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Oxen ts. Horses.
Patient of cold and of heat , enduring
the rigor of winter and the terror oi
summer, with an equanimity of temper
and strength which Providence has be
stowed on no other dumb animal save
the camel of the desert; the ox has been,
in all times and in alj climates, the
most faithful and indispensable ally oi
man in subduing and bringing' under
cultivation the rugged ness of the earth.
The ox is not swift of foot, but on the
•contrary, “slow and sure.” It is thi^
him quality of his character which renders
England peculiarly farmer. valuable to the New
His slowness of mo¬
tion in comparison with the horse has
subjected him atjjimes to some pit-ju
uiee, and, by thoso who are anxious to
see steam, everything to depreciation more by the force oi
But a of his value.
I believe generally that the farmers
of Massachusetts on this subject have
adopted iEsop’s the proverb illustrated in
fable of the “Tortoise and the
Hare”—“the greater haste, the less
laid speedand down indeed it has been already
as an axiom by a committee
of farmers of Massachusetts, men who
best ought to know the value of this ani¬
mal, that the interests of the farmer, for
most purposes, are best promoted by
substituting this for the following the ox for the horse, and
reasonsHe is fod
with less expense, is more patient of la
bor, and is more valuable when his ser¬
vices are ended.
The use of the mowing machine, which
renders it necessary for the owner of one
to the keep a pair of horses, cattle has d'icinishod
number of working in Eastern
Massachusetts, and I am inclined to
•disposed, think all over however, New England. 1 am not
that to old give up oxen already on
account. The proverb
less quoted tells us, “The greater certainly haste, the
speed,” and there is no
nobler sight than a row of teams of
ing working and cattle fro with at a plowing slow and match, measured mov¬
to
tread, obedient to the ‘ ‘haw’' and “gee”
of their drivers, as soldiers are to the
command of their officers, and looking
dike the right arm of agricultural power
in tilling philosophical the earth. Gorman writers,
The
who weigh arguments pro and con with
■great scientific accuracy and practical
skill, have discussed at great length the
question whether horses or oxen are
most Thaor profitable thus on a farm. both sides of the
gives
question Iloi'ses : have undeniable prefer¬
i “ an
ence in the following suitable particulars: all and
“ They are for overs,
kind of work of land-husbandry, in all
ways and in alt weathers. One, there¬
fore, whan he keeps only horses, is not
obliged to choose work for them, but
can use his whole team for any busi¬
ness that occurs, and leave no part of it
to stand still.
" They rapidly, accomplish and every kind of work
more ate more constant.
One can, therefore, not time only complete
the work in the same more prompt
ly, but also require a longer day’s work
•Of them.
, “ In favor of oxen are the following :
“They perform the greater part oi
the work on the farm, as plowing,
:«nd the near carrying .of loads as well
As horses do; and one can, in a usual
day’s nearly work, if they are them. well fed, expe.t
as much from
harness' “ They cost considerably less; their
is much cheaper; their food
Costs much less.
“ A\ hat is an important particular is,
that if they are well taken care of, they
lessen not so much in value, but often
sell Tney for more than they at first cost.
are also subject to fewer hazards
And casualties.
“ Finally, they which give a affords greater quantity
Of excrement, a more
productive manure than that of horses,
i, “ There can, therefore, bo no doubt
that those labors which can bo propor¬ will
tionally done well performed with by oxen, than with be
hor-os. cheaper according oxen
But if to recent ex¬
periments another fodder than grain
Can be introduced for horses, and thus
the expense be lessened, then the ques¬
tion between horses and oxen would
probably stand differently.”
The principal argument of the advo¬
cates for horses in this country appears
to be the superiority of speed; yet the
Well-trained, quick-stepping of ground yoke much of
oxen will plow an acre
Deucr, auu in a snorter nine, man a
pair of horses would do it, unless the
nor.-os are made to trot while plowing;
And they will if got in quicker. a ton of Gov. hay Isaac in a
short a time, not
Hill, of New Hampshire, in a letter
dated Dec. 3, 1843, said: “My own ex¬
perience in this matter i3 quite recent,
and of course limited, I have at this
time cattle of my own raising, which,
having been taught to step quickly with and
having horses, worked will, side in by tho side, same travel team fast
as
fcml mow H-, much in a day as these the same
number of horses. A pair of oxen
will turn over with a plow that carried
twelve inches of the last year’s corn or
potato ground, or easy stubble land,
from one and a half to two acres in a
day, working eight hours, four in the
forenoon and four in the afternoon.
Oxen well fed with hay and a portion of
Indian corn or meal, will, in the heat of
summer, stand working daily from
eight to ten hours.”
In breeding horses the breeder has in
View the possession of strength and
tpeed in his animal, but true economy
Compels the farmer who breeds cattle to
keep in view, and combine as far as he
can, cattle which make good oxen, good
milking cows, and which take on fat
readily. While the Devons may make
the quickest-stepping oxen, and Av
glares and jerseys may give the most
end richest milk, and the Uerefords
mav take on fat the easiest, the Short
iiorns oombine all these qualities. One
reason why I have raised Shorthorns
for many years is that I raise my own
Oxen as well as my cows. I am thus
*nre of having traotable, well-behaved
Sfanvayo cattle, and my team never balks, ami
reauy to puli any reasonaate
load. the
( Another reason why I advocate
raising and keeping of oxen Is that it
furnishes pleasing employment for the
boys on a farm whea the steers are
kroken in the winter time. I have seen
yokes of yearling stews barnevBu io «*
•led, which were docile and obedient,
Cnd enabled the lad who had broken
them to give the girls in th° vicinity an
occasional s ed i de.— D. P. Poole, i»
American Cttilie<Uor,
An Oystennan’s Gossip*
“How will this do?” asked a res¬
tauratcur, bereft pointing to a bivalve that,
of its occupant, reclined against
the wall. “ That’s an oyster that one
man can’t lift, and two men could not
lift it when it. was alive. It’s nearly live
feet long, and each shell weighs about
ibO pounds. The weight of the oyster
itself without the shell must have been
thirty pounds.
“ It’s really a clam, I suppose,” he
continued. “They call them tridacnas,
and they come from the Indian Ocean.
The man I bought this from told me a
curious yarn about one. He said they
grow in the coral, stuck fast so that a
horse couldn’t haul them out, and when
of open natives are regular man traps. shells A party sell
the traders were out bunting them slipped to
to when one of
and sunk his foot right into the animal,
which closed over his leg like a vise. It
was low tide, but the only thing they
had to work with was a piece of| board.
They dug away for an hour, the tide
rising on the poor chap and tho shell
almost cutting his leg in two. Finally
they held the managed shells together to cut and the muscle him that
shave. got friend out,,
but it was a narrow A
wfio has eaten the meat told me that it
was fiuo—more like frog or chicken than
oyster or elam. One will servo a ship’s
crew, and tho natives use the shells to
wash or bathe in when they undergo any
such operation. accounting for
“There’s no tastes
about oysters and the like. I have cus¬
tomers who order the most outlandish
shellfish. There’s one old chap and that’s
been coming here for years, that always
wants a kind of a black elam grows
in Sehroon Lake. Ho has the white
meat taken out and hashed up with a
number of condiments—devilled you
might call it—and ho declares it the
best food in the world. . 1 thought it
was all imagination, so I put up a job
on him and one day used the black mus¬
sels so common on the shore; but tho
old fellow knew them at once. ‘I’ve
tried them,’ he said, ‘and they won’t
work. The peculiar flavor of the fresh
water mussel isn’t there.’ Occasionally
I get about the same clam from the
Ohio River, and it’s a curious thing that
in theso Ohio clams I got pearls that
are alone worth more than the expense
of bringing been small, them but on. I found A good many that
have one
sold for $20, and a lot that brought 50
cents or $1 apiece. I found out at the
jeweler’s that collecting these unios, as
they are called, was a big business. It’s
carried on also in St. Clair County, Ill.,
and Rutherford, County, Tetin. But one
of the largest pearls was found in one of
these sarao unios in a stream at Salem,
N. J. It was about an inoh across and
sold for $2,000—not so bad for the Jer¬
sey clam diggers. I’ve seen these same
shells for sale in the markets in Edm
burgh, Scotland, and in some parti of
Ireland. There they are only used by
the poorest they people.” find pearls in them?”
" Do
“ Yes, some first-class pearls have
been taken from the rivers Tay and
Doon. In one summer over $50,000
worth were taken from all the Scottish
rivers. Wo frequently find pearls in
common oysters. I took two the o*her
day that would have been worth $500
apiece if they hadn’t been boiled. That
takes the luster right out. of ’em. There’s
oue man that comes here who always
wants Florida oysters, so I get them.
The bad is right inside the mouth of the
St. John’s River, at a little place called
Pilottown, and they are the sweetest
oysters you ever ate, when fat, only
they’re as fresh as can be. All they
nerd is plenty of salt. I’ve eaten them
myself right out of the water, and don't
want anything better. bed’s curiosity itself.
“ The oyster a
The whole town is built on ancient oys¬
ter beds that have grown to the surface
slowly, and pushed the river to the
south; this has been going on of for ages, mile
so that if you dig inland a quarter will a
from the shore you come up¬
on oyster shells solid. I washed a man
dig the foundation for a house when 1
was there, and a foot down there was
nothing but the old beds. In some
places the shells were piled in mounds,
showing that the old settlers must have
enjoyed them, and there you can find all
the old pottery you want. In Ivey West,
further down, there’s a part of the place
called Conchtown. on account of the
fact that the?e shellfish are eaten there.
I’ve tried them also, but excuse mo. I
took (tinner with an acquaintance I'd there,
once, and he asked me if have some
conch stew. It looked just like chicken
stew, ana tine chicken at that—rattier
more like turkey meat. I said ‘Yes,’
but 1 tell you when I took tho firs'
mouthful I wished I hadn’t come. I
tried a piece, and I am not a very feeble
biter, but that piece of conch bounded
about in my mouth from tooth to tooih
like a bit of rubber.
Sound “Up in New England they think about these
darns we eat here are as
bad—quahaugs they call them —and they
only use t hem for food for pigs. Here
people seem to like I.itt'e Neck clams as
well aa oysters; but there’s only one
way to eat them, and that Is devilled.
Fix them this way and serve in the
shell, and they’re good. Half of the
people that eat raw oysters don’t like
them. They only do it because it’s a
nice dish to order and smacks of good
living. Now, when a man orders half
a dozen of the largest oysters it certainly
can’t be because he likes the flavor, as
a big oyster has not the choice flavor
that epicures pretend be cooked, to like. and Big small oys¬
ters ought reserved only to but if
one.s for raws; you ven¬
ture to serve a dozen small oysters on
the shell, people think you are cheating
them. What do' 1 consider tho best
oyster? Well, the Shrewsbury. They
have a different color, and a sweet,
delicate taste that seems to me better
than that of any other. But there isn’t
one man in five hundred that can tell
the difference between Shrewsbury*.
Long Bland*. Mill Ponds Best. Rivers,
Providence Rivers, etc. They think they
can. so it's alt right. At a good man
eatin/-houses you can get any kind ot
an oyster, in season or out, but they ail
come from some «cnib bed. The largest
are labelled Saddle Rocks, another size
and shape Blue Points, and ■*<» on. Blue
Points are perhaps the m *st in de¬
maud now; tney s>*-t tr-un $4.60 to tsfi.oo
per barrdl. East Rivers are estimated
the be-'t placed by a good market many, as *h»*v Thev >r
onlv in the late.
range imprlee from $4.50 to $9' a thou¬
sand, according to the demand and the
supply. and The full. consumers don’t, feel the
rise It is felt onlv i»V the
wholesalers. Moina of the largest oysters
come from Old Point, Fortress Monroe.
From there they reach Baltimore and so
travel north.. Baltimore is the &ig oys¬
ter depot, a*l they put up immense
quantities in cans. It's a great sight to
see 50 or 100 darkies shucking oysters
a9 fast as the sraacks unload them. A
smart man ought to open from 4.900 to
5,000 a day. I i nderstand a team of
four men have shucked 25.000 ov-ters
in $23, a day. Baltimore Thau would give them about
here, of prices. all Oysters are eaten
course, summer, but sunamc.r
is their breeding time, and they ought
to be let alone. They're not up to the
mark until the water gets cold. This
season promises to be a big one for oys¬
ters: prices will perhaps be a Tittle
higher.”—AT. F. Stun. _
THE HANGO TRICK.
How It h Doao-Bot m WiwdcrfoB f»»
(ilftrper’a Weekly.] the
With certain Indian jugglers- effestive
“mango” triok is their most
feat. A in an go seed is produced, and a
flower pot filled, with mold, and. after a
lot of ceremony (in plain English and fuss),
the seed is put.under the mold sev¬
eral coverings of- baskets and cloths are
placed over the pot. Then there to more
ceremony and lingering about- the cov¬
ered basket, raul the pot is shown, with
tlie mango leaves just sprouting- net up.
Then it is covered over again the a more is
hooussing goes and on, and is newer to
lifted up again the plant seen
have grown.. The covering, hooussing,
go on, thri* plant meanwhile having
further grown and become strong enough
to bear fruit, tlie blossom to appear, the
fruit to ripen, which is then plucked off
and given to be eaten.
Now, we, for our part, can iwit under¬
stand how any one can hoc through the
performance. Nay, even when to a
fellow spectator, who once viewed this
perfosaaaMce, we explained the details, of
the trick after it was over, to would not
la-lievc, but reckoned the affair wouder
fnl, and even partaking of the super¬
natural. We can only attribute it to his
having been so mystified as to have Ix-esi
actually mesmerized, though partaking this
of conscience. The real truth about
feat was that the green and ripe fruits,
and every branch and shoot that was
exhibited, wore actually there, just as
much as the seed and tho flower pot -
all iu the wraps and folds and baskets
which formed the covering. Wo were
carefully watching the man's proceed¬
ings, real ist that time had acquired some
knowledge of juggling tricks. As we
were not allowed to touch the in
stnunents of the exhibition .after the par¬
ticular jK-rkamauce began, the baskets,
wraps, etc., could not bo disturbed; but
with our own eyes wo saw the performer the
draw out the branches, eta, from
folds of the doth, and noticed him stick¬
ing them into the pot beneath the oovor
i:ig, working away with his hands, and
us we thought., very clumsily. asked by
The question may to a
doubter of our account of tho process,
how about a green and a rijio fruit, as
well as blossoms, being produced there sim¬
ultaneously, say at a period is, when when they
were no such tilings; tlust indeed, has
are: out of season ? This, complete
been brought forward as a
answer by those who tolievo iu these
jugglers. To answer this is not so dif¬
ficult, however, as it appears. India is a
vast continent, and from its southern
most limit ou the Indian Ocean, whore
there is little difference between summer
and winter, to its northern boundary on
the snowy Himalayas, there is existing
every variety of climate at any given
time of the year. The mango flourishes
equally in Ceylon aud in the nub
selves, Himal'ayau passing countries. through We have tho plains our¬
m
into the upper Himalayas, in the course
of successive weeks, seen the mango
season just over on the plains; a little
higher up mangoes were just in season;
the fruits forming higher up still; tho
blossoms in full flush a couple of
thousand feet higher; while higher still
the blossoms had not yet made an ap¬
pearance. With this fact arc to be taken
two others, thy first, that Indian jug¬
glers all tolong to oue Masonic brother¬
hood, and are in intimate communica¬
tion with oue another, all ever on the
move; and the second, that ever, they
will decline at times to perform this par¬
ticular feat; that is, when they are not
provided with the blossoms, green and
ripe fruits. The seeds, shoots, etc-., are
always everywhere procurable. doubter, let
H there to still any other
us only add that after the performance aside
detailed above we took the man
(unwilling naturally to expose the roan »
and destroy the credit by and asked means him oi
which he made liis that living^ tho branches and
if it was not true
fruits were all there in the wraps. Tho
glance of our eye told him that we knew
everything that he did, and so lie con¬
fessed that what we said was the truth,
and apologized by saying tlust ho roust
make a living.
Trying a Boy.
After a bootblack had polished rambling the
boots of gentleman who was
around the Citv Hall, jt was discovered
that the man had nothing less than a
dollar bill and the boy no more than
fifte-n cents. this
“ I suppose you can get
changed?” suggested the man.
“ Ou, And yes.” find when
*• you can me you
-come back P”
“ Yes. ”
“ But if I place this dollar in your
hands will it not be a temptation to you
to cut sticks?”
of. wouldn't steal- no sich sum as
that,” contemptuously replied the boy,
“but for fear l might git a telegram and
be called out of town in a harry, I
guess you’d better l think go I along. trust you. Go
“ Mv son, can deceived in
on your wsy. I was uever
| a boy The yet. boy started down Griswold street
and did not return, The man did not
wait, however, It was a busted Cano
di&n bank bill .—Detroit Free Frets.
—Amende-, ieav^ r,n,e «»d ness be
hind when they g > to i* -ri-. So Mr
Moody -aid in hi. first sermon in that
o ty. Th--ir desire is to-e*- ad 'he -ight-.,
an<t these, he thinks, Christians shoui-l
avoid.
Land Drainage In ffffi West.
Drwht'iTg several land by feet the below employment the of
tile placed the ground has SMute but little sur¬
face of
progrew in the Western States until
within the past few years, The great'
ad vantages of this method of draining
damp sols were demonstrated in vari
:>us parts »f Europe many years ago,
aml the system there pursued was in
troduccd into- some of the Eastern
States. TlSe no was a greater necessity
for underdvainage in the Wests Mian in
I he East, few the reasons that tho sur¬
face of tlie land is more nearly level and
the soils mom retentive of moisture. It
is al o true in:respect to many portions
nf the West that tho rainfall is vary un¬
equally distributed during the- year.
There is a grc-nC excess and during tberearly
part of tho-season deficiency dur¬
ing tins thorough, latter portion. The desirabil¬
ity of systematic and ooien
tifio land drainage was prevented acknowledged, ulop
out several reasons its
t on. Many farmers were in debt for
their land, or for improvements they
had madb'ondtj. Oilers owed consider¬
able for farming, implements and.stock.
Still others-, were desirous of buying
more land in tixe vicinity of their fhrins
while it was still comparatively hesitated about, cheap. bor¬
Ail those persons
rowing mouoy to improve their places
by laying draia-tile. A farmer whs has
just got out Ho-realizes oi debt hesitates such relief to.plunge
m again. burrism that ho is a reluctant from
a great to
assume a. new one. Farmers who arc
land-hungry are reluctant to pay. out as
much money; to drain a piece of laud as
it will ep^t-t» purchase another piece of
equal extent. Besides, many farmers
have negleoted to drain their land for
want of information-on the-snbject, and
on nccouufr of a lack of material within,
easy reach
Tho present is a favorable time for
Western farmers to consider She pro¬
priety of draining their low lands.
Most of them havo money to invest.
Some desire more land, but they find it
hard to obtain in. the vicinity of their
homes. They can, do no bettor than to.
render the land they drainage. havo nwru produc¬
tive by means of On many
farms nothing there but are tracts that that produce of lit¬
coarse grass is,
tle value for sto -k. Those low tracts
can be rendered the most productive judicious
of any on tho farm by the
nso of drain-tUe. Low land receives
tho wash of that which 1 os above it,
and in time becomes very rich is all
the e’ements of plant food. By the
use of drain-tile the area of plowable
land can bo greatly increased on a largo
proportion, of prairie farms. By the
same moans the productiveness of much
land that, can bo plowed In favorable
reasons can be increased. In many
cases the yield of nearly till the culti¬
vated crops can bo doubled by the
adoption of a sultab’e drainage. If a
farmer wishes to ra no more than lie
now does, and has the ohoioo between
buying more ’and and draining what ho
owns, it is better to select tho hitter
eorr c. By so doing ho will save feno
ing and taxes, llo will also save much
labor. No more plowing and cultivat¬
ing, and hut 1 tile more labor in harvest¬
ing, nre than required small to produce Drainage a lingo
crop a one. in¬
creases tho quality as well as the quan¬
tity of crops. It also.lengthens land worked, out the
season in w ioh the cun bo
li enables Mm farmer to plow earlier in
tho s ring and Inter in tho fa'l. It also
enables him to do better work with any
implement he uses in the so;L It helps
insure crops agiin-l bad seasons.
However desirable underdrainage may
be, it should not to undertaken without
due consideration, A funner should
learn l e ore he commences operations
how ran h should the Improvements ascertain whore are lie to
cost. lie
can obta n t ie, tho cost nt the manu
faolory, tto should and also the leant cost how of transportation, to dig ditches,
lay the tde, and place tho earth abortt
llfem. 1).telling is an art that requires
i ou sidcntblc sk 11.' Many farmers havo
lost heavily by attempting to under
drain land with the aid of such knowl¬
edge as they have derived from a news¬
paper article or a circular sent out by
some tile factory. Unless a farmer is
will ng to spf nd considerable time in
learning how to do tho work properly, tools and
and to purchase the necessary
implements, lie will find it profitable lay to
employ the services of a surveyor to
out the work, and to engage an expen
eneo I ditcher to perform it. Much can
be learned !>v visiting some po lion ol
1ml ana or Illinois, where much land
has been drained. Excellent works on
farm drainage have been written, which
give in detail nearly all tho informa¬
tion required to enable an intelligent
farmer to do all the work .—Chicarjo
Times!. ______
Two Smiths.
During Vanderbilt’s brief stay in De¬
troit there happened t/> be in the city,
and at the same hotel, an Ohio man who
so closely resembled him that d >zens of
people could hardly tell which from
which. This was the case with tho at¬
tendants at, the cloak-room. Having
helped the Buckeye to put on his duster
anu given him hal/-a-dozen raps with
the broom, ho stood back and waited.
“Well," queried tho guest, “how much
is the extortion?” “Do las’ time you
was heali, sah, you gin— " “Never was
here before in my life.” "Hain’t you
de Commodore? ’ “No, I’m the (Lio¬
nel.” “You hain’t WanderbiltP” “No,
I’m Smith.” “Woll. dat circuisoritos
de case, an’ proves dat one darky men.” stan’s
no fiort o’ show agin two white
“How?” “Why, do odder gom’lan, who
looks moas’ ’zactly like you, said his
name was Smith, too, and he got away
widout puttin’ his hand in his pocket! ’
—Wall Street News.
When hens get to to 4 or 5 years old,
they are ns>t profitable layers, and tto
er]>erienoed owner of a hennery tonds
their breaet tones, breaks the tough
muscles about the wings, and sells them
for spring chickens to city enstonut-rs. best
The average spring chickeu is the
known friend of city dentists ; one of
them, an experienced setter, loss l>eeu
known to equal half a dozen fall sets.
—For deliriously dazzling falsehood
vou want to hear die story of ihe Ver¬
tnon ba gage man. who. hav ng a 1 t
tie t-me between -ta'iorrs. took a ham
mer and nails and repaired a trunk that
showed a disposition to burst. —It sm.
Pott.
IT ORTH KS0WHTG.
B«r me nmmi fly, the WtckcS Flea
■M the UlMqnite May Alt ft* Pat to
Flight,
[t'rw JTnn»»r ! s B#ur.]
camomile,” The pyrethrmn roaeum, or ‘'Persian
is the powdered ks£ of a
harmless flower growing in Carwasian
A sis in great profusion, where foremt
urfes it lias bee*' used to rid tbe na
tives-.rf insects. With a finely-prepared
dust- made from these flowers,, which
can 'iie purchased of almost any relia¬
ble (fonisjgiflt at about 70' cents a pound,
the tons® fly, the wicked flea and She
mosquito may- be put; to flight or to
tost. A> order to enjoy this delicious
nddsmee >t »s only necessary to heap tty
T sss a J^f) Wne r i 3L.*i'fcX'o V t t l
smoke » if rises to tS* ceiling and is
wafted through the aag, changing the
busy drone of-insect ltfb into a wenk
wail they of insect woe. Ftotty soon down
corne plump on to the table and
over you . - sheathe paper spin on f>eir t.iuy bucks
ftnd then, their lancets, curl up
their haiivlike legs, and interest one no
more. Up stairs the little ones sleep
unmolested, though there* are thousands
of mosquitoes- in tho ro*n ; the pests
are sk'k into death, and. cling aiully to
the walls*, too feeble to think of tap
ping the well,, warm bl*od that glows
in ruddy little limbs j-sst below ; the
fume of die pvvethrum while it has settled their
business, ana lingers in the
room outsiders ore nnu i'iing to make an
entry, though the windows are raised
rani' tho lattices only/ half closed.
Gauze bin's nre hot, stuffy' things at
tost, ai d. one must be sadly, driven to
attempt to sleep undos such a cover;
then, iu w.e nil know, too mosquito id
ways finds liis way through, no matter
how carefully one may tuck up its folds
atout the couch.
Smoke from the Persian camomile or
its dusty powder and we readers, have found will bless most
efficacious, your
me when once they try it. The purity
of the drug must be assured. This can
readily be tested. It must have a bright
buff color ; be light, readily burned, and
giv® a pleasant, tea-like fragrance ; om:
pinch .should kill a dozen flies, confined
in a bottle, at once. When it fails ol
these properties it has been adulterated
In e-ouiBiou use, in large dilution, or breezy it fails rooms.
where, from great to
kill, it nevertheless produces ou insect
life, through its volatilized essential oil
or resin, undoubted nausea, vertigo, res¬
piratory spasms, and paralysis. It acts
upon them through tubes, tho minute spiracles,
tho breathing that stud the sur¬
face of their little bodies, and from tto
delicate network of veins in their tiny
wings. To human beings it is, so for and as
I can disagreeable. ascertain, entirely That innoxious, family of
not we—a
eight iiersous, infants and adults—have
lived for several weeks in an atmosphere
of pyrethmm dust and smoko com¬
bined, during this present summer, is
sufficient proof of rnv statement. To the
skeptic I recommend an interesting ex¬
periment : Puff the pyrethrum into a
close, warm room, where flies mont lovo
to swarm, just after dark, shut the door,
and make another visit in thirty minutes.
The sight of seeing millions of dead and
squirming vermin ou the floor will do
liis heart good—that is, if ho is human
and not an drafted angel. plan of battle
Having those our
against little foes, it becomes pro¬
per to speak of the care of tlie wounded.
To cure mosquito stings, I know noth¬
ing betto rthan a 20-per-cent, solution in
either oil or water of pure carbolic neid.
This is to to rubbed well on tlie painful and
spot. To bathe cue’s tingling hands
smarting liinto with this solution gives
a cooling, grateful sensation that is hard
to describe. Carbolic soap will do al¬
most ns well, or an ointment cosmofine. compound¬
ed of carl nil, camphor anil
Catfish Catching Ducks.
Recently the lien mentioned the fact
that a wild duck had hatched n brood of
seven ducklings in the slough near 1).
street, and could be seen early in the
morning with the colony, the rest of tbe
time hiding in the willow jungles. but
'J hey became about twelve half-grown, days have met
within the past
with a singular death from an unex¬
pected source. A gentleman who be¬
came accustomed to seeing and work looking
for them as he went to his was
one, morning surprised to wee one of
them suddenly s nk in an aw sward
manner and not, appear again, but brush. con
eluded that it had hidden in the
The next morning there were only six
of the young ones seen noar the same
spot. Suddenly one of these went un¬
der with a struggle, a fluttering o hulf
t’edged wings, and a quack ng. What
was tho force was a mystery, though Tbe
the other birds fled in a right.
no-xt two mornings being tho same reduced w:us re
pealed, the number one
each time. seemed be
The tilth day tho ducks to
very cautious, avo ding deep water and
brush. The next da , the observer, who
had become very much interested, s; ent
half an hour watch,ng tho mother and
her three remain ng darlln '■>. At
length they floated alongside the foot¬
bridge where he was standing. VY hen
thev neared a post in the water, up
from behind it darted a large cattish
that was in waiting lor tho leathered
victim. One of was the seized by tlie tish body, hid
and the jaws from view raoac ous the captor
deliberately the prisoner as to its den irf
swam away
the brush. The next day the distanoe, wi nes*
saw another eon most from a
but could not see tho fish. Since then
he has watched four mornings, but has
not seen the mother and the o’her young
one. it is a matter of doubt whether
they were captured or took warning by
tlie fat; of the six and left for parts uu
known —naemmento Iter..
—Several months ago the ragpicker.- foi
of St. Louis formed an association
the purpose of mu'utl aid and protection iheir
and to prove to the world that, in
own language, a ragpicker can be a gen
tleman. This union ha- flourished dur¬
ing the summer, and at a meeting a few
days ago they had the satisfaction of
hearing what a good record their trade
is-making. It seems to be the general
opinion in St. Louis that they enterpris¬ are c n
ducting their business in an
ing and upright manner, and winning
the respect to which their own self
respect entitles them.— Chira-uo Herald.
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.
A sew musical instrument is called
the tmgelico. It is formed of fifty pieces
ct crystal, and haw a key-board a» long
as a piano. Half-times can be played.
It is played with two little hammers ;
the boss-hammer bae> two prongs, which
take an octave ; the treble-hammer is
ain gle, mad plays tho Melody. The tones
of this instrument resemble the human
voice.
CKn.rr.ok3 is being used in Pavia for
with making special stereotypes. Tbe which mold is taken
a cement, receiver
the impression and rapidly hardens.
. The eelluloiiV sheet is then used to eb
;printin tain the impression g^hfloid to has be a&o employed teen need far
ft* V“£Er giving typographical io representation* L
?'*om ;?• tlm lace teelf. ” “ g “•
•***• E- MI p Ulantm chums Mr ^ the Bosh
. Bother advance art than he has
f™ found eu 5* other in people South
. among cur- in
‘ Atrn-a. They show much akill m tbe
• manipulation a® stone of and wood, tho manu
meture of veseeafc-ont bone and
eggs, *°d have executed with
tools of flint drawings, or engravings,
carvings of considerable merit* m
the caves and s ic the walls of their huts,
Row people nr® aware that the proud
boast of the Staglishmen that tho sun
never sets on the British empire is
: equally applicable to the United States,
J Instead of being the western limit of the
; Union, Bun Francisco is only about mid
j way lietween the furthest Aleutian isle,
; acquired Eastport, by o«r purchase of Alaska, and
Mo. Our territory extend*
j through 197 degrees of longitude, than or
seventeen degrees more half way
'round the globe. The Hooky. Moun
tain Prmbyferian, iu commenting on
’this fact, say# : “ When th* sun iagiv
iugits good-rightkiss to Behring’s oub westernmost it
isle, on tho coniines of sea,
is already flooding the fields and forests
■ of Maine with its morning light, and in
the eastern part of tho State is more than
an hour high. At tho very moment when
'the Aleutian fisherman, warned by the
approaching shades of night, is pulling
bis canoe toward the shore, the wood
chopper of Maine with is beginning the stirring to inusio make
tho forest, echo,
of his ax.”
Ar a level oi tto sea, or where Ilia
mercury stands in a barometer tuba
thirty Indies high* water toils iu an open
dish at a temperature of 213 degrees.
For every 550 feet wo ascend it lads at
one degree less. Thus, at au elevation
of 1,100 foot it l roil# at 210 degrees, and de¬
at an elevation of 5,500 feet at 202
grees. At tho City of Mexioo water boila
at 200 degrees; at Quito at 104 ; and on
the summit of one of tho Himalaya
mountains at 180. Darwto was not aide
to cook potatoes by toiling on om> of the
mountains ho ascended m cook Paragon beef by in,
and Humboldt could not
tho samo method on tho top of one oi
the Alps. Iu mines below tho level of
tbs sea n greater temperature than 212
degrees is required boils at to cause low water tem¬ to
toil. If water a very
perature, the he it is not suflioient to
molt fat in meat, to coagulate albumen
in eggB, or to decompose tissues in other
articles of food. Cooking must there¬
fore bo performed by other means than
that of toiling. The circumstance that
water toils at a certain place does not
show that it contains sufficient hoat to
cook food in a reasonable time. The
less tho pressure of the air, the lower
the temperature required to boil liquids
Tub Dumas family lias always liecn ro
nnnkublo for strength aud address. One
night at tlie play, Gen. Dumas, the
grandfather of Dumas tho younger,
tiling a man out of the stage box on to
the stage. Dumas the elder wns a man
of Herculean strength, and Dumas the
younger excels in uJl games of strength and
and skill. He is a master juggler, round
he can put a frame of kuivou »
human head leaning against a board, .
with tbe most consummate surety erf
hand . George Band was a brilliant pu¬
pil of Dumas tho younger, and in liar
later yeura she used to amuse herself for
days in this perilous pastimo.
—The Toronto Globe says that as one
travels over our beautiful country, and
meets on every hand sturdy, weli-to do
farmers, who beg in life without a dollar,
cleared their farms and now are spend
ing the evening of their days thinking in peaoo
and plenty, one can hardly befall help
that worse thingr might a mux
than to bo oompelletL to start life on a
brush farm.
—The be«t results from wood ashes
are secured by adding a siu ill pnqior
tion of common »-a t Allies contain aH
tho mineral elements of the plant, and
they exert a good influence in unlock¬
ing fertility that would not bo otherwise
available. In burning an>thing the
chlorine it. contains b carried off with
the smoke and salt; chloride of sodinm
supplies the deficiency .—IruliauajxAta
Journal.
—Coffee-grounds make a highly sno
cessful fill ifc/ lor a pin-c ,sh on. They
must to dried ferfoctly be ore us ng.
1 tit them in a bag and hang be ioid the
kitchen stove till you ha o e ougli that
are dry to fill tlie cushion. I hcv d-> not
gather moistnre and consequently donot
rust the neesllo.— N. Y. To t.
—plain Rusks One cup o’ yeast on»
cup o sugar, one cup of water, ona
egg. a little s ilt, a large spoon ul of
lard, m : x together, let them ns®
twice and ba e .—Gtiicqo Times.
—When mildew appears on tha
lower side of grape leaves it should be
che ked at once bv dust ng with bower
of sulphur, appl'ed with a pair of bel¬
lows, This is said to beoffootive.— C’nir
vai/o Journal.
—So ip your dirtie t clotlios and soak
them in warm wator over night. Usw
hard soap to wash your clothes, and
to wash vour floors. So’t soap Is so slip¬
pery that it wastes a good deal in wash¬
ing clothes.
—A crayon portrait of President Gar¬
field has 'been, by soggestion of the
Queen, placed in Westminster Abbey.
—The women of Norway, while driv¬
ing their pigs to raarkei on a verv hot
day, will protect them with umbrellas.
In that country the whip, in driving, is
only an ornament, and bearing rein*
are unknown._ world
Those »uo ocjucve me owes
them a living don't stop to consider how
many bad debts the old globe taw w>
shoulder.