House and Garden 
of their defection. Hence the career 
of the tapper. He has to do the tapping 
and keep up an industrious hustle on the 
housetop during the absence of the 
slaters. When he taps for only one or 
two the thing is child’s play, but when 
he has to represent a whole troop it is 
then that he earns his money in the 
sweat of his brow. Then must he 
bound from spot to spot, reduplicate, 
triplicate, sextuplicate his single person¬ 
ality, and swell and hasten his blows, 
until he produces a perfect illusion for 
the ear, and you would swear that a 
crowd of emulous masons were con¬ 
tinuing merrily to roof the house. It 
must be a strange sight from an up¬ 
per window .—From Stevenson’s ‘‘‘The 
Amateur Emigrant.” 
TO COMBAT LOSSES FROM “ BLUING ” 
IN LUMBER YARDS 
'^HE Forest Service has undertaken 
a series of experiments at Boga- 
lusa, Louisiana, with the object of render¬ 
ing lumber immune from the attacks of 
“bluing,” thereby lessening what at 
present is a serious loss. 
Lumbermen through all the Southern 
States, and indeed in many other por¬ 
tions of the country, are familiar with the 
large amount of damage caused by the 
so-called “bluing” or “staining” of the 
sapwood of freshly-cut lumber, when 
exposed to the open air. 1 his staining 
is not an inherent quality of the wood, 
but is due to the growth of low forms of 
plants called fungi, all of which probably 
belong to the genus Ceratostomella. 
This plant is too low in the scale of life 
to produce true seeds, but, as a substi¬ 
tute, it produces microscopic organisms 
called spores, wbich, when ripe, are car¬ 
ried by the wind in countless numbers. 
The air of forests, and especially 
around many lumberyards, is so infested 
with such spores, that when timber is 
placed in the yard to dry, it is imme¬ 
diately infected \\ ith them. If the timber 
happens to be moist, and possesses the 
necessary food to support the life of the 
plant, the spores immediately germinate 
and send in little threads, or hyphae, to 
penetrate the tissues. Their action de¬ 
composes the sap, and causes the wood 
to become discolored, and consequently 
it is knotMi popularly as “bluing.” The 
deterioration in value of lumber on 
account of this pest amounts to thou¬ 
sands of dollars each year. 
OUR COLONIAL 
EMPIRE 
ALASKA 
What will be the real issue in the next presidential campaign? Some say 
the tariff; others say the trusts. Both are right, but even more important 
than these will be our colonial policy. Every American knows that we must 
face the questions raised by the Philippines and Cuba. They have already 
involved us in one war. Will they involve us in another? 
THE WORLD TO-DAY for 1908 will not neglect the trusts and the tariff but it 
believes that the time has come for a broad and intelligent discussion of 
OUR COLONIAL EMPIRE 
During the coming year we shall publish as a leading feature two groups of articles on 
this important need. One, comprising seven articles, will be descriptive, and will describe the 
life, resources and opportunities offered America in the 
PHILIPPINES CUBA PANAMA 
HAWAII PORTO RICO ALASKA 
The amount of information at our disposal, the new photographs we shall reproduce, and 
the interest in the subjects themselves, will make this series one of the most readable and fasci¬ 
nating ever published in any magazine. The contributors are recognized authorities. Another 
group of articles will deal with the problems which these possessions raise. They will consist 
of five discussions by some of the most prominent men in America ot the following subjects: 
1. Can the United States Afford to Have Colonies? 
2. Can the United States Defend Its Colonies? 
3. Can the United States Administer Its Colonies? 
4. Can the United States Americanize Its Colonies? 
5. How Could the United States Give Up Its Colonies? 
THE WORLD TO-DAY for January contains the second article of the first senes, 
describes the conditions under which Americans are living in 
THE CITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 
By HAMILTON M. WRIGHT, Author of “A Handbook of the Philippines.” 
Mr. Wright is one of the best known authorities on the Philippines and the article will be 
fully illustrated in colors from new photographs taken by him especially for the purpose. 
CARTOONS IN COLOR 
Another striking and novel feature of THE WORLD TO-DAY for 1908 will 
be a series of Cartoons in Color by the well-known artist, G. C. Widney. They 
are not caricatures, nor personal, nor partisan, but real works of art—“Edi¬ 
torials in Color,” on great themes of current interest. 
It 
These are but two of the many strong features that give THE WORLD-TO¬ 
DAY an individuality of its own. THE WORLD TO-DAY is a world review, 
but not a lifeless record of events. The reader will find in it illuminating and 
fascinating discussions of living events and living people. No matter how 
many magazines you take, it is different from them all. 
The only Magazine of its Class at a Popular Price of $1.50 a Year. 
Send $1.50 for a full year, or at least fnr a trial subscription of 3 Months 
for 25 Ceni.s. Fill in coupon and mail at once. If you read the first 
article on OUR COLONIAL EMPIRE you will want them all. 
THE WORLD TO-DAY CO., Chicago 
One 
Of the best 
Novels 
For Sale by all Booksellers 
Price, - - $1.50 
'■’Hi, 
'HOSE 
122L« 
^^BISHOPg/' 
COirONTOWN 
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JOHN TROTWOOD MOORE 
“NOTABLE." 
"One cannot rise from reading this 
book without feeling that It Is a not¬ 
able contribution to current litera¬ 
ture.”— Philadelphia Inquirer. 
“Thoroughly original, fresh, earn¬ 
est, sparkling with wit and humor.” 
—Chicago Record-Herald. 
“CLASSIC.” 
"A book which is destined to be¬ 
come one of the gems of modern 
novels. The plot is deep, strong, 
graphically told and will not be for¬ 
gotten as that of many passing nov¬ 
els, but will be cherished as a classic, 
as a story of right against wrong 
which is destined to bring about a 
great change in the child labor ques¬ 
tion.”— Birmingham Newt. 
In writing to advertisers please mention House and O.miden. 
9 
