Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1886 — Page 3

DOMESTIC ECONOMY.

Topics of Interest Relating to Farm and Household Management Information for the Pltnrman, Stock - man, Poulterer, Nurseryman, and Housewife. FARMING. Crop* on Small Artas, Many of the largo crops per acre which are reported are growu on very small patches, and the crop from these multiplied by the number required to make a full acre. A single hill of potatoes may thus be taken, and tuts multiplied by 4,860, the number of lulls on an acre at tureu feet distance apart But results thus ■obtained are of little value. Taking a quarter or at least an eighth of an acre is a much better test ■ , ' ' . Turnips Exhaustive. The large amount of feed that can be grown on an acre in turnips makes this a very exhaustive crop. The succeeding crops will show this plainly, and unless turnips can be marketed cheaply it is hardly worth while to attempt growing them on a large scale. English farmers make turnips a renovating crop, but they do it by feeding sheep on the turnip patch and giving other rich food m addition. Educated Farmers. Our most successful farmers are not those who work hardest at manual labor; they work, nevertheless, with all their energies. None are exempt from labor; but in all it is not equally well applied and directed. If we take any two men, physically equal, the one will accomplish most who excels in brain power. There)ore, let that small inclosure within his own skull be cultivated as assiduously and as carefully by the farmer as is his choicest crop. Whatever farming may have been in the past, the time has come when the highest intelligence is demanded as a necessary qualification on the part of the agriculturist. Book farming, however, is decried, and “farmers are not a reading class.” We, on our part, neither underrate the practical knowledge, nor overrate the importance of the scientific study of farming. The one is needful to the other, and science is futile if it does not help practice to do its work better and cheaper. But there is one great want in the most of our farm houses, and that is the almost entire absence of agricultural literature, both book and periodical form. The volumes one most expects to see on a farmer’s table are generally conspicuous by their abs mee; and, will it be believed, there is many a farmer who does not take an agricultural newspaper. Boys and girls grow UD on the farm, and spend those years which will so much influence their future lives without ever once being led to realize the momentousness of what is before them. They grow up, too, without a taste for reading, and so miss alnever-failing source of happiness, not to speak of mental culture and refinement For all this, the want of suitable books and papers on the farm-house table is to be blamed. The bodily toilers come in thoroughly wearied, and often with a longing for relaxation of somo kind; but there is no paper and no interesting volume that they can turn to, ahd so they drvuwithiu themselves, as it were, and in too many cases sleep away their existence. But just let the young farmer think for a moment of the forces, the properties, principles, influences, the laws—developed and undeveloped—with which he must come in contact, and understand, if be would succeed. So far from being less, dependent upon the arts and sciences than those engaged in other occupations, the farmer stands in need of a far w.der range of knowledge than is requisite in almo.-t any -other business. And farming need not prove the unvarying round and monotonous life it is often said to be; for every operation on the farm is an incentive to inquiry and stimulant to thought Men of one idea cannot succeed in farming, and those engaged in it, the young especially, should lose no opportunity of adding to their present stock of id-sMi-Jijw/eading, by investigating for themselves, and through intercourse with others.— Scottish Agricultural Gazette. Farm Experience. A farmer's wife says that mustard seed will prevent mold from forming in vinegar. An ordinary cocoon will reel 1,000 yards of fiber, the largest continuous fiber known The cloverseed midge, an importation from Europe, is proving annually a very serious drawback to the clover crops of Canada, and is gradually encroaching over this country. “Prune in winter for wood and in summer for fruit.” But do not prune too much. Just enough to let in sufficient light and air to give the leaves their fair quota is right A good rule is, when you see a limb interfering with another out with it, whatever the time of year. When the sap is in full flow wounds will heal over quickest If manure is to bo used in the orchard it should never be fresh, or such as will quickly ferment That which has been thoroughly composted, or well decomposed, is best. Wood mold, mixed with lime and ashes, has been found excellent, and the better the manure in fineness of condition and freedom from decomposing matter the less liability of the trees to disease. The Western Farmer says a farmer near Seymour, Wis., averaged nearly 200 bushels of corn per acre; that an Adims County farmer averaged 103 bushels of clover-seed from fourteen acres; that a farmer near Baraboo raised 100 bushels of potatoes from a barrel of tubers, and that a farmer near Mount Hope thrashed an average crop of thir-ty-five and one-quarter bushels of wheat per acre. * STOCK BREEDING. Cross-Breeding Pigs. When a thoroughbred boar of any kind is bred to a good native sow with large frame and vigorous Constitution, the progeny will -often be superior for fattening to the thoroughbred. In the first place, the largb native -sow’ will probably be a better mother and a better milaer than the thoroughbred. This will help the pigs both before and after birth. Plenty of rich food from the data gives pigs a start when other feeding is not practicable. But if this cross-breeding is continued without thoroughbreds on one side or the other, the litte rs of pigs will show a motley appearance. Some will be nearly equal to the nest, while others will take after the opposite side, and be inferior. , About Hogs. The hog is not naturally a nasty animal On the contrary, he is very particular where he sleeps and what he eats. It-is true, if he cannot get pure, cold water to bathe or roll in, he will take the best he can get, even if it be the filthiest mud-hole. If you want sweet pork, ■file hog must have pure water to drink and for wallow. When shut up to fatten, he must have a clean plank floor, with a little clean bedding, changed often. Give clean corn, either raw, cooked, or ground, with pure water. In summer-time he should have, with his grain, all the sweet grass he wants; in winter, second-growth of clover hay. In summer and winter he should have as much as he will eat of lime and salt mixed. Never let himstop growing; and slaughter him in his best flight of growth, and then you will have ■sweet pork. Germantown, Telegraph. Stock Notes and Experience. At the Canadian Experimental Station it has ,-beeu do ernnned that feeding timothy without much clover had a tendency to dry the flow of muk in winter. A litter of pigs farrowed in spring or summer grow rapidly if at pasture, because the -green food keeps the pc’s digest.on good and enables it to get full benefit from any other food that may be eaten. The natural fife of the sheep is shorter than that of any other domestic animal. Five or six years is the limit of their practical usefulness, though valuable breeding ewes may be kept one or two years longer. Prof Blount does not advise sowing timothy and red clover together, since they do not ■ripen together, but advises the mammoth variety as ripentag neayer with the red clover. It must be remembered, however, that the mammoth clover is not relished by stock, except hog-, on account of the size of the stalks.

It has coms to be scaioely cultivated east of the Mississippi • - The statement alleged to, have been made by an Ohio dairyman is sensible. It is tnat with warm, well-lighted, Clean stables and weil-cured grass, supplemented with the coutentp of a good slio and well-filled root cellar, the comfort, health, and profit of the cows should be no more problematical in winter than in summer. The following general rules Will apply in the ■ selection es ealveo to for -dairy cows-.. Toe head should not be over-large, ths neck thin rather' than thick, and the sKin possessing a soft feel that can only be judged by an expert Look to the escutcheon > and milk veins. These are as good indications of character as the'pedigree. A swine-breeder says that in weaning pigs there is something more to be considered tnan simply taking them away from their mother. They should be weaned gradually, so as not to get any stunt or set-back. To take pigs away before they have been taught to eat gives them a check for at least two weeks. Feeding them in a separate place to which they have access will accustom them to eating.

POULTRY-RAISING. Green Food for Hens in Winter. Many poultry-keepers rely largely upon cabbages for green food for their fowls during the winter season, but of late years some have practiced laying in a stock of green frozen rye, with excellent results. The ground should be made very rich, so as to insure a rank, rapid growth, and the rye should be sown much thicker and Carlier than where a crop of grain is desired. When the soil is rich and the grain sown in August it will reach a growth of from sixteen to twenty inches before the ground freezes. It should remain in the field until j,ust before snow comes, then cut when frozen solid, and pack away in some convenient place where it will remain frozen all winter. As it is wanted fog use, take out a small portion, thaw, chop fine and feed it to the hens. Those who have tried this method claim that it promotes tho health of their flocks and increases the number of eggs- - Feeding Poultry. To feed poultry in the proper manner, with food best adapted to their wants, is one of the secrets of success in the poultry business. The market is always well supplied with a great variety of grains and different kinds of food for poultry; that are offered at reduced prices, because’ of a quality that renders them unfit tor other purposes, thus implying that anything is good enough to feed to poultry. This is a great mistake, for while a lieu may be forced to eat almost anything, very few animals feel the result of bad food quicker than a hen, especially a laying hen. Bad food will reduce the number of eggs at once; and if it doos not cause a permanent injury to the hen, it will require some time, with the best of care, for tier to recover her former Condition. Even corn that has been heated so that a small portion of it is damaged, should never be fed to laying hens. Many hens are injured by feeding them poor scraps, and also partially decayed swill; because hens will eat such things, it js no evidence that they are of any benefit Whatever meat is fed out to poultry should be fed while sweet and fresh; pure water is also very desirable. In the care of poultry it should be the effort of the keeper to feed each day no more than will be eaten up clean before night, especially of food that is to be moistened with water. While it is well to feed a great variety of food, an effort should bo made to furnish the proper proportion of each variety, so that all shall be eaten up clean; if a mistake be made, and it is found at night that there is a surplus of any one kind of food, it should be taken away, and tho next day a less amount given. When it is found that the laying hens are getting too fat, less corn and more oats and shorts should be given. Some breeds of hens take on fat more readily than others; therefore it is best, if possible, to keep each breed separate, so that they can be fed in a manner to keep them in u proper condition. In feeding young chicks care should be taken not to feed very finely ground meal, and particular efforts should be made not to let the food remain before the chicks long enough to get sour. It is the most natural for chicks to eat seeds unground, so, as a rule, the food that is given them should be small seeds until they are large enough to eat whole corn. Millet seed makes an excellent food for young chicks. When corn is given it should be only cracked small enough for the chick to eat it; fine ground cornmeal should never be given to young chicks unless mixed with shorts. DAIRYING. « . Thermometers. In controlling dairy operations by a thermometer it is well to remember that these instruments do not all register the same and that, except through the use of old or recently tested ones, it is impossible to determine the exact temperature to a degree or two. Possibly all may be of one standard when first made, but for some reason they are subject to change, and nearly two years will elapse before they settle down to the point where they will remain permanently, and if correct, at the start they fall away one to four degrees. So one must become acquainted with his own thermometer, and make some allowance for difference in instruments in duplicating or testing the methods of others. —Breeders' Gazette; - _ ■ Modem English Dairy-Feeding. The following from one of the most careful dairymen of England in relation to the feeding and care of milch cows corresponds nearly to tho practice of the best and most successful dairymen in the United States. It will be no'ted that in England as in the United States the craze for cooked food is not participated in by practical men. The writer delares: I know of no food for summer equal to grass grown on sound, newly limed or wellboned land, with an allowance bt feed made from home-grown corn or maize; Oats, beans, peas, wheat, barley, and wheat-bran are all good, and are better mixed together in such proportions as the state of the pastures and the condition of the cow indicate. The extra food m tlie form of corn, meal, and bran, should consist chiefly of crushed oats and brain. For winter keep I have found good hay, sound swedes grown on good land—and without being forced by artificial manures—maize, meal, and crushed home-grown corn and bran to answer welt Good oats straw is far better than poorly secured hay. Crushed oafs, carrots, and sweet upland hay produce first-class butter in winter. I prefer carrots for dairy cows in cold weather to any other root When the land is too strong for roots, sweet ensilage may, with advantage, be used as a substitute. I think it better not to give breeding cattle, except for a few weeks after calving, cooked food. 1 believe that the digestive powers of a cow largely fed on cooked food become impaired, and though she may yield more mjlk in the winter she will not thrive so well in the pastures in summer. In-calf cows and heifers should always bo pastured separately from those which are not in calf. The cow-house should be lofty and well ventilated in the roof, and should have a southern aspect, and should be on rising ground. The stalls for a pair of 1,250-lb cows should be fully eight feet wifle, otherwise, when heavy in calf, they might not get sufficient rest. The floor should slope a little, so that the water may readily get away, but the cows should stand on grated wodd u platforms, raised in front about three inches, and behind about four inches from tlie ground. By this arrangement the cows stand and lie on a level surface, and less straw is required" for bedding. Cows should be groomed daily when housed, and should be turned out for water and exercise in winter twice daily. In relation to the grooming of cattle it should b i remembered that it is not necessary when cattle and horses are kept in yards and sheds. Animals exposed to the weather are provided with a scurf which collects outside ths skin, forming a blanket, as it were, to protect them from the changes of weather. In the case of animals kept hi stables, however, which do not get exercise, the careful cleaning of the skin by the brush is most important, especially in milch cows.— Chicago Tribune. HOUSEKEEPING. ’ Bed-making and Bed-coverings. There is no doubt that k good hair mattress will give more solid comfort to the square inch than any other species of bedding; out those .to whom these expensive luxuries are denied can fiffd tolerable substitutes. Moss and cotton topped with excelsior, while they have not the wearing qualit es of hair,supply its

place better than one would imagine at the outset A mattroes should alwaysbe made in two pieces, to permit of its being easily turned ami shifted by one pair of arms. ■- A mattresscover, the size of a large sheet and made of two thicknesses of unbleached cotton cloth, with a single layer of cotton batting quilted between them, should be a sine qua non. Laid under tlie sheet it aids in softening the conch. 'those of Mrs. Whitney's readers familiar with the details of bed-making appreciate as no otuers can Aunt JQdy'fl deare to have the sheet “stretched as ught and smooth as a fireboard.” Indeed, smooth stretching and close tucking-in at the sides and foot are essentials not only to the comfort but also to the neatness of the bed. There is hardly any minor sensation more hopelessly miserable than that of feeling tho bedclothes give way at the bottom of the bed as they are drawn up over tho shoulders, and knowing that peace Of mind and body cannot bo restored i without first leaving the snug nest and shiveringly wrestling with mattress and coverings. Heavy comfortables should not be used except in extreme cold weather, and then only laid folded on she foot of the bed to be pulled up in case extra warmth is required, light, fleecy blankets are in every way preferable. In the matter of spreads there is such a wide field for choice that it is hardly possible to go far wrong. Between the plain “honeycomb” white counterpane and the latest dainty combination of satin and lace can be found au endless variety suitable to all purses. There are many arguments against having in constant service any bed covering which cannot bo washed. In selection individual taste, however, must be the guide, although one important caution to be observed is that of choosing an article in harmony with the other furniture of tho room. Bich draperies for a plain cottage bedstead aro as out of place as would be pointlace on a morning gingham. Tho same principle may be applied to shams —ornaments, by the way, that try the flesh and patience of every bedmaker. Without going so far as to banish them altogether, it may at least be urged that they should never I e employed for the purpose of concealing soiled pillows. Repudiate, also, tbe great square abominations stuffed with jute and known to furniture dealers as day pillows. Far preferable are plump feather pillows, covered with white linen, ruffled or tucked. These can be laid aside at night and their places supplied by a bolster. Or, if this is not desired" as excellent plan is to keep two sets of slips, the creased and tumbled ones used at night to be replaced each morning by the fresh ones kept for day wear. The washing ot one more pair a week gives little additional work, and tho trouble of changing is more than repaid by the gain in neatness. In many families cotton sheets are used all the year around, either from choice or necessity. But, if it is possible, pillow and bolster cases should be of linen. This is especially desirable for those who are troubled with restlessness or insomnia. The easily heated cotton slip enhances discomfort, while tho cool surface of the linen seems almost to possess a soothing influence. Too much stress cannot be laid upon the advisability of airing beds thoroughly. To carelessness in this regard may be attributed the close, offensive odors which frequently meet one. not alone in the hemes of the poorer classes, but in tlio bedrooms of the nighpriced hotels. It is not enough to turn down the coverings, only to draw them back half an hour later. The unsavory fact that the body actually loses weight during a night slumber shows clearly that more vigorous methods of treatment than these are required to free the bed coverings of the exhalations from the sleeper. Counterpane, blankets, and sheets should be stripped from the bed, well shaken, and hung on two chairs to prevent their gathering dust by resting on the floor. The mattress should be half turned and propped against the foot-board, so as to allow the free access of air to both sides. Pillows and bolster should be beaten energetically. Then, even in the bitterest weather, the windows should be opened wide, if only for ten minutes, that the atmosphere of the apartment may be completely changed. While the custom of keeping a guest chamber altvays in readiness for chance visitors has its advantages, there are strong reasons against having the bed prepared until just before it is to be occupied. There is a comfort about a newly made bed that dis appears from one loft standing for weeks or even days. A dampness seems to gather about the sheets, a mustiness about the blankets and bedding, that gives-the occupant an unpleasant sensation that the couch has not been properly aired, and awakens .fears of colds, rheumatism, and other fleshy ills. A pkntiful provision of extra covering should always be prepared for the guest room. Many a visitor who dreads to hurt the feelings of a hostess, or is too little at home in a house to ask for additional blankets, has shivered all night in a handsomely appointed chamber, or been reduced to piling his own garments upon the bed to secure the needed heat The silk or satin duyetf stuffed with eider-down are at once tho warmest and tightest of covers. But when these cannot be procured an excellent substitute may be made of colored cheese cloth lined with cotton batting or French wool wadding. Very pretty are those with one side cardinal red, the other light blue, the stuffing between being held in place by tufts of worsted to match. These are preferable to the heavy alleged “comfortables” sold in stores.— Chicago Tribune.

> FRUIT-CULTURE. Fertilization of the Grape. Prof. J. A Lintner, Albany, N. Y. ? is to make a study of the influence of insects in fertilizing the grape. The hope is expressed that horticulturists will forward to'him any insects and material observed for this purpose. So far as Northern New York is concerned, Mr. D. S. Marvin, Watertown, N. Y., has observed but oue insect doing this work of fertilizing. This is a small bee about half the sise of and resembling somewhat tho Italian honey bee. Stealthy and solitary in its habits, the insect seems to be unknown to entomologists, at least, in this connection. Peach Yellows. J. H. Hale says their great enemy in peach culture in Connecticut is the yellows. He set out 800 trees sh 1877, 200 of which were fertilized with barn manure, the rest with potash and bona The fourth year the ones treated with barn manure began .to show indications of tho yellows, wh ch were stronger the following year. Those treated with bone and potash were not affected. Subsequently half of the former died of yellows. Only one case of yellows occurred m the others. To this tree ten pounds of muriate of potash were applied, and it was severely pruned. It made a perfectly healthy growth. The safer way would have been to take this out, but it was left for experiment Mr. Hale thought that by careful culture, close pruning, and fertilizing with bone and potash, we may secure in a great measure exemption from this disease.— Country Gentleman. Cultivation of the Peach. Mr. J. F. Taylor, of Michigan, who has given great attention to the cultivation of the peach, writes the Horticulturist of that State five rules each on the conditions of failure and success in the cultivation of the fruit Failure comes from tlie following causes: 1. A wet soil, or one that from any cause holds water around the roots of the tree, whether the land is situated high or low. 21 Excessive fertility while the trees are young, whether it be secured in the natural condition of the soil or by the ingenuity of man. 3. Severe cutting back of the young growth each year, thus dwarfing the tree and robbing it of much natural vitality. 4. Allowing trees to overbear and thus exhaust their vitality by a single crop of fruit 5. By deficit ami improper cultivation. Co ’d .tions of success are stated as follows: 1. An elevated location that is not subject to late in the spring "or early frosts in the fall 2. A warm and moderately fertile soil that is well drained by nature. Artificial drainage may prove successful, but its utility has not yet been f nlly demonstrated in this region. 3. Thorough ciilt.vatioii, without manure, until the trees come ieto bearing, then combine the two so as to supply all the depletion produced in the soil by growth of trees and fruit 4. Never let a tree overbear. 5. Continue cultivation until the close of the dry season every summer even it it continues until September. li should bo added that the summer cultivation should be only such as to insure a perfect surface tilth of the soil to assist in conserving the moisture as much as possible.

THE WILD DOGS OF ATLANTA.

They Conldn’t Stand the War Racket—- ; j' Their Final Extermination. [From the Atlanta Constitution.] Did you ever hear of the wild dogs of Atlanta? At one time the country around here was almost at the mercy of these savage animals. Horses, elephants, and camels can be made to take an almost human interest in war, but dogs cannot stand the racket. . The din of battle and the smell of villianous saltpeter breaks them up entirely. Our dogs had a hard time during the siege. There w ere thousands of them in those days, and when the season of short rations set in they were the first to feel it. In many instances they were abandoned by their refugeeing owners and had to literally forage for a living. The thunder of the big guns, the unearthly shrieks of the shells, the noise of falling buildings, the rattle of musketry, and the heavy tramp of marching soldiers, all struck terror to the canine contingent. Toward the close of the siege nearly every dog in the city was half-rabid or in the last stage of nervous prostration. The wretched brutes sought shelter under houses and in bombproofs. Majestic mastiffs and surly bulldogs curled their tails between their legs and yelped mournfully at every unusual sound. Hundreds of the bolder ones made a frantic break over the breastworks and ditches, and made their way through the lines of both armies, never stopping until they reached the woods. It was even worse after Sherman’s army entered the place. The citizens were driven out in such a hurry that they had no time’ to think of their'pets and no means of transportation for them. Later the destruction of the city by. fire and the general pandemonium that ensued scattered the few remaining dogs. These innocent victims of the ravages of war had a terrible experience during the rigorous winter of 1864-5. Their misery drove them to form strange partnerships, and it was a common sight to see them roving in bands of a dozen or more. The old saying: “Banish the dog from his kennel and have a wolf,” was illustrated in this base. In the course of five or six months the country people for fifty miles around were spinning marvelous yarns about “them wild dogs of Atlanta. ” The dog belongs to the genus which produces the -wolf, the jackal, and the fox. Tame dogs, of course, lose many of the characteristics of these animals; but when persecution and misery cause them to relapse into a wild state they take the appearance, the habits, and the tastes of wolves and jackals. Such ■was notoriously the fact with the Atlanta dogs. They lost every trace of domesticity. They grew to enormous size, with savage eyes and cruel-looking fangs. Occasionally a gang of these ferocious beasts would swoop down on a farmyard, devouring chickens and pigs, and attacking men when they stood in their way. It took the liveliest, kind of shooting to drive them off. Sometimes they would surround a lonely cabin and wait for the inmates to come out. They even made raids into little villages, forcing the inhabitants to shut themselves up in their houses. The disappearance of many a negro in those perilous times was fully accounted for when his skeleton was found with every particle of flesh gnawed off, and with the ground around showing evidences of a desperate struggle. Early in 1865, when a few refugees "began returning to Atlanta, they had to struggle with these wild dogs for the possession of the ruins. Bloody encounters occurred among the ashheaps and piles of debris. Every cellar and hole in the ground held these ravenous brutes, and they leaped upon men, women, and children without the slightest provocation. At that time it was dangerous to ride or drive out in the country." On the main roadbetween here and Decatur, in broad daylight, dogs were known to attack horses attached to buggies, forcing their drivers to open a hot fusilade with their revolvers. After getting this taste of a’wild life the Atlanta dogs went to the bad altogether. They never reformed. A relentless warfare was waged upon them from the Stone Mountain to Kenesaw, and one by one they bit the dust until they were all wiped out. The reader at a distance must not jump to the conclusion that this indiscriminate slaughter has caused an unusual , scarcity of dogs in this region. Thanks to the universal, human weakness for pets, we are abundantly supplied with bench-legged flees, terriers, pugs, Newfoundlands, mastiffs, and bulls. If some unexpected calamity should cause them all to go wild, after the fashion of their predecessors, they would be an uncommonly tough crowd to deal with.

Sciatica Cured by Manage.

Prof. Max Schuler, of Berlin, is convinced of the superiority of massages over other measures employed in the treatment of sciatica, and relates his experience of fifteen cases—all in males, and except in one or two instances (which were rheumatic) due to exposure to cold. Most of the cases were dealt with from the first by massage; but in a few instances electricity, vapor baths, etc., had been fruitlessly employed prior to coming under his care. The modus operandi is as follows: The patient lies on the unaffected side, with knees and hips slightly flexed. The course of the sciatic nerve is rubbed from below upward, partly with both thumbs, partly with the ball of the little finger or thumb; sometimes struck with the closed fist, sdmetimes the muscular mass over the nerve pressed and kneaded with both hands. The pain evoked by these manipulations soon passes away, and after a short time becomes less and less at each sitting. The neuralgic pains very soon abate, diminishing after a severe and painful massage, then recurring with less severity, and gradually disappearing entirely. The power of walking improves after each sitting.—27ic /.uncet The man who fell out of his hunk on board ship explained that liii black eye was a berth-mask.

Ministers’ Wires.

Some young “clericus,” having written to Prof. Gouge, asking "how to select a young lady to till the responsible position of a minister’s wife,” ho replies thus in the Albany Evening Journal. In ninety-nine and three-quarter cases out of a hundred asking about* what your wife will be is as futile as studying an almanac to find out where lightning will strike in Montgomery County next August, or what kind of weather you will have the first week in September. It is judicious and wise to select’ the right kind of a lady for a wife, and it would also be pleasant to pick out the spot where we would have a wart if we .had to have one; but, alas, the closest scrutiny and most mature judgment will fail to locate the wart, and in too many cases will fail to secure the woman. You say nothing about love. You have made the mistake that the settler in Nebraska makes when he locates his buildings without considering the cyclone. The cyclone revises the first edition of the settler’s plans, and the second edition so completely covers the ground that the author’s cursory remarks are forgotten. You speak of selecting a wife as you would select furniture. This would be judicious if it would work. But if love gets a grip on you, your present cool judgment would boil coffee in three minutes, and you would think a red-headed girl in a blue sun-bonnet would ornament a village church more than a new steeple and a set of lightning rods. You ought to have a wife considerably older than yourself, say ten years or so. A Roman nose would give her a commanding appearance. If she had curls—-good, big, hard curls, that look like two-inch augers with the points broken off—they would keep the rabble from being too free with her. She should be accomplished. She should be able to work thirty different kinds of tidies. What is home without a tidy ? She should bring to the happy home some of her art works. Any accomplished young woman has some paintings. ' One neighbor I had up in Washington County had his parlor full of his wife’s paintings. Take one of those landscapes and when a string fetched loose and the picture turned around the lake would be • sky and the birds would be the ships, and the sky would be the real estate, and the clouds would answer for cattle feeding on the green sward. Hang that creation of art in any shape and it would still be intelligible and a thing of beauty. Hang it up cornerwise and it would be a plaque representing a thunder storm in the Rocky Mountains. He had portraits his wife had painted. The hair and eyes and mouth were all one color. The soothing effect of those art works was very apparent when he moved his old sick mother into tile best room to die. She was startled whgn she awoke, but after looking at those pictures for a day or two a change was apparent. She told her son she was not only willing to die, she was eager. Thus did art triumph over nature. Such a wife as I am describing would,, help, you in your work. Sewing circles, mite societies, and missionary meetings would be conducted in such a manner as to dispel all levity and inspire respect. Such help would lighten your labors, for one pastoral call with her would last a longtime. Your carpets and furniture would not be worn out by visitors. Sunday school would be as sacred and solemn as a new cemetery with a -white picket fence around it.

Typhoid Fever.

The Revue Scientific contained a paper read before the Academy oi Medicine on the use of water in the treatment of typhoid fever, which deserves more general attention. The form of treatment described differs somewhat from that commonly used in fevfrs, and appears to have been discovered by a German physician named Brand. It consists, substantially, in putting the-patient bath- warmed to the temperature of his body, and then gradually cooled down to sixty or even forty degrees. The effect of this application is said to be magical in the immediate amelioration of the fever. The’ permanent effect of it is best shown in the statistics accompanying the paper. In' the French army, between 1875 and 1880 there were 26,047 cases of typhoid fever. Of these 9,597 died, being a mortality of 36.7 per cent. In the corresponding time there were in the German army 14,835 cases of typhoid fever, of whom 1,491 died, a mortality of about 10 per cent. The character of the disease was much the same in both armies, and the general habits and health of the men the same. The only noticeable difference was that in the German army the water treatment was largely used. An analysis of the statistics of the German army affords still more convincing evidence. From 1820 to 1844 the rate of mortality for typhoid fever patients was a little over 25 per cent. From 1868 to 1874 the rate was 15 per cent. In 1862 the chief of the medical staff called the attention of the army physicians to Brand’s cold water treatment. The adoption of the new treatment was followed by so marked a falling Off in the death rate as to lead to its still more general use. In the years 1874 to 1880 the typhoid fever cases ranged from 1,741 to 3,620 annually, and the mortality fell from 12 per cent, in 1874 to 8 per cent, in 1880. In the Second Army Corps the water treatment was more thoroughly tested. The death rate, which was 21 in 100, after the introduction of this treatment fell off in 1867-74 to 14 per cent, and in 1874-77 to 7.8 in 100. In the last named year, Dr. Abel, a strenous upholder of the cold water treatment, assumed medical directiph of the corps, and-the- mortality was reduced throughout the entire corps to 52 in 1,225 cases, or a little over 4.2 per cent Still more striking is the confirmation afforded by the experience of five principal hospitals of this division of the army, which were under the direction of Dr. Abel personally. In 1860 the mortality had been reduced io 7.2 per cent, and during the five years following the coming of Dr. Abel it fell to 14 deaths in 764 cases, or 1.8 per cent. “There is no good substitute for wisdom,” says Josh Billings, “but silence is the best yet discovered."

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

’ —The reports that Secretary Haron.of the State Board of Agriculture, has received indicate that the corn crop in Indiana is not ns large as was first estimated. The stalks were badly, blown down in many portions of the State, nnd damaged to some extent. In the southern half of the State the yield ihtts been an average one, but in the northern Italf the crop has been ent short by the drought. The season has been fair, and the most of the crop is already harvested in excellent condition. The potato crop has been reported as being badly totted in the gronnd. The report of State Statistician Peelle, just sent to the Commissioner of Agriculture at Washington, states that the average yield of com per acre is 32.02 bushels, and in quality it is put at 97 per cent. He reports the yield of potatoes 97 bushels per acre, and the quality 88 per cent. —John Snyder, of Blackford County, the man whose only relief from the effects of a strange disease that has afflicted him for some time past, was found in almost continual walking, was believed a few days ago to have walked himself into his grave. He was in the clutches of death, but has resumed walking. Physicians say it is only a question of endurance. Death alone, they say, can relieve him from tho iron grip of his mysterious malady. Meanwhile he is doing his five miles an hour, not including rests. He walks twenty hours out of the. twenty-four. He shaves as ±e walks, and takes his meals while on the go. He has not been known to sleep more than four hours out ot the twenty-four in two years. —A stock company, with a capital of $5,000 has been formed in Denver, Miami County, to develop recently discovered veins of iron ore. Officers: President, Spencer Augur; Vice President, Jacob Slappy;, Secretary, John E. Millison; Treasurer, Wilson NewboH; Superintendent, Smith Roy. This company has effected, for a bonus of 10 per cent, of the gross product, the lease of 320 acres, and will at once set a force of men to work prospecting. _ ■ —Patrick McAdams, a man who has been in the mining business for twenty years, met with a fatal accident at Montgomery, twenty-five miles east of Vincennes. He Was walking through an entry, when some one who had drilled a hole to fire a shot set his squib just in time to catch McAdams as he passed (he room. The unfortunate man’s head was literally torn to pieces. —Masked robbers entered the house of William Blair, a farmer living near Holton, Ripley County, and compelled the old man to produce all the money in the house, amounting to $l5O. After threatening their lives if they made any attempt toward their arrest the robbers left. Mr. Blair recognized them by their voices, and will endeavor to bring them to justice. —Fred Ash met with a terrible death a short distance below Vinceunes. on the C.» V. &C. road. His engine struck a tree, derailing it, the wheels passing over him, cutting off both legs. He lived but a short time. Deceased was employed on the O. & M-, and left the road but a few days ago to take an engine on the C., V. &C. He was a favorite vridi nil who knew him. —The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad is experimenting with a new patent electric alarm, to be used as a safeguard at dangerous railroad crossings. About a quarter of a mile from the crossing, on the railroad, is an iron dog, and trains running over it strike a gong at the crossing, which gives passing teams half a minute’s warning that a train is approaching. —The cooperage works of M. Bierrusse, now located at Morris, on the Big Four, will be removed to Columbus at once, th< City Council having voted to exempt him from taxation for eight years and donating SSOO, he binding himself to permanently locate, buy real estate, and to employ seventy hands in his works. —The Ohio Falls Iron Works have been compelled by the rush of business to pui on three additional furnaces, making fourteen in all now in operation. The mifi has been run both night and day for several weeks, in order to manufacture iron sufficiently fast to fill the orders pouring in daily. —At Lafayette a horse driven by Harvey Rusch became frightened at a train, and, wheeling about suddenly, was precipitated, together with the buggy, down a forty* foot embankment. The horse had a leg broken and the vehicle was demolished, but Mr. Rusch escaped with slight bruises. —A 12-year-old son of Robert Goedneer, living two and a half miles northeast of Milroy, while out hunting, accidentally discharged an old horse-pistol,., the contents entering his head above the eye, making a mortal wound, from which he is lying at the point of death. —Mr. Nathan Powell, of Madison, has presented the library of Hanover College a complete set of British and American poets, 118 volumes, making a very valuable addition to the already extensive collection of the institution. —Mrs. John W. Hickox, wife of an employe of the Vandalia Auditor’s office at Terre Haute, was severely and perhaps fatally burned. Her clothing caught tire from a stove, and she ran into the street for assistance. —There are but five men living who have represented Indiana in the United States Senate. They are G. N. Fitch, David Tarpie, Joseph E. McDonald, Daniel W» Voorhees, and Benjamin Harrison. —Rev. T. L. Hughes, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, of Shelbyville, has received and accepted a call from the Second Presbyterian Church at Fort Wayne at a salary of $2,200 per annum. —The grain-house of Adam Rhodes, in Marion township, Shelby County, was burned, with 2uo bushels of wheat and numerous implements. Loss, $600; insured for $375. —At Carbon, three boys were playing in a sand bank, when it caved in. One boy, named McGlanitan, was instantly killed. The other two were fatally injured, and both will die. —David Winters was cahght between the bumpers of two coal flats at Brazil and instantly killed. He was a miner and worked at .the Bartlett shaft.