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mr ^immQ vmnti:k(auko â-  Those yho arc already engagt-d in swine pnxluitioii, and person â- < just Lje- ginninK, will have to pnu-tise the strictest economy in fctMling and miin- aKcment duriiijj the i'oraiti(? winter, if they expect to lie in the l)usine.>-( iur any length of time. Hoffs ean nol make use of larifu •mount.'' of rougliage. They 'itilizi' sueoulenl pa.slure ami, when fed praiii in addition, make profitable jiork. When winter ei>me-< and pa.stures lie- Srin tu run .<horl. the feed bill beiiiiis to run up. To keep breedinc sows in excellent phys'ial condition so they cat; produce strong, healthy litter.-, they should be kept on pasture when- ever possible, and tjivon some Ki;<in in adililion. When the sows are put into winter quarters they may safely run in hvrds of (luite large numbers. Plenty of lun for exercise and suflTicient space at the feed trou(jh.4 without rowdinif i" very necessary. The jjestatioit perliid of .>ows is approximately !I4 days. \ re.'ord .-ihould lie ke]>t of the date oii which each S(.w 13 bred. Two or three weeks before a sow is due to farrow she .shoiild be taken away from the risl cf the held and housed and fed in a separate pen, where she can be- cume acijuainted with her .surround- ings and can farrow her pips uiidis lurbed. A sole grain ration is expensive and is not the best f)r the sow. Every feeder should supply all the >rri;en feed he can. It can be furnished by feeding alfalfa, clo\er, soy-beans and I BKOOI) .SOW.S. cow-peas. .Some farmers think that hogs will not eat hay, but this belief is wronK, for they eat alfalfa with a relish. Build a rack and keep it fill- ed with alfalfa hay all the time. Sows that are developing a litter mu.st be fed liberally, but not overfed. A sow that is too fat is clumsy with her pigs and generally mashes some of them, .\ thin sow will probably farrow a delicate litter that will not be raised to weuning time. A fair condition of flesh is all that is reiiuir- ed. Concentrated grain feed without the necessary bulk often constipates a sow and she is unable properly to far- row her pigs. A good ration for wintering brood sows is corn and alfalfa hay. Milo maize, barley, rye or frosted wheat will answer if it is imiiossible to secure corn. Kaimers who have win- tered sows by feeding thetn legume hay and grain cla'm it is not only the cheapest but also the be.^t method of fee<ling sows to produce strong pigs. The small grains should be ground i>r craikcsl before they are fed. They can lie fed dry or in the form of a slop. Whiii any of these grains are fed in combiiuition with alfalfa hay it is not necessary to feed a protein supple- ment. If clover or the other hiiys just mentioned are fed, it is beltei- to feed tankage or oil-meal with the corn, milo mai/.e, rye, barley or wheat in about the proportion of one to ten. Two pounds of this feed for every I'KI poun<ls live weight of the sow is suf- ficeient. .Such a ration insures strong, , healfhv litters. War-Time Christmas Confections Uefw.:n>n Cnrislmas ai.d New Year is a wofk that the ordinary man takes for a holiday. Not so with the poul- trynian. Kor him it is a busy time. The pens for the new year must be selected and mated, the account.-^ for 1017 must be clo.se<l and all import ant work for the present yeai must be rinishe<l. There are so many duties To perfoim that the week is hardly long enough. It is inijwrtant to know what our receipts have Ik-cu, and what our expenses were. It is neiessary to take inventory of stock, that we may know the wor:h of nur poH^•essions. Itoasting fowls that will weigh ten or twelve pounds t« the pair ate sal- alile about now. ('ai)ons had better not l>c marketed until after Christmas. Market aP olrl and heavy turkey gobblers at once. Keep thi- hens busy scratching. Litter the floor of the pen heavily with straw, hay or b-.ive.-, and scatter the grain in the litt-r Kxercise on these cold, frosty muroings will not i>nly warm up the borlies of the fowls, but it will pave the way foi more eggs. It is well at night to give an extra allowance of grain, scattered in the li'ter, so that the I'owls will have s(jmething to work for the next morn- ing before it is lime to receive their regular breakfast. As the weather grows colder the lorii ingredient can be imrea-eil Do not fall to give, daily, what green stuff is pos-ibln. Such root-i as turnips and Ix-ets are relisho<l. The>e are cut in half and nailed against thu wall so that the fowls can keep pei-l;ing at tb-ni until all are jfone. I Haby Hfe><s for ({nick Kcturns. Haliy beeves sell as high as htaviei entitle and i<ist the producers less. It takes less feed to produce a pound of flesh on them than an matured cattle. The young hi-ifers sell as well, and sometimes bettei', than the steers, and the returns from t'l â-  money itivested come in (jiiicker. A - a rule the heifers are in better comlltion at weaning time than the -'eer^ . , If one would ^ I the best results in raising baby beef, care must be taken in selecting the cows an<l the sire. It Is not necea.-ary that 'he cows be pure bred, but the .--ireH should be pure \ bred and from a standard registered herd. I A dairy slvain in tbi- i-ows is not best, but after several ciosses it may 1 give tt tenilency to better milk proiliic- j tloli along with the beef i|iKilities, pro vided the Hire is always of the beef type. A sire with good beef iiutdllios and a tendency to early niatuiiiy should be selected. j HIGHEST PRICES PAID Tor l{\\S I (US iinf! (;iNSi;N(i N. SILVER 830 at. Faal «t W. Montr**!. P.Q. Kardr^ii. K t iiiiiii l;k ol Uoniolu HIGHEST PRICES PAID P6r POULTRY. QAMB, â- Oaft A CRATHERS ^'laaoo wrlta tor i>iirt.lculu' » . 9, P9VI-XM ft go., •0 aoMMooora M»rk*^ aiaair>iil INTKUNATION.M, l.KSSO.N l)K< KMIM It 2.«. Lesson Ml. \d\ent of The .Messiah (Christmas Lesson) â€" .Matt. 2. ML'. (; olden Text, Luke â- :. IL \'erses I, L' toll of the arrivtil of the .Magi, some time after the birth of Jesus. ,lesus--Thc Creek form ofj the Hebrew Joshua; I. L'l furnishes an interpretation of the name. Beth- 1 lehcm The birthplace of David ( 1 ! Sam. l(i. Iiii; about six miles south of Jeiii-akni. Luke li. 4 tells how .\lary came to be in Bethlehem at the j time. Haloid King of the Jews i from H. «'. ".7 1; Jesus was born ai yeai or two bet'oro IIuvkI's death. The common recl;oning of the Christi;',n; era, which originated in the sixth century, rests upon a miscalculati<ui. Behold-^Calls attention to something startling or wonderful. Wise-men Or, "Magi;" they were astrologers who thought they had the power to read destinies in the sky. They came from the ea^t, but thiir lountry is not iiidiiated . There is no founda- tion for the le;^en(l that they were kings, three in number, nnnted Caspar. Melchior, anrl Helt.hrisar. The nam- 1 ber three is an influence from the I triple olferitig (verse 11). Star - Some unusual phenomenon in the sky] had attracted the attention of the! .Magi. Some have Ihoughl that it was a conjunction of .Jupiter and Saturn, which took place at about that time; others thjit it was the ap- pearance of Siriiis, which rose with the sun; still others, that it was a comet. The exact nature cannot be determined; but whatever it was it was interpnti'd by the .Magi as an- nouniiiig th<' birth of a royal iliild. In the imst' Better, "in its rising." King of the .lews The learned men of the oa.st may have liqen familiar with the Messianic hopes of the Jews; hence they naturally turned to the capital of the .lews in search of him. \'ei3i's â- '!-() describe the im|)ression made by the arrival of the Magi an'l their in(|uirios. Troiibleii A king who had come to a throne through fraud and violence might well dread the appearance of a rival. Though the people would also be agitated, their feelings would bo of a dilfcrent character. The king was afraid the people Would rejoice over the prospect that their loiig-cluuished hopes would be reall7.od. Scribca- The official in- terpreters of the Jewish scriptures. They and the priests would surely know about the newborn king. The ''hrlst- or, "The Messiah;" that is, the anointed one; whose coming had been expected and promised for cen- turies. The prie.Hls and scribes furnished the desired Information, and in Hupporl (|Uote<l thu announcenKont In Mic. 5. 2 that the ideal king of the future! should be born In nethlehem. It should be noted, however, that the <|uotation Ih not an exact reproduc- tion of the oiiginal Hebiev ; the evangelist was internsti-d in the thought, not the exact words. Verseii 7, H reveal Herod as a â- ihrowd Ki'hcmer, winking in secret, in an attempt to cover up his cruel schemes. What lime This informa- tion would assist him in taking fur- ther stops against tli« ihild. .Sent them On the Hiirfaie Herod's inter- est seemed perfectly sincore . S'er.-iis it II picliiie the finding of the child and the adoration of the .Magi. In the east -See on verse li. The evangelist considers the move ment and the staniling still of the star, and thus also the finding of the (hild. the result of miraculous, divlnu iiitor- ference. House Wherever the child may have been born (Lidvo 2. 7). Mat- thew st'itcs that the Magi found him in a house, to wiiich he may havu been Christmas â€" the season of mirth and nuts are sprinkled over the cream, jollity with holly and evergreen in our , The following are some tried and homes, with ;. table that in its festive proved candy recipes which every air bespeaks the season, with the hap- housekeeper may be assured are piness of youth even in home.s that nourishing and are proper war-time have known the ravages of war â€" how' confections: will it be this year? 1 Pop-Corn Candy. â€" For making pop- A little less exuberance, holly and corn candy either honey, maple syrup, evergreens as before, a table with the molasses, white cane syrup oi- corn lavishness of other years somewhat syrup may be used instead of sugar, modified, but still the same joy , To one cup of syrup allow one table- abounding among the boys and girls 1 spoon of vinegar. Boll together in Canadian homes in city and coun- ' until syrup hardens, when try. i dropped in cold water. Pour over W'l'h the people of France, Italy, 1 freshly popped corn and mold into Belgium and Serbia on rations, with balls or fancy shapes for the Christ- the boys and girls in (Ireat Britain mas tree. Little pop-corn men will knowing less and less of confection- please the children. Mark in the fea- ery and more and more of plain and tures and outincs with melted choco- restricted diet, it is not likely that Mate. \ there will be such a lavish supply of i Cryslallixed I'ruits. â€" Use your own sweetmeats in Canada this Christmas preserves. Pijadi, pear, apple, (pjince as in other years. or watermelon rinii will do. Drain Does it mean that there will be no from the frui' all ^yrup possible. Cut Christmas candy? May we not .send any size desired sprinkle with sugar any to the men at (he front? .Must and dry in a very slow oven. It may the boys and girls at homo have a be necessary to sprinkle the fruit candy-less Christmas? We are ask- ! again with sugar during the drying, ed only to use a little ingenuity in the When dry enough not to be at all combination of fruits and nuts, and of sticky, sprinkle with sugar and pack sweetmeats made from honey, mo- ' in layers with wax paper between, lasses, maple sugar and raisins. We This fruit may be used for diijping in can eat ail the candies we want with a bitter chocolate for bitter-sweets, clear conscience if we eat those made' Bitter-Sweets. â€" An attractive vari- from other things than cane or Ik-cI ety of candies may be made by dip- sugar. Chocolate is quite permis- ping sweet fruits in bitter chocolate, sible and the varieties of candies Use for this purpose dates, citron, which can be made, without the use candied orange peel or crystallized of cane or beet sugar, are numerous, fruit. Melt unsweetened chocolate in Human beings need sweets. Can- a double boiler. Keep the chocolate dies are wholesome when eaten in just warm enough to prevent solidify- moderation. There i.s a movement on ing. With a silver fork drop pieces foot in the United Slate.-: to display of fruit in chocolate. See that each in the shops only such varieties of piece is completely coated, then re- candies as are made entirely or largely move to wa.xed paper to harden, from other ingredients than cane, or Fruit Paste. â€" Put through the meat boot sugar. People who are unpat chopper enough (berry, peach or riotic enough to want the lat'er may <iuince preserves to make a haif-pinl have them by asking foi them, but it with the juice. Heat fruit and add is anticipated that the demand for two tablespoons of gelatine, pre\ ious- thfi.-,e varieties will be greatly re- ly softened in a very little cold water, duced. I Stir well, and continue stirring until There never were any confections it begins 'to cool aioi thicken, then half as delicious, or half as wholescmie pour into oiled dish to make a Ijiyer as those ma<le in the home kitchen, one inch thick. Let dry slowly. They are simple and nourishing. Th^y sprinkle with sugar and place in box satisfy the child's normal craving for with waxed paper between the layers. sweetmejit> wrthout creating a false A mixture of ilried apricots and dates taste. It should be a pleasant occupa- m.ny be used for tl'.is paste. We-'i lion for housewives to devise new and apricots and soak overnigh" in enough pret'y <'hristma< bonbons for their water to cover. Pour off water, bring boys and girls. They cno picture it to a boil, pour over apricots and let -^ome of the following at the children's stand until cool. I'ut apricots and party or on the dinner table -dates dates through meat chopper, and pro- split open, pitted, a little marshmal- ceed with the proportions as given, low icing placed within and bright Cho<'olate Dainties. â€" Put through red cherries on top; other.-: filled with the meat chopper one-haif cup each of cherries or nuts or with mar-hmailow dates, (igs and nut meats. .Adil one and nuts. Figs form the basis for tablespoon orange juice, a little grat- anotbcr confection when sliced and ed orange peel and one square of melt- topped with marshmallows and rais- ed unsweetened chocolate. Mould into ins. Other fig slices might have balls and roll in chopped nuts or maple sugar and nuts on top, while granulated sugar. This mixture may maple sugar bonbons could be nicely ' be packed in an oiled tin, put under liiiisheil off with raisins. | a weight until lirm. then cut in any .•\ pretty idea for anyone wanting -hape desired, a pai'iiularly decorative effect is that .Maple Creams. â€" ^Hoil one cup maple of a light yellow basket, with a bow ! sugar with one cup water until it of fliifTy gau/e ribbon on the handle ' forms a soft ball when dropped in cold and in the basket rows of prunes from ! water. Kemove from the tire ami which the pits have been rt moved and 1 stir rapidly until it becomes creamy, the openings filled with whipped' Form into balls the size of marbles cream piled high. The finishing touch and put nut meats on either side. Lay is given when chopped green pistachio on wax i)aper to cool. 1 1 "!* ' > â-  *! I CmduiCCiiU by /%!«* 7feie.ii JJcuv Mothert and daughters of all «0«» are cordially (nvltiil te 'jvrWt to this Xepartment. Initials only will bs publlthod with each queitlor .i.id its an«w»f •• a means of Identification, but full name and address mutt be given In each letter. Write or, one side of paper only. Answer, will be i.iailed direct If •tamped and add.-essed envelope li enclosed Addrecs all correspondence for this department to Mrs. Helen Law, 2i> Woocoine Ave.. Toronto. transferred after his binh. Trea- sures- Or, "idiests containing their treasures." Frankincense -.A sweet smellinp (;uin obtained as a milky ex- iii'iitioii from a tree. .Myrrh â€" The (hied gum of a species of balsam, having a pleasant odor. The gifts presenteil were suitable for a royal child. The symbolic interpretation of the presents- gold pointing to royalty, rrankincense to divinity, and myrrtli to mortality is fanciei'ul and arbitrary. \'er.-e \1 narrates the return of the .Magi. Warned Again the .Magi re- ceived divine direction, this time through a dream. The divine pur- pose was to prevent Herod from' carrying out at once his murderous | pill posi's against the child. | Winter Pigs Wilhoul Milk. ! The average farmer has faced the' problem of how to raise winter pigs without milk. A satisfactory ration, when milk is not to be had, is a thick mash of the consistency of cream, (â- (imposed of one-half corn-metil; the other half may be wheat middlings, eipial parts of finely ground oats and , barley, or oats or barley with mid- dlings. .Mix with hot water and feed warm three times a day until the jiigs are four months of age. After that twice daily, at about eight in the morning and five at. night, is enough. | l''eed just what they will dean u)) j greedily and no more, (live a drink â-  (d' water occasionally. j When the pigs are four moiitlis old j the jilop may be thinned. Water may : not be necessary in addition to that in' the slop. (live a little alfalfa hay,! or belter still, ground alfalfa may - take the place of the middlings or' oats nfler the pigs are live months old. Scatter soaked corn and whole oats on j the floor to induce exercise, and al- ways keep in the pen a pile of hard wood ashos on whiih a handful of salt has been scattered. .An acre or two of wiiitei rye pasture will be found very desirable in this ctuinection. Dry bedding and lots of it should be I)ro- vided st all times and changed at least once n week. ♦ â-  What could be sadder than marriiiK this joyous and sncred season by tinn- ing a fir tree into a fire tree? .Many faimers have a way, as soon as the land freezes in the fall, of re- ducing their horses' feed, particularly the grain, and of keeping the horses standing in the :,table until spring. About three weeks before spring work begins the li,>rses are encouraged to eat all they can. t^uite often a big surprise awaits the owner of horses thus overfed and underexercised when the animals are first urged to do any ' considerable amount of work. In many cases such animals drop in their ; tracks, suffering from what is popul- arly known as paralysis. | The facts are, the animals' systems are out of order through being over- ' loaded with matter that has acciimu- ] laled because the horses have not been exercised at frequent and regular in- tervals. Frequently when such ill- ^ conditioned horses leave the stable they seem full id' spirit, whereas they are siiTii)ly uneasy and full of misery. ' To prevent such trouble, horses .should be kept in condition ail winter ^ by regular exercise. .Any farmer who makes up his mind to it can do this. The barnyard should be cleaned up every day. Wood may be hauled '. for the summer. Fencing material can be gathered up and the new fence; placed ready for spring erection, j (iravcd or broken stones may be haul- ed for the roads. The horses should be given 1. run in the open fresh air in order that they may be hardened to exposure. If the exercise is increased as the spring work conies on, the farmer may feel assured that his horses will not (ail him when he needs them most. Their muscles will be hard, and they will stand anything in reason . - <^ - â€" That Christmas Turkey. A Christmas turkey isn't such a lux- ury when you consider all the really good leftover dishes it can be the basis of after "the day." Here are some suggestions for making the most of your turkey: VVhen serving, carve slices and serve without tho bones. What is left on the platter may be used in soup. The second day take a sharp knife and cut all the bits of turkey from the carcass. .Add to half of this diced cold potato and mix carefully with Town Lass: â€" One very jolly way of entertaining guests at a holiday party is to let them trim the Chris'nias tree. You may he sure there is no stiff ne:-s around when you .set young persons lo trimming a Christmas tree. Here are some games that will "break the ice and ker>p it broken," even if you do not care to have a tree- trimming party: Christmas Cobwebâ€" Distribute lit- tle Comic Christmas favors by means of a web of string. Start the web from the center of the room, like the parlor table. There are as many strings to the web as there are guests at the party. At the end of each string is tied the gift. The strings are twisted together and placed all over the room . There is no end of fun in trying to untangle them lo get to the end jmuI to the gift, which, of Course, makes fun of some character- istic of the person. If any of the members of the party are suspected of being engaged, be sure to have their string twisted together and leading into a bunch of mistletoe. Observation â€" ilake from scarlet net a huge specimen of the Chri.itmas stocking and stuff it well with all kinds of common things gathered around the house. Hang it up. Give each of the guests pencil and paper and let them all come and look at the stocking. Then tell them to withdraw and to write down what they saw in the stocking. Those having the greatest number of correct objects on their list win prizes, if prizes are to be given. In Holly Colors â€" This is a lively game. Hang at opposite ends of the room two hags made of red and green cheesecloth fashioned in stocking shape. Conceal around the room bits (d' old cloth tied up in red and in green tissue paper. Decorate all the players with green and red paper rosettes, the decoration each wears to indicate whether he belongs to the green or red band, for these act as op- ponents in the game. Players form in line, red and green alternating, and the piano strikes up a lively tune. .AH march around the room quickly, but when the music breaks off, as it will do very suddenly, all break ranks and try to drop into the stocking belong- ing to their respective divisions the little red and green "bullets" wrapped in their respective colors. When the music resumes the players get into line agaia an<i so on. with several breaks . VVhen the contents of the stockings are counted, members of the band having the most bullets win. Mrs. L. McD.: â€" You are wise to stop and ask yourself how you can economize in (^hristmas eatables this year. K.very thrifty housewife is .surely nledging herself 'o he mo<t careful planning that she has ever en- gaged in for the festive season. In the first place, use fowl or other poul- try in preference to beef and pork. You are renderittg patriotic service in using the food which is not shipped overseas for the armies . A very good substitute for plum pudding is carrot pudding which is less expen- sive and more digestible than the time-honored variety. Have you tried it? Here is the recipe: 1 cup each grated carrot, potato, apple; 1 cup each sii.gar, chopped suet, seeded raisins, I's cups flour, 1 t«aspoon eadi cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg; 1 teaspoon baking soda; juice of Ms lemon. Sift together flour, salt, soda and spices and add to grated vege- table, sugar and suet. Add lemon juice last. Put into a well greased mould and steam four hours. Mother o' Mine:â€" L The following list contains some of *"ie best books for children. Many of them can be !)OUght in cheap reprints: Mother (loose Complete; .Ae-op's Fables; In Story Land, by Elizabeth Harrison- Outlook Fairy Book; The Land of Really True; The Hand of Never Was; Just So Storie', l>y Kipling; Wild Animals I Have Known, by Thompson Seton; Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll; Children's King .Arthur; Wa- ter Babies, by ('has. Kingsley; Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare; Child's Gar- den of Verse, by Louis Stevenson. 2. Here are the recipes you ask for: . Caramel .<:ai:ceâ€" Melt a cupful of su- ' gar in a saucepan that has not been ' scorched. Be careful that it does not j burn. It must be watched every ssc- j oiuL Add three-fourths of a eupiV I of l-.oiling water and let it simmer for '. fifteen minutes. When cool stir in \ a teaspoonful of vanilla. Strong cof- fee may be used instead of the water to increa.se the flavor. A half cupful of chopped nuts can be added, too. Lemon sauceâ€"Mix three-fourths of a cupful of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Add to this one and one-half cupfuls of hot water and stir constantly until it be- gins to boil . Let simmer for ten mi- nutes and then add one teirspoonful of butter and the juice and rind of half a lemon or one-half a teaspoonful of lemon extract. En(iuirer: â€" -An appeal to the wo- men of the country has gone forth from the office of the Food Controller to avoid purchasing or mukinii; Christmas candy of cane or beet sugar. Your emiuiry is a fmely one. It is not tiecessary to stint the youngsters in sweetmeats but judg- ment should be used in the choice of varietie.-. Pop-corn candy, maple creams, and fruit confections may all be niaile at home without too much expense or trouble. Utilize fruit and nuts as much as you can and eliminate sugar wherever possible. You can do this by usins brown sugar, honey mola3s?s and corn syrup in- stead. See the article on this page stead. See the article on this page, entitled "War-Time Christmas Con- fections." Soldiet*! Sister:â€" Y'ou are misin- formed on this point . Y'ou can .send soap without a license to your brother or to any other soldiers overseas. Farmer's Wife:â€" You and your hus- band are among the fortunate if you are raising hogs and most certainiy we would advise you to urge him to . increase production. "The t^mo ha.s come when a hog is worth more than a |»hell and wheat is worth moic than munitions" says Hon. G. W. Brown, and it is a fact that Kurope now pos- sesses 33,000.000 fewer hogs than were in existence the first year of the war. Mr. Haima is particularly empha.'^izing the advantages of hog- raising and has repeatedly stated thnt ! the farmer has everything to gain by I it. the shortage ensuring a demand long after the war is over. There is a good article on the subject on this I page. cream-sauce to which is added a little finely diced red sweet-pepper (prefer- ably home canned!, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a platter with a border of alternate small onions and thinly sliced carrot â€"all ve-y hot. Seme variety ol' lait jelly or cranberry sauce is a piquant addition and inexpensive if home- made. Let a day elapse, then serve the remainder of the turkey mixed lightly with cooked rice, spaghetti or macaroni, and the rest of the turkey gravy. (\it the remainder of the stuffing into small slices, brown, and use as a garnish. Coleslaw made of red cabbage is delicious with this particular "left-over." The positive- ly last appearance of the turkey is in soup made substantial enough to serve as the basis of a meal. | **% xil -After running in the stalk fields, the wool of the sheep often becomes filled with burs. .Also, when the stock is allowed to run free during the win- ter month.'!, they come in contact with fences and other obstacles that cause their fleeces to have a shaggy ap- pearance. This should be avoided be- cause sheep that go to market with ragged fleeces and with burs in their wool do not sell so well as those with tlie clean fleeces. When sheep are sold at the market, the buyer notes the wool carefully. Wool has become one of the leading factors in manufacturing circles to- day, and if it is hurry and shaggy looking, a discount in price is made. Very often sheep with bad fleeces will ; sell for fifty to seventy-five cents per ; hundred less than other itock. The lire Tree. On Christmas eve many homes will be set alire by carelessness in handl- ing candle-lighted Christmas trees. To the thoughtful will come the rea- sons for the hints which f(iUow: Never leave an illuminated tree un- watched. Never use cotton batting nor fes- toons of tissue paper on a lighted tree. Never use ornaments made of cellu- loid. Never put cotton beneath the tree to make the carpet look as if snow- covered . Never remove presents from the tree un'il the candles have been blown out. When the removal of presents bejrins, children, and adults, too, are giving their attentiott to individua' items lather than to the tree as t whole, so i* doesn't much matter hov. the tree looks then. In the interest of beauty and safe- ty, also, it is better to put the present? under the tree, not on it, for most of the presents ordinarily placed upon »> tree disfigure it both by their presenc< and by springing the branches out>)(. position, spoiling its symmtery. A sponge tied to the end of a lonjf stick and a pailful of water .should be kept beside the tree while the csndlea are burning. If the tree is a largic one, have a stick, sponge and watat, on either side of it. Aside from the fact that the stop*- decorations are scarce and expensive economy should be practised whcrcvatf possible this year. The decoratioifci that you make at home, or that th* children make, speak eloquently of a labor of love and add to the Christinas spirit. With a little thought iBiid in- genuity a tree m,\y be safely at«l beautifully decoratoi at slight e*- pense. J. r ' n " i •« \ M- \