The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-03-15
FDTTOR'S CHAT.
Get Ready for Your Window Boxes and
EarIy-BIooming Outdoor Plants.

Get Ready for Your window BOXES ana
EarIy-BIooming Outdoor Plants.
TIME FOR SEEDING.
Those who live in the sunny South are in the full
enjoyment Of lovely and beautiful flowers, but the
great mass of C. c. readers are in the frozen North
where for some weeks there may be ice and SHOWS
and blieh,ing frosts.
Not until the Spring is well advanced can they
SOW their seeds and plant their plants in the open
ground. for fear of chill aHd blight.
But it is quite time that boxes and pots were
filled with earth within doors and planted with
seeds for trausplansing when the warm Spring
showers are kissed up into mist again by the ardent
suns of April and May.
Uis The time for arranging for urns and hanging
baskets TO be hung in the porches and under the
trees; aud for these there is great variety OF
hardy vines that will grow if they have but fash
of sunshine and a drop of dew.
Nasturiums and balsam, and zinnias and sweet
peas and an infinite variety of fowers-old friends
and new-may be well started within doors, 10 be
transplanted to the lawn; or, if not uansplsnted,
moved in boxes without disturbing the soil. Thus
your garden may be well-grown when less thought
full fiower-growers are but turning the sward
THE BLOOMING TURNIP.
Did you ever think how little it takes, even for a
turnip to he thrifty and happy?
The other day l tall, fine window plant
tapering gracefully upwards from the broad leaves
that hung over the pot, up to slender whorl OF
leaves and pale yellow flowers at the top.
The plant looked like a stranger, and went up
TO examine H. Imagine my surprise TO find that it
but the hower-stalk ofa large urnip, which my
friend. by way OF experiment, had kept standing
for some weeks immersed in a bowl Of water.
When it is so simple thing to cultivate flowers.
why is it that we do not more of them, won
derf
BATTLE OF THE SPURS
In what battle were spurs of more service than
swords?
Cora Davidson, Concord, Tenn.
Cora's question probably refers to the battle Of
Courtroi fought in 1902 when 20 600 Flemish weav-
ers and traders the revolt of Flanders defended
themselves successfully against Philip v, the Fair,
and his so 600 trained French knights.
The Flemings had dug deep ditch along their
front line. and the French chivalry, coming up,
without waiting TO reconnoiter, charged headlong
upon that line. in full gallop, was their custom
only TO plunge in hopeless destruction, horse aud
rider. by thousands, into that ditch.
Those who did not perish in the ingorious
charge were massacred and, according TO author
ities 1000 gilt spurs collected by the Flemings
and hung up in the cathedral OF Courtra 10 COM
memorate the victory over the French chivalry.
Hence "The Battle of the Spurs"
Another so-calIed battle was fought between the
English and French, Calais. in 1913 The vic
torioUs English derisively called this The Battle
of the Spurs" because of the good use the French
cavalry made Of their spurs when put TO rout.
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES.
"No Children Need Apply (" was written by Kate
Brownlee Sherwood. The signature was omitted
by mistake The verses were founded upon actual
experience. People who have houses 10 rent are
very much afraid of families in which there are
children. Wonder if the lax family government
in Ameriaan families has In do
with il?
THE KINGS DISEASE.
In an interesting talk the treatment OF COM
mon troubles. by Rev. J. l.. Lemon, in The Healthy
Home, he alludes 10 the fact that this distressing
malady was once known as The Kings Disease"
and gives list of unfortunates as illustrative Of
how il came by such a name. These are the fol-
lowing;
Byron. the poet; Cesar Julius) the emperor
Csmbyses, the king; Coumna, the boiani.t;
Dostojewsky. the nove-wriier; Handel, the must
clan; Henry w.. the king; Hercules, the hero;
Mahomet. the prophet; Moliere the comedian:
Napoleon. the emperor; ST. Paul, the apostle;
Petrsrch, The poet.
LOOK TO YOUR EYES.
There is nothing more delicate than the human
eye, and nothing more often abused. Sir Edwin
Arnold who wrote that wonderful story of renun-
citation, " The Light OF Asia" has been getting
light on this subject After looking through one
OF those great telescopes that search the far
heavens and reveal their mysteries 10 human ken,
he said:
am going TO take care of my own lenses /
viii not misuse them, and just because l never
read IN q bad light and never strained my eyes I
have been reading night ard day for 50 years with
out the smallest impairment Of my vision; and /
can ship from the deck OF my yacht as well
as any of my men. and can read as well as any
oooy else without glasses