smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

WHY'S NEW SLED.-Willy lives at
the top of hill. His father works in
shop at the foot oft. Last winter he
bought Willy new sled 1t is painted
red and its name is 'Snow-bird.


Every noon, when the weather is
pie asant and the sliding good, Willy
puts on his overcoat, jumps upon his
sled, gives a push, and away he goes
down the hill to call his father to din
ner.


'Come, papa, dinners ready" says
Willy. Papa comes out of the shop
Willy hops upon his sled again, hands
papa the cord, and is drawn up the hill,
papa acting as the horse, and Willy as
the driver.


sect up, pony, get up" shouts the
driver.


One day an ox-team was coming up
the hill just as Willy was going down.
Willy could not stop snow-bird neither
could he steer it out of the road. What
should he do?


The man who was driving the oxen
was a kind, good farmer, and had a
little boy at home who called him
papa" When he saw Willy coming
down the hill so fast, he walked ahead
of his team, and caught the sled Just in
time to save Willy from being run over.


From window of his shop, WHY'S
father had seen his little boys danger.
He came running up the hill, all out of
breath, and was very, very glad to find
that Willy was unhurt.


After thanking the kind farmer, he
took seat beside him on the ox-team /;
and the two men talked about their
little boys as they rode along while
Willy, seated on his own little sled,
which he had tied to the big ox-sled,
followed close behind.


And so the strong oxen drew them all
to the top Of the hill.-THc Nursery.
Year: 1874

An INSTRUCTIVE New ToY.-The Jour
nat Of the Franklin Institute, has an
article describing a new philosophical
toy, called the OpeidoscOpe, which is
thus described Take a tube of any
material, from one to two inches in
diameter, and anywhere from two inches
to foot or more in length. Over one
end paste piece of tissue paper or a
thin piece OF rubber, or gold-beaters'
skin. In the center of the membrane,
with a drop of mucilage, fasten bit of
looking glass, not more than an eighth
of an inch square, with the rejecting
side outward.


"When dry take it to the sunshine
and with the open end of the tube at
the mouth, hold the other end so that
the beam of reflected light will fall upon
the white wall or a sheet of paper held
in the hand. Now speak, or sing, or
toot in it. The regular movement of
the beam of light with the persistence
of vision presents very beautiful and
regular patterns, that differ for each
different pitch and intensity, but are
quite uniform for given conditions.


''If a tune like Aud Lang Syne is
footed slowly in it, care being taken to
give the sounds the same intensity, a
series of curves will appear, one for each
sound and alike for a given sound,
whether reached by ascension or de-
scension, SO that it would be possible to
indicate the tune by the curves in
other words, it is a true phonauto-
graph"


The toy is simple enough, but from
such simple contrivances important
philosophical discoveries have often
times had their origin.
Year: 1874

WIZ ARE MALE BIRDS MOST BEAUTI-
FUL ?-Have you ever wondered why
the male of so many species of birds is
so much more highly colored than the
female? A good many persons have
wondered, and formed theories about
it. The one that seems to be most
likely right is this They say, where
the male bird is gay and snowy, he does
not take his turn in sitting on the eggs
to hatch them but where both of the
parent birds are much alike, and both
of sober tint, each takes share in the
work of incubation. 4 bird of dull
color is not easily noticed among the
branches and leaves, or the ground, if
it nests there. You see, if a boy ,rhO
can hit a marx lCith stone so neatly,
should happen, all of sudden, to spy
a bright-red mother bird on a nest, he
would not stop to think before he would
send a pebble speeding after it, and,
when it was too late to think, The beau
GfUL creature might be killed and
how sorry he would feel when he heard
the other bird mourning for his dead
mate, and thought of the pretty eggs,
and TIE little birds that might have been
but for his temptation, and now can
never be. We shall find, as we go on
to study nature, how God takes care for
the preservation OF his creatures. Does
not this care in coloring the sparrow, to
insure her safety, look some like the
answer, before it is said, to the prayer,
LEAD us not into temptation, but de-
liver us from evil ?" And who knows
but this is for the good of the boys as
we'll as the birds %
Year: 1874

In the breeding Of poultry, as in all 9TH
er pursuits, q little care and forethought in-
variably return an apparently dispropor.
tionate result. In the rearing Of poultry,
where the expenditure on each iowl is small
and the material provided comparatively in
expensive we are apt to overlook the small
wastes which occur in the transformation of
the different grains into poultry, but which
aggregate q ute respectable sum.


The opinion that corn is very nourishing
food for fowls is so universal that no further
thought is given to the matter. Ii any one
should suggest that corn would be easier of
digestion if soaked or boiled, he would very
likely receive the answer that corn was moth
ing hard to digest for birds. which swallow
stones and other hard substances without
detriment. A moments thought, however,
will convince that the mill-stones and the
grist are very different things, aud feeding
hard grain, although not exactly like feeding
the millstones with pebbles, bears q certain
likeness to it. The trouble attendant on
the preparation of food, if it is to be cooked,
may indeed seem very disproportionate to
the advantage to be derived from such treat
ment, but in realty little time need be spent,
as before going the rounds Of the nests, lit
tic hot wster may be poured over the grain,
tight cover put on the kettle, and the whole
placed over the stove, where by tho time
your rounds are completed the corn will
have become steamed and mellow, aud have
lost none OF its good qualities. Remember
each hen has a certain amount Of animal
force to be expended every day in some d.
rection, and the less she has to give to di.
costing her food the more she will have to
be expended in reproducing. The advan-
tages of the warm food in winter, when
much food goes toward producing animal
heat to withstand the cold, are twofold-
from the direct action Of the warmth, and
the slower action of the food itself, TO say
nothing OF the. fact that the content pro-
duced by nourishiug food will result in more
eggs, for hen thoroughly at home will lay
many more eggs than a diScoutented one.
We have performed the experiment our
selves, and know that feeding boiled corn
docs pay, and it is as result Of experience
that we offer this plan to our friends.-Far.
mer (Engl
Year: 1874

The following are the concluding para
graphs Of communication from Thos
Whitaker, in the NeiO England Farmer :,
| have been led 70 these remarks through
the discussions which took place few years
ago, growing out Of the remark Of DR.. Lor.
ing's that green corn fodder was the poorest
aud cheapest of feed. The Doctor, IN or.
der to maintain his position, even went SC
far as to say that nothing in the shape OF
grass was Of much value as food, till it be-
gan to mature its seed. Mr.. Wetherell
made reply that if this was so, then the
grass in May or June was OF little account
but results told US different. Is it possible
that two such men could be both right ? Is
il possible that one would be radically
wrong and the other absolutely right Oh
is it not possible that both might have had q
little truth, aud both some error Z The
Doctor had made gushing statement, ID
Beecher, and being willful and stubborn
agriculturist land willy politician,) had tC
defend poor position, and made use of all
kinds of strategy Except the right one,-
the truth,-"I have made mistake"


Having great desire this spring to test
some OF the theories growing out of this dis
cussiOn, fed out, as soon as it was tai
enough to cat, some winter rye. com
menced before the stalk began to spindle
This increased my flow Of milk, which con
tinued to increase till the rye was in the
milk, then it began to decrease aud the cat
tie were slow to eat it. At this time AaC
spring rye just coming into blossom.
commenced to feed this, and Immediately the
flow Of milk increased but when it got in
to the milk, the stalk became wiry, and the
cattle did not eat it well, and the flow o.
milk decreased. At this time l had oatl
just in blossom, which commenced to feed
and again an increased flow Of milk, which
decreased when the grain was in the milk
This fall commenced to feed corn fodder
before there was any appearance Of tassel
The result was an immediate falling off il
milk. | stopped feeding it and gave clover
just coming into blossom; the result was al
increase Of milk. When tho corn tassleC
out aud the silk showed itself, l fed corr
fodder again. This time no falling off ii
milk was apparent; consequently l have
come to the conclusion that the time wher
grass, corn fodder or grain fodder can b.
fed with the best results, is when they arr
in blossom. But to feed at such an exacI
Year: 1874

numerous, but they bear transportation bet
ter, and are more readily acclimated than
when larger. They are moved with q good
deal Of difficulty in hot weather, especially
when the journey requires more than twelve
or fifteen hours. With the most skillful
management there will bo considerable
loss. In the fall months thore is much less
loss.


There is great want of information in
regard to the character Of the water suitable
to this fish, The bass wants clear lively
water with rocky or gravelly bottom, and
the more of il the better. II wants room
for itself and for the poorer kinds of fish,
upon which it feeds voracously. 1t does
well in the mill-ponds upon manufacturing
streams, and if the head waters and reser-
voirs are stocked, they will in few years
be found in all the waters below. They
flourish also in natural ponds of twenty
acres or more. Some decline to stock these
ponds or lakes because they are generally
free to the public. But this is short-sighted
policy. A large pond or lake stocked at
a cost of 800 or 5000, aud protected by
law for Eve years, will furnish better sport
to the gentlemen or company who undertake
the enterprise than they could find in any
small pond of their own. In suitable water
black bass multiply very fast, and, after
they once gain possession, their numbers
can never be very seriously reduced by hook
fishing. The annual spawning will more
than keep up the supply. There are thous-
ands of ponds and lakes in the Northern and
Middle states of from 100 to 1000 acres,
producing only the poorer kinds of fish,
that might easily be stocked with bass, aud
add largely to the food supply Of the people.
1t only needs the efforts of few individuals
in any neighborhood or township to accem
plish this good work. When the funds are
raised, there is little difficulty in procuring
the fish. Fish culture has made such pro-
gress in the Eastern states, that an order for
trout or bass is about as readily filled as an
order for Jerseys or Cotswolds.-ErchGnge
Year: 1874

Ordinarily, six or eight per cent Of adult
fowls will die of disease annually, when they
are kept for profit and given Q stimulating
diet to make them lay as much as possible.
This is not surprising when we reflect that
our domestic fowls are in highly artificial
condition. The production Of large numbers
of eggs is unnatural, being a habit induced
by man, and causes great strain on the
constitution. The artificial supply Of food
in unlimited allowance, with no necessity for
exercise on the part of the fowls, is another
source of disease. In the wild state every
species Of bird must work for living and
procure their food little at q time. 1t may
be observed, also, that during the very part
dant, the wild fowls are kept from laziness
by the necessity of feeding their young, ma
ture having fixed the breeding time in the
flush season as regards forage. Agsn, the
structure of fowls is so changed by ages of
breeding, that the wings and legs, and whole
sets of muscles connected Herewith are
dwarfed by disease; while other portions of
the body are made relatively larger, which
impars the general vigor by destroying to
some extent the natural balance of the or
ganization. For these aud other reasons it
is to be expected that the ordinary death
rate in the poultry yard will be considerable.
The fact that fowls will die of old age any
how, when five or six-at most eight years
old lin most cases) renders it likely that a
certain proportion will die annually at an
earlier age. In conformity with this idea,
geese, which do not reach old age till twcn-
ty to one hundred years, do not drop off in
the early years of maturity to SO great an
extent as hens.


The moral of the above is that novices in
poultry raising need not worry over their i'll
luck, or mistrust that their management is
any worse than that Of their neighbors, be-
cause, perchance, few of their fowls Of tive,
or three, or four years old, die every sum-
mer. 1t is to be expected unless the breed
kept is uncommonly hardy, and all the cir
cumstances are unusually favorable. Re-
duce the death rate as much as possible by
hygenic measures, rather than by medicine.
Give plenty of air and sunshine, feed mode
rately, aud promote exercise, aud expect
some losses in spite Of all precautions
Buffalo Lire Stock Journal.
Year: 1874

Great progress has been made in the last
FIVE years in the distribution Of the black
bass, especially in New York and in the
New England states. Two hundred or more
ponds and lakes have been stocked, and yet
we are continually receiving letters Of in.
quiry, which show that people have very i'm
perfect information in regard to the habits
Of the fish, aud the best method of introduce
ing them. Some inquire for the spawn, sup
posing that they are propagated like the
salmonid@. But ell attempts to take spawn
from this fish have been failures, so far as
we are informed. Some ponds have been
stocked with the fry, but it remains to be
seen whether this will prove successful. The
fry are very small, and remain but few
days over the beds where they are hatched,


80 that 1t requires very close watching to
capture them. They are removed Just at
the time when they are said to have the pro-
lection OF the parent fish, aud they are all
liable to perish in new water among other
species Of fish. The common and the most
reliable method of introducing the bass is
TO transport adult fish from well stocked
ponds to new localities. This, when proper
ly done, has never been known to fail. In
most of the states there is legal protection
to the fish tor three years, generally granted


by special act of the legislature. But this
is not long enough to secure the object. 1t
should be in all cases five years. The Ash
do not bite freely until after the spawning
is over in May and June, aud they do moi
usually reach their new homo until July OIL
later, so that there is no fry from them uu-
til the second year. The fish generally se-
lected for transfer are from one to three
years old, measuring from 3 to IL inches in
length. Fish Of this size are not only more
Year: 1874

Most people repent Of their sins by thank
ing God they arc not so wicked rs their
neighbOrs.


What is the use Of talking of this worlds
brightness and sunshine to man that has
tight bOotsP


He who has nothing to do in this world
but amuse himself has got the hardest job
on hand know of.


There is nothing about man that will
outlast nickname, it will stick TO hlm, as
long AS bobtail will to dog.


A Memphis policeman thought that his
orders included all cases of drunkenness,
and, therefore, arrested the Mayor aud was
discharged. -


you wake up in the night in an Italian
hotel and shoot burglar the chances are
that you can't see the landlord next morn
ing and that his wife is widow.


A little boy saying his prayers one even
Ing, was asked by his mother why he had
omitted to ask n blessing for his grand
mother He give his mother whitening
look OF contempt and responded "Who Is
running this payerP"
Year: 1874

KEEPING MEALS WAITINa.-Little things
often interfere with our comfort very much,
aud one small annoyance is for men to delay
coming to dinner when called. Sometimes
they have an hour or more of work which
they will do before quitting, and then they
go to the house to find the dinner cold and
the cook discouraged. Nothing is more dis
heartening to tired woman than table
full of dirty dishes Ornamentng the table an
hour and half later in the day than usual.
Punctuality is a virtue that men should
learn if they are in the habit of being uncer-
tain about coming to meals. Any woman
worthy the name of housekecper will be reg
ular with her meals if it lies within her to
have them so.
Year: 1874

The Boston Globe observes The talk
about the barrenness of New England soil
as a thing not to be overcome is sheer nom
sense, With proper knowledge, the farmer
of to-day can raise as good crops IN Maine
and New Hampshire as in California.
Worn-out soil needs to be treated by the
scientific agriculturist precisely as a physi-
clan would treat a worn-out system, and
there is not farm in New England that
ever possessed the crop-bearing power but
may be made to pay by judlcious and COM
mon sense management. A good deal OF
our old-iashionod farming is on the princi.
pie of sucking an orange dry and then
throwing it away. Let the science of ag-
ricuture be once fairly understood by our
farming population-and the tendency is
slowly that way--and let the system of
fairs and associations be thoroughly devel-
oped, and we shall soon see a rejuvenated
New England and the barren acres of TO-
day "blossoming like the rose"
Year: 1874

time is cot practicable, as we are nccessita :
ted to feed both before and after they arc in
blossom but when we state our experience
in feeding, we ought to state the condition
the food is in. think these experiments
show us why June is the month when grass
es produce the best results in July they
are more matured, and though the weather
may be ever SO favorable, yet the produce
tion Of milk in this month is not equal to
that produced in the month Of June.
Year: 1874

WATERPROOF PAPER.-A nice article,
transparent and imperViOus to grease, Is OBJ
tained by soaking good paper in an aqueous
solution OF shellac in borax. 1t resembles
parchment paper in some respects. If the
aqueous solution is cOlored with aniline col
Ors, very handsome paper for artificial flow.
ers is produced.
Year: 1874

Harris Lewis says he has found as high
as thirty per cent of cream in the last pint
Of milk drawn from a COW, when the first
pint from the same COW had only nine and
one.half per cent.
Year: 1874

In the Education of American Girls' the
author says:


1 have spoken of the Importance of
thorough healthful training of body and mind
in view of the Natural conditions of marriage
aud maternity, which may be the lot of every
woman. 1t is not possible to overstate the
importance or the sanctity of these relations.
but it is possible to look so much at the mere
outside facts of marriage as to ignore its real
meaning The woman, falsely or carelessly
mated. is far less married than she who keeps
her ideal high and true and remains single
not because she values marriage too little, but
because she has too great reverence to enter
into it lightly or falsely. And the mother has
far more need to fit her daughter to meet no
bly, the possibilities of unwedded life, than
even the duties OF marri; ge. Marriage is so
perfectly natural state, that it reveals its


own laws; and simple, healthful, happy,
trusting love, will guide women more wisely
than much precept. But in our present So
cial state, the probability for any g.rl is by no
means small that she may be called on to live
out her life without entering upon this bless
ed relation. If she has been taught that wo-
mans sphere is marriage and marriage alone
that only by that means can she hope for
life of bappiness usefulness, and respect, she
win probably become a miserable, helpless,
lonely. irritable voman-perhaps seeking mar
riape at any price to escape from the cOndi-
tion she breads; or failing that, finding life
without purpose, occupati IN, or delinht. But
if she has learned that Providence is bound
less in its resources, and that when one way
is closed, another is opened, so that call things
work together for good;" if she knows that
her natnre will be far nobler without the form
of marriage unless ihe spirit and truth can be
present also, she will find that there is life
open to her-a life of devotion to truth, right
and beauty, of service to humanity, and Of
love lust as noble and true as she could at
tain in marriage. She is not fit to mar
~ until she is fit 70 stand alone.
Unless life has a purpose and mean
ing of its own to her as well as
to her husband, she cannot bring him ar
equal dover, and she has no test Of the new
feeling which should take its value from the
richness of the lite that she is ready to blend
! with anothers. Nothing marks the progress
in the elevation of woman, during the las
half century, more than the passing away, O.
! the oppr0brious use OF the term ''old maid,
| which is now rarely heard. 1t is possible
1 to remain unmarried from low mo1ives' ,,:..s
| shrinking from the duties and responsiveness
1 of the relation, or from worldly anu.
for higher station than love can 0ner. ou'


sin brings its own terrible punishment win
Year: 1874

We have heard of human petrifaction be-
fore; but who ever knew of most unpleas-
ant body turning into bricks as soon as bur-
led? Here was young German woman
buried the other day in Union Cemetery,
under suspicious circumstances, and, when
exhumed at the instance of swindled lie
insurance company, the coffin was found to
contain nineteen bricks wrapped up in paper.
Only this and nothiug more.
Year: 1874

An aburn-haired man in Ohio endeav
ored to pass himself off for Deacon Richard
Smith; but he was beguiled into reading a
copy of the New York Sun, and as he failed
to make any emphatic remarks the imposture
was discovered.
Year: 1874

Tho House OF Representatives, on tho motion
Of blr. Holman, called yesterday for some in
formation that good many people will bo glad
to get. They want to know how much money
has been paid by the Government for t1anBporta-
ton Of troopa and military supplies over those
railroads OF tho country which asked and got
subsidies Of land and money on the condition
that they should perform this service for the
Government without charge. Before talking
about the supervision Of tho ontiro railroad sya-
ten, congsosa ought to SEQ whether 1t cannot
hold thess railroads to their bargain,
Year: 1874

The bill to repeal tho draham Liquor low was
before the Wisconsin Assembly yoatorday. Tho
temper Of tho House VAS shown by tho rejection
of An amendment to prohibit tho sale of liquor
'n Sundays and election days. Tho bill wont to
third reading.