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SPONGE FISHING. qI,TE an INDUSTRY ON THE FLORIDA COAST. fhs Manner ■ of Pishing and the Appa¬ ratus Required. Fishing for sponges has developed quite an industry on the coast of into beds, corres- Florida. The sponge a MV., extend from Cape Fieri. 1, to near the mouth of the Apalachi- cola river, a distance of 900 miles, and one-half a mile to twenty miles pom the coast, at depths ranging from one to eight fathoms, this being the greatest depth at which it is practica¬ ble to fish. ble area actually fished over exceeds 20,000 squara miles of water but there is reason to believe that the sponge can be found over a much wider area. The manner of fishing and the appa- rates req uired are very simple. Each fishing schooner takes from two to six dingeys or small boats; two men go in each boat; one sculls and the other stands at the bow with a sponge hook, which is a three-pronged, sickle-shaped instrument but more curved, and measuring from the point to the base nine inches; the prongs are about one- Imlf an inch in diameter from the base to the curve, and gradually tapering to a blunt point; the haft is round and about six inches long, and driven into a narrow pole one and one-half inches in diameter, and measuring from six to fifty feet in length. The hooks aud handles are manu- factuted here, These contrivances, with an ordinary wooden pail having a glass bottom, and designated as a water glass, are the paraphernalia re¬ quired to catch the sponge. The pail is used only when the weather is cloudy or the water is musky or rip¬ pling on the surface. It is half sub¬ merged in the water, and by looking into it the sponge can be readily seen at a depth of sixty feet. The boat is scuttled slowly and stopped only when the sponges arc seen. There has been no improvement on the methods first adopted, as here described, for catch¬ ing the sponge. About seven years ago four Mediterranean divers were brought over for the purpose of intro¬ ducing the diving system. This, however, was abandoned for the following reasons: First,tho heavy iron shoes of the divers trampled the young sponges so much that they would not grow; second, the whole sponge was taken up, so that none would again grow there; while, if taken up with the hook, there was a - ways enough lefi to grow again; third, it was impracticable, on account of the rocky bottom. Last year div¬ ing for sponges Avas made illegal by an act of the Florida Legislature, Some of the sponges taken in the neighbor¬ hood of Hock Island measure six feet in circumference and 15 inches high. Such sponges are, however, rarely found, and sell for prices ranging from $100 to $150 for exhibition pur¬ poses, as they arc practically useless for anything else. After the sponge is taken out of the water it is east on the deck of the vessel or upon the beach, and exposed to the sun for twenty-four or forty-eight hours until it dies. It is then cast into the water for a few days, washed out and beaten with clubs until all the animal matter is completely removed, strung up in assorted bunches, and allowed to dry. After the sponges are brought to mar¬ ket they are trimmed with shears, and bleached by being immersed in a solu¬ tion of lime and water, and exposed to die sun for several days. When perfectly dry they are ready for the merchant. There are many varieties of sponge, viz: the sheep’s wool, the yellow, the grass sponge, the velvet and the glove sponge, all differing in quality and price, the sheep's avoo! being the highest priced and selling in the market at Key West a t $2 and $2.25 per pound. The others sell at from 75 cents to $1.50 per pound. Of those employed in fishing, more than half are colored. Scarcely any Cubans folloiv the business; they prefer to stick to cigar making, as they cannot stand the cold aud fatigue incidental to sponging. i ic canal through the Isthmus of < or,nth, Avhich is now' only' nearing completion, was begun during the teign of the Emperor Nero, over 17C0 years ago. How to lake tare u’ a naten. The following may be taken as fundamental maxims in the care of a watch, says the Youth’s Companion: Do not let a watch run down, but wind it regularly at a fixed time each day ; set your Avatch by and compare it with a reliable regulation; hold the watch still when winding it; ne\ r er shake a watch violently; never meddle with the works; never carry your watch near an electrical machine; do not let your watch run more than two years Avithout cleaning; never put your Avatch in the hands of a poor workman; if your watch stops, see whether it has run down, and if it has, Avind anil set it; if it has not run down, see Avhether the hands have caught; if they haA'e, by lining care, you may free them; if neither of these, take the Avatch to a watch¬ maker. If the watch is dropped into the Avater. if into fresh water, open the cases of the works and put the Avatch, opened, into a cup of kerosene or machine oil. No time should be lost in doing this. Then, as soon as pos¬ sible, take it to a Avatchmaker. One of Jeffcr mn’s Stories. Joseph Jefferson, the actor, tells an amusing story concerning an old actor, avIio was playing Covin in “As You Like It.” Jefferson’s manner of tell¬ ing it enhances the fun very much. In the fourth scene of the second act Corin should say to Rosalind: “But I am shepherd to another man And so do not, sheer the fleeces that I graze.” Instead of Avhich, the old man, who was nervous and flurried said: “I do not greer the slilecccs that I faze.” Then he tried back. “I do not frear the greeces that ] shlaze.” Once more: “I do not flear the slilceccs—” Then Avitli the most pitiful and woe- be-gone expression, both of voice and feature: “I—I—do not shave!” Curiosity in Paper. George West of Ballston is in pos¬ session of a curiosity in paper, sent him by a friend in Hong Kong,China, says the Philadelphia Record. It is a sheet 11x14 inches, made from the web of the “sacred white spider” of the Flowery Kingdom, It is as light as air and almost as transparent, but is also beautifully printed, containing about two columns of matter, giving in English the story of how “Mid¬ shipman Copplestone Avas presented at the Court of Pekin.” Americans know much about paper making, but it is safe to say that there is not a spider Aveb paper factory outside the almond-eyed kingdom. Cats as Game Takers. E. L. Warner of Southbury, Conn., has a cat that has caught eight squir¬ rels in one season, and brought each one to liis master before he offered to eat it. George Tomlinson of Great Hill, a few miles from Ansouia, has one which has not only caught squir¬ rels, but the other day visited a brook on Mr. Tomlinson’s farm and came home with a four-pound trout in his mouth. Miss Nellie Simpson of Southington takes pride in her cat, which provides for its own meals by catching bullheads from a neighbor¬ ing pond. In its eagerness it often gets into quite deep Avater, but it se¬ cures its prey and SAvims ashore.— [Ncav York Sun. Timely Advice. The New York Star gives this time¬ ly advffce: It is always best to avoid danger, if possible; therefore, there is one rule which ought to be taught in everv school in the I nited States, and that is: never lift an electric wire off the ground. The moment it leaves the ground it may be dangerous. If it is in the way of traffic, you may safely pull it across the street with your fdbt; then put your foot on it and hold it on the ground, and it can¬ not hurt you, but do not lift it. Never touch Avire tied on a pole. It may not be dangerous, but it is like the “un¬ loaded - ’ gun—it may kill you. A Spreading Habit. “I see that the chewiug-gum habit is spreading.” “I should judge so. I found a big bunk attached to my coat when I rose from my seat in the car yesterday.”— SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS. The longest time thus far reported for an incandescent lamp to burn is 10,008 hours. A gold dollar can be beaten into a sheet thirty-three feet long and sixteen and one-half feet wide. A medical journal estimates that during its seven weeks prevalence in the United States the grip killed 12 >* 000 people. The antiseptic effect of coffee does not depend on the catt’iene it contains, but on the empyrcumatic oils devel¬ oped by roasting. Galvanized iron is ordinary iron which has been dropped in molten zinc, and retains a surface coating of the zinc when removed. No better or cheaper insect destroyer can be found for gardens than the toad. English gardeners often pay a shilling each for them. Recent discoveries made by the use of the spectroscope show that all the heavenly bodies appear to be composed of the same chemical elements. Lake Chelan, in Washington, never freezes, although it is in latitude 40 degrees north. The reason given is that , . *o deep that the warm water is constantly rising from the bottom to supplant the cold. The acid of lemons is credited by the “Dietetic Reformer” with large influence in prolonging the life of Count Waldeck to 120 years, he “hav¬ ing resorted to this antidote to the sluggishness of the liver.” Those interested in astronomy will have an opportunity to observe a total eclipse of the sun under favorable con¬ ditions in 1900. It will occur in the early morning of May 27 and will be visible from Virginia to Louisiana. A curious fact about double stars is the contrast in color which often oc¬ curs in them when their brilliancy is notably different, In this case the color of the fainter star is always nearer to the blue end of the spectrum. An Austrian sculptor, Friederich Beer, has discovered a process for dis¬ solving marble, and then molding it like metals. The name of the marble thus treated is beryt. The uew pro¬ duct costs little more than plaster, and is especially w r eli adapted to the orna¬ mentation of houses. When Sir John Ilerschell was de¬ fending the character of astronomical science in view of an error of nearly 4,000,000 miles in estimating the sun’s distance, the correction was shown to apply to an error of observation so small as to be eqnivilent to the appar¬ ent breadth of a human hair at a dis¬ tance of 125 feet. The most expensive thermometer in this country is in use at the Johns Ilopkins University at Baltimore, Md. It is known as Professor Bow land’s thermometer,and is valued at $10,000. It is an absolutely perfect instrument and the graduations on the glass are so fine that it is necessary to use a mi¬ croscope to read them. At a recent meeting of the London Zoological Society A. D. Bartlett com¬ municated some ooservations ou wolves, jackals, dogs and foxes, based mainly upon his experience of those in the Zoological Gardens, Ills remarks tended to prove that all the varieties of the domestic dog owe their origin to wolves and jackals, the habit of barking having been acquired under the influence of domestication; and (hat the dog is the most perfectly do¬ mesticated of all animals. Barbarity of Indian Butchers. The Indian papers are constantly de¬ claiming against the practice among the native butchers of skinning goats alive, and the imperfect appreciation of the barbarity of this practice evinced by native magistrates. In one case recently the offence was punished by a fine of 20 rupees, and another by a fine of 25; and, as has been more than once pointed out, such sentences are hopelessly inadequate to stop the evil since the fines are covered over and over again by the additional value which.flaying alive gives to tho skins. I expect that the native magistrate, like the rative butcher, will never be ■rot to look at cruelty to animals as a European looks at it. The most effec¬ tual means of eradicating this form of barbarity would be to establisu public abattoirs, and lestrictthe slaughtering of animals to them.—fLondon Truth. THE EXECUTIVE MANSION'. DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS AT THE WHITE HOUSE. a The China and Table Cutlery—The Cooks and the Kitchens—A Com¬ plete Laundry—Table Linen. After breakfast, which aiways occurs exactly at 8:30, Mrs. Harrison sees the steward, McKim, aud gives him the or¬ ders for the day, says Miss Grundy in the New York World. This means that she teils him whether there are to be guests aud whether she wishes any changes made in the decorations of the private dining room. He arranges the entire menu for the day, does the marketing and oversees the servants. Unless it is the housecleaning season that is all the time Mrs. Harrison gives to her kitchen, but you may be sure she lias just as much interest in everything going well as a young matron when giving her flrst din¬ ner, and she says that the oniy difference between her cares now and when she was a private citizen is that she does not need to worry over the preparations for enter¬ taining. She has introduced numberless changes which give a home-like air to the private dining-room. One of these is to have the table for , p read with napfans instead of wlthOTO a ifrge Itnd aflS of «£ »** “£* ^ do^and S the there is a.wa,s a where its china is kept. Ihore isn t a gentlemans house m the laud tha has not better accommodations There it is -all the elegant ware which the former mistress of the White House gathered with so much pride and in the face of so many growls from the Congressional Appropriation Committees wmch sup- plied the money tucked, crammed and jammed into an unfinished closet vinca would hardly kennel two mastiffs Mo wonder that so much of it is broken and nicked that each succeeding mistiess o the White House almost sheds tears over the rum of the thing most dear to a wo- man s heari, rare china. In- ’reM nt Arthurs day there was not even this closet, all the valuable china beings orel in the basement; but he had this closet cut from the little hallway by he e e- vator. 1 here are two rows of shelves about three feet deep, and there the three sets which belong to the service are kept, one-tun d of them being on he floor. Mrs. Harrison says that of 1000 pieces, made at so great an expense m the Hayes Administration, thue ar not more than four hundred left. Wo- men all over the land know wit j not to have enough ^ and saver forks to go round, and they have all felt the anguish of seeing the most distm- guished guest get the plated one by ma- take. But who would dream that the White House would not have enough knives aud forks to go around, and ^ it is true. Every time fifty people set down to a state dinner tneretwu of them take their bouillon from plated spoons their terrapin from plated forks and cut the fillet of beef with plated knives. It is a horrible thought, but tnere are only four dozen genuine silver knives, forks and spoons in the butler s pantry and by the most skilful ingenuity they cannot be made to do duty for fifty people. There is one set of knives and forks in the sideboard which has a history, for it cost a President his le-electmn These are the gold knives and forks which \ a i Buren added and when the people learned that the public moneys were being taken to put gold spoons in Presidents’ mouths Kri"ss ?’4 «is t*old at nil, aud the people w'ere hasty in their judgment. They are solid silver washed with gold, aud it was only a few vears ago_in President Arthur’s day— that they began to wear off, and disclose the hoax. He had them rewashed, and they are still used on state occasions, They are small, fine-bladed and much more delicate than those commonly in use in this day. Many of the larger pieces of silver date back to Madison’s day, al- though no memoranda have been kept, and it is hard to tell when things were purchased. The busiest place in the whole Execu¬ tive Mansion is in the basement, over which Dolly Johnson, the colored cook, * presides. Dolly is a tall, fine-looking woman, light of color and probably not much over thirty. President Harrison secured her a short time ago from Ken¬ tucky, and, from all accounts, Dolly knows how to suit a Presidential appetite much better than the former cook, Mme. Pelouard. whose fanciful French cooking was not at all to the plain American taste. Marj J Robinson makes the pies, frie#fce * bakes the bread and crullers, and is the assistant of Mistress Dolly •Johnson, who confines her ambitions to brewing soups and basting meats, The two can get up a dinner that would put Phillipini, Nieolini and all the other $10 000 chefs to the test. Delmonico has no more juicy meats than Dolly draws from her oven, and Vanderbilt’s own chef cannot put up a better pastry than Mary. They both wear tidy dresses of Dutch-blue calico and big white aprons that cover them from bead to foot, but neither of them wear caps, as the hist *u<nrestion of liverv is unallowable at the White House There are two kitchens in which Dollv Johnson can carry out her dream of oookerv. one under the private dining- room and of the same size and tbe otefer under the serving-room and butler's pan- try. The first is used when a state din¬ ner is under way, and in the second the preparations for each day are made. The kitchens are as neat as a pair of pins, but they haven’t the appointments of the kitchens that are now added to five thou¬ sand dollar houses, and one cannot help wishing that the people who do so adore the quamt, historic White House would get a peep into these dark, illy furnished rooms. The upper floors of the quaint, historic White House are bad enough, but the basement would be condemned by even a modern building inspector. Across the hall from the kitchen is the steward’s room, a large apartment under the state dining-room. It is tastefully furnished with carpet and chairs sent from the upper rooms, and contains a large desk, vhere Mr. Mck:m enters the marketing m books as large as it takes to enter the deposits at the I reasury. tie comes in about 11 from the Centre Mar¬ ket, where everything in the way of meats and vegetables are bought for the White House, enters these purchases and each month draws up a summary of the month’s expendituies, which I have heard are of a size to make an ordinary man whistle “Razzle Dazzle,’’ with all the mournful intonations of that pathetic song. The walls of the steward’s room are lined with closets which can 'be put ^ pretty 9um „ bsU for their "Tl, S le!pihf rolims andTnfho Jg-JJ “ ^ the laundrv _ tbat is W orH, seeing, for a cIeaner roon \ cannot be imagined, R . g , an( r,ight ? and off one corner is ^ mtk> ^ d roQi England room . There is ^ old _ faghionod New fireplace wMch wftS built in the waU !1S far back as tbe time wbeQ Abigail Adams ^ dowQ from Bostou aad wrote back 8Uch ome accountg 0 f the “barn- Ro which sbe could put to uo better use than to dry her clothes, ^ lacjJ js atiu used for heating the ^ . f tbc Monday’s J was h, which oc- ^ f larl 4n. b Min the family of Qrder y cit It is formed of hard- iaster and looks as though it wouM stand another century . A , ] aundry stove stands in the middle ^ ^ room CQVered by two terr aces of w hieh the three white women— Johamm M and Miss Grass keep ^ • ° th i ive . lomr D day. They are le sant . faced w orae n, and can out- doA _bSingin the polishing business, There ^ are thirteen regular ^ house servants, Qr more are cm . . v bout the grounds and conserva- aoou . g m anotll8r room where one ^ *[ &q idea q[ K arrison’s house- ke It is the linen closet on the The Unen was formerly 1 garrison closet8 in the steward’s ^ DOticed one da y ( ^ be a c , 03ct amply i arg0 ^ made behind tbe elevator and she had P walled j sbdvcs built , and ^ fa White House bas a matchless' J"® undcr the care of ^ Mrg Harrison - s maid , a nd a . / Uk breatb f meadow rom a J so cIcan and sweet, is init led with “U. S.” in - - of napkins ^ although ^ one set Une ^ in ut with afaint <)f ^ The kins are aU a yard prison ^ an(} of tbe drie3l damask. Mrs. has added to the stock since ^ been in the white House, and } * j one se t 0 f dinner Unen that was ^ ^ ^ ^ dinner tbat b ^ fine and soft as silk. Rice is the staple crop of Japanese farmers, large and small, and consists of two varieties. The most popular is similar to that produced in our Southern States. The plants are started in hot beds, and when the seedlings are live to six inches high, along in May, they are transplanted into fields which have been flooded by irrigation or otherwise most of the time since the harvesting of tho previous crop in October and November, After the plowing, which is done in the primitive style characteristic of that re- gion, the plants are put in tufts of several plants about six iuchcs apart, aad the natives wade about in the water and mud in setting them oiU The fields are hoed every two weeks. The grain is cut with a sickle, made iuto bundles and left to dry in the fields. When dried, the rice is threshed by flails, separated from the chaff, and the hulls removed by pounding in a mortar, With the intro- Auction of new machinery an mooern processes, it is exp nee culture m Japan will become a le-d- industry, and a source of consuler- able wealth to the nation, instead of be- ra « . ed , a^ost , . wholly . for home consumption .—Amenean Agricul• t (trial. A Cure for Squinting. A for squinting, which . not cure is so unsightly as the method at present gen- orally adopted—black goggles with a hole in the centre—is highly recom- mended. Let the person afflicted take any pair of spectacles that suit his sight, or even plain glass, and in the centre of one lens let him gum a small blue or black wafer (or spot of black photo, varnish or Brunswick black) about the size of a ten- cent piece. The result is that the double image vanishes, and the eye, without fa- tigue or heat, is forced to look straight, and with time and patience is cured.— Courier-Journal.