12 
MAY-SONG. 
BY EBEN E. REXFORD. 
A song for May, whose breath is sweet 
With blossoms blowing at our feet, 
Whose voice is heard in laughing rills 
That x'ipple down the sun-kissed hills, — 
Oh, happy, happy May! 
The robin on the budding trees 
Is rocking in the drowsy breeze, 
And, bnbbling from his silver throat, 
His songs in wordless rapture float, 
Oh, happy, happy May’! 
Above the hills the firmament 
Bends downward like a wide, blue tent, 
And we, oh fairy-fooled May, 
Are dwellers in your tents to-day, 
Oh, happy, happy May! 
Our hearts are glad with bird and bee 
For what we feel and what we see, 
While beauty crowns the world to-day. 
Oh, would our life could keep its May — 
Its happy, happy May ! 
Water-Proof Oil for Boots and 
Shoes. 
BY N. B. HOLLISTER. 
I notice in the February number of Seed- 
Time and Harvest, an article from the 
London Field recommending castor oil for 
shoe leather, which the writer claims 
makes it thoroughly water-proof, &c. I 
have seen it so recommended before, and 
was led to give it a very thorough trial, 
and must say that my experience with re¬ 
gard to its use is very different. With me 
it did not make them water-proof, but 
makes the leather soft, and would undoubt¬ 
edly be good for boots and shoes that were 
uncomfortably tight, to make them stretch 
so as to fit the foot more readily; but the 
oil penetrates the leather, so that it will 
soil the stocking or sock worn underneath, 
very quickly, cartying with it some of the 
blacking from the leather, and I found its 
use to me, at least, decidedly objectionable. 
Last winter I got some black harness-oil 
to oil my harness with, and have since then 
applied some of it t© my boots and shoes, 
with much satisfaction; and find it also an 
excellent thing for the lighter leather, such 
as French calf, kid and pebble-goat, of 
which women’s shoes are made, using of 
course for such lighter leather a less quan¬ 
tity. In the article I have referred to, the 
writer recommends “pouring the castor oil 
over the boot and then rubbing it with the 
hand” which is certainly not a very cleanly 
process for the hand. This reminds me that 
all my life (until somewhat recently) I have 
been annoyed with the usual means em¬ 
ployed to grease boots and shoes, oil har¬ 
ness, &c., such as the use of a shoe-brush or 
a rag tied to a stick, and wondered if there 
wasn’t some better way than that to do it. 
One day in looking about for some more 
agreeable way of oiling my harness, I 
bethought me of a “sash brush” I had used 
on a stencil plate to put the address on 
boxes of peaches I was shipping to market, 
and got that and tried it for my purpose. 
Well, here it was at last, just what I want¬ 
ed, and I yielded to a mental exclamation 
of “Eureka.” I have found it. I got an old 
piece of sacking and put on the carpet by 
the stove to lay my harness on, and put an 
old coffee sack across my lap, and went 
through the process of oiling my harness 
with real comfort and satisfaction, though 
I have since found it less trouble to do the 
work by daylight, and hang the harness up 
QPAIJICU FOWLS & EGGS for sale. 
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DHOCO By mail. 12EVER-BLOOMING for$1. 
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w w T. G. HAROLD, Kingston, Som. Co., Md. 
FLEMING &. TAYLOR, 
Augusta, Ky,, 
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per sitting. Satisfaction guaranteed in every respect. 
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5-ly Bethany, West Va* 
Sweet 
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Plants 
All varieties at Lowest possible 
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long distances by Express. Price 
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E. A. MURRAY, 
Fosters, Warren Co., Ohio. 
5-6 Mention Seed-Time and Harvest. 
PLANTS! 
All the New Varieties of Roses, Chrysanthe¬ 
mums and other Redding and Decorative 
Plants at lowest prices. Illustrated, Catalogue 
free. JOHN DICK, JR., Phila., Pa. 
5— 53d St. & Woodland Avenue. 
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5-6 CHARLES RICK. Fairview, Pa. 
