Cocoa production in Africa promises to rival that of South America and the West Indies. The United States furnishes practi cally all of the flour imported by Great Britain, about 70 percent of the corn and about 53 percent of the wheat. Professional begging is a lucrative business in New York, as was proved the other day in an unusual way, namely, through the robbery of the diamonds of a professional street beg gar's wife. Miss Stone says that Mme Tsilka's baby softened the hearts of the brig ands. Ah, what a wonderful thing a baby is! exclaims the Chicago Record- Heralo And what a pity that it has become unfashioable. American shoes are now securely in troduced in Berlin, and notwithstand ing the great progress made in the German shoe manufacture by Ameri can methods, are displayed an sold, not only by one large handsome American shoe store, but by many prominent retailers throughout the city. A novelist, whose specialty is South American revolutions ha 3 gone off to try and get into one. Who wouldn't be a genius? You write about things first and Cr.d out what they are like afterward. In this particular ease the romancer isn't likely to change his mind about the value of his own hooks when he knows something about the real thing. They have paid, which is the main thing Perhaps, however, he may make the virtuous resolution not to write any more, At a recent meeting of the British Institution of Electrical Engineers the question of applying electricity to main line railways as a substitute for steam was the subject of discussion. It seems from what was said that the problem of operating trains on large railways by electricity is far from be ing solved. It differs materially in every respect from the problems met in ordinary trolley road practice, both in the matter of cost and manipula tion, and the engineers are convinced that the age of steam in railroading is far from coming to an end. To ascertain the value of the testi mony of children in cases of identifi cation, the school authorities in south Germany have been making some tests, the results of which are very interest ing. Into a schoolroom was brought a man, of ordinary appearance and dressed in workingman's clothes. Classes of girls and boys of different ages were made to walk slowly through the room, in at one door and out at another, and afterward required to write a description of the man as they saw him. A summary of the pa pers shows that nearly 80 percent of the girls described with fair accuracy the clothes the man wore, but said nothing about his face or general ap pearance. The other 20 percent de scribed with less accuracy both faceand clothes, hut not one confined herself to a description of the man's face. With the boys the results were nearly op posite. Nearly 70 percent described the man's face and paid no attention to his clothes, while the rest attempted with only moderate success to'dcscrihe Doth face and clothes. Not a single one limited himself to the clothes. In the neighborhood of Abilene, Kansas, is one of those settlements or communities, half religious and half economic in the motive of their organ ization which are to be found in vari ous parts of the West. The one near Abilene consists of members of the sect of River Brethren. The River Brethren did not reach Kansas until 1879; then they immigrated from Penn sylvania, near Harrishurg. A party of about 800 people left that town, tak ing with them half a million in cash wherewith to buy lands in the new country for which they had started out. They were of German descent and for the most part tillers of the soil. In the last 23 years the members of the community have prospered greatly, and their numbers have increased to some thing like 3000. They have steadily invested their savings in the purchase ot land, aud while extremely slow to make any change in religion or social customs, they are among the most pro gressive in all that pertains to the ex ploitation of the soil. To them was due the flrst introduction of creamery methods on a large scale in central Kansas. That enterprise, which they organized some IB years ago, now pays out over a quarter of a million of dol lars every year to the farmers of the country, and in the middle 90s the agri- cultural population of that section, ow ing to the general failure of their grain crops, found that the creamery, in its purchase of milk, was practical ly tbeir sole resource for funds. TRUTH. Fire, bo wild, where shall we find thee? "In the valley seek a rock: Strike with steel, and at the shock In a moment out.spring I; There the bed wherein I lie, There seek and ye shall find me." Air, light air, where shall we find thee? "Where leaflets tremble on the tree, Where the curling smoke you see, Where the down floats north or south, 'Tis the breathing of my mouth, There seek and ye shall find me." Water bright; where shall we find thee? "Mighty mountains cannot hide Flow o£ spring and force of tide; Where the roots of rushes grow You will find me, dig below, There seek and ye shall find me." Holy truth, where shall we find thee? "Through the weary world I roam, No house have I, no place, no home, I knock, I call, but no reply, Therefore heavenward I must fly, There 6eek and ye shall find me." THE Whippletons were a fam ily composed of husband, wife aud three children, the latter representing the united efforts of the first two to found "a real home," as Mrs. Whippleton put It, and in which the children may he likened to a varied assortment of bric-a-brac which serve to decorate (or demolish) tlie house. Be it as it may, the Wliip pletons possessed three of these ob jects d'art, as also a neat little home on Staten Island within easy reach of the ferry, which the head of the family utilized in order to get to his office in New York. There in the great city he earned his daily bread, or rather helped other people to obtain what they had earned by the aid of the law, for he was an attorney; aud he had prospered to such an extent that his wife was no longer obliged to dispute dressmakers' bills and ills bric-a-brac shone and broadened under the nutri tious Influence of pork and beans and other delicacies of like nature. At tlds point, in order to inculcate in their progeny a taste for music, and as their modest household had not yet assumed the dignity of having a piano located in one corner of the parlor, the Whlppletons resolved to purchase oue of those necessary instruments; for, though neither could play even a ragtime symphony without the aid of a pianola, they thought that the children could not fail to all become I'aderew skis just by looking at the piano, and Imagining what sweet strains it could produce were it ever opened aud played upon. For the acquisition of the instru ment it was agreed by the liusbnnd and wife that the latter should seek the assistance of a young lady friend, who was a good musician, having ar rived at the stage where she could pro nounce Wagner with a true German accent, and who could select a piano with a good tone and the other neces sary qualifications. Mrs. Whippleton THOUGHT IT WAS FIVE. visited her friend and made an ap pointment to meet her at a down town music store the following Wednesday, and tlie little family was in the great est excitement over the contemplated purchase. When the nil-important day arrived Mrs. Whippleton arrayed herself in her best, gave a cursory glance at her purse, wherein she thought she re marked a $5 bill and some small change, took her little boy Harold by the hand aud sallied forth to meet her friend. The latter was on hand with un womanly promptness, and the two set to work in company with one of tlie salesmen to choose the piano. Instru ment after instrument was tried by Miss Schubert, as her musical friend was named, and when at last they found one that suited them it was luneli time. The thought then occurred to Mrs. Whippleton that since her com panion had been so obliging about aid lug her to select her upright, it would only Lie just to invite her to lunch. This she did, nnd Miss Schubert gra ciously accepted the offer. As they were preparing to leave the store Mrs. Whippletou, byway of pre caution, again looked into her purse to see if she had sufficient money to pay for the prospective repast. When she unfolded the bank note, which she had taken for a five before leaving the house that morning, she gave a gasp of dismay—it was only a one! A further search brought to light the imposing sum of thirty-five cents, and Mrs. Whippleton, disconcerted, won dered how hearty an eater Miss Schu bert would prove herself to be. As for herself, she felt hungry enough to eat a full dollar's worth alone, but she resolved to curb this untimely appetite and content herself with as little as possible. "My dear Miss Schubert, where shall we lunch?" she asked carelessly, in wardly hoping that her friend might say it did not matter, so she could con duct her to some modest cafetier. "Why, I don't know, I'm sure," re plied the other; "supposing we go to Purcell's." Purcell's! One of the most expensive places in the city, where you pay fifty cents for a glass of water and the priv ilege of sitting down! Mrs. Whipple ton felt a cold chill creep over her body, and her own appetite vanished as if by enchantment. "Yes, Purcell's is a good place," she affirmed faintly. She was commencing to be somewhat suspicious of Miss Schubert, and she recalled to mind several stories which represented mu sicians as a half-starved class who could devour untold quantities of food as often us they happened to have the opportunity. But hoping for the best, she plucked up new courage—perhaps Miss Schubert was an exception! They were soon seated at a cozy table, Mrs. Whippleton at the head, with her friend and Harold on either side. On the way to the restaurant the latter had pressed his stomach convul sively several times aud informed ills mother how hungry he was. Harold was not one of those spiritual boys who live on the simple diet of thought; on the contrary, a full plate of sub stantial food usually disappeared with amazing rapidity under the well di rected attacks of his knife and fork, and he often wanted more. This ap petite, upon which his mother had pre viously looked with pleasure, was now liable to prove fatal, so she despairing ly thought, hut she did not dare to say anything to him for fear of attracting her friend's attention. "I think. I will take same lebster a la Newburg," suddenly remarked Miss Schubert, after consulting the bill ol' fare. "Mamma, what is that? I want some, too, said Harold, impatient to begin. Mrs. Wliippleton's heart sank within her, and she made a rapid mental cal culation. The menu said: Lobster a la Newburg, 75 cents. Three times 75 equals $2.25—n0, that was impossible. "No, Harold, that is bad for your stomach," she said, turning to her sou. "I myself am not very hungry, so I will just take a chop and there will be enough for you, too, Harold." "But, mamma, I can eat two chops alone; I always do at home " The boy's voice broke off suddenly as he felt his mother's foot descend with force upon his own under the table. "Won't you have anything else?" in quired Mrs. Whippleton, addressing her friend and not heeding Harold's wails. -Why, yes; 1 think I would like some French peas," returned the other. Another mental calculation: Lobster, | 75 cents; chop, 50; peas, 25; total, $1.50 j —the Rubicon was passed. Mrs. Whip yleton was desperate and she resolved to die eating bravely and trust to Providence to pay the bill. "I guess I will take some French peas also; and you bad better have some, too, Harold—tnree orders of. peas," she said, turning to the waiter, "and you might make it two portions of chops instead of one." Throughout the meal Mrs. Whipple ton was apparently the gayest of the gay, but while her lips smiled and her eyes beamed benevolently on her friend her heart was heavy, and she won dered how it was all to end. If she could only, by some mental process, transfer a few of her husband's green backs into her own little purse, hbw she would rejoice. But, alas! that was impossible, and the account was stead ily mounting upward. Every few mo ments Miss Schubert would order something else; she appeared to have been fasting for weeks just for this occasion, and every time she sent for a supplement, Harold would conclude that he would like some of'the same. His mother let him go on in his mad course, for she felt that the crash might as well be a big one as a small one. Finally, after finishing with peach ice cream and charlotte russe, the time for settlement arrived, and Mrs. Whip pleton prepared herself for the shock. But just as she was on the verge of desperation, a well known voice sounded in her ears, and a man's hand was laid upon her shoulder. With a cry she looked up and saw her hus band. Heaven had pitied her and had sent a messenger to release her from her predicament. As she arose and greeted him she whispered softly in his ear: "Dear, dear George; you have come in the nick of time. Here, pay this bill, for I only have a dollar and thir ty-five cents." Her husband looked at the account, which had reached the Olympian heights of $4.75, and with a side glance at Miss Schubert, who was standing a few feet away, engaged in putting on her gloves, he asked in a low voice: "But what woald yos have done If I had not come?" Mrs. Whippleton reflected for an in stant before replying, and then said, calmly: "I guess I would have borrowed It of Miss Schubert. But after Inviting her to lunch it would not have been very nice to ask her to pay the bill, would It?" "Hardly," responded her husband, as he slowly walked up to the cashier's desk.—W. Evans Barnes, in the Chi cago Record-Herald. CREATEST OIL SPCUTER. It Pours Out Z. 000.000 Gallons of retro leum Before It Quiets Down. The Russians assert that they struck the biggest oil spouter ill the Baku petroleum fields last fall that was ever tapped. They sank a new well in the Bibi-Eibat district about three miles southwest of Baku and reached a depth of 1800 feet before they struck oil. Then it went to spouting and is said to have been the largest producer for the first two or three days that was ever struck. It is accredited with 180,000 barrels a day for nearly three days and then the flow diminished a little; but it continued flowing until it had produced over 2,000,000 barrels. This happened in November last. Before the well stopped flowing an other big one was struck in the Ro man! district about ten miles northeast of Baku. This spouter produced near ly 1,000,000 barrels nnd was still flow ing at the rate of about 25,000 barrels a day on January 31st last. These were the two great spouters of the Russian oil fields last year. Remarkable as it may appear. It is said that the owners of the big well which produced more than 2,000,000 barrels in a little over thirty days lost money by this extraordinary outpour ing. This would seem impossible with out explanation, but the sad reason for it is clearly set forth in Consul Chambers's report that has just been published in Washington. In the first place, the well could not be controlled. High winds were blow ing nearly all the time, and every house near the well, as well as nil the buildings in the village, more than a mile away, was deluged. It is said that the owners of the well must pay for repainting all the houses in the village. The owners had to pay the Government a royalty of two and a half cents for every five gallons of oil, and they could not sell the oil they saved at a profit of more than about a quarter of a cent per five gallons above the royalty and their expenses. It is said that tills meager profit did not even pay the heavy damages that had to be disbursed to the aggrieved property owners. This is not the first time that the village mentioned has been damaged by a flowing well. Some years ago a well in the same district sent a spray of oil to this village nnd the owner of the well had to pay damages amount ing to ¥50,000, as he was compelled to repaint the entire village, includ ing u fine Russian Church. New Foeui by Dickens. An unpublished poem from the pen of Charles Dickens was read by Mrs. Alice Meynell, of Loudon, to the mem bers of the Contemporary Club and their friends during her address on "Charles Dickens as a Man of Letters." This verse, the manuscript of which is years old, Is here printed for the first time: "I put in a book once, by hook or by crook, The whole race, as I thought, of a feller. Who happily pleased the town's taste, much diseased, And the name of this person was Welter. But I found to my cost that one Weller I'd lost, Cruel destiny so to arrange it; I love her dear name, which has won me some fame, But great heavens; how gladly I'd change it!" The poem was written shortly after Dickens had been presented to the young woman mentioned by him in the lines, and was read by Mrs. Mey nell with the permission of the woman herself.—Philadelphia Press. Mlsuiuted Namen. The union of the given name with Hie surname often makes an amusing combination. Sometimes it is acci dental, but more often designed. The story that went the rounds of the newspapers some time ago that Gov ernor Hogg, of Texas, had named his two daughters Ura Ilogg and Ima Hogg, It is gratifying to know, has been denied. A case in tile cast end of Columbus has come to the notice of the Observer. A gentleman who bears the common name of Case has named his little daughter "Urn" Case. M. A. Bridge, the well-known chief clerk in the office of the State Dairy and Food Commissioner, has named a son "Brooklyn." Brooklyn is not an uncommon name in itself, but Brook lyn Bridge is somewhat startling.— Columbus Dispatch. A Point on Carpentry. Senator Piatt, of Connecticut, was building a house. He had occasion to hire a carpenter, who was a plain, unvarnished sou of New England. "You know all about carpenter work?" asked Senator Piatt. "Yes, sir," was the reply. "Y'ou can make windows, doors an* blinds?" "Oh, yes, sir." "How would you make a Venetian blind?" The man thought steadily for several minutes. "I think," he remarked finally, "that I would punch him in the [ eye."—Washington Post. f AGRICULTURAL. | Gate For Pasture Fence. It is always desirable to bare some sort of a sate in tbe pasture field fence, but it is uot always easy to build one that is at once stock-proof and easy to oierate when necessary. The arrange ment as shown iu the illustration is not in reality a gate, but a passageway, so placed that the stock cannot get through, but through which a person may readily pass. No explanation of i Si* STOCK PEOOF risSAGF.WAY. the plan is needed, for it is plainly shown by the ilustration. This fence may be arranged so as to provide a double gate by hinging the open por tiou in the foreground so that when closed to the post will come in snugly against the fence post, aud be held in place by a wire loop dropped over both posts, then the gate in the background should also He placed on hinges, so that when closed it will lap over against the fence about two feet, aud be hold in place by a staple and hook. Uses ol' Coiiperuff. The value of copperas is not fully un derstood, Hut there are few things more useful to the farmer aud gardener. It is invaluable as a purifier around drains, or in any place where a disin fectant is needed. It is specially use ful in the chicken coop, a small lump placed in the drinking water being a preventive of disease and a general pu rifier. In the garden there are several uses for it; two tablespoonfuls in a pail of water will kill cabbage worms, while a somewhat stronger solulion will kill currant worms as quickly as hellebore, and it is much safer to use. Powdered copperas can be sprinkled on the surface soil of hard wood pot plants, so that the water that is applied will soak through it into the soil, car rying the strength of the copperas with it. For more tender plants the cop peras can be dissolved, allowing one ounce to each gallon of water, using It in the soil one? iu two weeks, not al lowing any of it to touch the foliage. It is also used for shrubs and trees in the garden, especially those which for some unknown reason fail to make satisfactory growth. It can be made in large quantities for that purpose, using two pounds of copperas to a bar rel of water. A few applications will usually cause a marked improvement in the growth and in the color of the foliage. In sections whore corn is dug up by birds nnd gophers it has been found that if the seed is soaked for a few hours In a strong solution of cop peras the pests will not disturb It.— Bernlce Baker, in Agricultural Epitom ist. To Make Charcoal For Stock. In the corn-growing districts of the Western States corncobs are made to serve a good purpose when reduced to charcoal nnd fed to hogs. Ordinary charcoal is used by many. The method of reducing the corncobs to charcoal is thus given by Theodore Louis: Dig a hole in the ground five feet deep, one foot in diameter at the bot tom and five feet at the top for the charcoal pit. Take the dry corncobs and start a lire in the bottom of this pit, addiug cobs so that the flame is drawn to the top of the pit, which will be thus filled with the cobs. Then take a sheet iron cover, similar to a pot lid in form, nnd over five feet in diameter, so as to amply cover the whole, and close up the burning mass, sealing the edges of this lid in turn with earth. At tile end of twelve hours you may uncover and take out a fine sample of corncob charcoal. This char coal can be fed at once if desired, but Mr. Louis prefers to take six bushels of It, or three bushels of common char coal, eight pounds of salt, two quarts of air-slacked lime end one bushel of wood ashes, breaking the charcoal up well with a shovel or other tool, thor oughly mixing the various ingredients. One and a quarter pounds of copperas Is then dissolved In hot water, aud with a watering-pot sprinkled over the whole mass, which is again thoroughly mixed. The mixture is then put into boxes and placed where the pigs can get at it at their pleasure. It is not only excellent for the health of the pigs, but is considered by some as a preventive of hog cholera—New York Weekly Witness, A Good Garden. A few simple rules are all that is necessary to govern a good garden. First, there should be a good spot, convenient to the lie use, thoroughly drained, with soil as rich as possible. Second, the owner must know when, how and how much to plant. Third, the garden must be kept free from weeds and under good cultivation the entire season. If the gardener has tbe right kind of tools, and has learned to do his work to the best advantage, two hours a week or a little less than n day in a month, will give him a clean profitable garden, unless the season is one of frequent and heavy rains, which will make the work harder. The gar den cannot he too well drained, for this will enable the gardener to plant early and to work much sooner after rains; It will also keep tlie soil from packing, causing the plants to become unthrifty. Planting In a well drained garden, plowed in the fall, may begin as soon as the ground dries enough for a harrow to mellow the surface. Peas, lettuce, radishes, onions, beets and cabbage may be planted as soon as the ground can be worked, and if the ground freezes after they are up it rarely hurts them. There are certain kinds of vegeta bles of which several plantings should be made as they soon go by, and with a single planting the family can use them but a few days; with a succession of plantings there will be n supply for several weeks. It takes little work to keep a garden in good order if a hand cultivator is used. As soon after each rain as the land can be worked, the surface should be stirred to the depth of about one Inch. No weeds will then start until it rains again, the evapora tion of moisture will be checked, and you will have a clean thrifty garden, which will be a pleasure to look at, which will give a supply of vegetables from the middle of April till frost, and „ which will furnish what would cost SSO if bought in the market.—Otto Ir- * win, In The Epitomlst. £ A Humane Stanchion* Or.c of the greatest problems of the dairy barn—outside of the problem of the most judicious method of feeding— Is the matter of confining the cattle in the stalls. It is agreed 011 all sides tnnt the greatest comfort must be as sured the cow if the largest returns are to be expected, but at the same time It is admitted that the cow that is given the greatest freedom in the mat ter of confinement in her stall is the one that is hardest, to keep clean. Now, as cleanliness Is an absolute requisite in producing the best of milk and but ter, the question resolves Itself into this, Hew rigid a stanchion can be con structed and still give the cow such freedom of movement as will make her confinement In the stall not at all irksome to her? If the cow is tied A with a chain to n post she can step y ahead into her manger and back into the manure trench. In this way the platform 011 which she stands lias ma nure dropped upon It and carried upon It to the manure trench by the ani mal's feet. The old fashioned, rigid stanchion, consisting of two uprights, keeps an animal from moving back ward or forward, but It also confines the head so closely that very little movement of this Is possible, while the fact that the stanchion has no "give" in any direction causes a good many bumps upon the animal's horns, ears iT 5 \\ i . . | H ''l . . 'lt I \ \\ and shoulders when it Is getting up or lying down. It Is possible to make use of a stanchion, however, and yet have it admit of considerable move ment of the animal's head, while still confining its forward or backward movements to very small limits. The cut shows the construction. The up right post turns freely at the loose end and at the top. Two Iron L pieces hold the swinging upright at the bottom, as shown, while a swinging iron clamp at the top holds It when shut. With such a stanchion the cow can move back and forth but little, but can move the head about from side to side with great freedom, while the swing of the stanchion causes it to "give" a little when tlie cow Is lying down or getting up. With such an arrangement for hitching animals the platform on which she stands should be Just long enough so that the bind feet will come close to the rear edge, when the ma- mire will fall Into the gutter, six M inches at least below the surface of the platform. Such a stanchion as that described herewith should be as light as possible consistent with strength, since light ness will have much to do with the cow's comfort, as the head cannot be moved from side to side nround a clum sy stick of wood, even when this can swing a little. New York Tribune Farmer. DORS Regardful H Sacred. The dogs of Damascus are not as numerous as those of Constantinople, but are quite as lazy, maugy and wretched. They are regarded as sacred and are allowed to live and die without interference. Nobody owns y them, nobody cares for them in par- p ticular, but collectively they are the 1 wards of the city and live on the scraps that are thrown into the street. They bark all night and sleep all day stretched in the sunshine, occupying the roadway or the sidewalk, or the most comfortable spot they can find. Hackmen and teamsters drive around them and pedestrians step over them, being careful not to wake thein up.— Chicago ltecord-Heruld.
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