466 
Rafting for % gating. 
FOR THE BOYS. 
k. p. r. 
Bots ought to be sure that every animal or fowl 
oa the place grows up a pet. it win surprise them 
to find the capacity which even hens have for 
learning to understand what Is said to them. Let 
each call, cow, horse, sheep and fowl, have its own 
name and be taught to respond to It. 
I have a tew sheep that, invariably look up and 
speak to me as I go by the pasture. It I call one 
of the cows to the fence to take something from 
my hand, I should bo ashamed to have them show 
timidity. Horses we expect to have Intelligence, 
and expect them to show It; hut hens we consider 
as lit only to eat and lay eggs. A few years ago I 
needed a hen to set on Brahma eggs. I borrowed a 
little, black top-knot. She hatched well and took 
good care of the olilcks tor a few weeks, when one 
afternoon 1 heard her at the back door shouting a 
genuine hen talk. She was trying her beBt to say 
something to me. she stepped backward and for¬ 
ward, and craned her neck and uttered the most 
eloquent sounds 1 ever heard from a hen's throat. 
This was kept up for ten minutes, stopping occa¬ 
sionally to eat. She then deliberately started off 
for her home, about flve hundred rods away. 1 
tound the chicks where sire had left them under 
the pte-plam. leaves in the garden. They seemed 
to understand the whole affair and never Inquired 
after Hie old lady. 
Dogs arc the only ordinary pets that I abolish 
from my land. They eat as much as a call' and 
very rarely do any good. They trample my flowers 
and howl nights, and are not quite safe. Cats are 
better; they save my young fruit trees rrom the 
mice, and are as useful all over my fourteen acres 
as they are in the house. Always keep two, so 
that they can have frolics. One of mine eats frogs 
like a Frenchman. 
Invariably speak kindly to every creature, and 
show no had temper. It will surround you with 
all kinds of trlenda that will make life a delight. 
PRESENCE OF MIND. 
A little time ago a young man died In Phila¬ 
delphia who was popularly known, from his swift¬ 
ness In running, as “ Deer." His story was a sin¬ 
gular one. 
A few year's since lie was a ragged, shrewd lad, 
peddling newspapers about the railway depots. 
One day he happened to be on the line of the Penn¬ 
sylvania Railroad, when he saw an engine rushing 
down the track without any driver or tender. By 
some chance It had been separated from the cars, 
and was driving on alone. 
The boy knew that It would meet an express 
train this side of the next station. He had about 
four minutes’ start, and darted down the track 
after It. The englue was, of course, not at full 
speed, yet nobody but Deer could lmve won In such 
a race. 
He did wlu; was cool enough to remember the 
signal to the station-keeper necessary to have the 
switch placed so that the engine would be turned 
on to another track. It was done just two seconds 
before the express train went thundering by. 
Deer, for this sendee, was granted by the Penn¬ 
sylvania Railroad corporation a monopoly or the 
newspaper arid book trade, on Its trunk route, and 
from tills he derived a handsome income. 1 1 , was 
to the hoy's coolness, as well as to his fleetness, 
that hundreds of human beings owed their lives. 
Another Instance of the effect Of presence of 
mind In the face of Imminent peril occurred a few 
weeks ago In New York, when a manufactory em¬ 
ploying several hundred hands was found, by a 
boy of twelve, to be m flames. 
Instead of yelling fire, as most boys would have 
done, he went to the foreman and whispered to 
him his discovery, in flve minutes the men were 
quietly dismissed, and It was not until they had 
reached the street that they knew the danger they 
had escaped. 
A panic would have Inevitably resulted In great 
loss or life. Now boys cannot be taught swiftness 
of foot, but they can be taught self-control, and 
the rare ability of keeping their wits about them 
in sudden danger, which Is a much more useful 
quality.—Ax. 
- ■ - ♦ * ♦- 
A WORD TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. 
Ai.l agricultural and horticultural societies are 
now preparing for fairs and exhibitions, or holding 
meetings for the discussion of any and all topics 
In which they are Interested, our association is 
now lour months old, In a most prosperous con¬ 
dition—fairly throbbing with energy and ambition, 
having any amount of surplus muscle for the 
wielding of the spade, rake and hoe, and with a 
rapidly Increasing membership—yet we have not 
had a single meeting. Nothing could please me 
more than to have a convention of the members 
■of the Horticultural Club arranged for the discus¬ 
sion of all matters in which we are interested; 
but since this is not practicable, as our member 
are scattered over the whole North American con¬ 
tinent, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from 
the Gulf of Mexico to Lako Winnipeg, we can do 
the next best thing, that of holding our meetings 
In the Rural. 1 wish the members would make 
the best use of this, their only opportunity of ex¬ 
changing ideas with one another. Write to me 
whenever you want Information on any topic con¬ 
nected with the garden, if l cannot give it, perhaps 
some other member can. Tell us how you suc¬ 
ceed, or even how you fail, It may assist others to 
better success and wai n them of similar failures. 
I desire at present to have all the members send 
in reports in the course of a few weeks, as I intend 
to publish them either entire or in part In a special 
number soon to be Issued. Unoi.e Mark. 
THE RliRAi. NEW-YORKER. 
FROM A MOTHER. 
Dear Uncle Mark :—My two little boys, Frank 
and George, wish me to write to you and ask If 
you will accept them as members of the Horticul¬ 
tural Club. Both are Interested In one corner of 
the vegetable garden. They spaded and raked the 
ground, and then what a time they had In select¬ 
ing their seeds. They have radishes and beets 
and cabbage and tomatoes, all well tended and 
growing nicely. Both or them take a great Inter¬ 
est In the Rural seeds, and I have promised each 
a share of the plants this fall; they think their 
flowers and vegetables are better than mother’s. 
Every day they And some new wonder and pleas¬ 
ure in their garden. I think parents should do all 
they can to encourage a love for gardening In both 
ooys and girls; It will be the means of keeping the 
ooys at home and out of mischief. 
Madison Co., Ind, Juliktt a lured. 
- -»-■» ♦ -- 
LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
Dear Uncle Mark and Rural cousins:—I pro¬ 
mised to let you know how I was getting along 
with my garden. 1 have sold radishes and lettuce 
amounting to 77 cents, and I have still sweet corn, 
beets, peas, onions and potatoes left. About 12 
days ago I received a package of radish seeds from 
Uncle .Mark. 1 went right to work, leveled up my 
old radish bed and sowed my seeds; they came up 
nicely, l water them freely nights and mornings, 
as the soil here Is very sandy and dries out quickly. 
I keep my garden free Irani weeds by hoeing a Ut¬ 
ile evenings when I come home from school. Now, 
dear Uncle Mark. 1 think when I SeU aR my garden 
produce, I shall have money enough of my own to 
enable me to subscribe for the Moral. My Uttle 
garden Is S'i by W feet; but I And I can raise a 
great deal by taking good care of what I plant. 
Next to the care of our plants, it Is of Importance 
that we should care for our pennies, cousins. 
Keep them all together, and when you must spend 
money, spend It Judiciously. Do not think l con¬ 
iine all my attention to vegetables, for I dearly 
love flowers, l have some or the tlnest Roses, 1 
think, in the country, white, pink and black, (2) but 
the rose bugs are trying to get the start of me. I 
have other beautiful flowers. I received a Gladi¬ 
olus bulb from Uncle Mark. I planted it in a suit¬ 
able spot and 11 . now looks very thrifty; to-day the 
leaves measure jr, inches in bight. Uncle Mark, 
my papa wants to know If we can raise two crops 
of potatoes in one year. For instance, yoti sent us 
the Beauty of Hebron—they arc now nearly ripe ; 
will It be possible to raise another crop from them 
this season? Will they sprout and grow? Now 
good-bye for tills time, I hope to write again 
soon- Walter C. Gavhaht, 
Lucas Co., 0. 
[We raised two crops of the Early Rose at the 
Rural Farm last summer, the last crop giving fair 
eatable potatoes, though not so good as the first 
crop. The Beauty of Hebron being about ten days 
earlier than the Early Hose, I should think It quite 
possible to raise a second crop. I would not ad¬ 
vise, however, to plant all of the first crop, as It 
might prove a failure.— Uncle Mark.i 
Dear Uncle :— I suppose that r am one of the 
cousins, hut It puzzles me some to tell whether 1 
am acounlry or a city cousin, for I live only some 
three miles from the hub of tbe universe. 1 am 
not so favored as some in having a farm, but I 
spend my spare time In one of Nature’s smaller 
schools, a garden. We can raise about everything 
In it except potatoes, which are rather strong, 
asmostof ourgarden is part of a reclaimed salt 
marsh and Is somewhat damp underneath; how¬ 
ever, wc have some hills of the Beauty of Hebron 
In the upper part, which are doing well. The 
W. T. radishes, (the seed or which wc received 
from you, and for which we are much obliged,) 
win soon be large enough to eat, but Uttle, black, 
snapping bugs riddle the leaves with shot-holes, 
and wood ashes and lime, are to them (the plants) 
almost necessities of life. We have plenty of 
green peas. Our corn has splndleu out, and is 
running a race with the pole-beams, which have 
the heat of it, although they have to go crooked, 
while the corn Is straight. I haven’t yet planted 
the sweet corn which j ou sent me, for the simple 
reason, that I haven't received it; I hope some 
postal official has not appropriated It, but it he has 
may It do him good. 1 don’t have any pets, ex¬ 
cept a tame snapping turtle which I kept Lied to 
a tree In the yard all winter so that he could not 
tun away; but lest some one else should try to 
tame ono of the same class. I will remark, that 
1 did not dare to undertake to domesticate him, 
until Ills perishable parts bad crumbled into dust. 
I suppose I have already written more than you 
care to read, so I will close. 0 . a. d. 
P.8. Bince writing the above I have received 
the corn, and return thanks. C. A. Butter worth. 
Suffolk Co., Mass. 
Dear Uncle Mark :—Please may I have one 
llltle place in the corner? l will be very quiet 
and only stay a Uttle while, and win not come very 
otten. 1 am sweet sixteen to-day and as I have 
nothing to do but to play on my piano, which wus 
a birthday present rrom toy dear papa, 1 thought 
I would chatter a little with Uncle Mark and my 
Rural cousins, to whom i have never spoken be¬ 
fore. J always read the letters with great Interest 
but never have had the couruge to write, as I know 
I cannot write an Interesting letter, l am a farm¬ 
er’s daughter, and a horse la my idol. 1 Uke outs 
and dogs but do not care much about other ani¬ 
mals. Flowers seem to be the principal topic 
among the cousins now. I have no garden flowers 
this summer as our yard is In no condition for 
them, we having built our house last fall. I mean 
to have some nice ones next summer. J have a 
good many nice house plants. 
I have Just come out of school and am now learn¬ 
ing to keep house. 1 like cooking very much. I 
am Intimately acquainted with Madcap Mollle, 
who Is also keeping house this summer. I tiunv 
It nice for girls to know how to work as wen as to 
play the piano and entertain company nicely. 
Well, enough of this, or you will never want me to 
come again. Your affectionate niece, 
Brooltslde, N. Y. Myrtle. 
[Myrtle Is heartily welcome and I shall be 
pleased to hear from her often. I am glad to hear 
she Is Interested In cooking. It Is an accomplish¬ 
ment that ere lODg will be classed among the floe 
arts, and the few young ladles who know how to 
cook weU will he acknowledged real artists. 
Since Myrtle Intends to have some flowers next, 
year, and she already has some nice house plants, 
I recommend her to join the Horticultural citib. 
Uncle Mark. 
Dear Uncle Mark :—Please put my name on 
the Ust of your Horticultural Club. [ have a little 
garden of my own In wbleh 1 have planted cab¬ 
bages, tomatoes, watermelons, muskmelons, rad¬ 
ishes and peanuts, und having no raspberries to 
plant, I obtained some willows and set them In a 
corner of my garden. I bave only lived two years 
on the farm, but tills spring I dropped twenty 
acres of corn. One day lust winter an elder bro¬ 
ther and myself were chopping Ui the woods when 
we were suddenly startled by the furious barking 
of our dog. on Investigating the cause of his ex¬ 
citement, we found that, lie was vainly trying to 
catch a weasel which had run in under a hollow 
log lying on the ground. My brother turned the 
log and the weasel ran out, but he was Immediate¬ 
ly caught and killed by the dog. l then brought 
him home to my sister, who stuffed hirn, and now 
lie occupies a glass case In the parlor. I am only 
eleven years old. Your nephew’, Geo. Shaw. 
Washington Co., ill. 
Dear Uncle Mark anu Cousins:—I thank you 
very much for those Gladiolus bulbs and radish 
seeds. Now, cousins, we ought to do our best at 
gardening, seeing that Unde Mark is so kind as to 
give us such a good chance. Wo have quite a 
large garden. 1 see In the Rural of June Tt.ii Unit 
you tell us how to raise a great many garden 
plants. I shall try my best to raise those bulbs 
and seeds I have planted—the bulbs are doing 
nicely. My brother and 1 have hoed most of tlie 
garden, and we are going to keep our plants free 
from weeds. It rains nearly every day and the 
weeds grow very fast. We have IS hills of water 
and musk-melons. I had one large water-melon 
last year about turn feet long and nine Inches 
thick; the others were not so large, i must soon 
close or J am afraid this will go Into the waste¬ 
basket. Please excuse my mistakes and print my 
letter. Bob White. 
Winnebago Co., HI. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I have been reading the 
Rural stories and lettere for some time, and wish 
to join your Horticultural Club. There has been 
some very good letters since March. Mother and 
father have been tailing the Rural for some time, 
and like It very well. 1 have a piece of sod ground 
near a tree. 1 did not exactly know what to plant, 
hut concluded to plant some pop-corn, I planted 
it about nrteenInches apart, and rather deep; It 
came up in a week and Is now growing nicely, 
considering the dry weather. I expect to hoe It 
to-morrow. I had some pop-corn last year, too. It 
was nearly ripe, when the hogs broke la and ate 
about two-thirds of It, so I did not get much 
corn, though, as good luck would have it, 1 had 
some old coru sale. I am twelve years old. Please 
put rny name on the list. Yours truly, 
Morgan Co., IU. Roving Bob. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I am ll years old, and 
have a small piece of ground for vegetables and a 
bed of flowers. I have two little sisters and they 
each have a bed of flowers. T am raising my vege¬ 
tables for the table. The Beed you sent us Is doing 
well, and 1 am to have some of the plants. The 
potato bugs came quite plentiful at first, but I 
destroyed them and their eggs as soon as they 
appeared, l have peas, beans, cucumbers, beets 
and squashes. 1 have also some of your millet, 
which I don’t think will do much, for as soon as it 
came up it turned yellow, i want to Join your 
Horticultural Club, if there Is room for a Cape Cod 
member. Yours truly, G. W. Bourne, 
Barnstable Co., Mass. 
Dear Uncle Mark and Rural Cousins :— I will 
write to you again, hoping that this letter wUl be 
better than my last. 1 received the radish seeds, 
and was glad to got them. I have a small garden 
lu which I raise radishes, lettuce, water-melons, 
musk-melons, cucumbers and strawberries, a few 
of each ldud. I picked all the blossoms and little 
berries off my young strawberry plants, thinking 
that they Mill bear better next year. I go to school 
this summer; have a few flowers of rny own. I 
will not tire you with any more this time. Au re- 
‘°°ir ! Clara A. Meeker. 
Broome Co., N. Y. 
Dear Cochins and Unci.k Mark :— I have thought 
1 would like to become a correspondent to tbe Ru¬ 
ral, which we have taken since I can remember, 
yet tills Is my first letter, i am now twelve years 
old. 1 like to read the cousins’ letters. We are to 
have a great, many flowers this summer. I would 
like to join the Horticultural Club, i have two 
good-sized sage beds. T wish some of the cousins 
would tell me Hie best way to take care of It, 1 go 
to school, and read In the fourth reader and study 
geography, arithmetic, grammar, spelling and 
writing. Yours truly, 
Leona I. Season. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—i am a boyll years old, 
and am a great Hand for flowers and vegetables, 
l have always had a vegetable garden In which to 
raise water-melons, etc., until tills summer, hut 1 
am now working away from home by the month, 
I have two slaters, Rose and Letha, who belong to 
the Horticultural Club, and I ulso wish to become 
a member of that useful band. 
Clermont Co., O, Amos 8 . Abbott. 
»aliliat| pairing. 
ALWAYS JESUS. 
Jesus is ever dear: 
When friends beloved of old 
Seem heartless grown or cold, 
He, oldest friend ol ail, 
Hats to our pathetic call: 
Jesus is ever near 
Jesus can never change: 
When lost our treasured wealth, 
When lost is strength and health, 
Ha ever is the same 
In spirit and in name : 
Jesus is never strange. 
Jesus is full of love: 
More than onr cross he heurB, 
Each 10y. each korrow shares, 
Increases every bliss, 
Was ever love Uke this v 
Jesus, enthroned above! 
Jesus, our dearest friend, 
In us thy dwelling bo; 
Make us a part of Thee; 
Remove these stains of earth ; 
Give us that newer birth, 
Jesus, our aim, our end. 
[Syracuse Journal. 
---- 
INFIDELITY AND CHIME. 
We believe It to be susceptible of demonstration 
that the lute extraordinary and deplorable In¬ 
crease of crime, an Increase more palpable every 
day, crowding with Its record the columns of the 
public prints and sickening the soul with Its end¬ 
less detail and novelty of horror, Is largely due to 
the growth ol materialism, or what is termed lnfl- 
deltty; and that mainly In reaction from the scep¬ 
tical drift of the time lies the path of wholesome 
reform. Thu fruit, of unbeller among the upper or 
wealthy classes is sensuality. Those classes get 
to worship instead of their Maker the pleasures of 
the moment. They bow down to rich rood and 
line clothes and enervating amusements. They 
make goddesses of women who possess mere phys¬ 
ical beauty. Their hearts arc set on yachts and 
race-courses and theatres and operas. What Is 
given, in a word, to gild or soften life, to lend 
grace and sparkle and color to the plod and mono¬ 
tony of existence, such persons make Its sole ob¬ 
ject and aim. Thus they become of the earth, 
earthy, and all that Is spiritual and exalted dries 
out of their souls, one after another the Com¬ 
mandments are broken as they stand lu the way 
of desire, and a shameful ruin Is left at last In 
place of what might have been a perfect temple; 
a shattered and sated voluptuary in place of a 
nobly perfected human being. 
Among the poorer and less educated ranks of 
society the cant and poison of living only for the 
day Is even more directly disastrous. The rich 
can gratify their passions without, as a rule and 
lu the legal sense, coming in conflict with the 
rights of others. But. the needy, unrestrained by 
any fear of future account, and t hinking only to 
eat and drink since to-morrow they die, drive 
straight on to crime. That this Is no idle assertion 
can be abundantly proved. A careful suivey of 
the murders, suicides and other great felonies 
commit tod In the chief cities of the United States 
during the last ton years shows that a heavy frac¬ 
tion of the perpetrators were atheists or free¬ 
thinkers. These unhappy persons, persuaded that 
life Is the be-all and the end-all here, Imagine that 
In their calculations they can jump the life to 
come. A collection of the letters or other papers 
left by criminals when anticipating death shows 
a fearful number of Instances, somo of which 
many readers will recall, of absolute disbelief In 
the existence of a God or in any reckoning for 
wrong done In tills life to be exacted In a future 
one .—Eoeuino Post. 
THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY. 
There was a celebrated painter, once, who was 
making a picture of Jesus to the midst of his twelve 
apostles. lu arranging the picture he concluded 
to paint the apostles first, and not begin with their 
Master till he had finished them. As he went on 
with the picture, he ti led to do the very best he 
could with each of the apostles. He took the 
greatest palus with their figures, their positions, 
their dress, ami their faces. Ashe went on with 
his work ho was very well pleased with it. After 
finishing the apostles he began with the person of 
Jesus. He got ou very well with this till he came 
to the head and face of the blessed Lord. Then he 
laid down Ills brush and paused. He felt that the 
face of Jesus ought to be made to appear as much 
more beautiful than ills disciples as the sun is 
more glorious l ban the stars. But how could he 
do this? lie had tried so hard to make the disci¬ 
ples look well, that he felt he hud no power left to 
make their Master appear as much superior to 
them as He ought to appear. And so ha finished 
tho person of Jesus all but the head, and then 
painted Him with a white mantle thrown over ills 
head. He thought that when persons came to 
look at Ids painting, they would imagine what the 
face of Jesus ought to be better than ho could rep¬ 
resent It by painting. And I feel Very much as 
that painter did, when l come to speak about the 
person and presence of .Jesus to Heaven. All who 
love Jesus hereon earth, ugreeto saying that from 
what they know or Him now, lie Is *‘tlie chief 
among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." Then 
how will lie appear when our eyes come to “see 
the King In Uls beauty,” in Heaven 7 —Richard 
Neurton. D. I>. 
Sanctification does not consist to the perfection 
of knowledge, or to the perfection of our natural 
powers, in lights or to raptures, but to being deliv¬ 
ered from all sinful desires and tempers, and filled 
with the pure love of God. 
