The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-06-23
or GENERAL INTEREST.

Bangor, Me-, mailed one dos,ar bill
to creditor The debtor died two
years ago under the belief that he had
paid the debt. The letter has just
been delivered by the postal authori-
ties.
The ladybird is most valuable in
sect destroyer. 1t is the special enemy
of the little green aphis that destroys
tender plants, and is always seen upon
the rose bushes in summer time, be-
cause the aphis especially attacks the
rose
Stockton, CAL, in order to place
itself out of the reach of high water,
proposes to build great boulevard to
extend half way around the city on the
cast and north and to have on the side
away from the city capacious canal,
which. it is thought, will carry away
all the surplus water which comes
from the mountains in the food season.
The boulevard will answer the double
purpose of levee and boulevard.
The shad season in the Delaware
river opened so early this year that it
found many fishermen unprepared with
their nets and tackle. When it was
discovered that the fish were running
the fishermen made all haste to get
their affairs in order, and the earliest
catches. instead of numbering as usual
only one or two fish. ran up to dozen
or more. The first shad caught in any
part of the river is always a prize that
fetches high price ashore.
The government of the British
Australian colony of Victoria has in
augurated an official loan Office. Small
loans, up to a maximum of one thou
sand pounds, are to be granted to farm
ers and others to enable them to inn
prove their holdings. The loans will
bear interest at FIVE per cent The
money will be provided from the saw
ings banks. 1t is expected the system
will be largely taken advantage of by
the agricultural community.
The southern otter is still hunted
in Florida for the sake of his fur. al
though it is inferior in quality to that
of the sea otter of Oregon and Alaska.
so persistent has been the pursuit of
the sea otter in the far northwest that
the animal has become extremely
scarce. The common otter of the south
is an expert fisherman and be is found
only near watercourses or lakes 1t is
the East Indian otter that has been
taught to drive fish into nets as an aid
to human fishermen.
Inconsistent and .mendicant young
men now go about the large towns
with bandaged hands or arms in sings.
telling innocent folks irreconcilable
stories of long idleness and recent in
juries by machinery. The bandages
and sings are usually neat. but doubt
less professional would detect some
thing amateurish in their style. 1t
may be taken for granted that an anna
teur bandage conceals whole member,
because free medical and surgical treat
ment is so easily obtained in the cities
that no really poor man has to have his
wounds dressed at home or by unpro-
fessional hands
Skilled music teachers in New York
earn large incomes when once they
have gained reputation, aud the best
of them charge from three to seven dol
lars a lesson and perhaps much more if
they have also some repute as compos-
ers The composition of really good
music is, however. hardly profitable
occupation in New York. A young
composer whose work is slowly OBJ
tanning recognition was informed re-
Gently that a song written for the
piano could be published at seloss to
the composer of about twelve cents per
copy printed. Had he written cheap
and popular piece of vocal music he
might have hoped for some return
"A writer in the Quarterly Review,
several years ago, undertook to inves-
tigate the popular notion that there are
certain hours during the twenty-four
more fatal to life than others. He as
certained the hour of death in 2. $50 in
stances of all ages from mixed popu-
lation and from deaths occurring during
period of several years. The maxi.
mum hour of death is from five to six
o'clock a. m, when it is forty per cent.
above the average; and the minimum
during the hours from nine till eleven
o'clock in the evening, when it is six
and one-half per cent. below the aver
age. Thus the least mortality is dur
ing midday hours-namely, from ten
till three o'clock; the greatest during
early morning hours, from three till six
o'clock. Fishermen say that the times
of the ebb and flow of the tides are al
ways critical hours with invalids.
The fidelity of the dog has often
been cited. The following anecdote
proves that the virtue can be also
shared by the goat A Swiss farmer in
the Canton Gruyere proceeded, as was
his wont, early one morning to tend
his cattle on a certain mountain stu
ated some distance from home. When
midday passed and he did not return
lad set out in quest of him, and after
long searching and calling repeatedly
was at last answered by two goats who
remained immovable on an elevation.
Guided to the spot by their pitiful cries,
he found the farmer fallen down
crevice and insensible. The lad de-
parted in search of help, and after
long absence returned with succor-
ing party, to find the faithful goats
still watching their. master, and on the
mournful party starting with their
burden for the valley, the animals
quietly followed behind, occasionally
giving vent to their evident solicitudc
f<~,.t 80, -, 4