Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1883-11-03
A VIEW FUEL.



On ssis s'sss saooav.
IEx,hansel
The smartest msn I've met in Iowa i
o farmer near Fort Dhlgs. Bis name
is BIi, Rugpl,a. lie las 80 sore farm,
splendid dairy, Q coal miue under his
farm. sbd fine l+lt II hard timber
within sight Of Ills l,lise.
When l went into Mr.. Rnpgles' large
sitiing-,,WL. I noticed very large siove.
1t was the shape OF u pnralleloi ape,l'n,
Hln,ut four ieet long, three feet high,
and the same brood. Ii heated the sit.
ting room aud hal very nicely. II see
you burn w.oi, Mr.. Rnpghs I re-
marked, NJ l held n.y hAnds up TO warm
them.
mo, sir; cant If; ri to hnrn wood;
it's too h t,mll, 10 cut it,"
"Thrn coal. sulp o.9" continued.
"No. su--;oo Il uch trouble to dig
coal. Pm burning something that ID ats
coal or wGsl-cli-nHr Than either G{
item, though ! have both cuaI and wood
Oh NV farm.
"Wnat can You iuru cheaper than
wool or coal ?" I asked, desiring ~ soiye
the puzzle.
"Why. I burn corn stalks, sir. Corn
stalks are the cheapest and best fuel ON
earth. 1t is ten times ~ easy 10 gather
cUrn stalks and tie them into bun, i,-s a.
il is to cut down thoee trees. Why
cap 70 in'O the corn field with two ,aen
and III day bnn'il- up corn stalks enough
~ VAIN nv h,use all winter
Let ME Bee You put some corn stalks
intn the siovr," / sand.
Mr.. Rugyles stepptd to the door and
bruushi IN hundle Of com stalks about
three feet through. They we're bound
tightly together. The bundle weighed
about :urty pounds. Then, lifting the
top Of the stove, he laid theui in upor
the glowing enbers and closed up the
front damper.
How IUng wiz they burn ?" asked.
Three hours. don't let them hurn
with flame. Ny stove closes al, tight
] let them burn slowly without fame.
get all the heat there il in them. The
stove il large, with an immense radist.
ing surface. 1t doesn't have 10 b very
hot"
"Now," said Mr.. Ruggles. "6ve such
bundles . ,isy kerp my tting room
warm, or 600 bundles for the winter. I
eau hind up GIN bundles Of crn stalks
In two days mys.lf. I couldn't chop
the wool 10 warm this stove in week.
Tn. u in the spring have . load II strong
ashes for my wheat deld. while my
DeighJors have to cut mp the same corn
stalks in the rpring TO get them away
from the harrow. Il makes me- smile
wh-n l hear about th, sa idiots up in
Minnesota who have d ty-Acre oorp
tie'ds and IT'LL 20 cold OF bay coal.
Why, I w,.u.d rather burn rsrn stalks
than cat maple v''od within sight Of ths
h0aiaA
Animals Acquiring Human speech.
A writer in the Journal of Sc,enrs
deals with the interesting subject Of
the attempts Of certain Of the lower
animals TO acquire human speech. At
the ontset the observer il struck by tho
curious fact that the most-successful
attempts o. this nature have been
made, not by the animals that are
usually held 10 rank nearest TO humsni.
ty, but by certain birds. NJ. A. Roujos
tells OF dog that can pronounce the
words ma maman. Considering the in.
telligence of dogs, il is perhaps Q mat
ter Of surprise that such stories are not
corumoner. 1t has been suggested that
the cause may he in the difference in
structure Of the vocal organs. At all
events, the lower mammalia as q rule
do not learn human speech. Il Is the
parrot and not the monkey that learns
10 talk. This has struck the observant
negro, who is said to have theory that
the monkey can speak but will not do
20, lest he should be made 10 work. II
the monkeys had arrived ct this gener.
alization, they would soon find that even
the rnutes must do something in tie
complex organization Of civilized life.
1t is clear, however. that in addition
to the possession Of certain physiologi.
cal and mental characteristics an animal
must be in close contact with man he
fore he can be expected 10 become ia.
miliar with his speech. Il il evident
that the -animals that would appear
mos. promising for such an experiment
are not available for the purpose. They
do not increase in captivity, and hence
the hereditary influences Of selective
development carried on for generations
is entirely absent. II Ia gravely doubt.
ed by some whether the birds that imi.
tate the speech Of man have any per
ception whatever Of the meaning Of the
words they use. Do they employ their
phrases with definite purpose or inten.
ton, or do they merely reproduce what
they hear, rs . boy may initiate the
qusck of duck or the grunt Of . pig Z
The writer Of the article mentioned re-
cites the case Of parrot which alwaya
preferred the petition, aGive Polly q