SONC OF THE SHOVEL,
The friends I have are. deserving friends,
And I serve them well I ween,
Tlit hands that hold m are honest hand
Be they ever no Knurled and lean:
Oh. birth and position are naught to me
If proud, they tmist earn my aeorn
For I act them free, under God's decree,
When the world van newly born.
A-swish, a-Kwih 'tis Hie song I sing
Willi a truer tone than the trumpet'
' ring.
Or the roll of drum, or tlieshrill of fife--A-wish,
-Mvisli, 'tig a tale of
'
J hritig to the pensnnt his homely food,
To the prinee hi viands and wine.
The glittering atone and tbc snITron gold
I wrest from the gmdgi7ig mine;
Tint, little I earn for these tawdry thing.
And my kindlient gift to toil
Is the jov that wings and the health that
springs
From the grasp of the graleful soil.
A -swish, swish 'tis the song I sing
With a truer tone than the. trumpet's
ring.
Or the roll of drum, or the shrill of fife
Aswisli, a-swish, 'tis a tale of Life.
O, well for the world that my InmUy yoiee
Grows louder from day to day;
O ill for the kingdom that melts me down
To boom in the deadly fray;
And woe to the ruler who hears me groan
'Neath a burden of grievous wrong.
For often, alone, have I wrecked a throne
With the shriek of my angry song!
A -swish, n-swih 'tis the song I sing
With a truer tone than, the trum)iet's
ring,
Or the roll of drum, or theshrill of fife
A -swish, n-swisli, 'tis a tale of Life.
,lohn A. Foote, in Georgetown College
Journal.
JESSIE PALLAMA 1
ffit nf E,,B T- Hess. '
KS. BUTTON wim nlonp In
her handsome dra wing room
when a servant announced:
"A young latly to speak
to you, madam. If you please."
"Show lior lu," said Mrs. Button,
kindly; tint t lit words were scarcely
necessary, for the "young lady" wm
close at the servant's heels.
The twilight was yet lingering, mid
the room was mostly in shadow; lint
the hall outside wag lirillinntly Ughted,
and Mrs. Button caught u clear view
of Iter visitor pre the door closed be
hind her. She appeared to be a young
and very pretty girl, of a tall, slender
figure, clear sklu, and ilnrk brown
hair and large (lurk eyes; but It was
lior dress that cliietly caught Mrs.
Bultou's surprised attention, and held
11 captive as she gazed at her with
out speaking, for, thongh the hat and
phnwl she wore were of the plainest
description, the dress she strove to
hide beuealli them was of the costliest
silk, richly trimmed with lace, and
her gloves and shoes were the finest
that could be procured.
'Tlease, dear madam, do not judge
nie.hy. my appearance, but in pity
listen to me and grant my prayer,"
sujd the pretty stranger, coming a step
or two nearer, and stretching out her
bauds entreatlngly. "I want employ
irient and shelter, and though I have
neither recommendation nor reference
to offer, I beg you to forego holh. In
my case, and let me serve you. Oh.
do, dear i ladam, and I shall Ijless you
from the depths of my grateful heart!"
8he was greatly agitated;' her voice
trembled, and it was evident that
pent-up emotion was overcoming her.
Now Mrs. Button was not a timid
woman, so It ucver entered her mind
to Imagine that ihls- trembling girl
could be one of a bund of thieves,
trying to gain admission with rC view
to rob her mansion, nor was she one
of those who see a designing rogue
in every applicant fur nld; but the ln-
Cmiimit l.tU nf llw. Villi, XV l.wlu'o nr.
penrance troubled her. and made her
Hesitate tierore speaking.
"Sit down here near the window,"
be said, after a moment's thought.
"You are both tired and agitated. I
Bee. Have you come from a dis
tance?" "I I that is I beg you will uoi
ask me," replied the stranger.
"Will you give me your name?"
After u little hesitation, the girl
murmured in a low voice:
"Call me Jessie Palluma, please."
"That Is not her name," was Mrs.
Ikiltou's mental conclusion; but she
asked again, "Will you not confide to
me the trouble that forces you to your
proseut uecessity? I will not betray
you, unless. Indeed, it is something I
could not dure to keep secret."
"I cannot," said the girl, resolutely,
though lu a very sad voice. "If you
repulse me, I must seek further; but
1 entreat you, lu pity "
"Stay!" said Mrs. Button, decidedly;
and the gjrj who had partly rlseu,
dropped Into her seat with an Intense
ly thankful sigh.
There was a moment's silence, and
then tho ludy continued:
"I am, no doubt, doiug a very fool
Ish thing; I am llsteulng to the dic
tates of my heart, apart from the aug
Kemious of my Judgment. (Jump up
Hlaira with me. If you remain here,
it must be In a garb that will not ex
clto tho wonder of my servants. 1
havo a woolen dress which I have
seldom worn; It tan be arranged to
lit you, and will do for the present."
A murmur of thanks was Jessie's
reply, and she followed her new mis
tress to a small chamber on the right
of her owri sleeping upurttuents. '
"This will be your room, Jessie,"
she said with a amlle, "and I shall
exorcise the right of locking you lu
very night after I retire, thus niuk
iug your object In seeking secrecy
perfectly harmless to every one."
"Certainly, madam. Only let me
fclay here quietly, and I wlil do any.
thins of ngrce to anything you may
suggest."
When Jessie Pnllumu descended to
the drawlug room agalu, she looked
like n different being. Her glossy and
abundant hair was smoothly drawn
Jnck from her beautiful brow, and
Iter iluo form was well djspluved lu
(tho dark brown woolen dress Hlio hud
Jnceuiously altered to lit herself.
' Her place, as dellueiJ lu a few
!Wonla ly m,s. Button, was to be that
bf a companion and reuder, us the
Uder lady's sight was falling. Jessie
deeply appreciated her kindness, and
they soon became used to each other
Within n few weeks of her eutrunco
into the household, Miss I'ullamti, as
Mr, Button ulwa.vs called her to th
servants, hnd inndp herself nn indispensable-element
to the generous
lady's comfort and enjoyment.
Mrs. Button, quick and keen of ob
servation as she was, hnd learned no
more of the young stranger's motives
than at first, only two peculiarities
having developed on her part. One
was her eagerness to scan the news
papers: the other her anxiety to avoid
the front windows, and to keep out
of the way of nny but the- members
of the. household. (
It was In deference to this last de
sire that, afler reading over her letters
oue morning,. Mrs. Button said to
her:
"Jessie, my dear, 1 am sorry to tell
you that I shall have a guest for a
week or two, because I fear his pres
ence will banish you to your own
apartment."
Jessie changed color.
"You are kind to consider me, dear
madam," she suld.
Mrs. Button nodded.
"I am very fond of the young man I
expect. His mother was my be.t
friend In girlhood, and her boy Is very
dear to me; but we were getting on
with our readings so nicely that I wish
his visit had been earlier or later."
Jessie nnswercd her kind smile with
a look of deep gratitude.
"As he will be here to dinner, he
says, this Is our last mo'niug together
for a little while, at all events
so prny let us enjoy our book."
True to his promise, the stranger
arrived half an hour before the dinner
hour, and was shown to his room
like a familiar guest. He was a young
man of frank and attractive appear
ance, not yet thirty, and evidently,
when In good spirits, what Is general
ly termed excellent company.
He was not lu a happy mental con
dition at present, however, as Mrs.
Button, soon discovered.
"Why, my dear Milton," she ex
claimed before they were half through
dinner, "what has become of your
appetite and your usual good humor?
You surprise and distress me. I was
Impressed by something sad In your
letter but hoped It was imaginary on
my part. Now, however, I see that,
you look ill, and seem like oue bereft
of hope, and you tell me that within
this very week you have fallen heir to
a nice round sum from an eccentric
mint who hud lived a hermit's life."
"That Is true, Mrs. Button." an
swered Milton Arlington, "and Aunt
Mary's legacy, had It come earlier,
would have been the greatest blessing
I could nsk from Heaven, since It
would havo given me the means of
marrying the only woman I ever did
or ever shall love!"
"And Is she now lost to you?"
He bowed his head, bit his lips
nervously, nnd changed the subject.
Milton Arlington had chosen his
profession rather late, and was a
preacher of only one year and n half's
standing. lie was thoroughly in
earnest, a fine speaker, and was be
ginning to be known; but his income
was yet quite small, and his private
means had been almost swallowed ui
in building up his church.
A few evenings later he entered
Mrs. Button's drawing room, flung
hiiuRelf. with u listless air, into an
easy chair, and looked nt his hostess
with the dull, hopeless look that was
becoming habitual to his fine eyes.
"Do you know, Mrs. Button," ho
said, "I am accusing myself of selfish
ness In remaining here. You are my
mother's oldest friend, and I owe It to
you to be frank, so I will confess that
my object in coming was to catch a
glimpse. If possible, of of Jessie St.
John, the girl I loved, before her hand
was irretrievably given to another. I
was drawu by a species of torment
I could not resist to haunt the outside
of the mansion In which my favored
rival lives. It belongs to his father,
Jessie's guardian, and .he maker of
the match. I felt sure from the tlrot
that the poor girl never favored tho
arrangement, and that I could win her
If I was rich enough to spt-ak my love";
but remember, Mrs. Button, she Is au
heiress, and what motive would be
given to a peuuiless wooer, as I was
then?"
"But you are uot now, Milton!" cried
Mrs. Button, eagerly. "You have
money now; why need you feu,. to
offer yourself?"
"It Is too late too late!" groaned the
young man. "There was a wedding
at the Jackson's mansion last night,
and she Is Jacob Jackson's wife now."
"No, no!" cried a Joyous voice nt the
door, und. to Mrs. Button's supreme
amazement, Jessie Pallaina dashed
excitedly Into the apartment. "Jacob
married his cousin Fannie last night.
See here; read It In the paper. I saw
It there, und it set me crazy with Joy.
Poor Fannie! I overheard Jacob and
her Inmeutlug together over their hard
fate, and Fannie said:
" 'Oh, if Jessie Ht. Johu would enly
disappear, r.ever to be seen again,
uncle would get over this desire to
keep her fortuuo hi the family, und
1 could be happy, Jake.'
"That gave me courage to do a
desperate thing. I wrote a note ta
my guardlun, telling hiu I had gone
away, never to return, and slipped
down stairs, took my maid's hat and
nlinvl, and ran all the way to Fifth
avenue to Mrs. Button's for uiy
maid's cousin lived there once, aud
told me whuc a good, noble lady Mr:i.
Button was. This inspired me with
the hope that she would receive and
help me. When I realized how much
I was asking I lost heart, and feared
she would refuse me; but she did not,
and I owe more than life to her!"
cried the Impulsive girl, bursting Into
teur and flinging herself into the
generous lady's arms. "For wiieu I
came to tell her everything I heard
Milton's voice, and I could not help
listening and oh, I am so happy!"
"Then thero was a little feeling on
your part that helped you to make a
sacrifice for Fannie's happiness?"
whispered Mrs. Button, slyly, while
she kissed her with great tenderness.
"Let me take my darling!" cried the
enraptured Milton. "I havo worlds
to say to her. And first of all, I must
begin by avowing that I am wild with
joy. Oh, Mrs. Button, It was a good
thought to come to you!"
"Of course it was!" cried tho warm,
henrted lady. "Now hurry up your
endless disclosures, fur I shall expect
you to be ratiouul at dinner time."
And itho slipped away, laughing gayly.
Waverley Muguziue.
WE ALL USE THIS GUM
HOW THE STICKY STUFr ON POST
ACE STAMPS IS MADE.
Costing Most Be I iilfnrni lrrtet Care
Kxerclsad In l'laring It on the Letter
Takers 19,000,000 Stumps flammed In
Fight-Hour Day,
Not one person In five hundred who
licks a postage stamp ever dreams of
the precautions taken by the bureau
of engraving and printing to secure
uniform coating of the best adhesive
and purest gum on the back of tho
stumps.
The process of gumming postage
stamps Is as much an exact science
as the building of the large gnus nt
the Washington Navy Yavd, says the
Star. This work, like that of prac
tically all other similar kinds for the
Government, Is done at the bureau
of engraving and printing, and so ac
curate is the process of gumming
stamps that when the work Is finished
the stamps are tested to discover It
the coating of mucilage on the sheet
varies as much as tteveu ten-thousandths
of a pound.
The room where tin- stamps are
gummed Is airy and well lighted; It Is
eighty by fifty feet, and contains nt
present eight gumming machines. The
stamps after being printed reach the
gumming room from the examining
room In sheets olghtecu and one-half
by twenty-th:-ee Inches, each sheet
containing 4(H) stamps. The sheets to
be gummed are fed by women
nperativt ou an endless chain belt,
held by grlppers. This chalu belt
passes under a glass gumming roller,
which Is automatically coated with
the exact proportion of mucilage to be
received by the sheet. This mucilage
is fed to the roller from a small tank
Just above. The gummed sheets are
then carried by the endless chain belt
Into a covered drying box fifty feet
long, which coutaius colls of steam
pipes. Which produce u temperature of
130 degrees Fahrenheit. The sheets
of stamps, after a slow journey of
one minute, emerge from the other
end of the drying box, with tho
mucilage perfectly dry.
The machine uutomatically delivers
the sheets on a table to a, lady oper
ative, who. by passing her experienced
hand over the gummed surface, de
termines If the sheets are properly
gummed and If they are running
through the machines lit just the right
degree of speed to Insure their being
properly dried.
After being gummed tho sheets are
rolled to take out the curl of the paper,
nnd are ugaln Inspected to see If
there are any defects in the gumming.
If they are fouud to be perfect they
are then counted and pressed aud sent'
to the perforating room, the process
of perforating being In Itself an ex
ceedingly Interesting one.
The care taken to Insure perfect uni
formity lu the gumniiug of the stamps
is not the least Interesting part of the
work. Every morning when the ma
chine pressmen report for duty they
are each given a blank form, which
they must fill out during the day as
tjeir work progresses.
A record is also kept on the blank
form of the number of printed sheets
of stnmps gummed, so that the fore
man, by a glance at the graduated
sealj aud the number of printed sheets
gummed, can tell nt any moment If
each sheet is receiving its exact pro
portion of gum.
This system is an elaborate check
on the gummed sheets, und was de
signed to insure the proportionate
quantity of gum ou each sheet of
stumps. Every afternoon the work
men are given credit for the amotiut of
gnm they return to the Oovernmeut,
and the balance is struck between the
gum used, and tlie total number of
sheets gummed. Careful experiments
and exact scientific calculations have
determined tho proportion of guui und
paper.
To meet the different conditions of
the seasons of the year the quality of
the gum Is changed four times during
each' year. The winter or soft gum
Is used during the months of Novem
ber, December. January, February
und March. The summer or hard gum
Is used during the months of June,
July, August and September, and tho
spring and fall gums are used In Oc
tober, April and May. The summer
gum is the hardest, nnd best resists
the humidity during the hot mouths of
summer, likewise preventing the sheets
of stumps sticking together in the
postotfices of the country. The winter
gum is used to enable the stumps to
resist frosty weather, which often
cuuses the stumps to curl und crack.
The Intermediate .711m Is used to meet
the conditions of half warn and half
cold weather.
Of course, the most thorough pre
cautions are tnkeu to begiu with In
procuring the very best quality of ad
hesive pustnl gum. This gum Is de
rived from dexterlne, a product se-.
cured In the process of making starch
from potatoes, corn and cassava root.
The starch obtained from the fore
going vegetables is treated by being
roasted at a temperature of about
300 degrees In Its early singes, when
it later turns to dexterlne, which is
later converted Into postal gum. If
carried further than postal gum it
change to grape sugnr or glucose.
The best postal gum for stumps Is
that which contains the least uncon
verted sturch and little, If any, glu
cose. The materlul used for tho purpose of
making stamp gum looks very much
like flour except lu color, and is per
fectly clean aud wholly vegetable.
When the postal gum Is delivered In
bulk at the bureau by the contractors
It Is contained in double sacks of
200 pounds each. Before using every
consignment Is carefully Inspected nnd
is subjected to a microscopic examina
tion nnd chemical analysis by the
bureau's chemist. This Is to discover
if the gum la of the best quality and
up to the ntundard furnished by tho
successful bidders. It Is next tested
to see If It meets the working requlrn
uteuts of gumming stamps. Tho qual
ities required by the Government In
the gum are udheslveuess, luster, ab
sence of grit, flexibility, resistance to
humidity and color. If the gum does
not meet all these requirement)! It 1.1
rejected. At the present time ii'iout
8tK) pounds of dry gum Is used dully,
and the contractor fur, tho present
fiscal year will be required to tti:'if ;ili
about atiO.UOO pounds. The average
cost of the dry postal gum Is about
six cents per pound, and thus the dally
cost to the llovcrnment of gum for
stamps Is about lf4H.
Down in the basement of the bureau
there are three big steam jacketed
kettles of the capacity of 100 gallons
each, where the gum Is made by an
established formula. Tills Is done by
mixing the dry gum with water, and
by carefully bulling It until the gum
Is cooked. The kettles arc exceeding
ly clean, and tile boiling n.nst be at
Just the 'proper degree. After the
gum Is boiled It Is pumped to a
settling tank, where It Is strained and
reduced to the proiei" specific gravity.
It Is next pumped tip four stories to
the stamp gumming room, where It Is
received and again strained iuto a
large tank fifteen feet above the floor.
Another test Is then made for tem
perature aud specific gravity aud tho
gum Is ready to be conveyed by pipes
to the small tanks over the gumming
rollers, upon which it drips lu tiny
strenms.
The greatest cleanliness is required
at every step In the process of boil
ing and handling the gum, and as the
gum Is purely vegetable, the stamp
ltckcr need not lmvo the slightest
hesitancy In applying his moistened
tongue to the stamp.
The eight machines now In ths
gumming room have a capacity for
iil.000 sheets or 10,000,000 stumps, In
one day of eight hours' work. Both
United States postage stamps and
documentary and proprietary revenue
stamps ure gummed by tliese ma
chines. At the beginning of the
Spanish-American war, wheu there
was an urgent demand for war. rev
enue stamps, there were only six of
these machines in operation. They
were run night and day to meet the
emergency, and gummed 107,000
sheets or 41,000,000 stamps, every
twenty-four hours. This large number
of stamps furnished Uncle Sam with
some of the sinews of war during those
trying times. The nverago consump
tion of ordinnry postage stamps at
this time is about 15,000,000 a day.
Insurance against hail storms has
become less common among the farm
ers of Southern Europe In regions
where regular "cannon stations" for
breaking up the storm clouds have
been estaliiisheil.
In the chief room of every Japanese,
house there Is a slightly raised dais,
which Is arranged so that It can bo
shut off from the rest of the room.
This is a place for tho emperor to sit
should he ever visit that home.
There is 110 record that the Philip
pines was over visited by a big epi
demic of bubonic plague, und It is
most remarkable that, while this
dread disease has periodically ap
peared aud ravaged Hong Kong aud
Macao, Manila, has retained its immu
nity. Kausas's wheat crop, If sold at tho
average price of sixty cents a bushel,
would give to every man. woman and
child in the United States no less than
!?t per capita. If placed in box cars
on a single track It would fill enough
curs to reach from Wichita to New
York City.
A boa-constrictor being moved from
his cage In the Carnegie Laboratory
recently bit the iron bars in his anger.
These bars had been chewed by sev
eral rattlesnakes which hud been
moved a day or two before. The boa
coustrlctor ;lckened and died, and It
Is supposed that the venom left ou the
burs by the rattlers poisoned it.
In the wilds of Alaska n strau4
burial custom flourishes. When a medi
ciue man of an Indian tribe dies lie Is
burled on a lonaly hillside far away
from human habitation and a wooden
statue of his totem set up over him.
His spirit is supposed to remaiu about
the place nnd Indians suffering from
desperute illness or wounds nouj
other would dare so far visit the spot
and appeal to tho totem for aid.
A sixtpen-year-old girl in the Yucca
Mine, near Barstow, Ual Is working
the sand and dirt from a deserted
claim with a dry washer, and suc
ceeds lu getting from 50 to $7 worth
of gold dust every day. She uses tho
washer us effectively as her male
companions, who are also engaged In
the same profitable occupation there.
She can sburpen aud temper her pick
na well as any experienced miner.
Among living things the most vast
Is a whale called the rorqual, which
reaches the length of 100 feet wheu It
Is grown up, und has teeth longer
thtiu a man' leg. It measures forty
feet around the place where its waist
coat, would be if It had one and It can
move through the water at the rate
of forty miles an hour. It gets
through about a tun of fish aud other
food per day when lu robust health, to
suy nothing of a senl or two.
lions Blinkers CmiM SulTarlng.
Blinkers cause great suffering. God
nil given horses eyes to see, and man,
without thought, has hajf blinded
thein. The unsupported Idea has been
that blinkers prevent shying, but
horses are more likely to hy when
half blinded than when they have full
sight. As proof of my opinion, uot
oue of tiie thousands of army horses
has blinkers, and without giving you
actual figures of each company, I
have report from the following rail
way companies: The Great Northern,
Loudon and Norlhwestarn, Great Cen
tral, Great Western, London, Brighton
aud South Coast, Great Eastern aud
Midland, who have now upward of
13,000 horse working without blink
er.', the North Loudon tramways 7000,
und carrier and others 10.000, up
ward of ,"0,000. These horses are uovr
'working in Loudon freed from tor
mept, why not the vest? There 1 a
consensus of opinion, that horses look,
work and feed heller without blinkers.
,ind 1 huvo no!, heard of olio case of
any luvuuveuleuce or of any satisfac
tory reason why blinker thomd he
v ,cd. Tho fc'uluitlay Bovluw.
AGRICULTURAL , f
The If snag-etnent of Cattle.
While the use of the best cows Is a
very Important matter, yet the man
agement of the farm and the cattle
huve something to do with the produc
tion of milk. There are cows that will
give more milk on some farms than
on others, duo to better varieties of
grass, more grain food and more com
fortable quarters. An Indifferent farm
er may have good cows from which
no profit la derived because of poor
mau igeraent. During long periods of
drought the pasture may not provide
but a fraction of the grass com pa nil
with Its cnpaclty early In the season,
and It, therefore, becomes more diffi
cult for the animals to supply them
selves. This deficiency the farmT.
should observe and supply.
Farm Gates.
Take two pine or poplar boards, six
Inches wide, an inch nnd a half thick
and as long ns you want your gate.
Have pickets one by four Inches nnd
as long ns you want your gate high.
A NEAT 7ABH GATK.
Then a brace one by four Inches, long
enough to reach from the lower cor
ner of gate on hinge end to top cor
ner, where the latch Is to be placed.
Lay the two rails down ou bnrn floor
or trestles. 1f you hnve them, 1I10
proper distance apart, nnd nail ou your
pickets, putting four mills In each
end. Saw brace to fit In between
rails without notching, nnd nail pick
ets to this. Bolt on hinges, having
holes In same, so the bolts will pnss
through both picket nnd rail. At tho
other end bolt n paling on each side
of the rail. Have a common latch
mode out of an old wagon tire or :.n
old piece of bar Iron aud when this is
properly secured your gate Is com
plete. Orange Jtidd Farmer.
The Bummer Diet of CliH-keos.
There Is no perfect summer or win
ter food for chickens, but with a little
ingenuity In mixing their diet we can
supply them with what may be called
perfect food. A good deal depcuds
upon the nature of the chickens und
fowls In regard to the food, and also
upon the season of the year. While
a fair supply of corn may do for
winter feeding, It could hardly be
recommended for summer feedlug. It
Is altogether too fattening nnd heat
ing. On the other hnnd a little rice Is
good for tho fowls lu summer, and
totally unsuitable for winter. Thero
is practically no heating elements In
rice, nnd this Is what we need for
summer feeding, food that will nour
ish without heating. "
Now when wo feed summer or
winter for eggs we must consider food
from a different standpoint. We need
to supply the fowls with egg-producing
materiul, and for the time we
must consider the relative Importance
of beating nnd non-heating foods much
less than formerly. Usually, however
foods that make flesh and fat do uot
contribute to the egg-producing abili
ties of tho hens. The foods adapted
to the latter are usually In a class by
themselves. In addition to them we
need consider only such other foods
necessary to repair the dally waste
and loss of hent and fat. In cold
.weather the loss of the latter Is much
greater thuu In summer, and conse
quently the proportion of these foods
must be far larger.
Both fowls aud chickens Indicate
what they most need If turned loose.
They will pick of grains, seeds, womiB,
slugs and all sorts of natural foods.
The more of this natural food they
can secure the better will it bo for
them. Chickens that can forage for
a living in summer will always be
healthy and robust. But we must uot
forget that very often they fail to
secure enough to keep them In good
growing condition. After they have
foraged for the day they need addi
tional food. But lu tho summer this
food should not be corn, which so
many think necessary. A little, and
a very little at that, will suffice. The
evening meal would be much better
for tho poultry If composed of a great
variety of seeds, grains, rice, scraps
from the table, ground fresh bones,
grit, oats, barley and so ou. Make
ouch an evening meal as varied in its
composition as possible, adding as few
fat-produclug foods as the cuse will
warrant Feed the poultry freely with
this mixture every night, giving them
all they will eat up clean. lu the
morning turn them loose to forage
again, feeding them artificial food only
when night comes agalu. Of course,
where there are many colonies kept,
the foraging ground will be more
limited, aud the bird will have to re
ceive more artificial foods. Auulc C.
.AVebster, In American Cultivator.
Au Excellent StraCchloK Bhsd.'
In wluter as well as in summer H
Is imperative that fowls should be
kept busy. They delight always to
use their feet, and for this reason no
better method of affording them
requisite exercise is to be met wltn
when the ground Is mantled with
now than supplying the poultry
houso lu some way with a good, com
modious Bcratchlng-shed.
Truth to say, the scratching shed
has come to stay, and If only rightly
constructed it forms a most pleasing
&Iif ill z.
adjunct to liny poultry-house, mid s
peeially to Uio Inmates. The idta of
whht hi' required can be ist-'eu i UJ
s
accompanying Illustration, although,
this niny be varied to accommodate
whatever style of house one Imppens
to have.
The point of view is to hnve the
shed so situated thnt when the sun Is
shilling it may derive all the lenefit
possible from Its rays. It should
therefore occupy the south side of tho
house, as Indicated In the picture the
more so for the reason that it Is then
out. of reach, as near as can be, of
the cold northwest winds.
Now, to build this form of scratch-lng-shed
erect In the first place n
simple, ordinary shed, with a good
roof; then, to exclude animals of prey
nnd the like which may be prowling
around even In the daytime, cover the
three opeu sides from the exterior
with good wire netting, extending it
from the ground or base boards clear
to the top. This accomplished, con
struct on the Inside cotton-cloth screen
doors to match the netting, aud have
them hinged at, the top bo that they
can be turned up to the celling when
the weather Is suitable.
When the weather Is very stormy,
very cold or exceedingly blustering,
the doors may be dropped and the
fowl left to enjoy their "gymuaslum"
with scarcely any inconveulence at
all, the cloth admitting light sufficient
for them to execute the most "foul"
antics Imaginable. On warm, sunny
days, however, the "curtains" may be
raised, as likewise they may In sum
mer, nnd the poultry have a frolicking
plnce well ventilated nnd pleasant In
every respect. This Is of decided ad
vantage where fowls have to be con
fined more or less all the year, as is
generally the case In aud about vil
lages. One thing more. To realize good
results from such a shed a quantity
of straw, bay or the like should occupy
It (this to be replaced with fresh
every once in a while), and each morn
ing some grain, such as rye, oats,
wheat, barley, buckwheat or even
grass seed, be sprinkled among it.
Thus will the fowls be encouraged to
work, so that the laziest among them
will obtain n proper amount of exer
cise nnd lay in return more eggs
eggs of a much better quality, too.
New York Tribune.
(Shrinkage on the Farm.
The loss of corn and fodder by
shrinkage varies according to climate
and the conditions of the atmosphere.
Experiments have been made lu dif
ferent sections, nnd the results show
that there is a wide difference In the
shrinkage of corn, wheat nnd other
grains, nnd that sometimes the loss
by shrinkage is such as to render the
crop unprofitable. The Michigan Agri
cultural Experiment Stntion has given
the results of several years' work In
solving the problem, and also published
facts from other sources. Beferring
to the relative weights of ears, leaves
and stalks, It was found that on Au
gust 24 about 24.3 per cent, of the
total weight of the1 corn plant above
ground was lu the ear. This per cent,
gradually Increased until near har
vest time (September 14) above !J"i.7
of the totul weight of the plant was
lu the ear. At harvest 40.:! per cent,
of the dry matter of the entire plant
was In the ear. This experiment wus
repeated the next year, wheu it was
found that, about 47 per cent, of the
total dry matter of the plant wus In
the ear. At hnrvest (September 14)
the Par contained 4r.fi7 per cent, of
dry mutter, the stalks 21.53 per cent,
nnd the leaves 27.27 per cent., the ears,
therefore, not being relatively as dry
as the leaves aud stalks. It may be
claimed, by way of convenience,
therefore, thut the amount of dry mut
ter in the ears Is about equal to that
of the whole plant. Ensilage corn,
cut at different dates, showed the fol
lowing percentages of moisture: Au
gust 10 the moisture was S2.09; Au
gust 25. 79.13; September C, 72.51, aud
September 15, (15.14. Ono lot of 10,153
bushels of corn, of 10 pounds per
bushel, was carefully weighed when
cribbed. It was to be delivered in
July. It weighed at the elevator a
fraction over ll.S'.MI bushels, showing
a lots from shrinkage of over 1258
bushels, or about 7?i per cent. Iu ono
experiment 7000 pounds of corn
shrank 400 pounds between October 10
aud January 11). At the end of tho
year the kernels of coru contained
12.14 per cent, of water and the cobs
25.82 per cent.
It has been demonstrated that there
Is a slight loss of weight iu wheat
between complete ripeness aud the
stage known as dead ripe. There I
not only a loss by shelling when the
grnln becomes over-ripe, but a given
area, kept In tho ordluary manner,
will weigh less if taken from an over
ripe field than If taken from a field cut
at the proper time. The amount and
quality of the flour, as well as tho
germinating vigor of tho grain, are
also lees if tho grain Is allowed to be
come overripe. Wheat will shrink If
the climate is dry, but when the wheat
1 taken from an Intensely dry climate
to a comparatively damp one the gain
lu weight may amount to as much as
tweuty-nve per cent. Iu elghtceu
days lu nn absolutely dry atmosphere
tho loss lu air-dried wheat was 6.2
per cent.; c-ats, 0.3 per cent, and
hurley, 7.8 per cent. According to this
there must naturally be a gain If ex
posed again to moist air, the gain In
oats In eighteen days being 19.8 per
cent.; barley, 20.4 per cent, and wheat
(in 14 days), 18.8 per cent In a verv
dry climate the grain from such may
greatly Increase in weight If shipped
to some point where the air is moist.
the purchaser making the gain by the
ausorpuon or moisture by the ernln
Experiments also show that wheat
lost and gained In weight several
times la a season by reasou of being
exposed to dry nnd moist conditions.
The difference lu loss or gain of
weight depends upon the condition of
the wheat when cured, and hnrd wheal
Joses less thau the soft varieties. The
same rule npplle to corn, oata and
other grulus. Shrinkage usually occur!
when grain I kept dry, but loss from
shrinkage does nut occur tivtrll placet
with uniformity, as a gain In weight
may result during damp perlcd. I'hll
UdWpliU Itccord. I
More than eleven per cent. (11.0) ot
the Inhabitants of Switzerland (:i!2,-
"--, "-...., out..,,,, eutil oi fl,"
OiXi) are foreigners. In Franco (lie 250.000 Is bequeathed to churity, urut
proportion of foreigners la three, per im absolutely freo baud iu IU U!ku-1-ceut.,
nud Germany only euti per cent, liutluu l glveu to the nt'culor.
Benefit to tha Tarmers.
HE question Is often asked
"If 70Ur Conm,"l,loDr bow the
'If .' stone roads are of anv nartle.
tllnr benefit to the farmer
and whether the Increased taxation.
resulting from the building of therm
does not amount to more than the ad
vantages gained. t
This question U more easily an
swered, says the fifth annual report
of the New Jersey Itoad Commission
er, by citing the practical results in
some sections of the State. Glouces
ter County and the southern part of
Camden County ace "great producer
of -watermelons, tomatoes, white and
awect potatoes and many other varie
ties of fruits and vegetables so largely
sold in the city markets.
Before the advent of stone roads tie
leading highways not graveled were
almost a bed of sand, through which
teama struggled with forty to fifty
baskets of produce to the Philadelphia
market. The roads were so heavy
the farmers -were largely forced to
ship by railroad and by boats passing
down the numerous creeks that Inter
sect this portion of the country. The
expense on the few baskets they were
enabled to carry from the farms to the
city were so great they found it much
cheaper to send by car or boat.
Now, since the leading roads have
been macadamized toward the Glou
cester City ferry, there are from 1000
to 1900 teams a day passing to' and
fro on this ferry, where probably frora
200 to 400 was the maximum before.
These teams now carry from 130 t
175 five-eighths bushel baskets of veg
etables and fruits, -while before they,
only carried from forty to fifty bas-
kets. They are now carting to mar
ket Instead of sending by boat, as they
once did, and returning with three and
five ton loads of manure. Their rea
son for so doing is that they effect
very large saving. Their experience
Is that the average basket of fruit or
vegetables sent by boat to Philadel
phia markets costs from six to eight
cents a basket; the Items of expense
by boat are two cents for attendant,
and one and two cents for carting la
city; total, seven to eight cents; then.
If the commission be added, It would
average three to four cents more; to
tal, eleven to twelve ceuts. By cart
ing an average load of 150 baskets tho
farmer saves by the use of bis own
team about $10 a day, so if he were to
cart about five days In a week there
would be a saving of $50 a week, less
the ferry expenses of seventy-five
cent a day. Another advantage con
sists In the produco being landed at
the commission or consumer's door,
thus being in a much better condition
for sale than when going through Its
fllfferent stages of handling to and
from the boat or cars and the rough
usage of carting to the consignee'
door. Then tho farmer by marketing
tls own produce very often saves the
commission by being enabled to di
rectly dispose of It to tho consumer.
The charge of selling Is ten per cent.;
on an average load of 150 baskets the
commission would be somewhere In
the neighborhood of $0. This, added
to tho $10 saved in transportation,
swells the savlug to $10 on each load.
This calculation seems large, but If
it were one-half realized it shows how.
tho etone yards benefit the fanners.
The result has teen, where the early
opposition of the farmers cf Glouces
ter County was marked by the send
ing of numerous persons and petitions
to the Legislature to havo the atone
road law either abrogated or tho man
damus or forcing clause stricken out,
that applications are being rapidly sub
stituted for the remonstrances, making
it impossible with tho limited appro
priation to come anywhere near meet
ing their petitions. '
Another ouo of the results Is that
tha farmers arc rapidly buying larger,
heavier wasons with broad tires, and
If the present rate of increase keeps on
!tho capacity of each wagon will be
ol.-nost equal to that of the small boats'
foicjerlj used in this carrying trade.
' -
The Sand Read. .--tr-f-
" Eiiado harms a loam cr clay road,
but improves a road of sand or broken
stone, since It prevents the evapora
tion of the moisture from tho road
bed. Therefore a sand road can be
permanently Improved by planting
trees so as to shade the traveled way.
They will prevent. In part, the drying
effect of tho winds, as well as Inter
cept tho rays of tho sun.
A road ou puro sand Is Improved
temporarily fcy coverlne It With a thin
layer of any vegctabla fibre, as de
caying leaves, straw raarsli hay, waste
from sorghum mllla (begasse), fibrous
or string-like shavings, etc. This
fibrous material sjon becomes incor-
porated with tho sand Hld lpcrnuana
Its niobillty. The vegotablo matter
aecoys ana wears out, and conse
quently tho effect Is comparatively
temporary. Tho lenirtli nt tlm nnh
expedients will lust depends upon the
cumate ana the amount of travel.
Sand roads Improved with three to
four Inches 'of shredded wood (excel
sior) have kept in reasonable condi
tion for a year or two.
The only thorough and permanent
improvement possimo tor a sana roaa
la to add a layer of tough clay and In
corporate It with the sand. This la ex
pensive at best, and It Is difficult to get '
the sand and clay thoroughly Incor
porated In the right proportions.
Influeuce on Faxni Lire.
The Influence of good roads upon
farm life Is to dignify it They niuke
country fe better worth living; they
broaden, educate and uplift thl most
important branch of the common
wealth; they bring the advautase of
the church and lecture platform to the
residents of country districts; they re
lieve the country dweller of Isolutiou
aud drudgory.
Under the will of tho laie James
Toletnan, of Loudon, the uui of $1,-