Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
potatoes are potatoes this season, ana
are a very valuable thing to have on hand
remarked a commission dealer to Star
reporter Already they are selling at as
high as % cents per bushel at retail. and
unless more come into the market they
will be much higher. Only a few days
ago / got a letter from Philadelahia
house offering So cents a bushel on an or
der for fl ON one to ten car loads L have
not been able to fill the order yet, and do
not expect to. There are number of
reasons for the high price. One of the
principal reasons is that those who have
them on hand are holding them for
higher price, and another is that they
brought such a small amount of money
last winter that. but few were planted
the past season The crop was good
enough for those who were fortunate
enough to plant them. Last year there
Were such number planted in consequence
of the Pingree advocacy of potato patches
that the price fell so low that there was
no return for the labor put in on them.
For several months they were offered
low as cents per bushel all through New
York state. while OUT west there was no
sale at all for them and they were used in
Kansas and other big potato-growing
states for fuel. There were, as the boys
have it, potatoes TO burn then. 1t is al
together different this year. There were,
as in this section of the country. very few
potatoes planted Early in the season the
supply seemed to be enough, but all of
sudden they became scarce. and have been
growing scarcer all of the time. 1t is
thought that enormous quantities of them
are held by those who had sufficient capital
to invest in them as a speculation. There
was scarcely any time last year when po-
tatoes were not to be had in local markets
a fC re hvtsh nl ehnx-
are selling at % cents now, and, 1 think
will go up considerably higher. If there
are big quantities of them held, they may
drop somewhat in price. for they won't
keep. but they will average over double
last years price.
x < x
Il understand that the literary executors
of the late Capt. Bassett, who was for sixty
years connected with the United States Sen
ate,'' remarked one of the relatives of the
captain to a Star reporter, ''have about
given up the idea of publishing the often
referred-to book which the captain had in
mis- mind for over twenty-five years. 1t ap-
pears that though Capt. Bassett had pre-
pared great quantity of "reminiscences of
his long experience in the Senate. the great
er part of it was in such shape that it
could not be handled by any one except
himself. He was kept so busy with his
duties at the Senate that he was unable to
prepare the necessary narrative. The notes
that he had made were disconnected, and
many of them had the proper names only
referred to by initials. In the great ma jor-
ity of cases the notes could be transcr bed
and filled out. but there would necessarily
be many portions which would have to be
guessed at. Under the circumstances the
Indications are strongly that the book will
never be published"
= X
THE friends of the game law, which went
into operation in Virginia two year ago.
are complimenting themselves on it's sue
cessful operation so far" said a well-kno.n
sportsman to a Star reporter. THE law
has one more year to run, and by that time
1t is thought the state will be so well
stocked with game that it will thereafter
furnish all th- sport needed for number
of years to come. Rabbits and squirrels,
which had become very scare. are already
plentiful and can be seen on almost every
read, at a safe distance from settlements.
There will be Eumber of rabbits and
squirrels shot this fall in violation of the
law. no doubt but though the slaughter v i'll
be large, it will not be sufficient to produce
any marked scarcity the following year.
The truth is, game was nearly all driven
out of Virginia. and there was no way to
restore it until the thoroughbred sports
men of the state took the matter in hand
and secured the passage by the legislature
Of the necessary law, suspendng hunting
for three years. The result will pay every
sportsman for his long watt
* X \
so far none of our bands have come
this way their way south for the Win
ter said Donald Alexander to L Star re-
porter. Mr.. Alexander is one of the Oldest
gypsies who reside in this section. He
gave up travelling several years ago on
account of his age and settled down as a
horse tender, though he IS still looked upon
as one of the fathers of the various bands
of gypsy wanderers. Some of the people
hereabout speak of me as a gypsy king.
am not the holder of any Office or posi-
ton in the bands, though five of my chill
dren and over thirty grandchildren are on
the road Just now the most of my kin
are in Ohio and West virginia. and expect
to spend the winter III North Carolina.
had some letters recently from some bands
who are in Connecticut and New York
state. They expect 10 work their way over
the roads 10 Tennessee and may go TO
Florida. My people. 81 rule. endeavor to
Keep away from the lar-,e cities, and spend
their time in the country on the edges
of small towns city is no place for IL
gypsy. for there is but little that they can
do in them, and. Oss'des. without doing
anything 10 cause il We are constantly
bothered by the police authorities. If You
look AT your prison statistics You will find
FEWER Sypsles In your jailS than any other
class OF people under the sun in pro-
portion TO their numbers. The reason of
this is that they do not violate the
laws. for did they violate them they would
be punished the same as other people and
as rule. Toult bs punished more Sc
vereiy- All the gypsy wants is to be let
alone and allowed 10 wander as he de-
sires- We are nomads born, and il i, lust
as natural for rs TO wander as il is for
house-raised people 10 want to live in
houses Civilization, however, is curing Us
and while there will be some roamers for
ever the number grows smaller as the
years pass along II the child is house,
born he will i've i'll a house: if l,orn On the
read or woods. is it strange he prefers
the road DIT the woo.is:''
y X
I'm my long experience as a teacher. !"
said an old public school teacher to a Star
reporter. Il have learned one thing pretty
well in connection with children, and that
Ii that their eyes furnish an unerring in
dication of their ability to learn For
instance. l think 1 can lay down this prop
osition as about a certainty: That the
rounder an eye the easier it receives i'm
pressions. can add also, think that IL
also loses them quicker: that is, while the
rornd-eyed child learns rapidly, the same
child forgets the lessons learned much
quicker than children with eyes of a Diff
ferent formation. The narrower the eve