davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
GRASS o PIGS.

Various agricultural journals are re-
marking that there is meat in grass for
pigs as we'll as for cattle and sheep. Tt
is very true, but it is mistake to sup
pose that the natural diet of pigs is
grass, as it is for ruminant animals like
COWS and sheep. The two latter have
a very bulky double stomach, and will
thrive on coarser fare than the pig, that
has only one digestive apparatus. With
out doubt pigs are often fed on too con-
centrated food, and are benefited by a
run at pasture, especially by the exercise
it involves. But the notion that grain
or some concentrated food is not needed
v by growing pigs is a mistaken one.
1t is true pigs thrive well on milk, but,
even with the cream taken from it, milk
is much more nutritious and therefore a
more concentrated food than it is often
supposed to e.-Golman's Rural World.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31

COWS ate more nay ana more total cry
matter when feeding on beets than IN
other foods ebay, meal and bran IN 1879,
corn silage in 1889 and 169O), and In
each case more milk was given from the
beets than from the other foods, but it is
not vet demonstrated that the increase OF
milk was produced economically.
For twelve years records have been
kent on the farm now occupied by the
station which show that the average yield
of beets over this period has been nearly
sixteen tons per acre against an annual
Weld of about ffty-fve bushels Of shelled
corn per acre! a.,
But a crop of ffty-fve bushels of shelled
corn with its fodder will contain nearly
twice as much dry matter as sixteen tons
of beets, and these experiments indicate
that, whether fed dry, as corn meal and
dry fodder, OF as corn ensilage, the cry
matter of the corn crop will be found
about as effective, pound for pound, as
the dry matter of the beet crop. '
1t is possible to raise much more than
sixteen tons of beets to the acre. One
crop of two acres is reported at thirty
seven and one-half tons per acre, aud
smaller areas have given still larger yields,
but such crops require very rich land and
thorough culture. Whether it is posi-
BILE to produce a pound of dry matter in
beets as economically as it can be doneIin
corn is not yet definitely settled, but the
probabilities are against it.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
Waste OF Food I'M America.

In the use Of food the Americans are
lavish and even wasteful. In calling, at;
sention,to thisfact, J.R. Dodge states that
Great Britain consumes an average meat
ration not over tWo-thirds as large as the
American; France scarcely as large; and
Germany, Austria and Italy still less.
The average consumption of meat in the
United States is probably not less than
IT'S pounds per annum. Of other civil
lied nations, only Great Britain exceeds
100 pounds, and many scarcely average
fifty pounds. The consumption of the
cereals in this country, by man and beast,
is three times as much in proportion to
population as in Europe. For the past
ten years the average has been forty-fiye
bushels for each unit of population,
while the usual European consumption
does not greatly vary from sixteen bush
els per annum. While all this is not
used as food for man, no small part Of
it contributes to the meat supply. In
the consumption Of fruits the difference
between this and other countries is
marked. Small fruits, orchard fruits of
all kinds and tropical fruits, as well as
melons of many varieties, are in profuse
and universal daily use in cities and
towns, and in the country the kinds To-
cally cultivated are still cheaper and
more abundant. The consumption 81
vegetables is not excessive.-L0assoiNt
Courier Journal
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
HOW BEST TO USE FODDER.

The hay crop is scarce In SOME parts OF
the country; corn fodder, like the poor,
is always with us. Now, learn how to
use that fodder I'd the best advantage. If
you have a silo, cut the fodder short and
put it in. This is undoubtedly the best
plan now known, but if you have no
silos and the chances are about n in a
thousand only that you have such q
"modern improvement" then cut the
fodder and shock it in the field the best
you know how and can afford. Take
good care to go through the field every
week and set up or haul to the barn all
the shocks that show an inclination to
fall apart or get otherwise injured. There
is no economy of the farm like carefully
looking after things, and this is particu-
larly the case with corn fodder in a year
when hay is scarce and high.-Americoa
DauymaR.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31

part, especially the eyes and the throat,
being protected. The contest takes gen.
orally fifteen minutes of actual fighting
- a wound is not sooner inflicted which
calls for the immediate attendance of the
surgeon. The latter is always present
with his professional utensils ready for
use. AS no pauses are counted the time
the contestants stand opposite each other
often exceeds an hour.
As an educator this duel affords a test
of courage. In it the contestant shows
mis- mettle and comes out Of it with
strengthened self-reliance, which often
in later life distinguishes him fayorably
from those who have never gone through
such an experience. The pride that
some Of these young men take in the scars
which deface their c~ountenance hardly
deserves the sneer they SO often get. It
rather shows their chivalrous mind. They
are prouder of those marks Of manly
character than of eHeminate beauty. It is
a fact that towards, afraid of the scorn
Of their fellow-students, overcome their
fear of pain and after fighting two or
three of these duels wonderfully improve
in their character and may be placed af-
teYWard in the same rank with their most
courageous comrades. For it takes a
great amount of self-control for a man,
especially when he IS bleeding with pain
full wounds, to stand unhinch1ngly for
over an hour before bis antagonist. ."Un-
finchingly'' is used here In Its s~trictest
sense, for the slightest sound of pain OF
movement of the hand or even of the
head under a heavy blow will bring dis
grace, both on him who bears himself SO
humanity and on his friends, for whose
colors he fights and who surround him
with anxious and tender looks. Besides
testing courage, these contests foster
~self-control, presence of mind, seif-re-
lance and a feeling Of solidarity and so
serve as useful discipline for later life.
Duels of either kind never gain the
character of an exhibition. It is hard
for an outsider TO gain permission to wit
ness them. Students who boast Of their
victories in duels are not the most re-
spected and no one who is not considered
a gentleman is allowed to take active
part in them.
It may seem strange that these duels
and many other things that students do
are more or less connived at by the au-
thorities. But we should not forget that
in Germany the young man, until he goes
TO the university, that is, until he is eigh.
teen or nineteen years of age, is consid.
cred a mere school boy, without any free
dom at all; after the university life is
over the dignity Of his Office or profession
leaves him far less freedom of movement
than men of any other calling. There
fore, the few a%cademical years are thu
only { given him in which he may G
joy life to his hearts content.-Ernest
Richard, In Washington Star.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31

The Governments scheme t protect
New York harbor calls for ordnance of
she most formidable type. The guns
Ehas will be placed in Fort Wadsworth
include eighteen 16-inch 110-ton gums,
that use from $50 to $50 pounds Of pow
der and an 1800-pound shot; two of the
l4-ineh 80-ton guns, that use about 600
pounds OF powder and a 1200-pound
shot; forty Of the 12-inch 50-ton guns
that use 425 pounds Of powder and an
B50-pound shot twenty Of the 10-inch
Bottom guns, that use $50 pounds of
powder and q 5OO-pound shot, and fif-
teen Of the s-inch 2oa6n guns, that use
i25 pounds of powder and a 25O-pound
shot. One hundred and forty-four ~
Inch riied mortars Will be used in the
concealed battery in the woods. The
l10-tcn gums will be placed in complete
" protected turrets. The 50-ton guns
will be placed in easements, aud the 80
ind Bottom guns win be placed On disap-
peaFing carriages in pits that viii insure
perfect protection 70 the gunners using
Ehenn.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31

originally means the place measured off
for the duelists to stand upon SO to keep
the right distance. Az present most
people take it in the sense of d contest in
which the contestants measure their
relative strength. In fact it is not any
thing more than a fencing match There
need not be any i'll feeling between the
adversaries. The challenge is brought
about in different ways. Two bands Of
students come from different quarters,
where they have had d jolly night: Their
heated spirits easily enough bring about
a quarrel; a look, a meaningless word,
failure to give ample room to pass, being
sufficient to start one. Instead of engage
ing then and there in a free fight, visit,
ing cards are most politely exchanged
and the parties separate quietly to meet
again, weapons in hand, on the fencing
ground. A student who does not care
to wait for such an occasion, meeting
another whom he regards as about his
equal, will politely inform him that he
desires a fencing contest with him. Tit
custom of causing this contest by inflct-
ing a slight insult, a so-called s'touche,"
is more and more disappearing. There
are certain conventional forms which
clearly show its purpose, namely, to pro-
woke a challenge; for instance, one
student says to another: "You are a
Ounce" Isle sind elm drummer iunge).
The one who is addressed in this way
hardly thinks of the meaning of these
words; he simply understands that he is
wanted for q duel. AS it has often hap
pened in this method of challenging that
the contestants were of unequal skill and
strength, the provoked one became the
victim of a brutal superiority.
To-day most of tbs students clubs
send a list to their rivals containing the
name Of such members as are willing to
fight. The challenged club then chooses
out of its W number such as are re-
garded as the equals of the others to
meet them. This list may be corrected
several times until, in the judgment of
both sides, the couples are evenly
matched. All necessary provision is
made to prevent serious consequences.
The arms are rapiers, long, straight
blades half an inch, wide, sharp On both
edges for about eleven inches from the
point. Only the chest, the face and the
skull are open for the blows, every other
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31

The stharmless, necessary househould
Feline has been blamed for many things,
particularly il the way Of erockery break
ages, but never before have ne heard
her blamed for injecting the children
with diphtheria, But It is SO. Cats are
frequently affected with q Wheeling
cough, which Professor Klein, of the
Royal Society of London, says, is moth
Ing more 81 less than D diphtheric all
rnent. ard can readily be communicated
TO . human being. When kitty Is all
INC Il y The first impulse Of child 70
fondle him, and III doing SO the child Is
pretty SIRE to inhale tho breath Of the
caf. Dr. Klein says chat Id every caso
where be experimental with innocuIating
rats With the diphtherie bacillus it pro-
duced Tho pulmonary trouble referred ID.
and whore children have nursed ! cat
with This pulmonary trouble they have
sickened afterward With well marked
diphthsria. i jealous eye upon the
Family cat md upon the milk supply
would, according to III. KLEIN, prevent
lnanya desth now considered due 10 81
~iRHeFutsbla Providence
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
Origin of Hospitals.

The latest archaeological discoveries!
show that hospitals existed in India asi
early as the fifth century before Christ.
In Ceylon, King Pandukabhayo estab-,,
Ished a hospital in his palace, and one of,
his successors, in the second century be-
fore Christ, founded eighteen different,
institutions of the kind, each with 81
medical staff and the remedial agents of;
the times. The Buddhist King, Asoka,j
had, about the year $50 B. c., hospitals,
both for man and animals. Many other
hospitals, now unknown, were doubtless
established at an early period, but the
London Lancet concludes that their work
was much less important than that off
the hospitals which developed in Rome
and elsewhere, as the result of the spread
Of Christianity.-Trent ca. ~ 4Hsers-
fn5s
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
THE A N GARDEN.
WHEN 70 WATER HORSES.

A writer in some agricultural paper,
saws: t.Never water a horse within three!
hours after eating" This must be a mis-
take. He was right in saying: "Wateri
them before they are fed" But some!
times they will not drink before eating
if more hungry than dry. Now, It would.
be cruel to drive a horse, especially IN a
hot day, fifteen or twenty miles before;
giving him drink. How would a man
like such treatmenta A horse may be
given a little water in half an hour after
eating when he is being worked. Some
think it safe to let a horse drink all he
wants while going right along on the
road, but many valuable horses have
been killed by doing this. A little
and often is a better way--NeW York
Horld.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
ENsrLAeE At 81 PER TON.

In regard to the cost of harvesting and
storing foods for ensilage, Professor Hay.
ward, of the Maryland Experiment Sta
ton, says: An accurate record was kept
of the cost of harvesting and storing Of
forty-fve tons, put into the silo in three
days, beginning the 10th of September.
The force employed was as follows: porta.
BILE engine, power cutter, M two-mule
cart, n single cart, n mule hauling
fuel and water for engine (making foul
mules), one foreman, one engineer and
fireman, two drivers, three corn cutters,
two men at cutting machine, one man
packing in silo and one boy helper on
water cart.
The items of cost were these: Hire Of
engine and engineer three days, at 81
per day, $12; fuel, So; teams and manual
labor, in all $500; putting cover and
weights on silo, So, total, $64, 40, or $1.4s
per ton. It was estimated that the tan.
gled condition of the corr in the field
fully doubled the labor of cutting and
loading it. Had the feed cutter
been larger the same engine and
fuel could have doubled the quantity cut
per day, although another cart would
have been needed in hauling. It is easy
to see how these improvements might
have reduced the cost Of storing per tor
to about one dollar. The season fol
growing and ~cultiyating the crop was SC
exceptional, and the crop itself so small,
that no computation was made as to cost
of production to time of harvest. These
figures, if recorded, would not apply to
an average season. But itmay be roughly
stated that the cost of making the crop,
exclusive of harvesting, need never ex.
coed 81 per ton.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31

A DUEL.
duence or are crippled for life. The
successful handling Of the weapon re-
ouires GOODNESS, presence Of mind, skill
Of hand and an eye both sharp and
quick.
The last-named weapons or pistols are
| chosen BIZ German university students in
case Of a serious duel. The challenged
one generally has the privilege Of choice.
Ii be is trained in fencing he will, as o
rule, choose the saber. If his adversary
cannot handle the saber he may either
change to pistols or else time will be
given to train himself to fencing. Older
students, however, who belong to clubs
whose members are pledged to the ac-
ceptance Of any challenge (ssunbedingte
satisfaction arc supposed to need no
training. But one must not think that
such dueIs for life or death are entered
upon lightly. Before the adversaries are
allowed to enter the field of honor, q
court of honor, composed Of representa-
tives Of both parties. must have decided
that there is sufficient cause to justify o
serious contest. To satisfy the law,
which requires the seconds 10 do their
best to prevent the duel, when both par
ties stand ready the seconds on the spot
advise tie duelists ID be recDnciled. This,
however, IS j purely formal demand, and
d duelist would expose himself to the
greatest possible ridicule should he fol.
low this advice.
Although many things here said about
the serious duel hold good also for the
common students duel, the hitter ~
Germany, il not regarded Is . duel Of
all. indeed, il IS not called 50. ln Ger
man name ssmensur 7 of Latin roots
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
year.

The Ohio courts have decided, AYERS
The Detroit Free Press, that no damages
san be recovered from a railroad CON
pany for killing a COW if it can be shown
that there was in plain sight of the cow
snotice to look out for the locomotive.
such at least lie the effect of the decision
though not its precise wording. 1t was
seslly the of the proposition,
the court actually holding that the owner
Of the COW could recover because there
was not a notice of the character de-
scribed.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
POPULAR SCIENCE.

An Englishman proposes laying deep
,ea electric cables by means of submarine
boats.
Floors of rubber-claimed to be as
durable as asphalte and cheaper-are
being tried in Germany.
1t is suggested that bird-music be
taken down note for note on a phono-
praph, and then "scored" by a musician.
French PSYCHOLOGISTS have found that
alcohol produces the same eftects-ln-
Guiding a arrangement similar to de-
irium tremens-on dogs as on men.
The Supreme Council of Vienna has
recently published a report on saccharine,
in which it is affirmed that that sub
stance is as harmless and may be as firmly
used as cane sugar.
After working with magnesia or cop
per solutions, the addition Of a little
sugar rubbed on the hands, together
with the soap in washing them will rem
! der them clean and soft.
An application of naphtha once or a
| few times will in all cases sufficiently
soften paint to allow it to be rapidly
wiped off. Chloroform mixed with a
small quantity of spirits of ammonia is
also effective.
In some ninety species of plants grow
ing on the coast and in the interior of
France, M. Pierre Lesage has found that
proximity to the sea causes a t~bickening
Of the leaves. Artiicially sailed soil
produces the same result.
1t has been noticed that liability to
cancer diminlshes from about forty
Eve to fifty-fve onward, and that
after seventy there is little to fear from
this disease. Only n c~entenarian is
known to have died from it.
Experience has shown that IN electric
street car can be comfortably heated by
the expenditure Of n horse power OF
electrical energy. The electrical heaters
do not reduce the seating capacity of the
car, which is kept clear of coal dust and
cinders.
Cowhide horseshoes are reported to be
growing in favor in England and other
parts of Europe. They have the advan-
tages of lightness, great durability, su-
! perior adhesion and avoidance OF split
hoofs. The Japunese are said to have
used straw horse-shoes for centuries, the
straw being treated by an unknown
chemical process.
Instruction in agriculture and forestry
has been introduced into the Bigian
army, intended for such soldiers as ex,
pect to return to the farm ON retirement
from military service. Land for expert
mental and practical purposes is acquired
near garrison towns. The scheme offers
the double advantage of turning out sci
entifc farmers and providing supplies
for the army.
The amount of heat given by the
moonlight has again been investigated,
this time with a %thermopile OF almost
incredible delicacy. The results show
that the warmth received from the re-
aected light Of the MOOT is equal to that
given out by a candle at twenty-one feet
distance. Observations seem to show
that, although the moons face is under
the blaze of az unclouded sun for four
teen days, il remains comparatively cool,
and that whatever heating it does re-
ceive is rapidly gained and $ rapidly
lost.
The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-31
EFPEcTs Or SPRAYING PEACH TREES.

EfHEC OF STSA44HG GEAG1 41sEASe
Professor Bailey, in a bulletin issued
from the Cornell Agricultural Experiment
Station, Ithaca, N. Y, gives 9 full re-
port of experiments made with spraying
peach foliage with London purple and
Paris green. Following is a summary Of
same:
1. Peach trees are very susceptible to
injury from arsenical sprays. 2. London
purple is much more harmful to peach
trees than Paris green, and it should
never be used upon them in any manner
5. Injury is more liable to occur upon
full-grown foliage and hardened shoots
than upon young foliage and soft shoots.
4. The immunity of the young growth
is due to its waxy covering. 5. Injury
late in the season is more apparent than
early in the season, because of the cessa-
ton Of growth. s.. Injury from the use
of London purple may be permanent and
irreparable. Z. The length of time
which the poison has been mixed appears
to exercise no influence. 8. London
purple contains much soluble arsenic, and
this arsenic is the cause of the injury to
peach foliage. 8. A coarse spray ap-
pears to be more injurious than a fine
one. 10. A rain following the applica-
ton does not appear to augment the in
jury. Ii. Meteorological conditions do
not appear to influence results. 10. Spray
ing the peach with water on a bright and
hot day does not scorch the foliage.
Is. Paris green. in a fine spray, at the
rate of one pound to 800 gallons of water,
did not injure the trees. Probably one
pound to $50 gallons is always safe.
Professor Bailey does not discourage
the general use of London purple, as he
uses it freely upon other plants than The
peach.