I THE SOUMNRECONWERED. {
"Chinese" Gr-ordon Avenged. <5
OMPLETE and
jgi overwhelming is
£raf the defeat of the
jCgjSjto Dervishes.
WTill January 27,
/ fSm 1885 —England
T was humiliated in
' J* *ke Soudan by the
AsVi 4 *) ront of her troops,
the assassination
of Gordon and
Kf n/yV j\. the fall of Khar
ll V/ V \ toum, the capital
of Equatorial
Ww Provinces of
Egypt and the
111 n oen * ;re °* British
Hu j l\ influence in Cen-
II I I II 1 lU tral Africa.
111 li ffl a\\ September 3,
I \ 111 A\ * B9B England
I II \il \) Gordon were
iti i Mil" A avenged by the
Vfi utter rout of the
: y\ fj Mahdists, by the
fall of Omdurman,
gjac-gfel \ (he Mahdist capi
" tal, just across
the Nile from the ruins of Khartoum,
and by the complete re-establishment
of British power in the rich Soudan
ese provinces. With the overthrow
of the Mahdist empire the last strong
hold of the slave trade in the world
has been destroyed.
The man who has touted the Der
vishes, Major-General Sir Horatio
Herbert Kitchener, G. B. C. M. G.,
has rendered the greatest service to
MAJOR-OENERAL HERBERT KITCHENER.
his country, both in a military and
civil capacity. He was born in Ire
land* of good old Irish fighting stock,
in 1851 and obtained a lieutenant's
commission when twenty years of ago.
He became captain in 1883, major in
the following year, lieutenant-colonel
in 1885 and colonal in 1888.
After the Soudan campaign he was
selected to recognize the Egyptiam
army and appointed Sirdar of the
forces, and striking testimony to his
ability has been given by the efficiency
of the troops under his command dur
ing the expedition which has culmin
ated in the recapture of the strong
hold of the fanatics.
The fall of Khartoum means that
the power of the Khalifa Abdullah is
practically overthrown and that Kar
dofan and the Soudan are restored to
the rule of Egypt, and that a point of
great strategic importance and of vast
commercial possibilities has been
gained. Seated at the confluence of
the Blue Nile and White Nile, the oity
is bound to be a great emporium of
trade. It is shaped like the head of
an elephant, from which it derives its
name. In the old days it was very
beautiful, with white walls and domes
and minarets gleaming through green
palm groves. But the Khalifa's wild
[.
OMDURMAN, THE MAHDIST CAPITAL, CAPTURED BY THE BBITIBH FORCES.
followers have probably made the city
desolate.
The city has had au eventful history
since 1882. Raouf Pacha was govern
ing the Isle of Meroe for the Khedive
in that year. News was beginning to
arrive of a certain Dervish wandering
in the Soudan, who was drawing all
the natives to him,and especially those
Arabs who lived by the slave trade,
which Oessi Pacha had been extirpa
ting.
This Dervish, Mohammed Ahmad
by name, could turn, it is said, all
government bullets into water, and
had, in truth, once and again defeated
Egyptian troops sent to arrest him.
Then, becoming bolder, the pretender
of a sudden openly called himself the
Mahdi, a name derived from a word in
the opening chapter of the Koran.
He called himself Mahdi Khalifat
er Basul, ("the successor of the
Prophet"), while his adherents called
him Sayid ("The Master"); Savid na
el Mab li ("Our Master, the Leader").
This troublesome and extraordinary
person, with no drill or military sci
ence, no weapons to speak of, but
plenty of ferocious followers, principal
ly of the Baggara race, marched through
the towns and villages of Kordofan,
and with 30,000 men beseiged El
THE KHALIFA ABDULLAH ON CAMELBAOK AT THE HEAD OF DERVISHES
Obeid and took the town after one re
pulse, cruelly murdering its brave de
fenders.
That conquest increased the name
and fame of the Mahdi, who settled
down like a king at El Obeid, while
preparing for a further advance to
Khartoum. By this time he had in
flamed with his preaching and success
the whole of Kordofan and of Sennar.
A DERVISH CHIEF.
except that corner where the city of
Khartoum sits upon the junction of
the White and Blue Nile.
Before he could master this central
position he had to confront the expe
dition under Hicks Pacha, sent by
the Egyptian Government to Bahad.
Everybody knows the miserable issue.
The Mahdi cut that force to pieces, so
that hardly a man escaped, and bythia
victory gained almost the entire Sou
dan, and opened the way to the con
quest of Khartoum.
Then the victorious and pious slave
dealer set out for Khartoum, where
the hapeless people, deceived by th«
hope of English help, had lingered ti
welcome Gordon. No notice wat
taken of that hero's proclamations to
the Soudanese. His communications
were cut with the north, and verj
soon a horde numbering 200,000
swarmed at the heels of the Mahdi
into Omdurman and the outskirts oi
Khartoum. This was in October,
1884.
The low Nile left a part of the ra^
parts broken and indefensible. Tht
vast mass of assailing Dervishes made
thereby their rush, in two bands, just
before the British relieving force
ceme in sight of the white walls and
green palm groves of the oity. Gor
don died at his hopeless post.
This undoubted triumph intoxicated
his followers with faith, but demoral
ized the Mahdi. He took to unbridled
luxury, and died of its consequence?
on July 22, 1885. The desert ascetio.
whose bed had been a mat of straw,
expired upon Persian carpets in all
the splendor and state of a great East
ern prince, having founded in hie
brief career an empire built on the
basis of slavery and reckless blood
shed. Before death he had himself
nominated Abdullah as his successor,
who thus inherited a dominion
stretching from the Bahr-el-Ghaxal to
Egypt, and from Darfur to the Bed
Sea.
The new tyrant began with very
great ideas. He proclaimed that he
would conquer all Egypt, as well as
Abyssinia. Putting all laws on one
side, he made himself absolute mastei
over life and death in the Soudan.
Some idea of the inner life of the
Mahdi and the Kahlifa is found ic
the remarkable experience of an Aus
trian officer named Statin, who,
while acting as governor of a province
in the Soudan under Gordon, was
captured by the Mahdi and held a
prisoner many years. When Khar
toum was taken Slatin was living in
a hut at Omdurman, heavily chained
and exposed daily to the insults of
the mob. After the taking of the
city some Dervishes came to him with
something rolled in a cloth, and, com
manding him to stand fortn, they un
rolled suddenly their bundle and
showed him the gory head of Gordon
Afterward he learned how Gordon had
died. When Khartoum fell and the
Mahdists were swarming through the
city, Gordon came down the stairway
of his house and demanded the leadei
of the invaders. He was speared to
death where he stood, and his head
cut off to show to the Mahdi.
The return of"The Man Who Was''
in Kipling's s f ory was no more dram
atic than the actual return to the land
of white men of Budolph Slatin, or
Slatin Pasha, as he is known. Six
teen years before the young anddash-
SLATIN PASHA.
ing Austrian officer had gone out into
the wilds of Africa as governor of the
great province of Darfur. For twelve
years he had been a slave in the hands
of the Mahdists, suffering every in
dignity that the ingenuity of the
Mahdi and his successor, the Khalifa,
could invent. One day a man dis
guised as an Arab trader, passed him
in the street and whispered to him
that he had beep sent by Major Win
gate, Director of Military Intelligence,
Egyptian Army, and Baron Heidler,
Austrian Ambassador in Cairo, to help
him to esoape. They managed to
have several interviews, and finally
one night, after the Khalifa had gone
to bed and the city was asleep, Slatin
mounted a donkey and rode to where
the faithful Arab, Hussein, had oamels
in waiting. Then a long and hazard
ous flight began, which, after much
suffering and many perils, ended in
the officers' mess at Assuan.
[FOR FARM AND GARDEN.!
Mint Rotation.
Successful farmers do not consider
it best to grow mint more than two to
four years on the same land. The
crops are usually followed by clover
or grain.
Fertilizers for Peach Tree*.
One of the difficulties in successful
peaoh growing is to get good land to
grow them on. The success of peaches
on a poor, sandy soil when the coun
try was new, and when even this had
plenty of potash, has led to the belief
that sandy soil is always best. It re
quires not only heavy potash man
uring to make long-cultivated sandy
soil fit to grow peaches, but also the
building up of humus in the soil so
that it can be filled with carbonic acid
gas and make the potash effective.
How Keen Ventilate Their Homos.
The buzzing sound that bees make
iu their hives, and which cau be often
heard by those standing outside, is
not produced for the sake of the music.
It is to expol the bad air;and a row or
tile of them may often be found near
the entrance, engaged in that health
giving operation.
Meanwhile, there is another little
company standing just outside "flut
tering" the fresh air in. All this time
the little messengers between hive
aud flower go, come and go,and brush
past the ventilating corps, with their
little loads of honey.
As high as twenty bees may be en
gaged at once in this praiseworthy
process of giving fresh air to their
homes. When they get tired their
place is taken b_v others, and the good
work of aeration still goes on.—Every
where.
I-arffe Barns Not Best.
Owing to the easily combustible
character of baru contents such build
ings are much more likely to be burned
than are others much more common
in the country. At this season of the
year, when such barns are tilled with
dauip hay or grain the moisture rising
from them makes the best sort of
lightning conductor, and this always
when it hits such a barn sets it ou
fire, with the result that it and neigh
boring buildings are burned. For
this reason it were better if barns
were built smaller aud less expensive
ly, and were scattered in different
places ou the farm, instead of being
hudled together, as is usually the case.
It is always best to insure the baru
whether the house is insured or not.
In the house tire most often results
from carelessness. In the barn it
may occur from causes which no fore
thought could have prevented.
Ground Bone for Poultry,
It is not pretended that ground
bone is of auy great value to fowls
that have the benefit of an extensive
grass range, but it is of undoubted
value when they are confined either
wholly or partially, and is one of the
essentials to success in winter feed
ing. It supplies to the growing heu
bone-making material, and counter
acts any tendency to diarrhoea in
poultry at any age. It also tends to
postpone the brooding instinct so great
a detriment when eggs are desired.
Burned bone is sometimes used, but
is not to be compared iu value to
ground bone. The latter should be
tine, usually the size of coarse oat
meal, and mixed with all the soft food
given,usually with the morning mash.
One ounce to every pint of dry meal
before moistening, is about the right
proportiou to feed. Ground bone
should not be confounded with crushed
raw bone, which is fed to laying hens
with great advantage occasionally, but
which is too concentrated to form any
considerable part of the daily ratiou,
as is advised with ground bone.
Retaining Soil Moisture.
The well known method of soil cul
tivation' for conserving moisture is
followed by all intelligent farmers who
operate on a large scale, but it is not
easy to practice when several crops
have to be taken from the soil each
year; or in other words, where inten
sive farming is practiced. Such farm
era know that while it is comparatively
easy to oouserve moisture in loarny
soils it is difficult to accomplish the
purpose by the same practice with
sandy or gravelly soils. The best
method of conserving moisture in soils
of this character is by the use of veg
etable matter incorporated with the
Boil. Coarse manure is used for mulch
ing and when the crop is removed the
land is sown to crimson clover, rye or
other similar crop turned under, and
vegetable matter supplied in that
manner. Soil of the character indi
cated, in the absence of a system of
irrigation,should be filled with humus
by the use of the plowed under crops
mentioned, to enable it to absorb and
retain all the moisture possible. Dur
ing the early part of the summer the
plants should be thoroughly cultivated
and frequently, and in the late season
the soil, not shaded by the growing
plants, should be covered with a
coarse mulch of straw manure, which
will assist in the retention of the
moisture and also add to the fertility
of the soil.
Palm* and Their Culture.
Until within a few years the palm
■was regarded as wholly a florist's plant
—something to be rented for special
occasions, guarded with the utmost
care, and returned with a sense of re
lief if it met no harm. But progres
sive florists have dispelled this allu
sion by culling from this great family
such varieties as are best adapted to
amateur culture, and to endure the
vicissitudes that characterize the
average living-room. Ambitious am»
teurs have not keen slow to avail
themselves of the tempting possibil*
ities in store for them, and have in
their turn practically verified th«
statements of florists that the palm
will stand a great deal of neglect and
wrong treatment before showing any
bad results. I trust this recital of
the fact will not encourage any one in
careless usage of so noble a plant, but
rather embolden the fearful 'to try
their " 'prentice hand" upon at least
one or two fine specimens. The firm,
heavy texture of their foliage enables
them to endure better than almost any
other decorative plant the varying and
high degrees of temperature to which
they are often subjected, and it is grat
ifying to know that the species that
thrive best under these disadvantages
are the most beautiful of the whole
palm family.
Palms are especially adapted to
places with limited sunshine, proving
a boon to many city dwellers, and will
do well in a strong light without sun
shine. They are often greatly in
jured by being kept constantly in
darkened halls and in apartments that
preclude the treatment essential to
their health. A daily sponging of
their foliage with tepid water may be
given by careful hands without dam
age to surroundings, and if they are
carried to another apartment for au
hour of morning sunshine, and thor
oughly showered once or twice a
week, they will remain in a healthy
condition, with judicious watering as
demanded. Remember always that
while limited and early morning sun
shine brightens and invigorates the
palm, strong sunshine destroys the
rich green color. —Vick's Magazine.
Making and Filling Silos.
Before the advent of the modern
corn harvester the cost of putting up
ensilage was considerable, but now,
with good management, the work can
be done at moderate cost. Corn en
silage in the silo will generally cost 81
to $1.50 per ton. This includes cost
of seed, preparation of land, interest
on same, cultivation of corn, cutting,
tilling, etc. This will vary according
to local conditions, yield, price of
laud and labor, facilities for work,etc.
Clover ensilage will usually cost less
than corn on account of the smaller
expense of growing the crop. The
crop may be estimated at about $1 per
ton. At present no great number of
men are needed to fill a silo, as mod
ern machinery greatly reduces the
labor. One man on a corn harvester
will cut as fast as the ordinary cutter
can take care of it, and three or four
men can do the loading, unloading
and feeding and see to the tilling.
Corn and clover can be putin the
silo either whole or cut, as seems best
under the circumstances, but this is
largely a matter of preference. Great
care must be taken in putting the
materials in whole to see that close
packing is secured about the sides,
and especially in the corners, if the
silo is rectangular. Cut material
packs itself to a certain extent, but it
should also be well tramped down in
the course of tilling.
To get the best silage and the least
loss it is important that the silo is at
least 24 feet deep and 30 feet is still
better. Next to the proper depth of'
silage the lining and doors are the
most important. Some method should
be employed to make the doors air
tight, as the ensilage spoils very rap
idly when brought in contact with the
air. To make a silo absolutely tight
is next to au impossibility, but there
are several ways to make it nearly so.
The inside may be lined with galvan
ized iron, but this does not seem to
withstand the action of the acids.
When paper is used between two or
more layers of board it should be of*
some waterproof quality. Shingles
are sometimes used, but are not, as a
rule, very satisfactory. Brick linings
when plastered with cement are very
satisfactory. Grout or concrete lin
ings are also good.
The all-wood round silo is perhaps
the most common type, and also is
about as durable as any for the amount
of money it takes to build it. Such a
silo can be lined with four-inch matched
flooring and made fairly tight, if the
boards are driven together with a very
thick paint or thick coal tar between
them. The numerous ways iu which
silos cau be built give every man a
chance to select the kind he thinks
best suited to his needs. No matter
what the type, all should be covered
with something to keep out the air, if
the silage is to stand for auy length of
time. Some method of ventilation
should also be provided in order to
keep the lining from rotting. If these
few simple points are observed
is no reason why every farmer should
not have a silo and be able to keep
ensilage in a satisfactory manner.—
American Agriculturist.
Poultry Notes
Lay in a supply of graiu and vegeta
bles for the long winter months.
Prepare now for \finter and make
the house and yard comfortable.
If an old rooster is not fit for the
table, kill him anyhow and bury him.
Never mind threshing the oats for
the fowls, they prefer to do it them
selves.
Never give rowls medicine in me
tallic vessels. Chemical combinations
might be injurious.
See that? the new poultry house, if
you are goiug to build one, is finished
before cold weather.
A poultry house should be high
enough for a person to stand in, and
that is high enough.
The earlier the hens shed their old
I coats the sooner they will begin to
make a winter egg record.
A writer declares that while old
fowls can stand cornu.Jal ami bran,
they never should be fed to chicks.
CITIZEN."
A. Farmer'* Son Who Won a Public Statu*
in Hit Lifetime.
The lata James S. T. Stranahan,
who for a quarter of a century had
been known as the "First Citizen of
Brooklyn," was born in Peterboro,
Madison County, N. Y., April 25,
1808, and came of Scotch-Irish an
cestors, his great-grandfather having
settled in Rhode Island in 1725. Mr.
Stranahan was brought up on a farm
under his stepfather, his own father
JAMES S. T. STRANAHAN.
having died when he was eight years
old. He worked on the farm in sum
mer and attended the village school ill
winter, and when about thirteen years
old was enabled togo to au academy
near his home, where he studied hard
until he reached the age of seventeen
j-ears. He then succeeded in getting
it school, where he taught for several
terms, at the same time studying civil
engineering, and when nineteen years
old he visited the great Northwest,
conducting a party of emigrants. Ha
tnoved to Brooklyn in 1844, and it
was in this place that he soon became
popular, both in politics, business and
tiuancial circles. At first he was en
gaged in th'e business of railroad con
tractor but, after looking over the
city, decided that there was a great
fortune in the waterfront and began
his favorite scheme of developing the
waterfront until he succeeded in hav
ing one of the most perfect and
systematic basins in the world.
In 1860 Mr. Stranahan began the
movement for the developing of Pros
pect Park in Brooklyn. There were
many who thought his scheme was
visionary, but he soon had the city
officials interested. During this
period Mr. Stranahan saw Prospect
Park, the City Park, Washington
Park, Tompkins Park and Carroll
Park added tc the great park system.
In 1891 a movement was started to
erect a bronze statue of Mr. Stranahan
in Prospect Park. The cost was met
by a popular subscription. Frederick
Macmonnies prepared the statue, and
it was unveiled on June 6, 1891. Mr.
Stranahan was also interested in
Greater New York, and frequently re
marked that he hoped he would live
to see the day that New York and
Brooklyn were united in one grand
municipality. He w.- • one of the
members of the original commission
that was appointed to bring about Ine
Greater New York.
First Woman Balloonist.
Mrs. Lucretia Bradley Hubbell.
aow living at Norwich, Conn., was the
irst woman togo up in a balloon.
MRS. HUBBELL, THE COSTUME WORN AT
HER ASCENSIONS IN 1855.
The ascension was made at Easton,
Penn., March 25, 1855. At the time
Mrs. Hubbell was twenty-seven years
old. The ascension was a decided
success, and the papers of those daya
1 extolled the achievement as one of the
most marvelous with which women
was accredited.
Nominated Him For " It."
"Say, Tom, pretend yer a Span
iard an' let de gang play wid yer fer
Pre minits."