QOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOCC3 government's 8 g great W F" § § t!ie farmers. 8 o § O Itjr Henry I.ooinl* Nelson. OOOOOCCOOOOOOOOOCOOOCOOCOO It is not many years since the De partment of Agriculture was a vers email concern, but now it is in fact as in name a great and perhaps the most useful department of the gov ernment, while at its head is a mem ber of the cabinet. What does this department do for the farmer? Working in an unfre quented -.art of Washington, or out in the country in Maryland, or at tlie various experimennt stations which are usually connected with agricul tural colleges, are about HOOD people. Of the 2000 in Washington about oue | MAIN BUILDING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D. C. half are scientific men. There are two large bureaus, twenty-two divis ions, offices, or surveys. Of these seven are administrative, eight tech nical, an seven are purely scientific. To these must be added the offices of the Weather Bureau, which include 154 observer stations, and fifty-two stations along the coast and on the Great Lakes. The Bureau of Ani mal Industry lias 152 technical stations engaged in meat inspection and quarantine work, and three lab oratories where the diseases of ani mals and their causes are investi gated. This article would be uninteresting and therefore worthless if I should THE HYDROCYANIC «AS TREATMENT. undertake t:> describe technically the work done by the department. I shall try to give the reader a general idea of what these practical and scientific men are doing for the country, be caure after a visit to the bureau in Washington I was led to read a good deal of its literature, and to look in to the subject, and it struck me that the work Is not only in every way worthy, but that its real value is not widely understood, lias been laughed, or smiled into oblivion, perhaps on account of the jokes about the seeds and the "farmers" who distribute and receive them. In tiie first place the department provide; an opportunity to make MAkINH KMt.tMIIKII fIIMWIIMM »H"M LltT. HO DHL 1.1 Ml or tll'ITI »|l rfcIIKT*IU.M. fanning M» |>rotttul>l» ax in the aiitur* or mm** it run |Hiitiiil>ly IK*. It <ln«-* iiiin by "ortlini <<• thu farmer who will avail liliuat'ir of it full knowledge •I tliv i'vi|uirMuvui» of III* art, of tU«* conditions of the soil and climate of his neighborhood, aud of the crops which may be most profitably grown on his farm, the department makes IN THE BOTANICAL GABDEN. the necessary experiments for the farmer, saving him both time and money, and putting him that far ahead in the game which his father lut<l io learn all about for himself. A distinguished economist told me not long ago that it was hardly possible to overestimate the good that the ex periment stations had * orked iu the business of farming. It was this statement that put me on my in quiry. These experiment stations, by the-way, reeehe money from t lie States—a little more than half as much as they receive from the gen eral (Jovernment. As is to be expect ed, the farmers at first entertained a very contemptuous idea of the scien tists in charge of the stations, but they are now coming to depend upon them, and togo to them for advice. Their confidence was first gained by the protection which they obtained from the stations against frauds and impositions in commercial fertilizers, and now the stations look after the farmers' Interests iu respect of nur sery stock, dairy products, and feed ins-stuffs, and aid them materially in lighting Injurious insects. In addi tion to these police duties the men at tiie stations are ergaged in making original investigations in agricultural problems, and the results are pub lished iu farmers' bulletins and in the form of pamphlets. An idea of the work done by the whole department and of its value— for its work is well done—may be ob tained by an enumeration of some of the subjects which have been inves tigated and on which publications have been issued. The division of vegetable physiology and pathology has studied the disease of shade and ornamental trees, and lias instructed those who plant and care for such trees in the causes of and remedies for the dis eases. It lias taught fruit growers how to care for and improve the or ange. pineapple and other fruits. It lias discovered the secret of propagat ing the fig. It has found remedies for (lidi H.M'H (if truck <-ru|>«, i-ottou. wheat, ••urn and other i-ereala. A b«mml ileal of work 11 tloue iu iui|(titllltf tile (haraeter ami ('ouilitkiim. luelutliuu the proper habitat, of ;>iauU that art* not usually grown Here. It has tnus been found that jntc can profitably be raised In the South, and flax on Puget Sound. The department furnishes farmers with information as to the character of weeds sent by them for identification. and it issues warnings to State experiment stations and to local authorities of the presence of dangerous weeds in their localities. It also makes tests of seeds and pub lishes the information gained by the experiments. It spreads abroad in formation as to grasses, grains, pois onous plants, roots and fruits. It makes thorough examination of soils for agricultural purposes, ascertains their texcjre, and issues a bulletin showing graphically the differences in important types of land. The same bulletin "shows that most of our ag ricultural crops are adapted to soils of certain texture, differing greatly for the various crops." Bulletins are also issued showing the moisture maintained by these crops, and the differences between adjacent soils. The department tells the farmer the character of his land, the kind of crop best adapted to it and to the climate, is constantly experimenting to dis cover new crops for him, furnishes him with seeds, tells hint the nature of the enemies that will attack his crops, warns him of their actual presence, and instructs him as to the remedies to be applied. It also separ ates his diseased cattle from his healthy cattle; stamps the latter so that they bring a higher price abroad than competing cattle bring; informs him of the character of the foreign demand for farm products, and advises him as to the best manner of packing THE RPR AVI NO'MACHINE. his fruit for shipment. The value of the worK of the forestry division can not be overestimated. It has done much to stimulate a widespread in terest in the subject of forest preser vation. and has accomplished an ad mirable work in decreasing the num ber of forest fires. The department also instructs the farmer in the art of making good roads, and excites a desire for them by spreading abroad a knowledge of their great economic value to ail who have heavy loads to haul to market or the railway station. This work is done by the Uovern nient for the beuetlt of those who annually provide from sixty-five to seventy per cent, of the materials for our export trade, and as if to emphasize the fact that the expenditure of the £1.000,0U0 is partly in aid of commerce, the Weather Bureau, whose warnings of the approach of coast storms have saved millions of dollars' worth of property and thousands of lives, is attached to the Department of Agri culture. There is no doubt thift the American farmer is the most Intelli gent farmer in the world. Statistics of farui mortgage* and farm holdings show that lie is the most pros|M>rous, and bis (lovernment does more than any other (iovernmeut to help its ag riculturist to M''lllful, wise, and prof itable cultivation, anil to |»olut out to him the most advantageous methods of distribution. For all the work which this depart ment has doue the Kovernineut ha* thus fur extruded less thnu I.TJ.inni,- (mni. The tlrst appropriation for the agricultural department was of flout, and was made In 1831). Tbrta- years afterwards there was another appro* prlation of a like amount. Two yean after that Congress appropriated S2OOO. By 1857 the annual expendi ture had reached ?75,000, but it fell again and then rose, but It did not exceed $500,000 until 1885, and the occasion of the incrense for that year was the establishment of the Bureau of Animal Industry. In 1888 the ap propriation exceeded $1,000,000. but in that year the Weather Bureau was transferred from the Signal Corps to the department. The Government is now spending about $3,- 000,000 a year on its farm ers, but included in this sum is about $2,000,000 for the Weather Bureau, the Bureau of Animal In dustry, and the experiment stations. These last perform as valuable ser vice—perhaps the most valuable ser vice rendered to agriculture by the department. The above interesting article and the cuts which accompany it are re produced from Harper's Weekly. CHICAGO HAS TWO WILD DOCS Said to Be the Only Onei on This Conti nent— Natives of Australia. Cautiously creeping from tlieii darkened kennels to snatch a bit of food from the floor of the iron cages when no one is near, and darting back like a flash at every strange noise and sight, two dingo dogs, or wild dogs of Australia, have begun the daily routine of their career behind bars in the Lincoln Park Zoo. They are the only two dingo dogs on the American continent, and were shipped directly from Australia. Naturalists term the dingo the king of the dog family. While no larger than a medium-sized shepherd they are the terror of Australia .possess ing far more cunning than the fox and being more destructive than the wolf. They have been considered in capable of domestication, but of late years several instances are known where they have been tamed. Until recently the dingo was thought to be a domestic dog returned to the savage state, but in the latest researches of McCoy and Neliring fossil remains of the canine have been found in tiie pliocene and quarternary strata of Victoria, which proves the animal to be a genuine wolf. He immigrated to Australia through the country uniting Australia and southeastern Asia at a certain period of the plio cene epoch. The dingo inhabits the plains and the dense forests of Australia. Like the fox, ne hides in the daytime and prowls at night, threatening ail Aus tralian quadrupeds. He attacks every DINGO, OB WILD DOOS OF AUSTRALIA. animal indigenous to Australia; his favorite prey being sheep and kan garoos. Prof. C. W. McCurren, head animal keeper, prizes the dogs as among tlie most valuable possessions ot' the zoo.—Chicago Kceord. Rumlan Marriage Custom. When a Russian Princess marries, after the wedding dinner and ball it is the privilege of the marshals and ministers to see the couple to the nup tial chamber. Anil after a becoming interval it is the duty of the prince to come out and distribute precious mor sels ot his partner's garters to the haughty and exclusive crowd who have been waiting. Kach little bit bears the royal crowu and the prill cess's initial in embroidery. Urtce For Herrjr-Plck«r*. When a small boy complains that ids back aches his elders are apt to remark that little boys do not have backs, but Edgar C. Mendenliall, seems to have come to the conclusion that even grown people have backs AI'I'LIAM'K TO KTRENUTHKN THE It Ark. lo ache when compelled to maintain a stooping positloii fur several hours at a time, lu the illustration wo show Ills new back brace for the Use of cotton-pickers, berry-pickers, etc. The entire device is light ill construc tion and responds quickly to the dif ferent movements of the body, and docs not produce an uncomfortable sensation when applied to or tcud to heat the body. A complete set of Matching siege pout nice stamps has IM-011 sold at • laitt don miction for fiMi and two set* i' iiafeklng paper money for 1110. 'DR. TALMAGES SERMON, i SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE Br THE NOTED DIVINE. tubject: Christ's Character—TTl« Kartlily ' l.lfe ICeplec* With Beautllut KlAlll plei—Practice Self Sacrifice and Hu mility uutl Help Bear Burdens of Others [Copyright lxuu.l WASHINGTON, D. C. —In this sermon, which Dr. Talmage sends from Paris, he analyzes the character of the Saviour, and urges all Christians to exercise the quali ties which were conspicuous in Christ's earthly life. The text is Romans viii, 9: "Now, if any man lias not the spirit of Christ he is none of Ilis." There is nothing more desirable than a pleasant disposition. Without it we can not be happy ourselves or make others happy. When we have lost our temper or become impatient under some light cross, we suddenly awaken to new appre ciation of proper equipoise of nature. We j wish we had been born with self balance, we envy those people who bear themselves through life without any perturbation, and we flatter ourselves that, however little ! self control we may now have, the time j wilb come, under the process of years, ! when we will be mellowed and softened, | and the wrong things which are in us now will then he all right, forgetful of the fact j that an evil habit in our nature will grow into larger proportions, and that an ini quity not corrected will become the grand father of a whole generation of iniquities. So that people without the grace of God I in the struggle and amid the annoyances and exasperations of life are apt to be come worse instead of better. Now, the trouble is that we have a the ' ory abroad in the world that a man's dis i position cannot be changed. A man says, . "I am irascible in temper, and I can't ; help it." Another man says,"l am re ' vengeful naturally, and I can't help it A man says,"l am impulsive, and I can't , hell) it." And he tells the truth. No man ] can correct his disposition. I never knew a man by force of resolution to change j iiis treatment, but bv His grace God I can take away that wnieh is wrong and ! putin that which is right, and I know | and you know people who, since their con i version, are just the opposite of what they 1 used to he. In other words, we may, by ; the spirit of (iod, have the disposition of 1 Jesus Christ implanted in our disposition, and we must have it done or we will never ! see heaven. '"lf any man have not the 1 disposition of Jesus Christ, he is none of I His." In the first place, the spirit of Christ 1 was a spirit of gentleness. Sometimes He made wrathful utterance against Phari ; sees and hypocrites, but the most of His : words were kind and gentle and loving snd inoffensive and attractive. When we consider the fact that He was omnipo -1 tent, and could have torn to pieces His assailants, the wonder is greater. We of ! ten bear the persecution and abuse of the ! world because we cannot help it. Christ endured it when He could have helped it. , Little children who always shy off at a i rough man rushed into His presence and ! clambered on Him until the people ! pegged the mothers to take them away. | invalids so sore with wounds that they i could not bear to have any one come near I them begged Christ just to put His hand upon the wound and Boothe it. The mother with the sickest child was willing to put the little one in Christ's arms. Self-righteous people rushed into His presence with a woman of debased char acter and said. "Now, annihilate her, blast her, kill her." Jesus looked at her and saw she was sorry and repentant, and He 1 looked at them, and He saw they were j proud and arrogant and malignant, and He "Let him that is without sin cast the first stone at her." A blind man sat by the wayside making a great ado about his lack of vision. They told him to hush tip and not bother the Master. Christ stooped lo him and said. "What wilt thou that I do unto thee?" Gentleness of voice, gentleness of manner, gentleness of life. We all admire it whether we have any of it or not. Just as the rough mountain bluff and the scarred crag love to look down into the calm lake at their feet and i as the stormiest winter loves to merge ; into the sunshiny spring, so the most pre ' cipitate and impulsive and irascible nature i loves to think of the gentleness of Christ, j How little we have ot it! How little pa ! tience in treating with enemies! We ' have so little of the gentleness of Christ i we are not fit for Christian work half the j time. We do not know how to comfort ' the bereft or to encourage the disheart ; encd or to take care of the poor. Even ' our voice of sympathy is on the wrong pitch. My sister had her arm put out of joint, ' and we were in the country, anil the | neighbors came in.and they were all sym ! pathetic, and they laid hold of the arm ! and pulled and pulled mightily until the anguish was intolerable, but the arm did not goto its place. Then the old country i doctor was sent for, and he came in.and with one touch it was all right. He knew i just where to put his finger and just how ■ to touch the bone. We go out to our Christian work with too rough a hand j and too unsympathetic a manner, and we I fail in our work, while some Christian, i in the gentleness of Christ, comes along, I put his hand of sympathy on the sore , spot, and the torn ligaments arc healed, ! and the disturbed bones are rejoined. Oh, for this gentleness of Christ! The dew of one summer night will ac complish more good than fifty Caribbean whirlwinds. How important it is that iu going forth to serve Christ we have some thing of His gentleness! Is that the way we bear ourselves when we are assaulted? The rule is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, retort for retort, sarcasm for sar casm. Give him as much as he sends! After awhile you look up into the face of t'hrist, and you see His gentleness, and you sav, "Well, now, I must do different ly." Then yr ir proud heart says: "Now you have your enemy in a corner. You w ill never get him in a corner again. Chas tise him and then let him go.'' So we postpone the gentleness of Christ. Did you e»er know any difficult}' to be healed by ■ cerbity or hypercriticism? About forty five years ago the Presbyte rian ('lunch was split into the new srhool j and the oh! school. The chasm got wider and wider. The most outrageous person alities well, indulged in.(food men on one side anathematized good men on the other side. Wider and wider the chasm got until after awhile some good people tried another tack, and they began to ex plain away tU"J difficulties, and soon all the differences were healed, and at Pitts burg they shook hands and are one now to be one forever. You say to a man with whom vou had a falling out, "I despise you." lis says, "I can't hear the sight of you." You say to him, "1 never want you to come to my . house again." He SH\«. "If you come to I my IIOUM' again, I'll k»*k you out." You j say. "I'll put you down." "Oh, no," lie | says, "I'll put you down." Hut some day 1 the spirit of Christ tomes into you and i you go over and *a» : "My brother, give me xour hand; time is short and eternity is mar. and we can't afford to quarrel. N'ou let bygones lx> bygones and let us act like Christians." It is aN settled. How? llv the „culletit*ss of Christ, l>iil you ever know a drunkard re claimed by mimicry of his staggering steps, his ■ hick tongue or his hiccough. No. YOII only madden his brain. But you go to linn and let hull know you appreciate what an awful struggle he has with the evil habit and you let lum know that you have MM MppM wtth people who were down in the same depths who, hy the grace of Uod, have bssn rescued. He hears your voice, be resounds I* I tut an pathy, and .8 saved. 'Yon cannot scold the world into anything better. The stormiest wind comes from its hiding place and says,"l will arouse this sea, and it blows upon the sea. Half of the sea is aroused or a fourth of the sea is aroused, yet not the entire Atlantic. Hut aftfr awhile the moon comes out calm and placid. It shines upon the sea, and the ocean begins to lift. It embraces all the highlands, the beach is all covered. The heart throb of one world beating against the heart throb of another world. The storm could not rouse the whole Atlantic; the moon lifted it."And I," said Christ, "if I be lifted up will draw all men unto Mc." Christ's disposition was also one of self sacrifice. No young mail ever started out with so bright a prospect as Christ started out with if He had been willing to follow a worldly ambition. In the time that He gave to the sick He might have gathered the vastest fortune of His time. With His power to popular ize Himself and magnetize the people He could have gained any official position. No orator ever won such plaudits as ne might have won from sanhedrin and syn agogue and vast audiences by the seaside; no physician ever got such a reputation for healing power as He might have ob tained if He had performed His wonder ful cures before the Koman aristocracy. I say these things to let you know what Paul meant when he said, "He pleased not Himself," and to show something of the wonders of His self sacrifice. All human power together could not have thrown Christ into the manger if He had not chosen togo there: all satanic strength could not have lifted Christ upon the cross if He had not elected Himself to the torture. To save our race from sin and death and hell He faced all the sorrows of this world and the sorrows of eternity. How much of that self sacrifice have we? What is self sacrifice? It is my walk ing a long journey to save you from fa tigue: it is my lifting a great number of pounds to save you from the awful strain; it is a subtraction from my comfort and prosperity so that there may be an addi tion to your comfort and prosperity. How much of that have we? Might not 1 rather say. "How little have we?" Two children, brother and sister, were passing down the road. They were both very destitute. The lad had hardly any garments at all. His sister had a coat that she had outgrown. It was a very cold day. She said. "Johnnie, come un der this coat." "Oh." he said, "no; the coat isn't large enough." "Oh," she said, "it will stretch." He comes under the coat, but the coat would not stretch. Sc she took off the coat and put it on him. Self sacrifice, pure and simple. Christ taking off His robe to clothe our nakedness .Self sacrifice! I have not any of it, nor have you, compared with that. The sac rifice of the Son of (iod. Christ walked to Emmaus; Christ walked from Capernaum to Bethany; Christ walked from Jerusalem to Gol ?;otha. How far have you and I walked or Christ? His head ached; His heart ached; His back ached. How much have we ached for Christ..' How much of that humility have we? If we get a few more dollars than other people or gain a little higher position, oh. how we strut! We go around wanting everybody to know their place and say "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the honor of my kingdom and by the might of my strength?" Who has anything of the humility of Christ? The disposition of Christ was also the spirit of prayer, l'rayer on the mount ams, prayer on the sea, prayer among the sick—prayer everywhere. Prayer for lit tie children. "Father, 1 thank Thee that Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them untc babes." Prayer for His friends. "Father I will that they be with Mo where I am." Prayer for His enemies, "Father, l'orgivt them: they know not what they do." Prayer for all nations, "Thy kingdom come." How little of that spirit you and I have! How soon our knees get tired! Where i.- the vial full of odors which are the prat ers of all the saints! Which of us can keep our mind ten minutes on a prayer without wandering? Not you: not 1. Oh, that we might have the spirit of prayer which was tne spirit of Christ! We want more prayer in the family, more prayer in the church, more prayer in the legislative hall, more prayer anion; the sick, more prayer among the agei l , more prayer among the young. The great advancement of the church is to be in that direction yet. Ihe spirit of Christ, I remark lastly, w - a spirit of hard work. Not one lazy moment in all His life. Whether He was talking to the fishermen on the beach, or preaching to the sailors on the dock, or administering to the rustics amid the mountains, or spending an evening in Bethanv. always busy for others. With hands, heart, head, but)' for others—hew ing in the Nazareth carpenter shop, teach ing the lame how to walk without crutch es, curing the child's fits, providing ra tions for the hungry host. Busy, busy, busy! The hardy men who nulled the net out of the sea filled with floundering treasures, the shepherds who hunted up grassy plots for their Hocks to nibble at, the shipwrights pounding away in the dockyards, the winemakers of Kngedi di|* ping thj juices from the vat and pouring them into the goatskins, were not more busy than Christ. Busy, busy for others! From the moment He went out of the car avansary of Bethlehem to the moment when the cross plunged into the socket on the bloody mount busy for others. Doe* that remind you of yourself? It doe* not remind me of myself. Jf we lift a bur den it must be light; if we do work, it must be popular; if we sit in the pew, il must be sate; if we move in a sphere »t usefulness, it must lie brilliant; if we have to take hold of a load, give us the light end of the log. In this way to heaven fan us, ruck u», sing us to sleep. Lift us up tow»rd heaven on the tips of your fingers under a silken sunshade. Stand out oi the way. all you martyr* who breasted the lire: stand out of the way and let this colony of lender footed modern Chris tians come up and get their crowns! What has your Lord done to you, • Christian, that you should betray him? Who gave you so much riches that you can afford to despise the awards of the faith ful? At this moment, when all the armies of heaven and earth and hell are plunging into the conflict, how can you desert the standard? Oh, backslidden Christian, is it not time for you to start anew for Cod and anew for heaven? Now, I have shown you that the dispo sition of ( Urist was a xpirit of gentleness, a spirit of mU sacrifice, a spirit of liumil ity, a spirit of prayer, a spirit of hard work live points. \\ ill you remember them? Are you ready now for the Ire mendoua announcement of the text, "if any man has not the spirit of Christ, lie is none of Ills?" Are you ready for lliat statement? Can we stand up and say. "Yes; we have the spirit ot Christ!" Not one of us can make that answer to the full question, yet t am to declare to >ou there it no discouragement in this subject for Christian people You have the sends of this character planted in your soul. "il doth not vet appear what we shall Is-." N oii might .n well blame an acorn for not being an oak of a thousan 1 years as to Maine \ outsell beeause you are not equal to Christ. You ha'°e the implanta tion within you which f\U enlarge and develop into the grainiest t hriatiau char acter. and there is no discouragement iu this text for you to try to love ami serve the Lord. Aim high. Mieatfce not your sword until you hav e gained The last vic tory. Climb higher and higher until you reach the lele.tml lulls Cronus bright and radiant tor alt th« va- tufa, but deMfc u mrj oaawtvr.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers