davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
Pigs That DO Not Thrive.

1t is impossible to say definitely what
is wrong with pigs whose skins are
hard and wrinkly, and which are al.
ways rubbing as though they had q
humor," as asked about by a CORE.
spondent. It is highly suggestive Of
mango in an advanced stage, and, this
being a focal disorder requiring local
treatment, the administration OF pig
powders and sulphur would not be Of
any great1yrvice. The sulphur would
be more to the purpose applied out
side. since this drug is fatal to the
sarcoptes suis, which is the name of the
mite responsible for causing manR in
pigs. There are, of course, other skin
diseases of which irritation is feature,
but the hard, wrinkly state OF the skin
rs highly suggestive of mango. The
matter might be set at rest by examin-
Ing scrapings of the affected parts
under q glass Of low power, and If you
have such glass you might look for
the mites.-Prairie Farmer.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
STORING ICE OUTDOORS.
Experience Of q Nan Who Has Pqne It
with Some Success.

Experience Of a Man Who Has P9ne It
with Some Success.
Some years ago it occurred to me to
stack a little ice out of doors to save the
trouble of taking it from the ice house.
The stack was made on the north side
Of a building. In the expectation that
warm weather would quickly melt it,
but little was put up. It kept surpris-
ingly, and thereafter large quantities
were stacked yearly, until for several
years past the out-of-doors stack has
furnished ice for creamery and house
hold until about September l." writes
a correspondent in the Connecticut
Farmer. There being a scarcity Of
Ice this year, / had to use an inferior
quality four to five inches thick. The
stack was about 80 feet square and four
feet high. 1t has furnished ice to cool
300 quarts of milk per day, in creamery,
besides refrigerator in house. My
method is to spread a few inches of
shavings on the ground for the ice to
rest on, stack the ice and cover with
shavings to a depth Of about a foot.
/ have found a low stack best, as there
seems to be comparatively little melt
ed from top to bottom; but if an open
ing through the side covering let's the
air in it will cut away very fast, and
the higher the stack is the more diff
Guilty in keeping the sides covered. l
have used the same shavings year after
year. I doubt whether 1t is important
to have the stack in the shade. the
shavings getting moisture from rain
and from the ice, evaporation keeps
down the temperature"
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07

VARIOUS STILES OF DhA1N W.
Where stone is abundant, this style of
an outlet is as practical as any and
more substantial than many others.
Outlet C consists of a wooden box made
Of two-inch hard wood, open at one
end, which is slipped owe the end of
the drain. At the outer end a door.
hinged at the top, is SO arranged that
the water can readily flow out, but
nothing can 60 up the tile. A similar
box outlet, E, is square at the outer
end, over which iron rods are secured
or a piece of strong wire netting is
fastened. Outlet F is simply a tile with
holes in the top and bottom through
which iron rods are passed. Trapdoor
outlet A is a tile to the opening of which
a circular piece of galvanized sheet iron
is so attached that the water can pass
out, but the entrance of any foreign
matter is prevented. Outlet B is sim
liar with a square tile for the end.
These last are seldom made in the west,
but are more generally in use in the
east. When obtainable, they are more
easily fitted with a piece Of sheet iron.
Often a small sewer tile is used to fin
ish the lower end of a drain. The OBJ
ject in all these cases is to prevent an
obstruction to the flow of water and
to protect the drain.-Farm and Home.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
Puxnacious .Gators."

In an Alabama town a storekeeper
received from a Florida friend a two.
foot alligator, which he put in a tank
in his hack yard. A few weeks later
he received another alligator from
Louisiana, and then had a large tank
made to receive both saurians. For a
time al went well, the gators grew
rapidly, played with each other amia.
bly,, and were a eourcc of pride to
their owner. One day, however, some
n threw a piece of meat in the tank,
and both animals seized it ut oIce.
Immediately there was a fight. The
two alligators reared and clawed each
other until the water was dyed with
blood. The storekeepcr and lis friends
poked the combatants with poles, but
they kept at it until the Louisiana alli-
gator succumbed. Then the victor
proceeded to eat his adversary, but was
hauled out by the tail and put in the
small tank 70 cool of.-golden Age.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
RATloNs o. g
Corn Is the HandIest Food, But Not the
Most Suitable One.

Corn Is the Hanul0sC FOOus Oue NoS NV
Most Suitable One.
Corn is undoubtedly the %handiest pig
food the farm produces, but it is not the
most suitable one. Disease and degen-
eracy are certain to follow in the wake
of an exclusive cora diet. The very
elements which make this grain the
best fattening food render it unfit fer
use when bone and muscle are needed
to build up the strong frames and hardy
constitution required for profitable
pork production. No one kind of grain
contains all the elements of animal life
in the proper proportion. hence the
need for a well-balanced ration.
The best results are obtained with q
variety of feed. Glover, wheat. peas,
oats, middlings end bran. with all the
spare skim and ~buttermilk, are per-
haps the most satisfactory foods. Corn
should be given in moderation. Abroad
barley meal is regarded as the best
feed for the production of high-class
pork. The best results are obtained
with ground feed. The whole grain is
more expensive, as it is eaten too rap
idly to elbow of proper nastication and
digestion. If unground, the grain
should be soaked for "a hours before
feeding.
Hogs require some other succulent
food when debarred from clover, and, as
they do not take kindly to cnsilage. it
is necessary to supply roots. Pumpkins
are excellent to give variety and furnish
succulence. The great value of juicy
foods is not in the amount of nourish-
ment they contain, but in the stimulus
they afford to the appetite, thereby en-
abling the pigs to maintain digestion
and assimilation luimpaired. Salt,
charcoal and ashes should be freely sup
piled, as they aid in regulating diges-
ton. They r particularly needed
when the hogs are being pushed.
1t is important to remember that 1t is
not what a hog eats but what he digests
that makes the pork. For this reason
the animals should be watched when at
meals, and should never be allowed to
overfeed. This is a very common
trouble, as hogs are naturally very
greedy. Their real wants can easily be
discerned by noting the eagerness with
which they come to their feed. The
supply should be proportional accord
ingly, and any surplus should at once
be removed. In profitable pork produc.
ton the aim is to have the hogs eat as
much as possible without cloying the
appetite. To do this they must be fed
regularly and, though tempted tC eat,
must only be given what they will eat
up clean.-N. Y. World.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
PRETTY JAPANESE INTERIOR.
How the Eject Can Be Obtained at Little

How the Eject Can Be Obtained at Little
Cost :
A Japanese interior will always be in
favor with persons of moderate means,
because so good an effect may be OBJ
tanned at so slight a cost. Hang the wall
from Dashboard to ceiling with cart
ridge paper of dull old red, Stimulating
a frieze by setting the bamboo picture
rail 1s inches below the ceiling. Form
a dado and panels with bamboo, and
stencil both dado and frieze with Jap
anese designs in bronze and copper.
Put a greenish white cream mating on
the floor, and spread it with jute rugs
In imitation Of Daghestan and Kazac,
and some of these limitations are really
wonderful,
There must not be a single picture on
the walls. The divan must be Iowa
spring mattress laid directly or the
floor. Cover this with a japanese print,
and have pillows covered with Chiami
cloth, cotton crepe, and Japanese prints.
Ovef tne head Of the divan suspend
a big japanese umbrella. and also
OVER Lu6 ucdu, UuG iuOTc u IIe right,
hang a Japanese lamp, or, better still,
use a standard lamp OF terra Gotta, with
dragon decorations. Dark reddish
brown denim will answer admirably for
hangings in this room.
Have very few chairs, and let these
be of bamboo, but let the big pillows,
covered with Japanese chintzes, take
their place. If this is a parlor, let the
tea table be of bamboo and covered
with a bit of japanese drapery; use a
Japanese tea service, and a gong OF
Japanese bronze. If it is a library let
the desk be of bamboo, as we'll as such
bookcases as are not built into tho
walls.
For q square hall a few touches in the
way of a Moorish iron hanging lantern,
q bit of oriental drapery-if only of
chintz, hung owe a spear-a rug thrown
over the balustrade above, a jute rug on
the floor, or a seat built under Tie stairs
and covered with japanese chintz or a
Bagdad rug, will give the effect of a
newly-furnished hall.-N. Y. World.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
LIVE STOCK T

All things considered, the shepherd
dog is the best farm dog.
The horse should be well cared for in
winter. The stalk field is no place to
winter horses.
One writer of experience says that
yellow turnips are much superior to
carrots for horses.
English sheep growers, says the Jour-
nal Of Agriculture, litter the pens in
which sheep are housed with burnt
clay al a preventive of foot rot. The
clay gets as an absorbent and makes q
good fertilizer.
aThere is nothing more important
than keeping the stock free from lice.
Fumigate the houses and stables with
sulphur and>charcoal. An application
of a decoction of staves-acre is recon-.
mended to rid animals of lice.-Farm.
er's Voice.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
STABLE

extra amount doing the animal no good
except to aid in keeping him warm
Moreover, chilly quarters tend to get
an animal outtof condition, and SO less
able to do HE work well. A plan is
suggested in the accompanying sketch
for keeping horses var in such open
stables. A stout wire or light iron ROD
is stretched ros the real of the stall
near the ceiling, and on this is hung a
curtain of burlap or old carpeting. On
cold nights and days this can be drawn
across the opening, to the great comfort
of the occupant of the stall. Rings OF
stout wire hold the curtain toythe rod.
Judd Farmer.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07

Little Miss dc Fashion Injecting noted
author in the park)-How-de do, Mr..
Finemipd! Mamma is awful glad you
is coming to her reception.
Great Author-I am delighted to
learn that she is pleased.
ayes, she says you is the biggest so
ciety lion OF the season, and she's SO
glad she got ahead Of that Mrs. De
Style. Mamma has told everybody
you are comm, and they is all worked
most to d.ath. Mammals head aches
awful this morning.
"Um-to what do you refer, Ay
dear?"
"Why, you know, everybody is nearly
KILN themselves tryin' to read your
books, SO they can talk to you about
'em."-Los Angeles Herald.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
MILLIONS or OUR TONGUE.
Writers Of Books in English Have a Vas
ArnJIorco

Writers Of Books in English Have q Vast
Audience.
The population of the British islands
is 10000, 600; that of the states is so, 000,-
600. There are about 20, 600, 900 in our
colonies and in India who speak and
read our. language--13O,0O0 900 in all
Now, consider what this represents to a
writer as an audience. You think it is
impossible for a man to command the.
attention Of this vast body? will show
You that it is by no means impossible.
First Of all, they nll read-the whole
1T these millions read. Next we are
multiplying free libraries everywhere;
there are about 900 in this country, l.,
900 in Australia, 400 in New Zealand. L.
200 in the United States, and so on-the
number increasing every day. Every
enc OF these libraries will have to take
the new book OF the popular writer
whether poet, preacher, teacher or nov
slist. It will take, in many cases,
several copies. Well, with certain ex-
ceptions, there is no place of residence
which is not within easy reach of some
town or township, therefore within
easy reach of a free library.
Then I have learned practically, by
walking about this country, that
market towns are, as a rule, placed at
eight OF ten miles from each other; this
means that the average distance from
q market town is less than five miles.
It will not be long before every market
town in these islands will have it's free
library. The same thing may be said
OF America and Australia. Then every
man or woman who reads, i. e., all but
the children, will be able to get at any
new book by q good writer, and the
possibility OF speaking to the whole OF
the English-speaking race will be ac-
complished. There will not, after all,
be 20 many libraries. How many will
be wanted in Great Britain and Ireland?
II we reckon n library for every 10000
people, we shall want 1000 libraries, Of
which about 900 will be wanted for Lon
don alone. Practically the libraries of
the great cities must serve far more
than 10000 people for each. Probably
each n will have to supply the wants
Of 100000 people. On the other hand,
the smaller towns will have libraries
for q much smaller population. In
ether words, 5000 free libraries,
erly placed, would suffice for the wants
Of the whole English-speaking world
6ir Walter Besant. in The Queen.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
JAMAICA HAS A LEAD.
The Island Holds It's Own In the Produc'
ton of the Best Rum Oh Earth.

The Island HOLDS It's OWN IN inc frOu0c-
ton of the Best Rum ON Earth.
Rum is the one thing in which no
| place can excel Jamaica. And a
strange thing about it is that n big
| estate will produce only common stuff,
| while q little one close by may be max
ing the very finest spirit possible atsix,
seven or eight sbillings a gallon. The
cause seems to be from some difference
In the soil. But what that is no man
can say. And here Il planter has to
be his own engineer aud chemist * he
wants to succeed.
AS to the cane plants themselves, we
cannot irrigate them at will, and SO
bring them to the perfection that is
gained in Peru. Still they do well, and
in some gullies, where the surface soil
is washed down from the surrounding
higher ground, the canes have not been
replanted within living memory.
Again, other large estates always need
to be fresh planted after the second
cut.
A great pest of the cane fields here is
q plant called cow-itcE. That is sope
what like the scarlet runner, and it
sheds from the outside of it's pods a
down that causes acute pain. Should
cow-itch infest a patch of cane this
brake must be burned to prevent the
mischief spreading widely afield.
Zone day." said our informant, II
was riding through my fields and COM
planned to a negress that one corner
was not sufficiently cleared of the loose
leaves. She told me: Toe much cow
itch in it, Not believing her, l got
down from my horse and lifted some of
the leaves myself. Heugh! how they
stung! I could hardly keep from
showing the pain, SO mounted again
and rode away again without a
word. But when 1 got nee out of sight,
down 1 jumped pretty sharp and
rubbed my hand well with earth"
This gentleman told me something
of the chinchona growth which Lad
been fostered here recently by the gov
ernment. It is known better under the
form of quinine at home, and is a COM
paratively new attempt, which so far
has been only a failure.
"What of the sessel hemp, which has
also lately been introduced into the
island?" I queried.
II fear our soil is too rich for it,"
said the planter, thoughtfully. 'My
own experience is that the sessel hemp
thrives best on the poor land; just as
does our big aloe, here called 'maypole'
by the people, because on May day their
grandsires and grandams used to
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
Feeding whole Ears to Steers,

The most profitable method Of feed.
ing steers with Us is in open yards with
sheds nicely bedded. We use troughs,
because with horned cattle we cannot
spare the room for s~elf-feeders. Every
day each trough is cleaned out and the
cobs and half-eaten ears are taken to .
big. fat trough for the stock cattle. We
believe that we get the best results
from feeding whole ears, for when
broken pieces r taken into the mouth,
the grains T shelled off the cob. and
possibly both corn and cob are swal-
lowed without being properly masti.
Gated. With whole ears bat little OF
the corn - she!ied while it is being
eaten.-EiM.r Iaughlin, ia Prairie
Farmer.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
A COSTLY PERFUME.
The Uses of Ambergris and the Nod
Obtaining 1t,

The Uses of Ambergris and the Mode OF
Obtaining 1t.
And to what use is ambcrgris put?
1t is an indispensable article with fine
perfumes, as it is used to give per-
manency and lasting quality to very
fleeting scents. 1t is a curious fact
that the keynote or basis of ''nose-
gays" or Bouquets" as kcrchieI
odors are called, is not. as one might
suppose, the altar of garden flowers
nor the penetrating balsams-these are
Indispensable, but are not the ground
work. That basis is always one of
the four animal odors, i. e., ambergris.
musk, obtained from small musk deer
in Asia, civet, from the civet cat, of
India, end castor, a secretion of the
castor beaver, and now almost cbso-
lete in the perfume trade. The pure
and separate tinctures of any of these
odors is too intense and powerful to
be tolerated. Like all substances Of
these kinds, they must undergo a slow
decomposition till the remainder pos
sesses very little volatility. Even then
they contajpa virtue which clings per
tinacioucF to woven fabrics, and not
being solubles in weak, alkaline Ives, is
still to be detected in the material after
passing through the lavatory ordeal.
They are, therefore, of great value to
the perfumer, and are the essential
foundation in almost every formula.
The essence of ambergris is obtained
by mixing three ounces of it with one
gallon of pure alcohol, and not till
after a month is it ready for use. This,
however, is only kept for mixing, and
is far too strong. Only when It has
entered in minute proportion into the
bouquet does it produce those agree
able and characteristic perfumes, the
effect of which upon the nerves of the
sensitive nos is much like the happy
sensation produced by harmonious
mus cal chords on the delicate ear, or
the perfect blending of colors to the ed
ucated eye.
As %ambergris is the most costly of
the basic perfumes, the bouquets con
tanning it are the most expensive kinds.
Transcript.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
SILVER KING BARLEY. 116 BIZ,

SILVER KING BARLEY, III BIZ.
The barley wonder. Yields right
along On poor, good Or Indifferent soils
so to 100 buA per acre. That pays at
zoe. a bus el!
salzer's4mammoth catalogue is full
Of good things. Silver Mine Oats yield
ed 2o1 Ia bushels in 1895. It will do
better 1896. Hurrah for Teosinte,
Sand Witch, Spurry and Giant Glover
and lots asa.lots of grasses and clovers
lthey offer. IS packages earliest yege-
tables s1.oo.
y IF rot WILL CUT THIS OUT AND SEND it
with Zoe. postage to the John A. Salzer
Seed Co., La Crosse, Wis, you will get
free ten grain and grass samples, in
Guiding barley, etc., and theircatalogue.
Catalogue alone sc. (K)
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
wind in the Sowing Of Seeds.

Reports from the North Dakota ex.
pertinent station give remarkable con.
irmation to the well-known fact that
winds play an important part in the
distribution of seeds. In 2 square feet
OF y 3-week-old and 3-inch deep snow.
drift upon an ice pond 10 yards from
any weeds, 10 weed seeds were found,
and another drift similarly situated
yielded 90 seeds, representing 9 varie-
ties. While the wind was blowing 90
miles an hour q peck Of mixed seed was
poured on the 10Y crust, and 10 min
utes after 191 wheat grains, SO flax
seeds, 43 buckwheat ind 81 ragweed
seeds were found in q trench 80 rods
from where they had been poured upon
the crust.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
A Wonan.e Heart.

Anxious Mother--What's the matter,
Arthur?
Adult Son-I am desperately in love
with Clara We're de We're, and / am
afraid to risk my fate by proposing. l
fear she does not care for me.
II suppose she speaks enthusiastical-
II Of her girl friends when talking to
you."
some OF them"
Are the ones she praises living in or
near the city?"
Mo-. come to think. Some Of them
live out west and the rest are on y Ave
years TOUR OF Europe"
did she ever refer to any girl you
meet or q meet as being sweet Or
pretty or lovely or anything Of thst
sort"
NO.
.tShe loves ycr.n-N.Y Z. Weakly.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
STABLE PORTlERES.

They Help to Keep the Horses Warm III
Cold Weather.
Where the horse stalls are at one side
of a stable, and not shut off from the
largeeopen space by a close partition,
the occupants of the stalls are likely to
sufferSSD cold during severe weather,
even though well blanketed. Much
more feed is consumed in this way, the
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
Problem for d

Not less food, hut food better adapt-
ed to the purpose for which the animal
is kept, and fed in such a manner as to
give the best results; this is the line OF
Investigation for the farmers and feed-
ers to-day.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
JACK RABBITS FOR couRsINe.
Said to BE Greatly Superior to the English
Hare for That Purpose.

Said to BE Greatly Superior to the English
Hare for That Purpose.
The sport of rabbit coursing is receiv
ing a new impetus since the Kansas
black-tailed jack rabbit has entered
the arena. Not until quite recently
has the coursing fraternity been aware
of the great superiority Of the jack
over the cottontaa rabbit or the Eng
lish hare for this purpose. Kansas
jack rabbits are now greatly in de.
mand, both in this country and in Eng
land, and live ones command a good
price. The difficulty in catching them
alive is very great, and Only one man
in Kansas, SO far as known, has given
his undivided attention to the work.
Charles Payne, Familiarity known
throughout the west as a hunter and
plainsman, has been a iacl: rabbit en-.
thusiast for years, and it is largely
through his efforts that the merits of
the animal for coursing purposes have
become SO generally recognized. The
capture of a live jack rabbit involves
the purchase of a great deal of expen-
sive paraphernalia. Mr.. Payne has two
nets made of seine Irvine, five feet in
height, which, when both are extended.
reach almost across a section, and
made expressly for catching live jncks.
His method for trapping the live jacks
is unique. 1t is his usual custom, when
preparing for the raid upon the rabbits,
to adEertise among the farmer boys
the day upon which the jack rabbit
drive is to take place.
At the appointed time hundreds of
country boys, mounted on ponies, flock
to the rendezvous, armed with fog
horns, drums, bells, and anything else
that will make discordant music. They
are deployed in a semicircular line
two miles in front of the net, and at a
given signal from the marshal OF the
day the line moves toward the net,
each man making all the noise pos
sible. II the hunting grounds have
been well selected the horsemen will
have no trouble in "bouncing' rab-
bits innumerable, and as they sca,nper
away toward the net, followed pell
NELL by the eager farm boys, the scene
20 ooS Va SAOug dIlill1ttOIls liz IdU-
bits, If they do not become confused
by the noise and excitement, bound
away toward the net at almost light
ming speed, and many Of them strike
the net SO hard that they break their
necks. Those that survive the shock
scamper into the pockets which are in
geniously arranged for their reception,
and for them the jig IS up. Rabbits
sometimes die with fright, lot having
sufficient strength to make the race for
life.
These rabbit drives are among the
popular sports in which the prai-
RE farmers indulge, and it is customary
for the organizer Of the drive to pro-
vide a bonnteous spread for his gra-
tuitoIs helpers.[8niladelphia Times.