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F R E D E R I C K P A L M I I t • - y •> - , nmm M'HENRT PUINDEAA BTHBNRY, ELL. * ^ »,"• At their home on. the frontier between the Browns and Grays Marta Gallanii ami h#r mother, entertaining Colonel Wester- of the Grays, see Cfiptain Lanstron of the Browns Injured by a fall in his aeroplane. T«?n years later. WesterlinR. nominal vice but real chief of staff, re-en- grces South I^a Tir and meditates on war. arta tells him of her teaching children e follies of war and martial patriotism, land begs him to prevent war while he is chief of staff. On the march with the 53d <of the Browns Private Stransky an­ archist, ts placed under arrest. Colonel Xanstron begs him off. Lanstron o^lls ^n JCarta at her home. She tells Lanstron that she believes Feller, the gardener, to fee a spy. Lanstron confesses it Is t™ And shows her a telephone which r ©,ler ku concealed in a secret passage under the tower for use to benefit the Brow ns war emergencies. Lanstron declares lov* for Marta. Westerllng and the Jray premier plan to use a trWiat tn'e5" •national affair to foment w'ar\,f P®* •trtotssm in army and people and strlKe De- ifore declaring war. partow. Brown cniei Of staff, and Lanstron, made vice, discuss the trouble, and the Brown defenses. Par- .'tow reveals his plans to Lanstron. The 4Qray artnv crosses the border line and at­ tacks. The Browns check them. Artil- 3ary, infantry, aeroplanes and dirigibles •engage. Stransky, rising to make the Anarchist speech of his life, draws the Gray artillery Are. Nicked by a shrapnel •pllnter he goes to Berserk and fights--"all a man." Maria has her first glimpse of war in Its modern, cold, scientific, mur­ derous brutaltty. The Browns fall back to the Galland house. Stransky forages. Marta sees a night attack. The Grays attack in force. Feller leaves his secret telephone and goes back to his guns. Hand to hand fighting. The Browns fall back again. Marta asks Lanstron over the phone to appeal to Partow to stop the righting. Vandalism in the Galland houae Wester ling and his staff occupy the Galland house and ho begins to woo Marta. CHAPTER XIV--Continued. The subjective enjoyment of the declaration kept him from any keen •vdtice of tbe effect of his words. Lanny was right. It had been a war of deliberate conquest; a war to gratify personal ambition. All her life Marta would be able to live over again tbe feelings of this moment. It was as If she were fro ten, all except brain tnd nerves, which were on fire, while the rigidity of Ice kept her Irom apringing from her chair In contempt and horror. But a purpose came on the wings of diabolical temptation which would pit the art of woman against tbe power of a man who set millions against millions in slaughter to gratify personal ambition. She was thankful that she was looking down as she •poke, for she could not bring herself to another compliment. Her throat TMus too chilled for that yet. ""The one way to end uie fend be­ tween the two nations was a war that would mean permanent peace," he ex­ plained, seeing how quiet she was and realizing, with a recollection of her children's oath, that he had gone a lit­ tle too far. He wanted to retain her Admiration. It had become as precioue to him as a new delicacy to Lucullus. "Yes, I understand," she managed to murmur; then she was able to look "It's all so immense!" she added. great deal changed," he hinted casually. "As I expressed them at the hotel, jreu mean!" she exclaimed. "That Mems ages ago--ages!" The perplex ltjr and indecision that, in a space of silence, brooded in the depths of her eyes came to the surface in wavering lights. "Yes, ages! ages!" The waver- l*g light* grew dim with a kind of hor- ftr and she looked away fixedly at a given point He was conscious of a thrill; the thrill that always presaged victory for him. He realized her evident dis­ tress; he guessed that terrible pic­ tures were moving before her vision. "You see, I have been very much atirred up," she said half apologetical­ ly. "There are some questions I want tie ask--quite practical, selfish ques­ tions. You might call them questions of property and mercy. The longer the war lasts the greater will be the ;r ' T>" of life and the misery ?" p "Yes, tor both sides; and the heavier :|he expense and the taxes." •it. _ "If you win, theu we shall be under • • your flag and pay taxes to you ?" f# *4 "Yes, naturally." , "The Browns do not increase in ' 'Population; the Grays do rapidly. They •re a great, powerful, civilized race. They stand for civilization!" "Yes, facts and the world's opinion Agree." he replied. Puzzled he might well be by this peculiar catechism. He j she were measuring the might of the eould only continue to reply until he i flve millions behind him and the three •hould see where she was leading. 1 "And your victory will mean a new .frontier, a new order of Internationa I Relations and a long peace, you think? !feace--a long peace!" A- Was there ever a soldier who did »ot Aght tor peace? Was there ever a 'jfcall for more army-corps or guns that Iras not made In the name of peace? j den, uncontrolled gleaYn of victory~ln «*L ?? . ^fdy argument' 8P°ken I hls eyes. By this time it had become with the forcible conviction of an ex- j a habit for Westerllng to wait silently ***11 * her to come out of her abstrac- -This war was made for peace-the tions. To disturb one might make it j. ®nly kind of peace that there can be." j unproductive. fe "My ambition, if any glory j -Then if I want to help tbe cause of gv comes to me out of this war. is to have , peace I should help the Grays'" I ̂ rri,1#M •ay: He broueht| The exclamation was more'to her- Tlioii»h th* ' i ,. . . 8e,f than to him- He was silent. This ** l*" * ™OU£ Premier, could he have girl in a veranda chair deslrine to aid •"Hed' •-- «*• .nd hi, «». ami* ^ f * 1 i . W O I J , u n d e ™ t o o d f o u r t h o u s a n d g u n e ! Q u i x o t e a n d t b e V f 1 ^ sterlings unconsciousness of incon- i wiudmills--but k was amazing- it was •?«istency. The chief of staff bad set - -- amazing, n was us," he went on. "Indeed, no two of the big nations of Europe can afford to make frar without our consent. We shall be the arbiters of international dissensions. We shall command peace --yes, the peace of force, of fact! If it could be won in any other way I should not be here on this veranda in command of an army of invasion. That was my idea--for that I planned." He was making up for having over­ shot himself in his confession that he had brought on the war as a final step for his ambition. "You mean that you can gain peace by propaganda and education only when human nature has so changed that we can have law and order and ronn line and -and one place where they where line!" "You do!" Westerllng exploded. The of the enemy! The plana that neither Bouchard's saturnine cunning, nor bribes, nor spies could ascertain! It was like the bugle-call to the hunter. But he controlled himself. "Yes, yea!" He was thoughtful and guarded. < "D» you think it ie right to tell?" Marta gasped half inarticulately. "Right? Yes, to hasten the Inevit­ able--to save lives!" declared Wester- ling with deliberate assurance. "I--I want to see an end of the kill­ ing! I--" she sprang to her feet as if about to break away tumultuously, but paused, swaying unsteadily, and passed her hand across her eyes. "We intend a general attack on the first line of defense tonight!" he ex­ claimed, his supreme' thought leaping into words. "And you would want the Informa­ tion about the first line to-night if--if it is to be of service?" "Yes, to-night!" Marta brought her hands together in a tight clasp. Her gaze fluttered for a minute over the tea-table. When she looked up her eyes were calm. "It is a big thing, isn't it?" she eald. "A thing not to be done in an impulse. I try never to do big things in an im­ pulse. When I see that I am in dan­ ger of it I always say: 'Go by your­ self and think for half an hour!" • So I must now. In a little while I will let you know my decision." Without further formality she start­ ed across the lawn to the terrace steps. Westerllng watched her sharp­ ly, passing along the path of the sec­ ond terrace, pacing slowly, head bent, until she was out of sight. Then he stood for a time getting a grip on his own emotions before he went Into the house. I Want to See an End of the Kming." houses are safe from burglary and pedestrians from pickpockets without policemen? Is that it?" she asked. "Yes, yes! You have it! Ttou have found the wheat in the chaff." "Perhaps because I have he*n see­ ing something of human nature--the human nature of both the Browns and the Grays at war. I have seen the Browns throwing hand-grenades and the Grays in wanton disorder in our dining-room directly they were out of touch with their officers!" she said sadly, as one who hates to accept dis­ illusionment but must in the face of Your ideas about war seem to be a' logic. if i Westerllng made no reply except to nod, for a movement on her part pre­ occupied him. fc»he leaned forward, as she had when she had told him he would become chief of staff, her hands clasped over her knee, her eyes burn­ ing with a question. It was the atti­ tude of the prophecy. But with the prophecy she had been a little mys­ tical; the fire in her eye* had precipl- tated an idea. Now it forged another question. "And you think that you will win?" •he asked. "You think that you will win?" she repeated with the slow em­ phasis which demands a careful an­ swer. The dellberatenees of his reply was in keeping with her mood. He was de­ tached; he was a referee. "Yes, I know that we shall. Num­ bers make it so, though there be no choice of skill between the two sides." His tone had the confidence of tbe flow of a mighty river in its destina­ tion on its way to the sea. There was nothing In it of prayer, of hope, of des­ peration, as there had been In Lan- stron's "We shall win!" spoken to her in the arbor at their last interview. She drew forward slightly In her chair. Her eyes seemed much larger and nearer to him. They were sweeping him up and down as if she were seeing the slim figure of Lanstron in con­ trast to Westerling's eturdiness; as if millions behind Lanstron. She let go a half-whispered "Yes!" which seemed to reflect the conclusion gained from the power of his presence. "Then my mother's and my own ln- I tereste are with you--the interests of ; peace are with your' she declared. She did not appear to see the sud- flne! The golden glow of the sunset was running in his veins in a paean in® ^ . 7 of Personal triumph. The profile S * h y ' w a n t e d t o w i n a s c e n d a n c y | t u r n e d e v e r s o l i t t l e . N o w i t w a s locking at tbe point where Dellarme Jiimyelf a task in victory which had po military connection. Without know- . «ver her mind "The man of action!" Exclaimed ; • - ' her eyea opening very wide, as fe.:|ggH|jthey would to let in the light when • f•' keard something new that pleased • - S- M-v ... Th^ ideal end of action!" "Exactly!" said Westerllng, »en- •lble of another of her gifts. She eould get the essence of a thing in a few words. "When we have won and set another frontier, the power of our nation wlU he such in the world that the Biawa* never afford f/> attack had lain dying. Westerllng noted the smile playing on the lips. It had the qnaUty of a smile over a task com­ pleted--Dellarme's smile. 8he start­ ed: she was trembling all over in the resistance of some impulse--some im­ pulse that grsriimHy g«!ned hendway and at last broke its bonds. "For I can help--I can help!" she cried out, turning to him in wild In­ decision which seemed to plead for guidance. "It's so terrible--yet if It would hasten peace--i--I know much of the Browns' plan of defense! I knQ*" -*h«r* they are •trong in the CHAPTER XV. In Feller's Place. What am I? What have 1 done? What am I about to do? shot as forked shadows over the hot lava-flow of Mar* ta's impulse. The vitality that Wester- ling had felt by suggestion from a still profile rejoiced in a quickening of pace directly she was out of sight of the veranda. All the thinking she had done that afternoon had been in pic­ tures; some saying, some cry, some, groan, or some smile went with every picture. The eittlng-room of the tower waa empty to other eyes but not to hers. The lantern was in the corner at hand. After her hastening steps had carried her along the tunnel to the telephone, she set down the lantern and pressed the spring that opened the panel door. Another moment and she would be em­ barked on her great adventure in the finality of action. That little ear-piece became a specter of conscience. She drew back convulsively and her hands flew to her face; she was a rocking shadow in the thin, reddish light of the lantern. Conscious mind 'had torn off the mask from subconscious mind, reveal­ ing the true nature of tLe change that war had wrought in her. She who had resented Feller's part--what a part she had been playing! Every word, every shade of expression, every tell­ ing pause of abstraction after Weeter- ling confessed that he had made war for his own ends had been subtly prompted by a purpose whose actuality terrified her. Her hypocrisy, she realized, was as black as the wall of darkness beyond the lantern's gleam. Then this demor­ alization passed, as a nightmare passes, with Westerling's boast again in her ears. When war's principles, enacted by men, were based on sinister trickery called strategy and tactics, should not women, using such weapons as they had, also fight for their homes? Mar- ta's hands swept down from her eyea; she was on fire with resolution. Forty miles away a bell In Lan- stron's bedroom and at his desk rang simultaneously. At the time he and Partow were seated facing each other across a map on the table of the room where they worked together. No per­ suasion of the young vice-chief, no edict of the doctors, could make the old chief take exercise or shorten his' hours. "I know. I know myself!" he said. "I know my duty. And you are learn­ ing, my boy, learning!" ( Every day the flabby cheeks grew pastier and the pouches under the eye­ brows heavier. But there was no dimming of the eagle flashes of the eyes, no weakening of the will. Last night Lanstron had turned as white as chalk when Partow staggered on rising from the table, the veins on his temples knotted blue whip-cords. Yet after a few hours' sleep he reappeared with firm step, fresh for the fray. The paraphernalia around these two was the same as that around Wester­ llng. Only the atmosphere of the staff was different. Each man was perform­ ing the part set for him. No man knew much of any other man's part. Partow alone knew all, and Lanstron was try­ ing to grasp all and praying that Par- tow's old body should still feed his mind with energy. Lanstron was thin­ ner and paler, a new and glittering in­ tensity In his eyes. When word of Feller's defection came, Lanstron realized for the first time by Partow's manner that the old chief of staff, with all hiB deprecation of the telephone scheme as chimerical, had grounded a hope on it. "There was the chance that we might know--so vital to the defense-- what they were going to do before and not after tlie attack," he said. Yet the story of how Feller yielded to the temptation of the Automatic had made the nostrils of the old war-horse quiver with a dramatic breath, and in­ stead of the command of a battery of guns, which Lanstron had promised, the chief made it a btttalion. He had drawn down his brows when he heard that Marta had asked that the wire be left intact; t-e had shot a shrewd, rfiiRstionlufc glauco at Lanstron and then beat a tattoo on the table and half grinned as he grumbled under hit breath: *She is afraid of bclng lenesome! Np harm done!" A week had passed since tlio Grays had taken the Galland house, and still no word from Marta. The ring of the .... ' r'.; #3 V ' bell brought Lanstron to hie feet with a startled, boyish bound. "Very springy, that tendoa at Achilles!" muttered Partow. "And, my boy. take care, take- care!" he called suddenly in his sonorous voice, as vast and billowy as his body. It was Marta'e voice and yet not Marta's, this voice that beat in nerv­ ous waves over the wire. "Lanny--YOB, I, Lanny! Yon were right. Westerllng planned to make war deliberately to satisfy his ambition. He told me so. The first general at­ tack on the first line of defense is to­ night. Westerllng says so!" She had to pause for breath. "And. Lanny, I want to know some position of the Browns which is weak--not actually weak, maybe, but some position where the Grays expect terrible resistance and will not find it--where you will let them in!" "In the name of--Marta! Marta, what--" "I am going to fight for the Browns --for my home!" In the sheer satisfaction of explain­ ing herself to herself, of voicing her sentiments, she sent the pictures which had wrought the change moving across tbe screen before Lanstron's amazed vision. There was no room for Inter­ ruption on his part, no question or need of one. The wire seemed to quiver with the militant tension of her spirit. It was Marta aflame who was talking at the other end; not aflame for him, but with a purpose that re­ vealed all the latent strength of her personality and daring. "I shall have to ask Partow: It'a a pretty big thing." "Yes--only that is not all my plan, my little plan. After they have taken the first line of defense--and they will get it, won't they?" "Yes, we shall yield in the end, yield rather than suffer too great losses there that will weaken the defense on the main line." "Then I want to know where It la that you want Westerllng to attack on the main line, so that we can get him to attack there. That--that will help, won't it?" "Yes." "Of course, all the while I shall be getting news from him--when I have proved my loyalty and have his com­ plete confidence--and I'll telephone It to you. I am sure I can get something worth while with you to direct me; don't you think so, Lanny? I'll holt! the wire, Lanny. Ask Partow!" she concluded. Of the two ehe was the steadier. "Well?" said Partow, looking up at the sound of Lanstron's step. Then he half raised himself from his chair at sight of a Lanstron with eyes in a daze of brilliancy; a Lanstron with his maimed hand twitching in an out­ stretched gesture; a Lanstron in the dilemma of being at the same time lover and chief of intelligence. Should he let her make tbe sacrifice of every­ thing that he held to be sacred to a woman's delicacy? Should he not re­ turn to tbe telephone and tell her that he would not permit her to play such a part? Partow's voice cut in on his demoralization with the sharpness of a blade. "Well, what, man, what?" he de­ manded. He feared that the girl might be dead. Anything that could upset Lanstron In thn fashion struck a chord of sympathy and apprehension. Lan&tron advanced to the table, pressed hie hands on the edge, and, now master of himself, began an ac­ count of Marta's offer. Partow's form­ less arms lay inert on the table, his soft, pudgy fingers outspread on the map and his bulk settled deep in the chair, while his eagle eyes were see­ ing through Lamtron, through a moun­ tain range, into the eyes of a woman ana a general on the veranda of an cn u> redoubts "You • wm: PURIFYING INFECTED STABLES AND BARNS mand it that It fs not really the Bordir road is her bait for Wester­ llng!" Partow waved his hand a* if the affair were settled. , "But," Interjected have also to decide on the point of the main defense which she Is to Westerllng thick is weak." "Hnf-m!" grumbled Partow. "That is not necessary to start with. We can •give that to her later o phone, can't we, eh?" "She asked for it now." "Why?" demanded Partow with one of his shrewd, piercing looks. & "She did not say, but I can gue&s," explained Lanstron. "She must put all her cards on the table; she must tell Westerllng all she knows at once. If she tells him piecemeal It might lead to the supposition that she atlll had some means of communication with the Browns." "Of course, of course!" Partow spat­ ted, the flat of his hand resoundingly on the map. "As I decided the first time I met her, she has a head, and when a woman has a head for that sort of thing there is no beating her. Well--" he was looking straight into Lanstron's eyes, "Well, I think we know the point where we could draw them in on the main line, eh?" "Up the apron of the approach from the Engadlr valley. We yield the ad­ vance redoubts on either side." "Meanwhile, we have massed heavily behind the redoubt. We retake the ad­ vance redoubts in a counter-attack and --" Partow brought his fist into his palm with a smack. "Yes, If we could do that! If we could get them to expend their attack there!" pnt in Lanetron very excitedly for him. "We must! She shall help!" Par­ tow was on his feet. He had reached across the table and seized Lanstron's shoulders in a powerful if flesh-pad­ ded grip. Then he turned Lanstron around toward the door of hiB bed­ room and gave him a mighty slap of affection. "My boy, the brightest hope of victory we have is holding the wire for you. Tell her that a bearded old behemoth, who can kneel as gracefully as a rheumatic rhinoceros, is on both knees at her Net, kissing her hands and trying hi* best, in the name of mercy, to ke*!b from breaking Into verse of his oflHfc composition." Back at the K>i«phone, Lanstron, in the fervor of thft cheer and the enthu­ siasm that had transported his chief, gave Marta Partow's message. ' "You, Marta, are our brightest hope of victory!" (TO BBS CONTINUED.) SEEMS THAT INSTINCT ERRS Deluded Rabbits That Make in Oil Pipea Fn CatifornU Birds' Grave Error. Hemes That almost unerring instinct wnKsh carries animals through grvwi dan­ gers has led in many Instances In the Midway and Sunset oil fleiaa of Cali­ fornia to *heir undoing, the Scientific American remarks. Chief among such victims ara rabbits and water fowl. A jackrabbtt and a cottontail find a nice round, smooth hole. There are many such in the oil fields where oil piping is a necessity for the transpor­ tation of oil to the refineries. The rab­ bits decide to - set up housekeeping there. The cottontail desires a per­ manent home, and the jackrabbit wants a refugg safe from malevolent man. Soon they discover their habitat Is being moved. No doubt they are frightened, but they instinctively stay within their retreat One end of the hole is closed. Even then they do not leave. Soon the other end of the hole is darkened. Then it is darkness eternal for the furry pair. Some time later it is discovered that a newly laid oil pipe is choked. After a great labor the line is disjointed and the remains of many rabbits removed Thousands of rabbits have been thus exterminated in tbe oil fields. The (Jeath rate among water fowl Is even greater. Again, as with the rab­ bits, instinct leads them to certain de­ struction. Every little lake pf oil in the vicinity of a gusher is a trap for the unthinking birds. At twilight and dawn these tar-colored lakes appear as bodies of water to the deluded fowl. "I'm Going to Fight For the Browns-- For My Homel" enemy's headquarters. The plan meant giving, giving in the hope of receiving much in return. Would he get the re­ turn? "A woman was the ideal one for the task we intrusted to Feller," be mused, "a gentlewoman, big enough, adroit enough, with her soul in the work as no paid woman's could be! There seemed no such one in the world!" "But to let her do it!" gasped Lan­ stron. "It is her suggestion, not yours? She offers herself? She wants no per­ suasion?" Partow asked sharply. "Entirely her suggestion," said Lan­ stron. "She offers herself for her country--for the cause for which our soldiers will give their lives by the thousands. It is a time of sacrifice." Partow raieed his arms. They were not formless as he brought them down with sledge-hammer force to the ^.able. "Your tendon of Achilles? My boy, she is your sword-arm!" HIB sturdy forefinger ran along the line of fron­ tier under his eye with little staccato leaps. "Eh?" he chuckled significantly, finger poised. "Let them up the Bordir road and Good Legs or Crutchee. Professor O'Shea's article, In whieh he speaks of parents who fail to help their children by helping them too much, points out a common weakness It is easier for all of us to tell some­ thing than to teach it. So It is easier to tell the boy who wants to use the word "ordinary" how to spell it than to, give him the help that means he will be able to spell the word again himself. But what will he do when he wants to use the word some time when no one is by to help him? He Is not really learning his lesson any more than a child would be learning to walk who never let go his mother's hand. The boy or girl who leans always on some one else may get through thlB work, but he is not getting an educa­ tion. It is no real kindness to him to teach him always to rely on others When he gets away from school into the competitive life of men and worn- eh he will find himself sadly handi­ capped if he must always ask some one else how his work la to be done.-- Milwaukee Journal. Aptly Answered. . Paddy Gaffney was after getting the old-age pension, and wended his way to the post office for hiB first grant. Paddy couldn't write his name, but managed to make a cross all right. The postmaster, wishing to have a joke with him, said: 'Now, Paddy, don't you think 'twas hardly worth your while to come so far to make that cross?" "Well," replied Paddy, "no cross, no crown, me "boy." True Devotion. Little Katharine had a big dog which ,she loved dearly. One cold night she asked if the dog could come into the house for a while. Her moth­ er said: "Yes; but as soon as he be gins to scratch, you must put him right out." Later Katharine was heard to exclaim: "O,'Bottle, don't scratch; tell me whqre it ItcheB, and I'll aeratdk it tor Qiiisa^o Tribune. Building Prepared for Disinfection--In This Case the Disinfecting Waa Done by Fumigation--Openings in the Barn Were Closed by Pap6r t* Prevent the Escape of the Gas. (Prepared by the roent "of Agriculture?" Depart" f States department'of agriculture, long' Inspectors in the United States de- ffter p,eace41 hta,B been restored. War ° an Insatiable consumer of horses partment of agriculture have found In the course of their work that ig­ norance or carelessness on the part of stock owners has frequently led to fresh outbreaks of infectious disease after It had been supposed that the previous ones had been completely stamped out. Comparatively few farm­ ers, it is said, realize the Importance of the scVentific disinfection of prem­ ises which have once harbored in­ fected stock. When it is remembered that the germ which causes tuberculosis in cat* tie measures about one-thousandth of an Inch in length, it is obvious that the "lick-and-promlse" method of cleaning is no obstacle at all to the existence of the disease. The germ of glanders is little larger. These two germs are thrown off by diseased ani­ mals In large quantities. In the aver­ age stable they have no difficulty in finding many lodging places whence any one of a hundred different things may cause them to emerge and start a fresh outbreak upon the farm. When a stable has once harbored diseased animals, therefore, absolute disinfec­ tion with sufficiently powerful disin* fectants is the only way to insure the stock from another visitation. In Farmers' Bulletin 480, "Practical Methods of Disinfecting Stables," some of the most easily obtainable disinfectants are named, and the best methods of applying them discussed. In the first place it is imperative that the stable be thoroughly cleaned be­ fore any disinfectant at all is applied. The various surfaces such as ceilings, walls, partitions, floors, etc., should be swept free from cobwebs and dust. Where the filth has been allowed to accumulate, this should be removed by thorough scrubbing. If the Wood­ work has become .soft and porous so that it affords a good refuge for the disease germ, it should be torn down and burned and new wood substituted. All refuse of every description should be removed to a place inaccessible to live stock and there either burned or treated with a solution of chloride of lime in the proportion of six ounces to one gallon of water. If the floor of the stable is of earth, the surface soil should be removed to a depth of four Inches or more and new earth substituted. It is better, however, to take advantage of this opportunity to lay down a, concrete floor, which In the end will be, found more satisfac­ tory as well as more sanitary. The stable thus thoroughly cleansed and stripped of all its odds and ends and refuse is now ready for the ap­ plication of the disinfectant. A dis­ infectant is a drug which has the pow­ er of destroying germs merely by com­ ing in contact with them. There are a number of these drugs, varying con­ siderably In efficacy, and some of them dangerous to animal as well as gerih life. Bichloride of mercury is one of the most powerful, but it has the great disadvantage of being a violent poison and in consequence great care must be used when handling it to keep it away from all live stock. For ordinary purposes it is probable that cresol or the compound solution of cresol, known as liquor cresolis com- positua, Is best adapted to general use. When the latter Is used, It should be mixed with water in the propor­ tion of four or flve ounces to a gal­ lon. Cresol Is not as soluble as the compoudd solution and should, there­ fore, be thoroughly stirred while mix­ ing. If a grade of the drug guaran­ teed to be 95 per cent pure is secured, two or three ounces to a gallon of wa­ ter will be sufficient. To apply the disinfectant on any­ thing but a very limited surface, a strong spray pump is essential. The pump should be equipped with 15 feet of hose with a five-foot section of Iron pipe, with a spraying nozzle at one end, attached to it The entire In­ terior of the stable should be saturat­ ed with the solution forced through this apparatus. Special attention should be given to feeding troughs and drains, as It is in these that the disease germs are most likely to find their first resting places. After a thorough Bpraylng with the disin­ fectant, It Is well to apply a lime wash containing four or five ounced of chloride of lime to each gallon. In many cases, however, it will save trouble if this wash is combined with the disinfectant. This Can be done in the following manner: for flve gal­ lons of disinfecting fluid, slake 7H pounds or lime, utlng hot water if nec­ essary to start tction. Mix to a creamy consistency with water. Stir in 15 fluid ounces of cresol, at least 95 per cent pure, and make up to flve gallons by adding wat*;r. In case com­ pound solution of cresol is used, add 30 fluid ouncwu iii&leau 15. Stir the whole mixture thoroughly and, If it is to be applied through a spray nozzle, strain through a wire sieve. Stir frequently when applying and keep covered when not In use. Europe's demand for horses will continue, say experts in the United is and the available supply must be di­ minishing so rapidly each day the present conflict lasts that It Is In­ evitable that there should be a great scarcity for agricultural purposes later on. As* soon as international commerce can be restored to a peace footing, therefore, the European coun­ tries are certain to look to America to supply a great part of this lack. The department of agriculture, however, does not recommend Amer-1 lean farmers to purchase a surplus of horses merely in order to breed the>tn to meet this prospective demand. It is much better to secure good mares for the ordinary farm work and then breed them to good stallions. Only horses of a high quality may be profit­ ably raised today, but there is no reason why such animals should not be used for farm as Well as breeding purposes. While inferior horses are always a drug on the market, the demand for serviceable animals appears to be al most unlimited. Together the United States and Russia possess 58 per cent of the world supply, and Russia will need all that It can raise itself. The United States, therefore, must furnish the bulk of the animals needed to' re­ place those- consumed by the present war. War is even more destructive to horses than to men. In his report for the year 1865, the quartermaster general of the United Stages army stated: "The service of a cavalry horse no* der an enterprising commander *has averaged only four months." During 1864 there were 500 horses consumed per day in the Northern army, with­ out considering those captured and not reported. During eight months of that year, the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac was remounted twice, nearly 40,000 horses in all being re­ quired. During his Shenandoah Va|- .ley campaign Sheridan was supplied with 'fresh horses at the rate of 150 per day. It must be borne in mind, moreover, that the numbers engaged in the American Civil war were small compared with those under arms In Europe today. Leaving out for the moment the question of remounts for military pur­ poses, it Is said that for a complete mobilisation the German army re­ quires 770,000 horses and the French army 260,000. The figures for the French, army „probably include only Hhose for the cavalry and do not take into consideration the needs of the full artillery, the transport service and other military uses to which horses are put. The great majority of these animals are not included in the per­ manent military organizations but are employed during peace in farm work. Now that they have been withdrawn from the farms to die of wounds, ex­ haustion or starvation, tremendous Imports will ultimately be necessary. Farmers in the United States should prepare to meet this demand. TEACHING EWE TO OWN LAMB Among Other Plans Advocated Is That of Taking 8kln From Dead Ani­ mal ahd Placing on Another, (By E. M. NELSON. Oregon Experiment Station.1 Nearly evqry year one lamb or more dies, even out of the small flocka that run on the general farm. In such cases the ewes may be made stepmoth­ ers. But, of course, it will be neces­ sary to get the ewe to own tbe strange lamb. This may be accomplished in either of the following ways:.,, The skin may be taken from tha dead lamb and plaeed over the lamb to be adopted. Ewes recognite their lambs by the scent, and the odor of the lambskin will make the ewe be­ lieve that the lamb is her own. The skin should be removed in about forty- eight hours, or sooner if necessary. The ewe may be caught and held every tw6 or three hours for the new lamb to suck. In a few days, generally flve or six, the ewe will own the lamb. Sprinkling a little of the ewe's milk over the lamb will be a great help in this method. •a-i*1;- v Enforce the Bird Law. That enemies of migratory birds la certain sections of the United States are openly violating the provisions of the federal migratory bird law is the assertion of William T. Hornaday, the eminent ornithologist. "The main body of these enemies," says Mr. Hornaday, "consists of spring shoot- ers,,who are determined to shoot and slaughter game birds in spring to tha uttermost limit." 8ift Cracked Corn. Cracked corn should be oiflcd lie- fore being fed to the poultry, the amount of meal saved will more than offset the labor. Time for Mutehtntf Strawfcevry. > Don't mulch strawberry plants until the ground Is well frosen. M&ii. •'MM- •AM