—
Bellefonte, Pa., September 29, 1916.
AFTER VACATION.
The children are all coming back to town
From the fields and hills and the seaside
beaches,
They are strong and merry and plump
and brown,
And their cheeks are as rosy and round
as peaches—
And now for school, where the mistress
teaches
These little people all in a row
80 many things that they ought to know.
They know already where blackberries
Like thimbles are set 0a the thorn's thin
fingers,
‘Where the August apple falls and lies.
And the lane where the latest daisy lin-
gers,
And the nest and the note of the feath-
ered singers—
But far less sure of their facts will be
The class reciting geography.
They can count the number of loads of
hay
That oxen drew through the wide barn
door;
They can tell you the dozen of eggs that
they
Have found in the hayloft or on the
floor;
(On the side of the hen-coop they kept
the score.
But these ready reckoners will he less
quick
To perform a sum in arithmetic!
They can box the compass, and swim and
dive,
They have learned to row aud steer a
boat.
They know where the sea-anemones live,
And the pools where the feathery sea-
weeds float;
And the rocks where the seal dries his
glossy coat;
They can show you the sea-urchin’s fret-
ted shell—
But the rules of grammar they cannot tell.
So much for the summer—the ocean waves
Are deeper than books; and the meadow
herbs
And the minerals
caves
found in the mountain
Teach greater lessons than nouns and
verbs—
And the peace of nature that naught
disturbs
Fills the hearts of the children and shines
in their eyes,
And makes them happy, and bright,
wise,
and
—Fortlaund T'ranserint.
CHAMPION.
When eleven-year-old Daniel Rip-
ley fished little Claude Scott out of
the river, Mr. Scott gave him a hand-
some white-faced bull terrier as a
sort of reward. At the end of a fort-
night, the Ripleys, with the exception
of Daniel, had little to say in favor of
the gift. :
“That Champion,” said Mr. Ripley
heavily, “knows the least of any dog
I ever saw. You can whistle and
whistle for him, but half the time
he won’t answer. He doesn’t even
seem to know his own name. Look at
him now!”
Champion, who was lying at Dan-
iel’s feet, never stirred as Mr. Ripley
said sharply, “Champion, Champion,
come here, sir!”
“He doesn’t seem quite right in his
head to me,” said Mrs. Ripley. “Why,
this morning I was coming in from
the barn with a pitcher of cream, and
he never offered to get out of the
path. I had to push him to make him
stir.”
Daniel threw his arms around
Champion’s sleek neck. “He is fine
with the cows,” he argued, “and he
drove Carrie’s mastiff out of our
sheep pasture. He likes to have you
snap your fingers or beckon; he
seems to understand you better,
then.”
Fourteen-year-old Thaddeus Lowe,
whom his associates appropriately
named “The Human Encyclopedia,”
cleared his throat. “All white-faced
animals have poor hearing,” he re-
marked. “White cats are frequently
deaf and so are white horses. Cham-
pion doesn’t come when you call be-
cause he is deaf.”
“I think you are right, Thad,” re-
marked Mr. Ripley. Daniel threw his
arms protectingly around his beloved
pet. “If Champion is deaf,” he as-
serted, “I shall teach him the sign
language.”
There was a shout of laughter from
the group, and Daniel flushed to the
roots of his red hair. Champion
sprang up and licked bis face as if he
knew he was under discussion, and
the two withdrew to the seclusion of
the barn, where Danie! stretched out
upon the hay, and pondered on the
best scheme for the educating of a
deaf terrier.
“Two fingers
will mean to lie
down,” he decided, “and I shall rall 1
him by clapping my hands.”
Daniel was a patient, conscientious
teacher, and Champion’s one desire
in life was to do Daniel’s pleasure.
After many wecks of vain struggle,
the dog comprehended the signals
which somewhat increased his use-
fulness. .
Mr. Ripley was not greatly im-
pressed by the results. “Oh, of course
if he sees you, it’s all right,” he con-
ceded, “but a dog that can’t hear
isn’t much use on the place.”
“I guess I'll take some salt up to
the sheep in the hill pasture,” said
Daniel, and he turned away so that
his father might not see the grieved
look in his eyes. g
“Ill go along, too, for the walk,”
Mrs. Ripley said. So mother and son.
and the faithful Champion, started of
together. The path was narrow, and
Mrs. Ripley walked ahead. The boy
and his dog trudged along sadly be-
hind, Champion in some way feeling
his young master’s depression. Sud.
denly he gave a sharp, short bark and
Pshad ahead. His sudden onslaught
qused Mrs. Ripley to lose her bal-
ance and fall.
“He’s the worst dog we ever had,”
she puffed angrily, as Daniel assisted
her to rise.
“Look, mother,” was all Daniel
said, but his eyes glowed with a proud
light as he pointed to Champion.
!
Mrs. Ripley turned white and she
put her hand on Daniel’s shoulder, as
she watched Champion shaking the
last spark of life out of a huge snake.
“One step more, and I should have
stepped on that creature!” she shud-
dered.
Champion gave a contemptuous
“Woof!” and tossed the mangled ser-
pent into the bushes. © Then he delib-
erately took his place as the advance
guard of the expedition. I'll take it
all back, Champion,” faltered Mrs.
Ripley, “you’re a faithful fellow.”
“He doesn’t hear you,” complained
Darniei. The boy turned to his moth-
er with the directicns, “put your
hands on his head and stroke his face
and thank him.”
Champion looked lovingly into her
face as she touched him. “I declare,”
she told Daniel, “I never .oticed
what human-looking eyes that dog
has! He looks at you just as if he
were a person.” She patted his sat-
iny coat approvingly. “Wher you get
back, sir, you're going to have a
chicken supper for Killing that terri-
ble reptile.”
Champion barked briskly as he
bounded ahead, once more on the
lookout for any possible danger.
Mr. Ripley was apparently unim-
pressed at the story of Champion’s
sagacity. “He’d have been a pretty
poor dog if he couldn’t have killed a
snake.” id
“H-m,” said Daniel, “if you've fin-
ished your chicken, come out to the
barn, Champion. I'm going to teach
vou to do something that no other
dog in the country knows.”
Champion delightedly thumped his
stub of a tail on the flcor, and follow-
his master. “Mother,” coaxed
Daniel, “If you are all through now,
won’t you come out to the barn and
help me teach Champicn how to trail
people?”
“Teach him to know his own
name,” advised Mr. Ripley.
“Father, scolded Mrs. Ripley, “how
you do tease that boy!”
“It’s a waste of time,” he growled
irritably, “to spend so much time on a
deaf dog. If I have an opportunity
I'll sell him and get Daniel a real
dog.”
Mrs. Ripley was a short, fat wom-
an, and she threw her head back in a
way that made you think of an angry
pigeen. “That dog saved my life,
and we are going to keep him.”
“but I never could see much use in
keeping an animal that wasn't physical-
ly sound.” 3
“The greatest musician in the world
was deaf,” retorted Mrs. Ripley, and she
swept out to the barn after Champion
and his master.
“O Dannie boy, he never can learn to
do that,” she protested a minute later.
Daniel’s clear gray eyes were full of
confidence. He held in his hand an old
red slipper which belonged to Mrs. Rip-
ley, which he pressed against Champion's
sensitive nostrils, then pointed to Mrs.
Ripley. Champion stood for an instant
with his head down, and his ears, which
he usually held erect, drooped; it was
easy to see that he was bewildered at
the new command.
“Mother,” requested Daniel, “please
sit on the chair at the door and don’t
move or do anything to distract him.”
Daniel then knelt down on the floor
beside the dog, smoothed his shining
coat, and laid his own red head against
the smooth brindle one. Champion
looked happier, and took Daniel’s hand
2 his mouth, a favorite little trick of
is.
Daniel again pressed the red slipper to
the dog’s nose, and led him to Mrs. Rip-
ley. Then he patted the dog and slipped
a tiny piece of sugar into his mouth.
Several times he repeated the same per-
formance. After fifteen or twenty min-
utes, he suddenly pressed the slipper to
the dog’s face and pointed. Champion
bounded to Mrs. Ripley’s side, and was
extravagantly commended.
Then Daniel said excitedly to his
mother, “Take your chair and put it on
the other side of the barn; I want to see
ihe will find you there. I think he
will.”
Daniels prediction came true, for the
terrier, when shown the slipper, went
out of the barn and around to where
Mrs. Ripley was sitting.
At the end of the week, Daniel had
only to hold the red slipper in his hand
and point, and Champion bounded in
search of Mrs. Ripley.
Daniel’s father opened his eyes at the
dog’s new accomplishment, and after a
mild protest consented to have Cham-
pion trained to seek him out, when
shown an old, battered brown hat. Sav-
eral times, too, he matched his sagacity
against the dog’s to his own disadvan-
tage. Once he slipped into the canoe
and hid under the sheltering bushes at
the edge of the water. Champion, hav-
ing been shown the hat, arrived at the
pond a few minutes later. Mr. Ripley
chuckled to himself too soon, for the
terrior, after a minute's hesitation,
plunged into the water and struck out
boldly for the canoe. He also insisted
upon getting in, wet as he was, and Mr.
Ripley was forced to allow him to enter
the frail little craft. Champion barked
victoriously as he accompanied Mr. Rip-
ley home, and for a long time nothing
was said in the household about Cham-
pion’s infirmity.
Then came the morning when Cham-
pion did not hear Mr. Ripley’s step, and
was the unconscious means of his falling
headlong down the cellar stairs. Some
of the blame belonged to Mr. Ripley, for
he should have watched where he was
going, nevertheless he held Champion
strictly responsible for the accident.
“I think we have kept that old, deaf
creature long enough,” he scolded, “I
guess we had better sell him to Eph
Saunders. Eph was asking only last
week what we'd take for him.” He
strode angrily out of the house and left
Daniel looking piteously at his mother.
“Get to work on your wood,” she said
briskly, “and I'll talk to father when he
comes back.”
“O Champion,” sighed Daniel, “why
were you taking a nap on those stairs.
Father was just beginning to find you of
some use, t00.”
Champion whined dismally, as if he
repented of his rashness, and the boy set
doggedly to work on the wood pile. He
had been working away for about an
man came into the yard.
_ “Are those cattle in the pasture to the
right of the road yours?” he demanded
of Daniel.
“Yes, sir,” answered the boy.
“Well, where’s your father?” he said
y.
Daniel dropped the ax. “I'm not quite
“Have your own way, Jane,” he agreed,
hour, whan a rosy, prosperous-looking
WL
certain, but I'll ask my mother. Won't
you come in?”
The stranger followed the boy and
Champion into Mrs. Ripley’s shining
kitchen. In her excitement Mrs. Ripley
dropped a towel as she looked up at the
stranger. He wasa very pleasant man,
with a quick, authoritative manner of
speaking.
“I wan't to buy a little Jersey heifer in
your pasture,” he began. I'm willing to
pay a good price for it. My time is
limited, and I should like to see your
husband at once. I can’t wait more
than twenty minutes. I couldn’t have
waited that long, but my car broke
down at the bend, and I walked over to
look at the cows. Now if you will find
your husband at once. I think we can
agree on a price.”
“Oh, dear.” sighed Mrs. Ripley, “he
went off in search of a hired man.”’
Daniel was already at the telephone
calling up both the Evarts and Conants.
“He isn’t at either place,” he reported,
“and the other neighbors haven’t tele-
phones. I'll hurry as fast as I can and”
~3 brilliant thought occurred to him—
“I'll send Champion.” reg
The visitor watched with interest as
Daniel scribbled a brief note and attach-
edit to his pet's collar. Then Mrs.
Ripley brought out the brown hat and
let the dog sniff of it. The terrier flash- .
ed a keen look around the room, barked !
to be let out and started at a brisk trot
towards the pine grove.
“I'll run over to the Greeley place,”
said Daniel, as he, too, hurried off.
The man leaned back in the great,
yellow rocking chair and took out his
watch. Mrs. Ripley continued her
housework nervously looking out of the
window from time to time. At the end
of ten minutes a familiar step was heard
on the walk, and Mr. Ripley, followed |
by Champion, strode into the kitchen.
The stranger was a man of few words,
and in five minutes the bargain was
closed, and he went out to the huge
automobile which was now waiting at
the gate. He paused a minute at the
door. “I'll give you fifty dollars for that
dog,” he offered.
Mr. Ripley leaned down. and pulled a
brindle ear. Daniel, heated and ‘out of
breath, had arrived just in time to hear
the visitor's proposal and stood like a
statue.
“Oh, no,” said Mr. Ripley, “he’s too
valuable. It isn’t every dog that would
come rushing into your wood lot and tell
you that you were wanted at home.”
“I didn’t think you would sell him,”
agreed the man.
Mr. Ripley extracted a five-dollar bill
from the amount he had just received
for the heifer, and handed it to Daniel,
“This is Champion’s commission on the
heifer deal,” he smiled, “and you and he
can spend it as you like.”
And by way of thanks a boy and a
brindle dog rolled excitedly over the
grass, while the older Ripleys laughed
happily.—Kings’ Treasuries.
Trapping the Tiger.
Strangely enough, the simplest an-
imal to catch alive is that fierce znd
ferocious creature, the tiger. the
strongest, bravest and quickest of all
wild beasts. In fact, says Prince Sar-
ath, Ghosh, the author of “Wonders
of the Jungle,” the tiger is often
caught with birdlime!
The sap of the assad tree makes a
paste more sticky than glue, and the
natives tap several trees and collect a
large quantity of the sap. Also,
there are many tropical trees that
have tough and coarse leaves about
the size of a man’s hand; and the na-
tives gather plenty of those leaves.
Then they select a tall tree in the jun-
gle, the lowest bough of which is
about fifteen feet from the ground.
On the bough they tie a tempting
bait, generally a sheep or geat fresh-
ly killed, so that the blood may still
be dripping. Then they strew the
leaves thickly over the ground for
several yards round the tree and pour
the assad sap over the leaves.
The tiger, prowling round for his
dinner, scents the blood and Araws
near. He sees the bait on the bough,
and jumps for it. But the bait is out
of his reach. He steps back a few
vards, takes a run, and jumps again.
But still he cannct reach the bait. The
next time he goes back several yards.
takes a longer run, and leaps with all
his strength.
A tiger can at a run clear the
bough of a tree eleven or twelve feet
high, but cannot reach out with his
paws or jaws more than fifteen feet
from the ground. So now he just
manages to touch the bough, but can-
not get a good grip on the bait.
Now he begins to notice that some-
thing is the matter with his paws;
they are covered all over with leaves,
which interfere with his attempts to
seize the bait. Then he tries to get
rid of the leaves by wiping his paws
on the ground. But that only serves
to catch up more leaves. So he tries
to wipe his paws on his body; that
merely transfers the leaves to his
body, and as soon as he puts his paw
down on the ground again he picks
up more leaves. In this way the
leaves become stuck all over his
body.
Now an intelligent animal like the
elephant would think it all out and
come to the conclusion that some-
thing was wrong with his method.
Not so with the tiger. The tiger never
changes his habits. Because he is
accustomed to wipe his paws on the
ground or on his body, he cannot
think of anything else to do. Also, it
never occurs to him to walk away
from the tree before wiping his paws.
At last, getting quite impatient, he
begins to wipe his paws on his cheeks
—as every cat creature does. Then
real trouble begins. The leaves accu-
mulate on his cheeks and the sap gets
into his eyes. That causes intense
pain and temporary blindness. Mad-
dened with the pain, the stupid tiger
lies down and rolls over and over on
the ground as cats always do. That
is the last ‘piece of folly. Covered
from head to foot with leaves and
glue, the tiger leaps about frantical-
ly, and soon dashes his head against
the tree. Then the wily natives rush
from their hiding place, throw a net
over the helpless tiger and carry him
off.
They put him into a cage, the floor
of which is covered thick with sand,
and let him wipe himself clean by
rolling in the sand. Later they
throw buckets of water over him and
scrub him with brushes attached to
long poles. Then he is clean enough
to come to Bronx Park.—Ex.
OUR TROUBLESOME SOUTHERN
BORDER.
“Shake hands.” This was the in-
struction I gave to a couple of friends
as they stood one on either side of the
international border between the
United States and Mexico. Their
clasped hands were exactly on the in-
visible line which marked the end of
Mexican sovereignty and the begin-
ning of American authority, or the
opposite, according to which way you
are traveling. The man to the left is
standing in Mexico, the one on the
right is (figuratively speaking) under
the protecting banner of the Stars
and Stripes. ‘At the present time, all
of us would rather be in the position
of the latter, for the red, white, and
green flag of Mexico, with the eagle
standing on a cactus and grasping a
serpent in its talons, has not been
much protection in the past five or
six years.
The Rio Grande forms the interna-
tional boundary for seven or eight
hundred miles. But for hundreds of
miles, beyond where the Rio Grande
tuurns northward through New Mex:
ico, the contiguous border between
our land of peace and the neighboring
land of turbulence has no natural de-
marksation. By various treaties it has
been clearly established, since the
Mexican War, and mor:uments have
been erected every few miles. Each
‘ monument has an inscription on one
side in English, and ou the other side
in Spanish, referring to the treaty by
which the boundary was established.
A few months ago I traveled along
or near a large part of this trouble-
some border all the way from the Pa-
cific to the Gulf of Mexico. There are
many towns situated along it which
sprawl out on both sides. In each in-
stance the principal town is on the
American side, hut a settlement has
grown up on the Mexican side of the
border. These berder towns are fre-
quently the resort of a lawless ele-
ment, and especially is this true since
Mexico has lacked the restraining
hand of a strong central government.
Many Americans who have committed
crimes in one of our American States
have simply crossed the border, and
are there ready to victimize any of
{their fellow countrymen who may |
Because |
of the impotence of local authority i
they seem ‘mmune frem punishment !
It is no wonder |
cross over the invisible line.
or extradition there.
that great indignation exists among
Americans in New Mexico, Texas,
and Arizona. They have had much
provocation. I have visited a number
of these border towns, from Lower
California to El Paso. and these re-
marks apply to all without exception:
Tia Juana (Aunt Jane) is an Ameri-
can town not far from San Diego,
California, and its principal industry
is the bull-fight and gambling. San-
guinary fighting has occurred there,
and Americans h:ve been injured. A
little farther east is Mexicali, just op-
posite the town of Calexico. The dif-
ference in the moral atmosphere is
very noticeable after passing the
Mexican custom house. The same can
be said of the town of Naco, to which
American troops were rushed a year
or so ago, and our cannon were train-
ed toward Mexico with instructions to
fire if ary more bullets came across
the border in their internecine fight-
ing. Nogales, also on the Arizona
border, has been the scene of much
trouble from the same cause. Now it
is Columbus, New Mexico, a few
miles away from the “line,” which
was made the object of a deliberately
planned raid by Mexican revolution-
ists, who may more properly be term-
ed bandits. It is the most reprehen-
sible act that has yet been committed.
The Government was fully justified ;
in deciding that our suffering and for-
bearance had continued long enough.
The difference on the two sides of
the boundary line is more noticeable
at El Paso than anywhere else. To
properly appreciate the progressive
desert city of El Paso, one should
first go across the international
bridge and become acquainted with
Ciudad Jaurez. The Mexican city,
originally called El Paso del Norte, is
much the older of the two. It had just
as much reason for its existence, and
had a better start. The Jaurez of to-
day is a city of low adobe structures,
with dirty and unsanitary streets, and
with few evidences of modern ad-
vancement. It wculd probably have
remained nothing more than an un-
pretentious village had it not been for
those restless “Americanos,” as they
call us. Its most prominent monu-
ment today is the Plaza de Toros
(bull ring) and, its most flourishing
business is the race track. Of course,
it is not much to the credit of the
United States that the promoters and
managers of the races, as well as the
brutal bull-fights, are generally our
tollow countrymen. But such is the
act.
The Rio Grande river itself has not
been a protection. Not orly have
shots flown across this rather impos-
ing stream near its mouth, but armed
bandits penetrated American territo-
ry early last autumn to a distance of
forty or fifty miles. One train was
wrecked and the passengers robbed,
and two were killed. Isolated ranch-
es were raided ard stock driven away.
This was an easy matter to do, for
the land is covered with the mosquito
and chapparel, thus making conceal-
ment far from difficult, and white in-
habitants are not numerous. The ma-
jority of the inhabitants in that part
of Texas are themselves Mexicans,
and many of them doubtless friendly
to the raiders. A band of fifty or
seventy-five armed men were compar-
atively safe from capture. A consid-
erable force of soldiers were kept at
Brownsville, and when I was there
General Funston himself was a guest
at the same hotel. A small man in
size, he has proven his bravery and
capability both in Cuba and the Phil-
ippines. To him is entrusted the re-
sponsibility of the punitive expedi-
tion.
Our neighboring republic of Mexico
has indeed seen troublous times in the
past five years. Nearly all of this
trouble has arisen in northwestern
Mexico, in the mountainous states of
Chihauhau (pronounced Che-wa-wa,)
Sonora, and Sinalon. Chihauhau is
the largest State in Mexico, and is
nearly twice as large as Ohio, while
Sonora is not much smaller. Hence
it is quite a roving ground that the
revolutionists have had. Mountain
ranges are ever in one’s range of vis-
ion. At a distance, in the clear at-
mosphere, their rough features rise
like a camp of giants, and are the
most fantastic mountains that earth-
quakes ever made in sport, looking as
if nature had laughed herself into
convulsions in which they were form-
ed. It is among these mountains and
inaccessible retreats that rebellious
bands have found secure hiding-plac-
es whenever pressed closely by pur-
suing troops. It is to these regions
that Pansho Villa retreated after his
raid upon a New Mexican town, and
here it was that the United States
were compelled to pursue him in the
effort to make our border safe.
“Las Madres” says the Mexican,
whenever he is asked the name of the
lofty mountains that separate the
lofty interior plateaus from the Pa-
cific Ocean and the Gulf of Califor-
nia. This range of mountains effect-
ually cuts off the west coast from the
best developed part of Mexico, and
for that reason this section is not so
well known as these parts which are
visited by travelers. No railway has
as yet been completed across this
range of mountains. Today it is al-
most a counterpert of what Califor-
nia was before the gold rush of 1849
—as little known, isolated, and unde-
veloped—but with just as great nat-
ural advantages. Dense jungles cov-
er the lower levels along the coast,
where water 1s plentiful, while great
areas inland are semiarid. The popu-
lation is generally sparse and scatter-
ed. The only villages are at the min-
ing centers or around the big stock
ranches.
From El Paso it is a distance of a
little more than two hundred miles to
the city of Chihauhau. The traveler
has no sooner crossed the Rio Grande
until the change is seen in the Mexi-
can tewr. of Ciudad Jaarez. This city
has been the objective point of hoth
{ revolutionists and federals in the
troubles of that country, and has been
the scene of a great deal of sanguina-
ry fighting. For several hours on the
journey southward there is nothing
{ to be seen but the chapparel and des-
' olate-looking hills, with just enough
. novelty in the little town that may be
passed to make the trip strange and
rather old-fashioned. Big-hatted pe-
ons stare at you from their leaning
positions against the station: walls.
The “hee-haw” of a lone burro may
be the only sound to break the si-
lence. ;
The train rolls along thrcugh a
narrow valley which is quite level,
and with high tablelands all about.
Then the route reaches the land of
the haciendas, where herds of cattle,
sheep and goats may be seen. It is a
land of deep valleys, with glimpses of
majectic mountains, and sometimes
with broad, spreading plains as well.
At length, the train reaches Chihau-
bau, which is the principal city and
metropolis of this section of Mexico.
Chihauhau is not a very beautiful
city, nor is it as attractive 2s many of
the other Mexican towns, for its loca-
tion and climate are not such that can
: greatly be recommended. It is des-
| tined to be a much larger city than at
| present, hcwever, by reason of the
| mineral wealth surrounding it. Five
! years ago there was a large and pros-
perous colony of Americans who had
| their homes here. Most of them were
i interested either in mining or the
{ handling of mire supplies. A few
were employed in the management of
the railways centering there.
West and northwest of Chihauhau
there is one of the finest grazing sec-
tions of the repuublic. Broad prai-
| ries covered with grass stretch out on
| either side to the foothills and form
rich grazing land. The vast ranges,
; the temperate climate, and fair aver-
age rainfal: makes this almost an
ideal country for cattle. Upon there
are fattened the cattle that feed the
country, and many find their way to
the markets of the United States, or
did so before the disturbances began.
It is » region of immense ranches,
which form almost empires in them-
selves, for they are larger than some
of the principalities of Europe. One
estate in the State of Chihauhau,
would make a Commonwealth as
large as the States of Massachusetts
and Rhede Island combined, with a
small farm of a million acres besides.
In all, it numbers nine million acres.
It is partly by forced contributions
from these princely landlords that the
bandit leaders have been able to sus-
tain their following. Furthermore
the cattle and sheep have supplied
the commissary department, while
the horses have furnished the mounts.
They have no scruples about taking
any stock found on the range, and the
question of ownership is never inves-
tigated.
A few years ago I took the train at
Chihauhau and went west as far as
the railroad was constructed—just
across the ‘“divide,” as the highest
point is called. It passes through
some of the grandest and wildest
mountain scenery that I have ever
seen. It is an ideal place for bandits
to hide in pursuit from an enemy un-
familiar with the country. For scores
of miles northward, toward the Unit-
ed States border, the condition of the
country is practically the same. It is
in these regions that Villa has had
his haunts for many years. In fact,
there have been lawless elements at
all times in these mountains that
have resisted practically all efforts of
the government to wholly suppress
them. It will be a splendid thing for
Mexico when these conditions are
wholly removed.
Hermosillo is the capital of the
State of Sonora, which is the second
largest State in the republic. Much
of this State is useless for -cultiva-
tion, as it is arid, and a part of it is
very mountainous. In other sections
the soil is extremely fertile, and irri-
gation would render it invaluable.
Such projects could be carried out if
there was as much enterprise on that
side of the international border as on
the northern side. Near the Yaqui
River, the soil and climate are as well
adapted to fruit as southern Califor-
nia. There are many large mining
enterprises, the largest being at Ca-
nanea, not far from the American
border, and nearly all are American
enterprises. The trouble with the
Yaqui Indians has greatly hindered
the development in Sonora during the
last decade. Hermosillo is situated
]
| on the Soncra River, in the midst of
an agricultural district and surround-
ed by rugged mountains, where there
are many mines of gold ard silver. It
is a city of perhaps ten or twelve
thousand people, and is the largest
city in the State. With a stable gov-
ernment so that the mineral and agri-
cultural weclth might be developed,
Senora would become a second Cali-
fornia.—The Classmate. “Reforma-
tory Record.”
FARM NOTES.
—This is an age of soil liming.
Farmers everywhere are giving more
attention to lime as a soil conditioner.
—Fertilizers are too high und
scarce to allow the weeds to steal
them from the growing crop. Keep
.
the cultivator going.
—Indigestion in older calves is
usually due to unclean milk or feed,
unclean vessels, close confinement in
dark, unsanitary stalls, and irregu-
lar or excessive feeding. In some
cases it appears to be due mainly to
sheer weakness and inability to di-
gest.
—It is well that the farmers know
what feeds are best fitted to the farm
animals. Knowing food values and
costs, one can figure out the most
economic ration.
Corn contains about 70 pounds of
starch and about five pounds of oil to
every 100 pounds.
It is a great heat producer and fat-
tener in animals, but is not an . ideal
feed for growing animals, as it does
not furnish the protein for muscle
and bone growth that is needed. The
cil which it contains makes the ani-
mals very fond of it. It has often
been said that yellow corn was more
nutritious than white corn, but there
is absolutely no difference in the feed-
ing value. Flint corn has a larger
proportion of cob than the dent corn.
d corn contains about 12 per cent.
of water, while new corn will contain
as much as 36 per cent. Corn in
which there is more than 20 per cent.
of water will not keep in any great
quantities. Shelled corn does not
keep well ir summer, and corn that
has been frosted shoul. be utilized by
immediate feeding. Corn and cob
meal is the whole ear ground fine.
.—There are two methods by which
the oil is extracted from the flaxseed
and they are known as the new and
the old process. By the old process
the oil is extracted by extremely high
pressure, while by the new process
the seeds are crushed and then heat-
ed and then placed in large percolat-
ors and naptha poured over them.
When percolation is complete the
naptha is driven off by steam which
passes through the percolator, and
the residue is known as new process
oil meal. Ninety-four per cent. of the
cld process meal is digestible while
but eighty-four per cent. of the new
process is digestible, which is due no
doubt to the heating of the seeds. It
should be fed from one-half to one
and one-half pounds daily to horses
and from one to {wo pounds for dairy
cattle, while feeding cattle. may be fed
from two to three pounds and sheep
from one-fourth to one-third pounds
daily. It should be bought in the
original cake and then reduced to
about the size of a hickory nut just
before feeding, as it is more palata-
ble and does away with any chances
of adulteration.
The cow pea seed ripens so uneven-
ly that it can best be used for hay,
silage and grazing. It makes a very
good feed for fatiening swine.
The field bean when it is damaged
by rains or dampness may be fed to
sheep and swine. When fed to swine
they should be cooked in salt water
and fed with some other grain.
—Bran makes a very useful feed
for once or twice each week, when
given to horses as a mash. It may
also be fed dry with cats to a very
good advantage. Flour wheat mid-
dlings are of a higher grade than
standard middlings, as they often
contain a large percentage of low
grade flour. Middlings are very good
fed for swine of all ages.
Next to corn, oats is the most wide-
ly grown cereal in the United States
The hull of the oats forms about 20
per cent. of its weight, but it may run
as high as 45 per cent. They are
largely used now as a filler for some
kinds of stock focds.
Oats is the safest feed for the horse,
as the hulls give it enough bulk so the
horse very rarely gorges himself. To
mature horses with good teeth they
should be fed whole.
The spirited condition found in the
horse fed on oats is not obtained with
any other feed.
There is no better feed thar oats
for dairy cows and it is also a very
good feed for breeding swine. Tlie oat
hulls are a by-product of oatmeal fac-
tories and as such are sometimes
ground along with corn and sold as
ground oats and corn.
In sections where corn and oats do
not thrive well barley is used exten-
sively as a feed. Many horses are fed
on rolled barley with wheat or oats,
or on barley hay for roughage. Bar-
ley should be prepared for feeding by
rolling and not by grinding, as
ground barley forms a pasty mass in
the animal’s mouth.
Dried brewers’ grains makes a very
satisfactory feed for dairy cows and
horses, but are unsatisfactory for
pigs. Malt sprouts should be soaked
several hours before feeding to cattle,
as they are not very well relished.
Kafir ranks below corn in feeding
value and palatability, but is a very
important crop ir the sections where
it flourishes. May be fed to horses
either in the heads or thrashed, but
to dairy cows it should be ground or
soaked before feeding.
Practical experience has taught us
that cottonseed meal is not a safe
feed in all cases. Dr. G. H. Conn
says steers that have been closely
confined for a period of 100 days and
been heavily fed on cottonseed meal
often develop a staggering gait and
become blind and die. It is particu-
larly fatal to swine in from five to six
weeks. No satisfactory way has been
found by which ccttonseed meal may
be safely fed to swine.
Cottonseed meal which has been ex-
posed to the air, or that has been
made from musty or fermented seed,
should not be used. It is not as good
as linseed meal.
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