davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-20

The trip down the historic Potomac
River and Chesapeake Bay on the elegant
ed; The, steamers are comparatively
new, having been built in 1891. and are
with electric lights. call bells and steam
heat In each room; The tables. are sup-
from the markets OF Washington and
Norfolk. Tickets on gale at 81 q o..
ticket ofiee; N. e @. ONCE, at W. r.
For further information apply
D. T. CAI.IlAFfAfy.
Telephone. ~. Agezs. 4
The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-20
Receipts l,y RAN ana s,enmor.

Office OF The VirgiuIun.
Norfolk. Va. August 10, 1898
Through Local. Tot,l
The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-20
Memoranda

Cape Henry. Va, August 1912 M
Clear. Northeast wind; "a miles. Heavy
northeast sea.
The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-20

Norfolk : Washington Steamboat Co.
Ano new anu powerful aiI... ,pnlaSa
s sSsSmSs NEWPEkT MEMS. WASH
daily as follows:
NORTH BOUND.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
Old Animals in England.

The beaver is one of the five nam
malian animals that have inhabited
England in former times, and have be-
come extinct within historic record.
They are the brown bear Ursus arc
toc), the beaver Castor fiber), the rein
deer (Tarandus rangifer), the wild boar
(Sus scrofa) and the wolf (Canis lupus).
The bear was abundant in the North Of
England and in Scotland when this
country was in the hands OF the Ro-
mans, and many Caledonian bears were
imported into Rome. They disappeared
altogether about 75O.
The beaver was numerous in some
localities in the North of Wales In $40
and again in 1888. There are records
Of them much later in Scotland.
Wild boars were numerous when
large tracts of woods gave them har-
Dor. They were hunted by the Tudors.
They certainly existed in the year 1917.
and probably much later.
The wolf in England disappeared
about 1490.
In Scotland, wolves were numerous
In 1877. According to Pennant, they
became extinct in 16S0.-Notes and
Queries.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
A New Dog Story.

"Dog stories are usually regarded as
chestnuts," said A. z. Beckwith Of In
dianapolis ut the Riggs. 1T would
seem that at some time or another
dogs have been known to perform al
most every act their masters have.
But never heard the counterpart Of a
story know to be true. A fine st. Ber-
nard dog was injured by street car on
North Illinois street In Indianapolis,
and his owner took him to veterinary
surgeon. who dressed the wounds and
gave instructions to bring the animal
the following morning. Before break
fast the dog went to the Office of the
surgeon and waited on the doorstep un-
til he arrived. Every morning the dog
appeared before his master arose, and
one day bandage used around one of
the animals forelegs slipped, and the
dog. realizing that something was
wrong. went to the Office in the middle
of the day to have it fixed. 1t took
about two weeks for the injuries to
heal, at the end Of which time the dog
ceased his visits, but has always since
greeted the veterinarian affectionately
whenever he sees him."
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
The Fierce Zebra.

1t always appeared to the writer that
Sutton, the head keeper Of the Zoo,
treated lions, and some male tigers, as
IL they were dogs; while all the lion
esses, the leOpards, pumas, and most
tigers were treated as cats. rLiOnesses
he never touched with the hand, and
leopards except the snow-leopards, very
seldom; but some of the tigers and the
male lions behaved in their dealings
with him exactly as if they were do
mesticated animals. Bears, he main
tained, always became unsafe to han
die after they were full grown, though
often tame and friendly when cubs.
Polar bears, ON the other hand, he
looked upon as always dangerous and
quite untamable, having n kind of in
durable levity which makes them alb
solutely without respect or fear for
man, even when they are kept in cap
tivity. In the case Of the larger cats,
age and ill-temper do not necessarily
increase together.
In all the years spent in the care Of
the large carnivOra, he never received
an injury. Yet, though never hurt by
the bears or lions, he was nearly killed
by q zebra. The correct facts Of this
curious accident were rs follows: The
zebra, which was known to be very
savage, was turned out into yard, the
sliding door between the yard and its
stall being pushed to, but not fastened
by the man whose duty it was to do so.
Sutton was in the inner stall, putting
in fresh hay, when the zebra heard him.
He also heard it trot up to the door,
and the next moment saw its muzzle
pushed against the rack which had been
left between the edge Of the door and
the post. 1t slid the door back In
moment, ran in. and STOPPING its head,
seized him below the knee, and threw
him violently on his back. 1t held on
to his leg. biting so severely that is
cracked the shin bone, though Sutton.
who was lying on his back, kicked 1t
hard with the other foot. The other
men drove it off with stable forks, but
the keeper was laid up for thirteen
weeks from the effects of the bite.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
ONION RAISING.

The onion crop is one that pays or
dinarily about as well as any that the
market gardener grows. There is con-
siderable labor attached to the produc-
ton Of good yield of onions, but the
returns per acre are many, many times
what would be received from an equal
area devoted to grain raising; then,also,
the onions are not so exhaustive to the
soil as the cereals, so there will be less
expenses In maintaining and increasing
the standard of the farms fertility
when crop like onions is raised, than
when grain is the product.
A rather moist, rich black loan suits
the onion perfectly. do not mean by
moist land undrained land, as the lat
ter is fit for hardly any market garden
crop, whatsoever. A good deal Of nj
trogenous manure is required for the
onion, SO that rapid, tender growth
may be forced. Do not spare the ma
nure when onions are to be the crop.
For best results, the land to be sown to
onions this spring should have been
manured heavily for two or three years
at least previous to the present season.
In this way 1t would have been store
house of available fertility. Unleached
ashes and bone are valuable mineral
fertilizers to be used in connection with
manure for onions, Take a good deal
Of pains In plowing, narrowing and
dragging the ground for onions. Har-
row and drag, and harrow and drag, to
lya raalvu
fine seed bed. Time spent in preparing
the sdl is well employed, for its influ-
ence is seen throughout the entire sea-
son of growth of the crop.
Aim to SOW the seed at rate of about
five pounds per acre, in drills one foot
apart, as early as the soil can be prop
erly fitted, since the onion makes its
best growth in the moderately cool,
damp atmosphere of spring and early
summer.
Next, look out for weeds, which are
not much comfort upon any part Of the
farm, but when they get stand in an
onion bed, they are a torment to The
cultivator, since it requires lots of hard
work to dislodge them and also because
they so damage the crop. However,
take the weeds when they have hard
ly had time to peep out OF the ground,
and their destruction is comparatively
easy and simple. The soil between the
rows is cleaned and titled by he'wheel
hoe, which possesses thin, sharp knife
to cut off weeds and stir the surface
soil. The weeds i'm the rows them
selves are to be removed by lively boys
who crawl astride of each row and do
the business. q
1t Is an essential factor of onion cul-
ture to keep the wheel hoe moving
through the beds as often as once
week, at any rate, and oftener still il
heavy rain comes in the meantime, for
we cannot permit any crust to be
formed OH the surface, but must ever
have the regular thin protection mulch
Of dry, loose earth.
The onions are to be pulled by the
middle of September, or in time to al
low them to get well dried down before
fall rains.
To keep onions well, store in a dry,
cool apartment. They may be frozen
solid in early winter, then covered and
not allowed to thaw until they are
wanted for use in spring.-Farm, Field
and Fireside.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
UNSUCCESSFUL SPRAYING.

We sometimes hear of unsuccessful
results from spraying, but these expe-
riments show, while all diseases can
not be Immediately and totally eradi-
Gated, that continuous spraying will
cause the fungous diseases mentioned
to grow less each year. One intelligent
frult-grower sends. word to the station
that he had carefully sprayed accord
ing to directions, but had more scab
on his sprayed than on his unsprayed
trees. A careful examination Of ap-
pies from his orchard revealed the fact
that they were badly burned probably
by impure chemicals or too strong a
mixture), but there was no sign Of fun
gous disease in his fruit. Very COM
mon mistakes are the use of impure
chemicals, allowing the ingredients to
settle so the first trees get none and the
last trees too much of the chemicals,
improper mixing of the solutions, using
the wrong solution and failing to spray
at the proper time.
The cost Of these spraying mixtures
and spray pumps is very small, and the
labor involved is very slight. There Is
no single investment that will pay such
profits on the general farm as system
matte praying-Missouri Agricultural
Experiment Station Bulletin.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
RAISING CHINA AsTERs.

Much is gained by planting flower
seed in boxes in the house, writes Eliz-
abeth Robinson. fill broad, shallow
boxes half full of ordinary soil, then
put on an inch of finely-sifted earth,
and make rows with the finger or a
stick, and put in the seed carefully.
Aster seed, put in one by one, about
an inch apart, as in this way the young
plants can be easily transplanted. This
may sound like more work than it real
ly is; and, If twice the work, the re-
suits are infinitely more satisfactory
than the higgledy-piggledy way too Of
ten practiced. The rows are covered
evenly with more sifted earth; / use
an iron spoon for this, pressing the
earth down firmly and smoothly. If
more than one kind or variety of seed
is used, separate the rows by slen-
der sticks set on their edge in the earth
across the box, and ut the end of rows
place wooden label with the name of
seed and date Of sowing. The earth Is
kept moist and warm, and aster seed
come up in three or four days; when
large enough, transplant into their
boxes, or, II not too early, into the open
ground.
Asters planted the latter part Of April
are in full bloom by the 25th Of Aug
ust, when we are glad to have some
late flowers. Plants started in this
manner in the house or cold grapery,
and gradually accustomed to outdoor
air as early as possible, grow and
bloom well. The more often asters are
moved lin reason), the better they
seem to grow. They can be moved at
almost any stage Of their growth.
Once 1 moved $50 large, tall aster
plants from the garden to bed in front
of the house, on the Goth of July, and
not plant died or even wilted, and
they did not stop growing single min
ute. They had to be moved hurriedly
to fill an empty space, so no especial
care was taken in digging them up or
setting them out, except to get a good
ball Of earth with each plant and make
firm in the ground. Then the earth was
kept soaking wet about them for a
week. / do not advise moving plants
too late, but II Is comfort to know
that in an emergency 1t can be done
with perfect ucccss.-American Agri.
culturist.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
MOSS IN OLD PASTURES.

Wherever grass lands fill with moss
II is sure sign that the soil has ansex-
cess of water at some time of the year.
The moss may be on hillsides that are
burned and parched in summer, but 1t
is springy land, and in winter and early
spring the soil is full of moisture. 1t
is this water-soaked condition that de-
yelops humic acid, which destroys all
grass roots and leaves the soil to be
filed with moss, as the only thing that
can be made to grow. If the hillside
can be underdrained this will remove
surplus water, and the air, penetrating
the soil, will prevent the formation of
humic acid. Good grass can be grown,
and this will crowd out the moss. On
high land much moss is a sign that the
land is cold and sterile. The presence
Of an excess Of water on high land pre-
vents the growth Of the grasses and
other vegetation which is necessary
to increase or even maintain fertility.
Boston Cultivator.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
fhe Dogs of Madagascar.

An acquaintance of mine who has
just returned from Madagascar tells
many interesting stories Of that far
away land of trouble, but, being great
admirer Of dogs, he never tires Of dwell
ing on the remarkable intelligence Of
the nondescript ours that infest the
island
Like the dogs of Constantinople,"
said he, ''they know no owners permit
no familiarities and make no friends.
They are self-reliant scavengers, with
all the cunning and intelligence that
chronic hunger inspires. They are no
madic in their habits and always travel
in large packs, sometimes traversing
great distances in an extraordinarily
short space of time.
"The island is cnt up by a great num-
Der Of deep, sluggish streams, and pes
tilential swamps which are infested
witch crocodiles and caymans. Those
voracious reptiles don't want a better
dinner than a stray dog, and no one
knows better than the dogs themselves.
When a pack Of marauding CANNES
come to stream they know that they
have to resort to strategy in order to
cross in safety, SO the whole pack get
together and they bark and howl and
bark furiously for several minutes. A
crocodile or an alligator that has slept
fer month will wake up as soon as he
hears dog bark, and commence a still
hunt for the dog. The result Is that
every reptile within hearing Of the
yelping pack hustles up as near as he
can approach and waits for one to
plunge In. When the river is full OF
them the dogs suddenly dash up stream
about 300 yards, plunge in and swim
across before the alligators get done
swapping their jaws together, and
scurry Off till they get to the next
stream, when the strategy is repeated"
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21

The story Of the rise and fall Of DR.
nestine Becker has never ben truthful
ly told in print, says Washington cor
respondent OF the Philadelphia Times.
She was the ingenious woman who, be-
ing employed in the redemption divi-
sion, devised method Of making nine
notes out of eight. OF course the pa
per money that comes into the Treas
ury for redemption Ii In all stages or
dilapidation. Some Of 1t can only be
identified by pasting scraps together.
Ernestine would tear strip from one
note and paste 1t upon an other, SO
artfully manipulating the sections thus
obtained that the original material OF
eight notes served to compose nine,
leaving enc bill for herself. This was
very profitable, inasmuch as she was
able to deal with fifties and hundreds;
she never bothered with notes OF less
than twenty dollars.
There Is no telling how long she pros
ecuted this business. She did 1t with
the utmost boldness, and there Is every
reason to believe she carried 1t on for
n number of years. Her profits may be
family surmised from the fact that, on
the last day Of her employment she
earned $3.50 in this way. This was in
the autumn of 1888. On that day she
was so unlucky as to be absent from
the Office for while, and a package or
money which she had made up was
torn by accident 1t was handed over
to another clerk to be repaired, and the
latter employee counted it again, ac-
cording to the established usage.
The first thing that excited her at
tention was that the numbers on the
tops and bottoms did not match. New
ertheless, she suspected nothing. 1t was
evident that the notes had been patched
wrongly. Accordingly, she soaked
them in water and put them together
properly. AS a result, she had less
number of notes and a less amount by
$3.50 than had been indicated. This
discovery resulted in an investigation.
Ernestine claimed that the money had
reached the Treasury and had been
handed to her in the shape in which 1t
was found. Proof to the contrary could
hardly be obtained, and no prosecution
was attempted. The woman made good
the $3.50. A Washington real estate
agent, who died the other day, swal-
lowed the fortune which was thus GRIM
inally acquired. The woman died not
long ago Of cancer in New York hos
Dit1l
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
CORNSTALk MILITIA.
How Patriot Guarded His Property from
Redcoats.

During the exciting times of the
American Revolution the Eastern Shore
of Maryland, while many were true
patriots and thoroughly believed in and
upheld the cause Of American liberty,
was yet hotbed for Tories, who as
firmly defended what they believed to
be the rights of the King. The region
nown as the Seaside, which extends
along the western shore Of Synepuxent
Bay, was particularly well supplied
with the adherents of George III.
A great-grandfather Of George w.
Purnell, now a prominent member. OF
the bar, was a stanch defender Of Amer
lean independence and a commissioned
officer in the militia, but owing to the
depredations so frequently being COM
mitted along the seaside and about his
own home, known as the Fairfield
Farm, it became necessary for him
to remain there to protect his property.
The Tories about the country acted as
pilots for the British soldiers, who fire.
quently came in boats through the in
let at ChincOteague and up the Syne-
puxent Bay, the prosperous farms
along the shore Offering an excellent
field for their raids. For the most part
these farms were entirely unprotected,
and the local Tories would guide the
soldiers to those houses where they
would probably get the most booty.
1t was told Of Mr.. Purnell that early
one morning, while looking over his
& n s,fa Il tn hi xx-ht
manded n view Of the bay, he saw sew
eral boat-loads of redcoats making
their way toward his own shore. He
went to his house and summoned a
dozen colored men about him and arm
ed them with long cornstalks. Mount
ing an old gray horse, he marched his
battalion down behind the hill, always
keeping out of sight of the approaching
British. AS soon as he reached the foot
of the hill on the inland side he called
a halt and gave orders to his men. He
stationed himself just at the brow of
the hill, so that the head Of his noble
charger could just be seen by the men
on the bay. Then came the order for
his battalion to march in review. In
an unbroken line around and around
the hill they marched. with their corn
stalk muskets glistening in the sun.
His twelve men made fine showing,
and the effect on the raiders was magi-
cal. The distance magnified the num-
Der. They saw, the army and precipi-
lately retreated. The fame Of the val
orous old gentleman has been handed
down to the present generation.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
THE CRUEL CHECK REIN.

The check-rein in common use is GER
tainly Objectionable, on account of the
very inconvenient manner in which the
animals head is held up. And yet, 1t
is necessary in driving a spirited AMI
NAL to secure the head and keep 1t un-
der control. But it Is not necessary to
use this sort Of a check when there are
others to be procured which are free
from this objection. Any harnessmaker
can procure check-ren which is under
the control Of the driver, who can tight
en- or loosen it at will, to the extent Of
six inches, which, of course, greatly
mitigates, II it does not wholly remove,
the Inconvenience of the common rein.
New York Times.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21
K,,y, That Have Never Been Crowned.

With the exception Of Queen Vic
torin. the Emperor King of Austria, Bo-
hcp'a and Hungary, and King Oscar,
of Sweden, no other reigning monarch
has been consecrated by religious rite.
In the case Of the King of Italy there
were obvious reasons why the services
of the church should have been dis
pensed with. 1t Is less ineligible that
SO Catholic king as Carlos of Portugal
should have been content to take the
oath in the Cortes and attend "Te
Deum" only in the cathedral. A mere
oath, too, sufficed for the establishment
of King George upon the somewhat
rickety Hellenic throne.
'Che crowns Of Holland and Spain, of
course, are, so to speak, In commission.
As to the Kaiser, of Germany, he did
not even care to 60 through the formal
ity observed by his grandfather, who
put the crown upon his own head, but
deemed It enough to make solemn de-
claration at the opening of the imperial
parliament.
Crawford avalanche., 1896-05-21

its nourishment from the interior Of the
stem, foliage or fruit The tent cater
pillar, cankerworm and currant worm
are familiar examples Of the hrst class,
and the plant lice, squash bugs, etc.,
represent the second class. According
~, insecticides may be divided into two
classes, viz: (D Those which must be
taken into the system before. becoming
active and which contains more or less
arsenic, such as paris green, london
purple, white arsenic, and which should
be used Mt the rate of one pound to 200
gallons of water; (0 those which kill by
contact, such as kerosene emulsion, py-
rethum, bisulphide Of carbon, which is
very explosive when brought near the
fire. 1t Is used in the destruction Of all
kinds of grain insects In bins. To these
may be added third class, called repel-
lants-those which by their offensive
odors prevent egg-laying-such as car
bolic acid, softsoap, ETC., which are ap-
piled to the bodies Of trees as preven-
tion against the attacks of borers.
The numerous fungous diseases, such
as the Dlack rot or grapes, apple scap,
plum rot, ETC., require different class
of remedies. The one In most general
use is the Bordeaux mixture, which is
made by dissolving six pounds Of sui
phate Of copper and four pounds OF
quicklime, and adding to these forty
FIVE or fifty gallons Of water. The first
application should be made before any
sign Of the disease has manifested it.
self, repeating at intervals Of ten or fif-
teen days. After the fruit has set, a
combination of paris green and Bor-
deaux mixture will be found to serve a
double purpose in destroying both in
sects and fungi.-James Throop, Horti-
culturist of the Perdue University Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station.