Bloomington Progress, Bloomington, Monroe County, 13 October 1899 — Page 6
AMERICA'S THREE ADMIRALS AND THEIR FLAGSHIPS.
" U.S. FRIGATE -POWHATAM: S.SS'
U..S. FRIGATE ."HERTFORD
ALASKA IS FERTILE.
GROWING THINGS THRIVE IN OUR ARCTIC DOMAIN.
Gratifying Information, front the Government's Experimental Agricultural Stations -Early Vegetables Excel in Flavor Those of the States, The Federal Department of Agriculture has shown that fruits, vegetables and grain are being grown with profit in Alaska, and that our great Arctic domain offers enormous possibilities, hitherto unsuspected, for agriculture on a large scale. Along the Alaskan coast the soil is capable of producing grain, vegetables, small fruits and forage plants of as good quality and in as great abundance as many of our Northern States, and of supporting countless herds of cattle. In southeastern Alaska is a region as large as all New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
parsley, parsnips, peas, radishes, rutabagas, rhubarb, salsify, spinach, sage, thyme, turnips and Windsor beans. All these, including in some cases several varieties of each, except the wax beans and spinach, made excellent growth and produced vegetables and plants that compared favorably with the products of gardens almost anywhere in southern latitudes. The peas were especially prolific, and the turnips, radishes, parsnips, parsley and salsify prodouced roots as good as can be found anywhere. Some of the turnips -weighed five pounds each, and some even ten pounds, and were of excellent flavor. Potatoes also were a decided success. Many of them weighed each a pound or more. A more important test, however, was made with grains and foliage plants. Oats and barley were grown at Sitka and Skaguay with gratifying results. Several varieties of Norwegian and Russian barley were grown with the same excellent result as with the oats. Of forage plants there were seeded several varieties of Norwegian clover, timothy, hairy vetch and Riga flax, and
ALASKAN REDTOPS.
combined, that is adapted in all respects to cattle raising. The Government is establishing three agricultural experiment stations at different points in the Territory, to test thoroughly and scientifically the capacity of its soil for producing a food supply for its present and future population, and enable the Territory ultimately to become self-supporting with respect to the food it may need. The stations are at Sitka, on the southeastern coast: at Kadiak, on Kadiak island, off the southern coast; and at Kenai, on the Kenai peninsula, beside Cook inlet, about 110 miles to the north and east. The conditions at Sitka represent all the heavily timbered region of southeastern Alaska, with its deep moss ami peaty soil. At Kadiak the climate is somewhat cooler, and the soiil less peaty, while in the Kenai peninsula there is a large area of agricultural laud inside the coast
range, which presents favorable condi-
for farming, although it lies
j of the sixtieth parallel of north
Tide. , .'st year the Department sent to . ..ska a special agent, Prof. C. C. eorgeson, a native of Denmark. He made his headquarters at Sitka and Skaguay, and experimented with seeds of over 100 varieties of grain, vegetables, grasses and forage plants. He also distributed seeds to individuals in other localities in Alaska and made arrangements for co-operative experiments and reports as to the results obtained. All of the seeds were planted between May IS and May 25. The season was backward, and it was impracticable to plant thein earlier. Of vegetable seeds planted there were asparagus, wax beans, beets, cress, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions,
all were successful, the clover being especially vigorous, measuring over two feet high. Alaska is pre-eminently a land of small fruits and berries. The flavor of most of the native berries is pronounced to be so excellent that it is said they
IN'CHKS.
POTATOF.S GROWN AT KADIAK.
are worthy of introduction into the States. Cattle were introduced in Alaska long ago by the Russians in their various settlements, and, according to reports, they always did well. Professor Georgeson reports that the cattle now found at the little towns along the coast thrive and appear to have become well adapted to the climate. This excellent condition, Prof, Georgesou says, is evidence of the nutritious qualities of the indigenous grasses. The soils of Ala skit are largely of vegetable origin, and to a great degree resemble the black earth of rice lands or peat formations. In the southeastern portion of Alaska there are deep deposits of this rich soil overlying slate or conglomerate bedrock. The organic content of many of these soils is very much higher than in any of the agricultural lands of the States. If these
soils are so situated as to be well drained they should be capable of producing enormous crops, and, with an abundant and well-distributed rainfall, they
GROWN AT SITKA. Oat. Barley, F'las, Potatoes and Clover. would be adapted to almost any kind of crop Suited to the general climatic conditions of that portion of the country.
HOTEL SERVANTS ARE HONEST. jt They Are Often Accused of Stealing, but Are Harely Guilty. "A curious thing happened here today," said the head clerk at one of the leading hotels in New Orleans to a Times-Democrat man. "About a month ago a gentleman and his wife, from Milwaukee, spent a couple of days in the house, and on leaving the lady missed a valuable riug. She was positive she left it on the dresser and equally positive it had been stolen by one of the servants. We set an investigation on foot and promised to forward the riug if found. A little later the husband wrote to inquire whether the search had been successful, and when we replied in the negative he notified us that he proposed to sue the hotel. He claimed we had shown great negligence in not arresting a suspected employe, and his comments were bitter in the extreme. That was two weeks ago. "Now here is the sequel in the shape of a third letter that arrived this morning. He says that he and his wife reached home a few days ago and in unpacking the luggage found the ring in one of the trunks, and he is manly enough to add a very handsome apology for his hasty conclusions. Strange to say, that is the first time in the history of the house that any guest has frankly admitted such a blunder after taking his departure, and blunders of that kind are of almost weekly occurrence. "It is the commonest tiling in the world at all hotels tor pensons to go away declaring that they have been robbed by the help. We know the missing article subsequently turned up, because the subject is never referred to during later visits, but in the meanwhile a score or so of humble, but honest and hard-working people, have been placed under a suspicion th.it is wholly unwarranted and unjust. That is a point the average traveler doesn't seem to consider. Hotel chambermaids are continually returning valuables which they find in rooms. Dishonesty among them is so rare as to be almost unknown."
ljost O Hid of the Mia mis. In 1770. when a mere child, Frances Slocum wa stolen from her parents by a. roving Indian band at Wllkesbarre, Pa. She moved West with the ebbing tide of Indians and was finally adopted by a chief of the Mlamis, Her parents searched far and near for their miss
ing child, but were unable to locate her until she had been adopted by the Miami tribe, and when overtures were made for her return she declared that the life in the Indian camp had such a fascination for her that she had no desire to return to civilization. She was extremely popular among the members of the tribe, and the village southwest of Wabash, Ind., where she made her home was known as the "white woman's" village. As she grew to womanhood, adopting the savage customs, attire and language, she married She-pan-can-nah, meaning the Deaf Man, the chief of the Osage village, and by him had four children, two sons and two daughters. She accompanied her husband to the Osage village and afterward to the Deaf Man's village, and lived there long after the white man had invaded the wilderness and begun to clear up the dense forests. She-pah-can-nah died in 1S33, and in
1847, fourteen years after, she died at !
the age of 80, loved and respected by whites and Indians alike. Frances Slocum's Indian name was Mah-cones-quah, or "Young Bear." Her daughter, Ke-ke-kah-kushwa, became the wife of Capt. B. Brouiliette, and died on March 18, 1847, aged 47. The other daughter was O-zah-was-shing-quah, who married Tah-co-nah, and he dying she became the bride of Wah-pah-pe-tah, and several of her children by the last marriage live on the Indian land south of Wabash in abject poverty. She died.iu January, 1877, the last of Frances Slocum's children.
'mm
PRINCELY GIKTa r-- '
Large Sums Donated to Education
Institutions This Year.
In nA miAvlAfia v-An . lulu ruinaAlr mK2
education in the United States been ''wm&.
eurieiieu uy uonauons anu uequesin in 1899. The institutions of learnlMg have received $28,720,617, which Is $13iB 034,467 more than they received laRj year. There have been twenty-four in -ff dividual donations this year rangfn L from $100,000 to $15,000,000. The U&$ X is as follows: Mrs. Leland Stanford to Leiaad '- Stanford University $15,000,000 Estate of John Simmons for female college, Boston .. 2,000,000- "V Henry C. Warren to Harvard ;. '; College l,OCO,00(P:r G. W. Clayton for a university at Denver 1,000,000 r T-x A J - A . r . . . AAA
Maxwell Somerville to University : of Pennsylvania GOO.OOO ;. . Edward Austin to Harvard Col- vj lego 500,000. . Lydia Bradley to Bradley Poly- :? technic Inscitute 500,000 Samuel Cupples to Washington University , 400,000, Jacob Schift to Harvard College.. 350,000 m, Marshall Field and J. D. Roeke- ; feller to University of Chicago. 335,000 M Edward Tuck to Dartmouth Col- , ' ' fr lege .. 300,000 :h J. D. Rockefeller to Brown Unlversity 250,000 . Caroline L. Macy to New York Teachers' College 200,000 Edward Austin to Massachusetts !'$m Institute of Technology. 200,000 It. C. Billings to Massachusetts -T Institute of Technology 150,000 ; O. C. Marsh to Yale College 150,000 Andrew Carnegie to University 'l of Pensylvanla 100,000 . Unknown donor to Wesieyan Unlversity 100,000 George R. Berry to Baltimore Fe- st male College 100,000 ".. J. D. Rockefeller to Penison Col- ' lege 100,000 ;; W. &. Vanderbllt to Vanderbilt University 100,000 V Unknown donor to Princeton College . 100,000
R. C. Billings to Harvard College. 100,000
t These twenty-four donations aggre.gate $24,385,000, or $11,298,850 more f .than, the total of 1S98 Chicago Trt ; 'bune. . TWO GRANT MARRIAGES. 'Wide Contrasts Between Those of the President and His Cvranddanshter. ii When General Grant took unto him- ' self as a bride Miss Julia Dent of St Louis he went to the altar, as it were, straight from the battlefield of Mexico. Q Then by the orders of the war depart- v. aneut he was sent awray to other scenes, finally going in 1852 to do soldier duty g ;in California, where the monotony . V
f
Home of the Edam Cheese. While the Edam cheese is a familiar visitor on the table, not every one knows whence it comes nor how its eanuon ball proportions and gay coloring have been achieved. The northern part of Holland is the seat of the Edam eheese industry, and the consequent cleanliness of the relish is therefore doubly assured. In making it the fresh cow's milk is carefully strained and the renet added. As soon as the milk curdles the whey is drawn off and the curd, thoroughly kneaded, is pressed into molds. This process is repeated until the whey has all been extracted and the curd is comparatively dry. It is then wrapped in a linen cloth and kept for ten or twelve days until quite solid. Then the cloth is removed and the cheese put into salt lye. Afterward a little more dry salt is sprinkled on th cheese, until the maker thinks it is salt enough to insure its keeping. It is next put into a vessel and washed with whey and scraped to remove the white crust. It. is next carried into a cool room and laid on shelves, where it is frequently turned. The ripening process lasts from two to three months, the round balls growing the tine yellow or reddish color peculiar to Edam cheese. The cheeses intended to be exported to this country are rendered still more brilliant by dyeing the rind with a vegetable dye. New York Tribune.
Jealous of a Baby Camel. At the .Tardin des Plantes, in Paris, the inhabitants were surprised recently by the birth of a young camel and the new arrival naturally attracted much utteantion from the visitors. A large elephant whh-h used to be the center of attraction exhibited signs of dissatisfaction at the sucee. of his young neighbor, but. in spite of hi trumpeting was unable to reconquer the tickle crowd. At last the elephant rilled his trunk with water and discharged it over the persons standing looking at the baby camel.
ASTOB HOUSE, NEWPORT,
grew so heavy that the young officer resigned from the army and returned to St. Louis, where whatever be had of a honeymoon was spent, He had been unable to take his bride with him to the camps and the barracks of the South and West. After his return to St. Louis his father-in-law presented him with a small farm, a house and three negroes. The farm was just outside St. Louis. It was in the cabin on this farm that the honeymoon of U. S. Grant was passed. The period had its troubles, though, for the great leader failed to make farming pay and he dabbled in the real estate business in St. Louis as a side issue. Some St, Louis historians assert that the house in which General Grant was married is still standing in St. Louis, but none seem able to point it out But one of the illustrations shows the honeymoon cabin on the Missouri farm. Julia Dent Grant, born in the White
House, Washington, has recently oi
come the bride of Prince Cantacuzene i
f
f. !. I'
U. S. GR AST'S MISSOUBFCOTTAQI
Astronomy as a science interests fewer people thau gastronomy does.
of Itussia. The marriage, of whieit f
imii.il Ims hotm written was solemWitS
in the ualace of onef the Asors
Newport, which is under lease to
tp Palmer of Chica. Of ?ourse;
ceremony was a brilliant one.
after it there was no hurying awi
the bridegroom to battieflelds or di
fivmtier nosts. The honeymoou
In a palace in America and will
tiiuie on the vast and ueautitui of the prince -ear Moscow.
Realistic playing: Petted daugl
Th.v flstl me to play at Mrs.
no's til's evening, and I did, but
l,md uiotner. tprouuiyj v ew m.rraneed? Petted daughter-
When I played 'Life on the iviitp.1 with variations, half of
left the room. Fond mother (exat
rtiiv That's wonderful. They,
have been seasick New York Wee!
A woman who hoards is as busy
ime who keeps house, but she wiU er admit that it consists largely of terlmj.