189 
Can  We  Break  the  Tobacco  Habit? 
I  want  to  get  rid  of  the  tobacco  habit.  Can  it  be 
done,  and,  if  so,  how  do  you  do  it?  n.  c.  J. 
HE  secret  of  breaking  off  the  tobacco  habit  is  a 
real  honest  desire  to  quit,  then  do  it.  A  large 
part  of  the  people  who  say  that  they  want  to  stop 
the  use  of  tobacco  do  not  honestly  want  to  quit  the 
weed.  They  pretend  that  they  wish  to  be  rid  of  the 
tobacco  habit,  even  to  the  point  of  deceiving  them¬ 
selves,  but  deep-rooted  under  the  veneer  of  good 
resolution  lies  the  conviction  that  they  cannot,  and 
really  do  not,  want  to  give  up  the  solace  of  the  sub¬ 
tle,  soothing  leaf.  “Swearing  off”  is  very  largely 
“bunk,”  and  seldom  gets  anywhere  except  to  the 
tobacconist’s  after  a  few  hours  or  days  lay-off.  Some 
folks  “swear  off”  for  the  joy  that  comes  with  swear¬ 
ing  on  again. 
Given  an  honest  desire  to  stop  the  use  of  tobacco, 
any  man.  no  matter  how  confirmed  a  user  of  the 
weed,  can  stop.  All  he  needs  is  the  real  desire  to 
quit.  Then  quit  and  make  use  of  his  will  power.  I 
have  no  patience  with  the  man  who  pretends  that 
lie  lacks  the  will  power.  Such  a  “weak  sister”  needs 
to  become  ashamed  of  himself  and  to  turn  over  a 
new  leaf  in  life  and  study  self-control. 
Quitting  tobacco  comes  hard  at  first.  The  nerves 
rebel,  the  whole  body,  metaphorically,  gets  down  on 
its  liaunch-bones  and  howls  like  a  homesick  hound. 
Drugs  and  medicines,  except  as  maybe 
prescribed  by  the  family  physician  after 
careful  study  and  examination  of  the 
case,  are  of  little  service  and  should 
be  shunned.  Most  “cures”  are  fakes, 
depending  on  suggestion  to  turn  the 
trick.  The  wife  who  thinks  to  dope 
her  husband’s  coffee  with  some  “cure" 
to  make  him  give  up  tobacco,  would 
better  drop  the  idea  at  once;  she  is  on 
dangerous  ground,  and  may  get  into 
serious  difficulties.  It  will  be  better 
to  forget  it. 
When  a  man  makes  up  his  mind  to 
quit  tobacco,  and  does  quit,  he  should 
form  the  habit  of  regular  meals,  regu¬ 
lar  exercise  in  open  air,  ample  hours  of 
rest  and  sleep  in  a  comfortable  bed  on 
a  sleeping  porch  or  in  a  room  with 
windows  open.  He  should  drink  the 
juice  of  two  sweet  oranges  just  before 
going  to  bed,  and  again  midway  be¬ 
tween  breakfast  and  the  noon  meal, 
daily.  When  the  craving  for  tobacco 
becomes  insistent  he  should  chew  gum, 
eat  a  few  raisins,  nuts,  or  some  candy, 
to  get  his  mind  off  his  trouble  and  give 
rlie  mouth,  throat  and  stomach  some¬ 
thing  to  do.  He  should  drink  quantities  of  pure, 
cool  water.  It  is  very  important  that  he  should 
evacuate  the  bowels  regularly,  and  should  form 
the  habit  of  doing  so  each  morning  immedi¬ 
ately  after  an  early  breakfast.  A  man  of  chronic 
constipated  habit  trying  to  quit  tobacco  usually  has 
an  irritable  disposition,  like  the  “constipated  cross¬ 
eyed  bear”  of  the  advertisements  of  a  certain  “regu¬ 
lator.”  The  orange  juice  and  regular  habits  will 
prove  a  great  help.  He  should  not  resort  to  pills  or 
regulators,  which  may  leave  him  worse  off  than  be¬ 
fore.  If  the  jangled  nerves  prove  more  than  he  can 
bear  without  help,  he  should  consult  the  family  doc¬ 
tor.  who  will  probably  give  good  advice  and  recom¬ 
mend  a  simple  tonic. 
Quitting  the  tobacco  habit  is  really  easy  if  you 
go  about  it  right.  Sometimes  a  little  mental  sug¬ 
gestion  helps;  try  the  plan  of  Dr.  Couf*  and  repeat 
often  “Every  day  in  every  way  I  find  it  easier  and 
easier  to  give  up  tobacco.”  But  the  main  thing  is 
to  quit  and  stay  put. 
Some  addict  may  say  “Oh  that’s  all  talk ;  what 
does  he  know  about  a  habit  like  mine?”  In  answer 
lei  me  say  that  my  remarks  on  this  subject  are  based 
on  personal  experience  and  observation  of  many 
cases  which  made  a  success  of  quitting  the  use  of 
tobacco.  I  began  to  smoke  a  pipe  and  cigars  when 
I  was  13  years  old.  At  18  I  was  a  confirmed  smoker, 
and  smoked  through  most  of  my  waking  hours,  even 
before  breakfast,  while  dressing — cigarettes,  cigars 
and  pipes.  Soon  after  I  entered  the  medical  school, 
at  21.  I  began  to  notice  the  effect  of  excessive  use  of 
tobacco  on  my  heart  action,  my  nervous  system  and 
muscles.  I  went  through  several  swearing-off 
periods.  When  “swearing  off”  it  was  customary  to 
give  away  all  smoking  supplies  and  equipment.  I 
did  it  more  than  once,  and  enjoyed  stocking  up  and 
returning  to  the  habit  again.  .Tust  before  I  got  my 
degree  as  M.D.  I  made  up  my  mind  to  cut  out  to¬ 
bacco  and  quit.  For  some  weeks  I  let  the  pipes  and 
supplies  of  smoking  material  remain  in  my  room 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
where  I  was  bound  to  see  them.  It  came  hard  at 
first,  but  for  over  15  years  I  did  not  use  tobacco  in 
any  form.  I  finally  ceased  to  have  any  craving 
for  it. 
Then,  when  well  past  40,  I  had  work  which  kept 
me  going  at  all  hours,  lived  in  a  hotel  where  cigars 
were  freely  circulated  after  the  evening  meal.  One 
evening,  after  over  15  years  of  total  abstinence  from 
tobacco,  believing  myself  beyond  habit  forming,  1 
tried  a  big.  fat.  dark  cigar.  It  did  not  make  me 
sick;  if  was  agreeable,  but  I  did  not  enthuse  over  it. 
Since  that  time  1  have  smoked  a  cigar  or  a  pipe  now 
and  then,  mainly  for  sociability,  though  sometimes 
to  help  me  keep  awake  when  attending  some  conven¬ 
tion,  or  when  kept  out  after  hours.  But  1  have 
never  again  formed  the  tobacco  habit.  I  may  smoke 
one,  sometimes  two.  and  very  rarely  three  cigars,  in 
• 
a  period  of  24  hours,  or  I  may  go  for  days,  weeks 
and  even  months,  without  smoking.  The  old  craving 
is  gone  forever.  If  a  man  past  middle  life  can  get 
any  comfort  out  of  the  moderate  use  of  tobacco, 
without  abusing  the  privilege  or  working  injury  to 
others,  I  would  not  urge  him  to  quit.  But  the  young 
man  or  boy  who  deliberately  sets  out  to  acquire  the 
tobacco  habit,  almost  always  extremely  distasteful 
at  first,  is  very  foolish.  Being  both  young  and  fool¬ 
ish.  and  having  a  desire  to  appear  smart  and 
“manly”  in  the  eyes  of  companions  whose  opinions 
on  such  subjects  are  without  value  except  in  the 
youth’s  imagination,  he  probably  will  not  take  good 
advice.  a  family  physician. 
Who  Owns  the  Carcass  of  This  Deer? 
A  trapper  of  this  town,  while  on  the  trap  line,  finds 
a  live  deer  caught  in  a  wire  fence.  He  goes  at  once  to 
find  the  owner  of  the  land  where  the  deer  is.  On  re¬ 
turn,  the  trapper  and  landowner  find  the  deer  dead,  a 
bullet  hole  through  the  head.  The  landowner  goes  back 
to  his  home  and  calls  over  the  wire  for  the  game  war¬ 
den  ;  he  is  not  home,  but  the  warden’s  wife  requests 
them  to  care  for  it  to  save  the  meat.  The  warden  called 
the  next  day ;  he  did  not  say  just  what  disposition 
would  be  made  of  it,  told  them  to  keep  it  a  few  days, 
and  intimated  the  State  might  take  it.  Is  there  any 
law  in  this  State  (Connecticut)  giving  the  warden  a 
right  to  take  the  deer  from  the  owner  of  land  where 
deer  was  found,  even  if  it  was  shot  by  an  unknown  per¬ 
son  violating  tbe  law?  The  landowner  claims  the  deer. 
Connecticut.  c.  w. 
S  this  was  a  rather  unusual  case  it  was  submit¬ 
ted  to  the  State  Game  Commissioner  of  Con¬ 
necticut.  who  gave  the  following  opinion : 
“Under  tbe  common  law.  wild  deer  are  the  prop¬ 
erty  of  the  State.  When  unlawfully  killed,  they 
still  remain  the  property  of  the  State.  In  this  in¬ 
stance,  a  deer  had  been  shot  by  an  unknown  hunter 
and  was  discovered  before  it  was  dead,  by  a  trapper 
who  immediately  went  to  tin*  owner  of  the  farm 
upon  which  the  animal  was  discovered,  and  the  lat¬ 
ter  telephoned  to  the  county  warden  for  instructions. 
He  received  instructions  to  hog-dress  it  and  hang  it 
up.  Subsequently,  the  case  was  investigated  by  the 
warden,  and  he  requested  the  farmer  who  had  the 
custody  of  the  animal  to  let  it  hang  for  a  couple  of 
weeks  in  order  that  it  might  ripen,  and  finally  the 
warden  called  for  the  animal,  left  one  hindquarter 
and  considerable  of  the  loin  and  flank  with  the 
farmer  to  compensate  him  for  his  trouble,  and 
turned  the  rest  of  the  carcass  over  to  this  depart¬ 
ment  for  disposal. 
“The  Connecticut  law  does  not  make  any  special 
provision  for  the  disposal  of  contraband  game,  or 
unlawful  devices  which  may  be  seized.  By  following 
the  usual  custom,  the  commission  is  disposing  of  the 
property  by  sale,  and  turning  the  revenue  therefrom 
into  the  State  Treasury. 
“Your  correspondent  states  that  the  landowner 
claimed  the  deer.  The  warden  reports  that  the  land- 
owner.  who  was  a  thoroughly  reliable  and  most  esti¬ 
mable  citizen,  made  no  claim  for  the  deer,  and  ap¬ 
peared  to  he  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  receipt  of  a 
portion  given  him  in  compensation  for  his  trouble. 
“I  do  not  think  there  is  any  question  as  to  the 
legality  of  the  State’s  ownership  of  the  animal  under 
the  conditions  found.  In  fact,  had  it  been  possible 
to  find  the  slayer,  who  probably  was  frightened 
away  by  the  unexpected  appearance  of  the  trapper, 
the  animal  naturally  would  have  been  seized  as 
evidence  in  the  case.  .t.  w.  titcomb.” 
Cellar  and  Attic  for  Plant  Growing 
1.  Could  a  well-lighted  attic  be  used  successfully  as 
a  hothouse  or  greenhouse?  I  can  use  wood  or  gas  for 
heat.  2.  What  can  1  raise  in  a  dark  cellar  for  market 
ar  a  fair  price?  c.  \v. 
Pennsylvania. 
HE  use  of  the  attic  is  impracticable  for  many 
reasons.  The  plants  would  not  get  the  needed 
sunshine,  and  unless  they  get  plenty  of  light  from 
all  sides  they  would  all  grow  towards  the  lightest 
side.  Take  flowers,  for  instance;  they  are  generally 
within  a  foot  or  two  of  the  window, 
and  if  they  are  not  turned  part  way 
around  occasionally  they  will  grow  lop¬ 
sided.  It  would  he  very  difficult  to 
have  the  temperature  the  right  degree 
day  and  night  in  an  attic.  It  would 
be  very  apt  to  he  too  cold  at  night  and 
too  warm  in  the  daytime.  In  watering 
the  plants  the  water  would  leak 
through  on  the  floor,  and  soon  warp 
and  rot  the  boards. 
2.  This  is  a  very  hard  thing  to  do. 
as  there  is  not  much  vegetable  life  that 
can  survive  the  darkness.  Mushrooms 
will  probably  do  the  best,  but  I  would 
not  advise  anyone  to  undertake  this  on 
a  large  scale  without  some  experience. 
Rhubarb  can  he  grown  in  this  way.  hut 
is  not  satisfactory;  the  stalks  are 
spindly  and  not  much  flavor.  The  best 
method  is  to  grow  your  crop  outside, 
store  it  in  the  cellar  and  sell  it  in  the 
Winter  time.  Two  very  profitable  crops 
can  he  stored  in  a  dark,  cool  cellar  in 
November  and  sold  all  through  the 
Winter.  rfhe  first  is  cauliflower,  which 
will  be  discussed  shortly  in  The  It. 
N.-Y.  The  other  is  celery.  By  packing 
this  in  boxes,  100  roots  in  a  box,  putting  damp  earth 
on  roots  as  packed  in  the  box,  and  kept  very  cool, 
it  will  keep  until  February  and  March. 
WM.  PERKINS. 
Plowing  Under  Cornstalk  or  Rye 
Would  sweet  cornstalks,  plowed  under  green,  make 
good  manure.'1  Seeding  rye  in  I  la;  Fall,  and  plowing  it 
under  in  Spring,  what  is  the  best  height  to  turn  un- 
derJ  v  .  h.a. 
New  York. 
ANY  crop  which  supplies  hulk  or  liumus  will  help 
land,  hut  when  a  crop  like  sweet  cornstalks  is 
plowed  under  it  may  sour  the  soil  unless  lime  is  used 
in  connection  with  it.  A  ton  of  sweet  cornstalks 
with  the  ears  removed  will  contain  only  about  5  per 
cent  of  nitrogen  and  a  small  amount  of  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash.  Thus  the  amount  of  plant  food  is 
small,  hut  the  effect  upon  the  soil  will  he  good,  pro¬ 
vided  a  fair  quantity  of  lime  is  used.  By  plowing 
under  the  sweet  cornstalks  after  the  ears  are  picked 
and  then  seeding  rye,  the  land  will  be  covered  during 
the  Fall  and  Winter,  and  in  the  Spring  the  rye  can 
he  plowed  under,  thus  keeping  the  land  occupied  and 
supplying  a  good  deal  of  organic  matter.  The  best 
way  of  all  to  handle  a  crop  of  green  rye  for  this 
purpose  is  first  to  chop  it  up  with  a  disk  or  cutaway 
harrow  when  the  rye  is  about  18  in.  or  2  ft.  high. 
If  the  crop  is  chopped  up  at  that  time  and  then 
plowed  under,  you  will  obtain  the  best,  results  from 
it.  In  case  this  is  not  done,  we  should  plow  under 
rye  just  as  the  little  grains  are  forming  in  the  head. 
It  is  usually  a  mistake  to  let  the  rye  stand  until  the 
stems  are  hard  as  it  is  then  very  slow  to  decay. 
After  plowing  the  rye  under  it  is  better  to  pack  the 
soil  hard  with  a  heavy  drag  or  roller.  If  this  is  not 
done  the  air  will  work  in  through  the  hollow  steins 
of  the  rye  and  make  trouble.  The  rye  will  ferment 
and  sour  the  land,  or  dry  it  out,  so  that  if  would  be 
very  difficult  to  get  a  crop  to  grow.  This  trouble  is 
prevented  by  packing  the  ground  hard  after  the  rye 
is  plowed  under. 
A  bunch  of  cattle  in  a  Pennsylvania  pasture.  Pennsylvania  was,  and  is,  one  of  the 
great  cattle  feeding  Htates.  The  live  stock  market  at  Lancaster  is  one  of  Hie  best  in 
the  country.  One  object  in  printing  this  picture  is  to  show  the  old-fashioned  lime¬ 
kiln  in  the  right  hand  corner.  You  can  see  these  old  limekilus  everywhere  in  the 
limestone  sections. 
