).
16. An image. PEG (effigy).
17. Poorly dressed. C D. (seedy).
18. Two of a kind. W (double u).
19. To covet. N V (envy).
20. A bird. J (Jay).
21. A verb. R (are) or B (bo) or C
(see).
22. A common beverage. T (tea).
23. A girl's namo. L C (Elsie).
24. Another one L N (Ellen).
25 Yet another, P E. (Efflo).
26 Still another. K T (Katie).
27. A literary eff6rt S A (essay).
Bible Contest.
Some -days ago a correspondent re-
quested a Bible guessing contest to
uso when sho entertained her Sunday
chool class. Here are a few questions
and may bo helpful, and I havo no
doubt others may be added to mako It
longer. Tho answers are not given,
for It will be much more instructive if
they are looked up, with the aid of a
concordance: ,
Give the first and last words of the
Bible.
Whoso three daughters wero tho
fairest in all the land?
How old was Methuselah when he
died?
Who was called "a ready scribe in
tho law of Moses?"
Give the names of tho three persona
who wero put In tho fiery furnace.,
Who was tho author of the expres
sion. "What hath God wrought?"
Who was Moses' brother?
Who went down Into a pit on a
anpwy day and slew a lion?
Who said: "The harvest is past,
the summer is ended, and wo are not
saved?"
Who waB tho mother of Samuel?
MADAME MERRI.
Vaporous Blouses.
Summer blouses of chiffon or not,
as dellcato as the stuff that dreams
are made of, had an irresistible appeal
even when they wero first shown In
the chilly days of spring. Their own
Intrinsic charm won immediate popu
larity for them then. But now, with
tho days of mounting mercury at hand
this diaphanous quality is to be the
supreme touch of elegance of the sea
son. It characterizes entire toilettes
composed of layers of net, chiffon and
filmy matrlals.
One leaf I truth ami valor won,
The other on Is loVe;
Thtii tnre little lavei ure blest
iiy dewdropa from above.
NOTES f POtt
MEAD0WBR00K
mm c
u:ii:.Mn:4j. v 7
miaiii
Tho fly Is a nuisance
Work for a reputation.
Look out for tho curcullo.
Gather eggs at least once dally.
The Kelffer pear is tho standby of
tho masses.
Tho farmer is known by tho amount
of clover seed ho sows.
A bran mash and a day In tho pas
ture for tho horso off his feed.
Outdoor subjects animals to sun
shine and compels them to exercise.
Bo suro flio marcs and colts In
pasture have shelter from tho hot
sunt
Charred corn fed to the fowls occa
sionally will prove an aid to diges
tion. i
Egg growing rests not solely with
the hen, much dependB on the man
In charge.
We cannot grow pigs , profitably
without feed enough to 'keep- them
gaining steadily.
After the crop export hnB prescribed
for your Blck soil, Introduce him to
the boardor cows.
In setting out strawberries, pinch
off most of the leaves and the plants
will take hold better.
Cornmeal and skim milk make the
best of feed to hurry chicks along to
the fry and broiler stage.
The calf should be cleaned Immedi
ately after birth by carefully rubbing
It with a dry cloth or straw.
Give tho hens a chopped onion oc
casionally In the mash. It Is excel
lent as a disease preventative.
Red cedar, Colorado bluo spruce
and Black Hill spruce are excellent
evergreens for tho yard or windbreak.
Since tho first reaper was Invented
and put on tho market tho silo Is tho
greatest boon that has como to tho
farmer.
If your asparagus turns yellow It is
a sign of rust Every affected plant
should be at once cut out and burned
or well sprayed.
When sotting any of the bush fruits
tho top should be pruned to corre
spond to the root pruning the plant
gets in transplanting.
A good many farm gardens are too
largo. A small patch well cared for
will prove more satisfactory nil
around than a field of weeds.
After the third day a mixturo of
broken grnlnB la good for tho chicks.
Before that thoy are better o'ff for hav
ing nothing but grit and water.
Thero Is no danger of having an
overBupply of good country butter. In
tho metropolitan centers it has be
come almost an unknown quantity?
A wide range In summer feeding
may bo used at the start of the feed
ing period with profit, but it must get
narrow as tho feeding period ad
vances, If everybody would begin feeding
new oata carefully, horses would not
have so much troublo with colic. Bo
gin very light, gradually Increasing
tho amount.
Beo-keopero who do not keep queens
for mora than two years clip the right
wing of queen in even years and the
left In the odd years. The age of
queen can thus be told.
Do not use poison on any of tho
trees or plants whllo In bloom, hb do
ing so may result in tho death of
many trees, which are of great neces
sity in the garden and the orchard.
Hens forced for egg production by
high feeding and stlmulunts may give
tho desired number of eggs, but the
futuro generations will show tho ef
fect in weak constitutions.
Forcing a cow for a short period
cannot always be accepted as the legl
tlmate measure of tho capacity of any
breed, no matter how well authenti
cated any great performance may be
When pigs are onco afflicted with
"bull-nose" there Is no cure. Tho di
ease may bo arrested b.y smoking with
camphor gum. This Is done by con
fining the animals In a tightly covered
box and placing a llttlo camphor gum
on a red hot stove lid. They will in
hale tho fumes. The trouble is no
doubt infectious.
jmmmm. v .
Market tho cockerels.
There's meat In nn egg.
Young treos need fertilizer.
Cows and men both npprcclnto
paed lots. ,
Never set a thin, lousy hen. 8ho
won't Btay her tlmo out
Alfalfa pasturo and hogs Inako n
combination that Is hard to beat
,Save muscle and time when cutting
bands by having a keen-edged knlfo.
When tho silo Is thoroughly dry It Is
well to treat tho Inside of It with coal
tar ,
f Many a poor and unprofitable dairy
iieru can do iracca 10 a nondescript
sho.
Dad luck In the garden Is usually
the result of some Bort of bad man
agement. Boiling the oats or wheat makes n
gootf ration and a dcsirablo chango
occasionally.
Almost nlwayB tho cow that gives
tho most butter fat does It tho most
economically.
The secret of successful stack build
lng Is to keep the middle full and
well tramped.
Warming tho cream to about 56 de
grees for winter churning wll make
less work of It
Keep tho wheol-hoo going all
through tho month, particularly If
tho ground la dry.
It is a good plan to occasionalfy
scald the dropping boards and roosts
with boiling water.
No two fruits should touch each
other. Tho largest and most perfect
fruit should bo left
Holstoln breeders can spend 'their
time moro profitable than In arguing
over tho color question.
Success In the sheep business de
pends as much or moro upon tho caro
taken as upon the sheep.
A hopperful of bran 1b always sea
sonable feed and tho whole flock
thould have access to It.
Be sure you are up with tho times
before you say there Is no longer any
money In tho dairy business.
Repeated croppingB of corn havo n
tendency to wear tho land. Better
rotate 'and uso some grass crop.
Belgium has 1G1 head of cattlo tc
the squaro mile, Denmark 114, Nothor.
lands, 135 and tho United States 23.
Chnnglng locations of the different
crops In tho garden will make thorn
les liable to disease and insect dam
ago. The forcslghted dairyman is not the
kind who is caught these days selling
heifer calves for veal, because prices
aro good.
If one has a largo flock of sheep
much time will bo savpd and better
results obtained by tho uso of the
machine clippers.
A horse that Is exhausted and reek
ing with sweat should never bo al
lowed to stand In a draft no matter
what the weather may bo.
As soon as tho ewes have dropped
their lambs and all danger of fever
and caked udders Is past, most liberal
feodlng should bo practiced.
Do not plant many varieties ol
trees In the now apple orchard. Tho
apple buyers like to find as many of
one variety as thoy can togothcr.
It Is possible to chango cows from
dry feed to pastuio without the cream
ery man's nose detecting tho differ
ence, but not many farmers do it.
Palms and other foliage plants can
bo kept clean of scnlo and other In
sects by washing tho leaves with
soapy water and rinsing Immediately
thereafter.
For the best pork wo munt hayo tho
healthiest syBtom, consequently tho
I system of feeding that Is tho most
conductive to perfect health makes
tho best pork.
You can feed and enro for a good
grade cow bo that sho will bo moro
profitable than n full-blood halt
starved. Tho man Is at tho bottom
of his own success.
After corn is too big to cultivate,
Iambs, If turned Into tho field, will
eat out all tho grasses and weeds and
a fow of tho lower bladoB of tho corn
beforo thoy touch tho grain.
A tomato vine trained against chick
en fenco, gauze Is very ornamental.
Only two shoots should be allowed to
grow until the vino Is three feet high.
Tho scarlet plum and yellow plum are
better for this culture than tho targe
fruited kinds.
Do not forgot nbout tho potato
patch and tho bugs. Treat tho latter
to a doso of parts green. If you do
not do that tho chances aro that you
will not havo tho pleasure of digging
this fall. So, If you lovo to dig po
tatoes, keep tho bugs away now.
RAISE THE STANDARD
Seven-Year-Old
CJy A S ALK.NLANDKIt )
Whllo some farmers nro beginning
to npprcclnto tho importance of using
sound, pure-bred stallions, tho equal
importance of using round marcs la
not yet generally understood. Whon n
mare by reason of unsoundness Is no
longer lit for anything olso, oho is
often sot aBldo for breeding purposes
and so long as this absurd and ruin
ous polloy persists, tho penalty will bo
paid In tho prevnlcnco of unsound
horses on our farms. For corrobora
tion of this, ono hns o'uly to examine
tho brood maros on a number of
farms. Tho unsound marcs will bo
found numerous and many of their
adult offspring nro similarly affected.
Tho following letters from farmers
will help to demonstrnto the lack of
comprehension of the principles of
horse, breeding.
"I havo a thirtaen-yonr-old maro that
has a knocked down hip, tho heaves
Pure-Bred Stallions Doing Farm
Work. Every Stallion Should Be Capa
ble of Doing the Work That Will Be
Required of His Offspring.
and Hho is Inmc. Would it bo nil right
to breed lrom hor?"
"I havo threo mnres, the oldest ten
and tho youngest four which have
been breeding since spring. Tho ono
ton years old has tho hcavcB, is moon
blind In ono eye, and has a dlsrhargo
from the nose. Her hind legs stalk up
If bIio stnndB in the stablo over night;
she Is wormy, very bad nt times. Havo
had her two yenrB but havo novor
done anything for her. Sho had a colt
which died with blind BtaggorB at ten
days of ago. In hot weather It bothers
her to breathe. Would you breed her
again If you wero In my placo?"
"Can you tell mo what alls this
maro? Bay filly three years old, un
broken and always well kopt. Decamo
stiff in hind legs last winter and after
awhile got the samo way in front legs
and at present Is so stiff sho can't llo
down. Straddles wldo both In front
FEED FOR WORK
, TEAM IN SUMMER
Bad Management to Stuff Horses
During Idle Season and
Starv.e Them Later.
One of tho worst mistakes a farmer
can mako Is to feed heavily during
tho winter season, when work Is
slack, and to food slightly i summor
when work continues all day and
ovcry day. Only laBt woek, says a
writer In an exchange, I'saw a team
owned by a young, but at tho samo
'tlmo rathor opinionated farmer. This
team waB fed during tho winter sea
son all tho grain and forage thoy
would consumo,
As the season advanced tho prlco
of grain and hay hecamo higher.
Money might have bceu n llttlo tight
perhaps, at uny rato feed was sold
that should have been kept. The
working season arrived. Crops must
bo put In and cultivated, feed 'was
short, and the teams suffered.
When I saw them thoy wero living
BkcleionB, and depreciated 75 per
cent, so far as cash vuluo was con
cerned. This seems to mo to bo
mighty poor management stuffing your
work horsus In tho Idle season and
starving them at tho very time that
they need tho best enro.
Just think a moment, dear farmer,
of tho plentiful food that tho women-folk
prepare for you threo times
daily, and most especially duilng tho
harvest season, and then imagine
bow tho horso must feel that pulls a
plow, binder, mower or wagon, all
day, and on Insufficient feed!
Thero Ib no economy, or oven busi
ness sense in feeding sparingly dur
ing tho long, hot and busy summer
season. A pair of strong, fell-fed and
well kopt horses or mules 'will do the
work of any four head of hnlf-starvod
ones you can pick up.
Rye for the Silo, t
Kyo mu) bo cut for tho silo when it
Is In blotmom and tho rawt advanced
heads aro in the dough,
OF HORSES ON FARM
Percherons.
and behind when Bho 'wnlks. Her
knees nro bowed backward. Eats
well. Would sho do to breed from?"
Emphatically, NOl'
Tho following BuggeBtlons may ho
outlined for tho gutdnnco of farmoru
In conducting thlor horso breeding
operations ,
Comnfcnco grading up tho farm
horse stock by mating carefully se
lected, muscular, pure-bred registered
stallions Contluuo year after year tc
use tho best obtainable pure-broil
males of the character and brood first
chosen and novor out-crosB to any
other breed.
Do not use any stallion that 1b un
sound, unsuitable, partially Impotent
unlicensed or not registered in a Btuil
book recognized by tho department of.
ugriculture, Washington, D. C.
Do not breed from nny maro that !
doformed, Blck, dtsescd, unsound, un
suitable, a poor milker, or a cross,
mother.
Proporly food, sholtor and onro for
the pregnant and nursing inareu and
from birth until ready for market,
nourish their offspring In Buch, a way
nH to prevent stunting and lnsuro per
fect development.
Encourago tho working of pure
bred Btalllons sufficient to keep thorn
healthy, muscular, prepotent and pre
vent pampering, weakness, partial Im
potence and aotual storlllty and so
tend to Insure vigor, strong constitu
tion and health In their offspring at
birth and throughqut llfo.
Ab soon aB poBslblo Btop working,
scrub horses on tho furin and In their
place uso grade horsos of good quality
and character, well fed, properly
groomed, furnished with attractive,
nlcoly kept harness and hitched to
modern Implements, wagons and car
riages. - ' ,
Organize township and county nsso
clntionB for community breeding of
homes of tho samo blood, character
and quality nnd to moro readily ob
tain pure-bred stallions and mares
and liiBuro n profitnblo market for
surplus horses.
Encourago repioBortatlvo exhibits
at the county fairs, of pure-bred Btal
llons and mareo and grado mares,
gelding, farm teams, and young stock
by pure bred sires. Discourage tho
offering of clauses and premiums for
grndes and mongrel or scrub stnlllonn
or thler progeny.
Boost for tho botterment of tho
horso breeding Industry and do noth
ing to retard ItB progress.
COST OF RAISING
AMERICAN HORSE
Average Is Found to Be $104.0$
for United States Inter
esting Figures.
Reports havo been received frou
about 10,000 correspondents of the
bureau of statistics of the depart
ment of ngrlculturo upon tho cost of
raising coltB to tho nge of three' i
yonrs. Tho avorago for tho United)
States Is found to" bo $104.06; or, It
wo deduct tho valuo of work dono br
tho horse before ho hnB passed lilts
third year, namely, $7.52, tho not cost
is $90.54; thlB Is 70.0 por cont, of
tho selling valuo of such horses,
$130.17.
Tho coBt varies widely by states,
from an average of $09.50 for 'New
Mexico, $71.59 for Wyoming, unii
$82.47 for Toxas, to $15C.C0 for Rhode
island, $149.98 for Connecticut, anil
$141 80 for Massachusetts.
Itemized, tho cost Is mudoup ub fol
lows: Service fee, $12.90; valuo or
tinio lost by maro In foaling, $10.06;
breaking to hulter, $2.22; veterinary
services, $2.04; enro and sheltor, first
year $4 90, second year $5.30, third
year $0.35; most of grain, fed, first
year $4.98, second year $7.14, third
year $9.50; hay, first year '$4.14, sec
ond year $0.01, third year $1.48; pas
turo, first . year $2.50, Bccond year
$5.41, third yeur $0.21; other costs,
5.01; total, $104.06.
The total cost for all feed Ib $56 30,
being $21.69 for grain, $19.33 for hay,
$14.18 for pasturo, nnd $1.21 for other
feeds, Tho total cost of euro and shel
tor Is $1C.C9. Of tho total cost. 61
per cent. Is charged to feeds, 16 per
cent, to caro nnd shelter; nnd 30 per
cent, to other items, im enumerated!
above.
Ab moro than half tho cost of rals
Ing a throq-year horBO on tho farm
is chargeablo to feeds. It is readily ob
served iow Important It Is the Influ
ence of variation In prices of (cod
stuffs upon such cost.
")
