IX cma Me eg ee en : 3 >a ee Big Doll and Doll Carriage = "Pirst | PRES LAAT AS OOD, oS o ' adly ; through the little village, the driver pew suddenly pulled up with a frantic jerk. A man was standing right in front ofhis machine waving his arms Violently and. shouting:. "Stop!. Hi! ee This Ble Doll is 15 in- | ches tall, has join -and arms and onatural || head, hands and feet. The | | Bet) beg yikes areal at ae : : frame and wheels, and' Sees = : Bie Ad eG ea ~ the seat, back and Se " is ie 1) Stop! hood are made of | | ~~ "What's the ouble?" agked the leatherette, It is 24 | ots Srorler Seed st SRR eRe TnIC" ati 3 motorist, after he had brought the 4 just the right size car to a standstill. "Is this a ,potice ' py Andrew F. Curster, M.D . ee pr. Carriar wil} answer all signed letters pretaining fo Health, If you? -- bisisor ik oh cerctsl {rterest it will be answered through these Seng mg : i not, {t will ba answered pereonalty if elamped, addressed envelope fs ry tiosed. Dr. Currier will not prescribe for {odividual cases or make sar as Address Dr. Andrew F. Currier, care of Wilgon Publiching Co, 73 Adelaiaa-- Gt, Weet, Toronto: N eae aS ted Jezs 44 ees seceyy Sisal Pip Ph eee want the advic® | f our farm readers who f / Tse % 7 : lthe skin and causing swellings and ing. will s enclosed with your letter, Addresa W., Toronto, not likely. o near future. : btless an awaken- sect ms, to.the fact 'that are very profitablo yet a} many people imagine that they raise. Nothing could be fro truth, _ The fact is, under ordinary conditions, geese dificull to raise than any oth- ec fowl. Neither great skill pensive equipment are required. '. Basy to Start : 'ew good, healthy stock geese asture are the most requirements in making Of course, shelter of some r e provided, but almost - ghed will answer, | During er months the birds do bet- 'protected from the elements, at night. However, the hardy 'bird and can endure of cold without appar- 1g. In spite of this fact, ays havo comfortable quarters he geese, old and young. Geese wre very thrifty birds and are free from lice. They are also free from dis ~ We have raised geese for number of, years and have never Jost a single bird from disease, dom lose a gosling, After ing is four days old, we -con- it almost as good as raised. A geese' can bo kept.as a "side- ne" by almost any farmer without interfering with other poultry, or t, with any other farm industry. y should not be fed or housed other poultry, however, as they 6r less abusive, a3 a rule, when feeding. Thoye who ' ; fowl should keep geese. We can get more genuine ; ure from a flock of geese than any other poultry.on the pre- mises, They are easily. managed' and really seem to be more intelligent than any other fowl we have ever Pasture is Essential - As stated above, plenty of pasture ig necessary. It is, in fact, the most important point to be considered. The goose is essentially a grazer; - in fact, grass or roughage is as ©3- sential to a goose as it is to a cow. 'They are not over-particular in re- eek to the quality of the pasture and their downy coats yield a profit that should net be ignored, even in this day new fangled" inventions in the) vay of bedding. 'There has never! yet been a time that we have had any difficulty in disposing of the feathers, at) good prices. A well ma- tured bird will yield about a pound of feathers in a year. Laying gecse, must never be picked until the laying season is over, We are very care- ful in handling the geese. Right now is a good time-to plan 'or goose-raising, if the work has not' been done before. If ithe venture is, be a success, don't put it off until - Geese mate in February, as "new istock should be pro- fore that time. We have visable not to disturb old Once they are properly 9 remain, year after, ders get quarrel-; e or two geese, while others will choose four or five. Young stock uld be kept separate from the old mated birds at first. 2 : Do Not Give Free Range 'We learned, by costly experience, where the goslings 'have free nge it is impossible to eSntrol them after they once acquire the habit of ning away. See Sao A few years ago when we began aising the China geese, (which are more active than any other geees we have ever raised), a large swamp was fenced for the old birds. 'This pasture which is not at all suit- able for other live stock, makes a |} purposes where very large geose are {birds each season. ion iW aced, crops, etc. If your quest lumne soil, se r be answered through this co a Agronomist, care of Wilson Publishing | ' very good range for a flock of geese /. during the greater part of the year.}) 0" Coarse grass and weeds make good goese pasture. be on the alert for foxes and turtles. 'As a range for gosiings we use an apple orchard fenced and equipped with suitable houses. Young gosl- ings must be protected from rats and other destructive animals. Also, they must have shelter at night and during hard rain storms. A cold rain will sometimes kill good-sized goslings, before they can be rescued. A gosling is easy to raise but must not get rain-soaked on the back. We keep the White Chinese geese} at the present time and find that they have a number of good points not found in other geese. They are the same in every way except @olor, as the Brown Chinese. Both are very beautiful in appearance. White China gecse have pure white plumage 'and their bodies are very graceful. Their long, slender, curved nécks give complet? | eb However, oné must} -- for the Big Doll. ' Just send us your \ name and. address® and wei will send you 80 Packages of lovely embossed tage Xinas Post Cards to yaw" sell at 10 cents a "package. and we will send you the Big Doll, with all charges: ) prepaid, and we willl alsa 2 \send: you: the Doll Car- riage without/any charge if you -wil show your Doll to our friends and get ust three of them to sell our cards and earn prizes too. Send us your name and ad- dress to-day so you ean get your Doll and DollCarriage quickly Addvera. HROMER-WASESBN COMPANY Pept. 199, Toronto When they are} ¢: e6ld send. us, the money! | ; ' cdl ae Se AT -FOOT BALL WILLIE'S SLICK AS GLASS | . HE STRAIGHT ARMED BOB AND. TRIED 79 PAD) - AND VERY NEARLY DIDIT 100, | i (BUT BOBBIE CAUGHT fil? BY THE SHOE. | ! é : < [enn e aire a Fou ronwane~s -=-- = - = <0 | 4 : fi Nt | 7 : qf t ra i = LIP GRATITUDE ea) AND = TEA <7 An Appeal by John Galsworthy ' te Faee the Facts in. the Weunded-Soldier Prob- lem, 4 the birds a swan-like appearance, which is always greatly admired. The]. feathers are of the finest quality and always bring the highest market price. A Good Market Goose These birds, while not go large as some others, are suitable for market \ not wanted; While they are some- times called the "Leghorn of the goose family," they are comewhat larger than common geese, It is not unusual for young birds to weigh fifteen pounds each when ready for market. They can be made much heavier if kept longer and fed a con- siderable amount of grain, but no- thing will be gained this season by feeding large quantities; of market- able grain, Ws always try to have poultry in geod condition before being sent to market, but have always been opposed to "stuffing," partly because it seems like "cruelty to animals" to keep fowls closely confined, and partly be- cause we never have been convinced that it was very profilable. We feed a reasonable amount of grain and always sell. poultry of all kinds alive. Geese require less grain from the time they are hatched until ready for market than any other fowl we know of. While we have always raised geese as a side-line, so to speak, we aim to raise about two hundred young Wo. use large, heavy chicken hens. Have never tried hatching with incubators, but have been told that it can be done. Use Leg-Bands to Distinguish However, we succeeded in raising 174 fine young geese and together with the old birds, which were twenty- two in number (seventeen geese and five ganiders), we had a pretty nice flock. We use leg-bands on the old geese as they sometimes get together dur- ing the latter part of thé season and it is hard to tell oid from young. Sometimes the enmbire flock is allow- ed free range. Since cool weather began in October we have been feed- ing more grain than during the early fail because most of the birds now on hand will go to market scon. We have sold quite a number locally, ito be kept fc: next year's stock. We never ship geese. We have found the China geese to be excellent layens. Young geese will eedom lay as many eggs as ma- ture ones, but an old bird will often lay from seventy-five to one hundred eggs in a season... One young bird laid fifty-four eggs last season. Green rye is a good substitute for grass in winter. Geese must have some sort of roughage. They like clover hay, alfalfa and silage. feed plenty of these during the winter. Also, grain twice a day. Raw vege- tables, chopped, with bran added (also a little salt), gives vaviety to the ration. Provide good, clean wa- ter to drink.--A. W. G. fe ame To make ickens mix tree parts gasoline and part crude carbolic acid with as h plaster of 'paris as the liquids isten, Allow the material to dry for a few hours and then place powder in airtight containers. owder should not be mixed or near a flame. It is necessary ld_the fowl while dusting and] uld*be taken ito work the dust he feathers thoroughly. Ten ds of the mixture will treat 250 1 inds. eae : : : ead louse, which lives particu- on little chickens, can be exter- h mercurial olntment ov er." This contains abput 50 of metallic mercury, which reurial oint- should Lo 'finger and ers about the Lt should the nedes#ary re-] lags dairy "prd-] \half over the opening. 4. Immediate cooling of the milk}, .steam, hot potash 8 @ jin them till cold); then fill with cold |} water, and threw in a large quantity should be brushed to hairs and dirt. '8. Small-top milk pails with cover remove loose to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The cow that drops her calf be- fore her time is a proper. subject for suspicion and should not be allowed to. run with the other cows. Machine-milking should. not be forced too fast. Allow the cows a reasonable amount of time to get ad- justed to the new method of milking. _Carcasses of animals dying on farms should be- cremated or buried. Exposed, they are not only "unsight- iy, but may spread. contagious dis- Cnses, i scoeteeheneteah is ' Cleaning Old Barrels. _ Old barrels phould be used cautious- ly. Hf they have contained no ma- ferial which has permeated the wood, they may be cleaned by the use of} obtainable from | Wood-ashes, or \crude potash secured at deag-atores.' 'They must be treat- ed repeatedly, and thoroughly rinsed and drained, ze 'Barrels in which sauerkraut or molasses has been stored can -be cleaned by first. scalding well with boiling Water (letting the water stand of live ¢cais from a wood fire, leaving fig, cask yneovered, Another andl vette Method is <0 rinse 'the barrels strong solution of oil of vitriol We}; or four binders, seven cream separa- the amount of businéss the farm does. Be PLY. \ od Only by revivifying in each separ- ate disabled soldier 'the will to live can you save him from the fate of nierely continuing to exist. There "are wounded men, many, whose spirit is such that they will mareh in front of any effort made for} their recovery. I well remember one of these---a Frenchman--nearly par- alyzed in both legs. All day long-he would work at his macrame, and each morning after treatment, would de~ mand to try and stand. I can see his gtraining efforts now, his eyes like the eyes of a spirit; I can hear his daily words: "Il me semble que j' ai Un peu plus de force dans mes jambes ee matin, Monsieur!" ("I think I have a little more strength '1 my legs this morning, gir") though, I fear, he never had. Men of such indomitable initiative, though are rare, are but a fraction. The great majority 'have rather the happy-go-lucky soul. For them, itis dnly too easy to postpone self-help till sheer necessity drives, or till someone in whom they believe inspires them. The work of re- equipping thase with initiative, with a new interest in life, with work which they can do, is one of in- finite difficulty and~ complexity. Nevertheless, it muss be done. The great publics of our countries do not yet, I think, see that they too have their part in the sacred work. So far they only seem to feel: "Here's a wounded hero; let's take him to the movies and give him tea!" Instead of choking him with cheap kindness, each member of the public should seek to re-inspire the disabled mon with the feeling that-he is uo more out of the main stream of life then they are themselves; each man, ac- cordingly to his or her private chances, should help him to find that special nich2 which he can best, most cheerfully, and mest usefully fill in the long future. The more we drown tthe disabled in tea and lip gratitude the more we un- steel his soul, and the harder we make it for him to win through, when, in the years to come, the wells of our tea and gratitude have dried up. We can do a much more real and helpful thing. I fear that thene will soon be no-one of us who-has not some personal friend disabled. Let us regard that man as if he were our- selves; fetus treat him as-one who demands a full place in the ranks of working life, and to try to find it for him. Editor's Note--The foregoing is from the foreword written by John Galsworthy for the "Report of the Allied Conference on the After-Care of Disabled Men." It is reproduced here in the hope that it may assist in the rehabi&itation of our wounded heroes by helping the public to rea- lize that we must face facts and dis-| regard fancies and sappositions in the solution of this present problem. st o_o What Farm 'Activity Pays You the Best? Keeping 'books pays as well on a farm as in a bank, a railway office or a factory. Many large farms have a regular bookkeeping dep The average size farm does net need such an elaborate system of account books any more than it needs three tors, nine churns, or five hay loaders. The size and detail of the system de- pend on the acreage of the farm and _ Some person on the farm can learn how to conduct a set of books for the farm, Then only a few minutes a day, or once a week, will be needed to keep a set of farm account books. Here are several important things books: How many dollars' worth of a farmer knows if he keeps a set of foodstuffs sold off the farm last year? How much money was cleared on the farm last -year? What crops are not paying? How did this year's profits compare, with last year, two years ago, five years ago? A farmer will be able to check up every item of farm expense such 23 seed, poultry, cattle, and hogs, their cost and the-value of their product to the farm. : : 'Another pleasing and_ profitable thing about a set of farm books--one can take an inventory at the end of the year of all the live stock, the im- plements, the buildings, the grain on hand, and all,of the equipment and knour, just where the farm stands Seenciduy. Tha ; has issued a very simple yet compre- hensive farmer's account book which will be sent free to Canadian farmers \ iret come, fire: sorve ommission of Conservation | -and be thanktu who ask for it, steting at the same; 2S {time how many acres they work. The) _ '| supply of these fis limited and the rule 2 will kas : INTERNATIONAL LESSON NOVEMBER 24, ------s Lesson VIII. Jaeob's Retura-- Genesis 33. 1-11. Golden Text, Prov. 15. 1. Verse 1, With him four hundred men--During the long interval of Esau's separation from Jocob he had led the life of a nomadic chief, living by the chase and predatory raids upon nostile clans. His father's blessing predicted that he would live by the sword. In the course of his adven- | tures he led a warlike expedition to Mount Seir, a mountainous. region southeast of the Dead Sea. It seems probable that Esau's cescendants were eventually amalgamated. with the Horites, the original population of Mount Seir, in this way. forming the Edomite notion: Esau's four hundred men may have been. part of this expedition against Mount Seir. When Jacob determined to return to his own land and claim the inheritance promised to Abraham, he sent a con- ciliatory message, hoping that Esau's thirst for revenge had abated. The answer was the announcement that Esau was onthe way at the head of four hundred men. This could only mean hostility to Jacob; he _ there- fore resorted to the 'expedient of sending presents to Esau as a token of his respect for Esau's position as the head of a growing clan. No doubt his old instinct for neaching conclu- sions by a bargain Kad much to do with it. He still believed Esau could be bought. 2. He put the handmaids and their children foremost, ete--The hand- maids were secondory wives, an in- stitution which existed in these primi- tive times, but utterly contrary to the law of Christ. Jacob gave the safest place to the wives and children whom he cherished most. Rachel and Joseph were the last. 3. Bowed himself to the ground seven times--The sevenfold prostra- tion was the highest token of respect. Orientals have always used language and gestures which seem extravag- ant to Western people. 4. Esau ran to meet him--THis re- conciliation with Jacob was marked by characteristic Oriental emotion, not less effusive than Jacob's sevenfold rostration. Various interpretations ave been placed upon this encounter. Some hold that Esau had buried his resentment before he met Jacob. Oth- ars hold 'that Jacob gained a victory over Esau's hostility by the diplomatic manner of his approach. Esau's hostil- ity was disarmed by Jacob's recogni- tion of his power and position, and perhaps by.a seeming willingness to restore the birthright; but this hardly harmonizes with the evident magna- nimity of Esau's treatment of Jacob, The account does not represent a man who was merely placated; on the face of the narrative magnanimity and genuine brotherly. love are con- spicuous. Tr. true interpretation is found in the fact of Jacob's won- derful victory with God in the night of wrestling and prayer. The same God who turned the heart of Jacob could turn the heart of Hsau. The spiritual interpretation is always the best. 8. What meanest thou by all -- this eompany which I met?--The presents which had been: sent' in advance. To find favor--Jacob had thought ti presents necessary to win his brother. Esou declines in such a way as to show that the presents had no in- fluence with him. Jacob had tried to use the ordinary human way of handl- ing the matter along with prayer to God. He discovered that his pre- sents meant nothing, that God him- self had turned the heart of his broth- er. ' £0. Receive my present at my hand No longer asa bribe, but as a token of respect. Forasmuch as I have seen thy face--This is an allusion to the victory at Peniel. There Jacob had seen God face to face as it were; the unfriendly God 'had there received him as a friend, even so Esau had received him in a friendly manner. The great thought in the passage is that God had prevailed over Esau and breught him to a state gf veconcilia- tion with, his brother. Jaecb's Peniel experience had changed the world for chim because he had become a changed man himself. 11. Because God hath dealt graci ously with me--He urged Esau to ac- -eept hig gift as a token of the recon- ejliation wrounght by the goodness of God. hus urge ted the ent. Tt ee | transaction between them, a memorial of the day. when God brought them together. : - "Phe outdoor fall air > a if moa me ' | of gasoline to clean her gloves with." i | with the harrow and the seed-bed is -meilower and the promise of a good/' harvests greater. -- tind of Slovenast : is the best e trap? Because, if it is, I wasn't driv-, ing more than 20-miles an hour--" "That's all right, sir," said the vil: lager blandiy. "I ain't no policeman, Only my wife has been invited to a wedding to-morrow, and I wanted to ask if you could spare her a few drops ae ne we » The Extra Touch. One more stroke with the brush rubs the paint in.so that it lasts long- erat: ' Once more over the plowed ground Go and do the right action over again and again and it becomes a habit of the life which can not easily be broken. -- ; _ The extra. touch i's the only mark be-- tween success and failure that can not be wiped out. That will stick, and it amounts to more than it costs. Spt ez - Rats Are Big Eaters. Experts have estimated that one rat will consume.40 to 50 pounds of food in a year. It has also been figured that it requires the continuous work of about 165,000 men with farms, agricultural implements, and other equipments to supply the foodstuffs destroyed annually by 'ats in the United States and Canada. In addi- tion rats destroy other property, mainly of agricultural origin, the production of which requires the work of about 55,000 men, This gives a total of 220,000 men whose economic output is devoted solely to feeding and otherwise providing for rats. ean eye To Prevent Potato Ret. Pick over your potatoes about three 'and elsewhere 'Serofula, Forty or fifty years ago it would have been difficult to find a person of average intelligencein this country who did not have an idea of what was meant by the term scrofula. 'Nowadays the item isso geldem used that the average person is ignorant of its meaning, showing that words like fashions prevail, became obso- lete, and are forgotten. Fifty years ago scrofula wes thought to be a real disease like mumps or chicken pox, and the scrofulous person, old or young, had a thick, swolien neck with running sores. As now recog- nized, scrofula is an irregular col- lection of symptoms, without any def- inite disease history. When we speak of scrofulous gland nowadays we usually mean tuberculosis in the lymph glands of the neck, when we speak of scrofula deema we mean various skinds of 'skin eruption of tubercular origin. - Scrofulous blood used to be regarded as impure blood causing acne and other eruptions and sulphur and molasses, senna, stilin- gra, sarsaparilla and other remedies supposed to be reqwfred for an an- nual spring cleaning. It may be said that scrofula stands for. tissues and organs which easily get out of order and get well slowly. Sores on a scrofulous child heal slowly, run indefinitely and when 'healed are fol- lowed by others in the _ vicinity. Serofulous children have weak muc- ous membranes, catarrh of the nose, mouth and ears, adenoids and enlarg- ed tonsils. The glands-of the neck in such people are large and often tho seat of running sores. Such people resist disease badly and are always catching dis- eases that have the possibility of be- ov four weeks after you have stored them away. The wet weather this, season increases the tendency to ro and unless the diseased potatoes are | at once separated from: the healthy, there will be heavy loss. Many pota- toes that look good when harvested will decay after be in storage a few weeks. Potatoss should ke stored in a cool éry place. The color the atmosphere, providing, of course, freezing is not permitted, the hetter they will keep. oa The cellar is not the best place for squashes and pumpkins. A good cool room upstsirs in the house is -- all right. But see to it that rats and mice do not gnaw heles into t\em. They like the seeds, and the only way} you can be sure that they will not) get them is to go into the trapping) busi and stick to it till the last rat is under*the spring. iba ea itty 1es8 Less, ----_ Seager Wheeler, the noted Sas- katchewan wheat grower, has devel- oped a variety of wheat that is claim- ed to mature ten days earlier than the famous Marquis wheat, and is, therefore, practically immune from rust and early frost on the prairies. ing caught. A scrofulous child is al- most sure to have had parents or grandparents who had the same trou- le or else tuberculosis or syphilis and if a child with this tendency lives amid bad thygienic surroundings he will almost to a certainty develop scrofula. The germs. of tuberculosis are most frequently found in such cases at- tacking the glands of the neck and was the excuse for giving children | | eruptions which are only too common. -- Servofulous children often have in- testinal catarrn wth enfarged ab--- dominel glands, diseased bones and. joints and in almost all of them the: tnberclo bacillus will be found, they are a'so sufferers from all kinds of | ear diseases, Tyo kinds of children. are deseribed 'as scrofulons in the -- writings of half a century "ago, one: being pale with tender, white 'skin, large veins, flabby muscles and quick -- intellect, the other thiek nose and tips, and dull intellect. Beware of patent medicines for such troubles. The sins of patent medi- eine makers in imposing on 'the pub-. ing and vending their nostrums for serofila are many and if there is to \be retribution for sueh sins I hope they will get it good and proper. 'Good food, plenty of sleep, out of door life, a daily bath, a well venti- -- lated chome and school, these are the best means for fighting scrofula.. Three drugs hayé been found effec- tive in treatingsscrofula, iodine, cod. liver ofl and iron, and they should be given not only in a form in which they can be readily assi iated but j in one which will make them accept- able to the sensitiveness of children, Questions and Answers. S. E. B--1--Are there certain. foods which are beneficial when one is suffering from a torpid liver? 2--Please mention a good medicine to restore such an organ to its nor- mal condition. Answer---1---I suppose you mean by a "torpid" liver, an organ which ig not secreting the proper quantity of bile, If that is due to an obstruc- tion by gall stones, of course the ob- struction must be removed; if it is merely a feature in the general con- dition, an abundance of simple, easi- ly digested food would be all that you would. require. 2--You must remember that this department is not for the purpose of treating individual cases or provid- ing prescriptions. If you need a medicine to affect your liver, your physician is the proper person to fur- nish it. CHOOSE) Weaning Pigs. Weaning is one of the most danger- ous periods of a pig's life. Young pigs are often seriously injured it al- Jowed to eat too much feed at one time. 'They should have access to feorn and other grains while they are with theiz mother, so.that. when they are weaned they will know how to eat. Skim milk or buttermilk is desir- able feed for pigs at weaning time. The milk should be fed in the same condition at all times, either sweet or sour, otherwise digestive disorders are likely to be caused. 'The feed- ing trough should be kept clean. Care should be taken that the pigs are not overfed. Overfeeding will stunt their growth. One of ~ the greatest secrets of success. in the rearing of weaning pigs is the frequ~ ent feeding of small quantities of food. The stomachs of the pigs are not. capable of storing a large amount of food at any one time. Usually the pigs are large and thrifty enough to wean at the age of six to cight weeks. hey should have aceess to forage such as alfalfa or clover, if at all possible. -- o--_--_--_-- The Winnipeg Tribune reports that potatoes enough for six persons for eight months were raised on prairie breaking with $2 worth 'of 'seed by Alfred King of 7"orwood, Man. "A sneer is the apalagy for argu- ment made by a man who does not understand."--G, H. Morrison. ane districts today ! tonic in the world. Drink lots of it, | every minute. : "About Cloverdale, About Cloverdale reported as a ton and a B, C., oat straw a= i Mr anet Mie: Cres Desire the Pleasure WAGL IR coma Canava A Gillette enthusiast has boldly stated his belief that the famous vazor has caused a complete revolution in social life in the rural It is true, as he says, that one cannot now distinguish between the city man and his brother in the country. . But do not give all the credit to the Gillette Safety Razor. Smooth chins assuredly do prompt correctness in other things, but it hardly seems possible that the smariness of the social gathering in preseni-day farm homes is due to.a razor--even the best razor in the world. You answer an invitation to call at a friend's house, and enter a softly- lighted room to find well dressed women and keen looking, clean shaven men. How glad you are that you came prepared to hold your own in any company. And how satisfying it is to know that if guests drop in on you unexpeciedly, the daily few minutes with your Gillette finds you READY to receive them. One thing is certain--a Gillette Safety Razor should be part of the equip: | ment of every manoftoday, * | Gillette Sets are sold by Jewelers, Druggists ana __ Hardware Dealers _everywhere at five dollars, Gillette Safety Raz or Co. of Canada, Limit Office and Factory: 65-73 St. Alexander St., 'Mon eck with wed fade, See " lic, especially the poor, in advertis-