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ITALIAN WINE. Tho Manner of Making It Not Changed Since the Time of Virgil. Tf Virgil found it impossible to enumerate tho different kinds of orapes and their names, how much more i is it tho easoto-day? Rut his praises of the Ealornian wine are well deserved White Falernian is excellent, and has an aroma and bouquet of its own withal strong !lud generous. Tuscany is deservedly proud of her "Chianti '' and "Vin Santo11 from any respectable "fattoria" is not to be despised. But the worst of Italian wines is that you arc seldom sure of getting the same class of wine two years running. The manner of making wine has not changed since the time of Virgil. The white oxen bring the grapes from tho fields in a vat placed on an un wieldly, heavy ox-cart painted scarlet, to the "tinaja" or place where the "tini" or vats are. The grapes are emptied out into "bigonoie," fall wooden pails without handles, which the men carry on their shoulders. The grapes arc poured into the immense open vats, where they are stamped upon night and morning bv the bare- legged peasants to prevent the upper stratum of grapes becoming acid by too long a contact with the air. When the fermentation has ceased the clear must is run off; a man gets into the vat, and pitchforks the murk into "bigonoie" again, which are emptied into the wine-press. As a pictorial subject this press is delightful, but it is inconvenient and extremely waste ful. Two huge posts of wood support an immense beam, through which works a wooden screw, finishing at the bottom in a square block of wood with two square holes straight through it. Under this stands what is called the "gabbia" (cage), a round, vat-shaped, iron-clamped receptacle, made of strong bars of wood. The murk is put into this, and when it is full "toppi," round slabs of wood, like colossal cheeses, are piled on the top of the murk. Then a long pole is stuck into one of the square holes at the bottom of the screw, and to the otherendis hooked a rope, which is secured round a turning pillar of wood about eight feet off, with a han dle against which three or four men throw their whole weight. Slowly, with many creaks and groans, the huge block of wood descends on the round slabs, and the rope curls round the pil lar, while from between the bars of the press gushes out a dark, turbid, dirty looking liquid, which one can hardly believe will ever turn into ruby wine. This operation is repeated by unhook ing the rope, lifting the beam out of its hole, and carrying it on a man's shoulder to the hole behind, until the murk by sheer physical force is pressed into a compact mass and contains no more liquid. Virgil's excellent advice about thor oughly seasoning and breaking up the land before planting vines is carried out to the letter m Tuscany, where t ho ditcher makes a trench at least six feet deep and four feet wide, called "seasso reale," which is left open to sun, wind, and rain for six months or a year be fore it is again filled in, after having been drained in a rough and ready man ner by pitching all available stones into the bottom of the trench. The vine-cuttings, "magliuoli," or, better still, two-year-old rooted plants, "bar batelle," are planted two on each side of a young maple tree destined for their support. If a vineyard is to be made, the quincunx system, recom mended by Virgil, is always followed, and you will still hear the head of n gang of workmen saying, "they must be like soldiers, properly in line." Longm an' a Mayazinc Hand-Shaking. The different modes of shaking hands will delineate human character better than any other single act can do, and many peculiarities of different persons may be noted in the performance of this social custom. Who would expect to get a handsome donationor any donation at all from a man who will give two fingers to be shaken, and keeps the others bent as upon an "itch ing palm?1' The hand coldly held out tolio shaken and drawn away again as soon as decently may be, indicates a cold, selfish character, while the hand which seeks yours cordially, and un willingly relinquishes its warm clasp, gives token of a warm disposition, and of a heart full of sympathy for humanity. How much that; is in the heart can b0 ,,liul o express itself through the agency of the fingers! Who, Raviim once experienced it, has ever forgotten the feeling conveyed by the eloquent pressure of Hft, hand from a tviir Iricnd when the tongue has ceased tS speak? A right hearty grasp of the hand indicates warmth and ardor, while a soft, lax touch, without a grasp, indicates the opposite characteristics. In the grasp of persons with iar-e-hearted generous minds, there is" a "whole-soul" expression most refresh ing and acceptable to kindred spirits; but when a man presents you with a few cold, clammy, lifeless finn-crs, feeling very much like a dead h'sland expect you to do all the shaking it will naturally make you think of the hospital and other cheerful things. Contrary to this stvle. f.linro 5 habit among a rude' class of givino your hand a crushing grasp, which is often most painful. In these eases there may be great kindness and a "strong" affection, but it is as crude as it is hearty. Jf the grasp is warm, ardent, and vigorous, so is the disposi tion. Jf it is conk fnrmnl iiml ufilli out emotion, so is the character. If it is magnetic and animating, the dispo sition is the same. As we shake hands so wo feel, so we iru. London World. itm MhMMLMuaUMM DYINtJ IN DKOVES. An Agricutural Candidate. When Mr. Albert Cottle conceived the idea of running for secretary of state, he at once decided that tho proper thing to do was to convince the farmers of the country that he was in terested in tho great work of stirring the face of the earth. Adjoining his yard is about a half acre of land. 'This, after much deliberation, he decided to plant in peanuts. This conclusion was the result of two objects. One was to show the farmers that he had given so much study to agriculture as to be familiar with crops rarely raised in his neighborhood; the other was to induce the cultivation of a highly pro ductive and remunerative article of luxury. In planting the peanuts, he closely followed a clipping taken from a Georgia paper. A few days of fine growing weather followed the plant ing. Mr. Cottle was glad of this, for he greatly desired to show his little held to the farmers' convention, which was soon to meet in tho city. When convention day arrived, Air. Cottle with satisfaction noted that the pea nuts were coming up. He met the farmer and talked learnedly of crops and the noble aim of the agricultu ralist. "Gentlemen," said Mr. Cottle, "I think that the secretary of the great state 01 Arkansaw, should be familiar with agriculture, for without this knowledge, no man can find that af finity which should exist between high state officials and the bone and sinew of the land." The farmers cheered Mr. Cottle. "I was raised on a farm, my fellow citizens, and I am proud to say that I have followed the plow. A man who follows the plow, follows the emblem of honesty." The farmers clapped their hands. "I have put iu quite a fine crop of peanuts, and I would like very much for 3'ou all to go up to my house with me and see under what a high state of cultivation I have placed my little farm." The agriculturists would go. They were anxious to test the future secre tary of state's knowledge of their art. .": r it . .. ... .. iou see iney are coming up nice ly," said Air. Coitle, when the delega tion arrived at the lot. "1 don t see that they are, replied old man Spetslow. "Don't see?" pointing. "No, I don't. Them's weeds." "To be sure they are," replied Air. Cottle, coloring. Mr. Spetslow scratched into a hill, took out the peanut, and said: "Whar'd yer git yer seed?" "Bought them from an old Italian." "1 Mowed so." "Why?" "Reeauso, yer see, they've been roasted. Yer'il jest as we'll try ter hatch a boiled crr. Come on, boys, this feller don't know nothin'." Mr. Cottle has withdrawn his name. Arkansaw Traveler. Five Thousand Men Curried Oil' in Three Months Drcndful Ilnvngos of Swamp Fever Anions the Laborers on , ,,,l ,,tt,ni Canal. "Our 820,000,000 has been spent in establishing homes for the engineers and working men along the route of the Panama ship canal," said Capt. James N lltbank, who has been for more than a year engaged in dredging opera tions on the canal, and who has just returned home after a tough tussle with the dreaded swamp-fever. .-I'lonty of money there, then, cap taint' ;4Oh, plenty. There is only one things more common than cash, and that is death. Men die like the leaves in autumn. Only the Italians appear to live. The deajl are disposed of uiuiuiu uurujiiony. A shallow grave, no prayers, and all is in a moment for gotten. There are now J 5,1)00 men at work on the canal, mostly negroes from Jamaica and the French West Indies. These negroes are brought over in droves as fast as those at work die, and I venture to say that not two thirds of the 15,000 laborers now at work will be alive a year from now. It's dreadful. Five thousand died du ring the past three months; but the large pay tempts men to brave all the danger. The company appears to have an unlimited supply of money to pay oft' every two weeks." "What progress has been made in the four years?" "Well, two miles and a half of the canal proper has been dug out. Orig inally this section was dredged to a depth of fourteen feel, but is now only six feet deep, the soft swamp lands pressed down by the weight of the dirt thrown out on either side filling in the canal from underneath. A great deal of work has, however, been done with the great steam shovels in level ing the high lands through which I he canal is to pass, and dredging will soon be started in those sections. Work is now progressing upon the only large mountain which bars the way of the canal from ocean to ocean. This mountain is four hundred feet high and nine miles in circumference, and is to be cut down with steam plows and carried away. The company has been compelled to spend $20,000,000, and I said, to locate home through the swamps, from which as a basis the work of digging out the canal can be carried on. The work necessitated the building of railroad branches into the swamps, and the making of solid foundations with stone and gravel, hundreds of feet wide and miles in ex tent. Laborers get $: a day, and skilled mechanics and bosses from 100 to $350 a month." "Will the canal ever be finished?" "Not, I think, unless the swamp sec tions are constructed with piling, and that would cost so large an amount of money that the scheme could not possi bly pay. But the company appears to have all the cash necessary to carry on the vovk."lJfu4(lcl)Ina Record. There is a man living in Laurens county Ga., 74 years old, who is father of forty-eeveu children. Enforcing Marital Rights. The case of Mr. and Mrs. Weldon, of England, is attracting a good deal of attention throughout the civilized world. The lady has a beautiful voice, and was an ornament to society be fore she married; but she has aii un happy temper, a shrewish tongue, and an inordinate delight in litigation. She has plenty of money, and can in dulge in the hixury of going to law. Her husband found living with her un endurable, so he left her. He offered her every inducement to live alone. She was to have a house, and money to live on comfortably; but that was "not enough. She insisted upon her rights to her husband, and she went to law to make him live with her. The court sustained her right, though admitting that the law was absurd. The court, however, suspended any punishment on Mr. Weldon, pending an appeal to a higher court. The lady was so eager to get a decision in her favor that she applied to the justices of appeal to take the case out of its regularordcr, which they refused to do. It seems, however, that it really is the law of England that a husband or wife can be pun ished for not living with a married partner who is hateful to them. At last accounts a law had been proposed in parliament to rectify this state of things. DemorctCti Monthly for April. INDUSTRIAL BftBVITlKS. It is notprctended that the carp is the equal of brook trout and some other superior fish. The government fish commission sent out circulars to parlies to whom carp had been for warded, requesting them to state their opinions of tho merits of the fish when cooked. About six hundred replies were received in answer to tin's circu lar. Over ,'350 had not yet tasted carp. The following is the gist of the testi monials of those who had eaten the fish: Moderate praise, from fair to very good, -10; unqualified praise, and very emphatic expressions of approval, S)(i; comparisons with other fish, very generally complimentary, JH); criti cisms as to softness or muddy taste. I!), indifferent and uncomplimentary reports, aside from muddy taste and softness, 10. A London paper states that sheep owners have experienced a more than tolerably prolific lambing season with fewer losses than are commonly ex perienced. Not many, perhapshave had (he same good fortune as Mr. Robert Russell, the Kentish breeder of Hampshire rams, who has realized M0 lambs from M0 ewes, without losing a single one of the latter, and only one lamb. Yet such an instance, if'rare, was paralleled only three years since in Mr. Russell's experience, when IJ21 ewes reared '112 lambs without the loss of a single ewe from October till April. Such high success only proves the doc trine of Mr. II. Woods, of Morton, to be strictly true, and that death in lambing is preventible. An English paper says the potato planting havingonce more come round, probably many farmers will be in duced to crop larger breadths than usual this year, both from the circum stance of seed-tubers being cheap and plentiful, and that during the past few seasons there has been much less dis ease and better crops than heretofore. This revival in potato culture is clear ly attributable to two causes the planting of what is termed the disease-proof varieties, and the discovery that the application of potash in some form or other has not only a high ma nurial effect, but tends to render the plant more healthy and exempt from disease attacks. In connection with Mr. Darwin's theory of the important work accom plished by earthworms, it is stated that in the vast region known as Manitoba and the northwest territories there is a total absence of every kind of earth worm, yet the soil is amazingly fertile. The agency which has probably caused the absence of the worms is the prairie fires which annually sweep over enor mous portions of the country, totally consuming the grass and converting it into a black ash. This would for months together completely deprive any worms of food and exterminate them. Seedsmen are now giving their own names to the new varieties of plants and vegetables they introduce. It is done, it is presumed, tor the purpose of advertising, but the practice may lead to good results. A dealer will not be likely to give his own name to any thing that is inferior. If he has doubts about the value of a new variety he will not associate his new name with it and allow it to injure his business. Strawberries like the Wilson can re main standing throe or four years, if kept clean. If kept clean of weeds the first year, it is not a difficult job to cultivate strawberries. If the runners are cut the first year, they may be al lowed to run after that as long as the bed remains productive. Deep, mel low soil, if not too dry, is the proper place in which to plant the straw berry. Reports indicate that about as large an acreage will be sown to spring wheat as usual this spring, notwith standing the low prices. Theearliness of the season, the large yield last year, and the cheap price of seetl all favor liberal sowing. English and Scotch farmers predict a bountiful harvest on account of the large amount of dust in the air during the month of March and the early part of April. It is reported that nursery stocks f fruit-trees and bushes are very high in England this season on account of the extensive demand for thorn for planting. fJ