I thra HOMEWARD train goe roaring up Hi track, The iun is in the cv; The smoke rolls ritanl, dense blink, land 1 coinp'cent!)' lein had; To-day I've done my beat. I think of on w ho wait oet there To greet me with i)JI. 'And 1 will ki bun anl we'll t ire Aero t'ne open ticMs t wli-re The lights ure pceiiing- out. and THE TRIBULATIONS OF D00L1TTLE WRIGHT BY MARY GRACE HALPINE SJJ HAT'S In a name?" That Is what Shakespeare says; but It Is my belief. If he had had the one that was hung like an Incubus ki'uuuu Jul neck ever since I was old pan 0 um noiiKb to have any name at nil,1 he Would have sung quite another tun'e. I ascribe to mine -all the misfortunes that have followed me from that time to this, and which buve beeu neither few nor light. My paternal cognomen Is Wright. Not remarkable for elegance. It Is true, hut If It had been prefixed by John. James or Henry, It would have been iu no way distinguishable from 1 those borne by the rest of my neigh bors. Hut. unfortunately for me. 1 bad a maternal uncle by the name of Joolittle Tlikellum. ' lie was rich and a bachelor, with no 'Bearer relatives than nephews and : niece, and, when I came into this world of toil ami trouble, tny father, bariiig ii fatherly eye to my future needs, proposed that I should be minted for him. To do my mother justice, at first she strenuously opposed It. Thoroughly Imbued with the Id 'a under which most mothers labor that bcr baby was considerably brighter and prettier than -ther women's babies; In fact, some thing altogether extraordinary, she was proportionately indignant at the suggestion. I was lying, kicking and screeching, 'upon her knee, if my photograph tak- en at that Interesting age can be re plied upon, as ordinary u specimen of -the countless throng of infant human ' ilty as It is possible to Imagine. Hut catching me rapturously to her bosom, he nearly smothered me with kisses, declaring "that I was an itty. precious darling; the plttiest, thweetest baby that ever was! And that paint ought to be ashamed of himself to think of Jiving it such a horrid name." But when rny father set strongly be fore her the substantial b Mielits that night accrue to me from this stroke f policy, alluding to the artful ways With which Cousin Sophrouia, another f the nieces, tried to interest our rich relative In her spoiled, disagreeable Tommy, she yielded a reluctant con tent. "But jtiJ-t think, Henry, how horrid ly It sounds! Uoolittle Tlckelhlir. Wright! It's perfectly dreadful!" "He can change it in a few years before he Is old enough to have it do ilm any harm, I dure say. Your un cle Is an old man, my dear, und can't live forever." But he seeni"d likely to do so. From the day that there was t'.rust upon me that luckless name he iippear.nl to take a new lease nf life, ai d to grow young er, instead of oldii, every suc..!ing year. Uncle Poolittle was duly Informed Of the honor that was done him, to which he reMnded very graciously by sending me a silver mug, together with the nstttrance that "if I did honor to the name it hore he would do some thing handsome for me." He lived in an adjoining State. When I was ten years old my father took me to see him. He was a lively, well pre served old gentb man. whose full, florid face was rendered still mot full and florid by the snowy hair and beard that surrounded It. He patted lii on tile head, hoped that t would 11 v to h an honor to my name, repenting the above nssurince "if I did be would do something hand some for me." I had already experienced some of the disadvantages of the name to which he had alluded, and. in spite of the tutoring I had received from my father, a feeling of sullen resentment welled by heart, which must have found expression In my countenance, for the old man shook his head as he looked at me, saying, la quite another tone: "I hope you'll try to be a credit to It." "Kathr." mid I, as we walked down tne step Into tbe street, "I hate my name: all the boys laugh and make fun of It." "Never you mind that, my boy; when you get this tine house Into your hands, at perhaps you will some day. It will . be your turn to laugh." Boy as I was. the Idea was a very ?onllng or.. True, my Uncle Ix- little had many relatives as well as great wealth, but who so likely to In herit the bulk of It as hi namesake? Still, granting this, there were times When I felt, in the bitterness of my oul. that I was likely to earn dearly 1 All I should receive. I shall never foig't my first day at school. Mr. Buinbleby, the head mas ter, bad fiery red hair and the Her)' temper that usually accompanies It. lit was hi an unusually irritable mood that morning. "Hold up your head and speak to I an hear you?" he roared, as I faltered ont my name. A Utter ran through the long line of oys as I obeyed. Turning very red, Mr. Bunibleby brought the rattan down over my boulders with a force and energy that made me dance about very lively. "I'll teacb your be cried, soon aa tie eould speak, "not to come here wltb .any of your low jokes." It was some time before I could con vince blm (hat my name was no Joke BOUND. Contentment fill" my heart tonight, Tlie fates nml (iod are kind; I've worked to day with all my might, And I can feel, with strong delight, The miles recede behind. Ah. but the years will pass away, And I am doomed to see A change that parents only may 'Die child will be a man some day, Who waits to-night for me. -S. E. Riser. which, Indeed, It was very far from belug to me and then, instead of man ifesting any regret, he bid me take my sent, muttering "that a boy with such u name as that wouldn't be likely to get any more of that sort of tiling than he deserved." Mr. Humbleby carried this theory Into practice; and the eonsennence was that I got considerably more of "that sort of thing" than any other boy 1n school. Once he said, with sarcnstlc empha sis that cannot be put upon paper: "Itoollttle Wright, I suppose you have got your lesson. Just about the same you always get It?" Though I knew it perfectly before coming Into my class, every vestige of it vanished from my m:nd. Then, as I stood hesitating and stain- merlng: "Ha! I thought so! Take your seat. I'll attend to you presently." The attentions, thus grimly alluded to, became very frequent, far more ao than were agreeable. In this way my schoolboy days pased. Xor did my troubles end here. When I left school, my uncle was duly uotiil.'d of the fa -t, with tiie expecta tion that he would now give some ear nest of the hopes, so often held out, but never realized. Hut ns he made no response to this, save to repeat the often expressed hope, that I would do credit to a name I hated, and ns It was necessary that I should do something for my own support, I began to cast about what that something should be. Like most young men of tny calibre and expectations, I wanted some nice, easy berth, with little to do nud a large salary. Having heard of a va cancy of this kind In an Insurance of fice, with whose President my father's family had been long and favorably known, I applied for It. The President looked at me, then at my credentials, and then at me. "Sorry, very sorry, young man. Known your father a good many years, also his father before him. No doubt whatever of your competency. But but. It couldn't be thought of." "Why not?" I said. In astonishment. "What possible objection have you to me?' "No objection at all to you! It's your name I object to. Ponlltile Wright! It would cast discredit on the company, as you can see for your self. Take my advl -e and change It." But I did not yield the matter thus. H -arlng of n well-established and lu- crutive business that wanted a work- ing partner, I offered my services, and with very fair prospects of success, un til forced to mention my first name. "Doolltile Wright!" exclaimed the senior partner, with whom I was con versing. "That s umls badly! Yffh might drop your first name, I suppose, and take the other. You'll have to. If you come Into the firm." "Then, glancing at my letter to blm, which was signed D. T. Wright, he added: "What does T. stand for?" "I was in for It now. and there was nothing to do but to go forward. "Tickellum." Tlckcllum, did you say? Why. that Is worse if anything, than the other more ridiculous, at all events, a man who will give an inollendlng child such names as those ought to be In dieted by the flratul Jury. All I can say to you Is, get ri 1 of them as speed ily us possible. i;.s).l morning, sir I never felt more strongly Inclined to do this in my life, and that is say ing a great deul. But I knew my un cle would take mortal offense at It, who was now prostrated by one of the attacks to which he was subject, and which threatened to be his lust. It would be a pity, after enduring so much, to fall when th goal was uear. Ho, after various other attempts, end ing Just as disastrously, I accept a sec ond rate clerkship in a small retail store, with a correspondingly small salary. This was something of a come down to my ambitious hopes, but I consoled myself with the thought that my uncle's declining health made It only a temporary arrangement At this Juncture I completed the sum of tny tribulations by falling in love. The object of this. Miss Clara Montu gue. was certainly fair and lovely enough to excuse the folly. If folly It wu. Hhe had also some property In her own right, by no means a small consideration to nie, So far as could be Judged, the attrac tion mi mutual; tha fair Cluru, It pot so demonstrative, seemingly to he equally it well pleased. The reader v. ill t dily Infer that 1 did not bring into any marked pro-nl uence my luckless name. Iu fact, she was In eutlre ignorance of It, until one of my rivals maliciously alluded to It, and In a way to cove:' me with ridicule. The next time I visited her she re ceived me with marked coolness When I pressed her for a reason, she opened fire on me by declaring "that she never could marry any one with such a ridiculous name! "But you can easily chaugo it," she added, la a more gracious tone, "and If you have the regard for me you have professed, you will not hesitate to do so." I sssured tbe fair speaker "that my name was as distasteful to me as to her; that I was named for a rich anil owed uncle, who would be greatly dis pleased " Here Miss Montngue arose. "Very well, Mr. Doollttle Wrlght very appropriate name, I should say you will do as you lik , of course. But If you would rather displease me than your uncle, you needn't take the trou ble to call again; for I never will mar ry a man with such a ridiculous name.'' Exit Miss Montague, leaving me to my not very pleasing reflection. While I was debating which of the horns of this perplexing mirmma to take, I received n telegram tluvt my uncle was at the point of death. He had frequently been at the point of death before; but, in accordance with my Invariable practice when re ceiving such notice, I went to see blm. 1 found the old gentleman very low; in fact, scarcely able to more than gtisp forth his intention of "doing some thing handsome for me." 'Yon will-find it lu-ln my will, wheik I am gone," he whispered, as I bent over him. But, true to the program that he bad aiuiarently laid down for himself, to I delay that desirable event as long ar possible, he lingered nearly six weeks. The same paper that contained the news of his demise recorded the mar riage of Miss Clara Montague. As bitter a pill as this was to swal low, I was consoled by the thought that I was now about to be rewarded for nil my trials and mortifications. When my uncle's will was opened, it was found that he had left sums, varying from one to ten thousand dol lars to all his numerous kith and kin, leaving n double portion to the very i taw "win, hiiitti't hMire1 hltn " ns he ' expressed it. To me, "his beloved namesake," he bequeathed the full-length portrait of himself that hangs la the library, knowing that his tender affection for I the orlglnnl would make him prize It bevond anything else he cotild bestow If there tire any curious to see said legacy, they will find It In the attic of my present abode, with Its face to the wall. I have taken tny father's name. though no one seems to be aware of the fact, all my acquaintances Insist ing on calling uie by the one I have borne so long, and which I seem likely to bear to the end of the chapter Doo little Wright. New York Weekly. 1'lnnln OueM of Sunlight. Though It has never been proved that plants have brains. It has been proved often that there Is some power within hem whereby they combat evil condi tions and seek what Is best for their good. A resident of Castle Valley, Pa., has a vine that showed Itself last month to have, If not a brain, a substitute of equal value. This vine, a young one, grew In a clay pot. A stick stood In the middle of the spot, and the vine curled up It. It was about two feet In height; In length, It would have meas ured four feet. Usually the vine was placed In a south window every morning, where It absorbed all day .the benellt of the sun's rays. It happened, however, through an oversight, that one after noon the shutter shaded half the win dow and the vine was set In the shut ter's shadow. A foot away was the sunlight, warm, glittering, life-giving, but where the plant stood there was nothing but gloom. During the four days the vine stood In the shadow with the sunlight near it. it did something that proved it to have a faculty akin to Intelligence. It uncurled Itself from Its supporting stick, and like a living thing It crawled over the window ledge to the sun. This vine, to be sure, did not uncurl Itself and crawl with the rapid move ments of a snake. Its movements were. Indeed, so slow as to be Imper ceptible. Nevertheless, hxiklng about. It overcame every obstacle, and final ly It lay husking in the sun. Portland Oregonlan. Origin of Vauilmrllle. The word "vaudeville," which now means n play In which songs are .In troduced, Is a corruption of Vnux do Vlre, the names of two valleys In Nor mandy. A fuller In Vlre, In the fif teenth century, composed some humor ous and satirical drinking songs which were very popular throughout France, under the name of their native place, Vanx de Vlre." The terms seem to have been corrupted Into volt de ville. A collection of songs wns published at Lyons In lotll entitled "Chansons Volt de Ville." nud another nt Paris In 1571 called "Kecueil des Plus Belles Chan sons on Forme des Volt de Ville." Both these publications were probably reprints of the original songs. At any rate, -.he name "vaudeville" has Id some way grown out of them. Boston (J lobe. Too Much of Hubert Louis. Ilave we bad too much Stevenson? A clever critic maintains that we have, and Implores those who have further details about Stevenson In Scotland, Stevenson at college, Stevenson In Lon don. Steveuson lu Belgium, Stevenson lu France, Stevenson In America, 8tev enron In Samoa, to withhold their hands and graciously spure us. Al ready, It la contended, the shadow of Stevenson lies too heavy upon pages of our amateurs In literature. The young litterateurs who are forming them selves upon Kteveusou have studied closely the precise proportions ot nouns, verbs, adjectives, color words and figurative terms to put into their mixture, and the result Is a style which would have driven Stevenson himself either to suicide or ts Justifi able homicide. Kirltiunt on Monhsrau Islaad. fireut excitement on Mcuiiegau Dan Stevens' horse run away and stove the cart Into kindling wood, lis came off to the harbor Wednesday and bought n new cue, so be Is ail fitted for bay ing or r.ny other teaming. You can't slick Dan. He has been all over the world and traveled the rough road, you may believe. Bootbbay Kegister. "ktaclBg" bjr Aatomobll Now. A dally automobile service between Durango, Col., aud Farmlugton, N. M., Is soon to fte established. The round trip 1 110 miles and tbe distance Is covered In twelve hours. Tbls shows bow progressive are tbe people of the 1 "Wild and Wooll West"' , Fumigating; Plants, Plants confined within doors are very liable to become Infested with Insects and their eggs. Fumigation with to bacco smoke will clean plants of all aphides and other Insects, but has no effect on their eggs. To fumigate a plant or plants, confine them in a box, under a barrel or Iti some other way; put a pan of coals with some tobacco leaves on the coals In with the plant, not too near, or the plant will get too hot; give a good tmoke. This will de stroy all living Insects. In two or three days give another and you will be rid of Insects for some weeks. fthnile For the Swine, Shade for swine Is quite as necessary ns for other nnimals, and when one has a tree or two In the pasture the ques tion of shade Is readily settled. If there nre no trees plant three or four, nml while they are growing use port able houses for shade, making them witli a sill set on runners and with a ring set iu the front sill so that a horse may be attached and the house moved when necessary. These houses may be made of nny cheap material, and the roof arranged so that n portion of It may consh t of tree limbs laid over boards set far apart. The cost need not be great and the results will pay for the time and labor spent. Cotton-Seed Meal for Cow, Dairymen find It ditticult to carry the cows along properly during the drough ty days of summer on pastvre alone, and all proper grains -ave been tried with varying results. One of the best S"lulller grains Is cottonseed meal, for while feeding it will not materially In crease the milk flow, It will keep it nearly to the standard and will keep up its quality, which is quite as im portant. The feeding of it also makes better butter at all times, nml particu larly durl ig the summer. While the quantity fed varies according to cir cunistnuecs. from two to four pounds per cow daily is about a fair ration and will give results which will war rant the expense at nny season. To Prenervn Fence Posts. In some s -ctlons of the country the division of fields by fences is some thing no longer done, but the majority of farmers still feel that they should divide their fields. The work Involved In fence building Is so great that one does not care to do It very of'len, hence It will pay to go to some trouble to pre serve the posts, these being the parts of the fence which need renewing first. While there are many preservatives recommended, all of them doubtless more or less valuable, the old plan of smearing the end of the post with gas tar Is about ns good as any. Of late years a strong solution of copper sul phate has been used for this purpose with considerable success. It takes time and trouble to prepare the fence posts with either preservative, put on ns it should be, but It pays to do it, for the posts will last double the number of years. live or Turnips After Corn. I hnve been sowing rye now for two years. I sow It In the cornfield in Sep tember as soon as I can get the corn on idxx'k, cultivate, then follow with the grain driil. putting on about two bush els of rye to the acre. Last summer I sowed cow-horn turnips In the corn at last working In July. They made a good growth. Sowed rje alongside of the turnips in October. We hauled our manure out on the turnips and rye last winter. The year before what hind I had sowed In rye we manured lu the winter. It grew nicely in the spring. We pastured It some, then plowed It down for corn again. It be ing a cold and wet summer the corn was not u large crop. We had a heavy hailstorm a few days before It came out In tassel, which put It back. I did not use any fertilizer when sowing the rye, although I believe it would make a stronger giowth in the fall. We plowed it under, what stock did not eat, the last week in April and first of May for com. John F. Zook, lu the Massachusetts Ploughman. Bhiillow and Keep Plowing, It seems almost needless to urge shal low cultivation for the "laying by" of the corn crop, yet there are some who still insist upon deep cultivation and ridging for the last tlnie going over corn. The folly of such procedure, however. Is very evident to any think ing, well posted man. The first culti vation should be deep to stir the sub soil und make room for tiie roots of the youug plants. The secoud and possibly the third cultivations may be fairly deep, though not so deep aa the first. The last two, It is a settled fact by ex periment throughout the corn belt, should be shallow, not more than two and a half to three inches deep. And at this time the ground must be left as level as possible after each cultivation. The object Is a mulch for the preserva tion of moisture, and why any thinking farmer should ridge up his corn, break ing the rooti and exposing a third to a half more surface to the sun. Is a ques tion yet to be solved. Though the statement that "corn will take care of Itself after being laid by" is In a meas ure true, a constant watch must be kept to break the crust forming after ajiy heavy rain to keep tbe weecU from seeding aud to keep the fences lu good repair, preventing damage by cattle. This In order to have a good crop at the harvest. Ilural World. Karly Plowing For Wheat. While all wheat growers recognize the uecesslty for late sowing of wheat to' avoid, as far as possible, tbe rav ages of the besslan fly, all dj not see the necessity for early preparation of the soil. It Is generally believed that much of the loss from winter freezing might be avoided by tbe early plowing of the grouud for winter wheat. Karly preparation ot tbe seed bed Is easier than late plowing; It gives oue a chance to get rid of the weeds inuro effectively, tbe seed bed may have one or more extra harrowing or rollings and, altogether, put in much better cc. dltlon than when tbe plowing Is done la e. Then, too. should tbe ground be not lu tbe best condition at seeding time tbe thorough proparatloa previous will couut (or a WVaWpOfnBsiaBk. ! arm: great deal, enabling one V) catc tb ground for the final hcrrcwing and rolling whenever It chances to be right for such working. The question of varieties should also receive more consideration than It doef and an excellent way It to look up thf best 'wheat fields In your county oo similar soil nnd ascertain what varle ties are grown. Iu addition to this every wheat grower, large or small should have a test ground for new sorts. It will pay lor It cost In glv Ing one accurate jnowkdgi of sort oti their own grounds. Poultry anil Women. Each year sees many women added to the ranks of those who raise poultrj for market and there Is little doubl but what the Industry offers many op portunities for women who have the necessary ground and the determina tion to gain their experience slowly. The writer recently spent u week with a friend nt a pnpulur summer resort along the sen coast of New Jersey and profoundly wished he hud his poultry with him. Chickens of the size for roasters sold for 'i't cents a pound in the markets, while guaranteed fresb eggs were in demand beyond the sup ply at 40 cents a dozen. While these price are exceptional there is uo doubt but what there Is n profitable demand for both eggs and poultry in nearly every section of the country. Women can bring to the work of (Kin I try raising that cure for the small details so necessary to success In tbe work und a characteristic lucking In the majority of men. It is a well known fact, and every honest farmer will uiluiit It, that two hens set at the same time, oue by a man and the other by a woman, will show a decided dif ference in the number of chicks hatched, und it will always be in favor of the hen set and cured for by the woman. The man forgets to give the livn water or food or some other atten tion she needs during the period of Incubation. Women with a rural training should do some close studying of the poultry business this summer and make a start iu the winter or next spring. The lllin.le Islan'l Red. A pair of these useful, nil-purpose fowls Is shown here, and their gen eral appearance gives us some Idea of their prominent characteristics. They nre full-breasted and stockily built, and at nil ages, from tbe broiler to the roaster, produce a generous amount of the choicest flesh. They are medium slae, being about the same us the Plymouth Hock; In fact, they have been used extensively In crosses to produce the Buff Bocks nnd Wyandottes. 'They originated .in IEhode Island, from whence they take their name, and are found there on almost every farm. They are good layers and splendid mothers, and when they have become better known, will be on our most popular new breeds. Farm Notoa. Drive slowly the first hour after a meal. Light and dryness destroy fungus growths. Thorough grooming cleanses the bide as well as the hair. Sores or bruises on horses should be healed up as soon as possible. It is always ruinous to dispose of any branch farming wheu prices ure unsat isfactory. Generally the smaller the farm the better the cultivation and tbe greater the profit for tbe expenditure. Tbe dirt and sweat which accumu late on tbe horses during the day should never be allowed to remain on over night. Plants have greater need for thelt reaves and can be more easily killed In the growing season than when par tially dormant. ' If the cow baa to travel over a large surface and take a good deal of time to fill ber stomach, tbe time and energy expended will cause a reduction in the How of milk. As the leaves of tbe tulip and other spring flowering bulbs ripen and die, the best practice is to take them up, and, after drying them In tha Shado for a few days, put them in a paper sack and put them away until in tbe fall. The dairy cow should not be obliged to travel a long distance for wuter. It she does she will go without until she gets very thirsty and feverish, and then drink until she Is painfully un comfortable. Both conditions are un favorable for milk secretlou. As a rule wounds made by pruning In September or a little earlier some what, although they do not heal quick ly, never decay. The wood, owing, doubtless, to Its condition of ripeness, becomes bard as bone, and although tbe healing process may proceed slow ly, tbe tree does not seem to suffer la any way, Tbe Iroa mines of Michigan give em ployment to 14.43(1 persons, and their products ajoount to 20,G93eSO0. Canada Ahead of Vs. JstOlC r I subject for frequent . J comment on the part ot O I O traveler that the roads of t K Europe nre far superior tc Tr those of the United States; and this result Is generally attributed to the system of government aid and supervision which prevails lu nearly ail European nations. But it Is not so generally known that our nearest neighbor. Canada. Is also ahead of us, not only In the character of the roads but In the marter of road legislation. Hon. A. W. Campbell. Highway Com missioner of Ontario, is on enthusiast on the subject of good road, nnd nt the same time a very able and practi cal public official. He I quite well known to the good roads people of the United States, ns he has attended and addressed a number of important con ventions In this country. In a recent report be says: "(rood ronds nre essential to the full development of agriculture. In a conn try such ns Ontario, dependent upon agriculture, this mean that good ronds are of very great Importance to the towns and cities ns well. Good roads are not a benefit to nny one class ot the community. They nre of universal value. This Is a matter of which too narrow n view has been tnken in On tnrlo. If we must have canals and rail way, then we must have good country rouds. It has been tnken for granted that If the country ns a whole con strticted canals nnd subsidized rail ways, the common roads could take care of themselves. But this ha not been the ense. "The broader aspect of the question has recently been given prominence by the decision or the Provincial Gov ernment to appropriate $1.(hX.om) for road Improvement. This, for lack ot a bett'T name, has been termed gov ernment "nid" or "assistance." It i a recognition of the value of good roads to every citizen of the country, and a Just effort on the rnrt of the Govern ment to co-operate in procuring them. "The object of the present measure Is not so much to aid by the gratui tous distribution of money, but has for its nim a nobler purpose. While It aims to encourage the doing of n work which is acknowledged by all ns being nn important and necessary ser vice, its prime object Is to equalize and lighten the cost. The unfairness nnd injustice of the present system of tax ation for highway construction is so noticeable as to be a matter of wonder ment that some step of this kind has not been ere this devised by Govern ment, or compelled by the people. "The Government Is only exercising Its rightful function as a part of the administrative system In providing a portion of the cost of making roads nnd distributing the money among the different municipalities entitled to it. This function can be performed by the Provincial Government only." In Nova Scotia, nearly fifteen years ago, the Provincial Government begun the appropriation of funds to Improve the roads und the plan has proven en tirely successful where the old system of depending on the local communities was a complete failure. Even awny out In British Columoln there ure many fine roads which are said to be "the delight of tourists." All these nre built and kept up by the Government. Koad Mafntaunnre, Without proper cure the most expen sive road may go to ruin in two or three years, ond the Initial expense of constructing It be ueurly lost. It is of greatest importance, therefore, that all good rouds should have dally cara They not only wenr out, but wush out and freeze out. Water is the greatest road destroyer It Is necessary to the proper main tenance of a rond that It should "crown" or be higher iu the middle than at the sides. If It is flat lu the centre It sjou become concave, nnd Its middle soon becomes a poo! or n mudhole It on a level, or a water course if on an Incline, A hollow, rut, or puddle should nev er be allowed to remain, but should be evenly tilled and tumped with Ibe same material of which the surface was originally constructed. A rake should be used freely, especially In re moving stones, lumps, or ridges. Huts may be avoided by using w'ula tires on all wagons which carry heavy loads. If thin Is not always possible, the horse should he bitched so that they will walk directly lu treat of tun wheels. This can be accomplished by making the double, or whiffle, tree of such length that tbe ends may be iu line with the wagon wheels. A bors will not walk in a rut unless compelled to do so, and, consequently, if all horses were bitched In this way ruts would eveutually disappear from stone ronds. If stones are cracked on a road with a hammer a smooth surface is out of th question. Use stone chips for re pairing stone roads, and reuiemi.et that nil foreign material and rtihbia! will ruin the best roud, an 1 that dust and mud will double the cost of main tenance. Ordinarily the chief work done by country people on highways Is repair ing the duiuuge resulting from neg lect. Why this negligence? The adage, ' A stitch in time saves nine," can never he applied more appropri ately to anything than to Ibe mainten ance or repair of all kinds of roads. Will Kavar Turn Uack, The people of this country will nev er turn back until every section and neighborhood enjoys the blessings of rural free mall delivery. But before this can be accomplished, a general Improvement of the roads Is absolute ly necessary. ' There is no escaping this conclusion. Already bad roads nre proving the main obstnelo to the establishment and maintenance of ru ral mall routes. If this Is true now, while tbe system U eitendlng over tbose areas wblcb have tbe best roads, how much more true will it be when we attempt to make tbe system moi ftrssJ. ' y 10MMRCIAL kLVlkW. R. G. Dun & Co.'s weekly review of trade says: Moderate improvement in Midsum mer means more than an equivalent increase at any other season, and the better trade reported during the past week is consequently most encour aging. Despatches from all parts of the country are by no means uniform, in some cases the outlook showing no change, while at a few points there have been setbacks; but on the whole the progress it unmistakable. Two labor controversies are particularly harmful, but others have been settled; the Fall River strike is partially bro ken and several threatened difficulties have been averted. Despite some injury to Spring wheat the agricultural prospect is very bright while higher prices promise to neu tralize the effect of such loss in quan tity as occurred. Interior buyers have placed liberal Fall orders in the lead ing dry good markets, and confidence in a large Spring trade is becoming general. The approaching presidential elec tion is viewed with more equanimity than any other contest of recent years, both in financial and industrial cir cles. Failures this week were 222 in the United States, against 174 last year, and 33 in Canada, compared with 22 a year ago. Bradstreet's says: Wheat, includ ing flour, exports for the week end ing August II aggregate 1,284,300. bushels, against I,379.o8 last week. 3,413,191 this week last year, 4,501,805 in 1903 and 9.039.761 in 1901. From July 1 tO date the exports aggregate 7.846,771 bushels, against 18,460,444 last year, 25,386,908 in 1902 and 41,546.90c in 1001. Corn exports for the week aggregate 695,202 bushels, against 273, 365 last week, 707.387 a year ago, 93. 423 in 1902 and 508,807 in tool. From July I to date the exports of corn ag gregated 3,279,111 bushels, against 6.949.480 in 1903, 587,760 in 1902, and 7.733,220 in tool. WHOLESALE MARKETS. Baltimore, Md. FLOUR Firm and unchanged; recipts, 2,623 barrels; ex ports, 3,265 barrels. WHEAT Easier; spot, contract. 93H(Tt93'A', spot No. 2 red Western, 958495!4; August, 93s93!4; Sep tember, 9494; October, 95o6; December, o8j; steamer No. 3 "red. 86(0864. CORN Dull; spot, 56(ffls6?4; Au gust, 56!4(3s6&; September, S7(a57A: year, 49; steamer mixed, 53 ''i fS.s OATS Unsettled; old, No. 3 white. 484854; old. No. 3 mixed, 43144. RYE Firm; No. 2 Western,' 7 iffi 74- BUTTER Steady, unchanged; fan cy imitation, I7(fft8; fancy creamery, li'A&tg; fancy ladle, 14(15; store packed, I0(3;f2. EGGS Steady, unchanged, 17. CHEESE Steady, unchanged; large, 8J48J4; medium, 8&9; small, 9(9!4- New York FLOUR Receipts, 14, 095 barrels; exports, 2,526 barrels; firm but inactive; winter patents, 4.85 5 35; winter straights, 4.504.75; Min nesota patents, 5.255.65; winter ex tras. 3-3539o; Minnesota bakers, 3.854.30; winter low grades, 3.15 3.70. RYE FLOUR Firm; fair to good. 4.tS'fr4.40; choice to fancy, .ao($a.6. CO RN M EAL Steady; yellow Western, t. to(r?M2; city, I.i2(rjr.l5; kiln dried, 3.00W3.10. HAY Dull; shipping, 62; good to choice. 02!. LARD Weak; Western steamed, 7-tS; refined, easy; continent, 725; South America, 7.80; compound, 5(53 6A. POTATOES F-asy; Long Island, l.5ort?2.oo; Jersey and Southern, 1.50 '75: Southern sweets, 3.sortf4.50. PEANUTS Steady; fancy" hand picked, 6'4; other domestics, 3JA(n:6'A. CABBAGES Quiet; Long Island and Jersey, per barrel, 25(?50. Live Slock. New York. BEEVES Dressed beef slow aCy'ittlio'ic. per pound for native sides; calves unchanged; ex ports, 1,652' cattle and 3,000 quarters of beef. ' CALVES Dressed calves steady; city dressed veals, Qfff uc. per pound; country dressed, Slffuc. SHEEP AND LAMBS Sheep low er, lambs 15W25C off. Sheep, 2.75 4.50; lambs, 5507-2S; culls, 4.00. HOGS Nominally steady. Chicago CATTLE Good to prime steer a, 5.256.25; poor to medium, 4.005.00; Blockers and feeders, 2.00(8 4.00; cows, 1.25(014.00; heifers, 3hooHl 425; canners, 1.5002.50; bulls, 2.oofq) 4.00; calves, 2.50(85.75; Texas-fed steers. 3.oo(n,4 50. HOGS Mixed and butchers, 5 2573 5.50; good to choice heavy, 5.25(3)3.50; rough heavy, 4.8o(3;5.io; light, 5. 23 5.50: hulk of sales, 5.30(5.40, SHEEP Good to choice wethers, 3 754-2o; fair to choice mixed, 3.00(g) 3.75; native lambs, 400(6.75. WORLD OP LABOR. German sugar factories consume annually 3,200,000 tons of bcet-i. New York city stone setters re ceive from 65 to 684 cents an hour. There are more men in the United States Navy than in all the ships in the merchant service. A Swiss watchmaker has invented an electric watch, which will go IS years without being rewound. A recent estimate of the number employed in Great Britain's tinplate manufacture places the figures at 18, 300. In . Switzerland wood-carving and other homely trades produces a revenue of more than 1,000,000 in the year. A decade ago the laborer had to work sometimes 18 and 20 hours for less than he gets for 9 and 10 now. Union laborers at Baton Rouge, La., get $1.25 to $1.50 a day, while the unorganized laborer get ( and $1.25 a day. The annual convention of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Join ers of America meets this year in Mil waukee in September. An association of Milwaukee (Wis.) contracting plasterers has been formed lor the purpose of arbitrating dithcu If ties with employes. One firm of watchmakers in Switz erland takes annually from Sheffield, England, 150 tons of steel tor the manufacture of watch springs. American printers at Las Vegas, New Mexico, are all organized, but the Spanish printers have not yet taken advantage of organization. Positions for nearly 400 men are found ' in about' 40 building trades every week by the United Trades and Labor Council, of Cleveland, Ohio. A flogging machine has been per fectrd by. a Russian inventor with tha object of saving labor in this detesta ble department of official industry.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers