STAIRS OF SAND
A TALE OF A MTSTERT
ERNEST DE LANCEY PIERSON
ADTMOII Q
'tHtt SCRKT Or TH M A RWNfcTTKS," "A UASC.EROt'S QUEST," ETC
Coirifnt. 1901.
Ur VKKfcT4.SMITH
CHABTBR XIX.
At the hour designated by Ellison, In
spector Barnes, the chief of police. ""J
posted hi meu iu the strw-cs leading
to the Ued for. waiting for the siual
which would rail his uu-ii to the. center
of the scene of action.
It was very seldom that the heaj of
the police department took a baad in an
affair of the kind, but he was moved by
curiosity, and, at the same time, by the
desire to figure prominently in tiie cou
ture of a rogue who had defied the de
partment fur many mouth. It would
not look well iu the papers when the
accounts came to be eventually written
up, if the chief did not occupy a promi
beut place in the proceeding, Barnes,
moreover, felt a certain hatred for the
man who had put his department iu such
disrepute, and he was anxious to have
first view of the uiau who bud been able
to withsU-id all the machinery of the --my
so long.
Ten o'clock had been the hour when he
expected ( bear the pistol shot that was
to summon l im and his men to the scene,
but as time passed, and it was Hearing
the half hour after the time, be began to
grow impatient.
'What do you think of this. Inspector
Tboruer' he a.-dted of a tall man, who
had secreted himself in a hallway oppo
site the queer hotel. Barnes was not the
only important official who had desired
to have something to do with the capture
of the celebrated criminal.
"Oh, I'm not worried," replied Thorne.
"Never know what delays might happen
lu an affair like this. I only hope your
wan wasn't guying us with his story.".
He did not love his i-hicf purti.'Ubriy,
and would have liked to see him misled j
to give place to a real genius--hintn-if. !
for example. If the principals were ex-J
cited, the men detailed on this occasion !
were also in somewhat of a flurry. They j
did not share the opinion held by Barn"
that the man who had defied the in a-.
chiiiery of the department so Ions would j
be easy to capture, and loked forward t j
a lively time of it. '
Barnes and Inspector Thorn" were still 1
occupying the hallway of a deserted 1
warehouse, watching the building that
loomed up darkly before them, lis'.euin? !
for the sound of the pistol phot that was
to be the signal. I
The hotel with the foreigu name was ,
really two buildings. The barroom fae-,
in on one street, through which the
sleeping rooms could be reached in the
rear by a narrow passage.
For a long time the police bad known
that Monsieur Pouiae conducted a house
that was tbe resort of all the ragtag and
bobtail and human sewage of the city.
But be was useful, and his suppression
would hare made it only more difficult
to find a man when be was wanted. So
It was that tbe Frenchman was allowed
to continue running his shady tavern as
a friend of the law and a secret foe to
the lawless elements.
As tbe time passed, and yet the signal
was not beard. Inspector Barnes began
to get Tmpatient, and iu tbe shadow
moved up and down the street, meeting
here and there some of his men, with
whom be exchanged a word or two, and J
then passed on his beat. I
During bis walk be arrived presently j
before the real front of the building,
where tbe barroom was situated, and
here he aa w a man putting out tbe lUiils
and making other preparations to dose
up. Aa it was his intention to wink at
tbe doing of Monsieur I'oujac, who had
had a hand in the apprehension of a num
ber of criminals, be made no attempt
to approach the man who was clearing '
up.
As soon as tbe front of the establish
ment waa dark he returned to bis post,
Which commanded the alley and where
Inspector Tborne was now standing.
"Anything new?" he asked, as he
Rnuggled Into the hallway beside bis
Bubordiaae.
"Not a sound from our corner," re
sponded the other.
"I'm getting suspicious," said Karnes.
"Of wbatr
"That I have been fooled."
"How's thatT
"This chap Ellison might, for all 1
l,now, be one of the gang who is interest
id in the man we are seeking."
"Can't believe that.'
"Well, I don't believe it, cither," grum
bled the chief, "and if be has played us
n trick I fall to see what he will gain
by it; besides I took care to look the
man up. lie is the brother of a banker
lif wealth and repute, but perhaps Is none
the better for that." lie was silent for a
moment, and then, "You see, 1 was get
ling desperate and ready to take any
chances. Tbe failure to capture this
man made ua the laughing stock of the
lown, and I for one was getting tired of
It, so I was ready to seixc auy straw."
"I understand," said Inspector Thome,
who since Barnes bad engineered the
thing would not hare been sorry if the
whole affair tamed oat a gorgeous hum
bug. But he did not venture to express
any of these thoughts aloud; what be did
remark was: ,
"It'a too sooa to giro up all hope yet.
Strange things 'asppea in matters like
Ibis and we must be patient."
"Bat oomebow I bar a premonition
that all la mot right," straining his eyes
is If be would pierce the secrets of the
forbidding Mack building that towered
eyoad them.
"1 wlah I hadn't made a deal with tbe
fellow," abaklag Ma .
"Wo bar to bargain, whoa H conies
t gtUg oi tbe track of slippery la-
UrkoaaJ such as w are looking for," re
pkM Uapoetor Tbotm, la a role that
raa asoaat to bo eaeilg.
fit had hardl deUvsrod this abort
lesiaTs, wb aacMoaly th eraok of a
btot ahot nasi thrgk th atltac. Tko
tw asM started th, yltt a word,
f-T act 3 ) a ran toward th alley
i i in tfaes Chi tb owaag
Barnes had received minute direction,
aud knew how to proceed. Mis men, ran
uiug forward from all directions (and
there were enough of them to have cap
tured a squad of rogues), came up with
their chief at the entrance to the alley.
He gave them hurried directions about
guarding approaches to the place, and
they departed gramblingly into the
shadows, indignant that they were not
allowed to take a prominent part iu the
capture.
"Now, then, Tborne," exi-laiined the
chief, "see to your guu, and follow me,"
and with these word he dashed on up
the alley at a wonderful speed for a man
of his weight.
When the iiisiector cauie up with his
superior be was standing before an open
window, w hich led into the basement of
the place. A flickering light was seen for
a moment iu the gloom, but as they look
ed it suddenly disappeared.
The two police otiicers for a moment
regarded each other iu silence.
"Not going to plunge into that black
bole, are you?" asked Tborne, with a
shiver.
"It don't look exactly right. There
should be a light there," replied the oth
er. "But since there is none, why, we
must supply it." So saying, he took a
folding dark lauteru out of his pocket,
shook it into shnpe, lit the candle with
in, aud said grimly, "We have gone too
far to retreat now, so come on. and the
devil take tbe hindmost." With this,
huldiug the lantern iu one hand, he
scrambled over the sill of the window aud
let himself drop to the tloor. He was
followed a little l;itr by Inspector
Tborne.
"It's suspiciously ' siletil," muttered
Barms, as he waved the lauteru back
aud forth. Mid peered into the corners
of the room.
"And was it hi re that you expected to
liud him?" asked the other In a whisper.
"No. in the last room beyond," nodding
toward (he partition that ran through
1h' middle of the basement. "I don't
like the looks of things a bit, but keep
your gnu handy and come on," at the
same time lending: the way through tbe
open door, flashing his lanteru to right
aud left as he went along.
The next room was empty, too, but for
some old barrels and chairs piled up in
one corner. Barnes paused for a mo
ment to listen.
"Hear anything, Thome?" he asked.
"No, do you?"
"Yes; sounds like heavy breathing."
"More like steam escaping somewhere,"
replied the other, who seemed to hear
the sound as well as his companion.
The chief advanced to the door that
communicated with tbe last room.
"It is here that we shall find something,
I think. Why, tbe deuce! It seems to
be locked on the inside," as he tried the
knob. Then, with a push of his huge
shoulders, he broke tbe door in, and kick
ing aside tbe shattered wood, they stood
withiu the room. It seemed to be va
cant, t'Mi. The chairs about a table in the
center, the butt of a cigarette and a glass
showed that it must have been recently
occupied.
"If 1 ouly Lad a decent light," grum
bled Barnes, for his lantern was so faint
that it only illumined a small space of
tbe room at a time.
"There hi that queer rushing sound
ujraln, like escaping steam," muttered
inspector Tborne.
Barnes, peering about with his lanteru,
suddenly uttered an exclamation, and
then, stooping, lifted up some heavy body
from the floor. As the Inspector stepped
forward to help him lie saw that it was
a man and insensible. He St was who
produced tbe strange sounds they bad
heard. They lifted him into a sitting
position on one pf the chairs. His eyes
were closed, but his heavy breathing
sounded loud in tbe silence of the room.
The expression on his chiefs face made
Barnes nsk the question: "Do you know
this man?
"Know him," with a harsh exclama
tion. "Well, rather. This is the chap
that brought us here look at him now."
Then, with anger be could not conceal,
he began iu a more vigorous than kindly
way to attempt to shake Ellison into a
condition of consciousness.
"He needs something worse than a
shaking, grumbled Barnes, "for om
man by this time must be miles away!"
(To be eonilnued.i
A IteversaL
'When those boys went Into busiues
rivalry Jim bud dollars and John had
cents."
"And uow?"
"Well. Jliu wouldn't advertise, and
now John's got bis dollars and Jim's
trot sense." Baltimore News.
Well QuallBed.
Mamtger What do you know about
managing a comic opera? ,
Applicant Well, 1 have engineered
several South American revolution
Life.
When tbe Test Cane.
Mrs. Muggins Hud you known your
husband long before you married him?
Mrs. Ilugglns No. not until after we
were inm-rled. Philadelphia Record.
The smallest exhibit at the Buffalo
exposition was tbe tig wasp from Call
forola. It could be seen only with 1
microscope. Tbe Insect Is an Important
aid lo producing the fruit, and the Uai
ted Slate Government spent $18,000 In
establishing It In tbe Pacific fig region
Th oldest piece of writing la th
world la on a fragment of a vaae foand
at Nippur. It la an Inscription la pic-
tare writing and da to 4.000 vara bo
for Christ The University C !
sylveala baa aecor4 It
CHANCES OF LIVING.
OCCUPATION HA8 MUCH TO DO
WITH LONGEVITY.
Ufa Insurance Statistics Show t'p
Unexpected Things A Heeaarkable
Saving of Children Strenuous Living
Cats short the Career of Many Meu.
Science has iu the last half century
lengthened the early jitirt of life of a
human being by three uud a half yearn.
Mali has shorten!! the latter part of
bis life by bus trc-oiendoUK struggle for
wealth, jMjsltion and amusement hy two
and a bulf years.
The (treat gain that Las been made
by the Increase of exact scientific
knowledge, the triumphs of surgery
and lufditlue, the advance in saulta-
tijn the work of hundreds of years
i almost offset by the feverish pace
that Is made so vital a part of mod
ern civilization.
Ami science Is jjaining uion the
foolish individuals that are burning
themselves up. for the average length
of life is Krndtinlly Increasing.
Kach year tbe cliuncex of the new
born child for reaching iiiuturhy are
greater. And If no many lieotde did
not wear themselves out needlessly,
sacrlticlng themselves, from a ncien
tifle point of view, aud die soon after
passing m, the average longevity
would be greater than it Is.
The most marked Increase lias ixen
In the last ten ypars. In 1S!W. tbe av
erage length of life In the United States
w as 31 yean. Now it is :i years.
This Is an indisputable fact, based
upon life insurance statistics. They
are cold-blooded, things, these life sta
tistics. If it were necessary, the ex
perts In figures would figure out to a
day when it man should die.
Hubert Hunter, actuary of the New
York Life Insurance Company, is one
of those experts, one of those men
who can work a romance out of fig
ures. "Insurance statistics regarding lon
gevity are misleading to those who
do not understand them," he explained
the other ituy. "They show u greater
increase in the length of human life
than the facts warrant. Conditions
have changed enormously.
"Thirty years ago it was at once
easier and more difficult fur a man to
got Insurance. There was practically
no medical examination. An appli
cant merely appeared before a board
of directors or an examining board
with no scientific knowledge, and If
be looked to be a good risk he was ac
cepted; If not, he was rejected.
"A sufferer from a fatal disease does
not always wear the announcement of
fact on his face, and many a bad risk
was taken. Nowadays the examination
is as severe as it can be-
"It is evident how this change In
conditions affects longevity tables.
Tbe Increase shown by those prepared
by tbe insurance companies Is due
largely to the strict medical examina
tion that is now made a condition of
Issuing a policy.
"On the other hand, a policy la now
never refused to anyone unless It Is
pretty certain that death is a matter
of a few months, but the conditions
are made to tit tbe case. Usually the
Insured has to live a certain number
of years in order to get the full
amount.
"The saving lu child life iu the last
half century has been moHt remark
able. Nowadays a babe has many
more chances of living than one bora
fifty years ago. There are no very re
cent statistics on tbe matter because
the facts collected In l'JOO have not
yet been digested and tabulated.
The last autbeutlc one are Brit
ish they are much further advanced
In the science of vital statistics over
there than we are In tbla country.
From 1838 until 1SX the average child
had Just three and a half years added
to his life.
This lengthening of human life Is
due to tbe greater medical knowledge
and scientific skill aud to the Im
proved sanitation. This is shown by
the fact that between the ages of 25
and 00 there has been no Improvement
to speak of the gain being two
months In 50 year. After B0 the mor
tality has been Increas ng. but It does
not equal the gain made under 75.
"Consumption still continues the
greatest enemy of tbe human race, but
It Is decreasing, showing that science
Is getting the mastery over tbe white
death. Each year shows a smaller per
centage of deaths from It. In 1878 17
per cent of the total number of deaths
were due to consumption. Now only
11 per cent d'e of It
"But. while tbe death from con
sumption have been fewer, those from
pneumonia, heart disease and cancer
are growing. These four are the dead
liest of all maladlea."
One of tbe most Interesting things
In connection with vital statistics la
the close connection between occupa
tions and longevity. For these statis
tics we must again go to Great Britain,
where they have been kept with great
exactneas for centuries.
Tbla table shows tbe number of
deaths In a thousand of persons en
gaged In the various occupations. Tb
age of tbe person are given for pur
pones of comparison:
Asm. 3
Physlrlas T
Teachers 4
Magicians I
I tamest le scrvasts ......
ComsMrciai traveler ...a
Hallway aglDn aa
areme ............... I
TralaaM
TrarksiM. ate.
HUH
U II S4
lit
7
14
IU
14
M
101
151
Nt
H
l
III
144
II
ia a
U
f
IT
vritrnDer, bsrgeatea, ate I IT
lock laborer ....It 14
tailor If
KfesWr SM 9
tcrtcnltsrsi latswrs ....
u
IB
tirvwers ......11
a
I
1st
Tillors I It SI 1
('upper workers T 14 53 41 11
llrlikler nd niisons.. 7 IS i 40 I'M
C.rprpters 6 J 11 B W
Teitll. worker. H 12 JB 1M
f,l miner. 10 lit 4 1
Oener.l laborers 10 IT 'J 4i 111
IVUJler. U &
THE ISLAND OF YELLOWS.
Ia Martinique Even Nature seems to
Jaundiced.
On the dav I made acquaintance with
tt l'lerre, In Martinique, tbe sunlight
was as bright as I ever saw suullgbt
during the nearly four years of a West
Indian life. But Just as many men
wore yellow "vests" to match the
gaudy turbans of the women as
though the day-had 'ics ji hot and wet
instead of a burning, dusty, winter day
of the usual Creole kind. The houses
that were not pink washed were most
ly defiantly yellow; the baskets poised
on the girls at tbe landing stage were
brighter still; the skins of nine out of
ten of the damsels were the color of a
clean but dulled half sovereign. The
moral hue of the place might be serl- (
ously "blue," but the physical aspects
of it were yellow, orauge, bright
bronze. The oranges In tbe girls' bas
kets were delightful to rest the eyef
upon deep, mottled green, as a ripe,
fresh-pulled orange should be. says a
writer lu the Bull Mall Gazette.
All tills tldu of yellow, flecked with
piuks of walls and reds of bodices,
stopped where the dark-green forests
began to roll up to the grim watching
tyrant. Mont Tclee. Black against the
deep, forget-me-not blue of the sky,
the hard features of the monster show
ed, no breath Issuing from the cruel
wrinkled mouth. You could not look
up without a thought of tbe mockery
of the whole situation; the Idle,
naughty cltyful of quadroons and oc
toroons dancing and singing so neat
the Miadows of the awful mountain
woods, from w hich the' fer-de-lauce
snakes Issued nightly to make mortal
ly dangerous the suburban roads and
squares. The yellow elements of life,
the laughter, aud the drapery, and the
light, passing love fancies all these
were the unstable, the threatened
things. The mountain and the wood
were the enduring, the ultimate lord
of the landscape.
But to the right, far above the soutL
cliff, there showed something that
spoke of a force above those of man o:
volcano. A white gleam, high but not
broad, showed plainly against a deep
green breadth of forest. Shading the
eyes. It was jnissiblu to see that It
was a figure a dazzling, draped worn
an's figure. In a moment the facts of
the case made a return to the mind.
This was the great Virgin of Succor,
the figure placed to remind an erring
but nut undevout town that the thlugt
which tire seen are temporal, while the
things that are not seen are eternal.
May eternal peace dwell among all
those poor souls who for so many
years have found the wine shop and
the dancing cafe dangerously near the
cooling, austere Influences of the great
cathedral of St. I'ierre!
Wanted: American Ways.
If American department store pro
moters are anxious for new worlds t
conquer they should turn their faces to
ward far-away Bombay, where, accord
Ing to Mr. Fee, our consul In that city,
an excellent opportunity exists for tbt
establishment of such an enterprise.
Few, If any, cities in the Orient, he
says, offer better facilities for exploit
lug American goods than Bombay. It
possesses a magnificent harbor, exten
sive systems of railways radiate frou
It, and Its Mtcumshlp and freight linet
run to all parts of the globe. It Is a
great trans-shipping point by sea aud
is tbe national gateway to India. Tbe
point is also made that the Indian na
tive Is not prevented by patriotism from
buying where he can secure the best
and cheapest goods especially the
cheapest. For these reasons and many
others, which Mr. Fee gives, he think
that a department store, conducted on
American Hues, would lie a great suc
cess. The clerical force aud salesmen, be
suggests, should be natives of the coun
try, but other details should Is? purely
on the American plau. Tbe sales, botb
wholesale and retail, should be made
on a cash basis, says Leslie's Weekly,
and sufficient goods should be carried
In stock to permit Immediate delivery.
It Is to be remembered that Bombay It
self Is one of the great cities of th
world, having a population of nearly
000,000.
The llco Did Not Care.
Little Dorothea Is one of those chil
dren whose danger signal Is silence
When she Is still, says Brooklyn Life,
she is In mischief.
The other day her mother became
aware of the quiet which boded trou
ble. She was about to look for the child,
when, at that moment, I'orolhca cuine
In, her face rosy with happiness and
her mouth covered with crumbs.
"Where have you been, Dorothea?"
asked her mother. "What are you cat
IngT
"Cheese," said the young lady
calmly.
"Cheese; Where did you get It,
dear?"
"In the niouf-trsp."
"In tbe mouse-trap!" exclaimed her
' mother, horrified.
"Ob, yeth!"
"But what will the mice do? They
won't have any cheese."
"Ob, dey don't enre, mamma:' Hey
was two mouth- lu de trap, and dey
didn't cae bit!"
Sweden's Low Death II t.
Sweden's last census records the low-
et death rate yet attained by a civilised
nation. During tbe last tea years II
only averaged 10,49 per 1,000.
' A good Idsa la aot ta pnmlaa to da
to nsea.
M.vtr Mutter In Hot Weather.
In a recent Home and Farm, Maud
milelds, of Arkansas, give some points
vu the subject. She says: I say by
all means get a separator, then buy
milk cans large enough to hold one
milking of cream, let It cool, put V.v
!id on the can and hang it in the well.
It dm not matter whether It Is In
the water or not, It w ill keep cool, and
will be ready to churn lu twenty-four
hours. Use a thermomiter and chum
st nlKmt til or !7 degrees. Take up tbe
butter, wash thoroughly by pressing
with the 'Middle. Hon t drag the pau
Ule through It as It sjiolls the grain.
Salt it, using pure salt, and mold It
as quick as possible. Wrap e-acu pound
in n nice clean cloth wrung out of
cohl water.
(Jet you an empty butter keg from
your grocery iniin, bore holes near the
top Just below the lid, take a pi-ce
of new rope and make a bundle, put
nice, clean, new white paper In the bot
tom, then put lu the butter. But un
other plc-e ou top Just below the lid
tind hang It In the well. Taper Is bet
ter than cloth, as the cloth mildews.
When you are ready to go to town,
use another keg just like the one iu
the well; put a clean towel In the bot
tom: nut In the butter: then another
clean towel on top. Fasten ou the lid.
wet some clean sacks In a tub, fold
them without wringing on the bottom
of your wagon, set the butter keg on
them, and wrap wet sacks around the
keg aud on top. As you deliver the
butter take the cloths off. take them
home, and wash and scald thoroughly.
Keep two sets of cloths; while one set
Is suiiniug and drying another cun be
used. We have a ceparator; we sell a
part of the milk bWeet, the rest we
make buttermilk. We set It and let
It ciabU-r; U't take an old-fashioned
cburn-daMh, and churn it up and down
until It Is free from lumps and is
smooth. Hon't put any water In it:
leave it thick; It sells much better.
When yon are ready to go to town,
mix what buttermilk you have from
the cream with It.
Hmv-rilinif Device.
Selecting a crosscut saw that "ill
work rapidly and with case requires
considerable experience. A saw having
4 cutting teeth, as shown In cut at
n, to 1 straight drag tooth, b, with back
of saw 4 gauges thinner than edge,
will do as much work as any other.
It requires less work to keep such a
saw In order. Medium thickness Is
saw-filino usvitt:.
best. A thick saw is clumsy and cuts
a largo groove, while a very thin one
requires frequent resetting. Our cut
shows a filing fratne for a crosscut
saw. The base, e, is 2 feet long, foot
wide and 6 Inches high. It should be
fastened to the floor. The pieces, d, d,
are 2x3 inches and are mortised lu the
base. Tbe piece, c. Is 1x8 Inches, cut
shape of saw and beveled to the saw.
There are three Vi-lnch bolts at c, c, c,
on which saw rests nnd Is tightened
when put In the frame. Tho entire
height Is 4." Inches. W. A. Sharp, lu
Farm aud Home,
Feed for I.ayinu; llena.
There Is probably no food better cal
culated to promote laying In fowls than
cowpeas. 1'eus or beans of any sort are
good, but large ones must be grouud,
or fowls will rarely cat them. Of cow
peas the Ktilullest variety should be
chosen, as fowls unused to such grain
must be accustomed to U gradually.
But once get them to cat peas am the
victory Is won. They are a perfect sub
stitute for Insects, meat scrap, blood
meal and other animal preparations
that are often so combined with cheap
substances that the hens are a long
time learning that when they are fed
"Lobsmltb'a concentrated egg food"
they ought to lay fluently, Instead of
almost Imperceptibly. I'ea vines with
peas on them cut as soon as the peas
are full grown and while yet green,
thrown Into the chicken yard, will give
th:'m exercise and the very sort of food
their nature craves. They will eat the
peas, the leaves, aud as much of tbe
stems as tbey can break up small
enough to swallow.
A Good Thins; to Do.
There Is no branch of farm opera
tions that can be permanently and
profitably Improved more easily and
at less cost thin tbe poultry yards. A
dollar or two Invested In eggs of good
breeds of fowls will bring back many
times th Investment within a year or
two. If you want to improve your
poultry, you can do It quickly, cheaply
and with but little risk.
Breeders have learned that It pays
to aend out no egg except from good
stock. A alttlag or two la all that la
needed for a gaod start A very few
Mian anat tor good agga tieaaa a
1 g I
nice flock of fowls la one year, war
yon may b In posltloo to fs
your neighbors at gMd big price -
F.H'UxUge.
Cultlna Oraee Kerly.
Chemical analysis Is W to ssww
that the grass cut when th ee4 mm
ripened, or Is nearly ripe, has a
tin? same amount of nutrition aa It
lias when cut earlier, aud thus snsBM
allow it to stand that it may lasaraaat
lu weight. But when the cow pats it
through her laboratory she do at,
tind the same value In the lateCHt BAjr.
A part of the seeds have rattle) i
and been lost, and tbe remainder are
so small aud so encased In a dry t
lng or shell that not many of "u
are chewed up, and thus pass iuwuga -the
stomach aud bowels undigested.
Then the stalks which contaia Ui
most nutriment before the seed ha
formed have become simply W0d3
; fibre as indigestible as bean pokes, and
she gets but little nutrition from uteui.
We think If she could speak she
would say tlwit two-thirds or less ol
the amount of hay, cut early, aud not
Buu-dried too long, was better than bvi
usual ratlou of hay, ripened before
cut and overdried afterward. But 11
she can not talk she has mauy time
put herself on record to that eJfi
at the innllk ia!I aud the churn, aud
it Is because the owner falls to see
and understand these records that he
does not know the facts. The scale tc
weigh the milk and the Baln-oci tesl
for the butter fat help to tell what 1
the best food, ns well as which is the
best cow. American Cultivator.
Ituj inu on Soft Meadows,
Along sluggish streams nre thous
ands of ai-res producing fairly good
cow hay. but on which teams canno'.
cannot be driven withuu'
danger of bocoinhjuj
mired. The work 1j
therefore all done by
hand, including the
dreaded task of "poling
out," or carrying tbe bay in large
cocks ou a pair of poles, lo the
edge of the upland, where it la to be
loaded. To avoid this drudgery some
farms use mud shoes for their horse,
as Illustrated. The shoes are of oak, 1
Inch thick and 8xlU Inches for a horse
of average weight. Edges are bcvuled
and planed, and ends are strongly
dented on the under side. Holes are
made to lit the projections of the Iron
shoe and an iron strap, w hich a black
smith will make from the illustration
for a few cents, passes across the hoot
and Is fastened by nuts on tbe Jewel
side of the mud shoe.
After IlarveM.
After the wheat Is harvested the
jouug clover grows rapidly, as Its sup
ply of plaut food Is Increased by re
son of the riddance of Its wheat ooni
petitor, but many farmers allow weedi
to grow, mowing them down before
they produce seed. Such a plan I bet
ter than to leave the weeds to mature,
bill tbe proper course to pursue Is to
mow the weeds when they are young
aud before they have deprived tbe
clover plants of food. By mowing
them two or three times during the
summer muny of them will be de
stroyed.
flipping Work tlor
Whether or not It pays to dip wwl
horses was tested at the Michigan ex
periment station and reported In a re
cent bulletin. The conclusions were
not as definite as might be desired.
The station, however, believe that the
horses which were clipped did their
work with much greater comfort In
early spring than those which were not
clipped. This of course means a great
deal when animals are at work pre
paring the land for spring crops. Th
cilpiM'd horses always look better.
(trass for Handy Lands.
Awnless brome grass (broiuua In
ermlsi will be found excellent fur us
on drifting sands. It Is a perennial,
looks somewhat like blue grass and I
suitable for light, dry, poor soils and
resists dry weather. About fifteen
pounds of seed per acre should be used.
It spreads by creeping underground
steins or root stocks. It will not thrive
on wet nils. While not as valuable aa
many other varieties, yet it serves well
on light sandy soils upon which no oth
er grass will grow.
Coin inerclHl Feci) ins; Mufla.
The New York experiment ststior
says that In Its Inspection of commer
cial feeding stuffs unmixed or stand
ard goodn were found to be of fairly
uniform qualify and practically as
good ns the guarantees except In a
single Instance. The discrepancies oc
curred with Hip mixed goods, many of
which contained oat bulls, ns showtf.
by the percentage of crude fiber pres
ent. Adulteration of cornmeal aud
other grain products appears to be
practiced.
. Munaainir Dairy Cow.
The proper management of dairy
cows embraces far more than tbeb
mere cramming with food. 'The cow
milks by the mouth," Is an old saying,
and It Is quite true to a certain extent,1
but If she be given even Isrge qusntV-;
tic of unsuitable or badly balanced
food she will not milk to her fullest
capacity. Besides, there are a great
many other things to be attended to as
well aa tbe food, such as watering and
ventilation.
Hay Will lie Hints.
It seems a probability that bay wi
continue blgb one more year, says aa
exchange. Last year's drought affect
ed tbe area of tneadowa la t ia West
beyond doubt, and tb cron report
place condition below tb averag.
Some dry weather tbla year has cat
tb possibilities of tb crop badly, fa
portions of tb Bast tb warn tsars? baa
bea equally dry.' I
frlatan
M