VOL. XXVIII.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND. DEC, 30, 1893.
NO. 52.
flEU/YE/II^S,'94
FOR THE NEW YEAR.
Ring ont, O bells, of every sect—
Too many names ye have for rhyme—
Peal Joyously the New Year chime.
And all the weal we all expect.
Bins ont the bustle and the bang;
Ring ont the dudes and the pug liogs, too:
Ring out lorgnettes without ado.
And dripping skirts that bobbing hang.'
Ring out the need for Latin, Greek;
Ring out the mixed tongues, slang and all.
And when we go to make a call
Let us converse in Volapuk.
Ring out the "rings," the corners keen
That corner many a man of wit;
Ring ln some good laws made to fit.
And not by lawyers only seen.
Ring out hard times and dire suspense;
Ring in lesr? greed, a kindlier hand;
Ring in great plenty through the land;
Ring ln a rain of common cents.
—Selected.
How  the Proposed  Tariff Affects   the
Products of the Farm.
Editors Indiana Fabmeb:
Believing your paper represents the feelings and opinions of the farmers on most
questions, I have watched Its columns and
those of other agricultural papers,for communications on the proposed change in the
tariff known as the "Wilson Bill" which
affect?, the pricea o' *_c many articles produced by the farmer.
The following farm products now pay a
duty but are to be admitted free under*the
Wilson Bill:
Apples, eggs, feathers, milk, green peas,
straw, tallow, teazels, corn, meats of all
kinds, flax not manufactured, hemp not
manufactured, plants, trees and all nursery stock, seeds of all kinds, wool of all
kinds, wheat, buckwheat, oats and barley.
The following articles now pay a duty
which is to be largely reduced under the
Wilson BUI:
Flax seed, flax hack-led, hemp, hemp
hackeled, sugar bounties,beans, peas dried,
hay, honey, hops, onions, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat products, poultry and live animals.
What do farmers think of this? are they
willing that all the protection they receive
now shall be wiped ont by one blow?
Are they willing to tear down the fences
around their nice pastures in the hope that
their stock may get a little grass along the
roadside ( 'the markets of the world") and
at the same time make their own nice
pastures free for the scrub stock of their
shiftless neighbors?
I would like to hear from the farmers on
this subject. Observ.br.
1 The Christian Farmer.
The American farmer ai a Christian cit-
.   izen ought to be in the truest sense a pros-
3 perous and  happy  man.   The prosperity
!  of the farmer is the blessing of  the conn-
1 try. One who has not learned the lesson,
will be startled to see, as he looks behind
the curtain in Tsraelitish history, how the
prospsrity'ofthe farmer in Israel was conditioned on strict regard, not only for the
laws of nature, so-called, but for the written, revealed laws of that kingdom to
which only the Christian belongs, a kingdom which is larger, older, more compre-
* hensive, more enduring, than that of the
nation of which he forms a part. The
American farmer ought to be the most
prosperous and blessed man of his calling
in all the world. He has in this wonderful land indeed "a goodly heritage." Nowhere else is the farmer so highly favored
with ~ advantages and opportunities to
make the utmost of himself and of his
calling. Nowhere else can the farmer
come Into relations with so many interests that make for the largest and highest
development. Let him "magnify his calling" and honor it, by making the best of
it.—D. L. Moody in Prairie Farmer.
Notes on Farmers' Institutes.
Editobs Ixdiana Farmer:
The Institute season opened actively
December 4th, since which time the ball
has been kept rolling continuously. As
the plan of conducting the institute work
has been somewhat modified, it will be of
interest to the readers of your paper to
know how the work is succeeding.
INTEREST AND SUCCKSS OF THE WORK.
The official reports of the secretaries
show that the work is progressing in a
very satisfactory manner. The assigned
speakers are, without exception, giving
excellent satisfaction. Almost without
exception the interest is reported as being
excellent. The people who attend farmers' institutes are coming to understand
better the real nature and purpose of the
work and fewer disturbing elements enter
into the meetings than formerly.
JANUARY INSTITUTES.
Nearly 30 farmers' institutes will be held
In as many counties during the month of
January. A complete schedule of the
meetings can be found in another column
and the local papers will, from time to
time, give notices so that every one can
inform himself of the time and place of
the institute in his own county. Many of
these institutes will occur in counties
which have been noted for their successful
meetings in former years. It is confidently
expected that the January series of meetings will b« highly-Interesting and profitable to those who attend.      »
PRO-liNENT SPEAKERS FOR JANUARY INSTITUTES.
Mr. T. B. Terry, ot Ohio, one of the most
successful small farmers and institute
workers in the entire country, will devote
four weeks to institute work in this State,
beginning Jan. Oth. His specialties are
wheat, clover and potatoes, with which he
has made a wonderful success. He will
attend institutes in the following counties:
Boone, Montgomery, Putnam, Owen,
Steuben, DeKalb, Allen, Whitley, LaGrange, Noble, Kosciusko, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph and Elkhart.
Miss Lucy C. Andrews, of New Jersey,
will discuss topics in domestic economy,
especially in the line of cooking. Miss
Andrews is a graduate of Ann Arbor and
was a pupil under Mrs. Emma P. Ewing,
at Purdue. She is thoroughly informed
in her specialties and will do actual cooking at the institutes to illustrate her lectures. The institutes which Bhe will attend are as follow-: Rush, Fayette, Franklin, Union, Knox, Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Parke, Fountain, Vermillion,
Warren, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph and
Elkhart.
Hon. J. A. Mount, of Montgomery
county, one of Indiana's most intelligent,
progressive and successful farmers, will
attend institutes in the following named
counties: Steuben, DeKalb, Allen, Whitley, White, Newton, Jasper and Lake.
Mr. Cal Husselman; a thoroughly well
informed dairyman, stockman and farmer
ln DeKalb county, will attend institutes
in Rush, Fayette, Franklin and Union
counties.
Mr. J. P. Applegate, editor of the New
Albany Leader, and a well informed amateur horticulturist, is an intelligent and
most effective institute worker, both in
the way of giving addresses and through
the columns of his paper. He will attend
institutes in Boone, Montgomery, Putnam
and Owen counties.
Hon. C. B Harris, who Is a member of
the Stato Board of Agriculture from the
14th Agricultural District, is one of the
best posted men on farm dairying and silage in the State. All who wish to learn
the value of the silo should seek to hear
him. He will be at institutes in Knox,
Gibson, Posey and Vanderburgh counties.
Dr, D. W, Voyles is a retired physician
who has been engaged in dairy farming
for many years in Harrison county. He is
thoroughly posted In the creamery business, farm dairying and upon all questions pertaining to breeding of live stock.
He will attend institutes in White, Newton, Jasper and Lake counties.
Mr. W. W. Stevens, a prominent farmer
and stock man of Washington county, is
one of the originators and promoters of
the noted "Salem Farmers' Club." He
will attend institutes in LaGrange, Noble*
Kosciusko and Wells counties.
Hon. J. Q. A. Sieg, who represents the
3rd Agricultural District of the State Board
of Agriculture, is a highly successful and
intelligent farmer and stock-man of Har-
risbn county. His institute work is always
Instructive and profitable. He will attend
institutes in Park, Fountain, Vermillion
and Warren counties.
"Dr. C. A. Robinson, President of the
State and National organization of the F.
M. B. A., a highly intelligent farmer of
Shelby county, who has done very earnest
and acceptable institute work in many
counties of the State, will attend institutes
in Wells and Adams counties. Many other
able experienced institute workers will attend theso meetings, and the intellectual
bill of fare will be varied and.tempting,
Let the people who reside in the counties
named turn out en masse to make tbe
January series of meetings for this year
one to be long remembered
Any one desiring specific information
relative to the Institute work should ad
dress the undersigned who will promptly
respond to all enquiries.
W. C. Latta,
Sup't Farmers' Institutes.
Purdue University, La Fayette, Ind.
Good Roads From the Educational Standpoint.
Editobs Indiana It-abmer:
With the present agitation on road improvement all over this country, some
good will be done and some roads, at least,
will be made better. The phase of which I
wish to speak is from;an educational standpoint. There is a rapidly increasing de ■
mand for better educational facilities in
the country. Farmers have been looking
to the cities and towns where they can educate their children, and somo have been
sending their children to such places to
board, or they have moved with their fam
ilies to some locality where there is a good
school. With good roads, cheap horses
and buggies there Is no need of this. At
Bloomingsport, Ind., provision has recently been made to accommodate those
who wish to pursue studies above the common school branches with those who are
finishing these branches. Twenty-seven
have been enrolled, only four of whom belong to the district where the school is located. Seven rigs drive into this little
village every morning, bringing ten pupils
to one room and two to the other, and the
teachers. One pupil boards. Pupils in
the upper room come from eight districts.
One young man drives over six miles, and
one young lady drives over three miles.
The trustee of the township in which this
school Is located employes fourteen teachers, all of whom board at their homes, one
lady driving over four miles. One lady
teacher drove during the greater part of
one winter over seven miles. With good
roads, enterprising citizens, with young
men and young women and teachers of
such grit, good lecture courses can be
maintained every winter, and the churches
can secure able talent and will be well attended, kept in a flourishing condition and
the whole community made a desirable
locality in which to live.
Lynn. d. W. Lawrence.
About 30,000,000 acres  are devoted  to
wheat in India, one-half of which is irri
gated. During the last 20 years India has
developed this enormous wheat acreage,
and still some 10 to 15 millions of acres remain to bo planted. Our farmers should
cut down their wheat areas at least 20 per
cent and substitute other more valuable
crops. Selling wheat In London in competition with the half naked savages of
India is at best a poor business.
Congo Carriers.
On the Congo there are no beasts of burden, there existing merely a manual transport, the porters being the natives of the
Bakongo tribe, inhabiting the cataract regions. In physique, these men are slight
and only poorly developed; but the fact of
their carrying on their heads from 60 to
100 pounds weight 20 miles a day, for sometimes six consecutive days, their only food
being each day a little manioc root, an ear
or two of maize, or a handful of peanuts,
pronounces them at once as men of singularly sound stamina. Small boys of eight
and nine years old are frequently met carrying loads of 25 pounds weight. Throughout the cataract region the general accepted money currency Is Manchester cotton
cloth made up into pieces of six yards
each. The European costs of the cloth
paid to these natives for transporting a
load to Stanley Pool from Matadi, including rations, amounts at the present day to
?5 for a load of 65 pounds. Five years ago
the costs were only one-third of this
amount; but it has increased on account of
the competition of the various trading-
houses that have established stations at
Stanley Pool for the ivory trade on the upper river.—Century.
The Water-Spider.
What a curious creature it is! I was
reading about it the other day, and must
tell you how it makes for Itself a refuge
down in the deep, something like a diving-
bell, so that it can have day quarters.
This spider's house is a cocoon, open at
the bottom, and filled with air. The creature lines it with Bilk, and fastens it in
every direction by threads to the surrounding plants. Within this retreat she
sits, and watches for prey. When she has
nearly exhausted the air she swims upon
her back to the surface of the water to secure more.
If you stand by a pond and watch the
still water, you will often see a little bubble that appears like a globe of quick silver. This bubble is a bag of air that envelops the spider's abdomen. With it she
descends to her house, and by it displaces
the water; coming again and again to the
surface for more, until she has sufficient
to expel all water from her cell. In the
winter she closes the opening, and dwells
there securely. The male spider does the
same.
There is a species of water spider that
actually forms a raft, upon which it drifts
for the purpose of getting its prey more
easily. It puts together by silken threads
a ball of weeds three or four inches In diameter; and upon this floating island it
glides along until it sees a drowning insect, when it seizes it, and devours it at
leisure. H alarmed by any danger it gets
under the raft for safety. Did you ever
know such cunning and wisdom?
I am so astonished when I learn the curious things that belong to God's creatures,
that I shut my book and look up into the
heavens with praises of my great Creator
in my heart and upon my tongue. Only
think! it took hundreds of years for
science of man to find some invention by
which he could go down into the deep,
taking air enough to keep him alive; and
yet these little spiders, with no human
reason or wisdom, have always, by a secret art, supplied themselves with atmospheric air while they dwelt in the wnter
below,—Child at Home.