Red ciond chieL.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY.
PIED CLOI'D.
NKIIUASIvA
Ucbraska Dotes
'
Notwithstanding alfalfa seed Ib worth
fiom ton to cloven dollars' per bushel
on the market, tho high price, linn not
prevented largo snk's being inndo.
When tho assessor come to bco you
don't get frightened. All hn iibIw Is
1 lint you tell him everything, Includ
ing nil your notes nnd mortRages.
Tho Healrlro Mnniifaeturlng com
pany, a novelty mniinfneturlng con
cern, lia been Incorporated vrlth a
capital stock of $100,000, or which $20,
OOO Ih paid up.
The TViumseh Miliary hand will glvs
public open ulr conc-crls dtirliiK tho
hcaxon of 1901, rItIiir their opening
coniert. In May. Tho band Ih In ex
ceptionally good Hhnpc rot" tho coming
eonculs and In practicing twice a
week.
Winter wheat In the vicinity of Ijiw
reneo looks Rood. Plenty of molKturt
has fallen to g4fo it renewed vigor
for rapid Rrowth'. Less than live
Inches of snow fell durlnrc tho past fall
oiiil winter, but thin fact In no way
retarded tho Rrowth of wheat.
Samuel I. (Inrdon ban again Imt In
the supieme court In nn effort to col--Irct
more Hillary us police Judgo of
Omaha, and In the opinion the court
tmld that Gordon iniiHt first establish
IiIh rlRht to the olllfo by quo warranto
procecdlnRS.
The board of mnnnRcrs of the Seward
county agricultural Boclety held a
inectltiR and tho report ofMhe secre
tary Hhowed that tho life, membership
subscriptions had been tho mcanH of
rellevliiR tho society from debt and
that the treasurer had on hand $201.
A youth went to It Ih first dance nt
Fnlls City and durlnR tho evcnliiR
danced with all the Rlrls preaent ex
cept four. The next day ho wrote a
note to each of tho four npoloRizIng
for his ncRlect, BayliiR that tho daueu
broke up before ho could RCt around
lo liicni.
Custodian L. L. I.lndsey of the Lin
coln Roveinmeut bulldliiR, baH secured
the consent of tho depaitment to re
move the sod from that part of the
government square to bo occupied by
the new building and patch up with it
the thin spots east and west of the
old bulldliiR.
The receipts of tho Fremont post-
office from tlwi salo of stamps and en
velopes in March wero $2,G00. For tho
year endliiR laBt month they exceed
$2.ri,W)0, This puts tho of lice one Rrade
hlRlier, and tho salary of Postmaster
Swiuihiu for the year beginning next
July will be $2,700.
It Is reportel upon Rood authority
that the Union Pacific railroad hna ex
pressed a wltlliiRncRfl to extend its
lino from Pleasnnton to GeorRetown,
a poslofllee some twenty miles east of
Callaway, providing HUflkicnt pntron
ugn'cuu be obtained tho warrant tho
mow. Tho farmers nnd stockmen In
the trinity of GeorRetown held n
mass mectliiR to see what they hud to
offer to secure tho road.
Mr. Ernest A. Hessey, of Lincoln,
writes that ho Is now In the northern
portion of the Great Sahara In Africa.
Me Is visiting ono of the oubcb for the
purpose of studying the conditions un
der which date palms prow. Tho Unit
ed States department of nRrlculturo la
trying to Introduce tho growth of tho
date palm in Arizona and It Is In the
Interest of thin work that Mr. Bessey
hns been sent to that rcRlon.
The annual report of tho chief of tho
fire dopartment ot Oram! Island dur
ing 'the year of 1004 shows that tho
city has had twenty-three fires, with a
total loss of only $i:i,r7.ri. and a net
Iokb, Insuranco deducted, of $2,400. The
cost of operating tho volunteer tiro de
partment was only $105.0.'!, keeping up
the apparatus not Included in this, nor
yet the oxpenso of the telephone alarm
system.
Tho l.ee brothers, of Stanton, who
understand trapping. In eight days he
cured along the Elkhoru near llatt 1 j
Creek SOU inuskrnts and 23 mink. They
made use of ISO steel trails.
Samuel II. Tophlm, of Mlnden, Neb.,
who resided at Falrtleld for six years,
was killed In the railroad yards nt
Hanover, Kan. He was acting In tho
capacity of head brnkeman and his
absence was not noticed until tho train
reached the adjoining station. The re
turn run was mado Immediately nnd
his body was found In the ard. lie
had probably fallen between tho cars
In walking over them, his limbs be
ing completely severed from his body.
A Binnrt young man at David City
las had tho virtue of wraetlty Im
pressed upon his mind. After tho young
inan had solemnly sworn he was not
the owner of any diamonds, the assess
or had hardly gouo out the door until
lie pulled a diamond pin nnd put It on.
Before the uBsossor had traveled half
the distance of one block ho was told
about the diamond, but said nothing.
The young man thought he had done
a remarkably clever thing, until some
one informed him that tho penalty was
not less than $50 nor moro than $2,000,
besides hnvltig 50 per cent added to his
lax, and that all tho deputy nssessor
need to do was Blmply report him. Next
dny tho young man hunted up tho as
sessor nnd had his diamond listed.
The farmers In tho vicinity of Swn-
berg along the Ixjkiiu aro organizing
to stop hunting. The hunters are too
rarelchH In leaving Rates- open nnd
driving ovt r and cutting up the
jneadows.
The beneficent effect of tho scaven
ger law has manifested Itself In two
directions. It has already brought Into
tho city treasuries of Omaha nnd South
Omaha and Into tho treasury of Doug
las county many thousands of dollars
In excess of delinquent taxes In any
previous year during tho same period,
nnd Incidentally hns given employment
to a sniull army of clerks.
Railroads kick
They Ack State Board to Reduce
Their Assessments
THE BOARD STANDS FIRM
llimril IIHh'Vt-R r'rnm lilr SI niilil lie
ill oil r'rulrriml lniirutir Hi"
i urllh'K Not In In- I'm ril
'Ihe llrst meeting of the state board
of assessment wns attended by railroad
tax commissioners and attorneys who
made brief Bpeevhos. Those who spoke
asserted that framhises should not be
taxed, although the constitution of the
state and the rcwnile law provides for
Kill ti taxation, and icqticsteil the boaid
to lower the aluatlon of Inst car be
cause It la too high and arRiitd that
the market prlio of Mocks and bonds
ha'i no relation to the value of tatiRible
pioperty. but became valuable because
of the "management" of the road
qurFtlon, or by reason of a cause cal
culated to give an artificial or inllatcd
value. Another road showed by Its
mannRcr that it mid never paid a divi
dend or made a pioflt. The board
listened to these haul luck stories and
other liifoiuiatlou which the lawyers
saw Jit to communicate. As the ma
jority of the tax commissioners and
attorneys were not prepaicd to speak
the board set May II as a day for a
general hearing of railroad Interests.
Those In attendance wne It. I). Pol
lard for the llurlington, A. W. Scrlb
ner of the Union Pacific. Cicorge T.
Matter of Chicago for the Hock Island,
J. C. Cooper of Topek-:t for the Hock
Island, L. S. HlRlileymau for the; Mis
souri Pacific. Krank P. Crandon, Man
ager Hldwrll and Peter Whiting for
(no Northwestern. T. II. Hetiton, ex
state auditor of Lincoln, for the Pull
man company, and .1. II. Agrr of the
Burlington, C. M. Hlgg of Ueatrlce,
who ban done much lobbying In the
legislature for corporations, gave the
leporters a quiet hint that he was
there looklriR after the Interests of the
farmc r.
After the open tnretlng 111'1 board
held an executive session and voted to
reject Attorney (Jeneral Proofs opin
ion holding Hint the lescrve or emer
gency funds of rraternal lusurnuce
companies are subjevt lo taxation.
Governor Mickey, Auditor Weston and
Sucrotary of State Marsh cited to re
ject the opinion and Treasurer Mor
tens n nnd Land Commissioner Foll
iner oted to adopt it. One fraternal
Insurance company has $.'100,000 of se
curities consisting of mortgages on
real estate, in this fund ami has It
deposit with State Auditor Weston
on
A CIRCUS CAR BURNS
Tlilrt)-TlniiHinl llullitr I.iihh Occur hi
I'linnm Ctly, Nrltt'iinkn
Campbell Ilros.' show pulled Into
Pawnee City, Neb., preparatory to giv
ing an entertainment. The keeper
went through tin elephant car to see
that atl was right for the night, when
the Rnaillno torch exploded and the
entire car was Immediately In flames
and all the animals In the car were
burned.
Four camels, three elephants, two
sacred cattle and a black bear per
ished. Tho loss Is estlniat.Ml nt about $:!0,
000, with no Insurance. The largo ele
phant, Venus, for which the Campbell
llrof. were orfered $12,(;00, was one
which was burned.
Fourth Coticrt'imliiiuit Cunt inl Inn
The democrats of the Fourth con
gressional district will meet In con
vention Tuesday afternoon, .lune 21.
nt York. Thin whs determined by the
members of the district coniniittre nt
their meeting at the Llndell hotel Lin
coln. The basis of representation will
be one delegate for e'ncli one hundred
votes east for Judge Sullivan. This
was dete:iiilned upon as the best basis.
after considerable discussion, the vote
for Congressman Stark being thought
by t-ome to be better, considering the
fact that It was a congressional vote
rather than n state vote. This will en
title the tenuities lo the following rep
resentntion: llutler IK, Fillmore 17,
Gage 18, Hamilton 11, .lefTerson 11.
Polk 12, Saline. 17. Saunders 21, Seward
17. Thayer la, York Hi.
I'unlrHi't l.i-t r,,r Kullrtuul
Secretary M.CIellnnil of Ohnnute,
Kansas, received a telegram from Gen
eral Manager Spooner of the Chanute
Memphls railroad announcing that th
contrnct had been let for the first six
teen miles of the reind. and that grad
ing work will begin at once. The build-
Ing of the road starts on the east end.
Colli? Ilrarlnc In .lime
The hearing of General I.. W. Colli.
In 111.. rn.ln...l .......... ..ii.
... .... .wKiui num. iii not occur
until the June session of the court
at Omaha. Governor Mickey hns been
In Omnha to consult with District At
torney Ilaxter concerning the case. The
court desires to await the result of the
examination of the records of the ail
Jutnnt geueral's olllco before proceed
ing to trial, .special Kxamlner Wig
Kins now is nt work on the books of
tne Colby administration and will file
a preliminary leport.
TEXT OF KINKAID BILL
I'lillotTlni; In Hie rrmlloti of thr New
lloiiittriul lllll for Nelinuku
The provisions of the new homcsfenil
law for Nebiaskti aro as follows:
"From and after sixty days after
the appioval of this act entries mndo
under the homestead laws In tho state
of Nebraska west and north of the
following line, to-wlt: Beginning at a
point on the houndnry line between tho
states of South Dakota unci Nebraska
where the first guide meridian west of
tne sixth principal meridian striken
said boundary: tbonco running south
along said guide meridian to Its Inter
section with the fourth standard paral
lel north of the haso line between the
utntes of Nebraska and KnnsaH; thence
west along said fourth standard paral
lel to Its Intersection with the serond
guide meridian west of tho sixth prin
cipal mcilcllan; thence south along said
second guide meridian to Its) Intersee
tiiou with (he thlid standard parallel
to Its Intersection with tho range line
between ranges 25 nnd 20 west of the
sixth principal meridian; thence youth
along said lines to its intersection with
the second staudaid parallel north of
the snld basn line; thence west on said
st.iiidard parallel to Its Intersection
with the range line between ranges 30
and ::i west; thence south along said
lines to Its Intersection with the iKiund
ary line' between the states; of Nebras
ka and Kansas, shall not cxcml in
ure'ii 010 ncres. and shall bo ns nenrly
compact in form us possible nnd In no
event over two miles In extreme
length; Provided, that there shall bp
excluded from the provisions of this
net such lands within the territory
herein described as In the opinion of
tho secretary of the Interior It may
be reasonable practicable to Irrigate
under the national Irrigation law or
by private enterprise, and that Bald
secrctnry shall, prior to the date above
mentioned, deslgnnte and exclude from
entry under this act Hie lands, partic
ularly along the' North Platte river,
which in his opinion It may be pos
sible to irrigate us aforesaid; and
shall thereafter, from time to time,
open to cntiy under this act any of
the lands so excluded, which, tipon
fuither investigation, he may conclude
can not be practically irrigated in the
manner aforesaid.
"Section 2. That tho entrymen under
the homstead laws of the United
States within the territory above de
scribed who own nnd occupy tho lands
heretofore entered by them, may, under
the provision of this act nnd subject
to Its conditions, enter other lands
contiguous to their sulci homestead en
try, which shall not, with the land so
already entered, owned nnd occupied,
exceed In tho uRgreRate 040 acrc; and
residence upon the orlRlnal homestead
shall be accepted as equivalent to res
idence upon the additional lnnd so en
tered, but final entry shall not bo al
lowed of such additional lnnd uitll
live years after llrst entering the same.
"Section a. That the fees and com
missions on all entries under this act
shall bo uniformly the same ns those
charRcd under tho present law for a
maximum entry at tho minimum price.
That tho commutation provisions of
the homestead lnw shall not apply to
entries under this act, and at the time
of making llnnl proof the entrymen
must prove atlirmatlvedy that ho had
placed upon the lands entered perma
nent Improvements of the value of not
less than one dollar nnd twenty-five
cents per aero for each acre Included
In his entry: Provided, thut. a former
homestead entry shall not be a bar
to an entry under tho provisions of
this act ot a tract which, together with
the former entry, shall not exceeel CIO
ncres: Provided, that any former
homestead entryman who hhnll be en
i.iled to an additional entry under sec
Hon 2 of this act, shall not have for
ninety days after tho passago of this
act the preferential right to make ad
ditional entry as provided In said sec
tion." An liuport.tiit Hfnilon.
In the opinion of many high In the
councils of Methodism the quadrien-
nlal si'sslon at Leis Angeles, Cal., will-
prove the mos4 Important of any In tlio
history of the church. Among the most
Important subjects aro the following:
What can tho church do on the
liquor question?
What action can the church take to
solve the race question?
Shall wordly pleasures such as
dnnelnp, Hientre-Rolng nnd card play
ing be condoned by tho church?
With which combatant in tho war
In the Orient nreeur sympathies?
What can bo done by tho church
to prevent, in the good name of the
country, tho crime of lynching?
Shall tho Itineraries of Methodist
ministers bo restored.
How many blshopB shall be elected
and how many retired?
Hoi; Mutual AMemitiient
The receiver for the Hog Raisers'
Mutual Insurance company, a concern
drganlml several years ago to Insure
against loss of hogs by cholera, will
apply to the court for permission to
levy an assessment. Tho company went
to the wnll during tho cholera epi
demic of 1900-01, and was placed in
chargo of a receiver. The assessment
probably will bo n heavy one, calling
for contributions from stockholders o
from $50 to $150, nccordlng to their Interests.
THE NEWSPAPERS GOT IT
K, P. KiiiIMi, rri'ftlilent Onlrul Ncwnrmi
per t'nlon, l)uti'ii)iirt, In., In Sluirl
Sr.O.OOO, Trim I I'uncU Lost Nrur-
ly 930,000 Trylnc to i:tublMi
n Itcmljr-I'rlnt llotmn
A Bpcclal from Davenport, la says
that statements and old papers
filed for record with tho record
er of Scott county, show Samuel F.
Smith, ex-mayor of Davenport, lo.,
triiBteo of the Davenport Carnegie li
brary, publisher of the Daily Repub
lican and son of the author of "Amer
ica," short In bis accounts with trust
funds ot $50,000. Smith signed over to
XV. C. Putnam and A. V. Vadcrvcer
nil of his property in Davenport, in
cluding stocks In local companies am.'
real estate.
Mr. Smith has long held the confi
dence of tho people. Uls residence If
tho finest in the city.
It Is rumored that the greater part
of the shortrtfie was caused by the ut
tempt of Mr. Smith to establish a
house to furnish leatly-prlntcd sheets
for country newspapers. The Central
Newspaper Union was started about
three years aRo by J. X. Hrands ns
manager und Mr. Smith us financier.
The ready-print business was run for
three years at a loss. It Is stated that
the total loss up to the time he sold his
Interests was In the neighborhood of
$30,000. Mr. Smith Is ill, ills daughter
Ib In a hospital and has wife nearly
heart-broken. Smith has made a (uJJ
confession.
SHE PLAYED NO FAVORITES.
Qoth Parents Hard Hit by Rebukt of
Younaiter.
A well-known mining man of San
franclsco who has a country home in
San Mateo county Is the father of a
flvo-and-nihalf-year-olel girl who Ih ns
"sharp as a steel trap."
A few days Blnce the father was
About to leavo home for the city when
his wifo, In the presence of the child,
asked her husband for some money.
The mining man slowly put his hand
In his pocUet and, taking therefrom a
half dollar, remarked, "Darling, that's
all I've got Just now."
Tho mother pouted, looked dis
pleased nnd was about to say some
thing when the little one, looking up
Into her mother's face, Bald; "Mamma,
If you dldu't go to that whist club so
often you wouldn't huvo to ask papa
fcr money."
Tho hushnnd patted tho little girl
on the head and Rave hlB wifo a
Rlanc.e that meant "didn't I tell you to
keep away from tho club," while
there was a look of supremo satisfac
tion on his countenance. Uut that
soon faded away when hn heard the
child say: "Now, pupa, If you didn't
smoke so many two-bit cigars you'd
have money to give mamma when sho
aeeds It."
It was then the mother's turn to
smile.
A TYRANNICAL USURPER
Governor Jnmes II. Peabody is de
clared to be a usurper In a letiRthy
brief filed before the supreme court of
Colorado by Attorney Kichardson In the
to Ireland gave him better- ncqualnt
habens corpus case of Charles H.Moyer,
president of the Western Federation of
Miners, who Is still held ns a military
prisoner nt Tellurlde.
Governor Peabody Is compared by
Hlchardson to a soldier drunk with
power nnd his nctB In trying to sus
pend the privilege of the writ of luu
bens corpus to tho acts of tyranny
practiced on the people en England by
the olden kings.
The legislature alonp, Mr. Hlchard
son says, has the authority to deter
mine when the conditions require tho
suspension of the privilege of tho writ
of habeas corpus nnd then suspend It.
DEATH IN A BOX CAR
Threo men and a boy weio burned
to elenth In a box car In tho North
Western yards at Council HI tiffs. They
were believed to have been tramps
trying to steal a ride, but no clue as to
their Identity has been obtained, as
their clothing was practically de
stroyed. The car wns discovered to
be on flro while being switched, and
the cries of the men for help wero
heard by trainmen, hut nil four suc
cumbed to the ttantes before they could
ho reached, Tho car was filled with
bedding nnd It Is presumed the flro
started by the men smoking.
Her Self-Sicrlfice.
He (after tbo proposal) Hut I'm
afraid I am not good enough for you,
darling?
She Of courso you aro not. Hut you
aro too good to bo thrown away ou
any other girl.
Tho man who boasts that he has
never made an enemy must be a
human Jellyfish.
A widow lived in a Russian town
Surrounded by high grass;
She had three sons, thro nervy ones,
ICnch worth his weight In brass.
When Japan got Ray, she sent theni
away
To answer the Cnrsky's call.
Said she, "I yearnsky for their re
turnsky,"
But the didn't return at all.
Onco In n while a man has so much
money Hint he feels he can lenlly af.
ford to be honest.
I POULTRY
Lice and Mites.
Somo years ago tho Farmers' Re
rlow sent out an Inquiry to Its poul
try readers asking what were tho
leading causes of losses among the
early broods of chickens. It wns no
surprlso to tho editor when tho reply
came bnck that tho Rreatest causo of
Iobs to chicks was lice an mites.
Some of tho poultry raisers ostlmatcd
that no loss than 'M per cent of all
the chicks hatched wero nnnually
killed off by theso two pests, of which
the mites were the worst. It Is safe
to say Hint If any fnrmcr can manage
to cxtermlnto those Insects nnd keep
them out of his flock ho will Increase
tho profits from his poultry nt least
50 per cent, without anything else be
ing done.
Tho body llco of fowls aro quite
easily kept off by tho use of a dust
hath and by tho uso of grense on the
bends, around tho tail feathers and
under the winps. Perhaps some
should bo put at the base of tho wing
feathers. These body llco become
smeared with tho grense, their pores
become filled and death quickly fed
lows. Not bo easily handled nre tho
mites. Ono would have to keep the
birds covered with grease all tho time
and all over to protect them from the
ravages of theso little pirates. The
mites do not stny on tho bodies of the
birds In the daytime, but go onto the
birds at night, fill themselves with
blood and scurry back to their hiding
places under tho roosts between the
cracks of tho boards, and under any
object that gives them n hiding place.
To grease tho birds every dny would
kill tho birds themselves In time and
would be a task not to be thought ot.
Tho Insects must then be fought on
tho roosts and In their hiding places.
Onco they have become established
tho task of getting rid of them is a
colossal ono, ns many of our readers
have discovered. Wo have seen poul
try houses In which wc believed this
could not bo dono on account of the
Irregularity of construction. When
houses aro loosely thrown together
there arc so many seams and cracks,
so many apertures behind silvers, so
mnny rotten holes In posts, to say
nothing of nail holes and knot holes,
that a pest of this kind can become;
thoroughly Intrenched, Fire nnd ker
oscno and paint arc tho three chief
weapons for carrying on the fight. A
well-built poultry houso permits of
the uso of paint for closing the cracks
and for tho use ot flro In cleansing
tho roosts, provided the roosts are
movable and can bo taken out of
doors. Where tho poultry houso is of
cruder construction thick whitewash
should bo used liberally till the fresh
ly slaked lime has filled every cranny.
Fortunately lime is cheap and can
bo used ad libitum.
Young chickens should not be al
lowed to sleep in n poultry house
where it is known that mites oxlst,
ns tho parasites aro almost certain to
find them and sap their vitality with
out tho owner over suspecting it. If
the chicks are put In a place by them
selves, of courso In tho caro of the
old hen. they will bo out of tho reach
I of tho mltcs. Tho only parasites to
bo guurded against then will bo tho
body llco. Uso only lard for this and
do not overdo it, putting on tho lard
as wo have Indicated for tho old hens.
Kerosene Is not necessary, and It Is
too harsh to apply to tho very tender
skins of tho chicks. Farmers' He
view. Age of Market Birds.
Nothing Is more Important to Iho
Average buyer of poultry than to know
how to distinguish good and bad, old
and young birds, says II. W. Atwater
of tho United States Department of
Agriculture. A good, fresh bird shows
n wcll-iounded form with neat, com
pact legs and no sharp, bony angles
ou tho breast, Indicating a Inck of
tender white meat. Tho skin should
be a color (yellow being preferred In
tho American market) and free from
blotches und plnfentbers. The flesh
should ho neither flabby nor stiff, but
should glvo evenly and gently when
pressed by tho finger.
In a fresh bird, tho feet feel moist,
soft nnd limber, and It dressed with
the head on tho eyes look bright and
full. As It becomes stale tho eyes
shrink and the feet dry nnd harden;
when too stale, I. e., when decomposi
tion is well under way, tho body turns
dark nnd greenish. Cold storage birds
aro commonly packed so cloBely that
the wings remain pressed against the
body even after tho birds have been
unpacked for somo time. They can
usually bo distinguished by the
squeezed look from fresh birds, which
should lie or hang In a natural posi
tion. One of tho commonest ways of test
ing tho ago of dressed poultry Is to
take tho end of tho brenstbono farth
est from tho head between thumb and
finger and attempt to bend It to ono
side. In a very young bird, soy a
"broiler" chicken or a green goose,
It will ho easily bent, like tho cartl
lago In tho human car; In n bird n
year or so old It will be brittle, and
in nn old bird tough nnd hard to bend
or break. If tho feet aro left on the
carcass they furnish it test of tho
age. In a young bird thoy nro soft
and smooth, becoming hard and rough
as tho bird grows older. Tho claws
are short and sharp in a young bird,
becoming longer nnd blunter with ngo
and use. Tho spur nbovo tho foot Is
also to bo observed; when tho bird
Is vory young, like n "broiler" chick
en, It Is hardly apparont; n few
months Inter It Is long, but straight.
In a maturo'stato It Is larger still and
crooked at tho end. It Is more de
veloped in males than In females und
enpons. Turkeys up to a year old
nro said to hnvo blnck feet, which
grow up to three years old and tJnn
turn gradually gray and dull. Tho Ifso
of pigeons enn sometimes bo told by
tho color of tho breast. In squnbs
the flesh looks whitish as seen
through the skin, but becomes more
and moro purplish as tho birds grow
older. Red foot aro said to be a sign
of ago in a pigeon.
Hatching Chicks.
In hatching wo commonco In Jan
uary, using both hens nnd Incubators.
Wo tako cracker boxes cut In two,
place dampened earth In the bottom
shaped into a nice nest to fit tho hens
and fine chnff from timothy hay on
top of this. Straw docs not do, as It 4
Is so loose. Tho air circulates through
It nnd londB to kill tho gorm. Wo
use Insect powder plentifully during
Incubation, testing out tho infertile
eggs utter tho tenth day, which must
bo dono for best results. Dead
germs und Infertile eggs nro damng
lng to tho live germs, often killing
them.
Tho fnct that tho Orpingtons want
to set every month in the year en
ables us to havo plenty of broody
hens. Also to get tho best results
from our Incubators, wo set a cufll
clout number of hens nt tho samo tlmc
and on tho nineteenth day havo our
incubators all ready and transfer tho
eggs. Every fertile egg Is thus
hatched out and wc can utlllzo our
hens right over again.
Wo feed a dry food only until the
chicks are old enough to altornnto
with cracked wheat, corn, oats, etc.
J. W. Hastes, Knox Co., 111.
Testing Vitality of Seeds.
Owing to tho unfavorable season ot
19011 many kinds of scods failed to
mature properly and It Is probable
that thcro will bo many disappointed!
growers during tho present season.
Prof. W. M. Munson, horticulturist to
the Maino Agricultural Experiment
Station makes tho following sugges
tions, whereby It Is posslblo for every
fnrmer to know Just what to expect
from his corn, oats, peas, clover or
other crops, und to plan accordingly.
If ho knows that only B0 per cent ot
his corn will germinate, It Is an easy
mutter to plant twice ns much; but It
ho plants tho usual amount and gctB
only half a stand, tho case Is much
moro serious.
A simple test of the vitality of any
farm or garden seeds can bo mnde as
follows: Place 100 seeds, taken n
random from tho Btock which Is to her
planted, on a dish of sand, cover from
V- to 1 inch with snnd, moisten and
keep In a warm place, as behind tho
kitchen stove, until tho sprouts ap
pear. The number of sprouts which
appear will give an Idea of tho per
centage which may bo expected to
grow. Caro should bo taken that the
seeds aro kept moist, but not too
wet. It is advisablo to mako more
than ono test, and be guided by the
average results. A test ot this kind
Is moro valuable than ono In which
tho seeds arc placed in blotting paper,
for seeds may sprout on paper which ,5.'
do not hnvo sufllclent vitality to grow.'
The Maiden Blush Apple.
In Its report on crab apples, tho
Virginia station Includes tho Maiden,
Blush, of which It says: This is an
old variety of American origin (?).
Tree a fairly vigorous grower, forming
a roundish head, limbs havo a tend
ency to interlock. Trunk and limbn
rather stocky; trunk at base measures
18 Inches In circumference, at head 10
inches. First bloom noted In 1893;
and first fruit In 1895, but this variety
has never homo a heavy crop of frult.
Fruit rather largo for crab; color n:
greenish yellow ground with beautiful
lilac colored blush on exposed cheek.
Flesh creamy white, crisp; llavor
quite acid but nenrly freo from nstrln
gency, quality good. Ripens in Sep
tember. The unproductiveness of tnis
vnrlety Is Its greatest drawback; we
do not recommend It.
Will the Cattle Feeder Disappear?
Senator Harris of Kansas recently
expressed the opinion that the pro
fessional cattlo feeder will disappear,
at least on the high-priced lands caPt
of tho Mississippi river. Ho says that
It will no longer pay n man to pur
chase feeders at n high prico, put
expensive corn into them and sell
them on the market at tho prices cat
tle are now bringing. Tho man that
raises tho calf will ho tho ono that
will market him as a finished steer
and get out of him all thcro Is in
him. In this way ho will, In addition
to his other profits, savo tbo cost of
two railroad hauls.
Got a Job.
Tho spirit which condemns a person
without a trial received a fine rebuke
from Uenjamln Franklin, when, a boy
of 19, ho visited London.
He wns In search of work, and, hav
ing learned the printer's trade, went
straight to a printing office and made
known his errand. The foreman was
rather supercilious, and said: "Ah, a
lad from America seeking employ
ment as a printer. Well, do you real
ly understand tho art of printing? Can
you sot type?"
Young Franklin Btcpped to one of
tho cases and, in a brief space of
time, set up those words from the
first chapter of John's gospel:
"Nathaniel Bald unto him, Can any
good thing come out of Nazareth?
Philip ualth unto him, Come nnd see,"
Tho text couvoyed a delicate re
huko, and the work waB dono so quick
ly and accurately, that,a poBltlop, was
granted him nt once.
Pigs, ns woll as all other nnlmnls,
requlro a variety of food. No slnglo
nrtlclo of diet can over in Itself meet
till Iho requirements of an animal's
sybtem.
-yR.
"J 7