VHE ICE OF THE NORTH.
White, immaculate, atorni-beaten beaches,
Lonely sea beyond sea, beyojil ken.
From the ice of your fnrthermcrt reacbea,
Ke-echoea your challenge to Den I -
Ihey have sought you with womhip and wonder;
In despair they have sent forth their breath '
And for onswer the crash of your thunder.
The shiver and ailcnce of deathl
Yon have wooed them, aroneed them, and quelled them, 1
You have prisoned them fast in your floes,
Tou have drawn them, betrayed and repelled them.
And their bonea lie a-bleacn on your anowa.
Is your diadem, (returned with star-flower
From those far-flaming fields of the sky,
But the sign of a Tyrant whoae powers
Overthrow and destroy and defyf
Oh! imperious, pitiless regions
Snow-panoplied hills that entice
Are those silent impassable legiou
But guarding 4 bosom of ice?
Or is it the radiant duty
Of your rapturous heart of delight
Thnt crimsons with current of beauty
The dark span of your desolate night?
Through the long voiceless twilights that darken
Your virginal, slumbering plain,
Do you dream of the sunlight, and barken
For the voice of the southwind again?
Oh! mvsterics never beholden
By the ages, we question and wait
For the ultimnte answer withholden
In the mist-woven mantle of Fate.
By your star-vestured beauty still haunted.
In the woke of your moons, we set forth
Bv your perilous silence undaunted.
We follow the call of the North!
Margaret Ridgely Partridge, In Harper's Magazine,
The Old Schoolmaster.
By DAVID LYALL.
' No one would have thought, look
ing at his benign face, or listening to
the calm and measured tones of his
voice, that the wind of tragedy had
once swept across the old schoolmas
ter's life.
When the beginning actually was,
nobody seemed exactly to know. The
place without the old schoolmaster
would have been inadequate, incom
plete; in fact, altogether inconceiv
able. Those who had been his contempor
aries had died out one by one, and
the only one who remembered the
coming of the schoolmaster in the
far hack days was Captain Drew of
the White House, where he had lived
for seven and fifty years.
The schoolmaster bad arrived in
winter, dropping down suddenly from
nowhere, a tall, slender, dark-eyed
man, with youth in his step, but ex
perience and sadness on his face. It
was long before the advent of the
School Board, In the days when edu
cation was for the few, and not for
the many. The Loaning was glad to
welcome the pale-faced stranger,
.when it was discovered that he had
tore of knowledge classical knowl
edge, too, which he was willing to
Impart at a modest fee.
These were the days when great
men were cradled In village homes,
and trained In unpretentious schools
by men who loved learning for Its
own sake, and Imparted that love to
others with thoroughness and care.
There was no standard then save
love alone, and the few for whom
boobs had the immortal message went
oat when the time came to deliver
that message to the world with all the
power that was in them.
Of such men, whose names are now
upon the roll of history and of fame,
the old schoolmaster had trained not
a few.
His pride In the gallant boys who
passed through his hands was only
equalled by their affection for him.
Indeed, he had a singular power of
winning hearts, and many wondered
how It was that one so gentle and yet
o strong, so fitted in every way for
the making of a home, should have
elected to walk solitary through life.
The school was a broad, low build
ing of the black whinstone peculiar
to the neighborhood. It stood In an
ample playground in which a few
sparse trees that had survived the
hard usage of many generations of
Loaning boys made some slight shade
in summer, and broke the force of
the moorland gale In winter.
The schoolhouse was hard by, a
mall, low, picturesque, though high
ly Inconvenient dwelling, embowered
among green. Its outside a picture at
which many paused to look.
Here the old schoolmaster had
lived for nearly forty years, minis
tered unto for three parts of that
time by one Christina Fellows, a ca
pable serving woman of the better
ort, who alternately mothered and
ruled him and hoped to close bis eyes
in death.
Christina had a hard face and did
not wear her heart on her sleeve; but
he had had her tragedy, too, and
had perltably been. a brand plucked
irom the burning by the scboolmas
ter's beneficent hand.
Accused of theft in her previous
place she had been set adrift and
might have gone under had. not the
caooim&ster taken ber, without a
character, when the hand of every
man and every woman in the parish
was against her, and she had literally
not a place wherein to lay her bead.
She bad repaid that Christ-like act
with a life-long devotion, but even
Christina knew very little of her mas
ter's inner life.
uie him bulks," she would say;
he's a terrible man for bulks. If it
wasna for me ha wad read hlssel' lntll
hU grave."
The School Board and all It new
angled ways, which In fulness of
time robbed the old schoolmaster of
til official position and placed him
on the retired list, was the main ob
ject ot Christina's . hatred and con
tempt. It was noticeable that from
the day when the schoolmaster gave
up his active duties to another and a
younger man he perceptibly deellued
ooth in health and in spirits. Hap
plly for him they suffered blm to re
main in the little house, which did
uui meet modern requirements or
atisfy the aspiration of the new
t schoolmaster, who wished everything
P to date. This wa a very happy
thing for the old man. Dig ud the
old tree, root and branch, and there
Is small chance ot ita safe or auccess-
ul transplantation.
The old schoolmaster and Chris
tina dwelt together In their green
bower with a perfect understanding,
though in all these year the veil was
never once lifted from the old man's
heart and life.
At the very last, It seemed as If
fate had relented and determined to
make late amends. It happened on a
bleak day in winter when the lower
ing sky seemed to breathe out threat
enlngs, while the scudding gnowflakes
presaged the coming storm.
The Loaning moorland was very
bleak on such a day, and the few pas
sengers in the village omnibus, which
plied from the station in the after
noon, were glad of the shelter of the
old leather cover, kept for hard
6ho felt, however, as It the end ot
all thlnga had come.
The schoolmaster' face flushed.
and he took the hands from hts shoul
der and held them close, then stooped
to kiss them, and she drew herself a
little away.
"I know everything, Tom," sho
said nodding and smiling, too,
though her voice had an unsteady
note. "I have known it only three
days. In that time I have traveled
seven hundred miles, praying Ood
that when I came to the Journey's end
I should find you able to hear me
speak."
"It Is wonderful, Mary, wonderful,"
he said, speaking like a man In a
dream. "I never thought that you
and I should meet in this world,
though I have long been certain about
the next."
She made a gesture of fine scorn.
"I know ot the lies that parted us,
and of the noble part you played to
save the good name of a man whom
you thought I loved. He won me by
these lies, Tom, and you bore the
brunt. He was not tfven honest In
.his death," she said, and her voice
took a tense note of scorn. "If he
had, been I should have found you
long ago, and so we might have had
a few more years together. It was a
Chrtst-llke act. You practically laid
down your life, not for yeur friend,
but for your enemy."
"Nay my dear," said the old school
master quickly. "It was done for
you."
"Well, but It was not wise nor well
done for any ot us, for I have had a
hard life. But, please God. we shall
have a tew days of happiness and
peace together; for since I find you
alone In this little house I will never
go away again."
She spoke like a woman who had
counted the whole cost, and whose
quest was ended absolutely. She laid
her gloves on the table, untied her
bonnet-strings, and pushed it, with a
little thrill ot laughter, to the floor,
and the lamplight on her bright hair
revealed not a trace ot gray.
"You have kept your youth, Mary,"
he said, tremblingly, for in a moment
the gulf of the years was not only,
bridged, but utterly swept away.
"Look at me, a broken old manli
Yet, it It pleases God to give me the
sweet ot your friendship for the few
years that are left, I will give Him
thanks." 1
She only smiled again with a deep,
mysterious sweetness In her eyes, and
sat down by the hearth as it she had
Mrs. Fairbanks a Horticulturist.
Mrs. Charles W. Fairbanks is an
enthusiastic horticulturist and Is rec
ognized as one ot the leading authori
ties in the country on the varieties
and the growing of bulbs, Many con
servatories in New York, as well as
In Washington and Indianapolis, her
home city, are the richer for her gifts.
Many of the bulbs she has distrib
uted among her friends add to the
natural beauty of their bloom the in
terest of historic associations. The
narcissi that grow In the Campo San
to, In Pisa, the cemetery soil of which
was brought Into Italy from the Holy
Land, are famous among flower grow
ers all over the world, and several ot
Mrs. Fairbanks' friends have been
delighted recently by presents of a
few of these precious roots which
Mrs. Fairbanks had Imported for her
own hothouses. A few fine varieties
ot cyclamen, hitherto unknown in
America, also have come into Mrs.
Fairbanks' possession in the last few
weeks, and her friends are waiting
hungrily for cuttings of these. New
York Press.
"Matching Up" Expensive Waists.
The very latest method of fashion
able economy In the way of smart
clothes is to buy some exquisitely
embroidered chiffon or net waist,
"match it up" in a soft satin or silk
and wool crepe, and have a simple
skirt made in the house by a good
sewing woman. This same genius
hitches the two together skilfully,
adds a few deft touches of her own
needlework where the embroidery
design needs extension and introduces
a few bits of expensive trimming In
very small pieces to keep the cost
down. The result is one to boast of
and politeness with each other wilt
increase their popularity. Rosanna'
Schuyler, In the New York Telegram.
Indebtedness Paid in Kind.
One of the fundamental rules of
society is that if an Invitation to an'
entertainment is accepted, an Invita
tion to a similar function must be
sent to hostess and host. A woman
may not accept the courtesies of oth
ers If she Is not prepared to do for
them as much as they have done for
her, and that she may make no error
a list of social Indebtedness becomes
imperative where an acquaintance is
large.
When a woman has been Invited
to any special function the fact and
date should be written beside the
name of the hostess, and then there Is
no difficulty In keeping the obliga
tion clear.
A woman, married or single, who
Invites another to a dinner must bo
given a similar invitation In return.
Ot course, if she Is married, her hus
band is invited, too, though the host
ess may be a single woman. But a
dinner requires a dinner, and a single
woman cannot expect to be Invited to
them if she asks her wemen friends
only to luncheons, or what might be
called "day" affairs.
A married woman whose husband
does not know or does not care to
have the acquaintance of the husband
of another woman may Invite said
woman to a luncheon, thus keeping
the friendship between the two wo
men, while the .husbands may, never
meet. And a married woman need
not aBk to dinner another who has
entertained her only at luncheon.
A "bridge" dinner, so called be
cause bridge Is played after dinner,
may be taken as an equivalent to a
a. J
m 0
I
" s
is S
MODERATION.
44 3
E may grasp virtue so hard, till it becomes
vicious, If we embrace it too straight, and with
too violent a desire.
"A man may be both too much in love with virtue and be
excessive In a just action. I have known a great man preju
dice the opinion men bad ot his devotion, by pretending to
be devout beyond all examples of others ot his condition.
I love temperate and moderate natures. And immoderate
zeal, even to that which Is good, though It does not offend,
does astound.
"Those who attempt to regulate the manners of men,
theology and philosophy, will have a saying on everything.
There is no action so private that can escape their inspection
and jurisdiction. They are best taught who are best able to
censure and curb their own liberty.
"There is no Just and lawful pleasure, wherein the In
temperance and excess is not to be condemned; but to speak
the truth, is not man a miserable creature the while? It
is scarce, while in his natural condition, for him to have
the power to taate one pleasure, pure and entire; and yet,
man must be contriving doctrine and precepts to curtail
the little he has; he Is not yet wretched enough unless by
arts and study, he augments his own misery." Michael
Seigneur De Montaigne.
weather. There were three passen
gers only, one an elderly lady, richly
though very quietly dressed, and
wearing a thick veil over her face.
When she lifted It at the Inn door
to put a question to the landlord
there was a haunting sweetness in her
expression, and a dignity in her bear
ing which Instantly commanded at
tention and respect.
She asked for a room, and for some
light refreshment, and gave her name
as Mrs. Grantley. About an hour
later she walked through the falling
snow along the village street In the
direction of the school, and turned in
at the gateway of the old schoolmas
ter's house. The daylight was fading
as she lifted the latch of the wicket
gate, and at the very moment Chris
tina Fellows happened to be at the
sitting-room window, for the purpose
of drawing the blind after having lit
the cheerful lamp.
"There's somebody at the yett,"
she said curiously. - "A leddy, an' I
dlnna ken her. She must hae mad
a mistake."
The schoolmaster, deep in his book,
returned an absent answer, and
Christina hastened to the door to
interview the stranger, and, if need
be, put ber in the right way.
"Yes, Malster Thornton lives here,
an' he is 'at barae," she said in no
little surprise. "Will ye step in?"
, The invitation was not very gra
ciously given, but was instantly ac
cepted. ChrlBtlna preceded the vis
itor to the sitting room door, which
ihe flung open.
"Somebody to see ye, sir," she said
excitedly; then, her curiosity getting
the better of her good manners, she
stood still to watch the effect, and it
possible get a clue to the stranger'
business.
The schoolmaster, rose quickly to
his teet, and came forward smiling
benignly, blinking a little as the
lamplight shone full on the eyes from
which he had removed the reading
glasses. Then Christina Fellows be
held a strange thing, from which she
shrank .with the secret shame of a
strong, reserved nature Incapable of
auy emotional display. . v
The strange lady, with her veil
thrown back and her sweet face all
aglow, spoke the schoolmaster's name
In accents ot tenderness, and laid her
two bands on bis shoulders.
"I've come at the long last, Tom,"
she said. . "Thank God, It Is not teo
late."
Then Christina, In a mortal panlo,
not over sure that she had beard or
seen aright, closed the door In baste,
and retired wringing ber bands to
her own domain. "Mercy me, sic on
gauns! ' I wonder wha she Is! It'
hardly decent, but I maun wait or I
ee,"
found the place that was her very;
own.
Later In the evening an interview
took place between the stranger lady
and Christina Fellows, an Interview
which not only appeased the ire ot
that somewhat hard-visaged spinster,
but spread out a new vista before
ber bewildered eyes. A message was
sent to the Haws Inn, and the lady's
belongings were forthwith brought to
the schoolhouse, and the new era be
gan. 1
It made a great talk in the Loan
lng, it being freely rumored that a
mysterious rich relation had suddenly
swooped down upon the old school'
master and was desirous of carrying
him off to her castle In the south.
Christina, for her own amusement,,
and to add to the dignity ot the oc
casion, assiduously fanned the flame
of village gossip, adding a few tit
bits of her own manufacture to the
astounding sum ot the schoolhouse
romance. -
But all Loaning Imaginings fell far
short of the actual end ot the story,
which presently shook the place to
its very foundations.
One fine February morning the
schoolmaster and his gueBt departed
from the Loaning, being accompanied
to the station by Christina, who bade
good-bye to them In tears.
Two days later this announcement
set the county by the ears.
"At Edinburgh, by special license,
on the 19th Inst., Thomas Bradbury
Thornton, to Mary Caxton, widow of
the late Sir Charles Grantley, ot
Garth Castle, Pembroke." British
Weekly.
. Macaroni Cutlets. Cook one-half cupful ot macaroni
broken in half-inch pieces. Add a thick sauce the same as
for the croquettes, using all milk in place ot milk and oyster
liquor; then add one-fourth ot a cupful ot grated cheese, and
season with salt and pepper; cool, shape in the form of cut
lets, dip in crumbs, egg, and crumbs again, fry in deep fat,
and drain on brown paper. Insert a one-and-one-half-inch
piece ot uncooked macaroni In each cutlet, arrange cutlets on
parsley.
If the plan has been carefully thought
out, and as nine out of ten of the best
known women ot society care to wear
a gown only a limited number ot
times, and then to appear In some
thing quite different for an equally
short period, it is not surprising that
they have hit upon this plan ot mak
ing their dress money go further.
Many ot them have dummy figures,
exact copies ot their own, so that they
do not need to lose any time in being
fitted, and by giving only a little
thought to the matter can have a
chic addition to their wardrobes
whenever they want it. When order
ing their best frocks these women
have a watchful eye for new effects
In lines and color combinations, bo
that when their "bargains" are being
made they can suggest some little
finish that will give that touch ot dif
ference that distinguishes the ordered
gown from the one known as "home
made." New York Tribune.
A Dangerous as N owing About Stills.
Some years ago a Chicago doctor
bad a lot of walking cases ot con
sumptlves, and wanted to make sure
they got pure butter. So he sent Tip
into the butter cellars there to look
for Information. After going Into
two or three In the same block and
asking to see, smell and taste, Tip be
gan to think the butter , merchants
were acting queerly, and about that
time a young fellow came up In but
ter and egg garb and said. "Say,
friend, you was Just back in the boas'
place looking for butter. Now I can
tell from your talk you're from the
same place a I am, but this bunch
down here takes every stranger for a
spjlng inspector. Let me give it to
you straight; coming down here and
asking Question about butter is about
a dangerous as nosing about still
down in the mountains. It's thl way.
They're all selling fake butter, law
or no law. and if any of them get
caught at It the Butterine Trust pays
all fine and expenses. And a man
wbe beats up a spy gets wall aid far
It. "mrK York Ti.
Treat nusbands With Politeness.
If a woman spending the evening
with friends would treat her husband
with the same politeness and consid
eration she gives to other men, host
esses would less often dread asking
husband and wife to the same func
tion. For many women know there
are married men and women who are
agreeable if alone, but who, when ac
companied by wife or husband, as the
case may be, are almost offensive in
their behavior. And the trouble of
ten is that the wife does not make
the same exertion or show the. same
consideration tor her husband when
they, are with others that Bhe natural
ly gives to other men.
Few persons enjoy playing bridge
at the same table with a husband and
wife because otten one or both criti
cise the play ot the other. The same
woman, if sitting at another table,
would tell her partner or opponent
what she thought of his game. If
she ventured any comment It would
be tactful and polite. But .she seems
to feel privileged to descend with
verbal onslaught on her husband with
total disregard of others present. No
one fancies that a wife is always go
ing to talk to her husband with the
same formality she would use with
other men, but all agree, if they stop
to think, that to adopt the informal
ity of home when In company is not
always pleasant to others.
It may not be sweetness of nature
that restrains woman from comment
ing or retorting to her husband when
she is annoyed; it may be wholly con
sideration for others. The fact that
she . doe keep still then may be en
tirely a matter of good breeding, for
consideration Is that sometlmesr
should she possess an opinion that is
decidedly contrary to her husband's,
she shall hold It and tell him later,
but she must make the communica
tion when no one else is present
Nothing is more unpleasant than to
be obliged to bear a matrimonial crit
icism or altercation. Listeners are
not interested, and any atmosphere
ot entertainment is In this way entire
ly destroyed.
It a woman is playing bridge at
the same table with her husband she
must treat him, for the time, as she
would any acquaintance. It she does
not like bis manner ot playing she Is
not at liberty to tell htm then, be
cause she will make the other two
persons uncomfortable. If she wishes
to discuss the hand be has just played
her own manner must have the same
politeness that it would with her host,
and If ber husband does not agree
with ber she must drop the matter
then, taking it up Inter wast, at borne
If she thinks It best.
No husband anH wife bayt the
right to make other guest uncom
fortable when tay ai out socially,
dinner theatre party, the point being
that the entertainment Includes more
than dinner. A bridge lnncheon is
more than a luncheon alone, and a
luncheon and matinee might be taken
as a similar courtesy. The ppint lies
In returning as much hospitality as
one receives.
It Is not incumbent upon a woman
to Invite to a meal ot any sort one
who has not extended the same
thought, but If the latter has been
asked to a bridge, or if In any pro
nounced way a desire for her ac
quaintance has been shown, she may
send an Invitation tor lnncheon or
dinner, always providing that the one
giving the first Invitation to a meal
Is not the latest arrival In a place.
It is always the privilege of the older
resident to give the first invitation
to a meal, unless the other woman
has also lived so long in the town
that she Is no longer a stranger.
Invitations to a tea require noth
ing more than a similar card, for they
are only notices ot being at home to
one's friends on a certain day, and
nothing further may come from them
unless one woman or the other really
wishes to pursue the acquaintance.
Rosanna Schuyler, in the New York
Telegram,
CfJJHlNGS
TO WEAR
The splendor of black velvet Is
everywhere.
The new flat-front coiffure means
death to rats.
Small hats are predicted, but none
are yet in sight.
Two shades of green which bid fair
to be exceedingly popular are soft
almond and a plstache.
Black net collars, studded with nail
beads or embroidered with Jet bugles,
are being worn with black waists.
Loose weaves and heavy threads
are characteristic notes of many of
the popular materials for walking
suits.
Colored correspondence stationery
Is once more In vogue. The delicate
grays, dove and pearl shades are ex
quisite. Shoes are a bit less pointed, and
the new vamps are very short, the
effect being to make the foot look
rather shorter.
Because most of the lingerie gown
will be collarless and with short
sleeves, comfort will be characteristio
ot the season's wear.
Narrow bands ot fur are supplant
ing velvet and ribbon for the coif
fure. Chinchilla Is, of course, a fa
vorite for brunettes, while sable I In
favor for blonde.
However elaborate a scarf may be
in Itself or in It trimmings, the edge
is usually finished with a selvage all
around. The selvage varies from a
quarter to two Inches In width.
On many of the handsomest dinner
and evening gowns the decolletago Is
modified to something not far from
the low Dutch neck, the very low
neck being now considered by some
authorities as outside the mode.
' Wool embroidery will be a favorite
trimming on the new gown. It Is
heavier and coarser-looking than the
silk handwork to which we have been
accustomed, but when the design Is
attractive and well dona It Is decided
ly attractive. ,
A new writing paper fashion, high
In vogue among college girls, con
sists in having the name by which,
you are best known engraved In color
across the top. The paper Is to be
used tor correspondence only, with'
Intimate friends. .
Baron Hogs.
It Is generally understood that
what Is frequently called bacon In
American markets is not identical
with the article sold as bacon In
Great Britain. This will appear from
the following statement: A writer in
an exchange states that bacon hogs In
England weigh from 160 to 2 30
pounds, while bacon hogs in the Uni
ter States weigh from 165 to 195
pounds, and light mixed hogs weigh
160 to 220 pounds. It is very evident
that the hog that furnishes such ba
con as the English consumers want is
a hotter grade animal than that which
is used for bacon in the United States.
The average weight tor the former is
given' as 190 pounds, whereas the av
erage weight of the latter Is only 175
pounds.
There is too much of an inclination
In our markets to separate hogs that
are unfinished and to classify them as
bacon because of their leanness.
This, ot course, does not truly repre
sent the bacon hog when put upon
the market in finished form. The ba
con hog, though not what may be
termed fat in the sense in which the
lard hog is fat Is not, on the other
hand, lean, in a sense in which the
unfinished hog is lean. It occupies
middle ground between the two. The
flesh is firm; Indeed, more so than
that of the fat hog. In other words,
a lack of firmness Is very objection
able in first-class bacon. Because of
the lack of proper discrimination in
the application ot the terms, the ba
con hog has suffered somewhat on
our markets. The term bacon has
been applied in a careless sense as
pointed out above, consequently It
has been applied to animals that do
not bring top prices in the market,
hence the idea has gone out that ba
con swine do not bring so high a mar
ket price relatively as other types. In
time, no doubt, this will be corrected,
but In the meantime It should bo tak
en into the account of those who are
taking notes with reference to the
relative market price3. Weekly Witness.
Currant Culture.
The currant is a very hardy fruit,
and as fair results are obtained with
out high culture, almost everyone
who has a garden grows currants.
Like all other fruits, however, the
currant becomes most profitable when
It Is given good care.
The currant Is a moisture-loving
fruit, henoe for profit It should be
planted in a cool, moist, but well
drained soil. It also requires rich
soil, henoe as a rule the best is a good
clay loam which is retentive of moist
ure and cooler than sandy loam, The
Boll should be thoroughly prepared
for currants before planting. One
year old plants from cuttings if
strong will give good satisfaction,
although two year old plants are not
too old. They should be planted in
rows about six feet apart, and from
lour to five feet apart in the rows,
the wide distance being more satis
factory for the strong growing varie
ties, and especially currants.
Fall planting Is best for currants,
as the buds start very early in the
spring, and should these develop be
fore they can be planted their future
growth will be checked. They can,
however, be planted In the spring
with success. The plants shtfuld be
sot a little deeper than they were in
the nursery and the soli well pressed
against the roots. Thorough cultiva
tion should follow to promote as
much growth as possible, but it
should be shallow, as the currant
roots are near the surface. The fol
lowing spring the currants will need
some pruning to give them a shapely,
open head, the bush when well shaped
having from five to seven main
branches well distributed to avoid
crowding. The fruit of red currants
is formed from spurs on wood two
years old, while the fruit of black
currants is borne on wood of the pre
vious ear. Currants should be
pruned annually to get the best re
sults. After the bushes are In full bear
ing, the pruning should be done with
the object ot removing some ot the
oldor wood from the ground each
year. There should be no wood more
than three years old left on black
currant bushes, as the object is to
keep up a strong growth of young
wood. It Is also not well to let the
wood ot red currants get very old, as
the finest fruit Is produced on the
two and three year old wood.
The currant plantation will begin
to give some fruit the third season,
but a tull crop will not be obtained
until the fourth. As the currant is a
great feeder, drawing heavily on the
fertility ot the soil, the plantation
should receive an annual dressing of
barnyard manure or some other fer
tilizer. Rotten manure applied in the
autumn and cultivated in the next
spring gives very good results. Ap
plications ot wood ashes or muriate
of potash and ground bones are also
beneficial. Prof. H. L. Hutt. Canada
Experiment Station.
The rotation of crops affords time
for the disintegrating action of the at
mosphere, rain and frost to prepare
new material from the rock particles
In the soil and get It In a form to be
UBed by the plant. One plant may
use up the available food for a par
ticular kind faster than it can be pne
pared by these natural agencies.
When properly managed it enables
one plant to prepare food for an
other. All plants exhaust the soil, though
In an unequal degree; plants of dif
ferent kinds do not exhaust the soil ia
the same manner; all plants do not
restore to the soil a like quantity or
quality of manure, and all plants are
not equally favorable to the growth
of weeds. Upon the above principles
Is based a regular succession of crops.
Though the system ot rotation is
adapted to every soli, no particular
rotation can be assigned to any one
description ot soil which will answer
at all times, and on the demand for
different kinds of produce. On clayey
soils, beans and clover, with rye grass
are generally alternated with grain
crops, and on dry loams or sandy,
ground turnips, beets, potatoes and
clover. On rich Boils this system ot
alternate husbandry is most con
ducive to the plentiful production of
food, both for men and animals. One
portion of a farm would thus be al
ways under grain crops, while the
other portion was growing roots or
cultivated grasses; but, as the major
part of arable lands can not be pre
served in a state of fertility with even
this kind of management, it is requi
site that the portion ot the farm
which is under cultivated grasses
should bo pastured for two or three
years, in order to give It time to re
cruit. The following is a good rota
tion of crops: First year, clover;'
second, clover; third, corn; fourth,
oats; fifth, wheat. The clover does
well with oats, and after an early
mowing can very well be prepared
for wheat.
' Keeping the 80II Fertile.
Accordlug to Professor Whitney, ot
the Bureau ot Soil. United State De
partment ot. Agriculture, a soil to
be fertile must contain a sufficient
quantity ot the ash ingredients of
tbe plants to be cultivated, and these
must be in such soluble coudltlon as
to be taken up by tbe growing plants.
Soils once fertile are said to be ex
hausted when deprived cf such food
as la required for plant nutrition, but
rest and meliorating treatment will,
in lima, restore such soils to a fertile
condition. ,
Until pjst the year 1750 no just
Ideas npon the rotation c( crops
seemed t.. have boen formed in any
part ot Kcglaad. .
California Privet Hedge.
Throughout the city and the
whole of tbe State., for that matter
there Is general complaint that the
California privet hedges were killed
by the severe winter. That this shrub'
is really too tender for Indiana plant
ing has been said repeatedly In the
Indianapolis News. Long acquaint
ance with it by those who are thor
oughly familiar with its demands has
proved conclusively that the plant
"winter-kills," so far as the tops are
concerned, even it the roots survive
our colder temperatures.
The California privet gained its
popularity primarily because it is the
main shrub uaed for hedge purposes
at Newport and other summer resorts
similarly situated. For seaside plant
ing, no shrub surpasses it, but it must
be remembered that the water tem
pers the atmosphere and that many
Bhrubs will succeed splendidly at
Newport that will not survive our
winters here. In Indianapolis and
Indiana, California privet should
never be planted.
The Amoor River privet resembles
the California variety very much and
is perfectly hardy. Some notes on
the subject of hedge plants adapted
to Indiana follow. They are from
the pen of E. Y. Teas, a well-known
nurseryman of Centervllle, lad.
The Amoor River privet, from Asia,
resembles California privet very
much and has never been known to
be Injured by our severest cold, even
in the tips of the branches, where the
California was killed to tho ground.
The Amoor River is not quite so near
ly evergreen as California, though it
retains its foliage until mid-winter.
There is a Southern form, grown and
sold as Amoor River that, it is be
lieved, does not possess the hardiness
of plant nor beauty of foliage that 1
characteristic ot the genuine Amooi
River.
Regellanum privet seems to pos
sess the hardiness of the Amoor
River, and, In habit of growth, ar
rangement of the branches, and pe
culiar shape and conformation of the
foliage is one of the most striking ol
shrubs. The Japanese privet is a
strong grower, with remarkably
large, glossy foliage, that Is more per
sistently evergreen than any othei
privet. We think this will becom
popular either as a hedge plant 01
for ornamental planting.
The Japan berberls ( B. Thunber
gll) Is justly very popular as an or
namental hedge plant. It Is of rather
slender, compact, bus'jy habit, with
small, glossy, bright green leave
that attain a brilliant crimson color
in autumn. The plant Is loaded with
berries that assume a bright red color
when ripe and remain on the plant
through the winter. We have never
beatd ot this plant being injured by
tho cold anywhere. Last, but not
least, for ornamental hedge, we will
name Spiraea Van Houttei. a plant
of estraordinary hardiness, and beau
ty in habit ot growth, as well as of
special boauty when loaded with it
wreaths of white flowers, a easily
transplanted a a tomato, a hardy
a an oak. We have hedges ot it
twenty year old, ot perfect form,
from the ground up which, when In
bloom In June, are strikingly beauti
ful. By cutting back, JuBt after the
J flowering season, the hedge may be
kept a; a De.gnt 01 two, turee or tour
fect, as nicy b desired.
As tl'.e: Country fried.
"Johnny, tan you tell us why
Washington is called 'the Father ot
his Country?"
" 'Cai'm. he walked the floor a
good n-a'iy nights when it was still
yourt, t guess." Chicago Record-Kei-atf.
Last year over seventeen million
rounds of tobacco and snuff manu
fartum.1 iu U Uulted Kingdom er
poi'ttJ. . ,