Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-05


one OF the iuEuries OF men, which women
nave Of late years begun to appre
ciate and copy is the use of silk
and satin Innings for wool. Men get the
credit OF more practical and sensible mode of
dress partly because they wear their satin and
silk inside instead OF outside. SILK and satin
Innings to silk and lace dresses have been com.
mon enough; but it was not until the advent OF
the taior-lnade dress that women learned how
delightful, how great luxury it is to have the
SILK or satin inside and fine wool outside.
HOLIDAY NOVELTIES
The most expensive gifts made this season
consisted OF sprays and clasps and pins and
buckles Of precious stones. such as are now so
fas.lionably applied to the different parts oil
such toilets as may be classad as really magnif-
cent. The most Of these are made of simple
diamonds. as these can be made effective at less
cost IMAM where the rarer gems are placed in
artistic combinations. But sometimes a cats
eye or tiger stone is used for center, and
sometimes rubies and sapphires and yellow dia-
monts are arranged with exquisite art to pro-
dUee flower or winged insect effect.
In silver the newest things are long pins.
paNercUtters armIets. and the like, copieei from
antique forms and with Arabic or ancient in
scfiptlohs Tie pins are OF two kinds and are
USED as clasps, as breastpins, and also as orna-
nents for the hair.
Hairpins are the most important feature OF
the augmentation of the head; they are used
more than combs. and BY MANY who do rot en-
poy any other decoration. They are varied,
tut manly reproduce old fOrnS-Spear-hCadS
lans, screens. Japanned Indian. or Egyptian
national emblems. and pendant hoops or balls.
Ihey are made in shell aud amber. in silver and
IN worry. bat these last are not much in demand.
Old silver. dark shell. and amber pins are the
iaF"rites, ana form part Of every ladys ward
robe
The very newest fans arc made Of the exqus-
!,ety tinted and shaded feathers of the Merle
with sticks Of dark shell. amber or violet wood.
Near lhe top Is often band of pheasant fcatil-
eT>. or these will be used to form bird which
Is posed upon one side. The sticks are very
flexible, and wien of shell sometimes extend to
the top OF the fan, but are only visible on the
reverse Side. Very elegant fans consist of a
group OF three magnificent ostrich feathers set
IL n small. graceful standard of carved ivory,
smell or wood: but they are more usually made
UP IN fan forms. because smaller feathers can be
utilized, and ostrich feathers. like diamonds,
coub'e the Increase in vaiue with increase in
SIZE ana tui!ntSS. This season feather fans are q
great rare. For the time they seem to have
G"Vea al others out of the market. Still the
showing ones are buying choice silk and satin
ones. painted by artists. for which there is little
demand now, but which will always he u desra-
BILE possession.
The finest thing in ware that has ever made
It's appearance is a recent production known as
''c1ncO glass. 1t consists Of double GLASS eX-
ti20rdinariiy fine aud delicate in tint and color
lh9, with cameo tigCres upon it in low relief
he work is like that put upon gems, and the
cost Of pair of small bottles is $50: of small
single vase, $50; but as possession they carry
the stamp Of high refinement. The French and
English china wares take the lead this season.
and. indeed. they have taken it tor several years
past. The Dresden are neglected. and can be
bought for very low price compared with the
cost a few years ago.
The holidays have not this season Ssrarnpa1
anything very remarkable in the way of dress Or
decoration. The widespread depression is re-
sponsib!e perhaps for this lack of enterprise
New effects in OrnanentatiOn are produced by
braiding narrow satin ribbonsi in basket patterns,
and very pretty Christmas and New Year
baskets for fruit or confectionery are covered in
this way, the handles tied with wide satin rib
bon in one of the coors with holiday legend
in gold OR silver lettering. JENNY JUNE.
-->.
Usefulness Of the Mole.
In its Unsuitable hunger lies the value of the
mole. Though it feeds largely on earthworms,
it does not confine itself to such prey, but de-
YOURS many subterranean larvae which are in
furious to the crops. Especially does it wage
war against the terrible larvae of the cockcater,
called, par erccLence tie Grub. and sometimes
known as the white worm.
This creature passes three years below the
and when it attains its perfect state eats the
leaves of trees. The mole also eats the wire
worm. d name Of fear to the whcat-rr0war.
Besides. the greater part of the buried pupm
which it discovers aud eats are injurious TO tue
crops, and the mole. instead of an enemy, is q
distinct beactactOr to man.
lately met with an unexpected confirmation
CT this statement In the course OF nv lectur-
in tours ! sometimes find myself II HILL. end
on one occasion iaet several large landowners at
IL no, -.
their iniquitouS dcFrcdarionS. OF course took
UP the Cad-ei for the mole and with a fair
amount OF success. Some one mentioned that
within few miles there was wcll-kn0wn field
which had once sWarmed with mOos and was
notabict for the steady crops which it produced
annually. 1t had passed into the hands of
another proprietor, who had the moles de-
str0yed. and the field was ever afterTard as
barren a. it had been prolific.
need not say that at the first opportunity
visited the field in question, AMI Il more hope
leSSly ragged and fOrOrn piece of ground can
hardly be imagined. Finding that there was
resident farmer who knew all the circum-
stances. and who never allowed niOlcs to be
Killed on his own lard. lost no time N making
his acquaintance. He was very kind In giving
the requisite Information, which was so val
liable that asked him to put it on paper for
the benefit OF the British farmer. So l here
present it to the reader:
"NORTH FERRIBY. Feb z, 1882
spear SRI have much pleasure in writing
what know of the uses OF the mole. and the loss
sustained by killing it. To XIII m0ies is to leave
the corn and ternip cron, especially upon light
soils such as sand AMI dcep-soiled void land, TO
the rava9aS OF the WireWOT1n, the grub wiz. the
cockchafer larva), and other insects have farmed
and Stiil farm, from a thousand to fifteen
hundred acres of land in different parishes, and
have noticed that when you Kill and try tn cxter-
inmate mOles, rocks, spair0WS, etc, you have
pr09ortiOnae destruction from the creatures which
they feed upon.
IAN Old nole.catcher once came to me and
! said TO him, NO; If l had no mo!es should
have no crops lie replied. 'Sir, you are
the first ! have heard say that, but You are
right He then went on to say, Il once killed
hill in it. The soil was sandy and fun OF mO!es,
and yet II used to grow nice crops. | killed the
mole5, and il never grew anything to speak OF
aitcrWaTd. The WIroW0Tm grub. etc. etc, used
to eat the roots OF everything that was sOwn. and
tie young plants died off, The old man then
told ne the MAKE OF the gentleman and his farm.
| knew both.
~ have a friend living In North Lincolnshire
who farms three Thousand acres Of various Kinds
OF land, and never allows the m0les 10 be de-
StrOyed. Remain, yours very truly,
JCHN Z. CLARK"
three more benefits conferred on man by the
mole. One is that it establishes most elabo-
rate system of subsoil drainage How admir-
able scheme it is I never realized until | had
seen 1eald's diagrams
The second benefit is that Of Ventilatin9 the
soil. 1t must be remembered that the roots of
trees and plants need air. and all cultivators
know how necessary it is to loosen the earth
round plant should it be cakcd
The third Use is that in its search after prev it
is perpetually bringing fresh and fertile earth