davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
GOLDEN LAUREL'S" REIGN.
THE YOUNG GYPSY GIRL WHOM HER
PEOPLE THINK A MASCOT.
THE ENCAMPMENT At FANwoop AND A coyvEN-

THE ENCAMPMENT At FANwOOD AND A CONvEN-
TION THAT DID NOT MEET
Golden Laurel" is hourishing among the tall
oaks and chestnuts on the Union County road
way at Fanwood. n. J. The tents of her people
are pitched there; their wagons. mostly orna-
mented in Saudy fashion with red paint and
some gliding are drawn up. to the number of
half score and the horses are tethered here
and there to the trees. the trunks of which are
carefully wrapped in pieces Of old carpet or
ourlap to protect them from the chafng Of
ropes or the nibbling Of teeth
Last Sunday should have been great day
for these gypsies at Fanwood. There should
have BEEN great gypsy convention of. it was
said, some nineteen families but for various
reasons more or less connected with gate
money the convention did not assemble So
"Snaky Mary" whom Golden Laurel" musical
ly calls "Grandaye' in her own language ruled
the encampment with undisputed sway. 1t was
a terribly bad day. too for al fresco fortune
telling and gypsy visiting. seeing that a soft
soaking drizzle had been falling for many hours
before the summer boarders and cottagers Of
tine vicinity ought TO have begun arriving, and
that 1t went on falling, soaking and chilling
eyerythrg-even curiosity.
All the same. the camp was astir by 10 o'clock
and apparently just as cheerful as if there had
been every prospect OF a busy day and a rich
intake Of silver. The brothers of Golden
Laurel" typical gypsy boys as to their physi-
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
PAVING STREETS WITH REDWOOD.
AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT IN oAKLAND-AN
ASPHALT CARPET ON THE BLOCKS

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT IN OAKLAND-AN
ASPHALT CARPET on THE BLOCKS
Fifteen or twenty years ago a good deal was
heard Of wood pavements for streets They
We're quiet and smooth and fairly we'll suited
% the residence districts Of city but did not
stand the wear and tear of heavy traffic very
we'll Then. when the blocks became worn and
rotten as they did. they absorbed disease -erms
and essened the salubrty Of the neighborhood
OF late. wood pavements have gone out Of fash
ion almost entirely Something new in this
line is now reported from Oakland, Cal, how
ever. and it may prove So successful as to revo-
lutionize the ideas Of civil and sanitary ensi-
neers
In Oakland the and tear comes on
layer Of asphalt which covers the wood. and
not directly on the latter The blocks are siI
inches square and four inches deep. They are
laid on a bed Of concrete. after having been
soaked in hot asphalt mixture Of hard as
phat and California liquid asphalt, in equal
parts. raised TO a temperature Of between 80
and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. is employed. The
interval during which immersion lasts is from
three to five minutes. This treatment renders
the blocks waterproof They are then laid from
curbstone to curbstone.
n mixture or asphalt ana carbonate OF lime ~
heated and poured upon the wood pavement.
This is soft a liquid that it runs down into
all the interstices. and even works its way 10
under the wood. if there are any holes there
Not until the hud has been poured on three
successive times is the surface properly covered
and the spaces between the blocks well filled.
sand 70 the depth Of a quarter Of an inch IS
rolled into the asphalt when the last application
has been made Of the latter. The carpet thus
formed has So hard surface that it withstands
ordinary light traffic for two three years. IL
can be renewed at an expense Of less than halr
a cent per square foot. Renewal seems to be
necessary where redwood is used. but hardwood
can remain bare for a longer time without in
Jury.
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30

ognomies and lusty physique, were lounglng
about with a grace that must have exasperated
the hired outsiders who were grooming the
horses or. in fits Of frolicsome energy. romp-
ing with their small nephews and nieces.
One strapping youth. with an old meerschaum
nine face. swung "cadjy" round and round. to
see II he could make him gGdy. and then came
Mr.. Harrison-his mother and Golden
Iaurers"-picking up a stout piece OF kindHng
wood on the way, which ended the fun.
Over in one corner was a particularly gaudy
little house on wheels The curtains al the
front end Of it were thrown back, and it was
rossible to see a really dainty array or up
bo,sterv including some big, prettiy covered
.usbio,s ANY one would have guessed that
tba. was Golden Laurels' private car. and
sure enough a remarkably graceful girl pushed
between some curtains inside and languidly let
herself down over a front wheel She was
dressed in a pink and white garment OF the
Mother Hubbard order, girdled at the waist anu
with a green ribbon hanging from the left side
AZ the girdle with something heavy swinging
at the end of it, When she came nearer II ap-
neared that on the green scarf or Whatever II
was at least two dozen gold rings were suuhs'
On her arms were three or four massive SILVER
bangles If she had only carried nose ring OF
two these ornaments and her features ana 'he
strange resemblance in sound between the sSPs!
language and the Hndostanee might have made
her as to appearances, complete high caste
9indoo girl. except that few Hindoo women are
co tan or 50 robust looking. The collection VI
rings naturally led to inquiries. which eHclteo
Mrs Harrison's account of her daughter
According 10 Mrs Harrison and her sons
-coiaar T,aurel." who is only sixteen. Is the
or,v sister ~ seven brothers. She had three
sisters hut these are all dead Therefore as
ON. Of the brothers explained. al the sypses
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
AUSTRIAN uoSLEM SOLDIERS WIDOEx

From The London Chronicle.
It may not be generally known that the ar'~y
Of one other European Power than Turkey has
u face the difficulty Of dealing with polygamous
soldiers The Austrian recruits from Bosnia,
being mostly followers Of the Prophet. indulge
in a plurality of wives Tommy Atkins and MO
matrimonial relations occasionally give some
trouble to the authorities, but what would nap.
peu II permission 10 marry on the strengthN
signihed the privilege Of possessing half dozen
cousorts2 In the new regulations just issued
bv the War Office at Vienna there VIII be found
som. curious clauses dealing with this awkward
subject If on the death Of a MahOmetan sol
iirr several duly authenticated WIDOWS put N
claims for a pension. ii IS enacted that ms
amount 10 which one Christian widow would be
antitled shall be divided among them. Should
the deceased leave behind him children by MS
different spouses the wives are TO pool their
offsprln. as one family.
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30

posters they could have everything. or at least
a counterpart. and furthermore, they would
thus be able to show their brethren all tho
wonders they had Witnessed at the circus.
Mr. Cushing recognized it as a very senstbs
decision 1t would enable them to give the
whole tribe a very fair idea Of their most re-
msrkable experiences and on the next great
feast day after their return the pictures were
nailed up in the estufa or temple for public
inspection with great ceremony.
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30

love to make her presents Of rings. Every fall
the gypsies from all about bring their offer
ings to Golden Laurel" 1t is the old'story Of
the mascot developed into very pretty and
distinctive illustration Of gypsy superstition
The story goes-her own brothers story, and he
ought to know-that Laurel has between 500
and 900 rings put away somewhere. She is, in
fact. living fetch Of her tribe. and these Of
ferings are made to her just as in India, the
flowers and goats and coins are offered to the
gods in their temples And she has the eye" one
OF the brothers adds as a further explanation.
That eye means a great deal 20 them. very
likely. To the non Romany her eyes are Of the
bright beamng order. Of which Tom Moore
sang:
Lesbia hath A beaming eye;
No one knows for whom il beameth.
They are also brown and the proverb says:
Brown eyes bad eyes Just what power the
gypsies attribute 10 these eyes Of Miss Laurel
is not easy to be ascertained by talking with
her relatives. because they are not free with
their profounder convictions nor fluent in
giving reasons as in stating mere facts. But
there seems to be some connection between tn
eyes and the offerings Of gold ana silver.
Indeed what rather spoils Col ten Laurel A.
a romantic figure is that her story depends upon
the credibility Of her own family. which is not
above suspicion Her mother a very ine type
Of a gypsy woman. with broad. high check
boned face and ruddy brown complexion, VIII
tell you, in a strongly marked WesseX dialect
that would be invaluable for public readings OF
Tess of the DUr3ervilles" that her own
mother. "Snaky Mary" said to be ninety-four
years old. was corn in Egypt. Later on she
mixes up Jerusalem and Cairo in the family
history When "Snaky Mary has been pro-
ptiated with cigar she herself will talk with
afectionate reminiscence Of Weymouth and the
Isle Of Portland and the smugglers there, Groom
an old Dorsetshire ballad about the death Of a
poacher. and tell you that her father was an
Englishman-she, too. using with native ease
a dialect which Mr. Thomas Hardy did not find
either in Cairo or in Jerusalem.
The turn which the conversation Of the elders
Of the band seems 10 take most easily in mo-
ments Of non-mystical relaxation is very much
what might be expected of DevCnshire and Dor
setshire country folk who have long been away
from home-of lanes and furze bushes and
poaching and the difference between the game
and the "varmint' in England and in America
And altogether, in spite Of the poetic atmosphere
that unquestonably hangs about Golden Lau-
rel' and her people, one cannot help wondering
after talking to them. how much Of the poetry
about them is genuine and how much Is manu-
factured for commercial purposes. Certain II
is that the Romany knows the money value OF
the mystery of his race as an attraction to the
summer suburbanite. They are by no means
averse. as a people to newspaper notoriety. and
rather like to be photographed, although Golden
Laurel" in particular is capricious and coy
. which is the reason why she tried 10 hide be
hind the family stovepipe when the family group
was being taken
New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
P4R4DOXICAL.
: ii Free Press.

From The petIJi Free Press.
Doctor" said the patient who runs TO use
less philosophical cOntemplations, ague, II ap-
pears to me. is one Of natures contradictions.
How SOP"
1T gives you the shake. and yet It stays right
with YOU"
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12

variety. Perhaps the most undesirable
quality of the blue stem wheat is it's
strong tendency to shell when ripe. It
cannot be allowed to stand in the field
when ripe more than half as long as
fife without sever loss from Smelling.
The chaff is so open, also, that it ex-
poses the grain in the shock, often
causing a lowering Of the grade from
bleaching.
The amount Of seed per acre which
will give best results varies widely
with the soil and season when the
ground was moist during the time for
stooling. Three pccks of seed per acre
have sometimes produced as heavy a
yield as six pecks. Soil conditions af-
feet the results in the same way, the
one which gives the best conditions for
stooling requiring the lightest seeding.
As a result Of trials covering a number
Of years, the Agricultural College in.
vestigations have decided upon one
bushel and four quarts as the amount
which will give the best yield as an
average for n series of years. Lighter
soils may do better with heavier seed
ing. The same Investigators have found
that rs a result Of seven years trial
they have obtained an average of one
bushel per acre heavier yield Of wheat
from land which has been fall plowed
than they have from land plowed in
the spring.
Comparisons of early and late seed
Ing Of wheat show results favorable
to early seeding, and the students Of
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12
Indian Corn.

Indian corn is an American plant,
and is one Of the most valuable to the
farmer. It has adapted itself to q
wide range Of conditions, and by rea-
son Of this fact, together with the
readiness with which it crosses, has
run into an endless number of varieties
with more OF less of difference. There
are but three classes which came into
competition for favor as feed pro-
ducers. They are the dent. flint and
sweet kinds. The flint varieties have
adapted themselves to the northern
portion of the corn belt and succeed
there generally better than the dent
kinds. The American Indian was quite
a NJ grower at the time America
was discovered. Columbus reported
having seen n cornficld eighteen miles
long upon his second visit to America,
in 1i9S. King Philips tribe Of Indians
had a considerable acreage Of corn Mt
the time of King Philips war. The
Puritans are said to have taken a field
Of corn. consisting Of 200 acres and
harvested the corr for themselves.
That Is supposed to be the original
source Of the variety Of corn known
as "King Philip" Following is a list
~ 20 Va liz StlINl DtSl v IN
ing varieties of corn: Mercer flint,
Minnesota flint. improved Rca or white
flint. King Philip, northwestern dent,
Gehn.
Trials made by seeding tip, center
and butt kernels separately show no
material difference in the yield from
the different kinds. They had best be
thrown out from the seed in Smelling,
however, as they are smaller than the
other kernels, and are likely to cause
uneven ana too thick seeding. TRY
seed corn by sprouting it in a box of
earth before seeding time. as 1t is ea.
silly spoiled for seed by careless treat.
ment during the time it is stored.
Seed corn stored above n grain bin or
above where animals are confined In
winter, Is likely to fail to grow. Seed
corn must be dried out by artificial
heat or other means before hard freeZ-
ing weather occurs in the fall, or it
Will almost surely fail to grow. Seed
corn more than two years old will
largely fail to terminate, and two.
year-old Seed must be planted extra
thick, as a small percentage of it will
not grow. About five inches is the
best depth to plow land for corn, as
learned by the common experience of
corn-growers. Fall blowing is better
for 1t than spring-plowed land. The
ground should be free from weeds ut
the time Of seeding the grain, and a
loose seed bed should also be proyid.
ed. Corn a safely be seeded when
the soil Is warm enough to plant the
late vegetation, or when the surface
soil is about 55 degrees. Fab. The old
Indian sign Of planting corn, when the
white oak leaves were the size Of q
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12

ing, viz, drilling in half Of the saed
grain by driving one way and the re-
naming portion by crossing the first
drill marks. has its advantages; 1t will
probably show in the resulting crop,
but at the same time it probably costs
more in labor than the extra yield
would pay for. A few excellent farm
ers follow that practice, but they are
careful and painstaking men, and one
cannot compare their yields with those
Of their neighbors, for in many other
ways are their practices and methods
usually superior. which would cause a
difference in their favor in the yield.
The shoe chain and the shoe press
drill advocates have their wordy bat
ties regularly without either having
fully vanquished the other. 1t is an
open secret, really, that neither is ST.
perior to the other in its work in. all
ways and under all conditions. The
chain drill advocate recites the fact
that he can seed wheat on land In
which there r muddy soft spots,
where the press wheels Of his oppo-
nent's drill will pick the dirt off Of the
wheat and the press drill man answers
that no n has any business to seed
land when 1t Is in that condition, and
that when land is fit to seed the press
wheels will work nicely. He then
takes the aggressive and says that his
drill plants the seed and firms the dirt
over 1t, causing the moisture to rise
from the soil below, which will sprout
the grain quickly and evenly. He fur
ther states that when spring frost
strikes a field Of wheat an inch and a
half high, that that seeded with the
press drill Is growing in little burrows
left by the track of the wheel and Is
thus afforded some protection from it.
The shoe chain man then says, yes,
that that rising of moisture scheme is
all right. but it don't stop with the seed
wheat, but goes off into the air and Is
lost entirely to the crop. Then the
press wheel mar explains that he neg.
lccted to say that wheat stems growing
through that tirmed soil will loosen It
sufficiently that a mulch condition Is
re-established, which prevents any con.
siderable loss Of moisture by evapora.
ton after a few days from the time
the wheat begins to come through the
soil. Both have told truths and the
two have produced the arguments pro
and con in the case.
Flax,
Like wheat, flax is older than human
history, and was used for fibre as far
back as we have any record. Much
prejudice against flax exists. One rea.
son for it, probably is, that some of
our worst weeds We're introduced in
flax, among which are Russian cactus
and mustard. Another reason is that
It is supposed to be very hard on land.
Flax Is not a good weed fighter, es.
pecially when young. and the practice
of sowing it late and Of not having the
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12

squirrels foot. is a good one, excep,
that the white oak trees are some
times lacking. The white oak does
not put out its leaves until the soil is
pretty well warmed in the spring
Plant corn an inch to an inch and 4
half deep. Run a light sp~ike-toothed
harrow over the ground before the corn
plants are up, and repeat the treat.
ment at intervals of about five or sew.
en- days, until the corn is four or five
inches high. Three or four cultiva.
lions with the c%ultivatOr are usually
sufficient.
Corn is a surface-feeding plant, and
should be cultivated shallow, rather
than deep. Three inches should be
the maximum depth. and two inches is
a safer depth to which to limit the
cultivator. Eagle-claws, bell-tongues,
spring-tooth and similar forms Of
shovels. are much more satisfactory
for c%ultivating corn than are the large,
pointed shovels used so persistently for
so many years. Towers %cultivators,
and a few other similar forms for
shallow c%ultivating, also do excellent
work. There are two serious objec.
tons to the pointed, wide shovels.
First, they run too deep and prune off
too many corn roots. Specimen hills
Of corn in the college class rooms.
showing the root systems in natural
state, show not only a surprising mum
Der Of roots extending through and
occupying the soil quite fully to a
depth Of four feet, but they show the
further fact that they develop early.
and that they run along Ouite close IL
the surface, SO that the soil near the
top contains large numbers Of them.
Second, the pointed. large-shovel digs
out a furrow which is but partially
covered with loose crumbs of dirt, and
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12
ezaaaGEy
'iCQLLEGE

grain for horses which the world has
produced, no other grain being so safe
nor giving so much of mettle and vigor.
Barley.
Barley. like wheat. was grown bv
the people Of the Old World for food
as far back as history gives us infor-
nation.
It has adapted itself to as wide a
range Of conditions perhaps as any
commonly cultivated plant. The COM
MOI classification of barley includes
four kinds or classes. as follows: list,
two-rowed barley; I'd, six-rowed bar
ley. Sd. white. hnlless barley: 4th.
black, hulless barley. Students at the
college are Informed that the best
yielding kinds, among more than twen-
ty which have been grown in trials at
the experiment station. are as follows:
Mansury. Highland Scotch. Highland
chief. champion Of Vermont. Chevalier.
Mansury has made n considerably bet
ter showing than any of the other
kinds. Barley is used largely for brew
ing, and for that purpose must be
bright, as strain ID barley gives an "off''
color to the beer. It is an excellent
grain for fattening stock, being second
only to corn for that purpose, and 10
worth only about eight per cent less
than corn for fattening animals.
Seed 1t at the rate Of two bushels per
acre on land suitable for wheat. Prep
aration Of the ground and seeding
should be the same as recommended
for wheat. 1t is probably a better
weed fighter than wheat or oats. by
reason of the fact that it grows thicker
and stronger and tends to choke out
some weeds; and again by reason Of
ripening earlier, prevents some weeds
from ripening their seeds. which might
ripen If allowed to stand until wheat
or oats had matured.
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12

ground free from weeds at the time of
seeding 1t has resulted in many weeds
rlpenlng In flax. Land should be scru-
pulously clean from weeds Mt the time
the flax Is seeded in order that It NAV
at least have an equal chance with
them.
In selecting seed for planting, in
spect 1t carefully for mustard and Rus
sian thistle seed. This can best be
done by spreading a handful of it out
thin upon a white sheet of paper or a
white board. There are two varieties
OF flax commonly recognized; me-,
called common. and the other, Russian
flax. The Russian seed Ia n little
larger than the common and slightly
grayish In tint. It Is probable that it
yields a little heavier than the common
max A good crop Of flax takes prac-
tically the same amount and the same
kinds of plant food from the soil as n
crop Of wheat does.
AT the experiment station farm fax
has shown no bad results upon follow
ing wheat crops. and in one case where
max was grown continuously upon a
piece OF land for three years the first
crop was the least Of the three and the
last was as heavy as the second one.
A crop of wheat upon this land the
fourth year showed no bad effects from
the three preceding fax crops; in fact.
Land having had no other change from
wheat. gave a higher yield than a sim
liar plat which had no change from
the wheat. Flax should be planted as
early as danger from frost is past.
which Is a little earlier than corn can
be safely planted.
Seed at the rate Of two to three pecks
per acre at from one to two inches
deep. Flax which is grown for fibre
should be sown thicker than for seed,
90 as to prevent branching, which d.
Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-12

the college are told that it Is probable
that at least part Of the difference in
yield in favor of fall, as compared with
spring blowing, has come from the fall
plowed land having by the nature Of
things, been seeded earlier than spring
plowed land. Spring frosts seem to
cause wheat little if any more damage
than would come were so much growth
cut off with a sharp instrument, while
n frost before it is fully ripe in the
fall often makes the difference between
No. 1 hard wheat and rejected stuff,
fit only for stock feed. Where no dan
ger from frost occurs the season at the
time Of filling is likely to be drier for
late sown grain than for early, and
thus cause a falling off in yield.
Subsoiling Land eight inches deep has
given nearly a bushel better yield per
acre, but the cost at a fair price was
ffty-two cents greater, which Leaves
the profit from the operation small, If
indeed there be a balance Of profit in
favor Of the practice.
Narrowing the ground after the plow
has given good results at the college
and good preparation in the way Of
loosening the seed bed with the harrow
has also proven advantageous. Deep
blowing for w~heat-seven inches-has
given better yields upon tho college
farm than has shallow blowing, thir-
teen inches deep. Cultivating wheat
at the experiment station during the
last two years has proved to be a de-
cidedly losing venture. They were both
reasons with a good amount Of mois-
ture, however, which would show less
favorable to the practice than would
the ordinary season. Six to seven
inches has proven the best width apart
for the drills Of wheat. Drills with the
shoes closer together clog badly and
the yield 10 not increased. Cross drill.