PRESIDENT LOUBET'S MOTHER AND WIFE. gOGOoooooooooooooooooooooo I "MOTHER_LOUBET." 8 O The Venerable Peasant Woman Q O Whose Son Rulea Prance Still 5 Q Manages Her Farm. A OOOOOOOOOQQOOOOOOO3OOOOOOO Above is published a picture which tells at a glance why the monarchical press of England and the Continent thinks and says and shouts that the French people are crazy aud in the last stages of political and social chaos. It is the picture of the mother of the new President of the French Re public. What but the gloomiest view could monarchists, aud especially title hunting journalists, take of a nation that would select as its leaders the sons of such women as plain old "Mother Loubet," when it might be led by the sons of noble aud even royal mothers? But as Americans look into the face of this woman of the people they be gin to realize the truth about Frauce, the real France, the France that is filled with just such plain people as our own, toiling and struggling "that their children may inherit the promise." We see that France has shaken off the traditions of caste aud aud privilege, that she has become a land of, for aud by the plain people. And we know that through such homely virtues as shine from Mother Loubet's face—the virtues of sim plicity, shrewdness, frugality and in dustry— Frauce is aud will remain great. Mme. Loubet is living in the South ern country district which lias always been her home—a typical peasant si' lira ~ __ -JMfi M |H Mi 11,1 RWl# I ill 2L-" J| WHERE FRANCE'S PRESIDENT WAS BORN. (The old farmhouse at Mnrsiinne, where his widowed mother still lives.) woman of the most prosperous class. In spite of her eighty-six years, she is robust, active anrl still prepossessing in appearance. Ever since her sou was chosen to his high office his ven erable mother has been fairly besieged by roporterß from all parts of tho country, anxious to talk with and make known to the French peoplo a woman who has suddenly becomo a person of great public interest. Her mnideu namo was Marie Marguerite Nicolet. Hho is a typical landlord-peasant of France—simple, frugal, expert in husbandry, hard headed, with a driving a bargain. The rise in her son's fortunes has not altered her. She has refused to live in Paris or to ohange her mode of existence. Her portrait, whioh the newspapers have managed to obtain in her ordin ary workday dress, is said to be an excellent likeness. The short gown, the blue linen npron. the auaiut white cap and the clumsy, shapeless shoes are the characteristic garb of the country women of Southern France, and Mme. Loubet seems to look over her speotacles in mild wonder that any one should think them worthy to be photographed and published all over the world. The house in which Mme. Loubet lives, and in which the President him self was born, is near the little village of Marsanne, a district of the town of Montelimar. A narrow river-path, bordered with poplar trees, leads from Marsanne to the Loubet farm, at the end of the valley. There are two groups of square buildings, the rustic arrangements of which include stables, cattle sheds and barns on the ground floor, while above are the rooms of Mmo. Loubet. In the yards surrounding the house pigs, sheep and chickens wander about, enjoying themselves in sociable fashion and making the grounds of "LaTerrosse," as the farm is called, very lively at all times with their various cacklings, gruntings and bleatings. The bright, warm sunshine of the South is re flected dazzlingly from the red-tiled roofs and white plastered walls of the buildings. The whole farm has an air of prosperity aud industry, and is a conspicuous witness to the vigilance and capabilities of its mistress. Feudalism in Hungary* Inconceivable as the anachronism may seem to the Western mind, the agrarian system of Hungary has not yet issued from the feudal form. The Hungarian farmer of to-day is virtually a serf, bound to his master, the hereditary owner of the soil which the peasant tills, by the tangible tie of personal liability. The Hungarian feudal lord of the end-of-the-century is entitled to fifty days' labor from each male adult who dwells on his land. The seignior is at liberty to demand this feudal contribution at whatever time may seem best to him, with the frequent result that tho tenant farmer is employed in gather ing his master's harvests while his own crops are rotting after a rainfall, or are being consumed by an early frost, or suffer damage from one on more of the many possible causes which render destructive the slightest delay on the part of the harvester in gathering the fruits of a year's labor. —S. Ivan Tonjoroff, in tho Aroua. Maurile'ft Conjecture. Maudie's papa is night editor on a newspaper, a fact which Maudie appar ently hasn't learned; for when some one asked her a few days ago what her father did for a living, Bhe re plied: "I div it np. I fink he's a burglar, 'tause he's out all night."—Tit-Bit». A DIAGRAM OF EXPANSION. Our Territorial Growth Compared Witt That of Other Natloua. Now that our treaty with Spain it ratified 161,096 square miles of terri tory are added to the United States, making a grand total of 3,771,662 square miles. Nearly a century and a quarter of time, the shedding of pa triotic blood and the expenditure oi much treasury have been necessary foi this acquisition. But from the begin ning of the first the ratifi cation of the last treaty the buildingoi our stable national territorial pyramid has steadily continued. First came the foundation stone in the cession by Great Britain, under the treaty of 1783, at the close of the Revo lution, when we acquired 827,844 square miles of territory, being all we own east of the Mississippi Biver and north of the then Spanish Florida pos sessions. After twenty years—in 1803—we more than doubled our broad acres by the Louisiana purchase from Franoe, adding 1,171,931 square miles to our territory at a cost of $15,000,000, and acquiring some of tho richest laud on the Continent, embracing the expanse between the Mississippi Biver and the Pacific Oceau, and between the pos sessions of Great Britain on the north and those of the then Mexico on the south. The second layer was added to our territorial pyramid. Sixteen more years passed, and in 1819, at a cost of $6,500,000, we pur chased the Spanish Florida posses sions, aud added tho third section of 59,268 square miles to our growing pyramid. Then came a rest for twenty-six years, during which time the older territory was being rapidly settled, when another section of 376,133 square miles was acquired, at a cost of $10,000,000, by the annexation oi tho independent State of Texas, in cluding the State now known by that name, together with portions of Kan sas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Indian Territory. This last acquistion soon led to trouble with Mexico, which brought on war, ending in peace under the treaty of 1848, by which we gained 545,783 square miles of territory, em braced in California, Nevada and Utah, with parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexioo. For this /won \ \ /spaih I \ / IS9B I \ /RUSSIA \ \ J 1867 \ \ / "mexICO l \ / ,a * B I———-A / TEXAS 18+5 / "france \ \ / /ao3 \ fo*o/1 OKCAT BRHjQN V we paid in money $18,000,000. There was lett in dispute 45,535 square miles of land south of the Gila River, now included in Arizona and New Mexico, and iu consideration of $lO,- 900,000 Mexico ceded it to us by tho treaty of 1853. A thin layer was idded to our territorial pyramid. Then fourteen of the most important peurs in the history of our country passed, when, iu 1867, by purchase from Russia, for $7,200,000 we added to our territory the large Alaskan block of 577,390 square miles. Thirty-one years of non-expansion rolled around, when, last year, Hawaii came to us and we gained a thiu slice 6582 square miles. On the heels of this cauio the last addition, by the ex tension of our jurisdiction over the 161,096 square miles of land relin quished to us by Spain under the late treaty, that followed a very short and most decisive war, and called for the payment of $20,000,000 on our part. When Uii Faith Kevlvcd. "Whenever melancholy seizes me And I despair of the human race," said the philosophical young man who was frequently out of employment, "I just take the testimonials that my former jmployers have given me and read their glowing description of at least Dno mau who is 'thoughtful, intrepid, modest, energetic, scholarly and a mau of action, honest and shrewd,' etc., etc., etc., and immediately my faith in mankind is revived." Kangas City's Exploitation Methods. Kansas City, Mo., has adopted a trademark. Hereafter it will appear on all manufactured goods sent out from that city. The desigu was se lected by the directors of the Manu facturers' Association from seventy eight which were submitted. It con sists of a map of the United States, KANSAS CITY'S TRADEMARK. with Kansas City represented by a star in tho exact centre. Above the star hovers an eagle with outspread wines. |FOR FARM AMD GARDEN^ The Weight of Hay. About a month ago a hay barn was destroyed by fire, together with con tents. There seems a difference of opinion between underwriters aud sur veyors as to number of cubic feet in a ton of baled and well pressed hay. Can you enlighten me on this point? G. B. G. New York. (A prominent dealer iu Albauy informs us that hay in loft loose is figured at 500 cubic feet to the ton. Sometimes grain is placed on hay which weights it down aud 480 cubic feet to the ton is then allowed. It is impossible to tell accurately the number of cubic feet in a ton of baled hay. It all depends on the kind of bales, aud how hard they are pressed. Sometimes 8 tons of light pressed can be placed in a car, while other times 13 tons of hard pressed can be putin the same space. If hay in question was pressed, the best way to figure is to get tbe num ber of bales and the average weights when putin the barn. You may then figure it out approximately.)— Country Gentleman. Coal A*heg an Absorbent*. Coal ashes have in themselves very little manurial value. This does not, however, deny the many aud true re ports of extraordinary growth ob tained from seeds that have been ac cidentally or intentionally planted iu coal ash heaps. It will always be found on investigation that such heaps received various kinds of slops from the house that contained fertilizing material or were found by the cats or dogs around the place the most con venient means of disposing of their excrement. Coal ashes are one of the best of absorbents. A surface cover ing of manure heaps with them will prevent loss of atnmouin, which will be retained in the ashes. Not more than needed for this purpose should be used, and it is better to use Ger man potash salts, which effect the same purpose, and have fertilizing properties besides. Still an old coal ash heap is worth saving. It makes an excellent mulch under trees, e-spe cially if it is desired to kill the grass under aud around them. Covering the entire surface under plum trees with coal ashes has sometimes been known to stop the curculio, probably when the little Turk could find plenty of other plum trees near by not thus orotected. Commercial Culture* UnnecKsnary. The discovery of the important part played by various bacteria iu produc ing the flavor and aroma of butter has led to the introduction of what are known as commercial butter cultures, aud dairymen have been led to hope that by the use of such cultures and of the process of pasteurizing, the quality of their butter might be ma terially improved. Becent trials at the Pennsylvania experiment station seem to indicate that cleanliness, the careful selection of milk, and close at tention to details promise to effect more in improving the flavor of our butter than pasteurizing aud the use of commercial cultures. With pasteurized cream, the aeid forming cultures were found to give slightly but distinctly better results than were obtained from unpasteur ized cream i ipened spontaneously, while non-acid forming cultures gave results, if anything slightly inferior to those obtained by spontaneous ripen ing. With unpasteurized cream, as might have been expected, the results were less marked. A homemale starter, however carefully prepared from skim miik, was found to give as good, if not betteresults th in the more expensive commercial cultnrts and this •vas true both with pasteur ized and raw cream; no distinctly beuet'.cial results weie observed from pasteurizing,although the experiments were not specially planned to te<t this point. These result* are similar to those recently published by the Wisconsin experiment station, and the two taken together do not seem to indicate that, under present conditions, marked ad vantages are to be anticipated from the use of the commercial cultures. Trials were also made of heating milk to a temperature of about 165 degrees Fahrenheit before sej aratiug,but with out any marked effect ou the flavoring of the resulting butter. —New England Homestead. Summer ISutter Making. Making butter in summer without ice, aud good butter at that, is by no means an impossibility,as some writers claim, but it lias its penalties. To make a good article the milk and cream must not be allowed t,» get old, very Bour or musty. When tho milk is set shallow iu the old fashion, delay is necessary to allow the cream to rise. This delay is dangerous, especially if pro.racte I until the milk turns to solid clabber, because tiie cream has then become too ripe to be hold longer for churning. If the skimming is done just at the time the milk lias be gun to clabber at the bottom, the ci earn can be held for a day or two if kept cold enough and no harm will be done nnd with slight loss of butter fat. Any further delay is sure to result in greater loss, .lust why this loss occurs Ido not know, but it seems to couie from a want of churnability iu the cream. The loss of butter fat by the average farmer when setting the milk shallow is fa" more serious than ho is aware, and amounts to many dollars in the course of the year, and is caused more from lack of skill iu handling the milk than to any fault of the system. By using a separator this loss of butter fat is almost entirely avoided, aud as the experiment stations lava proved that in comparison with the separator the shallow pans los« about $lO a cow during the year, it will be seen how serious this differ ence is. The reason of it is this: The separ ator takes tbe cream from the milk immediately after it comes from the the cow, and the cream can be putin a cool place at ouce. Here we have saved at least thirty hours' time that the milk would have to be exposed to the weather, thus saving its sweetness and purity if the cream is properly taken care of. The saving of labor in handling and cleaning a number of crocks or cans, and also the important matter of thereby being able to make a better article that brings a higher price, goes to make up the $lO a cow claimed for the separator.—Farm anil Home. Preparing tl»e Soil for the Garden. Soil that will produce a good crop of corn will make a good garden spot if properly fertilized and thoroughly cultivated. If the ground was heavily manured last fall and plowed it will be ready for planting this spring as soon as it cun be plowed. It may bo plowed at one time and that portion that is not used for early crops may be gone over with the harrow often enough till needed for later crops to keep weeds down and have the soil in good tilth when needed. If the garden was not plowed last fall plow as early as possi ble, then cover heavily with well rotted manure and harrow well. The better the plowing is done aud the more thorough the harrowing the less work will be needed with the hand rake to get the soil in proper condition to re ceive the small seeds. A little care taken in the plowing will tell mightily in the saving of future work to pro duce tho same seed bed. No "cut aud cover" plowing should be allowed on the farm much less on the garden plat. Do your best, most careful work in preparing the soil for garden seeds. The after work will be much less aud the future crop much more if the soil is iu the right shape for the seed when plauted. This is true in all farm crops. It does not pay to slight the prepara tion of corn land for the sake of gaining a day or two iu the planting time, iietter by far get live or ten acres ready at a time and plant, then get another piece ready and so on till all is done, than to get all half ready and rush in all the seed. This is a digres sion from the subject under considera tion but thorough preparation of the soil before planting pays in ail crops— garden vegetables and fruit plants in cluded. Make up your mind that you will have a garden when spring opens, select your seed now and prepare the soil thoroughly as early as you can and plant the seeds carefully iu long rows of easy cultivation with the horse and you will thank us for calling your atteution to this too long and too much neglected work of farm home making.—Farm,Field and Fireside. Stimulative Hoc Kcodlnc. The main-spring of profitable bee keeping in the way of money crops is strong colonies. This is the principal object the apiarist keeps in view from the time he begins work iu the early spring until the honey harvest opens. With strong colonies ho is sure of good returns if the honey season is a good one, and it must be of very short duration if he does not get fair re turns. Colonies of beos that are thus brought up to a high state of perfec tion will, in two weeks time during which there is a good honey How,store quite a largo amount of honey. Stimulative fee ling is the means by which colonies are made excessively strong, and almost every colony that is in fair condition and healthy in early spring can readily and rapidly be brought up by thus feeding. In the first place colonies must have a good reserve store of honey in the hives, and at no time should they run short. They should be f.'d regularly, and must be to get the best results. Feed ing should begin as soon as warm weather begins, and every day each colony is fed a small amount of syrup made from the best quality of sugar, the amount depending upon what they consume and convert in brood. If fed too heavily the combs wi 1 be tilled up, and thus shut out the queen's egg depo iting space. They will cousume on mi average for this purpose about half of a pint of syrup daily. Colonies,that are thus fed will in crease to more than double tli.? num bers of those not fed. When feeding is thus liegtiu it must be kept up oi the colony is iu danger of starving if feeding is stopped, from the fact that the large amount of bees and brood already in the combs will soon con sume all the reserve stores in the hive, and starvation must follow. Frequent ly in spring time bees are able to gather some honey from blossoms sometime before the principal honey How begius, so that feeding may not be kept up during any time they can gather tioney from flowers, but as soon as the natural flow ceases the feeding must commence, and thus continued up to the honey harvest. In using the common frame hives, it is neces sary to use two stories with two full soiS of brood combs to attain the best results i i strength of colonies, and at tho beginning of the honey harvest re mo e the upper one and in its place add the surplus honey l>oxe<.—A. H. Duff. OU»«MI Victoria'* Tomb. The touib of (.i'Ueeii Victoria and the English royal family is open to the public but one day a year, after the queen visits it. Within a short time of the departure of the queen and the other visitors the mausoleum is thrown open. It is one of the most beauti ful memorial chapels in the world. The interior is ornamented with ex ceedingly fine frescoes, aud, iu addi tion to the noblo monument to Prince Albert's memory, there are statues and busts of various of her majesty's departed relations. FAMOUS EDITOR-SENATOR DEAD. Patrick Wklih, a Notable Figure la Southern Political Life, Passes Ana;. H. Patrick Walsh, ex-United Stated Senator, Mayor of Augusta, Ga., and editor of the Augusta Chronicle, died in'thatoity a few days ago after a prolonged attack of nervous prostra tion. Patrick Walsh was one of the best known politicians and journalists in the South, and attained a high posi tion in national politics. He was ap pointed by Governor Northern to fill the unexpired term of Senator Alfred Colquitt in the United States Senate. PATBICK WALSH. He had been sick since December 1. Born in Ballingary, Ireland, in 1840, he came to Charleston, S. C., at an early age and begun newspaper work as an apprentice boy. He rose rapidly, and educated himself by working at night and going to school in the day time. He moved to Au gusta in 1862, and after working in different places became the owner and editor of the Augusta Chronicle, a leading paper of the region. He was always prominent in the State Democracy, serving in the Legisla ture during the seventies. He was a delegate from his county to State Democratic conventions for many years, served on many important com mittees, aud was a delegate to the Na tional Democratic Convention in 1880, which nominated General Hancock for President. He wa3 delegate-at large in 1884 to the Chicago Conven tion nominating Cleveland. For four years he was a Georgia member of the National Executive Committee. Mr. Walsh was appointed in 1894 to fill tho unexpired term of the lato United States Senator Colquitt. He was eleated Mayor of Augusta in No vember, 1897, for three years. Mr. Walsh was always foremost in any movement for the advancement of the South. He was a prime mover in the big expositions given at Augusta in the past. He was prominent in the work of the Catholic Church. Of his im mediate family, only his wife, former ly Miss McDonald, of Edgefield, S. C., survives him. Novel Way of Fishing. This picture gives a very good idea of the ingenious fish-traps in use among the natives of the South Sea Islands. These fish-traps are of vari ous designs and sizes, but are all on the same principle, containing an in closed passage for the entrance of the fish, gradually narrowing toward the centre of the trap, and terminating in a number of loose strands of the vine from which the apparatus is construct- IJtL IfisfSE A FI3H-TKAP IX THE SOUTH SKA ISLANDS, ed, so that once having entered the trap the fish are unable to discover any means of exit. The sea frontage of a South Sea Island village is usually ap portioned out in allotments among the natives, each man being expected to keep his fish-trap within tho space al lotted to him. It is sometimes very dangerous work visiting these traps; sudden squalls arise, and the hapless fisher, on his little catamaran, is blown out to sea and never more heard of. Where Jesse James Was Killed. The sensational trial and acquittal of Jesse James, Jr., at Kansas City, on the charge of train robbery, lias awakened an interest iu his famous HERE 808 FORD SHOT THE BANDIT. baudit father. The house in which Jesse James was killed iu ISSI still stands on the brow of Lafayette street hill in St. Joseph, Mo. It is au un failing source of interest to many [per sons who visit the city. An Author's Fitting End. An inscription on tho tomb of a local author in a Georgia cemetery reads— with some truth and no poetry: "Here he lies, nt thlrtv-flve: Ktru#ffled hard to keep alive. Of his books he printed seven; Starved to dentil aDd went to heaven.* —Atlanta Constitution.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers