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About Nebraska advertiser. (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 1881)
Tlio Cockle Ilur. This is ono of the worst weeds that In foHt thu prairies. It is not as bad as tho Canada thistle, but it Ih bud enough for nil practical purposes. Although its seeds arc not scattered far by tho winds tlioy have a variety of ways of jotting over tho ground. Thoy attacli themselves to tho wool of sheep, tho hair of cattle, horses and wild animals, and to the feathers of some kinds of birds. Thoy are swept away from fields in Hoods and are curried long distances in streams and rivers. Thoy will stand more abuse than a strav dog without receiving any permanent Injury. Thoy cause a largo amount of work whon they spring up in Holds that are under tiiilti vation. Tho presence of the weods in a grain Held causes a large reduction in the crop. The burs in wool detract largoly from its value. It is now af firmed by many that tho young plants are poisonous to stock. Mr. John Williams, of Logan, Iowa, in a local paper gives this testimony respecting them: I came from Illinois ten years ago, but lived near tho Illinois bottom, and ono year in particular there camo a wonderful Hood of water and raised tho river until the whole bottom was under water for live miles in width, and tho cockle burs grew largely in tho bottom and washed the seed to the shore, and whon the water went down those burs came up lirst, and wo farm ers let our hogs and cattle run at large, and the Hist thing Wo know thoy wore dying all along tho bottom at a terrible rate hundreds died in a few days. When thorough investigation was inado it was fouuf that it was tho young cockle bur that killed the stock. It is very poisonous. When very young it is sweet and tender, and being tho lirst thing green in sight tho cattle and hogs eat them greedily. Our cattle would come up at night, and in the morning there would be from three to twelve dead, and some sick. Our remedy, when in timo, was heavy drenches of melted lard. On examining those that died their gall was generally largo or burstcd, and the farmers and stock-iuen took their stock oil' of tho bottom for about two weeks, until vog elatiou got up in good shape, and there wasn't any moro of tho disease." The wise law-makers of this State somo years ago sought to exterminate cockle burs by directing a statute against thorn. Hut for some reason tho weeds have paid very little attention to it. Thoy continue to grow and multiply, and whon a largo crop of burs is pro duced, thoy tako tho river route to tho Hoa-bourd. Thoy havo invaded tho sacred soil of several States whore no unfriendly legislation exists concerning Ahem. I'he cockle-bur will soon bo to 'the United States what tho thistlo is to Scotland a National weed. Tho chief dillloulty in exterminating thu pest lies in tho fact Unit tho seed will retain its vitality several years. The bunt way to eradicate it is to put thu infested Hold in grass and not break the sod for sov- oral seasons. This cleaning process should bo continued till all the farm has been "under treatment." A close lookout must thou bo kept for chance .miocimons that may appear. Chicago IHmcs, Poison for Insects. Wo in Iowa havo had oxporionco with Alio potato-bug. The lirst that I saw of them here at Muscatine was in 1H(J2. Thoy nourished several years before we wore fully awake to tho necossity of destroying thorn. Many remedies wore suggested and triod with very littlu otloot. Hand picking was most olloetual until wo got to using Furls green. At lirst wo ro dueod tho poison with aslius or Hour, and siftod it on dry. We next mixed it with water, and sprinkled tho potato Vinos with a watering-pot. Hut last and best of all is London purple, mixed with water, ono tablespoonful to two gallons of water. Tho London purple is much hotter and cheaper than Paris green. I think an acre of potatoes in fested with this destructive insect can bo saved with this remedy at a cost of four to six dollars. But wo have de stroyed so many that I think thuro are not moro than one-tenth as many now as thoro wero a few years ago. I have also had a light for three or four years with the canker-worm on my npplo-troes. Two years ago I changed the Paris green for London purple, at a saving of tliroe-fourlhs of the cost, and it proved a bettor article for tho pur pose. 1 tako a forty-gallon whisky or kerosene barrel, saw it in two, and fasten a hydropult sprinkling pump in tho bottom of tho half-barroi, ly nail ing a strap of leather to hold tho pump (irmly to tho bottom; and another strap to ho'ld it fast to the side of tho half barrel. Then I havo two whole barrels, with ono head out, to hold tho water in. Flaco thorn all in a wagon, and drive to tho orchard. Put three buckets of wa ter into tho half-barrel, and stir in three small tablespoonfuls of Loudon purple. Stir it till it is well mixed with tho wa ter, then uso tho pump and sprinkle tho trees thoroughly to the right ami loft, and on all sides of them, lids is the cheapest and most olleotual remedy 1 .have found for tho oanker-wonii. 1 intend to try London purple lor tho cabbage-worm this year, by using a rag wot with the poison, and rubbing the under sides of thu cabbago loaves with it. All tho lower loaves of tho cabbago aro gone boforo tho head is grown. One should bo careful not to uso it after the head begins to form. I do not think tho ravages of tho our culio can bo stopped by sprinkling tho trees with London purple. Wo find coal-tar makes a good remedy. Tako a tin vessel, and put a wire to it so it can bo hold up with a polo under tho limbs mid through the top of the troo. Then put in kindlings, shavings, hay or straw, -well saturated with coal-tar, sot it on firo, and smoke tho trco two or tlirna times a week, beginning when tho plums are very small, and continue while the fruit Is growing, or as long as there are any marks of tho insect. Tho green worm on tho rose leaf I have killed by sprinkling with London purple. 1 intend to try it on the striped bug, tho squash bug and any other nox ious insects. Unci foster, in Examiner and Chronicle, Weeds in (lie Highways. Several of our Western contempora ries last winter suggested tho discussion at Farmers Clubs and otherwise of tho question as to what action, legislative or otherwise, is necossary and practica ble to keep "tho public" highways freo from weeds, lo us, who havo been among tho foremost good highways, tho plan seems to bo to travel along them, prospers grass does in laboring for most practicable induce abundant When business not crow in tho streets; and when a public highway is chance for well-traveled thoro is no anything to grow in it. VVo wore very much struck by the answer given lo a Western farmer on tho Centennial grounds in 1870 by an Eastern one who had grown quite wealthy. Thu question was how to hurry his Western farm quickly into a prolitablo market. Ho was told to "in oroaso his taxes." This seemed no doubt absurd to the listener, as it will to most who read it; for if thoro is any thing which moro than another wo all try to avoid, it is an increase of taxa tion. But there is a deep meaning in the expression. It means that if a proporty is to increase in value, ono must do something himself to make it moro valuable, oven at the risk of higher taxation. Wo may carry this idea into all our worriments, and es pecially this ono of weods in tho public highways. The more wo beautify our properties, tho moro wo attract travel by it; for pcoplo will go in preference where there is something nice to be seen. Improvements cost something. Thoy are taxes. A man may beautify at a great cost when there is no one to apprcciato his labors. Of course such work is thrown away. Hut no work is thrown away that attracts travel along tho highways. Our advice to our Wosteru friends is to let "legislation" against weeds alone, and rather endeavor to encourage in every property-owner a love for im provement. Let thorn do all they can to encourage everybody to improve and beautify the line; and then by having good roads encourage people to travel over them, and they may take our word for it that the question of weeds in tho highways will soon settle itself. Ger mantown Telegraph. The Size or tho Farm. It is true enough that wo cannot have immense returns from our farm if wo do not have a commensurate amount of land. Wo cannot expect to garnor six or eight hundred bushels of wheat, rye, corn, etc., from a lifty-acro farm. Nev ertheless thu profits" from a farm are not always, or very frequently, tho re sult of very largo farms. It is the thorough cultivation of the laud wo have, and making tho very best of ev erything that tho profit conies in. Wo may havo hundreds of acres of land, but it may bo unproductive for tho reason that we do not possess tho means of properly enriching it. Iloneo, while wo may havo capital enough to run a moderate (arm in tho very best man ner, causing it to yield double tho crops that wo could look for per aero from live or six timos tho quantity of land, wo should utterly fail in making tho larger farm profitable at all; but, on tho other hand, wo should llnd it year after year making us poorer ami pooror, until wo should bo completely swamped by it. Just look at this simple state ment: If a capital of live thousand dol lars, expended in tho cultivation of two hundred acres, will yield a profit of live hundred dollars, while if it were applied 10 ono hundred acres it would produce a proni oi one inousami dollars, it is clear that the ineomo would be increased by diminishing by ono-half tho quantity of tho land. Wo havo known many a farmer who has been bankrupted by a largo farm, but who might havo acquired a com fortable competency on one-half the number of acres. Fanners, as a rule, strivo to own a large tract of land, without considering that thoy havo not the capital to work it as it should bo; and that unless it is so worked it must drag thorn down instead of building them up. Tho prudent man should start only with such a sized farm as ho possesses tho means of conducting in such a way that it will produce him the largest re turn from tho capital invested, llowill seo, then, that ho is early gaining pe cuniary strongth, and this will relievo him from any fears that ho will bo liko- iy io go uowu-uui, wnuo tno facts aro before him as clearly as thov aro unde foundation for his prosperity ami i cnmsmlR 8UCCQMf iell0 lutflls say C(mcli.s?on. that if a farmer lias oi niable, that ho is steadily laving tho pi rn ono hundred acres, it would bo much bettor for him to put tho price of anothor hun dred on it, than to buy ono hundred moro ami make tho same labor produco double tho crops, and not have double labor for double crops as wo so fre quently seo to bo tho result. Oerman town Telegraph. A Now York lady makes a liveli hood by giving instruction to hor illit erate sisters whoso education in early life had boon neglected. Sho has plen ty of scholars, and recoives from tf!l to $10 a lesson prices graded to suit their means. Those Curious Western People, A young man who loft Detroit for Dead wood in March, in the best of health and witii lots of good clothes and plenty of money, got home tho other day with his weight reduced twonty-oight pounds, his elbows and knees out to tho weather, and his stomach entering upon a third day's fast. Ho had no particular adventures to rolato and no apologies to make. All that ailed him was tho fact that ho didn't understand those far-Western pooplo. Ho didn't realize that you havo got to tako 'em on tho run to bring om down, and ho consequently put his foot in it at every move. Soon after reaching Deadwooil, and while getting away with n dinner at a res taurant, a stranger came in and called him a snipe, and a huzard, and a chicken, and several other ornithologic al cognomens, and ended by kicking tho crown out of his plug hat. Now, the proper way would havo boon to pull out a popper and have popped that stranger until the noonday sun would havo lighted up his whole interior; but tho Detroitor lot tho golden opportu nity slip away, and was whistled out of the neighborhood. Then some ono told him that ho might striko a job in tho railroad oHices. If ho had oboyod instructions ho would havo been all right. He was told to slant his lint on his oar, light a fresh cigar, and walk in on tho magnate, and say: "Hollo! old 7x9 how's your bully health this morning? Have a smoke? Hot you will! How aro all tho boys, anyhow? Got a place hero for a chap who's up to snulV, and tho strongest brand at that? Come outandgulpsonio thing at my expense. Nothing mean about me, and (ion' t you forgot it, old pard!" Yes, ho lost tho situation through his own obstinacy. Ho sneaked into tho oflieo like a shoop-steuler, put his hat on a chair, and faintly inquired if they would bo so everlasting good as to in form him if there was a one-horse va cancy to bo filled. Thoy gave him tho boss bounce inside of a minute, and after that no boot-black would look at him. Then there was a provision dealer who was terribly in want of an assist ant. The Detroitor was just tho man for the pl'ico excopt that ho wasn't. Ho was put on tho right track by a ho tel clerk, who explained: "Now, this Jones is rather queer, and you must strike him right. You want to go in and cuss him from his oyebrows to his too nails, and whon you got through you can protend that you took him for old Smith, just around the corner. He's a great etissor, and ho' 11 tako to you like molasses to a shingle." That job was also lost. Tho Detroitor called at tho store, explained that ho had heard so and so, and ended with a wishy-washy request to bo taken on trial salary no object. Old Jones hoard him through, and thou called him a Michigan dish-rag, an Eastern mulberry and ovor so many other things, and tried to hit him in tho back with a barrel of Chicago hard tack. It was tho samo in a dozen otJier cases, and finally a prominent citizen of the town took it upon himself to halt tho Detroitor on tho street and say to him: "Say, boy, this ain't no town for you. Hadn't you better git up and ll.y?" Tho Detroitor couldn't Hy, but ho had a gait of six miles an hour, up hill and down. Ho also got a lift on a freight train now and then, and ho has now returned to a pooplo whom ho can understand and appreciate. Detroit Free Press. - m OpItini-.Siiioklni? In California. Opium-smoking is a sensuous ploas uro and depends lor its full enjoyment upon leisure ami society. Tho majori ty of tho bettor class of Chinese in San l'ranoisco sinoko opium, but not in ex cess. Thoy will lounge on their little bunks, enjoy twelve or lifteon pipes in tho course of an afternoon or evening, chat, smoke tobacco, and drink tea or rice brandy. Few except the confirm ed opium-smokers uso the drug to pro duco insensibility or tho opium sloop. The primary olloct of opium is that of good tobacco, increased tenfold. It soothes and tranquillizes tho nerves and laps the smoker in a delicious state of bybantio ease and voluptuous onioy mont. It induces a species of day dream, but its otfeuts m this regard have been greatly exaggerated. It sel dom produces tho drunken stupor which follows undue indulgence in liquor. The European who contracts tho habit of opium-smoking usually craves an inordinate amount of tho drug. A man whom 1 know smokes regularly ovory day six bits' (75 conts) worth of opium, or about fifty pipes. Ho is a walking skeleton, and, whon not under tho inlluonco of tho narcotic, ho trembles like a paralytic. His cheeks aro sunken, tho bones seem starting through tho pallid skin, and tho whole man is a living wreck strength, energy, will, manhood, all clean gone. Ho lives only for his daily indulgonco in tho drug, and his body could dispense with it no more than his lungs could por form their functions without air. He is a walking baromoter; sensitive to the slightest change in temperature and racked by neuralgic pains when exposed to cold. Fatally insidious, too, is this opium habit. It saps tho moral strength and enfceblos tho will; then, shorn of theso two allies, it takes a man of ox ooptional strength of charactor to froo himsoll from its thraimom. Tho pooror classes of Chinoso in Cal iforniaand theso compriso nino-tonths of the wliolo number uso opium as a solace to their hard life. It is ono of the few pleasures thoy allow thom- aolvos in a slavish struggle to lay up money. No store, wash-house, manu factory or restaurant is without its opium " lay-out." Tho habit of opium smoking is' universal, as common an tho uso of tobacco among American men. A very intelligent Chinese merchant, who speaks excellent English, in a re cent conversation with me on the ovils of opium smoking, said: "It is tho curse' of our people, and is far worse in its o fleets than your whisky-drinking. A man who drinks liquor gets some strength from tho stimulant, though this may last only a fow minutes. Ho may ovon livo to old ago and never go to bed sober. But the eli'ects of opium aro far ditto rout. It takes away strength, it never gives any. It weak ens a man, thins his blood and steals all his energy. It makes him feel the cold, makes liim what you call invalid no good for any real work. Ho may work at a trado, out no cannot carry on an any cal- business which requires thought or c dilution. For myself. I smoko a fow pipes frequently with friends. It is so cial and pleasant, but I always tako tho greatest caro not to smoko twice in suc cession at the same hour. When I feel the longing to smoke, which always at tacks you just twenty-four hours after your fast indulgonco, I never give way to it." Tho bane of opium-smoking in Cali fornia is seen in the younger genera tion. California children are very pre cocious; thoy seom to havo an exagger ated dosiro to indulge in everything which is forbiddon. Every Chinese wash-house throughout tho Stato is tho center of evil, oung boys learn thoro to smoko opium and contract tho habit which ruins thoin body and soul. Tho Chinese receive boys "with great favor, and aro always rend to initiate them into any vico. In tho cities tho evil is worso, "as tho oppo"tunities for its grat ilication aro mot on every side. Thero are many squalid opium "dens" in the Chinese quarters, and those have their regular white customers. Tho police make frequent raids upon them, but the payment of twenty dollars line releases tho proprietor. Now it is customary for tho smoker to deposit this amount boforo beginning his indulgence, iu order tb insure tho release of tho patron in case of arrost. Tho vico is most prevalent among tho hoodlums of this city and the women of tho town, but police ollicers and detectives, whoso word may bo relied upon, declare that the practice is spreading with great rapidity, and that the law will soon havo to be invoked to cheek it by heavy linos or other penalties. Tho now treaty will have no sensible olloct upon tho importation of opium into this coun try, as the duties aro low in British Columbia and Mexico, and tho work of smuggling it over the border will not bo difficult. As a Chinese merchant said a fow days ago in speaking of tho drug: "Tho Chinese will get it if it's on top of tho earth. You might as well try to stop your .Nation from smoking cigars or drinking liquor." Cor. N. Jr. Tribune. Planning Work. hven in houswork, the brain may save the body a great deal of labor. A woman who plans hor work beforehand always accomplishes a great deal moro than her less methodical sister, and with loss fatigue to herself. Boforo she rises in tho morning her breakfast is thoroughly planned, and the order in which the different details aro to bo carried out is quite decided upon. It makes all work easior to havo it thus planned beforehand, and many a weary woman might secure many bright half-hours to herself every wcok if she would but inaugurate the system. It is like packing a trunk you know how easy it is for ono skilled in the business to put in a third moro than ono who piles things in "just as it happens." It is always such a pleasure to look back on a well-packed day and seo just what has boon done. People whoso days are full of idleness and case do not havo tho monopoly of happiness by any means. Those who havo nothing to do except make themselves comfortable aro generally peevish and discontented. Work has manifold advantages; and the woman who has led a busy life can not bo content to rest in idleness. Ono of tho greatest vegetable phe nomena, though not so useful to man kind as the bread-fruit, appears to bo tho Polo de Vacu, or cow-treo. This plant produces a glutinous liquid like an animal. It frequently grows upon the barren sides of a rock, and has dry, coriaceous leaves. For several months in tho year its foliago is not moistened by a singlo drop of rain, and its branches appear entirely dried up. But upon piercing the trunk, particularly at tho rising of tho sun, thoro Hows a sweot and nourishing yellow juice, hav ing a balsamic perfume, with many of tho qualities of milk. In tho morning tho natives of the country, in which tins vegetable fountain grows, visit it with bowls, in which thoy carry homo its milk for thoir children. "So that this tree," says Humboldt, "seems to pre sent tho picture of a shophord distrib uting tho milk of his Hock." Tho Ara guans call it the cow; the Caucrguans tho milk-tree." Humboldt, Kiuith, and Brodemeyor saw tho fruit of this treo, but no naturalist lias yet soon tho Howor. Tho Board of Trustees of tho Now York Business Men's Moderation Soci ety havo resolved to abandon tho plodgo and principle of total abstinonco, and substitute iu place of it a principlo pledging thomsolvos not to uso as a beverage any intoxicating drinks stronger than 'beer, ale or light wines, aud those only in moderation, and pledges tho society to oxort its inllu onco in every honorable way possibio against the use of whisky, rum, brandy and other spirituous liquors as a beverage. Stored Encrgj. Tho public has learned to regard with V caution tho recent announcements of the largo possibilities of electric force, or rather of the practical application of this agent to new uses. Mr. Edison and other mon of science long ago be gan to promiso us that in a very short timo our houses would bo lighted with electricity moro brilliantly and cheaply than thoy ovor had been in any way; but the panic among tho gas companies soon passed away and stock again rules at high rates. It is no doubt true, however, that our hopes in this respect have been deferred through unlooked for obstacles to the practical applica tion of tho principlo and not through any mistako about the principle itself. Public places are actually lighted by electricity; and private places arc not yet so lighted only because of tho dilli culty of furnishing tho illuminating agent economically. Tho samo com ment upon other unfamiliar usos of electric force is just and obvious. It has long been believed that tho day would come whon railroad trains would be moved by electricity; but it is only just now that wo aro able to say that the day has actually come. At all events, the experiments made upon tho electric railroad near Berlin seem to havo solved the problem. But still moro wonderful results in this nrauoh of practical science aro reported. Tho world was astonished when Prof. Morse started an electric spark upon a wire journey and compelled it to record a message at its journey's ond. Hith erto tho varied application of the force has been a, mere expansion of this con ception, at least in this respect, that tho force has worked upon an unbroken line of operations. Its communications, so to speak, have not been cut. So far as this tho force which carries a mes sage from Now York to Albany, the force which runs through the canlo, be neath the Atlantic, and the force which by and by will light a whole city work in tho same uninterrupted way. But it seems to bo quite another thing lo pack electricity in your trunk at Now York, check it to Albany, and thoro make it to do, with unimpaired alacrity and ef fect, tho work which it would do here. Yet this is the startling result which our esteemed contemporary, tho London 'Times, has been instrumental in bring ing about. Other esteemed contempo raries have made themselves famous by getting early news of remote military movements news sometimes of which the commanding Generals concerned in thu events wore themselves ignorant; in piercing tho heart of Africa, and iu making renewed search for the polo. But if all which is suggested grows out of a recent journey of a correspondent of tho Timet from Paris to Glasgow, that newspaper has celebrated itself more successfully than anv of the others. On the Uth of May M. Fau re, of Paris, charged four batteries with electricity, " inclosed thorn in a wooden box measur ing a cubic foot and handed the boxto tho Times' correspondent, who seventy two hours later delivered it to Sir Will iam Thompson, of tho Glasgow Uni versity. The remainder of tho story is told by Prof. Thompson in a letter to tho Times: When the batteries wero taken from the box it was found that thoy had lost little or nothing of their stored electric energy. By measure ment and by other tests tho force was shown to bo when it arrived in Glasgow substantially what it was when it quit ted Paris. This, wo repeat, seems to be something very different from send ing electricity alo"ng a wire, whether to write a message or to light a lamp. In these cases the working of the force is unbroken between the place where it is evolved and tho place where it is finally applied; but in the latest case there is no such connection. In other words, the storage of electric energy, if it is an accomplished fact, may bo product ive of the largest results. When tho correspondent handed tho box to tho professor provided, of course, all that is suggested conies to pass ho may bo said to havo symbolized a coming revo lution in many methods of modern life. With stored energy every householder may keep his electric light supply in his own collar; with stored enorgy ships may plow their way across tho ocean without tho aid of steam or tho fuel which is consumed in creating it; with stored energy railroads may be oper ated freo from smoko and cinders; with stored energy manufactures may bo conducted on a largo or small scale Jl. safely and inexpensively; with stored energy coal may bo largely dispensed with, and the question, What will bo conio of England when hor mines aro exhausted? will bo of no consequence. Tho Times itself looks forward to this solution of tho problem with pleasing anticipations and hints at a London f smokeless aud clean, uneontamiiiatod either by tho solid or by tho gaseous products of combustion." It is unsul lisli enough further to show how Amer ica may turn stored energy to the most prolitablo account. Looking upon the Falls of Niagara as "the natural and proper chief motor of tho continent," it Bays that wo may yet see stored elec tricity, evolved by this enormous water-power, carried by eloetric rail roads to all parts of this country for use for all tho purposes for which coal is now directly or indirectly used. In that event wo" may have somo to spare for shipment to Europe. All of these things may happen, but consorvativo people will bear in mind the possibility that thoy may not hup- jiuii in mu iiiuu ui any person now liv ing. Still, who shall say? Ar. Y. Even ing Post. A number of the most fashionablo ladies in New York aro vicing with tho Chinese mandarins and lotting their linger nails grow without ever trimming them, then scraping them until they aro of a chalky whiteness. 'i i t -4 d
