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| 'Talks LDith farmers Conducted By C. H. Jordan The Sugar Cane Industry. With the price ot corn, meet, lard, oats and other provision* needed on the farm higher than for the past quarter of a century, and the cotton crop eelUnc at 7 cent* per pound or the ooet of production, the question naturally arise*: How li the producer of cotton to successfully meet thia condition of afflairs? The answer can be quickly given. It cannot be done un der the present system of farming. It tateoa no expert mathematician to figure the position which men must In evitably occupy from a business or finan cial standpoint when the necessaries of life that trust be purchased are high in price and the money products to bo sold with which to pay for au necessaries are ssiling at or below the cost of produc tion. The conditions which confront our peo ple on the farms at the present time are Mrtoua. and are devoid of ail theoretical significance They must be met, as ail serious affairs which confront us must be faced, with courage and firmness char acteristic of the southerner's wen earned reputation of an Indomitable determina tion to overcome obstacles which imperii the future of his home and country. If we today stand on the brink of ruin, bv adhering to existing systems, it is time that we should seriously consider the “parting of the trays." Revolutions in political or Industrial life must bo evolved slowly If the generations tn which they occur expect to reap what ever rewards follow in the wake of chang es such as are Imperative. No sane man advocating the best meth /» eds of developing successful agriculture In the south by any quickening process would suggest the general abandonment of growing cotton on any southern farm where the staple is at preeent being ex tensively produced. Neither can any sane man looking to the ultimate and general prosperity of the farmer continue to ad vocate a policy which at P r *** nt .nd which is alone responsible for all the ills and the evils which conftwit us that of raising cotton to the 1 Q ‘ l 2 all other crops. The well balanced J»raln which must solve the present problems will bo found earnestly endeavoring to hit the happy me<uum. which can only be found tn diversified Mficu.ture Wo must grow other crops which will »bow a profit and which can be converted Into cash as readily as cotton. • A Good Money Crop. A crop which ranks second to none in twporte nee and demand tn the south and one which ranks pre-eminently above all others in profit on output per acre, is that of nigr cane. Incontrovertible fncts &nd figures can be gathered by the thousand to sustain the assertion made. While the culture of sugar cane cannot cover *c wide and extended a territory as that of cdtton. owing to climate conditions, it can. nevertheless, be successfully planted over a large proportion of territory throughout the middle and southern por tions of the present cotton belt. Hun dreds of thousands of acres of land at present planted each year in cotton to the detriment of landlord and tenant alike could be made to yield an immense net revenue if converted into sugar cane plantation*. Note the striking illustration of an inci dent which recently occurred in Muscogee county, over in the western part of the state, and on the bank* Os the Chattahoo chee river. A farmer living a few miles out from Columbus, engaged in the busi ness of diversified agriculture, had plant ed this year nine acres in sugar cane. A vepeuuentative from one of the syrup re fineries in that section of the state, after personal inspection of this particular nine acre field, offered its owner 88® for the cane as it stood, spot cash—that is. 81® per acre before it was gathered. The owner, knowing the value of his cane and the demand for syrup, refused to accept less than MfiO per acre. This field of cane, it was asserted, had been plowed but three times since It was planted, placing the cost of production at a minimum figure. On the same farm and under the same management cotton was also grown which produced one bale per acre this season and sold in the open markets for 135 Now, figure out the comparative net value of each crop, based upon the relative sei Hr g price of the product per acre. The cane, with three plowings, worth standing in the field 8150 per acre, and cotton, after all the expense of cultivation, harvesting, ginning and hauling to market, bringing in gross only 135. and it is doubtful whether this cottcn. although averaging a bale per acre, turned out to the owner any net profit. Certainly not. unless pro duced as a money crop, and not be'ng forced to bear the burdens of the usual expenses of the farm. Who could ques tion or doubt the advantage which the cane crop in this instance had over that of the fleecy staple to the producer. The Cultivation of Cane. Since ISI4 fbgar cane has been culti vated tn south Georgia, and nearly every farmer in that section of the state is fa miliar with the methods employed in its planting, fertilisation, culture and har vesting. Just why the farmers, who must know the high value of this crop to the grower, do not annually extend its acre age is a question which has not yet been fully answered unless It be from indiffer ence. There can be presented no other good reason. But the money value of our cotton crop is getting down so close to the cost of production that necessity will force the rightful recognition of the high value of sugar cane and an Interest in its growth will be forced upon the attention of middle and south Georgia farmers, as indifference cannot longer control their wishes in the matter. One subject, as food for thought may be found In the RESTORES EYESIGHT. * ■■ II! ■— ■ ■ ■.! ••Actin*,” a Wonderful Discovery Which Cure* Diseased Eye*, No Hatter W het her Chronic or Acute, Without Cut ting or Drugging. There is no disease of the eye but what may. under proper stimulation and electrical eadtatlcn. ba restored to Its normal condi tion ■This can bo done as cortalnly as the sun shines and fire burns.” say the officers of New York and London Electric Auo elation, sole dtstrtbvt era of the now famous w Invention ter the treat meet of diseases of the *r* ,a<l e<T > c<u ' ed "Actlna—the treat *t »>- restorer and a- larrh cure. ' The effect tn the application of "Acting” to diseased grgans la Uke the actinic rays of the sun. wnien live life and motion to all forms of human and vegetable Ufe—lts action absorbs the impurities which create disease and puri fies and stimulates the aetlon,of any diseased nerve and organ. It tea wonderful Electro- CT'.emico Invention, and. üben used as di rected. It will absolutely bring back a nor mal condition of the eye, none or throat. Cataracts have been removed. Astigma tism. Myopia. Amarausts cured and eye sight restored so that spectacles could bo abandoned, and this without cutting or drug ging A hock of IM pages—a complete diction ary of disease, which t*Us about "‘Ac ting. ” the diseases It will cure, what others think of it. what marvellous cures It has effected and all about the responsibility of Its owners, will be sent absolutely free upon yeduest A postal card will bring It. This should be In the library of every family. Address NEW YORK AND LONDON ELEC THJC ASSOCIATION. Dept, tt, M> Walnut it.. Kansas City, Mo. following conditions which confront us; five years ago Texas produced only about 800.000 bales of cotton. Last year her farmers raised one-third of the entire American crop. It Is openly asserted that Texas can produce easily 18.000.000 bales of cotton, nearly twice the demand for American cotton by the world for con sumption. If the same ratio of produc tion is kept up by Texas for the next ten years, there will be left to the farmers oast of the Mississippi but one of two proposition*, one to engage in diversified agriculture, growing cotton solely as a money crop, the other to quit farming and go at something else. As a matter of fact, the farmers east of the Mississippi will simply change present methods and forge ahead along the lines of progress and introduce up-to date systems of diversified agriculture as they are now gradually preparing to do. The culture of sugar cane is one of the best money making crops which can be grown on the farm, in those sections where soil and climatic conditions are suitable to its successful growth. Thor ough preparation of the land by deep 'plowing, fertilising with a high grade compleu fertiliser and shallow cultiva tion are some of the important essentials in successful cane culture. Nitrate of soda applied as a top dressing to the growing crop has been proven highly de sirable. Cane requires a high percentage of moisture during all stages of its growth, hence the question of moisture should be considered in selecting the land for the cane field. With the extension of the cane indus try will come the erection, not only of syrup refineries, but also of sugar refiner ies. which will give an increased value to the product of the cane fields. Farmers will make no mistake to embark more largely in this comparative new field of agriculture and particularly those who are already tired of struggling with the cotton industry wil lhave every Induce ment to change from a bad to a decided ly more attractive and profitable system. Georgia farmers should not only supply the material for clothing of the people of our state, but should also furnish the food supplies as well. Extensive sugar cane culture canont come too quickly. HARVIE JORDAN. Culture of Sugar Cane. H. H. Harrington, Chemist to Texas Ex periment Station. When the cane is planted, its lowest depth should be above the level of the center furrow in the middle dividing the rows; this insures drainage from the cane, and protects it against wet rot. On the other hand, dry rot is apt to occur if the land Is cloddy with little moisture in It. Under these conditions, the cane rap idly evaporates its moisture. In Louisi ana, it is customary to plant two run ning stalks, if the cane is planted in spring. This is to Insure a perfect stand on the sugar plantations, where so much depends upon a good stand. But tn plant ing a few acres for syrup, if the ground Is properly prepared, and the season suft able, this extreme care is unnecessary. When the cane first starts to coming up, the planter may feel very much disap pointed at the absence of a stand. But do not become toO soon discouraged. One shoot to every root may be considered a good stand, since the stalk has great power for suckering, and will soon add to a stand that was at first very unpromis ing. There is likely to be an ultimate stand of three to six canes to the foot, from planting oniy one running stalk. Many of these canes, suckers especially, are likely to die down in the struggle for existence, before the season is over. But if we can harvest three good canes to the lineal foot, the crop may be considered as a very satisfactory one. Os course the width of the rows will have some bear ing upon this. If the cane comes up thick from the start. It is likely to sucker ex cessively and become too thick; so that it is well to get what suckers are wanted, early in the season—that Is started from the parent stalk as soon as possible—and then cultivate to suppress additional suck ers. In Louisiana, they attempt to pre vent excessive suckering by close culti vation; but not close enough to cut the roots of the cane. Sucker* appearing af ter about the middle of June are not like ly to mature in this latitude; although season and soil will work some influence. It is quite likely that the locality, north or south, from which the seed cane Is ob tained. will exert some influence upon the date of its maturity, just as It does with other crops. But have had no op portunity of determining definitely the ex tent of this influence. There are three principal varieties of cane grown In Texas and Louisiana. The red or purple cane, the ribbon cane and the green cane. The red cane is the hardiest variety; will resist cold and drouth better, and Is perhaps a little rich er in saccharine matter at time of cutting, because it matures earlier, though there is little difference In saccharine matter between it and ribbon cane. The green cane contains, or appears to contain, more juice than either of these, but is not so sweet until late in the season, since It is rather late tn maturing. It is, however, a softer cane—easier to crush—and this Is a property worth considering when horse power mills are to be used. Dr. Stubbs has shown at the Louisiana experiment station that the upper one-third of the stalk may be used for planting, and the lower two-thirds reserved for grinding. Whether the whole stalk, or only tho up per part of it lb planted, it is well to re member that cutting the stalk should be done only when necessary to give a straight row and uniform covering. "Some people have an idea that cutting the cane into short pieces at the time of planting, stimulates subsequent sprouting and pro pagation. The reverse is true. In early spring the cane should be "barred off" and the top of the ridge re moved with hoes to allow the young shoots to come out. Care should be exer cised at this time, in order that a good stand may be obtained. When the cane is large enough, the middles may be brok en out. throwing a good be<L to the cano and leaving a clean, clear middle furrow to facilitate drainage during the spring rains. While the cane needs a large amount of water for full development, it cannot en dure standing sub-soil water in actual contact with the roots. It is the practice with many farmers to use the turning plow for cultivation from this time on to "laylng-by." Dr. Stubbs strongly con demns this practice and believes that af ter the first bed is made with the turning plow it should then be discarded and culti vators used entirely, using the disc culti vator to throw dirt to the cane, and the middle or diamond cultivator for break ing out the middles. Sweeps may be used Instead of cultivators, if these are not on the farm. The season will have some In fluence In deciding the kind of cultivation. Only two facts are necessary to keep in mind, and then use judgment suited to the conditions. Ist. A good bed to the cane should be maintained until the lat ter part of the season at least. 2d. Fre quent and shallow cultivation conserves moisture. The ground should be kept in good tilth or “heart” from the time the cane is planted until it is laid by. A Colorado lawyer deliberately blew himself up with dynamite while smoking a cigar. Colorado doos have some fear fully bad cigars.—Kansas City Journal. Now that we have free trade with the Philippines, why would it not be well to let it go as that a while and see how it would work?—lndianapolis News. THE SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1901. HOW TO MAKE A CATAPULT GUN. f. ■ rrwtf MM JK /// p ' at —- —u -exAZur Perhaps a number of our reader* who live Ih the country have guns that fire real powder and shot, but of course, guns of this kind are of no use to tho “city boys," and to thoee of our country readers whose parent* will not allow them to us* fire arm*, so we wtll tell you how to make a gun that will shoot very well Indeed, and with which you can make some very fair scores, whether you use it for sparrow’s or just for target shooting. Take a piece of hard board about three feet long, three Inches wide and one and a half Inches thick. Commencing at one end of this, smooth one edge with your jack-knife until it is curved like the under side of a gun barrel to within four inches of the other end. Leave it square here. Now cut a groove half an inch deep tho whole width of the upper edge. Scrape this groove with the edge of a small piece of glass until It Is as smooth inside as you can get it this way. Now take a piece of sandpaper and rub the inside of the groove until it is perfectly smooth, with no bumps or splinters whatever in it, a* in figure 1. Bore a hole about the sise of an ordinary lead pencil half way between the firoove and the curved under side of the stick and one foot from the end. Take a piece of lead pencil four inches long and smear It with glue. Now stick it through this hole, so The Plaint of the Pink Candle. By F. Strothmann. At last it was all over! Christmas, so long in coming, was past and the tired children were already In Dreamland, living over again all the day’s pleasures and surprises and excitements. In a corner of th* room stood the Christ mas tree, dim and desolate In the falling light of the last expiring candles, a gaunt skeleton of what It had been egrller in the day. Save for the glittering strands, of tinsel, some Inedible pasteboard ornaments and a few candle* in various stages of dis solution, there remained nothing of all Its splendor. That Is to say, nothing except one more thing—a solitary Gingerbread Rabbit, which dangled forlornly on his pink string and wondered what was going to happen n» <t. The Gingerbread Rabbit cast his eye (he had but one and it was made of purple candy) over this scene of desolation and he heaved a great sigh—a sigh In which regret and relief were strangely com mingled. He had enjoyed the day as much as anybody. All that brightness and glit ter and the noise from tin trumpets and toy drums were so new and interesting to him that he bad been kept In one continual thrill of exoitement,- twisting and turning on his pink string all day In his anxiety not to miss a single thing. It was much like trying to follow the three rings in the circus at once, and besides the rabbit had but one eye. But, oh, when it came to the stripping of the tree* In the evening how the poor little fellow trembled for hl* life! One by one he had seen all his friends and relatives pulled from tho branches and actually devoured before his very eye. The Gingerbread Man and his Gingerbread Wife were the first victims, and then came the candy elephant and all the rest of that bright throng that had started out together so gaily In the morning. He had seen the Gingerbread Man’s head dis appear at a single bite, two more bites had taken off hl* legs, and then—but, no, it was too horrible even to contemplate. They were all gone, all except himself and even he had been in eminent danger several time* when Bobby "boosted” up bis younger brother, but the Rabbit hung on a higher branch, just out of reach, and to this alone he owed his salvation. Again he sighed, this time with a sigh of unadulterated relief, for he felt that fl Christmas Nonsense Verse- o 'aw Ws fl srtxM r* A LETTER TO SANTA. BY JOE CONE. "Dear Mr. Santa Claus, I want A warship painted white; I want a cannon an* a sword, All polished up eo bright. I want a lot of soldiers, too. With horses, flags an' guns. An’ I would like a train of cars 'At whistles when it run». I want the biggest rockin’ horse, 'At gallops all alone; An’ I would like a tooter horn ’At makes the loudest tone. I want a drum ’at’s bigger'n mine, A pair of skates, I guess; An’ I would like some candy, too. The awf’lest. biggest mess. I want an ax. a box of tools To build a house an' shed; A kite, a wheel, a phonograph, A reindeer an' a sled. I want a niagi; lantern, too, A houseboat painted red; A jumpin’ jack 'at goes hisse'f, ’N a piggle in hla bed. .1 want a top, a bat an' ball. An’ war books full of fights; An’ I would like a Christmas tree Al! full of candle lights. O, dear! I want a lot of things. But I’m too 'tired to write; •At’s all ’at I can fink of now. So. Santy Claus, good night." CJ-A-SITOK-XA. th> The Kind You Have Always Bought that It extends an equal distance on each side. Take two empty spools and put one on each end of the piece of lead pencil, first pouring a little glue inside the spools. Now the barrel of your gun is complete, as In figure 2. . Take a triangular piece of wood one and one-half Inches thick, with its sides about two feet by one and one-half feet by one foot, as In figure 3. Cut away the top of this at the sharpest end for about two Inches deep and four inches long. Now shape the one-foot long side with your knife until It is hollowed out like the butt of a gun. Then shave off the sharp edges all around and the stock of your gun is complete as in figure 4. Now measure off four inches on the top of the front of the stock and then fasten It by three strong screws to the under part of the four-inch spare end of the barrel. Now drill a hole one-quarter of an Inch In diameter through the stock from top to bottom just behind the barrel and as close to It as you can. Get a strong stick and smooth it perfectly—a cheap lead pencil will be just the thing. Fit it to tho hole so that it will slide in and out easily. Place this in the hole so the top comes just below the top of the barrel, as in figure 6. Get a strong piece of round elastic, about a quarter of an inch In diameter and three feet long. This you can buy at a dry goods store for about 15 cents. for now at least b« was safe, and a* he sighed he seemed to bear behind him a sort of plaintive snivel, as If in response to his own mournful brooding. Turning quickly he beheld—nothing mor* than an ordinary pink Christmas Candle, or rath er, half a one. Now, he had never given the Candles credit for having any feelings or senti ments of their own. but regarded them merely as so many sticks of wax, destined only to give light for others and to burn up In doing so. He was not a little sur prised, therefore, to hear the Candle re mark the next moment In a soft, low lit tle voice: “Yes, It’s terrible; Isn’t it?” And at this a great pink tear rolled slowly down the Candle’s cheek and congealed at his feet. "Why er—” exclaimed the Rabbit, when he had in a measure recovered from his surprise, "what’s the matter, little chap?" “Oh, I am so unhappy,” sobbed ths Can dle. "Come, come, don’t cry, but tell me all about it,” said the Rabbit, who, finding somebody more unhappy than himself, Immediately forgot all about his own troubles, like the tender hearted little fel low that he was, and,.thus encouraged, the Candle stopped crying and spoke: "You see, it’s this way, I feel that my end Is approaching and that I have lived In vain!” “Is that all?” asked the Rabbit. “Yes, that’s all, and Isn’t it enough?" returned the Candle. "And I was so am bitious; wanted to shine in the world, you know, and do something.” “As for the shining,” put In the Rabbit, “it seems to me you have done your share of that.” "Yes, yes,” replied the Candle, disconso lately, "that’s all right as far as it goes, only It doesn’t go very far. It has all turned out so different than I expected. Why, when I was put on the tree with the rest of my brothers and sisters we looked so fine In our pink dresses that the other candles turned green with envy; yes, some of them even turned blue and purple. And then when I was lighted I felt quite sure tnat I was destined for great deeds, but what did It amount to? I soon found that the longer and brighter I burned the shorter I grew. Look at what Is left of me now!” "Wejl, you have grown rather short," Russia and Locomotive*. It is widely known that since Nicolas 1., on a map of Russia, ruled a straight line from St. Petersburg to Moscow and ordered the Nlcolaiev railroad built along that line, American locomotives have run over all the Russian and Siberian rail roads—on Pennsylvania rails, too, laid on Oregon ties; it Is less well known that there are not so many of these locomo tives as there might have been, says The World’s Work. Some dozen years ago the agent of an American firm made a bid in St. Petersburg on over 50 locomotives. This was the brief history of his bld: “By the directors, officers and engineers of the railroad, recommended; by th* minis ter of ways and communications, in dorsed; by the financial committee of the cabinet, rejected, with this comment: •American locomotives cheaper and bet ter—but order in Austria.’ Russia wished to secure an Austrian alliance in a quar rel with Germany. The next order went to Germany; the quarrel had been patched up. Later the program was repeated, but as Russia was trying now to induce France to be joint guarantor of a Chi nese loan, the final blue pencil comment of the committee read: ‘Order In France.’ The prjee was not considered. Ethan Allen Hitchcocx. secretary ot the in terior. had a grocery and provision store In St Joseph, Mo., when a young man, and sold provisions mostly to pioneers passing through that city for the far west. He went to China after selling out and returned to St. Louis * wealthy man. Take a block of wood three Inches long and one Inch square, and bore a hole a quarter of an inch In diameter through the center. Now shave the block with your knife until it Is perfectly round, leaving a small, square projection on one end. Smooth it with sandpaper so that it fits th* groove in the top of your gun barrel. Paas your elastic cord through the hole and then fasten both ends of your gun securely to the end of your gun barrel by a strong staple, as shown in figure «. Now your gun is complete. Pass each side of the elastic cord under the spools on the side of the gun, draw back the block, or carriage, as it is called, until the square projection on the rear end catches on the square rear end of the gun barrel. Place a stick, marble, buckshot or bullet in front of th* carriage in the grooved barrel, and your gun is loaded. Th* six Inch stick that Is just behind th* barrel is the trigger. When you have aimed at the object-you want to hit, press upward on the lower end of the trigger. The top of th* trig ger will shove up the carriage until it is free, then It will fly forward and the gun is discharged. The beauty of this gun is that you cafi shoot small, round stones, bullets, darts, arrows and many other things with it out of doors, and if you want to practice in the house you can shoot at a target, using little balls of putty as missiles. admitted th* Rabbit. “On* after the other,” continued th* Candle, “I have seen my brothers and slaters parish about me, miserable—there! Hear that stzzl*! That's th* last of them, and now I am alon* in the world. I sup pose when I di* there will never be any Candles any more!” This was too much for th* Rabbit, and he snickered outright, but not wishing to hurt the Candle’s feelings h* recovered his seriousness and said: “Now, listen to m*. my friend, I want to give you a little advice. I hav* had mor* experience than you; I’ve been on thia tree all day and hav* seen something of the world. You hav* said that you were ambitious; now, that's just your trouble. Why, I heard of a candle once who felt that fame de sire to ’do things,’ and who succeeded so well that he burned up the whole tree and himself, and there’s no telling where the destruction would have stopped if it had not been for th* timely arrival of tho fir* engines.” “You don’t say so!” ejaculated th* Candle. “Y*s, I do," retorted the Rabbit. “Now. if you had only been Contented to shine your little shine to th* best of your ability and to make the best of things generally, you would have gotten a great deal more pleasure out of life.” "Well, I guess there Is something in that.” admitted the Candle. “Os course there I*. Why, man, that’s the whole secret of happiness! And as for dying—your end will be easy compared to mine. Your are in no danger of being eaten up alive, 'though, come to think of it, I have heard of Candles being eaten; but that was In Siberia or Greenland, or some such place. When your time comes you will simply melt away Into nothing without knowing it, and then—well, there will he lots of Candles after you, just as there will be Gingerbread Rabbits after me. But, as I said before, ’shine your lit tle shine, and make the best of things, and you will be happy!’ ” The Candle was impressed with this and after a little silence he brightened up and said: “Say, old fellow, I’m going to reform.” “I’m glad to hear It,” replied the Rab bit, fervently, “and I must say it’s high tine.” “Yes, I realize now,” began the Candle, but even as he spoke his end had over taken him, and the rest of his words dwindled away In a feeble sputter, and the Rabbit was left alone In darkness. “Well, well, poor little chap,” mused the Rabbit, “he reformed too late!” TO A CROW. Thy breast triumphant 'gainst th* wintry blast. Or the snow, following fast. Thou che*rily dost sound thy trump forlorn From the dead field of corn. Naught daunted by the rough and frozen ground, Thou takest thy way around: Grotesquely wslddllng, loudly triumphing! Descanting on the spring. Distinctly sound thine Inventory rode Os certain future food; Predictions where will rise from iron plain The aisled and murmuring grain; Clamorous forecasts from thy prophet beak. Os plenteous store to seek When thy smug sentinel form shall follow, black, The patient reapers’ track. What solemn conclave of thy kind shall stand, That day, on the arable land! Cocking wise eyes where once the scarecrow stood. Sentry on the hardihood! What comic copies of thyself shall wait On the creaking pasture gate! What a watchful eye, alert On them and thee, Thy mate In the sycamore tree! But now thou standest, only of thy kind, In the rough winter's wind; Proprietor unchallenged of tho field, Lord, of its future yield; Boaster of plenty, harbinger ot ease, ’Mid the lorn, shivering trees; Boisterously jocular and well content, Though naught thy nourishment. O, bird Indomitable, of raucous note From winter-hoarsened throat! Teach me thy courage, thy bold, common skill Against all threatening ill. Teach me thy eong derided, tho refrain Os polllty in thy strain; Teach me thy note Insistent, it* full scop* Os quaint and strenuous hope. . —EVELYN PHINNEY, In Tho Atlantic. THE WIDOW. How near me came the hand of Death, When at my side he struck my Dear, And took away the precious breath What quickened my beloved peer! How helpless am I thereby made! By day how grieved, by night how sad! And now my life’s delight is gone, Alas, how I am left alone! The voice which I did more esteem Than music in her sweetest key. Those eyes which unto me did seem More comfortable than the day: Those now by me. as they have been Shall never more be heard or seen; But what I once enjoyed in them Shall seem hereafter as a dream. Lord! keep me faithful to the trust Which my dsar spouse reposed In me; To him now dead preserve me just In all that should performed be! For though our being man and wife Extendeth only to this life. Yet neither life nor death shall end The being of a faithful friend. —George Wither. Find Bostrom's Improved Farm Level advertisement, and see what you got free. STAR PEA HULLER 10 to 15 bushels per hour. Write for circulars and prices to the Star Pea Machine Co., Chatta nooga, Tenn. Horticultural Topics Conducted By P. J. Berckmans Plant Breeding. This subject while not unknown to many scientific horticulturists of two past gen erations, has until recently not received the attention which its importance and influence upon the improving of our fruits, grains and plants deserve*. Few persons really understand that plant breeding Is in fact evolving a new growth of old ones. Our domestic animals as horses, cattle, and poultry have from time immemorial been gradually improved by Intelligent breeding or crossing th* best type* until the perfection of most of these animals, as demonstrated at our agricultural fairs, has been seemingly reached. Still, there is yet a vast field for experiments, and the greater improve ment of the present high standard of these animals. It is only a very short time since th* wild hare has received the attention of breeders of domestic animals and by th* careful selection of the best tjpes, some remarkably fine specimens have been produced. These command such a high money value as would have been considered fabulous a few year* ago, and through this systematic breeding the hitherto considered untamable hare ha* become one of the most docile, prolific and valuable food producers. The old proverb, “the survival of the fit test,” had heretofore been the source from which sprung our improved plants, by constant cultivation and selecting the best and most vigorous plants or seeds as stock for propagating have our best cereals and food plants gradually lost their original inferior or ev*n deleterious characteristics unfitting them for human food until they have reached their pres ent conditions of superiority. Nature had in these instances been but little aided by man, accident of more robust and productive points having usually caused their retention, for centuries many of our horticultural and agricultural pro ducts had remained almost stationary and Improvement was slow. Even today some of our fruits are little better than they were when Pliny and other ancient writers described them 2,000 years ago. The first Instances on record where a systematic plan was conceived for Im proving fruit* was less than a century ago when Mr. Thomas Knight, of Eng land, began experimenting by cross breed ing pear* and other fruits. He took the pollen of a highly flavored pear and secondated the flower of another variety of larger sise or peculiar habit of growth and thus produced a fruit combining the best points of both parents. There are very few of the fruits pro duced by Mr. Knight in cultivation at this day, but he Inaugurated what is called “Knight's theory or system,” which forms the basis of the present methods of plant breeding by cross pollenation. The other system was followed by Pro fessor Van Mons, of Belgium, who early In th* last century began the improvement of fruits by what is Known as the "Natu ral system,” or by selection. The seed lings of the first sowing of seeds which showed the most vigor and best foliage and the fewest thorns were selected for fruit bearing, from these the most prom ising offsprings were again selected and so on for several generations, the results as he prophesied, were fruits of either the highest quality or almost barren trees as well as atavism or the Immediate rever sion to the original starting point. From the experiment* of Professor Van Mon* we owe today scores of our beat pears as well as several apples and other varieties of fruits, but the process of gradual im provement by that system is too slow, as it required from eight to twelve years for some of the professor's seedling trees to bear fruit. Other experimenters trust ed to chance seedling* rfnd while many of our excellent fruits owe their origin to that plan, we cannot class this as being scientific. In the Improvement of our native grapes many men have achieved good results. Mr. Ricketts, of New York state, origin ated numerous varieties by cross pollena tion, but as he used mainly the pollen of foreign varieties, the cross breed off springs showed too much foreign blood and few have been retained. Dr. A. P. Wylie, of Chester, South Carolina, was more successful, as he experimented with cross breeding native sorts. One of the most remarkable of these was a hybrid scuppernong, being produced by crossing the Delaware with the scuppernong. The plant, instead of producing from six to eight berries together, yielded at each point a bunch of pink colored grapes re sembling the Delaware both In appear ance and quality. This true hybrid was never desseminated by Dr. Wylie and is now supposed to be lost, which is unfor tunate, as it was unquestionably the most valuable cross bred grape ever produced for the south. While plant breeding not only gives us new forms in fruits and vegetables. It also offers an opportunity in testing their re sistance to diseases. It Is well known to all horticulturist* that some fruits or plants which a generation ago were con sidered a* nearest to perfection, can no longer be successfully grown, either owing to a gradual decline In their constitution or liability to fungous diseases which did not then exist. Newer and more robust forms must therefore take the place of our former favorites and here is sys tematic plant breeding comes to our aid. To the amateur experimenter this offers a most Interesting and absorbing interest, because there is no limit to its possibili ties, and wonderful surprises ar* in store for him who discriminates in the hybridi zation of plants. But let it be understood that while the term hybridization is com monly used there is a vast difference be tween a plant produced by crossing close ly allied species where natural affinity exists and which is termed a cross and susceptible of reproducing itself from seed and a true hybrid which cannot be perpetuated from seeds, but only from cuttings or grafts. For Instance. Dr. Wylie’s hybrid scuppernong never yielded fertile seeds, or did Luther Burbank's strawberry-raspberry hybrid, which he states "that out of seven or eight hundred of these curious hybrids not one ha* ever produced a berry, though blooming with the greatest profusion,” there being in both instances an absence of pollen to fer tilize the ovaries. The commercial plant breeder, aside from the gratification in producing new creations, finds his pursuit often exceed ingly remunerative. To Luther Burbank, of Santa Rosa, Cal., belongs the credit of having created more new forms of fruits and flowers than any other experi menter either in America or Europe. Hi* cross bred Japanese plum* have made plum growing possible over the largest area of the eastern section* of the United States, where the European varieties usually failed. He ha* now In course of creating a cross between a plum and an apricot which he appropriately terms “plumcot.” Another is a stonelee* prune, of which in many tree* only the kernel of the stone remains, the stone having entire ly disappeared, and ere long he antici pates also the complete disappearance of the kernel. In the cross-breeding of lilies he has obtained remarkable results, but his ‘ shasta daisy.” with a flower 4 inches in diameter standing upon a stem like that of a sunflower, will become the fa vorite of the cut flower market and makes the white Paris daisy look like a pigmy alongside of the new giant. The importance of plant breeding ha* re ceived the support and attention of the United States commissioner of agricul ture under whose auspices a series of ex periments in various lines ar* being conducted by specialists. Among these is the production of Hardy orange* by crossing the best sorts with the Hardy Chinese lemon In order to make orange' growing available further north than in the present orange zone. Another is the crossing of Egyptian with other varietl** of cotton, so as to make the offspring more resistant to cold. Experiment* ar* 1 being made at the New Jersey agricultural f college toward producing a rose tinted; sweet corn. While this variation In color ha* little value from the agriculturist's standpoint, such a new product would be a taking novelty in the market and be come a profitable commodity. All plant breeders do not work upon th* same plan, but nearly all recognize that It * 1* easier to produce new forms when us- • ing plants in which variation has occur red, rather than begin with thoee show-! ing no typical change*. The variation ‘ which ha* already been accidentally pro-i duced being the basis for further trans-; formation by systematic crossing. What the future wtll bring forth in strange and • curious products cannot be estimated, but judging from what has already been don* | we may reasonably look for new forms of fruits and plants that will supersede moat' of our up to date material. The United States 1? recognized by th* leading European agricultural and horti- I cultural authorities as in advance In the** ‘ experiments and an international congress on plant breeding will convene in New i York city in 1802 under the auspice* of the i N«w York Horticultural Society, where | delegates from various foreign countries will be present. This is the first inttanc* i of the coming together of the most prom-I inent scientists for the purpose of promot- ' ing the new science of plant breeding, and | great results are expected in the Improv-1 ing of our fruit and field crop products. P. J. B. Pear Blight. O. Savannah is desirous to be informed as to the best method to prevent pear trees from being blighted and also to re store to health those that have been af-| fected from that cause. Pear growers have for years past sought a remedy for this scourge, but without avail A tree once affected cannot at once be brought back to it* former sound condition, neither is there a preventlva that would cause trees to become im-1 mune. All affected branches should bo | cut off so soon as the contamination is apparent and immediately burned. Cut off the unhealthy looking branches at a point several Inches below where the bark shows discoloration, and as the disease Is' virulently contagious It is prudent to sterilize the knives or shears that ar* used by plunging them in carbolic acid after cutting off a limb. Do not allow any blighted branches to remain upon the trees during any length of time, a* | surrounding trees will be affected. W* frequently see pear orchards where only a few trees were affected in the fall and the blighted parts left to hold over until th* following year, when an increased number of affected tree* were the conse quence. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture both In early spring before' the leaves appear and also every four weeks during summer has in many Instances been beneficial, less blight veing visible in sprayed trees than those left unsprayed. By following these suggestions the trees may be kept in good 1 condition, but with every precaution some j cases of blight will occur. 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