Pike County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 10, Petersburg, Pike County, 15 July 1881 — Page 4

PIKE (OHM DEMOCRAT' PETERSBURG. : , : INDIANA MY APPLE TREE. t>ut by my door the apple tree,. With wholesome hospitality. Stretches abroad it&frtendly hands *lo welooihe all the airy b -mis. Its knotted b anches, worn and gray, Show some bright burden bvevy day. In winter-time the woodpecker Make* Jn those boughs his tiny stir. The little tup of busy biil The signal of his work and skill: n 1th sober coat and spark ot red Cres in# his smooth, obse ous head. He seems in e iger haste to be Inspecting that old apple tree. There the neat snow-bird in the sun Sits when his frugal meal is done: For him those palo and scanty rays • Have the kind charm of summer days. Hts slaty coatAnd snowy breast, liko some olaFriend for meeting: dressed; His aspect trim, and shorttdao v beak; It is shin ng eye, severely meek; His bol t. familiar,iclpse advance. With sidewise h -ad and si loiong glance, Delight mine eye when cold winds blow. I love him, but ho brings the snow. Hero when the sping begins to call The sparrow sing' his madrigal: Through sleet and hail, in shine or rain, 1 hear him o er and o'er again: *ltesilio! siliol sihoi sill’* He varb’es with such cheery will, I bless the sweet, persistent song, And wish my courage wore as strong. On him the blue-bird follow' fast, H is v h • • tie, too, tie es 1 h * blast, His bosom red and mantle blue ~ With the first South Wind s breath due; He brings the blossoms hope and cheer. As deep in chest his song they hear. Then the fat robin bends the boughs. Prospecting for his summer house? Bo red an l round, ho seems to be Himse.f an apple on the tree: With pbantive Song he prophesies . Long nays of rain, th »ugh bright the skies; And when th.» suti returns once more He sings yet louder than before. Struts on the tYne:\ eh.rps sharp and loud, By no iusubiug rival cowed, W ith daunt ess heart and ready wing. Prepared alike to fight or sing Tnen come the softer days and airs: Lach knotted twig its wreath prepares. As tender fi overs of pink and pearl „ Those sturdy crimson buds unfurl. Till all the tree more lovely sho vs. Decked w th its slight and gracious rose. Than tropic 461 st^ h.gh in air, Ur almond blooms on b. anches bare. Thou tinv wa b!o:s tlit and sing. With golden spots on ere t and wing,

Dr, decked with s-. a lor epaulette. Beneath each dusky winalet set. They hunt the blossoms to their prey Slit p pe their fairy round -lay. The crimsoa linch. w:th whirr anu trill Painted like sunsets, red aud chill, . Petered in a knot of blossoms pale. No is h s quick head and ir s his tail, And calls his s ber-suited spouse To dinuer in the frag^mt boughs; Before him t ibes s. all disappear 1 hat ttueai the p om se or the year: Aud when awhi e he gives them rest, To buiid his warm and secret nest. 'I he goldfinch. soeial, ehipp r, bright, Tkikbs in those branches his delight; A tioop like liyiugisunboams pass And light among the vivid grass. Or on the end of some long branch. Lie lit acrobats. In air they launch. And in the wild wiml sway And swing, Intent to twi to'-, glance aud sing; Ti 1 overhead the oriole Pours out the passion of his soul, A winged ttame that darts and burns,_ Dazzling where’er his bright wing turns, Yet fierce to scol l and quick, to tight, Battle wbh peers hisohief d light. And many a song of vic'ory Awakes and thrills idle apple tree I But summer brings these branches peace: The song and strife of springtime ccas “; Their homes ate built, each feathered breast is busied with its little nest. Carn es of praise, secure of food. They keep the Father's promise good, And preach their tender homily * Of hope and] lore and trust, to me. Then comes the ripening autumn-time, That rounds my tree s abundant prime. Its boughs are brut with fragrant fruit. Flushed with the’sun that warms its root, ■f And yellow as the starry light That ralued lri»m Heaven each summer night, fj Noweomes another noisy troop • On every dropping sphere to swoop, With ragged coats, and saucy eye, Aud tangled hair, they wander by, .. Wait ing for some kind moment when The wind will-swing the gate again, . And leave their feet an entrance free To gather apples from my tree. I do not love them 1 ke the birds. These graceless, chattering, idle herds; Vet shall the birds my bounty share And those small urchins find it spared lias Heaven no lesson taught to mo By this my generous apple tree? —floss Terry Cooke, in JS. Y. Independent. THE THREE-TOOTHED RAKE. . - " ouimvac Miliburh would all resent the imputation if I shuuld say that any of them envied little Phebe Bird when she set up .housekeeping with Ridgway Dayton on the finest farm the country afforded, in a house that was in thorough repair and fully ' furnished, it was an establishment to be proud of, and people said if that R couple did not prosper it would ir own fault. “There, Ridge,” said Uncle Aleck, “ is your farm and stock and house all paid for, and now I shall do no more for you. If you don’t hoe out your row you'll have to starve, I am going abroad, so I sha'n't be coming around to advise you and scold you, and I ex- ’ pect it will come pretty tough with you lor awhile! But Phebe is a sensible pirl, I am happy to say, and I think I leave you in pretty goodhands.” ' RidgA secretly felt rather pleased at the prospect of being “ left,” but he did imt say so. Uncle Aleek was an excellent man to provide, but he was a little sharp in . his way, as the young man had occasion to know at times in * his juvenile years. The old gentleman himself had' been reared underja system which might be formulated in the old couplet: “ A boy, a dag and a walnut tree. The more you thrash them the better they be.”

The system had been greatly toned down in the ease of his orphaned nephew, but Ridge thought it strict ‘enough. V His choice of a wife had pleased his ancle as well as himself, for Phebe was a very domestic girl as well as a cultivated* one, and it was the general ver diet that, “both had dune well.” Still Aunt Cynthia did tell Ridgway she wished he “had got a wife who would make him stand around a little jnore.” “Oh, she’ll make me stand around enough,” laughed Ridge. “ You need not be concerned about that.” “She’ll have need to,” said Aunt Cynthia, nodding her head sagaciously. She had known his manner of life from his youth up, and sa d he was always a ver> good boy if he only had * Bteady hand with him to keep him in order- Rut Ridge believed “annts and uncles never did appreciate a fellow.” • Now it was worth while to have the worshipful direction of such a sweet, appreciative little soul as Thebe Bird’s, afnl he did think himself a lucky fellow, and h% was. A stout, capable hired man was engaged at the outset, who understood his business, and, appropriately, received good wages. So the cares of life sat very lightly on the young farmer's shoulders, though he felt the responsibility ot Atlas when he shouldered the world, having not only his own, but’his wife’s domain to look alter » Just when the serpent entered into this little Eden could not distinctly be told. I have no doubt he “ wired in and wired out,” among the vines and shrubbery of that “ hrst garden,” for somet me before ho presented himself to our tirst mother. If R dgway was a little exacting and Very particu a>-, Phebe was very selfsacrilic ng and painstaking; so ’ thore was little jar in the machinery. He thought strict order and system about Work a very excellent thing—for other people—especially for a man’s wile. Breakfast at seven, dinner at twelve and supper at six, always on the table at the minute, was his standard, but of course if he could not be on band just at that time, , it was only necessary to keep things hot and at their best for a half or three-quarters of an hour, and it would be nice for her to filFup the time with sewing, or some little thing of that kind. It need not be lost time to her by any means. Of course a man’s work is the important work of the world always. Ridge, from his inexperience in household affairs, h:id imbibed a thcor, 'that if a woman is but economical,^ costs “next to nothing” to aupp icon Pp«i

such a small family “on a farm ’’ He was astounded at the co3t of sugar and coffee and tea and the dozen 61: little outgoes every week. It must be there was something wrong somewhere. All his pet theories were getting knocked in the head. In vain Phebe mildly reasoned with h:m; showed him how long supplies could reasonably bo made to last; proposed retrenching" Oil cake : l for tea, but of course he would not hear of that. !He liked cake. She never spoke of retrenching on cigars, though some women would. But all her “argufying” was without avail: Somehow, the more Ridge thought about it, the more convinced lie was that his wife could hardly be a iyise manager, y He was. disappointed because the monoy did not pile up quite as he expected. That was another demolished theory which considerably set him back. But then he remembered an old saw which says, “ a man must ask his wife’s leave to thrive,” and he was somewhat comforted. Phebe was young. She might yet be induced to change her manner of doing business. Perhaps he had been too indulgent himself, and had provided too lavishly for the supposed wants of the household. Ho might, and, indeed, he must turn over a new leaf. In other words, he would tighten the thumb-screws a little and see if the effect oa his victim would not be salutary. j ,yPhebe had grown very reluctant to ask for what was really needed in tho house, so sure was she of that adverse criticism so intensely humiliating to a woman of fine nature. -If water will wearastone.so will perpetual petty faultfinding eat away .all home happiness. If Phebe had been more self-asserting in the start it would have been far better. She could have educated the voung man into a reasonable householder. But Instead, she took a verywrong course, and, by dressmaking in over hours, contrived to earn a little money. This went to eke out the s.-anty allowance her husband thought so munificent for the expenses of “so small a family.” „ When supper was over Ridge harnessed up and drove to the village iu his fresh cool suit, to get the evening mail. It would have been a rest and refreshment to Phebe to go. too, but there was the supper to clear away, the milk to set, little Aleck to care for, and Ridge would have thought all tilings going to wreck and ruin if she should so desert the ship. “ Uncle Aleck is at home, Phebe!” said Ridge .one evening, in great, excitement, as he returned with a letter. “He is coming on here next week. Now I need not tell you how important it is for all of us that we make a good impression upon him. My uncle is a good man, but he has his pec iliar notions. He was always lecturing,me on economy. If he gets the impression that we are living extravagantly, he may cut me off with a shilling. Try to have little Aleck at his best, and, if possible, keep him from crying. We must study to provide his iavorite dishes, for he always feels crusty if his meals do not please him. I have laid by a litt'e mouey, though!not half what 1 expected—our living expenses have, been so high; .but I know Uncle Aleck will be gratified to know I have saved even a little.” ‘ “ There a number of things we need,” suggested-Phebe, wearily. “Isuppose your uncle will always prefer white sugar in his coffee, and it is much the best for everything. We have none. And the coffee pot is so leaky I can hardly make coffee in it; and the tea kettle is a great trouble for the same reason. They really ought to be mended,” , ’ “And the same of half the tinware in the house, I suppose,” lie s lid with a, lofty smile, as he lighted his cigar. “It is very true,” said Phebe, with no smile, either.

‘Afiiow, don t it seem to you, Phebe,” be said, argumentatively, “that three years is a very short time for tinwara to last? I think my Auul Liidn da has pieces she bought forty yean; ago.” “ Tinware is not what it used to be.” “ I know women say so; but alter all it depends a great deal upon the wav it is used.” Whereupon followed a discourse on the use of pans and basins, that was supposed to effectually settle the .question about the necessity' of her particular stock being mended. This modern Pharaoh still pelfsisted in demanding bricks without straw; so, with the very scantiest resources, Phebe set about preparing for the dreaded visit. She would have liked a little girl to help take care of babv, but her husband ‘ objected on principle. It might look extravagantto Uncle Aleck, anu the board of .such a girl wquld be more 1 han her wages. It was a beautiful day in June, and the country atiits best, when Uncle.Aleck came. He gave his nephew a hearty hand shake, and looked over his added pounds of avoirdupois with laughing eyes. “ Farm life hasn’t worn you down, I perceive,” he said, as he stepped into the buggy. The supper was excellent, the house like a new pin, baby sweet and fresh in his clean white tucker, and there was only one shadow that those keen grey eyes detected, and that Was the worn and faded look of the young mother. It tilled him with solicitude, Anil gave him real pain, as he feared h s young niece might be in failing health, and his po >r boy be left early with only a memory and a pictured fa.e, as he had been these many long years. One thing which had so drawn him to Phebe was

her resemblance to that little ivorypainted p cture he bore with him over land and sea. He wondered if there was not a cause for her pallid cheek, that might yet be discovered and remedied. Full of th'S intent, he kept a sharp lookput from under his shaggy eyebrows, as he walked around the premises. The farm was kept up to a state of high thrill and neatness by the hired man. and Ridgway got the credit of it. But indoors there was a scrimDed, unhandy look about most, of tlio working implements, whieh did not escape observation. He saw I’hebe tinkering her tins with bits of twine drawn into the holes'.., and he heard Ridge expostulating with her in the kitchen about some supplies she needed. He sat through a Monda y in the cozy sitting-room, where ho could bear her toiling at the wash-tub. and hurrying to get up the meals, while sho attended to tke neglected baby when she could catch a moment’s time. His indignation was at white heat by night, and he felt that ho could have caned “thatgraceless scamp,” his nephew, with pleasui*, for permitting such a state of affairs. They walked, ont after tea and looked at the growing crops, Ridgway feeling unusually well satis lied with himself and all bis doings. Uncle Aleck’s first remark hardily chimed in with this sentiment. “Didn't it ever seem to you, Ridge, as a rather one-sided arrangement that you should have astoutmanto help you out of doom, and your wife nc< help at all indount * Turn aboutfs fair play.’ Suppose now that you fry the business for three years alone, and let her ha ve the help.’J, “Oh, unole,” expostulated Ridge, “ there is steady work for two men on this farm the year around.” “Andwteady work in the house for two women; and yet you have let a B, delicate wife carry it on singiod, and, as far as I know, h ive never remonstrated with her on the slow suicide she was committing. Such havoc as three short years have made! It ought to make a man ashamed, if his feelings are not ironclad, to f*o overwork a woman ho has vowed to love and dberisli.” R&tidgway reddened at his uncle’s rplam-dcaling, but ho was not disposed

to admit that he was the one so much to blame. “I te'.l yon, uncle, Phebe has not the faculty of getting along with her work that some women have. It takes her longer than it needs to get every meal. I am sometimes almost surprised.” It certainly does take*her longer than it need to. I have plainly seen that, and now, young man. I’ll teach you a leson. You are to rake hay tomorrow, I believe. I’ll fts yon a rake, and I’ll see yon use it.” And the irate old man smashed all but three teeth out of a good rake and handed it over to his nephew. “There’s your implement, and I’ll come out and see how vou get on with it. Th“re’ll be no snirk>ng, either. Everything I have seen of your in-door home conveniences have been just of that order. Your wife works with a three-toothed rake from morning till night. It is good to be saving and lav up money, but not if you must grind it out of the life-blood of those who should be nearest and dearest to you. No more new rakes for you until I see a different order of things in the house! Let Phebe make out a list of a 1 she needs ,as we are together this evening, and then do you draw a check and foot the bill.” “ WhV, uncle, you never kept house. "You know nothing of a woman’s demands. It would sweep every cent 1have.” .. ] “ Let it sweep, then. Money gotten dishonestly as that was had better goto the place it was stolen from.- You have been robbing your w.fo of her life-pow-er, her health and her happiness these three years. It is time you begin to make reparation. T have preached e conomy to yon, it is true, but I ne ver preached dishonesty. If you can’t keen

your wife in a decent way, break up and let Phebe go back to thegood homo she came from. You can go into a store in the city and make your own livin°t.” What a desolate picture it was! Leave his ple isant home, his wife and boy, and take up with the old, solitary lodgings in a board.ng-honse! He felt lonesome at the bare suggestion. Undo Aleck went on' “I should like to give your wife this piece of advice: The next time you even hint about what is needed in the housekeeping, and what is not, and suggest retrenchment here aud a cutting off there, I want her to walk out and give orders to your hired mm; tell him how much grain he must give the horses, how much salt to the sheep; how he must scrimp the wheat when he sows it, and the corn when he plants it. She may tell him to tie up the broken harrow with a string, ami not go to the expense of getting it mended, and shall insist on his going ahead if the plow handle is broken—it is too trifling a thing tostdp the work for that. All the fault 1 find with Phebe is that she did not do this long ago. If she had given yon a good setting down on the start, and taught you to mind your bu3iuess, it would have been a blessing all around.” It was pretty plain dealing, but it was a great eye-opener to the young man. He sat upon the piazza for "an hour in the moonlight and thought, and thought. Whatever his meditations were, one thought was uppermost—he must gain ground with Uncle Aleck or his chances were slim. Ifhat little talk had, as Mark Twain would say, “knocked more conceit out of him than a fit of seasickness.” “ Humble-pie” may not be very palatable, but it is sometimes just the diet to bring one • around right. Slowly and soberly the young man “came to himself,” and then the foremost thought was: “ What a wretch I have been; Can Phebe have a spark of love or respect left for me?” There must have been something good in the youth,' or that loyal heart could not have held fast in her affection for him through thick and thin, as she had done. Uncle Aleck's visit was a godsend to her. He saw a new order of things established in the house, and hung up the three-toothed rake in a conspicuous place in the barn as a standing object-lesson. Phebe scarcely know how to get meals in her renovated kitchen, but her face was as bright as her new saucepans. - Phebe soon won \ back her roses, and went about her duties blithe as a singing bird. She would always laughingly head her husband off whenever he began to allude to the old times, and “sot down naught, in malice.” but charged the whole to “our youth and inexperience.”

When Uncle Aleck came back the next year to the christening of the “little Caroline,” he "made out to her the deeds of some valuable property, and added a Codicil to his will in which the ivory picture was bequeathed td this namesake of the fair lady who, to him, was always young aud beautiful.— Country Centleman. Trouble With Ironing. A correspondent complains that she cannot make her white starched clothes, particularly the shirt bosoms and collars, look bright, and clear and glossy. She is sure she washes them cloan, and hangs them to dry turned wrong side out, but when they are ironed, they have a dingy look. Perhaps she does not deep her irons clean. This fault is not uncommon. It is well to wash the irons all over carefully once in a while, before they are quite cool and are put away. Starch that sticks to them burns on, and soils the clothes. Beeswax is often recommended for cleauing the irons when starch sticks to them. I usually have a little salt on a paper on my ironing table, and rub my iron on this whenever the starch sticks. Various. things put in the starch, when cooking, or while hot, as spermaceti, starch gelatine, lard, tallow, butter, and others, prevent the starch fromsticking to the iron. At present I use a very little powdered borax and a bit of nice beef tallow. The borax seems to -add both sti ness and gloss, and suits me (with the tallow) as well as anything I have tried. A little clean grease of s.orne kind, prevents stickiness. Of course the starch must be well boiled. In making it, the starch is first stirred smooth in cold water, and then either turned slowly into bailing water, or boiling water turned slowly into it, stirring briskly all the time in either case; until the starch .turns from a dead white color to a bluish clearness. The old rule for each shirt bosom, with oollarand wristbands, was two even teaspoontuls of dry starch. A little less will do when gelatine, or borax, or gum arabic water is added to the starch. Rub the starch into the garment well, and examine it before ironing. If lumps of starch are seen, rub t hem off with adamp cloth. There should be no lumps in the, starch when used, and if you cannot make it and use it without lumpiness, or a thick scum over it, strain it through a starchbag before using. It is always safest to lay a thin cloth over a bosom or collar when you first put the iron upon it. Uo over it once so, then remove it, and iron directly upon its linen. By this precaution you discover the stato of your irons, whether too hot or soiled, and sometimes prevent disaster. Y"ou should, however, always test vour iron on a cloth used for tho purpose. In ironing garments with cold starch, always begin with a clean cloth laid over the linen. Ironing hard with an iron not too hot,, after the linen is pressed smooth, j>dds polish, but no common iron can do this like a regular polishing iron,—Cor. American Agriculturist. —The heirs of a man six montns dead, in North Attleboro. Mass., unable to iiud the papers containing the records of his property, dug up his body and found them and $60 in money in the pocket of the moldering coat i» which he had been buried- %

The Grape Vine In Summer. In all our writings on the management of the vine, we have endeavored to induce tha reader to observe the manner of its growth, and to illustrate general principles, rather than to lay down exact, rules to be followed. Where vines are trained according to any particular system the majority of tj»em will grow regularly, and if the system be properly followed, the vines will look “ just like the pictures in the book.” But vines are living things, and every One of them will - not grow ac.-ord ng to pattern. Some individuals will fail to produce buds in the regular p ace, or will pu-h out shoots where they do not belong, in such c-tscs, ouc wiio understands the manner of growth will know what to do with the vine: he can treat each individual according to its special needs. On the other hand ho who" blindly follows directions, is “all at sea,” when he meets with these exceptional .vines. In the nature of the case there can be no invariable rule. It is well to adopt some system or method of training and endeavor to follow it as near as may be, but when some accident, or some peculiarity of a particular vine breaks up the svstem, we must know how to make the best of it. We once heard the late Mr. Knox, a most successful grape grower, when asked what system of training he followed, reply: “That which will best keep my trellis tilled with bearing canes,? which was merely another way of saying: “I treat every vino as it seems at the time to require.” In all methods of train ng certa:n points are recognised, and certain things must be done in a'L When in onr spring “ Notes about Work,” we advise to pinch the growing shoot and atlow one to three leaves above the uppermost cln-ter of flower buds to remain, we give directions that ar$ ajv p’icable to all vines; whether, the vine is trained according to a system, or has been allowed to run hap-hazard over an arbor, this checking the fruiting

shoot will be beneficial. This operation shoftld have been done as early as the growth of the shoot allowed the number of clusters and leaves to be distinctly seen. When this check is given to the growth of the shoot in length, the remaining leaves will soon develop to a greater size and firmness, and later the fruit will be larger and finer than on shoots^hat have been allowed to grow at will. In the summer treatment of the vine, we wish to supplement this pinching for the benefit of the fruit, or if the vine has not been thus treated, do what we can for next year's crop Soon after a leaf has become well developed, two small buds will appear in its “ axil,” or on the shoot just where the leaf stalks joins it. One of these buds will soon push to form a sidn-shooter or “lateral,” while the other bud will remain dormant until next year. We stop the growth of laterals for the same reason that we did the further elongation of the main shoot— to aid the development of the fruit, or upon shoots where there is no fruit, to increase the size and strength of the shoots * hemse!ves. Tendrils appear opposite each leaf where there is not a bunch, a. young tendril is soft and mav be removed by a pin -h; when ripe it is almost as hard as wire and becomes a nuisance in after pruning. In training our vines we use a trellis with upright wires, and prefer to remove all tendrils and keep the shoots tied up. With horizontal wires it is customary to allow them to remain, where they will be of use in holding up the shoot, though we think it would save trouble to remove them and use tie3 of soft cotton cord. Chanc'e shoots will often break through the hark on the old vine stems apnearing here and there without any regular order. It may, happen that such a shoot will be useful to fill a gap; if so let it be tied up to the trellis. As a general rule suen shoots should he rubbed off fts thev appear. It is orten necessary to grow a shoot this year to form a cane from which we may get bearing gh ots next season. These when they are threo feet long should be pinched at the end and have their laterals treated as has been described above. The vines should be sulphured at the first appearance of gravish spots on the under side of the leaves. Bellows are sold at the seed and other stores for the use. The majority of insects that at-' tack the vine at this season (are large and may be removed rapidly by handpicking.—American Agriculturist. -- Yiilue of Stirring the Soil. 9 Every- one knows that wet soil is a great injury to growing crops. And yet a regular supply of moisture in the soil during the season, is one of the most important objects to accomplish. If soil, especially wet soil, is left undisturbed, it soon becomes hard; technically it “ bakes,” and the moisture escapes with marvelous rapidity. It is therefore an object to keep the surface loose.' Moisture does not escape as rapidly through a lpose surface as through a eomp tet solid one. In pursuit of this object, however, cultivators often make a great mistake, and much injury results to corn, potatoes and other things. The Cultivator is kept running all summer, the teeth often penetrating several inches deep.

exposing tho upturned surface to tuo sun, ami in this way a vast amount of moisture evaporates that is really needed bv the plants. It is of coarse mueh •better than to have a baked surface; but there is loss for all. and a loss that mi >ht be easily saved by a little thought. The lirst stirring in spring should be deep, in order to break up the compact earth, especially if the ground was plowed in the iall; but after this the working should be as shallow as possib'e. Firm soil—soil crushed and pressed when dry—holds moisture better than in any other condition, and ts a very different thing to a merely loose soil through which the external air easily goes, and dries the moisture out. The more such partially-dried soil is pressed, the firmer therefore it becomes, and the more moisture it contains. This is the principle on which the good effects of the roller depend. Rolling and pressing while the, soil is somewhat dry is indeed the whole science of pulverization, the good effects of which are so well known. While, therefore, the first stirring should be done with deep and narrow teeth, so as to penetrate as deeply as possible, all subsequent workings should be with cultivators having short and broad teeth, just skimming the surface and cutting off instead of tearing out the weeds; and this advice is as good for the one who uses the hoe in the garden as for he who uses a horse cultivator in the fields. In any case the hoe should be started early. Hoeing and cultivating has now become among the most laborious of farm and garden tasks; and if the weeds once get ahead, it is terribly hard work to keep them down. The best farmers do not wait for weeds to appear, if they can possible spare the time from other work; but put the cultivator through as soon as the lirst spring sun oakes a little of the exposed earth. The sprouting weeds are thus destroyed in the germ, and the work is comnarativo'y easy all the season afterwards. Spr ng-work is generally so pressing that it is not oftdn that ono can be so forehanded in the matter of early weeding. Happy is the man who can do it; but a'l should aim to get as near this happiness as possible.—Hermantown Telegraph. - It has been ascertained that the reason for placing lumber yards near to railroad depots is to enable travelers tr got a hoard easy.

USEFUL AND SUGGESTIVE. —If rats or mice infest any part ol your house find their holes and stu8 them with rags dipped in a strong solution of cayenne pepper. No rodenl will ever take a second nibble at that rag. —Bread Cakes.—Take one quart oi milk, stir in enough bread crumbs tc make a thin batter. Beat three egg? wetl and put them in, adding a little salt; and two tablespoonfuls cf Hour. Bake on the griddle and serve hot. —As soon as he has his poultry house! cleaned, Mr. Kern tells the Ohio Farmer, he takes the manure and spread: it over his wheat field, or a poor spot ic his meadow, and you can take his word that a man with one eye can see when he puts it. To put hen manure in a boi or barrel and keep it one year before it is put to a crop he thinks is a wroug way. —Some crops are what is known a! coarse-feeders, and thrive on fresh manure, and some require the manure tc be well rooted and reduced to its mineral elements in great part. For in stance. wheat, barley, peas and potatoes and beets require the manure to be decomposed, while corn, cabbage and oats will do better on fresh manure. —To remove iron rust stains from linen and cotton garments use oxalit aeid. Get ten cents worth of the acid crystals, and dissolve in a quart of water. Heat until the solution boils, the^ dip the rust spots, and immediately wash out in warm water or soap auc water. If the aeid is not washed out il will destroy the eloth. The acid solution may be cooled and put into a bottle for future use.

—Green Pea Soup—Boil a pint ol green peas in water with salt, a head *ol lettuce, an onion, a carrot, a few leaves of m at, and a sprig of parsley, some pepper and salt to taste, and a lump ol sugar. When thoroughly done, strain oil' the liquor and pass the peas, etc., through a hair sieve; add as much ol the liquor as will bring it to the right consistency; put tho soup in a sauce pan with a small pat of fresh batter; let it boil up, and serve with dice-shaped bread Cried in butter. %—Blackberry Jelly.—Put the fruit in a stone jar; set "the jar in a pot of cold water; put a few small sticks on the bottom of the pot to keep the jar from breaking. When the water boils around the jar and the fruit is soft take it out and squeeze out the juice by putting the berries in a bag. To each pint of juice put one pound sugar; put it in a skillet, and when it comes to a boil watch it that it does not burn. Let it boil until it jellies. It takes about twenty minutes. —A prominent symptom of navicular disease in horses is" the stretching forward of the toot and resting it on the toe. When this is seen it may be considered that the navicular bone of the foot (the so-called coftin bone) Is dis-ca-ed. The treatment is to remove the shoes and let the horse stand with the forefeet in a puddle of clay. Wraps warm poultice about the coronet and upper part of the hoof and give the horse twelve ounces of epsom salts and repeat it the third day. Rest is necessary.—W. K Times. —A correspondent of the Rural Messenger has had good results from the application of lime, wood ashes and old iron put around the roots of fruit trees that were not doing well, thus restoring the trees to a healthy condition and improving the quality of the fruit. As a wa-h for mossy trees, he gives the following: Heat an ounce of sal soda to redness in an iron pot and dissolve it in one gallon of water, and while warm apply it to the trunk. After one application the moss and old bark will drop oil' and the trunk will be quite smooth. —Mother’s Crullers.—Four eggs, five tablespoonfuls of sugar, four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, or part lard. Mix very hard with Hour, and roll out nearly as thin as pie-crust. Cut in oblong pieces (with a wheel such as is used in ornamenting pie crust), about two and a half by six inches, then cut in strands of three or four and braid quite loosely, not separating the strauds at one eucl. Fry in hot lard, the same as doughnuts, taking care especially to have them a light brown. To have them look well is considered ol equal importance with having them taste well. —Horses’ hoofs are subject to a canker or inflammation of the interior of the sole in consequence of standing in manure or other causes. The intiammation thus produced may sometimes extend to the tendons and cause swelling of the lower limbs and stitfness which may seem like rheumatism. To treat a case of this kind the feet should be washed with a solution ol one dram of chloride ot zinc in a quart of water. This should be injected into the cracks of the hoofs as far as possi.ble. and all the foui-smelling discharge removed. It is quite possible that the trouble may be produced by ulcerated frog, in which case all the ragged horn should be cut off and pared away, the zinc solution to be freely applied. Give, a brisk dose of salts ancl repeat it in a few days.—N. Y. Times.

Pleasant Homes. A little time and labor will make the grounds about the house look tidy, neat and inviting. There is no use in having the yards all covered with sticks, chips and last years burdock stocks,, to stick their hateful burs into clothes and stockings. A garden rake, and a wheelbarrow, with a pair of strong hands, will clean up all the refuse stull, and if there are dry ■ loaves drifting around so much the better, it ,will all make a good absorbent for the manure shed or p'ggery. No matter if the house is old, or brown, or moss grown with age, if it is cleaned up neatly, it will look as if it were comfortable and give a favorable impression of the inhabitants, and a few flower roots set out aud trimmed up nicely, will make the homeliest place look pleasant A few vines, running up the s.des of the house so as to sjiade the windows and doors are as much of an ornament to an old house, as they are to a line man sion. A pretty porch can be made over the door, by setting long poleS each side of the steps and passing strings over the top backward "and forward. If hop vines can be obtained set out some roots close by the poles and train the vines up the poles and string across the top. If you cannot get hop vines, plant beans,"morning glories, or sweet peas; and train them to run up, and you will have som thing that will give pleasure all the long summer days. Boys will enjoy helping if you only show them how to do it, and it will be a life-long pleasure to them to know how to make things look pretty. Do not think it will take too much time, for what is time tor, only to make one happy and good. Children can be taught early in life to make themselves use ul, and there is no child but that likes to see a pleasant home, and if dliey know how to do it, will take hold and help make it pleasant. We all of us form an idea of a person’s character when we pass his dwelling. If wo see the yards all in a litter, and pigs, calves • and chickens hopping over logs and chips; we are immediately impressed with the belief that (hiftless people live there. A row of sunflowers, or a clump of hollyhocks are an improvement to any place; and look far better than rank pig weeds, or mayweed, growing everywhere. There is no excuse for the surroundings of a farm house to be filthy and cluttered up with everything; only just sheer laziness, and don't-careitivenes*. I guess that is a new word, but it is as expressive a one as I know.—C'or. Rural New Yorker

: « --i Woman as a Sanitary Reformer. Dr. B. W. Richardson declares that woman can pursue no nobler occupation than that of attending to the care' of health and the prevention of disease within the domestic sphere. This is peculiarly a calling of woman, not only because it agrees with her character and tastes, but also because she is at home and in a position to give it constant attention, while the man is atyoad and engaged with other business. The training required for the proper performance of this function is really very simple. A woman can master physiology so far as to understand the general construction of the human body; she can make herself acquainted with its nine great systems, ean*be taught to comprehend the leading facts bearing on the anatomy and physiology of those systems, and to understand what part food plays in the economy, the relationships and effects of particular foods, and their relative adaptation to different ages and conditions of the body. Woman should also be acquainted with the construction and operation of th*. heart and -the lungs. Were women trained in the knowledge of 'elementary truths about the visual function and guided by them, they would see that their children did not assume those positions in study that conduce to short-sightedness and curved spines; if they carefully studied the nature and functions of the skin, they would learn to insist upon the necessity of daily purification by the bath. Women might also, and ought to, learn all that health requires in the construction and maintenance of the house; to maintain economieallvVithin it an equable temnerature at affseasons; to keep the air free from dust; to know all about, and watch all the drain-pipes, and see that they are kept as systematically clean as the china; to distinguish whether the water is wholesome tshd agreeable with as much facility as she determines whether the looking glass is clear; to superintend the purification of the water; and to see that sunlight finds its way into every apartment, and that; damp has no place in any one of her rooms. She ought to study the nature and uses of foods, so as to be able not only to make the best selections and carry out the best modes of preparation, but even to introduce new and improved modes of cooking. The knowledge of the diagnosis of disease is not necessary for women except in a limited degree, but they ought to know the correct names and characters of common diseases, to be acquainted with the facts relating to the periods of incubation of those diseases, and to have the best methods of preventing disease at their fingers’ - ends.—Popular Science Monthly. —Principal B. F. Stanton, of the Alton Academy at Stillwater, Minn., had a habit of making love to the prettiest girls among his pupils.. One of the objects of his attention doubted, his sincerity, and demanded that he be photographed in the act of kissing her. He submitted to -this test, and she carefully put avvay the picture. Her forethought has just beeu rewarded. Stanton refused to marry her, and swore in court that his relations with the complainant had always been dignified; and distant. Then the photograph was put in evidence. The jury found against him.

—That was not a bad one which Secretary Blaine got off the other day. Whop asked if he had entirely recovered jfrom-his rheumatism, he said: “I, have i not had rheumatism since February. j The newspapers alone are responsible jfor the reports that I had suffered fromjit recently. But I had rather have rheumatism in the newspapers than in any other organ.” —The New Orleans Picayune suggests that if a person sitting for a photograph would look into the eyes of the opposite sex, instead of at an inanimate piece of paste-board, their eyes when photped would hot look so expressionless. —J. S. Crane, the defaulting Postmaster of London, O., goes to jail for a year; lie has scarcely reached middle life, and formerly had considerable property, which he lavished in dissipation. , —“Better be alone than in bad company!.” True; but, unfortunately, many persons are never in so bad company as when they are alone. —There are 4,000 laborers employed on the Now York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, building between Buffalo and Cleveland. —The Michigan Central Railroad has issued an order for all train men in theii employ to get vaccinated. [Philadelphia Times.] We’ll Kail Its Colors to the Mast. **Hello 1 Benny, what is the trouble?” “ Oh 1 I’M all ‘ broke up,”’ was the response to the inquiry of an old shipmate ol \VjUiam G. Denniston, one of Farragut’s waT-worn veterans, well-known in the southern section of this city, who came limping into the American office yesterday. ‘ ‘I thought I would go under the hatches this time,” continued Denniston. “Inevei suffered so much in my life. I had the rheumatic gout so bad that I could not get off the bed or put my foot to the floor, and would have been there yet if a friend had not recommended St. Jacobs Oil to me. I hesitated some time before getting a bottle, thinking It was only another one of those advertised nostrums; but was finally induced to give it a trial, and a lucky day it was for me. Why, bless my stars! after bathing the limb thoroughly with the Oil I felt relief and my faith was pinned to St. Jacob and his Oil after that. I freely sat that if it had not been for St. Jacobs Oil I should in all probability, be still housed. My toot pains me but little aud the swelling has entirely passed away. It beats anything of the kind I have ; ever heard of and any person who doubts it send them to me at No. 1924 South Tenth Street.”

THE .MARKETS, NEW YORK, July 8, CATTLE—Native Steers.$9 75 ® COTToN—Middling... .. ® FLOUR—Good to Choice...... 5 30 ® WHEAT—No. 2 Red. 1 26*® No. 2 Spring... . 120 ® COliN-No. 2.. 51 ® OATS—Western Mixed. 42 » l*ORK—Standard Mess.16 75 ® — ST. LOUIS. COTTON—Middling.. ® BEEVES—Choice. 5 00 a Fair to Good..'. 4 75 ® Native Cows. 4 00 ® Texas Steors. 4 00 ® HOGS—Common to Select.... 5 00 ® SHEER—Fair to Choice. 3 25 ® FLOUR—A XX to Choice. 4 90 ® WHEAT—No. 2 Winter. 1 13 ® No. 3 *• 1 08*® 1881. 10 75 HE 6 75 1 27* 1 20* 55 43 17 50 CORN—No. 2 Mixed. 45 OAIS—No. .. 34 ® RYE No. 2. S’> ® TOBACCO—Dark Largs.. 3 75 ® ..Medium Dark Leal 6 00 ® HAY—Choice Timet hy. 15 00 ® BUTTER—Choice Dairy. 15 ® EGGS—Choice. 9 ® FORK—Standard Mess. 16 75 ® BACON—Clear Rib. 9 ® LAUD—Prime Steam..... 11 ® WOOL—Tali-washed,medium 35 ® Unwashed... 23 M CHICAGO. CATTLE—Native steers.. 5 00 ® HOGS—Good to choice. 5 50 ® SHEEP—Good to choice. 4 50 ® FLOUR—Winter. 5 00 ® Spring..,.. 4 00 ® WHEAT—No 2 lied. 1 09 ® No 2 Spring.. 109*® CORN—No.2....I!. 45 « OATS—No.2.......X....;. 39 a RYE. 96 ® PORK—New Mess..... 16 00 ® KANSAS CITY. . CATTLE—Native Steers... 4 00 ® Native Cows. &.-50 ® HOGS—Sales at... 5 35 ® WHEAT—No. 2. 99 ® No. 3. 91 ® CORN—No. 2 Mixed. 39 a OATS—No. 2. 35 ® NEW ORLEANS. FIAMJR—High Grades. 5 50 a CORN—White .7.. 61 ® OATS—Choice. 42 « HAY—Choice. . 1700 PORK—Mess.... 17 75 1044 6 15 5 50 4 00 5 CO 6 40 4 25' 5 90 1 15* 1 09 45* 35 86 4 00 7 00 16 00 17 10 17 25 10 HE 37 24 6 25 6 40 5 00 6 25 5 50 1 10 1 10 46 40 96* 17 00 5 15 3 50 5 65 99* ‘94* 40 BACON-0 car Rib.. CCTTUN—Middling. 9*a 6 50 62 43 18 00 18 00 10* 10*

AlaswnS Tons A nlk •* My mother was afflicted a long time with Neuralgia and a dull, heavy inactive condition ol the whole system; headache, nervous prostration, and was almost helpless. Nc physicians or medicines die: her any good. Three months ago she be ran to use llop Bitters, with 3ueh good effect that she teems and leels young agaii, although over ■ 70 years ohi. We think there is no other medicine St to use in the family.”—A lady in Providence, B. X. —Voumi An electric light under a beer-glass snd fastened to the shirt front will be the fashionable pin for seaside hotel clerks.—f'A..'uitlpAia thrmicU-Btrald. Delmonteo’a Advice to » Tonne Man About , to Open a Restaurant, A young man who had be»n assistant cook in a Chicago Hotel.- haviig saved a little money, concluded he woult goto New York and try his fortune. He reasoned with him- 1 ■elf that Delmomco would not live always, and fancied that he might one day beeome the future Dcfmonico of New Y’ork. Or reaching the city he sent his letter of introduction to the famous restaurant keeper .and solicited advice. Deimoneo listened attentively to the young man’s inquiries, and finally told him: “(Jet, first, agood location, then get the best cook yen t an hire, see that your waiters are attentive and polite, and buy only the best in the market. And still all of this you can do and not give satisfaction. Be your own superintendent; get the best quality of the new Cn.srter Oak Cooking Bangs, and if you doh! t succeed in your undertaking,yon will have the satisfaction of doing your best to merit it.” 12-23}

Kfiefiad (ton lleatfc. William J, Ceughlan, ot Somerville, Mass., •ays: ufo the fall of 1S76 I was taken wiih a violent btadingof ttutunga, to lowed by a severe cough. 1 was admitted to tile City Hospital. While there the doctors said I had aholein my left lung as big as shall dollar. 1 gave up hope, but a friend told me of 1>r. Wm. Haws Bait sam tor the Lungs. I got a bottle, when to my surprise I eomiaenced'to 1 eel better, and today I feel In better spirits than 1 have the past three years. I write this hop: ngthat every one afflicted with Diseased Lungs will take LmIWm. Hall’s Balsam for tub Lt nos, and be convinced that Consumption can be cured ” Also a sure remedy for Coldly Coughs, and all Chest and Lung Diseases. Hold by druggists. Toa’Bdfnllnir Pile*. Kidney-Wort is an unfa iling remedy for that tormenting disease, pi es. lt troves the bowels geutlv and freely, and thus, removes the cause. Do not fail to try it faithfully either in dry or liquid form.—Hu* a*U /Yes*. tic n’t Die In the House. Ask Druggists lor '• Bough < n Bats.” It clear out rats, mice, reaches, 8 es, bed-bugs, Ida. Reudino’s Russia Salve i i unrivalled for ita •peedy healing qualities. I rice 25c. The Fraser A vie Gteasi ii the best and only Genuine. W» know it Everybody says National Yeast is the best. WOMAKPS TlilTTMPH* MRS. LYDIA L FIHKHAM, OF LYNN, MASS,

DISCOVERER 0» LYB8A E. PlfiKHARfl’S VEGETABLE CCMPOTOTD. The Positive < 'fore ftWill tlittK Painful Goutplalutz an^ Weaknenea so common to our best f eu ale populot ion. It will cure entirely the worst form of Female Com* plaints, all ovarian troubles, Luflf miration and lice rati on, Falling and Displacement and the consequent Spinal Weakness, and is partici larly adapted to the Change of Life* It will dissolve and expel turn >rs from the uterus in an early stage of development. The tendency to cancerous humors there is checked v 'ry speedily by its usa It removes faintness, flatulency, destroys all craving for stimulants, and relieves wea rness of the stomach. It cures Bloating, Headaches, N'ervous Frost ration,' General Debility, Sleeplessness, Depression and indigestion. That feeling of bearing down causing pain, weight and backache, is always permaat ntly cured by its use, It will at airtimes and under a: 1 circumstances ict in harmony with the laws that gov« rn the female system. For the euro of Kidney Complaints of either sex this Compound is unsurpassed. LYDIA K PIXKliAlM VEGETABLE COMPOUND is prepared at £33 and 235 Western Avenue, Lynn, Mass. Price $1 Six bottle ?for $5. Sent by mail in the form of pills, also in the form of lozenges, on receipt of price, $1 per box for cither. Mss. Finkhara freely answers alt letters of inquiry. Send for pamphlet. Address ae above. Mention this l*nper. No family should be without L YDIA E. PINKBAM’S LIVER PILLS. They cure constipation, biliousnesa and torpidity of the liver. £5« utsper box. Sold by RICHARDSON & CO., St Louis, Mo. FOR SALE BY DRUGGISTS

Hi'Ufa's Fo* kI is one of (ha he.it* chtipest and tna*t rrliabl« Foods in the World, and thanMn<l*nf rh i'-lren are mi r *1 ereru Ir<wr w.'w. It is “the’" IXVAl.IB'S B!KT\ RIDGE’S FOODreceivesthe 1 ulorsemen tofphysicians of all sch ools1 he world orei. In cans of 35 cents. 60 cents, $KS’Sand f i.?\ bearing the 8i?naVirdof iVODLBH !I. cfc CO. on every label*

Book foi Threshsrmen Wort h $3*5, For sale for ttSe* BURKS II Kit MAN’S BOOKKEEPING, ’ tncljidlng at Hunks needod to nwu mntleu ents with customers. refunded If not entirely wnlsBetory. Address Ibe Aultmai 4 Taylor Company. JUausllold* Uicliiaud Co., O.

Feeble ^nd Sickly Persons Recover their vitality by pursuing s course of Hotletter's Stomach Bitters, the most popuiasJnvigorant and alterative medicine in use. General debility, fever and ague, dyspepsia, constlpatton, rheumatism, amt other maladies are completely removed by U. Ask those who have used it what it has done for them. For sale by all Druggists avd Dealers generally. HASEY’S FANCY ALPHABETS for sign painters, 30 cts. Standard Sign W rit r, tl Standard Scroll Book. SI. Scrolls and Ornam nts (Loudolphe). tl. Japanese Ornamentation. SA. Sign, Carnage, Car. Fresco and Decorative Tainting. 50 cts. ^ Cheap B«>ok of Alphabets. W cts. Of boolwcUers an^ainter's supply stores or by mail. JESSE HANE\ • CO.# U» Nassau St., N. Y. NEBRASKA 60< , ACRES FOR SALE THE Maps, Pamphlets and full information FREE. Address Land Com’r B. & M. R,R.»Lincoln, Neb. agots WANTED. SOMETHING Coe, Yon^ACs* -NriErCTT. SW. Louis, Mo. AftCftiTC Coin monev with Dr. Chase's New fiuufl I o Reeel(>t Rook. N>‘wly revised and «*ulargcd. Bv mail-Stt. Address Chase Pub g Co..Totodq.(>. AGENTS WANTED for the Best and FattestSelliug Pictorial Books and Bibles, Prices reduced RoercenL National Publishing Co., St. Louts. Mo. KIDNEY-WORT For CLlIIIs and AND ALL DISEASES Caused by Malarial Pol .on lug of the Blood. A W ARK ANTED CUKE. Pl*iC©, 1 .OO. For sale by all Druggists. WAKEFIELD’ -i'BLACKBERRY Pop DIARRHEA. DYSENTERY. FLUX, and All Bowel Complaints* The world has never produced its equal* _ „ ,thy iTtr rrepared by C. Wakefield* Co.. Bloomingtbn. I1L y- FOR BALK li AM DUVOOMtS. NOW READY! THE IDVISFD HEW TESTAMENT for Agents and subscribers to choose from. One single: the other doithle. showing ami comparing In‘parallel columns both Old and New versions, official text, with complete llhtorv of Re-» vlsion added. At iKNTS WANTED Ol lCKEY. Examine t Ids twofold chance before engaging on any Other. Odtflt fully hon ing both editious, only 50 eta Address The 11EV 181 ON PUBLISHERS,St.LoiUs.Mo |THE ONLY MEDICINE! IX EITHER LIQUID OK PUT FOKH That Actant thesqme time on \TK3LI7TH, TSi BOWELS,\ Iff!) TK3 KID MTS. [WHY ARE WE SICK?! Because v-t allow these great organs to I J hecome clogged or torpid, and poisonostt I Ihumorsare therefore forced into the Uood | j that should le expelled naturally. WILL SURELY CURE |KIDNEY DISEASES, liver Complaints,! |PILES, CONSTIPATION, URINARYL1 DISEASES, FEMALE WEAKNESSES, AND NERVOUS DISORDERS, I by causing fi'e* action of these organ* oad| restoring their power to throw off disease, Vthj suffer Bilious pains and aches! I Why tormented with Piles, Constipation! I Why frightened over disordered Kidneys! j Why endure nervous or sick headaches! | KIDNEY-B'ORTand in It is put up In Dry Vegetable Form, In tin !cans one package of which makes six quarts of medicine. Also in LlquidForm, very Coaeeatrated, for those that cannot readily prepare it. tylt acts with equal efficiency in either form. I GET IT OF YOUR DRUGGIST. PRICE, #1.00 WELLS, RICHARDSON A C©„Prop’s, (Will send the dry post-paid.) BntLG(GTOH, IT. I K. S. JL. ^ 85 »9 , when writing to advertiseii please aay you taw the advertisement la this paper. Advertisers like to knof when and where their advertise meats •a« prying best. -i

B»METTAURS • Dr. MJETTAUR S HEADACHE PILLS cure most \roiwlerftilly In a Tery short time both SICK and NERVOUS HEADACHE; and while acting on the nervous system, cleanse tjm stomach of excess of bile, producing a regular healthy action of thembwels. ? ••HEADACHE A fhQ she box of these valuable PILLS, with fdll directions for a complete cure, sn tilec to any address on receipt of nine three-cent postage •tamps. For sale by all druggists at 525c. Bole Proprietors, BROWN CHEMICAL COMPANY, Baltimore, Md. •♦••PILLS