Wf !
Conservative *
east of Saniland pronioutory , over
which the Brustor Ort sheds its warn
ing light.- Hero boats are stationed
from which the divers decond. As the
ineii in the water become tired out , they
are hauled up by their companions.
The inspector than removes the amber
secured from a kind of pocket , en
circling the diver's waist. Then , after
a short period of rest , the mangoes down
again. The work is hard , and the
temperature of the sea and air is often
yery low ; and yet these strong men of
Samland , continue their occupation
year after year , suffering veiy few ac
cidents , considering the dangers , they
must" encounter valuable finds.
Valuable Finds.
The finds are very variable. The
largest piece of amber yet found , is in
the Royal Museum at Berlin , Germany.
It weights 18 Ibs. , and is valued at
$30,000. The usual find , however ,
ranges from the size of a man's head to
little pieces almost like pebbles. The
larger pieces are , of course , the rarer ,
and consequently the more valuable.
Loose pieces that have been rubbed to
gether by the action of the sea , supply
the less valuable class.while the larger
ones are usually found jammed in
boulders or in tangles.
The "fishers" will remain down in the
sea for from four to five hours a day , ac
cording to the season or the weather.
In autumn , although the cold is intense ,
so hard is the work , that they often
come to the surface for their spell of
rest , bathed in perspiration. In winter ,
the seas are blocked with ice , and all
operations are suspended.
The annual take of amber is by no
means uniform. It is difficult to make
anything approaching an accurate esti
mate of the quantity , as full reports
seem to be seldom given. The govern
ment still exercises a supervision ; but
that supervision is no longer carried out
with rigor , as far as the inhabitants of
the Samland villages are concerned.
The great firms of Kouigsbery and
Memel , no doubt declare their "take. "
But between these firms and the casual
gatherer , dredger , digger , water-finder
and fisher , there is a great gulf fixed.
The profits of the latter are , of course ,
known only to themselves. Merchants
go to the beach , and they will buy a
parcel of amber from a man or woman ,
even before the pieces which compose it
have become dry.
Amber in the United States.
Amber has been found in this country
in the green sand of New Jersey , as
well as in the western states ; but I can
not find a record of any systematic
search for it.
Among the Britons , Colts and
Romans , the beautiful mineral to which
this paper/ refers was one of the chief
articles of commerce. It was formerly
used as a charm against witchcraft , and
many superstitious as to its fancied
virtues are still believed by the credu
lous. It was the main object in many of
the voyages of the Phoenicians , and was
an article of exchange long before the
dawn of history , as we learn from its
frequent occurrence in the remains of
the lake-dwellers of Switzerland.
When burned , amber exhales a frag
rant odor , and it was formerly in high
repute as a medicine. An acid , known as
sucoinic , can be obtained from it by dis
tillation , but I do not think that it is
used by chemists to any extent. When
rubbed , amber becomes strongly electro
negative , and the first exhibition of
electric force which received serious at
tention , was the attraction exerted upon
light bodies by amber. This force , at
first supposed to be possessed by amber
alone , took the name of that substance
"elektron , " from which our word
"electricity" is derived.
Buffalo , N. Y. , July 30 , 1901.
EXTENSIVE PLANTATIONS OF CA-
TALPA.
The late Dr. John A. Warden made
the subject one of deep study , advocated
the growing of this timber and planted
many oatalpa trees.
Mr. H. H , Hunnewell , a wealthy gen
tleman of Wellesley , Mass. , planted a
square mile of catalpa timber near
Farlington , Kansas , Robert Douglas &
Son contracting to furnish and plant the
trees 2,000 per acre or one and a
quarter million trees. The planting
began in 1870. Mr. Hunuewell at that
time being 65 years of age.
Unfortunately this experiment has
been a total failure on account of entire
want of attention. After twenty-two
years the trees are but little larger than
they were when six years old as Mr.
Robert Douglas' report shows , 2,000
trees per acre can not develop.
In a state of nature , where time is no
object , a thousand years ns but a day , a
long struggle takes place between the
stronger and weaker trees , both robbing
the others ; eventually a sufficient
number succeed by destroying the re
mainder.
Where dollars are the object and time
of great importance , as in an artificial
forest , these surplus trees should be
destroyed after the object of close plant
ing has been attained , namely , an up
right trunk free from side branches to a
great height. Otherwise the moisture
and nutriment required by the perma
nent trees will be divided and none re
ceive enough. From a report made by
Mr. Douglas in 1885 many of the trees ,
six years old , measured 18 inches girth.
While from sheer neglect and over
crowding there has been a serious loss
in subsequent years.
I have personally measured a largo
number of oatalpa trees in Kansas , Ne
braska , Iowa , Missouri , Illinois , Ohio ,
Kentucky , District of Columbia , Utah ,
California and Indiana , taking trees of
known ago , and they have averaged
one inch diameter increase for each year
after planting.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company
planted on its line between Richmond
and Indianapolis a largo number of
oatalpa trees , part of which were
speciosa and other , bignonoides , or
southern form. These were allowed to
grow at random in a blue-grass sod.
They have been cut back often to pre
vent interference with telegraph wires ,
and a majority are worthless , from ne
glect. Yet I measured several that
were 48 inches girth after 16 years'
growth.
If these trees could be out down , al
lowing one shoot to grow from the
stump , they would , in five years , pro
duce valuable , straight , thrifty trees of
which the company would be proud.
One tree in Minifee county , Ky. ,
planted in 1840 , has a spread of 80 feet
diameter , the trunk being 15 feet cir
cumference.
Mr. L. W. Yaggy is the owner of a
large farm near Hutchinson , Kansas , on
500 acres of which are growing catalpa
trees ; 18,000 posts were cut in 1898 after
eight years' growth , selling for $1,300 ,
leaving the remaining trees close enough
for perfect development. Mr. Yaggy
considers this a very profitable invest
ment.
Mr. D. C. Bursou , Topeka , Kansas ,
speaking of the Aralue of catalpa ties and
lumber , says : "Notwithstanding , it
makes an almost everlasting tie , the
wood is entirely too valuable for that
purpose , as the lumber 40 feet b. m. in
a tie , is worth from $2.00 to $3.00. In
fact there is no lumber grown in the
United States that is more valuable. It
takes a finish equal to San Domingo ma
hogany. " A desk was made from a
tree which Mr. Bursou had grown from
seed planted ten years before. It is
highly ornamental , the wood does not
warp , expand or contract , says Mr.
Bnrson.
Suel Foster , Muscatine , Iowa , cut a
tree of his own planting , at 20 years
from the seed ; it measured 21 inches
across the stump. JOHN P. BROWN. Jj
Connersville , Ind.
A MAIDEN ON TIME.
Men claim that women are tardy in
fact that they're never on time ,
That among their thousand sweet
virtuespromptness you never will
find.
But , I know of a dear little woman ,
quite worthy of praises in
rhyme ,
Who is pretty and gracious and charm
ing , aiid always , yes , always on
time.
She never is fretful and flurried , nor
given to dumps nor to tears ;
She's a beautiful Grecian maiden who
has posed on my clock for years !
Emma O. Dowd , in The Ladies' Home
Journal for August.
