Richmond Hill Public Library News Index

The Liberal, 1 Sep 1887, p. 2

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

During the development of fruit the straw- berry requires considerable water, but we never realized the importance of water as we did the past season. In this seeding although the spring was wet, the imme- diately succeeding weather was dryer than is often the case in the driest weather. Strawberries hsd bloomed, but there came no development of fruit. Finally ruin came in frequent showers extending over a period of a week and wrought a. wonderful change inthe strawberries. On June fourth we picked ripe fruit where seven or eight days before no appearance of any could be seen. This fact shows that suflicient moisture is necessary for the full and perfect develop- ment of the fruit. There is no one but must hnve observed the effect of extremely dry weather in wholly obstructing the develop- ment of raspberries, blackberries and our- The barnyard fowl does not thrive when massed in large numbers, and only reaches its highest perfection when allowed to fol- low the customs of the progenitors in the Indian jungles and wander at will in small In pruning trees of anyikind it; is better to leav'oc'one strong branch pr limb than two orthl‘ee weak ones, says Popular Garden- 'iflg. It is better to keepllimbs thinned out than to cut back and make too close heads. Let the sun’s rays in all through the tree. In grafting nut trees on very large and strong stocks, the scions often make a. very luxuriant, half suoculent, growth the first season. and if this isnot checked by pinching oEthe ends to hasten the ripening of the wood, there is always more or less danger ofwinter-killing, even of the most hardy Never let eggs get chilled that are to be nod for hatchin g purposes. They should be collected during the cold weather every time a hen is heard to cackle. The rule is early and often. The egg shell isporous, and any filth on'it very soon affects the meat. Eggs should be cleaned as. soon as gathered, if at all soiled, and those to be put up for winter should be eggs which have been gathered as soon as laid. Accumulating filth is a prolific source of disease, especially gapes, which is essential- ly a. filth production. After the hen yard has been cleaned to sprinkle it with a. solu- tion of two gallons of water to one gill of ar. bolic acid, and one pound of oopperu will destroy disease germs. Good success may be had transplanting red raspberries and blackberrigs in every month from March to November. As for black raspberries, the plants that came from hyers last fall can be successfully transplant- ed up to August if cut back at least two- thirda. , To have a good crop of strawberries next year, there must be a good growth of plants this fall. To have this, work out beds imâ€" mediately after bearing and work into the soil 3 good supply of well rotted manure or commercial fertilizers. John M. Sbahl says fruit-growers do not place a. proper estimate on the value of wood ashes. ‘They are worth more to the hgrti- oulturlettthan the grain~grower, but cannot take the place of other manurrs. Although ibds generally believed that the process of fermentation does not increase the value of the manure, this much is cer. tain; it softens the hard, woody fibers and finsequently acts more promptly on plant e. - Gooseberry bushes do best when they are well trimmed. They make rank growth. It is a. fruit that does best in partial shade, and if the mildew does not attack it a crop may always be looked for. But the pigs should not be allowed to lodge in the manure pile, as they are liable to contract disease by so doing. The manure is too warm, and when they get up and come in contract with the fresh air, they are apt to take cold or lung disease. Those farmers who will try our method will find that the straw can be converted into avail- able manure in about six months; whereas it would take from ten to eighteen months before it attains its full value if left untouch- ed ; and especially is this true where the manure pile is in ayard that slopes, asitwill lose many valuable elements which flow out,_or are‘w_ashed out by the rain. Every farmer keeps pigs, and they will do the job for him effectively. Scatter some grain or corn over the straw and manure, say once every two weeks, turn in the pigs and they will turn up the whole pile, in search for the grain, in a. very short while. If the manure lies at a. considerable thick- ness, it is well to make small holes to the ground at short intervals, and then drop in a few grains of com. If this be done they will turn up the entire pile in a manner that will meet with the approbation of the owner. A great many farmers, especially in the western parts of this country, use only one- third, or one~hplf of their annual supply of straw for feed and bedding their stock ; the remainder is converted into manure as soon as possible. This is generally done by throwing it around over the barn-yard where the stock can trample on it. Straw thus scattered and trampled on, if left un- touohed will not ferment and consequently cannot do all the good it ought to do unless ‘ it is left in the yard 3. year or more. Its value, however, can be considerably increas- ed and become available sooner, by simply turning it up frequently. and this can be done at the expense of but little time and labor if our method is made use of. TURNING STRAW INTO MANURH. Tax FIBL’S 0’ BARLEY. Lassie. when the gloamin' la‘s When night is young an' early, Meet me by the birken shnwa Ayont the fiel's 0' barley, Than I‘ll tell ya a' my dreams. Love ne'er wants for happy themes. A paradise a' nature seems. Ayout the fiel‘s o' barley. Lassie, when your heart bright, An' beats wi‘ love tu' rarely, Nacthing is like the gloamlng llght Aron: the flel's o‘ bnrley, Blushes then I cunna see, Butl ken they're therefor mu When yer bonnie mou' l pres, Ayout the flel‘u o’ Barley. For yer sake 1'“ tall a'day, Au' though we tare but spuely, We’ll hne love to licht oor way Frae yon't the lien; o’ barley. Lassie, when yer a” my nln We’ll live happy o‘er again, Gowden hoors when we were lain Ayont the flel'a o’ blyrlev. POULTRY No'rxs‘ GARDEN N OTEB. FAR)! . Although as far back as the civil war in the United States, it was proved beyond doubt that cavalry armed with swords had not the remotest chance of success against those armed with revolvars, and although almost every nation in Europe arms its cavalry with the latter weapon, the English War Office, with even more than its usual ineptitude and obstinacy, refuses to fur- nish our cavalry with this weapon. The revolver is a. weapon requiring much rac- tice to be of valve, but in the hands 0 one who has mastered its use it is a terrible weapon. A cowboy of New Mexico is not regarded as a good shot except when‘ riding at full speed along a line of telegraph poles he can put a ball into each as he passes it ; and the result is that, although the Indians consider themselves as more than a match for the regular cavalry, they will fly before a narty of cowboys, even if they outnumber them many times, while a hundred cowboys would rightly consider themselves as a match for a whole regiment of regular cavalry. The sword was an admirable weapon in the old days, but a soldier armed with only a. sword might be as well unarm- ed altogether were he to meet one armed with a revolver who was an adept in its use. Susanna Salter i the only female mayor that America has ever known. Argonia, where she is sovereign, is a Kansas town of 500 people. Syracuse, in the same State, rejoices in five women in the council, the mayor being the only man in the adminis- tration. Mrs. Salter weighs about 128 pounds, and four children, all under six years of age, call her mother. She has a ood name for domestic virtues, and it is Eer boast that she has never been to but one convention of any kind. She is only 27 years old. Her husband is the son of a. lieu- tenant-governor of the State. She has made all her own dresses save one. Temperance and Church work find in her a friend. Her neighbours say there is no misunderstand- ing in her house as to who has the right to wear the trousers. Her husband, who is now a. well to do attorney, is the unquestion- ed head of the family. Anti~prohibitionists circulated tickets with her name at the head as a burlesque at the spring elections. Her friends took it up in earnest and elected her. She will be glad when hrr term has expired. Of all animals on the farm, the sheep is usually credited as being the best weed and briar eater known; but the long continued drought in Central Illinoil in meking for him hosts of competitors for honors in this direction. \Ve see calves and pigs eating stumps, or button weeds, and cows brows- ing on burdock, where horse. and oolte eagerly devour almost anything green, even reaching for the leaves and Imall branches of trees over-head. Red clover pastures are the only ones efiording feed worth the mention here now. See that your shoer fits the shoe to the foot, and not the loot to the Ihoo. It is the owner’s own fault if blacksmith: us allowed to ruin their horses’ feet. The structure of the test may be thus ex- plained. In the centre are the lactiferons ducts which run into each other in precisely the same manner as the cells of a sponge ; around these ducts and holding them, as it were,in place, is a. fibrous tissue which is ex- tremely elastic, which is a part of the fibrous structure of the udder. Around this mass of tissue and the connecting ducts which ramin through it, is a layer of glandular tissue which is the same as that of the udder. These glandsare made up of vesicles cluster- ed upon fine tubular ducts, like grapes upon their stalks, secreting the milk which flows through the fine ducts into the larger ducts, where the milk secreted from these glands meets the milk which flows down from the udder, so that the teat is really a. part of the udder and does its part in producing milk, and is not a mere channel for its pass» age from the udder. Ii swine are to be Kept on the farm, the best profit will be found in the finest breeds that my into m&t_ured {may the_first yea}. Coarse-woolled sheep are more liable to be infested with ticks than Merinon. Dairy heifers should always be handled familiarly from the first and there will be little trouble with them. But I. heifer that ‘ has never been handled until she drops her first calf needs to be educated by gentle means. It is too often forgotten that such animals are timid and nervous and do not know what is required, and the boat or club is applied to subdue them. This is all wrong. If the heifer is to be madesuseful and plans- ant beast for the diary she should be hand- led snd accustomed to all necessary mani- pulations from the time she is a calf. All dairy animals, whether old or young, should be taught to regard their master as their best friend. Rule by creating confidence and never by force. To be a good milker is an accomplishment which some persons can never attain. It requires a muscular hand, honesty or con- scientious integrity in discharge of duties, good nature or complete control of temper, at least while milking, and a. ucrnpulous re- gard to cleanliness. A slow, dilatory milker makes a. great loss in the yield of milk, except, perhaps, when cows are going dry at the end of the season. r‘ 4* Hens likes. variety of food, and we should aim to give them as much in that line as possible. On the ofl~ mornings giva a. feed of equal parts of corn and out meal mixed with hot milk, or boiled turnips or potatoes mixed with a. little wheat bran. All scraps from the table and refuse from the kitchen should be mixed with the morning feed. A (luily allowance of a small quantity of meat, ground bone and oyster shells should not be forgotten. The following is recommended as s disin- fectant in chicken cholera : Dissolve three pounds of copperas in five gallons of water and add half s pint of crude carbolic acid. If the acid can not be had convenient- ly, use the copperas without it, sprinkle the floor, nests, walls and perches, or use a. solution sulphuric acid, may thirty parts of acid to one thousand of water, and apply in the same wk}, 01' better if washed 'b'y means of a. broom. flockl. This is one great ream poultry farms becomes failures The Only Female Mayor.‘ Swords and Revolvers. FARM DAIRY NOTES. STOCK News. great reason why many A dog bitten by a. rattlesnake in Ne- braska, instead of dying developed hydro- phobia, and bit fourteen head of cattle, all of which died. ‘ Washing Fluid.â€"We have used the fol- lowing for several months. and like it well: 21b8, of aal soda, 1 lb. of lime, 2 gals. wa. ter, boiled together a. few minutes. Let it settle until next day, when dip off into jugs and keep for use. Use half a. pint of the fluid to a boiler of clothes, to be put in when the water is hot, as also the clothes, well soaped. “’e soak clothes in warm water half an hour, and rub slightly before putting to boil, then they need little rubbing after being boiled, and the clothes look White and nice. Canning Tomatoes.â€"I notice there are several ways for canning tomatoes in tin cans, and I will give my way for canning in glass cans. I do not like tin cans for toma- toes, as the fruit will take the pewter off of the tin. One can see this for herself by stewing some in tin dishes. I peel by scald- in g, out in such sized pieces as desired, put into earthen or porcelain, and steW' quite a. little time, say twenty minutes, stirring to keep from burning. I put them into cans while hot, and seal. The longer they stew the better success I have in their keeping. I have used this plan for years with good success. a An wow/mical substitute for bwter can be made by melting & piece of nice fat pork and straining it through 3. fine sieve or cloth into jars. When 0001, use it instead of but- ter. Another good substitute is beef suet, either tried out: with lard or mixed with equal parts of lard when done. Some per- sons use the auetz alone. A Whitewash for trees and fences, or any out-door wood-work, can be made to stick by adding clean grease to the lime when slackening it. To a peck ‘f lime use a gal lon of grease and enough hot: water to mix well. AIterwards add water as needed to make it of the proper consistency to apply easily. Paper bags, in which many articles are pent from the grocery store, should be saved for use when blacking a stove. You can slip the hand into one of those and Handle the brush just as well, and the hand will not be soiled, and when through with them they can be dropped into the stove. Few cleaning brass and copper vessels keep a solution of oxalic acid. Apply it with a. soft woolen cloth, being careful not to have it so strong as t6 burn the hands. Itis an active poison and should be kept labeled. To remove spots jrom carpets and make them look fresh and new, add a teaspoonful of ammonia. and the same amount of beef- gall to every pint of water used. After rub- bing well with this, wash in warm water. Cofie pounded in a mortar and roasted on an iron plate, sugar burned on hot coals and vinegar boiled with myrrh and sprinkled on the floor and furniture of a. sick room are ex- cellent deodorizers. Berry Stains on the hands and clothing can be removed by the smoke of a. burning 8111 bur match. Moisteu the stained surface an expose in fully to the smoke, which will take efl'tct at once. Vinegar is said to be better than ice for keeping fish. Many think, too, that the flavor of fish is improved by soaking it a. little while in vinegar before either boiling or Eroiling it: _ _ _ White spots can be removed from varnished furniture by pouring on them a. few drops of alcohol and rubbing briskly for a. few min- utes. Sometimes a second application is required. A teaspoonful Qf [ceramic in a quart of starch, of medium thickness, will keep clothes from sticking to the irons, and, be- sides, gives a. desirable gloss. Kid elbow may be hpt sofl and free from cracks by rubbing them occasionally with pure glycerine. Put a small piece of charcoal in the pot when boiling cabbage, to prevent it filling the house with the smell. Glam the bottom crust of fruit pies with white of egg and they will not be soggy. An ivy geranium on a. bracket is another success. Also Kenilworth ivy, and a love- ly musk plant. Try these, my amateur popular gardeners, next fall. I have succeeded this winter with geran- iums in bloom since Christmas, petunias that just “ bloom,” callas that delight the eyes of passers-by. But my success was a nasturtium. Planted in a. smallvnllow bas- ket on a bracket close to the window glass, its scarlet, sweet-scented blossoms have been a daily delight since February. Pink oxalls in a. row of small pot: make an upper shelf a blaze of colour. These, too, only succeed close to the glass. Make one rule and stick to it. Never buy a plant in bloom. If your heart yearns to possess some lovely greenhouse darling, get aamallalip and stick to the florist till he tells you exactly what to do with it. 3m: stay your desire to grow wonderful plan ts and see what you can do with common things. FLOWERS FOR THE BAY meow. The rock that the amateur flower lover dashes her hopes upon the soonest is to take some choice hot-house plant in bloom when bought, and try to make it grow in an or- dinar sitting room. and with the small know edge she may have of its nature and treatment. Pretty White daisies, I love you so. 8 o uutUul buda of now. He stole from my brorut one summer's night. A cluster of dnisxes, pearly white, As he murmured his love in the June moonlight Prettv white daisies. now you know. Why I love you, buds of snow. Pretty white (James. I love yOu so. Beautiful buds of snow. I were you the first night I me: One whom I would tam forget, Softly lwhisper, “ I cannol. yet." Pre‘ty white daisies, he love_d you so, Beaumul buds of snow. Pnfiy white dnlciea, I love vou so. Beaumui buds of snow, Nesthug lovingly on my breast, New and again my lipsl press 01: thy petals a soft caress. Pretty white daisies, i love you so, Beautiful buds of snow. Pretty white daisies. Have you so, Beautiful buds of snow. Faded 1nd withered, I lay you by, While a tear drops on thy golden eye, F r you bring and thoughw in my memory. Pretty white daiqlec. I love you, stugh BeautUul buds or snow. PnETTY WHITE DAISIES. HOUSEHOLD HINTS. IIQNISEHOLB. The other day a. Newfoundland dog was playing on the porch with a. little girl, four years old. All at once she took a. notion to go to e neighbor’s house, and opened the gate and went out. The. dog did not follow her. Some little time afterward the child’s mother came out, discovered. her absence and said to the dog, “‘ Where is Nellie '3” The dog looked as if he knew, and wag’ged his tail qfiickly. ‘ “Go this instant,” said the mother, “ and find Nellie and bring her home.” but over the; gate. flew the dog and started down the" Street to" a neighbor's house not far off. Nellie was playing there, inside the house, and saw the dog come and scratch at a. veranda. window. “ I know what he wants,” said the little, girl ; “ he wants me' to 'go home, but I’m not going to do it I”. ;The do was not admitted, but he lingered near, 6 Mary’s .little lamb, and “The little fellow seemed to enjoy the novelty of the situation and hopped around the large toad in what must have been the most tantalizing manner. The big toad was shivering like a person chilled through, end bye-end-bye picked up the skin of the small one and began to force it on his body. the process was a. difficult one, but after several minutes of unoeasing effort he stood habitated in the cast-off garments of his di- minutive companion. If the effect of the big skin on the little toad had been comical, that of the little skin on the big toad was more so. The sleeves of the cost. so to speak, only came half way down the arm, and the legs of the trousers covered the toads legs as though they had been knicker- bockers. The body of the garment was so tizht that the toad could not work either his legs or his arms, and he stood there the picture oi comical despair. Byâ€"andâ€"bye he began to swell himself up, and that appar- ently stretched the skin, for he was able afterward to move away slowly. He fol- lowed the small toad into the bushes in‘s. dignified manner, and both disappeared. What the outcome of this curious exchange of clothing w s I never knew, but the inci- dent satishe me that toads do funny things sometimes. “ During the struggle on the ground the sknis of both toads burst open on the back, and Lsupposed I was about to see the inter- esting process of toads taking 011' their old coats, rolling them up in little bells, and swallowing them, as naturalists say they do. I did witness the process of shedding the skins, but something much more singular than the swallowing incident then occurred. 1 The day was raw and windy, as I said, and 1 after the toads had rubbed their skins in a. comical way toward their heads until they had both pulled themselves clear of them each one began to shiver very perceptibly with the cold. Suddenly the small toad hopped quickly to where the skin of the big one lay, and picking it up in his mouth hopped awey several feet. The big toad followed the pur- loiner of his cast off clothing with his eyes, and gave two or three appealing creeks, but made no effort to recapture the stolen goods. When the small toad saw that he was not followed he deliberately set to work to don the skin he had taken. It took him some ‘ time to do it, but he finally accomplished his purpose and went masquerading around in the misfit garment exactly like a clown ins. circus wearing the big baggy costume some of them appear in. “No one knows the funny things toads will do.” said the Hon. James A. Sweeney, a. naturalist and ex-member of the Pennsyl- vania. Legislature. “On a recent cloudy day, after a hard rain, there was): cool breeze blowing. I was walking in a. friend’s garden near Hazleton when I heurd a. pecu- liar sound. Looking in the direction from which it came, I saw two ‘toads in an open space in the garden. One was quite large, and the other was at least a third smaller. They were both standing on their hind feet. facing each other. The large toad had its four feet over on each side of the smaller toad’e shoulders; the small toad his left fore foot on the large one‘s right leg. As they stcod in that Way they uttered strange guttural sounds, as if they were discussing some subject between themselves. Sudden- ly the small toad thrust its right foot, or hand, you might call it, against the large one’s stomach, and the next instant the lat- ter threw the former to the ground, ands. lively wrestle between them began. STUDY or rm: SPIDER. To a casual observer a spider is not usual- ly a very attractive creature, and yet the repulsion generally felt at the sight of one, or even at the mention of its name, is quite unearned by the insect. There is a very great deal of interest in watching the mo tions of one of these animals when he is at his ease, and not frightened by our presence. Go into any garden on a June dayâ€"but choose one Where the sun is bright, or, at any rate, when a shower is not fallingâ€"and watch one of the commonest of the species â€"Epeira disdema. There he sits in tne centre of his geometric web. Note the marvellous patience with which he waits for a prey ; he may get a victim every hour, or he may be days without a morsel of food ; he will put up with whatever his fate may be. and must often suffer the pangs and pains of starvation. But suddenly behind him a fly gets entangled ; as by electricity the news is conveyed to him, and with the quickness of thought he turns, darts and seizes the intruder. A very few minutes suffices for the killing. partial sucking, com- plete rolling up in silken shroud, and re- moval out of the way of the lifeless remains. The eyes of all spiders are eight in number ; they are usually mounted on prominences in the head, so as to command a. complete view in all directions, and are arranged in a different manner in different species of the insect. This slide of the eye of a foreign species shOWs usa capital view of the two front lenses ; as we look at it under the inch i object glass we are forcibly reminded of the two lights in front of a locomotive. By lamprlight in the evening the analogy is still more perfect, AS the long surrounding hairs with which it is environed suggest the haze and steam often partially obscuring the front of an engine at night. We can im- agine the feeling of horror overpowering the fly, which must have so much clearer a view of such an object than ourselves, when he views this fierce pair of eyes and dreadnt body following, intent on his destruction. However, nature compensates in everything ; if there were no spiders we might be over whelmed with flies, and, in any case, both spider and fly will provide us with many a. charming and interesting object for our cabinet. STORIES OF ANIMAL LHE. TOADS Excmmama lexs. A KNOWING Doc. Mrs. Martha. J . Lamb advises women and girls to skip such reading in the daily news. papers as is not suitable and elevating, and “ there will still be plenty of wholesome and well-written matter left.” An Australian exehatxi'g‘g‘fiaais" . for Chinamen‘s horse}, Qbin‘esQ n era, was included in the pro‘gra‘i'nme ‘for' the last meeting of the Vegetable Creek Jockey Club, Victoria, and the novelty caused no end of amusement and interest. There were three starters, and Ah Chow’s Jim won after his rider had treated the specta- tors to a very comical exhibition of horse- mnnship. . There's an eccentric old gentleman in a. Bonnecticut town who recently married a somewhat hoydenish young wife, and who has been quoted as an awful example of senile folly ever since. . Shoifly after his re- turn from the honeymoon he was waited on eongratulatorily by quite a deputation 01 his fellow-townsmen and local magnates. He had been apprised of the intended visit, and was much annoyed that his girlish spouse was not on hand when the visitors ar- rived. Enqui y elicited that her where- abouts was in the garden, and he thereupon invited his guests out to be introduced to her. As they rose to accept the invitation, his son, alad of 14, exclaimed :â€" “ Don’t do it, dad !" “ Why,” he demanded angrily. “ Because,” answered the boy, half apolo- getically, “ she is up a cherry tree." ‘ How '1‘th Make Fliirmers in Ben mar . Young men are apprenticed to the best farmers all over the kingdom for two or three years, under the oversight of the Roy- sl Agricultural Society. They work for good farmers for one year as learners. receiv- ing a small sum besides their board and lodging. At the end of the year the ap- prentice is removed to mfarm in a. district where a diEerent kind of agriculture is prac- tised. The society gives each apprentice a. number of agricultural, books at the outset, which become his property upon the com- pletion of three years. The apprentices re- port to the society at stated intervals, and from these reports and other records where they have worked, the society judges of their progress and grants diplomas accord- ingly. The young men must get a thorough knowledge of all kindesof practical farming, but they have to work for it, as they are hard at labor from 4 5:111. to 7 p. m.‘, except the meal hours. The society has started the system of apprenticing young men in the best of dairies for three months instead of three years. As a romantic, precarious occupation dia- mond seeking is at an end. The whole bus- iness is reduced to a system, and is as pro- saic and well organized as making calicos or any other industry. The doctrine of aver- ages has fixed within pretty close limits the yield of diamonds in carats per so many cuhit feet of ground, and the value of the diamonds varies according to the fluctua- tions of trade. A good harvest in America. means so many shillings 3. carat to Kimber- ley, and war rumors or panics on the Conti- nental bourses, send down the barometer in the diamond marketwith surprising rapidity. The individual digger has long since disap- peared, and his place has been taken by joint stock companies, whose shares are in great demand. The pick and shovel have been superseded by dynamite. Regular min- ing under ground is coming more into vogue instead of the open quarry system which created the huge pits and chasms that as- tonish the visitor. One thing only is con- ‘ stantâ€"peculiar to the soil we tread. Now, as ever, all the manual work about the mine, is done by black labor ; the white man is an overseer, a boss, perhaps kmechanic ; but the actual workâ€"the drilling, the striking, the manual labor, is done by the natives, of whom some 15,000 to 20,000 are constantly employed, and have been employed since the discovery of the fields, in constant changing relays. Every tribe in South and South- eastern Africa, meet in this vast labor ex- change. They tramp down from regions where no white man has ever penetrated, Work a few months, and plod wear-in back, loaded with their modest purchases, and fill- ed with such lessons as the compounds and the canteens of Kimberley can teach. Their wages are' gdodâ€"now 15s. a week. A few years ago they got 305., but the supply of labor has overtaken the demand, and the necessaries of life are cheaper. Only quite lately the companies have taken to shutting their natives up in large barracks or com~ pounds to prevent the theft of diamonds, which took place to a ruinous extent. l Last year, during the heavy rains, when i evu‘y stream was swollen to its utmost, the i writer had occasion to visit one of the swamp l plantations lying some miles below Augusta. ‘ on the Savannah River. Upon this ban“ our story. Arriving at our gentleman‘s ‘place whom we knew we told him we were sorry that the high water Would keep us ‘ from inspecting his fine swamp timber, having qone there for that purpose. To our surprisehe told us that this need not interfere in the least, and that he had an old gray mule that knew the swamps better than he or any one else, and that we could ride her and if trouble came, whether we got lost or water-bound, We must give her the rein and she would bring us home safe : that she could walk a log as good as a dog ; that he had on several occasions when thesu freshets came (his cattle being in the swamps and in great danger of being drowned) sent his mule after them saying, “ Jane, go bring the cows home.” The mule seeming to understand. would at once start for the swamp. This mule has been known to cross a log when it could not be seen, being two or three feet below the surface. Hav- ing done so, she would proceed to herd and. collect all the cows. After that she would make a loud bray and start for the house. The cattle would follow in single file across this log to their master’s house. when two ladies called presently, he brush- ed in past them through the door. Then, rusbin up to Nellie, be seized her dress with his teeth and began dragging her to the door. An attempt wxziue to drive him off, but he growled and fin to her dress The little girl, beginning . be frightened, gave up 9.11 resistance and trotted home by his side, and he delivered her, in triumph, into her mother's hands. Don’t you think he was a. smart dog ? The Bride Was up a Tree. A MULE THAT KNEW A Tame OR TWO. African Diamond Making.

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy