i
!
i
i
. whereabouts of nut-trees; each side seeking
EE ———————————————————— re ——————————
Bellefonte, Pa., March 30, 1906.
es
THE ODD EVENT-AND THE CHAM-
PIONSHIP,
“J don't care il they bave,”’ declared
Jessie Folsom, vehemently, throwing
another pillow ou the end of the lounge, so
that she could sit up and more comfortably
enter into the discussion, which was wax-
ing warm io the “‘common’’ room in the
third story of North Hall—*‘Third North”
is was usoally called. “I don’t care if
they have. [claim thas the character of
our victories outweighs theirs ; and at the
best—I mean at the worst—1t is only a tie.
And, besides, I don’s favor leaving it to
Miss Caldwell, because she is all for oat-
door games, while two of our athletic vie-
tories were in the gym.”
This emphatically delivered opinion was
in reply to Lou Winslow's remark that the
Solars had won in as many contests as the
Polars. The “Solars’ included those girls
who roomed in the South Hall local to
the south of the main recitation-buildi
in the Grovemoor School for Girls, of wh
Miss Adeline Caldwell was principal—and
bad been when some of the mothers of her
present pupils went to school there. The
‘Polars’ included those in North Hall.
The two halls were independent as regards
their dormitories and dining-rooms, but all
the class-room and gymnasium work was
in common. Ino the main, the girls were
loyal to the set in which Miss Caldwell bad
placed them, and this loyalty grew as the
months went on. Naturally a friendly ri-
valry sprang up between the two balls.
It was now the end of October, and near-
ly all the old girls had come back, and
ere were but a few newcomers. Custom
in the school had set the day of the last
cross-country run as the ending of the
‘Contest year,” and the debit and credit
of all events dated from the previous Octo-
ber were contrasted.
The discussion which was now going on
in Third North was by all thegirls of North
Hall, called the day after the cross-country
run, which bad been won by Soath alter a
bard contest. Ethel Simmons, one of the
young ‘‘day’’ scholars, bad, that morning,
brought over from South Hall a letter
claiming the championship and asking the
Polars what course they intended to take
to meet their claims to this coveted honor.
Lou Winslow had reminded the meeting
that each side bad won an equal number of
events, the result being—for Sonth : Hook-
ey, Oratorical Contest, Tennis, and Cross-
Country Run ; while North bad to ber
credit Basket-ball, Golf, Gymuasinm Team
Work, and Debate. Jessie Folsom bad
been on the goll-team and in the debate,
and no doubt the memory of the work re-
quired to win made her estimate at their
full value the victories gained. Hence her
belief that the balance was in their favor.
The discussion grew warmer and after
nearly an hour’s conference nothing further
seemed to have been arrived at than that
North bad triumphed over her rivals—an
opinion that each Polar had already held
before she entered the room.
The strain of the fruitless discassion was
wearing on some, and it was apparent that
the meeting would break up if something
was not done before long.
Louise Winslow was acting as chairman,
and her eyes roamed about the room look-
ing for help. They rested on Mary Fland-
ers, who was coiled up in a wicker chair at
the back of the room. ‘‘Polly Flinders,”
almost shouted the chairman, addressing
that individual by the name the girls had
given ber soon after she had come to the
school, ‘von haven't said a blessed woud
the whole afternoon. Haven't you an
idea? What's the nee of being on the goll-
team if you can’t help out ina simple
thing like this? Can’t you give usa sug-
gestion ?"’
“Yes, I can,” said Peily, jompiog up
from the lounge and leaning ou the table
around which the most of the girls were
sitting. *'I think I have a good suggestion
but | don't believe any of you will take it.
You don't want Miss Caldweil to decide
the matter, aud yon won’t draw lots. Now
1 propose that we leave it to John.” (John
was the head gardener of the grounds.)
“We all know he is fair.”
Cries of “Oh ! ob !"" met this statement,
for it was well known that old John, who
had formerly been green-keeper on a Seateh
golf-course, had coached Polly, and would
have caddied for her in the tournament il
he had not been ruled out at the last min-
ute as being a ‘‘professional.’’ Polly glean-
ed from this unanimous expression that her
proposition was not acceptable. Indeed,
¢he bad not ex it wonld be.
“Well,” she went on, ‘il you don’t care
for that, what do you say to this? I have
been thinking of a plan for some fun this
fall, and I don’t see why we can’t have the
fanand at the same time settle the muchvex-
ed question to the eatisfaction of our friends
the enemy. We are now in the midst of
that delectable season much looked for-
ward to by every man, woman, and child
who lias the manbood, womanhood, and
childhood’ (Polly was growing eloquent)
‘go call himself a man, woman, aod child
—1 mean or child —the harvest.time of the
forest. Stripped of all its verbiage—I mean
foliage—and getting down to the kernel so
to speak, I refer to the putting season.
Doesn't that thrill yon? But, honestly,
joking aside, what do you say to challeng-
ing South to a nutting contest? Don’t
faint ! It isn’t intellectual, bat it will be
novel.”
“Hurrah for Polly !"”” was the chorus
that greeted this proposition. The relief
was shared by all; and in the enthusiasm
the meeting began anew, and before it ad-
journed the details had been worked out.
They weresimple. The challenge to South
was to a contest of nut-gathering, to begin
the next Saturday, thirty girls on a side, to
start from the sohool at two o'clock and to
be back at five-thirty, sharp. Nothing was
to be counted but chestnuts and hickory-
nots, and four quarts of hickory-nuts were
equal to one quart of chestnuts in the final
measariog.
The challenge was accepted, and then
began seven days of preparation for this
novel *“‘event,” in which no previons train-
ing or mental qualities would render avy
assistance unless they were the keenness of
observation and the memory of those who
bad ‘‘located’’ trees in their frequent ram-
bles about the rolling country in the midst
of which the sohool was situated.
. Every man-servant and maid-servant on
the premises was questioned as to the
information from every person who could
possibly be of help. Lovg walks of in-
Speckion wert uaked. The teachers were in
great demand as chaperons to accompany
small groups from both sides—each re pd
different teacher, of course—to call upon
neighboring farmers to learn all they knew
aa the subjeay and 30 gut their permission
to gether the nuts should any trees be on
their place. One orusty er, on
whom a small party of Polars led by Jessie
Folsom called, utterly refused his permis-
sion until Jane Oleots, in despair, offered
to return bim any nuts Shey sight gather
on his farm, ahr Shey had measared
at the school. And the offer was accepted.
““T'he stingy old thing !”’ Jessie said as
she lefs the house; “I've hall a mind to
i out all the worm-eaten ones to give
m.”
It was fan to see the rival groupe scout-
ing the country in search of information.
On one puatich 8 Norib and a South toop
approached a farm house from opposite di-
rections, and a sprinting match was inaog-
uniated on the spot to reach the house first
—only to find that a balf-hour previously
the farmer bad ‘*‘crossed bis breath” and
solemnly promised a third group of *‘Miss
Caldwell’s young ladies’’ not to tell any-
body else what he knew. Whether these
earliercallers were Solars or Polars of course
he could not say.
At last Saturday came, bright and erisp.
Impromptu bags of muslin bad been sewed
; the kitchen had heen drawn upon for
small salt and flour bags. Helen Robbins
and Louise Sinclair, the most ambitious
among the Solars, had each ripped up one
end of a small lounge pillow and hopefully
displayed them to encourage other South
Gre by what they had set for themselves
as their “stint.”
The gronp from South Hall, beaded by
Catharine Stearns, with Lou Winslow lead-
ing the North contingent, assembled before
the entiance of Recitation Hall. Miss
Caldwell bad heartily entered into Sie con-
sess, and stood with watch in band. At
the stroke of two she gave the word ‘Go !"’
and that assemblage of girls scattered as if
a bomb bad been exploded on the lawn.
Each side bad recorded the reports of each
of its sconting parties during that week,
and small groups bad been assigned certain
*‘govers” in which to hunt, and bad been
given directions about other places to which
they were to repair after baving exhaneted
thelr first assignment. Ae might have been
soted, certain trees were known to both
gides,and lively contests were being fought
out in ball a dozen places at once. Per
the greatest fun was when one group would
make fora tree unknown to the other
side. It was amusing to see some hold
back, not wishing to disclose a particularly
rich ‘“find’’ to the others.
Jessie Folsom drew Mary Flanders to
one side as Louise Sinclair and Alice Gor-
don camealong.
“Walk slowly, Polly,and let those Solars
get ahead,” she said; *‘I know two simply
on chestnut trees over by that big
ulder; and you don’t have to crack the
burs, either. I found them yesterday.
We'll take in our regular trees later.’ The
otber girle, seeing them fall back, of course
8 something of the truth, and they
beld back too. Then Jessie and Polly
forged ahead and started on a run. Louise
and Alice, fearing lest the others might be
alter the trees they were assigned to, hur-
ried after the two North girls and coon
them. When they were out of
sight, Jessie and Polly walked over to the
boulder and began in earnest.
What wens on at a score of other places
within a mile radius of the school can be
imagined. Here there wounid he North and
South girls gathering nuts side by side;
over there, a group energetically scouring
the ground for the easiest gathering before
their ‘“‘Guds’’ shonld be discovered by any
rivals who might be in sight and who
might have met with poor luck at their
trees.
Everywhere there was a mad rush and
intense excitement. Helen Robbins, justi-
tying South Hall's faith in her “divining”
wers, had at her first tree filled a modest
, and waa using ber tam-o' shanter,
which seemed to reach a limitless depth as
the growing weight of nuts stretched the
loose wool into a veritable knit bag. Al
most in every case the harvest had been un-
derestimated, and every available pocket
was brought into requisition.
As the town ¢look sounded five prepara-
tions were made for the return. Some
struck across country, regardless of ‘‘No
trespassing’’ signs, in the hope of being
able to locate some ‘‘uncharted’’ tree that
bad escaped the others, and so get a fleet-
ing five minutes of especially rich pick-
ing.
The frst to arrive at the school was Lon
Winslow, bowed down with a ton of nuts,
as it seemed to her—in reality bat five
quarts, the record of the day. In a few
minutes three South girls came up, prond-
ly displaying their burdens. Low's heart
sank within her as she feared that each had
more than she. Polly Flinder's big bag
encouraged her, but thereafter her spirits
rose and fell as the other girls deposited
their pickings on the porch, on either side
of the steps. A few minutes before five-
thirty tbe last girl bad come panting up
She tops and thrown herself on a piazza
chair.
Miss Caldwell was there to meet them,
and at once sent for John to hiring his
measnre from the stable. In the mean-
time the chestnuts were being sorted from
the hickory-nuts,
When Jobn arrived the measuring be
gan—first with South’s harvest. It seem-
ed to the girls on both sides that John was
exasperatingly slow as his clumsy hands
filled and emptied the wooden quart meas-
ure.
“Why didn’t you fill your measure
from both lots ?'’ said Lou Winslow,as she
viewed the huge piles of hickory nuts, im-
patient at Jobn's deliberateness, ‘‘and
then use the gnats measure on the rest ?"’
But John had begun, and nothing would
stop him.
“Thirteen—yes, miss—fourteen—bnt
it’s—sixteen—too late now--seventeen—'’
So they had to endure the agony of wait-
ing. Miss Caldwell and several of the girls
kept tally, and a shout went up from the
South girls when John had called off
‘eighty-four, and that's all.”
“First class in mental arithmetic stand
up,’ announced Helen Robhine.
‘It 1 quart of chestnuts equals 4 quarts
of hickory-nuts,how many quarts of chest-
nats will eighty-four quarts of hickory-
nuts equal ?"’
That was easy, and a chorus of voices re-
plied, “Twenty-one."’
North's contribution was then measured
and showed but sixty-eight quarts, an
equivalent of seventeen uares of chestnuts.
Then John began on th's chestnuts,
which amounted to twenty-eight quarts,
giving the total South score as equivalent
to forty-nine quarts of chestnuts.
Bat that meant nothing until North's fi-
. Now the excitement was
intense, and when John had measured
Shiny Juin it seemed as it the girls would
RO wid,
“Thirty quarts and the seventeen from
our bickory-nuts make forty-seven. Two
more quarts will tie shem! Ob, why
didn’t we stay just five minutes longer at
that lass tree, Polly ?'’ said Jessie Folsom,
in despair.
How many quarts were there in that
scattered remnant of a pile? That was the
question in each mind. No one could
guess, and nothing remained but to en-
dure John's maddenivg deli .
The girls crowded around the old man
until he had barely room in which to work.
It seemed as if he were slower and slam-
sier than ever,
“Harry, barry, John I" they kept vig
ing.
The old fellow’s eyes twinkled, and, if
the tiuth were known, he was no less ex-
cited thao the contestants.
Bat all things hase au end, and at last
he in every stray chestuut in
sight. Straightening up, be held in bis
band a partly filled measure, and estimat-
ing by the markings on the inside the frac
tions of a quart, announced what every
one hy this time had kaown : “‘thirty-one
and a half for the North young ladies.”
“Hurrah 1" cried thirty excited voices
from the South end of the steps. Caps
were flang in the air, and such a hugging
and dancing went on among that jabilant
contingent that you might have shought
bedlam had heen let loose.
“Hutrah ! Won by a pint! Harrah for
Old South !” And Catharive Stearns and
Alice Gordon ran over to their dormitory
to ron up the Soiar’s flag.
In the meantime Miss Caldwell was pre-
paring the **official’’ score to be banded to
the leaders of the respective contestants,
“It's perfectly disgusting,” said Jessie
Folsom, struggling to hide her disappoint.
ment. ‘They act like an infant-school.”
“S80 they do,’ said Lou Winslow. who
was standing by her ; “and they have sent
over to run op their flag. I'm just mad
clear through,” and she violenily thrust
both hands in the pockets of her jacket and
started to walk off.
Bus in an instant she gave vent to a lond
“Oach !"" and shen, a moment later, she
had reo up the steps, shouting the while:
“Hold on ! Hold on! I've got some more
nuts. Weare not all in yes.”
This announcement caused an immediate
rally of the North girls, while their rivals
were too busy celebrating their victory aud
congratulating one another to take much
notice.
This is what bad bappered. When Lou
bad jammed her hands in her pockets she
bad thrust oue of them through a hole in
the lining, and had pricked her fioger on a
fragment of chestnut-bur. In an instant
she discovered that the vast recesses he-
tween the cloth and the lining weie rich in
chestunts that had worked through an un-
suspected hole of considerable size in the
lining —a tear made larger hy the weight of
puts with which the pocket had been
stoffed. :
Miss Caldwell stepped forward to inves.
tigate, and recognized the validity of the
claim. By this time the South girls had
begun to ‘‘take notice,” and they pressed
forward, fearing a recurrence of another
tie. Again the measure, still containing
North's precious three pints, was produced
by Johu, and one by one Lou brought the
truant chestnuts to light. If there had
been excitement before, it would he had
tosay what this was now. [Higher and
higher rose the level of the contents, nntil
John announced thas the measure wax le-
gally full,
“Is that ali?" shonted the Polars asin
one hreath,
“No, I’ve got some more,” Louise re
plied, almost too excited to speak. “The
lining is open all the way around."’
It took but a moment to pick up the
front end of the jacket aud shake the nut«
down to where they could be reached bv
ber band, and in another minute she had
pulled out a half pint more.
Then it was North's turn.
The*‘disgusting’’ behavior of the Solars of
a few minates previons was repeated with
interest, those erstwhile critica Lou and
Jessie vying with the others in their wild
jahilation.
“Hurral:!"’ went up the crv from thiny
frenzied throats; **Hurrah for North! Won
by a half-pim!”
Then Lou Winslow stepped down on the
lawn, and locking up to the listle balcony
on the third floor of North Hall, where a
neatly aproned chambermaid had patiently
been sitting with halyards and a flag in
her lap, waved her hand aud shouted:
SAL right, Mary!"
And slowly out the length of the pole
went the blue flag of North Hall, bearing
on either side. in large white letters,
“Champions 1905.—By Parmalee McFad
den.—1In St. Nicholas.
THE TAIL OF A COMET.
its Ever Changing Mass and Why It
Flees From the San.
The tail of a comet is not formed of
the same particles which composed it
yesterday or even an hour or a moment
ago. It is constantly being renewed at
the expense of the nucleus. As the long
stream of black smoke from the neigh-
boring factory or mill is being continu-
ally renewed by fresh particles of car-
bon released by the combustion going
on in the furnace below, so is the won-
derful luminous train of cometary bod-
jes being constantly replenished by
particles flying from or rather driven
from the nucleus by the intense heat of
the sun.
Then, again, how infinitely small and
how intensely luminous must these par-
ticles that go to make up the tail of a
comet be! This thought is suggested by
the fact that it has been proved that in
some cases the nucleus of comets which
are only a few hundred miles in diame-
ter will have enormous fanlike tails
stretching across space for a distance
exceeding 200,000,000 miles and having
a bulk exceeding that of the sun by
more than 10,000 times! Professor E.
E. Barnard beautifully illustrates the
formation of a comet's tail by ‘“‘suppos-
ing” thus: “Suppose, for example, that
the nucleus of a comet is composed of
ice. Then suppose the heat of the sun
to be so intense as to rapidly melt that
portion of the ice globe exposed to the
action of its rays, which are strong
enough to immediately convert it into
vapor, which ascends toward the sun.
“Imagine now a flerce wind blowing
out from the sun, causing the vapor
which meets it to be whirled out into
space behind the comet. This will
clearly illustrate the theory of the for-
mation of a comet's tail, only that the
nucleus of the comet is not ice and the
vapor is not water vapor, neither is the
force which drives it away from the
sun a fierce wind,”
The unknown force hinted at by the
|
;
i
HEADLESS, YET ALIVE.
fasects That Continue to Exist After
Deenpitation,
Must persons of an observing turn of
=ind are aware of the fact that there
are several species of insects that will
continue to live without seeming incon-
venience for some time after decapita-
tion, exact knowledge on the length of
time which the various species of in-
sects would survive such mutilation
being somewhat vague.
Professor Conestrinl once undertook
a series of experiments with a view of
determining that and other facts in re-
lation to the wonderful vitality of such
creatures. In each case the head was
smoothly removed with a pair of thin
bladed forceps, and when spontaneous
movements of the wings and legs ceas-
ed he employed sundry irritating de-
vices, such as pricking, squeezing and
blowing tobacco smecke over the insect.
As a result of these experiments he as-
certained that members of the beetle
family at once showed signs of suffer-
ing, while such as ants, bees, wasps,
ete., remained for hours unaffected.
Some which seemed stunned from the
effects of the operation recovered after
a time and continued to live and enjoy
a headless existence for several days.
Butterflies and moths seemed but little
affected by the guillotining process, and
the common flies (diptga) appeared to
regard the operation as a huge joke.
“The common house fly,” said the ex:
perimenter, “appeared to be in full pos-
session of his senses (rather paradox:
jcal, when In all probability the ca-
nary had swallowed head, sense and
all) thirty-six hours after being oper-
ated upon.”
The bodies of some species of butter-
flies survived as long as eighteen days
after the head had been removed, but
the head itself seldom showed signs of
life longer than six hours after decapi-
tation. In the general summary of
these huge experiments we are inform-
ed that the last signs of life were man-
ifested either in the middle or last pair
of legs and that the myriopods showed
great tenacity of life “and appeared
wholly indifferent to the loss of their
heads.”
A FAMOUS MONSTER.
An Old Time Wonder That Had an
Eye In Its Knee,
In the writings of both Licetus and
Zahn may be found descriptions and
illustrations of a monster born at Ra-
venna, Italy, in the year 1511 or 1512,
the exact date being somewhat uncer-
tain. This monster had a body and
shoulders like those of a young woman.
There was but one leg, gradually ta-
pering from the hips down and termi-
nating in an immense scaied claw, like
that of a turkey buzzard. There were
four toes, each tipped with a bony nall,
three of them pointing to the left and
one to the right. The creature had
wings in place of arms and always
held them in an erect position, as
though ready to take flight at the
slightest provocation. From the hips
to the single knee the flesh was cov-
ered with large, well arranged feath-
ers, From the knee joint to the foot
the leg was scaled, like that of the com-
mon barnyard fowl, the spot where the
feathers left off and the scales com-
menced being marked with a large lid-
less eye, which seemed to be altogether
incapable of voluntary motion. The
neck, head and general outlines of the
tace were those of a woman, but the
ears were large and set very low, al-
most on the neck.
The head was covered with a queer
mixture of scales, feathers and hair,
but the oddity of the whole ‘“‘upper
story” was a pointed horn, which rose
just in the edge of the hair on the cen-
ter of the forehead. This horn was
three inches in length, and, according
to Zahn, “even a farmer would have
mistaken it for the horn of a two-year-
old heifer had it been removed and
shown to him.”
The old time wonder mongers all give
pictures and descriptions of this “horn-
ed Italian monster,” but none tells how
long it lived or what was done with
the body after death.
The Changing Tides,
The most approved theory among sci-
entists as to the cause of the rise and
fall of the tide is that the moon is the
dominating cause through its differen-
tial attraction upon the opposite sides
of the earth, drawing the nearer water
away from the earth under the moon
for the production of high water large
and in like manner drawing the earth
away from the opposite waters for the
production of high water small. The
smaller tidal effect of the sun's at-
traction becomes noticeable mainly as
modifying the lunar tide, increasing it
in the spring tides and decreasing it at
neaps and further modifying it in the
priming and lagging of the tides.
Death Warning.
Oliver Wendell Holmes recorded his
protest against the custom of telling a
person whe does not actually ask to
know that he cannot recover. As that
loving observer of mankind asserted, so
must every one who knows whereof he
speaks assert that people almost al-
ways come to understand that recovery
is impossible. It is rarely needful to
tell any one that this is the case. When
nature gives the warning death appears
to be ns little feared as sleep.
An Evil Communication.
Teacher—Evil communications cor-
rupt good manners. Now, Johnny, can
you understand what that means? John-
ny—Yes'm. For instance, pa got a com-
munication from ma’s dressmaker this
morning. and it made him use bad lan-
guage,
Misfortunes are moral bitters which
frequently restore the healthy tone to
the mind after it has been cloyed and
stricken by prosperity.
FOR AND ABOUT WOMEN.
A DAILY THOUGHT.
Life is a great and noble calling, not a
mean and groveliug thing to be shuffled
through as we can, but a lofty and exalted
destiny .—John Morley.
Everything points to a short season, in
hen as in cloth, although there are cer-
tain devotees to long cont styles who proph-
esy that the more tailored types of linen
suits—those meant to go into the tub fre-
quently—wili show the long coat,
But the occasional long coat which dares
show itsell side hy side with the ubiquitous
short coat is 80 very occasional as to be con-
spivnous,
Etan jackets and holeros and pony jack-
et«—a thousand changes which make the
three sty les take on infinite variety—rule
in the styles wora so far ; the boleros she
most fascinating listle things imagin-
ably, given more character and in-
dividuality than one would bave thought
possible with what up to now has seemed
«0 trivial a listle affair, and growing shorter
week hy week until some of them are
scarcely more than fitted capes.
And Erons are as fascinating—if they are
ieally Etons, after all ! For so many dar-
ing changes have heen wrought, =o many
little innovations, #0 many hold differences
of line and treatment, that the old Eton
has vtierly disappeared, to he followed hy
this new thing, even more practical and a
d2al more heantiful than the old.
Pony jackets are ahout in every sort of
«tuff. and pony jackets are having a «mall
furore all to themselves. For the little
loose coar which hears the name ir so easy
fur any type of figore to wear that it is
really a lazy little style, unlike either
halero or Eton, in which figure and eay-
riage alike mar, or make wonderfnl, the
style.
A dozen new skirts have heen evolved,
in the desire of dressmakers and tailors
and the whole long-suffering race of wom-
en combined to escape from the troubles of
the ntterly charming, utterly aggravating
cirenlar skirt, which will sag, and sag, do
what von will, and is at once the despair
and delight of its makers and wearers. No
one thoronghly satisfactory substitute has
vet heen evolved, hut the reaction has
brought out some pretty styles and adapta-
tions of styles,
Materials are all the light weight supple
kinda—rvoiles better than ever. though only
the finer meshes are used. Veilings—some
of them embroidered-—are as popular, al-
most, as voiles, and panama, which is a
cross hetween cloth and veiling, with a
world of wear in it, and a pretty style into
them. What seems strange is the great
popularity of serge—serge in every color
and shade, and in the soft, only half visible |
hroken plaids and bars and stripes.
Tiny adjustable waistcoats of pique or
linen give a quaint little assomption of
mannishness to some serge suits, simple
and practically untrimmed, except for but-
tons. Buttons, by the way, and braids are
on everything—plain or fancy, worked to-
gether into unusoa! combinations, made to
match exactly or to contrast daringly —in
some one of a few thousand ways they
manage to be in evidence npon nive out of
ten suits, plain and dressy types alike.
With pongee, reversing the present order
of materials, only the heavier weaves and
weights—Barlingham and rajab—are good.
But they are very good.
What with Alice blue (a far-off echo of
the famous wedding), and raspberry red
(an offshoot from the old rose so popular
the past season) and a new green, which,
so the daring now prophesy, is to be first
the rival and later the successor to Alice
blue, there's plenty of color ahout. Yet,
gray i=, as yet, most popular of all—from
the shade which goes by the ubromantio
pame of oyster white, and is really white
with the edge taken off, to a hundred pretty
shadow checks and stripes and plaids, vary-
ing from gray and white of two and even
three toned grays.
Salad Dressing.—We have used the fol-
lowing recipe for a number of years with
satisfactory results. The mixture may be
kept for any length of time, and on a min-
ute’s notice is ready for use.
Beat the yolks of eight eggs; add a cup-
ful of sugar, a tahlespoonful each of ealt,
mustard and pepper, and half a cuplul of
cream. Mix well. Boil acaplfal of bat-
ter in a pint and a ball of vinegar. Pour
this upon the mixture and stir well.
This makes a large quantity, which may
be put into an ordinary fruit jar and kept
in the place most convenient.
Tempting dishes are at once possible and
easily prepared. Cold vegetables that were
once considered the indisputable property
of ducks and chickens are eagerly seized
upon as the basis for salad.
The potatoes left from dinner may be
sliced after the meal, the dressing poored
over, and by the next meal they are thor-
oughly seasoned and very appetizing. One
day both corn and coldslaw were added to
the potatoes, Onions are a great improve-
ment, but as they are distasteful to some
members of the family we seldom use them.
Cabbage or lettuce may be served with the
dressing.
If I were going out camping, I should
certainly take a guart or go of the mixture
with other supplies, and, when it came my
turn to reign in culinary affairs, I woald
astonieh my friends with salads strange and
manifold until they cried ‘‘Hold, enough !"’
The Co-operative Art League is the high-
sounding title of a pastime very like the
old game of consequences, and is completed
in groups of threes. The first member of
the group drawing a head at the top ofa
slip of paper, folds the paper over, leaving
oniy the neck line visible, and the
folded paper to number two. e second
artist sopplies she body and again folds
down the paper, leaving a suggestion of
legs for the third member of the group,
who sketohes the feet. Some astonishing
results are achieved hy combination of fish,
flesh and fowl that will supply merriment
for an entire evening and develop one’s
ability for rapid sketching. If preferred,
pictures cut from newspapers may be pasted
on, heads being furnished at one table,
bodies and feet at the other two and the
paper hackgronnd folded just to the join-
ing line. It is a little more trouble to
provide paste, blotters and the cut pictures,
bat some wonderfully groteeque results are
achieved—one recently seen having a
charming young lady with a picture hat
for the top, a child’s plaid jumpers for the
middle and duck’s feet for the finish.
The woman with an unduly large band
should be careful to wear sleeves that are
long and wide at the wrist, no matter what
the vogue may be. The t size of
the onff increases. That is why in the old
portraits of bishops their lordships always
seem to have small bands. ey wore
frilled cufs of large size.
All that eonld have heen done hy farmers
to promote the growth of the erop np to
the beginning of winter bad been done,
hat they could go no farther. The control
of the season and the weather is heyond
the farmers’ power to change.
The month of March is usually the hard-
est month in the year on the wheat crop.
When the land is covered with snow dur-
ing the month we generally have a goed
crop of wheat unless the precediog win-
ter months have been very unfavorable,
—Reports are coming from all quarters
that the wheas crop is badly damaged as
the effects of the open winter and constant
freezing and thawing. The erop looked
fine in this part of the ennntiy last fall and
seriainly began the winter in fine condi-
tion,
—Sheep are usually more exposed in the
field« than other animals. During cold
storms they require <helter. In an experi-
ment nade it was found that 20 sheep
under shelter gained 273 pounds more than
unsheltered sheep and on less food, duning
one winter.
—The department of agriculture of Ire-
land appropriates a sum of money annnal-
ly for poultry improvements. There are
now emploved thirty inatrnctresses in
ponltry keeping; and meetings are held
for the instructions of pouliry keepers.
The department has special centres for
destribution of eggs of the hest hreeds.
—The best melons are not always the
largest. Many of the varieties giown for
shipment to market muss veoessarily pos-
wesw thick 1inds. A good melon should be
very »weet, and shounld not be stringy when
sliced, nor should the rind be very thick.
The best flavored cantaloupes are the small
ones, the Jenoy Lind and Netted Gem he-
ing favorites.
—The cntworm often destroys whole
fields of earn, compelling replanting, which
makes the crop late and less able to stand
dry weather. Tue corn laud should be
plowed deep and left rough, so as to per-
mit the frost to enter. When cotworms
are exposed to alternate thawing and
freezing weather many will be destioyed,
though eold without dampness may not
injure them,
—In the selection of cattle foods the
farmer shonld keep in view the results to
he expected. Some foods are more valu-
able, pound for pound, than others, because
they differ in the relative proportion of dry
substance contained, in the digestibility of
that dry substance and in its composition.
The digestive capacity of each animal
should be known to the farmer, and be
should endeavor to supply ite waots,
—The improvement of the poultry in-
dustry is heginniog to be realized every-
where that human intelligence directs and
common sense is exercised in coutributing
to the wants of mankind. The improve-
ments that have been introduced and that
bave heen permauently adopted in the pro-
gress of the poultry industry, have inoreas-
ed the quality and breeding for all pur-
poses aud the consequent value of pouliry
products and profits to a wonderful extent
within the last few years.
—Whena cow is fed upon a variety of
food she has au opportunity of selecting
those portions most sutiable for her pur-
. Her natural appetite is ber guide.
If she is yielding milk she will give the
preference to certain foods which she might
reject if she ehould happen to be dried off.
This selection of food is one of the valu-
able characteristics of an animal, as it in-
creases her power of production. To keep
a cow on an unchangeable diet, therefore,
is to leason her usefulness,
— Experienced growers of raspberries
claim that, with good varieties and care,
an acre will produce as many bushels as it
will of corn, and give five times as much
profit, as well as remain for several years
after the plants have been started. Ucca-
sionally estimates are given of large yields
and good prices, but at the present time
more raspberries are grown than formerly,
and prices are not so high; nevertheless,
a large number of growers do not use a
sufficiency of fertilizer, and could secure
Jasger crops by more judicious cultiva-
tion.
—The amount of dry matter in sugar
beets or turnips depends upon the soil and
other conditions of growth, even the kind
of manure having something to do with
the quality. The value of a root crop
does not depend u the proportion of
dry matter contained, as it may be desir-
able to bave the water when suconlency is
desired. Roots are valuable foods in win-
ter, which is the reason when the hay and
grain materials contain more dry matter
thao ie required, the rocts serving asa
Fesuleny addition to the ordinary ra-
ons.
—Iun the potato the most important con-
stituent is starch. Thousands of bushels
of potatoes are used in the starch industry,
which assists in maintaining prices. Bakers
also use potatoes in the making of bread,
and potatoes are also used largely for food
in various ways. It is through the agency
of the leaves that the starch is
elaborated in the tubers, bence it is nee-
essary that potato beetles be destroyed be-
fore they damage the vines, instead of al-
lowing hem to consume a large portion of
the growth. The hest potatoes wre pro-
duced early, when the vine growth is vig-
orous.
—1t is safe to say that the market gard-
enere near our iRige cities realize greater
profits from lettuce than fiom avy other
vegetabie. It isa very bardy plant, and
when well under way withstands nos only
guites degree of cold, but aiso the heat.
tf the plants are partially protected, by
being set out on the sunny side of ridges.
they progress uch more rapidly in growth
than when vot #0 carefully mavaged, and
the quicker they can be grown the better
the quality. If the planis ar: set outin
rows wide enough to admit the free use of
the hoe, and well manured, they will be-
come solid. When sown hroadoast on rich
beds they also furnish a large quantity of
tender leaves.
—For a lawn sow blue grass seed at the
rate of three bushels per acre. It may cost
wore in the spring per bushel for good
veed, according to the supply and demand,
as it is high in price during some seasons.
It is light, about 14 pounds per
bushel. It is the grass for a lawn,
aud plenty of seed should he used. No
lawn will satisfactory if new unless
the ground has been well prepared. Plow
the land and level it fine with a rake.
Wood ashes will always give excellent re-
sulte. The kinds of grass d upon the
vature of the soil, but the lawns are
secured when the land ie first thoroughly
. Do not mow the grass too often
er too close to the ground the first season.
Give it an pity to grow and become
well establ .