FARM FACTS.
All feed should be tested In the
spring to see If It will grow. To test
It put 130 grains In dnmp cloths. Keep
them dump. PInce In n wnrm room or
hear the window. Don't cook them. In
a few days you enn bop what percent
arc have oprouted. nnd 'hus know
what to expect from tho Feed. It pays,
do It.
SUBSOIL YOUR LAND.
Exhaustive poll moisture teats nt tho
Iowa experiment station showed Inst
year thnt spring plowed land contained
an average of 16 per cent of moisture
(sixteen pounds In every 100): foil
plowed and aubsolled land contained
18V6 per cent; and fall plowed not nub.
oiled contained 1BU. This was tho
average of the whole season. On July
10 the percentages were: Spring plowed,
U: fall Plowed. 12; fall plowed and
spring aubsolled. 18. Spring plowed
bents fall plowed, but by all means
aubsoll If you possibly can.
DON'T SELL YOUIt CALVES.
More than tho usual attention should
this season bo paid to the raising of
calves for the use of the dairy. Last
year there wns a largo demand for
this kind of stock nnd there Is renBon
to auppose thnt It may continue at least
a year or two longer. ....
Farmers should raise enough of their
best heifer calves for the use of their
own dairies, nnd If they can do more
than this there will undoubtedly be a
ready demand for them, provided they
are of the kind wanted.
Tho raising of milking stock for tho
dairy It an Importnnt feature of the
business nnd should receive more than
ordinary attention. Care should bo ex
ercised In selecting the most promising
animals for raising thnt Is, from tho
best milk and butter producing stock
and If there Is not enough of those on
the farm It will pay to get them from
other sources.
All should remember that It costs lit
tle If any more trouble to raise a welt
bred calf than an ordinary one, nnd
It may prove to bo worth twice or three
times ns much.
TEACHING THE LITTLE PIGS TO
EAT.
do very well. The Spanish varieties,
the Mlnorcns, Leghorns, Hamburg,
etc., should be hatched In May for the
best results.
MONEY MAKES MONEY.
Pigs should bo taught to eat ns soon
as possible, not only for their own good
but for the good of their dams. A good
way to accomplish this la to place a
small trough near by their dam's quar
ters and where the larger pigs ennnot
have access to It. Put a little sweet
milk In this trough once or twice a day,
tan ivnoh tii trniich once a day to pre
vent It from becoming sour and stale.
As soon as tho pLu learn to drink tho
milk freely, a little oil or oatmeal, beans
or shorts may bo mixed with the milk.
If this manner of treatment Is pursued
with the pigs It not only proves to be
of great benefit to both tho pigs and
their dam during tho flrit eight or ten
weeks of the pigs' life, but they can be
weaned sooner and at the same tlmo
do much better than If otherwise
treated. Allow, or rather, encourngc,
the dam to take plenty of exercise with
her pigs; if Bhe does not have a dlspo
attlon to take the needed exercise pro
vide two feeding places a proper dis
tance apart. This will teach the pigs
to follow their dam nnd in n short tlmo
ho will glvo them all tho exercise they
need, which will not only help to de
velop bono and muscle In the pigs, but
will prevent their becoming too fat and
having the thumps, which Is often tho
caso if tho dam Is well fed and a good
uckler.
Discard tho swMl barrel commonly
used for kitchen Biop nnd use buckets
Instead, cnrrylng them away nnd feed
ing the contents before they become
tale or rancid. Rinse the bucket with
pure water and allow It to air while
not In use. Motalllc buckets will an
swer a good purpose.
An old farmer said the other day thnt
every cow should be fed and cared
for according to what she earns. An
old German, who heard him, said:
"Veil, der cow she understand dot gnme
yoost so veil as you. She glf yoost
cordln' to what she clt."
BUTTER FLAVOR, HOW TO GET IT.
Flavor in butter Is almost wholly de-
Sendent upon tho growth of proper
acterla during the ripening of tho
cream. What la wanted Is to obtain
a "seeding" of the proper kind of
flavor-producing bacteria. This enn bo
ilnno In n. vnrletv of wnVB.
If any neighbor Is producing (finely
flavored butter, get some fresh butter
milk from him and use It ns n starter
to ripen cream enough for one churn
ing. If this churning turns out satis
factory uso some of the buttermilk for
the next churning and In addition let
It come In contact with all the milk
f tails and enns. Scatter some of it
n the stable and rub It on tho uddera
f the cowa. In short, try to Infect
the whole premises with thla desirable
species of bacteria.
Many farmers will take this sugges
tion to be foolishness New England
farmers those nre. Every butter maker
In the west should follow the nbove
directions. Have the best nnd get the
moat money for It, then you will get
there.
EARNINGS FROM COWS.
A Kansas farmer submits the fol
lowing report on his seven cowa for
the year 1807:
Number of pounds of milk Bent to
the creamery 25.420
Cash received for same $111.00
Number of pounds of sklm-mllk
returned to farm, 18,000 18.00
Cheese made from Sunday's milk,
100 pounds 8.00
Butter and milk consumed at
home 20.00
POULTRY NOTES.
Re ready for spring.
Feed soft food In cienn troughs.
Fresh air and exercise Increase the
egg yield.
Darkened nests nre a sure euro for
egg-eating hens.
April hatched chicks nre the most
profitable to raise. They lay egga in
the fall nnd winter.
Cut clover hay la n nhmble egg food
and will go n long wny toward keeping
the biddies In healthy laying condition.
Skim milk Is next In value to fresh
meat ns nn egg producer. It may bo fed
alone or mixed with ground grain in
tho morning mash.
When fowls nre Judiciously fed, made
to take exercise and their quarters
clenn nnd free from vermin, there Is
Fcldom any trouble from any sIckncrB
thnt is not caused from contagion.
When the combs nnd wnttles nre of a
bright rod color It Is a sign of good
health.
Thoroughly sprnylng Inside of coops
with pure kerosene Is a good prepara
tion for tho new broods tbnt are to oc
cupy them. Chicks nrd lice cannot be
profitably raised together.
When fowls He nround Indifferent to
their surroundings nnd are sluggish In
their movements, they are too fat, nnd
death from npoplexy. Indigestion or
liver complaint will result unless tho
trouble Is remedied.
Aa n rule, tho smnller breeds Medi
terranean nnd their allies lav earlier
thnn tho Aslntlc, Cochin, Brahma,
Langshnns, etc., but from six to eight
months Is the usual time, and the moat
satisfactory In tho end.
One broken egg in the nest, If Its
contents nre carefully distributed by n
fidgety hen, may Bpoll the entire hatch.
Tho thing to do next, and ns soon as
discovered, Is to wash the Bound eggs
In warm water and renew the neat. Re
member this!
If the fowl hns a bilious look, with
nlternnto nttacks of dysentery nnd con
stipation. It Is suffering with liver com
nlalnt. Lnck of grit, over-feeding nnd
Idleness will cause this trouble. Green
food In good supply has a tendency to
avert It.
Cholera never bothers ducks, neither
does roup nor gapes. Hawks do not mo
lest them. They lay more eggs and
will hatch better than hens. With good
feeding they can be made to weigh five
pounds In ten weeks nfter hatching.
It Is estimated that 40.000.000 eggs are
used bv tho calico nrlnt works each
year. Photographic establishments use
millions of dozens, nnd wine clarlflera
call for over 10,000,000 dozens. The
demand from these Bourcea Increnses
faster than the table, demand. They nro
used by bookbinders, kid glove manu
facturers and for finishing fine leather.
John Jacob Astor Beoomes Klng
Rogentof Boautlful Honduras.
John Jacob Astor Is back from Hon
duras with fresh landholdlng laurels
to bouflt of.
His family already own about 845
acres of real estate In New York, which
would apparently content the most am
bitious. But he now adds to this 000,000 acres
of the richest coffee, fruit and timber
lands In the world. Besides this Mr.
Astor runs the custom house.
The eyndlcato In which Mr. Astor Is
bo largely Interested, has the Honduras
railroad In Its control. This road, white
now only forty-seven miles In length,
cannot, running night and tiny, do nit
the business offered to It. In the ban
ana business ulonu It keeps three steam
ships per week running to New Orleans
and two weekly to other points.
Two hundred colonists have gone to
Honduras since the syndicate began
operations last November nnd every
steamship from New Orleans now la
bringing from twenty-Jive to fifty set
tlers. Most of them are fruit growers
from Florida. There are a lot of farm-
TRIMMED WITH DIAMONDS.
Anna Gould's Wrapper Worth Six
Thousand Dollars.
Tho young Countess de Castelllan
has n tea gown trimmed with diamonds.
Think of HI a negligee robe costing
a small fortune!
It has Just been designed for the
countess by Worth. It is a tea gown
as gorgeous as a ball costume, nnd
Is the most elaborate negligee gown
ever made by Worth.
Anna Gould, since her mnrrlage to
Count de Castellnne, has been famous
for her marvelous gowns. Her ward
robe hns been the envy of every titled
lady abroad. No expense has been
spared, and each couturlere whom she
has employed lias been given enrto
blnnche to carry out his most artistic
Ideas.
Tho tea gown which Worth has Just
finished shows many novelties. The
robe la made of heliotrope velvet
crinkled according to the latest fush
oln. The long strnlght front la of
crenm color mouesellne de sole nnd
cascades of cream silk lace.
The front Is bordered with n. most
I fiYfllllalt A trltnmlni. nnHHll.. -
era from Illinois and ranchers from nnffv ini.nt r xvuf,'.. r,i,.. ..i,7
. v it a. v. iV.UIIIVIO VUUUl
EVERY FARMER'S WIFE A BEE
KEEPER. Many a weary house mother exerts
hercclf to put up rows on rows of
Jellies. Jnms and canned fruit, often In
the extreme heat, when the samo
nmniinf of time, more healthfully spent
out of doors, v ould supply her family
with a like quantity of sweets quite
ns wholesome and palatable to the
avcrago household. Of course a var
iety is dcslrnble, and we would not
do away with the time-honored pre
serve closet; but Its dainties might
well bo diminished In qunntlty and sup
plemented with those which require
tin mnnlmilntlon. Esncclnlly where
there nre children It Is desirable to
have o supply of natural sweets honey
nnd syrup as It Is notlcable that a
child can eat much more freely of
these than of candy or Jams without
111 effects.
A LESSON FOR FARMERS.
Total $187.00
Another farmer does better:
"In 1896 we milked twenty cows and
put In the factory (besides what was
use in tho family) a little over 5,000
Eounds per cow, which, at 60 cents per
undredwelght (which is a little less
than the average price for that year),
irlves ua $30 per cow for milk, besides
the calves and the whey for hogs. The
BEE NOTES.
Look through every colony for a
queen early In the spring
Remember that strong colonies nre
the ones that give big yields.
A colony will Boon dwindle out in
the spring If the queen Is missing.
Queens can be reared In the spring
as soon as the drones arc flying.
A hlv full of bees In March, if
healthy, means several hundred pounds
of honey In June.
Don't hurry In taking the bees out
of winter quarters, but wait until all
danger Is over.
Contract the Bpace In the hives to
Bult the size of the colony, especially
when weak.
Keep the entrances to all hives con
tracted In early spring. It will save
numerous cases of robbing.
See that the bees have a watering
place. If there Is no convenient plnco
hundy, furnish one for them. Bees must
hove water every day.
To stop robbing, throw nn old blan
ket over the hive being robbed. Raise
the corner to let tho robbers out and
the owners In occasionally.
Chnnge your stock of bees every few
yearH. It la no trouble to secure good
queens very cheaply, and that there Is
great difference In the working quality
of bees is a certainty.
Bees are really very profitable and
but llttlo expense la connected with
them, nnd it la strange, indeed, that
mnro nponle do not keen them. Beea
work for nothing nnd board themselves.
If your bees are cross nnd you can
not handle them, but get stung every
time you go near them, procure your
self a good bee-smoker nnd you will bo
surprised how easy nnd how soon you
become master of them.
Bees gain more rnpldly In strength In
spring If fed frequently. They may thus
be made doubly profitable at a small
expense when the season nrrlves for
honey-gathering. It Is only the strong
est colonies that gather the largest
yields and pile up the tons of honey for
their owners.
Texas and a group of twenty Cubans
have started a tobacco planting colony.
Mr. Astor, when he reached Puerto
Cortes in his yacht Nuurmuhal, on Feb
ruary 24, paid his first attention to the
railroad. Ho went up to the terminus
at PotrcrllloB the first day und came
back on the bicycle inspection car. He
talked with Chief Engineer Luckie that
night, and the result was that the pres
ent line will be relatd to standard
gauge nnd the plans for the narrow
gauge extension to Amnpnla on the
Pacific coast changed to correspond.
With tho road completed there will
be a few more millions set to Mr. As
tor' s credit.
Mr. Astor spent a whole day in In
vestigating the customs service. His
syndicate controls the whole export nnd
import business of Honduras by guar
anteeing to the government $500,000 a
year. The ayndlcate has agents In
every custom house, spies along the
border lines and revenue cutters along
the coast.
Since November, when they took con
trol, the wholesale smuggling that hud
gone on for years has been stopped,
and the duties received Jumped up In
the first month more than $12,000.
On the third day Mr. Astor and his
party attended the ofllclal opening of
the syndicate's bank, which Is started
with a capital of $500,000. Tho bank
will have charge of the customs receipts
and will pay off from them, under a
new bond issue, the debt saddled upon
Honduras by a lot of foreign sharpers
thirty years ago. It Is this great debt,
$25,000,000. that has kept HonduraB un
developed and so far behind her sister
republics.
With few exceptions, Mr. Astor's com
panions in tho great Honduras syndi
cate are millionaires. Those who have
reached that comfortable limit arc Dr.
W. Stewart Webb. Walter II. Webb.
General J. G. McCullough. George S.
Scott, F. Goett and William Radcllffe.
Tho two last named gentlemen aro
Londoners.
The people of Honduras are foolishly
delighted with the chances opened up
to them by the coming of the American
syndlcnto, and from all along the north
coast they gathered to greet the Nour-
mahal. They were astonished at her
size and elegnnce when she steamed in
at 10 o'clock In the morning of February
84, and when Mr. Astor announced that
visitors were welcome they simply
swarmed aboard.
At Santa Cruz the party visited the
sixty new coffee plantations, all owned
by young Americans. Each plantation
had from 10,000 to 60,000 trees, and their
owners will, after the fourth year, have
incomes ranging from $2,500 to $15,000
a year. Mr. Astor was especially In
terested In the coffee plantations and
questioned around until he was
thoroughly well up on the subject. He
knows that coffee made the fortunes of
the other Central American republics,
and there Is no reason why Honduras
should not make hers and another one
for him out of It. There are many
acres of fine coffee land In the syndi
cate's 500,000.
"It may as well be understood right
here," said one member yesterday,
"that the syndicate 18 not a charity or
ganization. We will not take settlers
down fiee, nor give them land nor
lend them the money with which to
start. We want succesful farmers and
mechanics and tradesmen. We want
persons who know their business and
We are quite willing to talk business
with all such."
The Astor properties In Greater New
York are figured at $100,000,000. It is
estimated that the final fixed value of
this Honduras land will be $2,000,000,000,
making a total of land values of $2,100,-000,000.
nere iuiu mere wun diamond orna
ments. The effect of the diamonds
glistening among the' feathers is ex
quisite. The feathery trimming reaches
from the shoulder right to the hem
of the gown.
The crinkled velvet sleeve Ih small
and laid in tucks townrd the top. And
on ench shoulder a cluster of artificial
llowerB Is fastened. On one shoulder
are a few Bprays of velvet purple and
white orchids, and on the other Is a
modest bunch of violets. The gown has
a long train and an Indescribable air
of regal elegance.
This tea gown Is remarkable for
many reuBons In addition to Its costli
ness. It Is trimmed with diamonds an un
common trimming, to say the least, for
a negligee robe.
It Is made with a close-fitting sleeve
Instead of the conventional flowing
sleeve of the average tea gown.
And artificial flowers are used to add
to its beauty.
A tea gown trimmed with flowers Is
almost as great u novelty us a tea
gown trimmed with diamonds.
ANECDOTES OF EDISON.
SQUAN CREEK FOLKS.
It is not a pleasant duty for the fatth
ful Journalist to take a pessimistic view
of the condition which confronts those
who are engaged in productive industry.
As we all live on what trows out of
the ground; nn the farmer r.tards in the
front rank between the beneficent ruler
of the universe and humnn society,
feeding the whole world with the bread
of life, all are Interested In his pros
perity. If IjIs labors are attended by
abundant crops and he has a good mar
ket ofr his surplus Industry he is quick
ened Into new life. The miner, me
chanic, merchant und manufacturer
acknowledge their dependence upon the
cultlvntora of the soil for their well
being. It will not be disputed that In tho
ownership of the homes Is the founda
tion of liberty, civll.zatlon nnd progress.
Hence prosperity and happiness depend
very largely upon the Individual own
ership of the ho .ead. There Is no
assurance of the ( .jietulty of free gov
ernment when mo tnrm tenant Is not
nlso the landlord. It Is a sad, but
well authenticated fact that the num
ber of the real owners of homes and
farms In the United Stntcs is diminish
ing, while the percentage of rented
homes Is increasing. A few decudes ago
the great majority of the population
were home owners und were in a creat
measure free from Incumbrance. Today
the number of tenants Is feartully large.
The census of 1S90 reports a popula
tion of about sixty-three and a half
millions, of 12,000.000 families of five
members each, or an average of that
many homes owned or rented. About
8,250,000 occupied hired homes or farms,
and only 2,190,000 occupy their homes
free from Incumbrance.
Eighty-four per ceent of the total
number nre the occupants of hired or
mortgaged homes. Fifty years ago the
United States was a nation of home
owners, and today 70 per cent are
tenants.
It Is an unwelcome and startling truth
that in this our great republic, boast-
lnir of Its frp InstltlltinnH nnd tron
homes, the percentage of Its dependent my breath; but I must say I think It's
population Is greater than in any na- , mighty bad taste to bring a lie inte
tlon of the civilized world with the this meetln house."
Blngle exception of Great Britain. It I , Pears like you hired that young,
is astonishing and alarming with what Innorcent boy to cum here and sing
ruiuuiiy tenant iarmers are mu UDiieu --- " "- "." "'
While thar Isn't a town on the Jcrser
ioast which Is piling up tho barns and
houses nnd populashun to equal Squaa
Creek, and while thar' isn't another
town of Its size In America with so
many fust class liars, thar ar- sum
tilings to be looked to with eorer and
regret. All threw tho winter of 1890-91,
Amos Schofleld, president of the board
of trustees and commodore of the flsh
In fleet, was practlcln' on new lies
about whales. He had bin our shark
liar fur three y'ars and had done so
well that he was to be promoted.
In the spring, as the Ice went out of
the bay, Amos begun his whale lyln'.
A meetln' of the Liars' club was called
and he stood upnnd got off &xrh a whop,
per that tho applause broke out three
winders nnd tore up the floor. It was
a sleek, slick yarn, and he was praised
and complimented 'till he had to buy
a bigger hat to put on his hend and
put lead In his butes to keep his feet
down. The He had had a week to git
around town, when Sundny cum nnd wo
nil went to meetln'. The preacher was
glvln' us a powerful sermon on Dan'l
In the lion's den, when Peter Joslyn'a
boy stood In the door of the meetln'
house nnd called out that a big whale
was plowin' around the bay. Everybody
Jumped up, but the preacher stopped
preachln and says:
"All of you sot right down agin.
That's the tall-end of Amos Schofleld'a
new He, and I'm surprised that you
didn't ketch on to It."
Everybody set down with a thump
and a grin, nnd Amos himself Inughed
'till the tears run down his cheeks.
The boy hung around, however, and
he told Sllns Tompkins and Dan White,
who sot nigheat the door, that he'd
Been the whale hlsse'f and the critter
was good fur Blxty bar'ls of He. They
told him to go away, and when he kept
on talkln about that big whale, Silas
went out and cuffed his ears and drly
him off. When the preacher got threw
preachln' he turns to Amos and says:
"Beln' as I've bin preachln' again lyln
fur the last fifteen years, and It hasn't
nun no good, I'm no longer wnstln
in the United States. Between 1SS0 and
1890 the number of owning farmers de
creased in every New England state.
In the six New England states the own
I never did."
Then It suddenly struck everybody
thnt the sun went down thar wasn't
a man In thar might be sunthln' In tho
Some Literary Fotlohos.
Charles Dickens had a curious
caprice. He professed that he could not
write with ease nnd pleasure unless
certain bronzes were upon hl3 desK,
When thev were there the shuttles In
yield of milk Is nearly double what we the wonderful web of fiction tlew with
u..!... AlraY. iranra n ff nihan Tva flrsf ' mnctpnl mnldltV. lie needed threfl
things blue inK, quia pens ana nis
received eight years ago, when we first
started dairying in Kansas wun range
cows. Our cows are nearly all grade or
thoroughbred HolBteln now. The past
year we milked about twenty-five cows,
and put In the factory over 133,000
pounds of milk, over 5,000 pounds per
cow."
Fellow Farmers, how much milk do
your cows average per year? Are your
cows paying as good a profit as they
Should, or are they only boarders?
Advices from London give accounts
ef the largest cheese ever made, which
was recently exhibited at a convention.
The cheese In question welghd 22,000
pounds or close to ten tons.
EARLY CHICKS LAY GOLDEN EGQS.
The whole story of getting eggs In
Winter, when they nre costly, can be
solved Into three simple rules: First,
hatch the chickens early: second, keop
thorn growing so the pullets will come
to laying maturity by November 1:
third; keep them laying by good food
and good care. When I say hatch chick
ana early, I do not mean too early, be
cause If hatched too early and If they
Ss to laying in August and September
ity will moult In December, Juat as the
weather is becoming very cold, and
then good bye to eggs from then till
April. For the heavier varieties, such
as Bruhmas and Cochins, the last of
March Is none too early, but the Lang
nans, Plymouth Rocks and Wyan
aottes I would hatch the first of April
U possible, though during April will
fetiches.
A lady who hns visited the Norwe
gian dramatist, Henrlk Ibsen, at home
has informed the world that In pre
cisely the same manner he uses a queer
collection of copper unlmals.They crowd
upon his table grotesque cats and rab
bits and other bits of clever modeling.
Isben finds In their companionship a
help and spur, and he Is emphatic In
saying that If they vanished he should
produce no plays.
Jules MIchelet, the French historian,
a tremendous toller through a long life
time, had a strange love for the course
boxes In which he kept his papers. He
preserved them with him unchanged in
his study for forty years. However
damaged and begrimed they might be
come, and thla waa inevitable, he would
not have them changed. Probably their
presence seemed to assist his flow of
Ideas. He was equally faithful to an
old dilapidated table cover. Holes and
Ink stains were not detrimental to its
value in Mlchelet's eyes.
In the case of Haydn, the composer,
a ring was the fetich. If he had It upon
his finger he could think brilliantly;
If ho missed It all his skill seemed
gone. He often declared that without
this trinket he was curiously dull. He
might Bit down to an Instrument, but
all creative power, he would find, bad
, departed from him.
The Pope a Socialist.
It is stated, writes the Rome corre
spondent of the London Dally Mall,
that during his recent brief outing In
the Vatican gardens Leo XII. camo
across an assistant gardener who was
digging the soli. His holiness is al
ways anxious to study under Its prac
tical aspect the problem of Just remun
eration for the workman, a subject on
which In more than one encyclical he
has developed broad minded theories.
"My good man," he said to tho gard
ener, "how much do you receive a day
for your labor?"
"Two francs, Your Holiness," was the
reply.
"And how many children have you?"
"None. Your Holiness."
"And does your wife also work for
her livelihood?"
"Holy Father," said the laborer, "I
have never been married."
"Then, my good man," he said, "I
shall give Instructions that from hence
forward instead of two francs a day
you will receive a franc and a half,
and that half a franc will be added to
the wages of some other workman who
has a wife and family to support."
His holiness seemed pleased with his
own decision, but he absolutely failed
to observe that the gardener remained
astounded, and was very far Indeed
from sharing In the pope's generous en
thusiasm over the solution.
i ii ... .1 i m i
Dog Carried a Watch.
A story Is told by George W. Griffin
of Henderson county of a shepherd
dog owned by him, which certainly
demonstrates the superior Instinct of
this little wooly creature over most
species of the canine family. "One
day." said that gentleman. "I was
driving along the public highway and
the dog was following me. I met some
old friends and while conversing with
them unknowingly dropped my watch
from my vest pocket. The watch had
a short piece of leather attached to
It, which answered for a fob. As soon
as the chat ended I got into the buggy
and drove on. I had driven half a
mile or more when to my astonishment
When the general office of the Edison
company was sturted in New York
there was always a box of good cigars
on the Inventor's desk, and these were
at the service of all his friends. One day
Mr. Edison complnlned to a friend that
his hospitality was abused, that he
could never keep any of his Havanas,
and, ns he could never, by any possible
chance, think to lock his desk, ho did
not know what he should do In the
matter. "Why," said the friend, "I can
help you out In that. I have an In
timate friend In the business, and I will
have him make you up a special box
of cigars filled with cabbage leaves and
all Borts of vile-smelling stuff, that will
cure your friends. Edison thanked him
nnd straightway forgot all about the
offer. Two months or more passed
before he again met his friend.
"Ah!" waid Edison, "you never
brought me those queer cigars for my
menus.
"Yes," said the man, "I certainly did,
two weeks after I saw you, and I left
them with your manager."
"Well," said the great Inventor,
"thnt's strange. I wonder where they
can be."
"Let me Inquire of your manager,"
was suggested. And they did.
"Why," said that person, "I packed
them In your valise, Mr. Edison, when
you went to California."
"Great snakes!" exclaimed Edison,
"then I must have smoked them my
self." And he had.
The spirit of fun never leaves him. He
conducts a great many of his chemical
experiments In open-mouthed tumbles-
ordinary thick glass flat-bottomed,
kitchen tumblers. On one occaslon.when
he had used over four hundred tumblers
In an experiment, which hud proven a
complete failure, one of his assistants
said: "Well, Mr. Edison, what shall we
do next?" Mr. Edison scratched hla
head a moment, and then, looking at
the array of glasses, he slowly said:
"Well, I think the first thing to do is
to get some more tumblers."
The play of Edison's mind Is as won
derful as the characteristic way in
which he does his reading. Outside of
his technical reading he never reads
a book unless it is spoken of to him
by his wife or a friend. Then he sits
down and reads until he has finished it.
One evening he hapened to be unusually
engrossed with some "problem," and
was nervously pacing up and down
his library like 'a caged Hon.
To divert his thoughts his wife came
In and picked up the first book she saw.
It happened to be the "Count of Monte
Cresto."
"Hnve you ever read this story?"
said Mrs. Edison to her husband.
He stoped and looked at the title.
"No, I never have. Is It good?"
Mrs. Edison assured him that it was.
"All right, I guess I'll read it now,"
and within two minutes the "problem,"
whatever it was, had been forgotten
and he was absorbed in Dumas' great
Btory. As he finished the book ho
noticed the light of day peeping in,
and on looking at his watch found It
was 5 o'clock In the morning.
No sooner had he laid down the book
than the forgotten "problem" Jumped
Into his mind, and putting on his hat
he went to his laboratory and worked
unceasingly, without food or sleep, for
thirty-six hours.
On one occasion, when he was called
to Chicago, a "thought," as he call3
his problems, came to him as he reached
the railway station In Jersey City, He
took his seat in the train und was soon
In deep study. When the porter called
out "Chicago!" Edison turned to a fel
low passenger with the remark that the
porter mu3t be Joking, ns they had only
just gotten outside of Jersey City. The
"wizard's" mind was so concentrated
upon the problem that the twenty-four
hours seemed but a fleeting moment.
Ing farmers diminished 24.177 and the . 8,tory' a"d.,a rus,h ivas "iade fur tne
tenant farmers increased 7,246. do?r1 ana ,e wharf. What our eyes
Ohio, Indlnna and Illinois. In the de-I r,V"o ""A ,b a It, . i J. V
cade, lost 31,259 owning farmers and ; J,"8,? Cr!k'A thumPIn big whale
gained 48,864 tenant farmers. as cum l:Uo the bay and couldn't
In Iowa, when public lands could bo ""dJ'1 L ?Sl JtFm.r . t n
obtained without charge until very re-1 P'0"1 " nf 5 nSSnS'
cently, the number of owning farmers " a I"?' "5 adPIperad w5
lnnrn.L.1 1 r.ol ,1 tv, numkr nf tnn.l PatS P Ut ff0m Plne C0Ve OJd
Thinking of Good Times.
Love ter think o' good times comln'
Birds a-slngln', bees a-hummln',
All the cattle In the clover,
An' the blue skies bendln' over.
Roun' my way they're allers drum-
min
Regiments o good times commin'I
Love ter think o good times growln'
In the sunny seed I'm sowln':
With the lark aroun me wlngln'
Voices o" the reapers slngln';
An' the whole creation hummln
O" the good times comln comln'.
Love ter think o good times smllln
Like yer sweetheart's lips begullln'.
Stars up yander wnnr tne mue is
I noticed the dog was trotting along Daisies dreamln' whar the dew Is,
close behind the vehicle with the watch
hanging from his mouth by the leather
strap, which he held firmly between
his teeth. Of course I made haste
to stop and get out of the buggy. As
I did bo the dog came up to me wagging
his tall, seemingly conscious and proud
of what he had done. This, though,
la just one of the many Intelligent acts
to that little animal's credit"
ah the world In chorus hummln
O' the times the good times comln I
ant farmers Increased 16.562.
In forty-seven states and territories
the number of owning farmers In
creased 158,951, and the number of ten
ant farmers increased during the samo
decade 599,937. The reader should bear
in mind that these great changes from
owner homesteads to tenant occupant
took place during a period when farm
lands In all the states had fallen In com.
merclal value from 20 to 60 per cent.
The reliable historian, Archibald Alli
son, tells us that In the seven years Im
mediately following the demonetization
of silver by the British government the
number of land owners fell from 160,
000 to less thnn 30,000. Nearly all the
farmers of England are today tenant
farmers who hand over to the greedy
and avaricious owners all their earn
ings except a meager subsistence. Eng
land boasts of her unbounded wealth.
She has the Interest bearing debts of
the United States to the amount of
over $3,000,000,000 (all payable In gold).
It Is no wonder that England has a
larger proportion of dependents or ten
ant families than any nation In tho
civilized world, nnd It is no marvel that
the United States stands next in the
list In tho percentage of pauperi fup
ported by charity. If our Gape and
McKinley succeed in establHhln-j 'he
single gold standard the United States
will soon surpass England and stand
at the head of th list of the nations In
the production nnd support of the pen
niless poor. Young as Is the United
Ktntes she can furnish a list of multi
millionaires whose acquired wealth is
greater than that of any stalo where
the laws of primogeniture and entail
ment are established. The decline In
the commercial value of real ef-tate
which Is very rerldly changing farm
ownership into tenant occupancy, is n
recognized fact. This is not mora
mniked han the shrinkage In nil the
products of human industry. The farm
owner whose home is incumbered with
a small debt which he reasonably ex
pected to irt br the sale of his
surplus crop finds that the markot
Vinuo of his homestead and th products
of his labor have both depreciated lu
iiri.i. whinn wet eaulvalent to nn in
crease of the Incumbrance. The holder
o' the mor-gage has no use or tho
farm and ho very generously propf-aca
to take the title and rent tha fnrm
to the despoiled owner for a mon-;y
rent, with an understanding thnt it
will he rcctnveyed upon the impossible
condition of his paying the debt with
interest. This Is the way the farm
owner becomes a tenant.
It is a hopeless undertaking for a
farmer to :ld htn land of an inovni
brance by th eal of his products when
evciythlnc he owns or can cieato by
1,1s labor is constantly depre-dufne; in
its value. The purchasing power of gld
ar.d fixed Investment in bond3 is rapidly
growing. A gectieman who has given
much attention to the statis:lcs fur
nished in the census report saya that
the average value of crops oi isiJ line
year that silver dropped from coin
age) waa 85 per cent greater than in
1S93. If the farm products of 1S93 could
be sold at the prices prevailing in 1873
they would bring the farmers nearly
$1,500,000,000 more than the price real
ized. What a vast army of hardy
inriimtrimia fnrmprs would have been
emancipated from debt and been made
arm owners instead of farm tenants.
The cotton crop of 1893. at the price
of cotton In 1873. would have been
worth to the south $490,000,000 Instead
of $184,000,000, its actual value In 1893.
The corn crop of 1893, at the price of
1873, would have yielded to the farm
ers $660,000,000 Instead of $412,000,000.
It is not a very comfortable thougnt
to those who must pay the great war
debt by their labor that It will take
twice aa much corn to pay the balance
of the debt than it would to have paid
every dollar or it wnen u wua uu-
tracted. , , , .
This article is already too long. We
could, and we will In the future, give
our farmers mucn more to mum uuuui.
before they are summoned to the polls
to decide whether the policy shall be
continued which is swelling the num
ber of tenant farmers and multiplying
the number of bankrupts, paupers and
tramps. We say to the farmer, who is
staggering under a load of debt, that If
be, after knowing the facts, will vote
to maintain the gold standard he will
richly deserve whatever of financial
calamity may befall him.
Love ter think o' good times sorrow
Ain't no factor in tomorrowl
That's my country, allers Bhowln
Streams with milk an' honey flowln'I
An my heart's ferever hummln'.
Music o' the good times comln' I
Chicago Times-Herald.
The great painter, C. F. Watts, Is now
painting an angel with bowed head and
despairing figure bending over a mar
ble tomb covered with bird's wing
while a spirit of evil grins below. He
feels very strongly about the fashion
pf wearing the piumaje oi oiras
harpooned him, nnd they was towla'
him to the beach when wo got out o
church. Thar' was fifteen men of 'cm
and they made $60 apiece outer that
whale, besides gettln' lots o' praise la
the newspapers. When we cum to Ag
ger up how we'd missed It, everybody
wns flghtln' mad and went to flghtln',
and when Squan Creek who hadn't
licked sumbody and bin licked hls
self. Amos Schofleld wns thumped
around 'till he couldn't git out of bed
fur a month, and from the day he got
out doors to this date he has never
told nnother He about a whale. He
went back to shark and purpolse lies
and stuck to 'em, and the boy whe
was cuffed fur tellln' the truth died
of grief that spring and had a funeral
purcehun half a mile long.
Two y'ars later we had a worse ease.
Salathlel Yates, who had bin our liar
about wrecks fur over ten years got
rheumatism and had to cum inland.
This left the poslshun vacant, and at
a meetln' of the club Ceasar Wlnflel
Thomas was elected to fill the vacancy.
He wasn't much of a liar, going mostly
on clams and crabs, but he went u
to Keyport and took lessons of a cousla
fur two weeks, and when he cum back
he was purty nigh the top of the ladder.
His line was to He about wrecks, and
nobobdy could hev done better. He
started ofr with a He about a trama
steamer goln' ashore on White Flsa
Point, and n lot of men makln' $501
apiece salvage money, and he told It
so naterally that some of us thought
we could hear her engine puffin'.
One night, two or three weeks after
Salathlel had blossomed out, all of us
went up to the town hall to see a game
of checkers between Jete Joslyn and
Zadoc Tallman. They were both champ
ions, and It was a game fur 50 cents
In cash. Sum of us war fur one side
and sum fur 'tother. The game begua
at 7 o'clock, and at 10 we was still
holdln' our breaths and bettln' our
Jack-nlves, when Wldder Jones, wh
lives nlghest to the point, cum to the
door outer breath and says to Jlst
Wheatley:
"Jim, I'm sure thars a big steamer
ashore down on the pint. The feg
is as thick as puddln" down thar, but I
heard the rumpus when she drlv up oa
the beach. Thar's a big sea a-rollla'
In, and if you fellers hustle out you'll
git salvage fur sure."
"That's a beautiful He,' ain't It?
laughs Jim. When Ceasar fust tola
it I could almost hear the steamer
crunchln' the gravel. That's goln' te
be the best lie out of Squan Creek fur
the next y'ar."
"But I tell ye thar's a steamer
ashore!" says the wldder.
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughs Jim.
"And ye want to tell the crowd aa
git up nnd hump yerselves."
Jim laughed ngln and the wldder flew
mad and went oft home. That game
o' checkers wasn't finished 'till purty
soon almost daylight, and when Pete
Joslyn was declared the winner. We
was all out on tne street ana reaay iw
go home, when somebody looks to
wards the bay and yells out:
"Gorry mighty, but thar's suntnla
ashore on White Fish Pint!"
"It's a steamer!" yells sumbody eloe,
and then we started. We had five
miles to go and the sand waa deep,
but everybody put in hla best licks and
we got thar in a bunch. It was a
tramp steamer, or what was left of her,
fur she was about broke up. Thar
was dead bodies and carge all along
tho beach, and thar was twenty men
ahead of us savin' more carge. It was
the same gang ns got our whale. They'd
been workln' all night and had the
right of way. The boss of 'em cums
over to us as we halts and says:
"Wall, kin we do anything to make
It pleasant fur ye7"
So thar's bin a wreck?" Bays one or
our crowd. . .
"Jest a leetle one Jest big 'nougn t
jive us about $1,000 apiece salvage
money You Squan Creek fellers do
git up some mighty cute lies about
whales and wrecks, but when It cums
down to bllln' out lie and savin' carge
you don't seem to be in it."
Them two things sot the liars or
Squan Creek back over five y'ars, and
Bum of 'em havn't pulled up ylt; and
thar ar mean 'nuff folks at Barnagat
and Brlgantlne who ar mean 'nuff to
say the hand o' providence was In It"
An old tunnel 60 feet below the leyel
of the streets of Edinburgh, has beea
used for the past ten years ac a place
for the cultivation of mushrooms. It
furnishes a constant temperature and
an absence of light, and so successful
has the propagation been that the
Scottish Mushroom company 1b said to
be in control of the British mushroom
market. They raise 5.000 pounds at
I mushrooms each month.
X
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