Beworraic flac Bellefonte, Pa., March 19, 1926. OH, PASSING YEARS! Oh, passing years, how fast you speed! With what a precious freight. Dear friends of youth, glad childhood’'s home, We plead, you will not wait. Bright hopes, grave fears and happy hours You carry in that train, We wait and gaze with out-stretched arms, They come not back again. Yet now we know the coming years Rich blessings still will bear; True love, and trust and steadfast faith, But rarest gift—The Father's Care. —Fances L. Frueauff, in “The Moravian,” Bethlehem, Pa. THE GUEST OF THE TRIBE. He appeared to be tired and sleepy. His horse, gaunt and jaded, ambled in a fox-trot walk along the dusty road of the Indian reservation, parch- ing under the relentless smile of the mid-afternoon sun of early August. Attached to his belt was a six-shoot- er in a holster; slung from the pom- mel of the saddle was a rifle. A cylindrical roll made up of raincoat wrapped round a blanket was fasten- ed behind the cantle. Tied to the sad- dle horn was a flour sack that ap- parently contained some kind of sup- plies. The man halted his horse and dis- mounted near a bridge that spanned a creek. The animal hungrily grab- bed mouthfuls of the grass that was growing by the roadside. The rider inhaled a deep breath of air and ex- haled it with a sudden puff. He stretched his arms, his legs, his whole body. He stroked and patted the neck of his horse. “Old plug, you done fine,” he said. “This was some ride. Come on, we'll git a drink of water.” Both man and beast drank of the refreshing fluid. Then as he permit- ted the horse to resume its grazing the traveler detached the flour sack and emptied its contents on the ground. There were two loaves of bread and four cans of corned beef, a flannel shirt rolled up and tied with a string and a pair of overalls sim- ilarly rolled and tied. He examined the two packages critically, rolled them more compactly and drew the strings tighter. Then he put them back into the flour sack together with the food, except some that he pro- ceeded to eat. He hurried through his meal, gulp- ed down more water and picked up the flour sack. He took hold of the dragging bridle reins and jerked and pulled the horse away from the grass. “Let loose, old feller. We'll stop and rest a few days at some camp that’s off the road. Indian reservations a good place to rest. Most of ’em here don’t savvy much white-man talk, and it’ll be easy to git out of answer- in’ questions.” He mounted his horse and as it went forward to cross the bridge he let go the reins and started to tie the flour sack to the saddle horn. “Whr-r-r!” It was the warning of a rattlesnake. The horse plunged, and the man dropped the bag. The terrified ani- mal jumped off the edge of the bridge. The unseated rider fell upon a pile of rocks seven or eight feet below. More than an hour elapsed before the fallen horseman stirred. He sat up and fumbled about his head. As he drowsily examined the clots of blood that stuck to his fingers he seemed suddenly to remember what had occurred. He tried to get upon his feet, but his right leg crumpled under him. From the edge of the bridge above the sufferer a pair of scintillating black eyes in a coppery brown face gazed downward. “Say feller! What they been doin’ to you?” | “Horse jumped off the bridge with ' me. Rattlesnake scared him.” “Know what become of yer horse?” “No; I've been knocked out.” “Knocked out? How long?” ' The stunned and disabled man slow- ! ly ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “Dunno,” he finally replied. “Seems like it’s jist a few minutes, but mebbe it’s longer. The sun’s moved consider’ble.” The friendly inquirer followed a path that led down to the injured traveler. “Say, feller,” he said ser- iously, “you look like you’re done up purty bad. T’ll take you to the agen- cy. There’s a doctor there, and he’ll fix you up.” For fully half a minute the victim of the accident hesitated; then he asked suspiciously; “Who are you?” “Me? My name’s Trope—Ben Trope.” You look like you had white-man blood in you,” the prostrate man mumbled stupidly. “Well, I'm half Cheyenne and half white man,” Trope explained. “I b’long to this tribe, but I'm workin’ fer the gover’'ment, runnin’ the cow crew here. It’d be handy if I know your name.” “My name’s Smith.” “All right, Smith. They ain’t any lookin’ fer yer horse. I seen his tracks, but he’s lame now. Here, put yer arm over my neck, and I'll take hold of the good leg, and—yes, that’s it—now we go.” Trope staggered to his own horse and carefully set his burden astride the saddle. “I want my sack,” the stranger re- quested. “Where is it?” “Right around this bridge some- wheres. Here’s where I let it fall when my horse shied.” Trope walked to and fro, looking. “Mebbe you're dreamin’, Smith,” he suggested. “Ain’t any kind of a sack here.” “No. I ain’t dreamin’,” the suffer- er protested. He moved as if to get off the horse, but sank limply again into the saddle. “Say, pardner look ag’in. I've got to have that sack. It’s a flour sack, and it’s got—it’s got— — all of my clothes in it and— and— some beef—and everything.” The half-breed once more searched carefully about the vicinity of the bridge. “It sure ain’t here, stranger,” he announced. “There’s been an old blind squaw along here while you was knocked out, and likely she’s got it. She’s liable to eat yer beef, but she won't eat yer clothes and other things, and I'll git everything fer you. But just now you're goin’ to the doctor.” “No, I want that sack right now,” the helpless man persisted anxiously. “Let's go to the camps around here and—" But Trope gathered up the reins of the bridle and started off. Mile after mile he tramped ahead of his charge, calmly ignoring the flood of oral abuse for his having refused to spend more time hunting for the lost flour sack. Over the hill and on to the agency he hurried his afflicted and weaken- ing campanion. “Here, doc, hide this gun away,” he said to the physician at the infirm- ary. “He's a bad man, I'm thinkin’. He tried to crack me over the head once, and I took it away from him.” “Who is he?” the doctor inquired. “I didn’t git much information,” re- plied Trope. “Says his name’s Smith, but he’d mumble along and git things all balled up tryin’ to tell me where he come from and what he was doin’ on the reservation.” “Oh, well, we'll take care of him,” the doctor said cheerfully. “We don’t need to know just now who heis.” Six days afterward Ben Trope rode his saddle horse to the wooden awn- ing that shelters the front porch of the infirmary and, dismounting, went inside. “Hello, Smith. You’re lookin’ lots better’'n you did. The doctor says you're pullin’ through fine. Meb- be you’ll be ready to travel in a week or two.” “I’m ready most any time,” the dis- abled man responded eagerly as he sat up in bed, “Where’s my flour sack?” “Well feller,” the half-breed ex- plained apologetically, “I didn’t go after—that is, I thought there wasn’t any rush about it. I ain’t got it yet.” “Ain’t got it!” yelled the man on the eot. “You said you'd git it and bring it to me! Where isit?” “Looky here Smith, don’t worry like that,” Trope said soothingly. “Yer things can’t git away. These Indians ain’t bad on the steal, and if they was they'd git found out. Char- ley Red Bonnet’s got yer horse and saddle and rifle at his place. He’s been usin’ ’em, but he’ll turn ’em over to me anytime I ask him fer ’em. It was old blind Jennie Two Moons that come along when you was knocked out and picked up yer flour sack and—" “Has she still got it?” Smith stared wildly at the Indian cowboy. “I reckon she has. If she ain’t, it’ll be easy enough to—” “Where does she live?” “She lives about a mile and a half up the valley road toward the bridge where you got hurt. I was jist think- in’ I’d—" “What kind of a lookin’ place is rs? x © %Well, it looks about like the rest | of ’em. Hers is the second shack on the right-hand side of the road. But I'm goin’ up that way this afternoon and—" “Say, cowboy, git me a horse and let me go with you,” Smith implored. “lI want to be sure to git it. Them Indians’ll steal everything. There's | some pictures and—and—some letters —and—say, Ill give you a hundred dollars if you'll take me right along with you.” “Oh, that part of it’ll be all right,” Trope said comfortingly. “It won’t cost you anything only mebbe two bits for old Jennie as a present fer keepin’ it fer you. Ill fix that part of it and then—" “But let me go with you, and let’s go right now.” “No. I can’t go jist now, Smith. I’ve got to go.and see the agent first about some business.” Trope walked to- ward the door. “Don’t go—wait a minute,” came the anxious appeal. I'll give you—”" But the half-breed was gone. In the agent’s office the conversa- tion concerned the unusual patient at the infirmary. “He’s doin’ a lot of worryin’ about that flour sack,” said Trope. “He was ravin’ about it all the time when I brought him into the agency that day, and when I went into see him jist now he jumped me about it the first thing. When I told him old Jennie had it and that I'd go and git it he wasn’t sat- isfied unless I'd take him along. He don’t ever seem to bother about his horse and saddle and his rifle, and there ain’t any better saddle on the reservation, and it’s a good horse. Charley Red Bonnet said it was plumb fagged out when he caught it. I saw it the next day, and it still looked tired, and it was lame from havin’ jumped off the bridge, but it’s all right now.” “It all seems rather strange,” ob- served the agent. “It sure does, Mr. Benson. And the way he got balled up on what he was doin’ here didn’t sound right to me. First he said he was comin’ on the reservation to visit some Indians, but I couldn’t git him to name any of ’em. Then he talked about buyin’ horses from ’em, but he never showed any signs of knowin’ which Indians had horses to sell. I've asked a lot of the Indians, but none of ’em seems to know whe he is. He talked so nutty that I thought he was dreamin’ about havin’ a flour sack, but he had one all right.” “How do you know Jennie got it?” “Well, I saw her moccasin tracks by the bridge. She’s part blind, you know, and walks with a stick and limps a little. Her tracks was made after the feller’s horse tracks was made, and I saw she was carryin’ somethin’ when she went off the bridge that she didn’t have when she went on it.” “Ben, the doctor and I have been talking together about this man’s business on the reservation,” said the agent, “but I'd like to hear from you. What do you think?” “Mr. Benson, my guess is that he had somethin’ in that sack that he thinks an awful lot more of than he does of the beef.” “Yes, of course; but what is it? Had you thought of its being peyote buttoms ?” “No, sir I hadn’t thought of that.” “Have you heard of any peyote- eating parties around Jennie’s neigh- borhood or among any of the rest of Shem lately. Anybody been drug- ged? “No, nor I ain’t seen any Indian that acted like they’d been eatin’ peyote,” Trope replied. The agent leaned back in his chair. For a few moments he looked dream- ily out of the open doorway. “III tell you what you do, Ben,” he proposed; “you go right up to Jennie’s place and find out about that flour sack. If she has it, you get it and bring it to me. Tell her if she keeps out anything that was in it when she got it I'll send | a Dakiceman after her and put her in! jail. ; “Mr. Benson, I'd like to look into that sack myself, and I'm thinkin’ i this feller’s a bad man and not en- titled to much favorin’, but I couldn’t hardly git out of promisin’ him I'd bring it to him. Mebbe it'd be better if you sent one of the policemen to git it.” “No, I'd rather you’d go, Ben if yout will. T'll assure you we won’t harm anything that honestly belongs to him. But you understand how I have a right to know all about the business of any man that comes on this reserva- | tion, and you can—”" The agent sprang to his feet. “0 Ben! Look! Why, the crazy fool! There he goes new on your horse!” Rushing past the agency office building was Smith on Ben Trope’s horse traveling up the valley. He was hatless, coatless and shoeless. His broken right leg, encased in a plaster cast splint, was dangling free of the stirrup. With his left hand he alter- nately guided the horse and grasped the saddle horn. With his right he applied the riding quirt. “Go after him, Ben!” the agent shouted. “Take a policeman’s horse from the hitch rack. I'll send some police to help you. Bring back the man first. Don’t bother about the sack until you get the man.” 2 Ben Trope mounted a horse and headed it up the road. His own steed, which the fleeing man was riding, was the strongest and speediest saddle horse on the reservation, and it was a quarter of a mile up the road ahead of Trope on his inferior animal. But the pursued man turned aside in his flight and dashed up to the doorway of Jennie Two Moons’ log hut. The old woman and two girls fled and dived into the brush like wild rabbits. The desperate horseman dis- mounted carefully and tossed the bridle-reins over the animal’s head. Hopping and hobbling into the hut, he looked quickly about the interior of it. A soiled white bag was lying near the head of a pallet of quilts on the dirt floor. He pounced upon it and hurriedly examined its contents. A thrill of joy seemed to sweep through his whole being and to put new life and courage into him. He uttered a half-suppressed cheer. Moving with an added agility, he hop- ped to the doorway and out to the horse. As he was about to tie the bag to the horn of the saddle Ben Trope galloped his panting animal up to the hut and dismounted. “What do you want here, you dirty breed?” the white man thundered. “The agent wants to see you,” Trope replied quietly, though his beady black eyes glittered a more im- perative message. “Well, he don’t need to see me now. I'm goin’ away from here right quick.” The crippled fugitive tied the sack firmly to the saddle horn, grasped the pommel and moved as if to clamber upon the horse. He paused when Trope laid a strong detaining hand upon his shoulder. “Say, looky here, cowboy,” Smith coaxed, “I'll pay you whatever you want fer yer horse, and I'll give you a hundred dollars besides if you'll let me—=" . “No, we’re goin’ back to the agency together,” Trope interrupted him as he took hold of the horse’s bridle bit. Smith held in his right hand the riding quirt reversed. The loaded butt of it swung free by some twelve inches. With a sudden movement in- dicative of his having had training as a boxer he wielded the weapon. The half-breed crumpled under the blow and went to the ground. The liberated man climbed upon the horse. With the quirt he lashed its flank, and the spirited animal bound- ed forward. A hundred feet distant it turned into the main roadway. At that instant there was the crack of a pistol shot. The speeding horse plung- ed, staggered, fell dead. Within five minutes thereafter the recent guest and fugitive was a pris- oner and on his way back to the agency. He was seated upon the policeman’s horse that Ben Trope had been riding, and his half-breed captor walked twenty feet ahead. In one hand Trope carried the flour sack, and with the other he held a lariat rope that led the horse. A large black and blue lump above his left eye and blood smeared down the left side of his face furnished conclusive evidence of the character of his captive. “Smith, you picked out the wrong place for this kind of rough work,” the agent warned him at the infirm- ary. “You might as well make up your mind to stay here peaceably un- til we're ready to let you go.” The official had received the flour sack from Ben Trope. He emptied its contents upon a table. There was only a flannel shirt rolled and tied by a string and a pair of overalls that were also rolled and tied. The agent rummaged with his hand down into the sack and then looked into it. “Is this the valuable stuff you've been so anxious about, Smith?” he asked sarcastically. “Well, there’s some letters—and— and—some pictures, and—I’d hate to lose em, I was afraid the Indians might burn ’em up er throw ’em away er something.” “Didn’t you have some peyote but- toms in it?” “Peyote buttoms? What's that?” “Now look here, Smith,” persisted the agent, “you tell me the truth about this and help me. locate this stuff among the Indians, and I'll make it a little easier for you. My princi- pal object is to protect my people, not to punish you. I know more about you than you think I do. The Crow Indian agent wrote me about a peyote smuggler that had slipped away from his reservation after having got a lot of his Indians drug-crazy, and he said—"" “But, Mr. Benson,” Ben Trope in- terrupted him, “this man didn’t come from the Crow reservatioin.” “How do you know, Ben?” “Well, the next day after I brought him here I back-trailed him from the bridge. I follered the tracks about : twelve miles on up Porcupine Creek rand over the mountain, showin’ he come from Wyoming. I looked at the brand on the horse he was ridin,’ and I saw it belonged to a rancher I know over by Sheridan.” The agent appeared perplexed. He looked again into the sack, seeming to mediate upon what it might have contained. Ill send a policeman out to bring in Jennie Two Moons,” he ! announced. He picked up the shirt roll and was about to replace it in the receptacle. “Wouldn’t it be all right, Mr Ben- son,” Trope intervened, “to look at his letters and pictures? I’d like to see ‘em myself.” “No!” shouted the owner of the bundles. “Give ‘em to me,” he de- manded. “They're mine, and I ain’t no dope peddler.” “Just keep quiet, Smith,” the agent said soothingly. “We won’t harm anything that belongs to you, but we're going to find out—” He had eat the string that bound the shirt roll. “Stop there! That's my stuff!” The prostrate man whirled his body so that he sat up on the edge of the cot. “You ain’t got any warrant.” “Your rights don’t amount to much on an Indian reservation,” the local monarch responded as he unrolled the package. “You're a trespasser here; youre not an Indian.” Two Indian policemen had inter- posed themselves between the cot and the table upon which the inspection was being made. The agent spread out the flannel shirt. At the disclos- ure his whole body expressed amaze- ment. “Ben! Doctor! Look at it!” He hurriedly cut the strings that bound the overalls and unrolled them also. ‘““‘And here’s more of it!” he ex- claimed. Wilted, faint, almost collapsed, the defeated man sank back upon his cot. “I’ve been figgerin’ he’s that feller they want over at Sheridan,” Ben Trope explained. “Of course he is, Ben,” the agent exclaimed, “and you deserve all the credit! = The reward will probably buy you several horses as good as your fine pet you had to kill.” He turned to the cowering prisoner: “You killed a man while you were doing this job,” he said sternly. “You de- serve-—oh, well, we'll do our part to see that you get what's coming to you.” He spoke to the two police- men: “Take him to the jail, lock him up and guard him all the time.” For several minutes the agent, the doctor and the half-breed were busily at work invoicing and computing. “Well, I’m pleased to learn that old Jennie was wealthy for a few days, even though she didn’t seem to ap- preciate it,” the doctor observed dryly. The agent was writing with pencil and paper. “I believe this states it clearly,” he said. Then he read aloud: “Sheriff, Sheridan, Wyoming: Ex- press robber here. Money recovered forty-two thousand dollars.””—The Youth’s Companion. Shipment of Elk Proves Expensive. An elk herd now being loaded at Moiese, Mont., on the Flathead Indian reservation, for shipment to Middle- boro, Mass., is going to prove expen- sive for the National Elk Grazing and Breeding Association which contract- ed to take the animals from Montana to the New England hills. Expenses incident to the rounding up and loading of the first shipment of 200 head, which is to start east- ward soon, have mounted until it is estimated it will cost $80,000 to de- liver the elk in Massachusetts. The association plans to ship 600 in all from the bison range near Moiese, and those in charge of the work expressed the hope that the ex- pense of handling the remaining 400 animals would not run so high. The animals will travel East in an electrically lighted train of ten ex- press cars. Work has been delayed by the al- most impassable condition of the roads near Moiese and by the difficul- ties encountered in “riding herd” on the band of elk, and in dehorning bulls before they are placed in stalls aboard the express cars.—Exchange. me Live Snails Kept in Cold Storage Vaults. At the beginning of the autumn season 20,000,000 snails are usually reposing in cold storage in France ready to be taken out and served up to the epicures of the nation. The snails are eaten only in the colder months of the year. It goes into se- clusion under the shelter of stones and wood piles and spreads a shield across the opening of its shell and spends the winter in comfortable seclusion and safety. But they are forestalled by the snail hunters who gather them in the spring and summer months and put them in cold storage until the restau- rant demand starts in. They sleep away the summer months under the impression that they are hibernating. If it were not for this the Frenchman would be compelled to forego his diet of snails. There are two kinds of snails which are in demand for consumption, a form of the common garden snail and the Roman or Burgundy, which is far the favorite on account of its delicious flavor and its size.—Chicago Journal. ——Subscribe for the “Watchman.” i ————————————————————— ———— rraitr_rc FOR AND ABOUT WOMEN. DAILY THOUGHT. Stronger by weakness wiser men become. As they draw near to their eternal home. —Edmund Waller. Apparently everything is grist to our millinery! All sorts, shapes and conditions of hats have come out for the Southern season and never was it more true than today that the suc- cess of our costume is determined by the success of our individual chapeau. Yet, in spite of the greater variety of millinery selection which we are of- ‘fered, most of us seem none the less enslaved by the little felt model, and the usual swarm of these has migrat- ed southward. Yes, the correct card table and the correct woman of fash- ion are alike covered with felt, and it is only when sports or street costume are exchanged for the more elaborate togs of the afternoon that other types of millinery succeed in displacing this familiar apparition. Even then we are likely to retain some variety of it. We are so habituated to the theory that a felt hat should leave us un- sheltered that it may be hard to rec- ~oncile ourselves to the advent of a new type—this one hat, not the stingy little brim of the past, but a good old- fashioned shelter. It is the Chapelier model. As I believe I have already , remarked, this hat was the smartest , millinery mode of Biarritz, and now “it’s been taken up by the other Ritzes. : High of crown, with a four-inch brim, that may be turned back here or there, this is the newest thing for sports and general resort wear. I may add, too, that it is a much less acid test of beauty than is the “penny” brim. | However, if you are determined to i be loyal to the old forms of felt, no- i body is going to thwart you. For ex- ample, there is the gigolo model, which has been pre-eminently smart . for some months and which is still re- | tained by some luminaries of fashion. | Remember, if you please, that the ; crease of a man’s trousers is no more , vital an affair than the crease of the gigolo. If you go into one of these | stately shrines of millinery the sales- { woman is awfully particular to get j that crease adjusted in exactly the ; manner that will be most becoming to one’s own particular face. Indeed, this same meticulous care applies to nearly all the small felts, whether gigolo or otherwise. When it comes to this domain of dress one must be literally up on the latest wrinkle. Each dent and ridge is, in fact, preg- nant with meaning and often the dif- ference between the informal small felt and the more formal variety is proclaimed merely through a dif- ferent system in creasing. Of course, these millinery sculptors have been busy molding some brand- new forms. One of the outstanding examples of newer modes is the piq- uant shape created by Reboux and distinguished by a butterfly bow of self-fabric set in the front to accent the cleft of the brim. This is really ia charming change from the more becoming to many a face which is more “interesting” than classical in its contours. Straws! Yes, of course these are always present to show which way the Florida wind blows. As I have al- ready said, the crocheted straws are especially smart and are often substi- tuted for the felt sports hats. For afternoon wear the straw is almost invariably large and its generous dimensions continue to follow the back and broad in front. Character- istic of the more elaborate mode is the model of white basket-weave straw, which merits attention because of its novelty of trimming. Said trimming consists of a wreath of stuffed flowers, each one covered in the gay material of the Breton peasant petticoat and each one set off with a touch of black patent leath- er. We have been raiding these poor Breton peasant women’s wardrobes for some years now and many a resort wear coatee of the last seasons has owed its origin to this source. One assumes, in fact, that all Breton wom- en must by this time be wearing breeches, for certainly they can’t have any petticoats left for themselves. It is impossible to make a social error by matching your bag with your hat, or at least your hat trimming. Here is one of the little sartorial tricks which we won’t overcome and in this case the smart little bag which the wearer of this hat swings ojyer the arm shows the Breton peasant mater- ial on a frame of tortoise shell. One cannot enter into an exhaustive discussion of all the various types of millinery which are now being prac- ticed by smart people, but these four examples are of outstanding interest and are sufficient to indicate to the en- tire trend of the season, Now a few words concerning other accessories. When it comes to stock- ings, the silk worm has finally turned. Once more we are wearing lisle, No, this doesn’t mean we have discarded our silk hose. We retain them usual- ly for afternoon and evening wear. travel there is overwhelming evidence that the lisle stocking of exquisite workmanship has come back. Of course, the French woman has fore- cast this change of sentiment for some months, and a few American leaders of style were prompt to follow her ex- ample, It is only now, however, that the return to the lisle stocking is ab- solutely assured. So, if you want to complete the beige woolen costume, which you select for travel or street wear, you match it by your lisle stock- ings worn with brown kid shoes. Florida would undoubtedly look just as odd without white coats as it would without palms, You may have all sorts of wraps to supplement this one, but you are now almost obliged to get the sports affair of tweed, homespun, or some other fashionable fabric. Quite a few of these white sports coats are developed with the shoulder flare which Lanvin inaugurated months ago. How ever, the young and slim can’t go wrong by selecting a perfectly orthodox straight-line af- fair, which betrays its up-to-date spirit only in the minor touches, orthodox small felts and will be found | familiar prescription—short in the!l But in the realm of sports, street, and FARM NOTES. . —Regularity in feeding and milking is essential to profitable dairying. —The sow like the dairy cow, should not be thin at farrowing time. —The hog will open its mouth and. breathe through that channel, and also through the nostrils, when very warm. —Many an epidemic of diphtheria, scarlet fever, and typhoid fever has. been traced to a case of illness on the dairy farm. —An acre of corn fodder making 20: bushels of grain will put on twice as. much grain in the form of silage as. it will fed from the shock. —The curl in a pig’s tail is an indi- cation of good health. When the curl. begins to straighten out, look for dis-- ease and give a change of feed. —The various dairy utensils used by the dairyman are probably one of the most important sources of the bacterial contamination of milk, .—Adequate ventilation removes foul air, removes excessive moisture and furnishes a supply of pure, fresh air. All three are vital to the welfare of the herd. —In order to do its work properly, the cream separator must be level and must be securely fastened to its foun- dation, the bearings must be well lu- bricated with the right kind of oil,. and no accumulation of dirt can be. permitted to collect in the working: parts. —Chicks are like little boys. If not kept busy they get into mischief. Lack of work often means a boy’s bloody nose, while to a chick it means bloody toes. Toe-picking and ean- nibalism result from close confine- ment and idleness. “Keep the Chicks Busy” should be the creed of all poul- trymen. —Dwarf trees and shrubs that shortly will come into bloom include Azaleas, Barberry, Red Bud, Sweet Shrub, Dogwood, Golden Bell, Mag- nolia, Honeysuckle, Flowering Al- mond, and Viburnums which include: the Snowballs. Notice these as they bloom and select your favorites for planting on the home grounds. . If your hotbed space is limited, it may be necessary to shift the early cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and kohl rabi plants to coldframes before the warmer season crops may be seeded. At any rate it should be safe to get these cool weather plants into the coldframe just as soon after the first. of March as they are sufficiently large. —AIll hens used for egg hatching purposes should be dusted with a good louse powder when they are placed on the eggs. The only preparation known to kill lice with one applica- tion is sodium fluoride. Put a piece of sod in the bottom of the nest to prevent excessive evaporation. Set two hens at a time so that the chicks may be given to one hen later. Feed cracked or whole grains to the bid- dies, being careful to avoid feeds that stimulate egg production or cause di- gestive disorders, say poultry exten- sion specialists of the Pennsylvania State Colege. PERENNIAL SOW THISTLE. This is a very noxious weed that has been introduced from Europe. It has not been reported from many places in Pennsylvania. It seems, however, to be spreading rather rapid- A colony of this pest has been found recently along the Jonestown Road in Penbrook, almost if not, within the city limits of Harrisburg. A few other colonies have been found near the city. Not only farmers but every one should watch for this plant and be sure to destroy its roots and all when found. The plant is very common in parts of Canada, where they have the fol- lowing to say about it: “Perennial Sow Thistle, from its exceptionally vigorous running rootstocks and the large amount of seed it matures, is one of the most aggressive weed en- emies. It causes enormous loss, both on account of the difficulty of eradi- cating it and by reducing crop yields. Wherever established, it chokes out the crops almost completely. It is much worse in this respect than any of the other thistles. In Manitoba Pe- rennial Sow Thistle is considered the worst of all weed pests; in some cases it has rendered whole fields unfit for grain production.” Should we allow a foreigner with such a reputation to become a natur- alized citizen of our great agricultural state? Our worst weed such as Gar- lie, Canada Thistle, Quack Grass, Dod- der and Horse Nettle are foreigners that have gained entrance to the State of Pennsylvania in the same insidious manner. They are now very undesir- able and expensive to Pennsylvanians. Let us see to it that Perennial Sow Thistle shall not overrun our State as these other pests have done. Perennial Sow Thistle is distin- guished by its large yellow flowers which resemble in size, color and ap- pearance those of the common dande- lion. The flower stalk and the scaly bracts (small leaf-like structures) surrounding the flower heads are cov- ered with glandular, hairs with a yel- lowish knob on the end. The stem of the piant is hollow and grows from 1 to 5 feet tall. The leaves resemble in shape those of the dandelion or some of our wild lettuce plants. The teeth of the edge terminate in a rather soft yellow spine. The whole plant, if not too old and dry, is filled with a bit- ter, milky juice. The seeds are brown and about ¥ inch long and contain a tuft of fine white hairs called pappus. Fortunately for us most of the seeds examined from plants grown in Pennsylvania are not fertile and will not grow. Some, however, are fertile and since they are so easily blown about by the wind are the means by which the plant may rapidly spread from the vacant lots and waste places in towns and cities to the surround- ing farms. For methods of control and eradi- cation write the Bureau of Plant In- dustry, Harrisburg, Pa.