m am spy
• * The Mystery of a Silent Love • •
^f-Chcvalier WILLIAM LE QIJEUX
‘ (J AUTHOR •/DlCCLOBED BOOK,“ETC
ILLUSTRATIONS fy CDRHODES
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SYNOPSIS.
T e ys tit L*>:* narrowly escape* wreck
•» Leghorn b*rt« t- < Jordon Gregg, locum
tetwn* for the Hri-’.*!: consul. 1* called
upon »>v Hornhv th.- txvla's owner, and
•<»•-* aboard with him and his friend.
Mvlton <*ti«ter Aboard the yacht he ac
cidentally *ee» a room full of arms and
ammunition and a torn photograph of a
> ».rr girt. Tl.at night the consul's safe
U robbed and the Lola put* suddenly to
►a The p dice And that Hornby Is a
f-a d and the I-ola's name a false one.
Gregg visit* t'apt Jack Purnford of the
•nartnee aboard his vessel, and Is sur
»oa«-d U- learn that [turn ford knows,
kit will not reveal, the mvaiery of the
I -da “It concerns a woman " In Lon
dew Gregg hi trapped nearly to his death
kv a former servant. Olinto. who repents
la time to save him. but not to give a rea
son for his treachery Visiting In Dum
fries Gregg meets Muriel I-elthcourt.
wh Is strangely aff te<l at the mention
•f th- Lola Hornby appears. Muriel In
tro-iuee* Hornby as Martin Woodroffe.
her father's friend
CHAPTER IV.—Continued.
"Of course They've been engaged
hearty a year, but he's been abroad un
til quite lately He is rather close
about his own affairs, and never talks
about bis travels and adventures, al
though one day Mr Leithcourt de
clared that his hairbreadth escapes
would make a most exciting book if
ever written."
"Leithcourt and he are evidently
most intimate friends."
"Oh. quite inseparable**' she
ta ighed And the other man who is
always with them is that short, stout,
red faced old fellow standing over
there w ith the lady In pale blue. Sir
fghtr»d Gardner Mr Woodroffe has
nicknamed him Sir Putrid ' And we
both laughed "Of course, don't say I
said so." she whispered. “They don't
rail him that to bis face, but it's so
easy to make a mistake in his name
when he's not within hearing. We
• men don't care for him. so the nick
game Just fits.”
And she gossiped on. telling me
much that I desired to know regarding
the new tenant of Rannocb and his
friends, and more especially of that
man who had first introduced himself
is me in the consulate at Leghorn
Half an hour later my uncle's car
r.age was announced, and 1 left with
the distinct impression that there was
•urn*, deep mystery surrounding the
teithcourta Whatever the reason. I
had become filled with grave appre
hension* The mystery grew deeper
Asy by day. and was inexplicable.
During the week that followed I
sought to learn all I could regarding
the new people at the castle.
'They are taken up everywhere."
4»< iared my aunt when I questioned
her “Of course, we knew very little
irf them except that they had a shoot
»P near Fort William two years ago.
and that they have a town house in
Green street They are evidently
rather smart folks. Don't you think
mV
Judging from their house party,
yen." I responded “They are about as
Cay a crowd as one could And north
•f Carlisle Just at present ”
Fxaxctly. There are some well
known people among them, too.“ said
*7 aunt. “Fve asked them over to
morrow afternoon, and they've ac
cepted “
Kxcellent!" 1 exclaimed, for 1 want
ed an opportunity for another chat
with the dark-eyed girl who was en
caged to the man whose alias was
Hornby. I particularly desired to as
certain the reason of her fear when I
had mentioned the Lola, and whether
the posie-ssed any knowledge of Hyl
toa ( hater
The opportunity came to me in due
course for next afternoon the Rannoch
party drove over in two large brakes,
tnd with other people from the neigh
borhood and a band from Dumfries, my
aunt s grounds presented a gay and
animated scene
As 1 expected. Woodroffe did not ac
.-xnpanr the party. Mrs Leitbcourt. a
slightly fussy little woman, apologized
for his absence, explafhing that he had
been recalled to London suddenly a
>» days before, but was returning to
Rannoch again at the end of the week.
“We couldn't afford to lose him."
she declared to my aunt "He is so
awfully humorous—his droll sayings
xnd antics keep us in a perfect roat
**ch night at dinner He's such a per
fect mimic"
I turned away and strolled with
Muriel, pleading an excuse to show
km- my unde's beautiful grounds, not
s whit leas picturesque than those of
the castle, and perhaps rather better
aept
"I only beard yesterday of your en
cagement. Miss Leithcourt." I re
marked presently w hen we were alone.
“Allow me to offer my best congratula
tions. When you introduced me to
Mr. Woodroffe the other day I had no
idea that he was to be your husband.”
She glanced at me quickly, and I saw
in her dark eyes a look of suspicion.
Then she flushed slightly, and laugh
ing uneasily said, in a blank, hard
voice:
"It's very good of you, Mr. Gregg, to
wish me all sorts of such pleasant
things."
“And when is the happy event to
take place?”
“The date is not exactly fixed—early
next year, I believe,” and I thought
she sighed.
“And you will probably spend a
good deal of time yachting?” I sug
gested. my eyes fixed upon her In or
der to watch the result of my pointed
remark. But she controlled herself
perfectly.
“Mr. Woodroffe has gone up to town,
your mother says.”
“Yes. He received a wire, and had
to leave immediately. It was an awful
bore, for we had arranged to go for a
picnic to Dundrennan abbey yester
day.”
“But he'll be back here again, won’t
he?”
“I really don't know. It seems quite
uncertain. I had a letter this morn
ing which said he might have to go
over to Hamburg on business, instead
of coming up to us again.”
There was disappointment in her
voice, and yet at the same time I
could not fail to recognize how the
man to whom she was engaged had
fled from Scotland because of my pres
ence.
As we passed along those graveled
walks it somehow became vividly im
pressed upon me that her marriage
was being forced upon her by her par
I ents. Her manner was that "#f one
who was concealing some strange and
terrible secret which she feared might
be revealed. There was a distant look
of unutterable terror in those dark
eyes as though she existed in some
constant and ever-present dread. Of
The Picture Wu That of a Young
Girl.
course she told me nothing of her own
feelings or affections, yet I recognized
in both her words and her bearing a
curious apathy—a want of the real en
thusiasm of affection. Woodroffe, much
her senior, was her father’s friend, and
It therefore seemed to me more than
likely that Lelthcourt was pressing a
matrimonial alliance upon his daugh
ter for some ulterior motive. She was
perplexed; she longed to confide and
seek advice of someone, yet by reason
of some hidden and untoward circum
stance her lips were sealed.
I tried to question her further re
garding Woodroffe, of what profession
he followed and of his past, but she
evidently suspected me, for I had un
fortunately mentioned the Lola.
Martin Woodroffe did not rejoin the
house party at Rannoch. Although I
remained the guest of my uncle much
longer than 1 intended. Indeed right
through the shooting season, In order
to watch the Lelthcourts, yet as far aa
we could Judge they were extremely
well-bred people and very hospitable.
We exchanged a good many visits and
dinners, and while my uncle several
times invited Leithcourt and his
friends to his shoot with al fresco
luncheon, which the ladies joined, the
tenant of Rannoch always invited us
back in return.
Thus I gained many opportunities of
talking with Muriel, and of watching
her closely. I had the reputation of
being a confirmed bachelor, and on ac
count of that it seemed that she was
in no way averse to my companion
ship. She could handle a rook rifle as
well as any woman, and was really a
very fair shot. We often found our
selves alone tramping across the wide
open moorland, or along those delight
ful glens of the Nithsdale, glorious in
the autumn tints of their luxurious
foliage.
Her father, on the other hand,
seemed to view me with considerable
suspicion, and I could easily discern
that I was only asked to Rannoch be
cause it was impossible to invite my
uncle without including myself.
His pronounced antipathy towards
me caused me to watch him surrepti
tiously, and more closely than perhaps
I should otherwise have done. He was
a man of gloomy mood, and often he
would leave his guests and take walks
alone, musing and brooding. On sev
eral occasions I followed him in secret,
and found to my surprise that although
he made long detours in various direc
tions, vet he always arrived at the
same spot at the same hour—live
o’clock.
The place where he halted was on
the edge of a dark wood on the brow
of a hill about three miles from Ran
noch. Leithcourt never went there di
rect, but always so timed his walks
that he arrived just at five, and re
mained there smoking cigarettes until
half-past, as though awaiting the ar
rival of some person he expected.
In my youth I had sat many a quiet
hour there in the darkening gloom
and knew the wood well, and was able
to watch the tenant of Rannoch from
points where he least suspected the
presence of another. Once, when I
was alone with Muriel, I mentioned
her father's capacity for walking alone,
whereupon she said:
“Oh, yes, he was always fond of
walking. He used to take me with
him when we first came here, but he
always went so far that I refused to
go any more.”
She never once mentioned Wood
rofte. I allowed her plenty of oppor
tunity for doing so, chaffing her about
her forthcoming marriage in order that
she might again refer to him. But j
never did his name pass her lips. 1 I
understood that he had gone abroad— !
that was all.
Often when alone I reflected upon
my curious adventure on that night
when I met Ollnto, and of my narrow
escape from the hands of my unknown
enemies. I wondered if that ingenious
and dastardly attempt upon my life
had really any connection with that !
strange incident at Leghorn. As day |
succeeded day, ray mind became tilled '
by increasing suspicion. Mystery sur
rounded me on every hand. Indeed. !
by one curious fact alone it was in-1
creased a hundredfold.
Late one afternoon, when I had been
out shooting all day with the Rannoch
party, I drove back to the castle in
the Perth cart with three other men.
and found the ladies assembled in the
great ball with tea ready. A welcome
log fire was blazing in the huge old
grate, for in October it is chilly and
damp in Scotland and a fire is pleasant
at evening.
Muriel was seated upon the high
padded fender—like those one has at
clubs—which always formed a cozy
spot for the ladles, especially after
dinner. When I entered, she rose quick
ly and handed me my cup, exclaiming
as she looked at me:
“Oh. Mr. Gregg! What a state you
are in!"
“Yes, I was after snipe, and slipped
into a bog," I laughed. “But It was
early this morning, and the mud has
dried.”
“Come with me, and I'll get you a
brush,” she urged. And I followed her
through the long corridors and up
stairs to a small sitting-room which
was her own little sanctum, where she
worked and read—a cozy little place
with two queer old windows in the
colossal wall, and a floor of polished
oak, and great black beams above. As
my eyes wandered around the room
they suddenly fell upon an object
which caused me to start with pro
found wonder—a cabinet photograph
in a frame of crimson leather.
The picture was that of a young girl
—a duplicate of the portrait I had
found tom across and flung aside on
board the Lola!
The merry eyes laughed out at me
as I stood staring at it in sheer be
wilderment.
“What a pretty girl!” I exclaimed
quickly, concealing my surprise. “Who
is she?”
My companion was silent a moment,
her dark eyes meeting mine with a
strange look of inquiry.
“Yes,” she laughed, "everyone ad
mires her. She was a schoolfellow of
mine—Elma Heath.”
"Heath!” I echoed. “Where was
she at school with you?”
“At Chichester.”
"Long ago?”
“A little over two years ago.”
“She's very beautiful!” I declared,
taking up the photograph and discov
ering that It bore the name of the same
well-known photographer in New Bond
street as that I had found on the car
pet of the Lola in the Mediterranean.
“Yes. She’s really prettier than her
photograph. It hardly does her jus
tice.”
"And where is she now?”
"Why are you so very inquisitive,
Mr. Gregg?” laughed the handsome
girl. “Have you actually fallen in love
with her from her picture?”
“I’m hardly given to that kind of
thing. Miss Leithcourt,” I answered
with mock severity. “I don’t think even
my worst enemy could call me a flirt,
could she?”
“No. I will give you your due,” she
declared. “You never do flirt. That
is why I like you.”
“Thanks for your candor. Miss Leith
court.” I said.
“Only,” she added, “you seem smit
ten with Elma's charms.”
“I think she’s extremely pretty," I
remarked, with the photograph still in
my hand. “Do you ever see her now?”
“Never,” she replied. “Since the
day I left school we have never met.
She w-as several years younger than
myself, and 1 heard that a week after
I left Chichester her people came and
took her away. Where she is now I
have no idea. Her people lived some
where in Durham. Her father was a
doctor.”
“Then you have heard absolutely
nothing as to her present position or
whereabouts—whether she is married,
for instance?”
“Ah!” she cried mischievously. “You
betray yourself by your own words.
I Listened, Trying to Distinguish the
Words Uttered.
You have fallen in love with her, I
really believe. Mr. Gregg. If she knew,
she'd be most gratified—or at least,
she ought to be.”
At which I smiled, preferring that
she should adopt that theory in pref
erence to any other.
She spoke frankly, as a pure honest
girl would speak. She was not jealous,
but she neverthless resented—as wom
en do resent such things—that 1 should
fall in love with a friend's photograph.
There was a mystery surrounding
that torn picture; of that I was abso
lutely certain. The remembrance of
that memorable evening when I had
dined on board the Lola arose vividly
before me. Why had the girl's por
trait been so ruthlessly destroyed?
Hour by hour the mystery surrounding
the Leithcourts became more inscrut
able, more intensely absorbing. I had
searched a copy of the London direc
tory at the Station hotel at Carlisle,
and found that no house in Green
street was registered as occupied by
the tenant of Rannoch; and. further,
when 1 came to examine the list of
guests at the castle, I found that they
were really persons unknown in so
ciety. Leithcourt seemed to possess
a long pocket and smiled upon those
parasites, officers of doubtful com
mission and younger sprigs of the
pseudo-aristocracy who surrounded
him, while his wife, keen-eyed and of
superb bearing, was punctilious con
cerning all points of etiquette, and at
the same time Indefatigable that her
mixed set of guests should enjoy a
really good time.
Next day 1 shot with the Carmichaels
of Crossburn, and about four o'clock,
after a good day, took leave of the
party in the Black Glen, and started
off alone to walk home, a distance of
about six miles. It was already grow
ing dusk, and would be quite dark, I
knew, before I reached my uncle's
house. My most direct way was to
follow the river for about two miles
and then strike straight across the
large dense woods, and afterwards
over a wide moor full of treacheruu.
bogs and pitfalls for the unwary.
My gun over my shoulder, l had
walked on for about three-quarters or
an hour, and had nearly traversed tbe
wood, at that hour so dark that 1 had
considerable difficulty in finding my
way, when—of a sudden—I fancied 1
distinguished voices.
I halted. Yes. Men were talking
in low tones of confidence, and in that
calm stillness of evening they appeared
nearer to me than they actually were.
I listened, trying to distinguish the
words uttered, but cquld make out
nothing. They were moving slowly to
gether, in close vicinity to myself, for
their feet stirred the dry leaves, and 1
could hear the boughs cracking as
they forced their way through them.
Of a sudden, while standing there
not daring to breathe lest I should be
tray my presence, a strange sound
fell upon my eager ears.
Next moment I realized that I was at
that place where Liithcourt so persist
ently kept his disappointed tryst, hav
ing approached it from within the
wood.
The sound alarmed me, and yet it
was neither an explosion of tire arms
nor a startling cry for help.
One word reached me in the dark
ness—one single word of bitter and
withering reproach.
Heedless of the risk I ran and the
peril to which I exposed myself, 1
dashed forward with a resolve to pene
trate lh$ mystery, until I came to the
gap in the rough stone wall where
Leithcourt’s habit was tolialt each day
at sundown.
There, in the falling darkness, the
sight that met my eyes at the spot
held me rigid, appalled, stupefied.
In that instant I realized the truth—
a truth that was surely the strangest
ever revealed to any man.
CHAPTER V.
Contains Certain Confidences.
As I dashed forward to the gap in
the boundary wall of the wood. I near
ly stumbled over a form lying across
the narrow path.
So dark was it beneath the trees
that at first I could not plainly make
out what it w^s until I bent and my
hands touched the garments of a worn
an. Her hat had fallen off. for I felt
it beneath my feet, while the cloak
was a thick woolen one.
Was she dead, I wondered? That
cry—that single word of reproach—
sounded in my ears, and it seemed
plain that she had been struck down
ruthlessly after an exchange of angry
words.
I felt in my pocket for my vestas,
but unfortunately my box was empty.
Yet just at that moment my strained
ears caught a sound—the sound of
someone moving stealthily among the
fallen leaves. Seizing my gun, I de
manded who was there.
There was, however, no response.
The instant I spoke the movement
ceased.
It seemed evident that a tragedy had
occurred, and that the victim at my
feet was a woman. But who?
Of a sudden, while I stood hesitat
ing. blaming myself for being without
matches. I heard the movement re
peated. Someone was quickly reced
ing—escaping from the spot. I sprang
through the gap. straining my eyes
into the gloom, and as I did so could
just distinguish a dark figure receding
quickly beneath the wall of the wood
In an instant I dashed after it. Down
the steep hill to the Scarwater I fol
lowed the fugitive, crossing the old
footbridge near Penpont. and then up
a wild winding glen towards the
Cairnmore of Deugh. For a couple of
miles or more I was close behind, un
til, at a turn in the dark wooded glen
where it branched in two directions. I
lost all trace of the person who flew
from me. Whoever it was they had
very cleverly gone into hiding in the
undergrowth of one or other of the two
glens—which, I could not decide.
I stood out of breath, the perspira
tion pouring from me. undecided how
to act.
Was it Leithcourt himself whom I
had surprised?
That idea somehow became im
pressed upon me. and I suddenly re
solved to go boldly across to Rannoch
and ascertain for myself. Therefore,
with the excuse that I was belated on
my walk home, I turned back down
the glen, and half an hour afterward
entered the great well-lighted hall of
the castle where the guests, ready
dressed, were assembling prior to din
ner.
1 was welcomed warmly, and just
then Leithcourt himself Joined his
guests, ready dressed in his dinner
jacket, having just descended from his
room.
••Hulloa, Gregg ! ” he exclaimed heart
ily, holding out his hand. “Had a long
day of it, evidently. Good sport with
Carmichael—eh ?"
“Very fair,” I said. “I remained
longer with him than I ought to have
done, and have got belated on my way
home, so looked in for a refresher."
“Quite right,” he laughed merrily,
“You’re always welcome, you know
I‘d have been annoyed If I knew you
had passed without coming in.”
• (TO BE CONTINUED.)
SONG OF THE NIGHTINGALE
Onm Need Not Co Far From the
Haunts of Man to Hear Bird's
Sweet Strains.
One of our great American natural
lets once went to England In hope to
Sear the nightingale Although be
wandered for many miles over Surrey
end Hampshire, his search was w-ell
sigh fruitless. Had he gone no farth
er than the outskirts of London, he
might hare fared .better. There are
■till certain apou in the suburbs to
which the nightingale returns year af
ter year.
One of them Is Wimbledon Common,
w here the bird sings every spring, oft
en. however, quite unrecognized by
those who hear him It Is commonly
believed that because, as all the world
taows. the nightingale slugs by night,
hw aeeps silence during the day. Nev
er was delusion more ill-founded. It
might he la part accounted for If the
n.rd were of a particularly timid and
fearful nature But be is not; in fact,
eigutlngales are. as a rule, least shy
where they are most accustomed to i
man's presence.
Not only does this much misunder
stood bird (some nightingales, of
course, more than others) sing at In
tervals all day long, but he appears
at times to take delight In singing to
a crowd.
HAD CONFIDENCE IN PEOPLE
California Newsboy Lost Nothing by
Trusting to the Honesty of
His Customers.
Most people are honest; so, at least
reasons a newsboy in a California
town, and he has clear Justification for
his confidence. The reporter of the
following incident was in a downtown
drug store when a stranger came in
with a copy of a newspaper, and asked
change for a dime. He said that be
wanted to pay for his newspaper.
Someone remarked that for his part
he let the newsboys find their own
change.
“This newsboy cannot do it." said
the man with the newspaper. “Come
out here and look at him." Two or
three bystanders stepped to the door,
expecting to see a crippled boy with a
pile of newspapers to Bell. Instead,
they saw a tin can with a hole in the
top large enough to admit a nickel;
a pile of newspapers lying upon the
walk, and a sard fastened to the can,
reading:
"Gone to Sunday school for one
hour. If you want a paper, take one,
and put your nickel in the can.”
The can and pile of newspapers
stood unprotected on the walk for
more than an hour, while their little
owner was at Sunday school. Men who
passed by and were attracted by the
rather odd little news stand would
stop, read the sign, pick up a paper
and put a nickel—and sometimes a
dime—into the little tin can. When the
boy returned from Sunday school he
found all his newspapers gone, and
more nickels in the tin can than there
were papers when he left
Simple.
If thy hyphen offend thee, pluck it
out—Columbus State.
FRANCIS JOSEPH VERY SPRY
Aged Emperor of Austria Equal to
the Situation. Extreme Though It
Mutt Be Admitted.
Francis Molnar, war correspondent
in the Carpathians of Az Est, gives an
Interview with an officer of high rank,
who had had an audience of Emperor
Francis Joseph a few days previously
in Vienna. The officer said:
“I spent half an hour in the working
room of his majesty, and found him
to be much more lively and agile than
at any time during the last years
when I saw him. During the audi
ence the emperor walked up and down
the room. He was always noted for
his excellent memory, but what I saw
In regard to this now was really mar
velous. His majesty knows the name
of the commander of every regiment,
and even now is well informed as to
changes taking place in commanders
of brigades and regiments.
“He is informed every day as to the
work being done by all the war ma
terial factories. On the table in his
study lies an immense map with small
flags indicating the position of the
fighting forces.
“Cordial relations exist between his
majesty and the heir apparent. The
emperor speaks highly of the young
king speaks very highly of~ the young
heir and is extremely proud and fond
of him.
“His medical advisers do not willing
ly consent to his drives out, though he
asks them daily to allow him to visit
the wounded soldiers in the hospitals.
The few visits he has paid to the hos
pitals have been small victories over
the doctors.”
No "Fixed Star."
The phrase “fixed star” is a mis
nomer. There is no such thing. All
the millions of stars one sees in the
vault of the sky, and millions, vastly
more millions, revealed by telescopy
and photography, with undoubted un
countable other millions of millions,
billions of billions, in the universes of
the infinite beyond, have their move
ments. whether in groups or whether
by single suns each, with its retinue
of sun and Its few known planets.
*
*
| FOUNDATION UPON WHICH HERD IS BUILl]
Good Sire Headed the Herd In Which This Animal Was Raised.
tBy WILLIAM Q. CHRISMAN.)
The selecting of tbe bead of a herd
is a question which deserves much
more thought and consideration than
the average farmer thinks when the
subject first presents itself; and yet
it is one of the most important ques
tions with which the breeder has to
leal. Why?
Because the sire is the foundation
upon which the herd is built; just as
no good structure can be erected with
out a firrg foundation, neither can a
good herd be established without a
good sire at its head.
In selecting a head for your herd,
the record must be closely examined,
not only of this particular animal, but
also the record of his sire and dam
tor generations. If he is an animal
of good type, possessing the charac
teristics peculiar to his breed, and has
well-established blood lines, you can
feel pretty well assured that he will
transmit these characteristics to his
offspring.
Since the male represents exactly
one-half of the foundation of the herd,
it is much cheaper, from a business
standpoint, to purchase and maintain
one good animal that represents so
much blood of the herd and has such
a marked power or influence upon
the characteristics of such a large num
ber of animals.
In raising animals of any kind one
object should be to produce as many
as possible of the same general w -
fixed characteristics: uniformity ,,t
size, style, conformation, general qual
ities and color markings. The nearer
a lot of animals conform to the =au.u
ideal the higher price they will coin
mand.
Just to give an example of a poor
selection of a sire, I will cite a case
1 saw recently. It was a herd >f
swine numbering over two hun:. -:
There were ten brood sows uo two
alike in any respect, color not -x
cepted, as black, red, white and t .
spotted, as well as some red a- U
spotted. Let us look at the s:re tie
was of the nondescript class
a bacon nor a lard hog, wit
nose, long legs, rainbow back
large ears. What would you be w
to pay for such pigs? I can give
the sizes, as I saw several six n.
old pigs weighed by the butcher •
had purchased them. They aver^.
53 pounds! Just think of it! (■::
weighed 61 pounds, and it was .
from lack of feed, for they were v
fed twice a day.
This shows the influence the sir
has on the herd. Had this bn
kept a good 6ire, he would have rai
an entirely different lot of pigs a
some in which a profit could be aa
ticlpated over and above the expei.
of raising.
ESSENTIAL TO KEEP
ALL PIGS THRIFTY
One of Most Important Things Is
to Stop Leaks and Get Rid
of the Boarders.
A large part of the profits in hog
raising depends on the thrift and
health of the herd. The pig that is
stunted never is so profitable as the
one that is kept thrifty and growing.
One of the most important problems
hog growers have to solve is to stop
the leaks and get rid of the boarders. i
lice and worms, says Farmers' Mail \
and Breeze. Going out of the hag busi- !
ness is not the remedy. It may pre
vent direct losses in an occasional j
year such as the past one has been, i
but It will not utilize the feed grown >
on the farm and keep up the soil fer
tility.
Failure to use the feeds available
to the best advantage is one of the
biggest leaks in the hog business. It
is poor policy to try to raise and fat- :
ten hogs on pasture without grain.
The successful farmer will provide
pasture for his hogs every month in
the year if possible, and he will feed
enough grain in addition to the pas
ture to keep his breeding hogs in good
condition. The grain fed ought to
provide some growth material as well
as fat-forming material. Loss often is .
due to a failure to recognize the fact
that the fattening period with most
hogs is but a continuation of the grow- j
ing period, and that the greatest dif
ference in the rations used during the :
two periods should be in the amount i
rather than in the kind of feed fed.
ERADICATE INSECTS
IN POULTRY FLOCK
—
Pests Live on Production of Skin
and Fragments of Feathers
—Recipe for Powder.
It does not take long for lice to give
a flock of hens something to think
about besides laying eggs. The off
spring from a single pair of lice will In
eight weeks amount to 125,000.
These pests live on the production
of the skin and fragments of feathers.
It is not so much what they get as
nourishment from the fowl that hurts,
as the violent itching and pain they
cause. They spread rapidly as they
breed. The lice from one hen may
spread through the entire flock. Lice
breed most rapidly in poorly venti
lated quarters and on poorly fed. weak
stock. The bird that looks sickly is
the one most likely to be infested.
Provide the flock with a dust bath
and apply the following homemade
powder: To one part of crude car
bolic acid and -three parts of gasoline,
add enough plaster of parls to take up
the liquid and mix thoroughly. Spread
out and let dry. If it is too lumpy run
through a sieve. Store away In tight
canB. Work this powder well Into the
feathers, especially In the fluff and an- i
der the wings. Repeat in ten days and 1
make a thorough job of it 1
Poor Soil* for Alfalfa.
Alfalfa. Will not grow where the
soil la acid or wet or where the aub- i
boU Is too hard. If you have soil that i
has any of these things the matter ;
with It you would do well to attend
to It if you desire to grow crops of
any kind that are worth while.
Trim Tree Sucker*.
Suckers that start from the trunks
of trees should be promptly trimmed
off. They are neither useful nor orna
mental, but they sap the vigor of the j
trees. 1
LEGUMES ARE GOOD
NITRATE PRODUCERS
On Average Farm Such Crop?
Should Be Depended Upon to
Act as Soil Benefactors.
“The legumes as a source of nitra’e
are rather too slew in action to g.v
real immediate profits when u>t‘d t
produce great money crops.'’ To.- :*
the statement made by an advocate o!
the use of nitrate of soda on Amer.. ar
soils.
Such a statement should net lead
anyone away from the main fact that
legumes grown with other crops ia a
Held benefit those other crops the firs’
year. The second year the soil itse!‘
is much better from having grown ttie
legumes than if nitrate of seda had
been used and no legumes grown.
Legumes are our natural nitrate prv
ducers. The nitrogen is cheaper, too
when furnished us in this form. And
yet we should remember sodium ni
tr^te for its value in getting quick re
suits. It is beneficial to almost every
crop when applied in the right
amounts and at the right time. For
quick results when starting a pasture
on poor land, as an application to or
chard soil for hastening fruit, in mar
ket gardens where crops demand much
nitrogen, and in many other place*
sodium nitrate is Indispensable. Such
crops as potatoes, garden and truck
crops grown in colder sections ue*-d
quick-acting nitrates in addition to le
gume nitrogen to push the crops be
fore the organic source is ready.
But on the average extensive farm
let us depend largely upon the legume
UNNECESSARY LOSS
IN MANURE HEAPS
Escape of Nitrogen Through
Heating Where Piles Are
Deep Is Considerable.
City manure can be bought more
cheaply in some seasons of the year
than in others. It is common practice
to throw the carloads of manure ia
large plies to wait for use later «io
The chief losses come through heat
lng and leaching when manure Is left
exposed. The amount of loss depends
upon the conditions ander which the
manure is kept. 1
Heaps may be made so deep that
there Is relatively small loss from
leaching, but In such case the escape
of nitrogen through heating Is very
great. Under average barnyard con
ditions a loss from 25 to 50 per cent
is expected from piles of manure ex
posed for a few months.
Even at the best, when manure la
kept under a roof and 1b hard packed
and Is supplied with the right amount
of moisture to prevent heating, the
loss Is supposed to be 10 per cent.
Keep Cows Clean.
Send your cows to the pasture with
clean flanks instead of leaving them
incrusted with dried manure. And
then watch the result.
Cause of Breachy Animal*.
Poor pasture makss “breachy" »"<
male. Fix the fence up good »«a
strong, but see that the animals have
plenty of feed.
Humanity’s Friend.
He who plants a fruit tree or a
berry bush, ar an ornamental shrub
Is humanity'* friend.
Cause of Thick Neck.
Don’t throw the dirt up around
onions when cultivating them or you
will have a lot of thick neoks.
