I 'W'TT'I'TI'TTTTTTIITTITTITWTt J HUMOR. t :: OF THE, HOUR $ HIS FATAL MISTAKE- Edith Why did you cut Clarence, alter his handsome wedding gift? Ethel The horrid thing enclosed a card, wishing many happy returns of the occasion. fascinating. Howard And how did the plain widow Perkins capture the fastidious Mawker? Coward Oh, took him out In her car and showed him a few hundred ol her building lots. Howard Ah! I sec. A case of love at first slto. Harper's Weekly. Something Soulful. "Yoy aro going to Bay something soulful," declared the fiance. "I see It In your lovely eyes." "What I was going to say Is this," responded the llancoo. "Won't you wear a rubber band around your head nights, so as to train your ears not to stick out?" A Temperance Movement. "George," spoko his better half, "you are Interested in the temperance movements, are you not?" "Why, certainly I am," he answered. "Well, suppose ycu go out and make a few of them with the pump handle. I am In need of a pail of water right away." ESPECIALLY DESIGNED. Mrs.' Snail Yes, Mr. Weaver, the curtains are beautiful and cheap, but I'm afraid they attract flies. Mr. Weaver But think, Madam; they will also catch the flies and thus save their cost, in a short time, In flv nannr. THE CAPTAIN'S LITTLE JOKE. Lieutenant Officer McClubbe aver ages 25 arrests a day, Captain Ah, I see; a regular light ning arrester. A Reasonable Doubt. Officials have a right to ask ques tions In the performance of their duty, but there are occasions when it seems as If they might curtail or fore go the privilege. Not long ago an Irishman whose hand had been badly mangled In an accident entered the Boston City Hospital Relief Station in a great hurry. He stepped up to the man in charge and inquired: "Is this the Relief Station sor?" "Yes. What 1j your name?" "Patrick O'Connor sor." "Are you married?" questioned the officer. "Yls, sor, but .s this the Relief Sta tion?" He was nursing his hand in agony. "Of course It Is. How many chil dren have you?" "Eight, sor. But sure, this la the Relief Station?" "Yes, It Is," replied the official, growing a little angry at the man's persistence. "Well," said Patrick, "sure, an' I wap1i)egWnWg:tr ihlnk that !t ratcl'.t im the DUTOtinK-satloq!" , . - i Gate For Cow Lot. Opens Either Way Hut Stock Cannot "Work" It. The gato shown In tho design has many points of merit. It opens either way, it latches automatically and stock cannot get it open, it swings above a deep snow, tho post never pulls up or leans as it is held In place by the balanced weight of the gate. The heaviest gate on tho farm can be opened and closed by a child or a person on horseback. It 13 made like an ordinary gate ex cept It is fastened at tho top beam, (A ) the round hole In the beam fits loosely around the top post (B) as Is shown In C. The wide end of GATE FOH COW LOT. beam sustains a weight of stones a little heavier than the gate Itself, or a weight may be hung to the beam. The bottom of the gate ! hold In place by a chain passed loose ly around post and frame and stapled to both. Two pieces of old tire shaped like D are stapled to the post at free end of the gato as Is shown In E. The frame holds an Iron spike which, In closing the gate, lifts the piece of tire, passes under It and lets It fall back In place. The gate Is securely fastened. To open, pull down the free end of gate, lift the piece of tiro and the gato swings free. To open on horseback use the arrangement shown In C. Grasp the stick, pull the length of rope through the hole, with tho forked end of tho stick lift the piece of tiro nearest you, pull to the rope and the gate swings open. As you ride through grasp the other stick and pull the gate shut after you. Scimratnri. Separators do much of the most valuable work of modern farming. There is the pin for separating the seed from cotton; the threshing ma chine for separating wheat and oats from the straw; bean, pea and clover hullers for separating the seed of those plants; the fanning mill for separating dirt, chaff and foreign seeds from the pure seed and finally the last and one of the most Im portant separators, the cream separa tor. This wonderful invention en ables the farmer to separate the cream from the milk as soon as it Is drawn and have the fresh warm skim milk to feed to the calves or pigs. The butter fat brings a' good price and by feeding something to take its place with the skim milk almost as good a calf can be raised as with the whole milk. The churn will yield more than In the old days of hand skimming, nor will the calf as In those days be knocked In the head with the dash. If the butter fat Is sold to the creamery, the use of the separator makes fewer trips nec essary with a much lighter lpad to carry. A one-horse buggy will haul the cream from a two horse load of whole milk. Then the skim milk often comes back unfit for the calves. Value of Sweet Milk. The value of the pure sweet skim milk fed to pigs fresh from the cream separator, was found by tho well-known dairyman, Mr. C. P. Goodrich, to be much greater than usually estimated. He found that 100 pounds of gain in pigs weigh ing 125 pounds when fed alone, and one bushel of corn fed alone made a gain of ten pounds. This puts a high value on sweet skim milk. When he Joined skim milk and corn In due proportion the feed value of both were Increased 20 per cent, showing that both made a fine bal anced ration. He fed 100 poundB of sweet skim milk with one bushel of corn, and that gave 18 pounds of gain to the shoats. Hoard's Dairyman says: "In our own experience we have made pklm milk worth 63 cents per 100 when fed to grade Guernsey calves sold at 7 months of age at $25 each. "It Is well enough to say that a large part of the feeding value of separator skim milk may be wasted by improper methods of feeding; al so its best value Is always found In feeding it to young pigs and shoats." Breaking a Cow to Milk. If you are going to break a young cow, the first thing you have to do Is to keep cool, writes Paul Kautz. Many kicking cows are made, bad by bad breaking and bad temper. It Is a good Idea to tie tho new cow up the first few days and glvo her the very best treatment so she has won your confidence. Before you are going to milk be euro to have your finger nails" trimmed close as possi ble. Do not rush milking at once, but start gently. When you are through milking pet ,her. and Btye her something to eat during. the thna of, milking. I have dorfo-milklng f$r. fourteen years ut l.orr.e on the 'farm of my parents. , BBSS Portable Hog House. Ono of tho Best, Cheapest and Hand iest Ever Contrived. Mr. Oltn A. Dobbins, of Ohio, sends to the "National Stockman" the following description of his port able hog house. "We send herewith a sketch of what we think the best, handiest and cheapest hog house we havo ever used. Two doors In front make It convenient for ventilating, as wo have them face -south In the Winter tlmo. If there Is a cold wind from the southwest the west doors aro closed and the cast ones opened. Should the wind be In the east or southoast they are reversed. Tho house is divided Inside by a portable partition which should be nearly four feet high and made of good oak boards with very narrow cracks between them, especially near the bottom. With this partition In place It makes good roomy beds 6x8 feet each for the sows, and when through with H for sows the parti tion Is removed and placed by the back wall and held there by a largo wooden button turning over the top board. In this shape we use It for twenty to twonty-flve pigs and find It better than any of the half-dozen different patterns that we have used and are using, as It affords hotter ventilation and Is ennlpr to clean as thero Is plenty of room. "Size of house la 8x10 feet, four feet high at back and seven feet In front. Tho runners or foundation are 4x4 oak, beveled off at each ond with an axe so as to run easily. The two center runners are fourteen feet long, so that they may extend out two feet at each end of the house. Across these outer ends we spike 2x4 or 2xG pieces to hitch to. The floor should be of good oak boards but need not be very tight. The THE PORTABLE HOG HOUSE, sides are matched lumber and the roof should be as tight as possible. We hnve used felt paper for roofing for live years, but the kind we used became leaky In about two years and now we have four or live houses to re-roof. We expect to try galvan ized Iron or tin. The uprights or studding are 2x2 placed two feet apart; except that there are 2x4's placed at each side of doors. Doors are fastened shut by means of strong wooden buttons. each held by a spike. "The following includes most of the lumber needed: two pieces 4x4 10 feet; two pieces 4x4-14 feet; eighteen pieces 2x2-S feet; twenty feet of dressed siding; eighty feet 1-inch oak flooring; 110 feat (sur face) one-half-lnch sheathing for under the roof and roofing." Using Pure Bred Boars. Many make the mistake of think ing only farmers who make a busi ness of selling breeding stock need to use pure bred boars. There Is, on the other hand no very good rea son why any breeder or farmer should use grade sires. Good pure-bred sires can be se cured' at reasonable rates, and far greater dependence can be placed upon a good animal of pedigreed stock than can be upon a good grade. Of course we do not make this con tention for the pure-bred scrub, for pedigree alone does not make an animal by any means. If an animal is properly built, Is healthy, and in addition has pure blood running through his system, the chances are that he will sire bet ter pigs than a grade would whose characteristics are not as firmly fixed. The choice of sires is an Im portant matter, and only good stock should be used. Roughage For Sheep. Timothy hay Is a comparatively poor roughage for sheep. Clover, pea vine hay or any other kind of hay made from legumes is good. If one grows peas or beans for their seeds, the straw makes good sheep feed. Of course, some concentrated food must be fed, too. Some here feed the pea straw unthrashed, but many a pea is lost then. As peas are rich In nitrogen, this means quite a little. They are, however, a good feed for sheep when ground. Bo Clean At All Seasons. Greater regard for cleanliness Is demanded In warm and damp wea ther than at any other time, but cleanliness ought never be neglecteQ In any season, Don't lot the houses and yards become filthy and foul smelling simply because It Is warm weather. Sheaf Oats For Horses. The finest winter feed is sheaf oats. The horses will go through the winter in good, strong condition and In the spring they will be fit for trortc. Let them cat' the heads and best of straw, and use the rest for bedi'lne. TRIAL'S OF BANKING. Ib Swedish Farmer Wanted Whet He Wanted When He Wanted. The recent financial stringency ''out doubt cast more or less une '.( ys ovor many of the small depoal In country banks, and althojh .-e were many who did not want to ow their uneasiness, they neverCo a felt a hosltaooy as to making fur or deposits, and many desired to vlidraw their money already on i!c uoalt. That this desire was fixed l'i j!io minds of somo who yet desired to betray no mistrust or to give offence to tho bankers is Illustrated by the following Incident, which Is said to have occurred at a bank In a countr town In one of the Middle Western States: A Swedish farmer had sold somo hgs on the local market, and upon receiving his check In payment Imme diately went to tho local bank to real lzo on his sale. Upon presentment of the eheck the banker said to him. "Do you wish tho money on thld check?" "Veil, I tank I yust so veil tako him," was the quick reply. "You really want the money?" "Yah, I tank I take the mon-e." "Bat do you really need the money?" asked the banker. "Vail, no. I don't exactly need him, bat I tank I take the mon-e." "Well," aald the banker, "If you really w&nt the money, of course I will give It to you, but I thought It you did not need It perhaps you mlcht open on account and deposit the money, and then check against it as you need it." Tkls aaemad assuring to tho Swrdo, aad be said: "Veil, If you pays my aohecka, don open do Recount," id tie account was opened and pass boo'x and check book handed to tho uuv customor. Half an hour later a close friend of the new depositor appeared at tho cashier's window and presented a check signed by his friend for tho full amount of the deposit, which m promptly paid by the banker without comment. In about an hour tho Swede appear ed, and, walking to tho cashier's win dow handed tho banker his cb t k book minus only one chock, with ''c remark, "Veil, I don't tank I ncudd him any more." SOLITUDE. Clarence Rowing is a very violent exercise. Sometimes after a long row, I lose control of ray arm by evening. Virginia Oh, don't let's go farl The Main Point. Tho Englishman and the American were talking about honesty among men. "Speaking about honest men," said tho American proudly, "our Georyc Washington was the most honest mar the world has ever known. Why, h( took a hack at tho cherry tree and then told his father about It." The Englishman pondered in sll ence for a long tlmo. Finally lu drawled. "It may be deuced clever In George telling his father about taking the hack, but tell me this." "Well, what 13 it?" "Did he pay the driver?" 8even Vas the Number. "She had seven husbands," says r BUlville exchange, In an obituary no tice, "and outlived the last one o them; and wo don't think we wouh have been called on to write this no tlce of her now but for the fact tha the horse she was driving on the roa(' to got the license to marry tho eight' took fright and ran away with hei and she caught cold and went to better world where all our trouble are ended, on account of thero beln' no marryln' there!" Variable. The late Judgo Saunders, of North Carolina, was noted as an angler, but he had a poor memory aa to tho weight of the fish he had taken. On one occasion a friend, trying to en trap tolm, said: "Say. Judge, what ni the weight of that big catfish you caught tbe other day?" Tbe Judge turned to his waiter and laid, "Bob, what did I say that cat flab weighed yesterday." "Wiftt time yesterday, boss in de "wnln", at (Uqneror after suppah?" Aa Qaargs ta'ea It George Aide says the' class dletlnc in in UMs country la roughly divided ito trg Jiwilt TfcOM Tfco saw oosV fcaft'ttau alt cm (ha fence . d toll how ,to r,a- 7,'md. Experts, Engaged. Services Result in Grent Commercial . Benefit to Owners. From recent reports received at tho Department of Commerce and Labor it appears that tho honey Int erests of England havo . found it worth while to employ experts to Bupervlso that Industry. Cornwnll, the best honey producing county in that country, was the first to engage tho service of an expert In beekeep ing, with vast commercial benefit When, three years ago, "foul brood" an infectious disease among boes, attacked the aptaros at Cornwall, and worked great destruction, the sup ervisors dotermlnod that It would bo necessary to destroy hundreds of hives whore the disease was preva lent. This forcible extinction of the hives saved the Industry In tho coun ty. There now remain but a tow traces of the disease. In order that attention may be drawn to the success that may at tend beekeeping the authorities hav-e instructed their expert Inspector to visit all beekeepers In the county, examine tho hives kept by them, and give advice at to their condition and management. It Is also tho duty of tho inspector to work up markets. Cleanliness of Honoy-Mnklng. Sclonce has recently demonstrated many things of which the beekeeper might well take noto and use to ad vantage In popularizing honey. Sci entific Investigations and close ob servation bavo determined that the bee, with Its strong Instinct for cleanliness, puts the cleanliest house keeper to shame In the thorough ness with which It polishes and dis infects the comb cells, tho recep tacles for storing honey. It gathers the aroma-laden nectar distilled by the blossoms and, In nil its purity, places It In the honey sack. After reaching the hive, it Is placed in the comb cell, where the bees blow a current of air warmed by the inmates of the hive continuously over the open cells, evaporating it to the con sistency of ripe honey and In Its marvelous process making the vari ous methods Invented by syrup and sugar manufacturers appear crude and unclean. Care With Cnuibs. All tho precautions necessary to keep my large stock of extracting combs are to space them one less to the hive than they aro used In the summer, and then leave them where they will freeze during the winter, writes an apiarist. The moths pass the winter usually In the egg stage, and a good, solid freezing will kill them, so in tho spring there are no worms to seat tho comb. There are usually two broods during the sea son, one In the spring, the other during the fall. It takes about three weeks for the larvae to mature. An other point In the safe keeping of combs is the presence of pollen, or dead brood. Tho larvae of the moth cannot live on wax alone; they must have some other food, Combs used for extracting seldom have any pol len or other nitrogenous food for the worm in them. The combs which are in tho hive where the bees have died are the most liable to their attacks. Weo Girl a Beekeeper. Beekeeping is one of the last things in the world In which one would expect a little girl to excel, yet Ethel Grace Leadon of Surrey Is among the most expert beekeepers In England. She Is as skillful in driving a swarm of bees from one hive to to another as Is the most ex perienced veteran of the craft, and In taking combs from hives she is twice as successful as the average girl of two or three times her age. Little Miss Leadon Is an active mem ber of. the Surrey Beekeepers' Asso ciation, having a vote In all Its af fairs. In the exercise of her fran chise, however, she is guided by her papa, from whom she learned all she knows about caring for the honey-makers. Profit In Honey. I know a small farmer near me who has sold $125 worth of extract ed honey from fifteen colonies, writes T. M. Barton, of Kentucky. He may realize nearly as much more from the fall flow. I know some poor tenants who havo secured an abund ant supply of this most healthful sweet from two or three colonies. This is a great help to a poor man with a family. Bees Don't Hurt Fruit. It Is the business of the bees to gather honey, and they will suck the Juices of fruits and flowers wherever found, but careful observa tion has proved that thoy do not punoture fruit for the purpose of getting at the Juice. Such injury to fruit is caused by other insects and birds, the bees only taking what has been made easily accessible to them. Beekeepers in United States. Thore are three hundred thousand beekeepers in the United States, and the annual prod-ctlon of honey haa a value of $15,000,000. Prisons on Blossoms. Illinois beekeepers want the Btate to prohibit " itie nee of poisons In fruit sprays unlll the blossoms have been fertilized by bees. A STORY BY KIPLING. i " i 'J .HtX. , ' Swimmer deorrfed'to Be rrtuifna but That Wasn't the Answer. A magazine editor was praising Rudyard Kipling. "I was glad when Kipling got tho Nobel prise," he said. "I thought It would encourage him. Ho Is in a bad way now. "You know bo is writing scarcely anything. I thought he waB idle, lazy, and I took him to task about It. ,Ho said ho knew he looked Idle, but In reality he was trying hard to work only he was stuck. "He said he resembled a man who made a bet one summer day at tho seaside, that he would swim out a mile and a half to a certain buoy. Tho bet was acoepted, the man stripped and plunged in. His friend retired to the hotel to watch his progress from tho window. "From the window, "with a field glass, the friend saw the swimmer reach the buoy in due course, draw hlmsolf up out of the water, and sit down comfortably with his legs dang ling over. So far, so good. Evidently he wm resting, well pleased with hi a feat. "Some minutes passed, and tho swimmer had not moved. Tho watch er returned to his book. But every now and then he looked up, and still the swimmer eat in the same position on the buoy. "An hour, two hours, went by still the swlmmor remained. A white, slim figure seen against tSie oncoming dark, and, thoroughly alarmed at laat, the watcher got a boat and a coupl of men and rowed out to his friend. "Out there the mystery was soon ex plained. The man waa stuck fast to the buoy, which had been freshly tar red that morning." Poet and Creditor. A Paris contemporary tells thin Btory about Joseph Mory, tho Fronch poet: A creditor called one morning early to ask payment of an account. He interviewed the poet In bod and expressed sorrow at having to trou ble him, hut would he settle tho ac count. "With pleasure," replied Mery. "Have the goodness to open tho first drawer of that cabinet." "I have, sir," replied the creditor, "but there Is nothing thore." "Indeed? Well, try the next" "Thero Is nothing In It." "That Is strange. Try the third. "There Is nothing In there either." "Look On tho mantelshelf." "P.ut It is the same as the drawers." "It is incredible. Havo you looked on tho table?" "Ycr." "And in the secretaire?" "Yes, and tlicro Is nothing." "In my clothes?" "Yes; I have turned out all the pockets." "Ah, well," replied Mery, with the greatest composure, "If thero Is no' -money In the drawers or on the man tel or on the table or in the secre taire or In my pockets, how in the name of all that'B wonderful can I give you anything?" Hardly Appropriate. A groat, big, husky, good-natured curb broker, who only recontly earnod fame on the college nidlyon, was very much perturbed the other day over a daintily enveloped noto frosh from a New York girl wintering at one of the Florida resorts. He showed the missive to one of his friends and ask ed him if he understood it. The lat ter read the letter aloud: "Thanks for your thoughtful present, but did you ever hear why Satan never used his?" "What did you send the girl?" ask ed the other chap. "Pair of Ice skates beauties, too." STRICTLY PRIVATE. First Messenger Boy Bob's In the Becret service now. Second Messenger Boy How? First Messenger Boy Carrying notes to chorus girls for young De Mlllyun. Disproved. Jenka "The boas told me this morning that I looked as if I had gone to bed with my clothes on. I told him pretty sharply that he waa mistaken." Clark "Oh, come, now; you know you did it" Jonki "I did not! These are my brother's clothes." Cathollo Timea. Surprising. "On yonr trip abraad, did you see any wonderful old ruinV'he asked. "Yes" she replied, archly, "and guess whij?" "Well?" "One of them wanted to marry me." Entirely In Acoerd. Edith Well, I ahoudn't care to be in yfaf.lr&W Maflg-iJWo. Thy irnnJA pioeh, dor.r, woulc-'t .c .'