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The Cotnoionef
VOLUME 12, NUMBER S
51
xrJo J tr 1 o i ill itri 1 L f
Down in tlio Dust'1
Is it worth while that wo Jostle a
brother,
Bearing his load on tho rough
road of life?
U it worth whllo that wo jeer at
each other
In tho blacknoss of heart? That
wo war to the knife?
God pity us all in our pitiful
strife.
God pity us all as wo Jostle each
other;
uoa paraon us an lor tno iriuiupus
wo feel
tThon a fellow goes down 'neath his
load on that heather,
Pierced to tho heart words are
keener than steel,
And mightier far for woo than
for weal.
Wore it not well, in this brief little
Journey,
On over tho isthmus, down into
tho tido,
We give him a fish instead of a
serpent,
Ero we fold tho hands to be and
abldo,
Forever and ayo in the dust by
his sido.
t
Look at tho roses saluting each
other
Look at tho herds all at peace on
the plain t
Man, and man only, makes war with
his brother,
And laughs in his heart at
peril and pain.
Shamed by the beasts that
down on tho plain!
his
go
Is it worth whilo that wo battle to
humble
Some poor fellow-soldier down
into tho dust?
Ood pity us all! Time eft-soons will
tumble
All of us together, like leaves in
tho gust,
Humbled indeed, down into the
dust.
Joaquin Miller.
Green stable manure should not bo
used about tho plants, but liquid
manure Is excellent. The roots
should bo mulched during hot
weather, and the blossoms picked
daily, if you want profuse blooming.
Night-Blooming Flowers
Tf vou would like the night air to
be full of fragrance, plant some of
tho nicht-bloomlng flowers.
Nlcotiana is one of the finest, and
will fill a garden with the sweetest
odors. These bloom only at night,
commencing late In the evening.
They "sow themselves," and bloom
all summer. The hybirds of Nlco
tiana Affinis come in various colors,
and a mixed packet of seeds will give
a large bed or long row.
For the House Plants
Tho tiny flies seen among plants
do no especial harm, but they Indi
cate a sour condition of the soil
which is harmful to the plants. Let
tho soil hnrnnifi nnnarpntlv rirv. than
apply hot lime water until It flows eating
and when tho fruit is ripe, if yon
take out the coarse, lace-like filling,
remove the seeds and dry it, you
have the finest of wash cloths, bath
cloths and dish rags. You can buy
them in the drug-store, but you can
raise them in your back yard. An
other ornamental vine is the dipper
gourd, also the one that bears the
little egg-shaped kind. Another
The vlne tnat Is ornamental where uSly
views are to De snut out is me
DumDkin vine. Get the ones with
crinkly, or slightly fluted leaves and
bright yellow flowers. These vines
will need poultry wire for support,
and if the fruit is wanted to ripen, a
little stand, or other support can be
furnished; but the blooms and leaves
will pay for the care you give it.
The foliage or many of this family
is as beautiful as high-priced be
gonias. Another useful vino is the lima
bean. It screens well, and if given
proper soil and care, will give you
abundance of fruit for the winter
No need to can lima beans
if given half a chance as readily as
maize. Tho hard shell should bo
filed through, and boiling water
poured over them, leaving until cold
and the shells burst, before planting
in the soil. Cannas do not "como
true" to name, and you will get a
variety from one package of seeds
some of them worthless, probably,
and many of them fine. From a ten
cent packet of seed you may get
some very choice varieties, worth
dollars, if bought by the single
root.
Sweet Peas
If you aro a lover of the sweet pea
blossoms, you should begin prepara
tions at once for tho planting of the
poas. Tho soil should be rich and
deeply worked, and it would have
been better for the peas if you had
begun preparation of the ground last
fall. It Is not too late In the winter.
or too early in the spring, to give the
ground a top dressing of wood ashes,
if you have them, or, falling this,
use air-slakod lime, and as soon as
possible, work them into the soil.
This will Bweeten and purify the soil,
and the pea rows should be In a
sunny place. Just as early as the
ground can be worked aloncr with
tho very early planting of potatoes,
you should put the peas In the
ground, opening a trench five or six
Inches deep, and wide enough for
two or three rows. The seeds should
ot bo covered more than an Inch
or bo deep at first, pressing It down
firmly, and as tho plants grow, the
oil should bo drawn about them
until the trench Is filled and tho
peas making a good growth. Wood
snea and soot will keeD inRPPto
iway while they aro small. Stakes
r wire netting should bo provided
or tneir support, and during the dry
teather, they should be well soaked
ii iu waier. tiouso nnri lnnn,i
ps are excellent for this purpose.
freely from the drainage hole at the'
bottom of the pot. If the drainage
Is clogged, It may be necessary to
repot in fresh, sweet earth. Many
times, the water will flow freely out
of the drainage hole In the bottom of
the pot, yet not wet the ball of soil
except at the sides, where the water
runs down between the soil and tho
pot. It is a good plan to set the
pot in a vessel containing tho lime
water, until the surface shows that
the ball of earth is wet through. Hot
lime water Is also a remedy for
angleworms in the soil of pots. The
worms will come to the surface and
can be picked off.
When a palm dries and the tips of
tho leaves turn brown, it 1b usually
oecause the atmosphere Is too dry.
Keep the air as moist as possible
until warm weather, then set the
plant out on the north porch, or
north side of the house, setting the
pot in a larger pot or box with a
filling of sphagnum moss between,
and lay tho moss over the surface
of tho soil In the pot. Wet the
sphagnum moss. The palm should
not be left out In very windy
weather, as the wind is liable to
whip the leaves to pieces. Morning
and evening sunshine is good for It,
and a little lime on tho surface wlli
keep rho soil in good condition.
If the Amaryllis does not do well,
ueu it out in tne Dorder as soon as
tno weatner gets warm enough, keep
well cultivated and the soil mulched,
and when cool weather comes in the
autumn, lift the bulb and take it
inside.
pick the pods when of the right
size and dry the beans in the pods.
They are fine. There are several
varieties of the "pole bean" family,
which we used to call "corn-field"
beans, which will do well on fences,
screens, and other supports, and
will yield an abundant harvest until
frost. These, when of the "shell
bean" size, can be dried In the pod
instead of canning, and are fine for
winter use.
Look over the advertisements and
get tho catalogues; read them; study
them, and see how much you can
"reduce the cost of living" by utiliz
ing the odd corners and little spaces
In the back yard, as well as in the
garden and fields.
Some Fashion Notes
A fashion magazine assures us
that much of the freakishness which
has characterized the fashions for
the past year is giving way to moro
sensible forms, the most important
of which is the reasonable extension
of the width of the skirt. For tho
spring season,, the most approved
width is from two tq two and one
half yards at the bottom of the skirt.
There is a decided tendency to re
turn to the normal waist line; some
of the newest designs make the waist
to overlap the skirt at the waist, as
it did many years ago, but this is not
expected to become very popular.
The kimono sleeve, with its im
mediate successor, the smoothly set
in sleeve, is expected to give way to
the newer design, whe'ein the
sleeves are gradually gaining in full
ness and in shaping. Three-quarter-
length sleeves are the prevailing
style, but a full-length and a shor
ter sleeve known as the seven-eights,
are much worn.
The tunic skirts, both the double,
and the single skirt draped to simu
late the tunic, are both popular, thus
two or more materials nd colors
may be used in the same garment
which lends itself admirably to mak
ing over and remodeling.
Self-trimmings are a strongly
marked feature of the new styles;
braid trimmings and pendant orna
ments, with buttons, with button
holes either worked or simulated by
covered cord, piping, or stitched
straps are all used. All kinds of
laces are used, from the sheerest to
the heavy, hand-made.
Hat shapings are many and vari
ous; the wide-brimmed picture hats
are always in style, but for ordinary
Starting Plants in the House
Unless one gives the seedlings
extra good care, it Is no gain to start wear, tho smaller size is preferred.
plants indoors, hut if one is careful, Wonderfully real-looking flowers are
many things may be started and be
well along when the ground is ready
tor tne transplanting. For many
things, if the right conditions can
be had, there is gain. For those who
are not situated to give the proper
warmth, moisture and sunshine or
shade, a seed-bed in some sheltered
part of the ground is much surer
with a later planting say, the last
of March, or the first of Anril n
sure to have the seed-bed right'as to
heat, for both seeds and plants are
uiten Durnt up by the
planter.
much used in millinery. The one-
piece dress for housewear and In
formal occasions, as well as for
street wear, in a variety of materials,
grows in popularity.
careless
For white worms in the soil, treat
with the hot llmewater a little
hotter than the hand can bear, apply
ing until it runs from the drain-hole
quite hot. This will km tho worms
and sweeten the soil. A great many
of the plant ailments come from sour
Boil, the result of poor drainage and
too much water. Very few plants
?S?BfSd Ten', co,d feet y etter
than little children can.
If
a
Its
Tho Vino Family
you want a covoHnp- f.
screen, and one thnt mm ..
"Z rIf" aln?. one "of' the
fi t - lulons tne useful ones Is
the Luffa, or dishrag gourd; It is a
rapid grower, has hanrinmn iAnm.
and beautiful golden yellow flowers
Storting tho Pot Shrubs
When you have a nice lemon, or
orange, date, or other tropic fruit
Just save the seeds and tuck them
down in the soil, marking the spot,
some seeds germinate quickly, and
will show up very soon in the spring,
while others require a whole year
before pushing through the ground.
Put the seeds In the soil as soon as
you use the fruit.
Palms are easily raised from
seeds and a ten-cent packet of
mixed seeds will give you a variety.
Palms are not at all hard to grow
but when started from seeds they
are a long time showing the true
Jh in mng tho easlest t0 srow aro
the filafera, or thread palm, and the
Forsteriana; the latonin n,":
!2k? fff-??hn' from th aves of
Aluminum Cookery Vessels
We have been asked by a reader
if any injurious effects on the health
is to be feared where acid fruits
have been cooked and left to stand
in aluminum vessels. In reply we
copy the following from Good House
keeping Magazine: "So far as ex
periments of the Good Housekeeping
Institute give any indictation, the
use of aluminum vessels is advisable
and safe if good grades of aluminum
are used. Some alloys of this metal
contain substances injurious to tho
digestive system.
"Nothing has been proven to war
rant the assertion that the combina
tions formed by the cooking of acids
in aluminum utensils are dangerous.
ine action of acidB on the metal is
very slow, especially if the aluminum
is pure.
that make you think of lilies fvollow . ,a,re mado- Nothing
ones) and moraine ih2 Y. more cheerfully "folksy" than I
le sandy soil and hot sunshi S oViftiiy,
For tho Seed-Bed
It is advisable each year to sow
a number of perennial seeds, In
order to keep up the Supply of really
good plants. Many perennials do not
Dlo.oin woll after the first few years,
and there should be new plants com
ing on. The plants may "seed them
selves," and many of them do, bul
otters do not. Annuals generally
seed themselves, If ot the hardy
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