AUG. 20 
558 
THE 
RURAL MEW- YORKER. 
Hiring for % f|mmg. 
MARY AND HEB LAMB. 
Marx had a William goat, 
And he was black as jet; 
He followed Alary around alljday, 
And liked her—you just bet! 
He went with her to school one day; * 
The teacher kicked him out— 
It made the children grin, you know, 
To have that goat about. 
But though old Whack’em kicked him out, 
Yet he lingered near, 
He waited just outside tho door 
Till Whack’em did appear. 
Then William ran to meet that man, 
He ran his level best; 
He met him Just behind, you know— 
©own Just below the vest. 
Old Whaok’etn turned a somersault, 
The goat Btood on his head, 
And Mary laughed herself so sick 
She had to go to bed. 
FARMING FOB BOYS AND GIBLS-NO. 31 
HENRY STEWART. 
Fertility of llie .Soli, 
IP any product of the soil, any plant or any ani¬ 
mal that feeds upon plants, be consumed, as by 
fire. or the slower process of decomposition by de¬ 
cay, a portion goes off, or escapes into the air and 
the remainder is left in the condition of earthy 
matter similar to One soil. It Is reasonable to sup¬ 
pose and believe that that portion of organic mat¬ 
ter which escapes Into the air, as It decays, comes 
from the air at first; and that ponton which re¬ 
turns to soli came oilgtnaliy from the soil, and 
this Is precisely the fact. Furthermore that por¬ 
tion which escapes Into the air exists as a part of 
the vast store of plant food In the air just as the 
earthy part adds, on Its return to the soli, to the 
stock of plant food there. 
The atmospheric or gaseouB portion of the sub¬ 
stance or plants aud animals, which la known as 
organic matter, consists of oxygen, carbon, nitro¬ 
gen and hydrogen or combinations or these. The 
mineral or soil portions consist of phosphoric acid, 
potash, lime, toda, magnesia and some other sub¬ 
stances. And that properly of the soli, which we 
call Its fertility, or in other words its power and 
capability of producing crops, consists of the 
presence In It In sufficient quantity of those sub¬ 
stances which plants take room it. 
It has long been a disputed point among sclen 
tlflc men if the nitrogen or plants has been de¬ 
rived from the soli or the air; some believing one 
thing and some the other. Theie Is proof of some 
kind on either side, and opinions are divided upon 
this point. It may not be wise to decide cither 
way, but to leave the question as one not yet 
settled. But It may be worth while to consider a 
few tacts in relation to it. 
First, that all the nitrogen In the soli has come 
from the decay of plants and animals during all 
the vast periods since the nrst plants grew and 
tne flrst animals fed upon plantB. 
Second, that the first plants which grew could 
not have derived any part of their nlmgen from 
the soil unless It came olrectly to the soil or to 
the plant itself, from the atmosphere of which it 
furnishes lour parts out of every five of its bulk or 
volume. 
Third, that natural laws never change; and 
what was once true m regard to the life and 
growth of plants and animals, rnfist be always 
and ever true. 
Fourth, If plants at one time derived thel$ nitro¬ 
gen from the atmosphere—and it is evident that 
at one time this was the only source of this por¬ 
tion of the food necessary for plants-then it is 
also evident that plants always did, and do, and 
will continue to, derive their nitrogen from the 
atmosphere, 
Ho then we may consider that the actual fertility 
of li e sou consists of certain mineral matters 
above mentioned and that this natural fertility Is 
enlarged bj the addition to the sell of elements 
containing carbon arid nitrogen. It Is important 
that every farmer aud every youth t xpectiug to 
become a farmer, Bhould understand clearly how 
It Is that the soli isenabled to produce crops, and 
If there is any question connected with it that Is 
as yet not clearly settled, this should be presented 
clearly to the mind, that it may be considered as 
well as may be possible, with the knowledge and 
experience that comes to us through our dally 
work in the fields, and through the fruits of our 
own thought. 
■ - 
INSECT TBANSFOBMATIONS. 
Among the Interesting and wonderful things of 
nature Is the transformation or change of the 
ugly-looklng, sluggish worm of the clod Into a 
beautiful insect, whose wings are painted bright 
with the rainbow’s various hues. 
in the lire of an insect there are three periods, 
in some more distinctly marked than in others, 
aud these periods are known as the larval, or time 
of Infancy, the pupal, or time of rest, with most 
insects, and the adult, or time when full growth 
is attained in the drat period chose insects which 
undergo complete transiormatlons pass their time 
In eating and changing their skin, but they grow 
rapidly. 1 here Is nothing in their appearance to 
denote that they will ever be anything more than 
the Jl'-looklDg worms they then are. indeed, they 
seeui Lo live tor the purpose of eating, and when 
they can eat no more, they die. 
But not so. Let us consider—not the lilies of the 
field just now, but the caterpillars. On any vine, 
almost, we can readily find a specimen. Watch 
it patiently and see how fast It eats t See the 
great holes In the leaves, cut out as neatly as can 
be! J tacts as If It were preparing tor the long 
sleep It is about to take; and bo It is. When the 
caterpillar becomes fuUy grown ho crawls away 
Into Borne concealed place, throws off his “ old 
coat,” and enters the pupal or chrysalis state. 
Now he can neither move about nor eat; he 
simply exists. Probably nearly every one has 
seen the little house in which the caterpillar now 
lives. It Is generally, though not always, a whit¬ 
ish oblong cocoon which, aa time passes, turns to 
a reddish color. We may open this and on close 
examination we shall find that quite a change 
has come over our caterpillar. He was once 
large and long, but In this pupal state his 
body Is much contracted. Wings, legs, anten¬ 
nae or feelers are closely compressed and 
stuck to the body by a varnish-like substance. 
After a while there 1 b a struggle within the “ little 
house,” the cocoon bursts open and from Its dark 
and confining walls emerges the butterfiy or moth. 
It has entered upon the last stage of Its existence, 
It has become an adult. It is weak at first, and 
Its wings are shriveled, but the light aud air soon 
dry off the moisture, the limbs acquire strength 
and flexibility, and It spreads its wlngs-to the sun¬ 
light, which now become the means of locomotion 
to carry the once ugly-looklng caterpillar which 
fed on leaves, from flower to flower to feed on 
honey-juices. 
The transformation la complete 1 The form and 
size of the body has been changed; eyes are there; 
some legs have gone, others have appeared.; lour 
wings, sometimes colored in most exquisite 
beauty, now adorn it, and a slender toDgue 
sips liquid nourishment, which, alone, the stomach 
can digest. But Its lire lu this stage la brief, it 
has passed many daik days to sport for a short 
time In the light. Unci.k Make. 
--— 
THE MAGNITUDE OF A MILLION. 
Having noticed that lew pupils in our schools 
have any definite Idea of the magnitude of large 
numbers, I have taken the method described be¬ 
low for the purpose of elucidating the subject. 
Beluga littie surprised myself at the result, of 
the calculation I have asked several grown persons 
and among them some good business men,to guess 
how much a million kernels of corn would mea¬ 
sure, and have never yet known a parson to guess 
half enough. So I have counted a quart (not the 
liquid quart but the thirty second part of a bushel) 
and found it to contain 2.176 grs., which mult iplied 
by the number of quarts in a buauel 32 makes 
69.632 grains In one bushel. Then 1,000,000 
divided by 69,632 gives over fourteen buBhels as the 
measure of one million corns, as It is pretty gen¬ 
erally understood that figures will not lie 1 have 
recommended this method of ocular demonstra¬ 
tions of magnitude. s. b. p. 
Muskegon, Mich. 
THE YOUNG QUERIST. 
A’. L. P., Homer, A'. wishes to know what 
win kill myrtle. 
Ans.— spading It up frequently will do It. 
& 0, F., Petersburgh, Ohio, asks what produces 
the “ black rust” on verbenas. 
Ans — It la caused by the verbena mite, an In¬ 
sect closely related to the Red spider, and w hlch 
can hardly be seen without the aid of the mtoio- 
scope. It Infests the heliotrope, petunia and 
other plants. No good remedy can be given for it. 
It Is said that it does not attack strong plants, 
hence, stimulating them with liquid manure may 
prove a preventive. 
j. D , Beverly, Oregon, wants a book on catch¬ 
ing and preparing insects for the cabinet. 
Ans -There is a little book published by Lee & 
Shepard of Boston, Mass., which gives excellent 
information on this subject to beginners. It Is en¬ 
titled *' Insects; How to Catch and Prepare 
Them for the cabinet.” 
F. B. Le r a oenworth, Kansas, asks how his 
daughter can become a member of the Horticul¬ 
tural Club. 
Ans.—B y sending her name and address to 
” t'ncle Mark,” at this office. 
. -- 
NOTES. 
A few days Blnce, Mr. Heins or Patterson, N. J., 
called at the Bubal office and exhibited a very 
peculiarly marked and beautiful butteifly, which, 
1 wish every one of the cousins could have seen. 
Viewed through a small magnifying glass the 
number '• was distinctly visible on Its wings, 
the figures is being on the left wing, and si on the 
right, l am not going to attempt to account for 
this peculiarity, but lr any of the cousins wish to 
try, I shall be glad to hear from them. Mr. Heins 
calls it the “Admiral,” or Paplllo atlanta, Bpealc- 
lng entomologlcally. He has four specimens all 
marked precisely alike. 
One of the cou3lns on the prize drawing list, 
who received an engraving from us, writes as 
follows 
“ Dkak Uncle Mark :—Many thanks for the 
picture. In haste, Fkankib Brooks.” 
Madison, Wle. 
Will “ Amanda” please send her full name and 
address. We must have these from all who wish 
to Join our Club. 
It would doubtless be a good plan, for those of 
the Cousins who are Interested in Geology, to ex¬ 
change sp°clmens and correspond with one an¬ 
other on the subject, as Mary Everts suggests, in 
her letter. Uncle Mark. 
LETTEB8 FBOM THE COUSINS. 
Uncle Mark :—My father has taken the Rural 
New-Yorker twenty-five years, and I have been 
Its constant friend since old enough to look at the 
pictures. I’ve received much instruction from it, 
In many ways. 'The letters from the Cousins are 
Interesting, coming, as they do, from all parts of 
our grand country. How would it please the 
Cousins to pay a little attention to geology, Just 
for a change * 1 11 / 1 think among so many Cousins 
there must be some, like myself, interested In 
geology and the collecting or specimens. Perhaps 
we may exohange, and In this way get line collec¬ 
tions for our cabinets, Mr. Chadwick wrote such 
a nice article for Harper’s Magazine last year, 
about Western Massachusetts and the tourmalines, 
garnets and other fine specimens, and I've been 
anxious to get some of them. Maybe some of the 
Couslus can help me. Mart E. Everts. 
North East, Erie Co., Pa. 
Dear Uncle Mark:— 1 have been very much 
pleased lately reading the Cousins’ letters and 
thought I would write you. 1 think you must be 
very much like my Uncle Richard from the de¬ 
scription one of the Cousins gave of you, and it. 
makes me feel like writing to you. I have got two 
slaters but no brother. We have a large cat which 
my little sister la very fond of dressing up like a 
baby, He weighs about twelve pounds, and will 
roll over for something to eat, and catch bold of 
the door knob and shake it when he wants to come 
in, My papa takes the Rural and thinks every¬ 
thing of the Tree Number, especially. My grandpa 
took It almost ever since It was flrst published im- 
tll’a. few years past. Papa received the White 
Elephant In a box all right, and he expects to raise 
a big crop of Elephants. I would like to join your 
Club, if agreeable. Your would-be niece, 
Mary E. Humphrey. 
Illyria, Fayette Co., Iowa. 
Dear Unolk Mark We subscribed for your 
paper this Spring, and have planted the seeds you 
sent us. They are all doing nicely, especially the 
potatoes, and they were planted late. There are 
three unit. The tops are very heavy and In bloom. 
I have a flower bed of my own, containing carna¬ 
tions, pinks, lemons, balm, and a blush rose that 
is In bloom. It l Join the Club can I write more 
than once ? I like your paper very much; and 
would like to join the club. I am 11 years of age, 
and have four brothers, all older than myself. 1 
live In the country about five mtle3 trom Oconto 
City. Yours truly, Alice M. Cook. 
oconto, Wls. 
I We are always glad to hear from the Cousins 
whenever they have anything Interesting to com¬ 
municate.— u. m ] 
Dear Uncle Mark :—As I have not seen many 
letters from the coustns lately, I concluded to 
write aud tell you bow I got along with my Cousin 
correspondents. I only had one aud he dropped 
out of sight, for after a few letters had passed 1 
heard nothing more about him. I wish Alma Allen 
would write to me as l like to correspond with my 
relations, l thank you very muoh for the seeds 
you sent us, but am sorry to say the celery seed 
did not come up. I sowed some okra, portulaca 
and mignonette seed, but none came up; but the 
pinks are doing very well. I will have to close 
for this Is on the road io the waste basket. With 
love to all the Cousins I remain your niece, 
Wolfe Island, Ontario. Fanny Hornk. 
(£j}f $u$Ur. 
HIDDEN HOUSE ARTICLES. 
1. So Fanny has gone at last. 
2. It is enough to set teeth on edge. 
3. Hallo! ungenerous boy. 
4. That run kept him In bed a week. 
6. What a poke Richard Is. 
c. I'll shove Louise down hfll. 
T. In Boston, G. Sterling lives. 
8 . The grass plot terminates there. 
• 9. What no terrace in front. 
10. Bob Racket Is unendurable. 
11. Job rooms with Tom. 
12. Caleb rushed Into the room. 
13. Did you stub jour toe ? 
14. What fun Neifle enjoys. 
16 . Did Elmo use trapeze ropes. 
16 . How is Peter. 
17. I saw a cab In Nettles yard. 
I*'"Answer In two weeks. Little One. 
■ — 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA, 
My flrst Is In plantain but not In quince. 
My second is in cantaloupe but not In mince.. 
My third la in musk melon but not lu pumpkin. 
My fourtn Is in wlntergreen but not In raisin. 
My fifth is in mango but not In cassava. 
My sixth is lu apricot but not lu qiiava. 
My seventh is in sapadlfla but not id dewberry 
My eight Is in damson but not in strawberry. 
My ninth is In persimmon but not lu papaw. 
My tenth la In bread-fruit but not in haw. 
My eleventh la In nannieberry but not In banana. 
My whole la a delicious fruit. l. o. 
ris^Answer in two weeks. 
— - - »-»«- 
PUZZLER ANBWEBS—Aug. 6. 
Enigma,—W ater. 
Hidden Instruments of Music.—1, Castanet; 2, 
bassoon; 8, base.viol; 4. accordeon; 5, Jewsliarp; 6, 
drum;7,lyre;S.corncit;9. tambourine; 10, organ; 11, 
melodeon; 13. concertina; 18, life; 14, harmonloa; 15, 
harpsioHord, lii. callope; 17. flugolnt; 18, Shawn i 19, 
eyro bale; 30, oboe; 21 oornouia; 22, trombone; 23, elari- 
ouet; 24, French horn, 26, violiucaUo. 
•-- 
Malarial fever, Ague, and Biliousness, will leave 
every neighborhood as soon as Hop Bitters ar¬ 
rive.—Ado. 
£>abktjj Uniting. 
MAY BE YOUR TURN NEXT. 
Judge not too harshly, oh, my friend! 
Of him your fellow-man. 
But draw the veil of charity 
About him if you can. 
He cnce was called an honest man. 
Before sore trials vexed— 
He stepped from out the narrow way ; 
It may be your turn uext. 
Fainting upon the great highway 
A suffering soul doth lie; 
Go staunch hiswouudsaudquench his thirst. 
Nor pass him idly by. 
God will not brook tho swift excuse, 
The thoughtless, vain pretext; 
A fellow-mnrtul bites the dust: 
It may be your turn next. 
You heard, one day, a single word 
Against a person's name; 
Oh, bear it not from door to door. 
To further hurt, his fame. 
If you’re the man you claim to be. 
Remember, then, the text 
To “ Speak no evil," true or false; 
It may be your turn next. 
The world is bad enough, we own, 
And many ueed more light; 
Yet with true love for all may we 
Help on the cause of Right. 
Lift up the sinful and the weak, 
The souls by care perplext. 
Well knowing that to drink the gall 
It may be our turn uext. 
-- 
Christians in Business.—How to be a Christian 
in business is a question sometimes discussed In 
the prayer meeting, it may be well to reflect 
that we are all Christiana in business, It we are 
Christians at aU; since we all sustain business 
relations with our neighbors. The question con¬ 
cerns not the commercial classes alone, but all the 
rest of us. The laborer, the mechanic, the teach¬ 
er, the preacher, the professional man, are all 
exchanging their services for money or its equiv¬ 
alent. There Is a business side to every man’s 
life. The lady who goes shopping la a Christian 
In business—or ought to be The same virtues 
that we demand of the trader we ought ourselves 
to possess, truthfulness and honesty and prompt¬ 
ness and courtesy are required of all Christians In 
their dealings wltu one another, whether they 
belong to the commercial class or not.— Sunday 
School Times. 
- 1 » » ■ ■ — — 
The preciousness of little things was never more 
beautifully expressed than by B. F. Taylor, In the 
following: “ Little words are the sweetest to hear, 
little charities fly farthest, and stay longest on the 
wing, little lakes are the stillest; little hearts are 
the fullest, and Uttle farms are the best tilled. 
Little books are the mo^ read, and little songs the 
most loved. And when nature would make any¬ 
thing especially rare aud beautirul, she makes It 
little—little pearls, little diamonds, little dews. 
Everybody calls that Uttle which he loves best on 
earth.” 
--- 
What shall I give 7 To the hungry give food; 
to the naked clothes; to the sick, some comfort; 
to the sad a word of consolation; to all you meet, a 
smile and a cheery greeting Give forgiveness to 
your enemies; give patience to the fretful; give 
love to your households; and, above all, give your 
hearts to God. 
•-» » ♦- 
“ Holiness carries a graceful majesty with it 
wheresoever or in whomsoever it la truly and sin¬ 
cerely possessed.” 
Music Teachers 
WILL NOW SELECT BOOKS FOR THE 
FALL CAMPAIGN, 
and cannot possibly find a better book for Choirs, Con¬ 
ventions and Hinging ClasBee. than L. O.EMERSON'S 
HEBALD OF PRAISE iSjfiaWA’f-ffi 
Success follows success in the successive issues of 
Emerson's books, aud this is to be no exception to the 
rule, ft in in prexx and nearly ready. A less expen. 
hive book will beTHK IDEAL (7fi cto.j. made expressly 
for Singing Clauses, and except in size, is quite as 
good, and on the same plan as The Herald or Praise. 
SUNDAY SCHOOL MEN 
will search far and long before finding a better Sunday 
School Song book than THE BEACON LIGHT, 
WOnt*.) By TENNEY aud HOFFMAN. Or 
LIGHT AND LIFE. (35 cents.) By R. M. 
MCINTOSH. 
School Teachers 
will not fail to examine our new and superior 
WELCOME CHORUS. (*LU0.) By W. S. TIL- 
DEN. For High Schools. And the newest and best 
Common Nchpol Hong Book, by L. 0. EMERSON, 
called HONG BELLS. (5U cento.) 
OLIVER DITWON Ac CO., Boston. 
C-11. DIT80N & CO.. J. E. DIT80N & GO.. 
-43 Broadway, Now York. 1228 Chestnut Ht.. Philo, 
HAHN EM A N N 
Medical College s Hospital 
The largest aud most thorough Homoeopathic 
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admitted. The largest Clinics. For Catalogues,, 
address 
T- 8. hoyne, ni. r>., 
1636 "VVaLusli .A--ve.ii.vie, Cluoago, Ulw. 
VASSAR COLLEGE, 
POUUHKMiJBP&IJS) -V. A*. 
For th© Liberal Education of Women. 
Examinations for entrance. Sept 14th. Catalogues sent 
on application. VV. L. DEAN, Registrar. 
