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? England's Mighty Bank. Wealthy •♦ Old Lady of t Thread needle Street." X I was liiki'ii over the Hank of Kiij?- Iiiiid hy ils socivtary ami sliown the eniiriuuiis funds on IkiikI in bullion Ai.d noU'S, writoh KniiiU (!. Oarpcn- tor from l^ondoii to the C'hfcago J(i'(Oi<l-lU'ralil. 'J'lio I5aiik of KnKlniiil is perhaps thi.' chief linaiiiial institution of the ^voi'KI. It is ii priviilo corporation, but it liuB since its organiziition lje<;n the cl(',H)sitor.v of the govern- ment funds. It Jjas niucli to do ^vilh financing the government debt, and it niiBht be culled the National i«ank of (Jroivt Britain. HANK 208 YKAKS OLD. The bank is now 208 years old. It was fonniled by William Patcrson, a .Scotchman. Ho had in his char- Biicr many of the elements of I'ier- poiil Morgan, and hn .saw his chance to make money out of the llrilish (.'ovcriiment, which was then fijian- clally crippled by its wars with France. FinST GOVEHNMENT LOAN. The goveriuuent wanted money aiid I'literson .saw tliat it could give exclusive banking privileges to an liiKtiiution which would furnish a permanent loan at a reasonable rate. He organized a conrbinalion of some of the chief British nicrchajits, backed by a capital of §6,000,000, nnd ofleri'd to loan that amount to the government at the then low rate «(f 8 per cent, per annum, on the eondilion that the government would give I ho combination a charter to d'ral in hills of exchange, bullion and bonds, and pay it SIOO.OOO a .year for handling the government di.-bl. This Oder was accepted, and till- Hank of Englaml wa.s the re- Milt. i^alerson wa.s one of the or- iginal directors, anil (luring his life (he bank became tlioroii'vlily estab- lished. The institution w.•l^; a. prosperous Olio from its start. TIk^ government steadily increased its connections with it, e.nd toKlny it, owes the bank about ten times as much as when it was founded, although the intercs't rate has fallen from 8 per cent, to 2ii per cent, per annum. â-  During my trip through the bank 1 spent sonu,' lime in the printing department watching thcni make the Ili>nk of Kn'4laiid notes. IJA.N'K NOTE I'Al'I':i{. 'I'lie English bank note jiaper is as •iv'hite as the whitest parchment. It ha.s a sort of transparent while- sent in from the mines of all parts of the world. 1 saw gold from Aus- tralia. South Africa, India, and the United .States, and the man told nio that . it was almost absolutely pure. I saw also great vaults in which arc g<dd sovereigns in hags, eacli holding several <|Uarts. The bags are piled up like so much grain. 1 have spoken of the Bank of Eng- land as a private bank. If you have the right kind of an Introduction you can open an account in it, but you have to keep enough money on do- posit to make it pay the bank to do yoin- business. The oflicials estimate that each ac- count must yield 12 cents to the bank for every check cashed through- out the year, so if you issue a thou- sand checks the bank will have to make at least St20 out of you, or it will refuse to keep your account. 'J'hcre are now about 5,000 private accounts carried, and the private de- posits average over $100,000,000. PAYING OUT BlVIUE^ruS. A large part of the bu.siness of tlio bank is in handling the government debt. I saw the clerk paying out dividends in the dividend-room. Here are government .securities of all kinds and the stockholders come to cash their coupons. It is estinuxted that there are 275,000 persons who own such stocks, and a largo mun- ber of them come here in person for their money. The interast paid out umouiit.s to morclhan $3,000,000,000 a year. And does the big Bank of England ever have a run upon it? Yes, indeed! ITiit; has been the case in times of panic, anil there liave been instances when the bank has had to suspend specie pay- ments. It did so during the first year of its existence. Tho govern- ment had called in llio silver to have it recoined, and the bank was hard up for curiency. Us stock went down from .110 to SU, and its di- rectors issued a call for 20 jier cent, on the shareholders. The bank su.s- pended specie payments from 1707 to 1810, and when it resumed it had about Â¥1(10,000,000 worth of gold and silvei- to begin with. There have been times when it has paid out depositors in shillings and si.x))cnces in or<ier to gain time to got money to meet its obligations, and once at least it had a line of its own men who accepted .such .sil- Bngland notes from a clerk who had been employed Jn one of the banks of the continent, but who had absconded with this part of his bank's funds. When the notes were presented the olUeials refu.>iecl to |)ay them, but the .lew at once took tlicin with him to the Stock Ex- change, and there proclaimed that the Hank of England had stopped payment. He said it.li.-id refused to honor its own bills for SI 00,000, and he showed the notes in corro- boration of his statement. Ke sjvid ho would continue to publish the fact that the bank was insolvent and thereby almost created a panic. The excitement was such that tho cashier of the Bunk of England sent for him and gave him the money for his notes. It is doubtful, however, whether such a thing could be done to-day. ^^^ PERSONAL POINTERS. Notes of Interest About Leading People. Some liess, and il is exceedingly thin and ver payments and deposited " tlieni remarkably stiong. It is made of I)ure Ihion rags b.v n secret process in jinper mills which do nothing fclse. The paper is the same to-day as il has been for n hundred years, niul il is almost impossible to inii- tilt9 it. Tlie notes are almost square. There is no lathe work upon thoin. Tlicy igain as fast as they were leceivod, so that a continuous stica.m of the same silver flowed in and out of the bank, while the depositors waited. NOBLES AID THE BANK. At one time a depositor demanded §150,000 in gold coin, and at an- other the strain was so great that are printed in jet black ink. and the!. some of the richest of the English printing machines art; such that they ' nobility drove to the bank in number tb.e notes from 1 to 100,- j coaches tilled with golden guineas. OIK). This numbering is done au- | which they deposili-d to help the fornatirally, so that the notes of each hntidle of 10,000 are in their natural order when the.v arc taken away. The si.udlest notes now printed are those foi- £5, and tho largest for i;],OllO. The jiaper is .so bank meet its demands 1 sjient some timi! in the council- room where the dinxtors meet and in tho library chatting with the sec- retary about the government of the bank. It has a governor, a deputy- thin that in the bank vaults where ; governor and twenty-four directors, bundles of notes are kept I was able i'J'he governor receives $10,000 a to hold a million pounds worth of year and each of the directors §2,- theni in my two hands. This 500. 'J'he governor is usually ehos- amount represented a value of R.'j,- 00(1. not). Ji, made me feel like a millionaire, Init the feeli.ig was mo- Da^ntury, for the doors were c.ire- lully g((arde(l aii<l the oflicials o( the bank who stood abinit me were lu.s- ty fellows, who would cer- tain l.y have resisted any at tempi at departure with the \alnjible paper. 'Hie notes, in en from one of the directors, and on the average ho is about twenty .voars in the diroctorat(! before he is elevated to the oflice of governor. The capital of the bank is at pri;- Kont a little less than $75,000,000, and its divi<lends last year were about 10 per cent. 'i'he notes now in circulation amount to more than 8150,000,000, fact. weigh very little, only ISijand there are something like $110,- Kiaiiis to the note, and yet they are (100,000 worth of notes on hand, fo strung that n. single sheet of the 'J'he bank has ^i85. 000,000 wortiP paper of which they are nm<lc will: of gold nnd silver coin and bullion,- niil/I>ort fifty pounds weight without I and altogether it is in such a con- tearing, jdition that those holding its stock HOW .NOTES AUK nKSTIlOVBI). j end notes aio not lying awake at All notes are desljoyed after they "'^hl for fear of its insolvency flie redeemed, but they arc kept u ccrtaiin time in orilitr that an.v (pies- lion concerning their owia'rship in the past nniy b(^ traced. Tho KnutliKhmun tiiki-s the num- bers of his bank nofes, and in many r.asen he inak(!.s the man who pays tliem over to him indor»! his name on the back. The bank keeps the numbers, and after tin; notes come In they keep a. record of the bank MMidiilg them, and they can in a mo- ment pick o'll any note that they have leceived during the past live year.s. The Hank of England notes are usually rede'-'ied with gold, golden Bovereife'iis being shoveled out in ecoops just like the little shovels our Rrncer.s use for sugar. Tho gold Is not counted, but is weighed, the telhirs knowing .tiist how many sov- ereigns go lo the ounce or pound. '^Iio notes are canceled by tearing a piece out «>f the corner of each, and arc then tiled away in lla^ bank-note catnrombs in boxes for a period of live .years. At the end of this time they are burnod. \y. HIE BULLION VAULTS. 1 nenl, down into the bullion vaults. In Ihein are great piles of Kiild hriiiks and Rold pigs, whicli are (iUAHDED BY .SOLDIIMIS. Iiulc'ed the management oi the I'unds is under such restrictions that it woiMd be impossible for the ofli- cials to make away with them, and the vaults and olhces are guarded by poiicpnien and watchmen by djiy and by a oompan.V of soldiers ut night. It is hard to counterfeit the Hank of England notes, not only on i •- count of the pajier and ink, but also of the care which is used by tho bank to trace the note. ICvery note that comes into the bank must be indorsed, allhough it is doubtful whether such indor.sement could be enforced, as the notes are payable to bearer. BLUFFED BY A .IKW. There are few financial institutions which can alIor«l to have a (|uestion raised as to their solvenc.y. lOven tbo Bank of Kngland don't want its notes to go to protest and It i.s sen- sitive as lo its reputation. I was told at the bank how a .lew onc<! blufVed the olllclals into payiiiK Home notes whirh the bank ofllcern knew were st<den. Tl>e .lew was a nia). of wealth on<l was well known In the Stock I'lxehango. Ho had bought 9100,000 worth ot Bank of it is a somewhat curious fact that tho Duke of Devonshire owns no land in the country from which ho takes his title; 80,000 acres in Derbyshire, however, acknowledge him as owner. In like manner Lord Derby owns no land in Derbyshire, Ihe .''>0,00O acres which he posse.sses being in Lanca- shire. Lord Leicester Inis 40,000 acres in Norfolk, but none In Leices- tershire. One third of tlie nual es- tates belonging to the Duke of Bed- ford are in the county whose name ho bears. The Pope jio.ssesscs a groat num- ber of pet canaries, and derives a considerable amount of pleasure from their singing. There are at least twelve birds kept in cages in the libraiw at the Vatican, and each lit- tle songster is given Its liberty for half an hour daily. 'J'hoy alight on His Holiness' shoulder, and are won- derfully tame. 'I'heir singing never setuns to disturb Leo XIII., although it is ill this apartment that many of his recoptions take place and some of his discoursi's are given. Mme. Amy Sherwin, the gifted Tasmunian firinia donna, owes her ntroduction to a brilliant career lo an accident. One day when she was singing in the \,oo(i8 near her home with all the untutored sweetness of her girlish voice, it chanced thai Si5;iior Ponipei, the head of a wan- dering operatic eompaii.v, heard her, and succumbed to the spell of. the woodland voice. He otl'ercd the young singer a place in his company, and very shortly afterwards she had Melbourne at her feet. Sir Lawrence AInia-Tadema tells an amusing story of the fate of one of his larger pictures in hii ei^rly student da.vs. When completed it was so fur from satisfactory lo him- self that he called jn some youthful students and invited them to jump through the canvas, the painter him- self leading the wa.v. On another occasion he cut' a picture from its frame and gave it to an old woman to u.se as a table-cover : Iho re- cipient declared that it was much better than the common oilcloth, and having plenly of ])aint it did not lot the water through." Mr. W. i\ Frith. n.A., relates that the Oerman l';mi)eror, when a little boy, was an uncommonly bad sitter. Ills portrait was reciuired for the pietuie of the marriage of theDiince of Wales (now King lOdward VII.) tor tiueen Victoria. Whilst Mi-. Kiith worked at the ean\as the lad was assigned one corner of It, which he daubed with his brushes and kepi himself good. One day ho tired of this painting and covered his own face with slreaks of vermilion and blue. Mr. Krith removed the paint with lurpentine. but received many kicks for his pains. 'Lhe Oraiul Duke of Saxe-Wcimar, who is the next heir to Queen Wil- helmina, is a wealthy young prince. He i.s twent,v-six .years of age and Iminarried. In IJcrmany, it is said, he has a reputation for "bulls" worthy of an Irishman. Onco while vi.sitiiig a public school he nolired Iwo bo.vs of striking similarity in appearance. "Why, what a re- markable likenc.ss !" he exclaimed. "Those lads must be twins !" "Yes, your Koyal Highness," remarked tfio principal, and h(^ heckoneil tho two frighlcncd youngsters to him. "Ah, my son," said the I'lince, | lacing his hand on llv; 'tend of one ot them "what is your name ?" "ITeimteh." "And how old are you ?" "Six." "And you ?" he said, turning to the other boy. On another occasion his kind heart took pity on a mur- derer Boiitenccd to Imprisonment for life, and he i roposed to remit the "last three years of the sentence." AlUHRNT-M INDED I'llOEESSOU The professor suddenly arose fr<uu his chair, pushed his spectaele.t up on his forehead, and went towards his wife with the expression and air of IX man who at last has cmno to a (lni\! decision. "Now listen to mo. wife," he suid. "And I do not want .vou to oppo.sc me. do .vou bear?" "Ye;, dear: what is il, then?" "Now, no opposition, mind! I wish the boy to be an engineer." "Hut, my dear, what are you talk- ing about'? Wo haven't an.v boy!" "Oil. .ves, that is so: I had for- gotten that." said thi; ^n•ofo.ss^ll•, as ho i-esuined his seat. tilUnVlNG WINTEU WHIOAT. lOvcn after several years of expe- rience in growing winter wheat, I am luuible to formulate any definite rules as to the best methods of seed- ing, fertilizing, etc., writes Mr. D. II. Md'arlund. in fad, with the variety of soils found in Illinois, every man must determine for him- self just how he must conduct his wheat farming operations. In \ lew of this, I would advise a careful study of tho soils. Ascertain if pos- sible just what .vour soil needs in the way of fertilization and cultiva- tion. My experieiK ' in wheat farm- ing has been on what is known as broken limber land. The soil is very 1 rodiictivo when properly cultivat- ed. 1 have secured best results almost invariably from early plowing and a thorough pulverization of tiie soil before seeding. I advocate eariy plowing and thorough harrowing for the reason that best results always follow. Of course when the weather is Aery favorable, good crops are fiequcatly obtained from late plow- ing and late seeding. If wheat lields are infested with insects it may he advi.sable to sow late, but do not neglect lo do your plowing early. Tho taking of crops continuously from tjie land impoverishes the soil, making it necessary to occasioiiall.v add jilant food. I have not used any kind of commercial fertilizer. In'' -ilways apply every bit of barn- yard imuiure that can he obtained. 1 have also greatly benefited my land by using led clover and cow- peas. When red clover can be grown succi^ssfully, 1 do not think any cheaper fertilizer can be obtained. True, il takes considerable time to improve land with clo\er. but as the croi can be used for ba.v or pasture while the ferlili/.iug proce.ss is going on, the time is not lost by any meann. tjuicrkcr results can be ohlair.ed by plowing under the clover crop while still green. The green material will decay very rapidly and leave the land in condition for fu- tiu'c crops. The largest yield of wheat I ever obtained was secured from land fer- tilized and cultixatod as indicated above. The green clo\er was plowed under about June 1. .A.fler that tho land was frei|uenHy and thoroughly harrowed and at seeding time it was well lirnied with a \ ery fine sur- face. Wheal was sown with a drill .September 25 and the next summer yielded 14 bushels of fine, plump wheal to the acre. bluing leeent years the growing of clover has been ciillicult and uncer- tain, largely on account of dry hot summers. While this condition ex- ists, something el.se must be de- pended u-iion for building up the laml. I find that eowpeas are very salisfactory. This is partieidarly true on light soils. A crop plowed under while given will greatly in- crease the proilucing capacity of light land. Wet and cold spots on a lield can be greatly improved by the addition ot a little fine .sand. This will make cultivation much easier and seems to give the soil new life. 1 would like to emphasize the thought that barnyard manure is the richest fertilizer which can be obtained. Itecause of this the wheat grower should gather and use excry- thiiig which can be converted into this kind of material. I keep the cow yards scraped clean. pro\ido sheller for the manure from tho horse stable, absorb licinitl I'erlili'er by using dry muck, leaves or slaw. See to it that llie compost heap is constantly growing during the win- ter and thai it is carrieil out on the fields tho following season. This may be considered rather old-f.xshionod, but if neglected now the producing capacity of the lields will certainly be greatly diminished, and it is only a qutvstion of time when we will be trying to float bonds on our farms to pay running expenses. though wc can a.aeial by keeping her in perfect health, the hair well groomed nnd protected from the sun, wllch makes it harsh and dry. Kerosene should never be applied to the hnir. Where great stress is laid on secretions dispense with the use of water for cleaning animals, us it makes the skin appear pale. There is a grea't dive.sity of opinion among judges as to the im- portance of udder development. How- ever, when a heifer is developing an udder we should help hei- on all we can, as the time to us«ist nature ia when she is doing her best work. Many advocate increasing the grain, ration of a heifer at this stage, even though she becomes fleshy, as she will soon milk it olT sigain. All cat- tle should be handled and well broken to lead. It is also good practice lo teach an animal to stand in a position that will show her to the licst advantage. Polisihiiig of horns and hoofs, grooming, watering from pails, etc., should be practiced before leaving for the fairs, us there are enough new conditions to become accustom- ed to even when greatest care has been taken. This may seem a ti'ivial alTair. but many prizes have been lost by leading into the ring a .shruifken aniinal which has refused to drink fio'ii a pail, or a strange tank. 1 Would commence feeding about six or eight weeks previous to starts ing for the fairs. Do not hurry or the slock will have reached their bloom before exhibition. Avoid feed- ing corn to Kiliow animals, as it ia heating to the blood, makes grease instead of bone and muscle, and upon the lirst exertion, the animal will wilt. A dairy animal should not bo f»'d hea\il.v on a grain ration, at any time. as she will he very easily upset. I'l'irlNO DAIRY ANIMALS. I'dinpou.-i WistrcsRâ€" "Who is that man at the door, Hannah?" New (lirl â€" "Ho says he's the rent collec- tor, ma'am." 1'. M.â€" "ihit, Han- nah, we don't pay rent." New (lirl â€""That's what he sa.ys, ma'am." The modern tendenc.v is lo make the animal conform to an arbitrary .s-tandarcl of e.xcellence, or scale of poiiils, and its ability to win j>rizes varies directly as do the conceptions of Iho various judges who i)ass upon the ciuifonnity of that scale, writes Mr. Ralph Trail. One of ti.e prim- ary ie(|iiisiles of all dairy animals regardless of ago or .sex. is capacity. A judge likes an animal with a large pauiuh as it is very es.scnlial in ei'oiiomicall.v converting a large amount of coarse feed into milk. Hfiw call we develop this capacity '.' It is ilono by feeding coarse bulky food, ill a manner best suited to the individual tastes of the aiiimals. Many have had gootl succes.s by giv- ing cut (U' dialled hay and straw, with a nii.vture of ground oals and bran, u lit'le Siilt. and a handful of oil meal. a sihhII amount of the coiiceiitiates. mid all the coarse food she will eat. The principal object is to make her eat much lo get a. small amount of grain. The iu>xt thing that appeals to the e.\ e at the judge is the tomperamenl of the animal, which indicates wheth- er or not she is using in the right wa.v the food she has coiisiiiiicd. All daily cnltle should be fr«i from lendonc.v to la.v on flesh, thin, and under ronditimi ralher than too f!c.-*hy. A show animal should pos- M'ss (luulily alw), but this to a large [extent is determined by nutun", ul- SKKDING II APE. This crop can bo seeded almost any time after the ground warms up in .April until August, or even later. As is w-ell known, the only variety to .select is Dwarf Essex. All other kinds should be rejected, as they will not prove satisfactory. The seed resembles turnip s-ced and can bo secured of almost any seed dealer. It can be sown early with oats, baile.y or on winter rye, but it probably would be more satisfactory to delay the seeding until a little later and sow it alone. When seeded with these other crops, the rape is apt to develop and make trouble when the grain crop is cut. The rapo loaves are succulent, and when liound in bundles, are likely to cause mold- ing. It should be .seeded every two or throe weeks, forming a succession. Prepare the ground well, sow Ihreo to four pounds to tho acre and cover with a harrow. It will make a good start if the season is favor- able and W'ill produce a Inrge amount ot forage. sonutimrs as mudi as 13 to 15 tons of green stuff per acre. If possibh^ il is better to seed the rape in drills, making the rows wide enough for cultivation. In this case two or three pounds of seed j'er acre is .sutlicient. It is not necessary to thin the vdaiits. but allow them to grow thickly in the row. Cultivate about twice, after which the ground will be so completely shaded that further work will not be necessary The we>'ds will he choked out and the sibade alTorded by the plants will prevent <lisaslrous evaporation. The crop can usually bo fed eight or ton weeks after seeding, or when the plants are from 10 to 1 6 inches high. It remains useful for .several weeks after the first leaves are eatoii ofl'. If the plants are vigor- ous and llie weather moist, new leaves will be put out. and a second and soinetiuies even a third crop securetl from one sowing. The rapo plant is relished by sheep, cattle and swine. Of course, it has to be fed green as it cannot bo made into hay or put into the silo. It must Iw remembered that ani- mals vastiired on rape must lie given some other food in connection with it. especially if they are expects ed to fatten. .Some of the e.xperi- nieiit stations find that rape will just about maintain stock, luit un- less dilTcrent kinds of feed is given fattening is not possible. The .sheep and cattle should not tie turned onto a rape Held hnngr.v. Their stomacli.s should lie well filled before they go into it. otlierwise there is danger of bloat, it mu.'^t aliio be remenibeie<l that rape should not be pastuiwl or fed until after the dew is od. KEEB Fon i.Aivros. As soon as the lambs will eat. give them a little ground oats, bran, shorts, corn meal or a mixture of all of llieiii. \aiying the composititui of tho fci'd lo suit the taste of the lambs. Only a small amount will be eaten at tirst. but gradually it will be better li'ked. .S»h' that the feed is always fresh. If any is left over give it to the pigs. "I ain going to marry your daugh- ter, sir." said the po.sitivc yiuing man. "Well, you don't need to come to me for sympathy," replied tho father; "I have troubles enough of m,v own." "Mow, 1 have an impression in my head," said the tt-acher. "Can any of you tell me what an Impression is?" "Ves'm, I can." replied a lit- tle fellow at th<> fool of Uie cIi.sh. "An impression i; a dent in a soft spot." In live minutes a woman can dean up a man's i-oom in such a way that il will take him live d«.v>i lo find out where she put thingii.