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MARY'S LITTLE PIG. KXry had a HMJe pig, libs till was short ad ctffced; lie ujxuagsd in Ue graead to dig, WiUj snout iw long aad hoDked. One day Into to grden gre, This ptegy 2old did wander; And BtraU'Mway with a bogglsb ialen, Cucumbers he did t-qaaoder. AII J'oor piggy ne'er had kaowa, Of fl'rw cucumber colic; tlie fcv a loud, trriflc groaa iiius pains were diabolic One hour later be was dead A btiJ aad iff les corpus; Jle lay benumbed rota tslJ to head, J aw like a f rot -ii pvr poise. Tbea Mary foooed a shallow grave, Quite r.ar Uie railroad auUoit, .And piggy, who was oee so brave, iiec fa that excavation. "Now let ail ptes this warn lag heed, And aeVr in gardens irolie; The end of (bU"h ooe.pily greed I sold cuciuiber colic. YXiAix Weekly Sun and iivi Drover Journal. IK THE WROG CORK-CRIB. uWeJl, Uncle B?n. it is your Uirn for a story J" cried a group of jolly story tellers, as tney Bat around an old fashioned stove, on one cold, bluster frig night in Decern oer, to a venerable gentleman of three score years, who fxad in days gone by been a farmer, and as such experienced all that agricultur ists required, but as old age had corue upon him he had given up the useful Ullage of the earth, and settled himself snugly in a small inn, situated in a beautiful little village in Massachu setts, and where many a rainy evening was soon passed away pleasantly in story telling. "Well,1' said the aged gentleman, "since you all seem auxious to hear a itory from rne, I'll jut tell you how I cured Tom Jones from taking thing3 that be had no business with, or in other words, how I cured him from iteating, and any one that knew him will agree with me when I say he was .as mean a thief as ever ran on two degs: It is just two years from to-day," 'Said the narrator, since I gave up farming, and a little more than two sinco Tommy Jones was in the habit of visiting other people's corn-cribs. One of these happened to be mine, and as I didn't care much abou having rn corn carried off, I came to lh conclu sion that T must either capture the 'thief or move the corn crib. We all -hud our suspicions on Jones, but as we had never seen him on our premises, we had only to take it out in thinking. 'One morning I happened to go to the crib and could plainly see that s rne one - had been there bef-ire me, and relieved me of about three bushels. I now fc though it ab ut time to do something i toward catching the thief, let him be who he might. Having a large steel trap, and as I didn't care much abou- injuring the one I had intended to set it for, I wrapped around its teeth a few old rags, so that in case of it snap ung or springing together, it would oni hold him fast. 1 then pi- ce'i it in the crib, near a hole which the thief hart made to get the corn, and careful 1 covered it over with a few ears, so that it would be out of the sight of ai - one vIjo felt disposed to stick his hand In it. I knew very well if anyone did he wouldn't bo able to get it out again without at least some help. 'After having things all properly Hxed, I wejit to the house, and after taking u good night's rest, I arose . about live in the morning and came to eiho conclusion that a little walk "wouldn't hurt me, and might perhaps improve my health. So I just took a ahoit cut toward the c ni-crit, and tljere sure enough was Mr. Jones. A more pitiful knave I have never seen. H was held so tightly within the iron jawa of the trap, and as though I was titirely ignorant of his critical con dition I came within twenty feet of him and bade him good-morning. The poor cdlion hung his head, but said nothing "Well , Tommy," says I again, "a very find morniug, ain't it?" "Oh, yei," uttered Tommy, with -omethiug like a groan. "Have you seen any pigs around here, Tommy V Ob, no, sir, I haven't" "Haven't you, Tommy? Didn't jou see any around here this morning?' "No, I say, I didn't, didn't, see, st?e, a, a, pig, pig." "Well, Tommy, if you didn't see any pigs; didn't you tee any chickens?" -Oh, no, dear me sir, I didn't see, ser, any, any, chick-chick ens. Ye, ye, got, got, me, me" "It was impossible for me to catch his last sentence, for be kept up such a yawning, so I put the question to him again: "Tommy, I ask yon, whether you saw any chickens around here?" "Oh,'no!" Dan't bother me, me, I, T, didn't see a chick-chick-en. Ye got me, me, in " "How long have you been here, Tommy?" "Oh, dear, nearly eight hours," he cried. ""Well, if you have been here nearly eight hours, I suppose yon must be very dry, and need a little something to slake your thirst. What say you then to going up to the house and take a drink?" "You know I can, ca-ca, cum, you got me, me in a trap." "Have I, you thieving scoundrel? I'll show you whose corn you steal," said I, and at the same time disponing a pistol, and gave him to understand thai I would let him out of the trap, but if he attempted to make his escape from me I'd blow his cussed brains out. I then tore off a slat from the crib, and managed to remove his arm from the trap, ordered him to fill a three bushel bag, which he had to carry a svay my corn, and carry it to my house, which ws at least a quarter of a mile from the crio. He up with the bag and after carrying it a hundred yard3 was about to drop it, when I gave him to understand that if he did be might expect to receive the contents of my pistol. i "H managed to get it to my housl, however, and I believe it was about As hard a job an he or any one else w&v'ld undertake to perform, without being compelled to, especially after watching a corn-crib for eight hours on a cold, frosty night "Well, Tommy, you worked very hard to get that bag of corn to my house; suppose you come in and take a smile at the bottle?" which he seemed to relish, but when he saw me mix his drink with on ounce of cay enne pepper, he begged hard to be ex cused. But it was no use to talk, drink he must, and drink he did, and it c irne nt-ar being his last drinK on this earth, for he corn nf need to dance tike a puppet, and I thought he would go crazy, but he soon revived. Wei', Tommy," sai4 I, "you are petty well punished, and you can go, out when 3 on go to taUe anything that don't belong to you, think of the coin crib and the trap." Pftnci for Laying Hens. Amor'ca.n AK-.eulmr i A owi 1 1 apuudent asks : "C in hens be made ioo fat to lav?" Yid indeed. Fat hens rarely lay. If hens are ed ho rniich or to o ten that they begin to latten lapidly they will soon slop lay ing. H- ask.n again: MIf there anything better Umii corn to make hens lay?" Nn food is better than Indian com or ground corn (Indian me ) to fatten hens, and, of course, it should be fwi sparingly to laying hens. If hens do not lay and are tat, feed them but ow a day at eveniiu', just before they g. to roost, giving whrar. pcreening-, buck wheat and oats, m such proportions a you judge best. Throw the eed upon upon clean ground only as fast as they pick it up. Stop jmt as soon as ou see any of the fl ek begin to wander away. Let them forage all day for weed seeds, grass, insects etc. They must have warm quarters, well ventil ated at night, and a sunny run by day in winter. After a while begin to feed them sparingly a little meat scrap chop ped fine, broken bones, oyster shells, etc., and they will probably soon begin to lay, m The saddest romances are thoae that ar read by the actors only. Electricity in Agriculture. Soxrih'jra Wtrl.. This I- an age of electricity one in which very many tfeings are dune not only with lightning speed but with lightning itself. Look at the wonder ful natur? of our present transatlantic communication. Think of the quick ness and ease with which we talk from one city to another both by signs and sounds with the electric telegraph and by the voice in the telephone. The world thought no greater achievement could be made, when steam was har nessed and niude the servant of man; but the past few years has led to still greater triumphs over the material world, and that subtile force we call electricity i now a messenger of swift ness and a gigantic factor in a pro gi asiYe civilization. What we may hope for from elec tricity as a helper for the farmer no one i3 ready to state. It iloes not seem reasonable that the earliest of all arts and the most essential of aU human occupations should not in time come on for its large share of benefits from the subj jgation of electric force. Even now we hear from across the water that plowing has been successfully done by electricity in the fields. The French fanners have harnessed light ning to the plow and with good results. If this force can turn the furrow it is reasonable to suppose that it can reap the grain, bind it into sheaves, thresh the same and carry it to mill. It is truly hard to guess how great may be the progress in this direction within the next twenty years. But electricity as it is now employed ha3 much more for the farmer than he may at first think. It is the almost universally adopted means of quick transportation of news, and by it the coming of a storm may be sent forward in advance so that the farmer may know the f ict and make the necessary preparations that the storm may not be a source of loss. The farmer should avail himself of this swift-footed mes senger more than he has done in the past. The signal service could do very little without the telegraph, and with out the farmer uses the information that is thus collected and disseminated the service can only partly accomplish the work it has been established to perform. There are very few things that do more damage to the farmer than heavy storms in haying and harvesting time, and millions of dollars might be saved if the farmers would only avail them selYrts of the information which is brought as near to them as the tele graph will allow. . We therefore urge upon all agricult ural districts to oo something to put the farmers in closer communication with the signal service. Electricity is already within the reach of the great mass of farmers. Some one says: "If L only khew that it would not rain to day I would cut a field of clover." The signal service can teil him in nine eases out of ten what the weather is to be for the next twenty-four hours with good and valuable predictions of what it will be for a day or more at,er. Lt the good work of forewarning and then ore forearming thefaiming class es lie pushed forwaid and by ail means let electricity be a swift baud-maid m this scheme of economy. There is another aspect to our sub ject. The untamed electricity of the clouds has its influence upon the farm er. In its wild swiftness it trik"& On uruetion upon buildings and other property. If we cannot conveniei tly ytixf the lighti.ing to the plow or make t the messenger of good and saving news we should at least do our best to prpvent its doing serious damage. Much has been said for and against conductors of electricity, or in 'other words against lightning rods. There is no doubt but what many farmers and others have been severely hum bugged by "lightning-rod peddlers." The man who goes around putting up poor rods in a slipshod manner at an exorbitant; manner is the humbug, and not the principle of electric conduction It is a well known fact in physics or natural philosophy, that some sub stances are better conductors of electric ity than others, and as in a thunder storm a certain amount of electricity is to pass from the cloud to the earth it will take the easiest passage. Metals are good conductors and when rods of them are put on buildings of the proper size and in the right way the building is rendered comparatively safe. A rod of iron three-fourths of an inch in diamettr is large enough to conduct a heavy bolt of electricity The form of the rod is of very little account and glass insulators are entire ly unnecessary. It is to he remember ed tht't the electricity will take the easiest channel, or road to the earth therefore have the rod run as dfrect as possible from the top of the building to the wet earth. It was formerly thought that the tip of the rod should be Df some bright metal and very sharp pointed ; this i3 not required and the rod may be painted without injuring it. There is nothing about a lightning rod that a blacksmith cannot make anv fancv twists are foolishness and when made the rods can be put up by the farmer at a small fraction of the price demanded by the rod peddler. If the rods are for the house the upper end may project above they chimney and pass as direct as possible to deep earth or better into the well. Strong bolts should hold the rod in place, and above all see that no joint ever gets separated from which the descending lightning must make a leap in its pas sage and enter the building as the easiest way to the earth. The number of rods will depend up on the area of surface to be protected. As a general rule a rod will protect a space around the point equal to twice its height, though generally rods are placed nearer than this. There is no olject to any number of rods on a building except expense. It should be fixed in mind that a badly erected rod Is worse than no rod ; and it i3 from this that rods have fallen in favor with many. The rod attracts the electricity and if it is not able to conduct it safely away the building is more apt to be struck. Good rods, which may be very simple, are protection, and every far mer should diminish the- risks of his farm property by erecting them on his buildings, thus overcoming one of the evil relations of electricity toagiicul ture. The Behavior of Audiences. New Tork Ltdcer. One test of a nation's civilization is the behavior of its audiences. An audience is master of the situation, and hence it can play the tyrant and the boor if it will. It is strong enough to break the interior of a room all to pieces, and hurl pei formers into the street. Nay, it has been known, within the memory of living men, to do such things. Usually an American audience is perfectly decorous and very good natured. Sometimes, indeed, it is. rather tolerant, and oven applauds what it knows to be inferior, for fear of wnuiirint? the feelings of the per former. We would not have it throw its opeiv-iass at a caieless singer, as was done in Paris lately. Neverthe less, it is occasionally a duty to mani fest disapproval, and this duty should be performed with firmness and de cency. As a rule, our audiences re gard too much the momentary happi ness of those who minister to them. In one particular they are sadly at fault: They do not remain quiet "and attentive during the last moments of a performance. 'J ha ia diresppctfu' to those who are instructing or entei tabl ing us, and should be "reformed altogether." A fashionable bui; ignorant lady wanted a costly camel's hair shawl, but her husband bought her a cheap imita tion article. On examining it she found the name of the manufacturer on one corner, and wanted to know what that wa. That?" said the hus h.md : "oh, that's the name of the camel of whose hair the shawl was made I" The wife takes great pride in her shawl, and has no doubt of its genuineness. impatience gives adversity Its sharpest etlng.