Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-02-02


can communicate with them as easily
aud with greaier pleasure than with
some men He brought the first
ground hog to this state 81 years
ago. and year later be returned to
New York and brought a mate for it.
and to these two all the ground hogs
in the commonwealth ose their ex-
istepce The first colony was started
on the steep point OF hill near Tur-
key Hollow, sbouttwo miles north OF
ray lor Ridge. Aud there may now
be seen on any foe day in summer
big hogs, little hogs. old hogs and
y Dung hogs by the hundred, basking
in the sunlight. or gamboling upon
he green sward without a care,
always knowing when summer will
disappear under the blanket of win
ter, and appear again reposing in
the l'p Of spring.
Organic alton of Great Society.
1t was at the time this family of
ground hogs began business that our
present society was organized, and
it was our custom for many years at
our annual meeting to appoint
committee to observe the capers OF
our pets at sunrise on the day we
celebrate. OF late years this part OF
our proceedings has been omitted,
as there is no more doubt as to the
ground hog foretelling the weather.
And to this knowledge many old
farmers in this vicinity are indebted
for large proportion OF their sue
cess. Some few college-bred fellows
hooted at US and banked on what
they called the government bureau
weather forecast, ETC., and cams out
of the little end of the horn, and now
want congress to pass some more
laws for the benefit of the farmer.
Our '.old hunter" b ad established one
or more branch societies in many Of
the western states. all of which send
delegates to our annual meeting at
Taylor Ridge, and it was from our
colony that these branch societies
we're supplied with pair Of ground
hogs. And we feel confident that
the day is coming when the greatest
forecaster, the truest prophet, the
wisest animal, viz, the ground hog,
Twill be appreciated as he should be,
and will occupy the position for
which nature has so generously pro-
vided him in being able to surely
know when winter will end and
lspriug begin. When that day comes
Prof. Walz can come down from his
high tower, and al nature will sing
Great is the Ground Hog"
Capt. short Called Down.
| Since writing the above my atten'
jChicago Tribune of Jan. 81. with thi:
caption. Ito Test an Old Belief
Ground Hog Wisdom, this to be deter
mined by experiment, and EN- bellished
with a profile representing Capt
Short holding ground hog by the
nape Of the neck at arms length. The
larticle is written from Burlington,
Iowa. and says Capt. Short is the
|captain of the rafting steam boat
Abner Gle, and then goes on and
tells whole lot of things abou,
lground hogs that he does not know
and says: "Four months ago Capt
IShort captured a ground hog. Ii,
was coming down the river with one Of
the last RATS OF the season, and as the
big raft swung down stream the cap
tain noticed a little animal making
strenuous efforts to keep itself afloa
in the water Just ahead. 1t haC
started out to swim the river ant
had become exhausted" l won
Iquote any more, but let the sub
stance Gf there is any substance
about iD suffice. He tells as how thu
ground hog climbed on to the raft
and the picture shows as no = he helC
; it up by the neck. Then he say
something about Newton, "when h,
saw the apple fall an idea struct
him." So when he saw the grount
hog, ian idea struck him." and tina
he was going to verify the ancien
saying, etc. Now the facts are tina
the little animal Capt. Short wa
holding up. was not ground hog
or at most was only halt ground hog
! recognized it the minute my eye
fell upon it as one of tn
little experiments of our ssold hun
} ter" at Taylor Ridge. Its true pedi
gree is half ground hog and hal
muskrat. The muskrat that is in i
is what induced it to take to tn
| water. There was never enough
dogs made to induce full bloode(
: fground hog to taSe the water.
am sorry for the captain, but yor
know stories on the forecastle of /,
steamer on the Mississippi are no
conducive 10 sound reasoning
Nevertheless stories of this kind ap
pearing in the great metropolitan
dailies have tendency to retard in
vestigation and research. and l some
times wonder that we are as far ad
vanced as we are. However l an
glad that I caught that story OF tn
captain so promptly and knocked
in the head so effectuaIly.
One OF THE FIVE.
Bnsklsn's A-nioa saIvs
The best salve In the world 10
cuts, bruises, sores, ulcers, sal
lRh0Um favor aopaa N~Ako~ oh ma