• * The Mystery of a Silent; Love • •
i^-ChevaberWILLIAM QIJIUX
c U AUTHOR of “TMC CLOSED DOOR,” CTC- ^
ILLUSTRATIONS fy C D RHODES
CaPrKKHT BY THE SMART SET PUBUiM/KT CO
CHAPTER XIV—Continued.
—14—
I stood before him open-mouthed.
Who in Russia had not heard of that
mysterious unknown person who had
directed a hundred conspiracies
•gainst the Imperial autocrat, and yet
the identity of whom the police had
always failed to discover. It was be
lieved that Kampf had once been pro
fessor of chemistry at Moscow univer
sity, and that he had invented that
most terrible and destructive explo
sive used by the revolutionists. The
ingredients of the powerful compound
•nd the mode of firing It were the
secret of the nihilists alone—and Otto
Kampf. the mysterious leader, whose
personality was unknown even to the
conspirators themselves, directed
those constant attempts which held
the emperor and his government in
■nch hourly terror.
Rewards without number had been
offered by the ministry of the interior
for the betrayal and arrest of the un
seen man whose power in Russia, per
meating every class, was greater than
that of the emperor himself—at whose
word one day the people would rise
in a body and destroy their oppres
sors.
“You are surprised,” the old man
laughed, noticing my amazement
"Well, you are not one of us, yet I
need not impress upon you the abso
lute necessity, for mademoiselle's
sake, to preserve the secret of my
existence. It is because you are not
a member of 'The Will of the People'
that you have never heard of ‘The Red
Priest'—red because I wrote my ulti
matum to the czar in the blood of one
of his victims knouted in the fortress
of Peter and Paul, and priest because
1 preach the gospel of freedom and
Justice."
“I shall say nothing,” I said, gazing
at the strangely striking figure before
me—the unknown man who directed
the great upheaval that was to revolu
tionize Russia. ‘ My only desire' is to
save Mademoiselle Heath.”
“Are you prepared to do so at the
risk of your own liberty—your own
life? 'Ah! you said you love her.
Would not this be a test of your af
fection ?”
“I am prepared for any test, as long
as she escapes the trap which her
enemies have set for her. I succeeded
in saving her from Kajana. and I in
tend to save her now.”
“Was it you who actually entered
Kajana and snatched her from that
tomb!" he exclaimed, and he took my
hand enthusiastically, adding—' I have
no further need to doubt you.” And
turning to the table he wrote upon a
slip of paper, saying, "Take made
moiselle there. She will find a safe
place of concealment. But go quickly,
lor every moment places you both in
more deadly peril. Hide yourself there
also.”
I thanked him and left at once.
I found Elma in her room, ready
dressed to go out. wearing a long
traveling cloak, and in her hand was
a small dressing case. She was pale
and full of anxiety until I showed her
the slip of paper which Otto Kampf
had given me with the address writ
ten upon it, and then together we hur
ried forth.
The house to which we drove was.
we discovered, a large one facing the
Fontanka canal, one of the best quar
ters of the town, and on descending
I asked the liveried dvornick for Mad
ame Zurloff. the name which the "Red
Priest” had written.
“You mean the Princess Zurloff,”
remarked the man through his red
beard. “Who shall I say desires to
nee her?”
“Take that.” I said, handing to him
the piece of paper, which, besides the
address, bore a curious cipher mark
like three triangles joined.
He closed the door, leaving us in
the wide, carpeted hall, the statuary
In which showed us that it was a
richly furnished place, and when a
few minutes later he returned, he con
ducted us upstairs to a fine, gilded
salon, where an elderly, gray haired
lady in black stood gravely to receive
as.
"Allow me to present Mademoiselle
Klma Heath, princess,” I said, speak
ing in French and bowing, and after
wards telling her my own name.
Our hostess welcomed my love in
a graceful speech, but I said:
“Mademoiselle, unfortunately, suf
fers a terrible affliction. She is deaf
and dumb.”
"An. how very sad!” she exclaimed
sympathetically. "Poor girl! Poor
girl!” and she placed her hand ten
derly upon Elma’s shoulder and
looked into her eyes. Then, turning
to me, she said: "So the Red Priest
has sent you both to me! You are in
danger of arrest, I suppose—you wish
me to conceal you here?”
“I would only ask sanctuary for
mademoiselle,” was my reply. “For
myself I have no fear. I am English,
and therefore not a member of the
Party.”
"Well," exclaimed the gray-haired
lady smiling, leading my love across
the luxurious room, the atmosphere of
which was filled with the scent of
flowers, and taking off her cloak with
her own bands, “you are safe here,
my poor child. If spies have not fol
lowed you, then you shall remain my
guest as long as you desire.”
“I am sure it is very good of you.
princess,” I said gratefully. “Miss
Heath is the victim of a vile and das
tardly conspiracy. When I tell you
that she has been afflicted as she is
by her enemies—that an operation
was performed upon her in Italy while
she was unconscious—you will readily
see in what deadly peril she is.”
“What!” she cried. “Have her ene
mies actually done this? Horrible!”
“She will perhaps tell you of the
strange romance that surrounds her—‘
a mystery which I have not yet been
able to fathom. She is a Russian
subject, although she has been edu
cated in England. Baron Oberg him
self is, I believe, her worst and most
bitter enemy.”
“Ah! the Strangler!” she exclaimed
with a quick flash in her dark eyes, <
“But his end is near. The movement'
is active in Helsingfors. At any mo-;
ment now we may striae our blow for ,
freedom.”
“Who is this man Martin Wood
roffe. of whom she speaks?" asked the
princess presently, turning to me.
“I have jjiet him twice—only twice,”
1 replied, “and under strange circum
strnces." Then, continuing, I told
her something concerning the inci
dents of the yacht Lola.
“He may be in love with her, and
desires to force her into marriage,"
she suggested, expressing amazement
at the curious narrative 1 had related.
“I think not, for several reasons.
One is because I know she holds some
secret concerning him, and another
because he is engaged to an English
girl named Muriel Leithcourt.”
“Leithcourt? Leithcourt?" repeated
the princess, knitting her brows with
a puzzled air. "Do you happen to
know her father's name?”
I was telling the story of the Leith
courts when the long, white doors of
the handsome salon were thrown open
and there entered a man whose hair
fell over the collar of his heavy over
coat, but whom, in an instant I rec
ognized as Otto Kampf.
“I come, princess, in order to ex
plain to you,” lie said. •'Mademoiselle
fears rearrest, and the only house in
Petersburg that the police never sus
pect is this. Therefore I send her
to you, knowing that with your gen
erosity you will help her in her dis
tress.”
it is all arranged, was her high
ness’ response. “She will remain
here, poor girl, until it is safe for her
to go out of Russia.” Then, after
some further conversation, and after
my well-beloved had made signs of
heartfelt gratitude to the man known
from end to end of the Russian em
pire as "The Red Priest,” the princess
turned to me, saying:
“I would much like to know what
occurred before the Leitheourts left
Scotland.”
"The Leitheourts!” exclaimed
Kampf in utter surprise. “Do you
know the Leitheourts—and the Eng
lish officer Durnford?”
I looked into his eyes in amazement.
What connection could Jack Durnford
of the marines have with the adven
turer, Philip Lelthcourt? I, however,
recollected Jack's word, when I de
scribed the visit of the Lola to Leg
horn, and further 1 recollected that
very shortly he would be back in Lon
don from his term of Mediterranean
service.
"Well,” I said after a pause, “I
happen to know Captain Durnford
well, but I had no idea that he was
friendly with Leithcourt.”
The Red Priest smiled, stroking his
white beard.
“Explain to her highness what she
desires to know, and I will tell you.”
My eyes met Elma’s, and I saw how
intensely eager and interested she
was, watching the movement of my
lips and trying to make out what
words I uttered.
"Well," I said, “a mysterious trag
edy occurred on the edge of a wood
near the house rented by Leithcourt—
a' tragedy which has puzzled the po
lice to this day. An Italian named
Santini and his wife were found mur
dered.”
"Santini!” gasped Kampf, starting
up. "But surely he is not dead?”
"No. That’s the curious part of the
affair. The man who was killed was
a man disguised to represent the Ital
ian, while the woman was actually the
waiter’s wife herself. I happen to
know the man Santini well, for both
he and his wife were for some years
in my employ.”
The princess and the director of the
Russian revolutionary movement ex
changed glances. It was as though
her highness implored Kampf to re
veal to me the truth, while he, on his
part, was averse to doing so.
"And upon whom does suspicion
rest?” asked her highness.
"As far as I can make out, the po
lice have no clue whatever, except
one. At the spot was found a tiny
miniature cross of one of the Russian
orders of chivalry—the cross of St.
Anne.”
"There is no suspicion upon Leith
court?” she asked with some undue
anxiety, I thought.
"No.”
"Then why did the Leithcourts dis
appear so suddenly?”
“Because of the appearance of the
man Ohater,” I replied. "It is evi
dent that they feared him, for they
took every precaution against being
followed. In fact, they fled, leaving
a big party of friends in the house.
The man Woodroffe, now at the Hotel
de Paris, is a friend of Leithcourt as
well as of Chater.”
"He was not a guest of Leithcourt
when this man representing Santini
was assassinated?” asked Kampf,
again stroking his beard.
“No. As soon as Woodroffe recog
nized me as a visitor he left—for
Hamburg.”
“He was afraid to face you because
of the ransacking of the British con
sul’s safe at Leghorn,” remarked the
princess, who, at the same moment,
took Elma’s hand tenderly in her own
; and looked at her. Then, turning to
[me, she said: "'What you have told us
• tonight, Mr. Gregg, throws a new
j light upon certain incidents that had
j hitherto puzzled us. The mystery of
| it all is a great and inscrutable one—
the mystery of this poor, unfortunate
“I Have No Further Need to Doubt
You.”
girl, greatest of all. But both of us
will endeavor to help you to eluci
date it; we will help poor Elnia to
crush her enemies—these cowardly
villains who have maimed her.”
“Ah, princess!” .1 cried. “If you
will only help and protect her, you
will be doing an act of mercy to a de
fenseless woman. I love her—I admit
it. I have done my utmost; I have
striven to solve the dark mystery, but
up to the present I have been unsuc
cessful. and have only remained, even
till today, the victim of circumstance.”
“Let her stay with me,” the kindly
woman answered, smiling tenderly
upon my love. “She will be safe here,
and in the morning we will endeavor
to discover the real and actual truth.”
And in response I took the princess’
hand and pressed it fervently.
I scribbled a few' hasty words upon
paper and handed it to Elma. And for
answer she smiled contentedly, look
ing into my eyes with an expression
of trust, devotion and love.
CHAPTER XV.
Just Off the Strand.
A week had gone by. The Nord ex
press had brought me posthaste
across Europe from Petersburg to Ca
lais, and I was again in London.
It was a cold but dry November
night and I sat dining with Jack Durn
ford at a small table in the big-well
lit room of the Junior United Service
club. Easy-going and merry as of
old, my friend was bubbling over with
good spirits, delighted to be back
again in town after three years’ sail
ing up and down the Mediterranean,
from Gib. to Smyrna, maneuvering al
ways, yet with never a chance of a
fight.
“Glad to be back!” he exclaimed, as
he helped himself to a “peg." “I
should rather think so, old chap. You
know how awfully wearying the life
becomes out there. Lots going on
down at Palermo, Malta, Monte Carlo,
or over at Algiers, and yet we can
never get a chance of it.”
Dinner finished, we went across to
the Empire, where we spent the eve
ning in the grand circle, meeting
many men we' knew and having a
rather pleasant time among old ac
quaintances.
After the theater I induced him to
come round to the Cecil, and in the
wicker chairs in the big portico before
the entrance we sat to smoke our
final cigars. And there, in a care
fully careless way. I told him the
story of the Leithcourts.
“You seem a bit down in the mouth,
Jack," I said presently, after we had
been watching the cabs coming up,
depositing the home-coming revelers
from the Savoy or the Carlton.
“Yes,” he sighed. “And surely I
have enough to cause me—after what
I’ve heard from you."
“What! Did the facts convey any
bad news to you?” I inquired with pre
tended ignorance.
“Yes,” he said hoarsely, after a brief
pause. Then he added: “And Martin
Woodroffe is engaged to Muriel Leith
court. Are you certain of this?”
“Yes, quite certain."
For some time Jack Durnford
smoked in silence, and I could just
distinguish his white, hard face in
the faint light, for it was now late,
and the big electric lamps had been
turned out and we were in semidark
ness.
"That fellow shall never marry Mu
riel," he declared in a fierce, hoarse
voice. “What you have just told me
reveals the truth. Did you meet
Chater?"
“He appeared suddenly at Rannoch,
and the Leithcourts fled precipitately
and have not since been heard of.”
“Ah, no wonder!" he remarked with
a dry laugh. “No wonder! But look
here, Gordon, I’m not going to stand
by and let that scoundrel Woodroffe
marry Muriel.”
“You love her, perhaps?” I haz
arded.
“Yes. I do love her,” he admitted.
“And, by heaven!” he cried. "I will
tell the truth and crush the whole of
their ingenious plot. Have you met
Elma Heath?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said in quick anxiety.
“Then listen,” he said in a low, ear
nest voice. “Listen, and I’ll tell you
something.”
“There is a greater mystery sur
rounding that yacht, the Lola, than
you have ever imagined, my dear old
chap.” declared Jack Durnford, look
ing me straight in the face. “When
you told me about it on the quarter
deck that day outside Leghorn l was
half a mind to tell you what 1 knew.
Only one fact prevented me—my dis
inclination to reveal my own secrets.
I loved Muriel Leithcourt, yet, afloat
as I was, I could never see her—1
could not obtain from her own lips the
explanation I desired. Yet I would
not prejudice her—no, and I won’t
now!” he added with fierce resolu
tion.
“I love her,” he went on. “and she
reciprocates my love. Ours is a secret
engagement, made in Malta two years
ago, and yet you tell me that she has
pledged herself to that fellow Wood
roffe—the man known here in Lon
don as Dick Archer. I can’t believe
it—I really can’t, old fellow. She
could never write to me as she has
done, urging patience and secrecy un
til my return."
“Woodroffe is at the present mo
ment in Petersburg,” I said. “I’ve just
come back from there.”
“In St. Petersburg!” he gasped, sur
prised. “Then he is with that vil
lainous official. Baron Oberg, the gov
ernor general of Finland.”
“No; Oberg is living shut up in his
palace at Helsingfors, fearing to go
out lest he shall be assassinated,” was
my answer.
“And Elma? What has become of
her?”
“She is in hiding in Petersburg,
awaiting such time as I can get her
safely out of Russia,” and then, con
tinuing, 1 explained how she'had been
maimed and rendered deaf and dumb.
“What!” he cried fiercely. "Have
they actually done that to the poor
girl? Then they feared that she
would reveal the nature of their plot*
for she had seen and heard.”
“I intend to rescue and to marry
her,” I said quite frankly. “But
from whom do you expect I can ob
tain the facts concerning her, and the
reason of the baron’s desire to keep
her silent?”
“Ah!" he said, twisting his mus
tache thoughtfully. “That’s just the
question. She may be the victim of
that blackleg Woodroffe, who is one
of the most expert swindlers in Lon
don, and who has already done two
terms of penal servitude.”
“But he is on extremely friendly
terms with Elma. It was he who suc
ceeded in finding her in Finland, and
taking her beyond Oberg’s sphere of
influence to Petersburg.”
“Then it is certainly only an af
fected friendship, with some sinistei
motive underlying it.”
“She wrote a letter from her island
prison to an old schoolfellow named
Lydia Moreton, asking her to see
Woodroffe at bis rooms in Cork street,
and tell him that through all she was
"That Felloe Shall Never Marry Mu
riel.”
suffering she had kept her promise tc
him. and that the secret was still safe
"Exactly. And now the fellow fears
that as you are so actively searching
out the truth, she may yield to your
demands and explain. He therefore
intends to silence her.”
“What! to kill her. ycu meanT” I
gasped, in quick apprehf-nsion.
“Well, he might do so. in order lo
save himself, you see.” .Jack replied
1 tried to get from hifSt all that he
knew concernirtg Elina, bet he seemed,
for some reason, disinclined to tell.
All I could gather was tiSat Leithcourt
was in league with Chater and Wood
roffe, and that Muriel had acted as
an entirely innocent agent.
“We must find Muriel,” he declared,
when I pressed him to tell me every
thing he knew. “There are facts you
have told me which negative my own
theories, and only from her can w*
obtain the real truth.”
“But surely you know where she 1st
She writes to you,” 1 said.
“The last letter, which I received
at Gib. ten days ago. was from the
Hotel Bristol, at Botzen. in the Tyrol,
yet Bartlett says she has been se»n
down at Eastbourne.”
“But you have an address whe>*e
you always write to hsr, I suppose*”
"Yes, a secret ore. I have written
and made an appointment, but she hss
not kept it. She has bven prevented,
of course. She may br with her par
ents, and unable tc corhe to London.”
“You did not kfov that they hwd
fled, and were in Hiding?”
“Of course not. What I've heard
tonight is news to me — amazUi
news.”
"And does it not convey to you Ibe
truth?”
"It does—a ghastly truth concern
ing Elma Heath.” he answered in a
low voice, as though speaking to htsu
self.
"Tell me. What ? I'm dying, Ja.'k.
to know everything concerning hnt
Who is that fellow Oberg?”
“Her enemy. Sshe. by mere acci
dent, learned his secret and Wo»fl
roffe's, and they now both live In
deadly fear of her.”
"But Chater?”
"I know very little concerning lfiUi
He may have < onspired with them, cr
he may be innocent. It seems vs
though he were antagonistic to their
schemes, if Leithcourt and his fam'ly
really fled from him.”
"And yet he was on board the Lo-a
Indeed, he may have helped to com
mit the burglary r.t the consulate.’' 1
said.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Appropriate Remedy.
"1 have so much of that run-down
feeling.”
“What are you doing for it?"
"Oh, every now and then I take a
pick-me-up.”
RIGHTS OF SERENADING CATS
Seems That One May Throw Boot
jacks at Them, But You Mustn’t
Shoot Them.
There is a widespread impression
that a squalling cat which keeps a
law-abiding citizen awake at night is
a nuisance, and that to end its cries
quickly and painlessly makes a man
• public benefactor. But a Trenton
IN. J.) resident, who tried that sort
«f treatment on a neighbor’s pet sing
er. has been sent to jail because of his
refusal to pay the fine which was as
sessed on him by a local judge He
considers himself a martyr and says
he will live on bread and water soon
er than admit that he has done any
wrong.
This brings up an issue which will
interest sleepless men and women the
world over. There does not seem to
be any question as to the right of the
distracted person to say “scat!’’ to the
serenading cats. Indeed, bis time-hon
ored privilege of hurling bootjacks,
hair brushes, cakes of soap, slippers
acd other articles of wearing apparel
and personal adornment at the offend
ing tabbies and tommies remains un
impaired. The real point at stake is
his right to shoot cats that disturb his
slumber.
Most cats may be shot with impun
ity. but not all cats. In this, as in
many other mooted questions, it all
depends upon whose cat you shoot.
"Use a Fork?” He Asked Surgeon.
"The last time 1 had a spell of sick
ness,” stated J. Fuller Gloom, “I made
the fclks send for old Doc Bitters, who
lives seven miles away and is a moss
grown bungler who hasn't, learned any
thing worth mentioning of young Doc
tor Prissy, who resides right around
the corner and graduated last year
with high honors and is really a very
bright young man and a highly compe
tent physician. You see, noticing the
latter's correct civil engineer whisk
ers, his profound respect for the dig
nity of his profession, and his persis
tent Insistence on being addressed as
‘Doc-tor,’ with the accent on both
syllables, I was so unwise aB to ask
him, a few days before my attack, if
he used a fork with his knife when he
performed a surgical operation. So.
naturally, being of sound though pessi
mistic mind, I preferred to suffer in
silence during the longer period neces
sary to get old Doc Bitters here than
to call in young Doc tor Prissy and
learn the answer to my inquiry from
ocular demonstration.”—Kansas City
Star.
Business an End in Itself.
What had he thus far learned from
making bedsteads? Had-he ever con
sidered there was anything to be
learned from that occupation? The
uncouth figure of his father began to
grow before him, gazing at him accus
ingly from under shaggy brows. Was
it possible, then, that business was
in a sense an end In Itself, aside from
the gaining of money? Was it the
overcoming of obstacles; the sharpen
ing of character against routine; the
winning in competition; the waiting
for unseen ends—that kept the world
at the daily treadmill, yet keen eyed
and eager? In that moment it came
to him it was so.—From “Dalhousie’s
Lady of the Morning," by David Gray
in the Saturday Evening Post.
ODD “CURES” FOR MALADIES
Superstitious Remedies That in An
cient Times Were Thoroughly
Believed In.
For sore eyes a touch from an old
gold wedding ring is a popular remedy,
and many an old woman's ring has
earned for itself a great name as an
eye healer. Apparently reliable au
thorities can be found who assert that
they have been cured by a touch of
this description. Borlase asserts as a
fact that a halter with which anyone
has been hanged will cure headache
instantly if tied around the head, and
he adds, “Moss growing upon a human
skull, if dried and powdered and ta
ken as a snuff, is no less efficacious."
Brand tells of several superstitious
remedies or charms: "Hollow stones
are hung up in stables at night to pre
vent nightmares, or ephialtes. They
are usually called in the north of Eng
land ‘holy stones.’ The chips of gal
lows and places of execution are used
as amulets against agues. For warts
we rub our hands before the moon and
commit any maculated part to the
touch of the dead. Rev. Mr. Shaw,
in his history of the ‘Province of .Vo
rau,' says that in hectic or consurr-p
five diseases they pare the nails of
the fingers and toes of the patien s.
put these parings into a rag cut from
his clothes, then wave the hand with
the rag thrice round the head crying
'Deas Soil.’ After this they bury the
rag in some unknown place. He tells
us he has seen this done, and Pliny,
in his ‘Natural History,' mentions if xs
practiced by the magicians or Druids
of his time.”
Advance In Australia.
The expansion of the post office
business in South Australia has neces
sitated increased provision for the re
quirements of the public in many
places throughout the state. Included
in the amount provided in the feden!
estimates to be expended on public
works in South Australia during the
current financial years is $100,000 for
additions to existing and the erection
of new post office buildings. A large
proportion of this expenditure will be
incurred on works in various country
towns.
FARM WORK TEAMS DESERVE EXTRA CARE
Harvesting in Oklahoma.
The team that does the work for
the farmer during the busy cropping
season deserves good care. In giving
his team proper attention the farmer
shows a kind heart and a wise head.
He thereby conserves the energy of
the faithful animals which enables
them to serve him a long time says
a Missouri writer in Farm Progress.
The work team must have good
feed. Musty hay and molded grain
they will not eat unless very hungry,
and it is harmful to their digestive
organs and they contain practically
no nourishment. Timothy, clover or
alfalfa hay should fill the manger, and
it will keep the team in good shape
when fed in proper quantities. Wheat
and oat straw are good enough for
the horse to sleep on, but very poor
for him to live on. During the work
ing season the team should seldom
be turned on green grass. It is too
washy, and the team that works all
day and toils all night in the grass
field for a ration will not do well. If
one does turn on grass, the team
should be provided with a liberal sup
ply of hay just the same.
The best grain ration is one half
corn and the other half oats. The
co^n gives needed strength and the
oats act as a laxative. Throw a pinch
of salt Into the feed box once each
day and the horses -will be kept
healthy. Should a horse have bad
teeth his feed should be ground. All
grain should be fed in good boxes,
for leaky troughs waste much valua
able feed.
The water for the work team should
be drawn fresh from the well. The
muddy, stagnant water of the pond is
not fit for the work horse. It is foul
and full of germs, and a horse will
seldom drink heartily from any such
filthy liquid. This, of course, means
a reduction in the horse's flesh and
strength.
Drinking troughs or tanks should be
kept clean. They get foul very fast
during the hot days of the summer
Take an old broom and wash them
clean once or twice each week.
The horse should have a comforta
ble stall in which to stand and to
sleep. It should be well ventilated in
the summer so the horse may eat in
comfort. The stall should also be
cleaned of all filth every day. The
horse that must stand with his hind
parts elevated two or three feet above
his fore quarters cannot enjoy his
feed. Good straw will make a fiaeJ
bedding for the horse and be cor.^
verted into rich fertilizer. He will be
thankful when he reclines here at
night, although he may not be able
to tell you about it the next morn
ing.
Curry the team night and morning
It rids the coat of all filth and sweaty
matter, opens the pores of the skin
and keeps the horse looking nice. The
horse will lean up to the curry comb
and show its appreciation of the
grooming.
Never work harness that are a mis
fit. A large collar may produce the
sweeny, a tight fitting one is apt to
gall the shoulder, but a snug fitting
one will give no trouble. Use a light
pad and the shoulders will not become
bruised. The harness should be pad
ded if they rub the horse in any
place. The work a horse must do is
hard enough without the addition of
suffering from galled places
Plowing, Disking and Harrowing.
rRACTOR OCCUPIES
IMPORTANT PLACE
Smaller-Sized Machines Solving
Problem on Farm of Com
paratively Few Acres.
(By E. R. GROSS. Colorado Agricultu
ral College.)
There is no doubt in the mind ot
the writer that the gasoline or oil
tractor should and does occupy an im
portant place in present day agricul
ture. The smaller size tractors now
being put out by manufacturers are
reducing very materially the size of
farm on which a tractor may be op
erated with profit. It is quite certain
that a 16 to 25 horse power tractor
developing 8 to 13 horse power on ttie
draw-bar can now be operated profit
ably on n 200 to 250-acre farm. The
essential requirements on the part of
the farmer' who will own a tractor
are: That he understand his ma
chine thoroughly or employ skilled
nelp to operate it; that he plan care
fully the work so that the tractor can
be kept at work at least as much of
the time as horses would be; that he
have only a little more power in the
form of tractor and horses than he
would otherwise have in the form of
horses alone.
In the tractor It Is well to look for
tractive power with the least possible
weight. Heavy tractors often have a
bad compacting effect on the soil. The
greater the bearing surface, the great
er the tractive power and the less
the compacting of the soil. In general
there are three types of traction
wheels: Tlie ordinary wheel with
prominent grouters: the drum type,
large diameter and wide wheel with
small or no grouters; and the creep
ing type of tractions parts.
The reliability or the tractor can
oest lie judged by machines of its
make that have Deen observed in oper
ation for some time.
To Fight Weeds Successfully.
To fight weeds successfully all
sources of weed seed introduction
should Oe avoided as far as possible,
and the weeds,and perennial roots in
the soil killed by painstaking atten
tion. The soil must be brought to a
high state of fertility and proper con
dition generally so as to favor the
best growth of the desired crops.
Honey From Alfalfa.
Alfalfa, it is said, will not yield the
honey it should if raised east of the
Missouri river, but this claim is said
not to hold good until you get into the
New England states.
Culling the Flock.
Culling the sheep flock has as much
to do with the improvement as care
ud feeding.
Keep Chicks Growing.
Chicks are hatched to grow. Keep
them doing it.
CLOVER SEED CROP
OF BIG IMPORTANCE
Any Field Will Prove Profitable if
Hay Crop Is Properly Man
aged—When to Cut.
Save the clover seed this year if a'
all possible. Any field of clover will
j yield a profitable crop of seed, provid
ed the hay crop is properly managed
It has been proved beyond a question
of doubt that the first crop must b •
harvested before the blossoms die
otherwise the seed will not form ir.
the second crop. Begin the hay har
vest just as soon as the first blossoms
commence to turn brown if you wis .
to secure a full crop of seed.
Clear the hay from the ground as
promptly as possible, says a writer in
Indiana Farmer. If it is allowed to re
main for even a few days it has a
tendency to partially smother the
growing plants, hence reducing their
vitality to such an extent that the
yield of seed will be materially reduced
in quantify as well as quality. It does
not pay to jeopardize the second crop
in any manner, for seed purposes w hen
the seed is worth in the neighborhood
of ten dollars per bushel—a price that
has prevailed for a number of years
for strictly first-class clover seed A
yield of only one bushel per acre is
profitable.
Clover seed is sure to be an e'
pensive article for years to come b
cause of the increasing demand that
comes with a better knowledge of the
value of the crop for forage and fertil
ity. Arrangements should be made
early with the owner of a threshing
rig to thresh the clover seed as soon
as it is in condition after cutting.
Control Cabbage Lice.
Lice on cabbage can be controlled
by spraying with kerosene emulsion,
made by mixing a quarter pound of
dissolved laundry soap, halt a gallon
of kerosene and five gallons of water
Cabbage worms can be destroyed by
sprinkling the plants with strong salt
water.
Properly Matured Pullets.
In properly matured pullets all sur
plus energy beyond that needed to
meet the requirements of the body is
available for the production of eggs.
Solve Grit Problem.
A load or two of gravel or gravel
and sharp sand mixed, dumped in the
chicken yard occasionally will solve
the grit problem.
Sheep Destroy Chiggers.
It is said that sheep will destroy the
chiggers when turned into a field in
which the grass is infested with this
insect
Profitable Hobby,
The raising oil poultry may
hobby, but it to a profitable one.
be
