davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Supplying Seeds to Congressman.

The business of supplying seeds to
Congressman is growing, and has already
attained pretty large proportions. Ac-
cording to the Washington Star, thirty
two men and 40 women are busy in the
annex of the Agricultural Department
building supplying the Congressional de-
mand for seed. Six thousand paper pack
ages of vegetable seed, 500 of flower
seed, 300 of tobacco, 20 quarts of sor-
ghum, 20 Of corn, so of grass, % quarts
of sugar beet and SO quarts of cotton
seed. That is the allowance of each Sen
ator and Representative in Congress. If
put up in n order, each members al
lowancc would fill eight large mail sacks.
AS there arc 400 Senators and Rcprcscn-
t~atives, the seed division of the Agricul-
tural Department is q very busy institu-
ton at certain seasons of the year. The
seeds distributed through members of
Congress comprise about two-thirds of
the whole amount disposed Of by the Ag-
ricultural Department. The remaining
third goes to persons in various parts of
the country who act as agents Of the de-
partmcnt, but receive 10 compensation.
Members furnish to the department the
names of those to whom they desire to
have the seeds sent, though sometimes
they have the whole or n part of their al
lowanccs sent to them, and attend to the
distribution themselves.
The force of the seed division is requir-
cd to receive, assert, pack, label and pre-
pare the packages for the mail sacks in
which they are hauled away from the de-
pertinent. The little paper bags or pock-
cts arc cut and made in one end of the
large room where the seeds arc packed.
The printing upon them is executed in
the printing office in the department. At
one long table is a company of young
women, FASTING the bags or pockets,
which arc arranged in boxes and sent at
at once to the printer. Upon their return
they go to other tables, where they arc
filed with the seed intended for them.
The labor is divided and subdividcd so
as to facilitate the work as much as pos
siblc. One lady who has a pan of seed
before her and a tiny measure fills the
bag or pocket; her neighbor pastcs down
the flap on the bag. AT another table the
department frank is put on, and so on
until the package is finally placed in the
mail sack. All of this work is carried on
with little noise and no confusion.-New
York Sun.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
The Largest Cotton Planter.

Since the death of Col. Edward Rich
ardson of Mississippi, Mr.. G. NJ. Neil of
Pine Bluff, Ark, is, perhaps, the largest
cotton planter in the South. He was born
in Alabama and is only thirty-eight years
of age. In 1850 he went to Arkansas
penniless and went to work on a farm.
He is now president of the First National
Bank of Pine Bluff and has IL, 900 acres
of cotton in cultivation. He owns three
large stores and a railroad twenty-six
miles in length, all of which runs through
n of his plantations. He is now build
ing another road forty-two miles in length
through his plantations. Mr.. Neil's
wealth is estimated at So, 600, 900. Re-
Gently he advanced to one person 500, 900.
The moment he heard of the Hot Springs
fire he forwarded 800 barrels of flour, 200
barrels Of cornmeal, 30, 900 pounds of
beef, besides clothing, &C., for the bene-
at OF the sufferers Sun.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
FOR THE FARM AND HOME.
Food for "

Many farmers have suffered losses
hmong their calves by putting them too
early upon q non-milk diet Of an insult
able nature. The stomach of q calf but
. few weeks old is very tender and deli
cate, and will not stand irritation such
as is produced by many feeding stuffs
that are readily digested at q more ad-
vanced age. 1t is necessary to remove
from such foods oil particles of husk and
fibre, and whatever may be the materials
used in the mixture, whether bean meal,
pea meal, wheat, linseed, or a variety of
others, it is important not merely to
grind finely, but to carefully separate
through a silk or fine cloth sieve all par
ticlcs of husk. If these arc not removed
they are, however finely ground, likely to
cause serious irritation. The judicious
use of cruel made from properly prepar-
ed foods, at first in partial and finally in
total substitution for milk, from an early
age, effects a considerable economy on a
large dairy farm.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Ensilage In Stacks.

Strong support to the stack system of
ensilage has been given by the committee
appointed by the Royal Agricultural So
clety to inspect the silos and stacks of
the country as judges in the competition
Tor prizes recently awarded. Prof. Long,
one Of the members, in giving evidence
the other day before the ensilage COM
mission, stated that he and his colleagues
were very favorably impressed with the
stacks they saw. He further remarked
that, where the stack system was sue
cessfully carried out, the loss on the out
sides was very small, and not more than
the average loss in silos. The committee
estimated the loss on the prize stack be-
longing to Mr.. johnson, of lakewood
Croft, near Darlington, at only 2 per
cent. The concluding sittings of the
ensilage commission did not bring to
light much else of Importance, unless. it
was the evidence of several witnesses as
to the value of maize as an cnsilagc crop,
and the best method CT c%ultivating it in
this country. Sir John Lawes appears
to be as skeptical as ever in respect of
the advantages of ensilage, though he is
almost alone among those who have tried
the system. DR.. Voelcker, from his ex-
perience, has come to quite a contrary
opinion, having been convinced that
there are very great advantages to be de-
rived from ensilage, one of which is the
growing of two fodder crops, such as
tares and maize, for the silo or the stack,
in the same season.. When Sir John
Lawcs compares mangolds with ensilage
crops, he does not appear to consider the
great expense of the former, especially
on the clays, and the serious injury done
to heavy land by carting heavy root
crops off the land in a wet autumn. The
final report of the commissioners may be
expected shortly, and there is no doubt
that it will be strongly in favor of ensi-
lage.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Russfa's Peat Deposits.

There is an excellent chance for the
inventor of a simple peat cutting ma
chine, for Russia, which can be worked
by a team of horses, and would take the
place between the ordinary handwriting
machine and those worked by steam,
the latter of which cost about 81, 500.
Large deposits OF peat exist in the coun.
try, which it is intended to use instead
of coal as soon as they a be worked
cheaper than coal. In fact, on the
Northern Railroad of Russia the locomo.
tives hitherto burning wood or coal are
being adapted for peat- burning, as a con
siderable saving is expected to be real,
lied. The n -machines, by the way,
have the drawback that the peat can not
be worked below eight feet, while tho
steam-cutting machines penetrate twenty
feet, and reach a superior kind of pea..-
Chicago Times.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Something About Chinese

Chinese is a queer language. All its
words are only one syllable long. But
the sounds in the Chinese language are
not very many, some four hundred and
sixty-five at most, and their written Ian
guagc contains about eighty thousand
pictures, each picture representing a
thing or idea. And these pictures must
be committed to memory. This is hard
work, and not even the wiscst Chinese
professor can learn them all. But now
comes a difficulty. For, of course, where
there are so many words and so few
sounds, many different words have to be
called by the same sound. How then
are they to tell, when several different
things have exactly the same name,
which of them is meant7
We have such words. For instance,
there is Bill, the name of a boy; and bill
the beak of a bird; there is bill, an old
weapon, and bill, a piece of money j;
there is bill, an article over which legis-
latures debate, and bill, a claim for pay
ment of money besides bills of exchange,
bills of lading, and sc forth. But Chin
csc is full of such words of q single sylla-
BILE, gen, for instance, which, like bill,
means many very different things. So
they chose q number of little pictures,
and agreed that these should be used as
''keys." Each 'key" meant that the
sign OF signs near which it stood be-
longed to some large general set of things,
like things of the vege table, mineral, o,
animal kingdom, forests, m ines, or seas,
mir, or water, or of persons, like gods o,
men. It WIS like the game called Throw
ing Light, in which you guess the article
by narrowing down the field until certain
what it is.
But there Chinese writing stopped
short, thousands of years ago. There it is
to-day. There are now two hundred
and fourteen Of these tkeys," and, by
intense application, Cinnamon learn to
use their method with surprising quick.
ness and success.-St. Nicholas.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Pablo OF the Calker and tho Shark

Fable OF the Calker and tho Shark.
A Ship Calkcr who was at Work on :
Staging had the Misfortune to fall into
the Sea, and he had scarcely Struck the
Water when a Shark put in an Appear
ance and said:
cit was very Kind of you Indeed, but
you are such a Small Chap, you know"
cpl go Aboard and Ask the Cook,
who weighs Two Hundred Pounds, to
Come down in my Place." Answered tn.
Calker.
"Thanks, and Hc Needn't be at all Par
ticular to Remove his Tobacco-box or
Boots"
When the Calker was safely Aboard he
Mocked at the Shark, and a Turtle on a
Rock Pulled down his Vest and Solilo-
quized:
Moral: "When I Step over a Dime to
Look behind it for a Quarter I shall Elk
pect to Dine on Wind ."-Detroit FREQ
Press.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
What the Blind Can DO.

A shining example of what the blind
who have courage and determination can
do could be witnessed in the late lament
cd Henry Fawcctt. He refused to allow
his lnfirmity to interfere materially with
his career and habits, though of course it
modified and altered their channels. It
is we'll known that he was an admirable
horseman and fisherman, and if he was
undeterrcd by the drawbacks of his con-
dition when they were suddenly thrust
upon him in early manhood, surely chill
dren who have never known the blessing
of sight can be brought up to regard
blindness as nothing that need prevent
their taking their place comparatively on
a par with the rest of the citizens.
Henry Fawcett is not alone. Other blind
men have, to all intents and purposes,
lived their lives as thoroughly as thou.
sands with their eyes have done. We
have heard of sightless travellers and
writer's innumcrablc. There were Milton,
Prescott, the historian; Huber, the Aatu-
%ralist, and Braille himself, t. quote only
a few that occur to me. DR.. Armitage,
again, has travelled far and wide, fire.
quently visiting most of the European
centres, where he could acquire informa-
ton and, so to speak, see for himself how
the blind are educated and cared for. Two
years ago he made a prolonged journey
through the States of America with the
same object, though he did not fail to
enjoy the pleasures of travel for its own
sake. Only in very rare instances in the
future need there be any occasion for al
lowing a sightlcss person to become a
burden to his family or the charity of
the benevolent-''the night cometh when
no man can work." Then, of course, the
blind, If they have not acquired rcsourc-
es of their own, must be provided for.
At the same time it cannot be gainsaid
that they do not require immense assist
ance throughout. 1t is on account of
this assistance not having been hitherto
always rendered upon a wise and logical
system that so many mistaken ideas have
prevailed as to what arc the real capabil-
tiles of the blind.-Fortnightlv Reoieo.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
A Young Musical Critic.

Little Mamie was returning with her
mother and father from a 'piano reci-
tai" by a celebrated virtuso who had Gre
atcd considerable musical enthusiasm
among his audience.
"Didn't he play the piano cxquisitelya,
the mother.
"He did indeed" answered NAMES
father.
"Play itG exclaimed Mamie, sswhy,
mamma, he looked to NE a good dea
more as if he was working it and rea
bard. too."-Merchant Trassler.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Bulbs Golden Teeth.

A Nevada City, (Nev.,) butcher re.
Gently killed a steer whose teeth wers
completely incrusted with gold and sill.
YER bullion. The animal came from
ranch on Carson River.
1t is supposed that the precious meta
on its teeth was collected while drinking
the water of the river, which is impreg.
mated with the tailings of the mills re
ducing Comstock ores. It is said tina
most of the cattle along this river have
gold and silver en- their teeth.-Chieag
Herald.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
A Relic Of the Middle Arcs.

"Andorra' is an independent state in
the Pyrenecs, adjoining the Spanish
province of Leredo. 1t is not dependent
upon either France or Spain and has been
sc~lf-governing since the time of Charlie
magne. The great monarch recognized
the Andorrans.. because they helped him
agains: the Moors. This little state has
an area Of about 600 square miles and a.
estimated population of 1000. Those
who indulge in dreams as to what the
future may bring forth believe that it is
the fate of modern Europe to break VI
into small communities which will be
self-governing locally while acknowl-
eding a central authority, which
would dominate the Western World.
The most perfect form of democracy
known to ancient or modern times was
the New England town meeting. The
ncighbors in the local cities met and
managed their own affairs. This seems
to be impossible in dcnscly populated
cities. But the dream of all consistent
Democrats is that the authority of the
central power SHOULD not interfere with
the self-government of the different
localities. These pigmy governments,
like Andorra and Monaco, which have
come down from the Middle Ages, are
types of the decentralizcd governments
of the future.-FroUa Deuorest,s
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
One Little Thing that Told.

Bageley-You may talk all you like of
the great enterprises, the fact remains,
however, that all of them had small be-
~ginnings. No, sir, I tell you it is the
little things that tell.
Bailey-You're right. If that little
snip of a BERTHE Rowland hadn't told
that I kissed his sister, old Rowland
would still have in me a great admirer.
But its all over now.-1vd Bis.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Deep PloughinR.

In farming, as we'll as in dairying or
grazing, everything depends on the con-
dition of the soil. Here is d foundation,
and unless this is in proper condition the
superstructure is bound to fall.
A great deal has been said and written
as to the proper depth to plough, and
there is such a difference of opinion held
among farmers in regard to it that the
question is still as far from being settled
as ever. We think, however, that the
leading cause for such difference of opin-
ion may be found in the difference in the
land itself. That good crops afc and can
be grown on shallow-ploughed land that
is good, no one will deny, provided the
season be neither too wet nor too dry; j.
c., with moderate rains the whole season.
In such a season anyone can grow good
crops. But such seasons are rare, and,
in fact, every season is likely to be at.
tended with either a long drought or Il
long wet spell. Now what the farmer
wants is to guard against both, and the
only way to do it is to break up his lane
as deeply as possible, say not less tina
from seven to ten inches. But how i
this to mend the matter2 We answer.
very easily. In case of a heavy rain, Il
large portion of the water, instead of
running off, will be absorbed by the
deeply di~sintegrated land, where it is
held as if by a sponge for the use of the
plants, and if a drought should inter-
vene, there is a supply of water just
where the plants want it, and when ex-
hausted, its place is at once supplied by
capillary attraction from below. 1t will
thus be seen that by deep ploughing the
farmer provides against drought by hay
ing a supply of water in reserve or Il
place ready to receive and hold it when
ever it comes. The better to insure this,
however, as well al to facilitate the es.
cape of too much water, it is better to
use a sub-sol plough and an additional
team, running the same Immediately
after the breaking plough, and the rip
ping up the sub-soil the desired depth.
This need not be done for every crop
raised on the land, but only once in
every three or four years.
It has been well said that it is better
to have two acres of good land, one on
top of the other, than as many acres
alongside of each other, as it costs only
half as much to tend them. The way to
do this is by deep ploughing, and thus
double the depth of the soil, as well as
the crops grown thereon.-Tsl6une and
Farmer.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
How to Grow /. Good Potato Crop.

How to Grow a Good Potato Crop.
Edmund Hersey, bingham, Mass, who
has had large experience, said at a meet
ing of the Massachusetts State Board of
Agriculture that he got the most, the
largest and the best quality of potatoes
from small tubers, cut two eyes to n
piece. Hc believes: 1. The shape of a
potato cannot be changed by the cont1m-
ued selection of any particular form of
the seed planted. 2. The crop may be
increased by the selecting of healthy,
well-kept tubers, and diminished by Sc
lecting for seed diseased and poorly kept
potatoes. 3. Hard potatoes that have
sproutcd but little are better for seed
than those that arc soft, or have any
long sprouts. 4. Long continued plant
ing of any variety gradually changes its
characteristics. s. Large crops are only
obtained on rich soils, we'll prepared by
beng thoroughly pulvcrized. G.. In or
binary field culture the size of the tubcrs
planted should be sufficient to give the
young plants a vigorous start. z.
Neither the size or form of the seed tubcr
Is OF half as much consequence as is its
healthy condition Or its vital powers.
3. No rule can be laid down in regard to
the quantity of seed per acre, the amount
OF manure to be applied, or the particu-
Ear method of cultivation. 8. One or
half a dozen experiments are not sufic-
ext to establish any particular facts, and
each one must experiment for himself on
his own farm.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Reciples.

Rccipies.
Cinnamon RoUs.-Takc a piece of pie
crust, roll it out, cut it in narrow strips,
sprinkle with cinnamon, roll it up tight,
place in a buttercd pan and bake until
brown.
Omelet wiM Spinach. Pick, wash an~
chop a handful of spinach, put in an
omelet pan an ounce of good !butterr
when it is hot add the spinach with a
little salt and pepper. Then beat up
three eggs with a tablespoonful of sweet
cream and a soupcon of salt. Add to
the spinach and finish as a plain omelet.
Nice Griddle Cakes.-Two cupfuls cold
boiled rice, one pint flour, one teaspoon
full sugar, one-half t%caspoonful salt, II
and onc-half ~tcaspoonfuls baking pow
der, one egg, little more han onc-half
pint milk. Sift together flour, sugar,
salt and powder; add rice free from
Jumps, diluted with beaten egg and milk;
mix into smooth batter. Have griddle
we'll heated, make cakes large, bake
nicely brown, serve with maple syrup.
French Loaf Cahe.-Bcat one pound of
sugar with half pound of butter until
very light and stir in one cup of cream,
then beat in one quarter of a pound of
flour. Beat seven eggs until they are
very light and add by degrees to the
mixture; then add three-quarters of a
pound of flour, half of it at a time alter
nately with the juice and grated rind of
one lemon. After beating all we'll to-
gethcr, add one tcaspoonful of saleratus
and beat a few minutes longer. Have
the pans buttcred and lined with white
paper, pour the mixture into them and
bake in q moderate oven.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Household Int

A piece Of zinc put on live Goals in the
stove will clean out the stovepipe.
To remove paint splashes on window
glass, moisten the spots with a strong So
luton of soda, then rub hard.
Oil stains may be removed from paper
by applying pipe clay powdered and
mixed with water to the thickness of
cream; leave on for four hours.
If one ounce of powdered gum traga-
canth be mixed in the white of six eggs,
well beaten and applied to a window, it
prevent the rays of the sun from pen
etrating.
Curtains of swiss Or lace are placed
next to the windowin front of the shades
with pretty effect. They only reach ,
the sill, and are Topped back with whit
ibbonor piece Of goods embroidered.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
Testing Eggs.

All eggs should be tested by some
means. Eggs that are unfertile will be
easily distinguished from the fertile ones
IN three or four days after setting: in
fact an expert may detect them on the
second day.
In France it is the practice to examine
or test the eggs after the hen has been
on them two days, and if they prove un-
fertile they are used on the table. In
this country almost every one feeds the
young chicks boiled eggs the first two or
three days of their existence, and for this
purpose eggs that have been set on six
or eight days are equally as valuable as
fresh ones.
Now for a cheap tester, take a heavy
piece OF brown paper, wrap it around a
stick, paste it fast all along, draw the
stick out and you have one that will dis.
tinguish between fertile and unfertile
eggs when set upon FIVE OF six days.
To use the tester, we have but to hold
Il to the eye and hold an egg to the othe,
end of it, looking through the egg to.
ward the sun or a lamp. Every stage of
incubation may be noted in this way.
and the egg saved by this process and
used us food for chicks will abundant,
pay for all the trouble. A still NOR,
valuable consideration is the fact tina
when Q hall. dozen hens are set at once
The fertile eggs may be put into a les
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22

number of nests and other fresh eggs may
be placed under the hens rendered idle
by the removal of the unfertile eggs and
the consolidation of the fertile ones.-
Journalof agriculture.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22

All high-backed rockers must have
head-rests or be old-fashioned. These
rests are little oblong affairs in the shape
of q small log, and made out of rich ma
terial beautifully embroidered or simple
c%retonue. Some of the prcttiest are
chrochetted out of varicgatcd worsted.
They have a filling of feathers or cotton
and fastened to the chair by ribbons.