ffWO INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS COD FISHER EVER CALM MANY COURT DEATH Hunters Every Year Venture Forth on Niagara River. IN FATTENING MARKET HOGS North Dakota and Wisconsin juariey as Feed for Swlno and Produce Somo Quito Valuable and Interestlnc; Results Corn Is Not the Only Thing. First Prize Sow at the I With corn plentiful and cheap, farm 's In tho corn belt will not bo easily Iterested In any other hind of feed r fattening hogs and cattle, but as to price of corn as It stands today d with tho probability that It will aadlly advance In tho future, It Is dy tho part of wisdom and good janagomcnt for farmers to study tho iluo of other grain for feeding at Iss cost jln many countries where corn can- it bo raised tho finest pork and beef lo produced from barley, other grain id roots. In Denmark, for Instance, I hero tho finest bacon In tho world Is ade, farmers feed their hogs en- rely on barley. Frequently In this country tho prlco barley becomes very low when the lalting demand is overstipplled and It then that tho shrewd farmer can Ipplant corn with this grain and" sell 13 corn to better advantage than by eding it Farmers in tho northwest whero jrley Is grown to a largo extent are coining more Interested In this Iain and tho experiment stations up ero havo done some excellent work proving its value as compared with rn. An experiment began by the North ikota station four years ago to show o value of barley as compared with rn for fattening hogs, has produced me very valuable and interesting suits. A. dozen eight-month-old pigs were vided Into two lots of six each. Tho limals In each lot were uniform In ip, thrift and general condition. Tho krago weight of each lot was at the Inning of tho experiment, practical- Identical, 127 pounds. iThose In lot one were fed a ration Imposed of four parts ground barley, , one part of shorts by weight. The Is In lot two wero given four parts round corn and one part of shorts. Ilpo pigs were fed for a period of 8'J Ifi, tho grain being soaked In wa Mand fed in tho form of a thick iljhe feeding value of a pound of rn proved to bo 18 per cent greater km a pound of barley, but much of barley was Inferior in quality and EW PLOW IS QUITE UNIQUE bo Up Earth bo Wliecl on Which IXhey Aro Attached la Re volved Worlt Douo Effectively. Something novel in tho plow line is been invented by a Louisiana lin. Instead of a fixed blado that lades up tho earth, this apparatus Is a wheel In which are nlvoted l;el rods. Inside this wheel la a Iml-clrcular part set close enough tho rim of the wheel to throw tho Ids into such position that when ey reach the ground, In tho courso tho revolution, the will be aimed New Kind of Plow, thrust downward and forward into I) earth Instead of morely dragging scraping along. Tho weight of tho I)W, too, Is Bufllclont to lnsuro its Ing tho work effectively. As tho I Is come up out of tho ground they )p into vertical position, points up- Ird, until they como around to tho liker again. Agricultural Clubs. lioys and, lrls who doslro to organ- an aprlcultural club can obtain freo mlletln giving them much valuablo lormation by writing to tho Becro- ly of agriculture at Washington. Stations Make Testa Wltli Royal Show, England. If it would havo been good, sound grain, might havo made a better showing. Tho dlfferonco in price of about seven cents per bushel between barley and corn mUBt also bo taken Into consideration. Tho Wisconsin station, which has a flno reputation for careful feeding in vestigations, somo years ago mado a test between corn and barley and re ported that the value of corn was only eight per cent greater than that of barley. Tho barley was figured at 48 cents a bushel, corn at 55 cents and shorts at $14 per ton. Tho hogs in this test sold at $6.20 per hundred, the barley fed hogs netting a profit o $1.00 per hundred pounds and the corn fed hogs netted $1.89. In this test tho prlco of barley -at 48 cents was too high as that was the regular price for best grade malting barley while tho average prlco of common barley was 37 cents per bush el. Taking theso figures It would havo been cheaper to feed barley and sell corn. Investigations that these two sta tions havo mado shows that barley makes more lean meat than corn. Of courso corn Is tho greatest fattener in the world when fed to hogs, but a better grade of bacon can bo produced by feeding barley than corn. When hogs are fed for weight alono there is no doubt that corn has tho slightest advantage, but where bacon is produced for the best special mar kets barley will turn out tho best product. Tho result of tho two ex periments show: That It required 18 per cent more barley by weight than corn to produce the same gain in feeding pigs when both grains wero fed In tho proportion of four parts of grain to on of shorts by weight. That It Is profitable to feed barley to "hogs If pork Is selling at an aver age price. That tho carcasses of tho pigs fed barley and shorts showed a greater distribution of lean and firmer flesh than the carcasses of pigs fed corn and shorts. That pigs fed on corn and shorts will dress a higher per cent than pigs fed on barley and shorts. LANDS USUALLY NEEDING LIME When Soli Io Sour It Will Turn Blue Litmus Paper Placed in Contact With It Red. (By DR. W. P. BROOKS. Massachusetts.) Those soils on which, when seed ed, timothy and clovers fall, and where sorrel comes In largely togeth er with red top, usually need liming. It should bo pointed out, however, that the presence of sorrel Is not a proof that lime Is needed. This weed will flourish even In soils which havo been heavily limed; but on such soils the grasses and clovers aro likely to crowd it out, while on soils which aro in need of lime, they aro unablo to do BO. When soli is sour It will turn blue litmus paper placed In contact with it red. To carry out the test, mako about a tablespoonful of, tho soil Into a thin mud with puro water and after it has stood for a short timo lay a pllece of bluo litmus paper on It and cover with tho mud. Bo careful not to handlo tho papers with tho fingers. After about ten minutes remove the paper, cashing It If necessary to show tho color. If it has turned red, tho soli is sour and needs an .application of lime. Practically alf druggists keep litmus paper. Tho most certain evidence of all as to whether Hmo will provo bene ficial Is afforded by a simple experi ment which may bo carried out as follows: Lay off two squaro rods in a part of the field to bo tested which seems to bo fairly representative and even In quality. To ono of these ap ply twenty pounds of freshly slaked lime. After applying at onco work It in deeply and thoroughly. A few days later apply to each plot liberal quantity of either manure or fertilizer, precisely tho samo amount to each. Plant table beets. It the soil Is much In need of lime theso will make n better growth upon tho limed plot Horses of Norway. The horses of Norway aro chunky little animals about CO Inches In height hardy and gentle and very strong. Tho average price for a good working horso Is from $180 to $220. BREED CHICKENS FOR PROFIT In Making Selection One Must Be Governed to Oreat Extent by Mar ket Cockerel Is Important. In making tho selection of breed, ono must be governed somowh.it by the mnrkct. Birds that sell best on the blcU should bo medium In size, plump condition, with yellow skin nud legs. Most all our American breeds havo these requirements, and by care ful selection at breeding time ono can build up a profltaolo laying strain from this class of birds, such as tho Plymouth Hocks or Wyandottcs. Tho common practlco of breeding from tho flock as a wholo hns done moro harm than nnythlng olso In mnk Ing tho flock unprofltablo as egg pro ducers. Breeding from birds that produco but ono or two clutches of eggs during tho year will produco birds of llko nnturo, and breeding a sire that has. not tho laying quality and characteristics bred In him can not but help to mako tho situation worse. The success with egg production must begin with breeding. When you havo a hen that will lay a large num ber of eggs each month during tho wlntor, breed from her. Tho trait of superior egg production Is a habit that may bo acquired and transmitted. A hon whoso ancestors wero poor lay ers cannot bo expected to bo a good layers. No amount of coaxing or cod dling with mash or feed will lnduco her to produco nn unusual number of eggs, becauso tho trait of superior egg production was not acquired by her ancestry and could not thereforo bo transmitted to her. Tho selection of tho male to head tho flock should not bo neglected. Ho should havo been bred from pro ductive ancestry. Tho malo Is half Plymouth Rock. tho flock, and it his dam and grand dam wero good producers, ho should bo worth much moro as a sire than those whose dam nroduced onl a. 11m- ited number of eggs. He should havo a good constitution, showing short beak; broad head and bright eyo, neck short and stout, oreast or good width carried well for ward and of fair depth. Tho mating of such a sire to a flock of hens bred from laying ancestors cannot but help to glvo good results with proper feed ing and housing. Tho breeding pen should he yarded separate from tho whole flock, select ing for this pen only tho very test egg producers, and this should he dono each year. Ono malo with 10 or 12 females will glvo best results and eggs will bo of stronger vitality for Incubating purposes. Tho breed ing pen should bo woll cared for. Quarters should bo roomy, woll light ed and ventilated. Tho quarters should at all times bo kept clean and disinfected. A variety or grain feed, green cut bono nnd green feed is ab solutely necessary to lnsuro fertile eggs, and grit and water should bo kept beforo them at all times. Lay Good Sized Eggs. Hens that produco not only a goodly number of eggs, but eggs of moderate ly largo size, (eggs weighing two ounces each on an average) are Ply mouth Hocks, Wyandottcs, Ithodo Is land Reds, Orpingtons, Mlnorcas and sonio strains of Leghorns. Never wash eggs. Tho hen must havo a variety to lay well. Feed gives small returns when giv en to a lousy hen. Tho egg should bo perfect in shape, with fresh, clean appearance. Tho feed is tho first thing to be con sidered if ono is to obtain fertile eggs. Glvo ample feed and see that overy hen has plenty, hut seo that she works hard for It Tho flesh of tho guinea Is whlto and tender and they aro often served In city rostaurnnts as game birds. Thoro is money In poultry culture, as thoro Js in gold ore, but elthof takes scloiieo and 'labor for its ex traction. It is a difficult matter to koep lice and raltos from attacking and multi plying on tho sitting hon. These pests won't gormlnato and grow fat to wood and metal. POULMNOFEC FKANCIS HARBOR, LABRADOR IN the conditions surrounding tho Industry of cod flBhlng thero Is a fascination for the Inlander that takes him back year after year. And most Interesting of all Is the fisherman himself. I am not certain, writes W. Lacoy Amy In tho Toronto Globe, "but It really seems to be his Bupremo Indifference to everything but tho flsh that makes him so attract ive I havo wandered in and out among them where they do not seo a visitor In a month; I havo seen them empty a boatload of shiny cod that equaled a fortnight's ordinary catch; I havo watched them lift a large horso Into a tiny skiff where nothing save prayer appeared to offer any hope of Its reaching Its destination; I havo helped them carry Into the steamer's hospital men sick unto death, nnd have bade "good luck" to a patient returning from the hospital legless and helpless in life's fight; I havo handed out food to the starving from the steamer's stores, and havo heard them refuse to nccept well paid work until tho cod ran again. But I have never seen a cod fisherman excited. Tho nature of the fisherman's life is strenuous enough to relieve him of the necessity of overexertion to pre vent falling asleep at Inopportune mo ments. Although It requires but a small clotid and a tiny clap of thun der to keep him from the fishing grounds, scarcely a week passes that he is not forced to meet the terrible machinations of storm and wave to compass his destruction. In his diz zily bobbing little boat he fights the sea, the most apathetic of men against the most relentless of nature's forces. Open Waters In June. The fact that he cannot swim seems not to throw Into his struggle any sign of fear; so long as a plank holds between hlra and water ho can weath er anything that blows. In the early spring, long before the cod begin to run, he risks his life a thousand times across the treacherous Ice floes In chase of the seal. In May, while the winds aro still icy, he makes a few extra cents In herring off the Magda lens. A month later tho Labrador fisherman may succeed In catching a few salmon if tho ice Is open." Hut when the cod run there Is nothing but cod, except of late years, when the Magdalcners have taken a liking for mackerel, however scarce they be. Around the Magdalen Islands and at Gaspe there Is an" Interval of lobster catching that means money, but along the Labrador coast there is nothing from July until the Ice forms again In October but cod, or, as they call It, "flsh." The Magdalenor Is a motley fisherman herring, cod, mackerel, haddock but tho Labrador fisherman lives, sleeps and smells of cod. His home Is In Newfoundland, the many quaint towns of the east coast sending out almost all their men to tho north country Just as soon as tho lco opens a little In Juno. Early In that month the fishing schooners start on their long run down tho coast, dodging through the lco fields, run ning Into port In face of a storm or a threatening Ice floe, and trusting moro to Providence than to aught clso for their safety. It Is a fearsome run, that first trek northward, staking wooden bottom against grinding, inexorable Ice, and many a Nowoundland home Is empty from a losing risk. But the seeming ly Indolent, passive fisherman Is wil ling to take the chances to secure an early choice of fishing ground. All sumraor through ho spends his dayB on the water, his evenings splitting tho day's catch, and his nights in the makeshift shacks that are deemed suf ficient covering' for tho three or four months season In that northland. As. few women now venture north, the fishermen must perform ail their own work In tho treatment of the flsh. They aro unablo to leave the Ashing to attend to the drying, with tho result that many of them tempt tho fate of a winter sail along an Inhospitable. deserted coast by remaining north! until tho mldUIo of November, spend ing the last few weeks in carefully utilizing every ray of sunshine to make the best sale for their wares. And then tho fight back through tfie ever thickening Ice and increasing storms Is worse thnn tho spring run. Oddities of Fishing Villages. A fishing villago Is the quaintest, raggedest spot on earth. City plan ning does not even reach the location of tho house or the road rights. In tho Magdalen islands, whoro tho land Ib more level and there Is soil enough to make It a consideration, the flsh bouseB aro placed with some common regard for n roadway. The bait and tackle and other odoriferous material ore kept In tho lower story, and the family sleeps, dines nnd sits In the single room above. In Labrador thero Is no such thing as a road to consider. Thero has novor been a horse nor an ox to use it, nor has a traveler attempted to mako ono settlement from another by any other method of transportation than a boat Thero Is practically no Boil, tho bare, uneven, mountainous rock sinking abruptly Into deep water. Tho flsh houses aro built wherever a ledge of rock offers a foothold, and a staging of rough poles projects from the water by a rickety ladder work of poles, perhaps ten, perhaps forty feet high. In Newfoundland the fishing villages are clustered so closely to the water's edgo that the village is built upward instead of horizontally. A fisherman could spend his whole life at his work without touching ground. Up the side of the cliff tho stagings, flsh houses, paths, cod flakes and houses will run, occupying, as at the battery adjoin ing St John's, not more than forty or fifty feet or horizontal surface for a largo village. Land residence Is nn unfortunate necessity that Is simpli fied to Us limit. There tho fishermen live and die as their fathers did before them for gen erations. Their work, their homes, their lives, they themselves, will al ways bo absorbing to tho visitor with a love for the picturesque. Indifferent and phlegmatic they may appear,, but they take chances that would mean certain death from heart failure or rashness to the most active. And through all their trials and perils they go on fishing, never really satis fled with tho catch or conditions, but thoughtless of any other occupation than the catching of tho cod. MEET DEMAND FOR ODD SHOES Manufacturers and Dealers Prepared for Need, and There Is No Dif ficulty In the Matter. When a one legged man buys a shoo the dealer sends to the factory for a shoe to match tho one left remaining. In these days of tho use of machinery In every process of their manufacture shoes aro mado with tho utmost ex actness and precision and it Is easily possible to mate that remaining shoo with tho greatest nicety In size, ttyle, material and finish. Few people have feet exactly iillke. commonly tho loft foot Is larger than tho right, so that ono shoo may fit a little moro snugly than tho other. Commonly, however, people buy shoes in regularly matched pairs, tho dif ference In their feet, if It Is noticoablo to them at all. not being enough to mako any other courso desirable. But there are people who buy shoes of different sizes or widths, in which case tho dealer breaks two pairs for them, giving them, to fit their feet, ono shoo from each. In such cases the dealer matches up tho two iumnln Ing shoes, one from each of two pairs, Just as ho would where ho had broken ono pair to sell ono shoe to a ono legged man. But a man doesn't havo to be ono legged or to have feet of uneven sizes or shapos to mako him ask "the dealer to break a pair of shoes for him. Here was a man with two perfectly good feet who came Into tho storo where ho was accustomed to buy and who wanted on this occasion ono shoe. Traveling In a sleeping car his shoes had been mixed up with others and ho bad got back ono of his owa and one of some other man's; a fact which ho had not discovered until he was too far away from train and station to mako return and setting thlnga right possiblo; and now he cama in to buy ono shoo to match his own. Woman's Wit Saved' Situation. While a crowd of sovoral hundred men and women lined tho banks of the Park river, Hartford, Conn., offer ing futile suggestion's for three hours ono recent afternoon, as to how to res cue a poor Httlo puppy that had be como marooned on nn lco flow, tho water had frozen on his hair and ho yelped plteously as ho ran sniffing at tho open water on all sides of his lco island. Human Society agents wero attracted by the crowd and got long planks with which to brldgo the water to tho shoro. Tho puppy started over It, only to fall in to the wator, from which ho scrambled back onto tho lco lloo. Then a woman solved tho prob lem. Sho ordered the raon to strap two planks together nnd sent hor own pet dog across tho planks to fetch a stick which' she threw onto tho Jloo After Bho had repeated this twice tho lonely terrier understood' and cau tiously followed tho other dog to shore and safety. ' Nimroda Caught In Running lco JanY' Observed by Man With Glass, Who Watches Them Plunge Over the Falls. Buffalo, N. Y. Tho fascination oC hunting must bo very great when It' will luro men out onto tho Niagara, river in tho wlntor to an almost cer tain death trap. It seemB that tho duck hunting is especially good but very dangerous about a mllo abovo tho falls. Every winter adventurous duck hunters put out In small boats and dodgo tho lco cakes whllo they hunt their favorite game. As a rule, how ever, most of tho hunters perch them selves upon n ledgo of lco and hunt from It. They tako a terrible risk even by this method, for tho ice Jam that is constantly moving down stream la at any timo liable to dislodge tho hunt er's perch and down ho goes a victim to tho mcrclleaa cataract. Not many years ago two men wero observed In a duck boat trying des perately to row out of a running lco Jam which had carried them down tho Canadian channel from far up tho river. Their terrified efforts were closely followed by a man with a spy glass, who had discovered them from tho windows of one of the largo, shore factories on tho American side. Tho unfortunato men had already drifted too near tho first roaring cataract to admit of any possiblo rescue, so tho watcher could only helplessly wait for their pitiful death. In describing the Incident afterward, ho said: "God, what could I do to help them what could any man do? Tho Almighty alone seemed to hold them in his power. Ono man seemed to bo wrenching his shoulders from their sockets with tho oars; the other stood in tho stern, desperately plying a piko pole. An oar broke, and was replaced by a third. The man didn't lose n sec ond in its replacement. Then, In a mighty stroke, the other oar went, and he fell sprawling back In the boat. Ho stood up, pulled the good oar from Its pin, and began paddling Insanely from the side. "They ma'do Httlo progress. Slowly tho great field of ice swept them down, down toward those snarling, angry cataracts below. I writhed In agony before the hopeless vision. Into tho rapids swept the foro part of tho lco Jam. Then tho first great wave seemed to rise up and hover hungrily On the Ice Field at Niagara. ! over tho little boat Both men saw It j and rushed toward each other. Locked ! in each other's arms they disappeared Into tho curling swell. That was tho last I saw of them." Niagara also plays the death trap to huuted as well as hunters. Hundreds of wild fowls aro swept each yar over tho falls. During densely foggy nights strange ducks often stop to roost In tho upper waters of tho river. Drift ing unconsciously toward tho brink, they aro suddenly hurled down Into tho abyss of plunging water. END OF HISTORIC HOUSE Residence of Mme. de Sevlgne of Paris to Be Turned Into Homes for Workmen. Paris. Ono of tho residences of Madame do Sevlgne, whoso letters re vealed so much of tho inner history of Franco during tho days of "lo grand monarque," is about to lose its his toric character. It is a country houso, near Livry, on tho way to Gargan, and it used to bo called Madamo de Se vlgno's "folio." "Folio" was a namo given In tho days of Louis XIV., and In later years to any country seat over nhlch an onor Indulged an uncom mon fancy In tho matter of Its design. Ono of tho characteristics of Madamo do Sevlgno's "folio" was a quaint, Httlo chapel, and near It a cu rious sort of belfry, which long ago fell Into, ruins. Tho rest of tho cha teau is fairly well preserved, it was in this quaint resldenco that Madamo do Sevlgne is believed to havo writ ten many of her letters to her daugh ter. It is now sharing the fato of many a similar relic of tho past. It Is bolng transformed Into a modern rosort of utility, An association providing cot togo accommodations for tho working classes has obtalnod possession of the houso nnd grounds. The old hall has already boon convertod, and, with tho additions In progross, It will becomo a vast caravansary of about 100 rooms, with as many kitchens and offices, Most of tho old walls will romuln standing, but the transformation will bo Such that future visitors will hard ly recogeJzo any vestlgo of Madamo da Sevlgne' "folio."
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