VOL. XXIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JANUARY 12,1889.
NO. 2
Written Ior tbe Indiana Farmer.
Reading Matter.
BY JOHN M. STAHI..
No other one thing has added bo much
to my enjoyment ol living, as reading. If
it has ever occurred to me to ask myself
tho question, Is life -worth living? I could
answer readily and emphatically in the
affirmative; but my answering would certainly be dubious if the question were, Is
life without retdlng worth living?
I am well aware (hat this is not the first
time this subject bas been written about.
Perhaps it has became trite. But I must
believe that many of us require yet much
preaching to abcut this matter. Of course
I can't say how much of a Pharisee I am,
but I really the ught that in respect of
having the means of intelligence I was
qui.te righteous! For years I had wanted
the American Cyclopedia—I had Chambers'—but it never had the information I
wanted; those volumes were only provoking. But I did not get the American, because it cost $100. During those years I
did not hesitato to invest several hundred
doUars in stock or land; in fket, I loaned
several hundred dollars at six per cent,
Yet I could not convince myself until a
few months ago that I was rich enough to
have that cyclopedia; and now I am just
beginning to realize how foolish I was.
What I get from it costs me (inly $6 per
year; and already I have profited several
times tbat, 0,.e hundred di'lers is not
much to put in horses, cattle or farm ma
chinery; but the simple thought of .spending it for books is shockin g! Reader,hon
est now,wouldn't it make you almost sick
to spend $100 for books? I confess that
after I got my cyclopedia I felt blue for
two days; since that things have been
rosy.
Reading matter is so cheap )now. You
say you have heard that before. Yes; but
do you realize it? D_> you .file your
Farmek? Of course you do. .-Well, put
52 numbers in a pile. Isn't it really surprising that you get all of that for only
one dollar? One bushel of wheat will get
you all that. The meanest hr g in the f at-
tening pen will get you the Indiana
Fabmeb for twelve years—627 numbers,
10,032 pages, equal to 100 books of 400 ordinary book pages. How can you possibly
say you can't aff jrd the Farmeb? It is
certainly worth to you ten times its erst
in pure enjoyment; and ten times its cost
in hard dollars and cents.
Then books are so very cheap now. I
dropped into a store the other day, never
thinking of buying books -I was after tin
ware. This store is a big one fcr Quincy,
and sells several things. As I passed the
book counter I stopped for a moment—
and stayed till I bought 16 books. I got
"Twice Told Tales," '-Tom Brown at Rugby," "Wordsworth," "Tennyson," "Don
Qaixote," "David Copperfield," "I_ast
Days of Pompeii," etc , bound substantially in cloth, printed with good type on
good paper, for 25 cents each! Think of
it. Some of these books I had already
(paying one dollar for them); but I could
not resist buying several volumes for
Christmas presents for some boys and
girls that haven't much reading matter. I
hadn't thought of making them a present,
but a quarter was really so little, and the
book would be so much to the getter. Bat
when such books sell for 25 cents, you can
not say that you can not afford to spend
the long winter evenings with the best
poets, historians and novelists.
It is highly important to read systematically, and for this reason I would recom
mend the C. L. S. C. course. I belong to
the clasa of '91, so you see oldish people
can be in the second (or first) year of the
course. The course covers four years.
The total cost per year, books, etc., is about
|5. The course of reading is most excellent, adapted to people of little or much
schooling, and if the work is properly
done it is a good education. If you are unacquainted with the C. L S. C , write for
information to "Secretary C. Is. S. C,"
Plainfield, N. J.
Quincy, 111.
 . ♦ .	
iDdistja State Poultry Snow.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The seecond annual exhibition of the
Indiana State Poultry Association will be
held in Indianapolis, Feby. 5th to 0 th,
1889. The association has secured Tomlinson hal), oneof the largest and beat halls
in the United States for the exhibition of
poultry, and the present indications predict oue of the largest aud best shows ever
held iu the United States. Special rates
have been secured at the hotels for poul-
trymen, and a very low excursion rate
has been secured,including an admittance
to the poultry show.
Indiana breeders should not fail to visit
the city and the greatest exhibit of poultry and pet stock ever held in the West!
These low rates on the railroads can ba secured by all. Write Major Grifila, Sec'y,
at Mauzy, Ind., Rash Co., and a premium
respondencewas not pre (.table they would
stop it. Therefore since they get most of
the service it is only fair that they pay
the greater part of the cost ofour postal
system. Again the money in the Treasury
has all been collected through other departments and it seems to me unfair to
ask the people at large to contribute to
the support of an institution the benefits
of which mostly accrue to those who are
amply able to pay for it, while the burden
of governmental support falls heavily
upon those who are least able to bear it.
To illustrate: The rich banker who
must necessarily send out from 100 to 500
letters a day would receive much benefit
from the proposed reduction in postage,
but the benefit to the majority of our people who probably do not average two letters a week would be very insignificant.
It seems to me that the only logical result
of the measure would be to take a little
more of the cost of supporting the government off the rich and place it upon the
already too heavily weighted shoulders of
the poor. If our legislators when they
get to Congress cared half as much for the
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TOMLINSON   HALL,
list giving full particulars will be mailed
you,
The Indiana Kennel Club -will exhibit
at the same time, and a fine display of
dogs is expected from all parts of the
United States.
Incubators and brooders will be in full
operation during the entire time of the
show.
Mr. H. A. Bridge of Columbus, O., has
been secured to coop the show and has
a fine system of caring for the fowls, he
will also superintend the poultry department. Every care has been taken to make
this one of the best exhibits ever held.and
special care will be taken to secure a low
railroad rate from all points to all wishing
to attend the exhibit.
E. A. Pierce, Rec. Sec'y.
Indianapolis.
Reducing: the'Surplus.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In answer to the question, "What shall
we do with the surplus?" "Old '.Hoosier"
in the Farmer of Dec. 221, suggests a reduction of one half in the cost of letter
postage, thus creating a deficit in this
branch of the publio service by whioh
much of the money now in the National
Treasury will be used up.
This measure it seems to me is open to
some objections. In the first place, poor
people cannot and do not complain of the
cost of postage. The cost of supporting
the postal department falls most heavily
upon the large banks, publishing and
mercantile houses of the country, and it is
but reasonable to suppose that If their cor-
poer man's welfare as they profess to
when they are candidates they certainly
could devise a plan of reducing the Na
tional revenues that would give him ot
least an equal measure of relief with that
which resulted from it to his rich neigh'
bor.
The National Government derives a very
large per cent of its revenues from a tax
on sugar. This tax increases the oost of
this necessary artiole to rich and poor
alike. One of the greatest arguments used
in favor of retaining this tax is that it is
necessary in order to develop our Ameri
can sugar industry, an industry that is
likely to never be very extensive, and
which,according to acompetentauthority,
at present could hardly supply our people
with sugar for one breakfast.
By all means possible let us cheapen the
poor man's food before we ask him to pay
any more of the rich man's postage.
John B. Joyce,
Miami, Miami Co, Ind.
Above Oround Cellar.
Editors Indiana farmer:
In answering J. M. L.'s inquiry in re
gard to the cellar, I will say I have two;
one under the house and one above ground.
I like the one above ground much the best
for handiness and dryness. I built a shed
30 feet long and 16 wide, 10 feet high. Set
posts in the ground, then dug a ditch two
feet wide and two deep on the inside;
threw the djrt in the middle, set another
row of posts 16 inches from the outer
posts, 7 feet high, with pieces framed
across the top, then planked up and filled
In with the dirt from the center.   By the
timo we got the wall up we had all the
dirt out of the center two feet deep.
Framed a window to fit tight in one end,
so the draught can't gat through. Any
common door will keep the frost out.
Cover the top with plank. Break the joints
and put ou 6 or 8 inches of sawdust. Side
the shed up to the eaves and there you
have a good hen house. That Is how I have
got mine, and lt is ft ie. The cost won't
exceed $70.   U.e oak plank.
Phillipstown, III.        Wm. Whittino.
—This plan would make a warm house,
but not a dry ona, unless drained by a
trench three feet deep all around the entrance. If intended for chickens there
should be several low windows on the
south side —Eds.
A G.od Top Oround Cellar.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I soe ia your query column J. M. L.
wants a good way to build a top ground
cellar. I give the plan of one I have, that
is in use this, the fourth winter. T dug
away for the foundation deep enough to
gat below the fre. z'ng point, then commenced to lay the foundation 18 inches
thick, allowing the bottom brick to extend
out four inches to keep rats from working down the wall. As I came level with
the surfaca I widened my wall so as to
leave a space of two inches in the center
for an air chamber to be kept opeu until
the wall wa-* finished, then I closed it »p
at the top. Keep the outtr^wali the highest and plaster inside as ydu build. " Place
an air grate on opposite sides in outer
wall near the top and leave an opening in
inner wall near the bottom six inches
square. I put joists iu 2x8 and ceiled the
under side with inch ceiling; then laid a
floor on top with inch lumber and covered with a layer of brick laid in and covered with cement. Hang an inside and
outside door that fits well. I_ay the floor
with brick and cover the same as other
buildings. I have a cellar that keeps
fruit, vegetables and milk through any
cold weather without freezing.
Posey Co. A. J. Calvebt.
 ,   m  s	
A Fast Husker,
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I noticed in last week's Farmk r that
two men in Montgomery county husked
and cribbed respectively 105 arid 112 bushels of corn in 10 hours. Enoch Pearson,
of this county husked and cribbed on the
farm of D. Huff in five and one-half consecutive days 569 bushels of corn, which
beats the record in Fountain Co.
O. L, Parnell
—This is an average of 103K bushels per
day, and is rapid work for a single day.
When kept up for five or six days it is
quite remarkable.—Eds.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
' I would like to say a word in regard to
the good pieces found in the Farmer and
other papers. Take an old day-book with
index, one for which you have no further
use, and a bottle of mucilage with brush.
Now cut out the best pieces, or those that
suit you best, and paste in the day-book
over old accounts; in index yon can put
the number of page, then you can readily
find the piece let it be what it will. We
have one recipe that will many times pay
us for all our trouble. Try it.
Noblesville. William Hicibee.
The Weight of Oats —Oats grown in
England and Scotland weigh 50 pounds to
the bushel, while the same oats grown
here at once dwindle to 40 pounds, and if
sown again will still further dwindle to
35 pounds per bushel; and the next season
they will be reduced to the condition of
our normal weight of oats, which is from
28 to 30 pounds per bushel. The reason of
that is that the low-temperature of Oreat
Britain is more conducive to the better
development of oats than our tropical
summer.—Iowa State Register.