The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-03
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

The boxes containing the testimony in
the Butler-Hortoni contested election case
were opened yesterday(by Clerk Mcdowell,
of the House of Representatives. Mr..
Mcdowell was enjoying himself in the
West last week. but was obliged to come
nearly a thousand miles to Washington
in order to be present, according to the
custom. at the opening of the cases con-
tanning the testimony Only one side
that of the contestant-has been filed, but
it fills four good-sized boxes two of them
four feet long and over two feet wide
The boxes contain ballots and ballot
boxes. as wei! as the written dispositions.
The contestants side is set forth in about
1900 pages of typewritten foolscap
pages. Nothing has been filed as yet on
the side of the defendant. The contest is
from the Twelfth Missouri district. The
validity of the election of ]. J. Butler, a
Democrat, is questioned by his Republi-
can opponent. w. NJ. II. Horton. Mr..
Butler is a thorough going politician and
the owner of one Of the st. Louis variety
theatres, the Standard. The contest is
based on alleged repeating and illegal vot-
ing in other ways. The entire testimony
will be printed. and Mr.. Mcdowell has
sent the typewriter contents of the
boxes to the Public Printer.
Laborers are now engaged in putting
the coping around the pedestal which will
some day support the Sherman statue.
The grounds will be ready whenever the
statue comes, If Colonel Bingham can
accomplish it. The plan for the parking
which surrounds the pedestal includes
good deal of alteration in the grade. and
when everything is cleared away and the
statue is put in place, it will be one of the
Ia
will stand at the south end of the Treas
ury, surrounded by a large space of park
ing. with a background of trees. The
space around 1t will be brought to a level
and will be traversed by gravel paths:
The present condition of the ground
makes 1t necessary to place some parts
of the coping on piers in order to bring
it to the level IL must take when the space
has been filed in. This part of the work
will be taken I'D in few months.
There are numberless little things of in
terest hidden away in obscure corners of
the grounds around the Agricultural De-
partment buildings. In the midst OF a
clump of pine trees, near the main build
ing are two rows of bee hives. The bees
in these hives are called Cyprians, and
though they are quick to defend their
hives against the smaller enemies who
attack them and kill them of, they rarely
sting men unless upon great provocation.
There is only one kind of bee more good
tempered. 1t is the Carniolan, and behind
a greenhouse near the pine trees is to
be found group of Carniolan hives. The
bees do not belong to the Department of
Agriculture, but are the property of
Frank Benton, assistant entomologist of
the department in special charge of api-
culture. He is conducting experiments for
cultivation, breeding and protection of
bees His special work recently has been
to find out the ability of certain bees for
pollination of plants, which is necessary
for plant reproduction and for fruit bear
ing. 80
The work along this3line has been made
necessary because of the destruction,
through some means not yet understood,
of the humble bee through which the
red clover crop is pollinated and repro
duced. Farmers whose main crop is red
clover have found it falling off each year,
and this is now attributed to the disap-
pearance of the humble bee. The Depart
ment of Agriculture has been casting
about for some insect or bee which will
take the place of the disappearing species
Through correspondence and through ex-
periments it has been found that the
great Indian honey bee is adapted for
the work, and an attempt will be made
to import 1t and TO cultivate it. This bee |
is native of the Philippines, and from
United States. Mr.. Benton has been in
structed to prepare for trip to the Phil
ippines. to Investigate conditions af APT |
culture there and to bring back the great |
Indian honey bee for culture in the |
United States.
General satisfaction is expressed in
Washington over the appointment of O. L. |
Pruden, Assistant Secretary to the Presi- |
dent, to be major and paymaster in the |
army. Major Pruden is familiar figure |
around the Capital and has been iden-
tified with the White House staff for |
nearly thirty years. He has the distinc-
ton of having delivered the messages of |
seven Presidents to Congress and has |
been entrusted with more official secrets
than any other man in Washington.
Djellad Bey. the new First Secretary of |
the Turkish Legation in this city, has
the reputation of being the handsomest
man in Turkey. He is six feet four inches
in height, weighs 800 pounds. and is said
to be one of the most gifted linguists
In Europe.