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About The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911 | View Entire Issue (July 22, 1903)
-w- - i '-iFwftessaz -tew .1, ..-.'.s tw- , W --, 4- s r- fa f mmrriim . -x 1 Matters in NEBRASKA'S ST. LOUIS EXHIBIT. It to Proposed that it Shall Be Second to Ne Other State. The Nebraska state commission, consisting of G. W. Wattles of Omaha, president; C. H. Morrill of Lincoln, Tics president and treasurer, and Jadge Matt Miller of David City, sec retary, have secured the services of H. O. Shedd of Lincoln as asisstant secretary and established offices in the McCague building at Omaha. A large amount of preliminary work has already been accomplished, and it is the purpose of the commission to make Nebraska's exhibit at St. Louis in 1904 second to that of no other state in the Louisiana purchase territory. Mr. James Walsh of Benson has been appointed superintendent of ag riculture, and the following assistants have been employed: C. C. Wright of Thedford, William lames of Pleasant Hill and John H. Taylor of Waterloo, as collectors of grasses of the state; aad the following as collectors of sheaf grain: T. E. Bennett, York; T. J. Buckmaster. Creighton; 8. Cling man, David City; J. W. Darrah, Au burn; 8. H. Dole and Sons, Beatrice; J. C. Dort, Pawnee City; L. F. Ftye, Clay Center: Charles Grau. Benning ton; J. W. Haws, Minden; E. C. House, Broken Bow; William James. Pleasant Hill; J. N. Lemon, Hartingtoa; George A. Miles, AIns worth; J. W. Robinson. Franklin; -J. L. Rynearson. Madison; A. W. Steele. Aurora; C. D. Stoner, Osceola; N. D. Thorp, Wahoo. Special premiums have been offer ed for the best selections of these products. The commission has added to the Nebraska Improvcc Corn Grow ers' association premium list the sum of $750 additional premiums, and the exhibits of corn for the exposition will be taken from tne com exhibited at the association's annual corn show to be held in Lincoln next January. Five thousand square feet or space lo cated in the center of the agricultural hall on the exposition grounds has been secured, and Prof. Frederick W. Taylor, formerly of the Nebraska State university, who is chief of the agricultural exhibit at the exposition, will assist in making Nebraska's ag rlcutural exhibit one of the very best that can be made. A superintendent of the horticul tural exhibit will soon be selected. Three thousand square feet of space la the horticultural building has been secured, on which the fruits grown la this state will be exhibited. The exposition management has ap propriated $250,000 in premiums for the live stock show to be held In con section with the exposition. The com mission will assist the Nebraska live stock growers in making their exhibit second to that of no other state. Prof. E. II. Barbour of the State university has been engaged as su perintendent of the educational exhib it, and in connection with this exhibit It is proposed to illustrate in a pic torial manner the resources of Ne braska. It has not been definitely decided wuether or not a state building will be erected. The commission has ask ed for private donations to add to the appropriation of $35,000 made by the state, and alreacy has received subscriptions to this fund of about $25,000. making a total of $60,000 at their disposal. While this sum is not large. It is hoped by the commission that it may be ample for the work in hand, if the most of the services of those engaged to assist can be secured without compensation. The commis sioners all serve witnout pay, and sev eral of Nebraska's most prominent ritizens have already volunteered their services along special lines to assist the commission. Tornado at Newport. NEWPORT A tornado from the dortheast struck Newport and destroy ed all the principal haybarns in town. The total loss is about $7,000. Heat Fatal to Farmer Boy. SCHUYLER Adalf Kaplan, a roung Bohemian aged 18, who came from his native land but a short time since, and was employed on the farm 3f Prokop Castek, near Schuyler, died from sunstroke. He was in the field alone with a team cultivating corn. A young girl went out with lunch for him and found him lying dead behind the cultivator, where he had fallen. He was robust and hearty apppearing. Death from Toy Pistol. CHESTER One death and another probable fatality Is the Fourth of July record here. John Harmes. 6 years old, son of John Harmes, came to town and asked Dr. Stretton to dress his Fourth of July finger, which had come in contact with a toy pistol oa that day. The doctor found strong symptoms of blood poisoning. The wound became worse and death en sued in a short time. Ten Counties Are Delinquent. Tea county clerks in the state are delinquent in making their returns of the assessed valuations of their coun ties and as a result taeir counties are likely to have to pay more taxes than they have had to pay with the returns lied. The auditor sent out a circular letter to the delinquents 'explaining that HBder section 72. chapter Ixxvii, article i. of the compiled statutes of 1901, returns must all be in by July It To Fix the Boundary. LINCOLN Three members to rep reseat Nebraska in tnejoiat boundary commission authorized by the states of Nebraska and South Dakota in the location 'of the dividing line between the two commonwealths were ap pointed by Governor Mickey. The -choice of the executive fell upon C. J. Swanson of Oakland. Dr. F. O. Rob inson of Hartingtoa andE. A. Lund berg of Wayne. They will receive tl'ieraay. I Tiiiiiiitiii i i",ll,M (Nebraska. 4llMllltHHHHIUHllt TERSELY TOLD STATE NEWS. Geo. W. Wilhite. over ninety years old. died last week at Falls City. The little town of Memphis, in Saunders county, is having a tele phone war. C. W. Buckner, a primer, was killed by the cars at Geneva, while attempt ing to board a freight train. There was a small wreck on the Northwestern near Arlington, in which seven cars were piled up, but no one hurt. Herman Boiling, living three miles southeast of Papillion. has Just com pleted the largest barn in Sarpy coun ty. The cost is estimated at $15,000. Richard Berlin, a prominent citizen of Omaha, was found dead sitting in his chair in his office. He had been asphyxiated, accidentally, it is suppos ed, by gas. The farmers along the Platte river east of Ashland have been troubled somewhat of late by the nightly visits of a number of wolves from the. hills which flank the river. Postmaster Swansoh at Fremont has received word from Washington that his request for an increase in the salary of the deputy postmaster from $1,000 to $1,200 has been granted. B. F. Fletcher of Ashland has re ceived words that certain lands own ed by him in Wyoming have been dis covered to contain large quantities of paying coal similar in quality to Shenandoah coal. The Nebraska division of the travel ers' protective association will meet in Fremont on August 1. for its first an nual picnic The posts at Lincoln, Omaha, Plattsmouth, Grand Is.land and Norfolk will be represented. The Harvard Cooperative Grain and Live Stock company, with about 150 members, of which 140 are among the best farmers, has contracted with D. H. Cramer of Omaha for an ele vator to cost a little over $4,600. The summer meeting of the state horticultural society will be held in the court house at Fremont July 28 and 29. The hotels of the city have announced reduced rates. A display of fruit and flowers will be made dur ing the meeting. Captain W. T. Brownell. who has been following the sea for thirty-eight years, has given up the calling of a sailor and will return to his home in Fremont to remain with his family. His last voyage was from Vancouver, B. C, to London with a cargo of lum ber. Adjutant General Culver has receiv ed advices from Washington to the ef fect that the National Guard will not be required to hold a state encamp ment in addition to taking part in the regular army maneuvers in order to avail itself of the terms of the Dick militia bill. The maneuvers will take place some time in August. The following list of mortgages filed and released in Sarpy county for the month of June: Farm mortgages filed, $20,550; farm mortgages released, $23,412.50; town mortgages filed, $3,900; town mortgages released, $635; chattel mortgages filed, $8,001.64; chattel mortgages released, $4,613.47. Governor Mickey has appointed a commission to sit upon the boundary between Iowa and Nebraska long enough to find out just where the line runs. The principal point of dispute has been along the Missouri river which is constantly changing. He has appointed Charles J. Swanson of Oak-, land. Dr. F. O. Robinson of Hartington and E. A. Lungburg of Wayne. The fine new bridge over the Platte at Valley is about completed. Passenger train No. 3 on the B. & M. struck a light wagon in which John Winters and wife of Papillion were re turning from South Omaha and de molished it completely. The two oc cupants of the wagon were caught on the pilot of the engine and carried un til the train was brought to a stand still, some 200 yards from where the accident occurred. Mrs. Winters was taken from the pilot, dying soon after. Mr. Winters was not much hurt. Washington dispatch: Secretary Shaw has approved selections of prop erty for public building sites at Grand Island and York, Neb. At Grand Isl and the government accepted the'site offered by Emma Jauss, located at the southwest corner of Locust and Sec ond streets, 132 by 132 feet, price. $9,500. At York the site offered by George M. Post, at the corner of Grant avenue and Seventh street, 20 by 125 feet. Is purchased for $9,000. Roy Harris. 12 years of age. died at his home in Plattsmouth with lockjaw. He fell from a swing and sprained his spine very badly and went' into con vulsions, and has since been growlng gradually worse until death relieved his intense suffering. The volume of business in Fremont is keeping up well through the warm weather, as is attested by the bank clearings. These amounted last week to $146,482.16. being an increase of $24,824.48 over the corresponding week for last year. The office of the state superintend ent of schools has prepared formal ad vertisements for publication in the public prints soliciting bids for the location of the new normal school whch was authorized by the last leg islature. The advertisements will state that the state 'board of educa tion, which will examine the bids and locate the school, will be guided both by the amount of the bonus offered by the different cities competing for the prize and also by the geographical advantages. The state auditor is receiving let ters from many clerks asking when the books and blanks required under the terms of the new revenue law will be issued. He is informing the clerks that the old board of equaliza tion will not have any power to issue the books required under the new law. The new board, which will consist of five members, will have to issue the new books. This body will meet Octo ber 15, to make the plans for success fully carrying the new law into operation. X mdMi'Jhks .- I OTiMXr ibm i 9tKf.VSr.Kf!!7KJSlmm " Pastures Profitable. From Farmers' Review: During our 40 years of experience we have used pastures and find them profita ble. We find a cow to be a creature of education. If one dries off a heifer and lets her go dry for four or five' months she will be Inclined to repeat the habit Most farmers depend wholly on pastures and make their calculations to use so many acres to a certain number of cows, and when the flush is over or a dry time comes their rations are curtailed, and hence the yield Is shortened, and when a cow falls in her yield for a few days it Is almost Impossible to get her back to a normal yield again. A eow is simply a machine to be governed by a manager, and to be the most profitable she must have all she can eat and be taken good care of to do her best; hence, if is necessary abso lutely to provide proper rations in case of short pastures to keep the' machinery running profitably. This can bo mot ecnnnm'c&llv done bv providing silage for such emergencies or some succulent food such as al falfa or sweet corn or green clover. The profit comes from the food used after a ration necessary to maintain the machinery and keep it tn use; then whatever feed is used runs to profit and the yield Is kept up much longer. We do not want, to keep cows that are non-paying boarders for four or five months. J. F. Converse, Jefferson County, New York. Selling Milk Exhausts Land. From Farmers' Rerlew: For the last seven years I have sold my milk at wholesale to the Boston contrac tors. Previously for a time I sold cream, and before that butter. I con sider it now more advantageous for a fanner to sell cream if possible than any other method of disposing of his product. Next I prefer butter, the small additional price secured for sell ing whole milk is not sufficient to make up for the value of the skim milk to the farmer, both for feeding and fertilizing purposes. The milk producers of this vicinity have been shipping the fertility of their farms to Boston for years; hence there is a general complaint of worn out lands. I sell whole milk because I am obliged to, not because I prefer it J. B. Mar cou, Worcester County, Massachusetts. An Iowa Decision. The Iowa courts have just decided a very interesting point in regard to Dleo having a slightly yellow color. It has been asserted and believed that butter could be incorporated with oelo, thus giving it a color legally. Some oleo very slightly yellow was seized In Iowa and the sellers prosecuted. The oleo men argued that the little color in the butter did not come in as a result of artificial coloring. The prosecutors contended that it made no difference how it got there, is long as it was present The judge ind the jury took this view of it Death of Missie 165. Shorthorn breeders will learn with regret of the great loss sustained by Mr. E. W. Bowen of Delphi, Indiana, in the death last week of his cele brated cow, Missie 165, one of the finest examples of the best type of Shorthorn that ever entered the show ring. At the great International Ex positions of 1901 and 1902, where were gathered the flower of the breed from all parts of the world, Missie was awarded second premium, her com petitor for first place being the un defeated Ruberta, who has yet to meet her match. Summer Field Crops. The Iowa Experiment Station Is sending out some advice to farmers relative to the sowing of late field crops. In part the circular says: Un precedented rains have prevented many farmers in Iowa from preparing and planting all their land intended for corn. In some sections floods have ruined the growing crop. It will be the middle of June before many can work their land, and the Experiment 3tation has had many inquiries about late crops to ultilize the land. If possible to obtain the seed a ninety flay corn, like Farmer's Reliance, Pride of the North, or Early Longfellow Dent can be planted as late as June 20tlj, with reasonable assurance of reaching maturity before the close of the growing season. Nothing can fully take the place of corn. For corn hay for this season, select the earliest maturing variety of corn you can obtain in your locality. It can be sown broadcast, planted or drilled. Plant the hills as close to gether as you can with your corn planter, or if you use a corn drill place in drill rows 36 to 42 inches apart and kernels 2 to 4 inches apart in the rows, using from 20 to 25 pounds of seed to the acre. For roughage this corn hay is most excellent and it will probably give more rough feed of good quality per acre than we can now hope to get in any other way this late in Che season. By using a corn harvester the crop is harvested quite easily. If sowed very thick a grain binder can often be used. Corn can not be readily or easily cured if mowed and harvested as we do hay. When bound and placed in shocks that are not too large it usually cures out quite well. By planting sweet corn in rows similar to the plan just men tioned or drilling in rows 24 to 30 Inches apart, a very fine quality of fodder can be obtained which Is great ly relished by all kinds of farm stock. Among other crops that can be put In at this time are sorghum, millet kafir corn, soy beans and buckwheat The Original Angoras. The opinion of Mr. Schreiner, the South African authority, of a pure bred Angora is as follows: I think it is certain that the original pure-bred j white mohair goat was a small, very refined, delicate animal, of great beau ty, clipping at twelve months' growth of fleece about from two to four pounds (according to age and sex kids considerably less) of dazzling white, fine, soft silky, very lustrous mohair, curling in ringlets from 10 to 18 inches long, with merely the mini mum of oil in its fleece requisite to the growth of hair of the highest ex cellence, so small in amount as to be inappreciable to the unskilled ob server. It was perfectly clothed in every part; it had short, silky, curly hair about the face and down the lower parts of the legs to the hoofs; a soft silky, curly "kuif" (tuft on the forehead), and small,, thin, light-colored horns. The ewe was, of course, smaller and finer than the ram, and had only one kid at a birth (of this there is abundant evidence). HBbkv' 'Bas 'bs Hogs Following Steers. When hogs follow steers that are be ing largely corn-fed; it is an element of profit to know how many hogs to keep with a certain number of steers. Though this Is a matter that has been experimented with at a number of sta tions it still remains unsettled In large measure. In the feeding tests being conducted by the University of Illi nois, the writer noticed that four hogs were at first allowed to follow sixteen steers. Later .the number was in creased to eight And Professor Mum ford said that the eight were getting along as well as did the four. In a pasture it would be equally as bad If too few hogs were following the cattle. If too many were following them it would not be so large a mat ter, as they would naturally find pas turage to complete their needed ra tions. Just how many hogs should follow cattle should be a matter looked info thoroughly by every man that is fattening steers on corn and following them with hogs. In the case of the steers being fed at Urbana, Illinois, the feed was not whole corn, but a mixture of cracked corn, corn-and-cob meal, cut clover hay, cut alfalfa, all mixed together. It Is altogether probable that this -feed was better digested than is most of the feed when it consists largely of corn shelled or on the ear. It is, evi dent that if eight hogs can profitably follow sixteen steers so fed, a much larger number could follow steers fed in the ordinary wasteful way. At Odebolt, Iowa, the Iowa Experiment Station has 500 steers in feed lots with 500 hogs. We understand that the hogs receive no food except that obtained from the droppings of the steers. The end of this experiment will be watched with Interest Anconas. From Farmers' Review: The above is the name of one of the lateat imported additions of poultry to this country. They belong to the Mediter ranean type of fowls, having origin ated on a small island called Ancona. in the southern part of Italy, from which they take their name. Some years ago they were imported into England, where they now, rank among the leading breeds; and I am very glad to say that they are rapidly becoming one of the favorite breeds of this coun try. They are bright active birds, tak ing much exercise and largely provi ding for themselves If allowed to range. They do well in confinement No cold, however severe, stops their egg production. The egg basket is never empty, as such has been my experi ence, and like the Mediterranean class are non-setters. Before breeding them I bad heard wonderful reports of them as to beauty and egg production, the truth of which has been fully verified. I assure you a flock of them is a most interesting sight. The chicks develop with surprising rapidity. In general appearance the Anconas resemble the Leghorn type, following them in build and carriage, as well as in their bright combs and yellow legs. In color they are mottled black and white, each feather tipped with while and the more even this mottling the better, particularly in the hens. The combs are bright red, upright in cock and deeply rented, while in the hen they fall to one side of the face. They are compactly made, the body is round and well formed; the face is a coral red; the ear lobes white or creamy white. They breed very true. W. H. Branthoover. Soil Surveys. The national bureau of soils has laid out a large plan for its operations this year. Sixty areas have been mapped out these covering a total of 27,850 square miles. The amount previously surveyed is 33,782 square miles. To gether they cover almost every phase of agricultural industry practiced In the United States. From these soil surveys are . prepared lithographed maps drawn on a scale of 1 mile to the inch, covering each area surveyed and indicating in colors the location and extent of the various soil types, and. in the Western areas the presence and amount of alkali existing. The re ports accompanying these surveys treat each area in detail, and relate to the history of settlement and agricultural development climatic conditions, phy siography and geology, descriptions o" soil types, with origin and process of formation, crops grown, and yislds, the crops to which soils are especial ly adapted, special soil problems, ir rigation and drainage, location, origin, composition and distribution of alkali, reclamation of swamp, exhausted or alkali lands, agricultural methods in use, cultivation, cropping, rotation, etc., and general agricultural condi tions of the farming class, labor prob lems, distribution, and market facili ties. Differences in Phosphates. At the Tennessee Experiment Sta tion pot tests were made with differ ent kinds of phosphates. Cow peas and turnips were the vegetables ex perimented with, in conjunction with superphosphates, precipitated phos phate, bene meal, and ground phos phate rock. The results with both crops showed no appreciable benefit from applications of from 300 to 1,200 pounds of ground phosphate rock per acre. On the other hand, 300 pounds of high-grade acid phosphate gave a marked increase in the yield above any of the other plats. Finely ground bone meal gave excellent results. For cowpeas, 2 pounds of phosphoric acid from the meal was found to be about equal to one pound from acid phos phate. The turnips, however, seemed somewhat less able than the cowpeas to use the phosphoric acid of the meal. Precipitated phosphate gave much bet ter results than bone meal. The water soluble phosphate of lime gave excel lent results. A Community Bull. From Farmers' Review: I think the benefit to a community would be great, if the leading farmers that have dairy cows would combine and buy a first-class dairy bull to be used on their herds. He would soon pay for himself and the farmers would soon have some good cows. It would also be a good plan to make a change every two years. James E. Gray, Clay coun ty, Iowa. When green peas are not particular ly tender, a little bicarbonate of soda and a few mint leaves will improve their quality and flavor. Mrs. Goodheart do woman whose husband has just been sent to jail for wife-beating) Why do yen think youi husband will miss you? Woman Hell miss me because he can't hit me. LIVE STOCK Starving Cattle Ticks. A bulletin of the Mississippi Station says: The longest time that we have been able to keep. them alive is about three months. Prof. Morgan succeed ed in keeping them without food from September 14th, 1897, until January 26th, 1898, about four and one-half months, and during warmer weather about two months from July 20th to September 15th. Dr. Schroeder, of the Department of Agriculture at Wash ington, collected a number of female ticks February 3d, 1897. Eggs from these had hatched by March 11th, and many of the seed ticks remained alive until July 21st four months and ten days when they were placed upon a cow. A number of these were ma tured by August 13th, when they were collected. We thus see that these ticks remained alive more than five months. If we suppose that tick eggs can retain their vitality five and one half months and the seed ticks live five and one-half months without food before dying, we see that eleven (11) months would be the maximum time that a pasture could remain infested after removing all cattle. In this esti mate, however, we make no allowance for their chances of being killed by cold, sunlight and heavy rains. Polled Hereford. ,In 1898 Gen. W. W. Guthrie of Atchi son, Kan., showed a group of cattle at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha that attracted much attention. These cattle had Hereford character istics, minus the horns, and General Guthrie called them "Polled Kansans." They had been produced by crossing Hereford bulls on "muley" cows, In breeding being avoided by resort again to Hereford stock. The bull shown was said to get a good percent age of hornless calves. Since then the interest has grown, the name Polled Hereford has been adopted, and re cently the American tolled Hereford Cattle Club was organized, with head quarters in Des Moines, Iowa; War ren Gammon, secretary. The polled variation is not so common among Herefords as among Shorthorns, and this imposes a considerable disad vantage on one who attempts to fix it; but there are occasional registered Herefords that have never developed horns. An effort is now being made to collect these animals into one herd and thereby form the nucleus for more extended operations. Such work is commendable and will be watched with interest. Bulletin 34, Bureau of Animal Industry. Soaked Feed for Horses. It is often claimed that soaking feed, especially hard grain, renders it more easily masticated and improves its di gestibility, says bulletin 170 of the De partment of Agriculture. It is doubt ful if the matter Is as important with horses as with some other classes of farm animals. It has been found in experimental tests that healthy horses with good teeth digested do beans and corn as well as the' same material that had been soaked in water for 24 hours. Soaking or wetting feed may sometimes be of importance as regards the health of horses. Ac cording to the experience of an Eng lish feeder, chaffed straw, which was fed on account of a shortage in the hay crop, gave better results when soaked than when dry. The dry ma terial caused colic and constipation. It was also observed that tho horses relished soaked grain. It is believed that the dust in hay causes heaves, and, to avoid such trouble, both long and cut hay, especially clover, is very often dampened before feeding, to lay the dust. Worms in Hogs. Recently while at the Iowa Agricul tural College the writer noticed the ground in the hog yards littered with excreted intestinal worms. The keep er explained that he had just given the swine their semi-annual dose of worm medicine. He said that it was his observation that hogs were frequently sick as a result of intestinal worms, and that many times diseases arising from worms were named cholera. This would be the more likely to be the case, as a large number of hogs might be sick at the same time from the same cause. This cause of disease is too frequently overlooked, especially by the farmer that has only a few hogs and gives them little attention. When a hog eats well and yet remains stunted it may be guessed that worms are at least a partial cause. Skim Milk for Sows. On farms where dairying is an Im portant industry and where there is an abundance of skim milk for sow and litter, it is not unusual for the brood sow to nurse a litter of pigs without herself losing weight. In the ab sence of skim milk we find that the cow generally loses in weight, how aver bountiful the supply of grain and jreen material. J. F. Duggar. Soiling Cattle. From Farmers' Review: Referring to the profitableness or otherwise of soiling milch cows, I would say that so far as we have pursued the practice of soiling our cows, we hare done so chiefly for lack of sufficient pasturage for all the stock we were keeping. Our pasture land is partially woodland and other untillable ground, which would be waste if not pastured. Through soiling and semi-soiling (that is, feed ing a good lot of green stuff morning and night at the tarn, in addition to the grain) we have undoubtedly been able to carry more stock, keep up the milk flow better, and kept the stock in better condition, than if they de pended upon the pasture entirely. We think that there can be no universal rule as to whether it is profitable or not to soil milch cows or other cattle. If, as in our case, a man has land he cannot till but can pasture, it is cer tainly more profitable to pasture it than to have the ground idle. We periodically through the pasturing sea son, take the milch cows out of the pasture and soil them for a week or two until the pasture gets "caught up" again. When we do this, we gen erally leave the young stock (and dry cows, if any) on the pasture. Eugene E. Stevens. Night Pasturing. From Farmers' Review: I have tried both the yarding and pasturing of cows in summer and have found out that our cows did a good deal better by letting them run at night as they like to take a bite after milking and sometimes one can hear the bell-cow grazing as late as nine o'clock and later. If a farmer bad a place to give them some feed, yarding would be all right, but otherwise they will give better returns by letting them run. Fred Tschudy, Green county, Wisconsin. . bKbbbbbbbbbbP'-bb!bbbbhbssbbbMbbbI Hand Pollinating. The Almighty created the vegetable kingdom, but he gave its dominion tr man. To what extent this dominlo has been given to him onan hlmsel: has not yet realized. It is evident thai he has the power of molding the vege tables of this kingdom to a most re markable extent Take for instance the sugar beet, which man found con tainlng S per cent of sugar, and hat molded It till It contains 15 per cent sometimes 20 per cent It may be even possible to do better than that In our modern cabbage, the caall flower and various kinds of turnip we find .it almost Impossible to recog nize the original wild forms, so mach have they been changed. As yet the work of man mas been with .a few plants. What about the thousands that his hand has not yet attempted to mold? There Is much hope to be placed' in the cross pollination of fruits espe cially in the pollination that is done by hand, for In that way definite results are attained. The possibilities of this work are very great Hardy and high quality fruits may be combined, even though It may take years to get re sults that will be a fair reward for the labor and time expended in obtain ing them. In hand-pollinating, the flowers must be well understood. The amateur will soon learn that the ovary is the re ceptacle la which the seed Is formed, that the pistil is the central cylindrical portion, the female organ of the flower, that the stamens are the male organs of the flower, bearing knob-like bodies on their tops, in which is the pollen that is to fructify the ovary through the pistil. The petals and the sepals are of no consequence to the pollinator, as they are only for the protection of the organs of germination. The pollinator selects a bud that Is about to open, opens it with instru ments and removes the stamens. This is to prevent the stamens fructifying the ovary. If taken before the flower Is open none of the pollen will have escaped from the stamens, nor will the ovary have received pollen from any other source. It requires a little prac tice to remove the stamens without harming the pistil and ovary, especial ly If the flower Is small, but It can be done. The petals are also frequently removed with the stamens, as they are of no particular value except to at tract Insects to assist in the work of pollination. To get the pollen from another blos som Is an easy task. A blossom should be selected that would open In a day or two. It Is cut open and the an thers on top of the stamens removed. These arc damp and are full of pollen. They should be spread on a paper and laid in the sun. When they are dry they will burst open and let out the pollen. This is applied to the other blossom by means of a fine brush, the pollen of course being placed in the stigma, which is the entrance to the ovary. A sack of considerable size should then be placed over the fertilized blossom to prevent any other pollen getting into it The sack should be removed after the fruit has set, and a bag of mosquito netting substituted. These will catch the fruit if it starts to drop and will be a means of Identi fying the crossed fruit at harvest time. A tag should be put with each polli nated fruit, giving the names of the varieties crossed. Break Up the Crust When rain falls on heavy soils, the water penetrates it only slowly, as the spaces between the soil particles are very small. After the rain, the sun and the wind begin their work, and the evaporation from the soil causes it to form a crust. This crust, while preventing the air from reaching the roots of the plants, serves as a medium through which the water in the soil may the more readily pass off, without going up through the plants. The latter, therefore, often seem at a standstill in their growth. The water must net be permitted to pass out of the soil except through the plants if we are able to prevent it, and we can to a large extent pre vent this by breaking up the crusts as soon as they form. This generally occurs after a heavy rain. The heavier the rain the firmer the crust Is likely to be. We too often forget the great law of capillarity that is working in our soils. Those who have not given at tention to this matter imagine that plants drink water in bulk. This is not true, at least for any length of time. When there is a down-pour a plant may take up water if it be thirsty for it, but it is probable that it takes up water only in a certain pro portion to its food. It cannot gorge its cells with water minus food. Most of the water it takes is drawn up from the lower portions of the soil by capillary attraction, and the film of water Is surrounded by a larger bulk of air and by these two the plant food in the soil is made available for the plant Now, the bard-packed soil Is a soil with great power of drawing up water. Some one has described the sun and the wind as the pumps of the Lord to draw moisture out of the earth. The saying is largely true. But these pumps should be made by man to draw moisture out of the leaves of our plants, that growth may be accelerated. Rose Insects and Remedies. From the time of planting look out for the slugs, later on the rose bug and the green caterpillar that delights to feed upon buds just ready to open. White Hellebore, If fresh and pure is a safe poison, dust it on with the dew. Kerosene Emulsion, two parts kero sene, one part slightly sour milk, agi tate till it forms a jelly, dilute with 20 parts of soft water. Tobacco water, steep the leaves or stems till a tea of good color, spray upper and under sides of foliage or apply it with a whisk broom or sprinkler. Be ever on the watch for the enemies, apply the remedies freely but avoid covering the opening roses. Roses should be cut every morning to remove the bur den of the bush and to cheer some sick room, or a precious gift to some city friend; never allow any seed buds to remain on the bush except on Ross Rug03a. Geo. J. Kellogg. An Illinois woman claims to have driven ants away from her lawn by sprinkling their haunts with a mix ture of equal parts of tartar emetic and sugar. Once a day is sufficient to eat po tatoes. Rice and other cereals, maca- JffJSaS. HES? CtC : LOVED GEN. HOOKER MWWMWW Brave Commander of the Army of the Potomac was Popular with His "Boys" How He Secured His First m "looker's brigade to the front!" There are at least 500 battle-scarred veterans In Boston whose blood still moves the quicker at the sound of those words. They are the men who fought with Gen. Joseph Hooker, one time commander of the Army of the Potomac the brilliant soldier In com memoration of whose deeds an eques trian statue was unveiled on the State House Park June 25. Col. Albert S. Austin Is the only sur viving member of Gen. Hooker's staff now living in Boston, and he was one of the youngest officers on that staff. "I lived la the same mess with him a year and a half." said CoL Austin, "and I had' for him an admiration and affection which few men I have met have eren been able to Inspire. "When I joined his staff as a first lieutenant I was young very young 'ndeed. and Gen. Hooker's attitude rom the first was that of a father a Gen. Hooker In 1863. stern father at times, but always .one who had the youngster's interest in mind quite as well as his own. "I can seo him to-day as plainly as I saw hjm then a well proportioned man over six feet tall, figure as straight as an arrow, calm and collect ed always, yet with an eye that would occasionally reveal In a flash tho met tlesome spirit within. "Any one who ever saw Gen. Hook er on his white charger can readily ap preciate the fitness of giving him an equestrian statue. He sat bis mount like a centaur of old. I have seen some good riders in my day, but nover one who looked more at home in the saddle than be. "Everybody has heard of Gen. Hook er's old white horse. It was the won der of all the troops why he rode such a conspicuous animal. "Every time the general went Into action, lots of us trembled for bis safety, because we knew that the rebels were perfectly aware that he rode a white horse. Why he was never killed is a mystery, for he never bad much regard for his personal safety during an engagement. "It was I who sold him that famous old nag. The animal made his en trance into the army through the quartermaster of the Second New Hampshire regiment. The quarter master found it impossible to mate tho beast with any horses on hand an2 was at a loss to know what to do with him. "I happened to be in need of a horse at that time and bought the lone white beast, which at that time had never been saddle-broken. One day the general saw me riding the animal. "I remember once of hearing- him tell about the trouble bo had to get his services accepted at the outbreak of the civil war. When hostilities began he was in California. He hurried to Washington and called on the Presi dent, who received him kindly, but put him off with an indefinite answer. As near as I remember these are the words he used in telling the balance of the story: " 'I went bac.c to the hotel and wait ed. The days went by. -New troops came into the city and went away, new men came and received commissions many of them men who had never seen service, while I, a West Point gradu ate and a man of considerable active service, was kept on the waiting list waiting for a chance to place my trained services at my country's dis posal. " 'Finally I grew sick of waiting. Battles were being fought and won or lost and I was shelved complete ly. I made up my mind to return to California, since there seemed to be no show for me in the army, and be fore I went I would call on the Presi dent. " 'Mr. Lincoln received mc kindly, as before, and seemed surprised that I was going back to California. "Don't be impatient, colonel," raid he. "We will find something for you later." " 'But I couldn't take much stock in that after being kept waiting so long, and I made up my mind to tell Mr. Lincoln a thing or two. " I have been over to the Bull Run battlefield. Mr. Lincoln.' said I. 'and I feel bound to tell you one thing: I know I am a damned sight better gen eral than the man you had on that field. " A day or two later I got my com mission as brigadier general.' "General Hooker was a modest man in a sense, and yet be had a good appreciation of his own ability. "There is one point I particularly want to express myself on through the columns of the Boston Journal. Stories have circulated in effect that Gen. Hooker was a drinking man. Like most other people he occasionally took a drink, but never when going into action. It has been said that .he was "under the influence of liquor at the battle of Chancellors vi lie. That was a malicious falsehood. I knew two offic ers on Gen. Hooker's private staff dur ing that battle. Ccl. Candler and Major Lawrence. Both of those gentlemen are now dead, but years ago they as sured me that Gen. Hooker did not touch a drop of liquor that day." Col. Charles C. Rivers, an inspector in the custom house, remembers Gen. Hooker well. He served under Hooker in the Eleventh Massachusetts. First brigade. Second Division of the Third Army corps. "Gen. Hooker." said Col. Rivers, "was a man soft of speech and venr ceat in personal appearance. He was one cf those men who always look well no matter what the circumstances under which they are living. "He always wore a 'dickle" one of those high standing collars so fash ionable forty or fifty years ago. That collar was known a3 'Hooker's baro meter.' Whenever we saw the 'old man' come out of his tent with one side of that collar loppeo over we " look for trouble. mfiaL the Qwil War. "The old man's collar says fight would be the message sent down the line. And the sign never failed. "I was not on the general's staff and of course I came' In contact with rim but seldom. I remember ono occasion, distinctly, however. It was when I was promoted to be second lieutenant. I needed a sword fltting to my new dignity, and I went to Gen. Hooker to get permission to go to, Washington to purchase one. " 'So you waat to buy a sword T said he. 'Haven't we plenty of swords la camp?' " 'Yes. sir. but not the kind I waaf I answered. "'Come with me. young man. aad we'll see If we can't And you a good sward.' "We went down where the stores were kept and finally came upon a wagoa loaded with old sabres. They were ancient weapons, most of them relics of the Mexican war. 1 couldn't have wielded one of them with both hands. "'Help yourself, young maa.' said the general, waving his hand toward the wagon. " 'But. general.' I protested. 'I could not lift one of those tbiBgs. let alone use it.' , "There was a twinkle fa the gener al's eye as he answered. 'Ah, well.' he said, 'it is a race of puny mea nowa days. Those were mere toys for the Mexican veterans. Well, young man. you shall go to Washington and buy you a sword, a pretty one with a leather scabbard. "Now his manner of saying this was so delicious that offense was impos sible. He knew I was yoaag and wanted a bright, showy sword, and he thought be would give me an object lesson In the style of arm used by tbe troopers of the Mexican war. "The general was as kind hearted as a woman. I remember that dur ing tbe second battle of Bull Run Hooker's old brigade was seat against a fortified position that should not have been attacked by anything less thnn a whole division. The brigade sustained terrible slaughter tho loss was simply appalling. "The remnant straggled back and reformed. It was a heartrending sight enough to make the spectators weep. Indeed, the men themselvs could not restrain their tears. Such awful slaugh ter such unnecessary decimation has seldom been tho experience of any troops. "As the men stood in line after the engagement, down came Gen. Hooker. When the boys caught sight of him a mighty shout went up. "'Uncle Joe!' they cried, 'Undo Joe!' "I have never heard another such cry. It was a mixture of pathos and pain and affection. It was the cry of a sick boy to his father, the wail of a lad sob-choked with grief and des pair. "With the rush of an avalanche, the men broke ranks and swept down on the general. They crowded about him seeking to so much as touch his boots with the tips of their Angers, murmur ing all the time, 'Oh, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe.' "Gen. Hooker was deeply moved. He made several attempts to speak and choked. 'My poor boys,' he at last said, 'my poor boys, my heart bleeds for you. It was not I who sent you on that awful errand. "Right well they knew that without his telling them. He was too good a soldier and had too big a heart." Albert C. Stacy was In Gen. Hook er's brigade when that general resign ed from the army, a disappointed and heart-broken man, in 1864. Boston Journal. Ice Cave of Besancon. In several parts of the world there arc caves in which ice is found in the middle of summer. In some of them the Ice lasts only until August or Sep tember, and is renewed during the winter, but in other caves Ice Is found the year round. One of the most cele brated and remarkable of ice caves Is situated near Besancon. France, in a hill about 500 feet high. The root of tho cave is eighty feet high, and the floor is strewn with great icy stalag mites of such fantastic forms that they are frequently likened to human and animal figures. The cave has been known for cen turies, and in 1727 the Due de Levi, who was in command of an army en camped in the vicinity, made an at tempt to discover the secret of the ice formation. He had all the ice re moved from the cave In order to deter mine how soon it would reappear, if at all. It was found that new ice formed and accumulated very slowly. Sixteen years after the ice had been removed, the floor of the cave was again com pletely covered, and there were oddly shaped pillars six feet in height. The amount of ice In Ice caves is found to vary from year to year, in accordance with the fluctuations in the climate outside. Thinks Marriage License a Failure. A young and impetuous lover in At lanta. Ga.. recently decided to get mar ried. He took out a license for him self and a girl whom he thought would make a good wife. Then he went to consult her about it. He produced the license and served it on her as a sort or warrant, mandamus or ether potent legal document. She said she did not want to marry. Her father agreed with her and held a gun on him. giving him his choice of the contents of the gun or a horsewhipping from the young woman. He took the latter and he gards the marriage license as a failure. Queer Visiting Cards. In Ccrea visiting cards are a foot square. The savages of Dahomey an nounce their visits to each other by a wooden board or the branch of a tree artistically carved. This is sent oa In advance, and the visitor, on taking leave, pockets his card, which prob ably serves hio for many years. The natives of Sumatra also have a visiting card consisting of a piece of wood about a foot long and decorated with a bunch cf straw and a knife. maBmmm!9i "" - BMtsA? 'l -I i .- $kx W.,