APPLICATION OF GROUND LIMESTONE FOR ACID SOILS . ■ - • •• _at ' •' ■ Results of Experiments by Prof. Cyril G. Hopkins, Chief in Agronomy and Chemistry, Illinois Agricultural College. T#ere are'two principal affects pro duct] by using lime ca 30II3: One of these is to correct the acidity of the coil, and'the other is to decom pose the soil itself. To correct the acidity of sour soils is certainly a very desirable and profitable use cr lime. Clover, alfalfa, alsihe, cow peas, soybeans, and many other feg umef vil! not thrive on soils which are strongly acid. To be sure such crops, tan be made to grow on acid •oils by liberal applications of farm .manure or other complete fertilizers fjut the nitrogen-gathering bacteria Of the legume plants do not properly develop and multiply in acid and con seQuently the legumes do not have the power which they should have to and the inc.st economical form of lime to ^s,e whenever it cjin be «cbtained. If caustic lime be used we should make special prevision to maintain the humus in the soil. It Is well to have some.regular plan so that the application of limestone shall fit into the work with the rota tion of crops. Thus, one may prac tice e. five-year or six-year rotation, as follows: First leap—corn. Second year—oats, cowpeas or soy beans. Third year—wheat (with clover and grass). Fourth year—meadow for hay. Fifth year-.meadow or pasture. Sixth year—pasture. There should be as many fields, of approximately equal size, as there are First Year Clover (Mostly Foul Grass) With no Special Soil Treatment. accumulate large quantities of atmo spheric nitrogen by means of the bac teria which inhabit, or should inhabit, their roots. Furthermore, the proe •ess which is termed nitrification by which the nitrifying bacteria trans form the insoluble organic nitrogen, in fa’-m manure and plant residues. Into soluble nitrate nitrogen the form in which it becomes available as plant food, is greatly promoted by the pres ence of ’ims and retarded by acid con ditions. It will thus be seen that the use of some form of lime for correcting the acidity of soils and thus encouraging the growth of clover and other leg ' years in the rotation, so that every perry is represented every year. Thus, every year there is a field in pasture ’ on which the manure can be spread cs fast »3 it is made; and. it rock ' phosphate is used, it should go on * 'ih tire manure, to be plowed under »- -■ corn. The limestC'ne may well be '.died in the summer of the second > after the land is plowed for wheat' in-the further preparation of i’-o ground the limestone becomes mixed with the surface soil, and the packing of the soil in spreading the limestone and in subsequent prepara tion is likely to be beneficial for the wheat crop. Wheat in usually helped First Year Clover ("Knee Deep*’) With Lime Treatment, limes with wonderful power to enrich the soil in. nitrogen is certainly good farm practice. Any form of lime which is finely divided and can be thoroughly mixed with the soil will serve to correct the soil acidity, whether it be ground lime stone, marl, or chalk, or fresh burned iime, water-slacked lime, or air slacked lime. The other effect produced by lime, the effect for which it has been most used in past ages, is the decomposi tion of the soil itself. in this de composition the organic matter of the soil is destroyed with the liberation of nitrogen and phosphorus held in organic form and the mineral parti cles of the soil are disintegrated with the liberation of some plant food ele ments, as potassium and phosphorus' held in inorganic form. This effect is produced by fresh-burned lime or fresh-slacked lime. Thus it will be seen that the first effect of litue, the torrection of soil acidity, results in a building-up proc ess through tiie increased growth of legumes and nitrogen-gathering bac teria; while the second effect, the de composition of the soil, is in all re spects a destructive process, serving only to liberate and reduce the stock of plant food stored in the soil. Whether this "second effect is desir able will depend upon the nature of the soil itself. On soils which are exceedingly rich In organic matter, such as peaty soils, gnd other swamp soils, it would seem altogether rational to make use of caustic lime to hasten the decompo sition of the soil and consequent lib eration of nitrogen, If such treatment Is necessary. As a general rule we should use lime only to correct the acidity of the •oil, and this Is necessary only where (here is .difficulty in obtaining a good stand and luxurious growth of a legu minous crop, such aa red-clover. As (o the form of lime to use for this purpose, the farmer must be governed somewhat by the cost of the material. Fine-ground lime will be both the? beat by liming and the line-stone will be thus fn the soil to benefit the clover to be seeded the following spring. WHAT MANURE DID FOR ONE FARM By PROF. HARRY SNYDER. My attention was recently called to a farm in Dakota county. Minnesota, where, when the country was being settled, a strip of apparently poor land was passed over as worthless for grain production. Later it was home steaded by a settler who came in a one-horse outfit. Instead of raising grain, this man started In on a sirta’l scale to feed live stc«k. Screenings and grain could be cbtained for the hauling. The manure was judiciously used and the soil responded to this method of farming. In a few years upon this apparently poor soil larger crops were produced than upon the surrounding wheat lands. To-day it is one of the most productive farms in th» county, tend its fertility is the result of farm manure. Farm manures are valuable be cause they add new stores of fertility to the soil. They change the inactive plant food to more available forms through the production of humates which are utilized by crops as foods. They improve the physical properties of soils, make them warmer, more responsive to cultivation, and regulate the water qnpply for crop growth. They add to the permanent crop pro ducing power of the soil and regulate the supply of plant f ood by causing disintegration and other changes to take place. They aid in producing forage crops whtchiio itain the largest amount of protein and other available nutrients. Manured glands produce not onl;r larger but more valuable .J"' No Adulteration for Him.—Hie man that topi honey syrtti from his own, wa it la QUIET EDWIN GOULDS. MEMBERS OF FAMILY WHO SHUN GILDED SOCIETY. Long Since Wearied of Smart Set, They Live Unostentatiously at Arda ley, Which Mrs. Gcuid Says Is the “Rest Spot” of America. New York.—How little Is heard of the Edwin Goulds! Of the many mem bers of the Gould family they are the least often met in the public prints, and the remaining few quiet, old-fash ioned members of the 400 genuinely honor them for their unobtrusiveness. Edwin Gould is essentially a man of retirement, and one who never looks for homage for his millions. He is unlike the vast majority of the social stock to which he belongs, in that he estimates his fellows by their mental worth and not by the weight, size and fullness of their coffers. But how much of his success is due to the wise influence of his wife? Those who know the man best say it was a for tunate day for him when- he wedded Sarah Shrady. The Goulds live with out ostentation most the year in Ardsley. They have long since tired ot European travel; they are among the limited few of our multimillion aires who see beauties in our country equal to the best the Alps or any of the garden spots of the continent can afford. Mrs. Gould is a nature lover, and she finds ample opportunity to invite her inclination in this direction in and around Ardsley. Her favorite pastime, however, is golf, although occasionally she is seen on the Ardsley tennis courts. If' golf ever is to resume its sway among the smart set it will be due largely to the influence of Mrs. Gould and the little circle of which idhe is the leading figure. Ardsley is a nook that simply drives the resident afield for athletic sport. In this it is the reverse of Newport, sitting lazy by the sea, and with its level stretches of highway luring one to’ the listless luxury of the upholstered automobile. It is only in the early spring and the late fall that the Newport atmosphere is really bracing, while every naanth |in the year there is snap and life in the Ardsley air. The place draws cool ness from the Hudson, and it is saved from monotony by its well-wooded hills. It is not strange that it has been necessary to draw restrictions tighter to keep the Ardsley reservation from being overrun with restless million aires and their families seeking a haven. It was Mrs. George Gould who, after a visit to the Edwin Goulds, said that Ardsley was the “rest spot” of Ameri ca Of course, it might be said that Mrs. Gould spoke only for the wealthy; the poor find cramped area of a park; still her opinion is of interest as indi cating how little of rest and content ig the lot of the men and women with limitless money to spend. Probably what Mrs.' Gould meant was that in Ardsley there was no suggestion of prodigal outlay, no rivalry of millions, no ridiculous competition in absurd en tertainments. Not long before the George Goulds sailed for Europe a young matron complained of wearness as a result of the endless round of the winter season. “Go to Ardsley,” was Mrs. Gould's advice, given laughingly, but with a good deal of earnestess. And “Go to Ardsley” bids fair to pass into a slogan among the 400, if a slogan ever could find refuge in so poor a haven. The so-called elect of the 400 are born imitators, or rather mimics, and within a week, through MRS. EDWIN GOULD. (Member of Famous Family Who Leads a Quiet Life.) all the different layers of the odd so cial fabric, every mention of headache or ennui was followed by the call “Go to Ardsley!” Well, there is more in the remark than the thoughtless may discover. The secret is known to the Edwin Goulds, and Mrs. George Gould probably had more than an inkling of it when she gave such apt expression to Ardsley's rural charms and decided to forsake Lakewood. But how long will Ardsley stand against the northward march of the city? How long, too, will the William K.* Vanderbilts and the Harry Payne Whitneys stand against the spread of the city monster toward their Long Island estates? The millionaire breth ren it must be known will not wait until the real estate dealer comes knocking on their gates. They will take flight at the first sign of the in vading speculator. A HISTORIC CURIOSITY. Only Double Barreled Cannon in the World at Athens, Ga. Atlanta, Ga.—The only double bar reled cannon in the world is one of the historic curiosities of Athens, Ga. There is a history of unique interest that goes along with this old cannon. Besides being the only double bar reled “shooting iron” of this kind ever The Double-Barreled Cannon. invented, it was conceived with a peculiar idea by the inventor, John Gilleland, a member of the Mitchell Thunderbolts, a local military com pany at Athens during the war. The Mitchell Thunderbolts was a company composed of men too old for active service in .the field, and was organized purely for home defense. Mr. Gilleland, the inventor, believed that with a cannon of the double bar rel pattern he could mow down Yankees by the hundreds. He^ad his cannon cast at the Athens foundry, and, when finished, it was hauled out to the outskirts of the city, where a test was made. One test was entirely sufficient to demonstrate that the can non was a rank failure. A 50-foot chain, with the ends attached to two cannon balls was the charge. The balls were rammed into the cannon sood and hard. It was the inventor’s idea that when the cannon was fired the chain would stretch taut and cut down everything within its length. When it was properly loaded it , was touched off with great ceremony. One of the balls got out a little ahead of the other, and the devil and Tom Jones was to pay. It had a kind of circular motion, plowing up about an acre of ground, tore up a corn field, mowed down saplings, and the chain broke. One of the balls killed a young cow in a distant field, while the other knocked down a chimney from a log cabin. The members of the Thun derbolts who went out to witness the test scattered as though the entire Yankee army had turned loose In that vicinity. That one test was enough to con vince the inventor that his double barreled cannon was more disastrous to the men behind it than to the en emy in front. It was drawn back to the city and was never used again except to celebrate Democratic vic tories, the number of times for this purpose being limited, except in state campaigns. Several years ago the old cannon disappeared from in front of the city hall, and it was found in a junk shop, from which it was rescued, and after being mounted and placed in the little park on College avenue, opposite the federal building, where it now stands—one of the most inter esting relics erf the civil war. Shakespeare and Cervantes. It is perhaps one of the most re markable coincidence in all literary history tha,t April 23, * 1616, should have been the death day of the two greatest geniuses of their time, or, indeed, of any time—Shakespeare and Cervantes. But it is doubtful whether they ever heard of each other, just as Burns and Schiller, who were born in the same year, twinkled, to use Carlyle’s fine phrase, like bright par ticular stars in opposite firmaments, and never mingled their rays. It does not appear that Shakespeare knew any Spanish, and as the earliest translation — Shelton’s — of “Don Quixote” began to appear in 1612, after the author of “Hamlet” had re tired to Stratford, and was finished in 1620, he is not likely to have come under its influence. It was “The Knight of the Burning Pestle” which first betrayed this. Annual Lou of Fleah. “My class of 50 pupils loses 100 pounds each examination season,” Heroic Surgery. • Natives of Africa have a great be lief in the efficacy of fire as a curative a^ent. When Livingstone’s body was being carried to the coast one of the party received a dangerous gunshot wound in the thigh. His companions made a hole in the ground , deep enough to take him, seated with his legs out in front Leaves were Sound about the injury, and earth and thick mud heaped over his legs. A bonfire was now made over this mound, and, so that the man might not suffocate from the smoke, they thoughtfully reared a mat in front of his face, jfiy the time that the heat had made its way to the wound the man was In agony and'perspiration poured from him. He roared for help and was dug out. The native surgeons now held him fast, while strong men tugged with ail their might at the injured limb, then bound him in splints. This was the treat ment usual in such cases, and the na tives said that it had Invariable been perfectly successful for gunshot wounds through a bone. A Horrid Suspicion. “Maud.” he said, as the carriage entered the shadowy lane, “Maud are you sure you—you never had any man’s arm about your waist as mine is?” “No. George, I never did,” she mur mured; “I never, never did! Why?” “Oh, nothing,” he replied, “only I wondered whether It was instinct or experience that made you take the reins from my hand Just as soon as we reached this secltfeed spot.”—Roy al Magazine. Unselfish. Mrs. Coonley (at the wash tub)— Oat’s de man ob it, ebry time! Set around an' smoke while de poo’ worn ^n dees the wuk! Mr. Coonley (enjoying his pipe)— But how could we change places, honey, when yo’ knows yo don’t smoke?—Puck. Wla Plea. Jodge—Prisoner, have yon any thing to say to the court before sen tence is pronounced? Prisoner—1 beg the court to consid i er the youthfnldbss of my attorney. SIMPLE TRICK WITH CARDS. Will Mystify Ordinary Spectators, and la Not Eaay to Dotoct. One of the simplest tricks to per form, but one not easily detected, can be executed by using a tapered deck of' cards as shown in the figure. A cheap deck of cards is evened up square, fastened in a vise and planed along the edge in such a manner that all the pack wlH be tapered about one-sixteenth inch. This taper is ex* aggerated in the illustration, which shows one card that has been turned end for end. It is evident that any card reversed in this way ean be easily separated from the other cards in the pack, which makes it possible to perform the following trick: The performer spreads the cards out, fan like, and asks an observer to withdraw a card, which is then replaced in any part of the pack. After thoroughly shuffling the cards the performer then holds the deck in both hands behind his back and pronouncing a few magic words produces the card selected in one hand and the rest of the pack in the other. This is accomplished by simply turning the deck end for end while the observer is looking at his card, thus bringing the wide end of the selected card at the narrow end of the pack when it is replaced. The hands are placed behind the back for a double purpose, as the feat then seems more marvelous and the ob servers are not allowed to see how it is done. FOR THE BARBER SHOP. Inverted Clock a Boon to the "Man in the Chair." Every barber shop has a clock which is Invariably placed on the wall opposite the big mirror which faces the customer in the chair. The clock face is reversed as seen in the mirror, and it is a severe strain on the eyes to figure out the correct time. A jeweler in Glendine, Mont, has now invented a sane clock for barber shops. The figures on the dial are reversed, and the hands move just opposite to those of ordinary clocks. The result is the reflection in the glass is so “you can understand It.” To demonstrate, hold this page in front of a mirror and read the time of the clock in the illustration. OTTER CAME HOME AGAIN. Pet Returned to Owner After Brief s Hour of Freedom. A curious instance of animal instinct and attachment in an otter is related by a Cork correspondent of the Lon don Field. A few months ago in that city a man caught a live otter. Bring ing the animal home, after some time, he succeeded in taming it, and trained it to fish. One day he took it to the river for a swim, and while there it killed some fish, but succeeded in getting off the strap to which it was attached. After waiting some hours in a vain en deavor to induce the animal to leave the water the owner gave up in de spair and returned home. Late that night, while In bed, this man heard a scratching at the front doer of his cottage, and to his great surprise, when he opened the door, in walked the otter, which he then se cure. The most remarkable feature of this story is the fact that this man lived about a mile from the river and that his cottage was one in a row. Odd Place for Bird’s Nest. A thrush has built her nest at the back of the neck of the sculptured angel on the memorial to William Thimos Kine, the author, in St. Mar garet's churchyard, Keddington, near Louth. The memorial is protected by a wire cage, through which the bird managed to find Its way. The cage also pro tects the birds, for no boys can pos sibly get at the nest, which now shel ters the mother bird and five little thrushes.—London Evening Standard. Routed by Snapping Turtles. As John Patterson, a huckster, was driving Into town from Darflngton this morning he came upon a drove of 15 or 20 snapping turtles crossing the road, says a Beaver Falls correspond ent of. the Pittsburg Despatch. Think ing a few of them would meet with ready sale he attempted to catch them, whereupon the turtles showed fight, and, hissing angrily, made for him with outstreached heads and snapping jaws. , Patterson hastily got back into his wagon, turned his horse and beat a retreat He says most of the turtles were as large as a washtub. He drove Into town by another route. Jackdaw’s Thefts. Following the loss of numerous wooden labels attached to the plants In the city., part the Tttrro Corpora tion Issued numerous solemn warn ings to children, says the London Dully News. At a chapel near at hand, however,' a large pile of the missing labels has jsst been found under a hole in the net, having been carried there by s !-y- -fas j£L.life. jS&JL A.* EXTENT OF THE FRUIT INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES People Should Eat More Fruit Than They Do—By C. F. Langfworthy, Ph. D., U. S. Department of Agriculture. As shown by statistics based on the results of dietary studies of nearly 400 American families, fresh fruits make up 3.8 per cent, of the total food and supply 2.5 per cent, of the to tal carbohydrates. Similarly dried fruits furnish 0.6 per cent, of tha total food and 1.2 per cent, of the total carbohydrates. The values for fruits as a whole, therefore, are 4.4 per cent, of the total food material and 3.7 per cent of the total carbohydrates. These figures are not large in themselves, yet compare favorably with the values for different groups of vegetable foods. Thus the same compilation shows that vegetables, other than legumes, po tatoes, and sweet potatoes, furnish 6.2 per cent, of the total food and 1.7 per cent of the total carbohydrates of the average American diet. Besides the fruit consumed at home a great amount is exported, and there is no doubt that fruit growing is one of the important agricultural indus tries of the United States, and one which is rapidly developing. The , report of the twelfth census shows that the total value of fruit grown in contiguous United States in 1899 was in round numbers $131,099,000, of which orchard fruits made up $83, 751.000, grapes, $14,090,000, small fruits $25,030,000, and oranges, lem ons, and other subtropical fruits, $8, 228.000. Of the individual states, Cali tal value of the canned fruit produced in 1904 was in round numbers $11, 644,000, dried fruit, $15,665,000, and other fruit products $5,571,000, or a total of $32,880,000. Of the individual canned and preserved fruits the peach ranked first, the value of the peaches canned in 1904 being $3,894,000, with canned pears at a value of 82,192,000 ranking next. Considering dried fruits, raisins ranked first, the total of the raisin crop in 1904 being $6,349,000. In 1906 the United States imported prepared, preserved, and dried fruits to the value of $5,337,000. The value of the domestic exports of .dried, can ned, and preserved fruits was $7,635, 000. The statistics which have been quot ed show a decided fjain in the Ameri can fruit industry, both as regards fresh and preserved fruits, and there are reasons for believing that even the present development represents only a beginning. This being the case, it is easy to understand why the agri cultural experiment stations have de voted so much of their time to the study of fruit products, the market-1 ing of fruit, and related problems, and why the place of fruit and fruit products in the diet and their value I as food should be regarded as an im portant subject for investigation. In general, it may be said that PERUSE 25 . jvJ'ii.V Different varieties of corn show a very wide range in proportion of stalk and ear, which makes it easy for the stockman to select a variety that will produce a large or small percentage or grain. Keep Roosters Vigorous.—Examine the males that head the breeding pens and if they are thin in flesh feed each one meal a day separate from the members of his flock. Sometimes a chivalrous bird will not eat his share of the food if fed with the hens. Geese Live op Grass.—From this time forward geese will obtain a good share of their living at no cost to their owner if allowed to range about the farm. Green grass and plenty of it is one of their most desired foods. Rains and Corn Crop.—Rains in late summer and early fall do not affect the corn crop as to percentage of grain to stalk. A good supply of water at that time lncrease» the pro portion of grain to stalk. Kill Old Hen.—A hen without any teeth will scratch the neighbor's gar den Just as we'll as the younger hen with a good set of teeth, and she won’t lay half as many eggs. Kill her. Red Clover and the Bumble Bee.— Our red clover does not give itu honey to the honey bee, bat to the bumble bee.