davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
Diamonds Improved by Radium.

The influence of raido-emanations
on the constitution of matter is very
curiously illustrated in some recent
experiments made by Sir William
Crookes. According to the results, II
-radium comes to be common COM
modify among us some dismay may
be caused to those who wear dia-
monds on finding thar the carbon
crystal under the influence Of radium
threatens to return to its less attrac-
tive form Of graphite or crystalline
black carbon. On the other hand, ra-
dunn may turn out to be diamond
improyer."
1t is well known that radium ema-
nations possess the property of dark
ening transparent bodies upon which
they impinge; and now Sir William
Crookes has shown that this also
holds good in the case of diamonds.
The emanations not only convert the
surface into graphite but alter the
color of the body Of the stone. 1t is
therefore suggested that this observa-
ton may prove to be Of commercial
Importance. For example. "if OF
color stones can be lightened their
value will increase. while II the pro-
longed action of radium Is to commu-
nicate to them a decided color they
would be worth much more as fancy
stones" This may add considerably
to the business Of the jeweler who,
for consideration, might undertake
to submit "off jewels" to burial in ra-
dunn for season.-The Lancet.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
A Use for Reindeer Hair.


The attention of textile manufact-
urers has been attracted by recent
report Of the United States Consul
General at Frankfort, Germany, set
ting forth the adaptability of reindeer
hair or wool for the manufacture of
textile fabrics. The Laplanders have
long used it for the manufacture Of
a coarse blanket, but it's peculiar prop
critics are. it is thought, especially
suitable for use in bathing suits.
The hair of the reindeer IL not hol-
low throughout like that of most
other animals. butts partitioned of
into innumerable small compartments
filled with compressed air. The walls.
of these compartments are SO tough
that they are not broken up in the
process of manufacture, SO that a
cloth of reindeer wool consists of
millions Of little pockets Of condensed
air surrounded by an impervious COW
ering. This cloth is practically water
proof, as well as exceedingly buoyant.
Philadelphia Record.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
Keep Up III. Milk Flow.

Every dairyman knows that when
a COW is allowed. through lack Of sue
culent food. to fall OF in her milk, 1t
IL impossible to again bring her back
to the original dow. no matter how
bountifuliy she 10 fed. Even II the
food costs more than the milk during
the summer drought, 1t 10 best to keep
II up II It is intended to milk the COW
through the fall and winter. To al
low the milk yield to run down 10
to court double loss The loss Of
the milk ID something, but II the milk
Is going to "a creamery that Is cooper
alive in any phase the lessened sup
ply from all the patrons will increase
proportionately the cost Of making
butter and thus force further loss on
the patron. Unfortunately on most Of
our farms 1t Is looked upon as the
regular thing to have the COWS fall
on in their milk at this time of year.
and nothing is done to prevent It.
This not doing anything Is the hardest
thing to overcome when we are trying
to induce the adoption Of methods
that will insure the continuation OF
the low OF milk during early summer
through the hot weather. This 10 a
hard period for our creamery men, but
the loss always gets back to the farm
ers in the end. This should be remem-
bered and measures taken to insure
different results.-St. Louis Republic.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
SUMMER BOOKS.

Besides the real outdoor books
there are others suitable for the days
when all nature is inviting the chill
dren to playtime. There are books
Of lightness in style and subject that
may be taken up and put down again
without serious interruption to your
enjoyment Of them. Such are best
suited for your general summer read
ing, when you are likely to be called
at any moment to make one in four.
some, or in tennis doubles, to 60 for
a walk with lover of flowers, or to
ramble along the brookside with the
seeker Of specimens for an aquarium.
The time spent outdoors will never
make you the worse reader of good
books. All the greatest writer's have
loved nature, and you will appreciate
them the more for knowing more in
timately the beauties of nature. He
who spends all his time over books
and none out of doors Is but half q
student. From Books and Reading"
In BIT. Nicholas.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
How the House Happened,


Eyes" said Mr.. Mutt, at was rather
odd, the way CANA. to rebuild my
house. You see, Mrs. Mutt was in
town one day and happened to buy
very handsome hall lamp-one of
the kind that stands on the post of
the stair banisters," and then, says
London Tit-Bits, he went on to de-
scribe the development Of the house:
well, as soon as she got the lamp
home. we saw that 1t was too large
for The style Of stairs, 80 had to
get the carpenters to come in and
widen them and put in new balus-
trades and posts, and set them over
more toward. the center of the hall.
When that was done the hall didn't
look like hall at all, and had to
have the carpenters tear out the walls
and make the old dining room into
a new hall.
Then, of course, the kitchen had
to be torn away and rebuilt at the
back of the house, so that the old
kitchen would do for a sitting room,
and there had to be new dining
room built to match the finish in the
hall. And when things got SO far we
saw at once that we had to have a
library of the hall, and then the We
randa had to go to make room for
the library, and my pet rose bushes
came up to give chance to build the
new yeranda,
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
work Horse in Hot weather.

WORK nOF06 IN MOT WG0tnefs
How many drivers are there who
think that horse would be more COM
Portable IL his harness 10 taken Of
when he comes in hot, tired and
sweaty from forenoon's work? Just
as man likes to take OF his hat, boots
and sweaty stockings after tramp
behind the harrow, 50 the team is re-
freshed by being Embarrassed. A horse
is never so hot that a half-pail full of
water will injure him, and 1t is cruel
custom to put the horse In. close
stall without sup Of water to cool
his parched mouth, while the driver
goes to lIquidate at the pump. It "
considered unwise to allow horse to
drink large quantity Of water just
before or Immediately after eating.
BY giving them pail full Of water on
coming in from the field the horses will
relish their hay, and by the time they
are Embarrassed another pail full may
be given and grain fed. Then, before
going to the field, allow them to drink
az much as desired. And this will be
more nearly the proper quantity than
II permitted to ill upawhen first COM
ing in from the field. A horse Is too
valuable to neglect, and careful at
teRtion not only pays in his increased
usefulness. but an animal which stands
so high in the scale Of intelligence is
entitled to humane treatment-Ex-
change.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
~eo@~


Points In Corn Growing.
The art of raising corn 10 summed
up in Indiana Farmer: The cut Of
corn plants In row distance part is
shown for the purpose of impressing
the reader with the importance of bet
Der methods of cultivation than those
formerly pursued; In other words. to
show the necessity of shallow level
cultivation after the corn plant ID 4
few feet high.
This country has the only produc-
tive and profitable corn belt in the
world. The demand and increasing
price Of corn in the last ave years
have raised the annual production to
about 1000 100000 bushels, and yet
the average per acre for the whole
country is only PAP bushels. 1t is a
rather remarkable fact that on the
poor soils of New England the aver
age production per acre is largest.
This 10 doubtless due to the fact that
better fertilization, cultivation and
seed election 10 practiced there. 1t
Is very well known that there IL great
advantage in seed selection. Many
instances Of this have shown that on.
the same quality Of soils fifteen BUSH
els per acre have been produced, more
than where the work of selecting seed
was neglected. Again, 1t has been
shown that corn growing on lands the
previous year in leguminous crops has
greatly increased in production.
The best corn growers now begin
cultivation with weeders or harrows
before, or by the time, the corn be-
gins to appear above the ground, this
both for the purpose Of destroying the
terminating weeds as well az to put
the soil in better condition for corn
growth. 1t is always important that
the ground be stirred after rains,
where crust forms and starts rapid
evaporation Of the moisture. It Is
well settled now that good dust
mulch of two or three inches depth
10 one of the things necessary in corn
cultivation.
Formerly deep cultivation was prac-
ticed, but 1t is now seen that this was
a mistake. When the crop is three
or four feet high the ground begins to
mat with the fine fibrous roots which
extend from row to row, as shown in
the cut. When six to eight feet high
these mo root feeders Of the plant
have made a complete mat between
the rows. In deep cultivation. reach
ing down to Ave or six inches, these
fine plant feeders are broken of. and
growth toward maturity, is checked.
OF course, new fibrous roots will form
from those broken, but loss is sus-
tanned and never fully recovered. It
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
HOW LADY WAS TAI1GHT

I.od,, wos eno odd,. -
/, $500 vac - ~. 'auuie nolse' anu
a. 49, .ou AZ. no e.. ou. my ene country.
~ ~ 49, sa , 49, 1n =, '. "a, seA aions
sae eaeen ian &c. 90 wei as uia, pue
s So Wv ~ ~. t. 1e on n eiey slsnes anu
d.. 9 x ma s. nsf nearel nome ,l.
: -, $50. $3.50 W 10y @ tno.
o. a.. ~ .m Nv. ~ leat mem.
49,. A 10. - y, 81, Mon her toye anu
~ 80 ~ ns a."ays seh.ie .na f Alnu
str,,a,. -. nou. =. n -
nj. ..;sr,.o. 49, ~" tna' .n~t wou.u
.a, .us. nel moie thah ever.
th,,na 49,. , mn - We osme - any
49, s,a. W.. t.eu ~, anu iaaue ner
sss -. soo.heu ner Wy voice
az AZ 49,. tnen laseu nel eoWaru
sad ~ naas.,as,' 1891 Wne. sue
~, So .ooA a. ~ n1ue hei
90 o. ~. " go. ~ ~ anu snen eeop
~. and +a,,.;na - I'm ~ @ pas
nraaa I'm at,n " nel on .ne ''me'
.onnhaa !. ~, -, e.o un., sne
= 1 ,,a,',a :. o; aa saw iol uerseli .na'
=, th,H .na,s Uni, ~ a. nol ul'e nel.
ar,a.In NV ,,,o. 80 81, ne y pass
tar hoxes ,t es y, Da,es' u1one nor
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
ouEER INDUSTRIES.
Alligator Farms, Elk Pastures, Skunk
Ranches and Leech Ponds.


Ranches and Leech Ponds.
1t was not until the buffaloes were
practically extinct that 1t became
generally known that buffalo robes"
were exceedingly warm and desirable.
Whalebone has, of course, increased
in price with the development of the
methods of hunting. The story of
ivory and elephants is much the same.
Now comes story from Florida that
a number of French dealers ara on
the way to the Southern swamps TO
secure supply of healthy young ALI
gators for breeding purposes. 1t is
proposed, according to a Florida au-
thority, to establish in the south of
France a farm for the propagation
Of the saurians. Alligator skin IL
made into leather that seems to strike
the French aesthetic taste as the
neatest for all forms Of ornamental
work, as we'll as for bags and shoes.
1t is not generally known, perhaps,
that number of industries quite rs
queer as alligator farming have been
established in this country. A Yer.
mont man is said to make $4,000 a
year raising elk, and New York
newsboy number of years ago went
West and in time had an extensive
elk pasture at the foot of the Rocky
Mountains. He got customers from
the owners of game preserves all
over the country, and found it difficult
to supply the demand. The man who
proposes to establish skunk ranch
in the South said Of his plan: 1.-THE
skunks feed upon anything SO long
as it is good. but they like grass
hoppers better than anything else.
After being killed and skinned the
skunk is roasted over slow fire for
its oil. This usually sells for IS a
gallon to druggists. The black skins
fetch about SLIPS. A skunk will yield
from one to three pints of oil. The
average is about quart" The leech
farmer has no<such cheerful word. II
IS trS.es that leeches feedSupon "any
thing SO long as It k good, = but but tEsAae el
have decided that few things arr
good. In spite, therefore, Of the fac
that fine, hungry leech has goot
market value. there are only fiyt
farms where they are cultivated ii
the country.-New York Post.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
Grandmother at Thlrty-four.

"The wife of Brooklyn Alderman
has Just had the rare experience of
becoming grandmother at thirty
six"
The above paragraph, which appear.
ed in The Express recently, has pro
vided an instant challenge from q
lady who lives near Brighton.
lis this unusual?" she asks. II was
married at fifteen. l had daughter
at sixteen. She married at seventeen
and she had a child nearly year
afterward.
Therefore was grandmother at
thirty-four. had four children be-
fore l was twenty-one, and have had
none since. Now am forty-two. Ny
girls are all grown up, so we are like
five sisters, and as happy as Queens.
Three Of my daughters are mar
ried. and have two grandsons.
Il could not resist the challenge
implied in your paragraph, seeing that
i could SO distinctly go one better
than the American grandmother"
Our correspondents achievement Is
heroic. But she will probably not be
astonished to find, in spite Of the OBJ
vious surprise Of her question, that
she has very few competitors in Eng
land.
The lady was married at fifteen.
Now, in all England at the time of
the last census there were only thirty
wives Of that age. This is not conclu-
sive, Of course. If the census were
taken annually, 1t might show thirty
wives at the age of fifteen every
year.
Against that, however, is to be set
the extreme improbability of Juvenile
marriage extending to the second gem
Grafton. 1t no more follows that the
daughter Of a girl Of seventeen will
herself be a mother at seventeen
than it follows that the first born OF
a woman of forty will not be mother
until she is forty herself.
Such records as that of the, lady
in the vicinity of Brighton are more
common in countries like Australia
where young girls mature into womeI
while still very young. In India q
woman who was not grandmother
until she was thirty-six would be re
garded as an eccentricity. Two In
every five of the female population
| Of India are married before they are
fifteen.-London Express.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
A CATS PAPER BOOTS.

Did you ever put paper boots on
your cat? That Is what Dicks play
mates did to him. was one of them,
and it was great fun even for Dick
himself. His feet were tied up in
smooth paper and then he was set
down on the floor. Then q spool tied
to a string was put before him. Dick
loved to play with spools, and was
quick to catch them. He liked to
play ball with them or make believe
they were mice to be tossed or wor-
ried. But when Dick tried to catch
the spool with his paper boots on it
was funny sight. His legs went
wherever they chose. They did not
care what he wanted at all. Each
foot went skating by itself, and left
poor Dick fiat on the floor. He kick
ed, rolled over and over, and was the
most puzzled cat you ever saw. He
looked at that lively spool, winked
at 1t, snatched at it, but could neve-
catch 1t. He thought that it was the
queerest spool he had ever seen, and
that his feet were the queerest things
he had ever owned. - From Helen
Harcourt's Stories of Ny Pets" in
st. Nicholas.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
IRyeeER cuLrIvArIoN IN SIAM.
Experiment Thought to Prove Very
Satisfactory In It's Results.

Experiment Thought to Prove Very
Satisfactory in Its Results.
Consul General Paul Nash, writing
from Bangkok, Siam, says that the
cultivation Of rubber in that country,
has only recently been started, some
thousands of plants having been set
out as an experiment He says:
"These plants of the Para variety
(hevea brasiliensis) are said to be
doing exceedingly well, although be-
lieve they have had no especial care,
but have been planted indiscriminate-
~ in various places and under vary
ing conditions of moisture, sun, etc.
1t is still too soon to tell what the
Ultimate result of this venture will be,
but am Of the opinion that 1t will
prove highly successful. There is,
however, one thing to fear, namely,
the new so-called disease, which I
hear has developed in the Para rubber
plantations Of the Malay peninsula.
can learn nothing definite about thls
pest except that 1t attacks the leaves
and is very destructive.
I'm this connection 1t may be inter-
esting to note two Of the rubber-pro-
ducing plants Indigenous to Siam.
The more important of these is the
6cus elastica, 30 much used in tho
United States for ornamental purposes
and found in large quantities in the
Siamese Jungle and throughout India
and Indo- China generally. Rubber ia
collected from these trees by the sim
PIE process of making longitudinal
scaridcations in the bark, from which
the coagulated milk il taken in long
strips. 1t is said that plant six
years old will yield four pounds Of
rubber annually Of quality which
could be sold in London at about 80
cents per pound, but this price appears
to me to be trifie exaggerated.
The other rubber-producing plant
of known commercial value is a creep.
er Of great size, probably one Of the
urceola either o.. esculenta or U.
classical, although from certain de-
scriptions am sometimes inclined to
believe 1t to be Willughbeia. These
creepers, whatever they may be, yield
a fair quality Of rubber, produced by
cutting them into sections two or
three feet long and collecting tho
juice, which is subsequently boiled for
a moment in water and Immediately
coagulates into a viscous mass, which
has to be dried by smoking over d fire
before Il can be handled. The bark ia
also used. and upon being pounded
and boiled gives about 10 per cent Of
a rather inferior rllbter.n f+, -5-4
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
Whore Bullets Must stop.
I series Of Interesting firing trials

A series Of interesting firing trials
was recently undertaken by the
Swedish government. The purpose Of
these experiments was to examine the
effect of shooting against pasteboard.
The trials were conducted on the
wharves Of the Swedish navy in Karis-
krons, and the target used was a pre-
pared one of millboard, against which
Gre from revolvers. rifles, carbines and
machine guns was directed. The
pasteboard, which was three inches
thick, resisted completely the bullets
fred from the small arms. but was
perforated by the projectiles from the
machine guns. The experiments may
be. said to have given very interesting
results. Bullets from the carbines.
used are able to penetrate wooden
planks five inches in thickness, but
they could not penetrate the paste
hoard, which was only three inches
thick f5. $50
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
THE HApPyrY,No PERSON.
The Delectable individual Who Radi
ates Cheerfulness and Good VIII.

The Delectable Individual Who Radi-
ates Cheerfuiness and Good Wtii.
Mrs. Brown climbed the steps and
dropped YEARLY into one of the big
chairs ON the Hamtltons' piazza. The
Hamtltons were summer people, and
Mrs. Brown had never been twenty
miles away from South Gosport In her
life, but a warm friendship had quick
~ leyeled all distinctions between the
two families.
Yes" Mrs. Brown said, in reply to
her hostess greeting, its been an age
since I've been over. ! know. but we
have been having company; and 'tsn't
that either-I wouldn't have minded
the extra work even with mother sick,
but-well. 1t was Emily Howe, and
you've met Emily. so mebbe you'll un-
derstand. She isn't exactly what you
would call happyfying person"
The Hamiltons understood; they
had exchanged calls with Emily Howe
several times. and always, although
they wefv conscious of nothing but the
sunniest of MENTAL tempers at the be-
ginning OF the call, Its close invariably
found them unaccountably depressed.
Clorlnda, who was young and had not
yet learned the long and gentle art Of
charitable speech. spoke suddenly be-
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
Celerity Of tho Pia mist.

A pianist has to cultivate the eyes
so as to see fifteen hundred signs in
one minute, the fingers to make 1000
movements, and the brain to under
stand all these signs, as well as direct
all these movements. In playing
Weber's motto Perpetuo" pianist
has to read 4,541 notes In less than
four minutes, or nineteen a second,
but the eye can receive only about ten
consecutive Impressions a second. So
that In quick music 1t seems that a
player does not see every note singly,
but In groups, probably bar or more
at one view.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
SHOULD HE COME BACK.

(Translation from Maeterlinck.)
sShould ne come back this way
To seek your gate?"
"Tell him how each long day
/ did but wait"
"And should he question still,
Knowing me not?"
"Pity, as sisters will,
His grievous lot"
"And If he ask your place?
How speak the thing?'
GIVE him (and turn your facet
My golden ring"
"And If he quest the damp,
Dull dwelling o'er?"
"Show him the lightless lamp,
The open door,"
"And if his heart ask wild
How fell your sleep?"
Then tell him that / smiled,
Lest he should weep"
Agnes Lee in The Bookman.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
sixty Kind. Of Book Destroying In.


A French woman who is lover of
books and is willing to spend money
to see them preserved offered a prize
two years ago for the best work on
the insects that injure them and the
best way of exterminating the pests.
The prize. has just been awarded
to G. V. Houlbert, whose essay, it is
said. is the best that was lever writ.
ten on the subject. q He finds that
there are sixty species of insects that
injure books, the worst being the.
minute specimen called the ,anpbium
and its near allies. The so.called
death watch" belongs to thig family.
Fumigation is the means that. be. sing.
gests as the best for, exterminatina
them.-Phiiadelphia Record. "a
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
"1.AZY LAND.n

LAZY LAND"
When the year turns summer ways
Then come my most pleasant days;
Then l lie SO still
Where me sunlight Sits and falls,
And l build my castle walls
On the pine-tree hill.
There lie in Lazy Land"
Where the shadows understand,
Nod and blink and creep;
Nod and tell me fairy tales,
Tell them till the sunlight fails
And 1 fall asleep.
All the crickets, all the bees
Whir a greeting to the trees
AS they slowly pass.
Oh, it's fine to be alive,
Fine to stretch and grow and thrive
In the warm June grass.
Alice Van Leer Skinner, in The
Youths Companion.
Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-14
THE RIGHT WAY TO GET SUN
BURNED.


This is about the time of the year
when legs and arms are sunburned,
due to the carelessness of the boys
and girls who fail to take the pre-
cautions so necessary to avoid the
painful experience.
A simple way to avoid sunbur1 is to
expose your arms and legs gradually.
The first day that you 60 without
stockings or with short sleeves in
the sun do not run about more than
an hour or SO before again DOMINIC
Stockings and covering yesis arms. =
Instead of being blistered as the re.
suit of the exposure, you will find
your skin mas turned pink and later
a mahogany color. Repeat the per-
Torrance after a couple of days and
you will be surprised to see the skin
assume that rich color noted among
sailors and men who live out Of doors
a great deal, without having to un-
dergo the fortunes of sunburn.-
llanta Journal.