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About The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1903)
y, j'rj jrv-'fit-'l . ! - - I.- 4 : :-' --: V H : ' ! i h: H- -, : .- .1 . - ; .. --j"" IlllUUUIItt""'" : Matters in THE NEBRASKA STATE FAIR. Sam of the Features of the Coming Agricultural Exhibit. The managers of the Nebraska state fair and exposition realize more fully than ever the fact that the visitors to the fair enjoy the races and that the speed program leads everything else ia attractiveness. This year the man agres have increased the purses for races to $8,000 and visitors to the fair every day of the exposition can see a line of very attractive races. The am phitheater at the fair grounds is one of the most comfortable; and every ef fort will be made this year to have the speed program far superior to any thing heretofore enjoyed by fair vis itors. Monday, the first open day of the fair, three good races are scheduled a roadsters' race, open to the state, with a purse of $600; a 2:30 trot, with a purse of $500, and a good running race. Ob Tuesday the Union Commrecial club 2:40 trot occurs for a purse of $1,900; this is followed by a 2:27 pac ing race with a purse of $500, and a running race, one-half mile and repeat, purse of $100. Wednesday has the following race program: 2:35 pacing, $500 purse; 2:17 trotting. $600 purse; 2:22 pacing. $500 purse, one mile dash running, $100 purse. Thursday's program comprises the 3-year-old and under 2:50 trot, purse, $300; 2:17 pacing, purse. $600; 2:25 trotting, purse $500, and a running race, one mile novelty, purse $125. Friday, the closing day, will have a $2:20 trot, purse $600; a free-for-all pace, purse $600, and a running race, one-half saile and repeat, purse $100. Another feature of the fair will be "Fraternal Day," Wednesday, Septem ber 9, devoted to the fraternal organi zations of Nebraska. The fair manag ers have set aside a street to be known as Fraternal street to be occupied by fraternal beneficiary organizations and none others. The managers have al lowed the sum of $300 in cash prizes for drill teams, and will furnish suit able grounds for drill purposes. The success of Fraternal day last year, when but a few of the organizations doing business In the state took part, was such that Fraternal day this year, aow that the fraternal congress has taken up the matter of attending the state fair, will make Wednesday the largest day in attendance of any day In previous fairs. The fraternal or ganizations throughout the state are behind the matter and it will be thor oughly advertised through their or ganizations. A committee representing the Nebraska Fraternal congress will have charge of the matter of prizes, the appointment of judges and such matters otherwise as may come be fore the committee. The amount of prizes will be announced through the papers and fraternal publications as soon as completed. New Wheat Reaches Market. LINWOOD. The wheat harvest is completed and some threshing has been dona The first load of new wheat that came to market tested sixty pounds and brought 57 cents per bushel. It averaged twenty-five bushels to the aero and Is of excellent quality. Judge Post Nebraska Delegate. YORK. Hon. G. W. Post has been .appointed by Governor Mickey as dele gate to the Transmississippi Commer cial congress, to be held at Seattle August 18 to 21. To Dig for Coal. LINCOLN. The Dunbar .Mining company of Dunbar. Neb., has filed articles of incorporation with the sec retary of state. The company is cap italized at $50,000 and incorporated by J. B. Llchtcnwaller. Thomas Murray. H. W. Kmse. J. C. Walker. J. A. and T. H. Dunbar. F. R. Rose. C. J. Mullis. A. G. Hamilton. H. P. Anderson, C. F. Collins and F. Haschenburger. all local promoters of the company. Mr. Mur ray, who came to Lincoln for the pur pose of filing the articles, states they had a 24-foot vein of coal in sight and that active preparation for developing what they think to be a rich field will be begun at once. Plattsmouth Girl Shoots Herself. PLATTSMOUTH Gertrude, the 13-year-old daughter of Frank Kunzman. attempted to end her life by shooting aerself through the left breast with a revolver. The only known motive which the girl may have had for com mitting the deed was her fear that she would be punished for going to Oma ha without the consent of her parents. Her condition is critical. Omaha Capitalists Interested. PLATTSMOUTH. The attention of some of the Omaha capitalists has evi dently been attracted to this part of the state by the published reports of the coal discoveries on that Thomas farm near this city, where a three-foot rein was found at a depth of 200 feet below the residence. This conclusion Is reached from the fact that several .of them have signified their intention to come to this city and investigate the discovery for themselves. State Guard Gos to Riley. . Adjutant General Culver received a telegram from the war department stating that one regiment of the Ne braska National Guard would be or dered to take part in the regular army maneuvers at Fort Riley this year. The war department does not state the date when the troops will be sent to the Kansas town and it is expected that the guards win be kept ia igaoraace matil the last moment for certaia reasons. "' fllt Nebraska, f unit Hiiimmnininmnin THE STATE IN A NUTSHELL. The fifth elevator is about complet ed for Minden. D. W. Annis of Omaha was drownec in Lake Manawa by the upsetting of a boat. T. B. Bowman, a prominent farmer and politician of Boone county, was thrown in front of a binder and sus tained painful injuries to his arm and side. The Rock Island has bought twenty two acres out of the Shearon farn west of Fairbury and will build large stock yards and establish a feeding station. Threshers in Saunders county will charge one-half cent more per bushel for threshing grain than they did last year, and there is considerable dis contented talk amongst the farmers concerning a threshers' trust. Mike Mostke, better known as "Big Mike," was brought to Columbus and lodged in jail. He is charged with an attempted criminal assault upon the person of a married German woman named Henry who lives In Humphrey. Serious doubts have arisen in the minds of a number of South Omaha people as to the validity of the fire and police commission, recently ap pointed, and the supreme court will settle the question in the near fu ture. Jim Gorman, who was lynched by a mob near Basin, Wyo., recently, for two years made his homo in and around Wood River. He came there on a mover's wagon in the fall of 1897, and worked around for different farmers until the fall of 1S98. The farm house of John Peters, six miles southwest of Moorfield. was struck by lightning and Mrs. Peters was killed. She was sitting on the edge of the bed quieting her baby. Two other children were standing be side her. The children were uninjur ed. J. W. Bookwalter of New York, who is a large land owner in the vicinity of Beatrice, said after returning from a trip over his lands in southeastern Nebraska, that wheat is very disap pointing, yielding from seven to fif teen bushels per acre of very poor quality. Ray H. Chase of Alexandria, S. D., who has won considerable fame for his excellent marksmanship, has been challenged by A. H. Hardy of Hyan nis, Neb., to a contest. Hardy wishes to meet Chase in a 500-balI contest against time, using rifles, for any purse from $300 to $1,000. William Petit, sergeant of L com pany. Fort Niobrara, was fatally shot by S. E. Price, proprietor of an im moral house at Valontine, during a dis cussion of the payment for drinks. Each emptied a six-shooter at the other, but Price had a shotgun with which he shot Petit in the back as the latter was running away. The county superintendent of Stan ton county has filed his annual report, the first to reach the state superin tendent's office. The report shows that the salary of male teachers dur ing the last year has been increased from $45.40 to $50.82. and for female teachers on an average from $36.30 to $3S.f4. The report also shows that the number of teachers has decreased during the year from seventy-three to sixty-three. The proposition to bond the town of Springfield in the sum of $8,000 for a system of water works was voted on and carried by a strong vote of 82 to 23. Plans will be drawn and bids will be let at once and it is expected the plan will be in operation by the time snow flies. Harvest is nearly done in the vicin ity of Fairfield. What is apparently the biggest crop of wheat for years is safely in the stack or shock, but now comes the discovery that the supposed big yield is apparent only, not real; that while there is an excessive amount of straw, the heads are not filled and the berry small. The state board of educational lands and funds met and authorized the treasurer to invest $60,000 of the per manent school fund in Nance county 3 per cent bonds. The investment will be subject to the approval of the attorney general, who will investigate the bonds in question and determine their validity. In a row in a wheat field four miles southeast of Ohiowa Henry Pinter was shot by William Franzen. a bartender in an Ohiowa saloon. Pinter was shot three times, one ball passing down ward and through the lungs. Franzen is in jail. The ninth assembly of the Salem Interstate Chautauqua will be held at Salem. Neb.. August 1 to 9 inclusive. Rev. Lincoln McConnell. who so suc cessfully superintended the enterprise last year, will act in the same capacity this season. The first step in the direction of a new court house for Saunders county was taken the other day. when the commissioners ordered a special elec tion to be held Thursday August 13. 1903, for the purpose of Dting on the proposition to issue $S5,000 bonds of the denomination of $1,000 each, at 3 per cent Interest, payable eleven years from date. Martin Scheukles 6-year-old daugh ter ran in front of a mower in Adams county and her left foot was com pletely severed. Secretary Rouse of the state bank ing board is receiving some good re ports from the receivers of a number of wrecked banks. The receiver of the Platte Valley bank at Bcllwood has, reported the first dividend paid to depositors of 5 per cent. The Farmers' bank of Custer county at Broken Bow has reported a 12 per cent dividend, which makes the total amount paid to depositors 47 per cent. Sterling will hold a street fair Au gust 13 and 14. Wtf '. ' V.VBVVBJtA 1 aV W aV Locating the Creamery; The keen competition in modern butter making necessitates systema tized work. The minor details closely allied, in this vocation, must he taken into consideration in order to lessen the cost of manufacturing butter and at the same time to produce an im proved article. To do this we must look for the most improved and eco nomical methods, take advantage of all natural means, locate judiciously, manage affairs on business principles, and look for most convenient arrange ment. The latter is the easiest to ob tain and yet in glancing over the different factories that are in exist ence at the present time, we find this point sadly neglected. There is a need for better creamery buildings, buildings that are more convenient in arrangement so that they can be kept sanitary. In launching Into this busi ness we must first look for a suitable location. The most necessary re quirement is to locate near the center of a milk producing district, or rather in a section of the country where the people are naturally inclined toward dairying. It is essential to have a sufficient number of cows to in sure enough milk to make a creamery profitable. The total cost of running a creamery and marketing the prod uct, including interest on the invest ment and provision for a sinking fund, ought not to exceed 2i cents for every pound of butter made. Under favorable conditions this cost ought to be reduced to 3 or even as low as 1 cents. The smallest practical cream ery cannot be operated for less than $4 or $5 per day. It becomes evident then that the daily product should be over 150 pounds as a safe minimum. Consequently no creamery should be put into operation unless having con trol or a promise of about 300 cows. A reliable supply of good pure water is another requisite of great import ance. Cold water is advantageous in every respect and at the samo time saves ice. The surroundings should be such as to insure pure air with as little dust and direct exposure to sun light as possible. A lawn around the creamery with some trees and shrubs will aid in purifying the air besides making the surroundings more attract ive. A creamery should be located within reasonable distance of some chipping point, where the product can be marketed to the best advantage and so that the factor of transporta tion shall not enter in to offset the profit Oscar Eif, Before Wisconsin Buttermakers. Manipulating the Udder. D. W. Howie says: Some people are opposed to so-called wet milking. I can see no objection to this style, pro viding the milker keeps his hands clean. In fact, think that dry strip ping is one of the causes of warts in the teats. My plan is to milk dry and strip wet. Manipulation of the udder comes under the head of milking. A Danish veterinarian has devised a se ries of squeezing of the udder which are to take place after the milker thinks he has finished. The manipu lations are supposed to be the means of extracting every last particle of milk, this of course being the richest. The operation takes two minutes and the results gained are claimed to more than pay for the extra time consumed. This gentleman certainly caunot claim to be the originator of manipulation of the udder. You can all prove this by bringing to your minds the num erous times you have watched a litter of pigs taking their nourishment It is there you see true manipulation. The calf, and this is more to the point, also knows how to manipulate. It simply gives its mother a bunt that jars he:" to the backbone and in this way secured creamy milk. It may be all right in the old country, where labor is only worth twenty dollars and a suit of clothes per year, to spend two minutes extra to the cow in get ting this surplus milk, but in this country I do not think it will become very popular. Especially as you can accomplish the same results by sim ply imitating the calf giving the sep arate quarters of the udder several chugs with the hand when you are stripping. In Milk Testing. No test, whether the Babcock or some other will run itself. It must be handled by a man not only honest, but also competent The test is acurate. If everything connected with its mak ing is right. There are numerous things that need to be loooked after. The milk, before the sample is taken, must be thoroughly mixed. This can not be done by merely stirring it around. Such stirring may still leave most of the cream In the upper part It must be mixed by pouring the milk back and forth from one pail to an other. The temperature of the milk being tested should be the same for each sample. The acid must be exact in quantity and uniform in strength. A failure at this point may give only unreliable results. Then the speed of the machine shonld be that given in the directions for making the test A too low speed may give results below the troth. When the bottles are taben from the machine it is well to put them into water at 150 degrees Fahr enheit, so that the fat will remain liquid till read. Graeefccpper "Drifting." The movecects of grasshoppers are of considerable Interest to fanners that have fields likely to be devas tated by thzm. There seems to be a difference as to canees in the East and West determining direction. In the West it has been observed that these Insects advance against the wind, when it Is only a 1'gfat breeze. The drifting is therefore In the oppo Fitc direction from that taken by a halt driven by the wind. The grais baiper evidently does cot care in trhat !rcciic:x he iumps. His jnnp Is decided by his tlicincliratlan to cfcmd cidewsys to the wind. Like a vrealhcr vane he presents Ms sharp est point io the wind. When, he jumps it is In the earns direction. Strange io say. In the East this came cuetcax tins ret bees observe!. Tae incccts lo not seem is fce the wfcd. and if iaey find a depressed area trill cccuasulcte in it in srel cwsras. de vaaisg every edible sreca tiiag. Only a imull portion cf sJl the avis lormcd 02 a tree ennr lbs zzcsni year. The rest rearers dormiat or ialent for jcarc, end ere oate to stow end produce fhoots oaly ivhes the fiacrs cro 6esroycd- AArcnUtioKs boas ere produced by ansae trees irrcjuiaUy aeywhere cu &e ira cf ihe wooi. especially vfcere fc has bean si&kJtef "or in-Sssed, I POUt IKY I XV; & Tfc.V I V . Why the Woman Succeeds. Women make the best and most successful poultry raisers, though per haps not always the most keen trad ers when it comes to the buying and selling of poultry and poultry prod ucts. But for the mere raising of birds and bringing them to maturity she" is a success. It is partly because she has the instincts of a mother and see things that the man poultry rais er does not In the first place she makes a continual war on dirt and lice. She abhors them in the poultry house as she would in her own family. She wages on these two public ene mies such a warfare that she conquers them, and when she has won that vic- torj she has gone a' good way toward success. For the most disastrous things in the line of poultry pests are dirt or lice. Some years ago the Farmers' Review sent out a large number of inquiries to poultry raisers asking what was the greatest cause of losses in the poultry business. The replies that came back said lice, more chicks being lost from lice than from any other one cause. So we see that the woman, in getting rid of the lice, has removed the first great cause of failure with chicks. The woman suc ceeds also because she takes infinite pains with what she is trying to do. She does not feel that she has to do everything on a wholesale scale that she has to have the houses cleaned out once a month, "when they have become dirty enough to make it an object to clean them." She has enough care about their cleanly con dition to have them cleaned several times a week, and sometimes she has the work done every day. She watch es for the coming of the lice and does not wait till there are a million or more before discovering them. Under such a condition it is not easy for vermin to get a start, and without get ting a good start they cannot become formidable. The woman also suc ceeds because she has an interest in the appearance of the premises. She objects to delapidation in every form. The old fence is whitewashed, the net ting is mended as soon as it gets a hole in it, and the rat hole is stopped up as soon as it is made. The win dows are so arranged that they will dry the floors as well as give light to the poultry. These are some of the reasons why the woman succeeds ad mirably in the care of fowls. Raising Chicks in Brooders. From Farmers' Review: In our management of brooders in raising our .young Orpington stock after we have gotten the young chicks from our incubators and hens to our brood ers, we run them at a uniform heat of 95 degrees, keeping it thus for -the first two or three days, gradually low ering it a degree a day until 90 de grees Is reached, and then keeping heat so the chicks will not crowd. We feed nothing for first seventy-two hours, then we feed Chamberlain's chick feed fed exclusively every two hours for the first week, then four times daily until a month old, and after that three times a day. After the first few days we vary the feed by giving rolled oats, cracked corn, wheat and green ground bone, keep ing cut clover to scratch in. Fresh water is always before them. We get an early growth of lettuce for the little fellows, and, as soon as possible, let them out of doors, keeping them scratching and moving continually. We dust them frequently with lice powder. It goes without saying wo clean our brooders daily. At two months of age we place our young sters in colony houses and leave them free to run on the range, feeding morning and night cracked corn varied by wheat and oats. J. W. Eastes, Knox County, Illinois. Brown Leghorns as Layers. From Farmers' Review: In my opinion Brown Leghorns are the best layers of all the hens and lay a large egg, as they are bred to-day larger than Plymouth Rock hens. I of course breed in my pullet line the large sized S. C. Brown Leghorns and not the small kind, as they did fot years back. They are easy to breed and hatch well, and I can get about as many chicks from 75 Brown .Leg horn eggs as I can from 100 Plymouth Rocks, and a Brown Leghorn lays well for many years, while a Plymouth Rock lessens it the second and third year. I feed well cooked grain and vegetables but this food does not fat ten them, while the larger breeds get fat and a fat hen will not lay. My experience is tha' ! can make more money in raising eggs for market than I can ia raising poultry. To raise early chicks for spring market is very ex pensive, and in the fall prices are toe low for any profit. The S. C. Brown Leghorn is a very stylish bird. It pays to produce eggs for market and the Leghorns will do the job. They are called the egg machines, and so they are. H. M. Moyer, Berkes Coun ty, Pennsylvania. Light Brahmas. The leading variety of the Asiatic class is the light Brahma. This fowl has a history that would fill pages were it recorded. They are the fowls which caused the "hen fever"' of the fifties, about which so much has been written in later years. Their early history Is a matter of controversy, the best authorities differing as to their origin- They were first known as the "Bnhnn Pootras." "Gray Shanghais," "Cfciitagongs" "Cochin Chinas," and what not. The early breeder named them according to his fancy for high eoEcdfng and sensational names to sell his stoek. Fabnlons prices were paid for them when the craze for fine pccltry was at its height in the early days of the test half of the present cectcry. The standard c the present Brahai fowl rras fired In 1S69. and no deviation ircni the tyne adopted then has been mode. It has stood high in popular favor since then with out abatement; the vast somber of breeders vrho are raising them fully attest tiieir vicrth as a practical bird to the lodostrrGeo. E. Howard. Fnding Breed Sows. For brood com j is erfcier tn very early sarins, i Is atrayc aarirabl to Sire tbeo access tn z. piece c carfy r.otra cheat cr rrc snd io 1st trni ieve a Jimited amourt or rifely cored clover, alfaJia cr co-rrea iay by ay of tsrictr ct Cetd- Sorshuia ctalfcs jrrotra as s cttclomcry ter ihz nrrfes U03 d crrujn in ircitei crasajffjr, inrke an cz-'jsllent a.ctiea io th& ra- Cict. Th xaia ihlig to be srefel j ?a carrying i--e c unr scrt iaroatJt sue winter, is x ttrziz'st cert tst. The crHter (he variety ef eSeap an terlals Hke these tte better the sows wtn da. L W. Waters. LIVE STOCK -in Angoras in Illinois. From Farmers Review: Having tad considerable experience of late in he Angora goat business I will at empt to give the readers of the Farm ers' Review a brief outline of what have accomplished. Two years ago had a woods pasture containing sev enty acres, very brushy, so much so hat on the previous year it pastured hat would be an equivalent to nine tows for the season. After selling vhat wood I could I procured a flock if Angoras, which have completely aten the underbrush and to-day I lave as fine a cattle pasture as there s in the state. So much for the pas ure. I will now prove to you that .n killing the brush I did not kill the joats, as the man did with his sheep. The highest price I received for mo lair the spring I bought my flock was 26c, last year Sic and this year 43c. rwo years ago my best goat sheared .'our pounds; this year my best goats sheared five, six and seven pounds. I also have one kid, which I sheared it ten months old, which sheared four ud one-half pounds. When my kids rere 5 months old I weighed seven, which averaged 53 pounds each. I will further state that this gain was made without the use of any grain. After keeping account of the grain my goats ate thi3 last winter I find that four cents each would pay the bill. The only time to feed grain is in time of a blizzard; the balance of the time nay or fodder, and when the weather is suitable the goat would rather be an the "rustle" than eat any of your prepared food. My flock originally came from New Mexico. When they landed in Warren County, Illinois, they were very emaciated, but none were lost through shipping. The does only one month after landing in Illi nois produced an excellent crop of kids. Now, to be fair with the readers of the Fanners' Review, I will say after having seen hundreds yes, thousands of Angoras that were raised in the West and Southwest, Illinois can pro duce just as fine mohair, just as many pounds of mohair for every twelve months, and a heavier carcass at one year old, than many of the Southwest ranges. I would like to hear from" oth ers that are in the Angora goat busi ness. Jno. W. Coghill, Jr., Warren Co.. 111. Types of Hogs. The desirable type of hog should have good length showing sides in clined to be fiat The ribs should be sprung fairly well from the back, says J. E. Brethour. You want a slightly arched back. If you have a fiat back you have a fat pig. If you get a pig hollow in the back, you surely get the fat distributed away from the back and filled in along the side. The idea is to get the flesh evenly distributed all the way along, so that when the car cass is dressed, it is not one-half fat The flesh should be firm, not hard and stringy. In the latter case you are likely to get a pig that is an old one held back and not In proper bloom. You want good hair without the bristles being coarse. A curly coat is not generally desirable. You usually get thicker .'iair with a curly coat than with a straight one. The desirable type of hog is well covered -over the loins, with smooth even shoulders not wider than the loins; neck not long, but muscular, without crest of fat. The under line and up per line should be parallel, showing evenness of depth through heart and flanks. The hams should be nicely ta pered without bulging behind, indi cating a lean, fleshy ham, well down to the hocks. The flesh should show no looseness or flabbiness about flanks, ham or belly, the latter show ing trim and straight underline. The head should be smooth not carrying any superfluous fat about the jowls. The face should have an intelligent expression with good breadth between the eyes, showing well developed skull. Soundness in Market Horses. The most important requirements of a market horse is "serviceable" soundness; that is, he must have no chronic disease that will unfit him for work of a general nature. He must be sound in wind and in limb, able to do a reasonablo amount of work without undue fatigue or prema ture breakdowns. The majority of the horses sold from a great market go to the city trade and are com pelled to do their work on hard, un yielding pavements, pulling heavy loads, cr developing speed that is an even greater strain on the feet and legs. The average period of useful ness on city streets of a horse that was sound at the start is not more than Ave years, and it Is manifestly evident that this time will be ma terially decreased if he begins this work in an unsound condition. Broken wind, sidebocee, unsound hocks, and all the various other ills that a horse is heir to should be strenuously guarded agaiest as they greatly di minish his value. Bulletin 27, Bureau of Animal Industry- Anthrax an Old Disease. Anthrax is the oldest contagious disease of domestic animals of which we have any record. In profane his tory the disease Is mere or less ac curately described before the Chris tian era. In sacred history it seems to be Identical with the dreadful Egyp tian scourge described as the "Sixth plasue." Plutarch mentions oat breaks of anthrax in Rome about 740 B. C. Another writer of Italian his tory eays that the disease was ex tremely fatal (o live stock towards the middle end last of the slrteerth century, A. D. Unscrnptilox'j meat vendor at times sold such diseased meat to their customers which result ed in mauy cases of death rca an thrax in man. On this account the senate at Venice prohibited, cader penalty of capital panishnent. the of fering for sale of the meat cf cattle cHected by anthrax. Shade In Pastures. Frcm Farmers Review : 5Iy pas tures are large and ia both cf them there is ?L2a:y of shade, zzd vshen the cos is hot the cattle, hcrsw cni cheep will "seep close la the dsadc. I do not believe ihat if It was oat good for theai they woald keep En iJjc shade but would lie in the air. Whca tee weather is very Let they keep close under the shade, acd raea it gets cooler they come fenh end craze. IZ ray pastures had no shad-e i Trould erect posts and cover riih fcsards to keep them from the barnlT? eira, j. tL. Beirne, Fond du Lac Coociy, Wisconsin. When trees are raised from seeds there is no certainty that the came laeatlcal variety wQl he renrodaced. iTyTnvy bm mav hc , av hhBHIhiI aVsral sH Humus and Moisture. Decayed vegetable matter is humus. To have a good soil we must have a supply of vegetable matter in it The chief advantage of this Is in enabling the soil to hold water to a greater de gree than would be the case did it not contain water. The eastern garden ers have been surprised sometimes to find that their soils would not respond to commercial fertilizers and that the land was becoming apparently very subject to drouth. The trouble was that the humus had been exhausted by year after year growing crops upon it by the help of commercial fertil izers without putting on a particle of barnyard manure or turning under green crops. At the Minnesota ex periment station tests were made on soils with a good supply of humus and those with little, as to water content On one soil the humu3 was found to be 3.35 per cent of all. The water content was 16.4S per cent The other soil contained 2.5 per cent of humus, and tho water content was 12.14 per cent of the total. This dif- ference has been figured out as about a quart of water per cubic foot of soil, which would mean over 10,000 gallons to the acre. In a dry season this dif ference would be a very great factor in the maturing of the crop. Plants do not eat; they drink. All food is taken in a liquid condition. If the water is absent the plant starves. The humus supply is there fore of prime importance in the devel oping of our farm crops. There is another great advantage in having a soil rich in humus and that is that the soil does not give off its water so rapidly as do soils where the humus is wanting. The roots go after the food and moisture and get them, but the water does not so rapidly pass to the surface of the ground. The hu mus act3 as a sub-earth mulch, if such a term be allowable. It hinders the pumps of the sun and wind from taking moisture out of the soil, but helps them to take the moisture from the leaves of the plants, which meth od is serviceable to man. At the station mentioned the two soils were saturated with the same amount of water and exposed to the sun and wind for ten hours. At the end of that time the soil with the largest amount of humus contained 6.12 per cent of its water, while the other soil contained only 3.94 per cent Pruning Potato Tops. That potato tops should not be pruned seems to be clearly proved by some experiments carried on at the Vermont Experiment station last sea son. In the annual report the direc tor says: The moist, cool weather of July and August 1902, led to unusual lux uriance in the development of potato tops, especially where they had been properly sprayed. This condition brought to the experiment station In quiries as to whether it was not de sirable to check this tendency to veg etative vigor in some way, as for ex ample, by breaking down the tops with a roller, or by cutting them back. We have always advised against any such practice on theoretical grounds, but decided to put it to test this year, in the grounds of a local gardener. He wished the tops cut back in a portion of the field. This was done on August 12th. The stalks were then about three feet long when straightened out and arose about two feet above the soil. They were cut clean at a height of one foot above the soil, which removed the bulk of the foliage. These stalks sent out within a few days many new shoots, but this new growth began to yellow In about a week and the plants were dead by September 1st. In striking contrast the undipped plants on either side were in full and vigorous foliage at this date and continued green through September; indeed, there were some green plants when they were dug the second week in October. Seven rows, each one hun dred feet long and three and one-half feet apart, were handled experiment ally, five undipped and two clipped. The yields were as follows: Row 1, not clipped, yield 223 lbs. Row 2, not clipped, yield 221 lbs. Row 3. clipped, yield 150 lbs. Row 4, not clipped, yield 22.1 lbs. Row 5, not clipped, yield 224 lbs. Row 6, clipped, yield 15." lbs. Row 7, not clipped, yield 211 lbs. Averages Not clipped, 221 pounds; clipped, 152 pounds. It is evident that practically one third of the crop was sacrificed by the clipping. The Long Hog. A Canadian writer on swine caya. Some of us seem to think wl.en wc see a pig stretching out and growing, and not getting fat, that It is an ex pensive feeder. But this Is not neces sarily the case. It does not neces sarily cost a cent more to produce, a pound of gain in a pig of the right bacon type than it does in any other type. I have tried to prove it but I could not demonstrate that the bacon type of hog is expensive to feed. I find it is an economical producer of bacon. There Is no procf that It cost3 more to produce the bacon hog. If you get the right type and have a healthy, growthy, thruty pig, that will stretch out instead of getting fat and dumpy, you will have a bos -hat will feed economically. Tccrc may be some difference in regard to their suitability fcr pen feeding and gra zing. I think some of the best gra zers are the American breeds, and possibly the Berkshire. That is 127 experience so far as we hTc gen-, but we have cot followed it up very thoroughly yet Bacccck and Ge-ber Tests. In the United States and Canada, and even ic Australia aai :evf Zea land, the Habcock test Is cans were supreme as a cetsrazizT ct the fat In bntter. But ia Mo!!2nd ani Ger many, the Ccrber test ii the 2vc-tc. It is also cid w J2 mating ccnrl'Ier ahle headTEy in ZaIiai. Tzoze tfcet use it claim thac it .3 zi?:e accurate than the Babcasc test Ve dcabt if in? can ee ccbztau'Iatcd. One tiln In favcr c-Z It iori-a?3 Iz that ic d-ca net rercire lie c-e cf culjaaric acid, wfcich seme ciclike to rrmd'-e cr to have ara-niL The -Sabeack. te.t, how ever, has behiad It ihe Javcrable opin ion cf the ieaiirs cairy rc!cni.is..s c! ihe wcrii. As a ready cn-i ecoire test It Is probably cupcrio' to any-thir-gr a existence, zat cz.c?p'Jns ihc Gexber. Any oerscn who tiers a Ijotfie el hair restorer from a feaKieadca croc;-1 gfct has genuine faith. : I CAMPfmC I I TALES I Ballad for the Third Hour. Good masters of the market place. 1 pray you cense your cries and neAK A pilgrim s message or grace From holy lands I bring your ear. Nay. pass not so. fair cavalier. Nor thou, my lady In thy pride No aims I ask beyond a tear For such as ye my Savior died. Yea. pause and hear me. woman frail. Whoso jewels have the gleam of shame: Thou, crone In rags, for thee my tale. And thee, poor foundling without name; And unto ye. proud nrlests. the same. Hat:, clown and courtier! ere you rlda I pray ye answer was it blame Kor such as ye my Savior died? What? Tears before the minster gate. Ye blind, ye aged, and ye sore? Nay. 'tis your festival of state. So get ye In the sacred door. And Join my cry until it roar. By every strand and mountain side. From turret unto dungeon's core. For such as ye my Savior died. Prince from thy galleries look down. 1 prithee on our ribald tide. And hear me spite thy haughty frown For such as ye my Savior died. Thomas Walsh In the Independent. The Death of "Stonewall" Jackson. I had been with my new command but a short time when the great battle of Chancellorsville occurred. It was just before this bloody cngagament that my young brother had so accur ately and firmly predicted his own death, and it was here the immortal Jackson fell. I never write or pro nounce this name without an impulse to pause In veneration for that Amer ican phenomenon. The young men of this country cannot study the character-of Gen. Jackson without benefit to their manhood, and for those who are not familiar with his characteris tics I make this descriptive allusion to him: As to whether he fell by the fire of his own men, or from that of the Union men in his front, will perhaps never be definitely determined. The general, the almost universal belief at the South is that he was killed by a volley from the Confederate lines; but I have had grave doubts of this raised in my own mind by conversa tion with thoughtful Union officers who were at the time in his front and near the point where he was killed. It seems to me quite possible that the fatal ball might have come from eith er army. This much-mooted question as to the manner of bis death is. how ever, of less consequence than the manner of his life. Any life of such nobility and strength must always be a matter of vital import and interest. But more Important than anything I have yet said of Jackson may be compassed, I think, in the observation that he added to a marvelous genius for war a character as a man and a Christian which was absolutely with out blemish. His child-like trust and faith, the simplicity, sincerity and constancy of his unostentatious piety did not come with the war, nor was it changed by the trials and dangers of war. If the war affected him at all in this particular. It only intensified his religious devotion, because of the tre mendous responsibilities which it im posed; but long before, his religious thought and word and exampl were leading to the higher life young men intrusted to his care at the Virginia Military institute. Gen. John B. Gor don in Scribner's. Carried Drum Throughout War. One of the features of the Hooker celebration at Boston was the beating Drum carried by Commander George A. Cole of Gettysburg post 121, from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor, of the long rolls and solos at Faneuil hall by Commander Geo. A. Cook of Gettysburg post 191, on his famous silver drum, which he carried through the Gettysburg campaign and from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor. The drum head has been in use forty years June 9, 1903. What Hurt the Britisher. "Among the stories told at the re ception to General John C. Bates by the Society of the Army of Santiago the other night," said the Major, "was one of Captain Reeves of the Third United States infantry. While at West Point IJecves was asked to show two officers one IJritish, the other Prussian, shout the grounds and build ings. In the museum the Prussian officers found much to ir.torest him, but the British officer was inclined to be contemptuous or patronizing. "This British officer, by the way, he longed to the Seventeenth hussars. "a was particularly annoyed at the display of old-fashioned kettle drums which had been captured from the British In the revolutionary war Di vining that the subject would not be a pleasant one to his guest. Reeves said nothing, and the British officer proceeded to enlarge upon the inutil ity of the kettledrum display. The Prussian officer dissented i'r-jni tnis view and explained that he was not able to understand why the British officer was so prejudiced rgainst ket tle drums. Thereupon, he took up one of the drr.ms and, turning it over, found an inscription to the effect that it had been captured from the Seven teenth hussars in the revolutionary war. No one mad any further re mark." Chicago Inter Ocean. Popular CIvM .War Songs. One of the most popular of the civil war songs. When Johnny Come3 Marching Horn1, came near being stifled at its birh. It was written by Louis Lambert, a native of Connecti cut, and a graduate cf Yale. At the .outbreak cf the rebellion he offered his services to the Governor of his state, hut was rejected on account of his youth. So he remained at college. His father and brother were in the northern army John Lambert. Sr., and John Lambert. Jr. A great num ber cf the Connecticut troops were coming home on furlough and the peo ple in the town where the Lamberts lived were making great prenarations for ghing the soldiers a relcome home." .Louis was the pcei- of his class at Yale and was asked to fur r.ish a poem for the occasion. He v-ote When Johnny "'rr.eo ilarcbln:? Home with the .reception cemmittec Vy A W aV Jw si considered too undignified for so Im portant an occasioa, and the sons was rejected. Not to be outdoae, young Lambert came from New Haven to his native village with every member of his class to attend the reception givea the troops on their home coming. The students had memorized Lambert's new song. When Johnny Comes March ing Home. They had set it to the mu sic of one of their rollicking college drinking songs. What the song lacked in dignity and patriotic spirit it made up in life and action. As the soldiers were passing under the triumphal arch tho students struck up the song. When Johnny Comes Marching Home wasn't on the program, but it made such an instan taneous hit that the multitude sol diers and all took up tne joyous strain and kept singing It to the ex clusion of all the rest of the fine ceremony that had been arranged. When Johnny Comes Marching Home was all they wanted. Louis Lambert, the smart Yankee lad. had won his point and was the biggest man in New Britain. News of the episode spread rapidly all over the country and requests for the song commenced to pour in from all parts of the north. It becamo ono of the most popular of all the war time songs and Is to-day frequently sung and played. The Little Wounds in Battle. "It was often the case." said the major, who was in a reminiscent mood, "that the wound which seemed trif ling at the time proved more serious than the wound that received the at tention of surgeons. In one battle I was shot through my sword arm. and about the same time was struck on the shoulder by a falling branch of a tree. The wound in the arm healed rapidly, but the shoulder is lame to this day. A man in our company had two fingers shot off and receives a pen sion, but in a mountain fight at a later date he sprained his ankle. Tho wounded hand gives him no pain or trouble, whereas the ankle that was only sprained, and which received lit tle attention at the time, has been for forty years a seat of discomfort and pain. "At the last reunion of our com pany a man shot through the body at Shiloh was one of the most active of all those present. A man who es caped all the flying bullets at Fort Donelson and caught cold the second night was one of the most feeble. One of the boys had a toe shot off at Cot ton Hill was the best dancer, and the best marcher of the old days was as stiff as a spavined horse. A man who had been thrown twenty feet in the air by a mine explosion was as lively as a cricket, and the fellow burned through putting his lighted pipe in his pocket to escape the notice of the officer of the guard was a c-ipple. Our colonel, wounded three times In as many different battles, was there in more robust health than he ever had in the army, carrying his 63 years as he carried his 28 on the march to the sea. while our captain, who had been struck by a spent ball in front of Atlanta, counted himself an invalid. An Apology of War Time. The story of the old brick church, in Fairfield county. South Carolina, where in 1803. the Associate Reformed Synod of the Carolinas was organized, has found its way into Northern pa pers. The object of this paragraph Is mainly to set forth the fact indicated in the first sentence and to refer to the lesson of the legend on the door facing. This inscription, as those familiar with the old church know, runs about as follows: "Citizens of this Community : Please excuse us for defacing your house of worship so much. It was absolutely necessary to effect a crossing over the creek, as the Rebs destroyed the bridge." This legend wan signed simply. "A Yankee." Tho occasion for it was found in the fact that pews, flooring and sleepers had been brought into requisition to construct a bridge by which the Federal troops might bo enabled to cross Little river, the Con federates, as stated, having there de stroyed what is known as Kincaid's bridge. The legend and the delirato feeling which prompted its Inscription have in them a lesson of particular and appropriate interest these days, since they reveal, as the New York Tim-s puts it. "the existence, even in the worst of the other days, of feel ings that, led naturally to reconcilia tion." Gastonic (N. C.) Gazette. "Old Ninth" in Reunion. The recent reunion and dinner of the veterans of the "Old Ninth," Eighty-third New York volunteers, which was held at New York recent ly, the occasion being the forty-second annivc-Mary of the departure of the regiment to the seat of war in 1861. was one of the most pleasant and suc cessful of these entertainments. The "Old Ninth" Is one of the very few militia regiments that went Into the service of the United States as a unit. serve-1 three years during the war. and when it was mustered out of the Unit ed States service was able to keep up its organization and resume its place in the National Guard of the state. That it was enabled to do so was due to the efforts of its friends and mem bers, who had for various reasons left the service before the expiration of the full term. The Ninth regiment. National Guard, New York, to-day car ries on its colors the names of the various actions in which the "Old Ninth" participated. Army of trs Potomac Reunion. The Society of the Array of the Po tomac held its reunion at Boston June 25 and 2G. The surviving general offi cers of the army of the Potomac, who were the guests of the state at the un veiling and dedication of the Hooker monument Thursday. June 2.". were present as guests of the society. The reunion is the third to be held ia Boston, and the society this year by express invitation not only of the commonwealth and city, but also by invitaticn of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Loyal Legion and the Sons of Veterans. A delegation con sisting of representatives of the gov ernor and mayor and of each of the organizations named attended the ded ication of the Gen. Slccum equestrian statue on the battlefield at Gettys burg last fall, and there presented to the society the joint invitation to ac cept the hospitality cf Boston this summer. '. - I i BPSr'i rs- ' Mji38gnyfiTrSvytfi