Over 75,000,000 Are invested 'ia
thin country in ducks Anil gooso.
The first six months of this year
saw :t J, 000,0(10 invested in building
mora thnn in 181)4.
The Dean of Westminster Abbey
fans offered A place there for a slab or
medallion portrait of 1'rofossor Hux
ley. ,
The commonest name in the new
English parliament is Wilson. No
fewer than eight gentlemen with that
Game have secured election.
. A medical journal is of tho opinion
that the trolley has saved moro liv-ej
than it has destroyed, ly eiv'"B ,1,e
public, especially invalids, rapid tran
sit and fresh air.
Tho 'Civic Federation" of Chicago,
A citizens' organization for tho en
forcement of the law.is making things
excessively wnrm for tho mayor and
the street commissioners.
Money is so plentiful in New York
that tho other day $230,0)0 was loaned
over night at the rato of throe-fourth
of one per cent per annum. The bank
of America has called a meeting of its
stockholders to vote upon A proposi
tion to cnt its capital stock of 1,000,
000 in two because it tlmW it difficult
to lend at a profit
There died recently in Moscow, Rus
sia, a man who in the last twenty
years gavo 85,000,000 to charity. Ho
was State Councilor Jeimakoff, who
cstno from a poor family. His tlrst
public act which excited general atten
tion was tho purchase of tho freodoin
of all tho serfs living in his native
village. This cost him $12 1,000.
A Chicago Tribune writer has been
figuring out the number of wrecks at
,se i in January an I Febriury of tho
prt.'83iit year, and he finds tho record
unprecedented in tho world's history.
Iu those two months seventy-tlvo ves
sels, including twenty-ci'jht schootiors,
seventeen steamors, fonrteon sloops,
Hvo b:irgi'S, threo barks, three brigs,
two barkeutincB, two ships and one
pilot boat were wrecked, with a total
loss of 1,190 lives. Over half these
losses, or 600 lives, wore occasioned
'by seven disasters, vis. ; Steamer
Elbe, 832; steamer Port Nichtoroy,
120; ferryboat Toroiurn, 100 ; steamer
Kiugdon, 40; steamer Chicorn, 20;
steamer Initrahul, 25, and steamer
Kordsoe, 25.
I L
Tho Now York Posts remarks: A
considerable part of the deficiency in
tho revenue of the gnneral govern
ment has been caused by tho decreased
inoomo of the postoftico. Uudur our
system the post is regularly operated
t a loss, and during tho lust two years
of bud business this loss hccaino a
very heavy one, amounting to ubout
49,000,000 during theyoar just closed.
It is, therefore, very gratifying to soo
that the postal revLnuo is now mate
rially increasing. During tho quarter
'ending with July tho receipts of the
twenty largest postofHces rose to SO,
794,000, gaiu of ubout 8300,000 over
last year, or more than 7 pr cent.
Tho next ton cities in point of receipts
also make an exoelleut showing, so
that tho gain iu these thirty cities
Amounts to about 8330,030. As the
xpensos of tho postal sorvyie do not
increase in anything like the same
ratio as the receipts, tussu returns
how tliut the Treasury is steadily
working towards an easy condition.
Harper's weekly says : "The sugar
planters of Lonisuna make about 23,
000,000 gallons of molasses every yeai
for which there is at preseut no mar
ket and uo use. They might muke
rum of it, but that takes too muoli
capital, nud the rum would bo unsale
able after it was made. List your an
immeuso quantity of surplus molssies
was dumped into the Mississippi river
and there it did no harm, but much
also ran into somo of the bayous be
tween Baton Ruge and the Gulf aud
in those smaller and moro sluggish
streams it fermontod and did much
mischief, killing the fish aud makiug
pestiferous stenotics. The planters
are very anxious to find somo use for
their molasses. Mixod with clay it
makes good tiro-brick ; a limited
mount of it can be fed to cattle and
it will burn, but is an inconvenient
form of fuel. It is good to oat on
broad bat the demand for that use oi
it in this oouutry is insignificant in
comparison with the supply. If the
coolies of China aud India oonld be
taught to eat it on rioe, that might
make a market for it, but Chinese and
Indian coolies are not very good pay
aud are better at going without luxu
ries than at cultivating them. - Can
any one advise a uew use for molasses
ri'.Jh will care this waste?
Sea Son a-.
With A hoy and ho, ami s fairy boat,
And a rollicking- summer brew,
With a hnve and a roll to the Hast we ,
O'er the dancing shimmering seas.
Ton mast will stand us fast, I ween,
In tho arms of the laughing galoi
And that strip of cloud, em It malt away
Tenr it down tor our rosy sail.
W ith a hey and a hn, and thn alls are sot,
Whil the soa-malds laugh for Rlnn;
Andeaeli wave as It curls breaks to frothy
mirth
O'er tho green of the rolling s"a.
t'p nnehor now and away to thn Kart,
Whom the sun-hall pwips anew i
And tho grny and the red ami thn opal lights
Hpread wide Into watery blue.
With a hny ami a ho, and a fairy boat,
And a rollicking summer wind,
With n henvs and a roll to thu Knt wo go,
With the wnkening shorn I e lind.
AtllliU OoKlitK.
WHITE MITTENS.
BY JOHN AMIKK.
The curtnin rises and there arc
only two actors on tho narrow stngo
which is set with rustic scenery.
Thero nro A road, trees, and in the
distance water. This latter looks as
if intended for Iho sea. There walk
along the road toward the sen a young
man, tall and stalwart, aud A young
woman, also tall and of a very slight
figure. Her eyes and hair are dark,
and her features are somewhat too
shnrp for a handsome face. Her
namo is Rebecca Champcrnown. Hho
is the Inst descendant of a very ancient
and famous family, whoso pride is al
most her only inheritance. No one
could have believed that she would
fall in love with a fisherman least of
all her mother. Hut so it has hap
pened. She loves R)tilen (tare, cip
tun of the fishing chooiier Anna
Sheafe, and they walK together and
meet as often as they can find oppor
tunity. As Reulion and Rebecca walk along
tho road they do not appear to talk
much. Sho scorns cold and distant,
but iu her heart is n fire of love that
burns more fiercely the more klio re
presses it. And she is obliged to re
press it, for Reuben is shy, awkward
and undemonstrative. Yot in some
wny, perhaps by her womanly intui
tions, she has discovered his great
manly, nffectionnto nature. They
have now been intimnto a whole year,
and every one supposes them lovers
and probably engaged, but in fact
they have never yet exchanged a word
of love. Reuben has often been on
the point of speaking, but tho right
words failed him and something arose
in his throat that chokod uttcraiio1.
And Rebecca has waited, eager, a
little impatient at times, and at others
almost tompted to speak out herself.
That, .indeed, is just what is ueoded ;
she is conscious of it, nud yet "How
can I?" hub asks herself. Thou she
goes home from her interviews with
Reiibuti to her room and cries until
hor eyes are red and swollen, and her
mother's reproaches follow, aud make
her life so wholly miserable that she
wishes herself dead. She recovers
herself iu a day or two; looks for
ward with longing to their next moot
ing, which is always timed by his re
turn from his fishing trip, aud thinks
matters between them will surely be
settled. She longs for something to
happen that willdeeidu tho question.
But she is not going to give up Rill li
eu; no, her heart is unalterably fixed
aud jf sho dies an old maid bur utl'jo
tion can never decline,
Reuben is equally perplexed in his
simple mind; he is sure of only one
thing, that is the state of his own feel
ings, but ho is not yet able to decide
whether Rebecca loves him. He
would like a sigu, something, how
ever slight, that would show him
where he stood. Men are always long
iug 'for this sign, some token, nut
words, but more certain, more signif
icant, souiothiug to treasure and re
member as long us they live.
Of lute he has been nu lucky on his
fishing trips iu the Auua Hut-ale, a
small vessel which he commands and
of which ho owns one quarter. After
the versel's expenses were puid there
his beeu little to divide among tho
owners. The winter was coming ou
and with it the hazardous and often
unprofitable business of trawling.
He met Rebecca less and less ofteu.
Somehow without mouey iu his pocket
he could not enjoy so much being with
her, felt loss a muu aud au inequality
he could not explain. Then it was,
however, that he discovered the depth
of his attachment. His oompauions
noticed it ii ud rallied him about it,
and behind his back expressed them
selves in the customary village slung
and gossip.
"There's no more fish iu the sea for
Reub," they said, He is getting bis
line on dry land, ovor at the Cham
peroowns'i pretty dry it is. Huiall
j catch there J a big name aud not
enough cash to go with it. He is too
good for her, anyway ; but I hope ho
will gat hor if he wants her end come
out of his dumps."
Reubon did not recovor his usual
spirits; his good old mother insisted
that he was not well and needed physic.
Reuben took the medicine, being a
good deal of a child under his moth
er's roof, obeying end yielding to her
in nearly all of her whimsies, which
were leavened with much shrewdness
nud knowledgo of human nature.
"Mother," said he, "it doos me no
good, but 1 will take it to please
you."
"My son, you just wait; you'vo
been behindhand some time, and it
will tnke a while to get you before
hand again. These herbs never failed
in my experience and I've had a good
deal in sickness of olio sort or an
other." "Herbs, mother, nro good in their
place. I like the smell of them, but
tho taste "
"That's just it, my son; the smell
is sweet, which shows the tasto is good
medicine. It's just like being in
love and marriage ; ono yon like and
tho othor you must take, because it ia
best for everybody and uaturally fid
lows; and sometimes," she added,
with a sly look at Reuben, "it cures
love."
"I'm not going to mnrry never, bo
you are out of your reckoning there,
mother."
"Well, I don't know. Your fathor
before you said that; so did 1 until
I was asked. Nobody means what
they say when in love, or rather they
mean just tin other wny. I think
now I know what it is tho trouhlo
w.th you, R Milieu," and she poured
out tho dose and gave it him, saying:
"It will koep up your spirits at any
rate, until Rebecca gives you some
soothing syrup oh, my boy? So
choer up."
Reuben grew thin ami nervous in
spite of the medicine, but ho wont
about preparations for tho wiuter
cruising. Bad luck coutinued to fol
low him, small fares nud falling prices
discouraged him more anil more. But
tho greater his depressiou tho more
his mind dwelt upon Ribecca, Iu
some curious, involved way he had
come to connect his ill luck with her.
His brother fishermen, however,
thought it was all on account of his
not wearing white mittens when he
sot aud handled his trawl linns, it be
ing ui that rogion of fishing villages
the universal belief of superstition
that white mittens must be worn to
insure good luck in winter trawling.
But Reuben paid uo attention to what
he thought was a mere fancy. He felt
rather that he was workiug with a half
hearted energy, And all on account of
his dubious relation with Rducea.
Ha determined to see tier again ami
arranged to see her when her mother
was absent.
'I hnvecomotoseoyou once moro,"
he said on meetiug her; "but per
haps I had better not come again."
"Why?" said Rebecca; "are yon
not always welcome, Cujituiu O.ige?"
"Yes, wa never quarrel and wo
never get any further along from one
time to another."
This was m re than he had ever
been ublo to xy beforo iu regard to
their personal relation, and he was
frightened ut himself. S i ho begau
again from what he thought was an
other point, yet, as out of the fullness
of the heart the mouth spoaketh, he
oould uot help betraying his true feel
ings. "I'm not getting on very well now,
no luck, uo money, and the Anna
Sheafe getting iu debt. I thought I
would tell you, though I do not kuow
ns you will care. "
"Yes, I do caro very much, Cap
taiu Gage. I kuew something was the
matter and I heard from one of the
village gossip it was because you
neglected or sneered at the custom of
wearing white mittens as the other
Unhermen do when setting their trawls.
Do you thiuk it is a silly supersti
tion?" "Yes, I do, in the main."
"So do I, when I reason. At other
times I half believe in it. There is
somethiug at the bottou of all com
mon customs and beliefs, which, when
harmless, it is just as wail to auoept.
Our little villuge would be very dull
and uninteresting without them."
"I have no particular objection to
white mittens, Ruubeu replied, "only
I did not happen to have any."
I thought a muuli. Yon wou Id
wear them if you had them?"
"Why, yes, I should."
Rebecca disappeared for a moment,
aud returned holdiuj out a pair of
suow-whito mittens.
"There, I made them for you. I
had to guess ut the siz), most girls
wouldn't, who have brothers," she
said, archly. "Lit me try them on,"
and she pulled one over Bhutan's
hand, but before sho could adjust the
other hfs hands in somo manner had
become inextricably entwined about
her waist. Then they sat down ami
completed the trying ou again aud
again.
They fitted, but Rsuhon never wore
them afterward. He hung them np
as a sacred trophy over the tittle mir
ror in the cabin of his vessel. And he
had thereafter good luck enough.
New York Advertiser.
Hon Gold Leaf Is Made.
Tho process by whioh gold is made
into tliiu leaves is culled gold boating.
As yet the use of machinery for this
purposo is vory limited, nearly all
gold leaf being beaten by hand.
First, the gold is cast iuto oblong
ingots about three-fourths of nu inch
iu widthj and weighing two ouncos
each. These ingots are passed be
tween polished steel rollers and flat
tened out into ribbons of about
1-lHHh of nu inch iu thickness.
These ribbons are softened by heat
nnd cut iuto pieces ono inch square.
Ono hundred and fifty of theso
pieces are placed between vellum
leaves, ono piece above the other, an I
the entire pile is enclosed in a doitblo
parchment case nnd bsatou with a sixteen-pound
hammer uutil tho inch
pieces are extended to four-inc'u
squares. They are then taken from
thu enso and each square is cut into
fourpiecas; the pieces thus obtained
are then placed between gold-beaters'
skin a delicate mombrnue prepared
from tho large intestino of tho ox
made into piles, inclosed iu a parch
ment case and again beaten, but with
a hammer of lighter weight.
Still tho leaves are not thin enough,
aud once more each leaf is cut into
four pieces and agAin beaten. This
last quartering aud beating produces
2,4)0 leaves, and the thickness of nn
inch, (told is so malleable that it is
possible to obtain A still greuter de
gree of thinness, but not profitably.
These thin leaves are taken up with
wood pincers, placed on A cushion,
blown out flat and carefully out iuto
squares threo Ami oue-fourth inches
iu sij. The squares nro placed be
tween the leaves of paper books, which
have previously been rubbed with red
chalk, to prevent adhesion of tho
gold, each paper book containing
twenty-five squares or leaves of gold ;
nnd in this form tho loaf is sold, not
by weight but by superficial measure..
New Orleans Picayune.
(raiib Try Culture.
The cranberry is au nequatio plant,
and requiro's wet land aud occasional
overflowing by water. Tho soil mui-t
ha black, decayiug vegetable matter,
commonly c tiled swamp muck, and
the land must be level an l supplied
with banks and ditches, no that at tho
right seasou the plants may bo covered
with water. Tho surface, however, of
tho swamp must bo covered with
ocean sand, wholly freofrom ordinary
soil, so that grass and other weeds
will uot grow iu it. Then thu plants
are set out in rows twelve to cighteon
inches apart uud a foot apart in tho
rows. As tho plant roots by cuttings
vory easily, and .rooted plants are
easily moved, it is usual to procure
the cuttings or roots of uurseymen
who make a business of selling
them. They are sold by the lurid ut
the usual price of throe dollars. The
whole cost of the preparing the land
completely and planting it is ubout
SH )0 per acre. The plantation bears
the second year, and the culture is so
profitable that the money spent in
fitting the laud is sometimes repaid tho
first year. There are several insect
enemies that prey on this plant aud
precautions against these are one of
tho special oares of the grovvor. New
York Times.
Electricity Failed to Kill.
A big snake over four feet long,
was caught iu Rochester, Penu., the
other day, and his oaptors determined
to try electricity ou him. They took
him to the power-house, fastened a
wire to euoh end of him and turned ou
a powerful current, "strong enough to
kill a dozen meu," The snake wirthed
and twisted a moment, aud then
straightened out, and the electrio ex
pert prouounoed him dead, but when
be was laid out in the sua he started
to crawl off. Again he was treated to
the eleotrio dose' without effect and
finally he had to be killed with a
club.
Clever Horsemanship.
An interesting illustration of the
ludiau's clever horsemuiuhip was
given by a young buck ut Wilbur,
Wash., a few days ago. Currylug iu
his baud an ordinary cup tilled to the
brim of water, he rode on a cay use at
full gallop the length of the maiu
street and return without spilling so
much as a drop of the water. New
York Sun.
ion twin AM) UAIIDEX.
limn ik poitltrv tard.
Where large numbers of chickon
are compelled to range in limited in
cisures air-slaked lime should be used
liberally. Scatter it late in tho even
ing, after all the chiokens have goue
to roost. New York World.
rttiTtrne of the horse chestnut.
Tho horso chestnut is grown from
tho seed without any difficulty. The
nuts may bo planted in the fall or in
the spring, but if kopt over winter
they should bo buried in tho soil
where they will not be frozen, or in
dry sand in a cellar. They may be
planted where they nrc to stand or in
rows, from which the young trees nro
moved when ono or two venri old.
- -
liicro aro two vurietii s of this tree,
tho whito flowered nnd the red. It is
. -
called horso chestnut boo.ittso tho nuts
ore saved for feeding horses iu parts
of Kitrope where theso troesgrow very
abundantly. They are said to bo very
nutritious mi l to be eaten by the
horso with avidity. New York Times.
rilKMATfUE HOfllSr-Vl Of MII.K.
I'll i h common trouble at this time
of the year is mostly duo to Home in
fection of the milk by acid of previous
milkings ndheriug to the pails. Some
times it may be caused by overheating
of tho cows, but rarely. Tho most
common cause i neglect perfectly to
clean the pails or milkpaus. These
should first bo cleaned in cold water
in which common washing soda is dis
solved. A stiff brush is us d to clean
the corners thoroughly. The vessels
nro then rinsed with hot water twice,
then ugaiu with cold, aud then turned
bottom upward on a stand iu a shady
place out of doors to drain for nu
hour or two, wheu thoy should bo re
moved to tho dairy room. Buforo be
ing used they shoul I be rinsed with
perfectly cold water. It is alleged,
and possibly with truth, that in tho
majority of instances in which dis
eases have been conveyed in millt the
cause has been the use of impure
water for rinsing tho utensils. Amer
ican Farmer.
THE nAIll.KV HARVEST.
No kind of farm animals excepting
poultry will attack a head of barley.
Fowls will peck at it to get out tho
grain nud then eat that, but tho strong
beards aro reptdlont to nil other kinds
of stock. With tho self-binding har
vesters now generally used for biuioy
harvest very littlo of thy grain is
dropped on tho ground, and thero is
not much use raking the fluid after it
to gather what it scattered. In tho
olden time, when barley was cut with
a reaper aud guthored in cooks like
hay without binding, there were al
ways a groat many rakings. Usually
theso were badly stained and could
not bo sold with tho muin crop, but
they made good food when threshed
by themselves nnd ground. Many
hurloy growers will prefer tho old way
of harvesting, at tho crop can bo
cured in less timo if allowed to lay a
day unbound beforo being put iuto
cock than if bound in n bundlo as
soon ns cut, as it must bo when cut
with the harvester. Boston Cultiva
tor. A r-EiiFGCT ruotroii.
Since patents have been issued to
inventors, 10,122 have boon granted
for supposed improvements ou the
plough in this country alone, nnd yet
every user of thia vory ancient imple
ment will admit that it is far from
being perfect or just what it should
be.
What is wanted in tho common
farm plough is to get rid of such a large
area of friatioual surface, for all aro
constructed ou tho principal of the
wedge, this having to be forced into
tho soil, lifting uud turuiug it over,
requiring much moro power than
would bo needed if tho friction could
in some way be reducod or avoided.
Tho friction of the bearing surface in
the bicycle and similar light vobiclos
hss been reducod to n minimum by the
nso of what are called bnli-boariugs,
aud it may be that somo oue may yet
find a way of applying the same prin
cipal to the frictiouul surface of the
plough, having it revolve instead of
having it reuiuin stationary. Hero is
room for improvement iu tho plough,
eveu iu the fuoe of the teu thousand
patent. New York Sun.
thin tu rnuiT.
If ono wishes to raise the finest
looking fruit and the finest flavored,
he will have ta thin it to tho oapaoity
of the tree. A groat ratuy trees set
twice us mnoh fruit as they oau fully
develop, and the result is a big bur
den of immature and tasteless apples,
or pears, that oan neither be sold nor
eaten. It does Dot seem to be well
known as it should be, that half the
apples removed from an overloaded
tree will permit the rest to develop
into as many bushols as would have
been secured from the wholo crop,
had it remained upon the trees, while
tho well-developed half-crop will have
a flavor nnd a beauty that will cause it
to soli for a good price. Then,
too, an overburdened tree ia
so weakened that it has to lie
at rest tho next year in order to re
cuperate, whilo it is doubtful if even
this rest from production rostores the
tree to its former vigor. The size of
apples end tho quality can bo greatly
improved by a proper pruning of the
the limbs to let the suulight into the
top, and by a thinning of the fruit,
whon tho treo is overloaded. Fruit
trees are wayward affairs aud cannot
bo left to their own devices, else they
will try to do too much b3th in wood
growth and in fruit growth, especially
when tho treo is highly fertilized. Ia
this connection it may be well to say
that tho fertilizer for fruit troes should
bo particularly strong in potash and
week iu nitrogen it is fruit, uot rank
wood growth, thnt is noodod. Lot the
orchards and tho small fruits have
phosphoric acid in tho shapo of bono
meal anil potash iu the form of wool
ushes, nnd good results may confi
dently bo looked for if cre is also
paid to pruning, thinning, sprayiug
etc. Wood ashes are particularly
valuable iu any kind of fruit-growing.
New York Tribune. .
font fodder.
There is an absolute uocossity that
tho farther use his corn foddor by
feeding it. Our 72,00),003 acres of ,
corn last yeur produced 114,000,000
tons of fo lder. Estimated at $3 a
ton.the product is worth 720,000,000
and it is safe to say that two-thirds
of this was wasted cither by cutting at
improper time, fed in an improper
manner, or bociuso loft to stand aud
fall whore it grow.
Well citrod corn fod lor is undoubt
edly equal to cnsilnge as A food, but,
unfortunately it is raro for corn fod
dor to bo cut nt tho proper stage or t
come nut fresh and bright. Too early
cutting while the plant is immature,
gives thu poorest fodder. The late
cut, while not so objectionable, rep
resents a loss ns cumpurod with
that cut at the right stage. The best
timo for cutting is when the ear is
douted, tho husks are dead and
tho loaves nro beginning to turn. Cut
nt this stage it will give the greatest
feeding vuluo. If well shooked it .will
cure in six or sevon weeks, when it
should hi hauled to tho bam. Muoh
of it is wasted and its value reduced
by exposure under the methods ordi
narily adopted of leaving it of doors
and drawing it to thu stock as wanted
lor fee ling. Whon trcatod in this
fashion it ceases to 1)3 tempting food,
hut with proper care it will be eaten
with relish by nil classes of stock. O.'
course it must bj run through tho
cutter and fod with grain. Corn fod
der may furnish two-thirds of the
daily ration for both bursas . aud
oittle, nud those who have once given
it a fair trial declare that After due
allowance for the coarse butts rejsoted .
by thu stock, tho fodder has one-third
tho vuluo of tho onr. My own experi
ence is that, acre for acre, oorn foddor
is quite as valuable as hay for winter
ing stock, aud I am only astonished
that practical, wida-uwake farmers
should bo so slow iu recognizing its
value. .
FARU AND OARDKV NOTES.
Wood ashes is the host fertilizer for
grapes.
Tho fall is usually thobost timo to
buy sheep.
Cabbages cannot have ? too rich
soil or be cultivated too ofteu.
To catch a sheep by the floeo is
cruelty, take them by the hiud lepr or
flank.
The superiority of pure breeds of
poultry is largely duo to the better
care that they receive.
In an ogg of ono thousand grains,
six hundred belong to the white, three
hundred to the yolk, and oue hundred
to the shell.
, For good results in egg production
tho heu-house during the winter should
not be allowed to become colder than
forty degrees.
If properly kopt and judiciously ap-'
plied to land, poultry manure is worth
one-half the east of the food the fowls
get, aud yet little aooount is taken of
the droppings when au estimate it
me of the profits.
When well manured aud cultivated
the Cathbort raspberry will yield a
pint of very flue fruit to a stool
ateaoh piokiug, and three pickings
may hem I J, This is uqiul to ovor
twenty quarts to square rol or 8,500
to au aore, .