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THE ENGINEER.
Midst Maxim's click and rattle.
Quick-fires' crack and scream.
Dazed with the lust of battle.
Half blind with naoke and steam.
Men face the flying shrapnel.
.And dare the bursting shell.
When every gun's a shambles.
And ail the decks a hell.
But pent and caked, unknowing
Which way the fight incllaa.
X keep my engines going
Beneath the water line.
fyruTjTjxn-ruTjJXJJruxrjTjTjTjTj-ijinnriiii -- -- - ,
A Souvenir i War Times.
On a recent trip through the South
I visited the bivouac of the Confeder
ate veterans at Jackson, Tenn. While
looking at the relics my attention was
drawn to an engraving in which were
shown some lines that were copied
from the original that had been writ
ten on the back of a $10 note of the
Confederate States of America. The
poem was surrounded by a number of
such notes. The gentleman by whose
kindness I had been admitted mount
ed a stool and read the poem for me.
As he read my mind reverted to the
days of the spring of '65, when I wit
nessed the disbandi:d; of the Confed
erate armies. At the time they were
wending their ways to their homes
and I used to think that some day
they would she the world that they
were Americans still. I think that
my dream has come true and has
been proved by the manner in which
they, marched under the folds of old
glory in the Spanish-American war.
I enclose a copy of the poem, which
was sent me by W. F. Alexander, the
commander of the Confederate vet
eran bivouac at Jackson, he having
caused it to be copied by an expert
penman on the back of a $10 Confed
erate note, so that I have received
it as it was first discovered. Kindly
The Gen. Hooker Statue.
Henry S. Russell, chairman of the
Hooker monument committee, and
Isaac P. Grass, secretary of the com
mittee, in a circular recently issued
to comrades and those interested in
the monument, calls attention to the
reunion of the Army of the Potomac
at Gettysburg, and says that a com
sslttee has been selected to attend
the reunion for the purpose of invit
ing the society to hold a reunion in
1903 in Boston, on the occasion of
the dedication of the monument to
its old commander. The circular fur
ther says:
"The committee, so far as accept
ances have been received, will include
Gen. Thomas Sherwln, Adjt-Gen. Sam
uel Dalton, Col. Albert A. Pope, Gen
Thomas R. Mathews. HaJ. Spencer
W. Richardson, Maj. William P.
Shreve and Maj. William A Smith.
"All comrades of the Army of the
Potomac who anticipate going to said
reunion are hereby cordially invited
to Join with our committee in this
mission and become members of the
delegation; it can be easily seen that
Uncle Sam's Queer Pensioner.
-There is, or was, an army mule, a
pensioner of the United States tra
dition says that army mules are im
mortal, hence the doubt as to tense.
But this mule, Mezlque, was ordered
to be sold at Mount Vernon barracks,
Alabama, in 1883, reports the New
York Tribune. He had been at the
post a long time, and had grown gray
In the service, having an honorable
record in the Mexican war, and the
officers at Mount Vernon asked the
quartermaster general to retain him
till the end of his days. This appli
cation, signed by William A. Kobbe,
then an artillery lieutenant, and in
dorsed by a dozen proper .military
authorities Including Gen. Hancock
and Gen. Sherman, is on record at
Washington. How the white mule's
record grew in honor with successive
indorsements may be seen from the
commanding general's letter:
Versatile Soldiers.
"All sorts of trades," said the cap
tain, "were represented in the old
Union army. There were men who
could repair watches, who 'could mend
shoes, who could make trousers, who
could shoe horses, repair wagons, and
run locomotives. I remember on one
occasion the general asked all the
men in our brigade who knew any
thing about managing a locomotive tc
step ten paces to the front. Forty
men stepped forward on the instant,
and the general, nonplused, said simp
ly: The hell you say. Very well, let
me see you fix that old engine down
there.' In half an hour the engine
was ready for business.
"The Twentieth Illinois, however,
took the prize for novelty in occupa
tions. We had two men, Henry C.
Payne and Martin Bechtel, who, after
Gen. Grant's Readiness.
The amount of information which
may be drawn by an officer of quick
apprehension from trifling indica
tions is shown by the following anec
dote of the civil war: During the bat
tles of the Wilderness a rebel shell
dropped within a few feet of Grant
and Meade, making a furrow in the
ground and bursting some distance
beyond. Grant, without a word, drew
from his pocket a small compass with
which he calculated the course of the
Want Nark on Historic
Exactly where the late President
McKinley stood when as commissary
sergeant he served coffee and rations
to the soldiers on the firing line at
the battle of Antletam is something
the Ohio Antietara Commission has
not been able to find oat, and would
The Line He Would Form.
This account of a conversation be
tween as officer and a private comes
front the Philippines. An officer of
the day, meeting a sentinel on outpost
pa ed to ask him if he knew his
orders.
Tea. sir. said the sentinel.
Hot Work at Shiloh.
"At Shiloh, when the men of our
osvisJoa returned Moaday night to the
teats frost which we had been drivea
we caste upon some
says a veteran. "Dr.
Ooodbrake west through the hospital
teat to the saaex, where his stores
kept, aad was startled to lad
rebel who had see killed
fan of
aaaas aaa stoata
No praise or blame to spur aw
In this ray hour of trial.
I stand and grip the lever.
I stand and watch the dial.
I know no battle passion
To set my blood aglow,
I work In sober fashion.
But if we fall I know
lhat boiled, or flayed, or stifled.
Or mashed amongst the gear,
1 die. a "mere noncombatant,"
An unknown engineer.
J. H. K. Adkln in London Spectator.
give it a place in your columns and
let the rising generation see it:
Representing nothing on God's earth now.
And nothing in the waters below it;
As a pledge of a nation that's dead anc
gone
Keep It, dear captain, and show It.
Too poor to possess the precious ore;
And too much a stranger to borrow;
We Issue to-day our promise to pay.
And hope to redeem on the morrow.
Days rolled by and weeks became years
But our coffers were empty still;
Coin was so scarce that the treasurj
quaked . iM.
If a dollar should drop in the till.
But the faith that was in us was strong
Indeed. .. .
And our poverty well we discerned;
And these little checks represented the
pay .
That our suffering veterans earned.
We know It had hardly the value of gold.
Tet as gold our soldiers received It;
It gaxed In our eyes with a promise to
pay
And each patriot soldier believed It.
But our boys thought little of price or
Or bills that were overdue
They knew If it brought them their bread
to-day
Twas the best their poor country could
do.
Then keep It It tells our history o'er.
From the birth of the dream to its last;
Glorious and born of the angel Hope.
Like our hope of success it passed.
JOSEPH MONK.
U. S. Grant Post 28. Department of
Illinois.
a large and Influential delegation It
desirable, as other cities are putting
forth claims for the honor of having
the reunion of the society for 1902
held at their several localities, so we
urge your co-operation in this matter,
not only in our own interests, but in
the interest of the state of Massachu
setts, under whose official supervis
ion the dedication will occur, and alsc
in the Interest of the city of Boston,
which has eagerly welcomed our old
comrades in arms to its patriotic sol
on all occasions. The committee will
carry with them communication
from Gov. Crane and Mayor Collins
for presentation to the business meet
ing of the society.
"This trip to Gettysburg will be of
unusual interest, owing to the dedica
tion of the equestrian statue of Gen
Slocum by the state of New York
and the presence of the famous Sev
enth regiment. National .Guards ol
New York. Many of the noted sur
vlving leaders of our gallant Army o!
the Potomac are to be present, at
well as the governors of New Jersey
and Pennsylvania,"
"I have seen that mule, anc
whether true or false, the soldier
believe it was left at the Big Spring
where Mount Vernon barracks now
are, at the time General Jackson'f
army camped there, about 1819-20
Tradition says it was once a sorrel
but now it is white from age.
'The quartermaster's department
will be chargeable with ingratitude
if that mule is sold or the care ant
maintenance of it thrown on the char
Itable officers of the posu I advise
that it be kept In the department, feo
and maintained till death.
"ff. T. SHERMAN.
"P. S. I think that mule was at
Fort Morgan, Mobile Point, when 1
was there in 1842 W. T. 3."
The secretary of war finally direct
ed that this mule be kept and wel'
cared for, at public expense as Ions
as he lives."
Shiloh, made a medicine of yellow
dock and some other roots, whicr,
they sold to the natives as a cure-al
for ague, malaria, fever, headache
backache and what they were fond ol
calling 'general debility.' They sen'
home for bottles, and they sold gal
Ions of this medicine before the boy
learned what they were doing. Ther
they dubbed them 'doctors,' and tha
name clung to them, not only in the
army, but after they came home, and
the last that I knew of them the
were 'Doctor Payne and 'Doctor
Bechtel."
"The younger the girl the mow
ready her speech," says the philoso
pher. This, if true, should boost th
spinster above par in the matrimonial
market
shell. In five minutes afterward hi
had a piece or two of artillery posted
near by and opening fire soon silenced
the rebel battery, whose location hai
been betrayed by the course of th
projectile. As soon as this had beer
done he asked the elevation of the
guns which had done such good work
On being told, he soon established
by a calculation known to every artil
lerist, the Important fact of the ex
act distance of the enemy's line fron
his own.
Spot
like to know. Besides the markers ti
show where the different Ohio regl
ments were stationed in this battle
the commission expects to erect i
tablet at the place where McKlnle:
dodged bullets in order to relieve th
hunger and thirst of the men at th
front,
v Officer "Suppose you were rush
by 100 bolomea. what would yoa do?
"Form a line, sir," replied the sen
tineL
"What! One man form a line?"
"Yes. sir; I'd form a beeline fo
camp!"
dried, or evaporated, fruit, taken fron
the boxes near. Our owa Sibley ten
had 125 bullet holes la it. and th
pole had beea cat ia two ay a eaaaor
ball- This shows what a hot fir
there was at the very bsgianlae of th
battle."
A safe apnfla
la his duty.
last be aalagglnj
I
Probably no portion of the globe's
surface has afforded a richer field for
Jie Imaginative writer than the Sax
casso sea. that portion of the Atlantic
icean lying between 16 and 38 degrees
lorth latitude and 30 and 50 degrees'
arest longitude.
During the recent Spanish-American
war some of the newspaper reporters,
tending their imaginations soaring
wildly over the Sargasso sea. met
ftranger visions than did Milton in
Paradise or Dante in the depths of In
ferno. A Boston daily contained an
irticle anticipating the naval battle
.hat occurred at Santiago. The au
thor, giving free rein to his fancy,
said:
The battle will be fought on the
lorthern edge of that .strange and
mysterious part of the Atlantic called
Ihe Sargasso sea. It is not generally
mown that within a week's sail from
Vew York Is a vast and trackless
waste, unexplored by the hardiest sail
ors, uncrossed by the stateliest ships,
a monster mass of floating debris,
consisting of growing seaweed, bloom
ing and blossoming plants, creeping
and twining vines, a float island of
verdure almost as large as the state of
Texas, forming a solid barrier against
navigation. . . . The Spanish com
mander will very likely use this mass
of floating sod protect his flanks
and rear from attack." It Is incredi
ble that a paper would print such ludi
crous trash that the merest school
child would at once recognize as ut
terly false.
Another Boston dally copied from
the Buffalo Commercial this most ab
surd account of a barque in passage
from Rosario to Philadelphia during
Spanish Bell
on New
One of the rarest curios in this city
is an old Spanish bell which is in the
possession of Maurice H. Stratemeyer,
a well known dealer in musical instru
ments, at 31 Broad street, this city,
says the Newark News. The bell was
dug up a few years ago on the estate
of Gov. Carteret, New Jersey's first
colonial executive, whose home was
on Pearl street, this city. The relic
was unearthed about six feet under
ground by some workmen who were
excavating for a building. It was
thickly covered wiin rust, and the
finder did not realize at the time the
value of his discovery. He took it
home, however, and Mr. Stratemeyer,
who is something of an antiquarian,
learned only some months ago of its
existence, and took steps to get pos
session of the ancient bell, which is
one of the oldest. If not the oldest, in
tne United States.
It is made of old bronze, said to be
worth SI a pound. The bell is 13
inches high, 11 inches in diameter at
its base and weighs 35 pounds. It is
minus the clapper. The part by
which it hangs is shaped like a crown,
while on its side is raised decoration
resembling a fleur de lis. Around the
base is the following inscription:
Remarkable Story of
a Vegetarian Cat.
The vegetarian cat owned by Tom
my Magruder of Newark is in clover
hist now. Everything on the little
Belleville avenue farm, where the cat
and Tommy both live, is at its best
2nd the cat does not miss much that
s ripening except the bell peppers,
tomatoes and celery. These she does
not like, but eats lettuce, cabbage and
green corn, raw, with avidity, says
the New York Sun.
She prefers her corn husked, but
will husk it herself in a rough way if
it is left where she can get at it
"Woozy," as the boys call her, has
never been known to climb a corn
stalk to get an ear, but she is seen
every day nipping parsley and lettuce,
and a few days ago she was caught
eating into a growing cabbage. Suc
cotash is one of her favorite dishes,
but she is fond of cooked string beans,
warm or cold.
WWWMWVWMWWWWWWWWVWMAAAAAAMMAMMAMMMAMMAMM
WAS DEAD BY-PROXY. I
How One Man Escaped Service in the
War of 1812.
Harrison Huff, aged 91, went into a
drug store at Wichita. Kan., and in
quired for Bombay root, saying he
wished to use it as a substitute for
tobacco. "Can't you quit without a
substitute?" inquired the druggist,
after explaining that Bombay roof was
an antiquated drug and no longer
found in the market "I don't want to
quit," said the old man. "I simply
want to let up a little." "How long
have you been chewing?" inquired the
druggist "Nigh on to eighty years,
maybe more. I know I was chewing
when Jefferson died on the Fourth of
July in 1824."
Continuing his talk about the early
days, Mr. Huff said that he had voted
for Andrew Jackson and at every pres
idential election ever since. "The day
I was born," he said., "my father was
drafted into the war against the English-
He couldn't go. as my mother
was very ill they thought she was
going to die and so he hired a sub
stitute. The substitute died before.he
had marched -three miles. The officer
came back and wanted to draft rather
again. 'Your proxy is dead,' the offi
cer ssid. 'and I want you.' Then my
father said, 'If my proxy is dead, then
I am dead by proxy, and I won t go.
And he didn't go."
Interesting Dancing Statistics.
Tha Aiatsnre traveled in dances has
besn calculated by some statistical
mind. An "average waltx takes one
over about three-quarters of a mile. A
snuare dance makes you cover aooui
half a mile, while a rapid galop
obliges you to traverse just about one
mile. It will thus be seen inai u a
girl with a well-filled program dances
from eighteen to twenty dances in an
evening the result is reaiiy appsuing.
Say there are twelve waltzes a fair
average; this alone makes nine miles.
Three galops added to this makes it
twelve miles, while from three to five
other dances, at half a mile apiece,
bring her close upon thirteen or fif
teen miles. This is exclusive of the
usual promenade and "extras."
Nothing is the world can exceed
the atter loyalty with which a woman,
respects the confidence of a man for
woo she has a geauiae liking.
which it had "a strange experience Is
the well known but seldom visited
and much dreaded. Sargasso sea. . . .
Nineteen days were spent In a desper
ate battle with the floating seaweed
and profuse flora. . . . We were
actually driven back by its force.
Some of the creepers were at least
100 feet long, and they seized upon
the bowsprit, spars, davits and every
thing into which they could entangle
themselves."
Any child who ever saw the ocean
would naturally reason that it bears
on no part of its surface "blooming
and blossoming plants." The Sargia
so sea differs in no wise from any ott
er part of the Atlantic, excepting that
it is so surrounded by currents that
the alga known as Sargassum bao
ciferum floats here in somewhat
greater quantities than elsewhere. It
is also a section of the ocean lying
without the range of constant trade
winds, so that sailing vessels are
sometimes liable to become becalmed,
and one can well realize that a carpet
of seaweed upon the surfi.ee of
the water, when there Is no
wind to fill the sails, will tend
to somewhat impede a ship's
progress. But "a solid .barrier against
navigation" the slender seaweed Is
not, for, notwithstanding the authori
ties quoted, through the Sargasso sea
lies the southern passage from Europe
to America for sailing vessels in win
ter. An intimate acquaintance of the
writer, a worthy old sea captain. says
that in his numerous voyages across
that "unexplored, trackless waste" he
never could have experienced the dif
ficulties described unless he had
sailed his vessel bottom upwards.
Dug Up
Jersey Estate.
"Soiderancicodartiaga:" This puzzled
not only Mr. Stratemeyer, but several
learned antiguarians who dropped into
his place to inspect the relic, and
none of whom could translate the in
scription. It remained for some Mexi
can officers who are connected with
the commission now supervising the
construction of two gun boats for the
republic at Lewis Nixon's shipyard to
tell what it meant
They said that the inscription was
"Soy de, Rancisco Dartiaga," mean
ing "I am of (or was made by) Fran
cisco Dartiaga."
They all agreed the bell was of for
eign make and was over 400 years
old. How much more they would not
venture to guess.
It is more than probable that the
relic was brought into this country on
one of Cartaret's ships. The Eliza
beth river, then a wide and navigable
stream for nearly a mile beyond whero
the bell was found, flowed alongside
the Cariaret estate, while "Paradise
Farm," the ancient homestead of the
Hotfleld family, adjoins the spot
where it was discovered.
The happiness of God is not meas
ured by the misery of man.
Boiled sweet or white potatoes suit
Woozy's peculiar taste at any time
and she also likes the latter fried or
creamed. But she is wasteful in eat
ing raw green corn from the cob.
She will strip one cob completely,
scattering a great deal of the corn
over the ground, and will take sly
nips out of three or four other ears
meanwhile.
Woozy is a greatgrandmother and
her progeny never has shown any de
sire for a vegetable diet One of her
children showed a morbid desire for
ice and ice cream and was fond of
clams and oysters, and all but Woozy
have shown the usual cat's craze for
crabs, lobsters and fish. Woozy will
let the fish go and tackle a plate of
cold cqrn chowder in preference. She
eats beef or mutton, but daintily, and
she will leave com meat for cold
boiled onions at any time.
HOLY TO THREE RELIGIONS.
Palestine Is Sacred to Christian, Jew
and Mohammedan.
We are accustomed to consider
Palestine only as the Promised Land
of the Jewish race, and the scene of
the most sacred events in human his
tory the birth and burial place, the
home, the place of the crucifixion and
the resurrection of the Redeemer.
We forget that it is also a Holy Land
for the adherents of another religion,
who outnumber the Christians and
the Jews combined, and are without
doubt the most numerous, the most
devout and the most fanatical of all
religious believers. The Mohamme
dans number not less than 400,000,
000 and perhaps 500,000,000. A large
portion of them trace their ancestry
to Esau and Ishmael, as the Jews
trace theirs to Jacob, and are equally
attached to the scenes of Old Testa
ment history. The tomb of Abraham,
the well of Jacob, the River Jordan
and the site of the temple are as
precious and sacred to the one as
to the other. The Mohammedan
cares nothing for the sultan except
as the successor of Mahomet, the
visible head of the church, but his
religion is a live, tangible and essen
tial thing which influences and often
controls his movements as well as
his emotions. No other faith, no
other race, are so dependent upon
prayer and worship. No other is so
scrupulous in the observance of the
teachings of his Bible and his priests,
or in the observance of his religious
duties and vows.
One Misery of Angle-Indian Life.
Every night at dinner the Anglo
Indian holds a kind of levee. The in:
sects which attend dance gayly round
the lamp, and one has to watch one's
plate and glass carefully lest some of
the insects should dance Into them.
There is one insect a little, flat
brown, shining creature which emits
the worst odor in the world. If one
of these touches your food the whole
is tainted and rendered inedible. You
dare -not kill these pests, for if one
be squashed the whole room become
filled with its disgusting smell, aad Is
uninhabitable for the next half hoar
So these abominable insects fly about
with impunity while the ptor Anglo
Indian must perforce look helplessly
oa and iawardly sigh. "Spare saeiiora."
lairytng and Employment ef Labor.
It Is set infrequently urged against
airylng that It takes a great deal
sore labor to carry it on than It does
ay other kind of farming. This is
nought In some localities to be a
ery good argument against it When
he thing Is analyzed, we find that the
rgument is in favor of dairying
ather than against it The good of
he whole community is desired by
ivery patriotic citizen. The happl
tess of the one is bound up in the
isppiness of all. It is therefore of in
terest to every man to have all labor
onstantly and profitably employed,
rhe dairy business gives not only a
(reat deal of employment but it
ipreads it over the entire year. In
rtead of there being work at it for
rat a few months in the year there
s work twelve months. For this rea
ion. butter, should never sell at a low
orice. It is necessary that labor have
Its reward, and when that is accom
plished in the making of butter
t means that a considerable sum
has been added to the cost of each
pound of butter. There is nothing to
be gained by the community in re
ducing the cost of making butter. If
milking machine could be manufac
tured that would take the place of four
fifths of the milkers it would not help
the community at large very much.
It would simply throw out of employ
ment a large number of men and wom
en. Individual dairymen would, how
ever, profit by it It is for the inter
est of the community to keep every
man employed. On the dairy farm
the increased amount of work makes
it possible to keep the children at
home much longer than would be the
case with other kinds of farming.
This is very true in localities where
there are good schools. The boys and
girls can well afford to take a high
school course at the expense of their
parents, if those parents are engaged
in dairying. The boys and girls are
at home Just when the milking should
be done and are at school in the mid
dle of the day, when dairy duties are
not generally pressing. This is a
point that should be more generally
considered than It is. Many young
women and young men that now think
their parents cannot afford to give
them a High School education can ob
tain it by taking care of a few cows
night and morning.
Milk Hauling by Factories.
In some of the localities where there
are creameries the milk is hauled by
the patrons. In other localities the
creameries do the hauling themselves.
There are some advantages and some
disadvantages for each method. One
of the reasons why the factory can af
ford to haul its own milk is that it
thereby gets about all the milk there
is in a locality and gets it all the
time: Where farmers haul their own
milk they cannot be depended on to
bring the supply at all times. In the
summer time when the field work is
pressing they not infrequently find it
pays them better to keep the milk at
home for a day or two and make but
ter from it than to take the time of a
man and horse going to the creamery.
Of course there are obstacles in the
way of the milk being gathered by a
factory employe. One of the obstacles
is the difficulty of working in the
Babcock test with such a system. If
a man goes out to gather milk he can
not carry one or more cans for each
customer if his milk route includes a
large number of patrons. He wants
to economize space by putting the
milk of several patrons into one can,
where that can be done. Analysis of
any value to the individual patron be
comes then impossible. Nevertheless
it may well be doubted if it pays a
farmer with a few cows to haul his
milk to market himself, if his time is
of any value. Where it can be prop
erly controlled the hauling of milk by
the factory is advisable.
Watery Butter.
Recently in Chicago a car of butter
from a Kansas creamery company
was examined by government experts
and found to contain 24 per cent of
water. It consisted of ladle goods,
and this explains how the water got
into it It was probably worked in
Intentionally in the process of work
ing over the butter. This is a trick
that is worked with variations. Some
times chemicals are used to help in
corporate the water with the butter,
and at other times heat alone is de
pended upon. This butter was evi
dently reworked at a high tempera
ture. At the present time the ruling
of the government is that butter must
not contain over 16 per cent of water.
In the past as there has been no law
on this point no Investigation has
been made, and it has been assumed
that the trick was not being worked as
extensively in this country as in Eu
rope. - It may turn out however, that
we have been constantly victimized in
this respect and that the imposition
has been going on all the time. The
government Inspection will now bring
it to light and will at least prove a
check upon it
Summer and Fall Feeding.
Wise dairymen now feed their cows
in both summer and fall if the pas
tures are such as not to give a full
feed without too much labor on the
part of the cows. Allowing cows to
fall off in their milk is not a profita
ble operation. It may save a little
feed, but it loses far more in the value
of lost milk? When cows are allowed
to drop in their milk yields for even
a few weeks they can not be brought
back to their previous yields until
they again come in fresh. The men
that have planted "corn, oats, peas
and the like for summer feed will
have no trouble this summer and fall
In keeping up the milk flow. Those
that have silage will find no difficulty
at alt The men that have no. green
stuff to feed can only lament their
misfortune, as it is very doubtful if,
at the present prices, it will pay to
feed considerable quantities to the
cows on pasture.
Harrowing Wet Ground.
'. Ground should net be harrowed
when it Is too wet Only the skillful
farmer caa tell when It is too wet
One farmer follows the practice of
taking a handful of soil and work
ing it Into a balL If the ball holds
together he considers the soil too wet
to be worked. The harrowing should
be done when thereis sufficient mois
ture ia it to keep it from being very
hard on the surface but should also
be dry enough so that when harrowed
the particles of soil will fall away
from each other. The time during
which ground is just, right for har
rowing Is of short duration. This is
especially true of clayey land. On
randy soil 'there is little trouble in
harrowing at any time, especially If j
tne soil be very sandy.
Why California Raisin Growers Or
ganized.
M. Theodore Kearney: The ques
tion how shall we market our crops
so as to produce the best results is
one that Is attracting the greatest
attention among the fruit growers of
California. Raisins have been pro
duced in California for many years,
but it was not until 1885 that the
quantity reached the round figure of
ten million pounds. The production
rapidly Increased each year there
after until nine years later or in 1894
the output was 103 million pounds.
During this period, which was one of
great prosperity in the United States,
the demand was In excess of the sup
ply, except in 1894, and the raisins
were sold f. o. b. shipping points at
steadily advancing prices. The panic
of 1893 and the excessive crop of
1894, together with the dishonest and
suicidal practices of some packers In
filling orders with raisins of a qual
ity much inferior to the grades indi
cated in the box marks, brought about
a total change in the methods of mar
keting the crop. Thereafter the deal
ers in the east refused to pay for rais
sins except after arrival and upon
examination; and as the demand was
very much reduced by this change,
and the crop of 1894 was much In
excess of previous years, the growers
were obliged to ship their raisins east
on consignment
I think we have all learned the bit
ter lesson of the consignment system
and I need say no more on this point
than that with nearly every crop in
the hands of a separate broker, for
there were almost as many agents
selling the crops as there were grow
era, each grower's crop was used
against every other grower's crop tc
beat down the price and ruin the mar
ket The logical result of all this
was that when the commissions
freight packing and other charges
were paid the grower had not onlj
nothing left for his labor but wa
actually out of pocket on the year't
transaction. In fact raisins droppec
to $18.00 per ton in Fresno in 189;
and the farmers found it cheaper tc
use them, and did so use them, as i
substitute for barley in feeding thelt
work horses. As a further result of
this condition great areas of ralsii
vineyards throughout the state wen
uprooted, and in Fresno county aloni
the assessor's books show a reduction
in acreage in two years of 16.00C
acres, representing a loss to the grow
ers in labor and material of at least
100 per acre or 11,600,000. Of coursi
this meant widespread ruin- to the rai
sin growers and hundreds of mort
gages were foreclosed and the farmer
and his family turned adrift to com
pete in an already over-crowded labot
market tramping about the state Ir
search of a day's work. Farmers' Ro
view.
Necessity for Pruning.
Weak plants often show a great pro
fusion of bloom in the spring, but a'
harvest time the berries are few ant
inferior. The stamens and pistils no"
being vigorous, the pollen lacks po
tency or life-giving power, and, as al
ready explained, where there are n
seeds there can be no fruit and weal
seeds always produce inferior fruit
In plants unrestricted and propagate
promiscuously, you will always notici
some plants fruiting fairly well, other:
sparingly, and still others entirely bar
ren.
Notice that when apple trees bloon
very full white as snow when even
twig is loaded with blossoms, verj
little fruit sets, and what does giro
is small and inferior in quality. Thii
is because the tree does not have thi
ability to impart potency or life to s
much pollen. Our largest crops o;
fine fruits are grown when we havf
moderate bloom, or the trees hav
been restricted by close pruning be
fore blossoms open in the spring. The
can then concentrate their powers ot
fewer blossoms, the potency of poller
is strong and the seeds are vigorous
with consequent full development o:
fruit flesh. This is why the success
ful orchardist prunes his trees ani
vines every year, cutting off a larg
part of the buds. Everybody knowi
that unpruned orchards, vineyards, oi
fruit bushes quickly become unfruit
ful. R. M. Kellogg.
Growing Strawberries in Pots.
The growing of strawberries in poll
is not likely to become a very popu
iar method of raising that fruit Tht
men who will in the winter time paj !
six to eight dollars per quart for ber
ries are very few in number. Man
of the berries grown in pots are not
sold by the quart, but are sold on thi
plants for ornamental purposes. Thi
usual method of raising these pottec
strawberries is about as follows: Ir
the spring the pots are placed out o;
doors and near some strawberries thai
are forming runners. A runner ii
trailed over a pot and allowed to rool
in it After the crown has developed
the runner is clipped off and the plant
allowed to grow under the best oi
conditions of sun and moisture til!
fall. In the fall they are for awhilt
deprived of water and allowed to drj
up. When cold weather comes the
are frozen and so left for some time
Then they are put into a room and
thawed out very gradually, the tern
perature being raised a few degrees
each day. After that they are forced
in their growth till they develor.
flower and fruit All the fruit bud;
but six are trimmed off. These sii
are permitted to form fruit
Beans in the United States.
Important as are beans, as an article
of diet, they play but a small part In
the crop totals of the country. It if
certain, however, that the census bu
reau fails to get reports of millions
of bushels of beans raised and con
sumed on the farms. These are nevei
recorded as entering into commerce
On many farms the farmers raise onlj
enough beans for home use. The lasi
census report gives the crop of 1899.
It shows Michigan and New York tc
be the leading bean producing states
The yields in bushels for the most im
portant bean raising states are as fol
lows: Michigan, 1.806.413; New York,
1.360.445; California. 658.515; Florida
176.304; Wisconsin. 143482; Maine,
137,230; Virginia. 56489.
An orchard that has not been culti
vated through the spring and summer
should not be cultivated in the fall,
as this may start a new growth of
wood that will not harden up before
the coming of cold wither.
Train up -a child in the wsy he
should go, and it's dollars to dough
nuts he will take a flyer in the oppo
site direction. Chirago News.
Natural
Weprodnctlew ef
Ti
A line of work receatly takes ap
y the Bureau of Forestry, aad fer
he first time receiving adequate at
sntloa In the United States, Is the
tudy of the tendency of natural for
sts to extend over the lead devoid
f forest growth. This tendency has
eea aoticed in many parts of the
ouatry, but has never bees studied
'its a view of controlling It for prac
ical use, or assisting it where eeslr
ble. A field party from the bureau
s aow investigating the reproduction
f white pine on pastures aad abaa
toned lands in Massachusetts aad
few Hampshire, to learn the condi
lons under which reproduction takes
jlace. The bureau is making this la
'estlgation in order to be able to give
iwaers of such lands directions as to
he best methods of handling them,
ylth a view of securing a stand of
line by natural seeding. A field
jarty of six men is studying the same
iroblem In Oklahoma, in connection
with the hardwood growth which
imposes the timber belts ot that re
ctos. It has been found la certain
ilaces in the middle west that natural
'orest belts have extended up streams
fs much as two miles la the last twea-iy-five
years. Particular attention will
ae paid to devising methods for ex
tending and improving the forest
crowth of the Wichita Forest Re
serve, where at present the stand of
timber consists of only a scattering
crowth of oak. A similar study is
)elng made on the Prescott Forest
Reserve in Arizona, where the stand
of timber consists almost entirely ot
western yellow pine. For several
years only a scant reproduction has
taken place on this reserve, and one
of the objects of the present investi
gation is to devise means of increas
ing the stand of young timber.
Soil for Rye.
Manly Miles: Although rye caa be
successfully grown on a great variety
of soils, yet it is of the finest aad best
quality when produced on a dry. san
dy one, where few, if any other grains
can be cultivated with equal advan
tage. By this we do not mean the
poorest soil that can be found and
which contains but little of the ele
ments of plant food, or that rye can
be successfully grown with but slight
preparation of the land and the con
stant cropping of the same fields with
it and no mznure supplied to return
the nutritive properties extracted by
successive crops. We have seen a
good growth of rye on a sandy soil
that would produce scarcely anything
else, but the soil was fairly enriched
before the seed was sown. Clay is
not favorable to Ita cultivation, espe
cially a heavy undralned clay, and it
will never do well in a wet soil oi
any kind. A clay loam will produce
a fine growth of straw, but the grain
will not be as good as that produced
'on a sandy soil, the latter producing
a more plump kernel of better quality
than the forme.-. A rich loam will
produce a larger quantity of grain
than sandy 6oil, but of less value.
Rye is a strong feeder and will ex
tract about the last element of solu
ble plant food from the soil; hence,
land that has become so exhausted
that It cannot yield rye, is very poor
indeed and will require a long period
of rest or a large quantity of manure
of some kind to cause it to produce
anything. Farmers' Review.
Novel Method of Planting Trees.
The Forest Department of South
Australia, the most enterprising body
in forestry in the Colonies, have
adopted the bamboo tube system in
planting out young trees, and it has
proved very successful. The plant com
monly called bamboo (Arundo donax),
really a reedr is cut into lengths of
abovo 5 Inches, and filled with prop
erly prepared soil. Then a small
pinch of seed is placed in each tube,
and with judicious watering the seed
lings appear in due course. The tubes
may vary from one-half Inch to 1
inch, but should not be obtained from
very old bamboos, as such tubes will
not rot when planted out All gums
reared for planting out in South Aus
tralia are grown in these tubes, this
plan having been found to be the best
and most economical in rearing, plant
ing, and carrying over long distances,
at the same being safer than any
other system, as far as root exposure
is concerned. The soil having been
well worked, an opening is made with
a spade, and the tube is placed there-
in. but care most be taken to plant
the tube rlgnt to the bottom. If this
is not done, when the tree sends out
young roots at the bottom of the
tube, they would come into empty
space and perish, and the death of
the young tree would follow. It is
recommended to plant the tree as far
under the soil as possible, as the tube
is more certain to decay when well
in the ground, as the damp can act
on it better than when it shows on
the surface. Indian Agriculturist
Reclamation of Shifting Sand Dunes.
The protection of valuable property
from the encroachment of shifting
sand dunes is becoming an Important
problem in some portions of the country-
The regions most severely af
fected are the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts, the lake district of Michigan,
and the Columbia river district of
Washington and Oregon. Two field
parties from the Bureau of Forestry
are at work on this problem. One
will investigate the worst dune dis
tricts along the Atlantic coast and
will study carefully the grasses,
shrubs, and trees that can be used
either for temporary or permanent re
tention of the sand dunes, and will
also inquire Into other methods of
holding the active dunes, or changing
their direction. Very successful work
in holding the sand by grass and
shrub planting has already been done
by the state of Massachusetts on a
portion of Cape Cod known as the
"Province Lands." The problem along
the Columbia river is somewhat dif
ferent from that along the Atlantic
coast, owing to the different origin and
character of the sand. It is expected,
however, that the control of the sand
there. like that of the coast Band, can
be effected by means of grass or shrub
planting, and afterwards by rorcsta
tion. Primarily the object of control
ling the sand is to protect valuaMe
property which is endangered by tue
dunes.
Landslides Are Feared.
A portion of the cone of Mount "Ve
suvius has fallen in and precautions
ire being taken against possible land
slides. A henpecked husband is generally
trowed over by his wife.
rase. sswMsrs sisms aaa nasss iw, sireewersb
statiea hulletla
says: As a rale It to lajerteus te
breed lauMture stock; aad the heat
retarsa are set te he expected from
weak or very oM animals, Beth oh
servattoa aad experieace save coa
viaced sm that the ase ef a rasa lamb,
fer example, as sire la a fleck, results
is Iambs lacking la character and of
uncertals quality, while the use of a
matured ram would have given satis
factory returns. There is a geaeral
tendency, ia the anxiety to secure re
sults frost breeding herds, to breed the
females at too early aa age. which toe
oftea injures the vitality and growth,
aad presaetes reduced size and quality.
Aaimala should act he required te
take oa themselves the burdens of
motherhood, until they have acquired
fair maturity aad development The
as who breeds his ewes to first lamb
aa loag yearllags, te have his beef
cows first drop calves at thirty months
old, or his dairy cows at twenty-four
or tweaty-slx ssoaths. or his sows to
first farrow at twelve or fourteea
months of sge. Is oa safer ground ia
building up sis herd than the mas
who will not wait for this maturity.
Is s measure, there Is also objectloa
is ualag very old or weak animals for
breedlag. Strength ef character frost
such cannot be expected to equal that
from aaimala ia the prime of age aad
condition.
Selecting Sheep for a Flock. t
W. J. BoyntOB of the Minnesota .
Stock Breeders' Association says:
Anyone that starts a pure bred flock
should be fond of sheep and ambitious.
He should take pride enough in the
flock to be determined that it should
aot oaly be kept up to as high a stand
ard as when it comes into his hands
but that it should constantly Improve.
All successful breeders must progress.
Start with the breed that you like
best. If it is suitable for your location
aad there is demand enough for it to
stake it a payiag investment as well
as a pleasant business. In selecting
the ewes for the foundation flock get
as uniform a lot as possible, as this
will be a great help to you. It It
hard to breed anything uniform from
an uneven lot Size is important but
not so much as the quality.. The s
lection of the ram Is the most im
portant He is one-half if not' three
fourths of the flock. Don't be afraid
to invest your money in a good ram
You cannot keep your flock up if you
do not use good sires. A flock of pool
quality ewes can be greatly improved
by using good sires, but a poor ran;
will run down the quality of the best
flock of ewes. A highly fitted and fin
ished ram should be avoided. He 1
at his best and will never look as well
again. Pay for the quality but not
the fitting.
Locality Affects Quality of Apples.
A variety of apples will vary it
quality largely according to the local
ity in which it grows. We have been
struck with this fact as we have test
ed apples grown in different parts ol .
the United States. Just what are tht
elements entering into the problem
it is hard to say. The writer wat
once oa the fair grounds at St Louli
and was looking over the apple ex
hlblt To the man in charge of the
Missouri exhibit he remarked the
want of flavor of a certain variety o:
apples grown In the prairies states
He was answered that the same va
rlety grown In the Ozarks bad a fine
flavor, and. to prove his assertion
handed the writer an apple from tht
region named. It was Indeed highlj
flavored. Possibly the composition of
the soil has much to do with thia
The clay soils that are rich in linn
seem to give high flavored fruit Yet
it may be due to other things thai
the condition and composition of soil
Perhaps on the rich prairie soil the
growth of the trees and of the frulf
is too rapid to admit of the best ol
results in the way of flavors. Wt
would like to hear from our readert
on this point Do soils affect flavoi
of apples? Farmers Review.
Feeding Alfalfa.
Correspondence Los Angeles Times:
Some months ago there appeared U
the Times a paragraph regarding tht
beneficial effects of feeding green al
falfa to milch cows, speaking particu
larly of Its prolonging the period o.
lactation. Permit me to speak of thi:
from experience. We have two cowa
Beauty and Bonita, the former i
grade Guernsey, nine years old, thi
other a grade Jersey, four years olds
For a year or so past we have had ax
alfalfa patch about 90 feet long, from
which I mow a strip about 3 feet widi
across it daily. It therefore usuallj
lasts just about a month. I divide tht
cut alfalfa between the cows at noon
After getting to the end of the patch
I begin at the other end and go ovet
it again, watering it as I cut it. I;i
the summer it Is generally coming
into bloom when cut It has been i
frequent remark in our family foi
some time past that "Beauty has
never held out on her milk so," anc
that Is the case. I think It also tcndi
to keep the cows healthy. They hav
not been outside the corrals fo;
months, yet It is rare that anything
ails them.
Danish Co-Operative Bacon Factories
There are 26 co-operative pia
slaughterles and bacon-curing factories
in Denmark, and 16 large private ones,
besides a few smaller ones not curing
for export Exact statistics can onl
be had from the co-operative establish
ments, and at these 651.261 pigs were
killed in 1901. The price averaged 56.?
kronen per hog, or 44 ore per lb
(10.56c. per American pound). Thear
erage weight of the pigs was 129.?.
Danish lbs. The aggregate number.oi
the co-operative bacon factories' mem-
bers was about 65.000. The total kill
ings of pigs in Denmark cannot be.
given with certainty, as the private
establishments refuse to publish their
killings, which are generally supposed
to be two-fifths of the total, the co-op
erative receiving the three-fifths. Cal
culating upon this basis, the total kill
ings of pigs la Denmark in 19I
amounted to very nearly 1,10.066; rep
resenting a value of 63.00t,eeo kro
ne re. For the week ending May 3 the
killings in Denmark were aot lesr
than 30,00e pigs. This was the heaviest
killings recorded for one week slacc
1896. Smor TIdende.
It Is estimated by experis that it
costs about 130 per acre to raise sugar
beets. This is oa account of the large
amount of handwork that must be
given to grow beets of proper size and
shape.
Speaking of ducks, tt takes greea
backs to catch canva
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