tc gMjantha.
<;VX>Kf;K W, MAGKR, Editor.
■ DUrUlEIi,
- MONTANA.
If the government wants any armor
plate Carnegie and Frick are once
more in the field.
Power sometimes forgets itself so
far as to imagine that it exists for it
self, and not for the service of hu
manity.
The world's noblest work is in re
claiming the fallen, in strengthening
the weak, in gaining victory over
temptation and in creating virtue.
If there's a right thing to be done,
and we seem to pass through a wrong
thing on our way to it, depend upon
it there's another way to it, and a
better one, and it is our own fault, and
not God's, that we do not find it
Gov. Roosevelt expressed a great
truth and urged a much-needed lesson
when he said, in a recent speech, that
while the commandment, "Thou shalt
not steal," should be enforced upon
politicians, another commandment,
"Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor," should in equal
measure be enforced upon the critics
of politicians.
There are forty George Washingtons
in Baltimore, of whom thirty-nine are
colored and one is white. This recalls
the story of the aged colored man who
remarked, on hearing his son read
from ancient history of Pompey and
Caesar, that all the great men of an
tiquity must have been negroes, as
those names were not commonly horns
by white people.
Weather terms are elastic. Havana
was full of shivering people, and the
visitation was called a cold wave, when
the temperature lately fell to 53 de
grees. The Cuban style of wintry
blasts would be popular in regions
where boreal gales have no inclination
to mercy. The West Indian cold wave
is almost matched by the London hot
wave, reported each summer, when
the mercury has risen only to a point
indicative to Americans of seasonable
warmth.
Some of the experiments with wire
less telegraph apparatus for the use
of the British army in South Africa
are said to indicate that the operation
of the instruments is interrupted by !
veins of iron ore in the hills. This !
recalls the recent report of the United j
States Naval Board on Marconi's sys- j
tem, to the effect that communication !
might be entirely interrupted when j
tall buildings with an iron framework ;
intervened between the transmitting
and receiving stations.
A writer in a medical publication of
the Johns Hopkins University de
scribes a case which, he says, "is in
teresting because it sugests a new op
eration—hepaticocholecystostochol cy
stenterostomy, or hepatieocholecystos
tenterostomy." Every one will be re
lieved to know that the treatment so
eloquently described is only an ad
vanced method of dealing with colic,
by which it will be seen that science
in its march is encumbered by the bag
gage it carries. Caesar called it im
pedimenta, which has taken a modern
sense that seems appropriate in this
case.
The average loss by fire in the United
States has been reduced in ten years
from $6,922 to $1,860. The insurance
loss in the same period was reduced
from $3,993 to $1,056. The prevailing
use of electricity has unexpectedly
brought about a large increase in fires,
owing to crossed wires. Ten years ago
there were only sixty-six such fires and
last year there was 958. Defective
flues are responsible for over 11 per
cent of the fires and incendiarism is
next as a cause. Last year 6,891 in
cendiary fires occurred. Lightning
caused 3,479, spontaneous combustion,
1,179, friction in machinery 295, nat
ural gas 94, dust explosions 14, and five
were caused by the sun's rays passing
through window glass. There was no
assignable cause for 12,204 fires of last
year.
There is visible in the night sky, un
der favorable circumstances, a faint
light, rounded in outline, and situated
always exactly opposite to the place of
the sun. It is called "gegenschein,"
and is one of the most inexplicable
objects known to astronomers. Re
cently Prof. W. H. Pickering has sug
gested a new explanation of the gegen
schein. According to him it may be
"a sort of cometary or meteoric
patellite" attending the earth. He sup
poses it to be composed of a cloud of
meteors, situated about "1,000,000 miles
from the earth, and revolving round it
in a period of just one year, so that
the sun and the meteors are always
$n opposite sides of the earth. He es
timates that the size of this ghostly
satellite may be nearly the same as
that of the planet Jupiter, yi?,, about
£6,009 ffiJJes in diameter.
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS.
Some Up- to-I)a to Hint* About Cul
tivation of the Soil and Yields
Tbeieof—Horticulture, Viticulture and
Floriculture,
Varieties of Strawberries.
From Farmers' Review: It seems
to me now, after twenty years of ex
perience, that there is nothing more
important to the strawberry grower
than choice of variety. In the raising
of grain, or vegetables or fruit of any
kind, much depends on the proper se
lection of varieties, but in strawberry
culture almost everything depends on
It. With a pretty general knowledge
of the well tested varieties now grown,
gained both by observation and read
ing, I do not hesitate to say emphatic
ally that for this latitude and for a
number of degrees north and south of
the latitude of Chicago, the one great
berry, worth more than all the others
together, is the Warfield.
Speaking of strawberry culture in
the past I think it is true that there
have been just three great berries,
each of which had its day and gave
way to the next, and these are the Wil
son, the Crescent, and the Warfield.
Growers who raised the Wilson in its
day and who at the proper time sub
stituted the Crescent, and then after
the Warfield was well introduced
planted it and gave up the Crescent,
have done the best for themselves and
for their customers that could be done.
I think most practical growers will
agree with me when I speak of the
expense and disappointment which
have attended our efforts to secure the
best varieties. What a time indeed we
have had with the highly praised new
comers, the Bidwells, Manchesters,
Jewels, Lady Rusks, Chas. Downeys,
Big Bobs, Mt. Vernons, Bubachs, Jes
sies, Parker Earles, and a host of
others whose names I will not men
tion, all introduced with a great flour
ish and often having some good quali
ties but as practical, business berries,
utterly worthless. It seems strange to
me that so many writers and even ex
periment stations speak of some good
point in very many of these varieties,
without adding that in the summing
up they have no value at all.
I know that some growers will pro
test against my judgment of some of
these berries, but I believe the best
conclusions of practical men are in line
with my own. Some would probably
defend tho Bubach and Haverland,
which are of good size and productive,
but I never ate one of the first without
regretting it, and the second I would
not permit my pickers to gather, so
wretchedly soft and tasteless it Is.
Parker Earle is solid and productive,
but of bad color and unreliable. Beder
Wood is productive and has been high
ly praised, but I have always felt guilty
for picking it at all, so soft and in
sipid and colorless it is and I am glad
to see in our latest station reports that
it is not recommended as it was.
Doubtless some of the new berries
will prove to have value, and some,
like the Marshall, are certain to be of
use for fancy market, but I repeat in
conclusion that for the climate I have
mentioned, for real value both to pro
ducer and consumer, there is no well
tesieâ berry which is worthy of com
parison with Warfield. In my view
the most important problem for prac
tical growers now is to find the best
and most reliable fertilizer lor the
Warfield.
S. W. GIBSON.
Among the Window Tlants.
From the Farmers' Review: At
this season of the year most
plants in the window will begin to
make strong, vigorous growth, if
properly fed. As soon as they begin
to grow, but not before, give them lib
eral applications of some good fer
tilizer. Many persons whose plants
are not growing satisfactorily think
to "give them a start" by feeding
them rich food. This is all wrong.
The plants are not in condition to
make use of such food until they be
gin to grow. It Injures them if given
when they cannot assimilate it. There
fore, wait and keep close watch of
them, and when signs of growth are
teen, begin to feed them. Give weak
applications at first, increasing the
supply aB the growth of the plant in
creases.
The proper time to train plants is
when they are growing. If a branch
shows a tendency to outgrow other
branches, thus making the plant un
symmetrical, nip off the end of it at
once. Keep it from making more
groAvth until the other branches have
had a chance to catch up with it, thus
giving the plant ^oper balance on all
sides. Most persons neglect their
plants in this respect, beause, they
say, "It seems such a pity to interfere
with them, when they are grov/ing so
well." Growth is not all we aim at.
We want well-shaped, symmetrical
plants, and such plants we can not
have unless we give them proper train
ing. Very few plants can be trusted
to train themselves. Whatever train
ing they get should be given while
they are in the early stages of de
velopment. The old saying that it is
hard work to teach an old dog new
tricks applies hex~e. When a plant has
been allowed to grow to suit itself
until it has reached its prime, it is too
late to do very much for it. Take it
in hand, then, while growing, and
make it understand that it must come
to your terms. Plants are tractable
things. They will do as you tell them
to if they see you "mean business."
EBEN E. REXFORD.
The Value of Weed».
Weeds have a value. The writer
once heard Professor Bailey say that
the weed is the friend of the farmer,
and no man should want to get rid of
a farm because it is weedy. He him
self had purchased a good farm at a
low price, because it* had all run to
weeds and the former owner believed
that they were so numerous as to
greatly reduce the value of the land.
But these same weeds had been keep
ing the fertility of the soil from leach
ing out, and had kept the ground in a
condition where it would not bake,
but would readily yield to the . plow.
He simply turned all the weeds under
and got back the fertility they had
taken from the ground. Then he
planted to other crops and had a re
gained farm.
Were it not for weeds, say after a
clover crop, the nitrogen in the soil in
readiness for plant use would disap
pear. As it is, the weeds take it up
and hold it for subsequent crops. The
cultivation that is necessary to keep
down weeds is not time and effort lost.
The benefit to the crop cultivated is
more than enough to pay for the out
lay. The additional effect of conserva
tion of* moisture is not to be forgot
ten.
Weeds are also valuable for thé work
they do in keeping the land in the
hands of the many. Were there no
weeds the cultivation of the land could
be undertaken on an immense scale by
men of wealth and a monopoly in land
would be possible. If such a monopoly
were attempted at this time, the cost
of keeping the land clean would make
it impossible to keep it under control.
As to Fertilizers.
In general it is best to try to grow
nitrogen gathering crops in rotation
with cereals when cereals are grown
at all. The roots of the clover crop
remaining in the ground enrich the
soil with nitrogen in such a form that
it can be used by the succeeding crop
of cereals. Experiments seem to show
that all this nitrogen produced from
a single crop of clover, the roots only
being left in the ground, but the plant
not turned under, is sufficient only to
supply the needs of the first grain crop
coming after it. Potash and phos
phoric acid should be in the soil in
good quantities to ensure the proper
and economical use of the nitrogen in
the soil. It does not pay to attempt
to use any one class of fertility with
out the presence of the others. Thus,
it is found that what is called a com
plete fertilizer—nitrogen, potash, and
phosphoric acid combined—gives the
best results in all cases.
If, however, a single grain is to be
grown on the land for an indefinite
period and without rotation the appli
cation of fertilizers to the land should
be governed as far as possible by the
constituents of the whole grain plant.
This can be found easily from any
book giving a list of grains and their
analyses. In the case of barnyard
manure this rule cannot be followed
unless the farmer be ultra scientific,
for it will require a good deal of fine
figuring to determine about what are
the constituents of a manure pile, the
problem being based on the foods that
have been fed out in the making of the
said manure pile.
The British Farm Outlo.*h.
An English correspondent of the
Farmers' Review, writing under date
of March 5, says: The rainfall of Feb
ruary, including melted snow, was
more than double the average, and the
land is still saturated with water, so
that the sowing of spring grain crops
has not yet begun. We like to put tn
beans and some barley before the end
of February; but this season, even if
fine weather prevails after this date,
very little sowing will be done before
the middle of March, and even then,
unless we have frost to disintegrate
the soil, the work will be arduous and
protracted. The wheat has been flour
ishing until within the last few days,
but it is now showing signs of suffer
ing from the wet state of the land and
the northeast wind. The lambing sea
son, now more than half over, has been
a prosperous one, so far, but succulent
feed is scarce. Therefore the rearing
of the lambs will be expensive.
Destroying Mustard.—Prof. Shepard
of the Dakota Experiment Station says
that a 2 per cent solution of bluestone
or copper sulphate will destroy mus
tard without injuring the grain.
Wheatfields in the Northwest are
largely infested with mustard, and if
dome scheme for applying the blue
vitriol cheaply can be devised it will
undoubtedly prove helpful to wheat
farmers.
Breeding inside established lines can
alone offset the tendeocy of animals to
atavism.
Requisite« of » Good Shepherd.
C. F. Curtlss: A flock of sheep can
i»ot be handled or fattened successfully
without a close observance of their
habits and peculiarities. There are a
great many little things that enter into
the attention and management by a
successful shepherd that may seem
trivial, yet they have much to do with
the comfort, thrift, and profit of the
flock. The axiom that "The eye of
the master fattens" is nowhere more
applicable than in the sheepfold. The
competent feeder acquires a traineâ
eye, that detects .at a glance any evi
dence of disorder that will be mani
fest if a single animal Is off of feed
or out of condition. To the unobserv
ing or inexperienced feeder sheep all
look alike, but when rightly studied ro
class of stock presents more marked
individual peculiarities or so clearly
manifests evidence of thrift and well
doing or the reverse. Attention to
these little details, accompanied, by
regular habits and a quiet manner,
constitutes the keynote of successful
sheep feeding. Nothing contributes
more to good results thau contentment
and quiet surroundings. The feeder
who disturbs the quiet and comfort of
the flock every time he goes about it
should quit the sheep business at once.
Rough manners and harsh treatment
absolutely disqualify any man for suc
cess in this work. The natural timid
ity and nervous temperament of the
sheep necessitate gentle treatment.
Their dainty habits about eating and
drinking must also be indulged as
fully as practicable. No animal nat
urally selects a wider variety of feed,
particularly of rough forage and veg
etation; but two essentials are always
exacted, viz.,. cleanliness and palatabil
ity. Never give a sheep any stale or
undesirable feed, nor expect it to eat
any feed left over from a previous
meal. The ration should he always
wholesome and tempting to the ap
petite. The barn or etabl'.ng quarters
should never be without a fresh, pure
atmosphere and an ample supply of dry
bedding. Sheep rarely suffer from cold
if kept dry and protected from direct
drafts. The open air is better than a
poorly kept shed or barn.
Proportions of Straw and Grain.
There is no fixed relation between
the proportions of straw and grain in
the cereals. In some years the pro
portion of straw is greater than others;
the weather has something to do with
this condition. In wet years and with
not enough sunshine to fully ripen the
grain early, or, rather, to stop the de
velopment of the straw, the proportion
of the latter is great Various efforts
have been made to ascertain what ef
fect different kinds of manure ahd
fertilizers would have on the propor
tions of straw and grain. The results
have not been definite enough to make
it advisable to attempt to control the
proportions by different methods of
enriching the soil. Nitrogenous ma
nures seem to stimulate the straw de
velopment, but not excessively. The
largest yields of grain are generally
accompanied by large yields of straw.
It is probably impossible to get a good
grain without a good stalk. In the
years when grain "heads out low" the
yield of grain is generally short.
The aim should be to develop both
grain and straw in the same propor
tion. This is done the most certainly
by following a rotation. The grain
should come after corn, or roots or
potatoes, and these crops should re
ceive the fertilizers rather than the
cereals.
Fertility In Potatoes.
Bulletin 57 of the Maine Experiment
Station giving some figures of the
chemical contents of a potato crop
says: Assuming these figures to fairly
represent potatoes as grown in Maine,
a crop of 200 bushels, weighing six
tons, would remove thirty-seven
pounds of nitrogen, sixteen pounds of
phosphoric acid and fifty-eight pounds
of potash. If the amounts and pro
portions of fertilizing elements re
moved by a crop could be taken as a
guide in preparing a field for that crop,
the problem of supplying the proper
amount and kind of plant food to the
soil would be much simplified. To
manure a field for a crop of potatoes,
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash
would have to be added in about the
proportions given above and in suf
ficient quantity to supply the vines |
and tubers the land was expected to
yield. A formula made up on this j
basis would be very materially differ- I
ent from any mixed fertilizer on the
market and would contain the fertiliz- j
ing elements in about the following !
proportions: Nitrogen, 5 parts; phos
phoric acid, 2 parts; and potash, a
parts.
At the Missouri Experiment Station
Prof. Schweitzer measured the leaf
■surface of a vigorous corn plant of av
erage development. The total surface
of the 12 leaves and sheaths was found
to be 3,480 square inches, or about 24
square feet.
Prof. Von der Golz, of Germany,
states that investigations have shown
that a farmer that buys a farm can
not afford to pay interest on mort
gages that exceed two -thirds of its
purchase price.
Another Department.
Agent (of philanthropic society)—My
dear young woman, the proprietors of
this store assured us they had provid
ed seats fcr their clerks. I don't see
any.
Sales Girl—Tliey'r eall in the furni
ture department, ma'am.—-Chicago Tri
bune.
England'« Armored Trains.
The magnificent armored trains used
by England in her war with the Boers
will protect her troops in about the
same way that Hostetter's Stomach
Bitters drives dyspepsia from the hu
man stomach, and then mounts guarjä
that it does not return. The Bitters
have won in every case of indigestion,
constipation, liver and kidney trouble
for fifty years.
Kept Awake lifstenliiK.
"What makes Mrs. Henpeck look so
worried these days, I wonder?"
"Her husband has developed a habit
of talking in his sleep, and it's driving
her crazy."—Philadelphia Press.
Cleanse
Your Blood
The thing most desired of a Spring
Medicine is thorough purification of
the blood. With this work of
cleansing going on there is com
plete renovation of every part of
your system. Not only is the cor
rupt blood made fresh, bright and
lively, but the stomach also re
sponds in better digestion, it»
readiness for food" at proper times
gives sharp appetite, the kidneys
and liver properly perform their
allotted functions, and there is, in
short, new brain, nerve, mental and
digestive strength.
HOOD'S
Sarsaparilla
Possesses the peculiar qualities—
Peculiar to Itself —which accom
plish these good things for all
• who take it. An unlimited list of
wonderful cures prove its merit.
PATENTS.
List of Patents Issued Last Week to
Northwestern Inventors.
Jm.es O. Bane, Waseca, Minn.,
spring attachment for pump rods; Mi
chael Beck and E. Ferrant, Minneapo
lis. Minn., automatic magazine gun;
Harvey L. Marlett, Warner, S. D„ and
C. Marlett, Fargo, N. D., self-heating
dinner p*il; Will S. Metcalf, Fandreau,
S. D., plow coulter; William Newton,
Minneapolis, Minn., starching machine;
Caesar Wilson, Litchfield, Minn., plow
attachment.
Merwln, Lothrop & Johnson, Patent Attor
ney*. »11 * 912 Pioneer Press Bids.. St. Paul
A Mean Man.
The Mean Man was looking happy.
"Whose feelings have you hurt now?"
he was asked.
"My nephew's," he said. "I have just
sent him a letter asking him to accepi
the inclosed $100 check as a little birth
day gift."
"But where does your specialty com«
in on such a proposition as that?"
"I didn't put In any check."—Indiac>
apolis News.
A Book of Choice Beolpes
Best free by Walter Baker * Co.'Ltd., Dorchester
liais. Meutlon this paper.
The latest hiding place for microbe»
is in moustaches.
W. L. DOUGLAS
S3&3.B0 SHOES gßftj
SYtorth $4 to $6 compared.
|\ with other makes. J
Indorsed by over
* 1,000,000 wearers. ,
The genuine have W. L.
Douglas' name and price j
stamped on bottom. Take(
no substitute claimed to be
as good. Your dealer
should keep them—if.
not, we will send a pair',
on receipt of price and 25c.
extra for carriage. State kind of leather,
size, and width, plain or cap toe. Cat. free.
W. L DOUGLAS SHOE CO.. Brockton, Mats.
EXCURSION RITE$~
to Western Canada and
particulars as to how to
secure ISO acres of the
best wheat-s rowing
land on the continent
[can be secured on appli
lcation toSupt. of Imral
Jgration, Ottawa, Canada,
, mmmi ——s—r"" the undersigned. Spe
cially conducted excursions will leave St. Paul,
Minn., on the first And third Tuesday in each
month, and specially low rates on all lines of
railway are quoted for excursions leaving St.
Paul on March 28 and April 4 for Manitoba,
Assinibola. Saskatchewan and Alberta. W. H.
Rogers, Watertown. S. D
INVEST KJ!'Ä GOLD
SAFE AS YOUR BANK.
Cripple Creek has made more men wealthy
thnn any other mining camp on earth. We oan
offer you an inves ment that elminates the
possibility of loss, insures a big profit, and gives
you the chance of a fortune. Write at once.
THE DOWNING INVESTMENT CO.,
Equitable Bldg., Denver, Colo.
fAST
out cram
n
C
P
■ Li
03J
Washington, D.C.
* Successfully Prosecutes Claims.
Late Prlnotnal Examiner U.S. Pension Bureau.
3j raincivil war, 15 adjudici.tii« claims, attrsinca
nDnDQV nEW DISCOVER 1 », gives
UnVra 0 quick relief and cu res wo/st
cases. Book of testimonials nnrt 10 DAYS* treatment
VUEK. DU. U. IL 0KKI.VM SO.NH. Box E, Atlanta, (ia.
\r afflicted with
Boro eyes, use
[Thompson's Eya Water
m TT .W.lII.IUa J
j £* f. *
CURES WHERE ALL ELSE FAILS. _ ,
Best Cough Syrup. Tastes Good. Use j
In time. Bold by druggists.
gmsiafigg«
S