. r
FARM AND GARDEN.
llrtar In I'ltnt-jrcm,
On land where briers grow natural
y, it is ditlleult to eradicate thorn.
Pastures mny be overstocked with
sheep, which are fed vitro. Arid lu
this wny cleared tip, but mowing them
off each year will not run thoin out. A
few Aurora goals ore undoubtedly the
host menu to clear them up. Tim
goat will tut briers uud brush In prof-M-iAicc
to grass.
TltH I! ITi-ronee in lluliic-i.
Governor Hoard reports 11 difference
in thu annual profits between two
patrons of creameries managed by lihn
t. fJ'-ii.llN per cow cm account of the
Jlffcreiicn in amount or production,
.1110 herd nveriiftliiK ft gross Income of
fti.",iS per row while ii lint Iht averaged
mily $:',?, the C rut netting $.".) In ex
cess of the cost of kccplug and I bo
lecotid only $r.
TIjo Kansas Agricultural College In
oini! Invest Igatlons In the' Mimmer of
IMi-S nt thy Meridoii creamery, fot;nd
lh:il t!in poorest cow averaged .T.."I,
md the best o'io ?i:M!, mnkln a dif
ference of J?:;!..". Tim average per
row of llu; poorest live herds was $!.11
nut for the live I.eM, $.'!::.71, n differ
ence of $ Jl.no.
AVi(-ilii Hot ttif Soil of .llolfttiirn.
There Is probably nothing, except
Ii r ion, Hint will do ho iiiih Ii In help
a crop resist droughts ns fre.pient but
li:illow cultivation. This cultivation
prevents n great waste of moisture
by destroying the weeds us well ns
checking evaporation, although some
farmers would not believe this to bo
i ho case.
Sonic believe that weeds nro n detri
ment to the fanner only by Increasing
the labor of harvesting crops 11 nil in
using tip Iho plant food that would
otherwise be taken up by the culti
vated plants.
Tills Is nil true, but there Is another
wny In which the weeds are detri
mental, nud l hat is by using the wat
er or moisture in ihe soil which Is al
ways needed by til" growing crop,
and tills Is especially true during dry
seasons.
The farmer who keeps his land free
from weeds Is, so to speak, putting
barrels upen barrels of water upon
his laud, and it is done with a great
deal less labor than If the water Were
applied directly.
How In Huim lllrdrt All Wllllrr.
It Is not so wild a rpiesthm as It at
llrst seems to be, whether we may l.e
able to have birds with v.s quite freely
nil winter, and to Increase the number
f species that will give up migrating.
1 believe tiiat it is pretiy Well under
Ktood thai birds do not leave the
nori u on aii'i-iini ot the liinialo, so
much as because of n decrease of the
food supply. Those vark-tfes of birds
which can live upon the eggs of In
sects, uiitl weed seeds, have adjusted
themselves to n permanent homo with
lis by -changing coat nnd color. Wo
have found that the thrushes are also
eiulto willing to stay all winter. At
least n lew robins remain wherever
there arc warm shelters and plenty of
food.
It Is worth our while to consider
the conditions essential to the Increase
of tiieso winter neighbors. I find that
the food most relish. d by the thrushes
is the berries of the mountain ash.
Other species of birds drop dowu In
flocks, on their way north or south,
and dine from the same trees. It is
astonishing how much food il single
treo can furnish. And yet utmost any
farmer cnu easily find room for ii half
dozen of these I rem. For the pine
grosbeak the high-bush cranberry is
preferable. I suggest the pluming of
evergreen windbreaks, and the larger
supply of the trees and shrubs that
I have named as an cNperlmeiir. I
have had robins with me nil -winter,
lint other winter birds have been more
scarce than usual. E. P. I'uwell, in
New England Homestead.
A Cook Stove Kvuporutor.
An evaporator Is a luxury few farm
ors can nfford unless they Intend go
ing into tin- fruit business to quite an
extent. The Illustration shows a cheap
and handy evaporator within the reach
of all. The frames are made of any
idze desired, lixl feet being handy di
mensions if Hie stove is large enough
to accommodate it. Over the frames,
STAI'ORATOK OS TniJ COOK STOVE.
which should be Hindi of two and a
hulf or three Inch strips of board,
screen wire netting Is (Irmly tacked.
For the legs to be fastened on the bot
tom frame, take four ploeis of strap
iron from a foot and a half to two feet
long. Through vuo end of eaeli iron
di-lll two or three holes for screws.
Fasten these to the bottom side of the
frame with Inch screws and then with
a wrench or somu other tool bend the
legs lu such a wny ns to leave a space
of from tt foot to eighteen Inches be
twecu thu frame uud surface of the
stove. On the upper side and near the
corners of the frame, drive in small
nails so that they penetrate the wood
deep enough to leave an Inch in length
sticking up. Over these slip four
thread spools. Iiy driving correspond
ing nulls Into the bottom side of the
second frame to slip down Into the
spools, it Is held lu place. The third
fro ma Is fastened In thu same way
and as many more as desired can be
added. Thu frames are high enough
above the stove so as not to Interfere
with cook lug. The fruit dried lu this
way Is of a good quality, uud the
work can be doue as rapidly as lu
high-priced evaporator. J. L. Irwin
In American Agriculturist. '
Hlg-b rTlcd Fed.
This season promises to be one of
high priced feeding stuffs, liny was
a short crop In tills country, nnd
travt will be high. 'While, we have n,
good crop of corn, It Is not excessively
Inrpo, and the usual reserves have been
used lip very close. Exports tend to
Increase, mid the feeding demand at
homo will again be large. There in
L-cason to believe that the price or corn
will rule fairly high all season. Such
conditions should lead to belter cam
of corn stover than has been given
by many in the past.
The amount of stover from an Here
of land varies so much with variety
and latitude that figures are not sat
isfactory; but In what may be called
the centre of the corn licit we tuny
count upon one and one-lialC tons nf
stover from an acre of fairly good
corn. Two-thirds of 1 tint, or one ton,
will be eaten by stock with relish, and
experiments by Bclentllle men show
that the part eaten is Just about as
digestible nnd nutritious us tin equal
weight or timothy bay. That Is to
say, we should place about the same
value upon Ihe stover of an acre of
land as we do upon n ton of hay If
wanted for feed. This Is In accord
not only wlili tlic? experiments of sci
entists, but also with the experience
of thousands of practical farmers. For
horses at bard labor the stover Is in
ferior, but for idle horses and for
cows il is superior. Viewing the mat
ter as It Is, no slover ncdeil for feed
should be left to weather In the Held
until midwinter. There are better
ways within the reach of every one.
David, lu Fnrni and Fireside.
Storing Knot Crop.
A common and practical wny of
building root cellars Is shown lu the
Illustration. This method of con
struction is commonly used in the
great potato growing sections of the
country. Excavate by means of it
scraper, and then set up the retaining
walls. The upright pieces at the shleii
should be two by four studding placed
not more than four feet apart. Tin?
floor may be of plank, or may be sim
ply of earth. If no planks an used,
the studding should have the lower
end Imbedded lu the earth to prevent
it from slipping.
The siding may be of Inch boards
It ',
A rr.ACTICAL HOOT I'ltM.All.
and should be nailed to tin- studding
before they are raised into position.
The Joists (I!, O, C' should be of two
by four, and the supports for the roof
should bo of the sainii material. The
space above the Joists may be illhd
with straw or leaves, or hay, to pre
vent freezing in the cellar. The plates,
which are secured at the top of the
studding, may bo placed somewhat
above the level of the surface of thr
ground, l'art of the earth which is
removed lu excnvatlng should bo
banked up against the walls undei
the roof, so that thu slope of the
ground will bo away from the cellar.
Doors may be placed nt Intervals in
the roof so that roots can be shov
eled from a wagon directly into tlic
cellar. At one end of the pit thera
should be solid double doors, so that
entrance may be hud to the cellar il)
cold weather without permitting the
cold to enter. The upright center
piece (A, I.i should not bo more than
live to six feet high, nnd the length
of the cellar may be as great as do
sired. The width may be from ciglil
to ten feet. If this can be constructed
on a slight slope of land it will be iU
the better. Country (Jelitleman.
Onliunl Culture,
A large tipple crop such ns we lm vt
this year always encourages the plant
lug of more orchards, and we suppose
this yenr will be no exception. In set
ting an orchard a man has many years
to wait before he can receive any re
turn from his investment, and during
all those years he should give good cul
tlvation, fertilization nnd care in t lie
way of pruning or training, which h
the better word, because It expresses
the better way. When this has bcci'
done properly and the trees begin hear
ing he has an investment which will
give good returns for many years il
the Hire Is kept up. It Is then false
economy to take any chances In the
start by purchasing cheap trees, or bj
carelessness in preparing the grounc
for them. Thoroughly decide on tlic
varieties to be set, selecting such as
are adapted to the soil and climate
from among those that ave In deniaue'
in the market. Hay only a rcliatih
party, who can be depended upon tr
furnish healthy, vigorous trees, trim
lo name, and see that they are taker
up wlik care. To obtain such it iniij
Ik- necessary lo pay a little more thai'
some would sell for, but scrub stocL
lu mi orchard Is as bad as elsewhere
oti the farm.
Do not commit the mistake of milk
ing the laud too rich, or of put Hot
mail lire into the hole before setting he
tree, but have thu land in good coiidi
tton, say as good as for u corn crop
(live it good cultivation while the treei
are growing, avoid the small craic
crops, but growing corn, beans ot
peas, roots, tunatoes or squashes be
tweeu the rows to get some pay foi
t lie use of thu land and for Ihe laboi
of working it each year. It Is easj
from the above list to wake a rotation
that would last until the trees well
(llled tin- ground, or If it docs not there
ure others, like small fruits, whlcL
might bo added, or even a crop ol
chickens. The fertilizer used for tues
hoed crops would fe-cd the trees also
and It would be placed Just where the
trees most needed It, beyond the ex
trenilty of the branches, to tempt tin
feeding roots to extend out after theli
food. Whatever crop luny bo chnsec
do not crowd the trees with It. While
the ground will need working cleai
to the trunk of the trees, It is bettei
that there should be space enough t
work there after the crop has growr
too large to cultivate nuioug. He tvhe
does this will probubly guard ngalns'
borers uud other Insect pests, uud wll
have an orchard that will give bolt
plensurs nnd profit. MsssachusetU
rtoui'iuuau.
goo
Aid to Kumt Highways.
NEW YOKtv wnnU good roads.
This fact has been demon
strafed in no linccrtnln way
Ct by the number of petitions
for road improvements which have
been presented since the pnssage of
the lllghblc-Armsti'oiig law. These
petitions were from nil parts of the
Stnte, and speedily showed Hint the
appropriation of y.lO.OOO for State aid
would not meet half the demnnd.
In the law are Incorporated the
most desirable features of the Stnto
aid laws of other States, while the
object lonal ones have been eliminated.
The following notes of explanation
are by William W. Armstrong, who
Introduced nnd helped lo secure the
passage of the law.
The lllghblc-Armstrong t!ood ltoads
bill is tin. result of several years of
hard work and earnest discussion, and
from year to year has been nltercd
nnd mutinied to meet criticism and op
position. On iiccount of the changes
so made fro'n time to time there
seems to be some confusion about the
provisions of the act which was finally
approved. An Intelligent considera
tion of the subject, therefore, requires
at the outset n brief statement of tho
provisions of the law.
The net provides that any board of
supervisors 'may" adopt a resolution
declaring that public interest demands
the Improvement of a certain piece ot
highway not located lu a city or vil
lage, nnd that upon a petition of the
owners of a majority of the lineal
feet fronting upon such a highway it
"must" adopt such a resolution.
A copy of this resolution Is then to
be transmitted to the Stute Engineer,
who shall llrst determine whether the
piece of highway Indicated Is of suf
ficient public Importance to receive
(State aid; if so, he shall map the high
way, cause plans uud specifications
for the improvement and nu estimate
of the cost to be made, and transmit
copies thereof to t lie Hoard of Super
visors. The Hoard of Supervisors,
with these facts and figures before
them, 'may" then adopt a second reso
lution, declaring that such a highway
shall be lmprove-d, or it may refuse
to go any further with the matter if
It so chooses.
Tills plan was adopted after a most
careful consideration, so as to preserve
the principle of home rule to the coun
ties of tin- Stale; so that no county
could be compelled, if unwilling, to
improve any portion of its highway;
and so that no county should lie per
mitted to do so until it had all the
fads and figures before it.
If a county, therefore, desires merely
to know how much It will cost to Im
prove a certain piece of highway, it
need only adopt the first resolution
and get the plans and estimate the
cost, free of charge, without going any
further. If it Chooses, after ascer
taining the cost, to adopt the second
resolution. It may, but it cannot be
compelled to do so.
If, however, the Hoard of Supervis
ors adopts the second resolution, it
must transmit a copy of it to the State
Engineer, who then advertises for bids
for the work. If no responsible bid
is made within his estimate, he must
make n new estimate and transmit it
to the Hoard of Supervisors; and, if
the Hoard of Supervisors then adopts
a new resolution, baseu upon the new
estimate, declaring tbut nevertheless
such highway shall oe Improved, I lie
Stale Engineer must advertise for bids
as before.
When a responsible bid within his
estimate is made the State Engineer
awards Hie contract; but if the town
or county desires to do the work Itself
it has the preference over all bidders.
This provision enables localities hav
lug scrapers and other appliances for
improving their roads to utilize them
in doing their own work under this
act, and so keep ail the money expend
ed at home.
Each Hoard of Supervisors lias, un
der thu general highway law, the pow
er to elect a County Engineer. If It
has elected such an olllcer the State
Engineer must act through him. If It
has not he must supervise tho per
formance of ihe contract himself.
When the work Is completed lie must
draw a warrant upon the State Treas
urer for one-half the cost of the work,
nnd certify the oilier half to the Hoard
of Supervisors, which must levy thirty-live
per cent, of the whole cost of
the work upon the county. The other
lilleen per cent, is payable in one ot
two ways, namely: If ihe Hoard of
Supervisors adopted the llrst resolu
tion for the Improvement without a
petition from the adjoining owners, tho
Hoard of Supervisors must levy the
lifte-en per cent, upon the town in
which the improved highway Is; but It
the lirsl resolution was adopted uftet
such a petition, Ihe Hoard of Super
visors must cause thu Town Assessors
to levy tho nfteeu per cent, upon tho
property owners on the improved high
way. Such, In brief, is the plan which lias
finally been approved by the Legisla
ture for atfording aid in the Improve
ment ot rural highways.-Xcw York
Journal.
Vuluci or (loud Jtond.
It has bee-u ngurcd out in New Jer
soy that land values tend to rise
thirty per cent, in value wherevei
good roads aro Introduced, irrespective
of other natural benefits. They are
Invariably the forerunners of other Im
provements, such as the electric rail
ways, free mall delivery, increased de
niaud for country residences and so
on. They crente far greater social
uulty, they spread Intelligence, thej
give to the lsolated citizen a political
significance not otherwise attluuble.
l'luced rt IlMtdtn.nt4t-e.
The farmer who is compelled to us
bud ronds when he Is able to get to
market, generally finds it forestalled
and himself obliged to ship to soins
distant point, while the farmers along
the railroads of the Far West or on
the good wagon roads of Ohio, Indi
ana, New Jersey and Canada ar sup
plying his home market
lu Milwaukee recently during a
rainstorm several trees were set ou
lira by diverted electric currents.
ENCOURAGING THRIFT.
A IlnnlnM fit on Who lint Found Tbut It
Vnyu.
"I alwnys have confidence. In petinlo
who save a little money out of their
salaries," said a prominent Westn'tn'
merchant, "and I do wlmt I con to'
encourage habits of thrift. I employ,
about seventy-live clerks In my estab
lishment, to whom I pay weekly sala
ries ranging from $10 to ?I0. Nntur-
ally enough more of them get tho for- l
nier than the latter amount, but thy
are none tho less worthy on that re
count. In the beginning, when I em
ployed only two people, I lived pretty,
close- to thc-tii, and I knew how thrift
less they could be when they were not
encouraged to be otherwise. I have
discharged more clerks for that sort
ot thing thnn for any other cause.
They spent their salaries, large or
small, ns might be, in a reckless fash
ion, nnd let debt accumulate qulto re
gardless of the rights of creditors. As
my business Increased, nnd with it my
profits and nty force of people, I be
gan lo give thu matter more study,
and lu the end, when I felt able to be
of material assistance In encouraging
thrift and honesty, I proposed a year
ly recognition of those who would
save something out of their salaries.
It was small at llrst, but was so suc
cessful that to-day I haven't a clerk
who tins not some kind of a bank ac
count, nnd not one who wilfully re
fuses lo pay bis debt. When we get a
new one who refuses to lake advan
tage of the opportunities n Horded we
let him go nt 1 ho end of his .tlrst. yenr.
"My present plan is to double tho
savings of nil clerks who receive .10,
?1'J and 1.1 a week; to add twenty-live
per cent, to nil who receive from flo
to $Jo, nnd ten for those over ?J.". A
ch-rk on Slo a week or under cannot
save much, but us a rule that class ot
clerks have no one lo maintain but
themselves, and It one cannot save
more thnn -" oltt his year's labor. It
is rather pleasant for lilui to get 5J5
clear profit. Those who receive the
larger amounts usually have families,
nnd their savings nro not large, but
whatever tkoy lire they are comforta
bly increased. One of my ?lJ00 a-year
clerks, with n wife and two small chil
eVen, stive fioo last yenr, and my
check for a hundred additional was
deposited to his nccount the day after
New Year. A young woman lu
charge of a department at $1100 a year
has almost paid for a nice little cot
tage In the suburbs out of her extra,
nnd so the list rims on through every
branch of the business, I make It a
condition that all current obligations
must be met at the end of the yenr. so
t lint the savings are actual net profit.
Every year some of the clerks are not
(milled to any extra, but it this Is the
result of sickness I assume a part or
nil of the doctor's bills. You may say
It costs something for mc to do It, nnd
you are right. Hut I have the best
class of clerks in the city, and ns a re
sult I have, the best class of custom
In the city, and I guess I don't lose
enough by It to necessitate an assign
ment at an early date," and tly; mer
chant smiled with very evident satis
faction. Washington Stnr.
Ht-r KiioivIihIko of C'lilnpno. "
A young woman at u watering place
this summer made it reputation as u
profound linguist in a rather odd milli
ner. .She called one day at a Chinese
laundry, where she had left a shirt
waist, but It could not be found, as
there was no entry in the book of
hieroglyphs corresponding to her pink
slip. After a half hour's search tho
Chbiaman found thu entry. A mis
take had been made, the entry crossed
out and a new set of hieroglyphs in
tiny characters placed below. She
was told that that waist would bo
laundered immediately and she could
get it Ihe next day.
The next day the young woman
called for If, accompanied by three
other young wonieu. At the seashore
tho excitement of a visit to tho Chi
nese laundry Is not to bo desphied. The
Chinaman to whom the pink slip was
presented was not the lauudryman of
Ihe day before and he experienced tho
same dllllculty In finding the Identi
fying characters, finally saying, "Not
in book." The girl answered calmly,
"I can dud It," and the Chinaman al
lowed her to take the book. Turning
the leaves until she came to one that
had an entry crossed out, with another
in tiny characters under It, she handed
it to ihe Chinaman. 'Then- it is," and,
to Ids surprise, ho found It.
"You only lady 1 know splk Chi
nese," lie said. And the other girls
looked upon her with admiration.
Kansas City World.
Snvnl tlio ( I.lfu.
Mrs. William Ditchlicld, of Upland,
has not studied medicine or surgery,
but she has performed a surgical op
eration on a chicken ut her homo and
the chicken Is now living and well,
having entirely recovered.
Srrs. IUtcblleld prides herself ou her
cliicueiis. The other day one of them
was taken sick. After diagnosing thu
the case she determined that if thu
chicken's life was to bo saved mi op
eration was necessary. Accordingly
sho whetted up a knife and, screwing
up her courage to the necessary notch,
she cut open tho chicken's craw nnd
there found imbedded In the side a
sninll sliver of bono. After much trou
ble she succeeded in removing It. Fin
ishing the thing lu n style almost pro
fessional, she neatly sewed up thu In
cision with silk thread.
The chicken is to-day running around
ns lively as any of the brood. Mrs.
Ldtchfield is now looking for more
chickens with bones in their craws.
Philadelphia Inquirer.
How Mexlcuns Make Ice.
In one of the highest vuileys of Onx
aca, Mexico, nt un elevation of 8000
or D000 feet, there Is a flourishing Ice
Industry, which Is bused on the well
known principle of the reduction of
temperature hy radiation of tempera
ture during the night. The ground Is
covered with a lurga number of wood
en troughs, which are tilled with wat
er, and during the winter nights a film
of Ice not more than one-eight b of an
Inch in thickness Is formed. This lew
la removed on the following morning,
shovtV-d Into holes In the ground, and
then covered with earth. ' It rapidly
solidities, and Is then cut into blocks,
nnd acuiTby mules to thu cities below,
where It Is readily sold. San Francis
co Cull.
THE MUSKRAT AT HOME.:
Ilnw Ho Unlldn nd I,Itm tend Munqm-r.
den M Terrapin.
The nmskrats bnxe begun lo build
their winter houses nnd put ou t licit
whiter coats. Among the waving
flags thousands of concsliapcd musk
rat, houses are In course ot construc
tion. Tho family habitation Is made
of dry. coarse flags ond grosses, small
pieces of watcr-soiikcd wood nud small
stones, .til cemented together by ft pe
culiar niorlnr which -only Ihe ninskral
knows bow to prepare by chewing clay
nnd mud into a line preparation. The
old negro hunter declares thai the ce
menting is donei with evenness and
precision by the industrious little
worker by mentis of its paws. Two
or three holes or "lends" allow thr
rnts to pass out or enter below the Ice.
The houses ure rough on I lie oulslde
nnd nre built from three lo five feet
high. Old hunters nnd close observers
of the habits of the muskrnt say that
tho little marsh dwellers know In ad
vance how high the spring tides will
rise. As verlflcntlon of this claim
It Is observed that all beds In a given
marsh nre of the same height.
The houses below the water line
nre bare, mud Inside, with n floor of
sticks and grasses a few feet above
the water. Upon this scaffold-like
floor the rats nre said to lie with
their bends toward Ihe "lend," ready
at n moment's notice to dash out and
appear at the surface L'OO yards away
lu deep water. The law passed by
the last Legislature gives added pro
tection to these, Ihe most popular fur
producers on the Eastern Shore of
Maryland and Delaware, which are
caught by the hundred thousand
each winter. The Utile animals
are lu many cases caught In steel
traps secured by stroug chains.
As soon ns tlic nil Is trapped It plunges
Into the water weighed down by Ihe
trap, ami Is drowned. A muskrat. au
thority gives the interesting bit of In
formation (hat, while a muskrat is
compelled lo breathe under water, It
can travel for miles under the lee by
n scientific nlr-prodiiclng process
which enables It to remain under tho
Icy covering for hours. In order to
do tills It must stop ns often us ouce
in twenty minutes nnd eject Its brcnth
Into Ihe water. This nlr rises to tho
surface, forming a big pnle bubble.
After it has been exposed lo the water
fur a few minutes Hie bubble becomes
oxygenated, when Ihe rat Inhales thw
Jsiobnle nud resumes its Journey.
Muskrats when served by Ihe Kast
cru Shore cook as "mock terrapin" will
challenge tin epicure to distinguish
it from the real Chesapeake diamond
back. When properly sUluned ihe
musky laste and odor entirely disap
pear and when properly cooked the
almost black flesh Is Juicy, tender and
sweet. The food of Ihe rat is the roots
of marsh grasses and shrubs which
grow on the shores and no morsel of
food Is touched Until it litis been thor
oughly washed. Chestertown Old.)
Correspondence in Ihe Haltlmore Sun.
CURIOUS FACTS.
Tlic report comes from Damascus
that the remains of a valuable library
that escaped destruction when Tomer
lane sacked the city in inn have been
discovered by one of the city ollicinls.
The Journal IApiculteur records n
curious observation of a specialist,
nauicly, that nightingales devour tho
drones of n hive nud leuve workers
unmolested. As nu experiment, twelve
of the former nnd six of the latter
were killed nnd placed by I lie hive;
the twelve were eaten, the six not
touched.
The remains of an ancient gallery
were recently found six feet below the
surface nt Tottenham marshes during
the excavations for the new reservo'rs
of the East London Water Company.
It is supposed to have belonged to the
Danes, who were defeated In Leu Vul
ley by King Alfred lu K)l A. 1).
One of the skyscrapers in New York
Cily has a daily population of Si 00,
nnd tho mnll sent out I rom it nverugos
38,000 pieces u day. Every forty-live
minutes a mall wagon from the I'osl
otn.ee carries away from this building
about sevcnly-llve pounds of outgoing
mnll. Another New York oillco build
ing sends out :io,000 pieces of mail
every week day.
A remarkable case of I lie death of a
little girl from the bite of a fly comes
from St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Lou
don. The child complained that a fly
had bitten her on the nose. Her face
soon began to swell, it was not long
before she was delirious, and In spile
of every effort she died. The hospital
autopsy developed the fact that blood
poisoning had resulted probably from
poisonous microbes Introduced into
the system by the tly. Such cases aro
not without precedent, but an rare.
The village of Noodeshn, Kan., was
recently visited by n tornado, and at
the end of the excitement a farmer
living in tho vicinity stuck his head
out of his cyclone cellar and found
that bis choicest field wns occupied hy
a strange house of small dimensions.
He could not Identify the building ns
belonging to any of his acquaintances,
nnd up to date nil his efforu to do so
have been univalll'ig.
Mr. Chamborlnln' Ori-lilil.
On tho Qnal des Flours, in Farls,
Mr. Chamberlain saw one day u rare
orchid.
"How much?" asked the future Min
ister." "Twenty pounds, monsieur; It is tho
only specimen In France."
"Here Is the money," replied Cham
berlain, and, drawing the notes from
his pocket, ho took tile (lower, tore It
to pieces nnd trampled It under foot,
saying, "I have It In my own collec
tion, and I object to a Frenchman hav
lug a dupllcnte." I'nrls Letter to Tou
louse Express.
Blngiilnr Wntch Charm.
Miniature Bibles are worn as watch
charms lu Kusshi. They are each one
Inch long, three-fourths of an Inch
wide, and three-eighths of an iueh
thick, und contain tho first live books
of the Old Testumeut. The text Is In
Ilebrow, and can be read with thu aid
of a magnifying glass.
v WHY' SOME "men" CROW f ALL.
I.-nlh nf I.lnib nnd lliiily Are Indication
of Vnontoral Growth.
Tho biggest living man Is Lewis Wll
kins, who Is now arousing great Inter
est in the scientific circles of Europe.
Wlik Ins wns born on a farm near St.
Haul. Minn., In 1S7-1. When he wns
but ten years old he measured six feet
lu height, and now has' grown to the
tremendous height of 107 Inches
Just three-quarters of nn Inch less than
nine feet nnd weighs Silt pounds.
There hnve been other tn II men nnd
women before Wllklns, nnd scientists
have striven In vnln to account for
these freaks of nntiire. . Only lately n
plausible story has been put forward
by a French physician, Dr. Marie, who
soys Hint giantism Is nothing more or
less than a disease. This disease gen
erally occurs In patients between the
ages of eighteen and thlrly-flvc, and Is
llrst. culled acromegaly (from two
Greek words moaning "enlargement
of the extremities"), if tho patient Is
not attacked tint II nftcr hi is eighteen
11k ends of the bones In the arms nnd
legs are enlarged and prolonged slight
ly, but If this disease lias attacked a
child nt or soon after birlh giantism
l. the result. The bones arc prolonged
nil r.long (heir length, grow initial ur
ally, anil the result Is n giant.
When you see a big man It is, there
fore, a quevtion whether he Is unusu
ally strong or whether In is a sufferer
from ncroniegaly. All giants have not
been acronoigalle, according to Dr.
Marie, lie mentions two giants In the
French nrmy who did not belong lo
this class. One was Charles Front, a
cavalry soldier, who was six feel
eleven Inches, nnd another was Mar
nat, a drum major In the Nineteenth
lteglment of infantry, who measured
six feet nine inches.
I'crhaps the greatest giant who ever
lived before Wllklns was Charles
Byrne, an Irishman. Ho measured
nine feet two Inches. Ills skeleton Is
still preserved, proving beyond ques
tion Ills enormous size. He was prob
ubly acromegalic.
Other giants were Coiislanllne, bom
nt Zurich, Switzerland, eight feet one
Inch; Ilcrold, born at Lelpsle, seven
feet live Inches, and Lady Emma,
eight feet one inch.
Tim Cold Kill lot.
A weird story is told of a man by
the inline of Van Bosboom, who Is dis
tinguished in Ihe Transvaal as the
best shot lu the itcpublio. lie is nrty
tive years old and never, il Is claimed,
lias be missed an object nt , liidi he
fired. A few months ago he had a
productive gold mine and a flourishing
family, but h" lost his mine recently,
ami soon after his two sons were slain
ns Ihey were lighting against the Eng
lish. The loss of his mine troubled
him little, but when ho learned that
his stalwart sons were no more a
change came over blui. Ho took his
old flint lock rille, which lie 'calls Lo
betigula, and with a bag of golden
bullets he went to the front to light
the foes of ids country. And it is said
that during the ri'i-ent battles when
the ambulances removed each day
those who had fallen in battle, the
physicians could readily pick out thu
eilllcers who laid been killed by Van
Bosboom, for Instead of two ounces
of lend or steel they had two ounces
of gold either in the heart or lu the
forehead.
Whether Ibis be truth or (let Ion I
know not, but I do know that there
nre multitudes of men nnd women who
are shot to death in llicsn days, not
only in South Africa, but in Europe
nnd America us well, by tlio bullets
of gold. llomlletlc He-view.
Trcnur(- of Aztec Tlmen.
The work (hut is being enrried on in
the C'nlle do las Escaleralllas for the
laying of the sewer mains has led to
important archaeological discoveries,
for as is well known, that street, an
well as Iho present cathedral, formed
part of the site of the great temple ot
Huitzilopochtll, Hit Aztec god of war.
The latest discoveries seem to be the
most important of nil. Foremost
among them nre two figures of the
god Ehecatl (god of air), tlio compan
ion of Unclznccutl. One of these fig
ures Is painted red, yellow and black,
ami In spite of the dampness of the
ground where it has lain for centuries,
tho colors have remained fresh uud
vivid.
These Idols are adorned with disks
of gold, which are polished nud en
graved in a remarkable maimer. The
disks nre about twenty centimeters In
diameter and the gold plate Is of fair
thickness.
Other objects found nt the same time
were four ear ornaments of golfl, a
gold Jewel case belonging to the god
of nlr, beads, amulets of green stones,
axes of sllex, small Idols of stone,
lances of sharp stones, a curious mask
of pyrile of iron, knives of large di
mensions, n mask of dlorite, censers
of earthenware painted in colors, and
many other figures of stone and ce
ment, tlio latter being always poly
chromatic Mexican 1 Icrahl.
('oralf.
In the main, Corsica, where It has
no French ollicinls to lcavon Its poli
tics, is still Corslcan rather thuu
French; and lu the mountains tho old
spirit of Independence Is fur from
elcaiL For these and other obvious
reasons, France Is bound to keep ac
tive garrisons In the Island, though sho
would do better by miici! with the
more acceptable chains of a maternal
administration. More railways, drained
marshes, increased education, and a
dally steamboat service would bind the
island to the continent In seif-lutercst
nnd gratitude. As It Is, It is scarcely
too much to say that Corsica is only
kept from open revolt by thu clement
of prosperity brought to her by the
tourists of winter. Chambers's Jour
nal. Ilangor nr-HIgh" Unrae.
The eating of "high" game Is un
doubtedly attended with risks, aud tho
poisonous effects are probably due to
the toxins produced In the earlier
stages of putrefactive process. Tho
advantage, of course, of hanging game
Is that the flesh becomes tender aud
decidedly more digestible than whei
It Is quite fresh. The rlpenlug pn'--cess,
however, may mean the elatie
atloo of toxins. It la a curious t M
that game can be mado to look "rluu"
and greeu by Injecting Into the ftVob
tieBU potassium sulphide. Lancet, ,
. mi i
3un imw oTii
.AUCHTER.PROvoKiNf StoJ
LOVERS OF r.,r
nr.. . . I
Amendment m.r. . ,rt
co.JeH,..,,,vj:,.r:
He I.HM.n.ed , ,, "Ji
"For your thoRllU. " 1
. will Kindly Kiv,, t - I
Saul the youth, BlHl, M I
"Well, I think one k,L ' I
I would Hi.r,.i,. . I
Answered the 'm y
- many." U' ,r,"n
"Well, uuihrclli,, lnv.
ning," said Mr. Hn,,.-, J
"Perhaps yo ,,.
iswered Mrs. SiinKK,.
,-'"yllli,,.
'I Pity authors w, ),,.,
such sedentary lives."
"Sedentary! You ,itl-t ,.
publishers a seileiiinry lif,.
-hicago Kccord,
'1'" !Mnllfl.nti,
"Yes. T advertise! for ,
Ihe coal di-nl-r, llirov.;,,, , ,
"What qualifications ,;,v' ,
"I cnu lie a linl,., s;l-' '
boy, timidly. - An.Mvi-i-fi.
'H Ciin,i-,,lri,
Servant 'Tiii.r,.-s ., ,.,,,
says he Is Imn-r.v ,!
Mr. (iotrox -"Asls ,im vi
daughters It Is t.;i . w.,nt,
be another one of tlisl. !m
men." Judge.
liUIITil In lllMinlfr.
"Jack, j on ought t
your v riling biolr."
"Lemme alone, Julia;
straighten up this table' l r.
a thing on it until it SMt n
up again."-Iniliaii.-iiiisj,,,',,
How 1l- lll.pnli. ilof i
"Yes. sir," said ti. r,,(,ltll
dlker, "one of my (lugs-Just J
mongrel saved my ut,,"
"And yon were in 1 lu-nrtl-;
to sell him, were ji,Y' (hey
"inw. 1 ate liii!i."-li,,
Press.
A r'lrld For llu- Inujjln:,
Mrs. Fiisslnnge-"A1I suris
nro going around tiSut t.
inses."
Mrs. Snoop- "No m oiclcr'
been living in tlio w-M
month and nolimly kibvi
about them."- I'm k.
Couli. I,!i,-i-.,.
Cy ulcus- ' l love-"
Miss-Antcck-"Ali! J' vi s: :
nil along you linuuiity m,
Cynlciis- " love tin- dili.
elolil of bacheloi liunil."
Miss Antei-k --"bruit!"-
(Ohio) Stilt. Join mil.
II i Vt-ry Oirn.
"It Is a Kllbi'lis. Is It lint:
visitor, turning from tin In-;
the painting to the lnj.-le.-
' .My liusliiinil s inline, ml
Caswell, with ( lilting illstit
William. It's his till viitlit.tU
j:tld S7000 for ll."-(.'lili'iis
Tim l.:iti
Stuttering Einplojvr lri;
tcrl "B b-b-bny, hand menu
bl--"
Oince Boy "A blottiT.
wish?"
Stuttering Employci -'''
n-n-u-now; the ink lias (Id
Harper's Bazar.
Sonrre tr Hl tmplrali
The poet's eyes llasln'il :l !
woman's footsteps upr-n tlio
"Ah," he nntseil, "'tis sli.
splratlon!"
And fell to writ in: npiin
For he bad hefinl (lie f'
bis landlady, niul lil' 'm
due. Harper's i'-tinr.
Not a I n" ' 111:11 Kil
"Now that you rc
lior intimate friend. "il
lo hyphenate your Mine a""
self Mrs. l'lumh-Mm-'
"No," replied tllf k'V'ly
a Shy glance nt lr ''
young husband. "T'tl '8
bolidatloii. it's tinjiliior
The Mia'
The sweet antes of tup
c ...... il... ti-ts' riiuin ell
low.
"I'm saddest when I
words.
"Most women nro." t;i'"Kl
ii on Ihe floor lim-Vi, m
can't: sing and talk "t f:
Detroit Free Press.
HIirL-er ll'li'l
Ladv of the House ItMiJn"
.1 1.1 ..II,. witli 1
Il-.e-.-n-ui-o.il . m
had been Invited to ilW'-t
little man, how Jul )uu
dinners" ..,
Yoiiugster-'Trrtty '"
we don't have liny 'ltl,l'
home; but I always sot m,
Berliner Tiigt'l'laH.
...... .... eioi I'-'"!-1"
"Did you ever got '''"
tho revivalist.
"Well, I should nay w'
of It," replied the nun.
"A hundred and l1,irl.
of religion!" cried the rcn
did you get tlint';"
0-l..k Wll Ul'11
1 i'a4
moil ever gee " ,.,
"I married it -fuU
. ..ll.r,!l.
... TrT-rwrilnf
worm-- .
norroughs-"Sorry;;a
wuillag so long '"r ,,
you, but rn scud r 0
rMarklcy-"l'-or
don't!" I
Borrougbs-"W1- i
.....,... tilt. ..until Iu .1
to throw In another
for U."-Cuth01lcHtauaara
r.-i-T'"5S
"How do you got w
neighbors?" (lfj
"Very nicely."
Una 'Wfi DUrSUOd
gramme, and as 1000 J
sent over aud aW '"J
wash tubs, flat Iron
baby grand piano- -,
"But you have a" ,u
elf. . , i in
"Of course. Wbw J
was to head tbcu
Btar.
i I