fin* X\)t Domh0. 
TEX LKl'TEE WATERMELONS. . 
Tex little watermelons, growing on a vine. 
A little rabbit came along and left us only nine. 
Nine little watermelons, each day gain in weight. 
Mrs. Biddy scratched off one, and then we had but 
eight. 
Eight little watermelons, we’d rather had eleven. 
Piggy found an open gate, then there were but seven. 
Seven little watermelons, Nell, the baby picks 
One of them lo make some pies, and left us only six. 
Six growing watermelons, how rapidly they thrive, 
Paul went out to see them grow, and we had but five. 
Five pretty watermelons, our Ransom looked them 
o’er; 
He slyly cut one Into halves, and then we counted 
four. 
Four lovely watermelons, but green as green can be; 
Lewis plugged another one and left us only three. 
Three watermelons. Bessie thought that one would 
do; 
But ’twas hardly fit for piggy, then we had but two. 
Two precious watermelons ripening in the sun. 
Mamma tried one, found it green, and left ns only 
one, 
One darling watermelon left for all our care. 
But wijen Papa went to pick'it, he found It wasn't 
there, s - °- 
Here is a. letter jhat sjteaks for itself. Now 
you have a chance to get something that will 
be of great value on the farm. Remember 
that a very small club may win the prize. 
Let every one of the Cousins see what they 
cau do. Remember this is to be the property 
of the boy or girl who sends in the largest 
club. It shall not be “fathers pig" unless 
father pays for it. I will see that every boy 
or girl who sends in a single subscriber is paid 
for the work. Now. let us see wiiat wo can 
do: 
“Uncle Mark: If you will accept my offer, 
I will give as a present, to the boy or girl un¬ 
der Hi years of age. who by the first of June, 
1886, will secure the largest club for the Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker, a pure bred Polaud-China 
pig, either sex, as desired. Pig will be eligi¬ 
ble for record in Northwestern P. C. Record, 
and of the finest strain. 
Very truly, Robert i. young. 
St. Joseph, Mo.” 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle Mark: My little brother and 
I wish to join the Y. H. C. 1 am 10 years old 
and he is four years old. We have lived here 
almost four years. It is a new country; when 
we came here, we did not have any house to 
live in, and we had to camp out. The ante¬ 
lopes would come right close to camp. They 
are very pretty. 1 have seen two pet ones; 
they didn’t look very nice; they were poor. 
We have a little baby. It is not our own; its 
Mamma is dead, and our Mamma has taken 
it to keep a while. We had a very nice gar¬ 
den last Summer. Squashes and cucumbers, 
melons and such things will not do well here. 
The vines grow nicely but they will not bear. 
They will be covered with dowel's, but no fruit 
will set. 
JOHNNIE AND JESSE MONTGOMERY. 
Meagher. Co., M. T. 
[We would like to see the antelope 1 am 
sure. I hope you will take good care of that 
baby.— u. m.] 
Dear Uncle Mark: I would like to join 
the Cousins. I am a little boy. My Papa is 
dead and my Manama is poor, so I live with 
Mr. Magers. He says if I am a good boy 1 
cau stay until I am a man, and I intend to try 
to l*e good. They live in Johnson Co., Kan¬ 
sas, on a farm, and have three horses, three 
cows, two pigs, one dog and lots of hens. I 
can’t write, so Mrs. Magers writes this for me. 
It you will let ine join, I will try and write 
the next letter myself. vveslky new. 
Zara, Kaus. 
[Yes indeed, you can be one of my boys. 
Uncle Mark knows just how you feel, my boy. 
He could tell you a story about his own life 
that would read very much like yours. Be a 
good boy and do what is right. I want yon 
to make a strong, earnest and good man. 
Don’t forget your mother either. Uuele Mark 
can’t help feeling an interest in boys who do 
their best. He is always glad to help them.] 
Dear Uncle Mark: I would gladly accept 
the offer of joining the Y. H. C. I am ten 
years old. My father takes the Rural, 
and we all like it very much, but I enjoy read¬ 
ing the letters of the Cousins best. We have 
no flowers. I have the prettiest kitten I ever 
saw. Its name is Frisk. On week days it is so 
very playful, and it seems to know when Sun¬ 
day comes, and that it ought not to play, but 
will come to my lap to learn its Sunday-school 
lesson. 1 am going to take singing lessons. 
We live two miles from town. I go to a dis¬ 
trict school. It is half a mile from our house. 
I Paw Paw, Mich. bertha a. glidden. 
[I have seen some pretty kittens. Yours 
must 1* very pretty to excel them. I 
Mm#, &tc&$ and Plante. 
know certain boys who make more fuss about 
learning their Sunday-school lessons than 
Frisk does.—u. M.] 
ibley’s Tested Seed 
JACK FROST 
Catalogue free oil application. Send for it 
Hirnni Sibley A Co., 
ROCHKSTKTt, N. Y„ AND OBIOAUO, lt,t.. 
“Aha,” said Jack Frost, after a warm pleas¬ 
ant day in the winter, “1 must start, out for a 
little fun now. First. 1 will ornament the 
houses and barns with a fringe of icicles on 
the eaves; and I really think a fringe on these 
board fences would lie an improvement." 
Now let me see. Here comes a boy. He 
is lookiug at that pretty girl sitting by the 
window across the way. I will teach him liet- 
ter manners tliau that. Here is a wet place 
and I will freeze it over. Ha! down he goes, 
and the pretty girl is looking at him. He 
won’t look at her now. You will learn to look 
where you step, and not, at the pretty girls 
next time, my boy. 
Here is the little boy’s sliding place all 
spoiled by the thaw. That is too bad, 1 will 
fix it up. There they come. Hear them shout. 
They are glad that old .Tack Frost has come. 
It does my old heart good to see them. 
This young gentleman has boon giving bis 
lady-love a ride, atul they are several miles 
from home. It was warm when ( hey started 
aud they were too proud to take any extra 
wraps, though they were cautioned by their 
prudent mothers to do so. 1 will make their 
ears and noses t ingle. Cold handsand feet are 
not conducive to happiness. To-morrow, when 
the young gentleman has thawed his ear out, 
and it Is all swollen, and the young lady, with 
her throat tied up, is taking doses of pepper- 
tea, etc., they will wish they had not been 
quite so proud and had heeded their mothere. 
Now I will thicken up the ice oil the pond 
and give the boys aud girls some fun this 
evening. Here they come boys and girls and 
old folks too, I declare. Well, they shall all 
their fun, hut beware, the ice is smooth. There 
goes a boasting young chap fiat on the ice. 
Just see how careless farmer Brown is to 
leave his watering trough uncovered. I will 
freeze it solid and he will cover it over to¬ 
morrow. Mrs. Green has left her canned 
fruit in this cold room. I will snaj > a few cans 
for her. She must loam to tend to her things 
better than that, 
I will hang up my frost pictures uow I 
guess. This i>oor sick girl can see nothing 
through her window except the sky. I will 
hang up such lovely pictures in her window 
that when she awakes in the morning she will 
think she is in fairy laud. 
Here are some plants close by a window, 
and the fire has gone out in the room. Such 
carelessness; 1 will give them a nip. And 
here are some bottles of vinegar in a castor. 
It is strange folks never will learn to take care 
of their things. 1 will snap the bottles. This 
man is too proud or too lazy to have his 
house banked. He says he will risk the frost. 
The idea; with such a poor old wall. I will 
teach him a lesson. Here is a. good biu of 
potatoes, aud there are some barrels of tur¬ 
nips, and yonder some nice apples His wife 
has some canned fruit on this shelf. He must 
learn that he cannot have good things without 
taking care of them. I will give them all a 
nip, and smash a few cans. Here is a school- 
house close by. The water-pail is half full of 
water. I will make it solid. They will have 
to get a uew pail to-morrow an 1 some new 
ink, too, for 1 am going to take the color out 
of this. 
Here comes the milkman. 1 will nip his 
toes to make him hurry around faster. There 
are some men going to their work. I will 
hang some icicles on their 1 wards. The boys 
and girls are on their way to school. I will 
give them a sharp bite, so as to sharpen their 
wife aud make them keen aud bright. 
Here is a dandy all dressed up in his best 
style. There are a couple of young ladies 
coining toward him. He Is fixing to make his 
best bow, 1 will glaze that spot. Down he 
goes just as he is lifting his hat. When be 
goes to rescue his hat from the street he will 
find it hopelessly mashed by a passing team. 
A group of students are coming from school. 
Poor old Mrs. B. is coming along too, 1 willsee 
whether any of them are polite enough to help 
her across this icy spot. If it was a stylish 
young lady every one would jump to help her. 
Oh, yes, they are good hearted young fellows. 
One takes her basket aud another helps her 
across. The young ladies are just behind, and 
one of them picks up a little girl who has 
Slipped down, aud holds her hand till she is 
across the ice. Widow Gray says that Jack 
Frost brings out the good in folks, and they 
all bring her wood aud coal and provisions 
when Jack Frost comes.’’ glennje hope, 
[“Jack Frost is a good old fellow after all. 
I hope our friends w ill all heed his teachings. 
—U. M.] 
DEE&KAY 
■ CORN 
Two years, extra choice, *8 per thousand. 
Smiths, Powell & Lamb, 
Syracuse, N, Y 
Took FIRST PlllZi: at our Exhi- 
bit ion. It competed AGAINST Early, 
Medium, and Late, an d was the 
Handsomest on the table.” 
CATALOGUES MAILED FREE. 
PRICE & KNICKERBOCKER 
ALBANY, N. Y. 
without wrllln^Sfor/tfiir Catalogue. Our 
prices DEF\ r COMPETITION, and Seeds 
are NEW, Pt:aK 7 «P«MiD, ltd,I ABLE. 
Pnpp tiyklogiie, Invaluable all, 
• >» Ci C ay 13 B pages, including Plant*, 
Fruits, nnjT price list, willi'UDO illustrn* 
Cions. Lpt an hear from you. Respectfully, 
THFSTORRS & HARRISONvGO. 
PAINESV£L.LiE, LAKE CO., OHIO. 
More Men Wanted, 
At; <■ ood Wages. 
For local and travelling Salesmen. Inclose stamp and 
write for terms »o K. It. ItlCHAlIOSON & CO., 
Ivnundcsagn Nilrseries, Geneva, \. Y. 
Til 1 ITfTlTTTl My the Chime Nurseries. Hon- 
W AN I n. II Ml mill Energetic Tien to solicit 
I* HI* A LIU order* far their N artery Stock, The 
business easily learned. Full Instructions given. Per¬ 
manent Employment and Good Pny. state age 
and previous occupation. Name this paper. New 
England applicants address us at Boston; York State 
and West, ai Geneva, N. Y.. Penn,, N. J.. and South, at 
Phi la. Stale age. K. G CHASE&CO. 
Marlboro Raspberry, Ulster Prolific and Plough 
keepme lied Orapes. Send for description and price 
to A. J. CAY WOOD & HON. Tlnrllioro, N. Y . 
FLOWER and VEGETJBLE 
St £3 ED St . 
ktive them a trial, illustrated Cata 
logtte/ree. YYiTt Il.tsMITH, 
itox Philti., I’n. 
Mention this paper. 
KJtOM THE 
(Established 1854—32d Year.) 
The Leading N urser ies of the West. 
Wc give cvpry une x chance to try 
A sumpli? pack air v of Tret**, from 2 to 
1,200 tree* in each lot-your choice of 
sixty-one <!lUcr«?nl lots of a preat 
,tnai*Y varieties. 
■ 8en4 for Catalogue—free to all. 
EVERGREENS BY THE MILLION. 
l-iICKER <Sc GO., 
1.LUIN, ill 
of lumber cun be cut In » day. Built in a flm-class 
manner. The Bent Will ramie. Many hundreds of 
these In use, riving universal satisfaction. We 
bare the bast MlUi 01 larger (lies, Portable gad 
Stationary. Bead tor ctrcular R 
LANE <5t BODLEY CO., - 
,7*. * 7 «A»» *»nfl Water tits.. Cincinnati, O. 
Addrrsi E. H 
P.eiu>e mention this paper. 
S l,itrge Uarilcn tndde 
Fit*:*; to oil. You should 
have it. Host varieties. 
_all tested, at low price.-, 
Set-damen.Pelln. low*. 
EUREKA 
13 CREENHOUSES 
ALL co s 
FRICTION FEED 
CIRCULAR 
SAWMILL 
mdforOir'l otuar 
PATENT 
VARIABLE 
wiii w* FREE 4 q all applicant*, and to ottftomcr* or 
1»*» T«ar wlthoBl «rd«iin* U. <* oonialns *l»o* 
itrtraUoni, prlow, “? ar, “.i** < ’’ i f'^ w'cfVaRLK 
TcieUnn. hr n ullil all rarl»«U* »t » EWETAIU.K 
EfTkoVlS bJcKDA .BULBS, ,H. ter.™bl. 
M aU MP*ot*ltr U Marks! Gard«n,r«. Band *»r H- V 
D. mTfERRY A CO., Detroit, Michigan. 
Small Fruit Plants.- Find com* first served 
Price List free. G. S. Duller, Cromwell, It. 
vadrM. THI B1KDSAU Cl., it bin, I, 
knife 
grinder. 
Can he carried Into the field and at Inched to Mow¬ 
ing Machine Wheel. Bend for Descriptive Cata* 
lognc. Agents wanted in every County. 
R. H. ALLEN CO., 189 Water St., New York. 
CDIIM’Q Slur Chorus, Rapid fee Cream Freercrs, lm- 
or*IH 0 proved Tree Tubs, all made of CEDAR. 
AUiinuo 8euo for illustrated Circular and prices, 
uHUnld. Clement & Dunbar. Philadelphia. Pa. 
EVERETT BROWN 
AGENTS WANTED 
IN TJBE IN EVERY State and Territory of 
, ■ -.tholT.S. It. is a sectional wheel, has 
lio n inado by us' . id year*,and has 
■at./.* l never blown down without tower 
—nr. uk ing, i» record no other mill can 
show. mU NkKNT ON BO DVYU TEST 
TIII.11- BEST FEED MILLS. CORN 
Sll KI.LKKS, ETC. GOOD AGENTS 
_ W ANTED in all tmii.-^lgiieil territory. Cat- 
flTaloiruesfree. CHALLENGE WINDMILL 
id! AND FEED MI LI. CO. .It itoria. Kaue Co-Ili- 
To canvatw In every town for the sale of the GK EG- 
OUY FINGER WEEPER, an entire new idea 
fora wheel hoe and finger weeder combined, it can 
be carried about from house to house, and sells readily 
Profits to agent* satisfactory. Address 
JAMES J. 11. GREGOR), 
Seedsman, Marblehead, Muss. 
FRUITAND ORNAMENTAL TREES 
SMALL FRUITS, BULBS, SHRUBS AMD ROSES. 
Special attention Is railed to our remarkably Fine Slock of 
STANDARD W DWARF PEARS 
A 111 Ikl FP Including BQch kinds as Niagara, Jessica, Km- 
■j(kIirC W ||^E0 pirc s,n,e ' 'Vlllls, Frances l« Ilayes, etc. 
jait the times. Correspondence solicited. Catalogue Free. 30th Year. 600 Acrea. 
:• the STORRS & HARRISON CO. [£J2 E c s o vl Ah L il: 
Letters received during the week from L. J.—O. D. 
L. H.—G. B. B-—C. C.—M. E. P.—C. W. P.—N. L.—G. S, 
B.-S. S. B.-D. R. D.-F. D.-W. D.-M. E. V.-A. W. 
L.—G. F. L.—W. N.—O. M. P.-G. T—C. H.—G. F. M.- 
A. K- 
/HR 
1 
Il.LUBTRATICD < ATALoycK* Fl*U. 
A.D.COWAN&CO. 
114 Chambers Street, New York. 
1 
3 
0 
