A CALIFORNIA GIRL.
A Continued Story.
SYNOPSIS.
The story opens up with Sir Roydon
Carth, a young mining expert. In Ceiior
ala, where he had been aeut by an English
yudnule to develop mining property.
In the discharge of his duties at Dead
Ban's Uuk'h he had the misfortune to
break his leg, and during his Illness is
eared for In a rough squatter's cabin by
ell) Marvel and his son Lnue. LiUl the
old man s niece, Is also a uiemL.fr of Hie
Id man's ianuly. bir Koy, Impressed by
ber beauty and gentleness, fails In love
with her anl proposes, but she, realising
the difference in their positions, refuses
bis offer. After bis recovery he foolishly
exhibits a large sum of money which lie
arrled In his belt. This aroused Lance's
cupidity and he drugs Sir Koy with the
Intention of robbing him. Lilac overhears
lnce's plans and succeeds In arousing
)lr Roy from his stupor, help him mourn
bla horse and accompanies him along the
trait She finally yields to hla persuasion
to marry him upon his return from a pro
posed proayerting trip to Nevada. Arriv
ing In San Francisco he placea her In the
are of Major Kmmott and bis daughter,
Bagllsh peepie traveling In the West, and
arrangements are made that she shall ac
company them to England to make the ac
quaintance of Sir Hoy's aristocratic niuth
er turkng bla enforced absence.
CHAPTER XXIII.
"Lilac, dear, I want to speak with
you. Can you give me a moment?"
A fortnight had passed alnce the
meeting between the Californlan girl
and Mark at the railway station at
Liverpool, a fortnight during which
Lilac had felt happier than ahe thought
It possible to be without Roy. For
Mrs. Mowbray, a dear old lady, with
one of the most kindly and sympathetic
of faces and the moat beautiful of sil
very hair, was, aa her son had said,
quite different from Lady Garth, and
she did all ahe could to make the girl
forget that she was among strangers.
Lilac could not help thinking how
differently she might have acted had
Roy's mother been like her; but it was
best, of course, that she should know
in which direction the baronet's Inter
ests really lay. and she feit no resent
ment against his mother for having
shown It to her so plainly. Although
Mrs. Mowbray, on the other hand, had
not said so in so many words, it was
quite clear that she wanted Lilac for a
daughter-in-law.
Lilac put down the newspaper with
Its columns of vacant situations of all
sorts, and crossed the room to take a
seat by the old lady's side.
"Well my dear, have you found the
situation you want?" she asked tak
ing the girl's hand In her own; and
becoming very hopeless as to getting
anything to do by which she could sup
port herself and every day was laying
her under greater obligations to Mark.
"No, Mrs. Mowbray, I have not found
It yer, or, rather, I have found a good
many, but they ail require qualifica
tions that I have never possessed. 1
do not know what there is that I am
fit for."
"I think dear, that you are more fit
to be mistress of a house like this than
anything else," said the elder lady; and
Ulao reddened but did not reply.
"Mark has said nothing to you about
It, has he," asked his mother, "since
the evening that he came here with
you?"
Lilac shook her head.
"He has been very kind," she said.
His mother returned enthusiastically:
"He always Is. He will never bother
you again about his love until you
give him permission. But I cannot
keep silent." she went on. "You see I '
am an old woman, my dear, and I have
only my son to live for; and it pains
me very much to see the unhapplncss
that he will not admit but which he i
cannot hide from me. Lilac, dear, why j
to you not make him happy?'
The girl's eyes had filled with tears.
"I cannot, Mrs. Mowbray. It would
be wrong to him when I cannot give l
him my love. That la ail that I think
of."
"Is that all? Are you quite sure?"
"Quite sure. Mrs. Mowbray."
"Then why will you not take the
pinion of an old woman who as seen
a great deal more of life than you have,
dear? Mark has told me as much of
your love-story as you have Imparted
to him, and I think it would be best
for your own happiness, dear Lilac, as
well as my boy's. If you became his
wife. No don't Interrupt me! I have
been thinking the question over very
deeply, and my experience teaches me
that you would grow to love your hus
band In time, and be very much hap
pier than if you lived out your life en
tirely alone, as you think of doing."
"I was not thinking of my own hap
piness," said Lilac, "but of Mark s;
and I do not see how It can make him
happier to give him my hand without
jny heart. It would be doing him an
Injury."
"It might be If he did not love you,
dear," said the old lady sagaciously;
"but while you remain unmarried he
will never be able to forget you or
reconcile himself to your refusal; and
It will spoil his whole life, I am afraid.
Take my word for It that you would be
right In marrying him."
"But, Mrs. Mowbray," cried Lilac,
When the old lady Interrupted her.
"Do not answer me now, dear, but
think It over. Remember that I ought
to be a good Judge nf anything that
concerns my boy'a happiness."
As she spoke she pressed a kiss upon
the girl's forehead, and then rose to
leave the room before Lilac could raise
a protest against her arguments.
In the adjoining room Mrs. Mowbray
found Mark marching restlessly back
wards and forwards.
"I cannot stand this any longer,
mother miner' he said, with determina
tion In his musical voice. "I thought
that I was stronger than I am, It
maddens me to see her every day and
not be able to make ber love me! 1
shall go abroad again. Tou will look
after her for me, won't your
"Of course, dear. I feel towards her
aa though she ware my daughter; but,
If I were you I would not go away
Just yet. Perhaps she will change ber
mind."
"She has been saying something to
you?" he questioned, excitedly.
The old lady shook her head.
"No; I have been saying something
to her. If Lilac is the girl I take her
for, I think it will make her alter her
decision." She spoke very hopefully.
Meanwhile Lilac sat end pondered,
wondering what she ought to do. It
was Impossible for her to go on enjoy
ing the hospitality of the Mowbrays
and giving nothing in return. At the
end of an hour she retired to her room
and dressed herself for traveling. Then
she went in search of Mrs." Mowbray,
who was rather startled by the sight.
"You are going out, dear?" she
asked.
"Yes I am going on a Journey."
"You will let Mark accompany you?"
she said, anxiously. "It will only be
safe white that ruffian-like cousin of
yours Is at large. I am sorry that you
did not appear against him and have
him sent to prison. Mark thinks that
he saw him this morning, watching
the house. You had better let Mark
accompany you."
"I should be glad if he would see me
to the station, then; but I must make
my Journey alone. When I come back,
I will give you the decision that you
asked me for."
"You are going to Delverton, then?"
said the quick-witted old lady.
And Lilac nodded.
"To see Sir Roydon Garth?"
"No; I want to see Lady Garth his
mother if I can."
"Very well, dear. And you will give
Mark his answer when you return."
Mrs. Mowbray said no more, but she
went in search of her son, to warn
him not to speak of his love to Lilac on
their way to the station, or to press
her for permission to accompany her
any farther.
"Tonight, when she returns, I think
that she will promise to marry you,"
she said; and Mark, who had rarely
found his mother at fault, derived
fresh hope from the prophecy.
Lilac had a very definite idea as to
what her purpose was In visiting Del
verton, but she had only the most hasy
Ideas as to how she was to achieve it
without meeting Roy, the very thought
of which was enough to set her trem
bling. Although she had told herseir
again and again that all chance of her
marrying Roy was past, Bhe could not
conquer the Idea that, after all, she
mlghth ave made a mistake, and that
Roy's love for her might be as true as
hers for htm.
It was to kill this last flicker of hope
that she had determined to visit the
hall and see Lady Garth. Evangeline
she dared not meet any more than Sir
Roydon himself, but she knew that with
I.ady Garth she would stand in no dan
ger of breaking down and revealing the
love which, for Roy's Bake, she was
so anxious to dlHgulse. Even If she did,
Lady Garth could be trusted to keep
the secret which, If revealed, might
make her son hesitate about fulfill
ing her fondest hopes by marrying
Evangeline.
She would question Lady Garth and
learn what had happened since her de
parture from the Hall whether the
baronet had gratefully accepted the
surrender of her love, or whether, after
h had gnown tnat his love
was
vcry detp If tne iatter was the case,
ner iadygnip coui hardly fall to tell
for tne arstocrau0 old woman's
fl I d foremoBt thought was most
asaure(iy her son's happiness. Lilac
nerBei( wag so truthful and honest that
she could not imagine that Lady Garth
might deceive her to serve her own
purpose; though possibly It was some
dlm BUSpiciun which made the girl de
termlne to interview Lady Garth per
sonally Instead of trusting to a letter,
In spite of the difficulty of doing so
without risking the meeting with Roy
which she dreaded.
When she reached the Hall she
walked up to the stone steps at the en
trance to the house with a quickly
beating heart and an excitement that
was halp hope and half fear. She was
wondering whether she would be for
tunate enough to find her ladyship
alone, when an exclamation behind
her made her turn, and she saw Lady
Garth herself coming toward her from
the garden.
The way In which the old lady has
tened forward made Lilac think that
bhe was anxious to welcome her, until
she caught sight of her ladyship's face,
which expressed nothing but consterna
tion. To Lilac's astonishment, she
hurried past her without even a word,
to ooen the door noiselessly and beck
on her Into the house with every sign
of secrecy.
"Come upstairs to my room, Lilac,"
she said, speaking for the first time
when, they were In the hall, where
as yet no servant had appeared In an
swer to the girl's timid knock. "We
shall have no fear of Interruption
there."
The old lady scarcely seemed to
breathe until the door of her dressing
room was closed behind them. Then
she shook hands with her guest and
explained.
"I left Roy In the garden talking to
Evangeline," she said, "and did not
wish them to see you. Although my
son Is reconciled to your departure"
Lilac's heart sank "still It would be
disturbing for him to see you before
he has quite recovered from his Ill
ness. He has had so much anxiety
and worry that following so soon upon
his accident, It has made him quite
III, and he Is up for the first time to
day. But what is the object of your
v'slt, Lilac? Of course, It Is very kind
of you to call and let me know how you
are getting on; but do you not think
that It Is a little Injudicious Just at
present? After the sort of half-en-gavement
that agisted between you, It
I would surely be rather uncomfortable
for you both to meet so soon, especial
ly now that he Is engaged to his cous.
in! Rut tell me about yourself now
that you are here. You are not mar
ried yet to this Mr. Mowbray eh?"
She raised her gold pince-nez as the
spoke and surveyed the girl critically.
Lilac's face was quite pale, and her
lips were tightly compressed as she
answered.
"We are to be married soon. I am
slaying with his mother in Liver
pool." "And she Is pleased to have you as a
daughter-in-law?"
"Very pleased, Lady Garth."
"That Is most gratifying, then," said
her ladyship, with a sigh of content
ment. "The whole turn of affairs Is
very satisfactory, is it not?"
"Very satisfactory," said poor Lilac
through her white lips.
"But you have not told me the object
of your visit?" Lady Garth went on;
and Lilac hesitated for a few mo
ments. Then she said, speaking quite
calmly:
"I simply wished to ascertain before
taking any final step, that Sir Roydon's
happiness would not suffer. It is un
necessary to keep up any disguise with
you, Lady Garth, and I think you un
derstand already that I did hot consult
my own happiness in going away."
"I guessed something of the truth,
dear, and admired you for It. Of
course it was much nobler of you to
consider my son's and Evangeline's
happiness before your own. I think
that it was altogether for the best, and
I am glad to know that you are still
to make a marriage which I under
stand will be a very good one for
you."
"Although I am breaking my heart
over it," said Lilac coldly. "I came
here to ask you, Lady Garth, whether
my sacrifice has really given happiness
to the man I love. You say that he is
already engaged to his cousin?"
She looked straight Into her compan
Ion's eyes, and her ladyship flushed a
little. She turned her head aside to
escape the girl's scrutiny, and looked
down Into the garden, where she saw
something which encouraged her to
speak the truth.
"I was not right, perhaps, in Bay.
Ing that they were actually engaged,"
she Bald, turning to face Lilac again;
"but I have no doubt that they will be
shortly. Just before your arrival my
son informed me of his intention to
ask Evangeline to be his wife. See
they are in the garden together now,
and I expect he is carrying his purpose
Into effect."
As she spoke, Lady Garth drew the
girl to the window, and there, half
hidden behind the curtain, Lilac looked
down upon a night that for a moment
took away all power of movement. The
baronet and his cousin were walking
slowly across the lawn, Roydon look
ing very pale and weak after his Ill
ness, and leaning heavily on Evangel
ine's arm, but talking to her with great
earnestness. Suddenly, aa she looked,
Evangeline turned, and, throwing her
arms around the sick man's neck, kissed
him on either cheek.
A deep sigh of relief from her com
panion recalled Lilac to a remembrance
of where she was, and she turned away
at once.
"Is that enough?" said Lady Garth,
with a smile of satisfaction which she
could not conceal.
Lilac bowed.
"Will you help me to leave the house
without being seen by anybody,
please?" she paid, calmly still, although
she wondered how she could think or
speak at all. "I should not like them
to hear from the servants that I had
been here."
"Of course not, dear," said her lady
ship, whose graclousness and friend
liness Increased as her fears grew less.
"I will take you through the drawing
room, and nobody will be the wiser,
I am glad that you came, and I shall
always feel a great admiration for you,
Lilac."
Her ladyship advanced as though to
kiss her, but Lilac drew away, and
held out her hand.
"Thank you for assisting me, Lady
Garth," she said. "Everything, as you
say, is very satisfactory."
Her voice trembled a little as she
spoke, in spite of the restraint she
was placing upon herself to remain
calm; and fearing that the girl might
break down before she left the hall,
her ladyship led the way at once noise
lessly down the broad staircase, thro'
the drawing room where Evangeline
had sung so hopelessly of her "Robin
Adair," through one of the tall French
windows Into the garden, and so by a
narrow garden-path almost to the gate
of the drive.
(To be continued.)
The accompanying little story, pub
lished In an eastern educational Jour
nal, Is said to have been written by a
boy In the west, one of a class of chil
dren of six or eight yeirs old, who had
been requested by their teacher to
write a story, they to select a subject
and their compositions not e changed
by their teacher, but to be read before
the children's parents exactly as writ
ten. This Is one of the number sub
mitted. And the writer Is expected to
become a great story writer: A poor
young man fell In love with the daugh
ter of a rich lady who kept a candy
shop. The poor young man could not
marry the rich candy lady's daughter
because he had not money enough to
buy furniture. A wicked man offered to
give the young man $26 If he would be
come a drunkard. The young man
wanted the money very much, so he
could marry the rich candy lady's
daughter, but when he got to the saloon
he turned to the wicked man and said:
"I will not become a drunkard even for
great riches. Get thee behind me, Sa
tan." On his way home he found a
pocketbook containing a million dollars
In gold; then the young lady consented
to marry him. They had a beautiful
wedding and the neat day they had
twins. Thus you aoo that "Vlrtuo baa
Ha owa reward."
FARM MELANGE.
Trade the pup for a pig.
Do not feed corn to colts.
How to make little chicks grow feed
them.
Plant bush lima beans poles are a
nuisance.
Give your son a trade and your
daughter, too.
When the cherry blooms, plant the
garden seeds.
National extravagance and debt turn
farmers Into serfs.
A drinker Is usually a shirker. A
thinker is usually a good worker.
What does the farm cat have that
no other animal has? Kittens.
A good fence is a remedy for breachy
cattle and prevents neighborhood quar
rels. It Is swindling your wife and family
trying to get milk from a poorly fed
cow.
The music of Interest-bearing notes Is
pleasant only when the interest comes
your way.
If you don't want your seed potatoes
to sprout before you are ready, spread
them out.
A girl who wouldn't harm a mouse
will murder a song In a most heartless
manner.
Wring the neck of the dog that wor
ries ti.c cows, lt will (save feed of both
cow and dog.
Happiness Is like a kitten's tall It is
difficult to catch, but there Is lots of
fun chasing it.
How can you tell whether your farm
pays a loss or profit unless you keep
accounts accurately.
A good coat of paint covers a multi
tude of sins. There Is no deceit In put
ting your best foot out first.
If your horse Is out of condition have
a qualified person examine his teeth.
Perhaps he Is starving because he can't
grind his feed.
The man who Is continually changing
from cows to sheep and again from
sheep to cows, will complain there is
no money in farming.
A coarse, Intemperate, brutal man
should never be tolerated on a farm.
He should work in the shops and deal
with Inanimate things.
Rub a gall with stove blacking or
plumbago if you must work the horse
and can not give It time to heal. It
seems to work wonders.
It does really no good to "blow up"
people. It hurts them but little and
does you no good. Save your wind.
You may need lt to blow yourself up.
"Many a mlckle makes a muckie." A
hundred big cars of corn make a bush
el. If one is lost or wasted your meas
ure Is short. Look after the little waste.
There are many men who would help
tto hang a horse thief, who continually
work homes with torturing collars and
half rations.
The small pig will make the big hog.
The small calf will make a big steer.
The small germ In the grain of corn
will make the large stalk. The greatest
men are those who "despise not the day
of small things."
If the work harness be not all In
order, don't start out until you have
made it so. More than half of the run
aways which take place are due to
worn-out and rotten pieces of harness.
It Isn't a good thing to churn the
milk before getting it out of the udder.
Better let the cows walk to and from
pacture, and bo Instruct the boy.
Dan now for quantities of soiling
crops for the cows. Do not fear of
getting too much, for If it Is not used
green It can be cured and used most
profitably In that condition.
Let the man who loves heifers and Is
gentle and quiet milk the young things
for the first few months. It Is best to
be patient and not get the heifer ex
cited. Many a good one has been spoil
ed by Injudicious treatment after the
first calf.
If you waken some cold morning and
find your garden plants covered with
frost, get out your watering pot filled
with cold water and sprinkle every one
that Is likely to be injured. Be sure
you do the sprinkling before the sun
,ets up and mcltB the frost.
Don't try to make too long days at
first this spring. The horses, the men
and the boys will come in tired enough
to sleep, of you do not try to keep them
at It too long to begin with. See that
the chores are all done before dark. I
never like working around a barn by
Inntern.
It Is better to provide the cows with
plenty of water than to put water Into
the milk. If you should call the men
who do the latter by their right names
you would have but few friends amonw
milkmen.
It Is so easy for us to say. "If I was
that man. I would do so different from
what he la doing," and yet If one
would put himself In the other man's
place he might not do any different,!
but he might sleep better and digest
his food better, perhaps, when ho cams
to his real self again.
Do you want to grow a good crop ot
nice potatoes In your garden T Then be
ware of sprouted teea. If your Mod
potatoes can not be retarded otherwise,
keep them In the Ice bouse or refrig
erator. But in a cool, dark cellar po
tatoes should not sprout before it wl;i
do to plant them. There is some differ
ence in varieties. Some show little dis
position to sprout.
BREEDING UP.
The various breeds of live stock that
have been improved along special lines
and established so they reproduce their
kind, have all been the result of sur
rounding the animals with improved
conditions, giving them improved man
agement, favorable to the ends desired,
and then taking special pains to select
the best in cairying on further breed
ing operations. It Is possible to do this
by starting with scrubs, for that is the
way it was originally done, but it is
not practical to do it in this way be
cause men's 'ives are too short to
spend them thus and wait many years
lor results, when no necessity for it
exib.s. Under present conditions the
way to breed up the farmers' flocks and
herds is to obtain pure bred males and
use no other, and then only the best
that can be afforded.
With the advantages that the farm
ers and breeders of today have over the
original Improvers of breeds, it is a
matter of some surprise that the op
portunity Is not universally embraced.
It would seem that with the marked
difference in the value of improved and
unimproved stock the Importance of
growing the former only would be ob
vious, and yet there are a vast num
ber of grade males used in the country
from which no good results need be ex
pected. Even with the advantages ot
improved blood the farmers' work in
grading up is not without difficulty.
When pure bred stock is used on both
sides good progeny does not always re
sult. In every crop of calves, for ex
ample, there are "tops" and "culls,"
and the same will be true when a pure
bred male Is used for grading up. It
will even be true to a greater extent,
perhaps, because the influence of the
scrub dam must be overcome. The
man who is grading up, therefore, must
not expect too much. Not all the
heifer calves got by a dairy breed bull
will make good dairy cows, alhtough
the use of such a bull renders the pro
duction of good cows much more prob
able and more frequent. The same
principle governs if beef anima,ls are
the objects sought, and the breeder
who has planned for continuous Im
provement should adopt the breeders'
bethods bo far as they are applicable,
and especially the principle of selection.
On the female side the best cows, the
best sows, the best ewes, the best
mares, etc., should be retained for fu.
ture use and the inferior ones culled
out and marketed. A celebrated Eng
lish breeder of dogs was asked how it
came that he got such good ones. His
reply was that he "bred a great many
and hanged a great many." Something
of this kind must be done by every
breeder, whether he be laboring to im
prove a pure bred herd or whether he
be a farmer who is striving to grade up
and make each year's crop of young
stuff a little better than the last. A
prominent cause of slow progress is
that selection is not close enough and
that not enough culling Is done.
Homestead.
SEED POTATOES.
It Is encouraging to note that pro
gressive farmers are paying greater
attention to the importance of the se
lection of seed for crops of all kinds
that shall be mor perfect in every re
spect. In planting cereals, clover and
the like, greater pains are taken not
only to see that it is free from weed
Beed, that that the seed itself shall be
plump, heavy and vigorous, with a high
germinating percentage when tested.
Seed corn is more carefully selected and
preserved, and at all points there Is
larger practical recognitlonjof the truth
that, "As ye bow, so also shall ye reap."
The time is at hand when those who
plant potatoes are making up their
minds as to the seed to be used, and
here, too, the necessity for careful se
lection Is as great as with other crops.
The variety being determined upon, it
Is Important that the seed shall be
sound and firm, and that this may be so
lt Is essential that the tubers shall not
have exhausted their vigor and sus
tenance by sprouting. Just now when
the weather is beginning to warm up
rapidly potatoes that have been kept
in cellars will have a decided tendency
to sprout. The two conditions that
encourage sprouting are heat and
light. The cellar may have been cold
enough during the winter to prevent
sprouting, but as lt begins to warm up
with the opening of sprng, the eyes be
gin to sprout and the long, chlorophyll
less sprouts begin to push out In the
direction from which the strongest light
comes. This makes the potato soft,
lacking substance and unfit either for
seed or for the table, and with seed
potatoes It Is Important that the con
ditions which Induce sprouting be pre
vented. It is a well known fact that
potatoes "run out' 'rapidly as compared
with other seeds. While still remain
ing potatoes they lose their varietal
characteristics, and this is probably
due as much to the fact that the seed
tubers have been permitted to sprout
year after year gradually producing an
Increasingly weakened crop, as to any
other cauBe.
One does not have to watch seed po
tatoes to sec that they are free from
weed seeds, In the ordinary acceptance
of the term, but In the case of seed
potatoes there Is an analogous evil that
Is quite as bad. The spores of several
fungous plants are too often planted
with the potato unless it Is desired to
produce an Increasingly scabby crop.
Bo far as the seed Is concerned It Is not
difficult to clean It from scab spore so
thai It will prod in a ctoon
Treatment uf the seed is qc.e simple
and quite effective. Several fungicides
are effective for the purpose, among
them being formaline and corrosive
sublimate. The latter has been longest
In use and is easily employed. Take
two and a quarter ounces of corrosive
sublimate and in a wooden vessel ml
it with two gallons of hot water; let It
stand over night and then in a bar
rel with a wooden faucet at the bot
tom mix it with thirteen gallons of
water. Put the seed potatoes in a gun
ny sack and immerse them in this solu
tion for about an hour and a half. Tho
corrosive sublimate solution can be
used repeatedly. It is highly poisonous
and it must not be placed in metal
vessels. The corrosive sublimate can
be bought at any drug store for about
fifteen cents an ounce.
If this course be pursued the potato
planter will have seed clean and froo
from scab, and if, in addition to this,
he uses for his potato crop ground OB
which potatoes have not been, recently
grown the crop will be free from scab.
It is not worth while, however, to treat
the seed and then plant lt in ground
that was used for potatoes the pervloua
year and produced a crop showing signs
of scab, for the spores live over tho
winter and will fasten themselves on
the new crop as soon as H appears.
Homestead.
SELECTING OF SEED.
All farmers should carefully select the
grain that is to be used for spring
sowing. It is not enough that the seed
be free from weeds, although this, of
course, is essential. Beyond this, how
ever, pains should be taken to winnow
out all the light, shrunken stuff, with
about as strong a blast as the fanning
mill is capable of producing. The dif
ference in the yield between plump and
shrunken seed is much greater than la
generally imagined. In one experiment
with spring wheat, continued for fivo
years, it was found that plump, selected
seed gave an increased yield of 23 per
cent by measure and an increase of 6.4
pounds in weight per measured bushel
over shrunken seed. This is a differ
ence worth taking a great deal of pains
in order that the farmer may have lt In
his favor. In a four years' test of bar
ley, conducted along similar lines,
plump seed gave an Increased yield of
19 per cent over shrunken grain. Aa
the shrunken grain is mainly caused by
weak straw, rust and the like, there la
the further advantage attending the 80
lection of plump seed, that these faults,
weaknesses and diseases are less likely
to be propagated. On every account,
therefore, it will pay the farmer to blow
out of his seed grain everything that a
blast will remove. Shrunken grain is a
great deal better as a food for the poul
try or for the stock than it is to put la
the ground for reproductive purposes.
CORN AS FOOD.
Prof. E. Davenport, professor of ag
riculture; University of Illinois, saysi
"We are often told that corn flour la
deficient in pritein, and that the con
sumer must increase his ration or else
suffer for nitrogen with which to re
pair his body. As a matter of fact,
there is but slight difference in the
amount of nitrogen as between wheal
and corn, and from the best calculations
that can be made it would seem that a
diet of clear corn furnished something
like twice the amount of digestible ni
trogen that the body actually makes
use of. The difference between tha
protein of wheat and that of corn la
more of character than of amount.
"Wheat Is not the one standard food
that God made purposely according to
a definite formula as food for His peo
ple. It is one of the best food gralna
and corn is another. Rice is another,
and though lt contains less than half
the protein of corn, it has proved aa
acceptable food to many races."
QUEEN CELLS.
In the whole matter of queen rearing,
there seems to be an extravagance),
strangely at variance with the usual
thrifty economy of the busy occupanta
of the hive, writes Dr. C. C. Miller la
the National Stockman. When a singla
young queen is desired, five, ten, ot
forty, are reared, only that all but one
may be killed as Boon as mature. FoodV
is given in such abundance that a sur
plus Is left that the young queen coulq
not consume, while to the young worker
is carefully measured out the exact
ration that it needs with not an iota
remaining.
Generally, it is a good mark to have a
queen cell well covered with deep In
dentations. Sometimes you may And a
cell quite smooth, having none of theso'
indentations. The chances are that It
contains not a queen but a drone. Notj
that the workers will deliberately msJco
the mistake of trying to rear a king la-
stead of a queen, but If they are queen
less and have nothing but drone eggs or
drone larvae, the poor things will do tha
best they can by trying to rear a queea
from a larvae that can only turn out a
drone, although usually, If not always,
lt dies in the cell.
These queen cells that have been
built up with so much labor and ex
pense of material will In a few days bo
torn down. Not entirely. Tho base of
each will be left, a queen cell cup aa It
is called. You will find more or less of
these cups in almost any hive. A good
many of them have never been any
thing more than cups, for the boot
seem to delight In making Just that
much of a start toward queen rearing
when there seems to bo no Intention of
going farther.
Wo find a good garden cultivator oa
of the most economical Implements aa
the farm, but to vat It to the boat ad
vantage everytalag matt be pktatea at
long vows.