''7T T v'o---rt- ,V5'5 v ' T ' FJ- I "&2r- i - -. r - i . .' is..' I i p. f. .. I? is ; c - s - . i bfj ' 5A.-B u WHlMMMHUUIMIIIIMllltlllHM ! Matters in i utiiuMiKiuHtiiiMiit minimum THE STATE IN BRIEF. Aa anti-saloon league has been or ganized In Plattsmouth. J. E. Donnell, a York laundryman, suddenly left for parts unknown, leav ing a note saying that he would not return. While bathing in the Blue river four miles northwest of Beatrice with a party of friends, William Aylsworth, aged 19 years, was drowned. Otto Uhlick of Plattsmouth. aged 21 years, committed suicide by tak ing poison. He was a cigar maker by trade and for two weeks had been in Omaha. Labor Commissioner Bush is at work on a tabulation of the acreage of crops in Nebraska. The figures were returned by assessors and are the most accurate that can be obtain ed. Mrs. W. T. Boydston. wife of W. T. Boydston. a postal clerk running be tween Grand Island and Ord, attempt ed to commit suicide. She took strychnine, but physicians rescued her. Owing to continued poor health C. C. Ellis has been compelled to resign the position of deputy county clerk of Johnson county. County Clerk C. J. Carson has named as his successor John H. Shepherd of Sterling. The third annual session of the Da vid City Chautauqua assembly closed with the largest crowd present that has ever at any time been on the grounds of the assembly. The ses sion throughout, financially and other wise, was a great success. A serious accident took place at the farm of Conrad Guenther, living ten miles southwest of West Point, Wed nesday, by which his little son. Hen ry, aged nine years, was crippled for life. He was cut by a mowing ma chine and his right leg nearly sev ered. Thieves forced an entrance to the Bodinson Hardware company's store In Kearney, a window on the south side of the building being pried open by means of an iron bar. Nearly all the knives In the store, twenty-one razors and one or two revolvers were taken. The large barn of Anton Psota of Cuming county was burned by Incen diaries. The barn and contents were worth $1,500, all of which Is a total loss. The barn of ex-State Treasurer Stuefer was also destroyed, being fir ed first. The barn, buggy and other appurtenances were valued at $400, which is a total loss, covered by in surance. Word has been received from Mr. James Knox Taylor, supervising ar chitect of the United Staten treasury department, that the drawings for the new postoffice to be erected in Hast ings are about to be completed. It is expected that all specifications will be finished so that the work will be placed on the market during the pres ent summer. Prof. Biackman. archaeologist of the State Historical society, while search ing the supposed site of a once Az tec village a few miles north of Blue Springs the other day. found a mo saic which was once, no doubt, a part of a large panel. It is engraved with figures which are very distinct, and which represent various gods and god esses of that ancient race of people. The farmers of Banner county are putting up one of the largest rye crops in the history of the county, while the wheat and oat crop will be above the average. Corn is good, but about two weeks later than usual. Jacob Miller, a well-to-do farmer living six miles northeast of Scrib ncr. met with an accidental death. He and his son came in with two wagon loads of corn, and when on the ele vator dump his team started up. He reached for the lines, when he over balanced himself, falling out of the waon. the wheels of which went over his left breast. Dan E. Thomas and Charles Car penter, two farmers living five or six miles east of Pierce, were arrested for obtaining $85 under false pre tenses from Woods Cones, cashier of the Pierce County bank of Pierce. They were given the money and In turn gave a mortgage on property which they said was not mortgaged, but which was found to be encumber ed. Albert E. Isenhart was taken to Webster City, la., where he will have to face the charge of having two wives. Isenhart was arrested at the farm of John Plater, west of North Bend, where he was employed as a farm hand. Six carloads of pumps and wind mills belonging to the Dempster Mill Manufacturing company, which were in the recent flood at Kansas City, were shipped to the company's local factory at Beatrice to undergo a gen eral overhauling. The old settlers of southern Gage county will hold their third annual picalc August 20 in Reimund's grove, near Barneston. A fine program is being prepared and the occasion will be one of unusual Interest and pleas ure. The board of public lands and build ings met and ordered repairs for the soldiers' and sailors' home at Grand Island and at Milford. Both institu tions are In need of repairs and new buildings which have been provided for by the legislature. Governor Mickey honored the requi sition papers from the governor of Washington for the return to that state of Dr. A. E. Disbrow, wanted on a charge of obtaining money under false pretenses. Deputy Sheriff J. L. Barberry left for Washington with his prisoner. Prof. Miller, who has been holding a position as supervisor of music in the Wahoo schools, was elected to a stellar position in the Lincoln public schools at a special meeting of the fceart of education. Nebraska; NORMAL BONDS NOT VALID. Towns in Nebraska Cannot Legally Issue Them. A town in Nebraska canont issue bonds to secure the location of the new normal school. So decided Chief Justice Sullivan and Judge Sedgwick of the supreme court. The case was that of the village of Ainsworth against State Auditor Weston for a writ of mandamus to compel the audi tor to register $10,000 worth of bonds recently voted by the village. The bonds were made payable to the state as a bonus should the new normal school be located there. The court held that the purpose for which the money to be raised was to be used is not within the meaning of the statute allowing the issuance of bonds for internal improvements. The bonds were issued by Ainsworth some time ago when the normal school fight began to warm up. When they were brought to the state auditor to be reg istered, the latter refused them, after getting the opinion of Attorney Gen eral Prout as to the legality of the issue. The attorney general gave as his reason that the bonds were not legal, and was sustained by the su preme court. The action of the supreme court in refusing the writ may work a hardship on Ainsworth in its effort to secure the school, and it may knock out some of the cherished dreams of several other towns that are preparing to bid for the school. AS TO OIL INSPECTION. Gov. Mickey Gives Out Instructions to Inspectors. Because sensational newspapers of late have been severely criticising his actions in regard to orders to dep uty oil inspectors, Governor Mickey gave out the following signed state ment as a copy of the orders issued to each of the deputy oil inspectors: Do not accept for official inspection any samples of oil which you yourself (or someone deputized to act for you) have not taken from the source of sup ply, that is, from the car tank, from the storage tank or from the barrel or receptacle in which shipment was made. The inspection of oil which ir responsible parties may hand to you in bottles, and which is alleged to be a sample from some tank or barrel, but which you nothing about personal ly. Is absolutely prohibited. The in spection of oil must be made to mean all that the law contemplates in the matter of safety to consumers. You must not only know that the oil you Inspect and pass is fully up to the standard, but you must also know that the sample inspected has been taken from the supply tank. This rule must be rigidly adhered to. Harvest Hands Needed. GRAND ISLAND Reports from the country precincts of tls county are to the effect that farmers are at a Joss what to do for help for the harvest fields, though wheat is nearly all cut. In many instances the ripening has come so quickly that women are com pelled to aid, driving the harvesters, while the men do the shocking of the bundles and the directing of the work. Five Candidates for Cadetships. KEARNEY Congressman Kinkaid came in and spent the day with Kear ney friends. His special business was to look after the coming cadet exam ination for West Point, the candidates being five in number. . .Good Yield and Good Quality. . BEATRICE Ira Ray a farmer re siding four miles northeast of this city, finished threshing his wheat crop and off of ten acres he received a yield of twenty-four bushels per acre Raise Money for Missions. NORFOLK At a highly successful missionfest attended by 1,500 per sons, members of Christ Lutheran church, raised several hundred dol lars for missions. A choir from Stanton and one from the St Paul Lutheran church of Norfolk were present. Sermons were delivered by Rev. Mr. John of Bazlle Mills and Rev. Mr. Merz of Pierce. The feast was held in Pasewalk park, corner Pasewalk avenue and Fifth street. Boy Killed by Cars. PLATTSMOUTH Ray Lillie, a 17-year-old boy, was crushed to death under the wheels of a Burlington freight train at Pacific Junction on Tuesday morning. The unfortunate boy attempted to crawl under a car when the train was backed down upon him. His lower limbs were horribly mutilated and he died soon after the accident. The lad had been em ployed as a call boy by the railroad company. An Immense Busin CALLAWAY For the month of June the three largest cream stations in Custer county handled 41,275 pounds of butter fat. to say nothing of the smaller stations scattered ovei the county. Callaway led the proces sion with 18,169 pounds, while Ansley comes next with 12,020 pounds, and Broken Bow ranks third, with 11,086 pounds. There are also stations at Sargent, Mason City, Arnold and Oconto. Good Opinion of Nebraska. "In the opinion of the people of New York, nothing is impossible 'in Nebraska," said former Governor Dawes while passing through Lincoln from New York to the Philippines, where he goes to resume his duties as paymaster in the army. "The peo ple there," he continued, "have read of Nebraska's prosperity and they look upon it as a state where poor men accomplish wonders and where nothing is impossible." j ltmm,m , 'm SmsnnBBnnnnnnnuBBassausssBnusm H k BatBTBBaftanvS ssnl ssf B bbbbBBT M CAMPfmE I yBflHKV I ' wA. w arc W aHPaPW h I M AM, M W L W D CSsaSn Trust. f know not if or dark or bright Shall be my lot. (f that wherein my hopes delight Be best or not. It may be mine to drag (or yean Toll's heavyfcbaln. Or day and night my meed be tears On bed of pain. Kind faces may surround my hearth With smiles and glee. Or I may dwell alone, and mirth Be strange to me. My bark la wafted to the strand By breath Divine. And on the helm there rests a hand Other than mine. One who has known In storms to call, I have on board; Above the raging of the gale I hear my Lord. He holds me when the billows smite, I shall not fall. If sharp. 'Us short; if long, 'tis light He tempers all. Safe to the land, safe to the land. The end is this; And then go with him hand in hand Far Into bliss. Gen. Frank Wheaton'a Record. Maj. Gen. Frank Wheaton, U. S. A., who died in Washington a few days ago, served in the army for forty-two years. Deceased was born in Providence, R. I., in 1833 and was in his 71st year. He became civil-engineer, took part in the Mexican boundary sur veys and. In 1855, was made lieuten ant in the Third U. S. cavalry. The general's fighting record was one greatly to his credit He took to the field against the Cheyenne Indians in 1857 and his opening fight was near Fort Kearny, Neb., where he acquit ted himself most gallantly. He took part in the Utah expedition and, on the breaking out of the rebellion, proceeded to his native state and was made lieutenant colonel of the 2d Rhode Island volunteers; a month later he was made colonel, and had his troops in Virginia early In May, so that they took part in the opening engagement of the war at Bull Run. Thereafter the command was with the Army of the Potomac in all its desperate engagements. In 1862 the commander was made brigadier gen eral and directed a division of the Sixth corps at Gettysburg and In the campaign in the Schenandoah valley In 1864, and was actively engaged In the maneuvers preceding the surren der of Lee in 1865 at Appomattox. For gallantry at the battles of Ope guan, Fisher's Hill and Middletown. Va,. he was made major general and further honors came to him for bravery in the battles of the Wilder ness, Cedar Creek and Petersburg. For his chivalric conduct In these en gagements the state of Rhode Island presented him with a sword in 1866. The civil war over, he was made lieu tenant colonel of the 39th U. S. in fantry and made colonel of the Sec ond U. S. infantry in 1874. Later he was made brigadier and major gener al, held commands in Dakota, Mon tana and Nebraska, and took part In many severe encounters with the In dians on the plains. Since 1897 he had been on the retired list and had made his home in Washington. Drummer Boy of Shiloh. "An item in the Post, mentioning the presence in the city of Lieutenant Colonel John L. Clem of the quarter master's department, United States army," said a veteran of the civil war, "brings to mind his first appearance on the military stage as the 'Drum mer Boy of Shiloh.' At the age of 12 he was a drummer in the Twenty-Second regiment, Michigan infantry, and his extreme youthfuiness, together with his bravery under fire at the bat tle of Shiloh, Tennessee, interested a number of officers, and at the close of the war he was educated under their auspices and a commission se cured for him in the regular army a fact that the general public long ago lost sight of, for though the news papers made frequent mention of it thirty. years ago, I have not seen a reference to it in many years. "During the battle a general of bri gade saw the little fellow in the thick eat of the fight, and he called an aid. " 'See what that child is doing there on the firing line' Clem was a little fellow, even for his age 'and send him to the rear.' "The order was obeyed, but Johnny could not be kept at the rear, and he was soon again in the thickest of the fight, and having abandoned, his drum and secured a musket, he was doing his best with a gun that weighed al most as much as he did." Washing ton Post. 4 M , , , An Old Soldier's Story. "It is not often that a man commits suicide on the field of battle." said Col. Prentiss Ingraham, author, trav eler, dramatist, and soldier in seven wars, "either voluntarily or involun tarily, but it happens sometimes, and that ft did happen once when I was a party to it saved my life. My first experience as a Confederate soldier was under Van Dora, in Missouri, and some of the small battles we had in the Southwest were about as nasty fighting as a soldier ever has to do. I belonged to a company of scouts, and early one morning we were surprised by a squadron of Federal cavalry that we thought was on the other side of a stream we were supposed to be' guarding. I think we had about seventy-five men in our company, and there were just about that many Yan kees. They came down on us with a rush, and while most of our men got to horse and went at them hot and heavy, a dozen or so of us missed our mounts, and we formed into a little platoon, and faced the foe. We- bad muskets, the old-fashioned sort, with hammers, and when the fight got real warm we had to scatter somewhat. Pretty sooon I found myself hand to hand, or rather musket to sabre, with a Yankee on a horse that looked to me as big as a haystack. f "He came at me cutting and slash ing to Mil and murder, and I tried to shoot him. for I had my old muzzle loader ready for business, but he was to dose on me that I had to use my gun as a guard and could not get it into firing: position. I tried hard enough to get it where I could shoot, but he was doing all he could to pre vent such a result, and the best 1 could do was to punch viciously at him with my bayonet when t wasn't holding the gun up to ward off his sabre. He had the advantage aad saw that he had, and he came at me with a wild rush. This time I would have gone down beneath his blows certain, for they fairly rained down on my gun barrel, but in some providential way for me. at least for it must have been Providence,, he struck the hammer, of my musket with his sword blade, and the gun went off with an explosion that threw it out of my hands and sent the entire charge square Into the cavalryman's face. We went down together, both covered with blood his bloood. But only one of us got up again. The -Flag Over Richmond. The Poughkeepsie Eagle prints the following communication: The question, "Who first raised the United States flag over Richmond in April, 1865?" Is not a very Important one, in view of the peaceful occupa tion of that city, but its continued agitation suggests that it ought- to be answered. The facts are undoubted ly correctly stated by CoL Kreutzer, commanding the Ninety-eighth New York volunteers, in his interesting history of that regiment. Col. Kreutzer says that his regi ment belonged to Devens' division, and was the first regiment which en tered the City of Richmond after its evacuation by the Confederate troops on the 3d of April, 1865. To quote his own language: "Arrived opposite the front en trance of the city hall, we halted. Across the street the Capitol grounds were filled with goods taken from the burned district, and the portico and steps of the edifice were densely packed with the homeless tenants, ex tremely old, extremely young, sick and infirm. r "Adjt Oakley, followed by a color sergeant, pressed his way through the crowd and, ascending the building, first waved our regimental flag from the roof of the Capitol of the South ern Confederacy. Leaving the ser geant with the flag, Oakley descend ed. An hour after Sergt Hardy was relieved by Lieut. J. L. de Peyster of Weitzel's staff; and De Peyster. as sisted by Capt Langdon. Weitzel's chief of artillery, hoisted over the building a storm flag which had waved over the St Charles hotel in New Orleans during Gen. Butler's ad ministration. De Peyster was' honored by Gov. Fenton with a brevet lieutenant colonelcy, but no member of the Ninety-eighth ever received from any one a thank or the merest recogni tion for the service. When De Pey ster raised his garrison flag ever the Capitol of Virginia he displaced the silken colors of the Ninety-eighth. He may parade his honors and vaunt over hi3 services among his princely friends and relatives, but in this par ticular an unpretending adjutant and plain sergeant In the Ninety-eighth were an hour ahead of him on the calendar of time, if not on that of his tory. EDWARD ELLSWORTH. The Fateful Order to' Halt. In less than one-half hour my troops would have swept up and over those hills, the possession of which was of such momentous' consequence. It is not surprising.' with a full realiza tion of the consequences of a halt, that I should have refused at first to obey the order. Not until the third or fourth order of the most peremp tory character reached me did I obey. I think I should have risked the con sequences of disobedience even then but for the fact that the order to halt was accompanied with the explana tion that Gen. Lee, who was several miles away, did not wish to give bat tle at Gettysburg. It is stated on good authority that Gen. Lee said, some time before his death, that if Jackson had been there he would have won in this battle a great and possibly de cisive victory. I cannot vouch for the truth of this statement, as I did not hear it; but no soldier In a great crisis ever wished more aruently for a de liverer's hand than I wished for one hour of Jackson when I was ordered to halt. Gen. John B. Gordon, In Scribner's. General Grant's Supreme Courage. Gen. Grant's courage was supreme. No man could face danger with great er composure. He did not seem to know the meaing of peril when duty called him to risk his life. At one time I saw the general escape death by a very slight margin. We were breaking camp at Spottsylvanla Court house, and under the fire of a Confed erate battery- All of the headquarters equipage had been removed except a camp stool, and on this the general was sitting, while the shells of the enemy's guns shrieked over our heads. A shell passed just over the general: not mising him, apparently, more that a few inches, and struck the ground about thirty feet away. Without show ing the slightest nervousness, he called to me to "Get the shell," say1 ing: "Let's see what kind of ammuni tion that battery is using." I went and picked up the shell, which was s six-pound, spherical case, and the gen eral examined it as coolly as if there was not an enemy's gun within a hun dred miles of him. National Maga zlne. Desert Lizards. There is no place like the desert foi lizards. As a man rides through the white sands or over the black malapi mountains in Arizona or Southeastern California and sees the flash and skurry of these brilliant and grace ful creatures the suggestion or death and solitude is broken, and, behold ing so much life, he is brought to wonder if the country is really a des ert or only a land to which a man is not adapted. For here .are animals which never drink yet frisk about through thorns and cactus and fatten on the bitter plants. Many a desert prospector had laid down with his burros to die and seen on the rocks about him the black heads of the Chuck-walla lizards outlined agaihsl the brazen sky. The Chuck-wallas were happy and corpulent with good eating. It was their country. Fot thousands of generations their an cestors had never thirsted for water and nlants which the starving burros passed by furnished both food ancj drink for the scaly 'natives on thej rocks. Next to the slow moving and' deadly Gila monster the cnuck-waus is the largest lizard of the desent, be fmm a foot to a foot and a half ii length. Country Life in America. I The Production of an. Egg. Anyone, upon opening after death e body Of a ken, will find a cluster it eggs in formation much like a Dunca of grapes, and called the ova rium (see cut). These, however, are out rudimentary eggs, says the Agri cultural 'Gazette of New South Wales. Bach of these eggs is contained with in a thin, transparent sac and at tached by a narrow pipe or stem to the ovary. These rudimentary eggs have neither shell nor white, con sisting wholly of yolk, on which floats the germ of the future chicken; and as they become larger and larger they arrive at a certain stage when, by their own volition, weight or other cause, they become individually de tached from the bunch, and fall into a sort of funnel leading into a pipe or passage way called the oviduct this organ in the hen being from 22 to 26 Inches long. During the pas sage of this egg or ovum to the outer world it becomes coated with succes sive layers of albumen the white which is secreted from the blood-vessels of the oviduct in the form of a thick gliary fluid, and is prevented from mixing with the yolk by the membrane or sac which surrounded it before it became detached from the cluster. It la also strengthened by a second and stronger membrane, formed around the first immediately after falling into the funnel, and hav ing what Is like two twisted cords of more dense albuminous character. JBalKBBS9KSBBV49lSKBwB VVSSSsisBBBBBBf .msaBBBF VSSMBBBBBBBBBBBV Heaaaaaaasaw. aTfoTinnnianmBamnmnV BsBSQMlKgaiBjBjBsmmmmm tfHssflsfllBBBBBhJffBBIBBBBBrP laBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBsTaBBBf BBBBBBSBBBBBBBrSlliviBBBT gftgfr. IreysMasssssF bsssssHJbsssssssssssssPbV Tb Ovuwr n Oviduct or a L' called by anatomists cnalazes, which pass quite through the white at the ends, and being, as it were, embed ded therein, thus preventing the yolk and germ from rolling about when the egg Is moved, and serving to keep the germ uppermost, so that it may best receive the heat imparted during incubation. It is during the passage of the egg through the lower part of the ovi duct that it gats covered with the two skins which are found inside the shell. These, although lying close around the egg, at the thick end be come separate, and form what is called the air-bubble or chamber. When the egg has advanced more than half-way down the oviduct, it is still destitute of shell, which be gins to be formed by a process of secretion, and wnen about completed the various shades of brown and tint ed coloring matter Is imparted in those breeds In which colored eggs are peculiar. Value of Soft Feed. From Farmers' Review-: My ex perience In feediug both mash and cooked feed to fowls and chicks is that it is the best morning feed one can give. I have obtained better re sults from feeding mash' once a day than by feeding all hard grain. My hens lay more eggs, the eggs are more fertile and my fowls are healthier when I feed a mash once a day. I think it necessary because it furnishes variety, is economical and allows one to utilize feed that would otherwise be wasted, and it is bene ficial because it permits one to mix certain ingredients that will keep your fowls healthy. My experience has been that the right kind of a condition powder is of as much bene fit to poultry as it is to horses or cattle or as a blood purifier or a tonic is to people. Powdered sulphur and linseed meat Is given at the proper i time and is one of the best muscle and bone forming feeds. Feeds of this kind should be fed in the mash for best results. I was born and raised on a farm and have always had poultry, and my fowls have free range now. I take full charge of all of them. When i feed hard grain in the morn ing the fowls in summer will hunt a shady place and sit around for a couple of hours and In winter some of them will even go back on the roost, but when I feed mash they don't seem to be satisfied and so have to scratch around for more. I find the mash to be the best morning feed because it la very nourishing and digests much quicker than' hard grain or any other feed. I have obtained better results from this method than any other and have never had any disease among my fowls. David O. Boots, Peoria County, Illinois. Hogs on Sweet Potatoes. Bulletin 122 of the Alabama Sta tion says: From November 13 to De cember 18, 1900, a period of 35 days, two shoats were penned on sweet po tatoes growing on poor sandy soil, and furnished daily per head with two pounds ground corn and one pound, ground cowpeas, which was regarded as a half ration. The total weight at the beginning of the test was 231 pounds, and during the five weeks the two shoats made a total gain of 67 pounds, requiring besides sweet po tatoes, 3.13 pounds of grain per pound of growth.' The potatoes were not eaten with much relish, and after be ing rooted up they were left on the surface, some of them remaining there until they decayed. Probably the waste would have been less if less grain had been. fed. The composition of the sweet potato leads us to expect that it would be advisable not at any time to confine shoats to sweet po tatoes alone, but to give them while on the potato field a little nitrogenous rood, such as cowpeas. peanuts, etc Lfca(assWasK9BC jB -BffHSf jDaSsssSaaflsjftSM'Sk' HiBSSaBSTFIpWvKlBrBV i Value of Stable Manure. In ft recent report of the Oklahoma station Director Fields makes the foi lowiag statements regarding the value of stable manure, which apply to oth er portions of the country as well as to Oklahoma: On the outskirts of every town la Oklahoma may be seen a collection of manure plies tht have been hauled out and dumped in waste places. The plant food in each ton of this manure la worth at least $2 that is what eastern fanners pay for similar ma terial, and they make money by doing It. And yet, almost every liveryman has to pay some one for hauling the manure away. This is simply be cause farmers living near these towns are missing a chance to secure some thing for nothing because, perhaps, the profit is not directly in sight. But from most soils there Is a handsome profit possible from a very small ap plication of stable manure. On the farm of the Oklahoma Agri cultural Experiment station is an acre that has been In wheat for eight rears. It had never been manured, la the fall of 1898 one-half of the acre was manured at the rate of 15 'tons per acre and the other was left un manmred. When the crop waa har vested, in the summer of 1899, the manured piece yielded at the rate of 30 bushels per acre and the unma nured yielded but 12 bushels per acre. An increase of 18 bushels' of wheat was secured the first year from an ap plication of 15 tons of stable manure. If all of the effect of the manure were exhausted the first season there were 18 bushels of wheat to pay for hauling about 10 loads of manure. But the ef fect is lasting and extends through a period of several years. Here is a feasible plan to Increase the wheat crop: Put every bit of ma nure obtainable into the soil. Eight een hundred bushels of wheat will pay for one man and team hauling manure for 450 days and the profit is directly in sight. I Water for Plants. Our friend the scientist states that for land to do Its best its water con tent should be steadily maintained to within from 40 to 60 per cent of satur ation. Prof, King tells us that where this has been maintained by the ap plication of the needed water their smallest yield was four tons of dry matter per acre, and the largest seven teen tons, and an average of over seven tons when twenty-two cases were tried. We all know that that is very much in excess of what most of us are doing. We also know that all plant food in the soil is soluble in water under certain conditions, and that all plant food (with perhaps one valuable exception, that of carbon) Is taken Into the plant through the mois ture that Is in the soil. This being the case, no matter how rich our soil may be, If it is perfectly dry the plant has no means of getting hold of the plant food. The vegetable matter Is made available through the millions of bacteria that are in the soil. Our flint corn takes 8,750 gallons per acre each day less moisture to bring it to perfection than any other crop we grow, using some 230 tons of water to grow one ton of dry matter; Dent corn 300, and other crops varying amounts, till we reach oats, which use from 500 to 700 tons. An apple tree, during the time It produces its fruit, will use 250 gallons per day, or on an acre, with the trees 35 feet apart, 8.750 gallons per day. Prof, King tells of four stalks of corn that used in thirteen days as they were coming to tassel 150.6 pounds of water, or nearly three pounds for each stalk per day. This gives us some Idea of the im portance which moisture has In the growth of plants. Castor Beans. The castor bean Is a tropical plant; hence. It cannot be successfully culti vated at the North. It is frequently seen growing there, however, as an ornamental plant. It Is a perennial in warm climates and sometimes attains a height of thirty feet, and will live for several years. It Is a native of Southern Asia and Northern Africa, and has been naturalized in Southern Europe and other warm climates. In the West Indies It grows with great luxuriance. It has been cultivated to a limited extent as a field crop as far north as 40 degrees; but the climate of the Southern States is best adapted to it. In Texas and Southern Florida it strongly shows its perennial ten dencies. A castor plant is said to have been grown in a garden in Gal veston, the stem of which attained seven Inches in diameter. The plant continued to yield for seven or eight years. A hundred bushels of beans have been raised per acre in localities in Texas adapted to its culture. The value of the beans consists in the oil which they yield. When pure the oil Is of a light yellow color, but when inferior In quality it has a green ish and sometimes a dark yellowish tinge. Exposure to the sun's rays bleaches it to a certain extent It Is used in medicine as a cathartic. It Is also used in lubricating machinery, carriage wheels, leather, and so forth. In HIndostan It is quite extensively employed for burning In lamps. C. L. Flint Prof. Thomas Shaw says that Ayr shire cattle form the only class of dairy stock in the counties of Ayr. Wigtown, Bute, Argyle, Dumfries. Kis cudbright and Perth in Scotland. Reducing Water in Butter. In order to decrease the water con tent where it Is necessary, the follow ing rules should be observed, says a Swedish buttermaker. Churn at a low temperature, wash the butter thoroughly and drain well. Add the salt before the working is commenced. After the salt has been added, do not work the butter more until after it has become hard, prefer ably the next morning, but then thoroughly and not in too large pieces. Place the butter in an ice box or refrigerator after the first working and not in crater. At all times in making and working the butter the quality must, of course, be considered In the first place and the water con tent only in the second. High water per cent is no hindrance for high qual ity but must not be gained at the expense of the quality. As one of the requirements for high water per centage is that the butter is to be worked while It is still soft, the butter after it is packed in tubs must neces sarily be kept at a low temperature. If there are ro affective means for cool ing the butter at hand, a method of working must be employed, which, at the expense of the water content, gives the least grain to the butter. "X BHsSSSPB,lr' Locating the Peach Orchard. la spite of the disasters Vf peach growers during the It years, peach orchards are fee; ag planted la considerable aambers tad oa large areas. This is a wise hlag to do, as big crop bow aae. hen help to average ap the lean 'ears aad the years when the freezes testroy large areas of peach orchards. 3radaaUy localities are beiag foand xl most of oar states where the dls isters cosM rarely aaa where crops f peaches are cosmssoa. SoU for peach orchards any be jf almost any character, except iwampy. Wherever situated It should xmtala enough saad to permit of a sort of aataral drainage about the roots. Where there la a hard, com pact clay beneath, peach trees should not be planted, as the roots of the trees find it difficult or Impossible to penetrate It and are compelled to feed only In the surface soil. When the water in the surface son la gone, the roots are exposed to the drouth. When they go into whiter la this condition they, are more easily affect ed by the cold. It is bow believed that moisture la the soil has a very important iafluence In bringing trees through severe winters unharmed. In addition, where there Is a hard pan that will hold water, some of the trees will most likely be set la basins that will keep their roota Immersed for weeks during the wet weather. This often results in the destruction of the ixe, as the roots of peach trees must have air as well as water to enable them to grow. The texture of the subsoil has much to do with the success of the peach orchard. It must not be so impervious to water as to hold it for long periods and it must not be so porous as to permit it to leach away too readily. The soil should be loose enough to permit the passage of water bat must be close enough to keep the law of capillary attraction in operation. A good peach soil Is neither too rich aor too poor. A too rich soil gives wood growth at the expense of fruit A Lesson from the Forest If the forest fails to coax a greater amount of rain from the clouds. It does not fail to make good ase of what does fall. The water which reaches the ground may follow two distinct courses. Part of It may ma away upon the surface, to quickly swell the streams and produce the ssrlag or autumn freshet Another part percolates into the soil, beiag held there to be used again by plants, or, passing downward, supplies the underground flow of springs and streams. The proportionate amount of these two factors Is of the highest Importance to the welfare of the farm er and of the adjacent communities. This proportion Is determined by the topography cf the region, the nature of the underlying rock, the character of the soil and of its surface covering. Of these onIy the surface conditions are within the control of man. No better surface conditions for inducing underground flow are to be found anywhere than those which the forest floor presents. Its irregularity. Its hollows and hillocks, its mulch of leaves and its coating of moss, the loose, granular condition of the soil beneath, and the large admixture of humus aear the surface, all tend to hold back the rain and afford it an easy entrance Into the soil. It may be said in passing that this large admix ture of humus Is one of the most Im portant factors In rendering virgin soil so productive. It not only per mits water to penetrate the soil more readily, but it also enables more water to be held. It furnishes the mechani cal condition best adapted to plant growth and least favorable to harden ing or baking. The farmer may well take a lesson from the forest, and em brace every opportunity to add humus to his solL Rhode Island Station Re port Clever in Failing Orchards. Western prairie lands are generally sufficiently fertile for an orchard growth and need no enriching until the trees begin to show signs of weakness in vigor from crop bearing, and, even then, may be invigorated by use of crops of red or crimson clover grevn among the trees, allowing the crop to fall and decay upon the ground each year. By this treatment a large amount of decaying vegetable matter will accumulate upon the land, rich in plant food and forming a moist pro tection from hot summer sua and deep freezing during winter, a con dition conducive to health and vigor in trees. All lands lacking in humus can have this element restored to a great extent by such treatment, and orchards which have been treated thus with red clover maintain greater lon gevity, frultfulness and greater excel lence In fruit product, besides such treatment dispenses with the costly necesslty of using special fertilizers. As to the Indications when a bear ing orchard needs stimulating, the eminent pomologist, Dr. Warder, once said: "When the growth of the ter minal branches fail to make an annual extension of at least one foot In length, the trees should be stimulated by manuring the land and giving it thor ough cultivation." Where the Grange Thrives. A report made by Bro. J. H. Satting of Manchester Grange No. 501, On tario County, N. Y.. to the Ohio Farmer states that the county named boasts of 16 granges, the largest hav ing 117 members. The total grange membership is 821. Relative to meet ings he says: "Current topics are discussed: bills before the state legislature and con gress are often read and discussed; resolutions are drawn up and signed and sent to our representatives and are often effective. Thus we influ ence for the good of all. "Exchange of seed and stock often occurs at meetings; methods of pro ducing the best crops are asked for and freely given. Music, instrumental and vocal, enlivens the young and eld erly as well. Quotations of famous authors are often rendered in response to roll call; histories of first settlers of each town are often given in con densed form. County Pomona granges aro attended by delegates who are expected to report the most interest ing parts of these meetings. "The Patrons' Fire Relief Associa tion saves thousands of dollars to members. Usually the cost is about half that in stock companies. The grange is this section is a success in every respect" When a ligature Is bound closely round a branch, the obstruction that it imposes to the descending juices canses an enlargement or swollen ring above the ligature. LIVE STOCK (JsftBSaTEiiP' I AttHt ww wtlvtpu As the result of several years' ex-' perleace, the WtocoasiB station pub lishes the following coBcluskms: 1. From the breeding records of 514 ewes at this station we conclude that for such animate aad conditions aa ours the normal period of gestation ranges from 144 to 150 days after the date of service and that more ewes will lamb 146 days after service than at any other time. 2. There Is bo appreciable differ ence la the period of gestation for male and female offspring la sheep. 3. There is an apparent relation between the duration of the period of gestation aad the period required for reacalBg maturity. Quick maturiag breeds appear to carry their young for a shorter period than those breeds requiring more time to mature. 4. Large lambs are on the average carried in utero for an appreciably longer period than small or medium lambs. 5. Lambs dropped before the 144th and after the 149th day of pregnancy are lacking la strength and vitality at birth. 6. Shropshire ewes were more pro lific than aay of the other breeds and crosses except the fourth cross of Shropshire rams oa a Meriao ewe foundation. 7. From the data presented It is apparent that twins are the normal increase for ewes of the mutton type. 8. One year old rams are not so pro lific as those two or three years old. Ewes also average a larger percent age of Increase la lambs after they reach full maturity at three years of age until after they are six years old. when the rate of increase diminishes. 9. The amount of service required of the ram in breeding has an influ ence on the percentage increase in off spring of the ewes that produce lambs. Ewes bred early in the sea son of mating to a single ram droppeo a larger percentage of lambs thau those near the latter end of tho && How Blackleg Spreads. The state veterinarian of Missouri says: It Is often very difficult to tell how blackleg gets Introduced into cer tain neighborhoods. It often break? out in a county where nothing of the kind haa ever been heard of before and where the manner of Its intro duction is not apparent Yet it is known that the disease never breaks out anywhere unless by some rceaas the germs have been Introduced there. Let us observe that the disease is due to a very small germ, the swelling which it causes containing millions of them. Although these germs do not thrive in the presence of the oxygen of the air, they have sufficient vitality to live. In the form of spores, for an Indefinite period on pastures or any grounds that once become contami nated with them. As a rule the hide is taken from the carcass of the calf that dies with blackleg and sold and the carcass is left lying around on the farm. Hogs, dogs, buzzards, etc., eat of the carcass and spread pieces of It over the country, and In so doing spread the germs of the disease. Tak ing these facts lato consideration it Is really strange that there Is so lit tle blackleg Instead of so much. Once scattered over the surface of the ground, the germs are washed Into the streams and carried long distances, aad during overflows are spread over low ground. When the carcasses are left lying on the surfaces of the' ground the germs have a chance to become generally distributed. I The Statue of the Grange. In the quarterly bulletin issued when the year begun. Editor Batcocl der said: The grange enters upon tho new year in splendid condition la all sec tions of the country and prepared to fight the battles of the farmers in every legitimate manner. The suc cess of the organization in 1902, both in membership and influence, has given the members renewed courage and increased vigor from ocean to ocean, and will stimulate them to still greater work In the year to come. It has finally dawned upon the people of the country that this organization has assumed a permanent character, which is to be treated with all the respect and consideration ac corded older and more pretentious organizations. It has taken Its place by the side of the school as an edu cational factor, next to the church as a great moral power, and has demon strated Its right to a place in the front ranks of the world's numerous and worthy fraternal orginlzations. The grange has wen this reputa tion by an honest, earnest, straight forward course, neither catering to the sympathies of peoplo by the ad vocacy of specious measures, nor de ceiving the people by shifting its course with every shift in public sen timent. For several years this or ganization has proclaimed to the world Its position in legislative mat ters, and has not had occasion to re cede from the position taken upon any of them. This 13 more than can be said of any of the leadiag political parties of to-day. Roots Dissolve Minerals. If you will take two pieces of pol ished marble and put on each some soil, moisten it every day and treat them just alike, except that in one you put some grains, and when the grain has grown some time remove the soil from each, you will find the piece without the grain will be as polished as ever, but you will be able to trace' where the tiny roots have taken some of the plant food from the marble and appropriated it to itself. Nature has furnished the plant with an acid in the tiny roots, which, act ing with the moisture when the root comes In contact with the soil par ticle, enables it to make some cf the mineral substance soluble and appro priate them. F. M. Lewis. Fertilizers on Farms. That the fertilizer trade has grown to enormous proportions is shown by the figures given for the year 1899. In that year the total expenditure for fertilizers in the United States 154,783,757. or about $10 per fs This was about 1.2 per cent of the value of all farm products. The out lay for fertilizers Increased 42 per cent In the decade 1890 to 1900. Sugar farms spent an average of 8280 for fertilizers. For some other classes off farms the figures were: Nurseries, 889; florists' establishmeats, 851; vegetable farms, 838; tobacco farms. $27; fruit farms, $22; rice farms, $13; coffee, cotton and dairy farms, $11; aar farms, $8; stock farms, $5. . t. i . t 5& - JV -,- CM- J ci Ji . -- MM , w :-,, - n .-.-.I ' ?. 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