Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1896 — Page 5

FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.

TBS SCISSORS. We’re a jolly pair of twins, And we always work together. We are always bright and sharp, However dull the weather. Whenever little Maidie Takes her work-box in her lap, We are always up and ready With our “Snip, snip, snap!” Chorus. Snip, snip, snap. Snip, snip, snap. We are always up and ready With our “Snip, snip, snap!" We cut the pretty patches To piece the pretty quilt; Each square the next one matches, Their posies never wilt. We trim the edges neatly, With never a mishap. And what music sounds so sweetly As our “Snip, snip, snap” ? We cut the dolly’s mantle; We shape the dolly’s dress. Oh, half the clever things we do You’d never, never guess! For food or sleep or playtime We do not care a rap, But are ready, night and daytime, With our “Snip, snip, snap!” Chorus. Snip, snip, snap, Snip, snip, snap, But are ready, night and daytime, With our “Snip, snip, snap!”— —[Laura E. Richards.

DOGS RESCUED BT OTHER DOGS. One of tlie most peculiar incidents in the annais of animal instinct occurred at Santa Fe, the facts of which are reported as follows: Squire Thorne, of that village, is one of the best-known characters in that part of the state. A few days ago he (hissed two of his best hunting dogs, and his supposition was that’they had been stolen. However, he was surprised to see one of his dogs walk into the house, followed a minute later by the other, both wearing the appearance of utter destitution. Investigation showed that while out hunting a neighbor came across a broken bank on Pipe creek, and two of his dogs showed uneasiness at a hole in the ground. Nothing he could do would induce them to leave the spot, and he finally secured a spade and began digging for the cause of the trouble. Eight feet of earth was dug away before the cause was found. Then he found the two dogs buried from their own exertions in endeavoring to secure a rabbit. They had been there for thirteen days and were nearly famished. Prompt treatment saved the lives of both. WHAT ONE BRIGHT GIRI DID. An agreeable field for money-making is one which Lilian Q has found, or rather into which Lilian walked one summer morning. On her way to school she bad to pass the house of two very dear old ladies, who lived by themselves, and pottered about in a pretty old-fashioned garden. Miss Betsey and Miss Annie were fond of the bright girls who two or three times a day walked past their door on the way to and from their class-rooms, and they had their favorites among them, often stopping Lily, for instance, and giving her a flower or two to fasten into her button-hole. One morning Lilian observed that Miss Betsey groped a little and felt about with her stick, instead of stepping briskly around the garden as she used to do. “My sister,” Miss Annie confided to her, “is growing blind. We went to Dr. N yesterday, and he confirmed our fears. It is a cataract, and it cannot be operated on for a long time. What poor Betsey will do I don’t know, for reading has been her great occupation and her one pleasure. I cannot read to her, for it hurts my throat to read aloud.” “Let me come every afternoon, dear Miss Annie,” said Lilian. "I’ll read to Miss Betsey from four to five every day, and on Saturdays I’ll come twice—an hour in the morning and another in the afternoon. I can do it just as easily!” Miss Annie’s face lightened. “You sweet child!” she said. “If you will come, and your mother will let you come, Betsev and I will pay you two dollars a week for reading to us both.”

CAT-AND-DOG FRIENDSHIP. A curious event in cat-and-dog life, in which a hen was also associated, is de•cribed by a correspondent of the London Spectator. In the back-kitchen premises of an old manorhouse, amongst hampers and such odds and ends, a cat had a litter of kittens. They were all removed but one, and as the mother was frequently absent, a hen began laying eggs in a hamper close by. For a time all went well, the hen sitting on her eggs and the cat nursing the kitten within a few inches of each other. The brood were hatched out, and almost at the same time the old cat disappeared. The chickens were allowed to run about on the fl >or for the sake of the warmth from a neighboring chimney, aDd the kitten was fed with a saucer of milk in the same place, both feeding together frequently out of the same dish. The hen used to try to induce the kitten to eat meal like the chicks, calling to it and depositing pieces under its nose in the most amusing way. Then she would do all in her power to induce the kitten to come, like her chicks, under her wings. The result was nothing but a series of squalls from the kitten, which led to its being promoted from the back to the front kitchen, where it was reared until it was grown up. At this time a young terrier was introduced into the circle, and after manv back-risings and much bad language on pussy’s part, they settled down amicably and romped about the floor in fine style. Eventually the terrier became an inveterate rabbit-poacher, —killing young rabbits and bringing them home, —a proceeding to which the cat gave an intelligent curiosity, and then a passive and purring approval; and finally, her own instincts haying asserted themselves, she went off with the dog, hunting in the woods. Our own keeper reported them as getting “simply owdacious,” being found a great distance from the house; and keepers of adjacent places also said that the pair were constantly seen hunting hedgerows on their beats. On one occasion I saw them myself hunting a short hedge down systematically, the dog on one side, the cat on the other; and on coming near an open gateway a hare was put out of her form, and bounding through the open gate, was soon off. The dog followed, till he came through the gateway, where he stood looking after the hare; and the cat joining him, they apparently decided it was too big or too fast to be successfully chased, and so resumed the hedge-hunting, each taking its own side as before. They frequently returned home covered with mud, and pussy’s claws with fur, and would lie together in front of the fire; the cat often grooming down the dog, licking him and rubbing him dry, and tiie dog getting up and turning over the ungroomed side to be finished. Tbia curious friendship went on for six

months w more, till the dog had to be kept in durance vile to save him from traps and destruction. The cat, nothing daunted, went on with her poaching until one day she met her fate in a trap, and so brought her course to an end. TALK TO TOUR ANIMAL FRIENDS. The most important kindness we can do any animal that lives with us or that works for us is to talk to him. It is all very well to give our pets proper food and care, but it is not enough. If “man doth not live by bread only,” the animal friends of mao also have higher requirements. Tbev need companionship; they need conversation. A team of horses that work regularly together have their way of talking with each other. A cat and her kittens, a pair of dogs, any of our home pets which are fortunate in the companionship of their own kind, or in making friends with one another regardless of kind, do not really need our intimacy; but they will never learn to love us unless we take the trouble to be agreeable to them, and they will never be half so intell gent in understanding what we expect them to do, if we omit to say clearly what we want and if we are unwilling to bear our part in a friendly conversation You talk to your pets, of course, boys and girls; we have not supposed that you do not. Was there ever a boy who wouldn’t talk to his dog? The doganswers yo;i. He wags his tail, looks up into your face, licks your bands, jumps about you, and when, in his opinion, the conversation grows too exciting to be carried on in an ordinary mauner, he barks as loud as he can to give fuller expression to bis feelings. Now, a boy may have a dog for a pet, and some other member of the family may have a canary. The boy considers his dog the finest, cleverest fellow in the world; a canary he thinks is a stupid little thing that cares for noboby. and is easily frightened. Let him go up gently to the canary and talk to it for a moment. The little bird will cock its head first on one side, then on the other, and will chirp a delighted answer, ending, very probably, in a burst of happy song. After a while it will know that boy’s voice and will show the greatest joy whenever he enters the room. He can soon teach the little creature to come at his call, and to take its favorite hemp-seed or a morsel of fruit from his fingers. If one pays no attention at all to an animal, it cannot be otherwise than stupid. We know a sad story of a canary that had scrupulous care, but was left constantly alone. Its cage hung where it could not look out of the window, and no amusement of any sort was provided for it. The poor little mite died of nothing in the world but solitary confinement. A yet sadder story is told of a child. A woman who was not her mother simply fed and clothed a little girl. Day after day she let the child crawl around the room where she took in washing for a living. Not only did she never pet her; she never even spoke to her I Some good people noticed that the little girl showed no intelligence and could not talk. It was because she had never been taught a Bingle word. The little girl is now bright and happy with kind friends.

Secret of the Mango Trick.

A French scientist, M. Ragonneau, has Just discovered how to make a plant grow from a seed in thirty minutes as much as it would under ordinary circumstances in as many days. Heretofore nature has shared this secret with the Yoghis of India alone, and the methods pursued by these clever magicians in performing this trick have often been described. They plant a seed in the earth and cover it with a cloth. In a few moments the earth begins to be pushed upward by the growing plant, which in a short tme attains the height of several feet. Various theories have been advanced as to the modus operandl of this miracle, one of the latest being that the spectators are all hypnotized by the magician. During his travels in India, M. Ragonneau saw this trick performed frequently, and noticed that the Hindoos always imbedded the seed in soil which they brought with them especially for that purpose. At last he learned' that they obtained this earth from ant hills. Now, as every one knows who has inadvertently eaten one of these industrious insects, ants contain a large proportion of formic acid, with which in time the soil of their habitations becomes charged. This acid has the power of quickly dissolving the integument surrounding a seed and of greatly stimulating the growth of the germ within. After a little experimenting with thjp acid, the learned Frenchman was able to duplicate perfectly the Hindoo trick. His further researches have led him to believe that this discovery may be profitably applied to agriculture. By Infusing ants in boiling water, acid as strong as vinegar can be obtained. M. Magonneau has achieved the best results and most perfect growth by using earth moistened with a solution of five thousand parts of water and one of acid.

Ten Acres of Ducks.

If any of The Times readers have desire to enjoy duck and brant shooting such as was had in the ’6o’s, they can be suited at this time along the “Easten Shore,” anywhere between Hog Island and Cape Charles. It is not often in these times that one can see ten acres of ducks as close as the hairs on a brush, but this was really seen on Wednesday last from a blind on the east end of Hog Island, while further out were thousands of brant, and one could hear the hoarse “honk” of the cunado goose. So far all the ducks are butter-balls, hen bill divers, broad bills and sheldrake. Very few mallard or redheads. Every man along the shore has forty reasons for this sudden invasion of the birds, each one more absurd than the other, and naturalists are just as much astray; in fact, no one knows why, with the same conditions prevailing, ducks will be plenty oue season and scarce another. it is a big thing to get sixty brace or ducks in a day in these times, yet on this very ground Tom Bayard, of Delaware, and Harry Pintard, of Baltimore, got 166 on one tide with breechloaders in 1869. On the Jersey coast Mr. Belcher, of Philadelphia, killed 200 brant off Brigantine in the same year. On Tuesday last two Philadelphians got eighty ducks and brant in five hours and lost at least a third more. In old times the loading of the guns would have consumed nearly three hours, but conditions are easier, now that one has a gun that he can charge lying on his back. Michigan has 35,000,000,000 feet of pine standing.

FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.

ITEMS OF TIMELY INTEREST TO THE FARMER*. Weed Seed in Oat*—The Cruel Check Rein—Unsuccessful Spraying—Raising China Asters—Onion Raising. WEED SEED IN OATS. Clean oats of weed seed before sowing. Shake the oats in a sieve with meshes 1-12 of an inch clear space, which permits most weed seed to go through. A test of oats, such are now being widely sown, reveals the presence of seed of twelve bad weeds, including mustard and charlock enough to stock a farm, and the dreaded Russian thistle.—New England Homestead. THE CRUEL CHECK REIN. The check-rein in common use Is certainly objectionable, on account of the very inconvenient manner in which the animal’s head is held up. And yet, it is necessary In driving a spirited animal to secure the head and keep it under control. But It is not necessary to use this sort of a check when there are others to be procured which are free from this objection. Any harnessmaker can procure a check-rein which is under the control of the driver, who can tighten or loosen It at will, to the extent of six inches, which, of course, greatly mitigates, if it does not wholly remove, the inconvenience of the common rein. —New York Times. MOSS IN OLD PASTURES. Wherever grass lands fill with moss it is a sure sign that the soil has an excess of water at some time of the year. The moss may be on hillsides that are burned and parched in summer, but it Is springy land, and in winter and early spring the soil is full of moisture. It is this water-soaked condition that develops humic acid, which destroys all grass roots and leaves the soil to be filled with moss, as the only thing that can be made to grow. If the hillside can be underdrained this will remove surplus water, and the air, penetrating the soil, will prevent the formation of humic acid. Good grass can be grown, and this will crowd out the moss. On high land much moss is a sign that the land is cold and sterile. The presence of an excess of water on high land prevents the growth of the grasses and other vegetation which is necessary to Increase or even maintain fertility. —Boston Cultivator.

-UNSUCCESSFUL SPRAYING.

We sometimes hear of unsueessful results from spraying, but these experiments show, while all diseases cannot be immediately and totally eradicated, that continuous spraying will cause the fungous diseases mentioned to grow less each year. One intelligent fruit-grower sends word to the station that he had carefully sprayed according to directions, but had more scab on his sprayed than on his unsprayed trees. A careful examination of apples from his orchard revealed the fact that they were badly burned (probably by impure chemicals or too strong a mixture), but there was no sign of fungous disease in his fruit. Very common mistakes are the use of impure chemicals, allowing the ingredients to settle so the first trees get none and the last trees too much of the chemicals, improper mixing of the solutions, using the wrong solution and falling to spray at the proper time. The cost of these spraying mixtures and spray pumps Is very small, and the labor involved is very slight. There is no single investment that will pay such profits on the general farm as systemmatlc spraying—Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin.

RAISING CHINA ASTERS. Much is gained by planting flower seed in boxes in the house, writes Elizabeth Robinson. I fill broad, shallow boxes half full of ordinary soil, then put on an inch of finely-sifted earth, and make rows with the finger, or a stick, and put in the seed carefully. Aster seed, I put in one by one, about an inch apart, as in this way the young plants can be easily transplanted. This may sound like more work than it really is; and, if twice the work, the results are infinitely more satisfactory than the higgledy-piggledy way too often practiced. The rows are covered evenly with more sifted earth; I use an iron spoon for this, pressing the earth down firmly and smoothly. If more than one kind or Variety of seed is used, I separate the rows by slender sticks set on their edge in the earth across the box, and at the end of rows place a wooden label with the name of seed and date of sowing. The earth is kept moist and warm, and aster seed come up in three or four days; when large enough, transplant into their boxes, or, if not too early, into the open ground. Asters planted the latter part of April are in full bloom by the 25th of August, when we are glad to have some late flowers. Plants started in this manner in the house or cold grapery, and gradually accustomed to outdoor air as early as possible, grow and bloom well. The more often asters are moved (in reason), the better they seem to grow. They can be moved at almost any stage of their growth. Once I moved 150 large, tall aster plants from the garden to a bed in front of the house, on the 20th of July, and not a plant died or even wilted, and they did not stop growing a single minute. They had to be moved hurriedly to fill an empty space, so no especial care was taken in digging them up or setting them out, except to get a good ball of earth with each plant and make firm in the ground. Then the earth was kept soaking wet about them for a week. I do not advise moving plants too late, but it is a comfort to know that in an emergency it can be done with perfect success.—American Agriculturist. SPRAY THE ORCHARDS. The season for spraying our orchards and vineyards is at hand, and it should be attended to at once. In the application of insecticides it should be remembered that there are two classes of insects with which we have to deal. One takes its food by eating the foliage, fruit, etc., while the second class sucks

Its nourishment from the Interior of the stem, foliage or fruit. The tent caterpillar, cankerworm and currant worm are familiar examples of the first class, and the plant lice, squash bugs, etc., represent the second class. Accordingly, insecticides may be divided Into two classes, via.; (1) Those which must be taken Into the system before becoming active and which contains more or less arsenic, such as parts green, london purple, white arsenic, and which should be used at the rate of one pound to 200 galloqf of water; (2) those which kill by contact, such as kerosene emulsion, pyrethum, bisulphide of carbon, which Is very explosive when brought near the fire. It is used in the destruction of all kinds of grain insects In bins. To these may be added a third class.called re pella ut a—those which by their offensive odors prevent egg-laying—such as carbolic acid, softsoap, etc., which are applied to the bodies of trees as a prevention against the attacks of borers. The numerous fungous diseases, such as the black rot of grapes, apple scab, plum rot, etc., require a different class of remedies. The one In most general use is the Bordeaux mixture, which Is made by dissolving six pounds of sulphate of copper and four pounds of quicklime, and adding to these fortyfive or fifty gallons of water. The first application should be made before any sign of the disease has manifested itself, repeating at intervals of ten or fifteen days. After the fruit has set, a combination of parts green and Bordeaux mixture will be found to serve a double purpose in destroying both insects and fungi.—James Tliroop, Horticulturist of the Perdue University Agricultural Experiment Station. ONION RAISING. The onion crop is one that paya ordinarily about as well as any that the market gardener grows. There is considerable lubor attached to the production of a good yield of onions, but the returns per acre are rnauy, many times what would be received from an equal area devoted to grain raising; then,also, the onions are not so exhaustive to the soil as the cereals, so there will be less expenses in maintaining and increasing the standard of the farm's fertility when a crop like onions is raised, than when grain is the product. A rather moist, rich black loam suits the onion perfectly. Ido not mean by moist land undraiued land, as the latter is fit for hardly any market garden crop, whatsoever. A good deal of nitrogenous manure is required for the onion, so that rapid, tender growth may be forced. Do not spare the manure when onions are to be the crop. For best results, the land to be sown to onions this spring should have been manured lfeavily.for two or three years at least previous to the present season. In this way it would have been a store house of available fertility. Unleached ashes and bone are valuable mineral fertilizers to be used in connection with manure for onions. Take a good deal of pains in plowing, harrowing and dragging the ground for onions. Harrow and drag, and harrow and drag, to break every lump and make a really fine seed bed. Time spent in preparing the soil is well employed, for its influence is seen throughout the entire season of growth of the crop. Aim to sow the seed at rate of about five pounds per acre, in drills one foot apart, as early as the soil can be properly fitted, sint-e the onion makes its best growth in the moderately cool, damp atmosphere of spring and early summer.

Next, look out for weeds, which are not much comfort upon any part of the farm, but when they get a stand in an onion bed, they are a torment to thft cultivator, since it requires lots of hard work to dislodge them and also because they so damage the crop. However, take the weeds when they have hardly had time to peep out of the ground, and their destruction is comparatively easy and simple. The soil between the rows is cleaned and tilled by the wheel hoe, which possesses a thin,sharp knife to cut off weeds and stir the surface soil. The weeds in the rows themselves are to be removed by lively boys who crawl astride of each row and do the business. It is an essential factor of onion culture to keep the wheel hoe moving through the beds ns often as once a week, at any rate, and oftener still if a heavy rain comes in the meantime, for we cannot permit any crust to be formed on the surface, but must ever have the regular thin protection mulch of dry, loose earth. The onions are to be pulled by the middle of September, or in time to allow them to get well dried down before fall rains. To keep onions well, store in a dry, cool apartment. They may be frozen solid in early winter, then covered and not allowed to thaw until they are wanted for use In spring.—Farm, Field and Fireside.

Old Animals in England.

The beaver is one of the five mam malian animals that have inhabited England in former times, and have become extinct within historic record. They are the brown bear (Ursus arctoc), the beaver (Castor fiber), the reindeer (Tarandus rangifer), the wild boar (Sus scrofa) and the wolf (Canis lupus). The bear was abundant In the North of England and in Scotland when this country was in the hands of the Romans,and many Caledonian bears were imported into Rome. They disappeared altogether about 750. The beaver was numerous in some localities in the North of Wales In 940 and again in 1188. There are records of them much later in Scotland. Wild boars were numerous when large tracts of woods gave them harbor. They were hunted by the Tudors. They certainly existed in the year 1617. and probably much later. The wolf in England disappeared about 1490. In Scotland, wolves were numerous in 1577. According to Pennant, they became extinct in 1680.—Notes and Queries.

An Endless Procession.

Look at the gang of men working on the. streets.. Two-thirds are usually past fifty. They have had their chance to accumulate money and provide for old age, but improvidence has brought them to day labor. This pitiful and common sight seems to have no effect upon the young men, who continue to throw away money

LIVING RAT TRAPS.

Big Snakes Make War on the Army ot Rodent*. On grass-covered plains and hillsides In South Africa you frequently come across spots apparently thickly Inhabited by some small running animal. Little paths wind about and cross each other in every direction, and may well be compared to the street* of a city on account of their proximity to each other and their numerous crossings. Each path is clearly marked by being almost destitute of herbage. If you trace them up, you will find that they all end in holes Just large enough to admit a halfgrown rat: and if you beat the thicker bunches of grass you will probably set' a small rat-like animal running at a quick little trot along the pathway to the burrow. He is a vole, very like a rat or mouse in appearance, but much less nimble and much more delicate than either: he is larger than a mouse, and considerably smaller than a rat. His fur. too. Is much longer and thicker in proportion, being more like that of a rabbit in its texture. Boys, both white and colored, in South Africa, consider them very good eating, and enjoy them roosted in embers whenever they can catch them. Mauy of the voles live in each colony, and the colonies are so numerous that you cannot travel a mile in any direction without crossing one. But the vole has a worst' euemy than the boys. If you approach a colony, and carefully survey all the runways, particularly If there be a bush there, you will perhaps see the enemy alluded to—a living rat trap—lying In the path; and the very sight of his broad, flat head and sinister, cot-like eyes will make your blood run cold. * He Is the terrible puff-adder, short, thick-bodied, broad-headed, long-fang-ed, death-dealing alike to vole and to man—and even to the prowling lion, should he in his wanderings set paw upon the deodly reptile. Ho is beautifully colored, having a groundwork of velvet black, with half moons of yellow and small specks of the same marked along his buck from head to tall. More than once I have found puff-adders lying thus in ▼ ole paths, and there Is no doubt that they devour great numbers of them. Nor will a puff-adder be satisfied with one. As soon as he has swallowed his first catch ho looks around a little, and then lies in wait for another, which he catches Just as he did the first. His method of securing them is this. He wanders about till he comes to the colony. Ills tongue tells him by the touch of Its delicate points that his prey is In the vicinity. For a while he searches busily about. If he catches sight of a vole he lies quiet In or close by the path. He knows by Instinct that his remaining motionless for a long time will arouse the little animal's curiosity. The vole, seeing the snake moving, Is probably frightened, and runs to his hole; but finding that he Is not pursued, he soon emerges and looks around for the snake. He discovers the reptile motionless. ."Dead,” thftiks the vole, “or asleep,maybe;” and he cautiously approaches to Investigate. Inch by inch he ventures, sniffing Into closer proximity to danger; he even runs nround the snake, who never moves In the slightest. At. last the unfortunate little qundruped allows its curiosity to master Its prudence; It ventures too close. The living spring of the snake’s neck flies out, and the volo is held struggling in the Jaws of the reptile, whose venom-distilling fangs are buried In its tender body. He never relaxes Ills jaws for an single Instant. Soon the deadly secretion does Its work, and the vole passes stomacliwnrd out of sight. The puff-adder then repeals his tactics with like success, till he is satisfied or becomes thirsty, when lie goes off to seek water in the kloops, or hides under a bush to avoid danger and sleep till his necessities arouse him to another change of lodging.

The Dogs of Madagascar.

An acquaintance of mine who has Just returned from Madagascar tells many Interesting stories of that far away land of trouble, but, being a great admirer of dogs, he never tires of dwelling on the remarkable Intelligence of the nondescript curs that Infest the Island. “Like the dogs of Constantinople,” said he, “they know no owners* permit no familiarities and make no friends. They are self-reliant scavengers, with all the cunning and Intelligence that chronic hunger Inspires. They are nomadjc In their habits and always travel In large packs, sometimes traversing great distances in an extraordinarily short space of time. “The island is cut up by a great number of deep, sluggish streams, and pestilential swamps whic* are infested wtfch crocodiles and caymans. Those voracious reptiles don’t want a better dinner than a stray dog, and no one knows better than the dogs themselves. When a pack of marauding canines come to a stream they know that they have to resort to strategy In order to cross In safety, so the whole pack get together and they bark and howl and bark furiously for several minutes. A crocodile or an alligator that has slept far a month will wake up as soon as he hears a dog bark,' and commence a still hunt for the dog. The result Is that every reptile within hearing of the yelping pack hustles up as near as he can approach and waits for one to plunge in. When the river is full of them the dogs suddenly dash up stream about 300 yards, plunge in and swim across before the alligators get done snapping their Jaws together, and scurry off till they get to the next stream, when the strategy is repeated.”

Life Sacrificed in Madagascar.

The “butcher’s bill,” ns the London Court Journal calls the war mortality, of the French in Madagascar, is put down at considerably more than four thousand lives. Among the rank and file the deaths are said to have amounted to upward of 4320, and rather more than 2000 wounded and Invalids have been, or are to be, sent home. Nearly a thousand African carriers died as well, so that in all the number of deaths that have resulted from the operations in the island are over 5000. These figures are taken from a French Radical source, and there la little doubt that they are fairly cor(act

RHODESIA.

Hi* Country that It Ruled by the British South African Company. West and north of the Transvaal He those immense British territories which iave been assigned to the British South African Company as its sphere of operitions. Bechuanaland—so called from Ihe prihcipal native race which occupies it—is a high and generally level country, mostly wooded, though the trees are but small, and with grass which is richer and more abundant than that of the Transvaal. It is look'd upon as likely to prove one of the aest ranching tracts in the continent. .Vlatabelelaud and Mashonaland, farther to the north, are equally high, but more undulating than Bechuanaland, with great swelling downs somewhat resembling the prairies of western Kansas. They are bright, breezy countries, very hot in the daytime for they lie within the tropic, but with nights cool even In midsummer, and a climate, which, except In the lower grounds (long the marshy Imuks of the streams, Is not merely healthy, but invigorating. Plenty of rain falls in December, January. and February, and it is only in October, at the end of the dry season, that the grass begins to fall on the i>natures. The subjacent rock is, as In Bechuanaland, usually granite; but here and there Ihhls of slate and schist are found, and in these Imhlh there nre quartz reefs, believed to Ik? rich in gold, and from which a great deal of cold must In days gone by lmve been extracted, so numerous nre the traces of ancient workings. The extreme eastern part of Mnshon(laud, where It borders on the domln'tms of Portugal, Is called Manlcnlnnd. riils Is a country of bold mountains of granite inlxisl with porphyry nnd slate -a country the loftiest peaks of which tlhc to a height of 8000 feet above the (on, and where a comparatively abun--salit rainfall makes the streams more numerous, nnd fuller even In llie dry season, than are those of any other part of the great plateau. Here lud there a piece of high table-land, some 7000 feet above sen-level, offers an atmosphere of rare salubrity, while n few miles farther to the eastward, in the low grounds which slope gently to the coast, malignant fevers warn Europeans against any attempt to settle, and make even n Journey from the sen to the highlands dangerous during Home months of the year.—Century.

Made the Motorman Slow Up.

Yesterday afternoon as electric car No. 4 was swinging around the bend in the neighborhood of the old fair grounds, says the Nashville correspondent of the Philadelphia Times, the motorman’s attention was attracted by a small black nnd tan dog that stood Just ahead in the middle of the track, barking furiously. Turning the brake he whistled to the dog, hut the little fellow paid no heed, harking and Jumping about ns frautlcally as ever. Finally, the man picked up a loose hit of wood that some passenger had dropped on the platform and tossed It at the dog, but it wa no go. The terrier held his ground, though tin? block struck him squarely on the chest. At last, the motormnn had to stop the car nnd get out nnd see what was the matter. The dog seemed delighted when the man drew nenr and run on ahead harking and dancing about gleefully, ns much as to say, “Now you’re right; come on.” The state of affairs was soon revealed, as Just around the bend the man came upon a cow that was evidently causing the dog’s wild excitement. In grazing upon the track embankment the cow had managed to get botli horns securely fastened under the rails nnd was now held hard fast with no power to extrlcato herself. As the track makes so sharp a turn at this point it Is more than likely that serious damage not only to the cow, which was a valuulile Jersey, hut to the enr ns well, would liuve ensued had not the Intelligent little dog taken in the situation nnd given warning in time.

Razing a Tall Chimney Stack.

The razing of a chimney stack is an Interesting operation, and was seen to great advantage the other day at Salford, England, where a Lancashire steeple-jack took down a chimney 270 feet high, with a circumference at the bottom of 92 feet, and estimated to weigh 4000 tons. The chimney wall was cleared for about eight feet from the ground on the southern side, nnd “uprights” of timber driven in until the greater part of the weight of the superstructure rested on the timber, which was set on lire. Fed by petroleum, the fire in a few minutes did its work. Leaning for a moment, the whole chimney suddenly fell zig-zag to the ground, exactly In the place Intended. There was little noise, but the force of the fall was sufficient to. sunder the Jointed bricks as cleanly as though they had been detached by hand.

Dogs of St Bernard.

Baron Jordls, the principal breeder of Bt. Bernard dogs In Austria, publishes a letter from the prior of the St. Bernard’s Hospice on the subject of the present value of these dogs. “You ask me whether In the present day our hounds render the same service to travelers as are usually ascribed to them,” writes the prior. “Certainly they do. They in no way belie their past. In winter they are absolutely indispensable to us, not only because they still find wanderers hurled In the snow, but because they are the only guides who can lead, us safely along the proper track in the wild mountain snowstorms. The only difference is that they do not carry a basket or a flask fastened to their necks. These are borne by one of the brothers of the Hos pice.”—Westminster Gazette.

An Artist Without Arms.

The comrade without arms was the most assiduous worker. It was amusing to watch his mlttened feet step out of their shoes and at the shortest notice proceed to do duty as hands. Ills nimble toes would screw and unscrew the tops of the color-tubes, or handle the brush, as steadily as the best and deftest of fingers could handle it. Very much unlike any of us, he was most punctilious in the care he bestowed on his paint-box, as also on his personal appearance.

AN IMPERIAL BANQUET.

Stately Ceremonies that Followed the Coronation of the Late Czar. “The Crowning of a Czar,” describing the ceremonies at the coronation of Alexander 111, is the title of a paper In The Century. It is written by Miss Mary Grace Thornton, daughter of the British Ambassador. Of the banquet that followed the coronation, Miss Thornton says: The Granovitaya Palata is a room of endless associations in Russian history. In appearance it ls c very characteristic —a room that one does not forget. It was already very full when we were summoned there. The dais on which their Majesties were to be served was plaeed in one corner of the room, under a high eanopy; and facing it at an angle but hidden by the huge column that holds up the celling, were the orchestra nnd choir who were to make music during the feast. Tables were spread in different parts of the room for ladles in waiting, etc. On the dais a small table had been set between the two thrones, and at the corners of the dais stood four Chevaliers Gardes, sword in hand. Of course waited a long time, and my Frenchman became so impatient and noisy that Stunner, a master of ceremony. had to announce the Emperor several times to keep him quiet. At last, just as a gray pigeon had flown in at the window, circled above our heads, nnd flown out again ("Very lucky," said the Russians), here his Majesty was. We were to go when he asked for wine, after an old custom; for John the Terrible, it seems, was so violent in Ills cups that the foreigners were allowed to retire when he began to drink, leaving him to his faithful subjects. Mr. Stunner seemed very anxious for our safety, for Alexander 111 hud not got through his soup oven when lie bundled us off. I longed to rush up to the throne and ask if 1 mightn’t stay. As we left we met another dish, being escorted by six Chevalier Gardes to the Grand Marcchal de la Cotir, who served the Emperor. I am surprised that it got past the soldiers outside. An officer whom we saw there has told us since that they left their barracks at half-past three in the morning, and were on duty without food unthree In the afternoon; nnd Mr. L says It was torture to smell the good things as they were carried under his nose. I wonder he Could resist transfixing a cutlet with his sword. When at last tie got home to food lie was too tired to touch It, and could only throw himself ui)on bis bed and sleep and sleep. We found ourselves very tired, too, that night, when the curtains were down on all these splendors. For even "la severe niees,” ns the Frenchman called me, might yawn then. The play was over. I looked out of my windows ns I got Into bed, and tried to Imagine a glimmer In the sky over the Kremlin, the theater of the morning. Nothing of the sortl Instead, the dark and ruin were shutting out the last lights. Good night, Emperor and Empress!

A PETRIFIED MAN DEAD.

A Philadelphian’* Remarkable Malady Due to Surf Bath*. After lying fourteen years in one position, with Ills body slowly turning to stone from a most remarkable cause, death came to the relief of George Keller, a shoe finisher, on Tuesday, at his residence in this city. His malady was entirely due to chilly baths in the ocean surf when he was excessively overheated. The ease of Keller bullied tile skill of the most noted physicians. His disease was wliut is known to the medical profession as "rheumatoid artliitls,” and at first the nialudy uffected his lower extremities only. Then gradually It spread over ills whole body, until, at the time of his death, he was able to move only a few fingers of she left hand. In 1870 1880 Keller, after having been attended by some of the best physicians, was treated at the Jefferson Hospital, but all the skill of that institution availed him nothing, and the late Professor Gross pronounced his case incurable. In 1887 he was sent to the University Hospital, and the combined skill of the hospital and medical department of the University wrestled with liis case, only to In the end pronounce him Incurable. Ever since he has occupied his bed in the second story of the modest little cottage In Stiles street, with his mother as his attendant, until last winter, when he died. The duty of caring for him then devolved upon his brother-in-law, Edwin Tracey, nnd his sister, Mrs. Tracey. During these years Keller suffered at times the most exeuclatlng pains, and to add to his affliction he was frequently annoyed with Indigestion. But through all his suffering he preserved a cheerful demeanor. He was always pleased to have his friends call upon him, and he would talk to them for hours at a time. He was a great smoker, and his faithful pipe lay ever by his side. Keller’s affliction Is ascribed to an Indiscretion on Ills part when he was still a young man. He was about 21 years of age, and the almost perfect embodiment of strong, healthful physical manhood, when he accompanied an excursion party to Atlantic City. After dancing for some time in the pavilion, and becoming thoroughly overheated he, with some companions, hastily donned a bathiny suit and plunged into the surf. The air was raw and the water cold, and he became chilled. After remaining in the water for some time, he, with some companions, indulged in a footrace on the bench and again became heated. In this condition he again took a dash in thu surf. When he attempted to rise the next morning his legs were heavy and stiff, and he could scarcely move them. He managed, however, to get up and go to his work, but gradually became worse, until, about three months afterward, he was unable to leave his bed, and he kept it until his death.—Philadelphia Record.

The Healthfulness of Onions.

Onions make a nerve tonic not to be despised. They tone up the wornout system, and if eaten freely will show good results in cases of nervous prostration. If a sprig of parsley is dipped in vinegar and eaten after an onion no unpleasant odor from the breath can be detected. And in addition to this cheerful bit of information, onions eaten freely are said to beautify the complexion.