Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-04-25

being struck by lightning during the
progress of a midwinter thunderstorm.
A meteorological freak Of this type
does not occur once in the course of
dozen years.
After one has gone the rounds of the
many high sounding, hifalutin, predi-
gested breakfast foods it is relief to
sit down now and then to bowl OF
good old fashioned cornmeal mush or
dish of hulled corn-the kind that
mother used to make.
An Illinois man reports 278 pigs
from nineteen sows in ten months.
The breed was Berkshire, and the av-
erage number of pigs per SOW was
nearly fifteen. Hog cholera is the only
consideration that would prevent real
izing handsome profits on such prop
ositi0n as this.
The difference between yield of
thirty five and seventy-fve bushels of
corn per acre from the same land Is
due to difference in seed, difference In
preparation of the seed bed and differ-
ence in cultivation. Along all these
lines the man comes in, and he 1t Is
who largely determines whether the
yield is large or small.
A Worcester (Nlass.) farmer Is re-
ported to have had portions of two
sticks of dynamite eaten by rats. with
the result that he waged very gin
gerly. fearful warfare on them for
some time afterward He did not dare
to kill them with clubs or set traps
In their runways. SO far as reported
the rats seem to have stood the dyna-
mite diet in first rate shape.
A number Of farmers and stockmen
in the vicinity where the writer lives
have within the past few weeks lost
several head of cattle as q. result of
their slipping on the ice covered
ground and breaking one or more legs
each. In number of instances the
loss might have been prevented If the
owner had scattered ashes literally on
the approaches leading to the stable
doors.
Fear of man on the part Of wild an
imals is largely a cultivated or ac-
quired instinct. Numerous cases are
on record where men going among an
finals that had never seen human be-
ings before have found them remarka
bly, tame and almost Indifferent and
obliyious to mans approach, while the
same characteristics have been noted
in the case of animals especially pro-
tected by law.
Residents in and about Chippeway
Falls, Wis, are reported to have in
duIged in a bear drive recently. The
depredations of the brutes in midwin-
ter are explained by the fact that the
weather has been so mild that they
have come forth from their hibernat-
ing haunts and, being up and about,
have been compelled to look around
for something to eat. Sheep and
calves have been their chief prey.
During the year past the, price Of
hogs on the Chicago market has ruled
nearly a dollar per hundredweight
higher than for the preceding year,
and packers attribute 1t to the fact
that hog raisers and shippers are be-
coming more conservative and do not
rush their hogs to market indiscrimi-
nately, as they have often done In
years previous. In any event, what
ever the cause, 1t has been all right
from the standpoint Of the granger.
We were told the other day Of fell
low who gave his fine horses the best
Of care and engaged the services of a
veterinary surgeon if there was any
evidence of collie or distemper, but
who would at the same time let his
wife and children lie sick for days
without summoning a physician. We
suppose this was due to the fact that
from his standpoint the horses were
worth S175 per head while the mem-
bers of his family were needless ex-
pense.
A good many young married cou-
pies find out as the little ones come
| Into the home that no two Of them
can be handled In just the same way.
One young husband who vowed before
the baby came that he would never
rock a baby to sleep told us not long
since that he would sit astride the
ridge board Of the house on winter
night and rock the baby to sleep do
anything, in fact, to secure the desired
result. The youngsters develop dis
position and personality at remark
I ably early stage, and whenever they
appear 1t has to be reckoned with.