Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-11
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as they did in Maryland and Virginia forty
years ago. Plums are suffering very badly,
and while the fruit looks all right, 1t falls
on Just as 1t is ripening, so that two-thirds
OF the fruit is lost. Apples have done badly
also. The northern stock very extensively
planted in Maryland and Virginia during
the past ten years has failed to produce as
was expected of 1t. The trees did well
enough for six or seven years, but after
that they began to fall behind Nothing
can be done. however. until a law can be
passed providing for an determination of
the present stock, for there are many
farmers who would rather hold on to a
tree that produces but one-fourth of what
Il should rather than destroy 1t and run
the FISK ana consequent expense of start
ing all over again. In my fathers days 1t
was nothing unusual to find peach trees
growing good fruit steadily for twenty-five
and thirty years. but except in very rare
instances that has become only mem
ory.'
''The stock of Havana cigars which was
in this country prior to the war breaking
out said a New York cigar dealer to a
Star reporter, lis holding out remarkably
we'll, but there is big hole being made
into it. In anticipation of war, there were
immense purchases of cigars. which were
borght on speculation, for it was clear to
every one that necessarily there would be
money in the goods the moment a blockade
result, somewhat higher in price than
they were in January last, and they will
continue to rise in price, for if peace were
declared next week and the blockade
raised very few cigars would come in, for
made. The Workmen Who engage in the
making OF cigars are either drafted in the
spanish army or are serving in the Cuban
army They are certainly not making
- n CT nnn lie. fulI
In certain trade, the demand for Havana
cigars has fallen off enormously in this
country during the past three or four years
Tor the reason that it became fashionable
70 smoke less expensive cigar. The bulk
OF the cigars sold today in this country are
known as cheap goods. and are those that
retail at five cents and less. The Key West
ana other Florida cigars are of little
hisner grade, cigars that sell for ten cents
or three for quarter, the finest of them be-
ing known as the teE-ceut straight goods
II IS wonderful what progress has been
made in cigar making in this country, and
especially in maGhine-made goods. Nearly
all the handmade cigars are sold to what
Is known as the local trade: that is bought
by the user direct from the maker. So far
the speculation of big producers of Havana
cigars mas not paid as richly as those In
terested in 1t would have liked but it is
sale to say that it will do so in the end
for there Is class of people in this coun-
try, and many of them have enough money
10 crafty their within In this connection
VINO Will buy any and everything the mo-
ment they know it is scarce. The holders
OF Havana cigars will look to them for
their profit, and not for the general trade
X X X
The map makers and draughtSmen who
are specially skilled in connection with
making MAPS volunteered a New York
publisher to Star reporter, have had
about all they can do for the past three
months. and the demand seems to be in
creasing instead of diminishing. First, the
run was upon maps of Cuba then came
the Philippines and the surrounding coun-
try in that part of the world. Many of the
maps on the market today are merely re-
productions of old maps which We're out of
date long ago, but the public don't seem
to care for accuracy as much as they do
for anything that looks like a map. One
of the big advertising concerns in New
York is running out a map of Cuba and
the Philippines which was originally pub
liShed in 1913. They are claiming for it
that 1t is the latest that can be had, when
the fact is it is fifty years old and very
incomplete even for that day. But it suits
the pubic, and that is the height of their
ambition. / have been here for some weeks
hunting up data for map making, and have
been very handsomely treated in the Navy
and war Departments, no proper request
being refused, and every facility afforded
me in my work. l was surprised at the
amount of map information that was OBJ
tainable in this city, IN the departments
national library and elsewhere. The Navy
Department has nearly 10000 maps in it's
map files, and the War Depar tment about
$1,000 These maps are the best that have
been obtainable, and have been kept up
to date in the minutest detail. Confiden-
tial maps are also on file, of course but
l have not sought any of them for the
ordinary map has all / wanted my pur-
pose being only to supply general infor-
nation. l was also surprised to find what
a vast amount of photographs there are
in the possession of the government In
the Navy Department there are probably
better photographs of the harbor of Ha-
vana, Moro Castle and other places Of
naval interest in that harbor than are OBJ
tainable in Havana today"
x * x
people moving into the country or SUBJ
urban places have to be much mora circum-
81 ect than if they reside in the city," OBJ
served a Falls Church resident to a Star
reporter, "for though they do not know it
eN erything they say. or do is observed or
commented upon. Indeed, the new conner
is the subject of gossip. In the city you
may not even know the names of the peo-
pie who occupy the houses adjoining you,
and they may rot know your name You
dent care about it, and neither do they
But in the country 1t is entirely different.
The neighbors are exceedingly anxious to
know all about you, and they manage to
find out, too, before you live among them
long. L moved out in the suburbs of Falls
Church several years ago, and though did
rot know 1t for long time / and my fam
lily made an awful bad impression upon the
community. Being department clerk
about the only spare time L had to do odds
and ends about the house was on Sunday
My first Sunday, with the aid of friend /
occupied in fixing up swings, see-saws and
other means of enjoyment for my children,
as well as to entertain the children of the
Eeighborhood, who, 1 am glad to say, did
not receive the unfavorable impression of
me their parents did. To do this work /
necessarily had to drive few nails and
saw few boards. 1 made some noise lust
about the time the church going people
were on their way to church. They heard
me and put me and mine down as pretty
bad kind of people and altogether unde-
sirable as Corners into their community
have kept all my bills promptly paid up,
my cattle securely fenced so that they do
not intrude on my neighbors, though theirs
intrude upon me: but 1 have never fully
recovered from the bad effects of working
on that Sunday morning.
!. X X X
THE fortune tellers have been doing con-
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