iVu i ..... ..• 1.1 Uieut .britinu
have begun to attract attention such
as they have uti* received in a lung
lime, says Harold Ft c leric.
F.r.ssia it; -aid to hive crowded Eng
laud out >i the I'owery kingdom; but
it is hardly i r>- able. John Bull has
planted his Ret i.i that China shop,
audit will require something more
than diploma-y to remove him.
The butchers and meat dealers of
Berlin complain that $7,004,000 worth
of men's were imported into Germany
in 189G, princij ally from the United
States and at prices with which thev
are unable to cjnipate. Tliey there
fore petition the government to open
the frontiers t > the free importation
of animals an 1 meats from European
countries, and to restrict by all prac
ticable means the import of meats |
from Aineiica, which is steadily in
creasing fioni year to year. Even in !
the matter of apples the Yankees have !
seized the market, and last year there
were landed a: the single port of
Hamburg before November 18, 04,-
538 barrels. In short, American com- ,
petition is now spoken of in Europe j
as the "transatlantic danger."
Tht, latest advices from Pekia
brought new stories illustrating the
arrogance of the Europoan govern- ;
ments in their treatment of China. ;
Until recently all business with for- !
eigu nations was transacted at the
tsung-liyamen, and the members of
the diplomatic corps visited that place i
almost daily whenever they had busi- i
ness with the government. But the j
German minister compelled Weng
Tung Ho, Chang Yen Yuen and other j
members of the ya.ueu to come to his
legation for the purpose of discussing \
the demands of the kaiser's govern- J
meut for indemnity for the death of |
the Jesuit missionaries and other I
makers relating to the occupation of j
Kiao-Chou. This is the first time j
such lrumilla ion has ever been im- j
po°el. J
Two years ng > a Kansas colony con- i
fisting cf about a dozen persons sold .
out all their property and set forth 1
with the proceeds to the Holy Land, |
for the purpose of rebuilding Jerusa- ,
leiu in preparation for the second
coming of Christ. The fund all told i
consist cl of about SIO,OOO, and it
must have required faith as a grain of (
mustard seed to believe that such a
sum would be sufficient to make the ;
towers i f imi erial .Salem again rise
crowned with light and restore the
sp.endors of Solomon's Temple. The
experiment ha% of course, turned out
n failure, announces the New York
Tribune, and the colonists are to re
turn to Kansas, leaving Jerusalem to
its natural processes of growth and
decay, as th y ought to have done
from the l e.iuiiin.. In starting life
over again in the homes they aban
doned they are not likely to find the
experience acquired in their pious ex
ile worth anything like the money it j
cost them.
4**' ;
rays the Chicago Drovers' Journal:
The ten lency to feed cattle and not
raise them is growing more popular
with the farmers of the middle west !
every year. This is a short cut to
quirk retains, and save 3 about two ,
ye..:o' iL.e. Of course somebody has
to mi e the otock cattle, bu'. as this
part of the in 1 .st:y can bo carried on
more cheaply on the big ranches,
farmers who raise corn prefer to let
them have a monopoly on the breed
ing and raising end of it. The num
ber of range cattle that are being fe l
oi corn eadi wintzr is growing
raj idly. Thi■* fact is just as notice
able with sheep as with tattle, for
naturally the same conditions and re
sults obtain.
The revised figures showing the ex
tent of the Ameri an grain crop for
the past year have just been given
out by the Unite 1 States department
of agriculture. The acreage devoted
to the six principal cereals, viz.: corn,
wheat, oats, iy, barley and buck
wheat, aggregated 150.431,105 acres,
while the total amount of grain pro
duced aggregated 3,040,922,822 bush
els. The value of the entire crop is
estimated at $1,121,295,762. In de
tail the figures showing the amount of
each cereal pro<lnced, together with
acreage and valuation, are as follows:
Acres. bushel Value.
Torn, 80,09",011 1.902,967.993 f 501.072.952
Wheat, 89,465.06 > 689.141.164 425.517.i21
Oats, 25,730.375 6'Js.7U7,VOJ 147,974,719
llye. 1,703,561 27.3;3,!J34 12,239.040
Barley, 2,719.116 f0.G55.127 25,142.13.)
Buck wh't 717.936 14.9. <7.451 6,819.138
Total, 160,431.105 3.0}. i t 1.121.295,762
While the figures represent but lit
tle profit to the individual farmers
s attered over the Unite 1 States, they,
nevertheless serve to indicate the sur
passing magnitude of the country,
which is capable oi producing harvests
in such abundance.
YALIJi OF UOUD KOADS.
IMPORTANT FACTS FOR RURAL COM.
MUNITIES TO CONSIDER.
Conclusion, of l'rnfpftsor Lntta of 1-iir.luo
| I riivcislty, IniUnna, as fntlic Monetary
! north of Improved Highway, to I nrui
j er. A Most Convincing Statement.
The following paper upon "The
Value of Good Roads to Farmers" was
written by Professor Latta of Purdue
university, Indiana: That good roads
i have a money value to farmers will be
granted by all. That the money value
of improved highways is alone suffi
: eieut to justify the cost of their con
struction, will be confidentially
claimed or readily admitted by many
farmers, questioned by others, and
: denied by not a few.
In view of the financial and many
other advantages cf good roads, a ma
jority of the farmers of the state would,
doubtless, favor their construction as
: rapidly as practicable under some ef
ficient, economical and equitable sys
tem of highway improvement. But
| there is a considerable proportion of
the farmers—doubtless one-fifth and
possibly one-fourth—who have little
knowledge or appreciation of the bene
: fits of good roads and who, therefore,
object on account of the great cost of
, highway improvement. The farmers
; of this class know what they will have
' to bear their full share of the burden
of such improvements; they discredit
i (not wholly without reason) the state
ments and conclusions of many public
writers as to the losses and gains to
farmers from poor and good roads re
; spectively; hence they view with ap
| prehension the general agitation in
favor of improved highways. Ignor
ing or undervaluing the educational
and social advantages, as well as the
comfort and enjoyment of good roads,
or feeling unable to pay the price of
stnch benefits, these farmers regard
with distrust and disfavor measures
for highway improvement; and they
are likely to oppose efforts for the bet
terment of our roads unless they can
; first be convince ! that good roads will
prove a paying financial investment.
! Speaking, therefore, in behalf of those
j who for any reason are not influenced*
j by the higher considerations in favor
of improved highways, I raise the i
j question. Will it pay the farmers in j
j dollars and cents to improve their
! public roads?
i Before attempting to answer this
i question, let us consider in what ways
| permanently good roads will prove
financially beneficial to farmers. All
will agree, 1 think that a good road
. will—
1. Economize time aiul force in
transportation between farm and
market.
2. Enable the farmer to take ad
vantage of market fluctuations in j
buying and selling.
i 3. Permit transportation of farm
products and purchasing commodities
during times of comparative leisure.
4. Reduce the wear and tear on
horses, harness and vehicles.
5. Enhance the market value of
real estate.
But while it is easy to enumerate |
the ways in which improved roads I
will be financially advantageous to
farmers, it is very difficult to esti
mate, in dollars and cents,the benefits
to accrue therefrom. Distrusting my ,
own judgment iu the premises and |
fearing, also, that my opinions would |
have little weight with others, I sought I
the advice of the farmers themselves. |
Letters of inquiry were sent to sixty ,
of the most intelligent farmers in forty I
counties located in the central and
northern parts of the state. The sub
, stance of these letters is given here- j
, with:
I 1. About what proportion of the
public highways in your county are
; now good gravel roads?
j 2. Please estimate the average in
crease (iu dollars and cents) in the
selling price per acre of land through
| out the cronty, as the result of such ;
i gravel reals. - - < •
| 3. If all the public roads in your
I county were converted into improved
highways, how much, in your judg
ment, would it increase the average
selling price per acre of land through- ,
out your county?
4. What would be a fair estimate
of the cost per mile of converting our
common dirt roads as they now exist
into good gravel roads, provided, of
course, the work were to be performed
economically under some competent,
general supervision, and not ham
pered by legal restrictions?
5. Supposing that your county
were divided into 100-acre farms and
that the average distance of each farm
from market were five miles, what, in
your judgment, would be the average
annual cost (in dollars and cents) to
each farmer of our unimproved high
ways?
In answering the fifth question
please take into account the reduced
loads, increased time, extra wear and
tear, and loss in sales from inability
to deliver products when the market
is best.
Over forty replies to these queries
were received. As would be expected,
fmm the difference in soil, surface
and distance from gravel beds, there
is a wide range in the estimates of the
different correspondents. Many of
the estimates are necessarily mere
: guesses, while others are based on a
thorough knowledge of the matters
i under consideration,
j The averages of these estimates
i should give—and they probably do
give approximately—the consensus of
opinion, held by the most intelligent
J farmers of the state, as to the cost and
money value of improved highways
. and the loss due to poor roads.
The approximate averages for the
' forty counties are as follows:
First—The average estimated in
crease in the selling price of land dtie
, to existing improved highways is
acre. The estimates from
which the average is made refer lr \
most cases to lands near tue improvec
roads; but in a few instances they ap
ply to all the lauds of the county.
The average increase, therefore, oi
$6.48 per acre is lower than was in
tended for the lands near the improved
roads.
Second —The estimated average in
crease per acre that would result from
improving all the public roads is $9.
Third—The estimated average cost
of converting the common public roads
into improxed highways is $1146 pel
mile.
Fourth—The estimated average an
nual loss, per 100 acres, from poor
roads is $76.28.
If these estimates are even approxi
mately correct, they furnish a key tc
the satisfactory solution of the ques
tion of highway improvement from the
money standpoint. On the basis oi
the last mentioned estimate the aver
age annual loss per acre from pool
roads is over 76 ceuts. In live years
the losses would aggregate $2432 for
every section of land, and this sum
would construct two miles at a cost oi
$1226 per mile, which is $"0 per mile
above the estimated cost given by the
farmers themselves. The present road
tax which, under existing laws, is
largely thrown away, would, under a
proper system of road maintenance,
doubtless keep improved highways in
perfect repair.
If the foregoing statements arc a
near approach to the truth, it follows
that the losses and expenditures which
farmers actually incur on account oi
poor roads would also secure perma
nently good roads. Can any sane mind
doubt the wisdom of exchanging the
losses, delays, accidents and vexation
of spirt, occasioned by bad roads, for
the comfort and other advantages of
good roads when the cost is the same?
But there is another side to this
question, viz, the increased value oi
laud from highway improvement. As
already stated, this increase is esti
mated by the farmers consulted at $9
per acre. This would enhance the
value of each section of land $5760,
which is more than double the esti
mated cost ($2292) of the two miles oi
improved highway, which constitutes
the quota for the section. Just here
the objection may be raised that the
improved roads would not increase the
productive capacity of the laud, while
the enhanced commercial value would
increase the taxes. Let us, for the
sake of argument, grant this plausible
but fallacious objection, and then find
what it amounts to. Let us suppose
the increase in appraisement for taxa
-tion to besi per acre, and the tax rate
11-4 per cent. This would mean an
annual increase in taxes of five cents
per acre, or $5 per hundred acres.
Would not our objector, alter enjoy
ing the benefits of good roads, be very
willing to give therefore the extra $5,
if necessary? Would he keep the
money and go back to the thraldom ol
mud roads? If so, he has the option
of selling his farm at an advance, ac
cording to the average estimates of
his brother farmers, that will more
than doubly reimburse him for his ex
penditure on highway improvement;
and he can then remove to some native
wild whose quiet waters have not been
"troubled" by the spirit of progress.
I am aware that many intelligent
farmers will not accept the estimates
of their fellow farmers as to the money
value of good roads—many who will
even deny that improved highways
have any appreciable money value. 1
am glad to know, however, that many
of these very same farmers favor good
roads,and would aid iu their construc
tion for the same reason that they
would build for themselves com
fortable and even luxurious homes.
In view ol the very general recog
nition among farmers of the necessity
and benefits of good roads. lam eu
couraged to believe that a very large
proportion of the farming classes will
heartily join with the- people of the
cities and towns in an effort to devise,
adopt and put into execution some ef
ficient, economical and equitable sys
tem of highway improvement.
How to Make Animal Freakf.
In 1858 the great Camille Dareste
was named director of the Laboratory
of Teratology to the Practical School
of Higher Studies. Teratogenesis was
now on a firm foundation; monsters
were produced iu multitudes.
Dareste was able to obtain over
thirty thousand specimens—wonder
i ful creations too—Cyclopeans whose
single eye might have frightened the
! companions of Ulysses, ancient swine
; with both lower limbs united, animals
with two heads and eight legs, twins
with trunks united, etc. —everything
from the domain of fable to argument
bis scientific conquests.
One may obtain monsters iu various
I ways —by warming the egg unequally,
| by varnishing or glazing certain por
' tious of the shell, by shaking it dur
ing the period that separates the lay
ing of the egg and putting it in to in
: cubate. Only recently Feve made
j monsters by submitting the eggs to
the action of electric currents or in
jecting toxines under the shells. The
most different types may be obtaiued
| by using various processes.
This curious study has of late years
i been undertaken in foreign countries,
among others by Gerlach and Wrigle.
Finally recently some Frenchmen have
undertaken it anew.
Now, by modifying tlieir surround
ings Dareste produced monsters. If
this is true,can we not,when we know
ail the factors of the problems, obtain
| new races?— Dr. T. C. Minor in Ciu
' einnnti Lancet-Clinic.
llow It Happened.
| The Emperor of China—Anil all
this trouble results from the attack
| on the German missionaries?
i Li Hung Chang—Apparently. As
soon as Kaiser Wilhelm heard of the
attack on the missionaries he got re
j ligion.—Luck
OUR NAVY AND SPAIN'S.!
NAVAL STRENGTH OF THE TV/O
COUNTRIES COMPARED.
Tlfy Seem Evenly Matched on Taper,
Xlut tlic United State* It Much the
Stronger—ln ships For Bombardment
and llarbor Dcroute We Are Ahead.
Tlie United States and Spain are
not unevenly matched in respect of
a navy—oll paper. An examination
of the details, however, pays the New
York "World, shows that in naval
matters as in all else Spain indulges
in dreams and delusions.
Let us discard all "projocted" war
ships, all made-over iron and wood
vessels, and compare the two navies
as they would meet each the other.
The steel vessels of modern type arc
alone worth considering, because other
vessels can be easily obtained on short
notice, and it is therefore a matter of
minor importance which nation has
the more of them at Iho present mo
ment.
Of battle-ships Spain has only one.
The Pelayo, of 9900 tons, is an excel
lent war vessel so far as protection is
concerned, but its armament is not
especially formidable as battle-ships
go. It has two 12.5-inch guns, two
11-inch, one G.2-inch and twelve 4.7-
inch as a heavy battery. The lowa of
our navy has a much more effective
battery in its four 12-inch guns, eight
8-inch and six 4-inch. Wo have alto
gether seven battle-ships, each carry
ing tremendous batteries of the most
approved and supposedly of the most
dangerous modern types.
Spain ha 9 no sea-going coast-de
fense ships, while we have six, carry
ing thirty heavy guns and fifty-two
guns in secondary batteries. And
these ships are to all intents and pur
poses battle-ships. Many naval ex
perts regard them as far more danger
ous than the so-called battle-ships.
In the class of non-sea-going coast
defenders Spain has two vessels only,
and they carry but nine large guns.
We have fourteen of these floating but
non-sea-going forts, and they carry
thirty large guns.
Spain has seven armored cruisers,
carrying 208 large guns. But they
are not so new or so well equipped or
so dangerous as they seem to be when
one reads about them. We have ouly
two ships—New York and Brooklyn—
that fall in this clas9, and they carry
seventy-four large gtius. But not
only are these two more formidable
than any of Spain's armored cruisers;
but also some of our protected cruis
ers are more worthy of this class than
several of Spain's that are put in it.
Of protected and partially protected
cruisers—the most attractive and sen
sible kind of modern war vessels—wo
have sixteen, all made of steel, and in
good condition, all equipped with the
best possiblo armament and all en
titled todhe name of ocean greyhound.
Spain has ouly five steel vessels of
this class and ten iron vessels.
We are therefore stronger aud Spain
is weaker at the two most important
points—heavy warships for bombard
ments and harbor defense, and swift,
well-armed, easily managed cruisers.
"Misß Juliet Capulet.*'
The rostoflico Department desires
information of one Miss Juliet Capu
let. Some weeks ago the letter was
addressed to tho fair heroine of Mr.
Shakespeare's romance, but the car
riers hero did not know her address.
All of them had fair Juliets on their
routes, but none knew Miss Juliet
Capulet, the daughter of the head of
the royal house of Capulet, who domi
ciled at Verona and had a fus9 with a
man named Montague. Nor were they
acquainted with any man named
Romeo, who was enamored of Miss
Capulet, and made a botch of killing
himself on her account. So the letter
after going the rounds of the depart
ment gravitated to the dead letter of
fice, and now the department seeks by
newspaper advertising to carry out tho
directious of old mau Capulet to his
servant: "Go, sirrah, trudge about
through fair Verona; find those per
sons out whose names are written
there."—Washington Star.
"Pluck Me" Store 9 Being: Abandoned.
One gratifying feature of tbe indus
trial situation (luring the year olosing
is the abandonment by a number of
large employers in the Pennsylvania
coal regions of the company stores
which bind the miners to trade their
wages away for the commodities sold
them and deny them the right to trado
where they can trado most advantage
ously. The employers who maintain
these stores do so in the face of a State
law which requires them to pay their
employes semi-monthly and in cash
and which forbids the gouge game
practiced by the company Htores. Yet
the employers have violated these lows
aud set on example of lawlessness to
their men. Every employer continu
ing this lawlessness against his work
men should have the law drawn on
him like a sharp sword. —Minneapolis
Journal.
Th® Effect of Fog.
Accidents due to tho obscuration of
objects by fog are so common that
scientists are making a study of ab
sorbent power of fog as regards lights
of all kinds. It appears that London
fog absorbs 20.8 per cent, of the light
from an incandescent burner, while
the ordinary gas loses hut 11.1 per
cent. Tho incandescent light contains
more blue, and this is readily ab
sorbed hv the fog. Red lights are
much more penetrating than blue, and
as the gas light contains far more red
than the electric, it is much more val
uable as a light for use in very heavy
fogs. It is a fast familiar to every
one that when the sun shows through
mist it is of a deep red color. This is
accounted for by the fact that the blue
rays nre entirely absorbed, leaving
ouly the red with its much more pow
erful quality of penetration.
IS THE DAY CROWING LONGER ? 1
Scientific Ilcas'ni* in Support of tlie Tli® !
ory That It Is.
Ono of the most interesting sub
jects discussed by Professor George '
Darwin during his recent visit to thi3
country was that of the possible and,
probable increase in the longth of the
day.
When once the earth is in motion |
about an axis, no matter how the mo- |
tion came about, it would contiuue
forever, and at the same rate, thus
making tho day always of the same
length, unless something is happening
or will happen to interfere with that
motion. Now, there are several
causes in operation which affect i
the period of the earth's rotation,
some of which tend to make the pe
riod less and others to make it great
er. Fortunately the influence of each
of these causes is very small. They
are generally easy to understand, and
a simple experiment will illustrate
one of them.
Tie a stone to one end of a string,
and, holding tli9 other in tho hand,
whirl it around as near as may be in
the circumference of a circle. When
its speed is nearly uniform allow the
string to wind up on the finger. It
will be noticed that as the string
shortens the angular velocity in
creases. In the same way, if the mat
ter forming the e irth should in any
way be drawn nearer the axis of rota
tion, it would turn faster, and the day
would be shortened.
By continual loss of heat a shrink
age of the'earth is probably in prog
ress, and although the process is ex
ceedingly slow, it certainly tends to
diminish the period of rotation. On
the other hand, any addition of matter
from the outside will tend to increase
that period and make the day longer.
Undoubtedly slight additions to tbe
mass of the earth are constantly made
by the arrest of meteoric bodies pass
ing through the atmosphere. Their
influence is opposed to and tends to
neutralize that of any earth shriukage
that may be going on.
Tho most important interference
with the rotation of the earth that we
know of is that of the tidal wave,
which is due to the attraction of the
sun and moon, hut more largely to
the latter. It is easy to seo that this
is a resistance against which the earth
turns, and its effect is to increase the
length of the day.
Astronomical observations extend
ing over about 2000 years have failed
to show any sensible change in the
day, hut the influence of the tides i
must become evident after the lapse [
of a great many years. Professor
Darwin declares that the day may
lengthen until it is at last fifty-live
times as long as it is at present, and
that would be also the period of the
revolution of tho moon about the
earth.
A day of 1320 hours, such hours as
we uow have, would offer many inter- j
estiug advantages, but there would be
some things about it not altogether
agreeable. As it is not likely to come
for some millions of years, it is not a
matter for immediate anxiety.—
Youth's Companion.
Rescued From the Sioux.
In the Children's Home at Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, is a bright-faced
maiden who last fall was found living
among the Sioux' Indians at Cherry
Creek, a tributary of tbe Upper Mis
souri. She was taken from the In
dians through the efforts of the Rev.
O. 11. Sproul, of Pierre, and Senator
Kyle, aud an endeavor is now being
made to find her relatives, if relatives
she has. Had her presenoe among
the Indians not been discovered when
it was she would by this time have
been the squaw of one of tho braves ol
the tribe. Her Indian name is Swift
Fawn. It is supposed that her par
ents were killed by Sitting Bull, by
whom she was brought up. The only
clow to the relatives of the child is a
small linen handkerchief, marked with
the name of Russell, and a little silver
drinking mug, upon which is etgraved
the name Luella. She prefers to be
called Anna, and so, at the Children's
Home, is known as Anna Russell.
She is a ward of the Government.—
Philadelphia Record.
Cradln Run by Xlule Power.
A traveler going through a sparsely
settled section of Canada came to a
lonely cabin, and, finding the door
open, went in. Nobody was in sight,
but in the center of the room he saw
a cradle with a baby lying in it fast
asleep. The cradle was locked back
aud forth with great regularity, and he
was puzzled to know what kept it in
motion. On examination he found a
stout cord attached to a nail driven iu
the Bide of the cradle aud passed
through au auger-hole in the side of
the house. He took up the trail,
which led him into a ravine, where a
donkey wrs standing and switching
his tail. The mystery was explained.
The other end of the cord was attached
to the donkey's tail, and the constant
switching kept the cradle in motion. It
was an ingenious device on the part of
the mother to keep her baby asleep
while she went off for a time. —Ontario
Banner.
Tbe Clover Artist.
Not infrequently the art student
falls in arrears for the rent of even his
airy pereh on the "sixieme," and
landlords have scant sympathy for
beings who can "soar to the em
pyrean," but can't pay cash. One
young man, six months in arrears,
know that his landlord was keeping a
watchful eye on his trunk, which stood
opposite the door, feeling sure that
while it was there the owner would
not depart. Our artist painted a por
trait of his trunk on the wall opposite
the door, and iu the night took him
self and ..lis belongings quietly away;
nor was he missed for several dayß.
Good work sometimes serves very
inartistic ends.—Catholic World.
I GOOD ROADS N(jS |
Oil on Koads.
Crude petroleum has been used
vritli good efieet to suppress dust 011
railroad beds. Now it is advocated r.s
r. good application for country roads.
It is claimed tliat by excluding water
it keeps tho road good in wot ami dry
weather. It will suppress dust and
render the water-cart unnecessary, and
it prevents tho formation of mud in
winter.
Bettor Boa lis I'm- lUoblte.
They have taken hold in a practical
way in Mobile. Ala., and organized a
Good Roads Club, with a view to hav
iug th 9 city streets improved. Tho
call for the first meeting stated that
Mobile "has the worst streets ot' any
city iu this country" and that "the
few that are paved uro fast becoming
unrideable." The newspapers are
already with them; so, with constant
agitation and persistent work, tho out
look iu encouraging.
Good BnatU l'rofltable.
Tho Road Commissioner of New
Jersey, Mr. Budd, points out that it
costs three cents u bushel to haul
wheat on a level road a distance of
five miles, and at least nine cents to
haul it the same distuuee on a sandy
road, which goe3 to illustrate the
practical economic importance of good
roads. This is a point which deserves
the serious attention of farmei'3. Sandy
and rough roads aro wearing out their
horses and vehicles and increasing the
actual cost of their farm supplies and
of the marketing of their produce.
Though little recognized, this is a fact
most patent to the careful observer,
and most pointedly and truly expressed
in Mr. Build's report. When this fact
penetrates the minds of farmers more
generally, they will begin to realize
that money and labor expended on
load improvement will save money for
them iu reduciug the uctual coat of
hauling and in saving vehicles and
horses.
It is high time to dispense with tho
idea that good roads aro luxuries,
mere fancy frills, aud to regard well
made highways as among tho necessi
ties.—Eastoa (Pcnn.) Free Tress.
A CoimnwiiSablß Policy.
In a recent letter to the State High
way Commission of Connecticut Col
onel Albert A. Tope said:
"It is a commendable policy to budd
in the very best manner possible, so
that the common ways may be of
advantage not only to us but to gen
erations yet unborn. The mistake
of the past has been that this work
was done for a day or a season, a poor
investment which resulted in the loss
of hundreds of millions of dollars.
"A few years since the price of hay
in Springfield, Illinois, was 330 a ton,
and the market was supplied by rail
road from outside tho State, because,
though hay was plenty at 310 a ton,
the farms within radius of a few miles
were completely embargoed by mud;
aud yet not long ago the Richardson
Bill, the terms of which provided that
the cities in New York would pay
three-fourths of tho cost of State-road
construction, was defeated by the
farmer element.
"If a saving of 22! cants per ton per
mile could be efi'eeted iu hauling to
and from the depot the way-freight
carried annually on the New York
Central Railroad the saving to the
community represented would be 33,-
000,000.
"The Connecticut Highway Com
mission is entitled to unanimous sup
port in building only the best Macadam
and Telford roads, and I believe the
press of the State should take hold of
the question, and by a free discussion
of the subject oonvinee the people that
good roads are the ouiy ones worth
building. As a rule, those who com
plain most loudly about the first cost
of roads are the very ones who, in
the end, reap the greatest benefit
therefrom."
In the Xevv York I,earisl.-itnrc.
In his message. Governor Black, of
New York, advocated highway im
provements, or, at least, dwelt on the
advantages of good roads, although Le
did not offer recommendations as to
how they are to lie secured. He
said:
"I call special attention to this sub
ject because the need of improvemeut
is apparent and admitted, and because
the benefits following it would be ex
tensive. Many sections of tho State,
unsurpassed in beauty aud fertility,
are neglected and almost unknown,
because the condition of the highways
affording tho only approach makes
them difficult of access. A'good road
is ons of the chief elements of the
valuo of a farm. If its fertility be
slight, it may still be desirable if its
location and surroundings are attrac
tive, and the approaches suitable.
"Iu many parts of this country,
notably in New England, farm values,
which had been reduced by the com
petition of the West, have been, in
great measure, restored by the de
mand for summer homes. Every such
community finds itself benefited to the
the extent of its power to attract in
vestments from the towns and cities.
Its markets are enlarged, th 9 price of
all commodities is raised, railroad facil
ities are improved, and those changes
which the expenditure of money is
likely to create are largely realized.
New York has natural advantages un
surpassed by any State. Better roads
will bring them moro generally into
view."
About half a dozen bills dealing
with various phases of the subject are
likely to be introduced into the Leg
islature. One provides for a State
bureau to gather facts and statistics,
and act as a medium of information
and advice; levies a tax of five cents
on each 31009 of valuation, and di
vides the cost of roads, fifty par cent,
to State, thirty-five to county and tit
teen to town, its other provisions are
permissive, leaving it to each locality
to take action in the matter, and mak
ing it thoroughly local option. The
roads, when completed, are to become
county roads.
Another bill contemplates, as nearly
as possible, a continuous road across
the State, following the leading routes
through tlio various counties, and ap
•propriating 85,000,000 per year, be
ginning iu 1809, until the work is
done. Other bills propose to substi
tute a money tax for labor; for post
roads to be built in conjunction with
the general Government; for taxing
wheelmen to build side paths, and for
the employment of convicts on the
highways. The advocates of good
roads will probably make a strong
showing, and expect to bo able to
secure the passage of some satisfac
tory measure.
I'ebbies.
Narrow tires and heavy loads,
boon will spoil the best of roads.
A road properly built and cared foi
will shed water instead of absorbing
it.
There are three principles of road
building: Drainage, drainage, drain
age.
Neglected and abandoned farms art
one result of the costly transportation
caused by bad roads.
Wagon manufacturers are turning
out farm wagons, some of them with
uictat wheels, haviug tires four inches
wide.
Brooklyn claims to have done mors
during 1837 iu the way of street im
provemeut thau auy city of its area in
the country.
Hayor Boynton, of Port Huron,
Mich., is actively interested in the
Good Roads Association lately organ
ized in that town.
Over thirty thousand dollars have
been awarded this year in Berks
County, Pa., iu condemuation pro
ceedings for free turnpikes.
Hard roads yield large returns wheD
intelligently constructed and suitably
cared for. It is only when badly
made and shamefully neglected that
they prove an expensive luxury.
The Ponghkeepsio Eagio suggests
that a good plan would be for eaob
town to improve its own roads, under
the supervision of a skilled engineer
employed by the State, and that the
State afterwards contribute a portion
of the cost.
Nothing is more ruinous to a ma
cadam road than water. Ruts hold
water, and, therefore, shofild never
he allowed to exist. To guard against
their formation and development is
one of the principal parts of proper
care of a roadway.
An object-lesson on tho value ot
good highways i 3 being furnished by
Robert MacKinnon, of Little Falls,
N. Y., who has been grading the road
between Little Falls and Utica, and
putting gravel on it at his own ex
pense, hoping that it will interest
others iu road improvement.
A great many of tho statements
made about the cost per mile of roads
are apt to prove misleading. A fair
comparison cannot be inado without
knowing the width and depth, the
amount of grading required, methods
employed, and many other details
which seriously affect the price.
Cdlifdrnia'd Gold Output.
In connection with tho recent ob
servance of the seiui-coutennial anni
versary of the discovery of gold on the
Pacific Coast it is interesting to noto
the magnitudo of California's gold
output during the past fifty years.
To begin with the amount of gold
dug from the mines during the first
year succeeding the disoovery aggre
gated only 8215,301. But with a tre
mendous bound the value of the out
put for the year following mounted up
to 310,151,360. Iu 1350 the output
aggregated 311,273,10G; in 1851, $70,-
935.232, and in 1832, $81,294,700.
Since 1852 there Has been a gradual
falling off in the annual output of the
yellow metal. At tho present time
the amount of gold mined annually in
California ranges in valuo from $15,-
000,000 to 318,000,000.
Since the first discovery of gold on
the Pacific Coast in 1848 it is esti
mated that California has produced
not less than $1,300*398,779 worth of
■the yellow metal.
In view of what California owes to
the discovery of gold, the people of
that State have not been extravagant
in holding such a brilliant festival as
tho one which has recently occurred
on the Pacific slope.—Atlanta Consti
tution.
Thcorle* Concerning the Voice.
One very interesting theory held by
some vocalists is that the natural
register of the speaking voice indicates
the individual characterof the speaker,
as do the lines on the palms of the
hand. For instance, a high soprano
voice expresses joy and merriment.
Complex natures, who carry on two
qualities of thought at once, speak in
harmonies, with several notes at a
time, and have magnetic voices. The
mijnor voice betrays lack of confidence,
the major voice indicates intense vi
tality. The mental attitude shows'it
self in a voice with a sliding downward
scale, e s in most teachers' voices.
Other instructors' methods go so far
a3 to say that all who can talk may
sing, if willing faithfully to devote
their time and energy to tho cause.—
The Chautauquan.
Why the Blind Do Not Smoke.
A peculiarity about blind people is
that there is seldom oue of them who
smokes. Soldiers and sailors accus
tomed to Bmoking, and who have lost
their sight in action, continue to smoke
for a short time but £soon give up the
habit. They say it gives them no
pleasure when they cannot see the
smoke, and some have said that they
cannot taste the Bmoke unloss the}'
see it. —The Ledger.