B. P. SOHWEIER.
THE CONSTITUTION THE UNION AN I THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XUN
MIFFLINTOAVN, JUNIATA COUNTY. PENNA.. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 25, 1SS9.
NO. 40.
)
It I an Ohio iu.iii who now maesa j
curious discovfiv. He says If you go
oat to feed a f!ork or chickens and
kwp them waiting they will first flock
about you and then le;lQ a circuit
around you from right to left, and that
no amount of interruption or niaiio-aiv-riiiit
will confuse or turn theru in
another direction. The hen Is an inex
haustible source of studious contem
plation. A nr.R which is declared to have
destroyed zr,(r) worth of stock was
killed by Willi am Hood on the 11';!
C 'txiiitlle river, Oregon, a few days ago.
It weighed dressed '.4' pounds. At
one time it killed .'1MJ sheep belonging
to Mr. Hool. Since settling In that
country that gentleman has killed 4'J
bears and no end of wildcats and
pantUTx,
N r every bookbinder may I aware
that nutta-perctia dissolved in carbon
bisulphide until it Is of the consistency
of tieacle forms a very good cement
tor splicing leather. Tlie parts to be
joined must first be thinned down, then
a small quantity of tiie cement is
poured on each eud, and spread so as
to thmoughly nil ail the pores of the
leather. The parts ate next warmed
over a lire for a few minutes, joined
quickl), and hammered well together.
Thk Germans are using every effort
to increase, their exports of paper, es
peclally news mjer and such as are
largely romHised of wood-pulp. The
I'ufjfT .'itnu) says that these paiers
aie lomposetl of fmiu sixty to seventy
per ' ut of wood tlbre and from forty
to thirty per cent, of rag, soda reiiu
1. pulp, sulphite pu'p, etc. Not wilie
st. ni'l ui tlie low prices, the (ieiman
In IN ale enabled to pay dividends of
flow ten to fit'iren per cent,, a result
at 1 1 .' utal.'.e, aitn 'iig? t other causes, to
the eheapiii ss of Die raw material.
A s.w t'mvi i-ni journalist has
ju-t received an idler to go to Southern
i 'ifoi ilia to t oil. lin t a journal there.
The i i.. 1 1 letor rites: "The salary, l."i
a wet k. 1 1 1 .IV sound Mil. ill. but br.lig in
tl.e cetitr of an agricultural district.
We air constantly receiving large gifts
of trial"!, dcllciojis Jeas, and, Indeed,
rv. ih.iig in season, which, after be
ing d ily noticed, would berome your
pei.iu.M'ex. The editorial table turns
up and makes a capital bed at night,
aud there u an excellent stove to boil
coffee on. If you cau play hymn tunes
there is a vacancy, also, of ." a month
for au organist."
A VrK'S liAII.WAY Tlt.WFI.T.INli.
The Board of Trade letoit on last
ear s radway accidents is just Issued.
The tot.il nutiiL'r of Journejs (exclud
inif those made by season ticket hold
eis) wits, roughly, 7 1 J millions, and
the proportion, from all causes of pas
sengers killed ix ret nietl at 1 ill f.,t'
3:u., while 1 in o2T,."iT7 was injured.
'1 here were , ltUl.tnui passengers moie
than lu lsf7. It is rther remarkable
tliat "the murderous level crossing"
was reiMinsible for "no accident or col
lision" during 1SSS. Of til traiu acci
dents Investigated, the highest nunilier
on one line was !), on the lireat West
em, and the lowest 'J. on the Southeast
ern. Twelve accidents occurred ou 1
other roads, one apiece.
W n K s one hears of the museum
freaks who swallow jackknives, rusty
iroii nails and pieces of ulass without
usta'uinir any injury to their digestive
organs, it seems impossible to lielieve
thai tl.e swallowing of the mere seed
of a grape could place a ui."n at the
very thiexhcld of tleatli. Yet such is
the fate of young William Walton, of
New York city. A few days go he
was taken sick after eating some
grapes. An abscess arose on his side,
which on invextigatiou proved to be
the result of the st-ed of a grape having
lodged 111 the veimif.irm appendix. A
si.igti'a! operation l-came nicessary,
and the young man now hex iu a pre
car...ui condition an 1 little hole are
enter! aii ed of his recovery. The case
is a rare one and 1 ax attiacted much
professional iuterest.
K all the persons m the world
w h n. Igl.t eXfc'ted to pie-erve the
intrant? of the (JueeU'S English, the
t ott apparent would naturally In re k
ousbI ti e first. Yi I t) e I.ottdou critics
iu-oar the I'liin e of Wa'es of a wi ful
assault uimu it. and of them thus com
plains: "Toasting the to-rman Knix-ror
l.e leferred to hlin as "a distinguished
aiid honored guertt, allle.1 to t' ls coun
try not only by tlie ties of . fliuily as
niaiidxon or the J'ieen, but also ty
tl.o- of frieiidship.' This is tlie Crst
hint one hax hail of the Idea that a
grandson is allied lv allimty with his
gi.tniliuotl.er. Alliutty is geuerallv used
in contradistinction to consanguinity.
It is a relationship by marriage, and
not 1'V tiirtlt." So it seems that Mr.
ti. Wi Koss' poln v of allowing Knglish
t hift for itself is only "following the
l'lince, you know."
The electric 1 1; lit and motor busiuess
hax 1I been devel.'ix-d since the t'enteu
uia) exhibition of 1876, when the only
exhibits of this kind were a couple of
tirauiine dynamos a d a few expensive
aic lamps run by clock woik, and of no
pr .tical use. Yet, to-day, according
to the report of tlie President of the
An erican Electric Light Association,
tla.i country lias $.-.10.0tMNJt) lnves ed
as capital iu these industries. The are
and rncandesceiit systems of lighting
ap;.e:ir to be aUmt ou a rr. There are
237,017 arc light iu the United States,
ami 2,7t4.Ti"S incandescent. As oue
arc light is the electrical equivalent of
nine or ten incandescent lamps, the
ensrgy represented in the two yitems
is very nearly eH"L The electrical
lailroud business is evidently growing,
as the 1'iesldent reporU ltfJ roads in
oration, uslug 775 miles of track and
i:fc motor cars; but this is believed to
be ouly the beginning of much greater
development ot tuia branch of eleoUl
mJ woik.
A. NOVtL A DAY.
Trt Average of Soma of the Con
flrmx 'Vvnurari.
"We have several customers who
read two and three book a day." tlie
proprietor said to an inquisitive" Wasle
ington Ftnr reporter. "Oue man in
particular used to come in regularlv
every other or third day and carry off
each time from six to eight Volumes.
He didn't aiiear particular about wliat
he read, but took them just as thev
came, ile kept it up week after week",
too. He had a place in the Interior
lepartmeut, but waa discharged not
long ago.
The proprietor didn't intimate that
there was any connection between the
uiau's reading habits and the loss of
his position, but it struck therepoiter
that there might be.
"The. e ate plenty of people who aver
age a book a day, month in and month
out," ihe propr.e:or continued. "These
people are mostly novel readers, of
course. It gets to be a passion with
them like anything else, and they'll
give all their spare time to it. If they
can't get hold of a new story as boon as
they have fiiiLshed tiie old one they
don't know what to do wltu them
selves and are miserable Like a tippler
whose rations have been out off, or a
morphine eater who can't get the
drug."
'1K you notice much difference lu
the class of stories preferred by men
and women?"' the reporter asked.
"No, I can't say that I do. The
womeu don't seui to be especially fond
of love stories. In fact some women
who come here wont read love stones
or novels written by women. They
prefer the detective stories and myster
ies of Iu Iloixoliey and liaboriau and
Zola's highly-tlavoied stuff. G. W.
lU-yuoIds' sensational romances used to
have a big sale, but they aren't in as
much demand ax they were.
"Haven't tl.e cheap libraries hurt
the sensational story papers a great
deal:"' tiie reporter impnred.
Well, not a. much as I thought
they were going to at tirst," the geu
t email said. "I existed the Hloiv
pais-ix would be driven entirely out of
the held b. tlie etieau libraries, but 1
hardly think their sales have falh u as
luocli ax J" per Cent. The papers have
to keep booming themselves all tlie
tune, though, or they lose ground
badly. They areu't the bo.iau-is they
used to be. Tiie newsdealers wouldn't
l Very Sorry if the slory papeis were
di .veil out of tlie field altogether. Tiie
margin of plot its on them is Very
small, and tlte woist of it is, the eople
lu buy litem are ol the 'charge-il-an l
I'U pay-vou-uext-liuie' clas. Now, if
they fail to pay once it knocks tlie
profit oft of a good many papers."
'The ieople who read toe story pa
pers, then, are of a different class fro a
those who buy the cheap library Uov-els?-'
"Yea, as a rule, they are. The peo
ple w ho lead tlie-e inferior novels and
serial stories gel false and foolish ideas
of lite. Tins is especially true of the
roulli uied story readers. Tney are the
worst ot all. I can tell one of them
a mo-t asciuickly as I set eyes on her
for the sloiy-pter readers are gener
ally women. Thev hve a would-be
gland and romantic air ah tut them,
use big words and theatrical expressions
and try to imitate generally in their
manner lu.) highly-wrought characters
lliey read aliout in the serials. I i iris
biou-ht up from the time they are fif
teen or sixteen on this sort of reading
aren't satitied with a man uulex he is
Iik the heioes of their stories, and so
they are apt to wait a good w hile tieloro
they find one who seems to proiu.se to
come up to what they call their ideal.
And then, if they do gel married, iu
nuiety-uine cases out of a hutiurcd they
soon discover that the promises i-i
all false; that I hey haven't married
their hero at all, but only an ordui .ry,
commonplace man, with not cut ul;Ii of
the story paer 'Ideal' to hilu to supply
a imragraph in oue of the sloppy .seri
als. "These jeople with the story iiiper
habit," the S;-eaker coutiuued, "aeeiu
hardly able to control their impatience
from week to week for the successive
instalments of the romances."
The Son's Hot urn.
The fare on the pillow was grav w ith
the shod .w that the wing of death's
angel a'one can cast. It had l-eu a
handsome face In i.s time, and even
now you could ix that tlie features
were we. '-cut an I of a 1 aughty, lui
periou.x mo.d Th" watcher drew close I
lt the lire and talked in whispers, for'
the sit k woma i lay with shut eyes, a.x
if asl- ep.
"she's 1-een looking night and day I
(. her sou. I don't believe site can
die without him," said tlie nurse.
"You have sent for him?" asked the
young man
He was tlie nephew of the dying wo
man, and Hie nurse was her liouse
kteir. Ves, but it was not until she knew
the end had come, that sue would eveu
1. 1 ux mention his name."
"I never heard the real story ot their
qiiairel, Mrs. smith. Auni was al-
wavs so uucomuiuuicauvf. xiie iam:i
only kuew thai there was a breach
. . t. t.. 1 u , u r ln-iti
"Well, as site is dying I suppose
there is no harm in telling it to you.
You know your aunt was always so
determined and well, some called it
hard, but it wax only a love or her own
wav. I'm sure she was as fond a moth r
as ever lived. Mr. Henry wax like tiie
apple of her eye, but he, like every oue
el had to yield to her will. She had
a te t, too, uniioveruable, wilJ.wheu
It l.i. ..e loose. Her husband during
hts lile never dareo to oppose her, but
Henry was her own child, and even
when a mere baby, would struggle
agaiust her with her own terrible tem
per. Often and often I have seen thjr
two face coiifrout eacli ott.er, her s so
handsome and p.isxiouate, a-td his a liv
ing picture of it, 1 is baby mouth tryi-g
to draw itself together like hers, and
his brow puckering until you would
have laughed, only that you would
have read so plainly what was coming.
"At last.wheu Henry had just turned
nineteen, the end came. It was a wild
night lu January, ten years ago now,
and the snow lav inches deep on the
ground, and sura a wind was blowing
that it sho k the house. We were sit
ting about the hall fire, your aunt aud
I busy with the housekeeping books,
aud Henry reading by the table. II s
mother was put out by some In tie
thing, a missing recei 't, I remember,
and when a shutter xwaa blown rudely
back by the wind, with ut Henry ris
imr to fasten it again, ahe called out
aliarply: .
vv uy don't you close that shutter? '
"The boy never raised bis eye from
the page before him, but I aw his
mouth harden. His toother's eve
fl,t,l.i aal nam, ahe aroaied the
room and lo.e lite book from his hand,
fliiufiug it toward the C replace,
"t'lose that shutter instantly!" she
said, as if she spoke to the stable boy.
"Then I saw the stubborn, angry
look on her face came Into his own.
"I won't:' he answered, and 1 knew
lite eud had come, she or the child
that come into the world with all tier
strong, passionate nature for her herit
age must yiehL
"for the last time, Henry, will you
obey u:e"
'Her voice, like steel, rang clear
through the s.lent house. The wind
Itself seemed to hold its breath to hear
the answer that came without fear or
hesitation.
"I am neither a child nor a slave, to
be so bidden. I will not!"
"Her face chauired then, and crew so
still and rigid that I nearly screamed,
fearing, I could not have told what;
but she merely laid her hand upon his
shoulder, aud said so quietly that you
wouldn't have known her:
"tet up. boy."
"I think, for It's spirit, he was
frightened, too, for he rose at once, and
she led him to the hall door. I followed,
and I saw her throw opeu the door and
Ioiiit out into the night.
"Go!" she said. "You are no child
of mine."
"He looked up into her st rn face as
if he scarcely believed tier, and then he
went. And from that hour none of us
have ever raid eyes on the poor boy who
went away on that wild, dreadful, win
ter night."
"I supiose my aunt was sorry when
her auger cooled?"
"She never said so, sir. Until she
bade us send for him three days ajo,
she never mentioned his name, nor let
any oue else in her presence. Uut I
know how site sorrowed for him. At
nights, I woultl hear her go wandering
about the hou.-, to and from the room
1 hat had been his, aud ll 11 the wild
blew, she was like a ma t crtature.
fu n I would wake to lind her at my
bedside, and she would say:
"l'ray, pray for me, Jane, for all
homeless wandeiers to-uightl I can't
pray for myself. My heart's too liar J
I can't break my pride."
"Aud so I Would kneel in the cold
and tlaik, and pi ay, as site told me, for
all homeless wanderers never lor him
by name w hile she stood groaning by
in her grief aud dreadful pride tht
would not let her seno: for her son."
The young mau's eyes were moist at
the picture of the kneeling old woman,
wiio prayed iu the dead hours of night,
with the howling wind about the
house, aud the other, the obstinate ol I
mother, whose pride fought so hard
w ith Iter love.
She never ceased to expect him, sir,
for she could not reaiize that it was
Iter own stubborn spirit in her sou, and
she hoped to the List, that he would
come back, humble and penitent. I
don't doubt that he's longed too, many
a time, for he was never taught to
work, and he's ouly a common soldier
iu tlie army now, out on the frontier."
"Io you think he will come no?"
"till, yes! 'Ihe captain of his com
pany is lite sou of a ueigtdtor; that is
how we ever heard of his whereabouts,
oil, there will be no ditliculty about his
leave of abaeuce."
"Hut ins pride?"
"Von forget. She sent for him."
Tlie Voices of the whlsters died
away. A log in the spacious tireilaco
burul through aud fell with a sharp
noise, and the ilsiug wind legaii to
moan about the house. Nothing el
then broke the silence, save the heavy
In entiling of tlie sleeper, until the clock
struck midnight, when the door of the
bed-chamber was Uunu open, and a
chill wiud swept past the watchers.
The sutieier, aroused by the noise,
languidly o-n.-d her eyes, and then she
rose in her tied, a cry of joy ringing
through ihe room.
My son! My son! '
Her arms were clasped to her bre ixt,
as ii she held some oue to it, and a look
of peace aud rapture traiisiigured her
lace as they laid lr gently back upon
the pillows dead!
'"The wind is tierce to-night," sail
her nephew, as he closed iheswiuging
doors.
Hut next day, when thecountry rang
with the news of a great railroal ois
aster that took place at miduight, and
his coutiu's name wax first among the
dead, the old housekeeper and the
young man looked at each other silent
ly for awhile, wlieu the latter said lev
erently, bowing his head:
"Ive is strom; ax d -alh!"
Matrimonial Rules Copied From a
Crran Journal of the Yerls7s.
A man .hall lx decent towards his
wife, not like a wolf or a lion; in order
that the wife may iml le made shy or
the innocent children lie irritated;
thereby more harm than pood will
arrise. A wifetttunot look after every
thing, and what a 17 y mischievous
servant breaks for that she cniinot al
ways be in fault; also the man should
not make the wife at all times antler
for it, he should not on that account
make himself his wife's servant find
lave. nor H-ruiit her an altsolute
mastery, for the man is the head of tho
hoii.-e and the wife must be submissive
and yield to the limn.
A wife shall be frugal, careful to
spare all that the man earns with honor
and ueck-hreakim; care; not s(u:iuiler
through want of dilligeuce, laziness and
love of dainties. A wife who cannot
keep a house is the ruin and destruct
ion of a man.
A frugal wife is a joy to her hnsltand,
and makes for him a nice quiet life. A
wife should be oltedient to her hus
Wud; w hen he says a word she should
not have three agaiimt it. It is indeed
better to keep the lteaoe with oledi
encc. Also she should not always k.-ep
M I. -nee to vex like a dumb idol, lor that
also would lie wrontr.
She should lie fnendlr, she ran win
and bring to uieekuesa her hustiaud
with judiceoun words. An obstinate
wasteful wife is a great burden to a
man.
What distnrbs more the precious
peace of the home than tlie roai-Heuess
and stubbornness of a nouobeyiu ; and
unfriendly wife. And that is most to
lie desired of all married men when
thev return home from their aevcre
work or paying of bills that tlte wtfj
meets them with friendly words and
acts.
A wife should be serious not given to
jesting, bnt caring for the affairs of the
house with joy in order that her hu
land may have in his work and care a
true helper and ierceive it in the work.
The man must indeed liear with p tti
enre. the wife must indeed lie ab.e to
keep silence.
Kighteous men govern their wives,
but with modesty and ireutleuess. 1'ious
wives listen with discretion and reason.
Both hnsbsn I aud wife slia'l wor dil
Ugentlv with each other, aud with icli
otiiar jifi'gntly prav. . K. A.
Nobody Else.
Two little hands, so careful and brisk,
putting Uie lea thiitKx swmy.
While mot tier Is r-M mic a wbile In ber chair,
r'or h bait b-n tuy all day.
And tne d-mr Utile tlngersare working fur love,
s ItboutEh thev are ti-ndfr mnd we.
-I'll do it m nicVly." she saya to herself;
There's nobody "else, you see "
Two little feet fust vanipered up stairs,
r'or papa w ill quickly be here.
And bis shoes must be ready and warm by the
fire
That is burning so bright and so clear :
Tbf n sh mu"t climb on a chair to keep watch
"He cannot come in without me.
When mother Is tin-d 1 ojien the door
1 here's itobodv else, you see."
Two little arms around papa's dear neck.
And a soft, downy cheek 'gainst his own:
For out of thte nest so cozy and bright
The little one's mother has liowu.
Kite bruhe the tear drops away as she thinks:
"Now he has no one but me.
I mustn't give way; that would make him so
sad.
And there's nobody else, you see.
Tw-o little tears on the pillow, unshed,
lirop(ed from the two pretty eyes :
Two little arms stretching out in' the dark;
Two little, faint, sobbing cries.
"Papa forgot 1 was always waked up
When he whimpered guild night to me.
Oh. mother, come back, just to kiss me in bed
There's nobody ele. you see."
Little true heart. If motber can look
Out from her home iu the skies.
She will not pavs to her haven of rest
While the U-ars dim her little oue's eyes.
If tod hat shed sorrow around us just now.
Vet bis sunshine is ever to be.
And he is Ihe comfort for every one's pain
There's nobody else, you see.
Mary Hodges.
HORSE BKEEDlStt IX EW YOKE.
A Valuable Iec-l ura on Horse Breed
ing In Mew York. Delivered at
the Syracuse and Albion
Farmers' Institute.
BT JAS. WOOD, OF WESTCHESTER CO.
The first question with farmers in the
Eastern States now Is, "How can we
successfully compete with the ereat
West?" Ou the long-established theory
that the value of land is in proportion
to the imputation, we cannot abandon
our fauns, and we must stoutly resist
the tendency to destroy their value
which tiie unexampled productions of
the virgin soils of our newly peopled
States, and the unprecedented cheap
ness of their transportation to our mar
kets, so persistently encourage. We cau
no longer rear and fatten a bullock
without tecunuiry loss. What is left
to us? Our orchards and vineyards
still yield us fair prolits, but we cannot
devote our whole farms to apples, pears,
peaches and grapes. Our dairy products
hold the first rank for their quality, but
great regions of the Northwest Rive us
impressive warning that we cannot long
maintain this. We find an encouraging
answer to our inquiry, in part at least,
in the fact that the soils and the cli
mate of our State are admirably suited
to raising horses. We find still further
encouragement in the fact that a horse
raised iu the State of Xew York is
worth more in our city markets than is
a similar animal reared anywhere in
three-quarters of our Western States.
As horses reared upon the rich pastures
of Holland and lielgiutn cannot com
pare in stamina aud soundness with
Utose raised u(iou the hillier ami harder
soils of Northern France, and the hordes
of the feus of Lincolnshire and its ad
joining counties, iu England, are "soft"
when tested beside those from dry up
lands and well-turfed hills, so the horses
Irom great portions of the West are
deficient in euduruuee and defective iu
their feet, wheu compared wilh horses
reared heie.
Other important considerations give
us still further encouragement. The
demand for horses is constantly Increas
ing. Europe cannot supply her own
needs. CJreat liritaiu annually Imports
2u,ouo from other counties. The im
mense armies of the continent are
making an ever-increasing demand, ami
if the threatened war cloud bursts, the
destruction of horses will be so gieat
that this demand will be beyond the
possibility of supply. It is freely an
nounced in Europe that America cau
meet these demands. Competent of
ficers from the German, French and
English armies, have made extensive
examinations in this country as to our
equine resources, and have made very
full reports to their res(iective govern
ments. Even lu times of peace the) are
draw ing Usju us. The writer saw, not
very long mice, a regiment of cavalry
stalioued at Itijou, In Fiance, mounted
entirely upon Au ein an mares.
The demands of our home markets
are constantly increasing. In New
York city alone 14.UUO horses die every
year, and as many more become lame,
or aie otherwise disabled, and are sent
into thecountry, from which they never
return. Increasing business makes in
creasing demands; and while tlie sub
stitution of electricity for horse-power
u-on the street rail wav a, wl.l doubtless,
in the near future, injure the market
for inferior orbses, yet the requirements
of new industries will more than coun
t r balance this; but, probably, in supe
nor grades. It is, therefore, quite evi
dent that our farmers cau g ve their
atteutiou to aud invest their capital in
this imiiortant industry, with a reason
able certainty of finding ready sale for
iu products.
liesides the promise of pecuniary re
ward thus held out, there many
attractions found in such enter
prises. There is a peculiar in
teiest in the growth of domestic ani
mals, and this interest increases in pro
portion as skill is required and intelli
gence is exercised iu their breeding aud
development. Uy the side of this,
grain-growing is but drudgery. Again,
in rearing animals, the fertility of our
land is not exhausted as it is by selling
grain and oilier products.
At tlte outset every one must stop to
consider what kind of horses lie will
raise. The "general purpose horse" is
a very convenient and useful animal
upon the farm, but be is no, wanted
anywhere else, and he Is generally a
low priced horse in t! e market. We
do business to make money, and the
money return must be our first consid
eration. We must, theielore, breed for
adeJnite purpose. What shall it be?
Our country has achieved distinction
lu the prod uction of two remarkable
animals aud ouly two. These are tlie
American Merino cheep and the Ameri
can trotting horse. The latter is unique.
He is as dirttnct from, as he is suirior
to any snni.ar horse in the world. A
chance product he may have been orig
inally, since no oue knew the peculiar
value of the great Messenger when he
was brought across the Atlantic; nor
how his blood would "nick" in crossing
with others, nor how the bringing to
gether in after generations of different
strains of his get would produce such
marvelous results. But all this has
now been demonstrated, and the world
looks on in amazement as second after
s-coud is reduced fiom the record,
while development in stoutness and
peilection of temperament keep equal
pace with action. Aud the best types
of trotters are iu every way perfect ani
mals, beautUul to the eye and delight
ful companions, as well as wonderful
in performance. No intelligent man
can study them without feeling almost
unbounded admiration for their excel
lence. With all this, I believe there
are yet greater things in the future of
the American trotting horse. It can
be truly said that we have only just
begun to "breed" him. Important
lessons have been learned in the recent
past, and no other domestic animal in
the world is receiving so much intelli
gence and scientific skill in his produc
tion aud development for the one pur
pose for which lie is reared.
I yield to no one iu admiration of
what has been accomplished, or in ex
pectation of what will yet be done.
Shall we farmers, then, breed trotting
horses? We know the high figures at
which they are frequently sold.
Let us follow the experience of a
farmer who has one, two or half a
dozen good mares. lie is intelligent
enough to know the superior value of a
"standard-bred" horse one who can
rest his claim for excellence of blood
a pon the performances of his ancestors.
The services of such a horse are ob
tained, it matters little at what price,
within reasonable limits, for we all
know that it costs as much to raue a
poor colt as a good one and we must
use good sires anyhow. The farmer's
boys become interested in the subject of
trotters, and a horse paper is subscribed
for. They are nearly all ably edi'.ed,
and give to any reader much valuable
information. The boys are soon "up"
ou the Ilambletonians and Mambriuoes,
the Clays and the Wilkeses, and they
live in great expectations of the com
ing foal. At length the looked-ror
day arrives, and the colt has a spot iu
its forehead and one white foot, and is
the most promising thing ever seen, lu
following his dam, he now and then
shows a "natural trotting action," ami
the only unfortunate thing about him
Is the fact that we must wait so long to
see him go. As the months go by we
pet him, aud we bit him, and we han
dle him, and at length tlie happy time
has come, and we buy a new sulky,
and he goes just splendidly. We are
careful to jog him very gently. We are
sure It is iu him, and we can afford to
Wait. We think he would work better
with a different bit; so we try a half
dozen or more of dr-reut iiatterus and
Immense claims, aud we are rather
doubtful which is the best. We fancy
his action would be better with toe
weights; so We get sets of different
sizes, aud conclude that his reach is
rather improved. Then we find that
he once cut himself a little at his best
gait, and we get boots for him, and as
we thought others were required, we
obtained other devices, until we had
him pretty well covered from his hoofs
to his body. We had much trouble in
getting him properly shod, but at last
we found a man in a neighboring vil
lage, who bad worked near a race track,
aud he did the work to suit us, wilh
the heels of the hind shoes extending
well back behind the foot.
His speed develoiied finely. We had no
place where we could time him, but we
were irfectly sure he was well up in
the forties. At length some one iu our
neighborhood somehow, in a swap, got
au old wreck of a three-minute roadcr,
and proposed to give our colt a UiaL
We were glad enough to show him our
quality, but somei.ow our colt wasn't
in the humor that day. We never saw
him break so. We resolved to show
him at the county fair. How we
groomed him! Ills coat shone like
satin. We had built for him when two
yeats old, a roomy box stall, which we
kept well litteied. Now, it was our
delight to throw that door 0(ien for the
admiring gaze of our neighbors aud
visitors. It was a proud day when we
ilrove upon the track at the county fair,
but somehow, our son of a "standard"
sire wasn't iu humor again.
Well, other colts were coming on and
must lie trained; so we decided to sell
our splendid horse, now six years old.
We fixed the price at $1,000. We
knew that other horses, not nearly his
equal, had sold for much larger sums,
but we had decided to lix upon a mod
eiate price. People didn't come to buy
him as we expected, and at length we
decided to take $750. Hut no one offered
it. We were a little short of money,
and one day a dealer said he would
take him at T.'iO, as the nominal price
to be told to inquirers, but the actual
cost was S400. We learned that was
tlte Usual way such horses were sold.
A slight calculation showed us that he
had cost over $"i00 without taking t e
Uuies-iei-t lu handling him into account.
The other colts came on finely. We
sold one f $ToO cash nominal price,
$10UU ut others didn't turn out so
well, itu. oalf of them went at $100,
and found their way to the city street
cars.
All this time the farm did very poorly.
It took so much time to handle the
colts that the corn lields were always
weedy, and the fences and buildings
could not be kept in repair. Our ex
penses were so heavy that we were
compelled to borrow money, which iu
time embellished our farm with a mort
gage, and finally the mortga-re took the
farm. Sulisequent investigation showed
us that our experience was but one
case in many hundreds of similar char
acter. 1 here is an important moral side to
this question which left its mark upon
the boys, but the pecuniary result is
the subject under consideration.
But some ot my hearers are saying
that very fast horses are raised, and
they sell for big prices. Yes, I know
of such. A fneud of mine has laiied
a magnificent mare. She has trott d in
twenty-eight- When she was three his
fort-man exercised her every day. Tlie
next year a skillful driver was em
ployed, who was to do other work when
not employed with the mare, but some
how she took nearly all his time as she
also did the following year, until she
was sent to a professional trainer. She
has beeu trained every year since, and
has cost nearly $-,'KXJ. She is now
ten years old, aud not yet sold. Another
friend of mine has a splendidly bred
mare, that has trotted a quarter iu
thirty-four seconds. But I am sorry
for my friend. He has a real white
eleplumt upou his hands, that has great
value, but Is using itself up in expenses
w.tli shocking rapidity. Such horses
are sold with difficulty, while the risk
of injury la very g.eat.
Sincere as is my admiration for the
American trotting horse, my opinion is
equally sincere that he has been but
little short of a curse to the average
fanner who has attempted to rear him.
Shall he not then be bred? Yes, he is
being successfully aud perhaps profit
ably reared at many breeding establish
ments throughout the country. They
have abundant capital, with numbers
of standard-bred mares that have them
selves been great performers. Tbey
have stallions of such strains of blood
as will cross upon these with every as
suranoe of successful results. The
have every convenience aud appliance
for developing the colts, aud competent
men are employed for the work just as
they are in any other business. Their
quick eyes detect the poor ones, and
such are weeded out before much ex
I ieii.se is wasted upou them. These
establishments are well known, and
their well-trained colts find a ready
sale at prices that no farmer can exiect
to ob ain for equally good animals. The
demand for very fast horses at very
big prices, is limited, and t hese estab
lishments can now supply it. The far
mer who would compete with them is
little short of insane. The numbers of
fast trotters are increasing more rapidly
than is the demand tor them. Four
hundred and fifty (4"0) gained admis
sion to the 2:30 class tins year, lu
there were only 151 horses In this class;
now there are over 3,000.
From what I have said it will be
seen that there are two chief dillicul
ties in tlie way of farmers; the first is
the extreme improbability of his having
the mares from which he can possibly
obtain the desired results, even it lie
has the intelligence and skill necessary
in such a complicated problem, and the
second is his want of fac. lilies for the
economical and successful development
and training of the colts. Ii is this
training that ruins. Nome of the great
breeding establishments, notably Alex
ander's in Kentucky, bleed only. They
do not train their colts, .uit sell theiii
to others to do this and to incur the
risk and expense thereof.
Still the question is, what horses
shall we raise V
The present prices of different grades
of horses at the Twenty-lourth s reet
market iu New York city are as fol
lows: Common street car horses, f 1J.1
to $150; liest street car horses, fltio to
$175, roadsters, fifteen ami a hall hands
high, of good quality, $J5d; roadsters of
extra qual'ty, and capable of trotting
in three minutes, $400 to $500; coupe
horses, from $75 to $100; coachers,
from $O0 to $1A)0 ier pair, w ith higher
prices for great excellence; express
horses, weighing 4.J00 iKtuuds, $350 to
$375; truck horses weighing 1400 pounds
aud upward, $375 to $400 each, with
tho.-e of extra size and quality, from
$450 to $500 each. We can study these
figures with advantage.
It does not pay any one to raise
horses of the street car class, and wheu
electricity Is generally used for street
car propulsion, these horses will have
almost no market whatever. We have
shown how uncertain is the breeding of
the roadster class. All the others sre
large sized horses. Coachers are high
priced wheu of good quality, but it is
difficult to get them good enough.
They must have fine heads, aud good
necks well put on, and high knee ac
tion, and a lofty carriage of the tail,
and their color must be good. Then
much time and expense are necessary to
get tliem "shaped up" projierly. The
truck horse commands nearly as high
an average price as does tlie coacher,
and his value is not affected by a big
head or a little oue, and but little by his
neck whether it is long or short. He
can carry his tail where and as he
pleases, aud it matters little what his
color is. Iu other words, there are five
or more blanks in raising coachers to
one iu draft horses. The new French
Coachers and the Cleveland Bays are
magnificent, and I wish there were
more of them, but we are now looking
only for money.
In breeding draft horses from any
but pure-bred mares there w ill of course
lie a difference iu the size and action oi
the progeny. Fortunately all these
drop into good classes. It not heavy
enough for draft purposes they com
mand good prices from the express
companies, while the Ixst iu tyle and
action make excellent coujie horses.
The very lightest are well sui.cd for the
increasingly popular Hansom.
Col. Kaveuhlll, w ho examined Amer
ican horstswlth a view to their pur
chase for the English army, state. 1 in
his report that our horses ate ouly
suited for the highest mounts, while
the horses large enough or artillery
service aud for u-e in the couiiuissaiy
department cannot lie found h re in
sufficient nuiuliers to warrau any re
liance to be placed uon them. There
can be no question but that tins cor
rectly represents the mferior size of our
average horses, similar statements are
given in their resrts made to the
French aud (ieruian governments 1 y
their oflicers who made exam i nations
here. We thus have additional reasons
for breed. ng aud leeding for gieat r
size.
The figures I have given were ob
tained a tew days ao from 1. II. IKihl
man, the largest dealer in New Yoik.
and this important statement was
added, that drait horses can alwuy be
sold for ready cash, whi.e coachers,
roadsters, etc., often eat off a good part
of their heads iu finning buyers. We
therefore conclude from the foregoing
that our farmers will hud much greater
profit in breeding heavy l.oiscs than can
be exiected from those of any other
character.
It is not our puriose to enter into tlie
consideration ot the relative merits of
the various large breeds, or to indicate
whether Noimans, Clydes or Shires
will give the greatest profits from their
colls. We will coutent ourselves with
the statement that souudue-s of feet,
level-headed nes.-, quietness of disiosi
tion aud rapidity of walk, are prime
considerations ami are here named in
the order of their iuiioilaiice. The
breed that possesses these qualities iu
the greatest degree should be preferred.
It has been the stupendous error or
the average farmer to consider that any
mare vid do to raise a colt from.
Thousands of worthless horses bear
witness to the absurdity of this. The
mare should be, as nearly as we cau
have her, what we hope the colt to be.
Above all she must be sound In feet,
I .one and wind. She should be rang?,
to have ro in for tlie growth of the
fo-lus, and wide iu tlie hips to a. low of
easy partur.tion. The stallion should
be rather more com (tactly built than the
mare. "A short back and a long belly,"
is an old aud a correct rule lor a ser
viceable horse. It means good shoul
ders, good w ithers, good back and loiu,
and powerful quarters. The breeder
may be assisted by giving some atten
tion to the rule, which has many excep
tions, that the male parent gives the
external and the female the Internal
structure; that the sire gives the locomo
tion aud the dam the vital organs thai
is, the constitution. The mule and the
hiuny are striking illustrations of this
rule.
I am decidedly In favor of autumn
foals. The press of spring work upou
the farm demands more service fiom
the foal-bearing mare than she should
be required to perform; the flies of
summer annoy and often nearly devour
the youngster; both dam aud oolA often
suffer from insufficient food In the
short pastures of a (UTMlb; and at
length the colt 1m WMkned wbaa the
frost-bitten grass lias lost its nutriment,
and the increasing cold demands abun
dunt food. The first winter is a trying
time ith colts, and many never re
cover from the injury they tlieu receive
from insufficient or improper food.
With warm stables and comfortable
sheds, the autumu colt can suck the1
well fed mare in the winter aud lie
weaned upon fresh grass in the spring,
and never know a check in his growth.
He is old and strong enough to with
stand the attacks of flies in summer
and to endure without injury the colds
of his second winter. He should receive
regular rations of oats and wheat brsn
as soon as he has learned to eat, along
with the mare wheu she is taking her
feed. These can best be given him at
a little distance from the mare, she
being secured in her place by a halter.
For the first year he should receive
liberal allowances of these foods twice
every day, with such mixed hay and
pasturage as he can take beside. These,
with linseed meal, must be the ma n
reliance for making him all we hope
him to be. They are rich iu the ele
ments which make growth, and with
out these no perfect annual can I
reared. Corn should l ever be given
except in limited quantity in winter
when warmth from carbo-hydrate is
needed. When corn must be fed, it
should always lie ground ami uuxed
with finely-cut clover hay, alight iy
moistened. The clover supplies the
ii trogeuous food iu which the corn is
so tieiic.eut, ami also gives the necessary
bulk for proper digestion In the stom
ach. It should always l reuieiiiliered
that the horse has but one stomach,
aud that is small. While on the one
hand, this cannot contain enough of
coarse innutritions lo.nl, like straw or
oor hay, to meet the demands of sub
sistence and growth, yet ou the other
the food must be bulky enough to
admit of speedy and thorough action of
the gastric juice, so that the nutritive
(tortious ma)' It' quickly dissolved and
the K-fiise discharged. Where corn
meal is fed alone it goes into the stom
ach in the plastic condition of dough,
is there rolled about by the muscular
action, is as iiupeivious to the digesting
juices as a ball of India rubber, and
produces fever and frequently serious
colic. Where corn Is largely fed, its
heating effects iiku the blool are
readily shown in unsoundness at the
extremities. The oat is a wholesome
food when fetl alone because nearly oue
thiid of its bulk is husk, which makes
the mass iu the stomach porous like a
sponge. 1 tle-iire lo reieal, that mixed
hay with a good proirlioii of clover,
oats, wheat bran and linseed meal, all
containing albuminoids which furnish
the materials for growth, must lie re
lied ujtou to develop a draft horse to
his true proportions. He must never
know a hungry day, and he must never
sjiend aa hour shiver. ng on the north
side of a barn, waiting for his foo I.
While ou the one hand a stable may be
too warm, ou the other, every storm iu
winter is loo cold for a steady and vig
orous growth. An exposjre to cold
t hut produces an active circulation on
the sui face, and gives to lioys ami girls
blight rosy checks, conduces to health,
but every exposure that chills the blood
draws upon the vital forces and saps
the foundations of the constitution, it
costs more and takes double tiie time
ti regain a pound of lost weight than
it docs to add five Jiounds in a continu
ous growth.
1 am strongly in favor of groom, ug
coils iu winter, not with the expendi
ture of lalxir iits-essnry iu usiu the
curiycomh and brush, but by a hastv
rubbing with a stiff stable biooui. it
accomplshes two llnpoi t.uit results
the stimulation of a healthful action of
Ihe skill, and the acquaintance of the
coll With handling and wl h tlie fonts' t
with su'istaucei that otherwise would
occashui alarm, i'h.s must lie com
menced with gieal telit lene-ia. At no
tune iu his mow th shoutd a coll lie
frightened. I 'nuecciMary fright ruins
multitudes of iiiirs'i. My own colts,
some of w Inch are nigli y bled puiio ly
for saddle h rte-i, and are of iieivous
temperaments, aie daily treated to the
stable-broom grooming, to their evi
dent lieuetiU Now almost anything
can lie tin own against tneui or about
their legs without occasioning alarm.
At all ages colts should hat atiuti
daul exercise. The p.t-tuie in summer,
aud well-enclosed. weiI-hoided pad
docks in winter, lurnish the liest opir
tunities for it. They shyuld U fre
quently Iihii lie I fiom the beginning b.
cool ami judicious hand-, ever remem
bering that, like ourselves, they can
learn but one letter of the alphaiiet and
one step iu their knowledge at a time.
Every colt, whatever his ctas-i, should
be broken to the saddle, because at
some time iu alter life lie mii-t lie mi
lieu, aud Itecause in no other way cau
he oht tin such acquaintance with his
master's will. The colt leared for
dr. if l purisises c tu hive the walking
gait develoyed win n under the sad lie
moie readily than in any other way.
This should alterward lie continued by
service beside a fast walking horse.
Ill conclusion, 1 will only mil that
the exielie of breaking a draft horse is
less, by many times, than any other; he
sooner pays for nis keep by service iiimiu
the farm i han does any other; when old
enough for the market, he finds a
readier sale than does any other; and a
given n u m 1st of them, from ten to a
hundred taken together, will sell for
more money than will au equal manlier
of any other class of horses w hatsoever.
To-day the West has almost auionopoly
In our country In rearing these protit
able animals. The agricultural pas-rs
are filled with advertisements of stud
establishments; their State and county
fairs find their greatest attractions in
their exhibition, and their farmers are
rapidly learning the ad vantages of tear
ing them. We can surpass them if we
will, for our situation ami condition are
Itelter than theirs. Our farmers will
do well to give early and earnest atteu
tiou to tins imiMirtant subjecL
A new direct-action tricycle has bee i
in trounced which enables the rider to
take his vehicle up steep grades with
out dismounting. l'ressure from the
foot to bear directly upon the main
axle, and so transmitted to the driving
wheels ou both shies without loss, anil
the liosition of the rider is so regulated
as to allow only so much weuht.to bear
on the back wheel as will insure cer
tainty in steering.
At the concltistou ot a lecture ou
European tests of artillery and armor
plates, Capt. C. Orde Brown urged the
need of a better system of estimating
tlia .fT.Mla nt srtillur tn l.up.l ...........
than the one now to vogue, the need
for developing the manufacture of
steel projectiles for artillery, aud the
necessity for making experiments in:
England tS very hard armor-plates. I
A contented spirit is the sw eetneats ot
sxisHiiioe.
NEWS IN BRIEF.
A hotel to cost fl.lJ.'.OOO is going
up in Sdney, New rsouth Wales.
Women lu London are beginning
to affect tlte single eyeglasses, it it
chronicled ..
Facetious Englishmen call tbt
American M mister's house in London
Lincoln's I mi.
A cariiage road has just lieen com
pleted to the top of l'ike's I'eak. It U
sixteen miles long.
A plain pold ring was fouit by a
Washington (N. C.) man iiuliedded lu
a huge block of ice.
A petrified rabttit and numerout
old coins were found twenty-four feet
tielow the surface in I'oi t tinoulh, O.,
recently.
A citizen of New Brunswick. N.
J., had straw berries giow.ng m tut
garden, iu the ohti air the last week ID
August, so It is it Jiorled at least.
California, it is sal I, now m.iiiti.
facture nearly all the iron she nerds,
though only a few cars a"o Mie d-IK-iitied
tu the Fat fin her supply.
Maine capitali-ts have foi in. si
company M h tci mine if then- is coal
at l ..e mouth ol tl.e Kenueiiei: liver,
where tl it si. tied thai dei s:ts hatd
been f 'lin'.n f.n U"i w.tis.
Ill a six'.een-p.ii;e lots letter ex
hibited III Colli t 111 "o .thea-t Missollll
recently, the word "dail.n" occuired
Tl limes, and yet Ihe unl in the fa-
;ald il was "a cold, unit 1 ,i,g epistle. "
A cainer p.geou, vet y much tire 1.
recently Hew ou Uurd the s luknu r
tiertrude, when the latter was wiihin a
day's sailing of Interpol t. Me. I he
bird had a small silver tag ou one leg
with "( i. 11. (J., VJ mill 31" ei ..tved
on II.
Three school Imivs of SoinHie, 'al ,
tiiouglll they'll have fun this vacation
playing gold mining. So they began
mi a worn out claim on the lieach neui
Point Sal, and In -Jl days, woikmg not
more thu'i eight hours a dav, made
$-'4 .
Connecticut has her share of dis
tricls with curious names. A writer
says in goiiw; to West Kocky Hill from
East Berlin o:,e passes ovei Coohull
1 1 ill to Puuipkiutow n, sees Peat
wwamp. Hang log. Vexation, (omI's
Acre aud "Two Sdmics," now lins
woltlvilc. Actual elevations taken since the
recent disaster at Johnstown, Pa., show
that during the Hood the walci iu the
neighborhood of Coiieiuaugh and the
Soiilh Fork bridge reached au averag
height of 40 f. el aliove low-w ater mark.
At the big viaduct ou the iii-stieaui
side the water was 7'.l feet tleen.
It Is an Ohio man who now makes
a curious discoveiy. lie sas if yon go
out to feed a llocn of chickens and keep
them waiting they will first flock iiIkiuI
you and then liegm a circuit around
oii fiom Ihe r ght to left, and that no
amount ot inlcn upturn or main uver
ing will confuse or tilin them in an
other direction. The hen is lu au ex
haustible source ol sludiou-t contempla
tion. A whale, ineasiu iim feet, wan
dered Into Foil Cove, iu inner N-winiil
(II. I.) hai h.T li-cc nti t , ami got sttand
ed ou ihe itM-ks. .j vjuus empii-ed iu
the lielhbol ho.nl sloiii-l and iluhlied
Ine lltoltsler lllllli he finally Wolknl
liiiuself Ins. Ho then sw.iiu owi to
the Fort wharf, when- tin- r-.Khers
shot htm. '1 he taicass was lleii
got ashoie and ski'me 1.
Ihe authoi ties i f Wdi, .tut slid
M.U V College .it W ililalllsl.ii! , V.,
leeelltly re IVed .1 ie.ter llolll IL W.
I Ii' ler, t he tsl l! . . i( the Ifi.'t..,, and
Ins sister, in hli Ii the) s,t v I ha. they
have III then , ssioii the ill hlon&n
Mill dial wh Ii w is t.iki u linn 'he lit
t-t 1 1 tit ii i i, an 1 w hi. h In- piew-nt own
el s ollei to l est. ir.
Ihe law lelter UiTt, selerted bv
the I ittvei 1 1 ii.eiit ti lu among ll'i le
Mgns siil'lij tie 1. has .t suit that 1- tint
Visible until .4 Klioh IS pill is down.
The letter tails ujion ti.e lia, arid ou
leieasing tlt'i klti.ii I tla) Oi.ips and
the letter Is Sec III e. V lole the si.it is
iii the tlay pi.itects the litois pie
Vious.y di. pi-d in the box. Tne new
Ih.xis will 1-e sulistilutrd fur those now
lu use as rapidly as the la.trr liecoiue
damaged.
Is it safe? lu Hartford the lali-xt
device us-ad by win-euu.in lo cie.n Un-ii
paths of d-.gs and tnus pn-w iit col
lisions is lo can y a p.u k.ig of tni i-i-does
an. I enpliHle oue or moie when
ever a dog ahead seems likely lo l-roe
au obsli uction, "The loriedo invail
ably has the elf.ft of causing th ani
mal to s auiiei, although the danger
alwas exists In. it the dog may bn per
verse enough to 1 1111 toward instead of
away rrout it. There is danger, more
over, that I lie torpedo w ill lie more el
feclive in S'aring horses than .logs."
Two Lawn-lice (Mass.) men laid a
wager last J uly as to w hii h could make
tne quicker trip to London and return
and not pay a cent for travelling ri
pen es ami on "septemlier .Itli the w in
ner arrived home from his journey. He
succeeded in making his Way by
boarding freight tiams and stowing
I iinself away in steamers across ami
hack. He apieared on deck alter the
ships weie under way and w.t. allowed
to woik Ins passage. The trip occupied
.'is days.
Acuiious Scene Was wilin-.-ed lit
Palace Yard, U stmiiister, l.nglauu
A sparrow was picking up tin- corn
wntch hal fal. en fiom the Imises' nose
bags, w he u a mouse apn aie l aud pro
ceed to dispute with the shallow his
right to the dainty mors -Is. A fight
ensued, which lasted lor some iiilnnU-s,
ami then the sparrow lieal a retreat.
Tlie sparrow had evidently lieen injured
in tlte tussle, aud lot a time l.e was
unable lo fly. At last the sparrow (lew
up, and a cabin in 1'i.she.l tne incident
by killing the mouse with a whip.
Edison's brother, a I. timer iu
Michigan, tells this story of tne gre.it
inventor: "It would ii-qune a vivid
imagination to lieat. Tola's ca-e.
He has had many singular experience-.
When a watchman al the station m
Stratford, Ontario, he was exiect d lo
pull a button every 40 minutes .lining
the lug!. I to inform all parties Intel -esied
laiat he was on deck. Before he
hal been lu the position long his inven
tive faculties w. re set to work, and he
Soon had the button pulled by au elec
trical device as regularly as cl.x'kw.nk.
Tom then went calmly to lie.J aud sc-pl
all night like a w hite maii.Th s worked
first-rate until two trains canin m-ar
colliding thiough his lack of attention,
a fact, which caused linn to throw up
h s posit ion and returu to tins sid j of
the line."
1'iof. llaU, the Astronomer 1! oval
for Ireland, iu an address on coui ts,
considering that the meteori.ls seen as
shooting stars m were actually the
lemains of the talis of Comets.
'ri'Tkf V-To':vVA"v! i -
Tnon Jf!rfM"!7r n-ri r?.o?r