Newspaper Page Text
% THE FIRE
w) Its Coming to Spring
{"^ curred T
V W. R. Rose, in the C
Springville was eleven miles from
a railroad. It was quite possible that
Springville had failed to realize In any
| serious way what this deprivation of
1 transportation facilities meant.
Springville was small in area and
^'moderate in population, and the word
progress was not in her lexicon.
But there were indications that
-Springville was getting uneasy. When
John Pritchard invented his auto
matic raker and with true Springville
? inertness decided to put up his fac
tory In the home village, on Hoop
pole Creek, where the water power
I was cheap and good, the beginning ol
j the end of Springville's long slumber
' was close at hand.
John Pritchard found that he
; couldn't fill his orders with satisfac
t tion to himself and his customers.
fc;He needed the railroad. He told the
[ ,jjelectmen so. They shook tNsir
?heads. He woke up, and told them
he would have to take his. factory
. elsewhere. They didn't shake their
i?heads quite so vigorously over this,
^bat h? received no encouragement,
gp The landlord of the Springville
House, who had succeeded his father,
and more remotely his grandfather,
in the business, sympathized with.
" John Pritchard.
"There'd be a chance for this bunch ?
of stagnation," he said, "If we could
give their walkin' papers to that
aggregation qf fossils, the board of
selectmen-an' the worst of- the lot
is Ezra Mayhew. *
"That's so," John Pritchard agreed.
And being an individual of few words
he tapered off his remarks with a ;
sigh.
Three morniugs later a young man
knocked at the door of Ezra May
hew's office.
Ezra Mayhew owned a tannery up
the Hooppole, and he had a sawmill
on the Six-Mile, and ho was a notary
public, and an elder in the brick
church and president of the board of
selectmen.
Ezra Mayhew, gray and stooping,
was sitting at his ancient desk ia his
grimy little office.
"Come in," he said.
The young man entered briskly.
"Mr. Mayhew?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Ezra Mayhew, president of the
toard' of selectmen?" -~
"Te?." -
I"My. card, Mr. Mayhew." .
Ile I lid the bit of white pasteboard
on the desk and lODked down smil
ingly.
The old man adjusted his glasses
and read the inscription aloud.
"arthur Brill, manager of the Brill
Engine Conipanyv Aurora. " He
looked up at the smiling stranger.
-Well?" he said.
"Glad to meet you, Mr. Mayhew^"
the young man cordially remarked.
k "I am here to sell you a fire engine."
I The old man stiffened up.
"Did you come all the way from
Aurora to tell me this?"
"Yes, Mr. Mayhew."
"Fifty-three miles for nothing."
. "I believe that is the correct dis
tance. But I decline to admit the1
nothingness."
"Springville has no use for a fire
engine," he said, with a strong em
phasis.
"Does the statement admit of argu
ment?" the Voung man asked.
"No," snapped the selectman.
"We have a well organized volunteer :
department. It has sufficed for our!
needs for more than half a century.
The best men in the village are mem
bers. I myself am connected with
Torrent No. 1. We have a hand en
gine, a bucket company and a hose
cart. We are fully prepare ' for every
emergency. "
The young man noddad brightly.
"I have seen the apparatus," he
said, "in its quiescent state. Fate
has not permitted me to observe it in
action. I noticed, however, that your
hand engine is a Button of 1S56.
Time brings changes, Mr. Mayhew."
"Springville is a conservative vil
lage. Mr. Brill, and we are a delib
erate and well ordered peopte. We
find that what was good enough for
k our fathers is quite good enough for
us."
"But the hand engine must date ?
hack to your grandfathers," said the
young man blithely.
The selectman frowned darkly.
"It has served our purpos?," he
said. "No doubt lt will continue to
do so."
"Oh," cried the young man, "but
you can't fight fire with sentiment.
.You should see our No. 6. That's the
Springville size-light, strong, pow
erful. I'll tell you what I'll do, Mr.
-Mayhew. I'll haye an engine sent
down from the works. Oh, it's no
trouble, I assure you. They'll send
an engineer with it, and I'll be de
lighted'to show it off."
Tlie selectman turned around.
"You are wasting your time and
,efforts, my young friend," he frigidly
remarked. "I decline to look at your
steamer. The selectmen will decline
to look at it. The people of this vil
lage-I allude more especially to the
taxpayers-will decline to look at it.
We don't want your steamer, sir.
Take this as an official declaration."
?- The young man bowed with much
respect,
VI appreciate its weight, Mr. May
hew," he said, "but are you quite sure
about the taxpayers-your largest
taxpayer, for Instance?"
"You mean John Pritchard. John
fooks at this matter from a purely
selfish standpoint, Bowstlroei I think
hit factory ie & positive handicap to
&$ village, "
f-^h? young maa eoattnuo? to emile*
? "Then there ls Landlord BoUon, "
"Moro selfishness," growled thu
Bold man. "Bolton isn't satisfied to do
? business as his father and his grand?
?father did. He wants to spread out,
Bto (kay* crowds, to get rich quick.
nWe don't believe ia that sort o? thing
Sin Springville."
K The young man nodded.
9 "I met the agent of the fire insur
Huice companies you patronize," he
g casually remarked. "He said he could
R??YV you much better rates here if
?Bro? had adequate fire protection."
: ENGINi
ifield, and What Oe
hereafter.
loveland Plain Dealer.
The old man started.
"Did he say adequate?"
"Yes, Mr. Mayhew."
"That was insolence."
The young man drew fcacK.
"The steamer will be here Wednes
day morning, Mr. Mayhew."
"Good day," the old man responded.
"Good day," replied the young man
pleasantly, and he was whistling mer
rily as he walked down the street.
The old man listened for a mo
ment.
"A bright boy," ho muttered.
"Manager of an engire factory, eh?
Smart, no doubt. I've heard of the
concern. They pointed lt out to me
when I took Emily to the Aurora
seminary. But the boy has over
reached himself this time." And he
softly chuckled. "
On Wednesday morning, close to
noon, the fire engine arrived. A stout
team of horses, secured in Clinton,
the nearest railway town, drew it over
the eleven miles of highway, while a
third horse furnished th : motive
power for the well stocked hose
wagon.
As the little procession passed
down the i/ireet, the president of the
board of selectmen, attracted by the
musical jangle of the bell, arose from
his seat and went to the window.
"The foolish boy has kept his
word," he muttered. "There he is
now. Why, he's waving his hand to
me."
He turned abruptly and went back
to his desk.
That day the selectmen received
neatly worded invitations to inspect
the new steamer.
Each selectman was a member of
the volunteer department.
The invitations were disregarded.
Nor did the unofficial villagers view
the newcomer with any degree of
warmth.
The old department was dear to
them. It was a firmly rooted part of
Springville Ufa. The steamer would
cost a lot of money. It was doubtful
if it would ever pay for itself.
"We hain't had a seriqus fire since
Bob Quig's barn burned las' June,"
drawled old Abner Druce, as he
peered about the polished steamer.
"Tour engi.ie is as pretty an' shiny
as a brass watch, but I dunno when it
would be of any prac-tickle use."
Landlord Bolton sniffed.
"Guess you forgot that our new
$8000 schoolhouse burned down last
March," he growled, "and only $2000 ;
insurance on it."
"Th* boys would have put it out all
right," drawled the veteran, "if th'
tongue of th' tub hadn't broke on
Thimble's hill-an* the hose had
reached." i
Whereat young Arthur Brill, of
Aurora, laughed merrily.
He wrote io the selectmen that day ?
respectfully asking permission to es- !
hibit thc steamer the next evening |
on th? village public square, McKin
ley Park, and his request was prompt-1
ly refused.
lie was told that the board failed ,
to seo any reason why it should en- j
courago the hope that the village j
would purchase the steamer, or why
lt should permit idle gatherings.
Arthur Brill laughed again and
promptly mailed to tho president of
the board his price list and special
terms, and a strong guarantee.
Tao president looked at this cn-j
closure and tossed it aside. B,ut he,
couldn't help smiling.
"He's certainly a persistent cub,",
he growled.
The next evening, the hotel team 1
drew the steamer to the outskirts of j
the village and halted it in front of i
the rake factory. The hose wagon,
drawn by the landlord's mare, and
driven by its owner, followed close
behind.
The steamer was on the factory
grounds and at the invitation of the
factory owner, and here young Arthur
Brill gave a fine exhibition of the
capabilities of the beautiful machine.
He took the water from the creek,
and with the help of the factory fore- '
man guided the nozzle himself.
"She's a wonder, all right," said
John Pritchard. "It would take a
big load off my mind if wa had her
here ia town. But I guess there isn't'
much use of expecting lt, son."
Arthur Brill declined to lock dis
couraged.
"Look here," he said, "how will
this do for a name plate?"
He drew a closely wrapped strip of j
metal from the steamer tool box and
pulled off the coverings.
John Pritchard stared at it.
"Ezra Mayhew," he repeated, and
shrieked with laughter.
That, night Landlord Bolton gave
Arthur a warning.
"There's a good deal of feeling
against your copper teakettle, my j
boy," he said, "and we've gOi. some
clods here who are just fools enough;
to try to damage the outfit. Look
out for them.
That night Arthur a_d his en- j
gineer, sleeping "beside the steamer, j
were aroused by unknown mis
0^^^^_
A
SSTT1HS
Achievement is a simple st
over. There arc only four ste
2. STAUT,
I. DECIDE,
Too muny people aro cont
end then stRrt off in another
arrive anywhere, Such peon}
but IscH perseverance RUC! con
ii matte? cf habit. Dreaming
poor vocation. Imagination ia
but the superstructure is buli
and hard work
.In the building o? a life,
nances to the effect that m:
own foreman, his own workm:
hs is on the job twenty-four
psr week. Raw material seen
pians and specifications arc
But, my hoy, if your structu
level o! the surrounding earth
TUE STtJXT i
-George Landis Wilsoi
cr?ants who attempted to enter tho
building and were met and pum
meled severely by the two guardians.
The next morning Arthur wrote to
President Mayhew, detailing the cir
cumstances, and the president
promptly wrote back that such law
lessness would not be tolerated, and
that the fire steamer would be prop
erly guarded by the village authori
ties for a reasonable length of time.
Arthur promptly wrote back that
the guard-with the time restriction
-would bo unnecessary, as Taxpayer
Pritchard had offered to shelter the
steamer at his factory, where it would
be amply protected until such time as
the selectmen saw fit to bring their
negotiations for its purchase to a
close.
Selectman Mayhew glanced at his
communication for a moment, but his
face softened as he tossed it aside;
"Smart boy," he growled. "I sup
pose that father of his is proud of
him."
At 2 o'clock the next afternoon,
a warm September afternoon, Elroy
Green, a market gardener, went into
his well stocked barn, in the east end
of the village, in hopes that he coujd
destroy a worthless dog thal had an
noyed the chickens. His wife had
seen the mongrel run into the barn,
and Elroy hui promptly taken down
bis shotgun and started the chase.
He saw the dog crossing the barn
floor and in his agitation fired at it.
Whether he hit the creature or not
is of little consequence. He at least
succeeded in setting fire to the barn..
For a moment he did not notice the
tiny flame. When he saw it he
rushed for water. The fire wac be
yond his reach when he came back.
He ran down tho roadway, shout
ing an alarm. The cry was passed on,
the bell of tho town hall rang, the
volunteers came by twos and threes.
A half dozen men pulled out the an
cient hand machine and headed it
toward the fire. The drag rope was
quickly filled, the tub rumbled up tho
street, followed by hose cart and
bucket wagon-and the Springville
volunteer department was in full ac
tion.
But. the fire had gained dangerous
headway, A brisk hreeze had sprung
j up, the barn was all in flames and
blazing embers were whirling through
the air.
When the alarm sounded Landlord
Bolton, Inventor Pritchard and Ar
thur Brill were in close conversation
on the hotel porch. They watched
the cloud of black smoke rising abobe
the trees, and the flying embers.
"Looks like a bad beginning."
growled the landlord. "Notice the
breeze."
"Lucky it isn't blowing my way,"
said John Pritchard. "Lucky, too,
that we've got the steamer hero."
"The steamer is subject only to the
call of the Springville board of select
men," said yoting Arthur Brill.
The landlord groaned.
' "And .they're stiff necked enough
to let the village burn up before
they'd ask for it. Look at that! " He
pointed a finger at the smoke. "It's
spreading all right. Say, i'll take j
the ^horses down to the steamer and
bring it and the cart up here to the ,
hotel. This is a central point. What ?
do you say?"
"I say yes," replied Arthur, "lt
would be well to be in readiness, no j
matter what your stiff necked friends
may do."
Twenty minutes later the steamer
was halted in the hotel yard, ready
for action.
"If I am called," said young Ar- j
thur Brill, "what water can I get?"
"The firq, is close to the Six-Mile j
Creek," replied the excited landlord;
from his seat on the engine. "I'll j
drive you to the right spot. Gee,
look at that! What arc they think
ing about?"
It was quite evident that thc fire
was spreading. The breeze was still
brisk, aiid the . ^oke came rolling up
in huge " ?
The in,. -r ...d his foreman were j
on the hose wagon; the engineer from
the Brill factory, the landlord and Ar
thur made up the engine crew.
Th? young man looked around.
"Quits an imposing department," ,
he said. "We will have to organize ?
after this is over."
The landlord gave a sudden start
r.nd clutched the reins over the team
with a firmer hand.
"See who's coming," he cried.
There was no mistaking the bare
gray head and bent form. The pale
laced man in the light wagon behind
the galloping horso was Ezra May
hew.
The young man ran forward.
"Mr. Brill," the old man gasped,
"the board of selectmen ask your
aid at the earliest possible moment."
j "Yes, sir," responded the young
man as he sprang to his place. "All
ready, Mr. Bolton."
And the apparatus rumbled down
the street.
It was a hard fight, but the steamer
and its crew won it. The light frames
I couldn't stand up under the powerful
stream. It knocked the blazing rope
walk to pieces, it battered down the
great barn that was used as a ware
house for green tobacco. For more
than two hours that heavy stream
deluged the blazing walls and em
bers, for two hours, young Arthur
Brill and the Pritchard foreman held
the pipe.
_^r^0^m
T THSKS.
Lint when you stop and think it
ps in achievement:
4, j'l.MSir.
3. 6TICK,
ent to take tho first two steps
direction, eo that they never
e hilve courage and Initiative,
een?ratlon, It seems to be all
ia a delightful pastime, but a
tho foundation of all progress,
t Of solid etuff, like pure grit
?ftture seems to enforce ordi
m ls his own contractor, his
ic. Union rules do not apply:
hours per day and seven days
ja tn lie around in abundance;
freely offered in the market,
ru ever rises about tho.dead
s rr TO vor.
i, in Business Philosopher.
~~~~ ~
Just how much property the steam
er saved it was impossible to teil.
The old brick church, the mo^st pre
tentious church structure in the vil
lage, was directly in the pathway cf
thc fire, and the handsome home o?
the president of the board of select
men for a time seemed doomed.
The hand engine was carly disabled
by a broken brake rod, and the vol
unteers were forced to confine their
efforts to carrying water ia the
leather buckets.
At 5 o'clock the last vestige of
fire was extinguished, and the tireles3
steamer was stilled.
'Then Ezra Mayhew, si iii barehead
ed, approached Arthur Brill.
"Thank you, young man," he said,
and two blackened hands met. "Get
a good rest and a good sieep. and let
me see you in the morning."
When Arthur Brill entered the
office of thc selectmen's president the
next morning he was given a dignified
welcome.
''Mr. Brill," said thc old man, with
some abruptness, "I am authorized to
enter into a contract with you for
the steam fire cagine you offered na,
according to the price and guarantee
you named in your circular letter."
The young man smiled.
"That is very satisfactory to me,*'
he said. "I am net in the habit of
selling and exhibiting cur engines,
but I was rs"Ucularly anxious to
place this one."
The old man gave a dry chuckle.
"I don't, believe your company
would make a mistake if it kept you
on the road all the'year around," he
said.
"Thank you again," said Arthur.
"And now I have a little news that
may interest you. The John Pritch
ard factory is to be doubled in ca
pacity."
"Did you have anything to do with
that?"
"I had something to do with gel
ling the necessary capital. And
Springville is Lo have a railroad."
"A railroad!" gashed the old man.
"And is that some of your work,
too?"
">Tot exactly. Eut my father, who
is interested in tho East Shore, made
tho director, see the necessity for a
cross-country branch in the spring."
The old man stared at his caller.
"You are a very revolutionary
young person," he slnwly said.
Arthur drew a little nearer.
"There is one mere thing. Mr. May-'
hew," and his voice dropped. "It is
the particular thing that brought me
her?. You have a daughter at the
seminary at Aurora."
"Go on," said the old man.
"I met your daughter last winter,
sir. I need not say that I admired
her at first sight, nor that my admira
tion deepened into a much stronger
feeling. We-we have a partial, un
derstanding-all depending on your'
favor, sir-and it was to gain your
good will that I cams her?. I was
au entire stranger, Mr. Mayhew, and
I thought that the best way to ap-1
proach you was on the business side.
That's why I brought up this fire en
i gine subject, sir."
"Wr.it," interrupted thc old man.
i "Do you mean to tell ms that my
daughter Emily is at thc ?.ouosi of all
j this rumpus-that she is responsible
' for the hew. engine; and tho railroad,
lend thc big factory?"
I "It you want to put it that ray/'
laughed Arthur, "I really believe she
i IS.
Thero was a little silence
"There's no use fighting fats," said
the old man, presently, "li you ara
j determined to have Emily and Emily
! wants you," he hesitated, and sudden- '
ly put out his hand, "why, ?c's an un
; conditional surrender, sou."
A Maryland railroad is experi
menting with lighting trains with
natural gas. which is compre-r^ed in
storage tanks under each car in suffi
cient quanti!y to last through its run.
To make forgery a practical impos
! sibility a Parsec man resident in Lon
' don has invented a .clever electrical
[apparatus which will enable a person
to write with an electrically cpei-a-.ed
pen, from which sparks instead of ink
will flow, lr.irning a continuous series
of almost imperc:ptible perforations
cn the paper. Each hole is carbonized
by the process, and to alter the order
of the markings te 'inpossible.
In a big Atlantic liner there are
ever 1000 tens cf piping cf various
kinds. The holler tubes ii placed
end to end would stretch about ten
miles, the condenser tubes over twen
ty-five miles. The condensers pump
up more than 50,000 tons of waler
a day. and the furnaces consume
about eight million cubic fest ol' air
per hour. No fewer than 50.000 sep
arate pieces of steel are used In the
main structure of the snip.
Thrcn~h tho discovery of radium
in the neighborhood it is passible that
Marienbad will be in a position to add
radium baths lo its other healing in
stitutions next year. In an old silver
mine unworked since the fifteenth
century, near Schoenficht. urania ora
has br-eii found embedded iuthemouu
tain granite and very near tho sur
face. Experiments made in the baln
eological hygienic institution hore
show that this radiuni rock, pulver
ized and dissolved in water, makes
the water in a few hours radio-active
in a much higher degree than tho
strongest baths at Gasteln,
In o. lecture nt the Royal Photo
graphic Society's exhibition Dr, Fran
cia Ward Bald that tho power of cor
tttl?i fl?h to cha?go their ooloi\ In hftrM
mony with their environment, rsald"
cd in their optic nerve. He placed a
pike in such a position that its head
was in a dark chamber while the rest
of its body lay in bright sunshine.
The pike remained black in color, hut
when he reversed its position and
caused ifs head to be in 'ne sunlight
Its color changed to a very much
lighter hue within the space of a few
minutes. The light acted upon the
optic nerve, thus causing the pigment
cells all Over the skin to contract or
rela:i?
?jl0mr ...
orne
TUE WATCH-CAT.
At night you sec mc out on guard;
The watch-cat brave am I...
My iierce green eyes my pricked-up cars
Let no marauders by.
There"s not a wicked licchtning-biig
Xor night-moth, howe'er rash,
Would dare my claws, i am :;o quick
I'd have him in a Hash.
And all the field-mice ferr to nass
Within cur garden gate. .
Behind a tree, as still a:- <!eaij,
They know I lie in wait.
I crouch behind I'? shrubbery
OT pace the shadowy yard."
No fear th? household ever f.3o!s
The watch-cat ia cu guard.
?-Hay Russell Jewell, in Youth's Com
panion.
TO PUZZLE YOUR FRIENDS.
Though you probably have no de
sire to annoy your friends, we still
believe that yen should try them with
this puzzle. This is enough to reduce
a person to a state of absolute frenzy,
and still the trick is simple enough
when you know how.
How to Fi:: the Straw?.
AR you have to do is to give your
friend five straws, little stiel:?, two
pieces of cardboard, about threo and
one-half inches lone, and a penny,
and ask him to lift the whole by
holding thc tip end of one of the
straws. Most people try to baiance
the penny on one s'raw and pile the
other four straws on top of the penny,
but they never succeed. The trick is
explained in the picture. You ca?
easily do it if you try.
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW.
I When nature spreads a dian sheet
under the drooping branches of the
cedars and among the naked trunks
in the open woods thc northern in
habitants begin at once to imprint it
with records of their activity. The
squirrels must make new paths to
their stores of beechnuts buried deep
under the white covering. They can
move lightly over the soft s.now but
a light track ends in a burrow where
a hiding place has been visiteo. The
bnow packed deep cn an adjacent log
and a few beechnut shells tell where
the visitor has enjoyed a meal. From
this tho track proceeds with a leisure
ly lope, the hind feet covering the
marks of the fore feet, but a squirrel
does not long continue leisurely.
More extended leaps show a sudden
haste, and thc widely separated hind
feet pass beyond thc crowded fore
feet at every bound.
Near tho edge of the cedar swamp
the long, easy lope of a mink passes
down the sloping shoro toward th?
open expense of ice. The naked
woods and well padded rocks are a
te* ' 'tion to follow. The track
lt. ^ut over the icc, thc fore feet
and obliterating hind fc^t so close
together that they make but a single
impression. Tho course is toward an
air hole, a peculiarity of the ice on
the northern lakes, and on the way
the new trail cf a fox is found cross
ing from shore to shore with math
ematical accuracy. The fox laid out
and followed a course across the lake
without deviation or curve, and his
short steps were regulated with his
usual precision. The mink's tracks
lead with less regularity toward the
airhole in the ice, where without hes
itation he plunged in. Coming out.
he left traces of mud cn the ice and
snow. Evidently he dived to the bot
tom, and as he sat down with wet
coat before starling fer the shore he
must have secured a clam, snail or
dead 'fish.
Near the shore a junco has made
a diminutive imprint on thc new page
by hopping among the scattered seeds
of the silver birch. Sheltered by
crowded spruces on the shore, the
crooked trail of a partridge winds
through the snow. Such walking
must be laborious, for the bird's dis
tended toes sink deep down through
the soft snow, and he wades and wad
dles along, making a deep groove
with his breast. This track starts
from the half filled hole in which he
alighted and probably spent part cf
the night under cover. It was for
tunate the foe did not come h's way.
Where the short, crooked track ends
there are marks of the distended tail
feathers and the Papping wings that
noisily took the air. Tho long leap
of tho activo hare is seen more fre
quently than any other record on the
now page.
Night is the time of forest activ
ity, and tho snow that continued to
fall till after dark recorded many im
pressions before the gray of morning.
The hares had passed and repassed
elsewhere, the fox had pursued hi;
solitary hunt for a sleeping partridge
or the fragments of some forest trag
edy. The partridge had risen from
his snug shelter under the snow and
tried a short walk before seeking a
breakfast of soft buds in the ad jae: nt
birche?. Tho mink has sought food
over tho snow and under tho ice.
And over lt all the- still moon looked
coldly down, lighting up the silent
expans? of the lake and tracing an in
finito tanglement of shadows under
tho branches burdened, with flin;:::."
'.?n.ov.\-- Toronto Globe,
The Lmly I'roin ImllaHit.
"Waa Bhp artistic?" naked un In
quiring person of Kin Hubbard, tho
Indianapolis epigram maker, who was
describing an Indiana genius.
"Artistic?" said Hubbard. "Was
;;he artistic? I should say she was.
Rho was so artistic that one clay,
when one of her peekaboo shirt waists
shu had made hersslf fell into the
pianola, they played two Eeethoven
rhapsodies with it before they dis
covered their mistake."-Saturday
^vening Post?
WHEN TO PICK MUSKMELONS.
The same test will not hold true
with all varieties, neither is the
proper time for picking for shipment
the best time tn pick if the melons
are intended for home consumption,
or td be delivered to consumers from
the wagon of the grower. Melons of
the Gem type for shipment should be
picked from the stem, but not any
before.
At this stage cf maturity a crack
has appeared at the stem, and the
melon has changed from green to
gray in color, but Usually has not be
come yellow eccapt on the under side
of the fruit. Occasionally a melon
will begin to turn yellow on the upper
side before a crack appears at the
stem. In that case it should be
picked, even if it is necessary to cut
the stem.
A skilful picker can gather melons
nt the stage of ripeness indicated, and
be sure of having them reach market
in geed condition, but if a miscella
neous lot of pickers are doing the
work the results will not be so satis
factory. The patch should be picked
over every day, and at the height of
the season twica a day may ba neces
sary.-Geo. E. Ford, in Farm and
Uome.
SETT IN* G OUT PANSIES.
The pansy cr hearteasa is one of
the oldest and mest popular of gar
den flowers. The brilliance and va
riety of their co'.crs maka then most
useful as border plants.
The amateur may sow seed in the
spring, where the soi! is moist and
not warm, and he will get plants that
will blossom in late summer and keep
blooming until fall. The flowers must
bo kept .picked closely to insure
steady blooming.
If earlier blossoms are desired
plants that hava Laen carried through
the winter i.: enid frames should be
obtnincC from tba florist. The plauts
sho:;l 1 ba set out as sca:i as the
ground ?vi cendition fer working
and the dangar cf frost is past. The
only cultivation necessary is stirring
i'.ie ground to keep it from baking
and k:.;.i-:g t!;a bc;! reasonably free
from wteds.
Thc gre?. :r who wlihes to have his
cwn early plants should sow seed in
August or September and transplant
thc scaeiiinc;? in pots to ha kept in the
house cr. better still, to cold frames
with good soil wasre they may re
main until winier, when they would
proiectsd by g'.a-s and boards.
TEE :ICCX ORANGE BUSH.
The "mock orange" of Philadel
phus is popularly known as "syringa,"
and the latter is the botanical name
for lilac, '?ho mock orange family
csranrisss about thirty species of
hardy, ornamental shrubs, varying
in height from five to twenty feet,
many cf them admirably adapted for
tho decoration of home grounds.
Perhaps the most widely grown
variety of those known to the old
tinia gardener as "syringias"' is Phila
delphias grand i Horus, which grows
about six fest high and has large,
white, sweet-scented flowers, which
appear in June. Common mock or
ange (P. coronarius) reaches about
ten feet in height and blooms in May
cr June, and is very fragrant. The
fiowsrs aro pure white and are borne
in dense clusters, often so numerous
as to bend the branches down to the
ground.
Gordon's mock orange (P. gordon
ianus) is a native of the United
States, and in good ground often
reaches ten or twelve feet In height,
lt has pleasing green foliage, with
grayish-brown branches. The flowers
are white and produced in great
abundance. They bloom in June or
or July in central latitudes.
This plant thrives in* almost any
well-drained soil, and often does well
in the shade of trees and buildings.
Pruning should bo done after the
shrubs hr vs flowered, as the blossoms
appear cn the wood of the previous
year's growth. By pruning the
shrubs can all be kept within fixed
.units of growth.-Washington Star,
FRUIT PICKER.
Bamboo staff six feet, cr longer, It
desired. At the top take a good sized
galvanizad wire, and, having wound
one end about the staff, give it the
shape indicated. Have a wire hoop
fastened in the mouth of a sack.
Have this hoop fastened to staff. Let
the bottom of sack be open, only
fastening with a strong pole. To use
get the fruit between the prongs of
Ix
the fork and gently, pull. The fruit
will drop into sack, and when sack is
full take down and hold receptacle
under the bottom, untying string.
Do not have the sack very large, for
you do not want lo hold up but a
small quantity at a time. Choice
fruit can bc picked easily from the
tops of treas by the use o? this milo
helper, lt I? not patented.-A, M.
pathaD, Buffalo Springe, Texas,
Farm*
Laucattei County etaftds firet in
thu Unite;1. Hatti in tbs number ol
its farma, 'J-?37; St. Lawrence Coun
ty, Nev/ York, second, with S353
farm?, and York County, this State,
third in raak with its S001 farms.
Pennsylvania has good rcano-.i to take
pride in sueh a record.-Philadelphia
Record.
In its warfara against the Moora
the Spanish army has revived the
r.ncic-nt sling to throw explosive
grenades iuto the enemy's ranks.
TOPICS. ?gjg?
BUCKWHEAT FOR SOILING.
Buckwheat as a soiling crop should
be fed while in blossom, the Country
Gentleman tells a correspondent. A
cow will eat forty to fifty pounds of
the freshly-cut buckwheat per day.
To extend its season repted sow?
Ings would be in order.
VALUE OF 'SILAGE.
The Chicago Daily Produce gives
these figures, showing th9 increased
value of foods by use of the silo:
Ensilage increases the corn crop
100 per cent, over the old system of
feeding dry corn.
Clover, grass and alfalfa increase
In food Value wonderfully if placed
uncured In silos.
Cost to produce milk lessened
twenty-five per cent, by the use of en
silage.
Dry corn dampened and placed in
silos improves in food value fifty per
cent.
Increase in production of milk
Cully twenty to twenty-five per cent.
DEHORNING CATTLE.
Rather than to caus? cattle to suf
fer the tortures of pain by having
their horns removed after they have
attained their normal growth and ow
ing to the fact that it is an advantage
that an animal be dehorned in order
to protect them from each other, it
is advisable to prevent their horns
from growing.
This can be successfully done by
clipping the hair off of the little
knob*, where the horns appear and
carefully applying a dehorning pre
ventative to a small surface not to
exceed the size of a quarter of a dol
lar.
If, on the other hand, the horns
have been allowed to grow and the
swner thinks it best to remove same,
it is advisable to place animal in a
stanchion, carefully securing the head,
then apply the dehorning shear3 far
enough down into the head so as to
remove enough of*the horn to pre
vent any further growth. To pre
vent infection apply an antiseptic so
lution to the affected parts.-Dr.
David Roberts, in the Farmers' Hom?
Tournai.
-? ii-**
STEPPING BLOCK.
High carriages are hard to get into
for those who are not strong and
spry. I have a stepping block, from
which the women of the family can
easily mount to the carriages. A
rrccery box is cut down, shown in
Fig. 1, and boarded over at the nop.
Such a convenience needs only to be
used in order to be fully appreciated,
-J. C. Powell, in Epitomlst. f
CLEANING AND BRUSHING COWS.
In the prevention of disease in a
herd of dairy cattle too much stress
cannot be put upon the importance of
cleanliness. For this reason the cows
should be brushed and cleaned at
least twice a week, particularly on
these parts that are beyond the reach
cf the tongue.
Whatever benefit there may be
from the cow licking herself when she
is clean, there ls more or less danger
from that source when the animals
are confined in the stable and have no
way o' cleaning themselves except
with their tongues, and .at times when
they are turned' out in the yards for
water.
At certain seasons of the year and
at certain stages of their condition
and health the hair comes off the ani
mals in great- abundance. At such
times, when the animal licks herself,
much of this hair finds its way into
her stomach, where there is a chacee
of its forming a hard and Indigestible
mass that will cause more or less dis
turbance over her whole system, aad
in extreme cases, death.
This danger is lessened by brush
ing the cows carefully with the curry
comb. This should be done regular
ly, more especially when the animal
is shedding her hair, for at this time
there is more or less irritation of the
skin that prompts the animal to lick
itself with greater frequency and per
sistency than at ordinary times. By
currying and brushing this irritation
is lessened and the falling hair ls re
moved beyond the possibility of its
being taken up by the tongue of the
cow.
To some it may seem like a piece
of over-refinement to brush or curry
a cow, but there is no doubt about Its
being useful and beneficial when done
j udiciously. I say when It is done ju
diciously for the reason that, as. in all
other departments of farm work there
is a right way and a wrong way to
perform the work, and when cattle
are restive and do not take up with
the program of being cleaned and curr
ried with brush and comb it is be
cause the work is not properly done.
When the work is performed right
the cows will stand with the utmost
patience, but if a man goes at it in a
rough and inhuman manner and
scrapes the hide off It is little wonder
that the cow becomes restive and
even kicks and shows signs of resent,
ment. You will not obtain satisfac*
tory resulta unless tho work la dons
la a humans r?nd careful mariner.-*?
Tile Bpltomlifj
Thc rinin Fact?.
''Yon appear to have evwy coa??
??neo in your husband."
"Well, he 13 very truthful. For in?
stance, he sent word yesterday that
he was detained downtown,"
"By business, hey?"
"No; by baseball."-Washington
Herald.
New York ranks first and Iowa
second in the value of its dalry
nroducls each year.
