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iiitiitii Media A MICE IN ORCH‘A EDS. i don't think I have ever seen so main, field mice as there are <tliis seas- on. It seems they are more numerous lurimg drouth and do more damage than at any other time. LH'OWEWNSEIYS a writer, they girdle trees during the winter seasonE under the snmu also, un- less the trees have been carefully cared for and protected. Those who have not done this work yet should not delay one day. Do it tomorrow. especially if there is any rubbish. weeds or grass around your treesâ€"and there is this fall, for spring and early summer made a. strong growth of vegetation cf all kinds. I have no doubt: but that there are thous- and. of apple trees already girdled in, Ohio. The drouth was so general and so severe that soon after the first of October there was not a green spear of pass to be seen here. In was then that these little rodents commenced their work. It would seem that they do it more then on account of; the absence of anything else green to eat. However, they will girdle trees more or less even when grass is green, ill they are as .nu- mmus as this season. I v . It cam easily be seen, now since the rains have come, how full they are of fresh clover; how lthey eat out the Drownâ€"in fact kill a large amount of W. In spite of care and vigilance we lost two trees in October, nine years old, and a few planted last. spring. The nursed things tackle trees this year reâ€" Iardlw of sizeâ€"six, eight inches in diameterâ€"but are usually worse on oung trees that have no dry, rough rk on the outside. There are many devices to prevent this destruction of trees by mice, and I shall only mention a few which I Ihilnk best. M'here. newly planted ltrees were mulched, the mulch should be removed clean with an iron rake In a circle two feet from. the trees. For trees that were not mule-bed and have no protection, take a sharp hoe, keep a. file With you to keep it sharp. and remove all manner of stuff to the round the same distance as for small ‘rees. Use the hand if necessary close to the trees. Two men can do several hundred trees per day. The work should have been done this year durâ€" ing the latter part of September. 'Around newly planted trees it is best to throw up a. little mound of clean earth. six or eight inches high. In the spring it may be raked down and the mulch drawn back. . Ordinarily if well done the' above an- swers the purpose for one year. Mice don't girdle trees unless screened from Ififihlt. Instinct teaches the little ras- caa of the danger of some sparrow hawk's darting down upon them by day and screech owls in the night. (By the way, it always does mle goodâ€"and I Ito when I see one of these little hawks flu terilng up in the air with his head turned to the earth; and presently he darts down like a shot and flies off with a. little black thing in his clutches and lights on a stump or fence and dissects the blamed varmint !) Mice are not like- ly to Circulate under the snow where it lies on the bare ground, and so they don’t find the trees when the grass and mulch are kept away from the trunks. For permanent and better work we about a. bushel of fine cinders around each tree in cone shape. For Imall trees less will do. Neither mice nor vegetation of any kindl like cinders and in the winter the wind and alit- ' [.19 sunshine cleans the top of ' the little black mounds from snow and gives the trees a. safe and comfortable appearance. fWe get the cinders from the electric power plant. These are the finest. “he. want no clinkers which would roll out and be in the way! (about mowmg. etc. They cost twenty cents per load. I once tried wire screen for smallish trees. 'We cut it twelve inches square and roll it on a. round stick, open it up amd spring it around the trees and chuck it to the ground. A. couple of years rusted them to pieces and freezâ€" ing heaves it up the. trees and gives the mice a. chance just where they want it. I have Lried tarred paper wrapped around the trees. Neither proved satisfactory. String soon rot- ted off and if wire was used, ill would injure the trees. In conclusion I ad- vuae the use of cindcrs if the distance to haul will not make it too expensive. ALL ABOUT THE CHICKEN?» W‘heai chickens have been kept growâ€" ing lthriftily from the time they were hatched, it requires but little care to fit them for market by or before Thanksgiving. “\Vhen they have been usglected,’and have grown‘but slowly and are only frames saintin covered with feathers, the task is more diffi- ault. As a first step toward fattening sep- arate the cockerels from the pulletsand then restrict their rang-e to smaller ylards. To such as will be. large enough to kill in four or six-weeks, give every morning as early as they come from the roost. a mash of cornmeal, warm but not hot. made thick and dry enough to crumble as it is fed outqlin which has been mixed dry beef scraps at the .rate of a pint to four quarts of meal. If their feed has been principally wheat make the change gradually by reducing the amount of bran and increasing the cornmeal. and do not overfeed at first, giving only what will be eaten up clean very quickly. ' Re- move the food as soon as they seem’lto have enough Occasional messes of boiled potatoes mashed up and made thick with the meal may be giwn to vary the feed. but do not feed these or ,other cooked vegetables too freely. If they have not grass. cabbage or turnipâ€"leaves may be used as a green food, but should not be given until after the. regular feeds and in limited quantities. At noon and night give good. sound wheat or 00111,. the latter being preferable for the last meal of the day, which should be given just before they go to roost. In preparing the mash use ironing Water and cover it up to cook through until cool enough to feed out. Oats and wheat are not as good as corn for latiening‘l. Plenty of clean gravel and pure water are indispensable for fattening. Guard especially against draughts of cold air such as would blow across the roosfs. ,A (“old at this season will take off flesh more rapidly than cornmeal can put it on. .A temperature of sixty degrees at night should be maintained. but they should not be so crowded as to get more than that when the glass is held near them while on the roost. As the flesh or fat can be sweat off its well as worked off. of course. lice must be kept off by using kerosene on the roosis andwalls. and by blowing insect powder among their feathers if nemasary. A litt.o grease on the back of the head and run; der the wings may be needed to dis- lodge one species of large gray louse that frequents these points more than elsewhere. ' COMMERCIAL PLUM ORCHlARD. In Planting a commercial plum orch- ard. location. varieties and manag‘e’ ment must be well considered. While the Plum is not so sensitive to location as the peach1 it. will not bear the bes- lect which so frequently falls to “10 apple. .A good elevation is desirable» but not absolutely essential to 51100935! Provided other conditions are favorable. such as a. good soil and thorough drain- age» There should be but few varities in a commercial orchard, but those sel- ected should combine size, quality, and afine appearance. As a rule, blue and Purple plum 9611 best. as the yellow varieties are frequently placed on the market before they are ripe. A good general list will include the following: Of the dark kinds, Bradâ€" shaw, Duane Purple. German Prune, Lombard Englebert, Quackenboss; of the yellow sorts, Coe's Golden Drop, Gen- eral Hand, Jefferson. Yellow Egg. There are many other excellent varieties. but the above is a good general list. Of the Japanese plums, Abundance, Burbank, Bailey, Satsuma and Willard have2 been highly recommended. Thorough cultivation, early and fre- quent spraying: and the jarring sheet for curculio, are necessary to success. Before the leaves start. go over the or- chard and carefully cut out and burn all black knot. This is imperative. The trees should receive what pruning they require before the buds start, and the first spraying should be given, just as the buds are opening. Corn and pota- toes may be planted in young orchards, but when the trees come into bearing. they should receive the full use of the land. Never sow wheat or cats among. trees, as they are sure to rob the orch- ard of more than they return the own- Mr. Robertson smiled as the youngâ€" stars ished when he obServed a. little chap who was hobbling along on crutches. happy but crippled. One of his legs was bent at the knee to _‘a right angle. The carriage was stopped. and the Little fellow called. "th boy. how (lid you injure your leg so badly ?" was the enquiry. The lad explained that he had met with a mishap one day while chopping wood; that lie had been. treated in an UEDFU M iii. .â€" Shorl Skclch of Hi» Work Done by (In Great Mother Nurseâ€"The Hospital for Slck Children, Toronto. From every country in the Province of Ontario children are admitted into the Hospital for Sick Children at Tarâ€" i ~ ‘ eastern hospital 101‘ some tune. that onto‘ free If the” parents cannot “f‘ his leg had been straightened. but had‘ ford to pa‘y' again.- hemme useless. ‘His parents and1 schoolfellows looked cripple for life. 5 And so he might have been. l “How would you like to have yonrl leg straightened for good ?" asked the Hospital chairman, who knew of the complete cure effected at the great Toronto institution in similar cases. "\Vell, mister. there is nothing I would like better," said the boy. He was assisted in‘to the carriage. and. told to direct the driver to his father, who had a blacksmith shop nlear by. The boy was one of a fam- And few of the poor little sufferers who are nursed and cared for have ‘the father give his consent to child's removal to the Hospital treatment. The little deformed lad thus for-‘ tunately met on the highway near Brmkvillc is acripple mo longvr. His Leg is stiff, but it is straight. it“; reâ€" mained in the [hospital for many months. But it was a joyous home,â€" comimg‘ when the boy walked firmly and straight without the aid of stick or crutches. This is a single case. Thousands of cases might be cited. The editor of this paper has been informed that if anyone knows. of any sick child under fourteen years of 1 age who is suffering from accident or 'disease, and whose parents cannot af- Ill" lor , rich parents, it would seem. Last year theexpense of the Hospital was near- ly $30,000. lAnd to meet this rbut 81,325 was received from pay patients. The balance must come from the more fortunate folks, who are charit- 'able and generous. The HospitalforSick Children is the largest of its kind. in the worldâ€"with- out exception. There are 200 cots. The average number of patients is 100 per day; 476 were nursed in the Hospital this yearâ€"312 little ones were cured and departed with health, strength and sturdy limbs. In the dispensary department medi- cine was given to 4,133 children. Thus nearly 5.000 children were treat- ed in one year. A great record of good. In. twenty-two years some 24,000 sick children have been nursed and cared for by the Hospital for Sick Children \Vhsre do the little patients "'me from? From all parts of lhe provmce â€"â€"cities, towns. villages and townships; How do they come? Very often par- ents hear of the work of the Hospital through the neW‘spapers. In some in- stances friends of the little sufferers make application on behalf of parents rho are poor, but independent and self-reliant. It generally falls to the lot of the chairman of the Hospital Trust to def aide when there is a. question of abil- ity to pay. One day, about a year ago,l at the Hospital for gical assistanceâ€"they communicate _Sle Children. There is room for such children the Hospital. They will with the Hospital for l . ‘ in be nursed, er. STREAKY BUTTER. If the vessel containing the cream is exposed to the action ofl the atmosphere a part of the moisture will evaporate utea of joy they crowd into recess. this gentleman was driving tOWETdSl cared for, and in all r b. b'l' - ed.‘ the city of Brockville. audwhile pawl p 0 a l lty' wt ing a school-house the scholars rushcil orgy 4:9,- ,_, out ineager haste for the fifteen min- for debts which must be paid at once. There is a lebt of $70,000 hanging ' 220,000 of which is Even with the strictest economy it l ford to pay for proper medical or sur- ‘ are asked to HOSpital from r \â€" requlres no less than five executive passed him, but the smile vanâ€" officers, 24 nurses and 20 domestics to in the rear carry on the work of the Hospital. Twentyâ€"five more children could be taken care of with the same number of attendants. The work of the Hospital is twer in:- creasing. Its doors are wide open to every ailing child in the province. Such a work should have a million friends in Ontario. If each friend could spare a dollarâ€"What a. rich enâ€" dowment with which to carry on the work. But the trustees only ask for $20,000 â€"a sum which they are required to upon him as 3' pay before the end of January. Everyone can help. The need is most pressing. The appeal is the appeal of poor. Weak. suffering childhood, 0! little. wan-faced babies and children who lie on. beds of pain. The Hospital appeals to youâ€"the reader of this newspaper. Your dollar will bless you in the giving. And you will give it. Every penlny aidsâ€"every dollar helps â€"and your dollar may rwtore health, strength. and straight limbs to some‘ ily of seven. children. Most gladly did ‘ p00,. crippled boy or girl. \Von't you help? / ' This is a home charity â€"- something l tint should appeal to every heart. It, was Charles Dickens, that great~ liearlcd Englishman â€" the friend of the fatlierless, the reliever of the op- pressed and downâ€"trodden. who ap- pealed to every human heart. when he said: "The two grim nursesâ€"poverty- anrl sicknessâ€"who bring these children before you, preside over their births. rock their wretched cradles-and nail down. their coffins." In this enlightened Canada of ours- this bright Province of Ontarioâ€"this shall not be as long as the doors of. the Hospital for Sick Children remain open. Help remoxe that mortgage. Help unload that load of debt. (Group, of children who are being treated by the best doctors in Canada, Sick Childrenl.â€"-reproduced from photograph.) Contributions for the. delivery of the this bondage of debt. will be acknowledged by letter and also If]. the columns of The Evening Tele- gram, a cOpy of which will be mailed to each donor. Money may be forwarded to Miss Maria Buchan, treasurer, 165 Bloor St. East. Toronlto, or to J. Ross Robertson. chairman of the Hospital Trust, Tor- onto. a part of the moisture will evaporate, and a. scum or skin will be formed on the top of the cream. This will be broken up in the churning and there will be portions of thickened dried cream in. the butter. Prevention is better than any attempt at cure. Let the cream vessel be covered and by fre- quent stirrinlg prevent the skin of dried cream. The straining of the cream in- to the churn is also a good means of keeping specks of thickened cream or curd from finding their way into the butter. Occasionally butterâ€"makers, find the butter full of streaks. That condition may be due to the retention of portions of the buttermilk in. the mass of the butter. The addition of a quart of water for every two gallons of cream, after the granules of butter begin to appear and before the churn- ing is completed will help to bring about a speedy and full separation of the buttermilk. \Vhen the buttermilk has been removed th egranular butter should be washed with cold water, In summer the temperature of the water should be about 55 degrees and in winter 60 degrees. In the washing the churn should be revolved a. half faster than for the churning. A streaky condition of the butter sometimes re- sults from an imperfect mixture of the salt with the butter. Reworkin-g after the salt is dissolved will correct that and care should be taken to use only fine-grained. salt. The presence of the salt should. be perceptible to the taste, but not to the sense of touch. DUGBERRY IN NEW MEXIGU WILD, WEIRD JUSTICE RENDERED BY MAGISTRATES. F'- A Fine of $5._Wllh an Allen-native of nolng Shot. â€" Jusllce for n Poor Boy â€" An Old llexlcnn'u Breach of Promise Slut. Among the wild, weird. and wonâ€" derful things to be found in the Southâ€" west are the decisions sometimes made by new Mexican Justices of the Peace. Most of the Justices in this Territory are Mexicans. A few of, them are men. of sufficient intelligence and educa- tion to know something about the first principles of law. but most of them are very meagrer equipped. One such administrator of the law holding office in northern New Mexi- oo decided that it was his duty to try a. man who had been charged with murder. Accordingly be imlaneled a jury of six persons and tried the case. The Jury found the man guilty and the Justice at once ordered the prisoner to stand up for sentence. lle delivered along lecture to the murâ€" derer upon the heinousness of his crime and warned him never to apâ€" pear in his court again upon such a charge. Then he impressively pro- nounced sentenceâ€"$5 and costs- and dismissed the court. his face beaming with pride and satisfaction over his oratorical effort. 7 . Before another Mexican Justice of the Peace who dispensed his ideas of law in southern New Mexico, there came a Mexican man and mllld to be tied in wedlock. The Judge looked them over critically. and apparently had. doubts about the compatibility of their ‘ternpers, for he put a. limit upon the combination and as he pronouncâ€" ed the words which made them man and wife. he added with emphasis, “for the space of two years only." As they went away he told them if they were dissatisfied with their venture lefore that time to come back and he would divorce them FOR THE SAME FEE. Still another. Who won his fame in Texas. tried a man for some petty ofr fence, found him guilty, and fined hiin $5 and costs. But this was too much NATIONAL CH‘ARAC’I‘ElllS'l‘lCS. A German and a Frenchman sat opâ€" posite each other at iable (Hints in a certain hotel in Switzerland. “You‘ are a Frenchman. I suppose?’ inquirâ€" ed the German at the commencement of the meal. “Yes,” was lllE‘ reply. “But how do you manage to find that out?" “Because you eat so much lirveud,”said [he German. There wasa long pause When the dinner \\ as over the Frenchâ€" man in turn questioned his visâ€"aâ€"vis "You are a German, I presume?” “'l‘o le sure; but tell me way. how you inadeathnt discovery." "Because you ate so much of everything." “as the dry retort. 'l‘HE TALL HAT. The tall hat worn by men first appeared in France nearly 501) years vllgo. l l l l l he will have to live with his wil‘e's‘ parents afternard, but he must not think of matrimony until he has money enough to pay for the whole affair, from the first article in his bride’s trousseau to the photograph in their wedding garments, which they inâ€" variably have taken after the least is over. A Mexican bridegroom uould no more expect his bride to pay for, her wedding clothes than an Ami-rii an lover would expect his bride to for the license. l for the prisoner at the bar. who do- clared that he could not pay the fine; that he had not so much money in the world. The Justice looked over him with fine, large Texan contempt for any one so ornery. shrugged his shoulâ€" dersand turned to the marshal with the nonchalant alternative: “Very well. Then take him out on the mess and shoot him!" One venerable disciple of the law. who for a long time has balanced the scales of justice in the town of Las Cruces, is famous throughnll that reâ€" gion fur his remarkable decisions. Be- fore hiJn a. Mexican boy. through his father, sued an American rancher for $60, which he claimed as the wages due for three months” work. Between a. Mexican and an American, any Mex- ican Justice can always see that the right is plainly on the side of the suitor of his own nationality, and no matter what the evidence, he can usually find some way of making his decision exâ€" press his sympathy. In this case the defendant proved that th-c boy had been hired to do chores for his board and that it had been expressly stipuâ€" lated that he was mot to receive mon- ey payment. The Justice considered the (3.99 with frbwning brows and laâ€" boring brains fnr some time. Then he announced that the plaintiff had failed to prove his case. “But,” he added. "the boy is a. poor boy and it would bg a shame if he did not get something uul of thishsuit. He is entitled to something, and I hereby award him the defendant’s black mare that is tied in front of the dour." This same Justice had to decide a. unique ' BREACH Ol“ PROMISE SUIT. Among the Mexiians it is the univer- sal custom for the bridegroom to de- fray all the expense of the wedding. He must furnish the bride's trousseau and all the housekeeping equipment, and he must pay for the wedding fi ast and all the native wine that the guests can drink. He may be so poor that pay l __________________â€"_â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"--â€"- Las Cruces. whlose heart was as warns as his head was white, had gained the promise of a. pretty young senorita and together they went to the store to buy her troumeau. From under her long black lashes she flashed her black eyes at him with such effect that he opened wide his purse and bought her all the pretty clothes she wanted. lAnd the senorita took ad- vantage of the occasion to want pretty much everything she saw. As soon as she had got the nrettythin‘ga stowed away at home she jilted her elderly lover. and Would not even al- low him to come to her house. While clad in the dresses he had paid fotr. she would sail past him in the street with her head in the air ‘and give him not the least notice. That was too much for a hotâ€"hearted- bu‘t Cu)l*'lill931de(i lover to standand he brought suli-t for breath of prom- ise. asking (lamiages to the amount of the value of the trouaseau. It came out on the triad that the elderly lov- er had borrowed the money with which he had bought the wedding finory. Then the Justice decided in the girl’s favor. on the ground that the things didn‘t belong to this man because they had not been buujght with his own money. Many of these Mexican Justices can- not smak English. But that is not 510 much of a, disqualification as it mighrt appear. for the territorial law commands all czilurt proceedings tube carried on in both English and Span- ish. Every New Mexiuan co’u rt has its official interpreter; and every word spoken in either language by Judge. lawyers, or Witnesses is translated aloud into the other tongue. WHEN HE GROWS TiALLI. My little boy looks up at meâ€" I'm twentyâ€"eight and he is three. And three feet tall. I’m six. and ohl He envies- me my inches so! But. as the days go by I guess The difference will le lees and less. For while through years of youth he'll climb I’ll bow beneath the weight of time. I And by and by :i< summers flow .And winters elm ii’ws! I know lThe little toy I lit-ml i) see ‘\Vill sigh a»: lie,&i;:ks down ill me, ABSENT MINDED. ’l‘lie Alaidâ€"You forgot to kiss me this linorning. Mr. Jones. Mr. Jonesâ€"Dear imindgd I'm gettingl me. how absent It must have been An elderly Mexican in the town of ;my wife I kissed. x‘rv‘