160 



CHIPS. 



[Dec. 1884. 



Chips. 



THE glory of our grounds is an old 

 black walnut, or three walnuts, I 

 don't know which, for there are three 

 trunks and one grand top, which a 

 wood soul with a black body left stand- 

 ing, or set out when the farm was new. 

 I would say, " Blessings on the old 

 man ; " but that last winter he went to 

 rest beyond the care for, or influence of, 

 any lieuediction of mine. " Old trees in 

 their living state," said Lander, " are the 

 (jnly things that money cannot com- 

 mand." Let the young man think of 

 this when deciding upon his home. A 

 great sacrilege was counuitted a little 

 while ago ; a beautiful oak grove, with 

 noble trees, and near town, fit to be a 

 l)ark for poor people's children to get 

 hajipj' in, was mostly cut down, so far 

 as it appears at present, for nothing but 

 its firewood. " Spare that tree ! spare 

 tliat tree 1 " cries out all the esthetic 

 nature within us ; and " Spare those 

 forests !" cries out a cyclone-devastated 

 and flood-troubled country. The world 

 may be growing wiser, but it has had a 

 terrible spell of folly. Yes, spare the 

 Adirondacks, and spare some of the 

 grand old pine and hardwood timber- 

 land in our Northern Michigan ! Plant 

 walnut groves on the prairies, and kee]j 

 a fourth of your quarter-section in 

 woods, and cultivate the rest the better. 

 — Zea Mays in the Iliiral JW'w Yorker. 



While Napoleon was at St. Helena, 

 a comjjany of soldiers was stationed on 

 the Island of Ascension. When they 

 landed, it was a barren rock ; but at the 

 end of ten years, by planting, they not 

 only created a soil, but actually obtained 

 some water from it. On the other 

 hand, on tlie sides of a mountain in 

 France, there was a torrent which at 

 every storm threatened destruction, and 

 carried away every briilge. This torrent 

 was due to the extinction of the forest 

 on the slopes. In 1864, planting was 

 commenced, and in five years the torrent 

 was mastered, the trees absorbed the 

 heavy downfall, and a sim])le foot- 

 bridge twenty inches above tlie stream 

 was sutticient. — J. C. Browx. 



During severe winters, wolves are 

 still occasionally killed in the streets of 

 St. Petersburg, and elks are some- 

 times found within twelve miles. The 

 value of the domestic animals annually 

 destroyed bj^ wolves is estimated at two 

 millions and a half. Sometimes a herd 

 of wolves on a])proaching a village will 

 ])lace themselves in amliush at the out- 

 skirts, and then send a she- wolf yelping- 

 through the place. All the dogs, are 

 roused, and chase the intruder, who 

 skilfully leads them ]jast the ambuscade, 

 when the herd of wolves jjounces on 

 them and soon leaves nothing but 

 shreds of their skins lying aliout like 

 hides in a tan-yard. — J. C Brown. 



Page 65, line 8 from top, far " cause 

 for "Calladon" read "CoUadon." 



Page 69, line b from toj), fur " stoves " read " stools 

 Page 79, line 14 from top, ./or "tine" read "few." 



E E E A T A. 



read "course;" and line l-j from top, 



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