— Agricultura. Improving Wheat. Before he can be successful in mak- {img the best better by crossing, the -ggperimenter must ve thoroughly &o- - gquainted with his wheats in every mespect. Bhould he wish an offspring vowith harder grain than either of its parents, with stronger straw, ete, he must cross varieties that possess elements that will make them so in groper proportions. For instance, should be cross a hard fiin'y bearded wheat, that makes very poor flour ‘but has fine straw and grain well ' wslothed, upon a smooth weak-sirawed svheat with fine grain, the «fly ring, the first year after crossing, will be of all colors, shapes and qualities—a diversi'y of forms. The heads will be sof various lengths—some bearded and some smooth, some poorer in eveLy mespect than either parent, and some far superior, to all outward appear- anges, After the crossing, and after she first crop is ripe in the feld, selec tion begins. In the first place the best Meads are picked that are found on the best straw and possess the best chaff’; mext, after shelling, head by head, the beat kernels are taken just as the stock- saan selects his best pig, pup or <hicken to breed from. Now, it m:y be, and often is the case, that none of & hese offspring are wortl y or as good as either parent: if so try again and again untilsuccess attend: your efforts. If the proper rules are observed success is sure to follow, at least in half the % rials made by an experienced hand. EE Breed Up. Ifs common cow has the marks of = good milker it is wisdom to breed from her. Whether or not her calf will inherit her good qualities time alone can tell, It is right here toat the value of improved stock is greatest. Its charscieristics are fixed and will be reproduced. It is here, 00, Where the value of a registered pedigree is apparent. The fact that a book cup- tains the brief statement of the ances- troe of an animal is nothing of iteelf, 8B ut the fact that it tells that an ani- mal has certain’y come from a long iime of ancestors which have regularly transmitted their characteristics is very thing, for it not only shows th © t he animal itself possesses the fami y characteristics to a greater or less de gree, but that it in turn will be able to transmit them. The common COW may reproduce herself, and she nu y not. The purely-bred cow will repro- duce herself, with possib y slight vari- ation, under proper breeding. It is seo often the case that the owners of ~SOmMON COWS get an erroneous impress. salon when their attention has been salled to the desirability of improving “their herds. They are convinced, per haps, that it would be to their inter. est to breed up, or rather to improve the character of their herds; but, thinking that the on’y wi y to do this is to purchase outright, they may mot feel hike going to the expense, Some of the best cows im the country are crosses of our common sto 3k with the improved breeds, and If a man owns & common cow that has proved her self & valuable dairy animal he has excellent encouragement to use her for croseing. It is eve y¥ man’s duty to breed up. It is throwing aws) mmony to Keep an inferior Animus when we can just as well kave a bet Ger one. ne Value of the Poultry Business. Every business that incresses na * gional wealth and promotes indiyidaal . somfort and prosperity possesses an 4 nterest to the philanthropic commen- surate to its importance. It Is im- practicable for census reports to fair y « epresent every industiy. Should it fd» e done In the simple matter of poul- try and eggs the figures would aston- sh those who have given the subject «only » mere passing thought. Iam = ertaln that the value and importance of the poultry business as a source of astionsl wealth has not been fully appreasted. Judging from the census r eports of the State of New York I amo 1 od to believe that the actual value of poultry in the United States 1s scarce 1y realized. ; There can be but little if any less r&b an three million farmers’ families An the United States that keep poultry hens simply. It is reasonable to wu ppose that on an average each fami Ay keeps at least ten hens, and that +onch hen lays 100 eggs annually. This awould give an aggregate of 250,000,000 «dcsen eggs, Which at a net valuation .o 1 10 cents a dosen to the producer would make the net proceeds to the ~Iarmaers $85,000,000! Does this startle «the reader 7 In New York alone, twelve years report set down the $8,000,000, making the enormous sum «of $5,000,000 expeuded In a third-clase for poultry and eggs. I have no estimate of $25,000,000 pl A Nonsensical End. To call a laundress a bosom friend is flat-irony. Once upon s& time, when General Ney, the Duke of Elchingen, who died last year, Was commanding the cavalry at Versailles, a circus MANA- ger was introduced who came to ob- tain a dozen culrasslers to take part in the grand entree of his circus. Oh, I suppose you can have them!" answered the Duke, What'll you pay them?’ ** Three francs a head!" “ Three francs!” exclaimed the Duke, who was very prudent in money mat ters ; ** why, man, I'll go myself!" A man named Dunlop requested Theodore Hook to make a punning allusion to his name. ‘‘ Well, just lop off the lust syllable,” responded the wit, ** and it’s Dun.” Time and again, without any gain to himself, however, has an Austin tailor, Mr. Pinkney French, dunned Dr. W. R. Rodes. The latter has Leen owing the former a tallor’s bill for the ast four years. * Doctor, | am losing a great deal of time trying to collect that bill,” said French. ** You will get all your time back. Iam going to pay you in time.” Heinrich Heine, when he was a stu- dent, once wrcte to a friend: Bend me fif'y thalers right away, or 1 will starve myself to death at your ex pense,”’ The London World has statistics to prove that lawyers have less sickness as a class than physicians, but as an offset physicians can get their medi- cines for about 50 per cent. off. “The Pullman train hadn’t run more than ten miles before the robbers headed it. ‘* You're lucky,” said one of the passengers tq the leader of the gang, * the porter hasn’t been througn the car yet.” The use of iron cannot increase the running qualities of a dog, but tin can. A City of London policeman before Judge Maule, sald ha was in the Lien (N) division, ** Do you mean in the Poultry?” the Judge asked. An Arkansas editor, in retiring from the editorial control of a newspaper, said: “It is with a feeling of sadness that we retire from the active control of this paper; but we leave our jour- nal with a gentleman who is abler than we are, financially, to handle it— a gentleman well known in this com- munity. He is the sherifl.” “What are the nine muses, pa?” asked a little boy who was reading mythological lore ir the lower class “It is when the home ‘nine’ is beaten in a game of base ball, then the nine muses over it,” was the reply. Matches, — The fiftieth anniversary of the in. vention of matches by three Austrians was recently celebrated in Vienns. The inventor of the lucifer match lives in every country under the sun, and Agstnia will do as well as another. Fifty years ago, in England, matches had only reached the stage known as “lacifers,”’ and were clumsy and in- onvenient, Fox sad Barne and Dr. tohnson used to light their candles rrobably made them more skillful than we would be at such an operation. About the beginning of this century long brimstone matches took the piace of the tinder, They were about six inches long, tipped with sulphur, and caught fire easily from the spark of the flint. In 1825 an elaborate appara- tas called the “eupyrion’’ was in gen- eral use in the cities, This was a large mouthed bottle containing sul- phauric acid, sosked 1: fibrous asbestos, and the matches, which were about two inches long and sold for a shill ing a box, were tipped with a chemi- eal combination of which chlorate of potash was the principal ingredient. When the end of the match was dipped into the acid and rapidly with. drawn fire was produced. But the acid was inconvenient, the matches were likely to be spoiled by damp and the eupyrion seon went out of use, Another instrument ealled the “pyro- phorus,” the pneumatic tinder box, and the hydrogen lamp of Doberelmer were successfully used for short pe- In 1832 the first friction mateh te only chemically pre- A novel'y in lsce curtains is an- nounced, which consists in the peca- ‘Hari y of the design rather than in anything special in the fabric itself. It represents, within a border of floral design, & window with drape y and » view in perspective bi yond. The idea gtd 2 4 dps ‘the wall and on the Horse Hints, Road horses should have thelr front feet stuffed with flax-seed meal twice a week. When light shoes are needed, par- ticularly hind ones, have them made of cast-steel. * Don’t hook your horse to the sleigh the same a8 to your wagon, but give him more trace, Horses wearing boots should have them loosened while under the shed at the road house. If your horse should pull on one line or throw his head up and down and fight and pull on the bit have his mouth and teeth examined, * The hand-pleces of driving reins frequently become smooth from use, causing the hand to shift. In such cases rub the lines with powdered rosin, If you wish to drive your horse with an open bridle have him tried with one before putting him fo your top- wagon, otherwise ke might get away with you. When horses overresch lengthen the hind shoes; when they hit the front of the hind feet haye the toe of the front shoes made narrow and con- caved on the inside, Some horses when trotting in put- ting their hind feet to the ground strike principally on the twe. Buch horses should have the heels lowered, and should wear shoes without heels, Skunk-cabbage is sald to be good for heaves in teaspoonful doses night and morning, Moilsten the hay and grain. Be careful with the dier, Never work a heavy horse on a full stomach, Mteel biws should be kept In a warm piace until they are placed in the horse's mouth, Any person can real ize the sensation of placing a cold bit in the horse’s mouth by first touching it with his own tongue, Tar is one of the most useful articles to be kept about a stable. Internally use a teaspeorful night and morning for chronic coughs ; externally it Is particularly useful in thrush aad ali diseases or wounds of the foot, Mix d with fish-oll it is one of the best reme- dies for hard or brittle feet, An excellent remedy for mange is: Oil of turpentine, 1 pint; add cau tiously 2 ounces of oil of vitriol, stir. ring tue mixture constantly ; ten add 8 ounces linseed oil; to be rubbed In with a brush twice = day, If your double team did not work to suit you to-day, one crowding to the pole while the other would pull his head to one side, see that the reins are right, and in hooking them to your wagon to-morrow put the off horse on the near side. When heels and toes are required on a hoi se’s shoes, instead of having the shoe turned down for heels have the heels and toes of cast steel and welded on, The heels should be put on half an inch from end of shoe and placed lengthwise, For a horse that ** pulls’ use the over- check with strap attached over the nose and under the lower jaw. For an extra hard-mouthed horse use a four-ring bit, Have a alide-loop on the front of the over-check, so that it can be moved up and down, as may pieces and over-check attached to the to the large rings. Iofluenza is one < f the most preva lent diseases at this time of the year, The first stage of the disease is gener ally mild and will readily vield to careful, nulritious diet, such ss warm mashes, oatmeal gruel, suitable cloth- ing and proper ventilation, If the respiration is troubled and the ex- tremi les cold, give asedative medi cine, rub the legs with dry mustard, bandage with flannel, and send for an expert ———————— A ———————. _ —- What Parisians Dine Upon. Paris is no longer the gastronomic paradise that it was of old. The Paris fans dine on the architecture of set dishes on damask linen, en the brik liancy of the glassware, on the flowers that are on the table, on the white oravats of the walters, but on butter at thirty cents a pound, and on ordi nary wine from the wineshops round the corner, on fish with the bones painted in bistre on the fillets by one of those mysterious and ingenious ar tists whose specialty it is to do *“kitchen painting.” The inventor of this In dustry wss one named Chapellier, who inyented the trade of ‘painter of tur. key's feet.” He had noticed that the poulterers had lost largely om stale tock. The sign by which the stale. ness of 8 turkey, for instance, is be trayed 1 the incressing paleness of the legs and feet. Chapellier invented a varnish to tone up the color. His Upon the Misses in the Public Schools. She ran up against an iron ralliog at d looked scared. “Pll eall a policeman,” she sald, panting 'y, “if you insult me.” She was only fourteen, and her pretty, thin face, with a spot of carna- ticu In each cheek, and her little flaxen curls hanging over her pale forehead as if trying to look into her blue eyes, gave her the adolescent as- pect of & French doll. She had a bundle of books that must have weighed thirty pounds, “But I don’t want to insult you, my dear,” sald the reporter. ‘‘I only want to interview you.” “Interview me?” she exclaimed. “Oh, don’t please. I haven’t done anything, Go and see pa.” “Oh, nousense,’”’ sald tie reporter; “we've been interviewing pa for years. He doesn’t know anything about it We've wasted our time interviewing sohool superintendents and principals and all the other people who won't know anything about it. Now we're going to interview you. Don’t your head ache 7’ “Mine? No!” (with a little astonish. ment.) “Not when you have got to get all those books into it 7" ‘On, they don’t make ache; it's ny arms.” “Ah! I see. You carry them in your arme—not in your head.” Here the reporter made a mental exclamation, Wonderful feminine justinet, to carry the best things of life in its arms and not in its head! “Will you let me read thes titles of the books?" “Yes, if you will strap them up again,” “Trigonomelry ! that 2" “Oh, yes.” “And surveying 7’ my head Do you study La “And navigation ? Another nod, “Will you excuse me while I swear a little? © “Well, turn your head away." voice). What's this, French ! study French ?"’ Do you man classes,’ “You don’t say so! But you haven't got inte the Italian and Portuguese classes !"’ “I don’t think there are any Porta. guese, sir.” “Well, if there had been, you'd have got into them, wouldn't you ?”’ “Yes, air, I hope so.” “Physiology—do you study that?" “A little, I've only just commenced that. Afier fluxions we talk half an mechanics and telegraphy. I'm golog to commence organic chemistry on Monday, after my music, but Ma thinks it will interfere with my paint ing in ofl.” “I should think it would you ever sleep or play 7’ ‘Oh, yes. Iplay the whole of Cz 1. ney's exercises for the piano es? ga Don't morning, and I am learning the over- ture to Tristan and Isolde. I used to was awful mean, and I got over iL Miss—, our principal, says that if we knew what the mission of women Is in the nineteenth cenfury we will not be caught napping. Besides, 17] went to sleep 1 wouldn't pass.” “Pass what?" ‘The examination,” “But you might pass some other things.” “What other things ?" “Wy, vertigo, nervous exhaustion, premature decline.” : “Oh, I don’t study those yet.” “No, 1 see you don’t.” “Let me go now, please.” “Wait a moment, I want to ask you one other question, Don’t you ever feel tired ?" “0, what's the use of feeling tired ! 1 haven't got time. If a girl got tired she wouldn't pass, would she ?”’ “I suppose not. But after you've passe | you intend to leave this world, don't yeu?” “QO, no. When I pass I'm golug to study for the stage, and get a yacht and live in Chicago, but you musn’t put that in the paper, because 1 wouldu’t like Pa to know it.” Then the American infant ploked up aer boks, gave her head a little toss and went off with a saucy sir. De humblest man in de world ain’t de man dat is fixin’ to be hung, but de man what hab jist got over & drunk. He feels like eb: rybody is a p'inting de finger ob scorn st him, his fren’s speaks of Mark Twain as a Horseman. Joaquin Miller sys: I remember at a dinner at the Garrett Club, which he had given to Mark Twain and my- saddle, almost to the verge of anger. You see, Mark Twain was then lectur- ing, or about to lecture, on ** Riding the Mustang.” Trollope began to talk riding with the soup, and endeavored hard to draw the great humonst out and get the advantage of his long ex- perience with the mustang in the Far West, But Mark wae silent and very thoughtful. He essayed ence or twice ts talk about Jerusalem, and even made some faint allusions to the old masters; he went off eloquently cn the weather two or three times. But he left the discussion of the question entirely to Trollope and myself, great. ly to the disappointment of the former. After dinner, as we ssuntered back to Mark's Hotel (the Elwards’, St George's square), where he was living in great state on the same firor with Disraeli, Mark pulled me up suddenly under & lamp post, and said, in his eh ?” »* Didn't know you wanted any help, Mark.” weather and the state of future pun- jshments? Why, look here.” A d dozen of little bits of pasteboard, ‘3 e them ? Tickets for that riding-schor 1] all. as I live. I've used one. of the old mers there and she scraped mcre.”’ “ What!" said I, * don’t you know | how to ride?” * Never was on a horse | befc re, and never will be again, Bat, | ride & mustang, I thought I ought to But 1 | know enough.” | ing about horses?" ing st all, and don't want to. You see’ I'm a steamboat man.” m——— AI WATT Noble Thoughts, as good manners. —[ Don Qaixote. it. Happiness was born a twin.— { Byron. As the rolling stone gathers nd moss, po the roving heart gathers no affections. —{ Mrs. Jameson. Little minds are tamed and subdued | by misfortune, but great minds rise above it.—[ Washington Irving. | Itis in vain to gather virtues with- | out humility ; for the Bpirit of God { | delighteth to dwell in the hearts of the humble.~ [ Erasmus. harmless creature, or of that class of selves.— | Maria Edgeworth. The true grandeur of humility is in — [Charles Bumuper. The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crope—mno, but the kind of man the country turns out.— [ Emerson. He who does not respect confidence will never find happiness in his path. The belief in virtue vanishes from his heart, the source of nobler actions be comes extinet in him.—[ Auffenberg. "Tis a rule that goes a great way in the government of a sober man’s life, pot to put anything to hszard that may be secured by industry, consider- ation or clroomspection.— [L's (range. Itis when our budding hopes are nipped beyond recovery Ly some rough wind that we are the most dis- posed to picture to ourselves what flowers they might have borne if they had flourished. —[ Dickens. There are moments when the pale and modest star, kindled by God In simple hearts, which men call con- solence, illumines our path with truer light than the flaming comet of genius on its magnificent sourse.~ [ Mazzini, The character of the publican and sinner is not always practically in- compatible with that of the modern Pharisee, for the majority of us scarcely see more distinctly the fauiti- ness of our own conduct than the faultiness of our own arguments or ih dullness of our own jokes —[ Geo. Drapery, as the means of modifying the stiff and oold appearance of the entrance hall, Is not made as much of ss might be. Whenever it oan be employed either as a portiere over a door or soross an archway, as well aa for hangings for the staircase win- dows, it will, If made of mutable ma terial and harmonising in color with ligaten the hall and give it » much The Religions of the World. A Btatement of the Besl Facts in Regard to Their Deaominational Strength. The Southern Cross, of Buenos Ayres, has the following : There is probably no other topic which isso often warmly discussed in religious circles as the numerical strength of ths warious Christian bodies in the country. Oae will maintain that the denomination fo which he belongs is larger than any other. His statement will be prompt- ly and warmly contradicted, sod neither party will be convinned that the other is right, and it is certain that hard feelings are thus engender- ed. Editors not unfrequently sre ap- pealed to for a statement of the real facts in regard to denominational strength. It is partially to answer some of these inquiries and partizlly to enlighten the general public on this topic that the statistics contained in this article are given. The patient investigation of the pumerical strength of the various : Churches of the United States up to January 1st, 1881, being the Iniest ree listle statistics, furnishes instructive material for reflection snd study, Many persons who have believed that the Methodists headed the liet havet The Catholics, though having only 5670 churches and 6613. priests, have 6,174,207 members, There s in the Methodist Church 2 786,498 There are 2,260,431 Baptists, It will thus be seen that there are about three times as many Catholics as Methodists or Bapti:ts, and Lhat there is & close rivalry between the iast two. been in error, Taking the Church proper, the Bap- tists exceed the Methodists in num. bers, but reckoning all in each de nomination, which is as falr for one as another, the Methodists rank next to the Catholics. There are 801,458 Pres. | byterians. The Lutherans number | 684570; Christians (Disciples of Christ), 567 448; Ceng’ gtionalists, 353 685: Protestant Episcopalians, 328 876: United Brethren in Christ, | 155 473: Reformed Church in the United Biates, 154 742; United Evan- | gelicals, 144,000; Mormons, 110,877. Having given the numer'cal strength of the various religious de: omin tions in North America, it will probably | interest the reader to be briefly in- | formed concerning the creeds and the | distribution of the various religions | throughout the world. The estimated | population of the earth 1s 1.848,709,000 | persons. As to their creeds, the Budd- | hists, Shintos and followers of Confu- | cius numbered 482,600,000 ; Christiaos, | 882 200,000 ; aboriginal tribes, practio | ing fetichism, and other pagans, 227, 000,000 ; Mohammedans, 122,400,000; | Brahminleal Hindoos, 121,000,000; | Jews, 7,000,000, and the Parsees, 1,000. - 1000. As to the distribution of the | religions, the Catholics, the largest | body of religionists in the world, are | greatest in number in France; baving | there 85 500,000 ; in Austria, 27904. | 306 ; South America, 26,754,000 ; Italy, | 26,648,679; Spain, 16 825,000, and Ger- | many, 15,871,227; and sre to be found | all over the world, numbering in all 202 367 858, | The Protestants of various sects | come next, and predominate in the { United States, which has 30,000 000 ; | Germany, 25 835.5568; Great Britain, | 26,000,000; Sweden, 4,313 800; Russia, | 4,000,000 ; Austria, 3,568,000; South Americas, 2 000,000—-aggregating in all 108 629 509, or about one-half as many as the Catholics. The Greeks have 54,000,000 in Russia, aud the rest are to be found in Turkey, Austria Greece snd Germany, aggregating 70,482,000, The Armenians and Abyssinians number 8,000,000 respectively; the Jacobites, 950,000 ; Nestorians, 170,000 and the Maronites, 150,000. These are all of the Christian religions of the elvilized world, and the total mem- bership Is 388 240 704 As there are 1,848,700,000 inhabitants of the earth, and 888 240 704 of the above class of Church mesabers, there are 960 430 236 individuals who manifestly have a religion of their own or their fathers, #0 to speak. These ar? the Buddhists, Shintos, Aborigines, Pagans, Pareces Mohammedans, Hindcos and Jews, whose numerical strength bas been given. ni AA AG A Man of Considerabls Tact. “I declare,” exclaimed Rogerson, “] never saw a man of such come summate tact as Plogleton. You know what a bore Clinger is? Why, he has come into my office day after day, and hung sround unill [ have been half a dosen times on the point EEEFEE 2 x HE EEr ">, thes
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