Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1887 — Page 3

HUSBANDRY AND HOUSEWIFERY.

Matters of Interest Relating to Farm and Household Management. i Information for the Plowman, Stock- • Yuan, Ppulterer, Nurserymen, and Housewife. THE FARMER. Peas in the Orchard. The pea crop -will grow better in the shade than any other grain, and many farmers arc learning that it is just what in needed to sow in their apple orchard. Let the pigs harvest the crop, and with thin and fa.leu apples a large amount of the , very best pork may be fationed. , „ Pulverizing Manure. The more fiuely puiver.zsd manure is the more effective it wih be. This leads mauy farmors to compost everything, finding that the smaller bulk after fermentation produces better effects than the whole applied in the green state. But in most cases this fermentation is , accompanied by losses of Valuable nitrogen by evaporation and of mineral plant food by leaching. Until the wastes from tho manure heap are better understood, and methods are taken to prevent them, the com. mini practice of drawing manures green from tho barnyard will be advisable for average farmerk 'ln the soil what is lost from tho manure by fermentation is retained for the use of future crops. The immediate effect may not bo as great as from rotton manure, but it is more lasting. Potato Culture. At a meeting of farmers in Eastern Massachusetts Mr. Edmund llersey read a paper on this subject. He stated that the results of his investigation were: 1. The shape of a potato caunot bo changed by the continued selection of any particular Turin of the seed planted. 2. Tha crop may be increased by selecting for seed healtuy, well-kept potatoes, and diminished by selecting for seed diseased and poorly kept potatoes. 3. Hard potatoes that have sprouted but little are better for seed than those that are soft or have long sprouts. 4. Long-continued planting of any variety gradually changes its character, often improving it during the first -twenty years after it comes from the seed. It then frequently begins to lose its good qualities and to become more susceptible to disease. 5. Largo crops are only obtainable on rich soils we.l prepared by being thoroughly pulverized. 6. Iu ordinary field culture the size of the potato should be sufficient to give the young plant a vigorous start Whole potatoes, or pieces weighing from one "to two ounces, are not too large. 7. Neither the size nor the form of the potato for seed is of so much consequence as its healthy condition or its vital powers. 8. No rules can be laid down in regard to the quantity of seed per acre, the amount of manure, or the particular method of cultivation that will apply to all farms. 9. One or a half-dozen experiments are not sufficient to establish any particular facts. It is only by numerous experiments covering a tong period of time and tried on different farms that it is safe to sett e down to any results as undeniable fact'. 19. While the successful cultivator may gather from Others much valuable inforffiatiou to assist him in his investigation, for the details, if he would produce large crops at the least possible cost, he must rely principally upon the practical experience he has obtained by working on his own farm. .

Bath-Rooms for Farmers. The most convenient bath-room I have ever seen ip a farmer’s house, says Mr#, Howard in HP exchange, was planned and located in the house "of Colonel M. j. Hogarty, a retired army officer whose homo is in Greeley, COL This bath-room adjoins the large kitchen, and is entered by a door near the cookatove or range. It is supplied with hot and cold water through pipes leading to it from the stove and force-pump. A large tank is fitted on or near the front of the stove, four or five feet high aud eight inches in diameter. The water this cylindrical tank is heated in pipes running v around the inside of the stove and outside ana above the coal-box. The tank Is fiiled with water through pipes leading from a forcepump situated in the pantry. The door leading to this pantry is at tharight of the stove,, aud that ot the to tho left. The pump not only supplies the pantry sink, but the stove and bath-tuh, also a marble basin in one corner of tno bath-room. A lookingglass, roller-towels, and plenty of short towels, brushes, and combs, and soap mako this little room a first-class toilet room for the family at all seasons. There is a faucet at the bottom of the tank, where water can be taken out at any time. If the farmers cannot afford a tank with hot and cold water p.pes leading to the room, they may be able to have a bath-room adjoining tho kitchen without these luxuries. Nearly every farmer has a stove with a reservoir, from which water can be taken at any time, and this, with a couple of pails of cold water added, will be sufficient for a good bath without much troubla It is a greater convenience to the house-mother to be able to give her little flock a bath at least onceaw6ek, and to be able to do this so near a warm fire during the cold weather is a great comfort to all concerned. THE STOCK-BREEDER. Effect of Improved Breeds. An Illinois drover and butcher says that-twenty-five years ago it was very difficult to find yearling' steers that would weigh six hundred pounds, live weight. They were not considered fully ripe until four years old, and then fifteen hundred was considered an extreme weight The feeding now is no better thanllien, or at least not more costly. Solely by improved breeding it is found possible to produce yearlings that weigh one thousand pounds, three-year-olds heavier than the old four-year-olds, and full-grown steors weighing two thousand pounds or more. There is certainly no more Done and frame in tho improved stock, and it is consequently worth, more per pound to the^u teller. If it has taken more feed it has retul-Rd a larger proportion to the manure heap. Guernsey Cattle. We are sometimes asked to explain the difference between the Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney entile. We take it as evidence of the into res ’, taken in thoroughbred milk stock. The Guernseys are similar in build to the Jorseys, though larger and inclined to flesh, and hot stylish. Thoir color is usually a rich fawn, with much white; the muzzle and eyelids are buff; in fact, all the “points” are light, affording a strong contrast to the black points of a fashionably marked Jersey. The Guernsey is a.deep milker, producing the yellowest of' butter of superior quality. Some good judges, familiar with both breeds, place the Guernseys ahead of the Jerseys as buttermakers, while their size and capability of taking on fat, when they cease to bo useful for the dairy, render them a desirable breed. One farmer of our acquaintance, who has an excellent herd of both of these breeds, says that admixture of the cream from Guernsey milk with that from Jerseys gives the butter a deeper, richer color, and makes it bring a higher price than that of Jersey alone. The Guernseys being as a rule large milkers, consequently yield more butter, but the quality of that made exclusively from thoir milk is not quite equal, as it lacks something of its delicate flavor, to the best Jersey butter. This experience indicates that one or two good Guernsey cows in any herd, kept for butter, would probably improve its product as a marketable article. _ ’ Home of the Guernsey cows that we have seen are nearer the ideal cow than any we have met, their rich color, large, fine bodies, handsome proportions, fully developed ndders, and other “milk signs,” together with their rich and generous milk and butter yield, make then! a distinct and characteristic breed •of dairy eat tie. The Jerseys hold a justly deserved’prominence as butter producers, and it is safe' to predict that tKerr~ numbers will greatly increase. The recent numerous sales indicate an increase In their importation, notwithstanding the faet that some of our breeders are now breeding just as good Jerseys as can be found anywhere in the world. The rapid depletion of the herds of the “mother couutrv” under the annual culling out of 'JO,000 animals for exportation, renders this state of affairs inevitable It is a fact that the best Jerseys cows, both on the Island and in this

country, closely resemble the Guernseys in size aud general appearauce—a factwhich speaks strongly for tho Guernsey type as one to be regarded by breeders of dairy stock ofauy kind. — American Agriculturist. THE POULTERER. ; t ; Keeping Orade Fowls. Tho groat majority of fowls kept by farmers are grades, few having the courage - to stock W with U gh-price l thoroughbreds, or the lime and sk ill reqnirod to 'breed them pure wheu got. If rightly managed grade fowls will do as well as any, tut the Hook must be kept down by unsparing weeding out of all objectionable ppecimons, and every year the grado roosters must bo killed, and pure bred males of some kind purchased in thpir placo. It is this breeding from thoroughbred-males that is the greatest secret of success in grading fowls. With mixed blood on both sides of the E a rentage the offspring becomes not grades ut mongrels, and the flock soon runs out so as not to be worth keeping. Fattening Turkeys. The turkey is one of tho finest products of, the farm, aud one of the greatest luxuries iu the market The farmer should dp liis best in preparing his fiock for tho sham bios, 'lho main business now is to lay ou fat, and the birds should have, every night and morning, a full supply of nutritious aud Jattening food. Instinctively the turkey follows his feed, aud if the supply is abuudant at the farm-yard, he will not stroll far from homo. Boiled potatoes, mashed and mixed with meal, anil led moderately warm, is a very excel.eut feed, both to promote growth auil to fatton. If tho pigs can be robbed of a part of their milk, and if it be mixed with a part of the hot potatoes and meal, it will vory much improve tho dish. It is very desirable to supply tho place of insects with some kind of animal food, aud butchers’ scraps is one of the cheapest and most desirable i onus of food for poultry. Grain should be given at least once a nay With tho soft and warm iood. Nothing is better than sound' corn. Old corn should always be used for this purpose. The new corn keeps them too loose. In feeding, only so much corn should bo thrown out as the birds will oat up clean. Tako a little time to feed them, aud study aisthoiics as you watch the irridescent hues upon the glossy plumage. There is nothing more charming upon the farm in the whole circle of tlio yoar than a hundred or two of these richly bronzed turkeys feeding near a corn-crib. You can afford to enjoy the disappearance of corn while the turkeys are increasing in weight. Dreams of a full wallet at Thanksgiving and Christmas will not harm you as you look on this interesting (fight American .Agriculturist. —— THE BEE-KEEPER. Losses of Bees in Winter. Dr. James A. Minich, of Indianapolis, writes to the Bee Journal: Wo can scarcely pick up a bee paper that has not something to say ou this subject Wo hear it discussed ad infinitum at our conventions; aud of remedies to guard against winter loss there is no end. It is amusing to see how widely apiarists differ, and the variance of their opinions. I have listened patiently, and have faithfully read all the theories. Ido not object to any and all the pians that have been given from time to time; they are all good enough as far as they go. It is well to put chaff cushions, forest loaves, or any good absorbent in the upper story of the hive; or to pack straw or rawdust or chaff around the outsides of the hive; contract tho brood-chamber to five or six frames; make passageways through the combs, or place sticks on top for the same ■purpose, ana put them into a suitable cellar. All these cautionary measures are propor, and most of them necessary to success. The bees will generally winter well aud come out in the spring all right, and every bee-keeper feels as though he had solved the winter problem and is on the road to success, and even to fame, and he cries “Eureka! ” \ But sooner or later an epidemic comes and the bees die in spite of all the above plans and remedies, and a “Change comes o’er the spirit ot his dreams.” And again the discussion be-gins—-“too much pollen,” too much ventilation, or not enough; too much heat or too. much cold, or too damp; and more remedies are offered. Now, why is it that these epidemics will come every few years? In my opinion tho main reason has been overlooked. I have observed that overy epidemic among bees has been preceded by a drought the summer or fall previoas. I wish every apiarist to make a note of this. This was the case the

summer aud fall of 1880, and it was followed It was the caso’tlurtcon or fourteen years ago —I can not tell tho year—and the bees were almost annihilated the following winter in Central Indiana And in tho summer and fall of 1884 thore was sufficient drought at tho proper time to bring about the same result But how could it affect the bees? you ask. In two ways: 1. Itisa well-known fact that flowers will not bloom and honey will not flow in dry weather, and consequently the queeua cease to lay eggs, and breeding, stops. Now one can readily see that colonies will have to go into winter quarters with old June and July bees which were ready to die from old age and exhaustion; or perchance a few of them might linger a few weeks longer, and “one by one they pass away” in tho spring—“spring dwindling,” caused by old age. 2. Dry weather is conducive to the secretion of honey dew, or “bug juice,” and bees will gather it and store it away for the winter, which causes diarrhea among the bees and consequent death. Tho remedy: Taking the above to be facts the remedy is now plain enough; the winter problom is solved. When dry weather sets in, and the honey flow coases in August aud September, the bees should be fed regularly so as to stimulate lato breeding. This should be done regularly, or tlio queens will not have much confidence in the future outlook, and will stop laying. Honey dew should bo excluded in every way possible. It can bo detected as soon as" the bee-keeper sees it. Take it out and feed them bountifully on cane-sugar sirup. If you will be as careful in this respect as you are iu others, you will have no losses. Remember that your greatest trouble is causod by droughts, and that if your colonies can go into winter quarters with young bees, witli pure honey or sirup, cushions of chaff or leaves on top, pas-ages for tho bees to travel from comb to conib, and keeping them quiet and not bothering them at all in their long rest, you will see them all come out booming in the spring. No matter how severe the winter may be, they will survive and come out. all right on tho above conditions. THE FORESTER. Nut-Producing Trees. Persons interested in the production ot trees common to our forests will do well to plant those kinds that are valuable for several purposes. Shelter belts are wanted on all prair.e farms,-end the general practice is to plant those varieties of trees that can be obtained for the least money and troubla In many case 3 cottonwood] willows, and poplars are planted to break the force of the Wind» chiefly because they can be obtained near the place where they are wanted, can be bought at a low price, are quite certain to live after tliev are transplanted, and Will make a very quick growth. At but little more trouble and cost a shelter-belt may be formed that will be valuable for other purposes than breaking the force of our violent winds. We ciu substitute for the cottonwood, willow, and poplar the butternut, black walnut, hickory, aud beech. To this list of nut-producing trees you can add the white oak, ana for portions of the country where the climate iB suited for their growth the pec&u and chestnut All these trees are stately, hardy, strong, and longlived. Once established," they will continue to Sow for centuries. None of them are likely be overturned or broken by the strongest winds. Their somewhat slow growth while they are young constitues toe only to them. : They form excellent shelter-belts. They are highly ornamental, and after they are of a size to sustain barbed-wire will be excellent substitutes for cedar posts in forming a fence. The branches which are removed in pruning will make good fueL As soon as they are of ah age and size to produce nuts they will be constant sources or pleasure and profit Edible nute take a high rank among toe luxuries, and they may be produced on every farm almost without eost or troubla Few things add more to the comfort of toe home during the, winter than a supply of nuts. If more are produced than are wanted for home consumption they oan be retwlily sold to' farmers who have no nut trees and to village peopla During several jears there has been a Large demand for nuts for planting in toe far Western States and Territories. There has

been even a considerable demand for them to send to England and some countries on the continent of Europe. A Missouri fanner states that for a series of years he has derived more money from tho safe of nuts that grew on a forty-acre tract of native hickory and WStnut treos tha» from the corn produced on tho same number of acres. The former oost nothing but for harvesting, while the latter requires the labor of a man and team during the entire season. All the nut-producing trees mentioned furnish exotllent timber aud very valuable fuel If it is necessary to cut down a tree at any stage of its growth becauao it e'ands to close to others or lias received an injury, its wood becomes valuable for timber or fuel. Nutproducing trees are as desirable for planting in grovos or along the sides of roads as for forming shelter bolts. Of late the black walnut has received much attention at the hands of tree planters, but the claims of the butternut or white walnut have genorallv been overlooked The like is true in relation to the hickory, which is one of tho most beautiful as woll as one of the most useful of our native trees. The beoch has been neglected and the impression has been created that it would not thrive on prairie soils. It is a very valuable tree, and thore is good reason for believing that it will grow on any land that produces oaks. Beech nuts are very easily obtained, and they germinate almost as easily as grains of corn. The trees present a very fine appearance, whether growing by themselves or with trees that have drooping branches, with which they inako a very striking contrast Chicago Times. THE COOK. To Prevent a Soggy Undercrust. If tho bottom crust of fruit-pies, or any other juicy kind, is rubbed over with a beaten egg it will not be soggy. Cookies. One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three eggs, two tablespoonfuls each of baking-pow-der aud boiling water, aud flour enough to knead as soft as can be rolled out * tTohnnycake. Two-thirds of a teaspoonful of soda, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, one egg, one teacup of sweet milk, six tablespoonfuls of Indian meal, three tablespoonfuls of flour, aud a little salt Fried Parsnips. Scrape and leave in ice-cold water for an hour, then cook lia’f an libur in hot, saltoil wafer, wipe, slice lengthwise, dip in melted butter, then in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and fry in boiling dipping. Drain free of fat and dish. Cracker Pudding. One egg, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, one pint of milk, two or three milk crackers rolled, nutmeg and a pinch of salt Bake about three-quarters of an hour. Run the handle of a spoon down the center of the pudding; if it does not look milky it is dona Tapioca Cream. Soak ono-half Cup of pearl tapioca in water over night, put a quart of milk iu a sauce-pan to heat, beat tho yelks of three eggs and twothirds cup of sugar with the tapioca. When the milk is hot stir in and boil two minutes, stirring constant y. .Set on the ice, and just before serving stir in the whites of three eggs beaten stiff, and season with lemon and vanilla. Scalloped Potatoes. - Cut up cold-boiled potatoes until you" have about a quart Put in a pan a generous cup of milk, one teaspoonful of flour and one tablespoonful of flour. Set on the stovo and let it thicken, then put a layer of potatoes in a pudding dish, season with salt and pepper, and pour on a little of the gravy, Coutinlie until all is used. Cover the top with rolled cracker crumbs and bits of butter. Bake twenty minutes.

THE FAMILY DOCTOR. The Cold-Air Cure. The benefits of cool air are not universally appreciated. A good many people are afraid of it, especially at-aight, shuttfog themselves in close bedrooms, where tlieir systems are poisoned and their constitutions-gfhdualiy undermined by breathing the bad air. And even hot or warm air that is pure, air in a room that has ventilation as well as heat, is debilitating where breathed all night The evidence that pulmonary complain W%re inevitably and exclusively caused by foul Indoor air, and cured by pure, especially by cold, Sure, out-door air, can grow convincing to a egroe almost afflictive to a philanthropist, who most often feels like a travolerißSiSing his companions groping in the gloom of a subterranean labyrinth, and refusing to follow the clew that has led him back to the sunshine of the upper world. The remedial influence of fresh’ air is so much increased by a low temperature that “colds” are, in fact, far more curable in midwinter than in midsummer. -. ' . I was shot through the lungs in Mexico, and have ever since been susceptible to the contagion of a “catarrh factory,” as a friend of mine calls the unventilated schoolrooms and meeting-houses of our country towns. In warm woather I avoid such man-traps as I would the pit of a gas well, but in winter I risk their infection in the assurance that its influence can be counteracted by an extra dose of ice air. On returning from a crowded lecture hall, a stifling sickroom, a stuffy omnibus, etc., I remove my bed to the draught side of the house and open a window to the full capacity of its mechanism, taking care to go to sleep facing the draught I have often aw r akeued in the morning wrth my ha ; r grizzled with hoar frost, but without the slightest vestige of the catarrh which had announced its approach the night before. Gold is an antiseptic and a powerful digestive stimulant; and I here record tbo prediction that the hospitals of the future will be icehouses. Dyspepsia, catarrh, and fevers of all kindß can be frozen out of the system. Not by letting the patient shiver in a snowbank, but by giving nim au extra allowance of warm bedciothing, with tha additional luxury of breathing ice-cold air, which, under such circumstances, becomes as preferable to hot miasma as cold spring water to warm ditch water. I have also found that the best brainwork con bo done in a cold room, and that stove-heat has a tendency to stultify like a narcotic beverage. Warm wraps make fires tolerably dispensable. With regard to diet, whore it is limited to natural food there is no danger of eatiug too much. Where stimulants and highly seasoned foods are eaten, it is a different matter. A man with a natural appetite may eat his plain, wholesome food without fear of overstepping the proper limits. But the man with au unnatural appetite, the one who stimulates aud lives high, is always overstepping them, aud is never satisfied. A child instinctively turns with disgust from the gory carcasses of a slaughter-house; but who ever heard of a youngster shuddering at sight of a honeycomb, or a nost full of eggs? I can rarely eat meat of any kind without paying the penalty in a feeling of the gaßtric distress, followed by a more or Jess distinct nausea and troubled dreams. But tho closest observation haß never enabled me to notice such symptoms as an after-effect of an omelet or a piece of bread and butter. _ The sweltering noon is not a favorable time for repletion, nor is the early morning, when the energies of the system snonld not be unduly monopolized by the work ot digestion. A hearty breakfast handicaps a worker for the rest of the forenoon. Of all toe wretched slaves of conventional abuses the most to be pitied are those who have to bolt their dinners m a minimum of time and hasten hack to their drudgery, and often to a temperature that must tempt them to barter a week of their lives for one hour of undisturbed sleep. A light breakfast and late dinner surprisingly ease tbo burden of the hottest working day. I never take a noon-day lunch, and in special exigencies a sort of instinct has often prompted me to dispense with my regular breakfast, too, and go to work after chewing up a fraction of a hard ,crust or a couple- of dried prunes. Early rising, carried to extremes, impairs the vitality. I would as soon rob a child of its food or its clothing as to deprive it of sleep in the morning hours when digestion is finished and dreams become sweet For orphans, as I know from 'Experience, dreamland excursions are often for years the best rbfuge from toe realities of Christian civilization.—2>r. Oswald, in the Herald qf Health.

THOMAS STEVENS.

His Remarkable Tour Around tlu World Aatride a Bioycle. Arrested and Turned Back by the As gliaus and Stoned by the „ Chinese. ". ‘ ' ;t' _-- v , ... . ' ... |N«w York telegram.]... Thomas Stevens, (he bicyclist who mad« a tour of Europe and Asia on a bicycle, bui was arrested and imprisoned nineteen dnyi by the Afghans, and afterward conducted back to Persia, whence he continned hit journey through China,- has arrived in. toil city. Mr. Stevens, who started on his remarkable tour nearly three years ago, narrates many thrilling experiences. He narrowly escaped death at the hands of a Chinese mob, ap.d had many exciting adventures. He arrived in Shanghai on Nov. If

by the steamer Pekin, from Kiu-kiang, having all but accomplished his run rounc the world on a bicycle. A spare, wirv-look-ing man of about five feet seven, he seems none the worse for his journey and the discomforts of most of the last part of it. and speaks cheerfully of his experience generally. His first serious obstacle was encountered in Afghanistan. He was the guest of the British Delimitation Commissioners for several days, but by their advice turned back 300 miles to Berjande. after which he struck off again intc Afghanistan, at a point a safe dietaries from the commission and their messages; but at Furrah, halfway between Herat and Kandahar, he was arrested by an Afghan chief acting under orders, who, after some days, escorted him back to Herat. He was well treated by the Afghans, but they would not listen to hie explanation of his journeying without o political object, and so carried him to Persian territory again. He was obliged tc return to the Caspian, from which he went by way of the Caspiau railway, and reached Constantinople, and from thence by steamer to Currachee. So that to travel 30( miles by land he had to go G,OOO miles by sea. From Currachee he went -through Lahore, Delhi. Agra, Cawnpore to Calcutta, from whence he took steamer tc Hong'Konp. On Nov. 13 be got his bicycle under waj again and started for Canton, but he found it‘ simply useless from the badness of the roads. Fifty miles were not covered between Canton afid Kiukiang. One moment he thought that he was on the highway tc somewhere in particular, the next few yards brought him to the end of the pathway, which to his mollification he found terminated in a paddy field. So intricate anc difficult to travel were the roads that it took him over twenty-four hours to ride thirtj -miles alter leaving Canton. He found mosl of these pathways about twenty inches wide, and high boulders blocked his waj at short intervals. He reluctantly determined to give his bicycle a rest and take to a sampan. II took four days to reach Cliao-choo-foo bj this means, and then after a short time ok shore to stretch his legs, he got into th< boat again and did not leave it for four days more, when he found himself under the Heeling Pass and in the province ol Kiangse, Then he fancied that his waj was straight before him, for the roads suddenly improved and the bicycle, which had been for eight days borne by coolies, was once more put into requisition, and he spun merrily ahead till he reached Kin-gan-foo. The weather from Canton to the Heeling Pass was very warm, but aftei that it grew cold and l ain fell, which rendered that portion of the journey doublj difficult and disagreeable. The traveler was greatly impressed with the high state of cultivation in the provinces through which he passed, and with the beauty • oi some of the temples, notably of that between Tchinyuen and Lo-choo-foo. The people everywhere treated him very well till he reached Kan-tohou-foo, where the inhabitants attacked him with stones, and matters were looking very serious whes he reached the yamen accompanied by twe soldiers, who were sent with him by th< head man at Ta-ho. The crowd here was very noisy and threatening, and amounted to several hundred. But the populace whe were drying out to “kill tbo foreign devil* contrived to seize the bicycle, which, however, escaped with only one broken spoke, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that he was smuggled out of the yamen. and after great exertions on the part of the Cbe-ksien, who had to make several proclamations calling upon the mob to disperse. But beyond two or three bruises and many indentations in his topee, from stones, Mr. Stevens escaped injury. It will be interesting to epicures to know that Mr. Stevens carried no commissarial with him, but lived on the food of the people through whose countries he passed, 'nor did he carry a tent, although he started with one from Constantinople. He book discarded it, and was content to put up with whatever sleeping accommodations he could find on the way, sometimes under a tree or rock, again in the shelter of the tents or huts he came across, and still again in the gorgeous palaces of the civilized rulers of the many lands of the East, from Calcutta to Constantinople. In his opinion the only roads in China were watei roads—that is, the rivers, and he longed to be able to change his bicycle for a houseboat, only for his undertaking to go round the world en wheels. “Six girl friends,” says the Merry Bar, “pulled taffy with Miss Edith B last evening.*' TVhat was the matter with their hair, I wonder. Are the Clinton belles entirely bald? Men sometimes flatter themselvei that they are becoming better when they are becoming only more penurious. To abstain from ono evil because of the love of another is a questionable virtue. Thb home of* sentiment shonld be secluded. A flower planted in the streets of traffic has a mawkish air, and wins deserved derision. Wit is the spark strnck by tho hammer of wisdom from the hint of common sense. -

A BROKEN RAIL.

Part of a Train Plunges Down a Vermont Gorge to a Frozen River. — A • Nearly Fifty People Meet a Frightful Death In Its .Host Agoniz■i ing Shape. [White River Junction (Vt.) special.] An express train, tound from Boston for Montreal, met with a leirible accident near Woodstock, on the' Central Vermout Railroad, early Saturday morning. The train started from this city ou time, but was detained at White River .junction, so it was about an hour and a half late when it left there. It consisted of a locomotive, bag-gage-car, postal-car, two passenger coaches and two sleeping cars, and was running at the usual rate of speed. When about two hundred yards south of the end of the Deck bridge, near the old Windsor . Station, a broken rail was struck. The locomotive,-baggage-car and postal-car broke away from the rest of tho train, passing over the bridge in safety. The rest of the train was thrown from the rails and continued on the road-bed until it came near the end of the bridge, but there it ran over the abutment, and all of the cars fell into the White River, some fifty feet below. The gorge at this point is frightful, and when the cars went down there was a terrible crash. As soon as possible the detached part of the train was stopped and ran back to the scene of the disaster. The screams of the injured were heartrending. Assistance also came from people living in the vicinity, and everything was done to rescue and relieve the injured. Boon after help arrived it was discovered that fire had started in the first passenger coach, and soon the entire train was ablaze, thus adding a new horror to tho already frightful catastrophe, Those present were powerless to * stop the fire, and devoted themselves entirely to attempting to rescue those imprisoned in the wreck. The rescuers met another and an unexpected obstacle in the heat, which had become so intense that they were obliged to relinquish their efforts to save the sufferers, and were compelled to retreat to a place of safety for themselves, and to become unwilling and horror-stricken witnesses of thff awful holocaust. In addition to this, and to add to the terrors and sufferings of the passengers, the weather was intensely cold, and the rescuers were hindered thereby in their work. No water could be obtained with which to check or to extinguish the flames. There were between eighty and ninety persons on the train. Of these thirty-five are-accounted for as among the wounded, thirty-three are dead, four are uninjured, leaving only four unaccounted for. It is utterly impossible to identify more than ten or twelve of those recovered, the clothing being entirely gone and the bodies burned to a crisp. Every article of clothing, scrap of paper, or other thing found is being carefully saved for the purpose of identification, and parties having friends unaccounted for will be afforded every means or clew to the identification of lost or- unknown.

STOBY OF A SUBVIVOB. Mr. Henry W. Tewksbury of West Randolph. Vt., the lecturer, states that he was in the first day coach. He was dozing at the time of the accident, but was aroused by feeling the jumping up on the railroad ties. He had been in two railroad accidents before this and be knew what the sensation portended. Realizing that an accident was about to occur he jumped from his seat, with the intention of making his escape. The trainßseemed to come to a standstill or go very slowly. He thought it was all right, and so sat down again. Then, without a moment’s warning that anything further was to occur, the car seemed to leap into space and then came a terrible crash." For a moment he was stunned and scarcely knew whether he was dead or alive. He tried to move, but found he could not budge an inch. He noticed with great alarm that fire had broken out at the further end of the coach. He struggled with all his strength to free himself and screamed for help, but there was no one at hand to help him. It was a time of mental torture, but still he could not help noticing an old couple who were & few seats above him. They sought to get out, but they were hopelessly tied down by heavy seats. The flames approached the couple with frightful rapidity, and the aged pair seemed to feel that there was no hope for them. The last he saw of them they were locked in each other’s arms and in the act of kissing. The smoke and flames now enveloped them, hiding them from view. Mr. Tewksbury then gave himself up for lost. He seized his fur cap and wound it around his face so as to cover the eyes and hide the dreadful view of approaching death. At this time (he railroad bridge above him was one mass of fire, and heavy burning timbers were falling ail about him. Having leaned back resignedly to meet what seemed to Be his fearinl fate, his hopes of life were renewed by hearing voices. He unwound his fur cap and saw the engineer and fireman close at hahd. He called to them frantically for assistance which they preferred at once. Seizing hold of him his rescuers sought to pull him out, but failed. Thinking that his was a hopeless case they were about to leave him to help others, but he begged them to try again and to break his leg if necessary. They did so and managed to get him out, breaking the leg and an arm in the effort.'-”* The flames were so close upon Mr. Tewksbury that his clothing was burned from his body.

Valuable Jewels.

One of the mo3t perfect brilliants is the celebrated Pitt, or ltegent, which is among the French crown jewels. It weighs 136 J carats. It once ornamented the sword of Napoleon I. Before it was cut it weighed 410 carats. The Florentine diamond, among the crown jewels of the Emperor of Austria, weighs 139 J carats. It is of pure water, of beautiful color, and, notwithstanding its color is somewhat of a citron tint, it is valued at $525,000. The Sancy diamond weighs carats, and came lrom India about the fifteenth century. It was sold by Napoleon to the Emperor of Russia for $375,000._ The Star of the South is the largest diamond found in Brazil, and weighs 254 carats. It is a brilliant of the purest water. j The Pasha of Egypt is cut on eight sides, weighs 40 carats, and cost $140,000. The Pigott diamond, brought from India by Lord Pigott. weighs 824 carats. In 1801 it was sold'in a lottery for $150,000. The Nassac, formerly in the possession of the East India Company, weighed 89J carats; but since Lord Westminster had it cut anew it weighs only 78§ carats. It* value is about $150,000. - * » ' — Cathebine'TL oFTlusßia was thirtythree when she seized the Russian throne and captivated the dashing Greek General Orloff. r ■— ' AsPASiAwas twenty-six when she captured with her charms the heart of Pericles, the Athenian.

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

—The convention of Jersey Cattle Breeders of Indiana, which met at Indianapolis recently, was one of the most interesting yet held. The convention by a unanimous vote expressed its approval of the bill establishing a live-stock sanitary commission and recommended its passage. The tieci retafry reported the membership fees of the new members had thns far keen sufficient to pay all expenses of the association, and that there was now about $1,400 in the treasury. He also said that eighteen volumes of the Herd Register had been {mid for and were now the property of the association. The election of officers resulted as follows: President, Jndge J. D. Conner, of Wabash; Vice President, B. H. Jenkins, Indianapolis; Directors, J. W. Hliger and C. C. Crockett, Richmond; H. H. Wbeatcraft, of Southport, and Peter R/tab, of Indianapolis. The new board of directors then organized and re-elected T. A. Lloyd Secretary, and W. J. Hnsselman Treasurer. The next meeting will be held January 23,1888. —lnterest in the Noblesville gas well continues to grow and the volnme of gas steadily increases. The find of gas there is attracting attention of gas and oil operators from various parts of. the country. Parties from Lima, Ohio, are breaking ground there and contracting to begin operations inside of thirty days, while experienced oil men from Pennsylvania are on the ground prospecting with a view to operating. The company that developed the well now in operation are testing new territory with a view to drilling additional wells. This company still claims to have the best well in the State. Gas-fitters and plumbers are locating there and expecting a good business. —A number of Catholic citizens of Liberty have been made victims of a neat swindle. A middle-aged lady arrived in that city and called at a number of places, representing that she had recently drawn ot a Catholic fair in Baltimore, 0., a fine china set, and, needing some means, wonld sell one hundred chances on it and have the drawing in one of the business houses. The scheme took. The numbers were sold and the woman left town, and has not been heard from. She is the same woman who has successfully been working the same racket in other towns in the eastern part of the State.

—“lndiana can respond, should war with Canada be imminent,” said Adjutant General Koontz, “with as much promptness today as she did during the civil war. She has forty-two military companies with an average membership of fifty each, and the census shows that there are 463,000 men competent as to age. The military statistics show Indiana fourth as to military appointments, so at least three-fifths of the competent men in the State would: make an army in themselves.” —The following Indianians have been awarded patents: George W. Altman and P. K. Meech, Huntington, broom-holding rack; Millard F. Anderson, Columbia City, evercheck Spreader or bar; Audew T. Campbell, Veedersburg, wheel cultivator; Andrew C. Harrod, Newville, hand-rest for penman; Nicholas Oley, Indianapolis,, pump-boring machine; Warren L. Rnynes, Montezuma, saw-mill set works; Chas. H. Roberts, Washington, traction wheel, two patents. —T. S. Marshall, a fur dealer, wellknown over Central and Western Indiana, while hunting near Mecca, not far from Terre Haute, heard a noise in the thick underbrush. Upon nearer approach att animal rushed ont, and, killing the dog, attacked Mr. Marshall. He fired both barrels of his shotgun at close range, and was so fortunate as to kill the animal, which proved to be a Canadian lynx. It is a beautiful specimen and had a fine coat of fur. —A petition asking the Legislature to change the boundary line between Scott and Washington Counties, whereby three miles of the latter will be annexed to Scott County, has been circulated through the territory asked to be annexed, and 105 out of 140 voters and land-owners signed the petition. The people there are generally strong advocates of the change, and most of those not signing the petition offer no objections. —Two men recently went to a house in Crawfordsville and demanded admittance. They were refused and commenced to pound upon the door. One of the women in the house fired a revolver and the ballet passed through the door and struck one of the men above the left eye, passing around the skull to the ear. He was not seriously hurt, but did not tarry. —Nickerson Mills and some hired help were moving some saw-logs at his place, eight miles from Pabli, and two of Mr. Mills’ children were playing around, when the men lost control of one of the logs, which rolled over both of the children, killing them instantly. They were both boys, aged about five and seven, respectively. —Henry G. Smith, an old citizen of Jackson County, died at his residence in Driftwood Township. Mr. Smith was one of the largest stockholders in the First National Bank of Seymour. He was & large land-owner, and was reputed to bo the wealthiest man in Jackson County, —The Bartholomew Trotting Association has deeided to bore for natural gas on their grounds near Columbus. A committee was appointed to contract for tlie work, and operations will begin as soon as satis-' factory arrangements can be made. —At the saw-mill of Euliss & Schoffner, five miles east of Danville, the foot of Joseph Schoffner came in contact with the saw and was so badly mangled that it had ’ —A tenement-house • on the farm of Thomas Dawson, near Vernon,.homed recently. The house took fire from a spark from a locomotive on the Branch road. Tho tenant, Alex. Levy, a colored man, barely escaped with his family. All his honsehold goods were burned. —James H. Lowe, the young son of Trustee Lowe, shot and killed a vonng bald eagle near his father’s house, eight miles south of Greensburg. It is a finelooking bird, and measures three feet from beak to end of tail, and seven feet from tip to tip of wings. - - _ er ; 7 - ri -V'■* -T: "