davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Cleanliness In the Dairy.

In his annual address before the
New York Dairymen's Association,
Mr.. j. s. Gould, of Hudson, said the
point he would impress above all
Others was cleanliness; but the clean
illness which the dairyman is called
upon to practice Is not confined wholly
to those substances called dirt or filth
In common speech, but to all the re-
suits in chemical transfer nation by
which its own atoms are discOmposed
and turned into substances which are
foreign to milk, cheese and butter.
Nothing is more susceptible to odor
than cream. A smoked ham in the
room, the emanations from q neigh
boring hog pen, or the perfumes of O
kitchen, will give their peculiar taints
to the cream. But aside from the
communications occurring in connect
ion with milking, or from diseases of
the cow, or from the absorption of
odors, there is still another cause
which but few dairymen understand.
They know there Is process called
the ripening Of the milk, but of the
nature of the change they are igno-
rant. They do not know that each of
the hairs comprising cheese mould is
q perfect plant. 1t Is these eryptoga-
nous plants which determine the
different transformations of milk i'm
a curious manner; but while they are
frequent source of contamination
they are not always so. In some
stages they are absolutely necessary
to the determination of changes upon
which the aycoIlapca IF hofh h,,ffor
and cheese depends. The majority
of dairymen know nothing of this
source of milk contamination, and
there Is still much that is mysterious
that science has not revealed.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Railroads Forty Years Ago.

a writer in the Hartford Coua,,t
in conversation with some of the
elder railroad officials of this city,
derivedsomeinteresting "reminiscences
of the early days of railroad travel I'm
the United States. We copy a pOr-
ton of his account of his researches
in this direction. The conversation
began by reference to the great adj
vance made in railroad construction
and equipment during the last twenty
years. Yes, said one, there's been a
great Improvement since the Hart
ford and New Haven road was open
ed. 1t had then very meager facili-
ties, the roadbed was poor, and only
scrap rails, which were all the while
curling up and running through the
the car floors, the cars were small and
the locomotives weak. In fact 1t did
not take much to block train in
those days. Sometimes an inch of
snow on the rails would do it. III. G.
White, one of the first conductors on
the road, tells how he and the bag
gage master used to sit in front Oft the
lOcomomOtive, one on each side, and
brush off the snow from tho rails
with broom us the train slowly
crawled along. Each had pail of
sand and sprinkled handful on the
rail when necessary. The driving
wheel (engines had only one pair
them used to slip round and round,
and torment them almost to DEATH
On one occasion train got stuck on
the Yalesville grade by an inch of
snow, and the wood and water gave
hn ffxyn
come it. AT last they got out the
neighbors, yoked four pairs of oxen
to the train and drew it, passengers,
baggage and all into Meriden with
flying colOrs.
In the early days of the road the
stage coach drivers used to regard the
cars with great contempt. Indeed,
thirty years ago the passenger trains
were three or four hours on the road
to New Haven, and the stage coaches
went in about the same time. Super
intendent Davidson remembered rid
ing with his father i'm carriage drawn
by two horses in 1910, which had a
race with a passenger train near Wal
lingford, where the turnpike and rail-
road are parallel for three or four
miles, and during all that time the
carriage kept even with the train
There were only two trains each way
daily then, both carrying passen-
gers and freight. The old cars were
divided into three compartments,
opened on the side, and had twenty
four seats. The locomotives had only
twelve inch cylinders and no cabs to
protect the engineerand fireman from
the weather.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Frightened Mt Night

Children ofactive imaginations have
hours of torture at night, by calling
up visions and shapes of terror, sug-
gested by their reading. 1t is useless
to scold at them, and cruel to laugh
at them, for it is part of their nature
which they are unable to change.
Sarah Coleridee, the daughter of the
poet and philosopher, passed through
untold agony from this cause. The
ghost I'm Hamlet seemed to haunt her
chamber. Millions picture of Death
at Uell-gate rose before her In the
darkness. The horse with the eyes
of flame, in Southey's ballad of the
sold Woman Of Berksley," was
worse than either. She said, pitiful-
ly, 80, the agonies have endured
between nine and twelve at night,
before mamma joined me in bed, In
presence of this assemblage of hor-
rors !" Her uncle Southey laughed
heartily at her tale of suffering. Her
mother scolded her for getting out of
bed and going down into the parlor
when she could bear the fear no long
or. But her father understood the
case, and directed that q lamp should
be left burning, and from that time
all her sufferings ceased. All parents
ought to guard their children from
such terrOrs.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Correct Way to Sweep a Carpet.

There are three ways to sweep a
carpet-one right and two wrong
ways. One wrong way is to hold the
broom in front of the operator, with
the handle inclined backward toward
him, then press down as forward
thrust is given aod thus heave the
heavier dirt half way across the room
while the light particles are sent
whirling about, covering as il settles,
every article of furniture. Another
wrong way to sweep carpet Is to
move the broom forward with a
heavy, drawing stroke, by which the
material to be removed is pressed into
the carpet rather than worked gen.
thy along the surface. If either of
these wrong ways is adopted, the
broom will wear out the carpet more
than it Is worn by the occupants of
the dwelling. When sweeper col
lects dust-pan half full of the ma p of
the carpet every time it is swept,
a new one will soon be requird.
The right way to sweep Is to Incline
the handle a little forward, then give
a light drawing stroke, allowing the
broom to scarcely touch the carpet.
Not one.half the weight of the bro ON
should be allowed to press on the car
pet as the dirt is moved forward. Let
the dirt be moved and rolled lightly.
fla generous quantity of fairgrounds,
small bits Of wet paper, or clean and
wet saw-dust can be spread over the
carpet before the sweeping is COM
menced, all the fine dirt will adhere
to the wet materials. BY using a
good broom, having a long elastic
brush, touching the carpet lightly, it
will scarcely require the strength of a
child to sweep a large parlor in few
minutes. Scarcely one housekeeper
in fifty understands how to sweep a
carpet correctly.-Science Of Health.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Camels Hair Shawls.

The camels hair is used for artists
pencils, for coarse clothing, and for
tent covers; but Is altogether too
harsh for ladies' wear. The best In
dia shawls are made In the valley of
Cashmere, from the soft fine wool of
the large goat which is a native of
the Himalaya mountains and of the
highlands of Thibet. The same ami
NAL, when fed in the valley or trans
ferred to the mountains of other
chimes, rapidly deteriorates, the wool
starting later in the season, and losing
In quality and fineness. The goats Of
Thibet and Cashmere have the fine
curled wool close to the skin, just as
our common goats have softer wool
below the coarse upper hair. They
are shOrn in the spring, all the hard
and long hairs are carefully picked
out, the wool is washed in q solution
of potash, and afterwards in cold
pure water, care being taken not to
felt the fibres together. The thread
Is then spun by hand, all hard and
wiry twisting of the fibres being
avoided. To this end the spInners
use for spindle a ball of clay with
an iron wire attached, and keep the
fingers smooth with steatite (soap-
stone) powder. The wool is twice
dyed, once before carding, and after
spinning, and often again touched in
the shawl itself. There are two very
different methods of working the
pattern in an India shawl-one by
embroidering it in a kind of needle
work upon the material, and the
other by working 1t into the web
during the process of weaving. The
latter Is much more elegant and ex-
pensive. To accomplish it a number
of skewers are used. sometimes of
wood, but for the besto of work always
of ivory, about the size of common
packing needle. They are sharpened
at both ends, and each skewer Is
covered with a different colored
thread; these are then worked ac-
cording to a set pattern, stitch by
stitch, into the web as the weaving
proceeds. AS the process is very
slow, no one person ever produces
an entire shawl, the patterns being
given out to the natives In patches or
blocks which are then by a similar
method united in Uncommon fabric.
of course but one surface of the
product is presentable, the under side
being tumble of ends of threads
without order or beauty. The cost of
a really fine shawl on the spot where
1t is made ranges from two hundred
and fifty to five hundred dollars, and
some which are wrought for native
princes are altogether too costly for
export, being worth several thousand
dollars. The best square shawls i'm
ported in this country sell here at
$4,000 to 81, 500, the common range
being, for choice qualities, $3.50 to 81
100. One will outwear an ordinary
lifetime, and, like diamonds, they
are not easily injured by common
use. They are readily resold, after
years of wear, at moderate discount
from their original cost. The best
long shawls are more expensive, but
are not as much used, being almost
too heavy and warm for ordinary at
tire.--M Y. Jour. Of Com.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.


"Agricola" writes as follows:
Sow small grain where brush pile
or log heap has been burned, or where
a liberal dressing of ashes has been
applied, and there will be a rank
growth that will probably fall and
never mature. Sow grain where
lime has been applied to the soil, and
the grain will grow with stout stiff
straw, and plump, hardy heads that
mature well. Ashes cause rank
growth of herbaceous parts of plants,
such as leaves, straw, and grass I;
lime induces a growth of the woody
part of plants and the grain of fruit.
Ashes stimulate heavy muck and
rich or virgin soils. They appear to
disintegrate or make available what
is already in the soil. They seem to
act specially on vegetable mould and
manures from the barnyard. Apply
to the most offensive pile of compost
and they render 1t inOderOus and
worthless as fertilizer, their effect
being that of relieving the ammonia
from the compost. Ashes used with
a compost heap of decaying vegeta-
BILE matter would be wasted-worse
than wOrsted-as they render the
compost inert as u fertilizer. APP
piled in an offensive sink, sewer or
cesspoOl, they serve an excellent pur-
pose as a disinfectant. They promote
the growth of grass and forage cspec-
tally, proving very valuable on low
lands; will stimulate trees, etc.,
to vigorous growth when the soil is
strong. They exhaust strong soils
and injure poor ones. Lime improves
poor soils. especially sandy ones, by
rendering them more compact and
capable of retaining fertility when
applied. AS promoter of health
and vigor of apple trees 1t is one o.
the best applications that can be made
to the soil. Under its influence trees
mature well, the fruit Is finer, ana
trees are freer from disease. Lime
may be applied with benefit on mos
soils and many plants, but is of spe
cial value to the apple tree ant
strawberry plant, while ashes art
valuable for heavy or rich soils fol
the grOsser feeding of plants, sucl
as our native plums and curran
bushes.-N. Y. Herald.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05

It is one of the anomalies of our
advance In civilization, that with all |
our appliances for travel, and explor-
alton, our mechanical advantages
and chemical discoveries, the Oldest
continent, geologically, II not histori-
cally speaking, should be less know
than Australia, the newest. Four
thousand years ago, before Greece as
a nation had an existence. Egypt was
powerful country, the granary Of
the then known world, and drew i'm
mense stores of wealth from the con-
tinent of which It formed In area so
insignificant part. Garbage was
the controller OF nations, Palmyra
was the queen of cities, Thebes was
the seat of a religion dating back to
the flood, Alexandria was the resort
of the scholars from the whole civil
lied world, yet until within twenty
years Africa has been n terra 6acog-
nita to us, and even now we know
less about it than we do of the Arctic
regions or the Gran Chaco.
Sir Edward Baker has lately been
telling his experience as an explorer
under the auspices of the Khedive of
Egypt, and his statements, with the
facts lately discovered, lead to the be-
lief that the vast interior of Africa
south of the desert of Sahara, Is not
only a habitable country, but is one
susceptible of contributing largely to
the worlds wealth, and of sustaining
no inconsiderable portion of the
worlds population. This earthly
paradise Is separated from the coasts
by wild wastes of malarious country,
which gradually give place to terra
ces, or tables Of healthy country, so
much above the sea level that even
under the equator is to be found a
splendid climate, fertile soil, q gen.
erous yield of the best of natures
vegetable gifts, and singularly free
from noisom reptiles and insects.
Geological indications If not abso-
lutte observations encourage the be-
lief that this grand central table land
abounds In lakes, Is intersected by
streams, contains vast valleys of fer
tility, abOunds in forests of valuable
timber and precious gums, and Is
capable of supporting population OF
millions.
So strongly Is this belief entertain
ed by European savants that the
German Government has determined
to carry forward the explorations in
stituted on an insufficient scale two
years ago, and an expedition unlim-
tied in resources, and sustained by
the government, is about to leave
Berlin for Egypt to undertake first a
systematic exploration, of the vast
inland basin known as the Sahara
desert, once, undoubtedly, the bed OF
q sea. The chief effort will he to To-
cate and describe the different GASES,
of which several of large area, inhab.
tied by a singular race of men fol-
centuries insulated from mankind,
are reported by Egyptian tradition
as situated in the terra incognita OF
the Western Sahara. 1t is believed
that the expedition will discover
races of people who have for centur.
les been isolated from their kind,
surrounded by wastes which they
have either no means or inclination to
cross, and chronological as well as
geographical science 1t is believed
will be great gamer from the results
of this great expedition.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
A Clerks Success on n Farm.

An enterprising farmer In Ver-
mont once q clerk, relates his expe-
rince in the following communication
to the Ne,o-Eagtdnd Farmer.
Seven years ago l bought a farm OF
$50 acres for $1,000 the stock and
tools cost me $1,000 more. l had ST.
600 to pay, which left me In debt
$4,000. The first year ] kept a cash
account and found my receipts $500
per month and my expenses about
300, including interest and help.
The first year l paid two notes both
before they were due, and in each
succeeding year l paid my notes be-
fore they became due, and got some
discount by doing so. l should have
said in the first place that l had a
dairy of forty cows, and sugar bush
of 1900 trees. From these two
sources l received most of my
money, though l sold few tons OF
hay, few bushels of oats, corn,
beans, potatoes and apples. also
raised some pork to sell each year,
and occasionally a fat COW or yoke OF
oxen, when they were no longer use
full for the dairy or the yoke. From
seven colonies of bees L received a
steady income and increased my
stock each year.
But without going into details, !
will say that at the end of six years
! sold my farm back to the man OF
whom 1 bought 1t. He had been
West, and came back thoroughly
homesick, and wanted his old home.
In no one of the six years did 1 clear
less than $500. Now take my 1000
and my age thirty years, and suppose
l should live to the allotted age OF
man, (three score years and ten,
and each year add $500 and interest
at six per cent, and / think 1t will
compare with the profits of any OF
the professions. do not say that !
have not made more than $500 year;
but 1 do say that this Is the least /
made In any one of the six years.
At the same time have had an ex-
perience which Is worth more to me
than all the rest. have helped one
railroad by taking one share of its
stock and paying for 1t, and l have
edeavored to do my share toward
the support of society and toward
encouraging every enterprise which
Ia for the public good. / take and
read at least six papers, and find
money to pay for them in advance.
Some of the glitter and show of
our city and village cousins, which
has so long dazed the country youth
has been sadly dimmed by recent
events in our commercial cities and
manufacturing towns, and some
journeymen, clerks, &C., who have
for years had large salaries or wages,
are now looking forward to a hard
winter withot employment or work,
with fear and trembling. The price
of the farmers produce may be some
what lessened by these business
crashes, but he knows nothing of the
dread Of being "out of work" for
weeks and months, with empty Gel
lars, store-rooms, and wood-sheds.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
A Horse With a Long Memory.

Many years ago Mr.. Abram Dodge
of the town of Ipswich, Massachn-
sets, owned beautiful horse which
was the pet of the family. He was
admired by all who knew his play
fitness and good qualifications. In
the summer it was Mr.. Dodge's
habit occasionly to have a frolic with
his horse in his barn-Yard, then let
him out alone, and he would go to
the river, which was about one-third
of q mile distant, where he would
battle, then go to q common and roll
on the grass, then with the freedom
of air start for his home. His stable
was renovated for him while he was
gone, and his breakfast put in his
crib. If he met his master he would
show some coltish pranks, bound for
the stable, pull out the wooden pin
that fastened the door, with his teeth,
and rush to the Manager where he ex-
pected to find his food. One night
the horse was stolen from the stable.
After the expiration of sixteen years
Mr.. Dodge was at the tavern when a
man drove horse up to the door.
Mr.. Dodge at once recognized his
horse, and he told the driver his
reason for believing it to be his, the
man told of whom he bought the
horse, and said that he had owned
him for several years. Mr.. Dodge
claimed his horse, and it was finally
agreed that If the horse would, on
being taken to his old stable, go
through the habit of bathing, rolling
on the grass, and pulling the pin
from the stable-door as above de-
scribed, that Mr.. Dodge should have
him, when the horse was let out
into his old yard he reviewed the
premises for moment, then started
for his old bath-tub, then for his
green towel on the common, then to
his old stable, pulled the wooden
pin, won for himself a good meal,
and his old master his favorite horse.
These facts are vouchsafed for by re-
liable residents of the beautiful,
picturesque old town, and show con-
clusively the long memory Of our
nobiest snimal.-Lowcn Mass Oo,u-
ier.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Long Live the Reporter

The Rev. A. p. Stone in sermon
says: "rhe newspaper Is more fear
ed to-day in Congressional halls, and
high places of corruption and villainy
than laws and courts, the strings OF
conscience and the thunder of Divine
wrath. God Is a great way of, and the
judgment waits; but the ubiquitous
reporter thrusts his sharp gaze into
ali covert and hidden schemes--an
unerring detective. The pestileht
spy will tell all he seas-tell IL on the
house-tops, print 1t for n nation OF
readers. Good! Give us more of
this. Long live the reporter. Let
every public man who meditates q
little piece of gainful fraud under
stand that he Is "shadowep' at each
step by this unbought espionage, and
though he may not be converted he
will be restrained"
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
Alone In the World.

A student lin the State University
at Iowa City, by the name of Bailey,
wrote to Bailey, of the Danbury Ne,cs
to ask If the man of humOr was any
of his kin. He received this reply:
"In answer to your note am COM
PEELED to say that some one has got
up corner on my relatives of the
name of Bailey, and that at present
l am not In possession of one, to my
knowledge.
"Itis a fearful thing to stand alone
in the world, without a single, or mar
ried, relative I'm the distance, but am
os successful in concealing my sorrow
that no one suspects its existence.
"Whether my ancestors came over
in the Mayfower depends in meas
ure upon what was the passage
money. If anything at all, am in
clined to believe that they went a.
round.'
"When asked If am any relation
of yours, you should kindly, but firm
ly, deny 1t. 1t is going to be too hard
a winter to take on relations. Yours,
In sympathy. j. w. BAILEY
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05

A VETERAN New York hotel pro.
prietor Is now experimenting the
erection and furnishing of a new
hotel I'm San Francisco, which the
local papers say Is to be the "finest
hotel In the world" The cost of this
structure Is now fixed at $3.50, OOO.-
On the first floor will be the main
entrance, which will be twenty feet
wide and twenty-five feet high, and
will lead to an immense carriage
court, which Is to be- covered with
glass and surrounded by arcade gal
leries. The building will be six
stories high, and water will be sup
piled by two artesian wells. 1t Is in
tended TO make provisions for one
thousand two hundred guests, and all
the rooms are to be lighted directly
from the open air. The gas and Ice
used In the hotel will be manufacture
ed ON the premises.
The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-02-05
A Million Dollar Observatory.

To the many instances of private
munificence during the past few years
there promises now to be added an
Others, as 1t has been announced by
Professor Davidson to the California
Academy of Sciences that James
Lick, Of San Francisco, has promised
the means to build telescope of the
largest size in the world-probably
not less than thirty-five or thirty-six
inches aperture. With this instru-
ment will be combined every variety
ofapparatus commensurate Herewith
and of the most perfect description.
Mr.. Lick proposes to endOw his OBJ
servatory with one million dollars.
It Is said that there are SUBMITS of
the Sierra Nevadas of California that
are accessible by railroad through the
whole winter, and that they offer un-
surpassed inducements for the estab-
lishment of an astronomical observa-
tory. Near Lake Tahoe there are
suitable peaks, whose elevations ex-
coed 10, 900 feet. Professor Davidson,
in communicating to the California
Academy the results of his examin-
alton Of these regions, states that the
proportion of clear days and nights Is
unusually large, amounting to two
hundred and seventy In year, and
the clearness and optical steadiness
of the atmosphere is remarkable.
There is an almost perfect immunity
frem dust, the mountain flankI being
covered with verdure In summer, and
snow In winter. He estimates the
saving of time and labor to the astron-
omer 10 be in the ratio of six months
to one or two days. The mildness of
the weather on the mountains of the
Pacific coast Is generally attributed to
the great amount of moisture that Is
condensed In passing over them, and
in this respect they offer a remarkable
contrast to the White Mountains of
New England.-Hayper's Magazine.