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Show ) f the edge of the glass. Do the same on the bottom, and on the sides, only when doing the sides, do not paste all across, so that when you come to the end of It, instead of gluing, cut it my eyes a tiny ways f squint And then I see them, one by one, bias so that It will form an angle. Come trooping In from ialryland When you use a mat, paste the picture - With funny little hop and run. on It first and cut the glass as large to themselves They nod and whisper as the mat and paste the tape on the door They scamper oft acioss As If theyd never, never seen just the same. A little boy like me before! Great care must be taken in using But If you nsk me how they look different tapes to have the colors the tell. seem to t Somehow I can not blend well with the picture. If you For pretty soon they're slipped away. belli And then I hear the breakfast wish to frame the picture of an InA Llpplncott's. dians head In red and it did not match the red in the picture, It would I Passepartout Frames. small comes in he better to use a dark green or Passepartout tape foils, twelve yards long and nearly black. an inch wide In all the different colors. It is glued on one. side all ready How Fast a Badger Works. for use. When you have selected During the daytime the badger jour picture (which maycutbe put In sleeps deep in his burrow, far out on the glass our western plains and prairies, and 8 mat or not as desired) (the same size but be careful not to at twilight he starts forth on a nights Watching for Fairies. Some nights I try to kern awake ee how fairies really look. To (Ton have to watch so sharp and atilt So say my mamma's fairy book!) ' -- foraging. He is a dreaded enemy of the prairie dog and the ground squirrel, and when he begins to excavate for one, nothing but solid rock or death can stop him. With the long, blunt claws of his forefeet he loosens up the dirt. Dig! Dig! Dig! He works as though his life depended on it, now scratching out the sides of the hole, then turning on his back to work overhead. At first he throws the dirt out behave the edge uneven. Then cut a tween his hind legs, but soon he Is ' piece of cardboard the sume size as too far down for that, so he banks It up back of him, then turns about, the glass. Now when you have these cut you and using his chest and forward parts are ready to put the tape on, stand as a pusher, shoves it out before him. the three up evenly, cut your tape the He works with such rapidity that It size of the top of the glass, fold It In would be somewhat difficult for a man to overtake him with a spade. i half, wet it, and paste it so that the fold in the tape will come snugly In St. Nicholas. 5 A THE NIGHT OF THE DARK MOON An Indian Legend 1 By EUGENE O. MAYFIELD (Res M.) I Away to the far Northwest, falone in her tepee, old sitting e tshlvcred. I The wind came hurrying along, overhead, clattering the Jon which were Btretched coats from wild animals. Playfully the flap at the opening was raised and lowered, as If by unseen hands. "I am old, and my blood runs slow-"I wonder how ly," said many winters more." I Again the wind shrieked and the flap was raised, this time not by the i breezo, for in crept a score of little Indian boys and girls who had come tell stories. j to hear old "Tell us the story of the bears and the Dark Moon," said one, and all the rest clapped their wee red hands in approval. To them the story was ever reach-pole- s half-tanne- d 3 bear, who might be passing, and who would help them out before the red man came. That it was a bear-pi- t they had fallen into, they had no doubt, for they had often heard their mother talk about her experience with one; but she didn't fall In, for she caught herself just In time. But growl and make all the noise they could, no one came to take them out, and when night came Spangle cried herself to sleep. "At last it began to get gray In the east and Spike awoke his sister and told her they must try again to get out, or the red man would be there at and get them, sure, for red men, even bears know, go to their traps and pits very early. "Suddenly a shadow appeared at the mouth of the pit, and a red face looked down. It was my grandfather, into whose pit the little bears had sun-pee- fallen. He was much pleased when he saw the cubs and ran off to the village to get help to get them out. Finally, when drawn up, both little bears were so frightened they could not say a word not even growl. "My grandfather took the cubs to the village and tied them to a tree. "At first it was intended to kill the cubs for food, but they were saved, because my grandfather heard them talking, one day, and learned from them, he could understand bear talk, you know, that they bad started to school and fallen Into the bcar-plt- , while playing truant. "My grandfather was a good man a great chief and he told the cubs If they would promise never to run away from school again he would let them go home. They both promised, and to make It more binding Spike crossed his breas. with his paw. Soon thereafter they were both scampering home as fast as their legs would carry them. "That night, before the little bears Both Were Mlschevlout. cuddled down to sleep, their mother told them of a great Dark Moon that new, although told by ohl many times before, and this is the was to come soon: an eclipse, the palefaces call It, and warned them, In story she related: "Many, many moons ago, when I case she were away, on a certain was a little girl, there lived on the night, not to leave the den, or they banks of the llatte a mother bear and might get lost, and perhaps fall Into The cubs were alher two children, Spike and Spangle. another bcar-plt- . Doth little bears were mischievous, lowed to go about, not too far from bit Spike more so than his sister. the den, when the moon shone, but The mother bear, when the cubs wore never on dark nights. two years old, Bent them to school, "Early next morning both Spike and where they were taught many things, Spanglo wero awake, and when time Just like you children are over at came, trotted off to school. On the the agency. way home that afternoon Spike asked "One day Spike persuaded Spangle his sister If she wouldn't like to see to play truant, and hide In the green nil kinds of animals, who were to woods until time to go home. AH gather at a certain point on a certain through the hours of school they ramnight, and watch for the Dark Moon, bled up and down the Platte, climbed their mother had told them about. " 'Of course I would,' replied trees, that grew on either side of the canon, and enjoyed themselves. Spnnglo, but mother will not let us "Having escaped school ao easily go, will she? one day, Splka proposed to Spangle '"Not If she knows It,' replied next morning that they try It again, Spike, 'but maybe we can get away, and they did. On this day they ar- somehow.' "The day of tho Dark Moon the ranged to go farther up the canon and visit another little bear, who little bears' mother told them she was didnt go to school. So, following going up the ration, a long ways, and along, like Indians do, the two cubs would not be bad: until midnight, but trotted over a well beaten path, and for them not to worry about her. She wera laughing and talking about how alBO again told them of the Dark they had fooled their mother, when Moon, and warnoi them to remain Ina.fcat once, without a moment's warn- side the den when night came. "Tho long day passed and just at ing, Splka disappeared, and Spangle, hurrying up to see where he had gone, nightfall a little playmate bear soon followed. scratched at the door. He was on bis way up the canon, he said, and "They had fallen Into a bear-pit-. No sooner did they land at the bottom asked Spike and Spangle to go with thao they began to growl and make him." all the noise possible, hoping to at"Did Spike and Spangle go?" asked tract attention from some neighbor all the 'little red children, in chorus, o Just as they had asked the same question many times before. "Yes, they went, replied old "If they hadnt my story Then she resumed: would end here. "The moon came out bright before they had gone very far, and as the little bears pasted along they took careful notice of the surroundings, so they could find their way home; Just as red men do, and at last they came to the forks of the stream they had been following. They wers not the first there, however, by any means, for many, many animals were there e. MKCEUIAN The Help of Machinery, There was a time when the farmer worked all by himself a small farm and found It profitable to do all of his work by hand. Had there been machinery at that time, It would have possessed, little value for him, as he could not have disposed of bis surplus for enough money to pay for his machinery and leave a balance on the transaction. The transport by sea was then by sailing vessels and the transportation over the land by of ox teams. We cannot imagine the great grain crops of today being moved by such means. If great grain crops had been raised tho grain must have fallen In value till It would not have paid the cost of raising, or much of It would have molded In the bins. With the progress of the world came the necessity for the use of farm machinery. The motive power on the water changed to steam and great barges were constructed with enormous carrying capacity. These could carry the grain around the world at small cost per bushel. On the land hundreds of lines of railway opened up the country, and of grain are now moved In any direction night and day. It is no longer possible for moans-largel- train-load- s All night In the woods, before them: and owls, crows and eagles, hawks, and all kinds of birds that live along the Platte and Its tributaries. Just how many wild animals were there I do not know, but I have heard it sa'd among them were bears, wolves, foxes, mountain lions, badgers, elks, coons and deer, all drawn together, like one great family, with no Idea of harming each other. The coming Dark Moon had brought them; the first to appear during their existence. " This Dark Moon is to last all night, I hear, said a coon. Yes, replied a mountain lion. "Spike and Spangle, and the little neighbor bear, were among the last to leave, and, so it happened, no one went their way. Off to the right they knew lay their home, and with Spike in the lead they were soon trotting along, up one hill and down another, now scaling a canon, by the aid of scrub pines, to which they clung, and occasionally tumbling bead-long- , they made their way, until splash! they fell Into the Pla.te. "They had lost their bearings. Little Spangle growled and whined, as girl bears do, but Spike and the neighbor bear cheered her up, and assured her they would noon find the way out. But they didnt find their way, and all night wandered In the woods, and climbed more hills. Then came the but they were many miles from home. It was almost noon when they reached the end of their journey. The mother bear had been out hunting them and when she was told of the visit to the view-cliff- , up the canon, she was angry, and growled a great deal. And she did more, too. She took all three little cubs into the den and closed the door. One at a time she placed them across her knee and oh! how she spanked. Nor did she forget to spank the little neighbor bear." This ended the story of old and the little red children crept out of tho tepee and were gone. Outside the north wind scurried overalong, clattering the rench-pole- s s had piled head; the great shivered. higher, and old MEK a community to produce so much grain that it cannot be shipped out. The commerce of the world will take all the grain the farmer can grow. It Is therefore necessary for the farmer to take advantage of the existence of machinery for farm use. The price of grain has fallen greatly from what It was a hundred or so years ago, and each acre of land must therefore be worked at a less cost than formerly. This the farmer can do only by the use of machinery, and the more Improved the macliin ery the less per acre Is the cost of handling the land. Every farmer should therefore study the machine question and learn If he Is using fairly good machines, or whether he is using machines that are expensive of labor and effective to a less degree than should he found In farm machines. It Is sometimes cheaper to throw away an old machine than It la to keep It. Rot of Plums. Last summer the writer visited the farm of a prominent fruit grower of Northern Illinois. He had a considerable number of plum trees, but the fruit was worthless, as It had been taken by the brown rot. The trees had bloomed full and the prospects for a large crop of fine plums had been excellent. But before the time came to gather the plums tho dreaded brown rot appeared and soon spread among all the trees. The plums soon began to drop, and the ground was covered in a few weeks with hundreds of the Thousands of the decaying plums. plums still on the trees were affected on one side and it was seen that the crop was ruined. This disease la known scientifically as Monllla fructigena. The spores attack not only the fruit, but also the blossoms, leaves and twigs. The process of Its development Is about as follows: A spore falls on a wet plum and slicks there. It sends a filament into the skin of the plum. This filament develops Into a ths cad-lik- e that growth permeates the pulp of the plum everywhere. It is the power of this mycelium or mass of threads that causes the breaking Brown g MUMMIED PLUMS DUE TO BROWN ROT. (Moullia Fruutigctia.) down of the cells that compose the pulpy mass and reduces it to a slimy substance that we designate as rot. The skin indicates what Is going on Inside by turning brown In one or two spots. These spots enlarge In all directions and this Indicates the spread of the rot. At this stage the parts of the mycelium that develop at the surface of the plum begin to bring forth fruit in the form of spores, which give an ashy hue to the decayd It Iron a Fertilizer? It has not been belleveu that Iron is what we might call a real fertilizer In the soil, although we know that iron gives the color both to the soil and to all the plants produced upon it. There are some experimenters, however, who believe that Iron sulphate Is itself a fertilizer. One of these men Is a Belgian, who has been making some experiments on oats and other cereals. He applied 230 kilograms of iron sulphate, and by it produced the same effect on oats as did 150 kilograms of nitrate of ing plum. These are the spores that continue to spread the disease. Many of the rotten plums continue to hang on the tree till winter and are known as mummied plums. They have shrunken and dried till they are hard and unsightly, but to them cling enough spores to spread the disease the coming year. In some cases, even the mycelium or thread-lik- e plant inside the plum retains Its life through tho winter and under favorable conditions In the spring begins to grow and will produce a new crop of spores. soda. Iu addition, many weeds were These spores are scattered everywhere destroyed by the iron sulphate. The and even fair and germinate on the author attributes the general effect of blossoms and tender leaves. We show the Iron sulphate solely to the iron, a cluster of these mummied plums. and not to the sulphuric acid. We are They should be picked off now and sure, however, that most of our ex- burned. Not oue should be left on the perimenters, at least those on this side trees or on the ground. Next spring, of the water, will be very slow in ac- If any rot appears on plums, the fruit cepting the conclusions of this ex- so affected should be picked off and perimenter. While iron docs enter burned at once. in addition, the trees should be into the formation of plants, yet it Is to a very limited extent. The advansprayed with diluted Bordeaux mixtage resulting from the application as ture. Spray first before tho blossoms recorded may be due to some other open and again as soon as the fruit Is well formed. Spray twice later, at element rather than to the application Intervals of two weeks. Where the of iron. disease has been In an orchard for several years, more than one season Buy Clover Seed Early. in which to eradl may be Usually clover seed Is sown very rate It. required Farmers Ilevlcw. In In or even the the late early spring winter. In northern localities it Is sown on the snow In March and further south A Question of Locality. Is put In In February. The clover The practice of "opening up" the seed should be purchased a considertops of apple trees Is followed by S. able time before it is used, so that G. Soverhlll, of Northern Illinois. Mr. It may be tested. This, testing Soverblll has been or bardlng In that should he done by counting out a for about Lost Her Baby. years. The hundred seeds and placing them be- locality la condemned Edson GayThe sheep is usually set down for tween practice by damp woolen cloths inclosed in lord, of Iowa, w ho has been orcharding a model of stupidity; but a gentlereversed plates to keep in the mois- In that stale for man who has Just returned from a ture. fifty years. Both men If the is low new have had so many years of experience three years trip In the West tells the lots of seed germination may have to be pur- that It Is not that either Is horseon was "I probable following story: and this Is the more reason a mistake regarding the pracmaking back a great part of the time and chased, winfor buying the seed early In the tices allowable In his vicinity. But often visited largo sheep ranches. One ter. Also the testing Is more likely day, while riding along, a mother to be done If the seed Is purchased this brings u to the appreciation of the fact that conditions enormously sheep trotted up to my horse bleatearly than If it Is purchased late. The differ Id different localities I separated At out made last that ing pitifully. seed Is too apt to be scatthere was somclhlng wrong off toward tered on the land without the far- by only a few hundred miles. We would like to receive communications tho left. I followed the sheep In that mer knowing whether It Is fairly from our leading horticulturists in difdirection and soon found tho cause good or not. If It falls he does not of her distress. Her lamb had fallen know whether tho failure la duo to ferent stales and different localities of the same state relative to the amount Into a shallow pit and could not get poor seed or something else. of sunscald In their neighborhoods and out. I lifted tho little thing up, and the general practice of heading trees. the gratitude in the mother sheep's In Experiments. Care The amount of sunscald existing In eye will always he a source of consoIn the making of farm experiments a neighborhood does not seem to delation to me. great care needs to he exercised to have pend on the latitude. Mr. Gaylord bas all possibility of error eradicated. accurately defined the process when When? How? Why? Many of the experiments car- he says that It Is doe to the breaking up of cambium cells by the alterried on on farms are really not experinate freezing and tbAwIng. But there ments at all. They are so carelessly Is something more In It than this, for conducted that no scientist would acseems to be worse In the sunscald conclusions. exSuch an cept their periment Is that In which the farmer, colder parts of the states than In the to test his land or a manure, puts the warmer parts, though even In tho latfertilizer on a field but has no check ter some freezing and thawing must plot with "no treatment." He makes go on, We would like to know how Hurryl Hurryl a comparison with what the field did far south sunscald is experienced. Harry Is a word we Americans use when the fertilizer wa not every day too often, in fact If wa should be evident to him used, it that Take a trip now and then out to the burry too much over things wa do, Increase of harvest may be duoany to orchnrd and see that the snow is packespecially when we are young, they something else than the fertilizer. down well about the tree trunka. ed are apt to be pretty badly done. Such experiments mean little or noth- Mice often make terrible Do any of you know where this word work buring. came from? Why, Just from the rowing under the snow and girdling the trees. noises made by drivers of mules and As line a quality of silage can be horses to make them go fastor. The ns from any In ths fall and winter prepare for Germans any hurl, while In Franca and made from sorghum and there seems to be litother crop, Is emThe spraying apparatus must or harrl the form spring. Germany arrl tle difference between the feeding ployed. As for the Spanish muleteer, values of sorghum and corn allege for be ordered In the winter It It Is to be ha shouts all day long to hts donkeys, beef ready for use In the spring. production. "Arrl! arrl!" It Is said, too, our an, used to cestors, the old In fall and winter plan the work for The winter la a good time to hunt peed their horse by crying "Harrert" up the bag worms on the trees. spring and summer. in any form sun-pee- snow-cloude late-boug- Anglo-Saxons- i f Ice on the Farm. one Is bf the great luxuries of Ice modern times, and Is fast becoming a necessity. Its nse has many phases. Is exceedingly valuable In the dairy aU through the summer, and by Its help the enterprising farmer Is able to put on the market a higher quality of milk, butter and cream than would otherwise be possible. Ice enters Into the problem of food preservation, and. the farmer that has an abundant sup-plof It can Indulge in the luxury of fresh meat much oftener In the summer than he otherwise could. The farmers wife always appreciates of having ice that she can use as she wishes in her culinary op- It erations. Ice is one of the things that Is easily obtained on most farms la the North, but It requires Borne work to secure It. However, the time of Ice harvest comes when no other harvest can be gathered. Many of our farmers have ponds that are large enough and clear enough to provide a first- class quality of Ice. Where the farmer lacks such a pond he can generally buy his ice from some neighbor at a cost of about ten cents a ton, he to do the cutting and hauling. The Inhabitant In the city pays all the way from $5 to $7 per ton for the Ice that Is delivered at his door. The aggregate cost to the farmer, Including cost of hauling, interest on value of building for storage, packing material and pack lng should not be over 50 cents a ton. We are glad to know that many of our farmers have built first-clas- s Ice houses and every year fill them with enough Ice to last till cold weather comes the following year. The best Ice houses are those that are square and as near a cube as possible. In such a house Ice may be so packed ' that It will present the least possible r surface toward the outside, and will produce the least possible lateral pressure. The walls must be well built, to prevent the bulging of the building. A building that Is very tall will permit the ice to sag to one side and this will cause the bulging of the building on the side against which the ice comes. We have seen such buildings with great props against them to prevent still greater damage. In building an Ice house for farm use, a few principles need to be observed. The first of these Is to give perfect drainage. The house should be either on an eminence and have a natural drain, or It must have tile laid to carry off the water as fast as It Is made by the melting of Ice. If water Is permitted to accumulate, It causes the more rapid melting and consequent loss of Ice. The walls of the bouse should be built double, to give a good- - ; sized air space. The packing of the Ice should be carefully done, as this is a very Important factor In preventing the melting of the Ice. . The General-Purpos- e Horee. The thought of a general purpose horse Is one very firmly fixed In tho mind of the average farmer that has not settled down as a specialist We often hear the specialist say there Is no such thing and that the general- purpose Idea Is a humbug. We are' ready to admit that people often bold to this Idea when a special purpose Idea would bring them a greater measure of success. The farm horse Is one that can be utilized in ordinary farm work of all kinds and can also do the limited amount of road work needed In connection with the working of the medium sized or small farm. A horse called a "chunk" in market, standing fifteen to sixteen hands high, weighing from 1,100 to 1,400 pounds, compactly built, with good feet and legs, a tractable, lively disposition, a good, clean, rapid way of going at walk or trot. Is, In brief, the kind of a ' horse I would call a horse. This kind of horse has a place on the farm of the Northwest, and we may say Is the most valuablo class, so far as farm work is concerned. As described above you will note that he partakes of the qualities of both the draft and coach or heavy roadster general-purpos- e general-purpos- e typesi In both bis conformation and disposition. George McKerrow, In Bulletin 127, Wisconsin Station. Length of the Horse's Foot If a horse's foot Is too long it Increases the fatigue of the horse In using It. It requires an Increased amount of energy to lift and advance this foot There la also aa Increased tendency to Interfere. The habit of keeping the hoof long has been foe tered by dealers because this lends style to the horse, aa It requires mor exertion In the lifting of the foot If the farrier Is allowed to do aa h thinks best, he will cut down the foot to the natural proportions. If the owner Is wise, he will not prevent him from doing this. Forest Reserves, More and more the national gov- ernment It taking an interest la the matter of reserving tracts of land for forest growths. In most cases the tracts reserved are not valuable tor agriculture of any klaA It Is not perhaps known to most Americans that the United States has le a forest reserve In Porto Itlco. In the eastern part of the Island and embraces about 03,000 acres, or abont 100 square miles. The region It very mountainous and at the present time A great variety of Is unsurveyed. woods are, however, found oa the re serve. ( |