Agriculture at St. Louis World's Fair !
Written for The Illustrated Bee by
Frederic W. Taylor, Chief of Bureau
(Continued from Fourth Pag-)
Bent of these will V Intended to be ab
solutely complete, covering every phase of
the Tarloua subjects.
Km an Instance let as take eon. Torre
are scores of species and varieties. Includ
ing the ordinary field corn, both flint and
dent, sweet corn and popcorn. Accurately
determined and properly labelled they
should be of great Interest and would serve
to settle many questions.
But add to such an exhibit of the grain
an equally perfect ene of the Taiious corn
products Including all the constituent parts
and their derivatives, and it is quits im
possible t foresee the good that may be
done.
The products and by-products of corn
are more numerous and Tailed than one
would dream, until after making something
of a study of the subject They include a
good many things besides eornmeaL There
are, tor instance, the animal foods and
other products of the stalk. Including cellu
lose, which la now appUed to so many uses.
From the grain come all the varied meal
and cereal foods, corn flour, starch, alco
hol, glucose, etc
Incidentally, it should not .be forgotten
that alcohol may be and Is made from corn
ao easily that but for the Internal rerenue
tax It conld be sold about as cheap as gas
oline, and used for heating and many other
purposes more economically than any known
fuel. A graphic illustration of this fact
would be Interesting and should lead to
an awakening as to the necessity of pro
viding some way to make possible the gen
eral use ef alcohpl In the sciences and In
dustries without the payment of rerenue.
So far as is known no such exhibit of
corn has ever been attempted. This im
portant cereal has been introduced within
so comparatively recent a tlr.ts that much
less is generally known about it than of
Art of
(Copyright, 1903, by Allen V. Gillespie.)
I J I taxidermist, "are many, but our
1 -LI-, . , A V.K f-n, that
not a single American millionaire
has gone in strong for a collec
tion of heads and horns. Nor can a single
public institution In the United States
rightfully boast of a collection that will
compare favorably with even the third rate
collections in Europe.
"For some reason. or ethsr the directors
of museums do not seem to comprehend the
full zoological value of a .good collection,
and hence they begrudge spending any
money to secure heads and horns of ani
mals that are rapidly becoming extinct. In
the twenty-five years 1 have been In busi
ness I do not believe that I have sold
125,000 worth of 'goods to museums, and I
am the largest Importer and dealer in my
line In America.
"As for the millionaire. It seems to bo
almost n Impossibility to awaken blm to
the Importance of making a collection. Ho
will buy a head or two and a couple of
dozen pairs of horns, and then he will be
satisfied. Maybe, during the course f
his lifetime, he spends as much as $3,000
with a taxidermist, and then again maybe
he doesn't.
"I attribute tbe American millionaire's
neglect of the field ot taxidermy to his
hobby of establishing game preserves. He
says to himself: 'Istcad of having mere
horns snd heads around me, I'll have the
real things tbe live animals.' But h for
gets that he cannot have many f the moat
noted animals of modern times in his pre
serves, fcr the simple reason that ths few
specimens now alive cannot be obtained for
love nor money.
"Take tho Alpine Ibex, f it Instance The
king of Italy owns the only twenty now
alive, and to kill one of them Is lifelong
Imprisonment. A millionaire could not se
cure one of these animals no matter how
much money he might offer for U, but he
could buy quite a few heads and horns at
prices ranging from t75 to $25, which, are
reasonable when you remember that tbe
Alpine Ibex is extinct for all practcal
purposes.
"As this Is also true of many other ani
mals not a few of which are American It
behooves American museums snd American
men of money to make before It Is too late
collections that will g'vs p s'erlfy an ample
idea of the animals of (be present day.
Inspiration along this line should be taken
from Europe, and especially from Germany
and France. Every nobleman and every
person of wealth In those two countries
have collections costing thousands of dol
lars each. A castle in Germany Is not
considered habitable without Its myriad
of heads and horns about the walls and as
for the hunting lodges they are filled
to overflowing with specimens of taxidermy.
"I believe I have seen all the most noted
collections in Europe and I knew that it la
no exaggeration to say that their com
bined value at present market rates Is
close a to 0v,O0eXKd.
"Ob his Hanoverian preserve Kmperor
William has what 1 consider the finest and
largest collection ef herns la the world.
It consists not only of specimens) ef the
any of the email grains. It win be easy to
how la much the same way as la de
scribed for corn can be worked out Inter
esting and valuable data regarding cotton,
tobacco and sugar beets. la looking over
the field of new methods of educating and
appealing to the public the plan mentioned
was evolved, and It- Is hoped and expected
that great good may result.
The department of agriculture at St
Louis Includes nineteen groups, beside live
stock, which Is to be handled as a separate
section. These nineteen groups include the
farms themselves as well as practically ev- -erythlng
that the farmer uses or produces,
and pretty much everything made from that
which he produces. It follows agricultural
products into their second and, sometimes,
even their third or four generation.
Some ether exhibits Included In the de
partment are agricultural Implements of
every nature, all processes need la the
production of foods and drinks of every
description, as weTl as the factories In
which they are made and the machinery
used In ouch factories r proceeees.
In 'addition there are all of the Inedible
agricultural products, such as the plants
grewn and used for fiber, for tanning and
for the production of oil. Tobacco, and al
cohol as produced from cither grains or
fruits, come nder this department also.
Then there Is all the literature on agri
cultural subjects and the agricultaral press,
the experiment station work of the Depart
ment of Agriculture and the various ataua,
the method of construction of farm bu'ld
Ings, of buying, selling and leasing lands
and all the multifarious processes con
nected directly or Indirectly with agricul
ture. Not only will there be shewn all those
exhibits which properly belong indoors,
but methods and appliances connected with
the growing of crops and requiring te be
domonstrated outside. For this purpoas
Taxidermy Neglected by Americans
German stag and ef the roebuck, but ef
hundreds of heads and horns of foreign
animals. Every American animal la rep
resented aad to secure the epecUnens the
emperor has spent thousands ef dollars
through me. His American collection alone
would put te shame the combined half
dozen biggest collections owned la this
country.
- "After a month's inspection of the em
peror's entire collection several years ego,
I estimated Its value at se0y ROMKM.
And several ef the emperor's subjects
have collections almost as costly.
Fact Is, the taxidermy business In this
country would about go into bankruptcy if
it were not for our mighty hunters and
fishers. They have lately begun to use
It to back up their, seemingly tall stories
ef experiences with rod and gun.
"This is especially true of tbe fisherman.
When he catches a black bass weighing
eight pounds, he doesn't eat it, as was
formerly the custom; and thus destroy all
evidence of veracity of the story of the big
catch that he relates to his friends. In
stead he sends the black bass to a taxiderm
ist, who prepares it for preservation at
the rate of $1 a pound. And then, when
tbe fisherman has his story doubted by his
friends, all that he has to do to prove his
words Is to lead his hearers up to the black
bass, mounted on an appropriate base.
"The freak horn collector also contributes
towards keeping the taxidermists in busi
ness. The average American ' eeema to
think that a pair of horns is sot worth
owning unless it Is abnormal la some way.
If a bull moose has twisted its antlers into
some unnatural shape, we can dispose of
them for two or three times the price we
ask for a perfect pair, which the expert
collector would rave ever. Why, for ene
pair of exceedingly freakish moose horns I
received $2,000, or nearly double the money
I got for one of tbe finest pairs of, moose
antlers I've ever seen. They had a spread
ef sixty-eight inches and showed forty
three points. But freak collectors passed .
them by without a second glanee, and it
took me nearly five years to dispose of
them. The freak horns I sold in less than
two weeks after receipt Indeed, I cannot
keep up with the demand for freak things.
"Of late years the mounting of Florida
specimens has made considerable business.
Alligators ars brought up north in great
numbers by the wealthy, who have devel
oped the hobby of scattering tbe hideous
saurlans in life-like attitudes about their
mansions. For one New York millionaire
alone I stuffed a score of alligators last
year, and he wrote me lately that he was
forwarding me six more specimens.
"Buffalo heads? No sale for them. Ths
only man who makes any money out of
buffalo heads is the plainsman who has
managed to secure several heads by book
or crook. He disposes of them to ths hun
ters from east of the Mississippi, who take
the trophies back home with them, and
ttien call In their friends and ssy, 'See
what I killed on my bunting trip west Tbe
guide told me I was a very lucky man
probably killed the last wild buffalo on tbe
plains.'
"Yes, the hunter prefers paying $600 or
$1,000 for a head out west rather than $350
there has been set aside a very large area
of ground upon which to carry on all
such work.
The United States Tpartmcnt of Agri
culture has applied for ten acres of space on
which to show plots of the various grasses
and cereals adapted to growth In various
parts of the country. This will nuke not
Only a beautiful, but an Interesting aud
educational exhibit.
Horticulturists will be glad to know that
their department will be supplied with the
very best possible facilities. Particular
attention Is naked to the splendid provlsloa
made for pomologtosl exhibits. It will be
recalled that at previous expositions It has
sometimes been necessary t divide the
fruit exhibits, placing portions in each ef
twe or more spaces, so separated as t
break the continuity of examination and
readgrtng Impossible such comparisons as
should constitute one ef the best features
of such an exhibit
The one enormous room, covering almrst
four acres of floor space, can all bo taken
in at a glance and will at the same time
provide the opportunity for clote and spe
cial study of varieties and species. This
room will be at the same lime one of the
highest la the exposition, giving that fail
and complete ventilation so necessary to
the successful exhibit ef fruits.
The horticulture building will be vtsibts
from a greater distance than any ether ea
the grounds, slnoe It occupies the most
elevated position. The beauty ef the build
ing. Its commanding position and, particu
larly, Its perfect adaptation te the use to
which it Is to be put. combine to supply
conditions that are most satisfactory.
In addition to these general and larger
arrangements, every detail necessary to the
comfort and convenience of the exhibitors
Is receiving the most careful attention. A
room of ample slse is provided la which
te unpack and prepare exhibits which will
for a much bolter spedmea in the east
That's why I've a stock ef twenty buffalo
beads that I've been unable to sell since I
bought them tour roars age.
"Old you ever stop te think that the
march of civilisation Is a great aid te
taxidermy T Take Siberia, -tor example.
Ten years ago we had scarcely any speci
mens sf the Siberian ibex and roebuck la
either Europe or America. But since the
railroad has been opened specimens are
earning eut ef the Interior by the carload.
The prices are still high, however. A fair
pair ef Ibex asm will bring S2W in the
market any day.
Alaska Is another .country that of late
years has been sending new specimens to
the taxidermist. They, too, are costly, but
the European collectors de net stop at
prices, and ao we ars doing a geed business
In Alaskan heads and horns.
"But, say, if we could only induce ths
American millionaire to take Interest ia
heads and horns, the taxidermist on this
side of the wster would not have to de
pend for a large part of his Income en
renting full specimens of bears and other
fur-bearing animals to the furriers during
the fur-wearing season, at from $350 to
$1,000 a rental. If only one-twentieth of
the interest displayed by Europeans over
heads and horns could be transferred to
this country, we struggling taxidermists
would become men of affluence within, a
few years."
Money to Burn
Mrs. Ann Law ot Trenton. N. J., cooked
a 20-eent steak the other morning with a
roll of greenbacks worth $300. Mrs. Law
was colas o Philadelphia on a shopping
tour and drew $300 from the bank. She
laid the money, which was Inclosed In an
envelope, on a table in the sitting room
She decided to breakfast on steak before
- leaving home, and. gathering a handful of
paper, kindled a fire In the kitchen stove.
When tbe steak was cooked it dswned on
Mrs. Law's mind that she had used the
greenbacks for kindling. She gathered the
ashes and took them to ths mint la Phila
delphia te find out if she could get her
money back.
Cost of Clothes
Barring the Inhabitants ot ths earth who
wear practically no clothes at all, ths
costume ot the average Russian costs the
lesst Ten rubles, or about $7.60, will
cloths a male citisen of the czar's realm,
while the woman's costume will cost less
than $3.
Ths man's costume consists of coarse
m
TUB HALFTONE PLATES FURNISHED
THE ILLVSTRAT&D BEiD
ArcEndraVedtop the
BAKER BEDS. EKGRsWLKG CD.
OMAHA.
bo arriving hourly during the period of
rreuh fruit shipments. This room Is on
the first floor and so located as to be of
easiest possible acress from all exhibits.
It will be supplied with tables, sinks, run.
nlng water, ample light and every other
convenleuce. At this room will be roads
all deliveries of shipment a. Exhibitors can
then be notified of tho arrival of their
shipments and can unpack and prepare
them for display without a moment's delay.
In tho esse of quirkly perishable fruit, the
saving of a few hours' time in placing It
on the table Is of the utmost oomwqesnee.
The outdoor exhibits In horticulture will
Include everything which It is posslbls to
bring toesther la flowers, decorative plants,
shrubs and trees. The beautiful setting
for this sort of dlsplsy constats of forty,
two sens of ground surrounding the Agrt
cu'ture and Horticulture buildings. This
entire area has been plscei at (he disposal
of the chief -of eh departments snd he
has agreed to cover It with the choicest
products ef the nurseries end floral estae
lisbmeats of the wetV.
It Is a aracsful tribute te agriculture aad
hortloultara that the executive authorities
of the exposition havo set aside the -solid
tract of sixty-seven seres, consisting of a
bill and approaches leading up te It, every
inch ef wuloa la te be treated with agricul
tural and horticultural exhibit a.
It is as if these departments were "to
constitute a large important exposition ef
their own, and shews clearly how ocif-coa-talned
are the rural Interests. Perhaps
nothing else could more clearly illustrate
hew large a port ken ef the capital and
energy ef the world are Invested In those
pursuits which are broadly classed as agri
cultural. The farmer himself would per
haps have a higher coaoepttoa ef the honor,
ableness ef his employment did he appro,
data that half the money and half the
people ef ths earth are engaged in like
pursuits. FREDERIC TAYLOR.
eetten treusrrs tucked iote boots of naif,
dressed leather, a cotton shirt and a sheep
skin eeat A coarse Camlet caften bound
around with a ansa completes the dress.
The wesson wear a ssrataa, or long pet.
tiooat, which Is held up by etrsps ran nlng
ever tho shoulders, a chemise with sleeves
te the elbow, a kerchief ever the bead and
a pair of shoes. Stockings ere sxnettmes
worn, hat snore frequently the legs end
feet are hound with trips ef eetten or
tinea cloth. For ewtdeor wear quilted
Jacket or long cloak is added.
The simplicity and cheapness -of - the
dress is not duo to any lack of vanity, but
to the poor cirrumstaitces under which the
majority of ths Russians live. New York
Press.
An Exception
"They say Shamrock 1s a Scotch boat"
"Hoot, mon, the Scotch wouldn't build
an Irish boat."
. "Ah. wouldn't theyT They'd build any
thing for the price."
"Except one thing."
"What' thatr
"A cup winner." Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The Financier
They say I'm paying too much rent
But really they don't know.
They make me laugh. I don't pay half
Am much rent as l owe.
Philadelphia L'-differ.
do you suppose'' dip
into that bulk coffee
before you buy it?
m
comes In sealed, air
tight packages; no
chance for handling,
or dirt or things to
get in.
Clean, Fresh ani Frtrant
f:
lion
Ml
m
