Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1896 — THE YOUNG FOLKS. [ARTICLE]

THE YOUNG FOLKS.

how to saa wind. If you wish to see the wind take a polished metallic surface of two feet or more, with a straight edge, a large haudsawill answer the purpose. Select a windy day, weather hot or cold, clear or cloudy. only let it not rain or the air be murky iu bther words, let the air be dry. Bold this metallic surface at right angles to the wind—that is, if the wind is north, hold your surface east and west—and incline it at an angle of 45 degrees, so that the wind striking glances and lit wt ovor the edge. Now sight carefully over the edge at some small, but clearly defined object, and you will see the air flow over a* water flows over a dam. A HOG KINGS A FOG BRLL. There is a dog on the Maine coas which is a valuable and valued assistant at u lighthouse. According to the Portland Daily Argus, tbe animal is the only dog regularly employed at any lighthouse in the district, aud he perfof ms his duty in a manner that is perfectly satisfactory. He is attached to the lighthouse ut Wood Island, off Biddeford Pool, and has been there for a number of years, lie is the constant companion of I lie keeper, and lias learned much of the duties of oue of Uncle Sam's lonely watchers. It is customary for vessels passing Wood Island to give three blasts of the whistle as a salute. At such times the dog runs to the bell ro. e, seizes it in his mouth, and tugs vigorously. The dog never rings the bell except at the right time, and never misses ringing it when It should be rung. Captain Oliver, of the excursion steamer Forest Queen, was the tir-t seaman to learn of the four-footed helper tliut the keeper of the Wood Islun I lighthouse had trained to ring the boll. Several hundred excurslonisls on the boat saw the dog tugging at the bell rope, and they afterwards made inquiries about the matter. They learned that it was an old story with the dog, and that during a fog the' patient animal rings the bell without cor*, plaining for hours ut a time. He hul never been known to desert his post, Which is more than can be suid for some of the men engaged to ring fog bells and tend lighthouses. As nearly every lighthouse that guards Uie coast there is one dog, uud sometimes the keepers have several. They help to while away the long, lonesome hours, and are almost us good as human companions. But, so far as ts known, the dog pictured herewith is the only one that has proven to be of uny real service to his master. It is perhups needless to say that the dog is highly valued by his owner, and money would not buy him. He Is a mongrel dog, being more nearly a shepherd than anything else. No particular effort was made to teach him his duty. He "picked it up" from observation, aud it took few lessons to make him perfect.

the Msaquirs tube and its uses. It is a common saying, in the arid regions of the bouib west, that the natives climb for water and dig for wood. This, being inte prcted, means that the water for drinking purposes is kept in aneartiien jar, or oila, Upon the top of the house, where, by menus of the more rapid evap. oration, caused by this direct exposure to the sun’s rats, the contents of the jar are kept continually cool. And the digging for wood is explained by the fact that the only timber through much of that region is the mesquite, a low-growinz shrub rather than tree, the roots of which are very hard and make an excellent fuel. For a whole winter I have been warmed by them, broken into little pieces, for they arc too brittle to chop, and have found that they give out au amount of heat that is in undue proportion to their bulk. The raesquite groves are a striking feature of the wiiie, level expanses of these regions. From a distance they look like peach orchards, only their vast extent precludes the idea that they are such. As timber a man accustomed to living among real forests would hardly give them a thought; but they are very much better than no timber at all. When in New Mexico recently I found that the tree had another use besides that of supplying fuel. It produces a bean which is an important article of food among the Indians, and in times of scarcity with the Mexicans as well. The bean is produced in pods which arc seven to nine inches long, and of a buff color. They begin to ripen in midsummer, and, as they have tl>e quality of preventing thirst as well as of satisfying hunger, they are often of the greatest value to travelers through the desert country, The Indians, who know their value, do not hesitate to go a long distance away from water if they can be assured of a supply of mosquito beans along their route. When used for food the beans are prepared in vari ms ways. When fresh and newly ripe they are put into a mortar of stone or wood, and bruised, then emptied into an earthen dish, mixed with water and allowed to stand for a few hours. The result is a kind of cold porridge or mush, which has a very agreeable blending of sweetness and acidity, and upon which many of the people would willingly exist the year through. As the fruit or bean pods ripen they are gathered for winter use. thoroughly dried and stored in cylindrical-shaped baskets, made of twigs, and covered with grass or earth to keep the rain out In this way they may he preserved for a long time. When needed for food the pods are reduced to a fine powder, by means of a mortar, and this flour cooked as fancy may dictate. The Hour thus prepared is also often kept for a long time. Horses and cattle feed upon the beans, which are very nutritious, and ofteu fiud sustenance, and indeed the very means of keeping alive, in them when grasses of all kinds are burned up by the drouth.