IPAEM AND GARDEN. J E'rsulte of Careful Selection of Seed. The importance of good seed cannot tie too strongly urged. A grower of wheat In several years' experiments found that it paid well to hand-pick his seed wheat. The first year lie planted seven and a half pounds of hand-picked wheat on one acre In rows eighteen inches apart, and at harvest he threshed out sixty-seven bushels. The next year the yield was seventy two bushels, using a little more seed. On a trial row he planted seventy-six extra fine kernels of seed (weighing forly-ilve grains), and the product was ten and a quarter pounds, or at the rate of 100 bushels of wheat per acre. The experiments were made many years ago by Professor Mount, of the Colorado Experiment Station, the seed being in rows eighteen Inches apnrt, and twelve Inches apart In the rows, a wheel hoe being used for cultivating between the rows. In Belgium all seeds are carefully hand-picked and the wheat crop cultivated, with the result that l'rom sixty to seventy-five tushels of wheat per acre may be found on nearly all farms. TTTion the Isnek!e is Cionn. The ace< i:ipanying lllustration*! show lio*,v to join the ends of the driving reins tosciher when the buckle has been lor . With a pocket knife cut the end of (.ieh rein, as shown at a, then by slipping the extreme end of each through the tack-shaped opening of the other, a reasonably Arm union la effected. The necessity of alwti3*s keeping the reins fastened together cannot be too strongly emphasized. If a horse becomes frightened, and on rein is dropped, there is 110 possible way of recovering it, if it is not fast ened to ihe other. Many a runaway has res it bed from a failure to observe this prec ration.—Orange Judd Farmer. Added 8tol!o Room. The innovations show the elevation of the ordinary farm barn, and also the floor plan, ns it appears wnen iflo additio:i that is shown has been built L±r!mj u=y C I • i% tii ha e THE GROUND TLAN. to give increased room for the accom modation of cow, or other stalls. The addition is across one end of tne barn, each end projecting to form an open manure shed. The shed on the loft hand can be boarded in and used for ELEVATION OF THB BABN. calve 3 or other young stock, or for a place (o store tools and farm machines If desired. The shed on the right Is convenient to both lines of stalls, the Manure being hauled out to tlio shed ouch day. Such an addition costs hut little, having a simple shed roof, and fjirnlshes added room that Is often ex cfcedhi'.'ly valuable —the extra stalls, and the covered place in which to store the manure.—American Agricul turist. Use and Value of Cut Green Done. What the silo has done for tbo dairy man the green-bone cutter is doing for the poultryman. Each in its field has solved the problem of supplying a food that will be eagerly relished, and will force production at a season when na ture is against us, and at a minimum of cost. The important constituent of animal food for poultry is protein, which pro duces flesh and feathers and the albu i_en of the egg. When given a free range t he fowls will supply themselves with : imal food by catching bugs aiul v. nns when they are obtainable. The tro'.iblc is. nature does not always supply this food in sufficient quanti ties even in summer, and during the winter months it is not to be had at all. Some seasons there will be pleaty of grasshoppers and crickets, and af ter a shower the ground will l>e cov ered with angle-worms, but during a dry season worms are scarce, a*d if the grasshoppers fail to appear, the poultryman must supply something to take their place. Nothing answers this purpose as well as green bone. Fresh bones contain a large percent age of protein. The same can be sakl of the several brands of meat meal on the market, but the fresh product is more palatable, more wholesome, eas ier to feed and cheaper. Hens have to acquire a taste for meat meal. It sometimes takes several days to get them accustomed to eating the mixed feed containing it. In all my expe rience as a poultry-raiser I never saw the hen or chick that looked twice be fore eating fresh-cut bone. Meat meal is liable to become tainted before use, •especially in hot weather. It is some- time* mi(k of scraps and rofuso tfli tti have reached such a stage of ripeness i that no poultryman who caters to first class trade would think of feeding it If fed in too large quantities, ths strong odor whkh always accompa nies it is likely to impart a dls&gro*> tno odor to the eggs or flesh. There are several good, pure brands of meat in sal on th ma ket, and they axe cer tainly bettor than no animal food at all, but are to fresh green bone wnat dried beef Is to beefsteak. Peed the meat when you cannot get hones. Freeh bone is easier to feed. It does not have to be mixed vrtth ground feed and stirred up with water, but can be fed Juot as it oomes from the mill, and may be scattered in ths litter, thus affording exercise for the hens in scratching for It. Every year more poultry men arc giving up the use of ground feed and are giving s whole grain diet, reducing the work of feed ing considerably. The green bona can be cut In L*c time tiwui M taxes to mix soft feed. The cost of bones for a sunUl flock Is generally nothing; the butcher will supply them. When a large quantity is usad tbuy can be obtained from tha large butcher shops and slaughter houses at a very moderate pries. No matter what the price is, nothing will start hens laying and keep them at it, or make young chicks grow largo frames and feather out well, hasten the moult or flt a bird for the show pen, like fresh-cut green bone, when fed in conjunction with a proper grain, grit and green-food ration.—J. Frank lin Hlller, in The County Gentloman. Farmers nr. becoming more pro gressive and are also beginning to work on more scientific lines. At many oI the experiment stations the sons of farmers are taking special courses in agriculture, with the result that they become largely instrumental in improving farm methods in their communities when they return to their homes. The period has passed for ex pressions of contempt for the theoreti cal farmer, as theory and practice have demonstrated by actual tests that no advance can be made by practical effort alone. The theoretical farmer may have been lacking 111 skill when handling the plow or in the use of other implements, and his theories may also have failed, but he aimed for something hotter and became an educator of others. The most progres sive agriculturists are those who are not satisfied with present methods. They are willing to experiment, to learn and to teach, and they bring Into the community better breeds, improved fruits and superior varieties of grasses, grains and vegetables. Some of tliem have gone into bankruptcy because of unwise expenditure In their efforts to do more than others, but they left their neighbors better off and also better supplied with live stock and more fertile farms. No farmer can progresa unless he Is willing to study and learn. In all oc cupations theory is a mighty factor, for education is considered essential to success. The farmer of to-day who maintains that only practical farming Is worthy of his consideration, and who believes that Ills sons can learn nil that Is necessary about farming on the farm itself, daily witnesses tlio sons of those outside of farming deriv ing knowledge at Institutes in which instruction In mechanics is Imparted. The best engineers, machinists and wood workers endeavor to enter their sons lu schools or colleges at which they can tie taught all that Is possible from a theoretical standpoint. The farmer has kept himself back by Ills opposition to theoretical farming, tho "book farmer" being, to him, one ut terly destitute of knowing anything except to expend his money fcollshly in the effort to accomplish an Impossi bility. The farmer, however, Is a close observer of operations, for, while he will not become a pioneer and gives no encouragement to those working out side of practical lines, he quickly se cures the benefits derived througi- the efforts of the experimenter. Of course all farmers are not alike, for many of tliem are progressive, but many prfer to wait for developments, and whsn tliey become convinced that a chssge in their methods of farming is msres sary will accept the inevitable and sn deavor to improve. The class known as "breeders" has made many sacrifices la the effort to improve the breeds of live stock, the greatest obstacle to progress being the Indifference of farmer <. But the breeders wont on with their work, every year witnessing an advance in the Improvement of horses, cattle, sheen aiul swine. Records were made and live stock went up In prices. Where before n:i animal was sold at only a nominal sum prices rose ten or a hundred fold. While the farmers were oblivious to the work of the breeders the latter class was making rapid headway. Tc-day hundreds cf farmers are breeders, and their farm are operated ca tiie most scientific methods known. The result oi ths combination of practice and theory has increased the value of live stcck in the United States to thousands where fsrmerly tho figures were given in hun dreds, while the increase in the yields <f crops has been very marked. What is more important, however, is that the fertility of the farms is now much greater than before. "Abandoned" farms are fewer, "worn out" soils are brought again under cultivation, a larger and more selected variety of fruits has been Introduced and the general condition of tho farmer has been greatly improved. Much of tho advance mace by the farming class Is due to the heretofore despised theoretical farmer, who has always led the way, even If years were required after Ills decease to deniou strate that he was right, though dur ing his time unsuccessful and unfor tunate.—Philadelphia Record. >. BUPCTET f<;A if* Haunted. A* I sit at fall of evening Muaing 'fore the open fire, 'Joying thoughts as light and flitting As the bl&zee of the pyre, Lo! appears to me a figure Standing in the flickering light, And I say in trembling accents, "Art thou come again to-night? Speak! who art thou? what thine errand:' Answer comes without delay: "I'm Jim Brown, the tailor's son, sir; Here's that bill. Pa wants his pay!" —Detroit Free Press. A* It Is Don*. "Yes, I am going to write a play." "Ah. indeed! Have you picked out the novel yet'?"— Chicago Post. Upright. Customer—"Why, you've got all your best apples at the top of the basket." Fruit Denier—"Yes, I go on the prin ciple that there is always room at the top."—New York Time 3. A nlsei-lmliilhtlnr Intelligence. "Surely you are not afraid of the dark!" "No," said the small boy, "but I'm a little scared of the tilings that might bo In it that I can't see."—Washing ton Star. Qnlt® Couimon. Bacon—"Who is that Insignificant looking little man on the other side of the street'.*' Egbert—"Why, that's one of our most prominent citizens!"—Yonkers Statesman. Adanltt^d. He—"You will admit that man is the most sensible of all animals?" She—"l'll admit that he thinks he is. It is for that reason it is so easy for a woman to make a fool of him." —Boston Transcript. Fortune's Favorits. Mrs. Newlywed—"You remember Bob Bigfrout, whom I refused lust year? Well, he's just struck an oil well worth live million dollars." Mr. Newlywed—"Gosh! Some men have all sorts of luck!"— Puck. The Quarrel. Mrs. B. (sobbingi—"When we were first married you used to take me on your knee and tickle me under the chin." Mr. B.—"Yes, but, gee whiz! Julia, then you only had one chin."—Judge. Silence 1, Gain. He—"Darling, my salary has been raised ¥3OO a year, but you inusn't tell your father." She—"Why not?" He—"Ho might get the Idea that I could support you."—Town and Coun-_ try. A Narrow Kscape. Miss Fisher—"Quite a confidential chat you were having with Miss Iluehler. I fear you'll find me dull by comparison." Mr. Blunt—"Not at all. It's a relief to talk to a girl who isu't clev—that Is—er—not at all! Not at all!" Phil adelphia Press. Only One Theory. "Now look here," said the lawyer, shaking his flst at the witness, "I want you to understand that you can't bamboozle me in this court sim ply because you are a woman." "Why?" she asked in her sweetest tones. "Is your wife present?"— Ch icago Record-Herald. How Thing* Usually Come. "Do you believe that all things eomo to him who waits?" "No," answered the hustler, decisive ly. "Pretty nearly everything that a man doesn't want comes to him who waits, but the things worth having comes to him who gets up and humps himself."—Chicago Post. An Advantage. "How do you like your new cook?" "Very much, indeed" answered the youthful housewife. "I must say she doesn't look very strong." "That's why we like her. She can't do so much damage if she gets an gry."—Washington Star. A PlflHture of Memory. Drolichon bought a phonograph and insisted upon his mother-in-law buy ing her voice registered by the instru ment. As the good woman refused, ho added, maliciously: "Oh, come now, just a few words. You can't think how much pleasure it will give me to hear your voice— when you are gone."—Le Fiargo A Similar Experience. "Have you ever tried to write a novel?" asked the young woman. "Yes, indeed," answered the young man; "I wrote several." "What were they like?" "They remind mo somewhat of a few of Dicken's works." "Which ones?" "Those that weren't appreciated un til after he was dead."—Washington Star. Fun la the Furl or. When you see a youug man sitting in a parlor witli the ugliest four year-old boj' that ever frightened him self in a mirror clamberiug over nis knees, jerking his necktie out of place, ruffling his shirt front, pulling his hair, kicking his shins, feeling iu all his pockets for coppers, while the un resisting victim smiles all the time like the cover of a comie paper, you may safely say thai, the howling hoy lias a sister who is in a room not twen ty feet away, and that the young man doesn't come there just for the fun of playing with her brother.— Tit-Bits. Employee T*k an Oath. The recent attempts of a gang of American swindlers to victimize the London banks have drawn attention to the remarkable precautions which banking houses take against fraud, says the London Daily Mail. Every employe, from the office boy to the manager, has to take an oath on enter ing the bank that he will not divulge the business of the establishment, ex cept under compulsion of law. And he is not allowed to forget this with, for every year the entire staff is assem bled in the board room to hear the oath read over. The effect of this pre caution has been admirable. There is also very great care exer cised to prevent fraud by means of worthless securities and promissory notes. In almost every bank there is a department devoted to scrutinizing all notes which may be deposited for this purpose. These records, which have been compiled after years of col lections, show the standing of almost every Arm in London. Many a busi ness house would be dismayed if It knew that practically all its most cher ished secrets were known to the bank. Reference to these records will indi cate at once whether the firm concern cd has at any time dishonored a bill, and so the bank is able to gauge the value of the securities offered, say, for a loan for three months. These are merely a few precautions adopted, but they will servo to give some Idea of the constant and unre mitting carc taken to prevent fraud. Hors® Market of tlie United State*. The United States has a herd of 13,- 500,000 horses, representing a value over $600,000,000, and more than 2,000,- 000 mules besides. The mules are val ued at about $115,000,000. Texas has 1,125,000 horses and Illinois and lowa almost a million each. The average price of horses Is, in Rhode Island, S9O; in Nevada, about sl7. Since 1875 horses of the best breeds have been introduced—English, French, Perclior ons, Normans, etc. There are eight principal types in the market, to-wit* The cob, the carriage horse, the Eng lish saddle horse, the American saddle horse, the roadster, the draft horse, the range horse of the West, the Southern horse. There are many young horses, but at present hardly more than 100,000 four or five-year olds are available for the market. The St. Louis market sold 119,000 horses and mules in 1599; Chicago, 110,000; Buffalo, (12,000; New York, 52,000. The export of horse was 2907 head in 1803, 25,126 in 1800, 45,778 in 1899, 04,772 in 1900. fc Tlio cost of transporta tion across the Atlantic never exceeds S4O. The British have lately pur chased many thousand animals for U6e in the Transvaal, Germany pur chased 6000 for use in China, and Belgium has just bought 1500 cavalry horses at an average price of SIBO. Horse flesh is exported to Norway, Sweden and Germany for food. People With Artificial Limb*. They are making artificial limbs so cleverly those days that the people who wear them forget they ever suf fered the trifling embarrassment of losing a leg or two or even an arm. They put in such flexible joints and such charming rubber feet that the wearers of these Improved legs dance gayly at balls and cotillons without raising a question as to tlie makeup of their limbs. There is a man in a downtown office wearing an artificial Lg and foot—his own having been amputated four inches below the knee —who jumps six feet forward in a sprightly manner just to show what he can do when the subject of wooden legs is mentioned. lie can pick up a two hundred pound man in his arms and hold him easily and dance a jig with his rubber foot and willow limb. He would just as soon have an arti ficial leg and foot as not. There is one advantage, he says. He never has rheumatism, and he never suffers with corns or chilblains, no can quit a game at any stage wilhout be ing accused of having "cold feet." lie is as happy as a grig, though just why a grig should be happy is oue of the things no fellow can find out.— CLt/ago Chronicle. Cjueni Maria Keep* Her S®n I'imy. The young King of Spain in May, 1902, will attain his majority. lie will reach the age of sixteen, when the duties of the State will pass l'rom the (Jueen Regent, Maria Christina, his mother, into his hands. So that he shall be fit for his high calling his education is being carried on without stint, and with little pauses for recreation. French, German and English lie speaks well; indeed, legends declares that at the early age of two, when he was decorated with the Black Eagle by the German Emperor, he en tered into conversation in German with Friuce Albert of Prussia, who was a messenger from one court to the other. The King spends several hours weekly in military pursuits, and is an accomplished rider. lie also stud ies music after a long day devoted to history, literature, geography, mat he matics, and various other subjects. If the wishes of his royal mother be car ried out he will assuredly be a model monarch.—Loudon Times. Front Door Mirrors. Recently, in passing through possi bly the prettiest village in the Cots wolds, says a writer in the Loudon Graphic, 1 saw ail excellent idea that might with advantage bo introduced in Louden and elsewhere. Within the knocker on the front door—which, in this case was about on a level with the face of the visitor—was placed a small convex mirror. Supposing the visitor is paying a call of either con gratulatlou or condolence, liow advan tageous must it be to put the right expression on his countenance—either festive or doleful—before he knocks at tlw door! | FOUND IN PORTO RICO. Intr*tluff Field For Stu<lnntßof Natural History. Porto Rico is proving to be an inter , esting field for the scientists in the employ o! the Government. They have already discovered much that is new in plant and animal life on this • island. The United States Fish Com- I mission has been particularly forward in the work, and as a result has just : issued a series of five bulletins on the | subject of some Porto Rlcan fishes until recently unknown to science, i One of these bulletins describes two I new fresh water leeches from Porto : Rico, one of them, "Blancfcard's leech," being of a bright crimson on the back and a light orange color on the under surface. This leech is short and thick, | measuring about fifty-three milll i metres In length. ! Tlie second, which has thus far re ! ceived no name, is very large, nearly | four Inches in length. The colors of this leech are arranged in stripes of yellow, red, ash, black, olive and brown. Another bulletin deals with 150 or more sea crabs, shrimps, etc., many of which are new, and ranging in color from a screaming crimson to a dull gray. One of the new crabs is of a bright turquoise blue, another of pale rose pink, while a third reminds one of a majolica pitcher. Others bear i calico patterns, which are simply stun 11 lug. Bulletin number 401 is perhaps the most interesting, as it describes a cer tain class of crustaceans which seem to be intermediate between shrimps and lobsters. The eyes of these lit tle crayfish are not set in their heads, but grow on the end of long stalks sprouting forth from either side of the head. The limbs of these strange creatures resemble toothbrushes, be ing covered with a growth something j akin to hair. . The last two of the series to he mentioned describe a world of new I and strange life, gathered from the 1 sea lagoons around the island. The Smithsonian Institution received recently a number of specimens of bird and animal life from Mona Isl and, a strange rock-bound island off the eoast of Porto Rico, on which the Government has just erected a light house. Mona Island is of limestone forma tion, and is literally honeycombed with caves, some of which are almost as large as tlie Mammoth Cave of Ken tucky, and full of the most wonderful stalagmites and stalactites. The islaud has a peculiar fauna of its own.—Washington Star. Johnit) on tlie Whale. The whale is an enormous creature which inhabits large bodies of salt water. We should not speak of the whale as a lish, for he Is an animal, only he can't crawl on land, having nothing hut a tall and some fins to push himself along. Doubtless you have all read about whalebone. In comes from the whale In large quanti ties, which it carries in its mouth, as you can see by looking at any suitable picture of the whale. Whalebones are useful to put in sun bonnets, to keep them from flapping about your face, and many things besides. A whale has other hones, which it uses in Its skeleton. You can catch a whale by getting into a small boat in the Arctic regions, rowing close up to the animal and hurling a harpoon into it with nil your strength, after which you haul it j alongside the ship and cut out its blub ber. Whale's blubber is made into codlirer oil and other things, but it is dangerous to hunt the whale, and many persons have perished while lu the act. We should always live so as ta be ready for death. There was a man once who captured a large whale and put him on the oars and took him all over the country, and you had to pay twenty-live rents to see him. When the weather got warm the peo ple did not care to see the whale, and the man got kind of tired and quit. The whale had previously died Whales have small cars, but their hearing Is exceedingly good. Johnny- Chicago Tribune. of Cnpfl. America's Cup is probably the hear j iest hit of silverware in the world. Sir Thomas I.ipton, that prince of sports ! men and genial gentleman, has not been able to raise that cup or tilt it | the least bit in his direction. It is estimated that he has spent I about ¥1,300,000 to lift it and yet It j firmly maintains its level of the last ! half century. He has spent enough to lift Westminster Abbey an entire story and still is unable to move that eup tlie smallest fraction of an inch nearer the British Islands. If he had put that money into coal, i and by its combustion converted a small portion of the water he has sailed over into steam, he would have power enough to life the great pyr amid. Yet all of this power directed against that litlle cup not been able to even shake It on its foundation. Surely this is a wonderful exhibition of gravity. Tlie Oak unci Vine. Jnce I'pon a time there was a sturdy oak thai supported a firmly clingiug vine. "You are very beautiful," said the oak to tlie viue, "and this clinging business is extremely poetic and quite touching, but it lias its .drawbacks. True, you tire not very heavy, but you hold me hack by keeping the sunlight and air from my trunk, and you ab sorb much of lite richness of the soil that is needed in my circulation. In fact, it costs me considerable to sup port; you, even if you do contribute adornment and add a little sentiment to the situation." Moral—Beauty, poetry and sentiment ntnv be too exacting.- -Sew Vork Her aid. A writer states that the difference in susceptibility to electric shock be tween horses and men is largely a question of shoes. The sole of a man's shoe has a very high resistance, but a horse, with his four iron shoes, fas tenod on with iron nails, is apt to get the full benefit of the current. The dragon-fly is the natural enemy of the mosquito. The Department cf Agriculture has discovered that the English sparrow, among its other of fensive traits, is fond of young dra gon-flies, called "nymphs." When these emerge from the water and come out with wings, the sparrows catch them by the thousand and de stroy them. This, it is believed, results in a greater prevalence of mosquitoes, which carry malaria, and so inflict great injury. A research institute has .men opened by the government of the Malay States at Kuala Lumpur, near Singapore, The medical department is fully equipped for special and general path ological work for the scientific study of clinical medicine, experimental phy siology and bacteriology. The chemb cal department is also arranged for ail sorts of research. There are, in addi tion, a well-stocked photographic de partment, facilities for biological re search and a good library. The insti tute Is open to all workers, irrespective of nationality. A new and time-saving appliance for the embarkation and discharge of mails and baggage at Dover, England, and Calais, Prance, the terminal points of one of the cross-channel mailboat services, has been installed. It is an electrical gangway, and is constructed upon tho system of an endless plat form. It conveys packages of any weight ashore at the rate of one in fifteen seconds when working at nor mal speed. Even the heaviest sacks of mail and baggage are brought ashore with remarkable celerity and facility. The saving in trans-shipment Is moro than half the ordinary time. The aqueducts and reservoirs of Je rusalem show that there was abundant provision for running water In the an cient city. Within the Inst few weeks they have been brought again into the service of the city, which for many centuries lias been dependent upon small accumulations of rainwater. The water is piped from Solomon's Pools, nine miles south of the city, drawing water from the sealed fount ain mentioned in tnc fc>ong cf Solomon. It is a deep subterranean spring, which flows through an arched channel 1;o a distributing chamber. This increase In the city's water supply will enable twelve anclont fountains in the city to be used. A project Is now under consideration by the municipality of Vienna for the more profitable disposal of the sewag® of the city, which at present is dis charged into the Danube. The schema consists In the application of a method developed by Ilerr Noebel, of Posen, xor the utilization of the liquid part of the sewage for tho double purpose of irrigation and enrichment. It is in tended to convey the sewage in pipes to an extensive plain of poor land which suffers from lack of water, dua to inadequate rainfall, over which it is net to be carried In trenches, as is done in England, but the surface of tho land Is to be irrigated by sprinlv ling the sewage water over it. It b said that by tills plnn the land will no* be ever-saturated, as it frequently is on the sewage farms at Berlin and Paris. The system is stated to have been already in use at Posen with sat isfactory l-Mlllt*!. Trlbuto to Amtrlfui Preii. A lengthy article in the- London Times by a special correspondent whe was lately in America, undoubtedly Mo'jorly Bell, manager of the paper, describe* his experience with inter viewers and their capacity to provide interesting copy, whether the person interviewed contributes thereto or not. The correspondent pays a high trib ute to the American press as follow*: "But that the American press is im proving and is bound to improve can not, I think, be doubted by anyone who has come in contact, as I have done, with the men who have made it. However one may differ from their standpoints or depreciate their meth ods, it Is impossible to deny their quick intelligence and breadth of view cr the thorough earnestness and up rightness of purpose by which the conductors of the press are actuated, while in that which makes a press greater in independence and incorrup tibility, financial, political or social, the American can compare on equal terms with the English press." Mahogany Hunting* Mahogau3' hunting ia precarious work. In Central and South America the mahogany trees do not grow in groups, much less are there whole forests of tliem. They are scattered, usually concealed in thickets. It re quires skill and experience to find tliem. To fell a tree involves the work of two men for a whole day. On account of a thick, horny growth near the base of the tree a scaffold is erected around it, aud above this, at a height of from ten feet to fifteen feet the tree is cut, so that Hie best part is really lost. The felled tree is then freed of branches, and hauled on a rough wagon by oxen to the nearest river, where rafts are made and floated down. The city of Mots not only has no debts, but it has n surplus of $219,55 Q.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers