Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume], August 02, 1904, Image 6

About Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
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CHAPTER XVIII.
A CONTRACT WITH A BOBBER CHIEF.
Orskoff sent for Nevisky. The lieu
tenant was pacing the bridge, eager to
be off. He could not understand why
the captain did not hurry to Tiflis with
t^he prisoners instead of wasting the
time chatting in an apparently friendly
yray
with one of them.
"Lieutenant, have the chief robber
brought to me," said the captain.
As Palpak was being led toward
them Orskoff said to Harvey: "Conduct
the negotiations. I will agree to any
thing you plan."
OrBkoff ordered the irons removed
from the robber. When the three were
alone, Harvey said to Palpak:
"We have had you brought here to
have a businesslike talk. You appre
ciate your situation, I suppose."
"I am a prisoner of the czar. He
(will perhaps kill me."
"Just so. And all of your treasure,
the stealings of many months, is on
board tys boat."
"Yes, to enrich a Russian officer. My
people can starve. The ameer's tax
must be paid or twenty of our best
young men and women must go to
Bokhara. It is wrong."
"Of course it is wrong. We know
your people hate the ameer and that
the ameer Is cruel. It was a strange
chance that took me to that island of
Ting Shong."
"You saved my life, for my brothers
.were mad with wine."
"Your future course will show wheth
er I did well. Let mo explain how I
came to the island."
Then followed a detailed rehearsal
of the story of Koura and Alma.
"They are beautiful girls," said
Harvey as he concluded. "One is to
be the wife of the captain the other
is to be my wife."
"Why do you tell me this? I am a
prisoner.'-'
"Becjoihx -we want your assistance
in rescuing these two girls from the
men of Bokhara. They are your ene
mies, and you have sufllcieut reason
to hate them."
"But I do not love the Russians
more."
"This is not a question of loving the
Russians. I saved jour life, did I not?"
"I would do anything for you."
"Suppose you are set free and the
treasure is restored to you. The orly
irfurn we ask is that you give us ail
rlu" assistance in your power to recover
liie two young women."
Do you mean that the Russian will
permit me to depart in pcace to my
srople and take with me the treasure
•hat I stole?"
"Yes to rescue the young girls we
will do that. The captain has promised
it."
"I)o you agree?" put In Orskoff anx
iously.
"I am not a fool."
"That means you agree, of course,"
said Harvey. "The ameer is the-sliest
rascal in Asia, but our united brains
4
A SOLDIER OF
COMMERCE
ARVEY broke the spell of si
lence:
"I thought you would see
daylight. Now that wt agree,
let us go on and plan. We must not
lose sight of the fact that we are deal
ing with unknown quantities. We have
I no method of learning Just where the
girls are. We must use measures that
will assist us. What wtys your idea
when you spoke of becoming a traitor?"
"I become a traitor the moment I
•'give you your liberty and accompany
you upon the proscribed ground of Bo
khara/'
"You must go even further than that.
We must use the robbers."
"Palpak! I must at least send him
'and his brothers to Tlflis."
"You will then throw aside the one
Btaff that can assist us over the diffi
culty."
"What use can the robbers be to us?"
"This fellow Palpak Is chief of a clan
called Zannucks, who hate the ameer
and all those who are faithful to him.
I overheard them talking in the cave.
It seems the ameer levies such ex
orbitant taxes that the Zannucks can
not pay. He taxes everything—wives,
children, cattle. That is the reason the
chief seeks to rob the ameer and his
people—to reimburse the Zannucks.
Palpak would not hesitate to help us
if by helping us he could work injury
to the ameer. Grant the robbers their
freedom. Let them take their booty to
their people on condition that they as
sist us in rescuing the girls."
"Set free robbers who have attacked
Russian paymasters!"
"You said that you would not turn
back. Now you are trying to turn two
.ways—one toward Tiflis, the other to
ward Bokhara. It will not do. If you
•wish to accomplish anything in this
affair, you must go the whole figure—
stake all and win or lose. That Is the
way I do business."
"What is your plan?"
"Have Palpak brought here and let
us talk with him in a straightforward,
businesslike way. Any man will help
another it be can also benefit himself
by doing so."
"I leave It to you. Your head is full
of plans, wlilf/i mine is simply taken up
with thinking of poor Kourn."
"I think of Alma as much as you do
of Kourn. But simply thinking will
not rescue them. We must act, and act
quickly."
Bu JOHN ROE GORDON
Copyright. 1802, by F. R. Toombs
ought to be able to outwit him. First
we must figure out where the girls
probably are now."
"Where was the ameer's boat when
you saw it?" asked Palpak eagerly.
"I cannot say. I drifted all day and
half the night before I reached the is
land. It went in the same direction I
drifted."
"They were going to SI loon."
"What is Siloon?"
"The most Important port on the Bo
kharan shore. It is not a Zannuck vil-
"We have, had you brought here to have
a businesslike talk."
lage, nor do the people like the ameer.
They are for the greater part exiles
from Khiva."
"Then they will not fight for the
ameer?"
"No, nor against him. They wish
only to be let alone."
"How long would it take the boat to
reach Siloon
"Two days. By this time they are at
Siloon, and we could not overtake them,
as the finest camels of the ameer would
be in waiting for them, with a guard
of his best soldiers."
"Is it not possible that a caravan of
vlch goods will take advantage of this
cscort and go to Bokhara
"It would be so."
"There would be some delay'getting
started."
"The ameer's soldiers would be
afraid to linger."
"Then what can be done, Palpak?
We put the matter into your hands."
"Excellent sirs, you promise me
much. One of yat» saved my life the
other, a Russian officer, releases me,
and I can take the treasure to my
starving people. I aim grateful. I will
do all I can to assist you in winning
back the young women. From Siloon
the road to Bokhara is winding. It
runs through what is called the Siloon
pass. We are now in what is known as
the Kharaboghaz. A short sail from
here is a small village on the coast be
longing to my people. By going there
and taking the trail over the mountains
we can reach the Siloon pass at a
point where it will be four days' Jour
ney for the caravan. It will take us
only three days."
"Good"' said Harvey. "What then?"
"The Zannucks have many causes to
hate the soldiers of the ameer. They
will have fine camels and horses. There
will also be many valuables going to
Bokhara. If there is to be a wedding
of a prince, there will be great feast
ing, and the ameer will distribute gif'.s.
Some of these will be in the caravan.
My people will follow me to the Siloon
pass."
"By the Kharaboghaz do you mean
the Scythian gulf?" asked Harvey.
"Yes. It is what we call the gulf."
"Then our plan is clear. Orskoff, you
and I will go with Palpak in his boat
to this village of his people and ac
company his warriors to the pass.
Send Nevisky to Siloon with all speed.
If he finds the caravan there, let him
attack and rescue the girls. If the
caravan has gone, let him wait there
for our return. We must go back to
Siloon if we rescue the girls or there
will be no way of leaving the coast."
"I will explain the plan to Nevisky,"
said Orskoff.
Nevisky listened with many misgiv
ings. A Russian officer to release pris
oners in this manner and to set foot
on forbidden soil! But Orskoff was
his superior officer. He could do noth
ing but obey.
The treasure was placed in Palpak's
sailing vessel, and the four robbers,
with Harvey and Orskoff, the lat.jr
fully armed from the stores of the
gutiboat, went on board. The gunb at
steamed away for Siloon, and the oth
er boat, w'.th all sail set, started for
Palpak's little village.
CHAPTER XIX.
TIIE RIDE TO SILOON TASS.
HE people of the village swarm
ed to look at the strangers,
who seemed be of a race
th-y looked upon as enemies,
.. -fS.
"W&"
E'
yet their chief, Palpak, treated these
men as friends. Palpak was a chief who
gave no explanations of his acts, and
when he demanded horses for himself,
his brothers and his friends they were
at once forthcoming.
Domitan, the brother who had been
so eager to kill Palpak, was morose
and showed but little favor to the
guests. The latter, confident that their
plans would bo successful, treated him
considerately. They thought not of
the risk they rajQ in going, with rob
bers for escort. Into a country from
which few travelers had ever return
ed. The moving power was love, and
love laughs at danger.
From tho village a winding path led
from tho low shore land to a distant
range of hills. Along this their prog
ress was rapid but, arriving at uie
hills, they found a rugged, rocky road
over which traveling was slow. The
small horses of the Zannucks were
sturdy animals and went unshod o'vep
the Jagged stones that covered the nar
row path.
The natives stared at them in amaze
ment. A Russian officer in uniform,
accompanying their chief on terms of
friendship, was a scene they had never
contemplated. Some thought Orskoff
was a prisoner, though he did not act
like one. Harvey seemed actually to be
the leader.
Hidden among great knolls and se
questered in fertile valleys were little
villages seemingly devoted to peaceful
pursuits. Flocks of the world famous
sheep, the skins of whose lambs are
sent to Persia, where they are made
Into garments or cured and sent to
Europe and America, were browsing
on the hillsides.
All the herdsmen bore arms. One
would have a rifle another wore a belt
in which {wo or three pistols were
thrust some carried the old time spear.
Their garb was most picturesque. The
turbaned Turk, the Jaunty Circas
sian, the Jacketed Greek, none of these
could match the gay dress of these hill
men.
The road grew rougher and more dif
ficult. They climbed laboriously, stop
ping often to give their horses a breath
ing spell. On either side the Jagged
rocks rose to great heights and the
mountains stood majestically about
them.
"No wonder these people cannot be
subdued," said Harvey. "Nature has
built for them a fortress that no guns
can batter down."
"The trouble is," said Orskoff, "that
nature does this only where a fortress
Is not necessary. When it comes to
guarding a city, placing a battlement
upon a passage between two'seas, na
ture may b^ gracious enough to bestow
a rock or two, but they must be fash
ioned by the hand of man to suit the
purpose of defense."
"The reason is not- that nature Is
grudging," said Harvey. "It is that'
man is so stubborn that he establishes
his cities in places where they can be
established. Nature's fortifications are
in places where nd one ever wants to
go."
"Except ourselves at the present time.
Hello! There-is a'big town:"
They had reached a high point in the
road and looked down a sloping stretch
Into a valley, where a. town was laid
out that called forth exclamations from
both. Amid green, and luxurious sur
roundings, on. the .banks of a little'
river that found its devious way into'
the Seythiar gulf, this city of the Zan
nucks was iaid_ out with a precision
that would do credit to an English or
American town. Following the almost
straight line of the river, the main
street stretched a half mile. On this
were the principal bazaars and market
places, with drainage directly into the
river. At right angles to this were
other streets, with houses of stone or
wood, ornamented according to the
taste of the owners, each having a lit
tle patch of green and fruit trees and
garden. .,
"Orskoff," said Harvey, pointing to
an elevation back of the town, "proba
bly the only thing this town lacks is
good drinking water. I'd like to put
up one of my windmills and a pump
right there. I'll ask Palpak for a con
cession when the other business is
over."
"So confident are you in the success
of the expedition that you can talk of
windmills!"
"I've talked windmills all my life. I
made them-when I was a boy. I can
pick out a likely spot for one with my
eyes shut."
Harvey was interrupted by the Im
petuous welcome given to the return
ing chief.
"Hail, Palpak, chief of the Zan
nucks!" cried the people, men, women
and children rushing to surround the
party. "What hast thou brought to
pay the terrible tax the ameer has put
upon us?"
"Much treasure, my children! It is
well. These are my friends, to whom
you must show hospitality."
"We will! We will! Tliy friends
are our friends, O Palpak!"
"There ih much to be said. The treas
ure will be guarded until the tax of
the ameer is paid. But there is some
thing to bv. done now. Let my cap
tains come to me while we eat and
rest. We must hasten away to obtain
more treasure and perform a service
for my friends."
He led liem to the finest house in
the place, where women waited upon
them. Wine and food were brought
When they had finished, Harvey and
Orskoff smoked and listened to the
parley between Palpak and his cap
tains. There were ten of these, includ
ing the brothers of Palpak. Domitan
was second in command by reason of
his relationship as next eldest brother
of Palpak.
"Is war declared?" asked one of the
warriors. "Have the hated Musco
vites again threatened us?"
"No it is not war against the Mus
covites-"
i' •iittflWf 'fli J'. wAfcillriflt
I
TH.E Uri'lIM \VA O'lmUlBB
"What, then, O chief? Inform us,
that we may fight as becomes the Zan
nucks."
"A caravan conveying much treas
ure and that which is greater than
treasuret of more value than gold or
gems, will pass on the way to Bokha
ra. It will be composed of the serv
ants and soldinri of the ameer, who
has so frequently sent soldiers to mur
der us and steal our children and com
pelled us to pay tribute. Thgse sol
diers of the ameer have stolen two
beautiful girls, who were to be ttie
wlijes of my two friends. I was In
difficulty, and this one, tho American,
assisted me and saved my life. The
other, a Muscovite officer, had us In
his power, but released us that wo
might bring the tributo to you, my
people. In return I have told them
that we would go to the Siloon pass
and rescue the young women they love
so well."
"We aro ready! Horses will bo
brought from the fields! Great is Pal
pak, chief of the Zannucks!"
Palpak waved his hands for silence
and, assuming a serious mien, said:
"Listen, O my people! Before we
start I have something to submit to
my captains. It was at the cave
where we bid the treasure. I had
divided It according to my custom—
a portion to each of my brothers, a
portion to myself, and the greater bulk
to be brought here and divided among
my people and to pay the tax demand
ed of us by the ameer. My brothers
rebelled against my decision an}, led
by Domltaj, attacked me to take my
life. I was assisted by the American,
as I have said, and then the Russian
soldiers came and captured us all. But
the crime of Domitan remains. It is
the custom for the captains to settle,
upon a punishment."
'Kill him! Fasten him on a spear
And place him high!"
These cries came from all sides.
Domitan turned pale. He looked ap
pealingly at Palpak, but the face of
the chief was as stone.
"O chief!" said a captain, rising.
"It Is well that the Zannucks know
their chief to be always safe. If he Is
In danger from his own brothers, then
what may we expect from others?
If these brothers have attempted to
kill thee, they should be punished. It
Is the will of the people that he whom
they love shall be protected and those
who seek to kill him shall themselves
be slain."
"It is so," said another captain,
"but this took place far away. Let us
give Domitan and the other brothers
of our chief an opportunity to explain
their conduct."
"It is well spoken," said Palpak.
"Let my brother Domitan, next in the
line of chiefs, who will be your chicf
If I should die, explain his action."
All eyes were turned toward Domi
tan.
"O chief, my brother." he cried, "and
captains of the Zannucks. hear me and
believe me! When we started in our
boat to the island cave to obtain the
treasure and bring it here, there was
no thought against our brother, the
greatest chief the Zannucks ever had.
We love him. well, but we drank much
wine, and in our wine madness thought
to overcome him and obtain the treas
ure. In our right minds we would not
think of this. Humbly do we seek
pardon of our chief. We promise faith
ful allegiance. We will fight by his
side evermore."
There was a murmur, and all eyes
turned to Palpak.
"It will be well If th's is true," he
said. "I trust my brothers again. I
wish no confusion now. We will has
ten to meet the soldiers of the ameer.1
There was little delay. Horses were
being led in from nearby fields, and men
with arms were gathering. On the road
to the southward they formed, and it
seemed a formidable array. First rode
Palpak, with Harvey and Orskoff,
mounted on fresh horses. After them
rode a hundred men, divided in bands
of twenty-five, each under a captain.
Then came another hundred under
Domitan, these being divided the same
way.
Harvey had never experienced so dif
ficult a ride. At times they seemed on
the verge of going over a cliff and
hurling themselves a hundred feet or
more to certain death, but the rugged
little horses seemed to know every inch
of the way and found stepping places
where a man could not as they wound
around the perpendicular scarps of
mountains.
"I wouldn't like to do this for a liv
ing," said Harvey. "I prefer to sell
windmills."
"This is real mountaineering," an
swered Orskoff. But their eyes did not
meet as they spoke, for Hprvey, who
was ahead, did not dare to turn his
head.
In crossing table lands they traveled
in sections, and Domitan often came
up and spoke to Palpak. He had lost
none of his surliness. Harvey could not
understand why Palpak so easily for
gave the man who wanted to kill him,
Orskoff explained that he had talked
with the captains and learned that
Domitan was much admired for his
maijy exhibitions of bravery.
"It is a good thing for us that Domi
tan is not chief," said Orskoff. "He
hates us sorely."
They camped at night in a ravine,
and the cooks of the companies pre
pared a meal consisting mainly of
a sort of cake and coffee. After par
taking of a goodly quantity Orskoff
and Harvey lay down near Palpak
and went to sleep.
In the morning, refreshed, the caval
cade set out' and passed another day
in even more difficult traveling. An
other night they camped on an open
field, and on the third day they came
to rest on a cliff overlooking the Si
loon pass.
(To be continued.)
The M. E. church at West Liberty Is
betaj rebuilt
FAfcFTlf
ORCHARD
GAFMili
BY
J.S.TR1GG
rockford.iA.
cfesMhlOCq.
.SOLICITED
IT
Starvation is and should be the ulti
mate remedy for the man who can and
won't work.
Clay for the sand road and sand for
the clay road Is always In order as a
means of securing better roads.
There are two things which it la dif
ficult to teach horses to do—one Is to
walk fast and the other to move a
heavy load slowly.
A wagon will last about six years
,1? left to stand outdoors and will last
ftrlce as long If properly housed. Same
Ttle applies to all machinery.
There Is more sense In teaching the
elementary principles of agriculture In
the public schools than there is in
many of the fads which receive atten
tion.
Eggs are now graded as firsts, sec
onds, thirds and dirties, which grading
means a difference In price of over 5
cents a dozen between the best and
the worst.
It costs about $65 to produce an
acre of well cared for onions. The
crop should be as much as 500 bush
els, and one year with another it will
sell for 40 cents per bushel.
Florida agricultural enthusiasts claim
that they can make a pound of beef or
pork with cassava roots at half the cost
it can be made in the corn belt. Bring
on the root beef and bacon and let's see
what it Is like.
Good crops of corn may be made
even if it Is not knee high by the Fourth
of July. It is July and August tropical
warmth which makes this crop, and It
makes very fast when the questions
«i coat km! moisture are Just right
Colorado feeders report a net profit
of $20 on steers fed and fitted for mar
ket on sugar beet pulp and alfalfa.
Whether this profit should be credited
to the pulp or the alfalfa Is not stated.
Perhaps it was the happy combination
of the two.
Europe took 3,500,000 barrels of
American apples last year at good
prices. This year the foreign crop is
good, and the demand on this country
will be light. The crop of the eastern
states will not be as large as last year,
but of better quality.
Politics and agriculture are happily
blended in the congressional distribu
tion of seeds. How many legislator*
would lose their Jobs were it not foi
the seeds it Is hard to tell, but thia
much is true—the seeds are worth mor«
in a political than an agricultural way,
There *b no more attractive lawn
shrub than a clump of common elder
berry bushes. They do not sucker bad
ly, have a very delicate and pretty
foliage and are of singular beauty
when covered with masses of white
bloom or later with their rich purple
clusters of berries.
A friend wishes to know whether 11
hurts the asparagus bod to cut It back
in July. It Is about the worst thing
which can possibly be done for It, as 11
inflicts an injury from which It will
not recover in years. Any plant cul
back when in full growth and before
maturity suffers Irreparable damage.
Cold storage Is a total fizzle whet
applied to strawberries. The mere
placing of the berries in a refrigeratoi
car in the south country for shipmenl
north for only a few days almost en
tirely ruins their fine flavor. It is with
this berry as with woman—Its beautj
and delicacy cannot be preserved arti
ficially.
The whole business world Is now
watching the crops. These crops
mean a lot of newly created wealth
Men may buy and sell till doomsdaj
and the world be none the richer, bui
when some man has raised a pound ol
cotton, a bushel of corn, a fat hog oi
a brood of chickens the country is bj
that much the richer.
A cemented cellar, hard water undei
pressure and soft water handy, a hard
wood kitchen floor and a modern cook
'lng range would take the wrinkles oui
of many a good woman's face. Wltl
domestic help so hard to obtain it ii
economy to provide the housekeepei
with every obtainable facility for do
lng her work as easily as possible.
We watched a towboat handling
log raft on the Mississippi river recent
ly. The thing which specially attract
ed our attention was the small and -in
ferior quality of the logs in the rafl
which the boat was handling. W«
could not discover a single log whlcl
was over a foot in diameter at th«
butt and plenty of stuff which would
only make telegraph poles. A lumber
man told us recently that he cut er
erything now which would make
12 foot 2 bv 4 scantlini!.
The individual excellence ot, tne
grade sire will seldom Justify its use.
Texas Is bragging, as muph on tjer
wop of Elberta peaches as on her cot
!n crop.
Tiie dwarf mountain pine is a very
Seslrable tree for lawn decoration and
is hardy withal.
Of 308 species of plants tested, the
seeds of the bean and clover faii^lles
longest retained their vitality.
Sympathy is one of the divine attri
butes of humanity, but it is usually
worse than wasted when applied to the
tramp ^nuisance.
It Is reported that a seedless apple
has been developed. If so, it will with
out any doubt be worked to the limit
as a new swindle by fruit tree peddlers.
The wild instinct In man will never
be entirely obliterated. It is always
easier to get the kids to hunt for wild
strawberries than it Is to pick tame
ones.
We took toll from our strawberry
bed for Just four weeks this year. The
last were the best on the broad prin
ciple that blessings brighten as they
take their flight
The crop outlook for the country at
large is not of such a character as to
Justify the belief that prices for farm
produce will be any lower than they
have been for three years past
In Cuba they cut off the timber and
brush, then punch holes in the ground
and plant corn. It is never cultivated,
but grows to a height of sixteen feet
and hag to be husked by a man on a
mule.'
It is a curious and rather unusual
fact In natural history that the chinch
bug will leave the growing corn to feed
on foxtail grass, being a case where
one mean thing has a natural affinity
for another.
Wheat yielding forty bushels an acre
and weighing sixty pounds to the bush
el has been grown 800 miles northwest
of St. Paul, Minn. There is almost no
,limlt to the wheat growing territory of
the far northwest.
A man in New Jersey comes to the
front with a strawberry of a new va
riety which measures three inches in
diameter and weighs one-fifth of a
pound, which seems to us like quite
overdoing the strawberry business.
Some peculiar quality connected with
the soil in the valley of the Hood
river In Washington gives to the straw
berries there raised remarkable keep
ing qualities, permitting the shj[pment
of the berries to points as distant as
St. Paul in almost perfect condition.
There is no prettier sight than a bass
wood or linden tree In full bloom, the
bloom itself being one of nature's
queer freaks. The little bell shaped
capsules, fragrant as the lily of the
valley and full of nectar, are a great
snap for the bees, and from this tree
they make their best honey.
When the weeds in the cornfield the
last of June are as high as the corn
it will pay better to plow up the field
and sow some catch crop, such as mil
let or buckwheat. The land will thus
be got in good shape for a crop anoth
er year. It never pays to let the weeds
get the best of a field for any half crop
of anything.
There is so much difference between
working with a well polished, sharp
hoe and a rusty, dull one -that we won
der why any one will use the
rrusty
and dull one. There is only one way
In which to keep the kind of hoe first
named, and that is never to lend it. It
should be as unloanable as your razor,
rubber boots and shotgun.
We have one acre of onions this year
planted on a piece of land which last
year was half In corn and half In!
beans. It is very easy to note the
effect of these two crops upon the
crop of tWs year, that part which was
In beans last year being much the
best. Beans are a very good fertilizer,
working In the same way as clover.
Disaster beset the nest building ef
forts of the birds around our home this
year. A song sparrow's nest in the
little cedar was visited too often by
the little folk, and the bird moved her
quarters. A robin's nest was despoiled
by the blue Jays, which sucked the
eggs, while a dove's nest was raided by
a house rat and the young killed. Bird
life is full of tragedy from beginning
to end.
A case where the laws are utterly im
potent Is that of a friend of ours who
had a pair of pet gray squirrels killed
by a town poacher while the family
was absent from home. We had the
same mean game played on us some
years ago with some red squirrels
which were the children's pets. A pub
lic whipping post would fit this and a
few other offenses which are common,
such as wife beating and maiming do
mestic animals.
Eighty-nine colonies of the soldier
ants of Guatemala, which make such
short work of the Mexican boll weevil,
have been received by the agricultural
department and will be released in the
cotton growing sections of the south.
It will be a great achievement for the
department if this method of extermi
nating this pest of the cotton fields
proves a success, but not more so than
the eradication of the orange scale by
the ladybugs imported from Australia
which saved the orange orchards of the
Pacific coast.
A WHITE SLAVip.
He was a city bookkeeper, been one
for nigh dh to thirty years, day after
day, year in, year out, adding up end
less columns of figures, writing duns,!
crediting remittances in a dingy old of
fice where sunlight and sentiment nev
er found admission, at home nights
and a Sunday afternoon in the park
giving him all there was of living out.
side the office. He knew he was in a
rut and a bad one, for while his salary
kept his family in comfort it made a
treadmill slave of him. He writes us
and wants to know, how he can better
his condition, for, as he,
WIDE TIRES.
RAINFALL STATISTICS.
The technical record of the rainfall
of a country does not always tell the
truth as to the value of that section
for agricultural purposes. The bulk of
such rainfall may come at the wrong
time of year, the dormant season,
when crops are not growing, as it does
in some parts of the south and south
west,-and the crop season may' be a
marked by excessively dry weather
This condition is very apt to be true
where the average rainfall Is less than
twenty inches per annum, the precipi
tation coming in the form of winter
rains and snows, which are unavaila
ble for growing crops In the summer.'
Ten inches of rainfall coming during1*
the four summer months will make a
good crop any year even If the earth is
dry as dust below, provided it be prop
erly distributed and supplemented by*
dry weather methods of cultivating
crops. So while statistics as to rain
fall arc a guide they are by no means
Infallible.
Pxvf.i
i.."
sayB,'
he has
neither the capital nor the ability to
climb up and become a member of thi
firm and boss other people. He says
that he has saved enough to buy a
small place near some town and wants
to take up the growing of small fruits
and vegetables and keep fowls. As he
will have to quit before long anyhow,
being close to fifty years old, he had
better do It now and get a start be
fore he gets used up. Such men put
us In mind of an old bus horse which
makes the same trip six times a day
year after year, getting little poorer
and feebler each year. Sensible man
to think-of quitting, for when he gets
his face tanned, his hands calloused
and goes to the house at night with a
four horsefawer backache and a ten
horsepower appetite he will realize that
he has Just begun to really live and en
Joy life. The white slave of the Amer
ican counting room is from our stand'
point to be pitied.
'V
A brlckmaker having 10,000 brick to
deliver at a point fifteen miles from
the brickyard loaded up nine ordinary
wagons, strung them together and
hitched on a twenty-five horsepower
traction engine. He delivered the brick
all right, and while costing him as much
as or more than it would have done
to have hauled the loads with teams
because of the very awkwaVd method
of arranging his train he still very
definitely proved that given suitable*
wide tired cars or wagons of three
times the capacity of the ordinary wag
on hitched close up to the engine he
could, when the condition of the dirt
road would permit, very economically
haul heavy loads of gravel, brick, rock
or earth over common roads a long
distance, and should for every trip so
made be given something for a, very
valuable work done on the road In
smoothing and compacting the surface.
Our highways should be graveled by
this plan, three wide-tired dump cars
holding twelve tons being easily han
dled by such an engine.
MAKING HAT.. ,...
The making of the hay often putsi
a farmer to his wits' ends if he has
much to put up. There is probably
more waste connected with the secur-,
ing of the hay crop than any other"
raised on the farm, and this waste
comes largely from improper stacking.
If hay must be stacked out of doors it
should be put in a large stack, and a',
6tuck cover should be used to protect'
the stack until it is completed. Modern
machinery makes It possible to build
the stack of any desired height. This
building a lot of small stacks all over,
the meadow simply results in the loss,
of about one-third of the hay.
GARDEN WEEDS.
A little Invention of our own has ma-,
terlally aided In the keeping of the gar
den clean and free from weeds. Ws
like to cultivate the garden as much
as possible with a hand steel rake, kill--,
ing the weeds when they are very
small, but often found some weeds
which had too rquch root to give way"
to the rake.. We took a piece of an old'r
bucksaw blade, the length of the rake
head and an inch in width, and had it
riveted to the head of the rake then,.
putting a knifelike edge on the blade,
we had a handy combined rake and
hoe which makes a most effective gar.
den tool. It is worth trying.
GRADING FARMERS.
Farmers may be graded by acres
five acre farmers, ten acre men, then
twenty and forty acre fellows, then
those who can handle an eighty or a
Quarter section, with here and there
one wlio can swing the business of a
full section. The best farmers are:
found among the little fellows, for
their limited acreage compels them to.
do better work and raise bigger crops
than their neighbor who has more
acres. It i« a good thing that the large
farm can uever be made as profitable
as the smaller one.