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CHAPTER XXI.—Continued.
“What is it?” she says, innocently,
and then something in the ardent
gaze he bends upon her, causes Paul- ;
ine to blush, the blood leaping to neck
and forehead instantly. Dick never
saw her look so distractingly lovely.
“They have a good padre in the set- j
tlenfent here, capable of doing his j
duty; become my darling wife. Hea
ven knows I don't deserve you. Paul
ine, but you love me even as I do you;
I have even gained your consent to
naming an early day. Let us be mar
ried at the mine.
His daring proposal almost takes
her breath away.
“But—it is so very sadden—we have j
not known each other much more
than a month,” she gasps.
"I feel as though 1 had known you
for years—that life was nothing be- j
fore you crossed my path. Our com
paratively brief acquaintance is no j
valid objection, my dear girl.”
With a wooer’s determination he :
pushes the question, and the woman I
who deliberates is lost.
"I have no trousseau; I must make ;
preparations, for you know the ordi- j
nary person only gets married once
in a life time, and then it is an event |
-of considerable importance,” she of
fers as a last excuse, which Dick, see
ing victory near at hand, brushes
iaside as a mere bagatelle.
'Hang the preparations—begging
iyour pardon, my dear Pauline; but |
you understand that we are not like
other people; we de-sire no show, and j
(yet our love will last to the grave. It j
will assist your cause, your power '
'here, to have a husband, and the
man you have promised to wed will
he only too delighted to assume the
position of husband and guardian to
the dearest girl on earth.”
“Not so loud. Oh, Dick, if they I
should hear?”
“What of it?’ he demands) stoutly. |
•‘No doubt honest Bob would only too 1
willingly drop into line and follow a
good example. Promise me. Pauline."
"What are the terms?" she asks, de
murely.
“Unconditional surrender. Let us j
be married to-morrow—it will be a
gala time at the mine, and I'm sure
all will rejoice with me. Do not say
no. I entreat you.”
She loves him, and after all, what
essential difference does it make j
whether she becomes his wife in
twenty hours or as many days? Be
sides, as Dick has said the knowledge '
that she has a legal protector may 1
tend to calm the rage of the Senor
Lopez, and cause him to bring to a
close his strategic movements for
gaining a possible control of the El
Dorado mine.
"I consent,” she whispers shyly, but
love's ears are keen, and Dick hears;
his face shows the great pleasure he
feels, but the moment is hardly au
spicious for what he would like to do.
so he simply squeezes her hand.
“Then to-morrow shall be a gala
day, if we get through the night," he
says.
“You look for trouble?” she asks,
quickly.
* “Well, it w-ou!d be useless trying to
disguise the fact ‘rom you. Pauline,
useless and without reason, since you j
are so brave, and have so deep an in- i
ierest in the matter. W’e do expect
trouble, for they are all here, bag and
baggage, from the greatest to the !
least, even little Professor John.”
She smiles at mention of the name,
hnd then her face becomes grave :
again, for she feels that the danger
hovering over them is great.
Dick is asked many questions and
succeeds in giving quite a succinct
account of how matters stand. They
are glad to have the assistance of the
brave men who came with them on
*he trip, for, according to the way
things look they will need every hand
they can raise.
A woman looks at things in a dif
ferent light from a man. and then
Pauline is enabled to offer suggestions
ihat strike Dick as something worth
remembering, and he consequently
makes a note of them in his memory.
He has grown rather uneasy while
talking, for the recapitulation of the
dangers attending their presence at
,‘he mine has made him more than
ever alive to the emergency.
“You will pardon us. Pauline, if we
leave your agreeable company now.
There is no need of saying we tear
ourselves away, since you already
know the fact.”
"Go, and Heaven watch over you,
Dick, my darling," she murmurs, turn
ing away to hide the tears that spring
unbidden to her eyes.
Bob understands what is wanted
when his name is called, and faat
the summons is one to danger. He does
not possess the same delicacy or bash
fulness that prevents Dick from salut
ing his lady love with a farewell kiss,
but catching the inimitable Dora in
his arms, he gives her a sudden re
sounding smack that rather aston
ishes the girl and brings out a smal<
scream.
“Oh, you wicked Bob!” she cries,
trying to hide her blushing face, while
the wretch actually laughs to witness
her discomfiture.
Thus two bold warriors march out
to meet the wily and unscrupulous foe,
inspired to deeds of valor by the smiles
of those they love. It Is fated to be
a great night at the mine, one never
to be forgotten. Senor Lopez has
marshaled his forces for one last des
perate endeavor to gain possession.
Perhaps he relies upon his influence
with the Diaz administration to pro
tect him, if the engagement gets to
the press of the States. Only a gar
bled account of it will ever be allow
ed to go forth, at any rate, so that
those across the border will never
,know the truth.
The soldiers are there only to pro
tect the mine and Its rich products
from mauraders; they have no orders
to take sides in any dispute that may
come up between the owners of the
^J?S!STt:sz7sj
El Dorado; let them manage their
amilv disputes to suit themselves,
rhe Mexican soldiers will look on
with unconcern, although in reality,
10 doubt, secretly sympathizing with
:heir fellow countrymen.
Dick and his faithful comrade, good
latured Bob Harlan, who is as ready
Lo fight as he is to make love or eat
i good meal, which is saying a deal
'or the man, leave the house of the
ihief engineer. The mine is just at
band, and no doubt the stirring events
about to take place will center around
this particular section.
It can be readily seen that there is
something entirely out of the common
In prospect. Fires burn here and
there, men move briskly to and fro.
and loud voices ring out at intervals
as knots of miners discuss the situa
tion.
Dick looks around for Alexander,
knowing that the chief engineer has
been at work while they enjoyed the
society of the ladies, getting his men
in trim for the coming struggle, which
promises to be a tug of war. He fails
to see the other, but notices that the
groups of men are strictly divided,
with a few exceptions—Mexicans on
one side, Americans and foreigners on
the other. This looks like war, to a
veteran of the Mexican struggle in
1846-47, who is present, it revives old
memories of the time when under
Taylor and Scott the Yankee troops
marched from Monterey and Buena
Vista to the capital.
One thing is significant, liquor has
appeared on the grounds in defiance
of the mandate issued by the company
against its importation on their lands,
and already a number of the Ameri
cans show plain evidence of having
imbibed too freely.
"You notice it. I see," says the voice
of Alexander just at his elbow—“the
greasers are becoming insolent—I ex
pect an outbreak at any moment, and
when it comes, look out for a scorchej.
We’re all prepared. I've carried out
your orders, sir. for all the signs
speak of bad business; there's blood
on the moon at El Dorado Mine.”
CHAPTER XXII.
“Stand Firm, Boys, and 3e Ready!”
The very atmosphere has grown
heavy and oppressive, as though
Death broods over the camp, taking
time by the forelock, and guessing
what a rich harvest awaits him.
One can hear the far away mutter
of rumbling thunder, and occasionally
a distant electric flash is seen over
the rough peaks of the Sierra Madres,
speaking of a storm that is passing
that way. perhaps heading toward El
Dorado.
At any rate, it seems a fitting ac
companiment to the hurricane of hu
Louder grow the shouts and whoops
as the Mexicans, with a sprinkling of
foreigners among them—the tough
element that has crept on to the pay
roll of the mine through Lopez's in
fluence—rush forward. doubtless
thinking to take the few faithful
henchmen of John Alexander by sur
prise, and at any rate carry them off
their feet by the impetuosity of their
advance.
“Ready!”
Here and there a gun-lock is heard
to click, but the noise made by the
advancing host effectually deadens all
other sounds.
Dick has to a great extent managed
to conceal the majority of his men. so
that when the rioters advance, waving
their torches and lanterns, and pre
pared to sweep the feeble resisting
force from their path, as chaff before
the wind, they will open a magazine
that may astonish them.
The light grows apace—a peculiar
glare it is. made by the smoking pine
knots which many of the advancing
men wave above their heads. It could
not suit the purpose of Dick Denver
better—his men can see the enemy al
most as well as in the daylight, while
at the same time they themselves will
only be dimly perceived.
Now this excited rabble has pushed
forward until its van is only some
thirty feet from the spot where Dick
and the chief engineer stand. The
moment lor action has come, and the
same lusty voice that broke over Ala
meda on the occasion of the concert
which ended in a duel between Bar
celona and Dick, now rings out like a
clarion above the noise of the rabble.
Again Dick speaks in Spanish, for
he knows that those whom he ad
dresses are Mexicans with but few ex
j ceptions, and hence he delivers his
, message in the tongue they under
stand best, so there can be no miscon
struction of his words.
“Halt: men of the El Dorado. You
must go into this business with open
eyes. When all is over let ncit one of
you dare say he did not understand
what it was about. This mine is con
trolled by a majority of shares, and
the minority wish to illegally gain
control. We are in the right, backed
by the law, while you are trespassers
and subject to legal vengeance. Once
for all I warn you that we are pre
pared to defend our own—if you ad
vance upon us it is at the peril of your
lives—we shall fire upon you, and it
is known how Americans can shoot.
Disperse and save yourselves.”
His brave voice, his confident man
ner, combined with the words to
which he gave utterance, strike con
sternation to the hearts of many
among the advancing groups: but
others are rendered furious and reck
less by aguardiente and hatred; be
sides, the bull-like roar of the only
and original Barcelona is now heard:
“Mind him not, men of the Lopez
group: his words are mere vaporings.
, braggadocio. Onward—forward, and
, strike a blow for Mexico! Push the
; gringo hounds back! We will see
how they control our railroads and
mines. Push on. I say! Muertas los
Americanos!”
A Flash of Fire Buns Along the Line.
man passions that is about to break
forth in the camp.
Gradually Dick has gathered his
men at the most important points in
his estimation; they guard the only
entrance to the now deserted mine,
and cluster around the house of the
chief engineer and his lieutenants,
where the whole work will undoubt
edly center.
A couple of men have been placed
in readiness just inside the passage,
and as soon as the affair begins they
have orders to proceed at once to a
certain passage, and shoot down the
Mexicans whom they wiil End there
engaged with laying a mine with
which Lopez intends to wreck the
mine in case his forces are defeated.
Knowing every foot of tae route,
these two miners will be able to tra
verse it in the darkness, anc! the ras
cally conspirators will he apt. to meet
a speedy doom.
This is only one of the enemy's
plans of which Dick has managed to
learn; he has shrewdly employed a
man who Is in the confidence of the
Mexican senor. and yet at heart in
sympathy with the Americans.
El Dorado has been growing more
noisy with the passage of each min
ute; sounds never before heard here
come to the ear with the rising of the
human tide.
“It comes!" says Alexander, when
the babel of tongues seems to be sud
denly concentrated into a great roar,
that sweeps toward the spot where he
and Dick are standing.
The other knows that what the
chief engineer says is true; the dis
cordant elements against which they
are pitted have now combined to
take the camp by storm. Lopez in
tends to rule or ruin. He Las played
every card in his hand but this last
trump, which he hopes will sweep the
board.
“Pass the word along—stand firm,
boys, and be ready to give 'em a warm
reception,” the ex-horse-tamer says,
quickly.
Now comes the benefit or their or
ganization—every man knows his
place, and Immediately occupies it
When the hosts that fight under the
rule or ruin banner sweep up against
this line, they are apt to find it a
solid rock.
The cry. "Death to the Americans!"
is their slogan—twoscore of voices
roar it forth with all the vindictive
ness of hatred, until the very atmos
phere, heavy from the coming storm,
seems to be filled with the cry:
“He has gone!"
"They flee!"
“Push on, comrades!"
“The mine is ours!”
Such are some of the wild shouts
that break from the gang when Dick
vanishes. They do not seem to under
stand that he has ducked out of sight
because a gun sounds, and a bullet
clips by within an inch of his head.
Dick may be bold at times, but he
does not care to remain there and let
; his enemies make a target out of him.
At any rate, the shouts encourage
those who are more timid, and with a
mighty rush the Lopez contingent
hurls itself forward—there is a babel
of rushing feet, loud shouts, strange
Mexican oaths, and on they come, pell
mell.
Dick has given explicit directions to
his men. and not one fires a shot
while the Mexicans are thus rushing
down upon them, waiting for a sign.
Nor do those who. under Colonel Bob,
hide behind an adjoining house, move
so much as a hand to disclose their
I position. Like Prescott at Bunker Hill,
j the Americans hold their fire until
they can see the whites of their foe
: men's eyes.
It is a stirring scene—the surging,
straggling crowd of fierce men.
swarthy of face and dressed in the
fancy costume such as Mexicans de
light to disport; the flaming torches,
the line of rude intrenchments behind
which crouch determined men who are
there to meet the on-rushing tide and
hurl it back—a picture that will speed
ily have another setting, for in five
seconds Dick Denver must give the
signal that launches forth the dogs
of war.
The roll of thunder is heard in the
distance; it sounds louder now, as
though the storm might be coming in
the direction of the El Dorado. Per
haps it will burst upon them while the
two factions are engaged with each
other.
(To Be Continued.)
pr—• - ■ ■
SIMPLE TESTS FOR CERTAIN FORMS
OF FOOD ADULTERATION.
The Housewife May Determine th« Purity of Various Articles
■ o Common Use—Carefully Observe Precautions Given
We all hear a great deal about the
poisons with which our daily food is
adulterated. Simple methods for the
detection of some forms of food adul
teration are presented by two govern
ment officials belonging to the bureau
of chemistry, United States depart
ment of agriculture: W. D. Bigelow,
chief division of foods: Burton J. How
ard, chief microchemical laboratory.
Many manufacturers and dealers in
foods have the ordinary senses so
highly developed that by their aid
alone they can form an intelligent
opinion of the nature of a product, or
of the character, and sometimes even
of the proportion, of adulterants pres
ent. This is especially true of such
articles as coffee, wine, salad oils, j
flavoring extracts, butter and milk.
TESTING MILK.
The housewife finds herself constant
ly submitting her purchases to this
test. Her broad experience develops
her senses of taste and smell to a
high degree, and her discrimination is
oft^n sharper and more accurate than
she herself realizes. The manufac
turer who has developed his natural
senses most highly appreciates best
the assistance or collaboration of the
chemist, who can often come to his
relief when his own powers do not
avail. So the housewife, by a few
simple chemical tests, can broaden her
field of vision and detect many im
purities that are not evident to the
senses.
DETECTION OF SALICYLIC ACID.
The determination of salicylic acid
can best be made with liquids. Solid
and semi-solid foods, such as jelly, j
should be dissolved, when soluble, in
sufficient water to make them thinly
liquid. Foods containing insoluble
matter, such as jam. marmalade and
sausage, may be macerated with wa
ter and strained through a piece of
white cotton cloth. The maceration
may be performed by rubbing in a i
teacup or other convenient vessel with !
a heavy spoon.
Salicylic acid is used for preserving
fruit products of all kinds, including
beverages. It is frequently sold by \
drug stores as fruit acid. Preserving ;
powders consisitng entirely of sali- ;
cylic acid are often carried from house
to house by agents. It may be detect
ed as follows:
Between two and three ounces of
the liquid obtained from the fruit
products, as described above, are
placed in a uarrow bottle holding five
ounces, about a quarter of a teaspoon
ful of cream of tartar (or, better, a
few drops of sulphuric acid) is added,
the mixture shaken for two or three
minutes, and filtered into a second
small bottle. Three or four table-1
spoonfuls of chloroform are added to i
the clear liquid in the second bottle 1
and the liquids mised by a somewhat
vigorous rotary motion, poured into
an ordinary glass tumbler and allowed
to stand till the chloroform settles out
in the bottom. Shaking is avoided, as
it causes an emulsion which is difficult
to break up. As much as possible of
the chloroform layer (which now con
tains the salicylic acid) is removed
(without any admixture of the aque
ous liquid) by means of a medicine
dropper and placed in a test tube or
small bottle with about an equal
amount of water and a small fragment
—a little larger than a pinhead—of
iron alum. The mixture is thoroughly
shaken and allowed to stand till the
chloroform again settles to the bot
tom. The presence of salicylic acid
is then indicated by the purple color
of the upper layer of liquid.
DETECTION OF BENZOIC ACID.
Benzoic acid also is used for pre
serving fruit products. Extract the
sample with chloroform as in the case
DETECTED BT THE SMELL.
of salicylic acid; remove the chloro
form layer and place It In a white
Baucer, or, better, in a plain glass
dish. Set a basin of water—as warm
as the hand can bear—on the outside
window ledge and place the dish con
taining the chloroform extract in it,
closing the window until the chloro
form has completely evaporated. In
this manner the operation may be con
ducted with safety even by one who
is not accustomed to handling chloro
form. In warm weather the vessel of
warm water may, of course, be omit
ted. Benzoic acid, if present in con
siderable amount, will now appear in
the dish in chracateristsic flat crys
tals. On warming the dish the un
mistakable irritating odor of benzoic
acid may be obtained. This method
will detect benzoic acid in tomato
catsup or other articles in which it is
used in larg“ quantities.
DETECTION OF BORIC ACID ANT
BORAX.
Boric acid (also called boracic acid)
and its compound with sodium (borax)
are often used to preserve animal
products, such as sausage, butter and
sometimes milk. For the detection
of boric acid and borax, solids should
be macerated with a small amount of
water and strained through a white
cotton cloth. The liquid obtained by
treating solids in this manner is clari
fied somewhat by thoroughly chilling
and filtering through filter paper.
In testing butter place a heaping
teaspoonfui of the sample in a teacup,
add a couple of teaspoonfuls of hot
water, and stand the cup In a vessel
containing a little hot water until the
butter is thoroughly melted. Mix the
contents of the cup well by stirring
with a teaspoon and set the cup with
the spoon in it in a cold place until
the butter is solid. The spoon with
the butter (which adheres to it) is
now removed from the cup and the
turbid liquid remaining strained
through a white cotton cloth, or bet
ter, through filter paper. The liquid
will not all pass through the cloth or
filter paper, but a sufficient amount for
the test may be secured readily.
In testing milk for boric acid two or
three tablespoonfuls of milk are placed
in a bottle with twice that amount of
a solution of a teaspoonful of alum in
a pint of water, shaken vigorously,
and filtered through filter paper. Here
again a clear or only slightly turbid
liquid passes through the paper.
About a teaspoonful of the liquid
obtained by any one of the methods
mentioned above is placed in any dish,
not metal, and five drops of hydro
chloric (muriatic) acid added. A strip
of turmeric paper is now dipped into
the liquid and then held in a warm
place—near a stove or lamp—till dry
If boric acid or borax was present
in the sample the turmeric paper be
comes bright cherry red when dry. A
drop of household ammonia changes
the red color to dark green or green
DETECTING BORIC ACID.
ish black. If too much hydrochloric
acid is useu the turmeric paper may
take on a brownish red color even in
the absence of boric acid. In this
case, however, ammonia changes the
color to brown just as it does turmeric
paper which has not been dipped into
the acid solution. •
DETECTION OF FORMALDEHYDE
Formaldehyde is the substance most
commonly used for preserving milk
and is rarely, if ever, added to any
other food. Its use is inexcusable and
especially objectionable in milk served
to infants and invalids .
To detect formaldehyde in milk
three or four tablespoonfuls of the
sample are placed in a teacup with at
least an equal amount of strong hydro
chloric acid and a piece of ferric alum
about as large as a pinhead, the
liquids being mixed by a gentle rotary
motion. The cup is then placed in a
vessel of boiling water, no further
heat being applied, and left for- five
minutes. At the end of this time, if
formaldehyde be present, the mixture
will be distinctly purple. If too much
heat is applied, a muddy appearance is
imparted to the contents of the cup
Caution.—Great care must be exercised
in working with hydrochloric acid, as it
is strongly corrosive. It must not comr
in contact writh the flesh or clothes of the
operator nor with any metallic vessel*
and must be greatly diluted with wate:
before it Is poured into the sink.
POETRY TO PREVENT CRIME
Reading of “Casabianca” in Cleve
land Workhouse Creates
Fearful Scene.
Cleveland.—Will poetry deter crime'
and vagabondage? Parole Officer
Crane, of the Cleveland workhouse,
has every reason to think it will. He
is experimenting with poetry as a
deterrent. Sunday he locked 100 in
mates of the workhouse in the assem
bly-room and read “Casabianca” to
them. The scene was heart-rending.
Several men. in frantic efforts to es
cape, threw themselves against the
door only to fall, bruised and pant
ing, but still faintly praying: "Let
me out, let me out!”
Other persons, who have had no
visible means of support for 20 years,
aged, decrepit, crawled to Crane, and
with tears streaming down theii
wrinkled cheeks, sobbed:
"Take, oh—take—me to the wood
yard—I—will work. Anything rather
than this.”
Words fail to describe what hap
pened when Mr. Crane recited “The
Burial of Sir John Moore.” Shrieks of
agony rent the air while the probation
officer proudly mused.
"Torquemada, Geronimo, what were
your tortures compared to this.” Mr.
Crane will read “I’m to Be Queen of
the May” to the vagrants and hobos
next Sunday. He is very confident that
those in the workhouse will never
make themselves liable to be sent
there again and he hopes to drive all
the criminal and lazy out of town with
poetry's lash.
FARM^GARPEW
MARKETING LIMA BEANS.
Some of the Things to Bemember in
Order to Best Dispose of
1:4:-, the Crop.
August is the month for heavy pro
Juction of lima beans. They continue
to bear, however, till the first hari
tilling frost. The amount and length
jf profitable bearing depends largely
upon keeping the vines picked clean
ind not allowing pods to get dead ripe, j
[or the ripened seed of any kind takes
most vital substance out of the plant
and causes it to die. Besides the beans
when not quite ripe bring the highest
prices. The time to pick the pods is
when they show faint traces of light
green to yellow. After the pod be
TRAY OF LIMA BEANS READY FOR
MARKET.
comes yellow, the beans Inside are
ripe, turn white and are then consid
ered “dry” beans. White ones mixed
with the green damage the selling
price from a few cents to half their
value per quart.
On the market lima beans are sold
by the quart, hence the best pack is
the ordinary 16 or 24 quart berry crate.
Real early beans often sell better in
pint boxes, as the price is so high that
customers of the retail stores do not
want as many as a full quart. The
peck market basket is another package
used, six to ten quarts being put in
each basket with a covering of green
netting to enhance the greenness of
the beans.
Many beans cannot be shipped in
bulk, because they heat the easiest of
all vegetables, and heating results in
souring, sprouting, mildew, spotting
and decay. Although itself green and
full of water, the lima bean must be
absolutely free from outside moisture
when packed for shipment, says Farm,
Field and Fireside. Nor must the
package In any way get wet, or a total
loss will result inside of 12 hours. A
novice in the business often blames
the express company or commission
merchant for the spoiling of his goods
and consequent bad returns, when it
is his own fault in allowing the beans
to be packed in a damp condition.
Shelling, as well as picking, must
be done by hand. Shelling is the more
tedious process. A good shelter can
shell eight to 12 quarts per hour. One
and a half to two cents per quart is
usually the price for shelling, children
most often doing the work, although
the supervision of a competent grown
person is necessary at all times.
If for any reason the beans after
being shelled are damp, they should
be placed for an hour or more before
packing on a clean cloth, or some
other clean, absorbing substance, in
the open air—but not in the sun. This
is to dry the outer surfaces. They
should be spread not more than an
inch deep and rolled from side to side
every few minutes to secure even dry
ing. The cloth will absorb a part of
the moisture and the air the rest.
Usually, however, no such drying
process is necessary.
SEEDING PASTURES.
How One Man Handled His Land
After Prairie Grasses Had
Been Fed Out.
My experience is not very exten
sive, but I will say that 1 seeded a
prairie pasture after the prairie
grasses had been fed out, with one
part timothy, one part red top and
one part blue grass. I found that the
timothy and blue grass took good on
the high ground and the red top took
lyst on the low ground. I found, too,
that after about three years the blue
grass had crowded everything else
out, even the weeds to a cerain ex
tent. It takes blue grass about two
years to get a good start But the
red top did fine on low ground the
first year. If I were going to seed a
pasture for cattle, horses and sheep,
especially if the land had been under
cultivation, I should sow two parts red
clover, one part timothy and one part
blue grass, and on low lands I would
put one part timothy and one part red
top, for the reason red top does best
pn low ground. I find in my pastures
on the high, dry knolls that in June
and July, when the weather is dry
and the sun is hot, these knolls dry
out and give little or no feed, hence
my reason for sowing red top on the
for stock during the dryest part of
the season, and, too. there is always
a heavy growth around the sloughs or
low places that make fine grazing dur
ing the winter months when It is not
covered with snow. Now. continues
the correspondent of Farmers’ Re
view, my reason for sowing timothy
and clover Is that the clover helps to
shade the timothy and blue grass after
the harvest has been taken off. and it
also helps to fill out the stand until
the timothy and blue grass get a good
■tart
Keep the Lawn Cut
A well-kept lawn, no matter if it Is
nor large, with ample‘shade, clumps of
hydrangeas and other shrubbery, and
well-kept flower beds, with a modest
but attractive dwelling intelligently
placed in tbe midst thereof, and the
bam and hog house set well out of
view, not only adds dollars to the
value of the farm, but satisfy the in
nate yearning of the wife, and compel
the school-bred boy and girl to consid
er home the finest place on earth.—
Farm Journal.
TILE DRAINAGE.
Six Distinct Benefits to Be Derived
When Dealing with Clayey
Soils.
The benefits of tile drainage, or til
ing, as it is commonly called, are most'
pronounced in clay or clay loam soils,
and especially so when these lands are
nearly level, although clay lands if
rolling enough to quickly run off all
water falling on them, are neverthe
less greatly helped by tiling.
Let us confine our thoughts to these
rolling clay soils. If there are six dis
tinct benefits in tiling these, there can
not be less on level lands.
First—If these rolling lands are well
tiled they may be worked quickly aftei
a hard rain, much time saved and bet
ter crops secured. The land will never
bake, but will be pliable and easily
tended.
Second—In seasons of drought the
crops do not suffer when properly cul
tivated. as the moisture rising from
the lowered water table is sufficient.
Third—In seasons of excessive rain
the fertility is not washed off the land,
but enters at once into the loose, open
soil, where the fertility is left while
all surplus water descends to the
tile.
Fourth—As the water finds a quick
way to the tile anywhere on properly
drained land, the air will follow, and
this means that various elements in
the soil will be oxygenized and fitted
for plant food. In other words, it fer
tilizes the soil, and puts the fertility
where we can so well put it, just
where the roots of the plant can best
find it.
Fifth—Tiled soil is much warmer
and the surface is some ten degrees
warmer during the growing season
This lengthens the season at both ends
and makes intensive farming easy.
Sixth—The fertility you put on tiled
land is more productive. You never
need fail in getting a good seeding of
clover on such land, and we all ’anow
what this means.
These are positive benefits, and I
have not named all.
SMUT GRASS.
Species Which Originated in India,
and Which Is Evidently Valu
able for Forage.
This grass originated in India, but
has now been carried to many other
lands. It is found quite abundantly in
the southern states. It is called smut
SMUT GRASS (SPOROBULUS 1ND1
CUS.)
grass from the fact that its heads be
come covered with a blackish smut
after flowering. It grows luxuriantly
on uncultivated lands, and cattle and
horses eat it with evident relish. To
all appearances, says the Farmers' Re
view, it is a valuable grass. All parts
of the plant are pliant and succulent.
If it is closely pastured it sprouts
again quickly and has a long growing
season, lasting from May till the com
ing of heavy frosts. It usually grows
in low and small tufts. As yet it has
not been largely cultivated, but
scientists express the belief that it may
become very valuable under cultiva
tion.
FOR PULLING OLD POSTS.
Simple, But Effective Device Which
Can Be Rigged Up in a Few
Minutes.
A simple, yet effective, device for
pulling old fence posts is shown in
ine EKetch. By
hitching one or
two horses to the
chain and placing
a brace solidly in
the ground, al
most any post
may be drawn
with little diffi
culty. Place a
stone or stake un
der the lower end
of the brace if
the ground is soft
This may be re
placed by a tim
Der 11 many posts are to oe drawn,
i The Farm and Home cautions the
| user to be sure to hitch the horse far
J enough away so that the po6t will not
j strike him as it is drawn from the
j ground.
BITS ABOUT THINGS.
Time to decide whether you will use
Bordeaux on the potatoes.
Honestly grade your berries and you
can make your own price.
Didst ever notice that the corn
plants are tougher in the afternoon
than in the morning? Safer to culti
vate then. Fact.
If your grocer won’t pay a fancy
price for fancy berries send them t«
some other market where they will be
appreciated.
Plant early and late varieties so a*
to have them at different times-'
bunch beans for early use and pole
beans for late.
Many people think that the tip ajc
butt kernels must be planted to insure
the filling out of the ears, but such is
not the case.
There is no need of having hard
hoing if the ground was properly pre>
pared before planting, and the hoeing
is not put off too long after the plant*
come up.