THE LAZAWUS OF EMPIRE.
tW. Wilfred rsmrnell hi" a poem In the
Toronto lllobe on ''l'be l,erru of kuipire,"
which strikes a curious note:
The Celt, ha In proud In his protest,
The Heot, lis In enltn In tils plave,
For saeh has a word In the ruling and
doom.
Of the umpire Hint honor his rncei
And the EnKiiehtimn, dogired nnd Rrlm.
Looks the world III tbe hice as h noes,
And he holds n proud lip, (or ha rails bit
. own ship,
And he cnres not for tlrnls nor roesi
But lowest mid Inst, with liln nrens vast,
And horlr.on so servile nnd tame,
Bit" the poor beKgnr Colonial
Who leeds on the oruinlisol hur fnme.
lie knows no plane In her oounells,
He holds no part in the word
Tlmt girdles the world with Its thunders
When the lint of llrlwlu Is heard;
He bents no drums to her battles,
He give no triumphs hnr uame.
Hut lowest snd la,t, with his nreus vast,
lie tuuds ou tbu uruuiiis of hr (ii.no.
How long. O how long. Hie dishonor,
The servile nud suppiliuit pliic.eS1
Are we Unions who Imiten upon her,
Or degenerate eons of the rnee?
It Is souls that miike nntlons, not numbers,
As our forefathers proved In til" punt,
Let us tukii up the burden of empire,
Or null our own tints to the must.
Does she cure for us, vsliie lis, want us,
Or are we hut pawns lu the gnmoi
Where lowest unit Inst, with our mens vnst,
We feed on the uruuibs of her fume?
! NO "STORY."
1 BY K. CHER.
Publishers say ft story mtiRt be
"story" niul whnt they niean ly thU
yon can decide for yourself nfter coin
paring their demands with what tbey
publish. The bent I can make of it
is tbnt tbey expressly take pains to
disguise what tbey really want, nil
thoir demands lining for the purpose
of stimulating the writer to exert
bin-self; then tbey uso their own pri
vate judgiuout, which is ntiotber thing
from their priuted ileniuiulH, iu select
ing from the contributions.
Whon a render brings three things
together, which bIiouKI hurmonize.the
result is a tliHtressing discordance:
(1) The publishers' high ami mighty
. demand for the best that the present
brain of the enrth cnn produce; (2)
Whnt they publish and tacitly declare
to be such; (')) What we all know to
be real literature, from the pens of
some who have gone before. The
publisher (1) demands a race horse
(8) and accepts a rat. (2)
Herewith I have no "story" to suit
these reipiiremouts, but according to
nry view I have ' a discovery worth
making known. I make no attempt
to fill the aforesaid re piirements, for
the principal reason thut I will not
write to order for any man on earth,
and I don't believe auy worthy litera
ture in the" "story" line was ever pro
duced in that way. My literary work
is consistent with my creed tbnt a
man's best productions will be on linos
congenial to bim. I say I have a dis
covery. . Who am I?
This is the publishers' demand. If
I have no "name," no "rep." my dis
covery is nothing to them. lint it is
to me, and will be to yon, friend
render, if yon are an ordinary mortal
striving to live this lite that is put
upon ns, and occasionnliy wondering
whnt is the meaning of it all.
It uappeued, bue day, when I was
worried almost to desperation by the
problems which beset everybody, iu
one shape or another, in this stiHing
struggle to get the better of ouo's
fellows, that circumstances, accident
ally flung me upon a twenty mile
walk, from one town to anothor. I
walked a mile, and my grievances
arose to fe.nful distinctness in my
mind. I walked two miles, and pos
sible solutions began to appear. At
the end of 15th mile, I sat down at
tba foot of a pine in a pine forest,
drew a loug breath of relief from the
physical exertiou, and suddenly won
dered what it was all about what on
earth bad been badgering me so.
.The low, mysterious, world-forgetting
voice of . the pines surrounded
ine instead of the hubbub of human
contention, and the sun smiled down
over, the great earth iu eternal cheer
fulness. I spurred up my unwilling recollec
tions, recalled the worst of my griev
ances, and lol They were too insigni
ficant to trouble one of the ants that
ran over the ground under the pines.
It all amounted to nothiug! Nothing!
I bad no grievance. As for those
who were the cause of these sham
grievances, the reasons for acting as
they did now, for the first time, be
came apparent. Tbey, too, like my
self, were uuder the trial aud pressure
of elbow-jostling struggle, and acted
not from auy special antipathy to me,
but to save themselves. Our motives
were very similar.
I never shotild have seon it without
this accidental isolation and balanc
ing physical exertiou. I would have
kept right on blindly butting my bead
against ma wan. Ana but ore going
any further, let me state plainly that
mat my discovery, if you are
worried, take a 20 mile walk.
There was a yellow haired girl at
tba bottom of all my sometime griev
ances. She was rich aud I was poor,
bat perceiving what seemed to be
" rare harmony in our natures, I bad
gathered my resources, braced myself
- for the aoensationa of a sordid motive,
and boldly entered the lists for her
hand. Wuut further acquaintance I
, had been able to make with ber
seemed to confirm my theory of har
monious natures, aud perhaps I be
came too confident. At any rata a
light rebuff, as I constructed it, from
herself, brought me np to the wiud,
nautioally wreaking, all shaking, and
emphasized the enormity of my pre
euuiptiou. At the end of these fifteen miles my
Individuality returned, ani while re
linquishing alt thought of possessing
Bessie, I oould not allow that she was
one whit too good for me. And she
need not look to me for feoble-minded
"hopeless devotion" business. I bad
made my advance, been rebuffed by
the only mm whoso rebuff t consid
ered tentorial -be. aolf -and now she
was untiling more t li nit a duller in my
nITairs. Hlie might go her ways, marry
whom sho might choose, or n it marry,
or die, or live. It was all the same
to tno. Hlie was now but a cipher iu
my affairs, whether visible or not.
Having thus stonily made tip my
mind, tho sudden appearance nnd bail
of the identical subject of my thoughts
confused me again.
The public highway was in plait,
view from whore I reclined, but siicli
was my position tbnt probably not
more than one passor in ten would
notice inc.
There enme by a group of bicyclers,
mostly girls. All passed with their
gne straight in front except the Inst,
who was obliged to turn ber oyns to
me, by what 1 nm convinced was some
occult magnetism, and nearly fell iu
consequence. As it was, she bad to
dismount to prevent a fall. When she
renamed her equilibrium, she callod
in a half jesting way
"Are you trying to kill me?"
I hadn't done a thing. Hut this
was nut exactly what confused me. It
was the discovery of an oversight in
my deep cogitations. In tho absence
of the person, I had forgotten feminine
softness, sweetness and compliance
as opposed to masculine strength and
stcruuess. I bad waxed bitter against
ber in hor absence, when it would
lmve beeu impossible in her presonce.
Bitterness could no more survive iu
her presence than frost iu a noonday
sun.
llessie was a blonde of full average
height, and porbnps above average
weight. There was nothing sickly
about her. Hut she was a womnii, and
not to be hated ns man against man.
I did not reply because I could not
get my thoughts in shape in time.
- "How did you get here?" she asked.
"Oh, I came in a caunl boat," I an
swered nonchalantly.
Her laugh was pleasant. I like to
have a person laugh at my little jokes,
eveu if only iu politeness. I cnn
easily detect, in the ring of the laugh
tor, what it is.
"lieorge is anything wrong?"
She was serious enough now, and I
saw where I had beou n hot-headed
fool to thiuk she bad scorned me. I
couldn't speak a word.
What under the heavens is the use
of logic, auy way, when it always fails
a man when it comes to tho test? Only
three minutes ago, it was: IS lie might
go her ways nnd marry whom she
might choose, or not inurry, or die or
live; it was all the same to me.
Aud what incensed io the more
now, was the fact that I bad beeu per
fectly cool in mind, n deliberate fool.
Still.hnd it not been for these 15 miles,
I should have been a worse fool, for
the sight of her would not hare brought
mo to my ne'uses. Now I changed the
soliloquy into: Hlie might go her ways
but I would always heartily wish ber
well, whether I became any feature iu
her existence or not.
"Won't you come aud sen us this
evening?
' i cs, I answered, nt last getting
my voice.
"Tlion.nn revotr." And she mount
ed and sped ufter the other bicyclers.
Oh, I know that I am nn ordinary
mortal, nnd nothing exceptionally
grand, friend render; you need not
tell me tba'. Hut there are lots of us
iu the samo bunt, and what has helped
one will be of value to another. There
is no possible doubt that tho 20 mile
walk was a turning poiut in my career,
and therefore I earnestly recommend
it.'
Oh, certainly; she's my wife now.
STATISTICS OF THE INDIANS.
Tlirlr Numbers K.timnlrd at HHO.OOO
3110 Schools .Maintained for Them.
Uncle Sam's new directory of the
Indian tribes shows that the parlor
car companies aud the apartment
bouse builders have still a big fuud of
names, euphonious and otherwise, to
draw from, although, in running down
the list, it is secu that there are lim
its to the seloction of Indian names.
No oue, for iustance, would want to
live in the Two-Kettle Sioux apart
ments, aud some objections might be
made to names like Wiuibegoshish,
Hump tulip and Mncklesboat, but
there are many Pottawatomie, Mati
copn, Menomoneo, Nomelnckie, Pem
bina, l'iankeshnw, Shoshone, Ton
ka wu aud Wylackie, which, if they do
not appeal to the nninors of parlor
cats aud apartn.ent bouses, ought to
keep those American horse owners
who name thoir ' thoroughbreds by
fantastic and iuane systems. Such
seekers for names are referred for
detailed information to the "Statistics
of Indian Tribes, Indian Agencies and
Indian Schools," for 181)9, issued by
the government printing office.
This handbook gives the name of 71
Indian agencies aud 850 tribes, with
statistics of 350 schools, including
agency day schools, independent day
schools, reservation boarding schools
and non-reservation boarding schools.
The Indiuu population, summing the
agency totals, which range from 888
in the Sao aud Fox ageucy in Iowa, to
77,018 in the Union agency, Indian
Territory, is nearly 250,000. The es
timated value of Iudian school plants
is $1,5112,760, nearly $2,000,000 rep
resenting sohools on reservations,
New York Sun.
To See the Process.
Wee Edith was sitting near the
bauk of one of our large rivers, look
ing very disconsolate. "Oh, . dear I"
she sighed, "the geography says this
river empues us waters into tbe ooean,
and I've watched here two whole days
and it's just as foil as it ever we"--
Judge.
I FOR WOMAN'S BENEFIT.
finvsttv I'rsrllees Celesthenlrs.
Fencing end calisthenics have al
ways been a regular part of the daily
physical exercises of the Princess of
Wains' daughters. Evon when on the
royal yacht tbey never omit the exer
cise that line contributed to their
graceful carriage aud excellent health.
The rapid, gliding walk, the erect
carriage without etiffiiets and the
well poised bead of the 1'riucess of
Wales are attributed to her thorough
practice of calisthenics.
t'ur lists for Winter Wear.
Fur bats are to be woru to a consid
erable extent. There are mnuy mink
turbans, and the all-over grebe skin
hats, iu small, round shapes, are just
coming out. A particularly striking
Spanish tut ban has the roll of white
grebe skin and the crown of white vel
vet, on which bnuchers of violets are
hand painted. A bunch of violets is
at the side of the turban, and a rhlne-
tone buckle run through violet vel
vet ornaments the front of the brim.
With this is worn collarette of whito
ilk bordered with swansdown. The
front of the collarette depends in long
stole like ends,on whlohnre nppliqned
purple orchids. The same flowers are
used in the high silk and swansdown
ruff at the neck.
A Wlilow1 Monrnln Veil.
A widow has a never to-be mistaken
bndg.i in the tiuy white ruche which
she alone wears in her (bonnet. This
irapoi taut adjunct Uta closely to the
head, is made of crape, with a fold or
two ou the edge, while a flat bow in
front makes it more generally becom
ing. The strings should be of black
gros-grain ribbou. A widow may also
have overstriugs of white lawn, whiuh
are hemmed aud tucked, wheu she
dnns the linen collar and cud's, but for
three mouths uot a particle of white
hows on a thoroughly correct deep
mourning garb. A widow's crape veil
is at least two yards long, with a
three inch hem at the back and from
five to seven iu frout, the latter bang
ing one-third longer from the top of
the head, and con lined by folds a 'l oss
the bounot, held by small dull jet
pins ou each side. At the end of six
months the veil is worn with the long
er end hanging in in the back and the
shorter one over it, with folds over
the top of the bonnet; a face veil of
not is thou worn with or without a
fold of crape trimiuiug. Ladies' Home
Journal.
Abntit Women's Feet.
Just at the age xvhen women aro
particularly fond of dainty feet. Na
ture comes gallantly to the rosette aud
shapes thoir foct smaller than they
were as growing girls. It is a fact
noted by observing shoemakers, whb
do not at all regret a circumstance
that helps to make business brisk.
"Yes, "said one of Hostoti's Bwollest
bootmakers, to an inquiiiiig news
paper man, "girls abjtit seventeen or
eighteen years old give us no end of
trouble Their feet are then largo
and shapeless. Thoy often take sixes
s large as full grown women.
"When they get older, howevot',nud
the foot becomes settlod, new boots
en the old last will be found too largo,
aud it is only when the young ladies
complain that their new shoei ate too
big that we know the foot has under
gone the change jrst described. Then
explanations have to be given, but
the bootmaker doesn't mind this so
much, for a woman, as she m ows old
er, likea to be told that ber foot is
getting mailer.
"After forty the feot of a woman go
bnok to the fat aud flabby state, nnd
herein grows trouble for the bootmak
er, who has to state, in explanation
why the last pair of shoes do not fit,
that the cause lies in the fa-'t that hor
feet are getting bigger."
Til Newest XVelsts.
The white satin and white taffeta
silk waists will be fashionable again.
There is a little fullness directly in
the front, but this is supposed to be
gathered in under the belt. Almost
all the wiiisti have a yoke efl'oct aud n
little laoe edging around tho front of
the waist below tbe yoke. They have
elaborute collars of the same material
as the waist, but Lebiud the oars in
points so that they can be turned
over. These are edged- with lace, aud
a lace bow is additional, but ou many
of the waists there is simply a bow of
the same material as the waist, the
ends of which are trimmed with lace.
All waista are tucked aud corded,
and there is an infinite variety in the
widths of the tucks. Some are min
ute, others wide. There are even
some waists that show the old-fnah-
icSjied box plaits oncu njain, but these
require to be made carefully or they
will look bulky and clumsy. They
are at all times trying to stout fig
ures. A stout woman will do woll, if
she has a silk waist made, to have al
ways a boned and fitted lining, and,
besides, it is best to have three seams
in the Lack one in the middle of tho
back and oue ou either side. Those
seams break tbe width, aud, if suf
ficient curve is given to the wide
seams, it really makes the figure much
more tapering than might be bolieved
possible,
AtliniiiiUliliie Children,
"Tho universal frailty of our hu
man nature, which dislikes to be told
of faults must be taken iuto consider
ation when we converse with our
grown up ohlldreu," writes Kate Up
son Clark in the Woman's Home Com
panion, . "After they pass the age of
U or 15 they usually betray greater
eusitivenesshau before to eveu rea
sonable fault Undiug. By. the time
they reach 18 or 20 this tendency has
become a marked trait. Tbey have
then beootoe tubstantially
rest of ns. Even from the lips of lor.
Ing fathers and mother and in strict
privacy thev want nothing hut the
same sort of honey on which our own
souls love to feed. They wish no al
lusion made to the fact that they are
acquiring nasal tones; that their gait
is awkward; tbnt their taste In dress
is unformed nnd even bad: tbnt thev
have not good judgment In choosing J
associates, and so on. Private dis
courses upon the wiles of the world
and the weakness of youth and its
proiiniinss to wander they wish none
of. Whatever medicine of tbnt sort is
to be given must bo administered in
ninll doses, interjected with skill into
conversations upon ordinary matters,
and sugar minted, if possible, with
artful compliuient.though it should be
always deserved, liven the best and
dearest of our carefully brought tip
young penpe aro likely to have their
year or mote of obstinacy nnd 'pig
iieadeduese,' or their permanent
streaks of tiurensonnbleness and con
tumacy. Therefore they would bet
ter receive must of the lulling strokes
that mold into shape before they reach
the age of 14. From that time up t
the age of what is called 'discretion,'
which does not arrive with most of us
before 25 (if then), the youth, in judg
ment aud sense, is reully not much
superior to what he was at from seven
to fifteen, but he has no suspicion of
this fuct"
f'nslilons In Slippers.
Pretty low slippers and low shoes
that have been worn the past summer
aud fall, and will be.worn in the house
and in the south this winter, are
unique, being made of yullow llnssla
leather, with a dull finish, giving
them the appoarauoe of calf. llolng
made of a lewther soft in itself, but
having on appeal nnoo of heavy ma
terial, they, are particularly attract
ive iu fancy shoes. Home of these
slippers have a tongue going up on
the instep, with one broad strap clasp
ing over it and fastening with a bow,
little or every large buckle. Large
and elnborate buckles are to be soon
on mauy slippers. Mnuy varieties of
pretty strapped slippors have one,
two, three and four straps. Tho big
buckles necessitate big bows uuder
them or thoy are across the straps of a
threo or four strap slipper. Hhlne
stoiio and out stout buckles are - the
prettiest of all, though a tiny gold
buckle on the too of a slliipor with
sevoi nl straps lias a business liko np
peaiauco thut is attractive. Most of
the cut stool, as well as the rhinostone
buckles are imported and consequent
ly expensive. A pretty buckle is of
gun metal and rhiiiestoues.
Popular slippors are of patent
leather, which always look woll. Mauy
slippers have dilVerent colored heels,
aud many peoplo like them. The high
bee I tho woman with the pretty foot
affeots.nud somo prominent women of
the stage always wear extra high
heels. One well known actress never
wears a beol less thau two aud threo
fourths inches high. The ordinary
heel will measure two incbos; half nil
inch iu a heel is considerable. Tbe
other week several pairs of slioi s and
slippers with heols four incbos high
wore inado in New York for a Hiill'ulo
woman. No one knows how she will
l.e able to walk on them. ,
Slippers made to match gowns are
pretty, but they are -not economical,
for the material, nnless it happens to
be one of the standard satins, blue,
piuk, red nnd yellow, or black or
whito, cannot be relied upon to wear.
When you measure your own foot
for a shoe a dangerous practice ns
ually the shoemaker says, staud on a
piece of paper and draw a line around
the foot, but while sitting, not while,
tun ling. New York Tituos.
Vnslilun'4 Fnncles.
Bolero effects of every kind and
shape aro a special feature of fash
ion. , , .
Both lnrgo shoes nud large glovos
ore worn by tbe smartest maids and
matrons.
Some of tbe block velvet bows for
the hair have pipings of whito satin
stitchod ou ono edge with very good
effect.
Vorv shiny aro the black gauze but
terflies, spotted with cuuuille and
spangles, which can be purchased in
the shops for renovating lust year's
evening bonnet.
Marie Antoinette bats have not gone
out any more tuati uainsboroughs,
ltubeua and Toreadors. The Wagner
is a hat with rather a wide spreading
crown and tho side tilted bums are
seen.
The most beautiful ribbon are
those that aro embroidered. Tbe but
ter Hy is to be found here as every
where and is beautiful, whether it
appears in brilliant colors or in full
tones on a dull ribbon.
Mull' chains are very elegant this
seas.iu nud are wade of alternate links
of gold and enamel in varied flower
forms, with a jeweled charm hanging
at oue side. Auother novelty is a rib
bon with jeweled bugs set at inter
vals. A dainty necktie that cau be made
at home is of a three-inch wide length
of colored or black taffeta, hemmed by
machine on both edges, cut iu points
at both ends. The newest four-iu-bund
is made of raw silk, the portion
about the collar is tucked or corded
into stillness, the ends hemmed aud
stitched.
Theloug-continued reports that ear
rings are coming into fushion again
have become more convincing as they
have increasod in number aud vol
iinio, probably becausejeonstant repeti
tion gives the appearauce of unim
peachable fact, but now they have
bobbed np again with mauy more
evidences of truth. Anyway, oarriuga
are seen ofteuer than tbey were a
year ago, but most of them are of tbe
kind which screw into the ear.
AAAwAAJfc A A sty.
Jfor fi
FARH AND GARDEN
Winter ftstrytn the Thing.
Rtatistlcs tell ns that the estimated
output of butter per day in summer
for the United Htatos is about 0,1)0(1,
000 pounds, aud in winter it amounts
to about 1,000,000 pounds. Hy thin
any farmer or dairy man cnn easily
recognize the ndvnntnges the produc
tion of fresh butter iu winter has over
the summer nrticlc, snd there is no
question at all Hint those who see the
advantage and are acting upon it are
tuuking money.
Itslns SreHilln Tnlntn Hot.
Whenever much rnin falls bofore the
potato crop in dug there is alwnys
more or less rotting of the tubers.
Most or the new varieties set nesr tbe
surface. Whon digging those where
tho mins. lmve wet down to t belli will
usually be found bndly rotted, while
those tbnt have set lower down will
be found entirely sound. Most nil of
our new potatoes are bunched in the
bill and wheu rot attacks one it spreads
very rapidly if the weather is warm
and moist. For this reason potatoes
hould be (tot out early before heavy
rains come, which will carry the
spores of diseaso down to the bottom
of the bill, if the land is well drained,
and none others shotild be iiBod to
grow potatoes on. Deep planting is
much bettor than shallow, as it will
cause fewer potatoes to set near the
surface
Winter Itntlnn for roultty.
Here is Prof. Gilhort's wiuter ra
tion: I'.rati, three pounds; fine foed,
three pounds; corn meal, two pounds,
fed with clovor liny steamed and cut,
adding also a very small quantity of
suit and two or three baudfuls of
coarse sand and fine oyster shells
mixed. Sometimes boiled vegetables
are nsed iu place of the buy. At noou
he gives n light feed of oats aud a
good feed of wheat in the eveuing.
The grain ration is varied as much as
possible. Ho kenps raw vegetables,
including cabbages, carrots and tar
nips, where the hem can peck at them
any time. Professor Gilbert has
charge of the poultry department at
i the Ottawa experiment station, aud
bus done some good work iu bringing
out tbe egg possibilities of bens.
As to giving the salt, this should be
a mutter of personal judgment. Some
successful poultry raisers condemn it
very strongly, while others use it
continually. Those who contemplate
using it shotild do a little experiment
ing. Kerurltia flood Cows.
There is no question at all but tbo
in ist successful way for a dairyman
to soetiro a good liord of cows is to
raise them himself, and then be is
pretty sure to know just what kind of
cows be possesses.
Probably the first thing to do in
order to socitre such a herd as this
would be to take the present herd and
do a large amount of weeding out,
getting rid of the poor ones aud keep
ing only tbe good ones, and thou se
curing a bull that has a record and
belongs to oue of the many recog
nized breeds, and of a breed thut is
particularly suited to your noeds.
Then again, it will bo a part of your
duty to develop heifers as you secure
them. Have them come when about
two years of age, aud do not bring
them iu a se.'oud time until they l en; h
about three aud a bulf years, or allow
about a year aud a half between the
first and second talf.
Do not diy the heifors off because
they do not happen to pay thoir own
wny. This suomiug unprofitableness
will only last a short timo, and you
are all the time paving the way for a
superior milch cow.
FllddllnB Trees llefora Netting.
One of the most holpful things I
ever learned iu horticulture was about
puddling treos and all sorts of plants
before settiug thorn, writes H. K.
Van Dom m in New Knglund Home
stead. The first thing every trans
planted tree or plant must do before
it can grow iu its now location is to
heal the wounds mado upon its roots
aud sturt rootlets through which to
absorb moisture and food from the
oil. The closer and more firmly the
earth is pressed 1 1 thuiu the more
lea ily they cau do this. It takes
time for the parti los of the soil to
'got into as close contact with the
routs as it was in foie transplanting,
n i matter bow well the work is done.
This is whero puddling comes in. The
cost is nothing, except a very little
work. It is doue thus:
Near where the treos or plants are
heeled in, or tbe place where they are
to bo planted, dig it hole about tno
feet iu diameter und one foot deep.
Fill it uearly full of water. Into this
put mellow earth that is partly com
posed of clay, and stir it nntil it is a
mass of thiu, sticky mud. As soon as
the roots are trimmed ready for plant
lug dip them into it bodily. If there
is any delay about planting aud the
mud dries so that it is uot sticky.
puddle them again. Wheu the mel
low soil comes iu contact with those
muddy roots it will stick to them
o'ossly. These who have never tried
this plan cau have no kuowledge of
the good that follows. I puddle al
most every plant that I sot, and find
thut it always pays. Cabbage aud
aweet potato plauts will start iuto new
growth almost without wilting, no
mutter what tho woather may be at
the time.
The Vail f ence.
It is sai l that the day of tbe Vir
ginia worm, or cigzag rail fenoe, has
gone; but there are vast numbers of
those fences left, not only iu Virginia,
bat scattered throughout the entire
country. With every angle of the
SBv
fence filled with weeds, briers, n4
very likely with clumps of poison ivy,
to menace nnwary children, what an
annoyance snch fences are. Mo plow
or cultivator can get at these angles,
and no one can blame the busy farm
er for not grubbing out the weedi
with mattock or boe. He woull
have little time for anything else.
1 lie reined v is for these fences to
give way to tiie march of progress.
Like many other things that were
pnrmlss able in the days of our grand
fathers, they have been superseded.
and the farmer who retains them will
surely be handicapped iu the keen
race of competition. No zigzag fence
should be replaced by Its like, or ev,
renewed. A old ones decay or -b
come useless, put them awav entirely.
and replace with straight fences ol
boards or wire. This will do away
with the annual weed-seeding of the
farm, give more land for cultivation,
and impart to the whole place a clean
er and more thrifty apponrance.,
If for sale, such a farm will com
maud 25 per cent. more thnu Us neigh'
hor of the r.igng field boundaries.
And it does not matter bow much
land I hero mny be. Kvon though the
fence comer angles' are not needed
lor cultivation, the annual renewing
of the weed harvest will mean at least
one-third nddiliotinl nvtiAnsn in work
ing Hie legitimate corps, just kept&i
weeds from rlponlng seed (6r a fw
seasons and judge for yourself.
frank u. rJweet in the Epitoinist.
Select Good Mead for Planting.
We know that a great deal has been
said abont selecting good seed for
planting, but the farmer needs a great
deal of admonition along this line.
It is alarming to notice bow indif
ferent the majority of the farmers are
about their planting seed. Nearly
every farmer depends npon someone
else to improve sotton and corn, and
be will buy tbe seed for bim, or plant
a very inferior qualitv of seed. No
one can realize, untif be tries it, the
difference there is in the yield be
tween good seed and poor eed,
and each planter can, with but little
extra trouble, work bis cotton aud '
corn np to the highest staudard . to '
quality of its kind.
The time to select your seed cotton
and corn is in the fnll while it is In
the field. Then you can seleot the
very best, with bnt little ' trouble,
otherwise-yon will be troubled in de
termining the best, and will have to
guess at the most of it.
Bofore you go in the field to gather
your corn take a ssok and go over your
corn and select stalks that are devel
oped best, and have two good ears on
them. Men differ as to which ear is
the better, but I thiuk the bottom
one. By this method you will have
the best ears iu your field, and will
increase your yield anywhere from 25
to 50 per cent. . But you must do this
every year, or your seed will "run
out," if you will allow the expres
sion. Before yon have picked yonr cotton
go ovor the ootton, seloct the very
best stalks you can find. If there ia
not but fifty or oue hundred of tbem,
murk them in some way, and after
about oue-li!ilfof the bulbs are opened,
pick' them. Or, if your cotton is
pretty well opened before yon pick,
you can take your sack with you and
pick the best balls of each stalk after
you have sele .-ted it This mast be
done early every year, and by so do'
ing you will iucrease the yield of yonr
cotton wouderftilly. If every farmer
would select the best seeds, reduce
the aoreage and increare bis fertilizer,
be will be astonished at the result. '
The above are not merely suggestions,
but is the actual experience of the
writer. W. B. Lansing, in Home and
Farm,
Poultry Note.
Ground grains should be nsed as e
inoruiug or noon feed, with whole
grain at night.
Fggs gatherod from yards wbere
there is no male will keep very much
longer than with one.
If grease is put on the chicks' beads
to kill lice let only n drop be used a
it will spread rapidly and too much
may prove fatal.
Dry quarters for fowls, both old
and young, are necessary to igorons
stock. Many losses come from damp
roosting places und protracted rainy
spells, which causa wet yards.
A gaping chick is not always afflicted
with g.tpe worms in the wiud pipe bnt
will ijkii e often be found to have a se
vere case of canker sore throat, whioh.
is cuiised by dampness and cold.
All honor to the faithful hen that
furnishes sugar to sweeten the farm
ers' c.iiioe uu. I co tie 3 to be sweetened,
baby lin3U for tho prattling babe aud
pin money for the faithful house
wife.' It is never wise to buy breeding
stock at the beginning of the breeding
season. Buy it before, so that it will
have become nsnd to its new surround
ings before the breeding season coiu
meures. Ono authority says that a
fowl ihould be wfapped in
paper, packed iu a neat box
baled, instead of being bnug
dressed
paraffin
and la-
np, ev
posed a id thrown about as if it were
of no cousoquence.
Crop bound fowls usually have ac
cess to some coarse material which
they swallow but are unable to pas
from the crop to the gizard. Itussiau
sunflower seed, bay aud oats are of
tliia order and wheu eaten alone usual
ly cause trouble.
Eggs may be kept fresh and nice
until midwiuter or spriug by packing
iu suit iu an earthen vessel aud ator
ing iu a cool cellar. Stand the egge
little end down. While the cellar er
bouse in which tho eggs are stor'el
should be cool, It should not be dainfV
If damp enough to. slightly melt thsKJ
. i .1. - . :n I ... . . . i .
uv eaiuo sin UDDOKBll llie egg
and render (hem ujufit for ate.
ill J
ien
ice