240 
MARCH 27 
THE BUBAL 
Drafting for f|t JJottng. 
REMINISCENCES OF A LITTLE GIRL. 
MRS. M. J. CALPIN. 
CHAPTER V. 
I have never yet described the looks or Father 
Tom and his wife. I have been so Intent on fol¬ 
lowing the fortunes of the hapless pair, that 1 
overlooked personal description. Mrs. Silk, at the 
time of her marriage with Uncle Tom, was hut 25 
years old; and Just In the full bloom of youth and 
beauty. Although seven year:; older than her 
husband, she always looked younger, during all 
tbe years ot her life. She was tall, and supple as 
the willow, while all her motions were airy and 
graceful as those of the fawn. Uncle Tom w as the 
one love of her life, as she was forced Into her first 
marriage by the will of her headstrong, fatherand 
a desire to get away from his stern rule, 1 have 
never seen a lovelier complexion than hers, one In 
which the lilies and roses were so artistically 
combined. She had a suit of hair that fell In 
shining curls rar below her waist, large liquid, 
dark eyes, and pe fleet Grecian features, (quite un¬ 
like the Irish type of beaut?). No one could call 
Uncle Tom handsome, lie had a large fore¬ 
head and a. cranium that measured 24 Inches In 
circumference. He was of mealum hlght, had 
large blue eyes, an open Uoucst countenance and 
was a man who from bis tout ense/n We, one would 
naturally trust as being worthy of all confidence. 
When Uncle Tom (as we will call him hence¬ 
forth) came home and told his wdfe that he had 
at last, obtained a chance to earn an honest live¬ 
lihood, she was delighted at the prospect, but 
when she found that It would Imply separation 
for months, she resolved to rollow him in ills 
Jouraeytngs through the country, and no amount 
of argument could shake her resolution. She 
had the unfailing argument that she had given 
up everything for him, and with him she would 
be till death should separate them, it was finally 
arranged that she should go, and when he was 
on a surveying trip she could remain at the 
nearest village or point on t he work For many 
weary months lhey traveled with the surveying 
expedition, through the country visiting more 
towns and villages than I could enumerate to you 
In a day. Whoever has boon to Ireland knows 
tlio natural beauty of the scenery. Hold moun¬ 
tain ranges, foaming cascades, barren peaks and 
emerald verdure are the characteristics of the 
counntry. All these attractions combine to make 
the Emerald Isle "the pearl of the ocean”, "first 
gem of the. sea.” 
Once on coming to a village In their route, and 
having obtained a place to stay over night they 
found a ** wake” was In progress next door. 
The "keen era” were on banc), the "potheen” was 
hot and everyone felt comfortable, and prepared 
to do the. full amount of mourning for the dead. 
To the cool observer of these “wakes” the cus¬ 
tom looks like a most ridiculous farce, and so It. 
really Is, but you must, know, my dear llttie ones, 
that the customs at different countries alter the 
situation, and what seems foolish to us, may be 
quite a serious matte r with others. Perhaps you 
never have heard or read of an "Irish wake” so 
I will try and describe one as related to me by 
Uncle Tom In my childhood. 
When a person dies, all the neighborhood and 
friends gather in the afflicted house; whiskey 
punch is made called “ potheen," pipes and tobac¬ 
co go round, and then some old crone commences 
to tell of the good deeds of the deceased. All ihey 
can think of in his favor Is rehearsed not forget¬ 
ting to call upon their Imaginations, which under 
the fumes of the whiskey are very lively. Then 
the keeners or fryers commence operations. They 
fall on their lcners beside the coffin and bewail 
tbe dead In a monotonous singing tone, rising and 
falling to suit the expression they intend to con¬ 
vey. To hear them one would think their hearts 
were broken, whereas they are only hired to cry. 
After telling all the good deeds, they commence 
to call down maledictions on the enemies of the 
deceased; and here let me say that no nation 
under the sun can excel the Irish In making evil 
wishes against those they hate. Au Irish mar¬ 
riage and an Irish wake, are something similar, 
only that it anything the wake Is the merriest; 
here they enjoy the tobacco and whiskey the most. 
I wonder it my readers have ever heard of the 
“ Banshee.” 
Well, there Is a superstition In Ireland that be¬ 
fore the death of any member of the family, the 
Banshee will cry ror several nights, never less than 
three, and when her cry la heard consternation 
and sorrow take hold of the living. I think the 
Irish banshee is like the “ mermaid ” ot the sailors 
for the peasantry, who profess to have seen her, 
say that she Ih lovely and Is nearly always sluing 
on a rock In the sea or by the sea shore. 1 wonder 
If she Is related to the “ Lone rock by the sea.” 
But the faith that the people have in her Is won¬ 
derful, and l shouldn't wonder to day it Parnell or 
Dennis Kearny, heard that the “ Banshee” had 
been heard or seen near their dwelling In Ireland 
but they would go to the priest to get consolation, 
as they would expect their hour was come. But, 
dear children, it takes a good many strange things 
to make a world. 
--- 
MY LABORATORY—NO. 2. 
S. KUFDS MASON. 
MY work hands, although having an experience 
of nearly c,ooo years, are still a little Irregular In 
their habits. They let the soil get poor, my plants 
surfer, crops don't pay, oven my pretty Bowers 
grow smaller and smaller, so from toy •• Utile room 
for Improvement,” i Issue my orders. At ouee 
mold, or humus, leaves its ricn bed and goes to the 
poor spots, but If left on as a coverlet, soon dries 
up and becomes worthless. We therefore cover It 
up, mix It through the poor soli, and at once, as 
by magic, the plants grow as they should, it for 
potatoes, when much potash Is needed, we apply 
ashes, and the same for Strawberries, because 
ashes from burnt wood contain potash In plenty. 
Coal ashes are useless as a fertilizer, but are good 
on heavy, stiff clay, to keep It from becoming too 
hard for vigorous plant growth. To produce a 
luxuriant growth of almost any plant, a little 
guano may be used. This powerful helper of 
mine Is a dangerous feUow, however. Ills strength 
Is wonderful, so we may mix him up with twenty 
times his bulk of common soil, before trusting 
him among our seeds or tender roots, else he 
would kill everything right and left. Sometimes 
rain becomes too frequent a visitor; he is a sad 
dog when let loose In a garden, hut we get rid of 
him by making trenches on the surface to let him 
run off downhill, and loosen up the soil, that he 
may run down below the roots, ready to rise again 
when the sun, saying "dew come, dew come,” 
calls him in summer. Tbe sun takes a spell also, 
and dries the soil, the plants, roots, stems and all, 
but we attack the soil again with hoes and rakes, 
loosening It, to let up Horn below the excess of 
rain already there. When the supply of water In 
the soil is deficient, we cover the garden with an.v- 
thtng to keep In what little there may be. We call 
H. mulch, and It may be saw-dust, half.rotted 
straw or hay. Old half-rotted manure, fresh-cut 
grass, or any rubbish which will keep the sun out, 
and the water In. 
Water in cultivation Is as Important to plants as 
to cousins In hot, weather. These cousins, you see, 
1 couut as among my helpers; they occupy a cor¬ 
ner of that" little room ” 1 speak of, and when the 
race becomes Improved It will be due altogether u> 
the amount or cultivation they receive. 
I will propose a mode of proving that cultivation 
is manure. I want each,eousln to plant a few long 
blood beet seeds this season, to select a few, and hoe 
them just often enough to keep down the weeds, 
and then select a similar lot and lice them well 
every morning, throwing the eartii well up around 
them each time, and report progress on Oct. 1, 
isso, to Uncle Mark. There will be some knowl¬ 
edge oi gardenia; gained, some laudable pride In¬ 
dulged In, some little bragging, and some beets 
that can't bo beat, as well as some that can. 
Now, 1 must Introduce my particular baud of as¬ 
sistants to the cousins. They are human ; they 
are all first cousins to each other, and the most 
important of the whole tot. Their names are In¬ 
dustry, Application, Love of Labor, Great Care, 
Close Attention, Perseverance, Courage, Pluck, 
Patience and Push. 
Every couslu who loves flowers has some of these, 
and can cultivate all the rest, and what Is very 
curious, in so doing will cultivate her mind, her 
health, her circle of friends, her grace and her 
beauty. A study of the topic, which l nave touched 
but lightly, will lead to much good. It. will de¬ 
velop principles. There is a principle governing 
every step In cultivation, which, ic well under¬ 
stood, wifi tell how, wnen an i where to work, and 
also why —the great why, the stumbling block U> 
all beginners, the first thought which enters one’s 
mind w hen set to work. 
Why must I do so ? The usual answer given by 
Ignorant persons Is Lhts, 'cause—but, ’cause why. 
Why ’cause. That stops all turther Inquiry, but 
Nature Is kind In heart, and to those who wlU 
study her always gives the true reason. So, my 
dear cousins, first think, then Inquire, then apply. 
Never stop asking " Why ” till you know every¬ 
thing, then keep your knowledge brigut by con¬ 
stant use. 
Can any of you tell a gardener’s spade from any 
other? Notice that it Is always brigut and clean 
by eonstaut use and eare. Even the handle be¬ 
comes smooth and polished. 
Three other helpers, though last, not least, I em¬ 
ploy In my laboratory. Order, Neatness and Dis¬ 
patch 1 call them, but )i well treated they come 
without calling. 
What greater pride can a cousin have than to 
walk out. to her garden with a handrul of seeds, 
and say to her mend, “ Here are the seeds, there 
are the plants; wlihout my care and labor they 
would have still been seeds.” AU then that stands 
between a seed and Its fiower Is a little cousin, 
first cousin to the seed, third couslu to the fiower, 
while they are second cousins to her. “ Oh, my 1” 
says Jiltty Clover, “that’s worse than roses on 
watering-pots.” 
Dodge Co., Nebraska. 
THE SEED DISTRIBUTION. 
plants this winter. Last year we could, at, most 
any time, pick a small hunch of fragrant Dowers. 
We are not at all fortunate with house Roses. I 
suppose we do not give them proper treatment. 
Perhaps some or the cousins will be kind enough 
to tell me through the paper how they manage to 
make theirs grow so nicely. I must report a 
failure on Smtlax, too. I put It away In a dark 
place, giving it very little water, In the summer, 
that, the bulbs may rest. Whcu It springs up I 
bring It to the light gradually. It grows fast until 
about six Inches high, then stops, and, although 
looking green and fresh, It refuses to climb an 
Inch higher until the next autumn. 1 must close 
now. Carnation. 
New Bedford, Mass. 
Dear Unci.b Mark I am a little hoy seven and 
one-half years old. 1 go to school every day. I 
can read In the t hird reader, and know the multi¬ 
plication tables; am learning addition now. I love 
to go to school and study, my teacher Airs. Wlnans 
Is kind and good. I have a dear. “ curly-headed,’' 
little sister four years old, and a black-eyed baby 
brother six monthsold. I go to church and Sunday- 
school. I love flowers and wish to Join the “ Club,” 
with the rest of the little cousins. We had no snow 
tiffs winter, so 1 couldn’t draw my sled; maybe we 
will have some yet. I have two dogs, Dick and 
Nell. I try to be a good boy. This is the first let¬ 
ter I ever wrote myself. No more at present from 
your little friend, Frank E. Galpin. 
Marshall Co., Kans. 
Glad to hear from you, Frank; write again.— u. m. 
Uncle Mark: If you will receive me as a member 
of the Horticultural Club, and the members will 
receive me as a cousin, I will try to write a letter. 
I do not know much about (lowers or vegetables. 
We have a few flowers and vines. I will tell you 
some of them. We have some Roses, Flowering 
Almond and some others, beside some little 
flowers. We have no box flowers. We have one 
vine that we call clinging Ivy. it will stay green 
all the time. lr. clings to several trees In our yard. 
I don’t know whether It will kill the trees or not. 
It may but It has not killed ours yet. Well, my 
letter Is getting long enough for the first. If It is 
printed I will write again. Please put my name 
on your list. Good-bye for this time. 
Griffin, Ga. Cousin Ubiole, 
Uncle Mark.— I should like to Join the Horti¬ 
cultural < lub if you will place my name upon the 
list. I am a lover of flowers and have generally 
good success. I Uko to read the letters from the 
cousins very much. Your well-wisher. 
Butte Co., Cal. Alice E. Snyder. 
HIDDEN SOVEREIGNS. 
1. It is an Insult and I’ll resent it. 
2. Did you see our pet dog, Edward ? 
3. What a temper Orslna exhibited 7 
4 . In a fit of pique Kna quarreled with her lover. 
5 . I did the problem on Archibald’s slate. 
6 . Madame Dupres, I dented It unintentionally. 
T. I read the edict at Orlanda’s office. 
3. I saw Eric Z Arm at the opera-house. 
9. The skin grew quite Inflamed. 
10 . As for the result a natural ldot could guess. 
11. Papa shall I go ? 
12. In her music Zara makes rapid Improvement. 
13. Take the pig over no road. 
14. Draw It taut Ocra that It may bear a tug. 
15. 1 choose ecru, Lerma. 
16. Essie, hie fast away. 
IT. Rtc a lip has no use for a moustache. 
Little One. 
RHOMBOID. 
Across: Enough; a town In Italy ; a city In 
Italy; a town In Africa; a vUlage In the Nether¬ 
lands. 
Down: A letter; a Jewish month; to under¬ 
mine ; a stratagem; a city In France; a town In 
Sweden; a measure of surface; a town in India; a 
letter. “ Gus.” 
Waterloo, Ind. 
■ »♦« 
TRANSPOSITION. 
BRIEFLETS. 
Transplant Rhubarb and Horse-radish. 
. . Be ready for grafting. . . The Ger¬ 
mantown Telegraph says: We never heard 
of a case of fire-blight in a pear-tree in a city 
yard. So of cracking in Pears. . . Peaches 
Apples, Cherries, all may fail; but wheu a Pear 
once comes in, it is tolerably sure to have 
more or less fruit every year. . . Mad. 
Charles Wood, Chestnut Hybrid, Triomphe 
des Beaux Arts and Paul Neron are flue 
Roses. . . In pruning shrubs, bear in mind 
that to prune those which bear flowers on the 
old wood, is to lose a corresponding number 
of flowers. Such 6brubs should be pruned 
just after blooming, so as to give them a chance 
to form flower-buds for the next year. . . 
The Gardeners’Monthly calls attention to the 
Lantana as a summer-blooming plaut. Few 
things beat it in beauty and tbe hotter and 
drier the weather is, the more freely it blooms. 
. . Mr. Dreer’s new strains of Coleus are 
creating quite a sensatiou. . . Pruue grape¬ 
vines. Remember that the same wood never 
Clears grapes twice. The advice may seem 
needless but we have known persons to cut 
away all of the last year’s growth and to won¬ 
der why their vines bore no fruit- . . One 
of the Alden apple driers at Adrian, costing 
$10,000, has paid for itself in five years! . . 
About 400 bushels of green fruit may be dried 
every 2t hours. It employs GO hands. . . 
In reply to inquiries for cauuing, probably 
there is no better variety of greeu corn than 
8 towell’s Evergreen. . . Mr. Harris thinks 
that barley will command a good price the 
coming fall. A great point in raising barley is 
to get it oi the best quality. The land must be 
dry, clean, mellow and rich. Mr. Harris has 
used superphosphate with decided advantage. 
. . Sow as early as land can be put in good 
condition. Sow at the rate of two bushels per 
acre. Six-rowed bailey is the most profitable 
kiud to sow, as it usually brings from 10 to 15 
cents more per bushel than the two-rowed. . 
Two-rowed barley is rather later than the six- 
rowed, though heavier. It produces, also, more 
straw. . . Thoughts and Events" says : "It 
passes the understanding to explain why tbe 
free press should consider abuse a weapon of 
civilization.”. . “Chaste as snow, thou shalt not 
escape calumny,” ought to be worked in 
worsted and put up at all nominating con¬ 
ventions to deter sensitive candidates. . . 
Never expose a great private wrong until it is 
very plain that it is a public wrong. . . We 
hope that subscribers of the Rural New- 
Yorker interested iu our seeds, will give the 
mangels a good chance aud that they will 
very generally compete for the premiums to 
be offered for tbe best roots. . . Pride aud 
Plenty spread rich repasts, but Love must sit at 
the board to perfect the banquet. . . A writer 
in tbe Journal of Agriculture says: “If tbe 
Grauge is a failure, it only proves the truth of 
the old adage, that our worst enemies are those 
of our own household; for we all know that 
if (he farmers would unite iu oue grand, har¬ 
monious whole, the balance of power would be 
in their own hands," which is true enough. 
. . The Rural New-Yorker has little to do 
with politics per se. But wc should much like 
to see a larger proportion of farmers and a 
smaller proportion of lawyers auioug our legis¬ 
lators. We should like indeed to try for the 
once a fai iuer-president We hold that the 
intelligent study and practice of ugriculture 
better fit a man to govern our country wisely 
than does the study of any other science, pu:- 
suit or profession whatever. . . Mr. Fur¬ 
man says that men who make their money in 
speculative ways, fail in farming nine times 
in ten. . . Col. Piollet 6ays : “1 wish I pos¬ 
sessed the power to arouse the miud of every 
farmer iu this land to resent the dastardly 
attacks that have been made upon a Depart¬ 
ment which, for the first time iu its history, 
has a practical educated farmer at its head.” 
Ere this reaches the young readers, the mem¬ 
bers ol the Horticultural Club will have received 
their seeds, and tbe present distribution will be 
closed. ’The selection consists or seven kinds or 
seeds, two kinds of vegetable seed, and five kinds or 
flower seed. Their culture will be given at length 
In another Issue, as want of space does noi permit 
me to publish it this Meek. Uncle Mark. 
-♦♦ » 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Uncle Mark I take my pen once more, this 
time to enquire what lias become or the members 
of the club. 1 open the paper, week after week, 
and see not more than t wo or three letters, and 
Chose os a general thing are from tnose who wish 
to join. Of course the many that join make It all 
the more pleasant, but If they only write two or 
three times and then drop it they will hardly be 
profitable members. Those who used to interest 
me very mueh are utterly silent now. Will not 
Ivy favor us with a lew lines once more? What a 
mild, pleasant winter we have had thus far. Yes¬ 
terday (Feb. 2.) I had some Pansies lit bloom In 
the open air, where they had been all winter, with 
no protection whatever. To-day they are sur¬ 
prised by a heavy wind and snow storm. 1 have 
D. M Ferry’s Catalogue for 183t>. Among the nut 
trees or which he speaks, 1 see the uames of the 
English walnut, or Madeira nut, the almond and 
pecan. Can these trees be grown In Massachu¬ 
setts? We are having very few flowers on our 
I lals no hot gruglns sconea dlte, 
Ilewer teh vawes rea gib dan het ase si dlwe, 
Rehwe mortss tof rnoce ot docul ym kelss, 
Dan llbswol fo frleg nl kardenss salre. 
W Answer In two weeks. l. 
- 
SQUARE WORD. 
A three masted vesseKor the Mediterranean. 
The world. Salt water. A volcano and vowel, 
Part of the human face. 
Answer in two weeks. l. o. 
Name Puzzle.— Place six male names so as to 
form a seventh. 
t'er Answer In two weeks. 
--- 
NUMERICAL ENIGMA. 
I composed of 10 letters. My|l, 2,3, Is an earthen 
vessel. My 4, 0, 6. T, 6, u,10, is a waterfowl- My 
whole Is a fairy. G. 
-- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-March 13. 
Hidden Female Namkk,— 1. Oftsimmlru;2. Cuther- 
ine; a. CecilU; 4 Esther: i>. Delia; 6 . Kuimu; 7. Christ¬ 
iana ». Erne-fine; 9. Clara; 10. Emmeline; ll. Claudia; 
12. Ellen; HI. Clementine. 14. Elvira; 15. Cora; Iti. Ella; 
17. Cordelia; IS. Elizabeth ; IS. Cornelia; 20. Eliza; 21. 
Clnthla; 22. Dora; 23. Doruthy ; 24. Edna; 25. Eleanor. 
A Fractional Puzzle.— “ CHAMPAGNE." 
<ftack autf f oultty* 
IMPORED CLYDESDALES; 
ALSO, 
HAMBLETONIANS, 
ami other desirable, strums of Trolling Stuck, for 
sale, eiienp, and on easy terms. AU stock guaran¬ 
teed us Rood us U-prosenteO. Catalogues sent free. 
Correspondence solicited. Address 
POWELL BUGS., 
Hprinnboro, Crnvflbrd Co., Pit. 
H igh CLASH POULT It V, Grape Vines, Small 
Fruits, finer than ever. 
Send for circular. Uko. S. Josbelxn, Fredonla, N. Y. 
