Tho United Htates h Iho youngest nnd tho richest of tlio grcnt nntions of the world, California linn olio of tlio most rc ninrknblo timber bolts in tho world, embracing 4, 124 miles. Tho Indian mnil steamers nro run ning so fimt nowaday Unit I'.ng lnml iH as close to Hombay as to Now York by a slow steamer. Oeorgo I' Pecker of tlio I'nitoil States Geological Hnrvey, hns undo a report on tho gold fields of tlio Smth. He thinks they offer gooil prospects for investments. Edward Atkinson hns ri)horei1 it all out, mid says 10,800,000,01)0 eggs aro luid in this country in a yenr. They aro worth $140,000,000 ns much us tho jiig iron ami wool crop together. Tho Aluminum World states thnt sincu 1H'.4 the total production of thnt met ill has increased from lot) pounds to M:), (i'JO pounds, and that tho price per pound has fallen from per pound to scvcnty-tWe cents per pound. Washington is as rich ' as any state of the Union in its Indian names. Several counties bear such names, and many streams, lakes, and vitiligos. Thpy are tluo, many syllabled, mouth filling words, curiously different iu character from tho Indian names of the Month and East, but doubtless full of pieturesipie significance lost to our ignorance. Professor Holilen, of Lick Observa tory, writes in tho Now York World that before tho art of photographing the moon enn be carried to greater success there must bo plates of greater sensitiveness mi l liner gram. Now the photograph of a volcanic crater on tho moon's m i f aoo will uppeur like a grain ot the silver on the pinto uulcss tho crater is over a tenth of a tuilo iu diameter. Bicyclists aro carefully looked after in France. The wheel is very popu lar tlure, and along country roads stations are set up to help out any un lucky fellow whoso wheel may need sudden repair. At theso places sumo one stays who can lend a helping hand, and there are, besides, tools, air pumps, liquid and solid rubber for pneumatic tires, nnd oveu extra sad dle springs if needed. Doubtless Alaska will beforo long becomo a favorite hunting and fishing ground for sportsmen that aro content with nothing less than primitive na ture, predicts the New York Sun. The journey to the coast of Alaska is no longer a serious matter, and, while iho interior is still tliflicult to reach, it has an agroeablo summer climate, and is no worse region for camping than many another frcqucntod by hunters and fishermen. Tho Indians aro good and faithful guides, though they have . a way of eating up at a sitting tho sweets provided by travelers for a long . journey. WTJie Japanese may well claim re marks tho New York Mail and Ex press, that, ''Peace hath her victories 9 well os war. " From Kioto it is learned that the industrial exposition recently opened there indicates the great potentialities of Japaneso man ufactures. Homo made fibers, textiles leather, machinery, npholstcry.hoisery hardware surgical nud scientific in struments, chemicals, glassware and other goods are shown at prions dis tancing all posBiblo foreign competi tion, ar.d "the native visitors study the exhibits oagerly, confident of conquest in the industrial world." For those of us who are accustomed to the wasteful extravagance of Amer ican forest destruction, it is hard to realize the care and attention paid to the growth and culture of forest trees in lauds where their preservation is regard td as a duty, observes the Farm Field and Fireside. Even in Switzer land, which we are apt to think of as nothing but mountuins and forests, the same careful scientific methods of culture are adhered to. A school of forestry -at Zurich turns out a number of thoroughly educated foresters each Tear. There are about 300 brunch ex periment stations and several large ex perimental reservations. lhe age rsnidity of growth, and beat condi tions of culture for every variety of tree are made the s ibiect of the most careful research in these stations, and volumes of carefully prepared statis tics are published each yenr for the guidance of other students of forestry. The value of forests on temperature and rain fall of a district has also beeu proved beyond a doubt. How long will it be before our grout iiutiou. ap preciates the vain of such work, and stublisUcs nc.ioiiIs for the fejfotitiQa tuly o the ubj .u;. The Clock. Tick, took, tick, to.," Kings Iho llttln round-fiicsd clock "Son how (Inn t am, thin folk. Hi ar my volnoi It never croaks, Nor still's out with ani'lont ilrawl l.lkn nlil grantlmr on thn wall. I'm a Jolly, merry, clock, Whom tho ilanonrs lovn to flock An I to ilani'i; (III break ot ilny Thorn t lltflitly tick away. "I'm no striker, you son When 'our young man' comes to ton, Ainl to stay a mw Ml o'or, I ilon't strike out ' There's thn iloor,' Wln'ii lull tnlilullt tlinlf ti i tii hero. Nay, I lli'k so sweetly clear. In i'iu'Ii tick I put such lill, Sweethearts cannot help lint kiss, liable roiiio at my soil call : tut old itmntlier on tlio wall Mi ikes ninl croaks in siieh n way, I'rl,;liletiei sore, they will not stay. "Tick, took, tick, took. 1 am Justtlin Hurt o( clock For thn lrilit ones of die earth. All life's merry hour from birth To olil age I lightly toll, With n rhythmic rise ami swell As if hours worn ilaneers ff'iy (In the golilrn Hour of ilay. I'lek, tuck, tick, took," Kings tlio merry, cherry eloek. M. I'liri.rs Hawson, In Login's Weekly. Tho New Hired Girl. I'.V t". II. ETAI'fTKR. "U.ibert," sho snid, ono morning, "you must put an ndvcrtiKinciit iu tho paper for n girl today, Jciinnctto has already given mo warning, and sho only enmo on Monday. Was thoro over nnybody so annoyed and imposed upon as I am? Theso servants scorch your handkerchiefs, burn tho pud ding, ncgloct t!n children, break more thiiu their wages amount fo und nro altogether a lazy, snucy, dis respectful set I Once I got a good girl, I shall keep her, I know I" Tho advertisement was duly insert ed, and the next day Mrs. (ioddnrd's nerves were constantly on a stretch, nnd so were tho boll-wires. Applicants proved nbuiid int, but Mrs. Ooddard could not, or would not mako a selec tion. Sho was determined to bo pleased for once. "Well, hnvo you had nny appli cants?" nuked Mr. Ooddard, on his return in tho evening. "A sooro of them, Robert. Ono would think half the girls iu tlio city were in want of places." "Did you find ono to suit you?" "No, 1 did not. Homo woro shabby, others uncomely, nnd most of them without nny references. Ono in par ticular questioned mo so closely and impertinently that you would have thought our positions reversed, and that 1 had applied to her for a situa tion. There goes tho bell now! Do go down, Hubert, nud seo what kind of a tiling sho is !" Mr. Ooddurd went down, nnd on opening tho door, was pounced on by a young girl, who hugged ami kissed him with vehemence. Tho light was burning brightly iu tho hull, and when tho young girl throw bucK her veil, Mr. Ooddurd beheld the fair, fresh face of his young sister. "Why, Hallic," ho stummerod, iu glad surprise, "wo were not looking for you I" "That is an intimation that I am not welcome" "Quite tho contrary, sis. I soo a chnnce for a capital joke, ami you and I always 'took' to thorn with sympa thetic gusto. We advertised for a girl, and havo boon overrun with callers, none of whom suituiL Whou my wife heard tho bell, sho sent mo down to answer it, supposing you to bo another applicant. Her norvos nro completely unstrung; latterly bheseomsto be pos sessed with more than her sharo of nerves, and that is the reason sho has so much trouble with her domestics. She has never seen you ; she ahull en gage you." "I seo the joko, Bob. It will lie a lcssou for hor. But I cannot stay more that two weeks." "That will bj long enough, Sullio, Lot mo see your iinmo is " "Mary Anderson." "That will do. Walk up into tho library." Arriving at Unit door, Mr. Ooddard said to his wife: "Julia, here is a girl who will no doubt suit you." Bailie made a courtesy, while Mrs. Ooddard eyed her critically, confess ing to herself that hor fuoo was at least preposossing. "What is your name?" she asked. "Mury Anderson." "You dress remarkably well." "I hope you will allow me that privilege. I desire to impress you favorably." "Whut can you do?" "Almost anything." "That smacks of conceit," said Mrs, Ooddard "Is there no specialty you pr'ido yourself upon?" i "No, uisVn.' I am not proud." "Hive you any refurenoes?" "No, ma'am," "How docs that Dome?" "I camo on from 1'rnttvillo today, fifty miles away. ItcfnroiicoH aro not undo a rcquisito there." "What do you wnnt a week?" "Throo dollars." "Thnt is too much." "You will Hud me worth that "You had bettor give her a trial," whispered Mr. Ooddard. That was enough ; tho fictitious Mary Anderson wns at oiino engaged. At tlio cud of tho first woek Mrs. (bid dard was delighted with her; beforo tho closo of tho second sho would hnvo trebled tho girl's wages ou tho merest i ii t i in nt it ii. "1 hnvo nt Inst been ho fortminto ns to get a good girl tho most excellent of her kind. Hho is nont, trnctable, obedient. Hho does her work well, nnd in the mnuner I instruct her to do it. Hho is kind, respectful, eveii-tem-pcrcd, ami loves tho children ns if they wero her own.. Hho is no ordinary girl, and must have seen bettor days. Tho fact is I can hardly keep from tak ing her into companionship, shots so sprightly, witty, scholarly with a largo sliuro of sound, practical sense. Hlio has shown me, too, how much I have beeu nt fault with my domestics, nnd why I hnvo had so much dilllculty to retain them. " "Wns not that presumptive iu hor?" asked Mr. Ooddard, soberly. "I did not think so she did it in such a milil, truthful, deferential way." "I nm glad to know that you liko her," replied Ooddard, repressing n syiilo. On Saturday evening Mrs. (Ioddnrd's nerves wero ngain reaching out in cvory direction in their sensitiveness. "Hubert," sho said, "Mary Ander son has given mo wnrning. Sho is going to lenvo on Monday. " "Is that possible? What occurro 1 .between you?" "Nothing, my denr." Just then delicious strains of music camo lloating up from tho pnrlor, ac companied by n voice of much com pass and sweet nees. "Who is nt tho piano?" nskod Mr. Ooddard. "Miss Spencer hns probably dropped ill," replied his wile. "Of course we should go down," snid Mr. Ooddard. Down the couple went. It was tho "hired girl" who was sweeping her fingers so deftly over tho keys, Sho ciino toward Mr. l idlird and his wife, nud tlio foini"r taking"Mnry Anderson" in hi arms, bent buck her faCL and kissed Irr up m til ) lips, tempting nud luscious in a peach. "H ibert Ooddard !" exclaimed his wife, ngliust, hor eyes snapping. "My dear," said he laughing heart ily, "this is my sinter Hallie. Wo hnvo been plaviug a little joko ou you." Mrs. Ooddard did not know whether to laugh or cry, but being n woman of sense, sho did the former. "Mary Anderson," remained an other week as a guest, nnd, profiting by hor experience, succeeded in help ing Mrs. Ooddard secure a sat in do lory girl. Hnturdny Night. Seeking Ancestors. "My life is mado misorublo," snid librarian, plaintively, "by pooplo who are anxious to become members of the Hons of tho Revolution or tho Daughters of the Revolution. Only about one-half of them succeed; bat it takes a long time to prove to them thnt tbey can't sucoood. The craze started only a few years ngo, with tho organization of those societies,, and it is still on tho increase. "Most of tho seekers of ancestors are women. A great many of them, I liolievo, have never beeu iu a library beforo. Thoy know nothing about how to bogiu u search. They ply me with questions. All I cau do is to find out what State their ancestors lived during the Revolution and then turn over tho Statu documents to them. Then, likely as not, thoy will ask mo to help them search, but I draw tho lino at that. Their disappointment when they oau't flud a single private iu thoir fuvor is something terrible. Hometiraos they get angry and say the books aro wrong, the library is wrong and everybody is wrong. Again they find, to their horror, that they had ancestors interested iu the Ruvolution anoestors who wers ardent Tories." New York Press. Touiflieaeil. "Say," said the deputy, "I put No. 711 on the treadmill eight hours ago as a punishment, and I'il be diuged if be ain't goin' on jist as chipper and happy as can be. " "Why, of oourse," said the prison warden, iu tones of disgust. "Don't you kuow the teller was sont here for bicycle stealing? That sort of thing is right iu bis Hue. " In,'ti".n.ipolis. Journal. Slims Past as n Pertirxrr. Upwards of forty years ago, a farm er living In Hoiithern Michigan was urindiug his sovthe. Tlio irrindstono stood upon a sandy bit of ground by J tho back-gale, a place selected for thn wood pile and a general "catch-all,'' partly bccntisn it wns convenient, and pnrtly becaiiso nothing would grow there. After a timo, tho man ob served that directly beneath tho grindstone, and just where tho drip from the water-pan and tho particles of tho stono fell upon tho barren noil, some tufts of gmss wero growing lux urinntly, nnd a little patch of whent had sprung up, throwing up strong shoots, and indicating somo quality in tho soil far luoro nutritivo than tho gravelly wnste nroimd it. Upon tho iden started by this obser vation, tho farmer saved nil tho drip nnd sediment from tho grindstoiie.and poured it upon a few hills of potatoes planted iu tho immediate neighbor hood. The yield of potatoes wns something phenomenal. Many n timo did the experimenter bewail tlio limited condition of his fl nnnces which prevented tho purchase of iniicliinery suitable for grinding rock for fertilizer, for ho firmly holds tho theory that by this means tho earth would bo supplied with tho ele ments necessary for its most produc tive state, nud now n Herman chemist, Julius Heusel by name, has just pub lished a book ou tho uso of stone-duct ns n fertilizing element for grain nud grass land and also for fruit. For years curtain trees had givon no fruit, for all tho mnnuriir they hud reCMVed, but n liberal application of stone-dust brought forth n full crop nnd great freshness in tho growth and energy of tho trees. According to tho new discoveries in this direction, rocky laud contains within itself a store of nutrition thnt will servo it for years to come, Tho Ledger hns on several occa sions advocated tho uso of very largo nud deep subsoil plows nud tho syste matic stirring of tho earth to new depths, iu order to bring within reach of the roots new stores of nutrition. New York Ledger. (iron Kut Without Iterf. In tli"se days of high-priced beef tho vegetarians nro congratulating themselves that their habits savo money. Thoro is u vegetarian club nt tho University of Chicago, says tlio Nous. The members say that they fare ns well us any of tho students. There are thirty members iu tho club and the faculty is represented by Professor Starr, the anthropologist. The members of tlio vegetariuu club pay only S'i. 50 a week for tUvir board uiul they say their menus nro superior to those of :t ami $1.50 boarding clubs. They eat eggs, cheese nnd milk, which nro nut strictly vegetables but life is never sacrificed to their ap petites. Thoy eat sweet and L'ish po tatoes, porridge, toast, salads,, maca roni, all kinds of vegetables and fruit8 uuti mid raisins, mid occasionally- such duutics us Welsh rarebit. Tlio members iL tho club nco 04 plump and healthy as those wlu eat meat three times a day, nud some of them declare thoy have gained iu health, strength muL weight since be coming vegetarians.. J. II. Moore, the originator nud purveyor of the club, has made a. specialty of the chemistry of nutrition, and is. pro pared to prove to any skeptic thnt Wans mid peas contain moru flesh forming material than beef. Artificial Pearl. It is possible to. produce n Mm hav ing much tho appearance of mother-of-peurl at a very trilling cost. For this purpose ure required one part nitro-cellulose, seven or eight parts of 100 per ceut alcohol mid twenty-one parts ether. Soluble gluns i nsed as a solvent, teu parts oil this- to ninety purts of water being tho proportion. A series of interesting experiments in oolor, brilliancy and 'consistency are made by adding bisulphite of carbon iu the proportion of twenty-five parts to a hundred parts of the solution. Benzine may also be added, with the etl'eot of changing the arrangement of the colors and varying their intensity New York Ledger. Satisfactory' Compromise. "Alice, dear, wUl you marry me?" said a Pittsburg young man to his best girl. "No, Charlie, but' "Oh, spare me from say iug that you will be ft sister to me. I oau't stand that chestnut." I wasn't going to say that, dharlio." "What were you going to say?" "I was going to say that I could not ttnrrv von. but we Qoilld oat a olorirv. I nU to mrrv both of us. ".-Pitts. I W rihrnuioU. EXTRACTMAK1NG. How Flavors For Soft Drinks Are Obtained. Impossible to Oot the True Es sence of Fruit. Binco soda water beenmo tho regu lar dissipation of tho modern girl tin extrnct-miikiiig industry has assumed enormous proportions. Whcro ounces of vanilla and lemon wero used by h oitscwives and chefs a dozen years ngo gallons aro now consumed in tho corner drug store. To accommodate this groat growth iu business manu facturing plants havo sprung up through tho country and thoy arc yearly milling to their equipment in order to supply tho over increasing demand. Vanilla comes almost entirely from Mexico iu tho form of long, brown, shiny beans, which nro tied up in half-pound bundles and kept iu her metically senled receptacles, so that the rich odor may not bo dissipated iu the air. The benn grows ou a pe culiar vino which is said to derive quito as much nourishment from tho air ns it does from tho soil. It is planted iu cuttings by tho Mexicans, mid ns it grows up it is trained ou lattices or palm trees. Iu tho third year it begins to boar, and for thirty summers the crops continue good. In a single month the vanilla beau will grow to its full size, being from six to twelvo inches iu' length, but it re quires full six months longer for it to ripen. After tho beans aro piokod nud thoir value depends hugely upon having them neither overripe nor underripe, the peculiar rich nromn is developed by n complicated process of fermenta tion. They nro first stored under cover until thoy begin to shrivel mid then they are sweated by heating mid inclosing them in airtight boxes over night, in tho course of two or threo days tho beans havo obtained a rich brown color and present a moist ap pearance. After being exposed for several months in tho sun to dry they are packed in little bundles and shipped to tho United States, which is the greatest eitract-miiking country iu the world. Thousands nf Mexicans mako their entire living by raising and cur ing vanilla beans, Tlio cost ranges from 31 to n pound, according to the length nnd qunlity of the beans, tho prices being now pretty high ow ing to tlio largo demand nnd tho in sufficient supply. I'or this reason van ilia extract is frequently adulterated with tonka or snuff beans, which cost only 8- u pound They impart a very pungent odor mid n somewhat sharp nud bitter taste to tho extract. Kttrncts from the fruit of tho straw berry, tho pineapple, tho raspberry, tho banana, tho pear nud tho apricot emmot bo mndo although many experi menters havo worked oa the problem. Theso fruits contniui so much water that it is impossible to get them con. doused enough to seouiro tho truo es sence. Artificial extracts with the flavors of theso fruits may, however, bo made. Tho process is entirely chemical and the flavors produoud are realty stronger thau.t! fruits them selves. Many of theso extracts are used in cooking, and; tho soda-water fountains, but tbey are all more or less injurious to the health. The proprie tors of ninny, of thu best soda foun tains refuse to uso them, preferring to keep a supply of thn crushed fruits always ou hmidi Peach, extract is made from, peaoh, pits. Chicago Record. Origin or Spooning, Apropos the recent disturbance in religious circles over tho definition of "spooning" thu Teunesseo version of it is given :. ".Spooning"' portios are popular in some quarters.. They take their name from a goodi old English word,, which was intended to. ridicule the- alleged fantastic actions, of a young nmm or a young woman w ho is in larro. For some reaeou which no onae-ver could, explain, everybody pokes Jim at the lover. In fact, that unholy charac ter is Q)e uoroio in real life, no mat ter what grout gobs ot heroism are piled about him on the, stage, and, in all the romiutio story books. The B'f1 tt iove nu me T la luv . MW lo l,u"uyi When a "spooning" party is. given the committee in ohurge of tb event receives a spoon from each person who "oni, or e,8 preaw eaeu guest wltu ft "Poon lMe w are wuouuuy nreaseu in maie, ana lemale attire, and are mated either by simi larity of costume or by a distinguish. I ,u "uuoa 4 UB "lA uu ua' WUQ8B log ribbon. The girUsud boys whose ' -1'"- .-- s " I 0Me of oU ot"ee " l8 -xatiUU. ttUi: ot tUtt o0,l Kttlwriug. Of course, tho distribution of thn spoons is m ulo with tho groatont pos sible oarefuln si, tlio aim being to so place them as to properly fit theoise of the young people to whom they are presented. Tho parties are usually given by the young pooplo of some neighborhood, where the personal preference of each spooney is well known, and thoy are the source of no end of fun. It is possiblo, also, that thoy sorvo as aids to m itrimony as well, and are thorofore commendable, since an avowal is made more easy to a diffident swain aftor ho fools that his passion is not a secret, but that his weakness for a spootioy maid is known to his friends and enemies oil the com mitteo which dispenses the spoons. It may bo mentioned that aftor the spoons have been distributed among tlio guests, each couple retires for con sultation regarding thn reasons which caused the award of miitnl spoons in their enso. This consultation is kuown by the nnmn of "spooning.", St. Louis Republic. Tricks of Snake Charmers, A largo cobra do enpello was sont homo to Hir Joseph Fayrcr, who wanted a supply of venom for analy sis. It bit the spoon repeadly with out yielding any, and on examination was found to have none to yield, not only its fangs but tho poisonous glands having boon extirpated A protective operation still more cruel is some times practiced by novices in the art of charming, nnd consists in scouring tho mouth with a stitch of silk passed through tho lips in front ; to perform this tho poor boast's bond is held tightly pressed to the ground by ft short stick ou which the foot rests, while tho other foot restrains the writhing body, leaving both hands at liltcrty for tho needle. Eleven appar ently healthy cobras were on one oo casiou reoeivod at the Loudon Zoo logical Otrdens. Thoy tefused to feed and grow thin. When oue died it was discovered that its month was sewn up so fiuo as to be invisible to any but tho closest scrutiny. The rest of til- m did woll on being re stored to their normal condition. In connection with this subject, I may mention that a rnttlosuake was sent to mo from up country whon I was in Denu.Tura, with the history that it had killed a coolio on one of tho plantations. It had been badly in jured, about tho spine,, probably in capture, so that on reaching me it was not only dead but decomposed, and I was not able to make any very com plete dissection ; but I found that its lips were tied together with stitches obviously tiio effort of tin unpractical! hand, sineo tho work was very coarse. This hud apparently been preceded by mi unsuccessful attempt to extracite the long, erectile, noedle-like fangs,, for one of thf.se was twisted lialf.roiind with its bony base, and had penetrsted tho lower lip when tho jaws were forci bly closed. It is hardly possible that the duct was not occluded, but enough' venom. must have remained within the tube' of the tiny delieate syriuge to inflict ai futul scratch. Chumbera's. Journal. Xo Wonder the Prince Lead. Home curious details buve been' published in London regarding; the wardrobe of the Priuco of Wiles. It appears thut ho possesses seveuty uni forms, at an average cost of $750. It is added, that he pays 8f-- 30 for a. fronk oust, about 8"8 for a dress suit for trouwrs he pays ill, his. ordinary- suits costs Hi to 802. 50. Initlie Lonr don. season the Prince wears two new frock, coats a months mid he uses. about a dozen dress suits annually.. Ho has au immense number- of. ordi nary suits of clothes, and never wuons ono more thau tveo or three timo la addition to his. shooting suits, oust 31,500 a year. The Princ has. three silkhstta every fortnight, aud mtver wears a pair of; jloves tnioo. ii the best shod man iu the United king dues. New Y'k Press.. A Cui'jeus Expofllmeiilt It is a straugo fact that til right baud, which, is more sensiisU to the toiioh than, the left, is loss, seusibl than tha latter to theftjet of heat op cold. If tou dip btU hiuifU simnltor neously uAo two Ww.), ot water f equal temperature, the left will exye-. rience tlae higher sensation of beat, and this, will happen eru if the tier niomeWr shows that Uw water i tha left bowl is in teuiity a trifle colder thau the water iu the right one. Tha reverse happens iu the esse of persons who, are left bunded New Turk Tela gram. More thuu fifty kinds ot bark ara now used iu the manufacture of paper. Even bauaua skins, pea viues, ouooa. nut fibers, hy, straw, water weeds, leaves, shavings, ouru husks aud hep. plauU M9 used foe tbis purnuso.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers