Twently-flve of the counties of Georgia were named for men who had oeen Governors of the State, all of Ante*war times. A suggestion from Tennessee, that the body of General Sam. Houston be removed thither for reinterment, hn s arouserl indiguant aud vehement pro lests in Texas. A calamity has fallen upon Boston, and soon an appeal for pecuniary aid may be expected. The calamity is without precedent in that city, al though it is common enough in some other places. There are 3000 children without a school in which to say their lessons, and all because the funds of the School Board have run out and necessary repairs cannot be made on the school buildings. The wealth of Greater New York is almost beyond belief. Its real estate and personal property are assessed at the enormous, the almost inconceiv able sum of $2,800,000,000. Compare this with the assessted value of all the property in the richest States of the Union, as follows: Massachusetts, $2,- 154,000,000; Pennsylvania, 82,660,* 000,000; Ohio, $1,778,000,000, and Illinois. 8810,000,000. The French War Department ha l>egun a series of experiments with horseless carriages to test their value in time of war. A number of engi neers are engaged in testing them in every way, going off the public roads into lanes and by-paths or across plowed lields. Very full notes are taken as to the consumption of oil or essence speed attained, aud all the slight incidents of the route. "Build your own boat!" is the in* struefciou given to Klondike explorers who would cross some of the waters that intervene between them and the gold fields. In one seuse every man is obliged in this world not only to "paddle his own eanoc," hut also to build his own boat. There are some things that each human being must do for himself. Free transportation across life's difficult stretches cannot be expected to be always at hand. In dividual enterprise is continually called for. Tho Philadelphia Record says in regard to Thomas A. Edison's latest project that it is a discovery in the Hcieuce of economics. Whether or not his particular operations at Edison, N. J., upon which lie has expended a fortune of about $2,000,000 shall suc ceed or fall, enough is known of his work to enable us to predict that it aid revolutionize future methods of blasting mountains, handling rock, roncentrating low grade ore aud pro '.luciug a marketable product by auto matic appliances, using nature's forces : n the moat economical fashion. Never before has a new experiment been andertaken upon such a gigantic scale, And the very nature of the problem compelled its treatment in this whole wale manner. The Boston Herald thinks it is singu lar that in the search for a parallel to the death of Henry George the in stance of Daniel Webster has not been mentioned. There is no perfect par allel to Mr. George's death. Some of ;mr exchanges have gone so far as that jf Horace Greeley to seek it, though Mr. Greeley died after the voting was all over. Daniel Webster died at the height of the campaign of 1852, when there was a ticket of electors in nomi nation for him in Massachusetts, to which he had assented, if not as a test uf his strength, with a view to lessen ing the vote of the regular Whig can didate for the Presidency. He was uot living when the vote was taken, but the ticket was kept in the field, and was supported by those who put it there, after his death. The New York Tribune thinks it is certainly something of a tribute to American educational institutions and scholars that when, some years ago, a graduate of Harvard went to Oxford and applied for admittance there to make a special study of Shakespeare for a year, he was told: "Go back to Harvard and Professor Child. They ran teach you far more there than we ran here." It seems, however, that this opinion had been expressed be fore, even at a time when Harvard and American colleges had not nearly at* iftined their present standard, for the elder Edward Everett, in a letter dated is far back as 1818, said, writing from Jxford: "I have been over two months iu England, and am now visit* :ug Oxford, having passed a week in Cambridge. There is more teaching ind more learning in our American Cambridge than there is in both the English universities together, though let ween them they have four times hit number of students." THE PATH ACROSS THE FIELDS. Around mo was the beauty] - Which only summer yields, The shadow of thetwoodlanil, The bounty of the fields. The tfb'nni of shining waters. The murmur of the sea - The varied book of Nature, All opened wide for y-.tl Amid those scenes of bawury I spied a pathway ther, All ilowerless and dusty. All hard and brown and baro. No dainty gown swept over. No foot in dalliance strayed Along cho narrow limit The trend of Toil had made. |THE BLUEDRYAD.J •VA. ggs? TOFFLESwas her name, a familiar abbreviation, and jGgwl Mephistophel e an was h® l ' nature. She had all the *y\ A usna l v i° es the KfBT (J \w\ feline tribe, in j)))]))l hiding a double M9JB portion of those which men are so fond of describing as feminine. Vain, indolent, selfish, with a highly cultivated taste for lux ury and neatness in her personal ap pearance, she was distinguished by all those little irritating habits and traits for which nothing but an affectionate heart—a thing conspicuous by its ab sence—can atone. We live in a comfortable old fash ioned house facing the highroad. I say we, but in fact for spine months I had been alone, and my husband had just returned from one of his sporting and scientific expeditions in South America. He had already won fame as a naturalist, aud had succeeded in bringing home alive quite a variety of beasts, usually of the reptile order, j whose extreme rarity seemed to be a merciful provision of nature. But all his previous triumphs were complete ly eclipsed, I soon learned, by the capture alive, on this Inst expedition, of an abominably poisonous snake, ! known to those who knew it as the Blue Dryad, or more familiarly, in backwoods slang, as the "half-hour striker," in vague reference to its malignant aud fatal qualities. This precious reptile was destined for the Zoological Gardens. Being in extremely delicate health at the time, I need hardly say that I knew nothing of these grewsome de tails until afterward. Henry (that is my husband), after entering my room with a robust and sunburned appear ance that did my heart good, merely observed—as soon as we had exchanged greeting—that he had brought home a pretty snake which "wouldn't do tho .slightest harm"—an evasive assurance which I accepted as became tho ner vous wife of an enthusiastic naturalist. I believe I insisted on its not coming into the house. Fortunately the weather was very hot, so that it was decided that the Blue Dryad, wrapped in flannel and securely confined in a basket, should he left in the sun and the farthest corner of the veranda, dur ing the hour or so in the afternoon when my husband had t to visit the town on busiuess. Ho had gone off with a cousin of mine, an officer of Engineers in India, stationed, I think, at Lahore, and home on leave. I remember that tl.ey were a long time, or what seemed to me a long time, over their luncheon; and the last remark of our guest as he came out ol' the dining-room remained in my head as oven meaningless words will run in the head of any idle in valid shut up for the most of tho day in a silent room. What he said was, in the positive tone of one emphasiz ing a curious and surprising statement, "D'you know, by the way, it's the one animal that doesn't care a rap for the cobra." And, my husband seeming to express disbelief and a desire change the subject as they entered my boudoir, "It's a holy fact! Goes for it, so smart! Has the beggur on toast before yon can say Mack Robinson!'" Tho observation did not interest me, I but simply ran in my head. Then j they came into my room, only for a few moments, as I was not to be tired. The engineer tried to amuse Stoffies, j who was seized with such a fit of mor- J tal boredom that he transferred his at- i tentions to Ruby, the Gordon setter, a devoted and inseparable friend of mine, under whose charge I was short- ' ly left as they went out. I suppose I may have been asleep for ten minutes or so when I was awakened by the noise of Ruby's heavy body jumping out through the open window. Feeling restless and seeing me asleep, he had imagined himself entitled to a short spell offj guard. Had the door not been osten sibly latched he would have made his way out by it, being thoroughly used to open doors and such tricks—a ca pacity which, iu fact, proved fatal to him. That it was unlatched I saw in t few moments, for the dog on his re turn forced it open with a push and trotted up in a disturbed manner to my bedside. 1 noticed a tiny spot of blood on the black side of his nose, ami naturally supposed he had scratched himself n gainst a bush or a piece of wire. "Ruby," I said, "what have you been doing?" Then he whined as if in pain, crouching close to my side and shaking in every limb. I should say that I was myself lying with a shawl over my feet on a deep sofa with a high back. I turned to look at Stoffies, who was slowly per ambulating the room, looking for fiies and other insects—her favorite amusement on the wainscot. When I glanced again at the dog, his appearance filled me with But weary men and women At morii and eve did pass Beside the way unshaded. Amid tho sunburnt grnss; Their step was slow and heavy, Their garments bore tho soil Of the hard world's grim work-day— They walked tho way of Toil. So elose against our pleasure Is the undertone of Care, Of those who, all unsheltered, The hent aud burden bear. And thu fair summer memory Sweet harvest to me yields, Yet ever lives the picture Of the path across the fields! Harper's Bazar. horror; he was standing, from pain, swaying from side to sid e and breathing hard. As I watched* his body grew more and more rigid. With his eyes fixed on the half-open door, he drew back as if from the ap proach of some dreaded object, raised his head with a pitiful attempt at a bark, which broke off* into a stilled howl, rolled over sideways suddenly, and lay dead. The horrid stiffness of the body, almost resembliug a stuffed creature overset, made me believe that he had died as he stood, close to my side, perhaps meaning to defend me. Unable to resist the unintelligible idea that the dog had been frightened to death, I followed the direction of his last gaze, and at first saw nothing. The next moment I observed round the corner of the veranda door a small, dark aud slender object, swaying gently up and down like a dry bough in the wiud. It had passed right into the room with the same slow, regular motion before I realized what it was and what had happened. My poor, stupid Ruby must have nosed at the basket on the verauda till lie succeeded somehow in opening it, aud have been bitten in return for iiis pains by the abominable beast which 1 now saw angrily rearing its head and hissing fiercely at the dead dog within three yards of my face. I am not one of those women who jump on chairs or tables when they see a mouse, but I have a constitu tional horror of the most harmless reptiles. Watching the Blue Dryad as it glided across the patch of sun light streaming in from the open win dow, and knowing what it was, I con fess to being as nearly frightened out of my wits as I ever hope to be. I simply dared not speak or move a lin ger for fear of attracting the beast's attention to myself. Suddenly, Stof lles, weary of patting Hies and spiders on the back, appeared gently purring on the back of the sofa. StolHes, as I have said, was inordi nately vain and self-conscious. Stalk ing along the top of the sofa back and bearing erect the bushy banner of her magnificent tail, she looked the most ridiculous creature imaginable. She had proceeded half way on this pil grimage toward me, wo i suddenly, with the rapidity of lightning, as her ear caught the sound of the hiss and her eyes fell upon the Blue Dryad, her whole civilized ''play-acting" de meanor vanished, and her body stif fened and contracted to the form of a watchful wild beast with the ferocious and instinctive antipathy to a natural enemy blazing from its eyes. In one light bound she was on the floor in a compressed, defensive attitude, with all four feet close together, near, but not too near, the unknown but (dearly hostile intruder; and to my surprise the snake turned and made off toward the window. StolHes trotted lightly after, obviously interested in its method of locomotion. Then she made a long arm and playfully dropped a paw upon its tail. The snake wrig gled free in a moment, and coiling its whole length, some three and a half feet, fronted this new antagonist. At the very first moment, I need hardly say, I expected that one short stroke of that little pointed head against the cat's delioate body would quickly have settled everything. But one is apt to forget that a snake can move but slowly and awkwardly over a smooth Hurface, such as a tiled or wooden tioor. A snake that "darts" when it has nothing secure to hold on by, only overbalances itself. This par ticular reptile, perhaps by some iu stinct, now wriggled itself 011 to a large and thick fur rug about twelve feet square, upon which arena took place the extraordinary contest that fol lowed. The audacity of the cat astonished me from the first. I have no reason to believe she had ever seen a snake before, yet by a sort of instinct she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. As the Dryad raised its head, with glittering eyes and forked tongue, .StolHes crouched with both front paws in the air, sparring as I had seen her do sometimes with a large moth. The first round passed so swiftly that mor tal eye could hardly see with distinct ness what happened. The snake made a dart, and the cat, all claws, two rapid blows at its advancing head. The first missed, but the second I could see came home, as the brute, shaking its neck and head, withdrew further into the rug. But Stofiles crept after it, with an air of attractive carelessness which was instantly re warded. A full two feet of the Dryad's body straightened like a black arrow, and seemed to strike right into the fury side of its antagonist—seemed, I say, to slow-going human eyes; but the latter shrank, literally fell back, collapsing with such suddenness that she seemed to have turned herself in side out, and became the mere skin, of n cat. As the serpent recovered itself, she pounced 011 it like lightning, driy | iug at least half a dozen claws well home, and then, apparently realizing that she had not a good enough hold, I sprang lightly into the air from off the ! body, alighting about a yard off. j There followed a minute of sparring in | tho air; the snake seemingly half , afraid to strike, the cat waiting on its every movement. Now the poisonous snake when pro- j yoked is ail irritable animal, and the next attack of the Dryad, maddened I by the scratchings of puss and its own unsuccessful exertions, was so furious, . and so clcse to myself, that I shud dered for the result. I could not have left my position on the sofa without almost treading upon Stoffles, whose bristling back was not a yard from my feet. At last, I thought—as the Blue Dryad, for one second coiled close as a black silk cable, sprang out the next as straight and sharp as the piston-rod of an engine—this lump of feline vanity and conceit is done for, and—l could not help thinking—it will probably be my turn next! Little did I appreciate the resources of Stoffles, who without a change in her vigilant pose, without a wink of her fierce green eyes, sprang backward and upward 011 to the top ol me, and there confronted the enemy calmly as ever, sitting, if you please, upon my feet! Trembling all over with fright, 1 could not but observe that she wag trembling, tao —with rage. The lasi act rapidly approached, and no more strategic catastrophe was ever seen. For a snake, as everybody knows, naturally rears its head when fight ing. In that position, though one may hit it with a stick, it is extremely difficult, as this battle had shown, to get hold of. Now, as the Dryad, curled to a capital S, quivering and hissing, advanced for the last time to the charge, it was bound to strike across the edge of the sofa on which ] lay, at the head of Stoffies, which van ished with a juggling celerity that would have dislocated the collar-bone of any other animal in creation. From such an exertion the snake recovered itself with an obvious effort, quick beyond question, but not nearly quick enough. Before I could well see that it had missed its aim, Stoffles had launched out like a spring released, and, burying eight or ten claws in the back of its enemy's head, pinned it down against the stiff cushion of the sofa. The tail of the agonized rep tile flung wildly in the air and flapped on the arched bacli of the imperturba ble tigress. The whiskered muzzle of Stoffles dropped quietly, and hex teeth met once, twice, thrice, like the needle and hook of a sewing machine in the neck of the Bine Dryad; and when, after much deliberation, she let it go, the beast fell into a limp tangle on the floor. When I saw that the thing was really dead, I believe I must have fainted. Coining to myself, I heard hurried step! and voices. "Great heavens!" my husband was screaming, "where has the brute got to?" "It's all right," said the engineer; "just you come and look here, old man. Commend me to the coolness of that cat. After the murder of your priceless specimen, here's Stoffie3 cleaning her fur in one of her serenest attitudes." From the gland of the beast, as I afterward learned, they extracted enough poison to be the death of twenty full grown human beings. Tightly clasped between its minute teeth was found a few long hairs, late the prop erty of Stoffles.—G. H. Powell, in "Animal Episodes and Studies in Sen sation." The Strangest Sight. What, is tho strangest sight I ever saw? A sand-hill crane dance on the shore of the Indian River in Florida. There were ten birds of the average size and one overgrown fellow. The latter acted as master of ceremonies. In fact, he led the dance, even as 'Lish Dyer leads in New York. Eight formed into a square, making four couples, and all the figures of the quadrille were presented. They went forward and back, swung partners, crossed over, "chased" in superb style, bowed to partners, right-and lefted to places, and, indeed, went through the entire performance in a weird and ghostlike manner. Once in awhile the two odd chaps would slip into the centre and execute a flourish, which the master of ceremonies sud denly terminated with a vicious flap of the wings, driving the intruders back to their places as wall flowers. Could anything funnier be imagined? The saud-hill crane is four feet long, with a wing-spread of seventy or seventy-two inches. Its legs are like pipe stems, three feet in length, and loosely jointed about the middle. It was a dance never to be forgotten, and was worth going all the way to Florida to see. The birds wore uni forms of leaden-gray. —New York Press. KuleidoHcopic Money. In Washington, Treasury officials are discussing kaleidoscopic money. The idea comes from Australia, where the bills of different denominations are different colors. Secretary Gage ex amined a new design for a $1 note which will be green. Designs for other notes have not been completed, but suggestions are coming in fact. Among them are to put the $2 bills in pink, the si> in blue, to indicate that feeling when they're gone; the $lO iu red flame color, as showing tho possessor has money to burn; the S2O in rich royal purple, the SSO in stripes as a warning that the petty larceny limit has been overstepped, and the SIOO notes in luxurious cream color. A Wonderful Star. Professor Simon Neweomb, in speak ing of the wonderful star called "1830 Groombridge," says its velocity is about 200 miles a second, and that "so far as our knowledge goes, there is no foroe iu nature that could ever set it in motion at such a rate, and no foroO that can ever bring it to a pause." I-adies as Ship Masters. Lady Ernestine Brudenell-Brueehas forwarded some correspondence which has passed between herself and the Board of Trade with reference to an application recently made by her to be examined for a yacht master'a certifi cate. On August 11 last Mr. Howell, the Assistant Seoretary to the Board, wrote that the admission of ladies to examination for certificates of com petency is not contemplated by tile regulations, and that the Board regret that they cannot permit a lady to be examined for yacht master's certificate. To this her ladyship replied that, as the certificate is purely voluntary and only entitles her to command her own property, she would submit that the position was somewhat different to her applying for an ordinary certificate of competency to enable her to serve in any ship, and therefore she consid ered it unfair to be dqjaarred by rea- BOU of her sex from obtaining a certifi cate which could not beof any pecuni ary benefit Jto herself, and the non possession of which would not prevent her from holding command of her yacht. Mr. Howell having again de clared the inability of the Board to give effect to Lady Ernestine's wishes, the latter replied to the effect that, as there is no rule or regulation which stipulates that a lady may not present herself for examination, she would he obliged if the Board would favor her with their reasons for refusing to al low her to obtain the voluntary certifi cate for yacht master; and on Septem ber 7 the Board of Trade replied, stat ing that they had always considered and held that a master's certificate clearly implies that it is confined to men.—London Times. Mary Anderson HH a Singer. Madame de Navarro, who is none other than our beautiful American actress, Mary Anderson, of former days, recently participated as a vocal ist in a concert nt the sleepy old Eng lish village of Broadway, iu the Cots wolds, where she lives. Hence the rumor, wholly unsubstantiated, of her intention to re-enter publio life as a singer. At Broadway Miss Anderson has a congenial friend and neighbor in Miss Maude Valerie White, the composer, who has taken great inter est in the development of the actress' singing voice—a full and deep con tralto flexible and of fine timbre. When Miss White organized her con cert at the Lygou Arms—an antique hostlery with memories of King Charles and Cromwell—-Miss Ander son readily consented to assist. The brilliant crowd of country gentry, loyal Broadwayites and enthusiastic Americans who attended expected to make due allowance for an amateur, hut the fair singer treated them to a genuino surprise. "Here," says the London Sketch, reporting the event, "was dramatic fire, variety of ex pression, and above all, a deep sense of musical propriety. The applause was as sincere [as it seemed grate ful to the singer. No need to ask whether Madame de Navarro was pleased. Her face told the tale. In her dress of pale green silk, graceful and lissom as of yore, she looked as young as when she first captivated England's heart as Perdita or Juliet, The face of the successful artist is seldom entirely pleasing when in re pose; there is almost invariably a spoiled, selfish look, some suggestion of pettishness or regret. But Miss Auderson is unspoiled by her success, and one may verily believe that her self-imposed seclusion has brought with it no benrt-burnings. She lives between her domestic enres, the de lights of social life, and the consola tions of the little chapel, whose altar she is as proud to adorn as she was that of the Ursnline convent at Lou isville in her girlhood days. "—Leslie's Weekly. To Crown Fair Faces. Large wide Kubens hats of black velvet, with broad drooping black os trich feathers on crown and brim are very effective accompaniments to cos tumes of black velvet. Toques and bonnets are, of course, always iu order for. the no longer youthful. In the trimming of some of the new round hats, the velvet has been gath ered, and then the gathering threads cut, while the puckers still remain in the velvet. As to ribbon trimmings, the new styles are black and colored velours, also the basket-work weaviugs in self colors. Some ribbons have the sur face well co- ered with Oriental bro cades, and shot glace ribbons with borders are to be seen abundantly. Striped velvets, bright silk plaids, chenille and seqnins also figure exten sively in the decoration of hats. Various shades of red and cerise still hold popular favor, and we have become so used to seeing this brilliant color in millinery, that itf no longer attracts undue attention. Some French round hats of sunburnt straw —like ecru Milan—are trimmed with wreaths of Jacqueminot roses and foliage, with high loops of wide satin ribbon in the same rich red. Others of dark reseda straw are bound and trimmed with velvet of amaranth red, and with clusters of velvet damask roses without foliage. Birds andfeathersl Yes, thousands of them, despite the "bird law." Birds of all sizes, from the turtledove to the blackbird, are ÜBed, and* when too large to be put on entirely, the head is combined with artificial wings. All kinds of feathers find a place— dnck and cook feathers, wings of swal low and owl, feathers of parrots, blackbirds, pheasants, and, above all, ostrich plumes. The price of the lat ter advances continually, a sure proof of the demand for the article. The winter models show full amnzones iu unheard-of lengths. They are put on ly n g full length, or partly around the crown, or drooping over the brim. Ostrich plume tips are enriched with all kinds and sizes of spangles. Where the brim is broad enough a long feather boa mny be used instead of a plume. These boas nre iu several colors, black, white, silver gray, white and gray, white and black, castor and beige. The last two tints are very fashionable.—The Housewife. ttoialp. Women are wearing more aud more mannish haberdashery every day, and they are buying it at the men's stores. David Bles, a noted painter of Hol land, has just completed a portrait of young Queen Wilhelmina, who poses in her'robes of state. The autumn is the season of federa tion meetings. The Inst Pennsylvania State Federation meeting was a gath ering of fifty odd clubs. A most enthusiastic yachtswoman is the Marchioness of Londonderry, who has her own little boat on Carlingford Lough, which she often sails herself. The Princess of Wales's favorite flower is the lily of the valley, and the largest grower of these flowers in Great Britain has his gardens near Sandringham. The Denver Woman's Club is wrest ling with the question of ways and menus to raise funds for the auditorium it is to build, probably with the aid of the "button scheme," the sale of lapel buttons. Miss Marie McXaughton, whose mother was born in Akron, N. Y., is French translator to the Bureau of Amerieau Bepublics in Washington. The position pays her a salary of $2500 a year. There are ten 'young ladies in the present Cabinet circle. The Postmas ter-General has three daughters in so ciety, the Attorney-General has three and Secretaries Long, Bliss, Alger and Wilson One each. The Baroness Burdett-Coutts has the absolute disposal of her property with the exception of her share in Contts's banking house. This large slice of her fortune will ultimately pass to her nephew, Mr. Money. "Gyp," the Parisian authoress, who is really Countess of Mirabeau, a great-grauduiece of tho Mirabeau of French Bevolutiou fame, has just bought the old Chateau de Mirabeau, near Aix, built in 1568 by the founder of the house of Mirabeau. The Baroness de Hirseli has re cently given SIOOO to the Sunday-school of the Hand to Hand congregation, of New York City; S2OOO to the Russian night school in Baltimore, S6OOO to the Lebanon Hospital and SIOO to the Jewish Maternity Hospital, of Phila delphia. The Connecticut chapters of the Daughters of tho American Revolution have undertaken to rescue by purchase Putnam's "Wolf Den" property in Pomfret, and to make it a public park. The movement was started by the Elizabeth Porter Putnam Chapter, of Putnam. Golf accessories nre constantly in creasing in number aud variety. A pretty little golf scorebook is covered with leather, the natural color, and having designs of golf clubs and balls burned iu it. Bonbon dishes are of cut glass, with a silver edge, and the I tongs are pretty little silver golf clubs. Fashion Note*. Long Irons are fashioned at the neck and belt with jeweled pins in the form of a clasp. Narrow ruches of lace are supersed ing the black chiffon frills used to edge collars, epaulets aud re vers. Aluminum gray, red plum and ab bess violet, which is a mixture of blue and violet, nre fashionable colors. This is to be a fur season for both the tots and the grown-ups, whou all kinds of furs will be worn, either us entire wraps or as garnitures. Plumage trimmings and feathers are much in evidence, and there is a de mand for tufts of osprey, aigrettes and the beautiful tails of birds of para dise. In novelty" hosiery, plaids are con spicuous. The quality is exceedingly fine, and according to hosiery importers the demand for high-grade goods was never greater. To produce an appearance of slendcr ness where it does not exist, and to emphasize slimness where it is natural, appears to be the aim of all dress makers at present. Color combinations in millinery are somewhat quaint, but very pleasing. A dark blue velvet hat has plumes of sil ver gray, with fans of velvet in blue, aud an aigrette in gray and white. Feathers of all sorts are used and made up into plnmsge, and birds are among the most popular trimming. The birds nre in all sizes,some of them extremely large; indeed, there are those that appear to be almost the size of an ordinary barnyard fowl. AGRICULTURAL TOPICS. Keeping Hubbard Squash. To keep Hubbard squash perfectly, a dry room should be secured, where the temperature can qe kept always above freezing. Dryness is even more important than warmth. Squash quickly mildew and rot when exposed to moist air either cold or warm. Neat Foot Oil. Many farmers when they butcher a cow throw away the hoofs as worth less. They ought always to be used to make neats foot oil. Put them in a kettle with plenty of water and boil until all the oil is extracted. A set of four feet will usually make a pint of the oil, which should be skimmed from the surface as it rises in boiling. —Boston Cultivator. To Destroy Caterpillars. A farmer writes to an agricultural paper: Every year I hear of caterpil lar s destroying whole orchards and there is nothing so easy to dispose of. I bore a hole in the tree deep enough to reach the sap, lill it with sulphur and plug it up. The sap takes the sulphur to every branch and twig and the caterpillars disappear at once. I have never known a tree to be injured by it and have used it for years. Buying Weeds With Hay. A great deal of hay is sent to market full of weeds. While it is true that some of these, as the white daisy when cut early, will be eaten, there is no weed that grows in meadows that has the nutrition which liny has, and many weeds are positively injurious. The worst of feediug weeds with hay is that many of the weeds have seeded, and when they go into the manure pile they go wherever the manure pile is carried. Cheaper Than Stable Manure. Professor H. E. Van Deinan says in the Philadelphia Record that a crop of clover or cow peas plowed under every two or three years in tho orchard will stimulate growth sufficiently, and as it would take twenty loads of stable manure per acre to do tho same the former is the cheaper. He thinks also that 600 pounds each of muriate of potash and dissolved bone or phos phate rock per acre should be applied. But this will not be necessary every year until an orchard is bearing heavy crops and shows signs of impoverish ment. I'lg* Need Sunlight. A young pig is much like a flower; it must have plenty of sunlight to make it- develop and grow into useful ness. Many a flue litter has been Beriously injured for the lack of it. A writer in Wallace's Parmer makes the following sensible remarks: "Where farmers have a hog house in whichja number of brood sows are having their litters, we advise putting in cheap sash on the south side, which can be done every easily aud, at present prices, at small cost. A brood sow should never be allowed to produce a litter in a dark place. The north side of a building is 110 place for her at all. Choose the south side, or the east if nothing better can bo ddfie, and let there be plenty of glass windows to admit the sunlight. In the summer time these windows can be removed and their place taken by some kind of screen, or, if nothing better, a coarse gunuy sack, which will admit the air and keep out the flies if pigs are to be kept in the building. A little atten tion to this matter of light will save plenty of money and prevent sorious disappointment." Heavy Me.iU the Better. The Year Book of the United States Department of Agriculture for 1897, now being distributed, contains an im portant paper 011 tho supremacy of large, heavy seed which commends it self to the careful consideration of every farmer desirous of increasing his crop yields. The experiments with heavy and light seed of various grains and vegetables 011 which this paper is based demonstrated very strikingly the superiority of tho plump, sound, heavy seed. The plant and root de velopment of the young seedling from heavy seeds was larger, more uniform aud better in every way than from light seeds. The seedlings from heavy seeds always showed more vigor than those from light seeds. In the experiments with barley, for instance, four different sizes and weights of grains were taken, and corresponding gradations were noted iu the seed lings therefrom. This interesting paper concludes with the statement that numerous investigators, both in this country and in Europe, have found that heavy seed wheat, oats, etc., produce heavier crops in tho field than lighter seed of the same variety sown under similar conditions; and there seems no room for doubt that, in the majority of cases at least, the se lection of large or heavy seed will re pay the planter for all the money ex pended. Cannon Ball Fired In 1813. Edwin S. Hunt, of Essex, Conn., has a cannon ball which was found where the old Saybrook fort was once located, just north of the Valley Rail road station at Saybrook Point. The ball was fired from a British ship iu the river during the War of 1812. A Curious Stone. One of the most curious stones in the world is fonnd in Finland. It is a natural barometer, and actually fore tells probable chauges in the weather. It turns blaok shortly before an ap proaching rain, while in fine weathei it is mottled with spots of white. /. Itapld Communication. The Greenwich Observatory has been put into telegrapliio communica tion with that of the McGill College,' Montreal, and the signals can be flashed between the two places, a distance of 3300 milei, in three-quarters of >
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers