1 The British Forces ' jf I in South Africa. | IS Trenqendous Preparations Made For ttie 8 s|g Contest Witli tine Boers. || jS FLOWER OF THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 8 HE whole of Eu cp, rope is watching j'j Great Britain at yCjy 1 ; 'J this crucial mo- W>i » ment in her mili- S|||| tary affairs. Por- Hp eign statesmon | and military es- Sf I';' perts regard the Bh I jj/M result of the war »'-WrtYi' 111"'- with the Boers as -OECflr!?'- a foregone con clusion. What they scan with such anxious interest is her tremendous preparations for the contest. By the result of these efforts will her strength be gauged. In assem bling an army twice as large as that which she sent to the Crimea and considerably greater than Well ington's force at Waterloo, England is offering an illustration, for the first time in many decades,of her abil ity to fight on the land. Although her naval strength has of ten been demonstrated to advantage, it has still been a matter of doubt whether her military arm would com pare favorably with that of continental nations, and in the throes of such a test she has been engaged recently day and night. Gangs of men are working incessant ly at the ports on Englaud's shores, transforming liners into troop ships. Largely augmented forces are cease lessly turning out ammunition and ordnance stores. Meanwhile the men for whom these implements of war are being made are pouring out of barracks to the ports, standing by to embark, drilling, man oeuvring and practising at targets every spare hour. The reserves are GENERAL SIR REDVERS EULLER. (lie commands the British forces in the Held in South Africa.) awarming into Aldershot in unher alded batches and reshouldering their rifles as if the transformation from civil to military life were merely an everyday occurrence. The huge mobilization at Aldershot is now in charge of Major-General Thomas Kelly-Kenny, Tnspector-Gen eral of Auxiliary Forces and Recruit ing, who has succeeded General Sir Redvers Builer. All the work is new. It is the first time that anything of the kind has been attempted since the short-service system went into effect. A visit to Aldershot produces t'no im pression that everything is going like clockwork, but it is too early yet to express a definite opinion regarding the British mobilization. For the reserves themselves, who are obliged to leave their wives and families on a pitiful pittance from the Government, much public sympathy has been aroused, exemplifying the truth of lludyard Kipling's jeer, "A special train for Atkins when the band begins to play." A number of reserves who were not called ont have asked to be allowed to eerve in South Africa, and a similar ■ ~1 BRITISH FIELD ARTILLERV ON THE NATAL BORDER. spirit of spontaneous, practical patriot ism is seen on all sides. Sir Bedvers Buller's force inoludes the flower of the English nobility. Sir Bedvers Henry Buller is an old campaigner, who has served his time in the country to whioh he is going, and who is regarded in London as the »r»r»af s»ar*ah)A mm fnr ihe nommanrl Sir Rodvers has been a soldier since he was nineteen. At that youthful age he was a commissioned officer of the Thirteenth Rifles, and on pure merit, combined with dogged deter mination, hard service and remark able bravery, he forged his way ahead to the high position he now holds. In '^^ ' mtKnvw.M'' V?" nOUHlid VO\_\Cfc TYPES OF THE BBITISH FORCES OPERATING AGA.INST THE BOERS. the war in Zulnland he won the rare Victoria Cross in the retreat of Inhlo bane. On that occasion he saved the life of a brother officer who was retir ing on foot hotly pursued by the Zulus. This gallant deed was only a sample of his conduct. Since that time Builer has been a conspicuous figure in the fierce fighting of the British on laud in vaded by their forces. He took part in the actions of Tel-el-Keber and of Kas sassin during the Egyptian war of 1882, and served with distinction under Wolseley in the Sudan expedition of 1884. It is the opinion of good judges that, with the exception of Wolseley and Roberts, Builer stands head and shoulders over any general now in the British army. The excellent Boer marksmanship, combined with the fact that it is au unwritten rule in the British army that officers must always stand under fire even though tlie men are lying down, makes mourning probable iu many a noble British house. The Admiralty is perhups more on trial than the army, especially as it is well known that General Lord Garnet Wolseley, the Commander-in-Chief, does not approve a system which gives the nary such far-reaching power in transporting troops. In 1882 Great Britain despatched fifteen thousand troops in three weeks to Alexandria, Egypt, a feat that elicit ed the intense admiration of Count von Moltke, but the task ol shipping more than fifty-two thousand men has no parallel iu the hiptory of England. Already two branches of the service are beginuing to blame each other for various delays, but it is scarcely ap parent that there has yet been any serious lack of facilities. The ship brokers have undoubtedly worked something like a corner on the Admiralty, as they did during the Hispano-American War, and the re cent breakdown of two transports is still the cause of considerable abuse of the Adn iralty. The most remarkable point in con nection with the transport arrange ments is that about eighty ships can be taken into the Government oervice without materially disturbing the ship ping trade. The weakest joint in the whole mob ilization seems to be the Army Service Corps, corresponding to the United States Commissary. The various sta tions have been gutted to obtain the necessary officers and men, yet many line officers assure the Associated Press that the arrangements are graven ly inadequate for such a corps. In thirf oonneotion the Naval and Military Record says: J "It is auiteclear that, if Englandhad to provide a second or third army corps for foreign service, these, 01 either of them, would have togo out without a full equipment. That this unpleasant discovery will form the subject of inquiry in Parliament goes without saying." No matter what the general opinion may be as to the merits of the quarrel between England and the Transvaal, all the world believes that the former will freely spend both blood and treas ure to establish her side of the argu ment. The troops whioh she will put into the field include many of the most famous regiments that have ever fought beneath English colors. This very fact should count for something in deciding the issue. The Boer, of course, will just as cheerfully shoot at a guardsman or a Gordon as at a meaner mark, but it should always bo remembered, in measuring the rela tive value of the two armies, that while the burgher has no regimental tradi tions and morale to preserve, the Briton has both, coupled with a devotion to his Queen,which should pretty nearly match the patriotic ardor of his Dutch antagonist. Among the historic regiments al ready in South Africa or under orders togo there, are the First (Royal) Dragoons, the Royal Scots Greys, the Sixth Inniskillings, the Sixth Dragoon Guards, the Tenth Hussars, the Twelfth Lancers, the Royal Munster Regiment, the Gordon Highlanders, the Black Watch, the Highland Light Infantry, the Liverpool Regiment, the Eighteenth Hussars and the North umberland Fusiliers. All of these have records which would tell the story of most of the victories aud not PRIVATE OF THE EIGHTEENTH HUSSARS. a few of the defeats achieved and sustained by the British army since that organization became an estab lished entity. The Gordons, who are now in Natal, have an old score to aettle with the Boers. In 1881 the regiment was attached to Sir Evelyn Wood's column, about 150 men being detailed to the small force operating under Sir George Colley's command. They were among the four hundred who scaled Majuba Hill and vainly endeavored to hold that position against the Boer at tack. Majors Hay and Singleton and Lieutenant Hamilton were wounded, Singleton fatally and Captain Mac gregor aud Lieutenants Wright, Mac donald and Staunton taken prisoners. An Kxtrnordlnnry Mountain. Near the little station of Maravillas, Peru., which means "marvelous," ou the Southern railway, thtre is a moun tain of which the most extraordiuary stories are told. It is claimed to be a solid mass of ores of all varieties in discriminately mixed, and as one citizen declared, "all you have to do is to blindfold your eyes, turn around three times, throw a little salt over your left shoulder, then begin to dig whero your spade strikes and you cau get any kind of ore you want —gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, autimony or anything else—audit lies right on the surface like gravel." The fact that this extraordiuary mineralogical phenomenon has not been utilized, however, rather detracts from the in terest of the story.—Chicago Record. Gave Them Fair Warning. A Vienna paper relates that not long ago three soldiers were drowned in a military swimming school in that city. A few days later an officer harangued his soldiers aB follows: "I want you all to be careful not to get drowned, because that creates uo end of bother /or the Colonel and the Captain. Be , sides, it is in your own interest, tool" The railway mileage of Russia now amounts to 29,000 miles, which in cludes tbe great Siber.an extension. BOOKKEEPING BY KNOTS. llow the Natives of Pera Use the Klpa Instead of Flgareit Dr. Max Uhle, a distinguished Ger man scientist, has been for many years engaged in archajological ex plorations in Peru. Among other important discoveries THE KIPU, USED FOR KEEPING ACCOUNTS of Dr. Uhle is the kipu, a collection of knotted strings of different colors which -were used by the peoples of tbe ancient civilizations of Peru, Ecuador Bnd Bolivia for the purpose of keep ing accounts. They had no written language and no system of figures. Their arithmetic consisted solely of little knotted strings. ' Among the primitive villages of the Andes, the descendants of the Incas depend up on the kipu for keeping accounts, and Dr. Uhle was so fortunate as to dis cover them in the hands of Indian herdsmen, who used them so skill fully that they are able to make a rec ord for every animal, every bushel of feed and article of property that is in trusted to their care. The colors of the different strings represent differ ent articles, such aa barley, corn, sheep, rams, ewes, lambs, horses, etc., while the knots, by their size aud distance from each other, express hundreds, tens and units, in such a manner as to accurately include the decimals. Stole From Queen Wlllielmlna. An extraordinary case of theft is re ported from The Hague, the victim being no less a personage than Queen Wilhelmina herself. The culprit ap pears to be the person to whom the safe custody of the young Queen's valuables was intrusted. The stolen articles consist of very valuable gold aud silver toilet pieces, and seem to have been abstracted from Her Ma jesty's dressing room. Their disap pearance was the cause of inquiries be ing made, and when the bulk of them were discovered in the possession of a silversmith, he stated that he had bought them from the official iu ques tion, who has now absconded. Helpmeet of Senator Ilnnnti. Mrs. Augusta Rhodes Hanna, wife of Senator Hanna, of Ohio, was born at Kent, then called Franklin Mills, 153 miles from Cleveland, and is the daughter of Daniel P. Rhodes. When she was two years old her parents re moved to Cleveland, where she has since resided. Miss Rhodes was sent to the Abbot Collegiate Institute, in New York City, for school training, aud on her return met her father's young business partner, Mr. Ilanna, and they were married iu 1804. Mr. aud Mrs. Hanna have three children, the son being Daniel R. Hanna. who is married and has a home on Euclid avenue, Cleveland. Miss Mabel is the elder daughter. She is fond of music, and devotes much time to the study of it. She is a charming and cultured young lady, aud is a line horsewoman. Ruth, the youngest child, is at school in Farmington, Connecticut. MRS. MARK A. HANNA. Mrs. Ilanna is a stately, handsome woman, with an impressive manner and considerable hauteur. Her abundant white hair is dressed in the latest fashion, and her complexion is like wild roses in the snow. Mrs. Hauna has been the reigning queen of society in Cleveland before aud since her marriage. Her gowns are made of the costliest fabrics, her jewels are worth a fortune, and she wears them with the dignity of a duchess. Sena tor and Mrs. Hanna are both fond ol entertaining their friends, and they please themselves and all concerned by giving magnificent social affairs. Mrs. Hanna gives liberally of hei bounty for charitable purposes, bul her time and her endeavor are de voted to her family and her friends. She has no time for the executive duties of clubs or other organizations. + a. A-A. A A. IFOR FARM AND GARDEN,£ Progressiva Poultry Tents. The houses at the Maine experiment /arm have been provided w.th regis tered hens' nests, which enables the attendant to keep a complete record of the eggs laid by each hen. The best hens will be selected and their eggs used for hatching purposes. The old idea as to the influence of the shape of eggß in determining the sex has been tested with no definite results. Experiments on flocks of different sizes of from 15 to 80 resulted iu the conclusion that the largest product of eggs was secured from the smallest pens, but considering the cost of handling and cost of coops tbe most profitable size of flock is 20 heus. Sliupe of Pork Rnrreli. It is about this time of the year that the pork barrel begins to give trouble, because the pork rises to the surface and can no longer be covered by the brine. Why does pork rise late in the season? An old farmer many yea's ago explained the reuson. Tbe pork barrel is made the same shape as any other barrel, t'nnf is, with its sides bulging in the mi Idle and smaller above and below. The proper shape for any barrel to hold pork or beef is with straight staves and smaller at the top than at the bottom. It is some what harder to reach down into such a barrel to get out a piece of meat,but the pork will keep as good as at first until the last layer is reached. That should be kept down by putting a cover down as large as can be squeezed through the top, and weigliiug it down to the bottom layer with heavy stones. Second Growth Clover. It is quite the practice with some farmers to pasture down the late or second growth clover. It is valuable for pasturage; nothing better for tbe cows. But if not used for grazing it will pay well to cut and cure it. The objection with some is the difficulty of curing. With tbe heavy dews of the length ening nights it is fouud that the cut clover scarcely gets dried through dur ing the day and it is almost invariably of dark color and appears to be unfit for stacking or stowing away in the the barn. As a matter of fact the dark-looking clover is dryer than it looks aud with reasonably good weather it may be sufficiently cured. This second-growth clover is in reality richer in nutritive qualities than the earlier crop. Often this later clover is better for seed and it is the custom of some good farmers to take their clover seed from the second gi owth. Sowlnc the Grain. It is preferable to sow wheat during a dry spell rather than when the laud is heavy. On fertile soil well man ured three pecks of good, sound wheat are sufficient for one acre if properly sown. On thinner laud, use a bushel of seed. A great many farmers go into a field, spread fertilizers, sow grain and plow all iu without any previous prepuiation of tbe land. Good crops are quite often harvested in this way, but it is owing more to the kindness of nature iu presenting unusually favorable conditions than from any other cause. Every farmer knows that thorough preparation of his land before planting any crop is two-thirds of the battle won. The garden presents a miniature object lesson of just what should be done with our fields. If the fields were haudled as nicely ns the gardens a vast difference would be realized in favor of increased yields from the field crops. Now it may appear to some that the plan of procedure sug gested in this article with regard to sowing a few acres in wheat may be too expeusive and laborious. Many may decide that tbe quickest aud cheapest method is well enough. As a matter of fact, tbe results of past sxperieuces have proven that the farmer who does well aud thoroughly that which he does at all will more rapidly win success iu his farming operations. Do not allow a little extra labor and fertilization to stand be tween you and the future breading of your family. Determine that what ever the cost you will make an earn est effort to cut down the heavy sup ply bills which have heretofore taken all tbe profit out of your busiues?,aud made farming iu the past few years an avocation of drudgery, from which you have derived but little pleasure or comfort for yourself and family.—At luhtalGa.) Constitution. Ileneflt* of Subsoiling. Stibsoiling should be practice ! on ever 3' farm, judging from our own ex perience. The best way we have found is to use an arrow -point-shaped shovel, running tint down, having centre bowed up enough to admit a stool post which is riveted to shovel and curved upright directly bebiud it, being sharp on front side to cut the dirt, and which can be attached to any plow, behind the share, says W. I. Short iu Mississippi Valley Demo crat. This, with oue extra horse to plow, can bo run five or six inches deep in the bottom of the furrow, breaking subsoil thoroughly us it passes over the shovel, thus loosening the ground so that water leaves quickly before it has time to bake as ou rdi nary plowed land, allowing less ater to run off, wasti lg less soil ana>, and storing rain below to rise to surface iu dry weather. VVe plowed a week sooner this spring on laud we subsoiled a year ago thau we could in same fioid not subsoiled, and both drained about alike. We used the above attachment (which any good blacksmith can make) ou gang behind tnd plow, at tacbing a lever to top of post to raise subsoil up even with bottom of plow in turniug, working five borses to gang, tbree on plow and two in the leoil. You would be surprised to seo how this little shovel, cutting seven inches, will loosen the soil on eaob side in adjoining furrows as just al ternate furrows were subsoiled. We know of land being subsoiled by fol lowing "breaking plow with one horse monld-board plow, but this was a failure, as tbe bottom furrow wants te be loosened, but not thrown out. Every farmer can imngine what an advuntage it would be to get to farm ing several days sooner in spring. autl, after corn is pliiuted, to get to culti vating so much sooner after heavy rains, with only about twenty-five cents additional cost to plowing. We expect to try it some on meadow sown a year ago, as it will not be af fected so much by wet and dry weather, and the grasses in wet sea sons will not be so bad, such as wire, ticket aud foxtail. We also expect to have it tried on wheat land, beside some not subsoiled. In '9B we had wheat killed dead last of March, when the surface was full of water, and we are confident subsoiling would have saved it; and if it will save wheat it will do the Bauie for clover. lllch Cream and Milk. The value of milk is not in the quantity produced so much as in the richness of the cream found therein. This is not always apparent where dairymen are paid for their milk ac cording to the quart, without much referenre t • the quality. All that the dairymen try to do is to have their milk come up to the required standard. There is no reason why they should attempt togo above this, for nothing is gained thereby. Not until custom ers appreciate the value of good, rich milk and cream will quality toll. When the dairyman supplies to the general market very rich milk he simply en riches the middleman or retailer, who deftly dilutes it, increasing the quan tity for his own pecuniary advantage. It is all right in a way to preach bet ter feeding aud better milkers, but there are cases when it does not apply. ! The average dairymau needs a cow whose milk supply is measured by the quantity aud not the quality. High bred cows that give very rich milk, but a limited amount,are not the most profitable for him. This sounds like heresy from an old dairyman, but it is not. We must raise what we can get the most for, and so loug as milk dealers and milk exchaugers give most j of the pro ts to the dealers and not to ' the producers we need to look at mat ! ters from a common sense poiut of j view, and supply what is best for our I interests. I believe in good cows, well-bred 1 ones, and those that give rich cream and milk; but these cows are not as a ! rule adapted to the use required of i them by the average dairyman. I keep such a herd, aud the milk ob tained from this is so much richer and | better than that given by the dairy herd that I sometimes feel ashamed of the latter. I reserve the milk and j cream from these choice animals for private customers who waut extra rich milk and are willing to pay for value received. If I should turn these cows into the general herd aud sell I their milk to the dealers by the gallon j or i a'i, I would lose money thereby i unless I diluted it, which, I believe is ! beneith the notice of every reputable milkman. It is better to have cows that give quantity, therefore, than quality, for there is more money in such herds, unless you are so located that private customers can consume all the lioh milk you provide, or y ou need it for butter making. There is considerable money iu raising a tine breed oi'Jerseys or other rich milkers if one <an work up a set of customers to take the milk. There is a steady market the year round, and one can calcu'ate the profits down to a penny. Breeding and oaring for such a herd brings its reward in another way. One is conscious of doing good work for the whole business of cattle breeding, and incidentally a great deal of per sonal pride is enlisted in the cause.— E. P. Smith in American Cultivator. One of D#«roj'i Viotoriß*. On one occasion Admiral Dewey spoke of his victory of May day as the simple proposition of escaping the mines at the entrance to the bay, if there were any, and then of destroy ing or being destroyed by the eflemy. But to be destroyed would have been disobeying orders. He had beeu told to destroy the enemy; and obedience, as the a lmiral will tell you smilingly, is the first law of the navy. This done, he was soon confronted by another simple proposition. Four teen foreign meu of war lay menac ingly outside his liue of blockade. One powe ', whoso lust for laud-grab bing is that of the neopliite, sent to Manila a fleet quite equal in strength tour own to watch for an opportun ity to mak ■ an embarrassmuut of ours its advantage. Behind Von , Died rich was an emperor whose peculiar style of diplomacy, iu many instauees, has won the success which is some temporarily the reward of audacity. It was trying to the ordinary mortal simply to be a witness of the calm patience of Admiral Dewey, who had the force of character to bide his time. When the hour for candor came ho was candid, and he won a victory without firing a trim, while the ad miral whom thee nperor had choseu for his great enterprise became a scapegoat of the new protestations of frieudsli p which characterized the e ine"or's new policy toward us.— i Collier's Weokly. j 'ne of the la'est fashions in Berlin is for mothers of the wealthiest farni , lies, including oncers' wives and mern ; hers of the aristocracy, to take out I their own infants iu baby-carriages for j an airing in the parks.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers