Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1876 — Page 6

MECHANICAL AND SCIENTIFIC.

—The French Government has sent Dr. Durand Fardel to China to study the subject of contagious diseases and obtain data for discussing the question of quarantine. ' f —The remarkable discovery.'of a 1 toiling lake in the Island of Dominica has excited much scientific interest, and investigations of the phenomenon, are Vi" Ikmade by geologists. It appears that a company exploring the steep and forestcovered mountain behind the town of Rosseaucame upon this ltoiling lake about 2,500 feet above the sea-level, and two miles in circumference!’ On the* wind clearing away for a moment the clouds of. sulphurous steam- with which the lake was covered a mound of water was seep ten feet higher than the general level of the surface, aud caused by ebullition. The margin of the lt*ke consists of beds of sufpbur, and its overflowing found exit bjt a waterfall of great height. —A valuable process for removing the hydrochloric acid nuisance from the air and rivers is described in the Ctunnical Newt. In the apparatus thus employed the chloride of lime produced contains 35 per cent, of chlorine ami the fuel consumed amounts to halt the weight of the finished product. The chlorine resulting from this process is so diluted with nitrogen and air that, lor perfect absorption, the surface covered with lime is six times larcer tiian in the ordinary chloride of lime works. The introduction of the process is rendered costly by the extensive chambers required; but, on the other hand, the advantages which present themselves are, that the amount ol lalwr is slight, the consumption of fuel moderate, and manganese is entirely dispensed l wuh; ; - wjb*. —M. Pupka, of Vienna, has published an account of his experiments in lining steam boilers with sheets of copper in order to hinder incrustation. He states that of the three plates which formed the bottom ot a locomotive boiler the two at the ends were covered with aslieetof copper .04 inch in thickness, the middle one being left bare, aud the machine was used steadily for two years, and in districts where .the water is of excessively bad quality. On removing the tubes a layer oi incrustation four inches thick was found on the iron surface, while a deposit varying from only .08 to 43 inch thick appeared on the copper. The iron" also was found corroded in many places to a depth of .02 inch, but the copper had remained perfectly clean aud bright. M. Pupka stales that the texture ol the incrustation showed*- grains of a larger size ou the iron than on the copper- . « —A little controversy regarding the relative strength of the lion and tiger has Ken sustained among certain correspondents to Nature. The latest writer—Mr. Haughton, of Trinity College, Dublin—declares that every person well acquainted with both animus will concede that the tiger is the stronger, Mr. Haughton states that the strength of the lion in the fore-limbs is only 00.9 per cent, of that ot the tiger,! and that the strength of the hind legs • is only 65.9 per cent, ot that of the tiger.' “ 1 may adu,” lie says, “that five men can easily hold down a lion, while it requires nine men to control a tiger. *>Martial also states that the tiger always killed the lions in the amphitheater. The lion is in truth a pretentious humbug, and owes his reputation to his imposing mane, and he w ill run away like a whipped cur under circumstances in which the tiger will beldlv attack and kill.”

VARIETY AND HUMOR.

—The first Lurry-Cain—Eve’s birch. —False Lair i> not fashionable in Paris now. j .■ .* ■ ... ■ —Those who know most ot sorrow speak of it least. —A circular saw—A proverb that goes the round of society. —The man who pays for his clothes is the best-dressed man. —Half the “ seal-skin" goods which are worn never saw a seal. —The skin of the common house cat is rapidly rising in favor as dress far. —What piece of carpentry becomes a gem as soon as it is finished? A-gate. —There is no grief great or sudden enough to make a bald-headed man tear his hair. —The Boston Traveller thinks glaziers should lie pains-taking and putty good people. —lt is said that every profound thinker is a smoker. Keep your eye out for smokers.' —Don Carlos has issued the ambiguous edict to his followers: “Navarre give up I” —Why is a grain of sand in the eye like a schoolmaster's cane? Because it hurts the pupil. —The man who carries a cane for ornament and not use generally carries a head of the same sort. —Like a barbed hook, prejudice enters a min’s mind wdtli greater ease than it can be taken out. —A colored woman was frozen to death in Georgia recently. You want to spend your winters in the South, eh? —Too many new buildings, and consequently a reduction of rents, is one featture of the review of Boston for 1875. — A I^ n don paper says that the Sultan is “an ignorant, besotted fool, with occasional interludes of actual insanity. ’’ —A .Rochester paper calls him “old Tice,’’ and the proiessor is measuring oil a good-sized earthquake for that t-uvy.n. —Maine still clings to the imprisonment for debt law, though she owes it to civilization to sweep ii off her statute books. —There’s only one man whose business you’re glad to hear i& dull during the Holiday season, and that’s the undertaker. —A New Ydrk man, under sentence of death lor killing his sweetheart, has been declared insane. -Suppose he had married ,her? —Amember of die California Legislature has a bill for the establishment of whipping-posts for the benefit ot wifebeaters. —The centennial is at hand, says the Troy (N. Y.) Time *, and now let every American citizen get his hatchet ready to tell the truth. —just as sure as a little boy gets hold of an unloaded pistol it is sure to go off" and kill some one. How the charge gets in there is a mystery. —The Duke of Edinburgh must either go to sea and work his way to the rank of Admiral or retire from the navy with the title of Post Captain. —The London Saturday Review says that “ the tanners and traders of the United States are probably superior in moral and intellectual qualities to the bulk of any other civilized community.”

jU —A Cincinnati physician wrote to the Qatefte of that city advising the abolition of the horse. The Enquirer cruelly observes: “Some «u» is writing in the Ga-‘ tette in favor of nliolisliing the horse! There was always an antipathy between these useful animals." * —G<kh3 joke on Bret Ilartc. He went to visit a relative in a subqrb of Troy, N. Y., recently, while the family was absent. He was muddy and travel-worn, and a servant-mistaken him for a tramp, reluctantly admitted him to- the kitchen, where she set a coachman to watch him until her mistress came! —The Grand Jury at Jacksonville, Fla., makes the'following disclosures: “We find that there are three prisoners in the jail who have been’there nearly two years for the pitiful sum of $lO costs each. These prisoners have cost the* county nearly S9OO. We recommend that the County Commissioners pay Hie fines, release the prisoners and thereby save money foj the county." —People in GrcetWille, Miss., are asking themselves what’s the use of dying if you can’t get a notice in the newspapers? The Intelligencer, of that place, says: “Our friends must remember that we cannot publish lengthy obituaries, and especially of those who were not sub-, seribers during their lives and who never aided us in any way. Our printing c-*ts us entirely too much. We cannot afford it. The announcement is all that we can publish." -The most complete failure on record is that of Warren 11. Bussell, of Hatfield, Mass., whose liabilities are $21,000. Several of liis creditors proved their claims before Register Davis the other day. Josephus Crusts, assignee, visited Bussell's on Friday to inventory his property, and found only sixteen spring chickens and an old wagon.” Fearful that the chickens might take to their wings and fly away lie at oncesold them at seventy cents ea"h; and being in for the whole job lie bargained the old wagon for five dollars, making a total assets of $16.20 to offset $21,000. As the expenses of settling the estaUji'will he about SIOO, tlip remainder, besides the $10.20, will la;assessed upon those creditors wlm were so unfortunfee as to prove their claims. — Boston. Globe. —The'Reading Eagle says that a young mail.from Springfield, Chester County, Pa., visited that city to buy a number of Christmas presents lor a young lady to whom he is engaged. A number 4>f young men knew of the trip to Beading, tind as it was dark when lie neared the house of his intended the party waited for him along the road, and when he was thinking over the effect the presents would produce he was suddenly met in the road by four masked men, who caught him and tied him with a rope, and took the presents from him. He begged for his life, hut they still continued to tie him hand and foot, and then threw him down and made him state when the wedding was to take place, and what he had bought, and how long he had paid attention to the lady. To all these questions he answered promptly, and then would beg them not to kill him. To close the sport they tied his hands securely behind liis back, turning his coat inside out first, then tying the presents on his back they started him for the house iff his intended, and threatened that if lie did not go in they would assault him again. He went in, but what llie result ol the interview was is not known.

Bonnets and Coiffures.

What are called poke-bonnets are most popular at present with young ladies. These are slender shapes worn on the back of. the head and extending high above it. Instead of having flaring brims they are. close on the sides, and the whole top of the head is left uncovered. These shapes in cream-colored felt, or in velvet to match costumes, are used for dress hats. They are trimmed with soft silk and two nodding demi-plumes. An ornament of gold or of silver is seen on many handsome velvet hats, yet most milliners use such decorations with care. A bird's wing stuck in the face trimming is also a popular fancy with stylish young ladies. The last importations are capote'bonnets, shaped like ladies’ bonnets, without a frame, and with cape and soft crowns that can be crushed without injury. The front frames the face and is tied under the chin, like the old-time cottage bonnets —a warm and comfortable fashion that we predict will become popular next winter after the poke-bonnets now worn have exposed the head of the wearer and brought on neuralgia and other ailments. A pretty capote of brown silk, with crown and cape in one piece, lias a brown ostrich ruche for face trimming, and a damask rose. A long scarf of ecru lace passes 'over the top and serves for strings to tie under the chin. The Italian Brigand is the name given a new; round, hat of black velvet, or of velvet made with high-pointed crown and wide brim turned down. A scarf of scarlet silk, with gold bands in the end, is twisted round the crown, and an odd little aigrette of game feathers is stuck in the back. The round Greek coil is already out of fashion, and in its stead the hair is arranged in a long chatelaine loop hanging tow behind, to which finger-putts are sometimes added ou the side. The front hair is parted in the middle, or slightly oa- one side, and is arranged in loose waves close to the head, with crece-ccmr locks turned forward from the ears; sometimes there are as many as three of these side locks .on each side curving toward the face instead of from it, as was lately tiie fashion. The poke-bonnets display all the front hair, and as ladies have crimped and burned away so much of their hair they resort to false 1 sealpettes” to give the appearauee of abundant hair thickly set. These sealpettes are false fronts made of invisible hair net in which'' luxuriant tresses are Listened. They are worn quite low in front iii order to give the appearance of alow, broad forehead. They cost ten dollars. Nets for the front iiai'r are now shown to keep the hair from blowing about, and thus a veil is dispensed with. Five long curls reaching to the waist behind and clusters of finger-puffs on top of the head make up the "fashionable full-dress coiffure. A great many flowers are used for trimming the hair; dowager-like feathers have lost favor. There is, however, no one stereotyped style of coiffure at present. It is the fashion for each lady to have a fashion of her own and to arrange her hair in the way most becoming. The water scallops that look pasted to the face are still worn, but are not as popular as they were last winter. Tonics that strengthen the hair, cleanse the scalp, and are without oil are used in preference to cosmetics and bandoline.— ilarper'* Bazar.

A certaix married Maine man is allowed only thirty dollars a month for the support of himself and ivife, all the rest of his income being demanded by a court to pay damages to a young woman whom be had first thoughtof marrying.?

The. Warnings from Vesuvius—Preparing for a Possible Calamity.

After the slight earthquake shocks felt at Naples lust mouth the correspondent at that city of the London 1 imet wrote as follows to that journal: We have had no other alarm from earthquakes since Monday* and public feeling is subsiding into its usual tranquil' state of security. For one or two. days everyone, I believe, was anxious and apprehensive, for it is no trifle to be rocked in your lied, U/ see your walls rocking backward and forward,, and to hear the timbers creaking. Such sights would be alarming anywhere, more especially in Naples, which has suffered from a series of disasters, and which lias not yet forgotten the awful carthquakd of 1857. On Monday night and Tuesday morning few persons went to bed; or if they did they threw themselves on it in military style, completely dressed and ready for a start. Many formed parties, as if seeking security in society: but more were in the streets, in the cases, or in carriages of any kind they could lay hands on. Those who were less fortunate had to pass the night on the pave exposed to rain, and what for this country was bitter cold. 'lnhere was a full expectation that the earthquake would repeat its visit at the end of twenty-four hours after the first shock-Hfr not unfrequehtly does —so that from midnight until 3:24 on Tuesday morning apprehension became increasingly aud painfully strong. Conversation was on the wane, snatches of the Litany were chanted befe and there almost sotto toce. As three o’clock approached there was,a dead, silence, as it the enemy were upo'u therp; and thus it was at 3:15, when apprehension \y - as intense; but the minute-hand marked 3:24, anil the sense ot relief was great, for nothing happened to create alarm, though this did not suliice to satisfy those who fancied that the dreaded visitor might have delayed his coming, or that clocks might be wrong. A few minutes more restored tranquillity to the most timid, and by dawn of day all went home chilled to the marrow, many, it is probable, having found the death from which they lied. During the day preceding this anxious night preparations were made by persons which remind us of the hurried flight from Pomeii, indications of which have often been brought to light during the excavations. Boxes were purchased and jewels packed, and in some cases, it is said, even articles ot dress. All that was most precious was in readiness to be carried off, and, says a journalist, one lady sent off her “ adorato papagallj" (adored parrot), to be restored if demanded, or bequeathed to the friend if she herself was buried under the ruins of Naples. It ijs unnecessary to, say that this general apprehension was of a most exaggerated and unnecessary character. “Still no one can answer for nis house when its foundations are heaving up and down, and we cannot forget the horrors of 1857, when 30,000 persons were destroyed, by earthquake in the neighboring provinces, and our bells rang, as it were, funeral peals over them. Later reports now tell us that the siiock was felt as far as Bari, and in every place it excited great alarm. In Salerno the people were in a state of fanatical madness. All rushed to the cathedral, insisting on bringing out the statue of the patron saint, St. Matthew, and on the bells being rung—a not uncommon practice in a tempest. The clerg}', however, m obedience to th 6 civil authorities, would not permit it; but public feeling was too strong to be resisted, so that the statue was carried off' on the shoulders of men. Wax tapers were seized and, followed by many thousand persons, St. Matthew; was borne in procession through the streets. There was considerable fear that a dangerous collision might have occurred, for, by order of the Prefect, a detachment of soldiers was sent out and placed at the disposal of the Q ares tor. After a long time, however, the people were persuaded that the saint had little connection with the earthquake, and, as it did not repeat its visit, St. Matthew was taken back to the cathedral, and all returned to their homes. No serious disaster has occurred anywhere except in St. Marco, in Lamis, in the Capitanata, a commune of about 15,000 persons. There several houses were thrown down, and three persons buried. Many foreign visitors left Naples on Monday, and it is feared that for the moment the trade of the s/eason will be injured; but, with the almost certainty of an eruption, crowds will probably come in. As in 1857 the earthquake of December was followed very soon after by au eruption, for if Vesuvius was not the center of the recent movement it is more or less remotely connected with it. The activity of the mountain increases daily, and Cozzolino, the well-known guide, of Vesuvius, writes to me that the shocks have been frequent at Resina, though slight. The panic which was created there on Monday, he says, was indescribable; for, in addition to there was a general apprehension that the mountain was, or would be, pouring down its streams of lava upon them. Let me hazard the conjecture that the actual subterranean may have been produced or precipitated by the deluges of rain which have fallen this season. Prof. Phillips, in his interesting work on Vesuvius, says: “It we follow out the idea arrived at in the preceding passages—internal fissures arising from some kind of accumulated pressure —the necessity of earthquakes following upon such a process in a volcanic region will be apparent. For thus the heated interior becomes opened to the admission of water; the generation of steam, the sudden shock, tire far-extended vibratory motion, are consequences of a slow change of dimensions, in presence Of internal heat aud admitted air.”

Defunct Felines.

It is estimated that between fifteen and twenty thousand cats perished in the flames that lately licked half our city from the side of .Mount Davidson. The estimate is probably too high, as it appeal to us that we miss no more than about ten or twelve thousand—that is, in a general way. We, however, particularly miss and mourn no more than two or three hundred. These were favorites of our neighborhood that were wont nightly to do gambols and execute difficult musical selections for our diversion. How often, when the witching hour marking the moon of night was stealing in, have we seen some giant of the feline horde—a fighter from Bitter Creek—mount the giddy height of a neighboring fire-wall and sound his warlike bugle. We can see him now, as w ith arched back reared against the sky like some rounded chaparral hill and erect tail weaving like a cedar in a storm he stands, in his sphere and according to his knowledge, a defiant Ajax. The moon is playing at hide-and-seek among a floating archipelago ot clouds as he thus stands up and defines his position categorically as the boss fighter of the town. Another yell of warlike portent tells that the

challenge is accepted, and another Ajax appears upon the wall, arches his back and waves an angry tail. The pair draw their feet well beneath them, dig their claws into the wall and cautiously creep forward, ever and anon uttering sounds that would seem great though they came from the lungs of a pair of adult mastodons. The friends and allies of the champions mane their appearance on the roofs of surrounding houses aud sheds, utter their several war cries and deploy as skirmishers. The two champions come together like rockg-rolled from the sides of opposite hills; the skirmishers, with green eyes flashing, engage in all directions, and the battle has become general. The air is rent with howls, shrieks, groans and gurgles—all the house-tops are covered with hair. Half a dozen soda bottles and as many old boots crash down upon those roofs and against the walls; there is spit, a sputter and a fizz; then all is as silent as the tomb. Where now are those hejoes and their heroic followers? Alas, their calcined bones alone are left in the places where they once frisked and fought. All are gone! The tortoise shell of the, old maid, the mighty' Maltese of the old bachelor, the pet cats that used to sleep on the counters and bite all who stroked them, and the wild cats that dropped down from places and stared at one in the night—all are gone! The great fire cremated them alh In vain they started, from shed to stable and from stable to sidewalk with their tails erect and smoking or all aflame. Their time had come and they were either cooked in their holes or roasted as they ran. Let all true lovers ol the cat join in and wail a willainous caterwaul. — Virginia City Enterprise.

Some Things That Were Not 100 Years Ago.

One hhndred years ago wedding-tours Were not fashionable. One hundred years ago the gin best known was not the cotton-gin. \ One hundred years ago there were no Pacific Railroad subsidies. One hundred years ago farmers did not cut their legs off with mowing machines. One hundred y'ears ago our mothers did not worry over disordered sewing machines. One hundred years ago horses which could trot a mile in 2:14 were somewhat scarce. One hundred years ago’ there was no fast mail-train between New York and Chicago. One hundred years ago there were no disputes about the impoliteness of streetcar drivers. One hundred y'ears ago people did not enjoy the inestimable pleasure of growling about gas-bills. One hundred years ago “crooked” whisky was not known. Our forefathers took theirs straight. One hundred years ago university boat clubs were not entered at? pool-sales like fighting-cocks in a pit. One hundred years ago every young man was not an applicant for a position as clerk or book-keeper. One hundred years ago false teeth were not considered very much preferable to the original grinders. One hundred y'ears ago time and tide waited for nobody, and now nobody waits for either time or tide. One hundred years ago kerosene lamps did not explode and assist women to shuffle off'their mortal coil. One hundred years ago men did not commit suicide by going up in balloons and coming down without them. One hundred years ago there was no steam on canals—even the driveV on the tow-path didn’t steam up in those days. One hundred years ago there were no Turkish harems at Salt Lake, and no Ann Elizas suing for the nineteenth part of a divorce. One hundred years ago England was not very far behind the United States in all that goes to make a nation powerful and progressive; One hundred years ago a young woman did not lose caste by wetting her hands in dish-water or rubbing the skin off her knuckles on a wash-board. One hundred years ago the physician who could not draw every form of disease lrom the system by tapping a large vein in the arm, was not much of a doctor. .. One hundred years ago the producer carried his surplus products to market on his horse, the products being placed in one end of the bag and the jug in the other end. One hundred years ago'our fathers did not light their pipes with matches, butcarried fire in their pockets in the shape of a piece of punk, a piece of steel and a flint. One hundred years ago a public officer or other citizen could not steal enough to make the act respectable and insure the actor a prominent position in the “ first circles.” One hundred years ago the condition of the weather on the Ist day of January' was not telegraphed all over the continent on the evening of Dec. 31. Things have changed. One hundred years ago people did not worry about rapid transit and cheap transportation, but threw their grain across the backs of their horses and uncomplainingly “ went to mill." ,1 One hundred years ago every man cut his coat according to his cloth—every man was estimated at his real value — shoddy was not known—nobody had struck “ ile”—and.true merit and honest worth were the only' grounds lor promotion. i 1 One hundred years jigo, to tell the truth, people generally died from natural causes, while in our day they step out throtlgh steamboat explosions, railroad smasii-ups, hurricanes, earthquakes, circular saws, and in a thousand other way's discovered since the birth of the oldest inhabitant.— Tokao Blade.

—ln the Gardener's Monthly Mr. Meehan says: Dry leaves are excellent to mix with hot-bed material, and, where practicable, shbpld be saved for this purpose. They do not heat so rapidly as stable manure, and in this have an advantage; as tempering the violence makes manure last longer and maintain a more regular heat/ They are excellent material to put round cold frames to protect halfhardy plants. A board is put up to the height of the frame boards and about a foot or more from them and the leaves filled in between. If the plants are somewhat tender the bottom ot the frames may be filled in a few feet with the leaves. These leaves, after having been two or three years decaying, make admirable stuff for potting plants and for flowers in general. A young lady dropped her handkerchief in the street last Saturday, and it blew close to the dangerous end of a mule. The young man who picked it up will not send her his photo for a few days, as he don't look well with his chin under his ear. —Laurrence (Karf.) Standard.

AGRICULTURAL AND DOMESTIC.

—For a cribbing horse feed with a hose-bag and give hay only from an iron rack. Coating the woodwork in a manger with crude petroleum is also recommended. The bad taste will soon cure the animal of all desire to bite his crib. —Rural New Yorker. —The best recipe for glossed shirtbosoms is: Take two ounces of fine gumarabic powder, pour on a pint or more of water, and then, having covered it, let it stand all night. In the morning pour it carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle, cork and keep it for use. Add a teaspoonful of this gum water to a pint of starch made in the usual way. -<-Mince Meat.—Take of roast or boiled beef, chopped fine, one pound; chopped suet, one-half pound; raisins, stoned and chopped, one pound; currants, one and a half pounds; apples, chopped very fine, one pound; moist sugar, one pound; candied peel, shred fine; citron, half a pound; orange, quarter of a pound; lemon, quarter of a pound; ground ginger, half an ouned; allspice, half an ounce; salt, quarter of an ounce; the juice and peel (grated) of two large lemons; one nutmeg; one half pint sirup. This is said to be an excellent recip,e. —To make a delightful supper dish take a salmon trout or whitefish, steam till done, then remove all the bones and superfluous skin and season with pepper and salt. Sauce—One quart of milk, one small cupot flour, a thyme—minced fine —a slice ot onion, if desired, and two eggs. Wet the flour and stir it ia the boiling milk, add the seasoning and let it come to a boil; then remove from the fire and add the two eggs, thoroughly beaten. Have ready a well-buttered dish, put in a layer of the fish, then of the sauce, and so on until the dish is full, having a layer of sauce last. Cover with a layer of grated bread and a little grated cheese. Bake half an hour and serve hot. If trout be used Some butter will be required.

—An account should be opened with every field upon the larm and with every' kind of stock kdpt, commencing with the first of the year. Each field should be numbered or named, and whatever labor, seed or manure goes into or upon that field should be charged at fair prices, just as if it were sold to a neighbor. When the crop is sold or used the proceeds should be credited to the field just as if it had been received in payment from a neighbor. If some of it is fed to stock the stock should be charged with the value, as if it had been bought for them, and the field credited with the amount. To commence the accounts an inventory should he made and the value of everything fairly estimated and put down. If any work has already been done upon a field that should be charged to it. It may not be very easy at first but.very soon will be, and when once it has been begun it will be kept up. Do not mind some mistakes at first. — American Agriculturist.

Potatoes as Food for Stock.

Potatoes in many localities distant from market are this season so abundant and cheap that they can only be used to advantage for feeding out to stock. It is true that certain agricultural writers have of late endeavored to show that this valuable tuber was of little or no value for such purposes, but it is very probable tnat the gentlemen who advance such theories are not practical agriculturists. The value of the potato as food for man and many of our domestic animals is too well known to be discarded at this late day in consequence of anything which may be written by theoretical chemists or agriculturists. But while the potato has been a bone of contention among agriculturists lor many years, its practical' and specific value as food for stock has never been disproved when put to the test. The celebrated veterinarian, William Youatt, in speaking of the value of the various kinds of roots as food for stock, says of the potato: “Among the various vegetable productions that have been appropriated to the stall-feeding of cattle none have occasioned greater discussion than potatoes. They furnish an excellent supply, particularly when cut and steamed, and appear adequate to the fattening of neat cattle in combination with comparatively small portions of other food.” In the eleventh volume of the British “Annals of Agriculture” we find some statements from Mr. Campbell, of Charlton, England, which bear directly upon this question. He observes that 100 bushels of potatoes and 700 pounds of hay are generally sufficient to fatten any animal that thrives tolerably well. They should at first be given in small quantities and gradually increased to one or two bushels per day; dry food being always intermixed, and the proportion of bay being uniformly regulated by. he effect which the potatoes produce on the bowels. The hay should always be cut in order that it may be more readily mixed with the potatoes. We flight give almost any amount ot testimony from practical farmers and stock-raisers to corroborate the above, but think it entirely unnecessary, as it is quite likely that a majority of our readers know from experience that potatoes are yaluable food for stock. At the present price of beef, cheese, butter or pork, we think our farmers would do better to feed out their potatoes than to sell them at twenty cents per bushel and less, prices at which they have been sold in many localities this season. Potatoes are too heavy and buljky a crop to send to a distant market, but they are readily turned into beef, cheese or butter, and in these forms the cost of transportation is greatly reduced.—

Winter Plowing.

Plowing land in winter for spring crops is attended with advantages of which the thoughtful farmer will not fail to avajl himself. Water in plowed ground, on becoming frozen, exerts a powerful force in.disintegrating and mellowing the most tenacious clay soils, and is almost nable tri the farmer who knows how to use it to the most advantage. It hastens chemical action in many ways. On congealing, the water in mineral and organic substances is expanded and combinations inimical to decay are often broken up 1 and destroyed—as in the case of an apple or potato after being frozen. Ice that will burst an iron pot will meet with very little difficulty in disintegrating and comminuting the most obdurate soil and thereby assist in its improvement. Plowing increases the*capacity of soils to hold water, which, becoming frozen, expands and commutes it into infinitesimal fragments and is therefore its most efficient pulverizer. And thus results are obtained from the plowing and freezing which neither alone could Sscure. In the preparation of land, therefore, for next season’s tillage the advantages of winter plowing are most decided. Of course lands which are so steep as to wash badly should not, under most circum-

stances, be plowed in the fall or winter ; but when there is a necessity for doing so the hill-side plow should be used and the furrows so directed that the washingrains or mfelting snows can do them as little damage as possible. Another great ad vantage of fall or winter plowing is tthat two or three inches more depth of*sc® can be thrown up than in spring plowing, the frosts of winter so mellowing the raw’, cold subsoil as to render its incorporation with* the surface soil an easy matter. It follows, then, from these facts, that whenever the ground is not too wet —particularly where there is a large spring crop in view—it is best to command the services of Jack Frost in comminuting and preparing the soil ready for an early start in the spring. This great mechanical assistant costs nothing and is always on hand, if the land has been plowed in time. It is these natural forces that the farmer should study to utilize to the advantage, w’hether they be solar light; heat, descending rains of spring, summer and autumn in bringing down the enriching stores of plant food from the atmosphere, or the hard-freezing weather of winter. The deeper the earth is stirred and the more its particles are comminuted the more raiu it will absorb and hold, and consequently the more of those enriching stores of plant food contained in the atmosphere are brought down jind secured. The joint action ol the plowing and freezing of the soil is therefore of more value than is generally understood or appreciated. — Baltitriore Sun.

American Institute Proceedings—Forest Culture.

The following paper on “ Forests," offered through the Forest Committee, was recently read before the American Institute in New York : Our co-operative relations with foreign countries on forest interests are likely to be intimate*. The incorporation of” the following memorial in this series of papers, together with the direct applicability of much of it to us, therefore seems not inappropriate. When in the Orient, on the work of the Oriental Topographical Corps, we addressed it, at the request of eminent Scientists resident in the Turkish domuiions,- to the Governor of Palestine through tile Prussian Consul at Jerusalem, and through a Scotch physician of Cairo to the Khedive of Egypt. The memorial is as follows: ‘‘That is a beautiful story of a dream of tWol lower of your prophet, w’ho desired to know if he truly lovecl God, and learned in the dream that he who proved by the acts of his life that he loved his fellowman might be sure lie loved God. In this land none of the temporal gifts of God seem more needed by our fellow-men than trees. These w ill give not only the fruit they bear on their branches and cool shade on the ground, but, also, health in the air, rain from the clouds and beauty to the laud. We can give our fellow-men these benefits of the trees by planting them, and we can plant ten treeseeds easier than we can dig up one small tree and plant it. In the fatherland of our German brethren there is a pleasant custom of every newly-married pair planting two trees. The scientific organization which 1 represent is trying to form the habit among its members and friends who travel or live in Oriental countries of planting in them the seeds of the fruits we eat here. If this habit could become general among the people, and also the habit or custom of protecting the young trees by keeping men and animals from injuring them, the good would soon come to the people, and the wealth to vour Government would be very great. We find beetle-holes, crevices behind large stones in the shade, and damp places by water-courses good places to plant the seeds; and seeds having firm cases (such as the oak, peach, plum and apricot) good ones to plant. We believe that in many desert places the yellow-pine, which grows in sandy portions of the Southern States of North America, also the seeds of nut-bearing trees, of special value to your country. If these words seem good to you please add such other words to them as in your wisdom shall seem best, and send them to the Sheiks of your land. I have thus planted thousands of treeseeds in the Turkish dominions myself,. and hope to plant thousands more.'/ You may think it well to offer a prize to the Sheik who plants and protects the greatest number of trees within a half hour’s travel from his village. With great respect I beg to subscribe myself your American

GEO. MAY POWELL.”

friend,

M. Gaston Melingue, who some weeks ago struck M. Gille, one of the staff of the Figaro , over the head with a stick, lias just been condemned to six months’ imprisonment and to pay SQO francs fine and costs by the Tribunal Correctionnel of the Seine. It may be remembered that M. Gaston Melingue gave as his reason for assaulting M. Gille that the latter had written an article turning into ridicule Melingue, the late well-known actor and father of the defendant. It appears, however, that the real cause of the affray may be traced to a long-standing quarrel between the members of M. Gille’s and M. Melingue’s families. The Albany Argus says* f several hopgrowers in the Mohawk Yallry, having held back their hops as long as they were able, have been obliged to sell at eleven cents, wfren earlier in the season they might have got from thirteen to fifteen cents.

" Facts Are Stubborn Things.”

Thousands .of human beings are yearly borne on the swift current of disease down to the grave, just because they do not possess a sufficient knowledge of themselves. A man meets his neighbor and the first salutation is: “ How are you?" or “ How is your health?” The reply frequently is: “Oh, I am well, with the exception of a cold.” Most persons lightly regard a cold. Reader, do you know that a cola is one of the most dangerous of maladies? A cold not only clogs up the pores of the entire system, arid ‘retards circulation, but it is productive of Catarrh, which is quite apt to lead td Consumption. “Oh,” you say, “it is nothing but a cold in my head.” True; but that cola is really a mild form of Catarrh, and if not arrested in its course will become chronic. Catarrh is one of the most disagreeable, offensive affections in the catalogue of diseases. The passage to the nose is obstructed, the sense of smell impaired, and therp is a disagreeable sensation of pressure in the head, iu the more advanced stages therd is a discharge having an offensive odor. If the disease be allowed to continue in its course, thick, hard incrustations will form in the head, the bones of which sometimes become, softened and break away in pieces. Why will persons continue to suffer from such an annoying, disgusting disease when they can just as well be cured of it? Dr. Sage’s Catarrh Remedy will cure the worst forms of Catarrh; in fact, it is the only sure and safe remedy which has yet been offered to the public. Many harsh, irritating preparations may, for a time, relieve the urgency of the symptoms, but they do not cure the disease. JDr. Sage’s Catarrh Remedy is soothing and} healing in its effects, and when used with Dr.' Pierce’s Nasal Douche, according to directions, does not fail to effect a cure. Sold by all Druggists.