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About Western news-Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1898-1900 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1899)
. . i L J T i r "i T ' \ 'g-VA ' - ? / * & . * -ft. . ' ' ' * - H m ffi * fl * r * f f r + * -w. " * \ViT. * Good IVnKoii Jack. A correspondent of the Ohio Farmer that.Uie . trouble Avith many wagon-jacks' ( hat they are inclined to T'p toAvard < he end of the lever , if tin- ground is a little soft or uneven. Au- Tlorfnnit ] is that it takes the gruricr part of a man's Aveight to raise a h.-avy Avagon because the lever is inntc too short. In this Avagou-jack 1hiA'or l is made long. It projects a beyond the bolt. Avhich is the ful- cr r , at I. The adA'antage of this is th : the iQver does not have to be rV - 1 or loAvered all , for the front and i hi : i axle. The base , E. comes Avell s ou4 beyond the end of the lever , A , so ihf-re.is no tipping oA'cr the end of With tins Avagon-jack one can ii AVAGOX-JACK. 'lift ' a tou and a half ; can take off a vvhoel with a big load on the wagon. It requires no blacksmith work to make it. The only iron about it is a 'bol ; ni I , a bolt at D , and a strap-hinge at I . The rest is all AA'OOC ! . "When to Spray. TL < - first spraying should be done 'early in the spring before the buds op'-n , and it must be done thoroughly. Th" second should be done after the t ! * are through blossoming , Avhile the third may come in to tAA'onty days ; , laii : \ The fourth spraying is due about , thvweeks later. A tree is sufficiently * ! ' " yed Avhen the drops of the mixture aivoon hanging from the branches and loaves. Many orchard trees be- sidps praying need a thorough scrap ing. : ; s in the case of the elm trees. , Tli * n the brush and other Avaste mat ter , including all dead loaves and rub bish , must be reuioA'ed from the grounds and burned. Do not leave it near the tre. < or in the roadAvay. for the eggs id < j-osited therein Avill hatch in the spr'ng. If there are dead trees or bad ly diseased ones here and there in the or < -a.r < 3 cut them down and burn them. M. Goldman. Serves a Double 1'iirnose. Thf. cut shoAA's a hotbed that is bnii ; nst the south side of the poultry [ house , serving all through the Avinter as a sunny scratching place for the tfoAvls. These are shut out at the approach preach of spring and the hotbed start- II TBKI ) AS A POULTRY KUX. ted. About the time the plants are started the foAvls AA'ill be getting out 'upon ' the ground , Avhile all through the deep snoAA's of winter they Avill haA'e an joxcecdingly sunny space to run. Make ; the hotbed large eiiougn to giA'e suffi- tcip-nt scratching space. The room can ( 'Avei ! be utilized Avith early plants in rthe spring. American Agriculturist. The Bite of a Ho r. There is great danger of biood poi- : g if a hog bits the flesh. There is , no r.nison in the hog's teeth as there is ; .in the fangs of a poisonous snake. It : .is nil her the poison Avhich comes from th saliA-a , as the hog is a very indis- : criruinate feeder and not at all cleanly. "Whf-n a hog is made angry the amount of this saliva is greatly increased , and 1be danger is greatei. EA'CII a slight contusion from a hog's tooth should be promptly Avashed out Avith some anti : septic. Dilute carbolic acid , one part : of she acid to li.OOO of Avater , is good : and ahvays a reliable antiseptic. Some should ahvays be kept where it can be handily procured , to put on cuts or outside injuries received on any part of the botly. It will greatly hasten their lulling. ; I'arly V/eedt > . There are many different kinds' of wi-i ds and some of them start off early in tbft spring , almost before the frost Ic : ; " . . K the ground. It is the early Aveeds th. . ; ; ivo the fanner the most trouble. n If ni- land Avas plOAA'ed last fall cross plow it the coming spring , and then 'hanoAV or cultivate it as often as can 15 ibe done until time to put in the seed. 15fl jEvery time the land is cultivated more fl flP 'weeds Avill germinate to be killed , and flti > 'the more weeds that can be destroyed ( before the regular crop starts the feAv- ti tifl cr there will be to combat later on. fl flb Making : Clay Land Pay. flP A rundown farm of any kind of soil 'is ' hard to reclaim , but if the soil be P heavy it probably has much unused AA 'fertility ' , that only requires thorough 0 AA-orking to develop. Almost all clay ' oils haA'e a surplus of Avater. and they must be underdraiiied before any suc cess can be made of them. It is a good plan , after laying a tile drain , to fill up half the depth of the ditch above it j j AA'ith loose stone. Through this the Avater Avill run into the tile , and each j ! year , for at least ten or fifteen years , the area of drained soil on either side Avill be extended. Th Hull of Oafs. All who have fed oats knoAv that there is the greatest difference in their feeding qualities. It is largely depend- i ent on the character of the hull. It has been thought that black hulled oats | had not only a greater amount of hull , 1 but that it AA-as also coarser and rougher - , or than Avhite hulled oats. But there ; are some comparatively HOAV varieties Avith AA'hite hulls ; that are as coarse and i rough as barley hulls. Most HOAV kinds J of oats originate in cold or at least cool | climates. If they are also moist , as Ireland and Scotland are , the hulls Avill be large but not rough. The roughest hulled oats have their origin in Nor way , Sweden and Russia. Incubators for IS.irly Chicks. IIoAvever resolutely a breeder may re solve to do Avithout incubators , he can not very AA'ell dispense Avith them if he Avants the very earliest-hatched chicks. Any one Avho has tried to get a hen to sit steadily early in spring for suffi cient time to hatch out the chicks Avill know that it is impossible. The brood iest hen after tAA'o or three days on the nest AA'ill probably leave the eggs and go to laying again. Yet it is necessary to have the chicks hatched early. st > that they begin laying next fall before the cold Aveather comes , in AA-hich casa most of them , if Avell fed and given a Avarm , light room. Avill continue to lay through the Avinter. To Keep Milk Clean. Wishing to keep my milk as clean a ? possible , says a Hoard's Dairyman correspondent , I got the tinner to make. a coA'cr for the pail. Avhich I have found ansAvers the purpose very Avell. The cover fits the pail closely , so as not to be easily jarred off , has a slightly convex upper surface and has t AV o tubes about an inch and = 3 = 3 a half in diameter PAIL COVEK. ami three or four ( inches high extending upAA'ard. The 1 tubes arc placed about tAvo inches and c a half apart and about the same distance - c tance from the edge of the cover. The * milkman holds the pail betAA'cen his * knees , with tubes of the cover on the } opposite side from him , and milks Avith * each hand directly into the tubes. c a Su flowers. ' Iii 1842 a Russian farmer named Bokareff conceived the idea of extract ing oil from the seed of the sunfloAver. His neighbor told him it Avas a vision ary idea and that he Avould have his la bor for his pains. He persevered , hoAA'- ever , and from that humble beginning j- the industry has expanded to enormous proportions. To-day more than 7,000- 000 acres of land in Russia are devoted to the cultiA'ation of the sunfloAver. D TAA'O kinds are grown , one with small seeds , Avhich are crushed for oil , and the other with larger seeds , that arc consumed by the poorer people in enor mous quantities. Farm , Field and Fireside. c Too Good to Fe a Farmer. The cause of the scarcity of agricul tural students goes about as far back as total depravity. The trouble does 2 not begin in the college , but In the kindergarten. Almost as soon as the boy goes into school he finds a school- ma'am Avho tells him he is too good ate to be a farmer. 1 ' he is bright iic must go to college and be a miuis- er. So he goes to a classical college , ind in just about sixty cases out of 100 urns out a nonentity. It is to be feared hat some of the teachers in the agri cultural colleges exert the same influ- mce as the schoolma'am alluded to. Drange Judd Farmer. Smallest Tree. The smallest tree in the world is the Greenland birch. Its height is less than " hree inches , yet it covers a radius of t ] wo or three feet. a ac Fhccp ; Cull out the poor rams. , . K Keep a good dip near at hand. ' Arrange to sell your feeders early. tl ; salt constantly before the heep. f ! ( Be thoroughly posted on the market ? jefore shipping. , Culls Avhich are not fat should not be e liipped to market. etl eP Don't feed corn but twice a day. Too tl ; tlh uuch is Averse than too little. h Be certain that there are not ticks or ice en the sheep. Be sure that the Avater supply for the ' lock is out of Teach of the frost , and is ure. There should be a thorough inspec- t : ] ion of the feet of every member of the c lock , and the proper trimming should : done. . ic j. ] Care should be taken that sheep ship- ci ted to market are as even in size and y reight as possible. Prices are better tl n even lots. I e AGRICULTURAL NEWS THINGS PERTAINING TO THE FARM AND HOME. How a Bijr Tree May Be Felled in. Any Direction Keeping Cribbed Corn Clean-Dicestibilityof Corn ami Cob Meal Brief Farm 2 otes. The chopper approaches the tree with a plumb-line ; if the top does not lean n ore 1han tAVO feet in the case of a large tree , or more than four feet in the case of a small one , he considers that he can fall it in any direction he may desire. He then views the ground , says William Adams in the Engineering Magazine , and selects the most promis ing "layout , " and the undercut is made exactly facing it. The "undercut" usu ally extends about one-third through , and then the tree is sawed in from the back to meet it. When the two cuts are within six inches of meeting the saw is removed , and the tree is AA'edged up until the top passes the center of grav ity , Avhen it falls by its own weight , easily breaking the strip of wood re maining. Where the surface of the ground is such that it is necessary for the butt and the top to strike the ground simul taneously , the stump is snubbed off at the undercut , which provides a slanting surface , so that the butt has no place to rest , and perforce slides to the ground. If the tree needs to be rolled off to one side , half the undercut is slanted , and a pile of chips is placed on the flat surface of the other half ; the result never fails to manifest the effi cacy of this device. Again , by leaving one side of the uncut wood betAveen the undercut and the saw-cut thicker than the other , the tree may bedrawn con siderably away from its natural course. To Keep Cribbed Corn Clean. When Indian corn is stored in cribs for any length of time vermin Avill pen etrate into it. There are several rea sons why this is so. Many cribs are built too low on the ground. Rats and mice AA'ill quickly burrow into the soft , dry dirt beneath such a crib. Once there it is almost impossible to get rid of them. The spaces between the boards or rails of a corn crib aie generally too wide. A space of aboiX , tAVO inches AA'ill admit a great deal of dirt ; besides , it is a Avide open door for mice. All cribs should be built at least six inches above the ground. It Avould be better if there was a space of a foot or more betAveen the floor and the ground. This space should be tightly boarded up. No A'ermin could gain a permanent foothold beneath a crib thus built. The sleepers on Avhich the floor rests should haA'e smooth , cAen surfaces. The boards pf the lloor should be laid together as jlosely as possible. By doing this the farmer will help to rid himself of the grain worms and grain Aveevils which exist in large numbers beneath an im perfectly made floor. Instead of using six-inch boards on the sides of his crib , AA'ith spaces of tAA'o inches betAveen them , the farmer Avho Avishes to keep his corn free of mice and dirt should use four-inch boards , Avith one-half inch spaces betAveen. If he builds rail cribs , some of the rails should be hcAvn at the ends. Closely woven wire net- ting or slats Avould be excellent to prevent - vent the guaAving of the boards , besides preserving their usefulness. Orange Tudd Farmer. Corn and Cob Meal. A comparison of the constituent sub stances and their digestibility of corn meal and corn and cob meal will make the matter perhaps plain. Corn meal contains about 13 % ppr cent , of water , V/2 per cent , of ash , C A per cent , of fat , % per cent of protein and TO per cent , of starch , etc. Corn cobs contain about per cent , of Avater , 1 % per cent , of ash , 2 % per cent , of protein , one-half of 1 per cent , of fat , and 55 per cent , of starch , etc. It Avill be noticed that the corn meal contains nearly four times as much protein as the cob meal , and seA- 2n times as much fat. Of indigestible crude fiber the corn meal contains but per cent , Avhile the corn cob meal confains 30 per cent. It Avill be no ticed , therefore , that there is nearly ane-third of the cob meal that is indi gestible , but it contains a fair proportion tion of digestible matter , hoAA'ever. The corn and cobs are ground together be- 2ausc greater digestibility is thus se- sured to both substances , Avhile the me A chanical action of the cob meal is con I sidered an advantage. A i Production of Kfrjrs. In winter the egg markets in the cit ies are never supplied with fresh eggs. Even in summer , when the prices are sometimes IOAV , the cost of keeping the "oAvls is greatly decreased ; in fact , on .he farm the cost is barely noticeable , ind the egg production steadily in n-eases. It is a great mistake to select he best pullets and send them to mar- cet in the fall and early Avinter , and re serve the culls and old hens , and from hem expect the egg supply during the ivinter. These foAvls , if confined for a CAV days in a fattening coop , can be nade ready for market , and then farin- rs can retain the true egg producers at lome. Of course it is expected that j jvery one will be humane enough to prepare Avarm and dry quarters for heir poultry , besides see that they lave a proper allowance of food and al- ivays a supply of fresh Avater , for in vinter all domesticated members of the t jarn yard are forced to depend on man 'or proper care. Our farmers may not mly supply our OAvn markets , but pro- ride eggs for export. It is said that he egg supply from our three largest gg-procluciug States is not sufficient o supply the New York market alone. f this be true , consider how small the gg production of this country really is. should depend on ourselves , keep his amount of money at home and ben- 13 jfil our country. Poultry raising and the proluction of eggs pay. Not only should Ave be dependent on ourselves , but other countries should be depend ent upon us. Farm and Fireside. s : the Gypsy Moth. As sheAving IIOAV formidable a pest the gypsy moth is to contend with in Massachusetts , it is stated that 2,070 nests Avcrc found on a single tree , each of which had bctAveeu 500 and GOO eggs. This one trqe was carrying through the Avinter a prospective increase of 1,035- 000 caterpillars in a single year. Strong colonies , if undisturbed , AA'ill "kill most deciduous trees in tAA'o years , and ever green trees in one year. They not only destroy the first foliage , but continue their ravages as the trees put forth new foliage , until the last of July. Gen. LaAvrence , of Medford , spent in one season more than 53,000 in the effort to protect the trees on his own "prem ises , but failed and was obliged to call on the State employes. It is urged that the battle against this insect is not for the protection of Masachusetts alone , for if the Avork should be discontinued , and the moth is alloAvcd to increase along the highways and railroads , the inevitable result Avill be to carry into other States the most dangerous and destructiA'e insect pest ever introduced into this country. Hartford Times. I-'xperiinent * with LI inc. Experiments made , with lime at the Ilhode Island station show that lime gives Avonderful results on clover and grass , even if it has been Avell treated Avith fertilizers. Beets also respond readily to lime , and the gain is remark able where lime was used. The ex periments Avere made on plots treated alike in every respect , except that air- slaked lime Avould be used on one and left out for the other. On one plot the yield of beets AA'as doubled compared Avith the one unlimcd , and on another farm the yield of beets on the limed land was OA'er nine times as much as on the other plot. The experiments demonstrate conclusively that lime Avil largely increase the yield of a beet crop , and on all clover and grass plot the increase was very marked. In cases Avhere laud for oats was limec the results Avere also good. The use of lime should be more general , in the face of the results obtained , whether the soil is heaA'y or light , as the cost Avas but little , comparatively. Food groAvii on limed land is probably better relished , and if the land receives fer tilizers or manure the results arc last ing. Potatoes in Orchard. The potato crop is probably the most exacting in its requirements of labor at special times of any that the Northern farmer can grow. In cultivating , de stroying bugs and harvesting a little delay involves the loss of everything that has heretofore been done. All these operations are going on Avhile labor is needed in cultiA'ating corn. Hence farmers Avho make a specialty of one crop cannot Avell grow the other extensively. A large orchard in bear- ingalso interferes with success in groAv- ing potatoes. The haiTesting and marketing of one is pretty sure to be nearly simultaneous Avith that of the other. It AAas the practice of a shrewd farmer Avho oAvued a large apple orch ard to AA'ait until his apple trees blos somed before deciding A\-hether to plant largely 1 of potatoes or not. He had learned by experience that the tAVO crops ' greatly interfered Avith each other * , and often made one or the other of them unprofitable. Hartford Times. ' ecdlcss Fruits. A good many A'arietios of fruits have been grown so long from cuttings' that they have become seedless. We haAe IIOAV apples and pears that are almost seedless , specimens frequently being found that are altogether so , and seed less grapes and oranges are not at aU uncommon. The banana has no seeds , or at best only rudimentary ones , and the pineapple is a seedless fruit. All this must haAe taken long years of se lection , whether it Avas done intelligent ly or by chance , and all seedless fruits are A'alued because they are usually of superior sorts. A story is going the rounds that a melon grower has discovered a method of producing seedless melons. This is to cover the joints of the vines until roots start from them , and then cut them off at the roots , leaving the sec ondary roots to support the A'ine. This sounds quite nice , and the only trouble with it is that it isn't true. If we could produce seedless melons in this way it would be a valuable discovery , but hav ing been tried it was , found that the melons had the usual number of seeds , as usual in the SAA'eetest part of the mel on. Farmers' Voice. Kcepinjr Apples. The proper 'temperature ' for keeping apples is as nearly 35 degrees Fahren heit as it is possible to keep it , and in order to maintaJn this it Avill often be necessary in this climate to proA'ide a separate place for storing the fruit , as the average cellar under the dwelling house is Avholly unfit for this purpose. If the cellar consist of several compart ments so that one can be shut off com pletely from the others and the tem perature in 'this kept below 40 degrees , it Avill ausAver the purpose very AA'ell. If this cannot be done , a cheap storage house may be built in connection Avith the ice house , by building a room un derneath , having it surrounded Avith ice on the sides and overhead , Avith fa cilities for drainage underneath , keep ing the air dry by means of chloride of calcium placed on the floor in an open AA-ater-tight vessel , such as a large milk crock or pan. In this way the temper ature may be kept very near the freez i ing point the year round , and apples may be kept almost indefinitely. Farm Journal. Man claims to be lord of all creation , but AA-iien a savage bulldog chases him lie fails to act the part. Crude OPn Conntrv Tomls. Major M. M''Iir > . a civil engineer of Keokuk , Iowa , made a short address at the session of the Missouri Good Roads Association , which in the opinion - ion of many was the most interesting' part of : he day's work. He opened a new field of investigation , and proposed - posed experiments in securing good roads along a line practically unknoAvn outside of a feAV localities in the East. It is his opinion that the use of crude oil may prove a panacea for bad roads in localities Avhere road material is hard to obtain. He said his attention Avas first di rected to using oil on the highways by reading a neAvspaper clipping from a Pennsylvania town. It seems that a leaky oil pipe near the toAvn in quesj lion Avas responsible for the discovery. This pipe was near a place in the road that AA'as invariably impassable during the season of spring and fall rains. When the leak occurred in the pipe the ground became saturated to some ex tent AA'ith oil. and very soon it Avas no ticed that the mud dried up and the j surface of the earth became hard and i remained so. It appears that so notorious - j rious was this piece of bad road that j the effect of the oil on it became a mat ter of so much comment that presently the experiment AA'as repeated in other localities , and Avith the same effect. Major Meigs said that he sent a let ter to the officials of the Standard Oil Company and asked them to furnish him some crude oil for experimental purposes. They forwarded a tank con taining 130 barrels. Avith their compli ments and Avishes for success. Some J eight barrels of this oil have been used on a notoriously muddy road near Keo kuk with most satisfactory results. Major Mcigs said that it was no trou ble anywhere to keep dry roads in good condition at minimum expense. Oil Avill prevent the earth from becoming wet by forming a Avatcrproof crust. So far as he has carried on experiments , a barrel of crude oil is sufficient for a strip of road 100 feet long and 12 feet wide. The cost of the oil at the Avells is about 90 cents a barrel. No other material , he said , is so cheap , and no other AA'ill prove so effective. In con clusion , he said that he Avould send oil free to all wishing to make experiments if they would pay the freight. St. Louis 1'epublic. Jivils in Jfoadmakiiijr. A very common evil in roadmaking fs the use of bad materials" . Nothing is more common than to scrape a fine , j rich , mucky top soil into a high ridge , called a "turnpike , " and on Avhieh wag ons are expected to travel. The ma terial thus scraped into a deep mellow bed Avould be very fine for the growth j of corn , potatoes or Avhite turnips , but ! It makes the most intolerable roads , j When the rains soften it the Avheels j cut into it to a depth of one or IAVO j feet , according to circumstances , and if the horses are able to get through it safely Avith an empty Avagon at the rate of one mile an hour it is not in frequently quite as much as they can easily perform. Road Kepairinsr. Road Inspector Thomas Malley. of j Morris County , NCAV Jersey , says that I "the scheme of pouring screenings on ! a road to repair it is very expensive ! and utterly Avorthless. The first hard j rain carries aA\ay the screenings or j they grind up and are bloAvn aAvay in ' the first dry spell. Experience shoAvs , that until a road needs three-quarter i inch stone it needs nothing. With this ! , size stone as a basis , a little , binder and j screenings , all Avell rolled , Avill make j the road as good as UCAV. " ' , Comic Pictures in Old Kuypt. A German savant , Emile Brugsch i Bey , in Zeit. Aegypt. . describes a comic ! papyrus , unique of its kind. The artist ' painted burlesque scenes in Avhich cats and rats conduct themselves in a hu man fashion , and the manners of cats j : arc attributed to rats , and inversely , i ] In the first scene , a rat , attired as a ! grand dame , is served by a eat that is ! clothed as a slaA'e and is presenting a ! * mirror to the mistress. In the next 1 scene a rat has the traits of a young * Egyptian dandy , and an obsequious cat. having shaved him , places on his head ! t a huge peruke. In the third sketch , a j cat cradles in her arms a young rat in j 3 the manner of a nurse. Mr. Brutrsch l thinks the artist lived in the period of the twenty-second dynasty. " Shaviiiir a Pursued "I shaved Jesse James , the once noted ' outlaAA' , dOAvn in southern Kentucky a long time ago , " said an old gray-haired CellOAV on the train the other day"when the man's life wasn't Avorth a penny. Jesse rushed into my little country place , doAvn in the Red River country , Dne day in the later part of December j und asked me if I Avouldu't shave him i * while he looked after his Colt's revoh'A ! 2rs and watched the door. I was not a ' barber by trade , but those persuaders { 1 : lesse had induced me to try my hand ! r with a nev Wade & Butcher razor I ! * Look out of my shoAvcase. As I shaved. Lhe man of iron nerve sat with a cocked pistol in each hand and told me in a feAV hurried words that a posse was pursuing him bent on capturing him. lead or alive , on the charge of robbing bank at Russellville , a crime , he aver red , of which he was not guilty. He svanted his beard shaved off that he might fool his pursuers if they should : tiappen to catch up with him. I finished ? ed the job of scraping. The much-want ed individual thanked me , and , mount ing a horse which had been hitched in f : < < < ' the rear U my store , bade mo good- evening and rode away. I didn't know for certain AVO : : uy visitor was , ill- though I suspected It , until the next | day , Avhon I heard that a man in the I neighborhood was telling that he had ! seen the older .lames the afternoon he- fore. 1 sur.por.e that Avas the last shave .Jesse .Tamos got in Kentucky , and E have never scon him .since. " Louisville \ FOR A GIRL. j | Odd Features of a Boudoir for "Swcex ! Sixteen. " j A charming room lilted up recently j by a clever mother for her 10-year-old j daughter has several odd features. One j of these is an alcove where : i big bath j tub , a regiment of sponges , crash tow I els and brushes are drawn up in battle ; array. In one corner is a gymnastic apparatus and on the floor stand a pair of Indian clubs. This is the "health corner. " In a narrow gold frame , hung near the dainty dressing talle : , are the following "Rules for. Beauty" in fanci fully illuminated text : "Beauty is only skin deep. Don't use- patent creams and washes. j "Never sleep on a high pi'low ' unless you admire : i double chin. "Breathe from the diaphragm , inhale deeply , keep the mouth closed and hold the chest well up , if you would secure a high chest , broad shoulders and a slim waist. "Walk from the hips , and bear in mind that the American woman's greatest sins are a wobbling walk and a shrill voice. "Beauty does not come in a day. "The secret of beauty is good blood , excellent digestion and a clear con science. " These wise and quaint precepts were laid down by the family physician , who knows a good deal about the soda-wa ter-loving and earamel-eath'g age of 10. Xew York Commercial AdVcrliser. Where Missing .Laundry Goes To. "Dishonest household servants cause the laundries no end of trouble , " re marked an employe of a - down-town concern. "It's a common thing for them to annex a few shirtor collars , and now and then a stray handkerchief from the supply of their employer , and when the shortage is discovered it is generally charged to the laundry. Lots of times we know perfectly well tha.t the things claimed were never sent in , but pay for them rather than have a. row and lose a good customer. A lady of this city lost several line lace hand kerchiefs about a year ago , and insist ed that they were sent to the shop but never returned. She was perfectly sin cere , and the bill Avns paid. List : -week the handkerchiefs turned up. They were sent in with a bumUo of ihintrs from another part of the town , and when we came to trace them we found they had passed through four- different hands. The original thief was a mulatto maid servant who had disappeared. On another ocasion a. gen tleman lost several collars. a.nd was very angry. He said he was continu ally losing articles that way , and brought his negro porter along to provo that t'hoy ' had Ixvn. sent in. The man ager was about to hand over the value of the linen when he happened to no tice that the ; darky was wearing a very handsome collar , and told him to take it off. lie protected vigorously , but it was secured , and proved to be one of the lot. The rc < t were found in hif trunk. 31usic Hath Charm * . A couple of sailors , returned from a long voyage , strolled into the bar parlor of { a public house near the docks. Above the rumble of the traffic in the- street could be heard at intervals a. harsh , unmusical voice. After listening intently for a moment one ( of the sailors turned to his com panion and said : "Eh , Jack , lad ; it's a long time since we heard that song. " ' "What song ? " "The one that fellow's singing hi the street 'The Light of Other Days. ' " "Stow it ! " ejaculated the other gruff ly. "That fellOAv ain't singing 'The Light of Other Days' at all , man. I've been listening to him. He's a-piping The Banks of Allan Water. ' " Each sailor \vas certain he was right , and , with characteristic contempt for money , a wager was made a month's wages depended on the result. "Here , Tommy ! " called out one of the men to the little son of the land lord , "run out and get to know what that fellow's singing. " Tommy departed on his errand , which did not take many minutes. "Well , " demanded Jack when the youngster returned , "Avhich of MS is right ? " "Xaythur , " replied Tommy , grinning. "The feller's not singing. lie's hawk ing fly-papers ! " AnsAvers. I'otatocs Betray Nationality. One of the easiest ways to tell the nationality of the persons living in any locality is to go into a grocery store. It's not necessary to look at the name of the grocer. A glance at the potatoes in stock will be sufficient. If the grocer is supplied with pota toes of the largest size , any one of which is a meal , it is certain that he ileals exclusively with Irishmen. They like their Murphies large. If the pota toes are small their consumers are Frenchmen. They think a big potato is indelicate and does not look well. Ger mans insist on having their potatoes of medium size. They can't stand them either too large or small. Americans iind English don't care what size they ire , as long as they are good. The Vo'ce of Caution. "She's pretty enough to bite. " "Yes , but there's lead poisoning in all hose face preparations. " Cleveland Iaiu Dealer. Professional wrestlers are speculators or aTall. . '