ALL THE PORTS BLOCKADED
UNITED STATES NAVY AT
CUBA AND PORTO RICO.
Nations Notified to Stand Off-Tho
Call For yoluntaors-Tho Embar
go Proclamation What Is Liable
to Solzuro.
Washington, D. C, April 25. Thero
In a notable retirement from the navy
department In the enne of Captain
Bradford, chief of tho equipment di
vision. Captain Bradford In not only an offi
cer of high scientific attainment, but la
equipped with great pactlcal experi
ence in naval matters. Although ho
lias not held IiIb present office long
and, by custom, Is entitled to nearly
three years of further service here, ho
lias become so Impatient to Join In
active service, that ho todny addressed
the following letter to the president:
"I respectfully tender my resignation
as chief of the bureau of equipment of
tho navy department. It has been a
great pleasure to serve during your ad
ministration, nnd 1 beg to oxpress my
thanks for the honor conferred on me,
by your appointment to such a respon
sible office. This resignation Is tender
ed only that 1 may ask for active serv
ice afloat."
Captain Bradford addressed a similar
letter to Secretary Long, with the ad
dition of a request to have command
of an active warship. The resigna
tion will be accepted, and by virtue of
his rank, an well as to mark the high
regard entcrtnlned for him by the ad
ministration, Captain Uradford will bo
given one of tho best of the available
ships In the navy.
The naval ofllcers welcomed with
pleasure the manifestation of pntrlot
Ism on tho part of a distinguished New
York citizen by tendering to the gov
ernment, without compensation, his
speedy steam yacht.
ADDRESSES TITO POWERS.
Following up tho formalities begin
ning with the blockade proclamation,
the state department addressed nn
Identical note to all of the represen
tatives of foreign nations, accredited to
Washington, notifying them of tho pol
icy to be pursued by this government In
the matter of privateering nnd neutral
ity. This was followed by the sending of
cable messages to all American em
bassies and legations nbroad, containing
tho same Information In a little more
succinct form, for presentation to the
governments to which they are nccrcd
itcd.
In brief, It declares that our govern
ment will not resort to privateering;
that Spain's goods In neutral bottoms,
Bave contraband, are exempt from seiz
ure, and that blockades to bo binding
must be effective.
These nre tho principles laid down In
the agreement of Paris In 185G.
UNCLE SAM NOT ANXIOUS.
The otilclals are not disturbed at tho
Beml-ofllclal note from Madrid that
Spain will refuse to be bound by the
same principles nnd forbid privateering,
for they are satisfied that the great
commercial powers will not tolerate the
practice under the Spanish Hag.
Inasmuch as there exists a great
amount of misapprehension, not only
among foreign countries, but also
among American Bhlppers, as to tho
lharacter of merchandise that Is contra
band and liable to seizure during tho
progress of war the following authentic
statement has been obtained from a
high oillctal:
Contraband of War In determining,
according to the law of nations, wheth
er merchandise Is contraband of war,
It Is classified:
First Absolute contraband.
Second Occasional, or conditional,
cotnraband.
Third Goods not contraband.
The first class includes all goods of an
essentlnlly warlike character.
The second Includes provisions, naval
stores, horses, certain kinds of machin
ery, certain forms of steel, Iron, etc.,
which n-e subservient to warlike use
and which are destined for the use of
tho enemy. They are contraband, or
not, according to occasions, character,
shipment and destined use. Every such
caso depends upon its own fncts.
The third class Includes nrtlcles, mu
sical Instruments, household wares and
goods and other such like articles, and
Including many that are purely mer
cantile In character.
No article of merchandise Is contra
band unless transported beyond the
territorial waters and Jurisdiction of a
neutral state; nor unless destined for
an enemy's port, or for an enemy's use,
or for an enemy's ship on the high
seas, which belligerent ships are per
mitted to police, In search of enemy
ships and contraband of wnr.
No final and exhaustive definition of
contraband articles can be given. They
are changing with the progress of In
ventions. Some nrtlcles were formerly
contraband which are not now; and tho
converse Is true.
Each belligerent government Is com
petent to determine what It will treat
as cotnraband. Its prescription of con
traband nrtlcles Is conclusive. If such
prescription should be made in out
rageous disregard of International law
or trade rights neutral states affected
would probably Interfere.
Neither belligerent can treat goods
as contraband In violation of his treaty
stipulations with a neutral power. Any
one desiring to ship goods to a foreign
port In neutral vessels would profitably
consult any existing trentles between
Spain and the government of that port.
The belligerent right of capture as
against a neutrnl exists only either In
a case of contraband of war or of ene
my's goods aboard of a vessel In viola
tion of an effective blockade and In
other analogous cases where the con
duct of neutrals Justifies the bellgerent
In treating his property as an enemy
properly.
If Spain ndheres to the principle,
"free ships, free goods," as this gov
ernment proposes to do, only contra
band goods nre subject to capture In
Buch ships.
QUESTION ABOUT HAWAII.
Inquiry at the navy department as to
the story that our government had ar
ranged for the seizure of the Hawaiian
Islands and the establishment of a coal
ing station In Hat?uil failed to secure
any positive statement on the subject.
There Is good authority for believing
the story Is exaggerated and that all
that has been done Is to provide for
the establishment of a coaling depot
and Its adequate protectlno.
The naval otilclals feel every confi
dence In the ability of the Oregon and
Marietta, not only to protect themselves
from the Spanish gunboat Temerarlo,
but to destroy that craft If she ever
comes within range.
The limitation of the blockade In
Cuba to a certain part of the Island
was not officially explained, but one
plausible reason advanced for the gov
ernment's action was that by refrain,
lng from establishing a blockade over
the eastern portion of the island, un
derstood to be practically In the con.
l-ol of the Insurgents, tho way has been
left open for them to freely receive all
needed supplies and munitions of war.
MUST BUY HOUSES.
A formal order was Issued by the war
department Increasing the equipment
of light batteries of artillery to six
guns, six caissons, one combined forgo
nnd battery wagon, nnd 1(0 horses.
Tho enforcement of this order will re
quire 1)00 additional horses, which tho
quartermaster's department will pur
chaso In Tennessee.
For purposes of transporting tho
army to Cuba, tho quartermaster gen
eral's office has under consideration tho
question of tho charter of ships, hav
ing tho carrying capacity of 50.000 men.
No charters, however, have been closed.
In the engineer nnd ordnance bureaus
work was being conducted with tho
grentcst possible speed toward the com
pletion of projectiles and the Installa
tion of big runs. All tho available ma
terial In the way of guns and carriages
Is being utilized and the ofllclals ex
press satisfaction at tho results ob
tained in tho short space of time at
their disposal.
BURNED THE PRESENTS.
Spaniards Don't Succeed In Buy
ing Off domoz.
Washington, D. C, April 25. Estrada
Palma, tho representative of the Cuban
republic In this country, gave mo tho
following letter from General Maximo
Gomez, received rcconr.y:
"Grent things have been done. Tho
essential thing now Is to triumph.whlch
will be great glory to the victor, who,
like David of Biblical fame, destroyed
Goliath with only his sling and stone.
Blanco and Pando have sent mo emis
saries wtlh presents. Tho presents I
burned before their eyes, nnd I told
them If they should ever return I would
hang them. Tho poor men were most
astonished, nnd 1 have since learned
that they refused to come back a sec
ond tlmo unless they would be permit
ted to remain with my nrmy. I hnsten
to tell you this so you can know tho
Infamy of the Spaniards.
"One year ago there was no clem
ency, no quarter. Women, mothers and
children were mnde victims of tho
Spanish. Tho soldiers of Weyler wero
taking with them everywhere desola
tion and ruin. By means of the helio
graph tho Spanish generals sent sol
diers everywhere through the Island.
Generals Luque, Uulz and others de
stroyed cattle, horses and even tho
palm trees. The 200.000 men then In tho
island disputed tho privilege of who
should kill tho most. Not one peace
commissioner came. But all to no pur
pose. We mnde their troops valueless,
the heliograph and enemies' cannon of
no account. I
"All our fields hnve given us bountl- ,
ful fruits, while hunger reigns In tho
cities. We do not know where the Span- I
lsh army has gone. I wns then men- '
tloned as tho 'so-called.' Today they
address me as 'distinguished adver
sary.' Why this change. The answer
Is simple. It is thnt the Spaniards sco
that their cause Is lost and they are
trying to gain time to prepare for tho '
Inevitable. 1 shall continue to fight
with the same energy as In the past.
Victory will crown my efforts.
"MAXIMO GOMEZ, I
"General Commanding the Army of
tho Uepubllc." ,
Women Nurses Not Wanted.
Washington, D. C, A.irll 25. The sec
retory of war and the surgeon general
of the army Issued an ultimatum that ,
Is calculated to create a sensation
throughout the country.
It Is the unalterable decision, not only ,
not to employ trained or volunteer wo- ,
men nurses for the care of the sick and
wounded In the war with Spain, but not
to recognize them In any way. ,
To more fully comprehend what this ,
mcnnH It must be unde-ntood that even
should bnnds of volunteer women
nurses, trained or otherwise, go to Key '
West or to any of the stations at which
the government ships for the Kick nnd
wounded sailors and soldiers are locat- .
ed, they will be Ignored.
No proffer of their services, however
strongly backed by official or other (
kind of Influence, will avail In the
slightest degree to niter this decision.
Women as nurses ure not wanted In
this war.
DRUM TAPS.
A royal decree has been gazetted in
Madrid calling out 80,000 men of the re
serves of 1S87.
The first step toward putting the
militia of Maryland on a war footing
wns taken yesterday.
Governor Cook anounces that the
Connecticut brigade will be recruited to
a war footing at once.
Secretnry Long has laid down a hard
and fast rule forbldlng Information
concerning fleet movements. ,
People In Sheboygan, Wis., are mak
ing a rush to buy groceries, looking to
a rise In prices owing to war.
The colunlal government in Cuba has
published a manifesto calling upon tho
Inhabitants to "repel the Invaders. '
Governor Lowndes has promoted Ad
jutant General Wllmer to be major
in command of land and naval reserves
of Maryland.
Tho Spanish-American war Is bet
tering the market In England. Ameri
cans gained a quarter and holders are
not Inclined to part with It.
A Spanish financier has subscribed
$50,000 towards the fund which tho em
bassy of Spain In France Is raising to
strengthen the fleet of that country.
The Spanish stenmer Montserrat left
the Canary Islands April 15. with a val
uable cargo for Havana. She will
prove a rich prize fur a United States
cruiser.
The British steamship Aloedlne,
heavily laden with provisions, Bailed
for Havana today. Her captain said ho
did not believe the Aloedlne would
reach her destination. She sailed from
Southampton.
The British admiralty has ordered
that the bills of lading of all ships
carrying naval stores shall be accom
panied by a certificate showing tho
stores are government property, In or
der to prevent the possibility of their
confiscation.
Advices from Honolulu under date
of Hth Inst, state It Is rumored that
Minister Sewell and Admiral Miller will
take formal possession of the Islands In
the name of the United States as a
coaling station on the 15th. It was Im
possible to confirm tho rumor before
the steamer Rio Janeiro left Honolulu,
brick pnvlng to do on South Sixteenth
nnd West Farnam streets, beside gen
eral repair work which will kcp a large
force of men busy for some time.
Indianapolis, lnd.. April 25. Con
tingent upor. the call of the president
being received here, which Is fully ex
pected, the governor and national guard
officers completed all ararngements for
mobilizing, the 3,600 men of the Indiana
guard at the state fair grounds in this
city. The entire guard can be mobil
ized in ten hours.
An Independent volunteer regiment of
1,000 men hns been raised and the gov
ernor has applications that would raise
an army of 50,000 nren in twenty-four
hours.
SPAIN MUST FIRE FIRST
A STATE OF SEIGE OUR PRES
ENT PLAN.
To Starve Havana Out OnoThou
aand Marinas on Cabanas--Pow-ers
Notlflod-Portugal Warned In
Regard to Neutrality Laws.
Washington, D. C, April 25. It de
volves on Spain to make the war an
active one. If Captain Sampson's Heet
Is attacked he will retaliate. If he is
not attacked, the ports on the north
ern coast of Cuba will bo blockaded
until the troops In Havana have been
starved out, and our landing force has
secured a firm foothold on tho iBland.
Commodore Schley Is expected to sail
from Hampton Roads at any moment.
Ho Is to blockade Porto lllco with his
squadron. Rear Admiral Dewey, In
command of the Asiatic squadron, Is
steaming for tho Philippines, which ho
will endeavor to seize.
Tills Is the program as It stands.
Schley's squadron will convey tho
transport Panther, carrying 1,000 ma
rines, to Captain Sampson's fleet, when
the Panther wilt bo dropped nnd
Schley's squadron will proceed to Porto
Rico.
The first landing will bo made at
Cabanas, which Is slightly to the west
of Havana. A detachment of marines
on board tho Panther will be utilized
for this purpose. They will throw up
earthworks behind the town. A gun
boat will lie off, and if Spanish troops
appear, Bhell the attacking columns.
The next landing will be made at Ma
rlel, slightly closer to Havana. What Is
to be done at Cabanas will bo done at
Marlel.
This operation will be repeated at
Bahla Honda, which Is the town next to
Havana. In each case the landing force
will bo protected by an American ship,
and proceed to the landing of each
force, the neighboring country will bo
shelled, on the theory thai Spanish
troops may bo concealed In the woods.
If these landings ar successful, efforts
will be made to take Matanzas and
Cardenas In the same way.
TO AVOID BLOODSHED.
The Idea Is at present to slowly force
our way into Cuba, with as little blood
shed as possible. It Is not expected that
the Spaniards will endeavor to make a
decisive engagement in fnct, this plan
makes it almost Impossible for them to
do so.
In the course of a week, or perhaps
two, 14,000 or 10,000 of the regulars will
3 R P shrdlu etaoln Bhrdlu u
be Introduced at these points. The vol
unteer forces will all be massed at
Chickamnuga and put through drill for
at least two weeks. There Is a disposi
tion on the part of some ofllcers to drill
the volunteers for a month before send
ing them to Cuba,
All of these plans may be upset by
some unexpected nctlon of the enemy.
The enemy always does the unexpected
nnd the program of the administration
will depend almost entirely on the ma
neuvers of the enemy.
The proclamation declaring a block
ade of the northern coast of Cuba Is, In
the opinion of international lawyers, a
practical declaration of wnr.
ASKS FOR AN EXPRESSION.
The president has notified all the Eu
ropean and South and Central Ameri
can countries of the blockade in Cuba.
He also expressed his desire that some
expression of neutrality emanate from
each of these countries.
The state department sent a copy of
this communication to the ministers
and ambassadors of these countries lo
cated In Washington. Every country
on the face of the g'obe will declare
her Intention of remntnlng neutral.
The notice to Portugal, it is under
stood, differed from the otlur notices
sent. It called attention to the fact
that tho Spanish flotilla Is outfitting, re
palling and recuperating at the Capo
de Verde Islands, a Portuguese posses
sion. The Intimation is strongly given that
In view of the state of war which ex
ists It Is the duty of Portugal, under
the neutrality laws, to force the Span
ish flotilla to leave this neutral port.
An Immediate answer to thl3 is ex
pected. PLAN OF NAVAL CAMPAIGN.
To Seize Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Phllllplno Islands.
Washington, D. C, April 25. The
American general plan of campaign
contemplates the blockading and ulti
mate seizure of Cuba by Sampson's
fleet; the blockading nnd ultimate seiz
ure of Porto Rico by Captain Schley's
squadron, and the blockading nnd ulti
mate seizure of the Philippine Islands
by tho Asiatic squadrcn, under the com
mand of Rear Admiral George Dewey.
The latter's llagshlp Is the Olympla,
a protected cruiser. Ills squadron com
prises the Boston nnd Raleigh, cruisers;
the Baltimore, a cruiser of the first
class; the Monocacy, Petrel and Con
cord, gunboats, and the McCulloch, rev
enue cutter.
The Spanish lleet at the Philippines
consists of the cruisers Relna Christina,
Castilla, Velasco, Don Juan de Aus
tria, the gunboats Paragua. Ullot, El
Cano, General Lezo and Marques del
Duero, and the transports General
Alva, Manila and Cebu.
These vessels nre gathered around
Manila. The gunboats Balluzan and
Leyte are at Taal Lagoon. The gunboat
Otalora Is nt Lagnoroy bay. The gun
boat Callmalanes Is at Balabac and the
gunboats Samar. Marlveles. Mlndodo,
Milero. Pampagann end Araqet are at
the southern extremity of the Phil
ippines. In numbers the Hi inish lleet In tho
Philippines exceeds that of the United
States, but our deficiency In numbers Is
more than compensated for by tho ef
ficiency of our vessels, In size, speed
and armament.
The Jacoblnes Favor America.
Jacoblnes favor the I'nlted States In .
the coming wnr between that country !
The Pals, the Jacobine organ, says:
" nt it'1,1. V,a 1Y..I..,1 .....
which is giving Europe a daring exam- ,
pie or limiting sacriuce tor a peoples
liberty."
' ! I f - 1 , .
The St. Louts Consul Has Cono.
St. Louis, Mo.. April 25. Senor Manl
vero Blvera, Spanish consul In St.
Louis, was notified bv the Madrid gov
ernment to turn over the effects and
papers of the local consulate to M.
Louis Seguenot, the representative of
France.
Key West, Fla., April 25. The Mai.
lory line agent here gives notice thst
his steamship service. New York anl
Galveston, Is suspended indefinitely. It
is understood the vessels are chartered
by the government for transport purposes.
FARM FACTS,
nom that have had little to do
aurlnjr the winter should be worked
by degrees begin now.
Actual feeding tests have shown that
It takes twice as much feed to put a
pound of gain on a hog weighing 400
pounds nB on ono weighing 160 pounds.
The man tvhn tnbnu n, '... ... ...
of fine honey out of each hive yearly,
comes to believe after a time that beo
ncuimig is not a pastime merely.
How to get rich, an unfailing method:
Waste nothing and spend less!
.u . I''u,nor the understanding with
the hired man the plainer the sailing
with him hereafter.
The vegetables that have a short ed
ible season, as peas, beans, corn. etc..
should be planted In succession and a
few at a time.
Spring Is the time to remember how
the pastures dry up In the late sum
mer; nnd to plan for crops that will
supply their place.
A good garden 1b worth $100 to an
average family.
I make it rule to never go to town
Without taking something to sell, and
I never drive Into town but the huck
sters all come out and say, "Well, what
have you got today?" ThlB has taken
years, but the years would have passed
anyway. M. C. F.
Get 6 cents worth each of asparagus
and rhubarb; plant In rows a foot npart
three Inches In the row, In fine rich
earth. Next spring you will have an
abundance of roots to put Into perma
nent beds, nnd tho next spring you can
begin to draw on them for supplies
that will do your soul good to partake
of.
Cabbage Is another vegetable that is
very much neglected, on account of tho
mnny enemies that attack It. But an
application of boiling water will kill
them and not hurt the cabbage, if
properly applied, that Is, not too much
at a time. Take a quart cup and, hold
ing It near the plant, throw the water,
in two or three dashes, so that the
water will spread pretty well over tho
plant. Sometimes one dash will do.
Mr. Goldbug wil pass In his checks
freely on such nn invitation.
Food For Dairy Cows.
Sorghum and Kalllr corn vinlrl inrrrn
amounts of forage per acre, in which!
the per cent of dry matter is lower!
than In corn and the protein content
was conspicuously low. Neither Is rec-1
ommended as a substitute for corn. (In '
tne uryer southern stntes both surpass
corn.)
CLOVER HAY.
Clover hay Is valuable because sup
plying a large per cent of protein, and
because deriving Its nitrogen largely '
from the air. After the removal of the
crop of hay, as much nitrogen was left
In the roots as would be supplied by
seven tons of barnyard manure per
acre. Clover silage Is palatable to cows, !
but ensllolng clover is not recommend
ed because of the expense. '
An addition of beets or ensilage to
the ration causes more of the dry food
to be digested. .
POTATOES MAKE HARD BUTTER.1
The addition of potatoes to a normal
ration Increases the length of time re
quired to churn the cream and in one
experiment Increased the hardness of
the butter.
OATS AND PEAS A GOOD CROP.
One of the best crops is oats and peas
grown as follows- The ground Is pre
pared In the fall and the seed put In
the ground at the earliest possible mo
ment lu the spring'. Two bushels of
peas are used per acre. If In the latter
part of March the surface of the ground
is sufllclently dry the pens are either
sown broadcast on the surface and
plowed under three or four inches deep
or put In with a grain drill as deep as
possible. The oats are sown shallow
later at the rate of one bushel to the
ncre. Careful records are not at hand
to show the yield per acre of this crop,
nor have comparative feeding trials
been instituted to determine its relative
value compared with clover hay or oth
er forage crops. Experience has dem
onstrated that cattle like the hay and
that they eat it in sufficient quantities
to produce a full yield of milk and but
ter. On several occasions the crop has
been harvested Into a silo, making a
silage richer In protein than any other
silage fed.
The plot of alfalfa, the behavior and
yield of which has been reported In
previous bulletins of the Michigan sta
tion, was completely destroyed by the
severe weather In the early months of
1897. In May scarcely n root was left
alive, and scarcely a green stem showed
nbove the ground.
TRY SOME RAPE SEED.
A half acre of rape was sown In the
spring of 1S0G by the side of a similar
area of vetches and oats, and near the
half ncre plots of sorghum and fodder
corn. The total weight of green rape
was C.955 pounds, containing 81 per
cent of moisture. The yield of dry mat
ter per acre was therefore 2,677 pounds.
The cows ate the rape silage with evi
dent relish and no taint was Impart- '
ed to the milk by It. After the removal
of tho first crop of rape It sprang up
quickly nnd was pastured through the
fall. On August 10 It was noted that
the sheep much preferred the rap to
crimson clover and that they had eaten
the former well Into the ground before
attacking the latter, the flock having
been put on the field July 27. i
MI LUST FOR SILAGE. I
The millet grown on the Michigan
farm has been fed for the most part as
hay. On one or two occasions the green
fodder hns been put In the silo. The
sllnge Is liked by the cows, and when
fed keeps up the flow of milk and but
ter. It Is unusually dry for ensilage,
containing, as It did In 1806, but 57 per
cent of water. When pitched out of the
silo it was light and fluffy. re?embllng
hay rather than silage. It had a pleas
ant odor and kept with very little spoll
inr Millet Is to be recommended to
every dairyman because It can be sown '
late in the season after a crop of peas
and oats have been removed or can be
substituted for corn when the spring
work has been so delayed aB to make
the planting of the latter Impracticable, ,
Dairy Doings. I
A cow to do well at the pall must be
a hearty cater.
Make your butter as good and sweet
as you know how.
Neatness of package Is a great ad
vantage In the sale of butter.
The milking orgnns of tho heifer
must be well developed If she makes a
good cow.
Butter that has been properly made
will not stick to the knife-blade when
being cut.
The reason of white speck3 In butter
In a majority of cases comes from over
souring of the cream.
Cream should be churnsd before it
becomes rank acid, whether that comes
the day It Is skimmed or the day after.
Any Improvement In dairying that
will lessen the cost of production will
amount to the same as an Increase In
price.
The man who watches his cows the
closest Is the one who getB the most
out of them and he gets the most Into
them.
Thoroughly washing the butter and
allowing the butter to rise on It befere
draining oft tho water, so that the
pecks will co to the bottom, is a good
riddance.
It doesn't take much time to go along
in front of the mangers and notice
whether each cow has eaten her feed
up clean and also notice which cowa
have scoured tho bottom and corners
f their mangers.
Poultry Pointers
If you have setting hens dust them
twice during lncubntlon with Persian
insect nowder nnrt linn will nnl Irlli th.
little chicks.
The care given chickens during tho
first few weeks means either success or
failure in our next year's BUpply of
eggs.
A little lard rubbed on the under part
of...th.e.hen'B w,nes and under her tall
will drive the lice oft the chicks, but do
not apply too much, as it destroys tho
down and causes them to suffer from
cold. Feed often nnd keep them In dry,
clean quarters, and in a few weeks they
will be able to look out for themselves.
It will never pay to dose a fowl In
good health to keep it healthy. You
cannot make a healthy fowl more
healthy.
Kerosene is one of the most common,
cheapest and best Insecticides for use
in the poultry house.
Tho secret of early sitters Is early
layers. Those hens that laid all thro'
the winter are the ones that want to sit
In February and Marc?i.
It is said to be better not to keep
ducks with chickens. Perhaps so. But
if you are not prepared to keep them
separate, there is but one other way
to keep them together. But keep the
ducks at all hazards.
But how about making a start with
thoroughbreds this spring? Or, at least,
buying eggs so as to raise some pure
bred cockerels to use next season? Such
an outlay will pay every time.
Confine a chicken In a corn crib with
nothing to eat but corn and It will
starve to death. It Is quite certain that
It will not do well without grit and
Insects, and It should have some exer
cise. A fresh etrir will ulnlr In n-nlop T la
not safe to judge an egg by its appear- I
ance. The white of a perfectly fresh !
egg cannot be beaten to a froth as eas- I
lly aB the white of an egg that Is a day .
or two old.
There is somn mnnnv In mlol.ur ,.n,,n
geese for market, and those who aro
dissatisfied with the low prices for
chicken meat might find It worth while
to experiment with geese. No other
fowl will make so much valuable meat,
with so little trouble, In so short a time.
Developing a Dairy Herd.
The run of cows through the country
arc woefully Bcrubby in breeding and
quality.
On the reputation of the occasional
profitable cow, a hundred unprofitable
cows are allowed to exist and subsist,
eating up the resources of the farmer
and keeping him poor.
Where you have one good cow you
have five poor ones, and on the strength
of the one good cow you are forgiving
all the bad ones, and bragging to your
neighbors that you have the best cows
In the county.
It Is time to face the music on the
matter of productive quality of the
cows, and to treat the poor cow as she
deserves; send her to the butcher at
the earliest possible moment. No pro
gress will be made In dairying until
the farmer recognizes that certain cows
are bad and that he must get rid of
them.
It Is possible to Improve tho herd
somewhat rapidly by raising the heifer
cnlves from good producing cows, and
by purchasing heifer calves from neigh
boring cows that are known to be good,
even if the purchases must be made at
what seems to be an unreasonably high
price. Many farmers live within reach
of a village where very good cows are
kept. By arrangement with the own
ers of these cows, the breeding may be
controlled, and the privilege of pur
chasing the calf secured by the farmer
at very little expense over what any
sort of calf would cost.
Stop tie Leaks.
There would be many more fat nock-
etbooks If the great number of small
and lnrge leaks on the farm were stop-,
ped. On the average, there 'is nearly
as much wasted as made use of. I
A recent writer says he would bo
content to live the rest of his days on
what ten average farmers waste.
Brother farmers, we know there Is
much truth In this, but I know much of
It Is unavoidable. It would seem then
that the farther we get from this point
the nearer we are to success, and I
wish to give my views of the best
route out of these dark woods. I
Get a blank book and pencil. Put '
them somewhere handy, by the family
bible Is a good place, and Just before
you read your dally chapter make good
use of that blank book. Keep account
of everything that Is done on the farm. I
Get also a memorandum book and a
pencil. Put your futures Into It Jobs
that need attention, little leaks that
you see. Keep It with you for ready
reference. As these Jobs are gotten
rid of, you have no Idea how much
pleasure It will give you to check them
off.
Books For the Farm.
The Kansas state agricultural station
gives the folowing list of the best $20
worth of purely agricultural books for
the farm:
Roberts Fertility of the Land.
Terry Our Farming.
Woll A Book on Sllnge.
Miles SIIob, Ensilage and Silage.
Miles Stock Breeding.
Wart'eld Cattle Breeding.
Panders Horse Breeding.
Sanders History of Live Stock.
Curtis Horses. Cattle, Sheep, Swine.
Henry Feeds and Feeding.
Coburn Swine Husbandry.
Gurler American Dairying.
Rusell Dairy Bacteriology.
Wine Milk and Its Products.
Woll Principles of Modern Dairy
Practice. i
Woll Handbook for Farmers and
Dairymen. I
How many fnrmers own $20 worth of
hlgh-grnde books devoted exclusively to
agriculture? It takes hundreds of dol-
lars to fit out a very small library for .
a lawyer, doctor or minister. Every i
farmer that owns forty or more acres '
of land ought to also own some of these
books to help him In his work. 1
His weakness was prevarication. His
wife detested lying and constantly urg
ed him to mend his ways. One morning
she said: "Will, see if you can't be per
fectly truthful today. Don't tell a lie. '
Now, promise! He promised and went
away to work. When he came home
to dinner sle said:
"Dear, did you keep your promise?"
"I did," he replied, soberly.
Then he caught her In his arms.
"Darling," he cried, "I will not lie to
you. When I said I had kept my prom- J
lse to you I did not tell the truth, but. '
believe me. that was the only lie I
told all day."
For twenty-two seconds she was lost
In perplexity. Then she gave It up; '
the problem was too deep for her. 1
IMAGINARY CONVERSATIONS.
To describe in detail the various oun
nlng schemes by which I have endeav
ored to gain an audience with her
majesty, Queen Victoria, would oocupy
several columns of the Comic Weekly.
Nothing would please the writer more
than to occupy these columns, but for
reasons best known to the editor, I
shall refrain from making the attempt.
Suffice it to say that after several
weeks of fruitless effort I was advised
by a well known diplomatist to disguise
myself in a Scotch kilt and an oatmeal
complexion.
Her majesty was at breakfast when
I arrived, being in fact Just about te
eat a boiled egg.
"Good morning, Sandy," she pleas
antly observed. "What makes you se
late today? And where are your bag
pipes?" "I am afraid, your majesty," I re
sponded, "that things are not quite
what they seem. The fact Is, I am an
American."
"An American!" she exclaimed In as
tonishment. "Impossible! You wear
neither a red shirt nor a bowle knife.
And yet," she added reflectively, "there
Is something about your knees that is
decidedly not Scotch."
I blushed nnd wished with all my
heart that there had been something1
about my knees.
"Nevertheless," I persisted, "I am In
deed an American, and I have come to
Interview your majesty."
"To Interview me! Good gracious!
Why, I have never been Interviewed
In my life!"
"That is precisely why I have been
Intrusted with the assignment. For the
sake of a few minutes' conversation
with your majesty I have traveled 3,74
nines irom uroauway. '
"La!" was the gratified response.
"Just think of anybody coming all that
distance to tnlk to mel I can't really
refuse you after that. But I don't
know what Salisbury will say. Some
how, he has a great objection to the
Idea of my being Interviewed. He
thinks I might divulge Information
that could be used against us In caso
of war which Is absurd. Between
ourselves, I know very little about state
affairs. Of course, everybody Imagines
I run the whole country myself but
that Is what you call a a bluff. Nok,
If you will promise not to publish it, I'll
tell you a great secret. It's this I
don't compose my annual speechl"
"Impossible," I cried with what I
flatter myself was admirably feigned
surprise.
"It's true. Salisbury always does it,
and rends Hie typewritten copy to mo
in private for my approval. Apropos,
a funny thing occurred a few years
ago. Soon after Salisbury began read
ing I fell asleep and he never discov
ered It until he had continued for near
ly three hours. Of course he had to do
It nil over again. I was very much
amused when I awoke, but he seemed
annoyed. Since then I always drink a
cup of strong coffee beforehand. I can't
understand, though, why he should
bother me about the old speech when I
have so much else to attend to."
"Then," I . remarked suggestively,
"you have a great deal to do."
"You may well say that," returned
her majesty. "I should never get thror
If It wasn't for Bertie that's the
Prince of Wales, you know and his
wife. He lays the foundation stones
and she opens the charity bazaars. By
the way," said her majesty, lowering
her voice to a whisper, "I hear the most
awful rumors about Bertie. They say
he plays cards for money and associ
ates with actresses, and does all sorts
of undignified things. You don't think
It can be true, do you?"
Before I had time to reply a gorgeous
flunkey entered, bearing a card on a
salver.
"Gracious!" exclaimed her majesty.
"Here's Salisbury! If he discovers who
you are he'll have you Imprisoned In
the Tower, nnd perhaps beheaded. But
say nothing I will save you!'
"Good-by, Sandy," she said kindly.
"Come ngaln when ynur bagpipes ire
mended and don't forget to remember
me to your sister nnd say I hop, the
beef tea will do her cold good."
BIRD BREVITIES.
(From "Notes on Nebraska Birds," by
Prof. L. Bruner.)
Birds range in size from the minutest
humming bird, which Is nearly as small
as the bumble bee, to the ostrich that
Btands higher than the tallest man.
Three-fourths of the food of birds
consists of insects. Suppose each bird
in Nebraska to eat twenty-five Insects
per day, It would take 1,875,000 Insects
for a single day's rations for our birds
during any one of the 175 days of sum
mer. Should the work of the birds be stop,
ped In about twelve years there would
be enough Insects to carpet the whole
state, one to a square Inch, over the
whole territory.
A comparatively few number of birds,
because of their food habits, are harm
ful throughout the year. These are
two of our hawks, the blue Jay and
the English sparrow.
Mlchelet says: "Were It not for the
birds, Insects would destroy every green
thing nnd the earth would become un
lnhnbltable." No creature Is more In
dispensable to man than are birds.
The United States agricultural de
partment la sending out loud warnings
against the appalling destruction of
birds which has been followed by an
enormous Increase of Insect pests, re
sulting In a loss In fruits and grains
estimated at 80 to 100 millions of dollars
yearly.
A report from Michigan Btates that
"the destruction of birds has made It
difficult to raise fruits, even the grapes,
as well as the apples, being too wormy
to use." Spravlng trees with insect
poison Is becoming a necessity, adding
one more btirden to the farmer.
The United States gvernment ap.
peals to all educators to observe "Bird
Day" and to instruct the young on the
value of birds and the best methods of
their preservation. "Bird Day" is al
ready a permanent blessing In many
schools. It Is complementary to "Arbo?
Day" and observed In early spring.
Many Bands of Mercy In public schools
study birds all the years, and have
"Birds" as an occasional special topic.
During their Journevs birds attain
a marvelous speed. Some ducks are
said to travel r- o tnllps or more a min
ute. Some birds reach a point a hun
dred miles from their nest during one
day's search for food. One of the most
Interesting features In bird study Is
that connected with nest building and
the rearing of their young. Should a
student spend all his life on that topic
alone, he would not be able to learn all
there Is to be known
A bird may be harmful during one
part of the year and very beneficial
during the remainder. Before the bird
Is destroyed business principles should
be applied, and profit and loss com
pared. Instances have beea known
where a robin which had saved ten to
fifteen bushels of apples worth a dollar
a bushel, by clearing the tree from
canker worms In the spring, was shot
when he simply pecked one of the ap
ples that he hod saved for the ungrate
ful fruit grower.
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