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f*\ * , * r * i & \ v " « > ^ ^ , , - . * < r % j . f ~:2?" >"») fK 'p*!'Vf »% * , v ̂ T M V< v< * -f" +" '"•»" ••*«*-** .-*.« w - i; » J?'-V1 • - - ," 'i H"< , «. , Vrf /, - *. v -t ; k,?n,( / ,<- ,. .. " •-. .-, •. ,.Y * ^ * *'.•- *,y • ; ». . ̂ .V „„ -* *. - ' ^ 4 ~} "* ' , " ' -?,?> £*» ilk.^ vt'^/- . • ifi:: & IN THE QUICKSANDS^ lyv. I#:.- ,̂- >. p*l. &:•-< U TAYLOR was a typical frontiersman. His father had feeea a pioneer and bis grand­ father kid been killed by Indians :'§a*-ay bark when Missouri an' Arkan- ||a«r belonged to the French,** to use j|is ewn language. Whenever Eli Taylor could see the j^BMke of a neighbor's cabin he became jj|iiMi i h >1 with the idea that the coun­ try was getting to be too thickly set­ tled and correspondingly unhealthy, pRi In* bundled his family into one of Wmm hage wagons known as "a prairie jrtKMKKV*' and moved further west. • This he persisted in doing until one -guy he found himself under the shadow «f ttof Rocky Mouu tains, and he woke -W9 to the fact that his wife was a ftrekfBdown old woman and his 4*i$bter Leua and bis sou Tom "about 4Kb big as they was e ver goin' to get to •Mr T«ng Tora Taylor had not inher- ttd the gypsy love of change that had 4istinguished his ancestors. He was a •tardy, sensible fellow and wanted to settle down on a farm, where his moth- ar eoold live better than she had been 4kiag. and where Lena could have a ttaoce to know more about books, which she had learned to read in-some cwKToaatahle way, and of which she was very fond. Aad so Eli* Taylor in his 50th year settled down to the^cultivation of a t®rf» not tar from what is now Canyon C«ty. hot which was then a cluster of cabins where prospectors rested before String ever the mountains to South Piark. Heir Eli Taylor and young Tom worked with so much success that within a lew years they had a comfort- boose aud outbuildings, a dozen and as many horses, and,' great­ est of all evidences of' prosperity, sneoey laid by for a rainy day. Lena Taylor, though miles away fram tbe nearest neighbor, was not destined to remain unknown and un- •ppi i isli il The fame of her thrift aad her beaut.v was discussed about tbe campfires of prospectors in the moautaii^ Many of them bad gone a day's jvernev out of their way to see bn. and the general opinion was that *be man who made a successful •'clatm'* to her hand would have, by all odds, tbe finest piece of property in the territory. It has been sa'icl that poverty and suf- ffertag are the greatest" tests of charac­ ter, bat we are inclined to think that it requires a stronger, nobler nature to trftfestaad a change in the face of sud- in prosperity than to meet reversals with philosophy. Hi Taylor, was prosperous, and with lfe prosperity vanished his inborn dis- Iftc for settled communities. It was be who carried all the farm produce to Gnyoo City and purchased there such sapplles as were needed by his thrifty family. Had be confined his purchases to these supplies all would have been welt. but. unfortunately, he had a mbiiri to gratify his taste for strong •drink, and he yielded to it till the pas- j ;-mnt became bis master. Tbe saloons of the frontier at that Tiass were open gambling dens, "run" V»y sharpers who plundered without re- mnt the men they bad first made ilraiL One of these places was kept by a sum named "Mart" Estel, who had the eoreted reputation of wealth and the snemriable reputation of a desperado who had killed a number of men. He always denied being rich, and when taestioned about his shooting exploits be would lay his hand on his hip and Siy, with a chilling laugh: "Yoa can bet that when Mart Estel tuds himself in a tight bos be knows bow to fix the lock that will let him •at." KsteTs saloon become a favorite re- *ort with Ell Taylor, and he not only got drank there, but tbe news reached ttie family that he had fallen into the iiabit of gambling. The latter report was confirmed by the. fact that he no . lunger accounted for the money he had get from the sale of his produce. Lena and her brother begged their latter to keep away from Canyon City. 4ot* unheeding them and blind to the ceara of his invalid wife, he persisted '•* the course. sow the son and daughter, who had beea so eager to secure a perman­ ent home, expressed an anxiety to move farther into the wilderness, but their - father became stubborn, saying: "Ton made me settle down here and here I'll stay." Wbea uatters were nearing their worst a young man, dressed in the , garb of a hunter, but with a refinement «f manner that convinced Lena that lie wis not "an original mountaineer," ' came to the valley in which the Taylor 3kns was situated and asked to board there while he hunted and prospected ;> in the neighboring mountains. He gave Ms name as "George Herrou," and as v be affered $8 a week for the accommo­ dation and showed a willingness to pay ta advance, Mrs. Taylor and Lena •grtud to take him in. €fe-orge Herron was a handsome and aatber a melancholy young man--such ' asaeas must appeal powerfully to the ^ ibpi heart and lofty imagination of lit frontier girl. He was away a great deal--often for •lEbtsat a time, and when he returned Sr bat seldom brought game, though U Me always had strange wild flowers for f Idaau and curious specimens of ores, abiili hi' examined with his micro- mtmgm aud acids. is largely a matter of associa- tfea; it is not, therefore, to be wonder- at ILatt Lena grew to watch the m trail fdr the coming of the hunter, nor that the light of left her expressive face er she saw him disappearing in rocky heights above the valley. ing tbe valley, but it chanced that he never came there except when George Herron was away. Eli Taylor had ceased going to Can­ yon City; indeedv he seemed to have lost, all interest in the farm. In his family, and in himself., Lena and her mother tried to cheer him, a&d Tom worked harder than ever to make up for his father's losses, but still Eli went about like a man whose heart was broken. t. The reason for this irtetotneholy was at length made manifest. One day Mart Estel, accompanied by a stout, florid man of 40 who looked much like himself, came to the farm and held a long consultation with Eli Taylor. "I have kept it all from my children," said Eli Taylor to Estel and his com­ panion, who was known as "Lawyer Roggs," "but I reckon the best way is to have them in aud make a clean breast of it." "Yes; they might as well know It first as last," said Estel, "and more par­ ticularly Lena, for she's got it in her power to square the account." "How so?" asked Ell. "Didn't I tell you "how sJvhen last you was down, and didn't you promise to speak to her about it?" asked Estel. "I wasn't myself then. I've forgot all about it, and I wish I could forget that I ever came to this settlement," said the distracted man. "Have your family in and let us talk it over," said Lawyer Roggs. as he drew some papers from his pocket. Mrs. Taylor. Lena and Tom were called in, and Mart Estel, without any preliminaries, went on to tell how for a year or more Eli Taylor had been getting deeper and deeper Into his debt "I loaned money and did all I could for Mr. Taylor," said Estel, "and at last, seeing that he could not pay me. I took a mortgage on the farm and the stock. The mortgage- is due, and if Mr. Taylor or none of the family ain't able to take it up I'll sell the place or I'll take it for what's due me." "I don't know anything about law," said Tom Taylor, "and I don't want to know, but I've tried, and so have mother and Lena, to work hard and him all that had happened and asked his advice. "I can help yon by giving you the money," replied the yonng hunter, "but my belief is that these fellows are thieves and are playing a bluff game; if so, I think Tom and I can match them." "It's this young Herron that Lena's in love with," said Eli Taylor to his wife. "If it wasn't for him she'd have Estel and we could keep the place. I won't have him about here no longer." In his blnnt way the old man told George Herron to leave, frankly ex­ plaining the reason, and George said in reply: "If I cannot help yon, Mr. Taylor, I will not stay In your way." The next evening, after a long talk with Lena and her brother, the young hanter shouldered his rifle and went away, and Eli Taylor felt that his property would be now secure, in which event he compromised with his selfish­ ness by promising himself that he would never get drunk nor gamble again. At length the dreaded day came, and with it Estel, Roggs and a number of men they had brought to take posses­ sion of the place. They found Lena even more deter­ mined than before, for she positively refused to speak to Estel in tbe house. "Will you speak to me outside?" be asked. "Yes; on the bridge over Quicksand Creek," she replied. This was the bridge on the road leading from the farm to Canyon City, and the stream which it spanned was filled with the quicksand that makes traveling in that region such a terror. Fearing some harm, Estel's friends followed at a distance, and the moment he stood on the bridge with Lena they saw a yoUng man in hunter's garb ap­ pear at the other end. They beard this young man cry out: "We meet at last. Belman!" Estel seemed frozen with terror; after a few seconds be laid his hand on the bridge railing and leaped over, ht& object being escape, but he found himself in the remorseless grasp of the quicksands. Roggs and others ran up only to see Estel or "Belman," for these were only a few of his names, disappearing. "That wretch." said George Herron, pointing to the stream, "murdered and robbed my father two years ago in Salt Lake City. 1 have been looking for him ever since, but I hold you to witness that he died by his own act." With their champion gone Roggs and his companions had no further inter­ est in his case. Eli Taylor was never troubled again. He changed his hab­ its and made over his farm to his son, though he thinks that bis son-in-law, George derron, is quite as fine a fel­ low as Tom.--New York Ledger. DOINGS orwonm WHY OUR WOMEN WEO ABROAD. M ANY persons find It difficult to understand the preference of woman for exalted stations, but they forget altogether the horizon which a title opens to her.. There are, in most cases, the great estate to pre­ side over, the house to rule--houses which are often centuries old, and therefore rich in those traditions aud old customs which no new country can know. Then there Is the political life to which titles entitle a man, and with that life there is the coming in contact with many minds, with the possibility of being herself a power among them. Scoffers are apt to say that beauty of fat bank account is accountable for all the brilliant marriages which our women make, and the fact is altogether Ignored that a certain qualification, if not exactly necessary, is at least a fre­ quent factor in them. Take, for in­ stance, the case of Miss Leiter, now the \vife of the Viceroy of India, with a position to hold In the English-speak­ ing world which only Queen Victoria herself can rival. Few of our Ameri­ can girls have studied so hard, or re­ ceived so careful an education. She has been cultivated in all the graces of mind and body, equipped, In other words, for any role she might be called upon to fill.--Harper's Bazar. ' MIh Lindbiom's Ambition. , A woman, a young and pretty wo­ man, with a cluster of light curls on each temple, presented an application for membership in the Chicago Board of Trade. While the innovation is startling and, so far as known, with­ out precedent, no technical obstacle YOC HAVK MY ANSWER," SAID LENA. Of late Mart Estel had taken to rlsit- • ,•£> --- ~ h- _ t *. * r make a living up to this time. Father had no right to mortgage the farm and the stock, for they are more of my making than of bis, and I do not pro­ pose to let any man interfere with my rights." "Ah, my young friend," said Lawyer Roggs. opening one of the papers he held in his band, "your father has here sworn that he owns this farm and the stock; if he has sworn to what ain't true, why, all Mr. Estel has to do is to apply to the officers of the law in Den­ ver and have him arrested for swin­ dling and perjury." On hearing this Eli Taylor groaned and his wife covered her face with her thin hands.' "I have po more to say about it," said Tom. going to the door, "only this-- that the man who arrests my father will undertake a life job, and the man who carries out our little property must do so by force." After Tom had gone Lena asked: "Mr. Estel, can't you give us time to pay you? Father got only arm at your place. He was not a drunkard nor a gambler before-we came here." "And I didn't make him one or tbe other," said Estel. "But I told him be­ fore what I tell you now--that is, that you can say one word that'll free him from debt and make yourself rich "What is that?" asked Lena, with forced calmness. "Be my wife," said Estel, reaching out his hand. Lena drew back and the color fled her face. Her simple life had made her unconventional, so that she spoke her mind without any thought of the con­ sequences. "Marry you?" she said. "How could I do so when I do not love you?" "But you will learn to love me," said Estel. "That is impossible." "Why so?" "Because I love another." "Who is he?" "That matters not," she said, with spirit, "you have my answer." "But T will not take 'no' for an an­ swer. Thiftk over what I have said, and in one week 1 shall return; should you then refuse me I shall take what is mine." With this ultimatum Estel and his friend left. Eli Taylor and his wife tried to make Lena see that it would be to the ad­ vantage of all if she accepted Estel's proposal, but she firmly replied: \ "1 am ready to die to "save either my father or my. mother^ but it is too much to ask me to sell my soul." Tom stoutly took his sister's side, and When George Herron returned, which be did that evening, they told Ancient Symbolism of the Glove. In the history of dress the position of the glove is unique. There was a time when the glove was an emblem of con­ fidence. Forming a part of the regal habit, it became a badge of rank. In the Middle Ages the ceremony of In­ vestiture in conferring dignities or be­ stowing lands was consummated by the giving of a glove. Likewise, the depri­ vation of gloves was a ceremony of degradation. Then, too, it was the cus­ tom to give gloves in payment of rent, the gloves being accepted as a guaran­ tee of a retainer's service, which was the chief condition of tenure, On the Scotch border the glove held a high place as a gage. Here a glove borne on the point of a lance proclaimed an act of perfidy. Biting the glove was a sign of hostile intent and tbe usual prelude to a-quarrel. Throughout the history of dress they are found symbolical of pledges, gages, gifts or favors. Gloves also form part of burial rites, and were carried in funeral processions until the middle of the eighteenth eentury. When a maiden died it was the custom to place in the center of the garland which was borne on her coffin a pair of white gloves--a symbol of virginity and Inno­ cence.--Woman's Home Companion; Cabby's Revenge. A stipendiary magistrate in a town in Yorkshire who was not given to err on the side of leniency once had before him a cab driver who was cbarged with furious driving. After some severe comments on the man's conduct a heavy fine was Imposed. A few days after the trial the magis­ trate, who had been detained rather longer than usual in the court, was hur­ rying along to eatcb his strain, when, seeing an empty cab handy, he hailed the driver and directed him to proceed to the station, telling him that he was pressed for time. The driver, however, heedless of the hint, kept to a very gen­ tle trot. I say. I say, my man," exclaimed the fare, with his head oat of the window, drive faster than this." It can't be done, sir," replied the driv­ er. "Ye see, if we drives faster we're had np afore the beak, and we gets fined; so we has to be careful." He did not alter his paee and neither did the "beak" cateh his train.--London Tid Bits. to secure success--she should endeavor to secure promptness In payment and an equal promptness In repairs. In!/ cases of friction between landlord and tenants a lack of care in keeping prom­ ises is largely to blame. The law of courtesy bas been violated and hostil­ ity is the result. To keep faith with a kind landlord the jjverage tenant will sgo to great lengths. The unusual ten­ ant can not be relied upon for anything. Walk in the Sunshine. When the work of the busy woman will permit her to travel her two miles In the sunshine she should surely make the most of such a priceless advantage, for beneficial as the breathing of plenty of oxygen and the regular exercise of muscle are at any time, sunshine is a tonic for mind, heart and body, which no woman, sick or well, can afford to despise. The busy woman of household cares can plan to take her morning tramp when she is out marketing for the day. She should never delude herself, more­ over, with the Idea that shopping, drag­ ging about from store to store, carry­ ing parcels and breathing tbe impure air of tbe average shop Is "getting ex­ ercise." It is only the full, free swing out of doors, in the pure air, that will take her home with red cheeks and bright eyes. School girls should give an hour each day to brisk walking, which will prove far more valuable in after life than the usual assortment of half-learned accomplishments. THE FAfiM AND HOME. MATTERSO FINTEREST TO FARM- ER AND HOUSEWIF& - Yoanv Btock Should Be Kepi la Thrifty Condition-Salicylic Acid Danareron* Fruit Preservative 6heep Need l>ry Beddiaa* MISS LKNOlt MMUBLOM. could be found to keep her out of the anks of the bulls and bears. Miss Lenor Lindblom is the eldest daughter of Robert Lindblom, and for three years she has been an active partner in the commission firm of Robert Lind­ blom & Co. The latter fact makes membership in the board necessary to her. Daytime Seat. All women who can spare an hour in the afternoon to themselves should cast off all cares and enjoy a complete relaxation, resting an entire hour pre­ vious to dressing. Working women should make some sacrifice to obtain a regular rest at midday, If only for a few minutes. A ten minutes' nap di­ rectly after dinner will be of more value than an hour's sleep at night. After the habit of the daytime nap Is once established, the moment she lies down she will easily fall asleep, and such is the control of the mind over the body that If she looks at a watch or clock and firmly determines to awake at a certain hour, she is quite sure to find herself wide awake at that time. : Young and growing stock sbould be, kept in good, thrifty condition at this time, if for any cause they are allow­ ed to run down, it will require extra good feed and care to get them gaining again, says the St. Louis Republic. It always costs double to make up lost growth, saying nothing of the risk of so stunting tbe animals that they never completely recover from the effects. In most cases a very little feeding in con­ nection with the pasturage Is all that will be necessary to keep them thrifty. It is the omission to supply this in good season that causes them to fail in condition. Whenever young stock are not growing, tbe food given them is practically lost, as food of support is much added to the cost that brings no return. Profit in feeding is secured only when tbe animal is given enough over what is required to sustain life and make up for the dally waste to se­ cure a steady gain. If there is some crop that can be cut off and fed freBh and green as needed, this will altvays be found best. A feed of this kind can be given in the pastures, but if it is nec­ essary to feed dry feed in most cases it will be best to put the stock into feed lofts In which are convenient racks, where the feed may be placed, so that there will be as little waste as possible. Some grain should be fed later, com­ mencing with a small quantity and gradually increasing as their needs may require. It Is much easier, as well as cheaper, to keep animals thrifty now, and after they are put on dry feed, than to let them run down now and then try to put them in thrifty con­ dition later. To get the most profit stock of all kinds must make a steady growth from birth to maturity. Good care in feed is necessary if this Is done to the best advantage. Feathered Surgeons. Some Interesting observations on tbe treatment of wounds of birds have been made by a writer who tells of a snipe both of whose legs he had un­ fortunately broken by a misdirected shot: He recovered the bird only the next day, when he discovered that the poor thing had contrived to apply a dressing of down and a sort of splint to each leg. A ligature of grass bad been used to wind many times around the wounded parts, and was securely fas­ tened by coagulated blood. Twice the writer has brought home snipe with in­ terwoven feathers strapped on one or the other leg, which undoubtedly had been broken. Too Much Furniture. There are many girls whose married life is one long study of the science of economy, with its various branches of j 'ways and means." There is not the study of economy in money matters alone, but there are also the economy of labor, the economy of time and the economy of health to be considered. When we start housekeeping and begin to buy the necessary furniture we women, one and all, have the same In­ tense desire to make our homes as beautiful and pleasant to look upon as it lies in our power to do, says the Philadelphia -Press, , Unless ope ean afford to keep plenty of domestics it is well to avoid furni­ ture that has much carving upon it. Simple decorative designs have a better bred" airk-about them, and, what Is more important, are much easier to- make clean and keep so. It does not j follow by any means that furnijiire j must be costly to be beautiful, but it is well when purchasing to remember that It is not only the amount of money paid that constitutes "saving." There­ fore one must exercise the greatest dis­ cretion. Crowding rooms with furni­ ture is not only a sign of bad taste, but it Is positively unhealthy. Why We Throw Shoes After a Bride. The custom of throwing old shoes and riee cdme from the Eastern na­ tions, and was originally intended as a sign of relinquishment by the rela­ tives of their authority over the bride. An old Jewish custom provided that a brother of a childless man had the first privilege of marrying the widow, and until her brother-in-law refused her she could not marry again. Another authority maintains that the throwing of the sihoe was a sham assault on the groom, who was supposed to be carry­ ing off the bride.--Woman's Home Companion. The Lack Offerin«. Prospective brides and grooms will welcome the announcement that the traditional shower of rice is no longer considered good form by fashionable folk. Rose leaves are used instead. If any color scheme is parried out in the decorations of the wedding, the same color is used in the shower of leaves. Just as the bride and groom leave the house a tiny basket filled with fresh leaves is handed to each member s&t hle immediate bridal paity, who ttiow them over the happy couple. • Stranse. Mr. Crimson beak--Did yon ever think what a funny thing a lemon is? Mr. Crimsonbeak--Why funny? "You know how sour it is?" "Oh, yes;" "Well, people take them to make 'em sing sweetly."-honkers Statesman. A Very Clever YonnK £<ady. Governess--Come, Ethel; it's time for good little girls to be in bed. Ethel--Yeth, Mith Morgan; but you know I have been naughty to-day.-- Jeweler's Weekly. r'JM, Ulsters and roll-top desk); bide a great ! many things from the nubile. >£.&. -J*. Married Men's Watches. The Xewburgh (N. Y.) News *ays that a local jeweler has Invested in a stock of "married men's watches." The peculiarity of these watches lies in the fact that they are furnished with an alarm attachment which a man's wife can set at the exact hour when she wishes him to start for hom^. ^r The alarm going off at ,that time Will re­ mind him that his wife expects htm. Women as Collectors. About thirty years ago there was tried an experiment which proved that women could collect rents without in- Jury to themselves and with beuefit to those with whom they were thrown. To-day women rent collectors are not curiosities, they are acknowledged workers Ha a legitimate field. If a col­ lector is fair-minded--and she must be Cause and Cure of Insomnia. Unless our sleep be very profound, we still carry on a sort of self-con-^ sclousness. We lie down, and we mus- cularly hold ourselves in ariy position assumed. We do not abandon our head to the pillow, our limbs to the bed. We hold them there. W«( must un­ hinge, as it were, so that head or any member would drop limp if the rest of the body were lifted. Imagine them heavy, and dropping down, down, and you will soon acquire the trick, finding, as a reward, that in the grateful re­ lease from muscular tension the mind relaxes as well.--Woman's Home Com­ panion. Umbrellas. * Umbrellas should always be set to dry, open, with handle on floor. If al­ lowed to dry shut up the moisture stands so long at the top it rots the silk and rusts the wires. Do not keep an umbrella In Its case or rolled when In the house, as the silk, thus tightly creased, soon cuts Into holes. In roll­ ing up au umbrella for its case grasp the ends of the frame rods tightly with one hand near the handle and roll from the opposite end with the other hand; unless the frame is thus held In place, it is twisted and loosened in the rolling process. Feminine Personals. Miss Virginia Evans, daughter of "Fighting Bob" Evans, will make her bow to society during the present Washiugton'offlcial season. Among saleswomen of New York Mrs. Richard Croker enjoys the repu­ tation of being the kindest and most considerate shopper in the city. Mrs McKinley's health has greatly improved since she went to Washlng- to®. In the last two years she bas gained twenty pounds in weight. The first woman has just received her degree of doctor from the Univer­ sity of Berlin. She is Miss Elsa Neu­ mann, and gained It "cum laude." Mrs. John, Jacob Astor is said to be one of the prettiest skirt dancers in the New York 400, among whom she bas many rivals in that species of amuse ment. Miss Saiiie Faulkner, daughter of Senator Faulkner, of West Virginia, recently paid a visit to her brother, a lieutenant in the army, now stationed in Wyoming. While there she rode a broncho which only one man at the fort could master. Mme. Patti, In a recent interview, said that she intended to write her memoirs as soon as she had definitely retired from the stage aud concert room, but declared herself unable to state when that would be. Her dream of the future is to utilize her theatrical experience In giving counsel to young and aspiring artists. ' Mrs. Sbldmon Gossoon, the managing partneif off a well-known Jewish firm in Bombay and president of several companies in which the firm takes an interest, has been proposed for a place in the Governor General's Council. The proposal comes from a leading Indian paper, and1 is probably due to two rea sons--Mi's.' Gossoon's great business ability and the fact that, she had made great effort to draw together the worn en of Bombay. Mrs. Frona Eunice Walt, member of the California State Board of Agricul ture and a professional wine taster of national reputation, says she knows of but three men wlio are really compe tent to judge wine. They are Gerido Itossntl of New York, F. D. Oldham of I^ondon, and Paul De Chanelle, presi dent of the French Chamber of Depu ties. She declares that women are bet ter wine tasters than men, "having more delicate perceptions and being more sensitive to imnressions." Fruit Preservation. It is well known to-day that salicylic acid Is a powerful antiseptic. As such it retards the action of organized fer­ ments like the yeast plant and putre­ factive bacteria. It binders and pre­ vents fermentation, souring of milk and the putrefaction of meat. Its ac­ tion upon unorganized ferments is even more powerful. It completely arrests the conversion of starch into grape sugar by disease and pancreatic ex­ tracts. This action Is directly opposed to the process of digestion, and were there no other reason the use of sali­ cylic acid should be universally con­ demned. These facts In connection with salicylic acid have been recog­ nized very thoroughly in legislation. The use of tbe acid bas been condemn­ ed by most of the European countries having pure food iavys. In France It is forbidden by law* In Austria, Italy and Spain it cannot be used without the danger of Incurring a, heavy penal­ ty, apd all South American states hav­ ing pure food laws have absolutely for­ bidden its sale. The laws of many States forbid its use. By a decision of Mr. Wells, the dairy and food commis­ sioner, the use of salicylic acid in food prohibited in Pennsylvania.--Sani­ tarian. Sheep Need Dry Bedding. Many people who keep sheep under sheds on an earthen floor In cold weather make the mistake of not pro­ viding bedding enough. A little dry straw should be scattered over the floor at night, and it will be none the worse if it Is the refuse of what the sheep have picked ovec during the day. Even the fattening sheep will eat some straw each day as a change of food, and will select the upper part of the stalk near the head, Oat straw is the best for this purpose. The sheep Is very Impatient o£ wet, and besides, it is Injurious to the wool to have It soiled by manure. If the ends of the wool are closed by filth this stops its growth, just as it does on the tags, which even after they have been scoured are not worth as much as clean wool from other parts pf the body. feet high and three feet wide, mad#* of one-inch boards. Underneath are thb nests, made like drawers, one foot deep- in front, and placed below an eigbfr inch strip which runs along the edge oC the platform. The back of the draw-, ers is six inches deep, so tbe bens call jump up from behind, and the nests aril always dark, which fact gives the hen* a feeling of secrecy. A foot above the •* - platform are the roosts, made froqi -, ' one-inch strips, two inches Wide.--Agrt> • ? culturist. ; Value of Fertilizers iu Land. Prof. I. P. Roberts is reported to hav# > stated at a farmers' institute in East*" em New York that one acre of soil go­ ing down one foot deep contained 2,700* tons in the 40,000 cubic feet or mor^s! of the soil, or about 124 pounds to th|f eubie foot. This quantity of earth con­ tains 4,000 pounds of phosphoric aci<% " 8,000 pounds of notasb and 16,00fr pounds of nitrogen. These ingredient* purchased at the present market price* '; would cost 4 cents a pound for the pot» ash, 7 cents for the phosphoric acid an# 18 cents for the nitrogen, making foil the three ingredients $2,600 an aero. Hence the importance of adopting such :] a course of rotation in cultivation alt .• will not exhaust these ingredients, but keep them there, and which will in­ crease the fertility of the land without.' * exhausting it. We could not afford t$Y purchase and apply the above quasit^ r ties in the form of fertilizers. PiftlntE Coal Ashes. One of the most disagreeable jobs in winter Is to sift the coal ashes so as to save the coal that is not burned. It is so dirty that many farmers entirely avoid it, unless they have hired help- on whom this disagreeable work is put. Then it is often shirked, as the farmer discovers when the ash heap is remov­ ed In the spring. But there are better ways to sift coal ashes than to stand and shake the sifter, with the certainty that, whichever way the shaker is turned, the wind is sure to blow the ashes back on the clothes, face and hands of the operator.. What is newted is a large barrel or an old hogshead with a hole bored near its top, large enough to put the handle <St tbe shaker through. * Then have a coyer to closely tit the top and no dust from the ashes will come outside. Some old clothes should always be worn when doing such work, and if many small, dirty jobs have to be done a blcuse and over­ alls to protect other clothes are a great convenience. Hog Cholera. The disease known as hog cholera a germ disease, and where it once ha» a foothold it makes hog^growing un­ profitable. It is propagated through thb-' excretions, and even by contact of hogs with pens-and buildings which must be kept free from hogs for several years and thoroughly sprayed; with the corro­ sive sublimate wash. A very weak solu­ tion will be effective If it reaches all> parts where sick hogs or their excre­ ment have been. It is very little known on Eastern farms> Probably the West­ ern practice of feeding almost exclu­ sively on corn lessens the hog's ability to resist the disease. Hogs need a great* er variety than they get, and whilb' corn may be the cheapest grain to feed' too much corn for hogs may easily make it the dearest for them;--Ameri­ can Cultivator. The'Cnrrycomb for Cows. Somehow the cow never gets half the care in the stable that the horse does, especially as to currying and brushing. Even in the field where the cow lies down In green pastures she often has scurf on her skin which, causes her to rub against trees and posts'; An enterprising farmer fastened" a pole between two posts just high enough so that cows of different sizes' could go under it and rub their backs- against it. The institution was always well patronized. In the stable the cur­ rycomb, handled with plenty of elbow grease, is the best substitute for this device. The most currying anrd brusfi^ ing will be needed around the neck, and' shoulders. Alsike Clover. Alsike clover is a valuable forage crop, and can be grown to advantage in many places where ordinary red clover will not yield profitably. It is a< perennial, and has no hairs on the stalk, so it Is not dusty. Its bloom la- sweet and makes good honey. It will stand any amount of wet. Planted la wet swales and depressions, it will; make abundant growth and reseed; it­ self from year to year, affording a vast amount of excellent feed. It does not throw out and freeze out as do red and mammoth clovers. Farmers would do well to try a patchy on any low-lying land on the farm. It withstands cold well and has made good growth in< Alaska.--Wallace's Farmer. How Often to-Feed Cows. The cow is ai ruminant animal, and this means that she takes time to digest her food in the most thorough manner. If fed liberally night aud morning and in sufficient variety she will eat more heartily than If three full meals are offered to her per day.. At noon a few corn stalks or clover hay may be given. In feeding grain to cows it should be ground and mixed with enough cut feed to make it bulky. If cows eat whole grain or meal not mixed with cut food It goes to their second stomach and does not come up to be chewed in the cud. A Good Henhonse. My henhouse is divided into rooms 20x30 feet, with a six-foot passageway. These rooms were separated from the passage by a lath partition, the laths being placed far enough apart to allow a hen to stick her bead and neck through. Along the bottom of this par1 tition and on the passageway side is the feed trough, which IF four inches wide and two Inches deep. It extends the length of the building. On the back aide of the room Is a platform three The Care of Milk. At the Kansas station it was- found! that a cubic Inch of milk contained half a million germs, and that the germs- multiplied so rapidly as to require eleven figures to indicate the number' that would result from a single germ in twelve hours; hence cleanliness- and' cooling tile milk immediately are im­ portant. If not cooled the bacteria? will double in number In twenty min­ utes. It Is- claimed that if milk is- kept at 40 degrees above zero It will remaifii sweet a week, as the germs do not grow at 39 degrees, but very slo.wIy at 50 degrees, and only slowly at 60 de­ grees. If milk can be kept at 60 de­ grees it will' be a great advantage. Intensive Farming, The- intensive farmer, in most cases*, is making more money now th»»T the- extensive. The man that grows the- same amount of produce on half the land his neighbor does saves in various ways. He has only half the land to fence and pay plow and harrow in tytlf t% /Half tbe seed is saved, and%e Mas'twi^e a^tnucir fertilizer to apply to his ertfife. He only travels half far in, cultivating crops, and a large yield reunites, little mpre labor to harvest tifaja smbfyene. The Standard Kar of Cora. The Illinois Corn Growers' Associa­ tion, which wa| recently organized at Springfield, 111.?to ppah the «Mrn food propaganda, bH formulated-tee fol­ lowing as the "standard perfect ear of corn:" "A perfect ear of corn should be 10% inches in length, 7% inches In circumference; should yield 90 per cent, grain, cylindrical in form, and should carry its size the entire length, except near the point, where it should taper slightly, well filled out at both ends." Mice Onawinnr Bark of Trees. Take one peck of quicklime and slack it. Old soapsuds is said to be better for this purpose than clear water. Make the wash about as thin as for k thick coat of whitewash. Heat the wash, and while hot add one-half gal­ lon of crude carbolic acid, one-half gal­ lon gas-tar, and 4 pounds of sulphur. Stir all well together, and with It, by means of a brush or broom, paint or wash the bodies of the trees. This will prevent mice or rabbits from gnawing the bark.--Vick's Magazine. Fertilizins Valve of valt. A cabbage grower reports that he ha* found 1,000 pounds of salt per acre an excellent dressing for land intended for cabbage, beets and cauliflower. It should be applied very early in the spring, on the surface, as soon as the land is plowed, and harrowed in. Those who make a practice of adding salt to the manure heap also state that It Is beneficial. Too much salt on land may do harm, but in moderate quantities# assists many crops. j * ^5 ' JirSii'&kXOnii'i-i