Kngland spends twelve million of ber linrd-cnrucd pounds n yenr uu hcese. Greece stands lowest in point of Wealth of nil tlio countries of Europe, tho estimates being flxedot $l,0"i5,000 000. Tho Austrian government contem plate hiking tho tiro insurance busi ness intu its own lmiicK A special Commission so advices. Tho shrinkage of values of homes last year estimated to lio over 2.", ODO.OMO, nml tho totnl loss in fulling ofT of prices will no doubt aggregate ffiO.OOO.OOO ninco tho commencement of tliu present depression of values. Twenty-live yoors ogo it wo dentil for any ono who mined his head from the ground to look at tho Emperor of Japan. Now tho people slnnd np and cheflr bun. "Civilisation," senten tionsly comments tho St. Louis Star Bayings. Professor Hhnlcr, tho geologist, stay that wo nro In no danger of suf fering from treelcssness. He has found In the Uny Stato some thousands of acres wliich the forest has won from the field. And the swamps, thono nnrnerios of tho forest, nmouut to 115, 000 square miles iu the United States. The Paris Academy of Medicine tho Other day held an animated discussion s to the most humane way of killing nimals. The conclusion reached was that nil methoes now in iihu were ob fcctionoblo, and that tho Hocieties for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ought to devise and advocate some more merciful method. The young Kodive of Egypt believ es that the American agricultural ma chinery is tho best in the world. Ho thinks that tho farmers of Ejypt ahould no longer depend upon tho tin ccrsniu moods oftho River Nilo for irrigation, so ho is studying tho meth ods of the Mormons who settled in Utah mid run lo of an arid, unpro ductive region a perfect flower garden ly means of Bcientlio irrigation W. S. Gilbert has recently beou Iiaving a newspaper controversy in tho jpondon Times on tho subject of thymes in tho course of which he said ; "'A you havo opeuod your columns to thin question, may I BHk yon to ex tend your coinplniHanoo to a consider ation of the words of that preposter ous doggerel, tho Nathional Anthem. It is He wdulous that such pitiable tlrivcl should bo found in association vith one of tho grandest and most im pressive themes in tho English langu age TIuto is a now company being or ganized in New York with an improve ment that promises to revolutionize telegraphy, says tho Washington Star. It is bnokod by a rather powerful syn dicate of big names, representing bar rels of monoy. The system is basod on ft series of unique perforations, oach representing a word or sentonoe. Thcso are arranged on a slip of paper, which is attached to the telegraph machiuo. It is porfoctly undecipher able to the operator, but is transmitted in tho orthodox style. In an upper atory of one of the largost buildings of New York a testing room has been arranged, with what claims to be one hundred miles of wire col) webbed over the ceiling. A littlo slip, about aix inches long by about 1 1-2 wide, represented 1,000 words. Tho tests hare, it is claimed, been porfcotly sat isfactory. Now York Truth says: "Tho ques tion of Woman Suffrage seems to have been solved in New Zealand where a bill enfranchising women was passed but autumn. Tho election came two months after the passage of tho bill and out of nu enrollment of 129,000 names on the register, 1)0,000 went to the polls. This moans that a larger pro oTtion of women than of men on the electoral roll voted. It was urged br many that the enfranchisement of women would revolutionize parties, but a cure Tul study of the strength of tho different political fuolions shows that hardly any change has taken place. It is not to bo inferred from this that the women lucked indepen dence and followed masculine leader chip blindly, for whenever an inde pendent candidate was put up, they Toted for him, irrespective of partisan affiliations, which speak volumes iu favor of their good sense and discrim ination. It is yet too early to jump ut conclusions or to predict women's fu ture in politics, but so fur in Now Zealand's first election under tho now law cuu bo gauged, nhu sui im to tube her new. rcHpiiiisibility seriously and 1i huvoa full appreciation of Hsvulue. The experiment there should beeloso lr wutchud iu Amciii'u." ' Winds Today. Winds today urn Inrgo ami fro, Winds to lay nro winterly From tho Inn ) thoy seem to Mow Wlmnen the sup begins to How, Anil the dimpled Unlit to sincil From tin) country ol the dead. Ah, it Is a wild, sweep Innd Where tho enming May Is planned, Whom such Inllni'nrps throb As mir forest can never rob Of thi'lr triumph when they hound Through thn tpw) nn 1 from tho ground I (lnt within mo Is my soul, Orent to Journey to Its goal, To the eotmtry of tho dead For tho cornel tips nro rod, And a pnsslon rleh in strlto Drives mo toward tho homo of UK O, to keep tho spring with thorn Who hnvo flushed tho cornel stem, Who Imaglnn at its soitrco All tho year's delicious ennrw, Then oxp.ess by wind nnd light Something of their rupture's height? MiriiAKk Fields. Uncle Joseph's Wooing. One of tho prominent figures in our meetiug house for many years was that of Undo Joseph, for thus was he known by tho young and old who fre quented our religious gatherings. He occupied the second scat in tho men's gallery, nnd it was with liim that tho older shook hands in Bgn that Friends should separate, when it seomed likely that the spirit would novo no others to utter gentle words of blessing or stern warning against tho tempter. As children we regarded Uncle Jos eph in the light of a patriarch, al though I now know that his years at tho time of which I writo had scarce reached tho limit of a half century. Ho was a comely man, straight and tail, his smooth-shaven faco beaming with good nature, and his soft bluo oyo lighted with sympathy, but ho was not intellectual. Slow of movement and uncertain in expression, his pear erswero often troubled to follow his excellent thought, and it was no un common thing for my parents to re fer to his ministrations as being "la bored." Wo had a consciousness, bas od perhaps upon accidental knowl edge, that he was uncommonly well to do, and nlso that thero was consider able feeling in tho society that Surah Sidney, with hur clear insight and facile speech, would bo a fit lifo com panion for tho good man. Rut timo woro on, and there seemed no likeli hood of a realization of this desiro. I can remember ono occasion when tho subject really assumed tho impor tance that is usually giveu to gossip, but it was so lovingly and conscien tiously touched upon that I was great ly impressed. My father and mother wcro in tho way of inviting many friends to diuo with them on monthly meeting day. Quarterly meeting brought even more persons from a distance, and among tho children littlo unaccustomed dutios wcro distributed. I was fre quently desired to romain for a timo iu tho front chamber and assist our women visitors iu romoving their wiaps and adjusting tho cap crowns that ofton mot with disaster boueath tho stiff bonnets. It was always a pleasurable duty, for Friends novor forget the young, and as each ono graspod my littlo palm she did not neglect to speak an encouraging word to mo. On the occasion to which I havo alluded meeting broke up somewhat lator than usual I hurried home, warmed my chilled fingers and ran up stairs, whero a bright flro was burning on tho hearth. I glanced about to see that the wood box was full and looked out of the window, where my cyo rested upon a short lino of carriages all bent in tho direction of our home. First otuno father and mother, grand father and thrco younger children, then a vehicle well known to mo as that of Elias Chase from Derry Quur tcr, and thus I counted them off us they drew up beside the horso block." I missed Surah Sidney, who gener ally came with Theophilus Baldwin's family, and, having teen her placid face iu its usual place on tho scat be neath tho gallery, fronting the meet iug, I was at a loss to explain her ab sence. Sho was tenderly attached to mother, nnd I oould not boliove any light mutter would tuko her to an other's table. A gentle voioo called mo to my duties: "Why, Katheriue dear, thoo must have been very spry to get homo be fore us. I was pleased to see thy in terest in tho meetiug todny," Tho good woman kissed me and thanked ino for tho littlo aid I win id iln to give in unpinning hor shawl. Directly afterward, sweet June Spen cer cumo tripping up the stairs. Sho wus frequently Hpokcu of as exhibit ing "overmuch ardor'' iu all her good woi'Ks, but wo children loved tho uu tli usiuHtiu littlo woman, "O Knthcrinn, I am glad to make tiso of thy quick fingers. My cap strings are sadly awry. I have been most uncomfortable In them all through tho meeting. Our breakfast was a trifle Into this morning, and we had fur to drive." Ono and another arrived, each with n thought of mo. "How thee grows, child, or "Thy mother is blessed iu hor littlo helpers." The room was well nigh full, when Rome ono asked tho question that had boon trembling on my lips. "Whore is Surah Sidney?" No one directly replied, but after moment's reflection nearly all had a suggestion or a littlo interest iu her to express. "Methought her face bore traces of anxiety this morning. I trust she has met with no further financial disastor. Thoo knows, Rhodn, sho is bonovo lent to a surprising degree in ono whose pnrso Is not lengthy, and it is theroforo a serious matter to bo forced to curtail in her giving." "Sarah is too true a follower of the Orent Teacher to bo long afll cted by the things of this world," replied an aged friend." "Ah, Hannah dear," answered tho first speaker, "thee hns never had tho bread and butter trouble, and there fore thee can hardly compass its misery." I think we all felt the force of this argument, for Hannuh was richly dowered. Presently Jane Spencer sighod: "I cannot help wishing that Unclo Joseph would recognize that the hand of the Lord is pointing him to Surah Sidney." "If such bo tho will of onr Heaven ly Father, I doubt not it will be re vealed in duo timo," and Hannah spoke with great deliberation. "That is quite true, and undoubted ly it is only those among us who aro a triflo worldly minded that show a dis position to hasten theso things." Jane Spencer was always very meek under reproof, and I felt gin 1 that others sustained her dosiro that Uuclo Jos cph should bo a littlo less deliberate iu his action." "I cuu hardly think that he realizes Snrih's worth," said a Into comer. "On tho tho contrary," it was Rho- da Longstrect's voice, "I am some times inclined to believe that his doubt rests upon his own merit. If ho wero of tho world's people I should say ho was bashful. As it is I call him slow in perceiving his adoption to any peculiar calling." "Thco limy bo right," rosponded Juno Spencer, nnd I was struck with the noto of merry-making that ac companied hor words. "If no, I can only wish that somebody would give him a hint, for I really believo that Surah hns perceived their truo rela tionship, and that her spirit is troub led sineo no sign is giveu unto her." "Ah," interrupted Hannah, "shall wo never learn that God doos not wish us to call upon Him for signs?" Now it had chanced, although none of those prcscut wero nt that tuna consoious of it, that Surah Siduoy had giveu up her scat iu a friend's cat ringo to a person who was suffering from a weak limb, and had walked briskly along tho frozen road toward our house. Unclo Josoph, too, had chosen to loavo his vehicle at home, and, seeing in tho distanco a familiar, plump little figure, ho mado hasto to overtake her. For a few moments thoy talked to gether of the lessor things of lifo;' then they fell into a silonco which was at last broken by Uucle Joseph's voice. "My mind has dwelt much today upon the Rible teaching of tho rela tion of Ruth and Bonz." I am sure tho throbbing heart be neath tho white muslin kerchief of Surah Sidney must have bounded a littlo at this. Ho went on : "Has thee ever thought it over and appliod tho test to our own lives?" It was certainly not strango that the good womnu hesitated before she answered: "It thee menus to ask whether it has bcon shown to mo that I um chos en of tho Lord to be thy companion, I will admit that it has, but, Joseph, thee is not an old man, nor am I a young hand maiden." Uuolo Joseph stopped short in his walk and, catching a frighteued look upon tho holiest face besido him, ho gravely said : "It wus not upon that relation that my mind run. I thought rather of tho increased duty in this day and generation which belongs to the bus' Im ml m an nnd his gleaners, or in other words, tho responsibility of him upou whom tho benefits of this world have been showered, and the loud cull ever souinliii'f in my our to extend help to tliosi) who need ; uud it hus beeu whit pried to liiu tlr.it thy material goods huvo been slipiud from thee, uud and I wished many times that I might make bold to offer my aid." Can you mnrvel if a feeling of raini ness crept over the gentla Snrnh, or tlmt a beseeching look set the soul up on tho awful stillness that followed. Undo Joseph's voice sounded strange in her enr. Sho feared she should fall, but as tho tones grow clearer something clso Impressed her. "Surah, thco has a more receptive spirt than my own. I hnvo sometimes longed to see aright in regard to tho formation of a closer bond with thee, and I rejoice that through my ill-chosen spooch thee has beeu led to point the woy." Ho took her trembling hand between his own, and smiled down upon the sweet but tearful face; then her lips opened, the pain went forever out of her heart, mid sho whispered only: "Dear Joseph." Rut her trial was not quito over. Wo were already summoned to the dining room when Unclo Joseph nnd Sarah Sidney entered tho door togeth er. I glnncod about me, nnd was cor- tain thnt I saw more than ono look of satisfaction exchanged by the com pany present. The moment of silent blessing was past My mother moved as If to be gin serving tho soup, but alio caught L nolo Joseph's eye, and awaited his slow words: "Dear friends," he said with a littlo tremor iu his voice, "rejoice with me, for today hns our beloved Sarah Sid ney revealed to me the message that the Lord has given into her keeping." Ho pausod, and with a flush bright ening her soft cheeks Sarah asked calmly: "Joseph, will thee kindly explain thyself." I never knew him to do anything so wall as he now related to us the man ner in which he had ohtuiuod nu in sight into tho sccrot knowlodgo of Sa rah Sidney's heart. As ho ceased speaking her own rhythmic tones filled tho room iu ten dor thanksgiving to tho Lord for his gift of companionship, nnd this hns evermore remained in my memory as ono of tho most beautiful and fervent supplications I hnvo been privileged to hear. Surah II. Gardner's "(jun ker Idvls." Effects nt Heop-Sea Pressure. It is not unusual for bottles of chumpngno to bo dipped nnd trolled in salt water, when there is no ice ou shipboard, iu order to get the wino to a palatable temperature, but never long enough to canso contact between tho salt water and tho wiue. Wo can hardly tell what tho effect upon tho wino would bo if the bottlo were im mersed nt a grent depth for any con siderable time. It is a fnct, however, thnt if nu ordinary glass bottlo, tight ly corkod nnd scaled, bo sunk in, soy, fifty fathoms of salt water and left thero for about ten minutes, it may, when brought to the surface, bo found partly full of water. We sny "may," because tho prossuue of the superin cumbent muss of wntor will oither forco tho water through tho porous glass, forco tho cork into tho bottlo, or break tho bottlo. By a law of hydrostatics tho pressnro of water is in proportion to its vortical height and its aron at tho baso. It is reckon ed thnt tho pressure of water on any body plunged into it is about ono pound to the squnro inch for every two feet of tho depth. Bottles filled with frosh water, tightly corked aud sealed, havo been sunk to great depths in tho ocean, nnd where tho enormous pressnro has not burst tho bottles it litis driven in tho cork uud displaced tho fresh with salt water. Pieces ol wood have been weighted and sunk in tho son, with tho result that tho tissues huvo becomo so condensed tliut tho wood has lost its buoyancy and will never flout again. It could not even be burned when apparently quite dry, Brooklyn Eagle. Calf Thnt Snull ,neil an Adder A lino culf belonging to Thomas Sago of Chuwleigh, Devon, wus taken suddenly ill a day or two ago. It wa iu great pain and could senroely breathe. A veteriuary surgeon dosed it, believiug it to bo suffering from iulluuimntion. Ou being released il commenced coughing and vomiting, uud to thn astonishment of those pre sent, ejected u largo adder measuring over a foot iu length. Tho reptile whc deud, but its expulsion guve instant relief to tho poor sufferer, which iu a few minutes recovered. Apparently a small quantity of grass ho I previous, ly beeu out fur tho o.ilf and placed iu a heap, in which thu udder must havt been concealed before being awullow ed. Wist minster Gazette. Tho tallest man in the German nrmy, a "oiie-your recruit' in the First Regiment, is seven foet four mid a halt inc'.iu.j in height. i'OH FAUN AM) UAKIIEX. TAM'B OP PAHTI'tm OflAniF.3. Experiments at tho Utnh Stntion shows that a mixture of pail nro grasses is much superior for grazing steers to each ono of tho grnssos grown singly. Tho differcnco iu tho pnsturngo vnlue of tho different varieties is very mnrkeiL New York Work. nRxr.FiriAfj to runs. . In order to secure tho dump atmos phere so beneficial to ferns, a ino tray with a layer of snnd may be placed on the tubloon which tho ferus aro kept. When tho pots nro put on this tho snnd should bo covered with a layer of mosi, which will quito add to the effect of tho fern stnnd. If this is dniio tho ferns enn be watered freely, without removing them even from a drawing-room, and then by a natural process of evaporutinn the damp moss nnd sind will give off suf ficient moisture to keep tlio ferns in good condition. The plants should be showered thoroughly every day. New York Observer. CAM! op rotr.Mri Tnp.Fi. By nil means the most critical pe riod iu the life of a fruit tree, or simi lar shrub, Is during tho first year after it hns been transplanted from the nur sery. If properly cared for during this period it will generally be found in good condition in the following spring, and annually thoreaftor. On tho other hand, if it rccoives a check during tho first few months succeed ing its removal, it is liable never to re cover. Tho first caro, of course, must he for tho roots. These should be pro tected from excessive dryness, partic ularly during nny period of drotigh. For this purpose mulching furnishes tho best protection. It may bo put on as soou as the tree is set, but in any ease should be plncod before the ground becomes dry mid baked. It should extend somowdint further from tho trunk of the treo than the roots are liable to reach, in order that tho smaller and tenderer fibres may have protection. Artificial watering is helpful in times of drynoss, but the expedient can novor fully take the place of natural moisturo of tho soil. A cureful lookout should be kept during this timo for insect cnomies, and if any appear they should bo promptly nnd effectually removed by tho most approved means ; but iu any operations looking to this end core should be taken not to do tho young wood any itijury which may possibly bo avoided, Amateur Gardening. improving a bus-down farm. Having lost my health at tho ago of twenty-four years, whilo engaged in business, and in consequence having lost all my savings, I concluded that an outdoor life was necessary for me, writes L. D. Stowoll to the American Agriculturalist. I purchased an tip laud farm in Western New York, which had boon let for twenty years, and was in a bndly run-down condi tion as to soil buildings and foncos. I ran in debt for the full amount of the purohase money of the farm, and also for tho stock put upon it, I started in the dairy business, with the determination to improve my farm and stock. My rule of practice has been to raise each year all that I could of feeding value, and feod out all that I raised, carefully saving the manure, both solid and liquid, and applying it to the lnnd, as made. The man who occupied this farm for six years before I took possession told me that it would support tweuty cows, aud that, possi bly, I might be able to keep twenty five cows. Fftecn years from that time I kept ou my farm, both winter and summer, seventy-eight cattle aud four horses. By using a thorough brod bull for grading my herd, I very soon increased my annual average milk yield of the herd from 4,000 to 0,000 pounds. My farm now consists of 290 acres, 210 of which are cleared of timber, but only 150 acres are at present available for cultivation. The soil is a loamy clay, with bardpnn subsoil. I hnvo not practiced soiling, except when pastures havo been poor, neither havo I used silage, ao that there is still much chance for improvement. I be lieve thut any farmer may continuous ly improve his fnriu by feeding the crops grown thereon to domestio ani mals, if ho will carefully snve and ap ply the manure made from them. 1 do not believo in being confined to a single hobby, and think thut, as farmers, wo should ndvuuco nil along the line, and never be satisfied with pros nt attainments, Tho conclusion I draw from my farm experiuiiod and observation, in that, iu unuy cftsou, dairy farms, cuu bo pur chased iu tho Eastern and Middle) Status for less than tho improvement cost, nnd, with good management of both farm and stock, will provo to bo a safe and profitable investment. It may bo well to odd that my farm in now paid for, my health restorod, my fumily well educated, and otherwise well provided for. rrim WATP.n pon tub dairy. A prominent dairy expert has tnken tho trouble to writo nn essay on stag nant water bs good enough for cow. Ho seeks to strengthen his position by illustrations c'rawn from the method of thoso who go down to tho sea in ships and tho great bodies of water held in city resorvoirs. Ho contend that as sailors enrry wider to sea and tho voyage may Inst for months, they drink "the snmo old wnter." Thi man's argument is bottomed on Igno rsnco of the rcnl conditions. The dis tance he lives from the sea is Borne jnstiflcstion for his deficient knowl edge of the sort of wotor sailors use for drinking purposes, but is not available for his lack of information regarding city resorvoirs. The truth I tlintall modern constructed ships carry wnter ooudensers which permit of an abundance of fresh water being avail able at all times. The old way on shipboard of carrying water for long cruises is obsolete or nearly so, be cause innsters and crews insist on stop ping at every opportunity to replenish their wotor supply. The water in a city resorvoir is always in mo tion because of the demand on it for consumption by the resi dents of the town, as well as tho ad dition to its body that is constant, so aa to maintain thn volume necessary for tho pressure that renders it ade quate at the most distant point within he radius of its service. Sanitarian regard impure wnter, iu any stage, as one of tho chief menaces to tho health of man or boast. It remained for this sclf-opiuionntod enpert to set his pre judice against tho teachings of soience and tho observation of thoughtful minds. Puro water is more needful to perfect henlth than is pure food. Man cuu indulge iu adulterated food and live, but impute water will spoed ily kill him. This dictum holds good with every living organism that re quires water for its support. There fore tho importance of pure water in the dairy and tho necossity of procur ing it regardless of the difficulty in securing it. The action of water on tho milk secretion is fairly woll under stood, and its infltteuco on the flavor of butter is too well defined to admit of the uso of stagnant water by tho dairy cow, notwithstanding tho la bored effort of this expert to the con trary. American Dairyman. FARM AND OARDK NOTE. Spinach is a profitable crop. Keep the strawberry beds well culti vated and free from weeds. Cut off asparagus tops before the seed scatters or you will havo lots of seedlings on hand. When farmers produce good heavy draught horses they will have no cause to complain of the prices. Hackneys are strong breeder and cross well uyon our native and trotting mares, producing that knoe action and hackney typo. The small-fruit plots, such as black berries, raspberries, currants, etc, should be thoroughly cleaned out and fertilized in the fall If the potato field was injured by rot or any of tho diseases to which potatoes are subject, by no m )sns use it for potatoos uext season. Have no idle land, but let crops fol low one another iu quick succession. Delay in this matter will not only re sult in woe its, but in lost aud dissatis faction. Where rains hsva como it will bo economy to 1 -t the gross get a littlo start beforo turning tho stock in. It will bo better for tho pasture next season too. Thero is ft disadvantage iu late planting of strawberries. They aro liable to bo iujnred by alternate thaw ing ami freezing, because of not boing sullicioutly rootod. An English paper off.-rs a prize of ?2. 50 for tho best reply to. the ques tion: "What is tho niost suitable drcs for a dairymaid to wear in pub lio buttermukiutr competitions?" Alternately tho drouth, blight and bugs seem to play hvuo with lute po tatoes, making them a very uncer tain crop iu in iny regions. Fertil izers nro untrustworthy ; stable inuuuro causes scab. Tho best way to keep honey from candying, says, a writer, is to soul it iu tight jars, the mine us fruit This is thu way thut the bees do, uud it is the only sufo way. It should be thor onvhlv heated before iuttiiu' uu J
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