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About The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1902)
ft?H ' i1 , Stories for Veterans Reminiscences of Battles. Marches, vnd Bivoutvcs off the Great Watr. Watehes r ta inht. -fne Bres an out, the camp's asleep, Aae alTaroaad so bloomta' still. There's not a Mat for miles and miles Skeept' the field-lamp on the '111; And they ,are strange. Gawd, awful trance. The tMags wot rise to left and right Black' farms which make me swear and " .. . A ragged sentry of the night. A Poor Nobby Clarke, we 'ad a bet; A I spun the coin, 'e made a guess. Jaet when a bullet pinged along And pat "Is 'lghness out o' mess: The sergeant, too, most anxious like, B most poke up 'is ginger 'ead In time to see the shrapnel burst That dropped im in the donga bed. A saiper on the kopjeeside. A ballet whlstlin' down the pass. And then my captln lyln' low . And clatchln' wildly at the grass: But I must keep the law 'e kep' Oh. soldier man. you must not run. Bat you must go the road went. And fight the fight which 'e begun. Aye; they are strange, lad. awful strange. The things wot I 'ave seen and done; I dare act think about them now. The fights wot we 'ave lost and won; Bat spite of all. I' old It good To abut my mouth and keep the law. Until I find the 'Idden death And Join the chums 'oo've gone before. The Area are lit, the camp's awake. The korfee'a atewln' In the can, - X 'ears the stumpy section cook A-shoutln' for the ord-ly man; The guns are rumhtin thro' the mist. The csuYoy'a gettln' under way. Be roll year soakln' blankets up And stow year ragged kits away. 1 Anderson in ionaon express. CtvSI War Xt . There resides in Des Moines. Iowa, the oMest and most noted war nurse living. She is familiarly known as ;Amat Becky." although her name is really Mrs. Sarah Young. When 8umpter was tred on Anne .Graham was a girl of 17; her two bribers and many of her friends had eaHsted. and Anae longed to be a man . that she might enter the ranks with ' the bays who marched so bravely way. leaving a great gap in the assist. When news of the wounded flUed the papers Anne decided that if ahe eoalda't fght for her country, she seal! at least care for those who had so bravely risked their lives in the Two years after Sumpter was fired on the One Hundred and Ninth New York Volunteers was organised ia her town, with Benjamin F. Tracy, after- Ana Becky secretary of war under Harri et the head of the regiment. Anne had found her opportunity. Mr. Tracy knew the family welL knew f Anne's ambition, and also of her skill in a sick room. He immediately nurd her a permit to join the regi snsat as a regular army nurse, and ahe Broadly marched to the front with the One Hundred and Ninth Volunteers. Abbs went Into the work heart and soul, and with a thorough knowledge of her duties, which soon won for her the admiration and respect of the sargeofi and the devotion of the sol diers. She served during the remaind er of the war from the Wilderness to Petersburg, caring as tenderly for the rebs" as ahe did for the men of the aorta. Both the blue and the gray bad reason to reverence the name of "Aunt Becky." Mrs. Young tells an amusing story of how the sobriquet of "Aunt Becky" came to be bestowed upon her. The boys in the hospital, feeling a tender ness for the young girl who worked ao earnestly to relieve their sufferings, persisted in calling her "mother." The title was given her by a young captain whom ahe brought back to life by care ful nursing, and all of the boys took it up. She objected to the name, being a girl barely out of her teens, and fseUag that the title added too many years to her life. One day she reprimanded, in a jok ing way. a young soldier who had need the familiar term. Dr. French of the hospital corps, who. was sitting on a camp chair near by reading a pa per, glanced ap long enough to call out: Til give you a name that will last as long as you live." "What Is it?" inquired Sarah Gra- "Aunt Becky." was the reply, and he 'spoke with prophetic significance, for -."Aunt Becky" she remained to the end of the war, and "Aunt Becky" ahe is called to-day. j . Shortly after the war Anne Graham was married to David Young, a carpen ter, and also a soldier, who had fought for the queen in Canada during the Fenian outbreak. This ceremony crashed the hopes of a certain young Borthern soldier, whom "Aunt Becky" had nursed during the struggle, and who lost his heart to the .maiden who had brought him back to health. Besides being an army nurse cf .wide reputation, Mrs. Young is the founder of two state sanitary associa tions, one in New York and the other in Iowa. The first had its beginning In Ithaca. N. Y.. when she was a girl at the outbreak of the civil war. The latter was organised in Dea Moines, at the Beginning of the Spantsh-Ameri- war. leirt ef Oae At a recent reunion a comrade viv idly told of the various battles that the Fifty-eighth Massachusetts regi- in, from that of the Wilder- t dowa to the dose of the war. On May the regiment was fighting in the Wilderness, but was not in the thick est at it. It has seven killed, twenty three wounded and four missing, but aBMBC them was no oacer. Five days later they were throwing up breast works before Spottsylvaaia court hOBse, and ia this movement three atea were lost The regiment was in front af a thick wood, and so misty was the weather' that the soldiers amid Bet see a rod iato it The charam Comrade Bead stated, seemed late rushing; into the Jaws of helL Pcaitfoc was. taken about six rods in front of ibe rebel breastworks and the regi- loat 1M men ia that affair, thir- kos were Idlled outright Fatty fiscal af artillery aad ssaiL Si ' For three days the regiment had very little to eat. At the battle of North Anna river Ave mem were lost. At Cold Harbor the loss was heavy in taking the fort While throwing up breastworks with bayonets and tin cops the regiment lost about ninety men. Company I joined the regiment just 'after that battle, and when It reached the front It had only sixty men. After the company had Joined the regiment the Fifty-eighth was -so decimated that it could muster only about 200 men for duty, although about 900 men had joined the regi ment. For a week it faced the rebel army, and its lines were constantly charged. Gee. Vilas's AMesataal ' Soon after the attempt upon the life of the late President McKinley at Buf falo, some army officers were discuss ing in the oSce of Lieut-Gen. Miles the percentage of recovery from ab dominal wounds, when the general took part in the conversation. "I pre sume." said he. "I am one of the few persons so wounded that ever recov ered. On May 3, 1863. while beating back at the head of my regiment a rush was made by Anderson's men on Hooker's left wing near the Chancel lorsville House. I was struck by a minie ball, which penetrated my abdo men an inch and a half to the left of the navel, tore through the intestines and lodged in the muscles of the back. When the surgeon of the regiment reached me I asked him how long I had to live. In a tone which I thought was very unconcerned he replied. ''About forty-eight hours. I doubted the veracity of the surgeon on the spot, and told him that I did not think it was so bad as that. He refused to argue the matter with me. and with the aid of an assistant, proceeded to probe for the ball and then sew me up. Left to my meditations, I deter mined to fool the doctor. As the days passed my temperature subsided, the wound healed as nicely as could have been expected, and In three months' time I was on my feet again. The Medical History of the Civil War' has a full history of the case, which Is set down as a most remarkable recovery from an intestinal wound." Philadel phia Ledger. Trees Fight Well. The losses inflieted upon the British by irregular troops during the pres ent war in South Africa, is by no means new to their experience. There were many instances of like character during the British attempts to estab lish their authority over the territory now belonging to the United States. At Ticonderoga. July 8, 1758, 16.000 troops under Major-Gen. Abercrombie lost 1,950 killed and wounoed in an at tack on 1,000 French troops of the line defending the fort with the aid of 1,500 Canadian peasantry. This affair bears a close resemblance to that of New Orleans, fifty-six years later, when 3,500 Americans under Jackson killed and wounded 2,37 British out of a total of 12,000. In both cases the loss es on the other side were too insignifi cant to be noted. Army Service fca From a return lately laid before the Reichstag, it appears that last year 1,645,846 young men became nominally available for service in the forces of the German empire. From this num ber, however, large deductions had to be made; 135.168 men had emigrated without leave, and 97,819 were abseat without leave from other causes; 673, 799 were set back for a year, 25.175 had entered the army, and 1,209 the navy as volunteers; 82,116 were detail ed for Ersatz reserve, others were found medically unfit, others were dis qualified for other causes, so that finally only 222,667 were drafted into the army, aad 6.184 into the navy. "I am glad to hear from Sergt Grii shaw." said the coloae!. "He awarded a medal of honor for bravery at the battle of Jonesboro, Georgia, where he captured a rebel flag. In that charge our brigade lost IX men, killed and wounded, but we captured Gen. Govan's brigade, eatire, with bat tery and fort, commander and staff. Early in October we guarded the pris oners back to Atlanta, and marched tLem Into the prison pens which Gen. Johnston had prepared for we una.' I made the acquaintance of Gen. Govan on that march, and it was renewed after the war under very pleasant cir cumstances." Chicago Inter Ocean. Some of the Kansas papers are relat ing how, at the close of the civil war. Gen. Shatter was an applicant for a first lieutenancy in the reorganized army, and had working in his behalf a congressman whose knowledge of army affairs was very limited. One day this congressman sent the follow ing message: "Dear Shatter I have just returned from a visit to the secretary of war. I find that it will be impossible to have yon appointed a first lieutenant, as that rank is now full. However, the secretary is willing to appoint you a lieutenant colonel, which is the Best best thing. Will that dor Fear TaeaeaaS Team OM. If you are Interested in museum col lections you will surely enthuse over the latest gift to the Carnegie Muse um at Pittsburg. The interesting addition to the mu seum's curiosities is an ancient Egyp tian boat said to be 4,000 years old. The boat, so it is said, was recently dug up out of the bed of the Nile. It was sent to New York lashed to the forward deck of the German steamer Hohenfels, which arrived In New York from Calcutta. The boat was securely boxed up and was shipped at Port Said. The curiosity is about 20 feet long, 7 feet wide and 5 feet deep. m Spies. The chameleon spider is one of those spiders which do not spin webs. It sits among the yellow petals of the black-eyed daisy, with which it is very much alike in color, and when a but terfly flits along springs out and seizes it with a bound like that of a tiger. Thus the stock of butterflies whose caterpillars are ruinous to orchards and gardens is kept down. The CM af Asphalt. Spread out in one sheet the 26,000.- square yards of asphalt paving which has bene laid in over fifteen cit ies in North America would blanket eight and one-eighth square miles, and yet the road builders say that this country has only just begun the use of asphalt for street paving. The mountain of happiness Is down' hill oa the other side. FABM AND GAEDEN.I MATTERS OF INTOIEST TO AGRf. CULTUMSTS. Ce-te-Date Cam vattea ef tha SeM Tfcereef Hartteeltsm, VfUeali a Caen Crest From The Farmers' Review: The thing most necessary Is the plowing of the land, as I think the cultivation of the corn crop begins with the prop er plowing of the land. Ob my farm we plow all land intended for corn in the fall of the year and we plow an average depth of six inches. We use for this work the tricycle or three wheel plow, cutting a slxteen-inch far row. The principal reason for plow ing deep Is to form a good mulch over the land that we may be able to retain the moisture late in the season and prevent evaporation. In the spring when the proper time arrives, we pre pare a good seed bed and plant our com, and then, In a few days, we put the spike harrow on and harrow thor oughly, sometimes -going both ways of the field, as we find for the first cul tivation this to be not only very rapid but very thorough. One man and four horses will cultivate forty acres In a day. Now you of course understand the season has much to do with the method of cultivation. Now, as to the kind of cultivator, we have used most all kinds of corn cultivators and' ex perimented quite a little along this line, and we have arrived at this con clusion: After the harrowing we use the six-shovel sulky cultivator for the first and second working. I. mean by the second working the cross plowing (and I want to say right here that we plow corn only three times, believing more is rather an injury than a bene fit), and now for the third or last plowing. We throw aside the shovels entirely and use the surface cultivat or. We give as our reason for mak ing this change that with this imple ment we can keep out of the roots of the corn, which is absolutely neces sary in this last cultivation, besides leaving the surface of the field almost level, and forming a dust mulch all over the land, which tends to check evaporation and hold the moisture among the roots of the corn. Some of my brother fanners may say we can't afford so many kinds of plows and to this I would say we have the combined shovel and surface plow, this surface attachment costing about Sff extra. Now as to the second question as to the failure of the corn crop in this section, would say I am situated in the corn belt of Illinois and we never have any failures. We sometimes have a short corn crop, like the pres ent one. The short crop of this year we attribute to dry weather and hot winds, more, I think, on account of the hot winds than dry weather. I have been on the farm fifty years and I never saw such a visitation of hot winds before. This came just as the tassel was making its appearance, young and so tender from its folds that in many instances it was killed, hav ing, of course, no power to pollenlze. hence so many barren stalks, and I think these causes are consequently unavoidable. W. S. Harrold. Tree Pmatlag. One of the most important and promising lines of work of the Bureau of Forestry, is its .study of economic tree planting and its co-operation with farmers and others in making forest plantations. Tree planting has so vi tal and intimate a relation to the wel fare of the fanner in the treeless re gions that whatever assists him to grow trees assists him also in the pro duction of every other crop. Forty-six thousand one hundred and forty-five acres were examined for planting dur ing the year, and planting plans were prepared for 5,785 acres, while 148 ap plications for tree-planting plans have been received. The number of appli cations for commercial plantations of large size is increasing so rapidly that the usefulness of the practical assist ance and advice offered to the tree planters will be limited only by the men and money available for the work. A series of Important measurements of the growth of plaited groves in the treeless plains has been begun in order to show the value of plantations as business investments. A careful study has been pushed during the year of the encroachment of forests on the West ern plains in order to determine the possibility of reclaiming portions of non-agricultural government land by planting forests. Tree Calture la Connecticut. A dispatch from New Haven states that the arid and waste lands of Con necticut are to be reclaimed by tree culture. This is but an effort to re store old conditions. The cutting pdown of Connecticut forests so reduced moisture supplies that the rivers of the state dried up In summer and the factories along their banks were forced to stop for lack of water power. The new law provides for a state park of several hundred acres to be located near New Haven. In this park the Yale School of Forestry will plant all varieties and determine the species best adapted to general transplanting, and it will also study methods of de stroying Insects that prey upon forest trees. The new law also provides for a forest warden in each town, who will be expected to care for the mu nicipal trees, and towns are urged to make appropriations for the setting out and maintenance of trees. The law also protects shade trees against van dalism. Any person who places an advertisement on a tree is liable to a fine of 60, and a fine of $100 is im posed on any one who wantonly in jures a shade tree. If a horse destroys an ornamental tree in a public place bis owner is subject to a fine of $100. luteals Farmers' Iastltate las. ' The Board of Directors of Farmers Institutes met in regular session at Springfield February 26th. New mem bers bad been chosen to represent sev eral of the districts. The members ef the present board are: C P. Reynolds of the Chicago Dro vers Journal. Chicago; B. R. Pierce, Chicago; Merrill K. Sweet. Glenwood; W. M. Manley. Chicago; F. C. Rosslter. Chicago; James Frake, Chi cago; J. M. Clark. Chicago; Jacob F. Rehm. Chicago; H. D. Hughes, Antl och; Judson Mason, Elgin; B. F. Wy man. Sycamore; A. F. Moore, Polo; E. M. Cobb, Monmouth; J. H. CooUdge, Galesburg; A. P. Groat Winchester; B. M. King. Bloomlngton; E. W. Bar roughs. Edwardsville; E. E. Chester. Champaign; L. M. BeaL Mt Vernon; Edward Grimes, Montgomery; H. G. Easterley. Carboadale; F. C. Goodaow, Marion; Israel Mills, Clay county. Omcers were elected as fellows: Preeiueat-J. H. CcoUcge. Galesburg. Ties President H. G. P. Great Secretary and aupcrtateadsat of la StIUteS A. J. Bill, BlSSSSiBgtBB. The chief subject of discsssloa was a national Chautauqua 1b the interest of agriculture. The- suggestion came from Mr. Frank T. Fowler of Cafes, whose idea it was to establish a resort for pleasure and instruction which would be of national Interest aad im portance. Mr. Fowler offered a vahr. able piece of land of about L0t. acres in Lake county for the location of such a Chautauqua. A committee consist lag of Messrs: Hughes, Frake, Ream. Reynolds and Sweet was appointed te consider the matter. . Keep Vp the Sapply .af E. F. Ladd. of the North Dakota Station, reports experiments and ob servations which lead to the conclu sion "that humus, at least in regions of low annual rainfall, like the Da kotas, plays a more important role in agriculture than has generally been ascribed to It" It may safely be said that this Is generally true. Professor Ladd's investigations show that as humus decreases In soils they "be come less productive, less retentive of moisture, and Inferior in physical quality, while on the other hand it was .found that an-increase In the percent age of humus is accompanied not only with an increase in percentage of phosphoric acid extracted with the na tnn hut ,! with a rremter nrodtia-- r. WMw mm Q.w-n. - j tivity of the soil. As the h hH,3, mus increases It seems, to cause por- tloas of 'the phosphoric acid, till then existing In an insoluole torn, to be come more readily available rs plant food. The same Is true as regards the potash, lime and other soil csnstltu ents." If more, attention were given' to maintaining an abundant suppTy of humus (partially decayed organic Mat ter) in soils, they would be more pro ductive, require less artificial fertil'x Ing. and respond more generou&'y when commercial fertilizers are used. ; The xeaag Swiae Kaiser. A liking for the business of raising swine is one of the first things neces sary to make a successful swine raiser. It Is of no use for a man to go Into the business If he hates the hog. The interest the man has in his swine Is soon seen in the way he cares for them. If he really likes them and cares for their comfort they will be made comfortable, even at a- good deal of expense in labor to himself. Pick out our most successful swine raisers and watch them about their own yards. That tells the story. It would be well If every young man going Into the hog raising business could serve an apprenticeship of a few days to the man in his neighbor hood that has been raising swine suc cessfully. He. might learn gentleness and a few other things that would re dound to the interest of the animals to be brought under his care. No matter how much a beginner may know about balanced rations, 'carbohydrates, pro teins and nutrients, he can still learn a good deal of the applied variety of science from any old breeder. wbeeasta Roaad-Vat Iavtltata. " The sixteenth annual dosing Wis consin institute will be held in Ocon omowoc, March 18 to 20. Among the in teresting features on the program we notice the following: Swine Feeding, H. P. West; Handling Early Lambs. R. E. Roberts;" Potato Culture, Prof, Chas. D. Woods, Director Maine Ex periment Station;. Growing Peas and Oats, Thomas Convey; Alfalfa, Geo. McKerrow; Corn Fodder, W. C. Brad ley; Cleanliness in the Dairy. Mrs. Adda F. Howie; Starting a Small Dairy. D. B. Foster; Corn Breeding and Improvement W. H. Stevenson; Sugar Beet Culture. A. F. Postel; Rich Lands and How to Keep Them So, C. P. Goodrich; Food Value of Dairy Products, Prof. Chas. D. Woods; Present Past and Future of the Live Stock Industry, G. B. Van Norman; Parturition Troubles, Dr. A. S. Alex ander. We hope that many readers of the Farmers' Review will be present, as these conventions are always very profitable. Amerieaa-Grewa Egyptian Cettea. Approximately '88,000,000 worth of Egyptiau cotton is imported into this country every ' year, there being a special demand for this cotton on ac count of its high quality. The Depart ment of Agriculture imported some seed of this cotton several years ago. but more recently larger quantities were obtained and placed where the variety seems likely to succeed. Very encouraging results have been ob tained from the work, and this year a bale of Egyptian cotton, grown from imported seed in southern Georgia, was given a thorough spinning test in a mill in Connecticut, and was pro nounced equal to the best imported grades. It is believed that we can grow this crop, but aside from this the cottons themselves will be valu able In breeding forms, which in all probability will prove better than Themes lag. Slag has been used in large quanti ties in Europe for a number of years. In 1899 1.655,000 tons of slag are stat ed to have been used in Europe. Of this, 895,000 tons was used In Germany and 170,000 In France. In 1885 the use of this material was practically con fined to Germany, and amounted to only 5,000 tonB. The total consump tion of phosphatic fertilizers in Ger many in 1899 was 1,864,000 tons; in France, 245,000 tons showing that nearly half of the phosphatic fertiliz ers used in these countries was Thom as slag. Slag has not been extensively introduced into the United States. The larger part of that used in this coun try is Imported from abroad. Some has been manufactured at Pottstown, Pa., and put on the market under the name of "odorless phosphate," and It is expected that the slag will soon be made at Birmingham, Ala., and prob ably elsewhere In this country In the course of time. Why Same Feeders tVeaa BTeaey. Andrew M. Soule says: Not long ago a gentleman visiting the university farm, and being present when the steers wererfed. picked out what he regarded.as the three -best animals in the bunch. As a matter- of fact, these were the three most Inferior 'mnls and had made the poorest gains of any. This gentleman was then feed ing 100 cattle of his own. It certainly would not be surprising if a man with .so little knowledge of animal value aa indicated by exterior developments should make a failure of cattle feed ing. A stiff soil, owing to Its great re tentive power. Is not well suited for hrigatlon. "Work and sleep, the two periods of unconsciousness of self, are the two periods of happiness." OS IMgHHlEP ABXBTAXS of .agriculture says: kf tot prevent the latroaBcnoB 1 an inspection ser- rice BBJBtaasBt at our principal sad alog our frontier. Quar- iBtiBs stations have been established 'or rtrrf1T coming from countries share contagions disease exists. There vers qnarantUed at these stations larlag last year 559 cattle. 625 sheep, tl swine ind 118 animals for menag jries and zoological parks. There sere also- admitted, after Inspection tad ia some esses quarantine, over :42,O0 aalmals from Canada and about ttt.OOs .from Mexico. Tho examina Jon o&this vast aggregate of imported inlmalsl amounting in all to over a Jdrd of B million. Is a most responsi ve task, but so far it has been suc :essfully conducted, and none of the exotic plagues of the domesticated an mals has been allowed to reach our territory. With our enormous Invest nent In animals that are susceptible ;o such plagues, it 13 clearly a duty vhlch the government owes to our nock raisers to maintain this inspec tion and quarantine with the utmost rigidity. The ravages of tho rinder pest as It Is sweeping over the African xmtlnent should be an object lesson indicating the terrible destruction which- such' a disease would cause imong our Immense herds of "valuable stock. The tremendous possibilities of loss from Imported contagion suggest that "oosslbbr the time has come when it JS DO Weil tor US TO COUSiuer mfUP A. lether It would not be best for us to "ow the example of Great -Britain and exclude entirely live stock from ather countries. Inspection and quar antine, however, carefully and. con sdentiottsly performed, are ' acknowl edged by most countries to bo 'only a relative and not an absolute guaranty of protection. Should not our animal industry have the most complete safe guards thrown around it which the experience of the world has shown to be required for the most absolute and perfect protection? In this connection we are reminded that some of the ter ritory which has recently come under our nag Is 'believed to be infected with animal plagues and parasites unknown to the United States, and that may work great injury if they are trans ported to our soiL It would appear to be wipe for such legislation to be en acted as would provide against ani mals from this territory being allowed to enter our ports, whether these an imals are brought by Individuals 01 returning troops. BABREX EWES. An English writer says: 'It is not uncommon to find a few barren ewes in the flock. Some rams leave more than others. Just before the lambing season commences, any that may be suspected' of being barren should be picked out and tested. There are sev eral different ways of detecting bar ren ewes. The first thing that would naturally strike the eye of the shep herd, or an experienced flockmaster, would be their light walk, flatness o! sides, and lightness of belly, as com pared with other ewes. Any dirt about the tall is often a sign of barrenness. But none of these indications are to oe reued upon in case of the ewe being a late Umber. If these suspect ed ewes be drawn out and put on a high, banky field, the barren ones will usually be exceedingly active, and will commence butting and skipping. A ewe in lamb rarely skips, however much she may be enticed to join in the fun by a barren one. This skip ping Is a very sure test A fine day 'should be selected, and there are cer tain fields on every farm, In which they are more likely to reveal the secret than others. The shepherd, as a rule, knows them well. It often happens that they skip when with their own flock, but are more likely to do so when with younger sheep. Another test is to turn the ewe and examine the udder. If barren, she will show no signs of secreting milk, will usually have waxy matter devel oped In the wrinkled skin around the udder, and the wool will generaly be stronger In growth than that on an ln-lamb ewe. If these barren ewes are In good condition, or can be got In good condition quickly, it is often ad visable to sell them in the fleece. Pinching In. A bulletin of the Tennessee Experi ment station says: There ia a prac tical application of this law of growth. Pinching 5s an old practice, employed to maintain symmetrical development In young trees. Whf n a shoot length ens more rapidly than Its fellows th tree is apt to crow one-sided. B. pinching out the top of such a shool Its progress is stopped for a time, and the other branches grow on, thus equalizing the parts of the crown. Oftentimes the same branch, will re quire stopping several times before the others overtake it Every time a shoot is pinched the first effect is tc cause buds Immediately below to be come more mature than would have happened had the, branch been unin jured. Pinching, then, not only per mits other shoots to overtake the pinched one, but has an Important In fluence upon the future growth of the shoot thus stopped the operation per fecting the buds below and making them more certain to form branches than they would otherwise. It be comes important to remove or encour age these growth.. according to their effect in the symmetry of the crown. Ha Apple Seab-rroef. George P. Clinton, of the Illinois Agricultural College, in an article on apple scab, says: There appears to be no such thing as a scab-proof varie ty. Various writers have recorded ob servations showing that certain varie ties have been more severely injured than others and there Is no doubt that this Is the case. It Is very likely tuat such differences are due in large part to the thinner or more easily punc tured cuticles of the scabbier varieties. The writer has also observed that scab is a lover of neglected orchards or chards which have not been properiy sprayed, pruned, or cultivates ana that it seems to be less abundant on very young trees, especially where such trees are isolated. This latter is probably due to less favorable con ditions for original Infection. Cettea Seed Froslaetlea. A report recently issued from the U. S. Census Bureau gives the pro duction of cotton seed in the year 1899 1900 at 4,668,346 tons; of this, 2,479, 186 tons were manufactured, giving a field of 93,325,729 gallons of oil, valued it 821.390,674, and 884,391 tons of oil :ake and meal, valued at I16.030.a76. rhe outturn of cotton-seed hulls from the seed crushed was 1.169.286 tons, valued at S3.189.354. and 57,272.053 pounds of linters. valued at $1,801,231. The total value of all products derived from the portion of the crop crushed jras S42.411.835. On clay soils two and a half feet jo three sad a half feet is about the right depth for drains LOWwCtTtUITOW BEOOHa. Thirty Taaea at IJMsBilaat la the One of the longest lawsuits on rec ord,; and one which. involved millions of dollars, has just been decided In Germany after thirty years of litiga tion. Strange to say, there is still somethtog left of the estate fought over -It was so large that the courts an-. :ne lawyers did not get it all in spite cf the long time the case was in court They got a good share, how ever. The family of Arenberg live In Belgium, but they own a snug little duchy in Germany. The Duke of Arenberg used to impose a toll of 20 cents on every ton of coal mined by the Westphalia Coal company, whose mines were in his domains. In the general shape-up of the Franco-Prussian war and the re-formation of the German empire which followed, the Duke of Arenberg and his duchy got lost in the shuffle, and the coal com pany ceased its tribute. Then the Duke went to law. In the good old days the robber baron ancestors of the Duke would have called . out their men-at-arms, swooped down on that coal company and hanged the president and board of directors to the castle gates. But the coal baron having succeeded the rob ber baron In these days, the Duke went to law, and after thirty years he has won his case. For once the coal baron has been downed by the descendant of the rob ber baron, and the Westphalian Coal company will have to pay arrearages of tribute to the Duke mounting to $36,000,000. The annual Income of the Arenbergs from the mines Is about $1,200,000! So now they are rich, but if the suit had gone against them they would have been practically ruined. That lawsuit was getting to be their principal asset As for the coal ba rons, they are in a "state or mind" and will probably try to arrange a compro mise. PRECIOUS STONES. Aacleat Myths Aheat the Orlgla ef Tarlaas Geatt. The Indians called rock crystal an "unripe diamond." and until the be gining of the eighteenth century India was thought to be the only land which produced that precious stone. It was not. therefore, .until the discovery f India that the diamond was known to us. Yet as far back as 500 B. C. a "Didactic History" of precious stones was written, and In Fliny's time the supply must have been plentiful, as he wrote: "We drink out of a mass of gems, and our drinking vessels are formed of emeralds." We are also told that Nero aided his weak sight by spectacles made of emeralds. But it is very difficult to determine whence all the gems came, 83 discoverers took care to leave no record. The nations who traded In them were afraid of their whereabouts being known, and even the most ancient merchants would not disclose any definite locale. All sorts of myths have, accordingly, sprung up concerning the origin of the gems. "Diamond" was the name given to a youth who wes turned Into the hard est and most brilliant of substances to preserve him from "the ills that flesh is heir to." Amethyst was a beautiful nymph beloved by Bacchus, but saved from him by Diana, who changed Amethyst Into a gem; whereupon Bacchus turned the gem Into wlnc color, and endowed the wearer with the .gift of preservation from intoxi cation. The pearl was thought to be a dew drop the shell had opened to receive. Amber was said to be honey melteJ by the sun, dropped into the sea, and congealed. According to the Talmud. Noah had no light in the ark but that which came from precious stones. Gentleman's Magazine. UNCLE SAM'S LAND DEALS. Hew the Terrltery ef the Unites) Statra Has Beea Ex leaded. Wiien the Danish Islands in the West Indies are transferred to our flag the record of Uncle Sam's purchases of land and the sums he has paid for the same, from the foundation of the gov ernment to the present time, will stand as follows: Louisiana purchase (1803).. $15,000,000 Florida (1819) 6,489,768 Mexican cession (1848) 18,250,000 Purchase from Texas (1850). 10.000,000 Gadsden purchase (1853) 10,000,000 Alaska (1867) 7.200,000 Philippine Islands (1901) 20,000,000 Additional Philippines (1901) 100.000 Danish West Indies (1902).. 5,000,000 Total. $92,039,768 To this list must be added Texas, ac quired in 1845; Oregon territory :n 1846, the Hawaiian Islands In 1897. Porto Rico and Guam, annexed in 189S, and one of the Samoan Islands in 1899 for none of which did we pay a direct money consideration. The aggregate area of territory added to the United States by purchase and conquest as in the case of the Mexican cession and our recently gained insular possessions from 1800 to 1902, inclusive is 2,971, 376 square miles. The territory now covered by the American flag, includ ing both hemispheres, exceeds the area of all Europe by just about 235,000 square miles or say by an area one fifth larger than that of either France or Germany. New York World. Career of Lieat. Strealer. The Lieut. Strebler who captured Gen. Lueban, the Filipino leader, is of German birth and enlisted in the regu lar army before he was 20 years old. He was promoted to a lieutenancy by President McKinley, being then a ser geant serving his third term. He has seen much active service, but never sustained any injury. Beaatlfal Eeteclmea ef a "Ball." A London paper quotes the following as "a beautiful bull," from the Man chester Guardian: "The Boers will merely go on fighting till their last man is killed or captured, when they will sit down in the spirit of Mr. Schalkburger's letter, to cherish' hopes and form plans for the restoration of their liberties." . Biind Maa a Good Salesman. The only blind traveling man in the world. Eugene L. Hitchcock, lives in Wisconsin. Despite the fact that he has been totally blind since he was 17 years of age. he travels alone through the states of Wisconsin. Illinois and Michigan and sells goods to scores of merchandise. He has been doing this for thirty-five years. 'Teacher Mast Ifot Marry. The new by-laws of the New York board of education provide that the marriage of a woman teacher in any of the boroughs stall be equivalent to I a resignation. ft-f'v . . I Slav Peasants Rathe in the 3 : Sacred Waters of the Jordan : 'a The traveler in the Holy Land will witness few sights which will interest him more than that of the Russian pil grims at the annual Epiphany cere monies on the banks or the River Jordan. . A week before the festival itself crowds of these Slav peasants are seen trudging along the Jericho road, with every imaginable kind of haversack and carry-all on their backs. Some of the pilgrims-are old aad weather-worn, others young and cheerful, while a few, overcome by sleep and fatigue, are ly ing prone along the roadside. But somehow the whole lot, young aad old, manage to reach the banks of the river in good time for the ceremony. They spend the night, perhaps, in the 'Rus sian hospice at Jericho, where they simply huddle together like a flock of sheep. Before dawn the rooms are empty, and the whole crowd has gath ered on the bank, where Greek priests, who will presently drive a most lu crative trade await them. The principal articles sold are branches of trees from various sacred spots, stones from the Mountain of Temptation hard by, plants from the wilderness and rosaries with olive stones for beads. To whatever reli gious value Is' claimed for these ar ticles the Russian peasants implicitly give credence, and they willingly pay their money to obtain them. During the hours immediately pre ceding the ceremony the motley crowd tVVVVVVVWVVVWWVVWVWWWVWVWWVWMWWVVVVWWAWWI Story of the Killing of the Last Big Buffalo Bull The following account of the killing of the last big buflalo bull appears In the Macleod Gazette in the form or a letter signed "Wyoming Bill": Early in November. 1887. John Nolan and other half-breeds were near the forks of the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan when they came across a bunch of eleven buffalo, one of the bunch being a very large bull. They killed the big bull, two cows and a calf and brought them into Swift Current J. Grant got the head of the bull and Curry Bros., got the two cows' heads and hide and the calf. No doubt afterward the half-breeds cleaned out the rest of the bunch, for they were never heard of again. Hine of Winnipeg mounted the bull's head and in 1893 it was loaned to the government and was sent to the World's Fair at Chicago, where It was much admired. It is still in the hands of John Grant, taxidermist, of Red Deer, Al berta, and any person passing through Red Deer would do well to go and see the head, it being one of the largest and handsomest I ever saw, and I be aSs) Kill Superfluous Girls Hindus af Hit Rank Tims RM InOTiselves Tlstir Dswf htsrs. e A Capuchin monk engaged In mis sionary work in Nepaul. writing of Hindu family life, remarks that it Is very difficult for parents to make ad vantageous matches for their daugh ters. The. Hindus therefore find a means of ridding themselves of too many daughters by murdering them. It is a well known fact that Hindus, of high birth, those who are called Rajputs, caused their daughters to be put to death after their birth by men specially engaged to do so. This crim inal custom had become so universal that in 1840 in the seventy-three vil lages of the Allahabad district there were only three girls under 12 years of age, and three years later In the town of Agra there was not one to be found under that age. All had been put to death, says the London Pall Mall Gazette. The English government bas very naturally passed very severe laws against this abominable crime, but to evade them the Hindus allow their girls to live until the age of 12, after which they do away with them by ad ministering poison in small doses. MWWVAMAMW WASHINGTON'S SIX-IN-HAND. Is Foarleea Billee er Driving la MTaa- hmtUB. George Washington, when he was President of the United States, rode In a coach drawn by six horses. This coach was made in England and it ar rived in New York in 1789. The body and wheels were of a cream color, with gilt relief, and part of the sides and fronts were shaded by green Venetian blinds. Upon each of the four panels was a picture emblematic of one of the four seasons. The original Indian name of New York was Manhattan. In January. 1785, Congress met in Federal Hall, at the corner of Wall and Nassau streets, and this city was the national capital for five years, says the Brook lyn Eagle. Washington was here inaugurated as President April 30, 1789. Manhattan Island then presented one of the most beautiful drives in the world and Washington frequently made the fourteen-mile circuit in his coach. This drive led up to what is now the Bow ery and Third avenue, then called the Boston road, across the upper part of the island and down the Bloomingdaie road, now famous as Broadway. The view took In the prosperous farms, ele gant country seats and broad stretches of living water. In the city the Presi dent was usually content with four horses, but when he started on the long drive from Mount Vernon six horses pranced in front of the coach. Fifteen years after the death of Gen eral Washington this catch became the property of Bishop Bead of Virginia. Our first President was a good horse man and he was none the less devoted to the interests of the people because he rode in atata Should he revisit the scenes of Ms former glory he would find It difficult to trace the old fourteen-mile drive aad h would meet in the glad srtcgUme aa In Central Park and on the roads fceyond four-in-haads that would stake him turn green with envy. Manhattan has radically changed since the first day of the re public. What Sbe Told the lent. Representative Lamb cf Virginia I tells a good story about, a little girl f. VAA Is occupied In prayer and sUeat devo tton. Te maay pilgrims this oceanic Is one of the greatest life caa bring namely, to be permitted not only as visit the Jordan, bat actually to batae In its sacred waters. Suddenly chant lag Is heard, aad the crowd sjakkly opens to let a procession of purple clad ecclesiastics pass to tae water, then the pilgrims close in again, and station themselves along the beaks, eager and watchful. And. now, quite reverently, a jeweled cross Is laid by the patriarch on the surface of the stream to bless it and no sooner does the sacred symbol touch the water than a dive is made lato it by the enthusiastic crowd, which splashes aad prays and wallows aad dips alto gether a strange sceae. Such Is the baptism, aad the longer It lasts the greater the merit the pil grim will enjoy. All dripping with water, each shroud is now wrung out aad stowed away to serve as the cere cloth when the pilgrimage ef life Is over, and the body is ready for the grave. As the traveler rides away the next day to Jerusalem, he will see these childlike peasants, bedraggled with mud. aad fatigued by coastaat sleeplessness, plodding aleag toward the Holy City, chanting and singing as they go. and leaning oa their sticks of reed. But there is now a smile on their faces, and joy in their hearts, for have they not bathed In the waters of the Jordan? London Traveler. OM Scout Tells of the Disappear ance of the Game in the West. lieve the last buffalo killed in the ter ritories. One of the other heads is in the pos session of Dr. George of Innlsfail, who is much interested In natural history. The country lying between the South Saskatchewan and the Cypress hills and Old Wives creek and lakes and the Vermillion hills was famous for buf falo and' even now the old buffalo trails and wallows are to be seen from Moose Jaw to Medicine Hat But most of the game, both hair and feathers, is gone now. The last time I crossed the plains from the Red river to Rocky mountains overland some of the favorite resorts of water fowl and wading birds were nearly deserted. Rush lake, once the breeding place of many kinds of water fowl pelicans, geese and ducks, besides small birds was half dry and only a few ducks there. Other lakes were the same, but along some of the streams north of the Cypress hills.- especially Pi-a-Pot creek, there were quite a few prairie wolves, foxes and badgers and ante lope on the middle plains. Orientals are past masters in the art of poisoning, and after some minute inquiries it transpires that in many districts twenty-live out of every 100 girls have been got rid of la this manner. Those girls who have been spared marry very early, generally be tween 14 and 15 years, and that not according to their own choice, but by the will of their parents, which is de cisive. An Indian family of high rank could not keep an unmarried daugh ter. It would not only be a public shame, but also a public crime against reli gion. To procure husbands for those who have not already found them, there are a number of Brahmis, old aad decrepit called Kulin Brahmins, who go about with the one object of going through the ceremony of the "seven steps" with as many young girls as they can upon receipt of a large sum of money, but afterward to leave tbe country and perhaps never to see them again. Obtrusive silence or whispering la a sickroom is disturbing to the nerves. mw who lives in Petersburg and is just four and a half years old. She kneels every night at her mother's knee and. after reciting the Lord's prayer, silent ly adds a little prayer of her own. One night her mother, rather, curious, asked her daughter what she had told the Lord. "Mamma." said the young ster. "I asked the Lord to please re move that mole on your face, but." added the little one. "I also told the Lord that I thought the mole had come to stay." Washington Post Clemrasaa Waa Ernest Thompson-Scton he of ani mal story-telling and converted name fame was describing to a clergyman the other day some of his experience with various animals, particularly squirrels. "It is an astonishing fact." said Mr. Seton. "that I found, after some few tests, that I could attract squirrels, howsoever wild, by singing to them. Whenever I rang they would come oui of their holes or down from the trees, and though at first showing none timidity, sit and listen intently and apparently with enjoyment .1 remem-. ber one day. however, when, after singing them various songs rag-time and others I tried 'Old Hundred on them. Would you believe it, the in stant they heard it they scampered off, nor could I induce them to return that day. And to this day I can't under stand why." The clergyman, a far-away look in his eye, suggested very briefly. j. "Probably they were afraid yon. would next proceed to take up a col lection." New York Times. Tajrters la KacMaeTa.araay. Sergeant Taylor of the Royal Artil lery, now stationed at Colchester, is one of eight brothers, .all of whose have been soldiers, says the Loadoa Mall. Five have fallen in 3outh Af rica during the present war. ona;tl still at the front, aad another is la India. The brothers had four sisters; each of whom married -a soldier, aad the children of several members of tier family have joined the army,' so that there are sow thirty-one Taylors eT the same stock serving with his ma jesty-s forces. .. f a K t ... I. 1.' u- ? :? ft: a 4 fr r , s - K ? rs i h3 "?'' trtr: V&$vJ.t te&$riSS-i& i . - iS ijL :, .? -
