DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-10-23
OF GENERAL INTEREST.

There is wheat enough at Portland,
Ore, to load tifty-seyen ships and to
give 81, 900, 600 to the farmers.
There are as many cities with a pop.
ulation of 10000 and over in this coun-
try as there are in Europe, yet we are
only century old.
Tho "Old Witch House." in Salem,
Mass, Is still standing, just as in the
days of Hawthorne, and by sort of
grim wooing of circumstance, almost
opposite 1t there is, on a door, sign
which reads like this: "Clairvoyant
and Business Medium"
In the days of Columbus learned
men boldly asserted thatif ship should
reach India she would never got back
again, because the rotundty of the
globe would present kind of mountain,
up which it would be impossible to sail
even with tho most favorable wind.
AT Lake Pearl, Mass, recently, A.
H. Heilborn and Thomas Richards made
an attempt to swim mile, run mile,
walk mile and ride bicycle mile
inside of one hour. Heilborn accom-.
plished the feat in 81 minutes 9 3-5 sec.
onds and Richards in "a minutes Il
seconds.
R. Lyman, of st. Johns, N. B., is the
possessor of a dog that he claims has
quite keen instinct for business A
few days ago when the dogs license
needed renewing, he turned up with a
81 bill and placed it at the feet of the
owner. Mr.. L. Immediately went and
took out the license.
1t is not often that grain is found to
grow in a mans boots, but such case
Is reported. A farmer brought pair Of
boots to Guelph, Ont, cobbler to be
repaired When the shoemaker com.
menced operations on them he found
grain growing to the length of several
inches. Such is certainly curiosity
People have no idea of the fatal
speed of express trains Itisa common
thing to see their buffers bespattered
with blood after long and quick run.
The noise of their approach disturbs the
small birds from the hedge-rows, and as
they fly across the line along comes the
thunderer at speed of which they have
no conception and dashes them to
pieces.
There is an enterprising photog.
rapher in the Isle of Wight He posts
himself at the stopping place of a coach
and photographs the vehicle and pas
sengers at about eleven o'clock in the
morning. BY five in the afternoon, on
the return journey, the passengers are
met, 1t is said, with supply ofmounted
prints made from the negatives taken
only few hours earlier
Tho average life of rabbit is put at
about nine years. Tho doe may have
young eight times year, averaging
eighteach time. The first litter is pro.
duced whom but four months old. The
progressions based on these figures lead
to astounding results. For three wears
the possible progeny of two rabbits has
been calculated at over $4,000, 900 and
for seven years at 800, 900, OOO
Every traveller has noticed that the
railroads get rid of their old discarded
ties by burning them up. The ordinary
practice is to place them in piles as near
the rails as possible and then set fire to
them, to tho great annoyance and dis
comfort OF passengers At the Same
time there are thousands Of families on
the line of the road who would be glad
to take these ties away and use them
for fuel.
The other day A. Strachan, music
seller of Galashiels, N B., received an
unsigned letter written in red ink, con-
tanning the following: "Sir-Seven
years ago | stole concertina from your
workshop, which was getting repaired.
Some time ago joined the Salvation
Army, and Christ has pardoned all my
sins. think it right that l should let
you know. May God bless you and meet
me in Heaven
Certificates of character given to
servants are sometimes misused. Not
long since lady was speaking of hay
ing taken a girl who was highly rec
commended by a well-known lady. To
her surprise her friend informed her
that girl with the same name recon-
mended by tho same lady was living
with her. Upon investigation it was
found that the written character had
been used by both parties.
The Dominion experimental farms
are said not to be very helpful to agri-
culturists, On the contrary, they have
q discouraging effect. When q farmer
of moderate means visits one of these
farms he sees a large number of dwell
ing houses, barns, tables, etc, erected
at enormous cost. He secs valuable,
horses large staff of men and fancy
farming" on large scale. He con-
cludes that if such costly luxuries are
necessary in order to make farming pay
he can not afford them and he gives up
agriculture to try something else.
81 have made a discovery" said
Colonel Glenn this morning. whats
that?" ''Why that the most terrible
habit man can have is the habit Of
having regular habits. l mean to get
into the habit of doing certain things
at certain times without variation, day
in and day out. My idea is that the
best way for man to do is to eat when
he's hungry, go to bed when he's sleepy,
drink when he's thirsty, no matter
when, and so on. have also found out
that the habit most easily gotten out of