Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1891 — Page 6

FARMS AND FARMERS.

Chicago Inter-Ocean. It is creditably stated that within ;the past fifty years the Percheron •hors? breeders in France have increased tha average height of these horses one and one-hail hands and added to their average weight fully 500 founds. The question has arisen and is being seriously discussed in France whether this increase in size and weight has bdded anyth ■ ng to t he effectiveness of the animals. The government of France has investigated the matter and claims that the change is for the worse. Be that as it may. the fact will stand as a guidepost to every farmer to show him what can be done in the work of modifying the shape of our domestic __ . C , - T Back of it all stands the Krain or breeding for a purpose, when the farmer uses the scrub sire he is practically trying to see how poor animals lie can raise. He is breeding for sprub results jind he get tjjem. It is reported that the Colorado potato beedle is less numerous the .present year than for aDy year of its previous existanee: —ThisJ pest first made its appsarnce in the States east of the Missouri river about the year 1866-07. and has caused a loss of millions of dollars to the pot ato growers of the United States. These insect pests, and the effect their predations may have on the farmers 1 interests. should make him of all men the greatest friend to scientific ip WBngatiom Cobcdming them, science as a leader and the co-opera-tive aid of government is to be our only salvation against their overwhelming spread and increase. The ■recentgood work of Chancellor Stone against the chinch bugs of Kansas shows that science is the farmer's best friend. Yet-, certain .farmers think it very smart to railbut against scientific men. The farmer of all others should be the firmest supporter of such men. Mr. G. G. Gaston, of Canada, in a very intelligent article on the “Culti: vation of the Orchard,” states tha"; the present year Ontario has suffered greatly from a severe drought In consequence the orchards have been considerably injured. He brings out some instructive facts to aid in the " lormation of a sound judgment as to the course to be pursued under such circumstances, by careful invT-sti- j gation he has noticed that where ' fruit " trees are growing in sod no j moisture is found for eighteen or twenty inches below the surface and j the roots are surrounded by a parched and dry soil which cannot furnish ] tfee nutriment required, end this at a critical time when the trees need j the greatest amount cf nourishment, ! when growtlr of foliage and wood Ts rapid, and in the ease of bearing trees when they are just setting their crop of fruit. The. remedy for.; this is to consider the apple tree in a drought just as we would a stalk of corn in a drought. Stir Th." soil : about it frequently and thus hinder 1 the escape of the part ii 9 moist ntv- into the air. He proves .concUt-sivoly-in-• his own experience the wisdom of this view of the matter.

SHEF.P NOrKv The following items .of sensible sheep talk are clipped from the National Stockman: Those who coat*, opiate growing l hot-house lambs another season are reminded that the time for coupling the animals is fully on now, and that clover for the winter feeding should be cut when about half, of it is in bloom, and that it should be cured with little expoim-e to tHo-s-mr and none to the rain. The supply of the best lambs has not overtaken ■the demand, as it was supposed last year that it would. As another encouragement it mav be stated that the season for then sale was prolonged last spring. The season for this “baby mutton ’ commences when the holiday poultry i- fairly consumed and closes when broiler chicken come in freely, thus supplying the ‘ missing link’ between the late fall and early spring flesh delicacies. Pasturing sheep in fields adjoining a railroad'is a bad practice. Every' time a train passes they start off on a rub. The young lambs often get knocked over, trampled upon and injured. Such excitement in flocks is detrimental to thrift. A new railroad in.Ohie was constructed within a few rods of the extensive barns of a sheep feeder and dealer. Passing trains kept the animals in such a state of excitement that they would not "half fatten. ’ as lid expressed it. and “there is no money in it. Finally he had to move his barns. A year ago about a dozen adjoining farmers, each of whom kept a few sheep, and who had been annoyed more or less by sheep dogs, formed a dog exterminatk n society. Their agreement is to kill every dog possible found on their premises.and if any are prosecuted in consequence all are to contribute to the expense. The consequence is that those who had valuable dogs took eare of them, and the worthless dog that ran at large got shot. No one dart.d to sue this “powerful syndicate” for they would have to face every one of them in court. The sheep of this ricinitjc are having a rest. Should such Organizations become general the sheep dog question would be settled. DAIRY NOTES. All butter tubs should be soaked in strong salt brine for two or three days before packing, and then filled with butter to within one-half inch of the top; then cover with a cloth and a paste of fine salt and water, which should be pressed against the tub so as to exclude air from the butter. There is a good profit to be made from a cow that yields 300 pounds of butter a year, and a certain loss from

every cow that majees only 125 pound* g vear. The neraT ovei 30) pounds in qjmost every case art pore Jerseys of high grades. Thes» facts ought, to open the eyes of dary men to the importance of improving their cows, but progress travel.* along ti>e mud roads in the country am| moves' slowly. However, wr must keep pegging away in the hop: that coming generations will keep better cows. —Jersey Bulletin, sorii cherries; The culture of sour cherries ha) greatly declined in the older:sections of America. Tho cause wax the prevalence pf t>lack knot. This has now almost entirely disappeared and there is no reason why then should not be a great planting of this raost whfdesdme fruit, says E. P. Powell. U only a few trees are Sei by scattered cultivators there will be no fruit saved from the birds. Th >rc should te a special movement oil the part of nurserymen to encourage cherry planting. The sorts most ad vantageous lor the general growei covering all of the Northern States are the liariv Rlehtnc-od. the-Mav-M.'ake .the-laFge' ITontZ-'r en < -y. and the common sour cherry from which the Richmond and-tho Montmorency have been improved. These are en Jtirely l;ardvJS&d ooiffdwril-ba-grow-e----for their bdtiuty in bipssominsj gga son. CAimAnr. crirmir;. •Tlie/f- is anew cabbage and eauii flower culture, says Me. T. "Lrenfoi” in the Practical Farmer.. The css. :i tsaT caaiigc is the elimination of the .transplanting process. 1 have pra • tic: d the new Way for years, and ul ways with good resultr. I drop font or live seeds where I want a plant tc glow about fifteen or eighteen inch cs apart, in rows, in well prepared and well enriched soil, making tin. i-mvs two or two and one-naif' feel sparfc, and afterward thinning the best plants, always leaving the b:s! plants. At planting time I also drill ra a row yf radishes between earl two rows of caulinower or early cab bage3. The radishes are off in time to give room when the other croj ne=ds it. The plants come up quite prompt ly. But look out for the flea beetle. Fine tobacco .dust or tobacco tea. yery strong, in spray form, is about the only tiling nr.u* known t hat prom ises relief from the depredations o: the little jumping-jack. HOW TO KEEP HEN'S Ol'T OF MISCHIEF. Mr. L. L. Phenton. of Minnesota tells the Farm. Stock and Home all about it. as follows: When I feed my chickens (if feed ing grain) I scatter it broadcast. There is little danger of any of it going to waste:. lor the indus-trioa* biddy will find nearly every kernel. In this way a little exercise is in duced. and it lias another .beueficia effeat,-- ; \Vhen-j*mi throw , feed dowk in a heap the hens naturally slraggii and crowd each otheV to get at it. and the. stronger ones fill their crops while the weaker and less fortunatv ones do not fare so well After i feed it fioek a few times, no inatt n what the number may be. I can guesspretty eloselv how much they wit, eat up clean anil eagerly. Then 1, throw a couple of handfuls on the grounddund ou.that throw loosely £ forkful bf digftt, dry manure or chad'. On t%.1 again put a handful or sc of grant, following it with two o; three forkfuls more of manure or chaff. The hens sobn become accustomed to this, and they dig info ths pile right and left, and it keeps them busy scratching for the grai.r for halt a day fo* mere f don't al ways dr this with .chicken:.; which have a fra, range, bat when they are confined 1 make it a daily practice. And at any time you may chance to visit m\ yards you will find a lot of busy, cheerful and singing hens, kept clem of mischief. And they seem to work aa.hard au a man on a salat v. uullgui l ” ing to care for nothing but scrat ch ing and keeping the egg basket full. REMEDY FOR PI,A NT LICE. There is of late a good.deal of inquiry about a remedy for plant lice Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Miehigai Agricultural College, claims that tin following kerosene emulsion is sun death to all kinds' of lice on plant.and animals: “Dissolve in two quarts of wat -r one quart of Soft soup or one-fourtl of a pound of hard soap, by heating to the boiling point; then add oiV piat-of kerosene oiFi.nl stir violent-, ly for from three to five minutes.' This agitation must be. violent so as to make the mixture permanent but need not be -continued a lorn, time. Dilute this mixture with an equal part of water when applied This for plants. “For the lice scruT the animal with the emulsion dilute with one-half its bulk of water. V,'. use a brush and do It thoroughly The cost for a full-grown cow is nut more than 5 cents and five minutes ,of time. It-kills nits as well as lict and seems to brighten 1 think the scrubbing yritlf The sour' solution is excelletrflor the skin, and thus we do more than kill the lice. For sheep we dip the aqimal in the emulsion, diluted with one-half its bulk of water.” '' - -"-lid,:--

The First Ice-Cream Soda. The first person who conceived the idea of putting a spoonful of icecream into a glass of soda water lives in Lycoming county, Pa., where he runs a tittle drug store. Twenty years ago ice was very scarce, and this man could nbt procure enough to keep his fountain cooled. The only person in the village who had efiougn was a confectioner,. and trhlte ttulatter would sell no ice to the dragS'st, he sold a good deal of ice cream. eople liked the scheme and the ide >: spread from one place to another tik it is now almost universal.

LIKE A HAGGARD ROMANCE.

.'Ydvcntnr.ea of a Miner and Guide in the American Tropica. San Francisco Chronicle. Samuel S. Jackson. who has made and lost a dozen fortunes in Mexican mines, —is at a down-town hotel. Most of the tirrle he is busy, collecting supplies and figuring on a new Guatemalan venture on hand, but on Friday evening, in a discussion With some outfitters as to the best way of getting the goodsjower the ground, he was led,to; describe the country. and_soyiiTcidently, he told the story Of a wonderful city which he visited on his initial trip to the mines. “The first time I star ted for these old mines,” said Jackson, “I had the hardest kind of a time getting a guide who knew the trail. The first man I tit on was a half breed' named Joso. and he fell hopelessly sick with low fever while we were getting our traps together, After waiting nearly two Weeks I was almost ready to .tcust-myse-lf to the villainous-looking rapscallion who dozed about the adobe casita where I put up. —“lf it had not been for fear of losing my tools and instruments-1 believe L would have risked it. But, lucky for mo, one night a full-bloodecTTndian stopped at the casita on his way to the interior, lie was totally unlike the Indians of the country or the native Mexicans, and claimed to have 'come from the forest region about Palenque and to know the country to which I was bound. I snapped him up like a pure color lead. “After leaving Tonala. on the Pacific, we struck straight for the mountains behind, where Roquero,' the Indian, told us lie knew of a road. I tnought it would be an ordinary. trail, but may I never strike another lead if it wasn’t an immense highway paved and hard, but so overgrown with undergrowth that only portions of it cropped out. Roquero told me we should follow this broad highway until we reached the forests with the cities of the ‘robed men,’ where the littjs tribe he came from had gone annually to worship the ‘smoke raising.' “We I?ad worked along this road for twenty days, and I was poking fun at Roquero for what he said of these mysterious, hidden cities, when lie cut me short by saying: ‘lf the Seuor will go with me for three days off this road I will prove all I sav.’ I laughed, of course, and said all right, and we started. Roquero, though, would not let pack-drivers go with us. but sent them into eainp on the road-bed. ; ~ _ FIRST VIEW OF Till'. CITY. “After working through the densest'kind of a forest for something like four days we came to a laguna, j and here Roquero left me for some hours. Far over the waters was the ; other shore, or an island. I could not | tell which at the time, but above the j palms the gleaming white of high pyramids shot up into the sky.—and tall rectangular structures pushed their heads above the foliage. Of course, I was immediately excited. Just as I was beginning to think Roquero had deserted me I heard a paddle, and he shot around a point, in a big dugout. • --» “The lake must have been very broad, for I’m sure it took the Indian at least three hours to paddle over to the island on which. we saw the great and wonderful buildings. Wo landed at a- flight of broad white j stone steps. At the top of them were two huge twin pillars, one hundred feet apart. They made the gateway of a great ■ street leading directly through the city. Roquero took,me up the street. Before me arose edifices whose like I never saw. They were all of hard white stone, of a type both Jewish and Egyptian. -We-didn’t see a soul. Th? Indian, however, told me that the ‘robed men’were all at the temples worshiping, and he took me there. “‘This city be here many long time, Senor,’ said the Indian, ‘I no can tell how long. I think no man tell. Queer men live here. They teach Indian worship great God and burn animal for smoke-rising.’ “We turned from the main street and passed before a mammoth structure. its massive grandeur surpassing anything I had ever read of. Roquero led me up the stone steps and between the giant pillars. The building was a collection of courts' connected by a succession of steps. The outer court, Roquero said, was for the Indians, another for the women, still a third for the men, and vet another for the priesthood, where stood the sacred altar of the ‘sweet smoke-rislDg. ’ — ‘"The court of the Indians was deserted. We keptjan and entered the worshiping _plsce of the women. Thousandkot them were pi'ostrated "on the floor, clad in their loose, shortsleeved robes, their close-fitting caps from which fell long veils profusely ornamented with silver and gold embroidery. At the end of the great court an altar burned, with longrobed priests before it. Only the rising tones of the priests’ voices were heard. The smoke of burnt offering ascended from the altar. CARVINGS AND INSCRIPTIONS. “The pillars about the court were carved on the flat surface with lifesize figures. They were unmistakably the figures of ancient Egyptians and Ethiopians. We were afraid to move. Roquero had never been out of the lower court —it was contrary to lays. There were four entrances to thecourt. Above those on either side were inscriptions carved in the gray stone. They were in Hebrew. I knew something of

that language and I could make out the one on the right: ‘•Melchisedec King of Salem, .Priestof themestbighGod.” On the other entrance I read: '•Without father, without mother, without &» scent. Haring neither beginning nor end of life.” “The congregation began to stir and Roquero and I went outside and stood on the steps. Not many moments passed before knots of people of both sexes begau to appear. The men were long bearded, On their heads were silk kaffiehs, secured by •a cord; their 'dress -was a vest buttoned close to the throat, a long, loose robe with a leather girdle, a richly embroidered loose trousers of light cloth, more like skirts. On their feet were sandals. ’ “The costumes of the women differed ‘little, except In their headdress, wherein they showed their taste "for. gorgeous display in the 'ornamentation of the veil that fell over their shoulders neatly to their feet. The women were very beautiful. “tiome of the men crowded around us and spoke to Roquero in his own tongue; The mah who ippearec: to be the leader gave him some 'ery stern commands. ■~ “‘"‘They say no bring you here. They no like it. They kill us if eorae, ' translated Roquero, . . . They took us down to the dug-out and saw us 'aboard and away, the leader repeating his stern commands to Roquero. While paddling back over the laguna the Indian told me • something of the legend of the people. He said that they had been scattered o ver the land ages-ago, but within the memory of his people they had only been on the island in the laguna. They taught the Indians, as part of their religion, not to make known tlieir existence. The same priest had always been their king: ihelnever died. “We got back to the packers all right, and reached the mines after a sweltering time.”

PEOPLE.

Senator Hearst’s fortune has been appraised and found to be over $8,000,000. Sarah Bernhardt has again changed the color of her hair. She is now a pronounced brunette. They say that Dr. Koch will soon come to the surface again with a most important scientific revelation. Dr. Rainsford, of New York, is one of the men that Trinity Church people in Boston are thinldng of as Phillip Brooks’ successor. Paul Revere, the hero of the famous ride. vja”s the president of BostonT first board of health. It was organized in Faneuil Hall in 1799. Robert Bonner has been such a ! lover of speedy trotters that he has I spent more than $600,000 in gratifyi in-’- his tastes in that direction. - Miss Olive Buchanan, United States Deputy Marshal afi St. Locks, is the only person of her sex now holding a pasition of that kincTr James Whitcomb Riley, while abroad, is arranging tfiF have an edition of his poems issued by a London publisher, with elaborate illustrations. . < , Mrs. Cleveland preserves a voluminous scrapbook filled to the covers with notices of her husband clipped from the columns of thedadv papers. M. Cabanel, the French portrait painter, says that Miss Maggie Mitchell, the daughter of the OregoiT senator, is one of the most beautiful women ever seen in Paris. America’s two champion lawn tennis players. Dr. Wright and “Dicky" Sears, of Boston, are^men physique. Sears is short."rather stocky, and blande: Dr. Wright is Short! slender. au,l dark. Kate Field is responsible for the announcement that the longest hair in the world belongs to a young lady in Gainesville. T ex - li trails on the ground over four feet and is of a beautiful red gold color. Miss Kluffkyffska is before a court in Brooklyn on a charge of alienating the of another girl’s affianced. The desirability of changing a name like that should be some sort of extenuation.

MIXED LOT.

With a nice discrimination Bishop Brooks alludes to one of the reverend gentlemen who took delight in opposing his confirmation as that “dear moth-eaten angel.” ___ , Col. Polk,the head of the Farmers' Alliance, is a man of medium stature with iron gray hair, a long pointed white beard and an .uuusuaUy intelli*gent face. He is twenty-five years old> At Mrs. Mackav’s recei t elaborate reception, the first she; has given in her new London palace, the hostess was dressed very plainly in pale amber satin, brocaded in a floral design. She wore no jewels whatever. J. H. Wade, of Cleveland, expects to pay $250,900 for the elegant steam yacht now in process of construction for him in that city, and he claims that it will be the finest craft of the kind in the world when completed. One dollar a minute is the charge for using the new telephone line be twoen London and,, Paris. Distance about 230 miles. Forty cents a minute is the price between New York and Washington—about 240 miles. For fourteen years a “Son of the Marshes’’ in Scotland has been try ing to gat a sight of a wild animal in the act of guarding its young in the time of danger. He has tramped day after day for that purpose, b'.r» without aucoess. aar-*-'

RAIN PRODUCED AT WILL.

Successful Experiments of the Government Expedition Near Midland, Texas. Bomb Fxplosloni la th« Air C«nu tho First Good Rain Fall In Soreral Months —Farther Tests to Bo Made. The rain-fall expedition from the United States Department of Agriculture readied Midland, Texas, on the 10th, and have so far made two successful experiments. A reporter interviewed one of the party who said: “Saturday and Monday last part of tho rain making apparatus only was set up, and a preliminary trial •Anaue simply lo test the efficiency of the special blasting powder, which is being manufactured at the grounds from materiarbrought with us. Several bombs were exploded by means of electrical dynamos. Although this powder js very powerful, we were by no means confident that the explosions would have any practical effect upon the meteorological —However, - about ten hours aftertheexpfbsious clOudS gathered and a heavy rain fell, many miles.. We don’t think the explosions actually produced the storm, as they fwete not on a large enough scale, but they were undoubtedly instrumental in precipitating the moisture which the clouds brought to that locality and greatly inereased the intensity of tho storm and the quantity of tho rain-fail, which was greatest in tho immediate vicinity of the place of operations. Wo will continue to cautiously make tests as to the density o* the atmosDnere In this particular locality to that our bombs may be adapted to meet ivory possible condition, and when wo have sufficiently satisfied ourselves upon these and similar points tho decisive experiment will be made, which will not bo yet for several days.” - Tho reporter did not witness the experiments referred to above, but can testify to the rain falling in Midland, over twenty miles from the spot of operations, the first good rain for several mouths.

DEMOCRATIC PLANS.

Orgaiilratlon or Clubs to BS Rushed la th* North went—A Missionary Comuftteo. The executive committee, of thanational Deinoeratia clubs met at Washington and Jecided to hold the next national convention of Democratic- eLubs sixty days after file national Democratic convention. Chairman Wilson gave an account of ais lour to the,far Northwest. He stated ;hat the direct result of tho establishment )f clubs in Utah was the election of tha Democratic ticket and the almost entire ibsorptipii of the Mormon vote. The taest; and most com rile te orga n izatlon in my State was in the new State of Washaglon. Indeed, it is in the Northwest that the work of proselyting would be Host actively carried on through means of the club organization. It has been lecided to organize a , missionary ■tiuerary composed of fifteen of the eaciing Democratic orators connected with the national association. The party Ar-Ili leave the ei ty of Watshiftg to n on Sep - ternber 12. They will make a complete sircuit of tha Northwest, stopping one day it Chicago. From there they will go direct to Helena, Mont., and there organize -rteague of Democratic societies for that State. They will reach Spokane Falls in fime for the State convention of clubs. Among, the speakers will be several candidates for the Speakership: Congressman -lyaxiin, of Indiana, has already been setrnl on as one of the party; also Congressman Kenna, of West Virginia, and C. F. -Slack, prestden-C-ftf-thfr-natroriat~a'SSocTa ;r lion. The committee has appointed cor•espondeuts in every county in the United stale 1 !. Each county will be assessed 510 .’or the support of tho order aud the promgiitionjjjLDemocraiie doctrine through -thertlub organization. Questions of party policy were warmly lisenssed and the silver question came in lor a heated debate among the members, she committee are divided on this point 3ut it was decided that the tariff would be nado the leading feature In the South and West.

VENGEANCE OF A JILTED WOMAN.

l Former I.over’s ltesidauce Wrecked and His Sister-In-Law Injured, Richard Juvenal’s residence in Kansas Jity, Kan., was wrecked by an explosion >f dynamite Monday night. There were in die house at iho t.me Juvenal, his wife mi her sister, Mrs. Ricketts, and her throe children. Mrs. Ricketts was struck oy a falling picture and received a severe scalp wound. 1 The other occupants revived a severe shaking up, but fortun&le!y escaped serious injury. The explosion .vas a loud ono, and the force was felt ten olocks away,many windows being broken. L’roin_all_ai!counts Ihe Jetiberate- attempt o blow up the residence was made by a .'. Oman, as she was seen to enter and leave ■jy the front gate a few minutes before the -xplosioh occurred. Mr. Juvenal, who has been twice married, said that while he vas getting a divorce from his first wife keptcompnny with Miss PfafTman, and *uat when she learned ho had marriod again she sent him threatening letters and made threats to blow up his residence. Alisa Pfaffman was arrested Tuesday afternoon, The evidence against her was very slight, but she was held in t3>o bond an tho’churgo of sending threatening letters through the A few miles north of Knights to flic farm of Robert Enright, there is lurk* mg a largo snake, of the blue racer spefies, which has been frightening the peofie of that vicinity for a week past It is iaimed by pcoplo who have seen it that t is at least fifteen feet long and ten Inches n diameter. His snakes hip successfully evades pursuit although several parties have been on the search, and only a casual glance can be had of him. •*’ ’ f ' *■

FIRING A 110-TON GUN.

’■ • " - a -The Shot and If* Terrible Havoc —Ik Orapbic Picture. Pali Mali Gar.ette. A _ - 4 There are nine IK)-ton guns in the Brittish navy. These gigantic weapons are in Victoria, the Benlow,and the Sanspareil. The 110-ton gun is fired with slow-burning cocoa powder—“cocoa” because of its brown color. This powder is shaped in hexagonal prisms, this being the most convenient form for close packing.! Each prism is pierced with a hole in the center, so as to give ready access to the flame and secure an equable ignition. "Ten thousand of these prisms are needed to make up a full charge for this monster gun. The •powder along with the shea comes up drum tho magazine below in a hoist, and having been placed onthespouttray, is rammed into* the gun by a hydraulic rammer, the shell of course having been first driven forward into its place by the same instrument. In nearly all naval guns the powder charge is made up into four cartridg- - es, bi:e object being to got each cart—rige down to a weight that a man may lift. But on account of its extraordinary weight— pounds—tho charge fur the 110-ton gun is divided into eight cart rige;?. The gun having been loaded and lighted by the captain of the turret from his conning tower, is fired by him by electricity. The gun can be loaded and fired within two and a half minutes. The projectile fired from the gun when attacking ships or folks Weighs 1,800 pounds, and it goes out with a velocity of 2,104 feet per second, and has a destructive energy equal to 55,305 tong. If the gun were to be used against a body oi men or a flotilla of boats, sharpnel shell would he used—-dlTatas,v±hE:kmgrdruin-like cylinder of steel standing close to the carriage would be shot from the gun, and its contents—2,3oo four-ounce bullets — would scatter amongst the foe. THE BULLETS ARE PUT IN BAYERS, though not with mathematical exactness —they are merely shaken together. Melted rosin is poured in among them, in order to fill up tho interstices; else, when the heavy of tb? explosion cause, they womd on all ftaifeneit against £a<sa other. Directly the. sharpened case bursts, the? • bullets go flying on, while the spin of the shell, communicated by the- rifling of the gun. spreads them out by centrifugal force over a large area. But the gun will most likely be used for attack ing armored ships and forts; in this case the steel shell, with a strong, sharp point, will be used. These shells are first forged, then bored, and finally tempered. While they should be tough in the body, they must bo lumhut the striking point. The hardness of the point increases the penetrative power of the shell, while the toughness of the body prevetftsTfs'"swelling as it is entering the piate and so increasing the diffic culties of penetration. A good shell carries itself into the interior of the ship before it explodes. Tdneahelbis constructed to carry suffh an amount of powder as will cause it to explode and add its pieces to the destructive .split',tors froiq the broken plate. The i shelf used in this gur, it is stated, weighs 1,800 pounds, she terrible havoc which such a shell - will play when fired cith a full charge from | this gun. is most vividly illustrated I on the wall closet to the model. | There .is given a sketch of the course of a shell from the 110-gun of the -Sunspared at a trial at Shoeburyness in March last. Tim shell tore its way at the rate of 2.079 feet per second through 20 inches of compound armor specially manufactured; Binches | of iron fastened in a heavy wroughtii'on frameq -0 feet of oak baulks; 5 feet of granite blocks; 11 feet of concrete, and 0 - feet of bricky alter; getber dd foct'4 inches of a Wall unique in history, surely, for combination of width and variety ofstrength and material! For firing a full charge with armor-piercing shot from the 110-tou gun, the country pays for the powder. £80; for the shell and fuses, £l2o-total £200; not to mention a much more serious item if the., gun were continuously being fired with a full charge, tho damage from the erosion caused by the powder gases, which causes it to lose its accuracy, and necessitates its being re-lined, at great, expense and at the cost of long delay. But it is right to say THE OUN IS SELDOM FIRED ' with its fufi charge. Provisions, in the shape of sights and range tables, is provided, with all our heaviest guns, for three charges, namely, tho half charge, the three-quarters charge, and full charge. It is laid down in the regulations that tor “peacdpractlce the first is to be used, besides an occasional round of the second to test the proper working of the mounting; the full charge being ( reserved for special cases during war, when the position of the ship requires extraordinary exertions tc cripple her enemy. It b generally considered, say 3 Captain Noble in “Modern Naval Artillery,” that the life of the 67-ton guns may be taken at 120 rounds, and the 110-ton g. ns at 75 rounds, both with full charges.

The Did, Anyhow.

MiUsuxnmer Puck. —Little Alice (looking over a book of religious pictures)—Papa, what are “primitive Christians?” Papa —Why, they were the first Christians, the early Christians, the old ones, don’t you know. Your mother can tell you better tliau I can. Alice —Then we’re not (regretfully) primitive Christians, are we? Papa—N—no, no; of course not. , Alice (brightening) —But we get there just the same, don’t we, papa?