Evening Star Newspaper, January 1, 1898, Page 20

— NUARY 1, 1898-24 PAGES. CLUB GOSSIP. ‘The holiday season is generally a quiet one for bicycling. The minds of the riders revert to other pleasant things, and for the time being the wheel is practically forsaken. This is true, especially when the weather is so bad that cycling has no pleasure. There has been very little of interest in all of the local clubs. No runs were @ade last Sunday, and it 1s hardly likely that any long distance trips will be made tomorrow, on account of the thaw of the week past. The ice on the.surrounding streams dur- ing the week, which was thick enough to bear the weight of daring skaters, brought to many the fdea of the Ice bicycle. If the weather continues cold it 1s likely that such a style of wheel will be brought to the city for advertising purposes, by a well krown cycle house. The only trou- ble is that in this locality the period of outdoor skating is so short that it would dly pay an individual to own a strictly ice bicye Century Cycle Club. The members of the Century Cycle Club were prevented from taking a run last Sunday, as scheduled, by the bad condi- tion of the roads. Many of the boys, how- ever, were at the club rooms throughout the day and a pleasant time was spent, telling “bike’’ stories and discussing the different make wheels for ‘98, Last nignt the boys held a reception at the club rooms in the Center market building, and watched the old year out and the new year in. The new song to the tene, “There Will Be a Hot Time in the Oid Town Tonight,” written by Mr. Den- nis O'Connor, the club's composer, was sung on this occasion in solo, as well chorus. A few friends of the members Were invited at the rec The regular monthly me club will be held Monday, o'clock. The ulations rega ai da tion taken. During the winter the club will give a couple of smokers. An excellent program Will be arranged for these events, a con mittee appointed and everything made for the gu President Charles Coons spent last Sun- ay in Washington and was at the club rooms for a few hours. He has returned to the north for a month's stay. During his absence Mr. Samuel Barnhartt will act S president and preside at the next meet- eption. ting of the ats reg- ll be this meeting and proper ac- ing. Howard tary, Fisk, the newly elected secre- is coming to the fore as a front-bunch with such men as Anderson, Wright. O Connor brothers (Bill and Denny), little Tony, Counselman, Hanger and others. ‘The run tomorrow will be to Surrattsville, Md., leaving the club rooms at 9 o'clock. Alpha Cycle Club. The Alpha Cycle Club was entertained Monday evening by Miss Maggie Sweeney, at 2021 I street. The home was decorated for the holiddy season. The evening wound up with a progressive euchre party, the game being played for several hours. Dur- ing the cou of the evening a hidden quartet f hed excellent vocal music. The ladies’ first prize was won by Miss Barbara Millrick, Miss Ella Browne cap- turing second prize. The consolation w won by Miss Mattie Facer. The gentle- men's first prize was won by Mr. Harve Sherwood, Mr. a securing the second prize - consolatio won by Mr. Joseph E rick. The prizes were very pretty and useful. At the close of the game the club marched into the dining room, where a bountiful supply of refresh- ments was served. he next meeting of the club will be Mon January 10, at the residence of Miss Ali e R jing, 465 F street sourhwest. Arlington Wheelmen. club had no run last Sunday. The beys been enjoying themselves dur- ing the holidays. If torerrow is a ple the boys will prot zh no ri The sant day some of go over the course, cussing the merits of ‘9S ‘s have already arrived thly meeting of the club will be y evening at the Hotel Regent. ub. Club held its weekly Plans for the sum- mer were discussed and a ride to New York agreed upon. The club is in a flourishing condition and bids fair to rival many of the older ones. L. A.W. GOSSIP. W. T. Cycle € le Gs Pres Potter has been in communication with the geological survey of this city relati to securing a num- ber of copies of the excellent maps made by the department. The idea of the na- tional president is to distribute these maps in the localities where they will do the most good, thus tending to build up the membership of the organization. The char- ter of these ma: to majority represent the be nd when the is perhaps well known of local wheelmen. They road map extant today, at work is completed will every state in the country. Up to a short time ago these maps were given away to applicants free of charge, but during the last Congress, near the closing hours of the 2 @ bill was in- troduced making a charge for the same to cover the cost of printing. The maps are lithograph printed on good heavy paper, that will stand better usage than cloth. A charge of 5 cents per sheet was ns s slight charge d not ap- ct upon the circula- fact, if anything, it the circulation’ of new law giving them plenty If Mr. Potter is anxious to get a supply of the m will cost him just 5 cents per she ted on the tyle of s will be could i sheets lithe ng being Mr. is destrous of having the maps and ch nted, which will be expensive, and not give any sfaction than the present heavy e Matter has not as yet For the figst time in the history of the local division of th sue an application for mer n protested. The name of th uestion is withheld, But the : given in the case. The application was made early in November, prior election, and the name was never p ed in the official organ as been duly accepted as a meinber. having ered until a letter was orge L. Cooke of Provi- chairman of the rem- e league, announc- d been protested ainst the organi- San ganization que: the charges be sent the writer so that he answer them individually and The letter was p 1 over a month ago, and so far no answer has been ng that a copy of | in the extreme as to the dangers of cycling, received. In the meantime a communi- cation as received from the local secre- tary-treasurer, announcing to the appli- cant that pending a decision in his case 1 privileges tendered an applicant were cut off. This is the status of the case at present. ‘The name of the person making the pro- test is not known, and will hardly be an- nounced, though those in a position to know can easily surmise the source. The cause of the trouble appears to date back to the parade of a year ago, the credit of which was claimed by a local newspape though the league officials thought they were giving it. The applicant in question was against such action, and some of his enemies have taken advantage of the fact to bar him from membership. For the first time in the current ftscal year there are no new names published in the official organ for the local division of the organization. Only two renewals are credited. This clearly shows that for the holiday season there is very little intere. in bicycling. However, at its best the win- ter season is bad for the membership roll, and the thoughts of bicycling are driven far from the minds of many by the chilly atmosphere. Before the spring s« opens there will be more than one wee on record during which no new names are recorded for this division. It can, indeed, be taken as a fortunate in fon, if the the cold season, that no new names are added to the roll. The competition contest, originated by the league, for new membe: sed last evening at midn nd the names of the p winners an- nounced. The prizes will to the fortunate i s after to- day as po competition closed a> quickly as it can be. The contest been open for some months, and a list of | 182 prizes was offered. The total new membership to the organization since Jan- uary 1 has been 34,56, and through the efforts of the conte: of the names were secured. During the week just closed 124 names were sent in through the me- dium of the contest, the total increase for the week being 271 names. ‘The first prize is a $600 Miller upright piano, which will be awarded to J. A. S. who this week his credit. The : Phail upright piano, will go to J. Samuel Stephens of Phila- delphia, who up to date has 1,673 appli tions to his name. J. H. Wright of Phi f i will most third prize, se com- ation billiard and pool table, valued at Another Philadelphian, Samuel 5 ands fourth in the list, y secure the heart and lung diseases, and thus shortens the span of life. It isa well-known fact that afier any violent exertion acute dilata- tion of the heart has been observed. Quite recently I nad the opportunity to observe a case in a young man of about thirty-six years, who had enjoyed the best of health, and had ridden rapidly about nine miles after work, who presented himself for ex- amination. His entire body was slightly tremulous, which was especially noticeable in his voice, face pallid, pulse 110, weak and somewhat irregular. Upon auscultating his heart I discovered a marked systolic mur- mur diffused over the region of the apex, and to the left and back. I postponed hls case for a week and examined his heart again, which had then improved, but still the murmur was present. I had him return again when I led to discover any mur- mur, and the pulse was 76 and regular. “Injudicious riding, long continued, will obviously be a great strain upon even the strongest heart, and it will not be at all surprising if, in the future, a permanent organic lesion resulted. If the wheeling was still comtinued the ultimate conse- quence would be chronic dilatation, with permanent valvular insufficiency, which means a leakage and regurgitation, with changes In the pulmonary tissues and the pulse. Not the heart alone may suffer from wheeling, but also the lungs. Poli- cies are often issued to applicants who shew a slight taint of tuberculosis in their femily history if they are found to be in scund health, with normal weight and good expansion. These are applicants who, if they live properly, will in all probability never contract that dreaded disease. If such an applicant commences to ride a wheel there 3 great danger that the inhalation of dust, tegether with rapid and forced breathing, will be too gr tissue will phthi ain on the pulmonary e the tendency to inere Dr. Tomlin’s paper was very spiritediy discussed by the members of the society, several of whom indorsed his remarks in reference to the baneful effects of exces- sive exercise on the wh Dr. Mohr, registrar of Hahnemann College, said that “we certainly see some very dire effects from the use of bicycles, par men who ate beyend fifty. y They have not the power of resistance and their vessels are not elastic. I have seen | some very serious pulmonat heart and 1 troubles in men of f © ride hicy Q concluding his Dr. Tomlin ty or fifty- add. ated In ject, sub- no s on the that there is doubt that many vheeling themselves to the grav id that one of the principal sou trouble is that riders do not begin th ereise gradually, but jump on their whe and ride off in a hurry. “If a man com to me,” he said, “I advise him not to if he his life.” He said that and women men ast riding was sure to affect the heart, increasing its action abnormally and pro: decing dilatation. The doctor st that leng-continued riding was not only injuri- ous to men, but to women, a principally the muscular ganizations. , affecting and nervous or- His prize will be a The contest for the othe prizes, which graduate in value to $1, are in ome cases so close together that the list may be changed by only a few name: The current week will probably be a liv ly one in the contest, and a large increase in the membership can be looked for. The contestants will make a struggle to mein- tain or better their standing, and a sarge list of new names can be looked for in the next issue of the o! al organ. billiard tab The following financial statement of the L. A. W. refers to the affairs of the treas- urer’s office to November 1: Receipts. 40.08 150.35, Hartwell. quet 48.00 ay 5, cash from Abbott Bi 5,000.00 June 14, cash from Abbott B. 5,000.00 June 17, interest April Interest Cetober 11, on deposits for sett 5,000.00 Interest 20.62 Interest on deposits for July. 2 Interest on deposits for Aug. 19 Interest on dep for Sept 2. Check No. rned unpald.. Disbursements. ‘ount... cutive account soeeee Auditing committee Executive com! -dentials | Racing board... pruiting Membership Guide board: Transportati committee ount .. fee Highway improvement. Rights and privil committee. L. A. W. loan : : ation to Missouri ~ 540.00 Prize poster.. 100.00 Balance ...... Secretary Ryland of the Virginia division writes that Chief Consul Mercer and him- elf are making a canvass in favor of a je tire and baggage bills, and it is Hkely that a separate bill, referring to each of these subj will be introduced in the Virginia legislature within a few days. INJUDICIOUS RIDING The talk of many regarding bicycling would point out that the sport was danger- ous in the extreme, and the thing that paved the way to diseases almost innumer- able. There may be some truth in the plain statement that the injudicious use of the wheel will bring on disease that will ruin the rider. But {f one-half of the things attributed to the use of the wheel were true, it would be a thing to be avoided in- stead of being sought. The writer person- ally knows of several cases where injudic- tous riding has brought on death. People viewing such cases as these are apt to ga and it is refreshing to hear from one ac- quainted with the facts to speak truthfully on the subject. At a recent meeting of the Homeopathic Medical Society, at Philadel- phia, Dr. R. E. Tomlin read a paper on “The Relationship of the Medical Exam- iner to the Insurance Company.” Dr. Tom- lin declared that beyond doubt the injudic- fous use of the bicycle was followed by heart affection. often of a very serious and sometimes permanent nature. Referring to the risks accepted upon the lives of bicycle riders by insurance companies, he said that Wheelmen, being a very large proportion of the general population, now play a very important part in the life Insurance scheme. He cited several instances in which cardiac lesions prohibited medical examiners from accepting wheelmen as sound risks. “There 1s no doubt,” said Dr. Tomlin, “that bicycling, if done moderately, is a commendable exercise for healthy people. | made. FOR WOMEN CYCLISTS In response to a query as to the maker of the first ladies’ wheel, the proper reply \ ould be to sey that there is some conten- tion over the invention. The matter was fully published in the cycle department of The Star some months ago, stating that the claim for the honor lay between the late W. E. Smith and Bert Owen, formerly of this city and now of New London, Coun. Poth of these manufactured a drop frame wheel, substantially the same as used to- and the friends of each give their man the credit of putting the first wheei cn the market. ‘The official records show that on November 20, Iss, a design patent for a frame for a woman's bicycle was granted to Mr. Smith. Another patent w issued Decemher 18, 888, to J. M. Star- ley of Coventry, England, H. 8. Owen being assignee for one-half of ‘the latter patent. Starley was at that time making the Psycho wheel, and Bert Owen was the representative of that make in this city ‘That was the time before the American manufacturers began making bicycl all wheels were imported from ‘The Psycho wheel was then the only mak of bic sold in this city. Be the clai zs it may, and the date of the patents as evidence, there is a drop-frame wheel now on exhibition in the National Museum, which ts labeled the origival ladies’ safety. This wheel 1s said to have been built by C. B. Duryea, now the well-known motor vehi manufacturer, who was at that time the foreman of Bert Owen's shop. The drop-frame wheel invented by Mr. Smith was first ridden by his wife. Its ap- pearance at that time like a sensation, and the fact t man had started riding a wheel was a piece of new flashed all over the country. omewhere around 188% Sirce the appearance of the original drop frames no radical changes have been Patents have been granted, how- ever, for modified forms. In 1889 the first patent was taken out in this country for the combination ladies’ and gentleman's wheel, which had a removable top ba Since ‘that time the use of the wheel by women has increased almost at as rapid a rate as by the men. The fact that the women have started in the sport is prob- ably due the popularity the machine enjoys at the present time. It has ceased to be a fashionable fad, and is recognized on all sides as an excellent means of exercise. a wo- seen the bicycle girl in reality, but to see one In wax is something new, yet that Is a new opening that is rap- idly coming to the front. There is a sculp- tor in New York city who is making an excellent livelihood by making the wax fiz- ures of bicycle girls and other emblems. These are used by certain dealers to ad- vertise their goods. The great trouble with old wax figures was that they were sta- tionary, and remained in the one position. With the bicycle figures the construction is entirely different. The imitations are able to move about, assisted by bicycle: and in so lifelike a fashion that the or locker {s amazed when the facts reveal themselves. One of the most difficult fea- tures of the creation of these figures is piacing the hair upon the head in such a way that it seems to counterfeit nature, both in texture and arrangement. Very often this hair has been taken from the head of a person, and the skill Hes in placing it upon the caput of the figure so that any appearance which could savor of a wig-like effect is avoided. The ey are formed of glass, colored in close im tation of nature, and so cleverly is the de- ception carried out that they almost scem to be endowed with sight. Here is what Chicago lady physician has to say in regard to bicycling: Does wheeling age a woman? That this is an era of cycling, coupled with the fact Ieeat this is an era of untoward perfection We have all of physical health among women, would seem a conclusive argument in the ne; tive. Women have never been known to be healthier, stronger and seemingly hap- pier than they are at the present time. In my long experience as a physician 1 have never seen so little illness among them, and |r have positively no patients whose all- ments ¢an be attributable to cycling. If a woman Is perfectly well, she looks at least as young as she is. Of course, this form of exercise, like any other, should be taken in moderation. It can be overdone with disastrous results. But those women who are not sane enough to look out for their own welfare should not ride at all. I do not think that wheeling makes a woman In fact, it may be useful in certain dis- the | eases, as, for instance, !n cases of func- name would be re-| tional nervous disease, where any judicious his application tor| exercise in the open air is a salutary anti- . An answer was im-| dote to brain weariness and sedentary oc- ying the fact of work-| cupation. That wheeling may do much erest of the locai or- good in selected cases, and that health may be benefited through it and lfe prolonged, and that, therefore, it !s an advisable ex- ereise from a life insurance standpoint Is acknowledged. On the other hand, wheel- ing, if excessive, is specially conducive to look older if she dresses herself appropri- ately. Some of the women we see on the boulevards, however, might be adjudged in their second childhood by the absurdity of their apparel. I saw one the other day in a regular man’s bicycling suit, but she looked none the younger for the outlandish costume. The hair being dressed so plain- ly, as is necessary for neatness on a wheel, probably heightens the impression of age. It ts better for the hair, though, than ever- lasting crimping and frizzing. On the whole, I think that women generally present a better app2arance since cycling has become & popular sport. The exercise in modera- tion is wholesome, and health is beauty. Should a womay ride with her saddle higher than that aman? This is a ques- tien which is being debated. One authority states that all women-have a tendency to ride with the saddles too high, on the grounds that: “Thjs isja little evidence of their inherent vantty, push along with the leg perfectly straight, but it will injure/the Strongest women on the face of the earth. It is very hurtful to ride with a long reach,” This same au- thority states that the saddle should be at such a height that when the pedal is at is lowest point you can Fut your instep under it without straining, instead of having it so that the heel will touch, the same as is the case with a man. Speaking of the lat- ter measure, the SameSauthority, who, by the-way, is a wheelwoman, says: “That's just thé mistake that most of us make, and nobody tells us any better. The result will be a lot of injured women if they don’t correct their positions awheei. Women also have a way of pedaling with one fcet more than with the other. ‘This is merely a bad habit, and should be correct- ed. You should follow your pedals. By that I mean that you sould use the same amount of pressure all the time. Don't put on power when the pedal is at its highest point, and then let up as it is coming up from the lowest point. Maintain a strong, even pressure when the pedal is coming up as well as going down. That's the only y to get a neat ankle motion, and it will make pedaling much easier and less tire- some. I should think that wheclwomen by this time wouid have learned when buying a wheel to go to a trustworthy house and have their wheels perfectly adjusted be- fore attempting to go on the road. Instead of that a woman bu wheel, and when the salesman suggests adjusting it for her, nine times out of ten she impatiently ex- claims: ‘Oh, I'm not going to bother about that. Send it right home. My brother or husband or some man friend rides and he'll adjust it for me.’ The mischief of it all is that her male acquaintances don't know any more about it than she does.” a ae MAGIC WROUGHT BY RAIN. ‘or it looks pretty to Barren Australian ins Suddenly Transformed. From the Pall Mall Gazettes The whole of the interior of Australia is not, as some people appear to think, desert. It is traversed by river courses, such as those of the Finke, Barcoe and Warburton, all draining southward toward Lake Eyre. Nothing could be more striking than the contrast between the dry and the wet sea- son, states Prof. Baldwin Spencer, who visited central Australia on a scientific mis- sion last year. In the former, one travels mil a after mile ever bare, stony plains, with scarcely a sign of plant or animal life. The sun beats down hotly on shining fields of brown and purple ones, crossed ev now and then by thin bands of dreary-looking mulga trees. Such plants as there are are compara- tively few and far apart. As to the ani- y p to survive as best they fles and grasshoppers exist in numbers, nd afford food to liz- s nd perhaps smaller marsupial rats and mic In the rainy season, which may only oc- cur once in eighteen months, everything is changed. From the highlands in the cen- ter, and from every range of hills, the wa- ter rushes down in torrents. Vast ar previously imp now become impi a few hours the able by reason of drouth, sable from flood. Within whole scene is changed. The water has loosened the hard ground and countl imals have appeared. Clay pans and water holes noisy with the croaking of frogs; cru ans hatch cut with wonderful rapic from eggs which have lain on the dry ground for, it may be, many months; small mollusks bu- ried in clay are released and every inhab- itant of land and water sets to work to make the best of its short life. The ground within a day or two is green with the leaves of countless seedlings, which grow rapidly; birds appear as if by magic, and the once’ dry and silent country is now bright with flowers and foliage and animals, all decked out in their liveliest colors. “ After perhaps a few days the rains cease and the waters qutckly become confined to the river channels, scouring out holes here and there, where'a small supply will re- main for ‘time after ‘the sMallower parts have all dried up. As the ater disappears everything re- turns to its arid state, and it is only those enim at have succeeded in reaching a sufficiently far advanced stage of growth that have any chance of surviv- ing. The weaklings among the plants are quickly killed off. +o+—____ Saffron. mn Chambers’ Journal Saffron would strike an ordinary observer as decidedly expensive at 56 shillings per pound, until told that it is composed of the tral small portions only of the flowers of a species of crocus, 70,000 of which it takes to yield the material for one pound. The wonder then becomes that it is so cheap, that it can pay to grow and gather it at the price. As a matter of fact, it has failed to pay the English grower—by this retaining, in the name of his town of Saffron-Walden, but a hint of former import: ticular direction nce in this par- Trench and Spanish soils being more suitable to the full growth of the flowers, and foreign lab tp the work of picking. Its use in medicine has practically died out, bar, perhaps, the popular belief that, steeped fn hot milk or cider, it helps the eruption of measles to fully appear. As a dye in creaming curtains and to give a rich appearance to cake it ill, how. ver, in general demand; for which pur- se it 1s wi s and I suited, in being both harm- rong, one grain, composed of the style and stigmas of nine flowers, being sufficient to give a distinct yellow ‘tint to ten gallons of water. Its high price, by the way, has led to a peculiar form of adul- teration; for, art from the crude and commonplace one of dusting with a heavy powder, such as gypsum, to give weight, the similar portions of other and commoner flowers have been specially dyed and worked thoroughly in among the genuine ones. a About Human Hatr. It is interesting to others than statistic- jars to know that the hairs of our head are numbered. Certain scientific men have la- boriously calculated the number of hairs on a square inch of heads of different col- ors, and by estimating the total area coy- ered have arrived at aggregate numbers, which may be taken as fairly correct. To show the well-attentioned accuracy of these calculations, a head of fair hair con- sists of 143,000 hairs. Dark hair is coarser, and only totals 105,000, while those who boast a poll of red must be content with a total of 20,200. It is estimated that the hairs on a “fair head” would support the weight of 500 people. MUSHROOM CULTURE Not in Suburban Pastures, But Down- town . Cellars, 5 How the Spawn is Planted, the Soil That is Prepared and the Pro- fils of the Undertaking. Special Correspondence of The Evening Star. PHILADELPHIA, December 27, 1897. “Don't those look fine?” asked a down- town restaurateur of The Star correspond- ent, directing attention to a basket of tootn- some and succulent mushrooms, whose white caps and pink bellies shone tn al- ternating colors in one’ of the front windows of his eating house. “You may be disinclined to believe what I am going to say, but those mushrooms were grown right here in Philadelphia. No, not out in some of the suburbs, where there are vacant pastures, and where they are sometimes found in their season—late sum- mer and early autumn—but in the thickly populated districts of the city, where roomy yards are a luxry and a lot big enough for pasturage is unkrown. “Mushroom growing is getting to be a fad in some paris of Philadeiphia, end those who have experimented in even a small way find that it is not only an inter- esting work, though necessitating consid- erable care, but profitable as well. Those mushrooms you sce In the window are West Philadelphia products, and they were rais- ed by the wife of a man whv 1s a well-to-do business man down town. , “She was an invatid for’ a years, during which time the on $ care of her house plants. The first year of her illness she was con- fined to bed, and, obeying the mand of the good old family doctor, was com- pelled to conform to a diet that exeluded the heavier foods. The wife of a neighbor who had just returned from an early morn- ing’s mushroom hunt in the countr! pared for her sick friend, while conv. the was ing, a dish of the bouillon from cious fungi. This struck a responsive chord in the appetite of the invalid, and fresh mush- rcoms found a ready market at her house every day. When the season waned she was compelled to depend upon the canned product, which is imported principally from France. ‘This did not give satisfaction, as the bouillon is most delicious and finer flavored when extracted from the fresh plant. “It was then the idea of raising mush- reoms at home sugg itself, If the peo- ple of France could grow them, why could not she do it? she argued, displaying the characteristic confidence of her sex. She id Her husband sent to Lon- as into set about at once to bring he tangible form. don for several bricks of the myccliuna, or wn, and a carpenter was called in to make a box for the bed. The woman cor- respcnded with a French horticulturist, with the result that within a few months a portion of the cellar of her home was transformed into a veritable mushroom hot house. She Succeeds, “Today she has in her cellar perhaps two dozen beds of mushrooms, which yleld to her during the menths when the plant is out of season a handsome profit, in addition to satisfying the wants of her family and her numerous gifts to the sick of her ac- quaintance. Hei 1a growing mush- rcoms has been the means of engaging oth- ers in it. I do not mean that they are in it for a business, but that it is found more profitable than cultivating house plants and requires little more care, after the beds are made and the cellar is once placed in conditicn. “I thirk I can safely say there are fifty cellars in Philadelphia, a few of them in the most fashionable part of the city, where mushrooms are raised out of season. They are all the result of the experiment of the woman I spoke of. And in nearly every case the beds are looked after by the ma- tron of the house. lt is a work that re- auires some patience, and we men, you Know, are possessors of that virtue only in mall & gree, mushrooms raised in cellars? HM, » severai reasons. First place, 1 big city, the cellar seems to be about the only available pl: ;.and then, different from most plants, mushrooms do not r quire Nght. Mushrooms appear to be d pendent upon the hot The manure of horses or cattle is the medium in which the mycelium of the plant flourishes most vig- rously. The earth of riding s n the rear of stables, or from a horse mill, in which the manure is thoroughly trodden into the soil, has been found to afford the mest abundant supply of 3} How to Do It. “Another thing of importance is the mai: ning of the cellar at a ture, usually between 50 and 60 degri Scme use pure horse manure, while others mix {it with that of cattle. ‘The beds are made of the fermenting manure, built up solidly and large enough to maintain a heat of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A bed be- ing of proper temperature, bits of an im- ported brick containing the spawn are in- serted In ft at intervals, and when the wn is growing rapidly, or runs, about two inches of soil is placed on the bed, and it is then covered with straw. Water oplied, if ne to the tempe “The mu weeks, and and should be warmed ature of the bed. hrooms appear in six to eigat re collected in the button sta e in the window, as the ining in popularity in Philad In addition to those I have spoken of, I know of several more persons who are go- ing to have mushroom farms—that is the right name for them—in their cellars. “Few people seem to know the value of y of the fungi, and some of the very t mushrooms in country pastures are generally considered worthless toadstools. I know of some prog » farmers in the cinity of Philadelphia who have been arefully studying mushroom growing, and are coining money through their foresight. Flesh-Like Flavor. “Mushrooms resemble flesh in flavor more nearly than do any other vegetable, and they contain all the particles of nourish- ment that are in beefsteak. A space about ten feet long in some dark place, with skelves covered with earth, is sufficient to produce far more mushrooms than enough to satisfy the demands of the most ardent mushroom lover. “A friend of mine told me a few days ago of a hostess In a fashionable uptown home who had made herself the envy of THE CAUTIOUS FARMER. From Fiicgende Blatter. vay tG, Wolf yl ve aae a Since lehtning struck his neighbor's cow Herr Kraus has had his cattle rigged with @ lightning rod of his own design. some of her friends in the smart set at al dinner given last week by serving in sev- eral different ways mushrooms of her own cultivation. Is it unlikely that before long the mushroom may be recognized as a de- termining factor of one’s social standing? Anyway, the mushroom is here to stay.” SSS MR. DEPEW’'S NARROW ESCAPE. The Chance Gard Hubbard Gave Him to Take Telephone From the New York Tribune. The death of Gardiner G. Hubbard brought forth an interesting, reminiscent story from Chauncey M. Depew. tha moral. Mr. Depew his desk glancing hurriedly over a of newspaper clippings and with a tr ned ey singling out those things which would be of interest to him. Coming to the t nouncement of the death of Mr. H he swung around in his chair, musing}: “That brings back to me an inc my early life which, viewed in the light of latter day events, goes to show what a wonderful ‘scheme of things world is, and how mar ance in the end. Thirty counsel for the Harlem rc « entire’ this jously things bal- years ago J was a, and Gardi Hubbard was railway mail inspector. In the course of our official duties we were thrown frequently Into contact, and came him and more to know each other well. he seemed to like me. We grew more confidential, until one d came into my office, and 1 my desk said: “Depew, T have a s ight young fellow I lik and He is a He is a -in-law. Bell. student, and not very practical in his ideas. He has invented a talking telegraph. It is a wonderful sort of an arrangement. I think it has wonderful lities in it for short communication fo! in villages and s, and will save a great deal in fees and so on. I don’t think it will ever be of much for long distance messages, but it ms as if it might ha field of its own. “In those days Hubbard had no money, and I had only a litle. He suggested to me that I take an interest in the invention, and made a proposition that I advance $1¢ ‘KW, for which he would give a sixth intere: mn the I said I would think it ove The ne I went down town and su . Who was at that time » dent of the Western Union Telegraph Com- I laid the matter before him fully. aid to me: “Depew, you haven't got much money, and as a friend I don’t want to see you lose at you have got. That invention is pract ¥ worth! It will never amount to anything. If it should, however, we own prior patents upon the id of which Bell's patents are simply an infringement. Don’t throw away your money.’ “I took his advi d now I am in a position to reflect. the res: What would h It? 1 would be tod: ve b or m: would be, worth sémething like $0, I say my estate, for the event Laving secured an interest in that tremen- Cously successful company, 1 do not think 1 should be alive today. Why? Because I would have suddenly grown rich. I would hav ide from my tremendous hold- ing of » , an enormous revenue that it would have eyhausted me to spend. There would have been no incentive for me to nd an teli ah been compelled to keep at in order to make my way in the world. I attribute my life and my health to continued and healthful labor. Not over- work, or underwork, but just a natural al- lotment and fair share. Had I received all this income and sudden wealth, there would have been no incentlve to work; I should have deteriorated and would today, per- haps, be dead, and forgotten as one in life who wi ctically unknown. The papers would h; d the death of a tre- mendously wealthy holder of telephone stock, and the it would have aT Things certain in a marvelous orbit and the fine adjustment of lights and shadows, aims, ambitions and human p: ns is always marvelously well balanced. An Intelligent Horse, From the Parsons (Kan.) Eclipse. On Sunday a mover in a prairie schooner passed through this city, going west. He had a small drove of mules and several horses, all loose, following the wagon, and among them was a beautiful sorrel horse, with bridle and saddle on, but no rider. Pecple on the streets noticed that the sor- rel seemed to be overseeing the herd, and weuld round them up occasionally. As the caravan reached Central avenue, the sor- rel ran ahe and stood in the middle of the street, looking up and down it watching for danger. After satisfying him- self that the way was clear he rounded the herd and the c Havi ched nter of the each way. When the crossed the tri his ¢ nd hurr ed the herd across coming from the after he had got to the next track, eral rods from the a train coming fr tion, rounded up h it passed. It w formance, witne: people on the s dently a_ hi; herd had partially suddenly pricked up ing to the rear, he rush- n the run. A train was ‘outh and passed shortly safely over. He hurried vhich branches off sev- main line, and seeing m the opposite direc- herd and waited until kable per- number of horse was evi- ) built like a racer, with and very intelligent head. During all this time the mover did not get out of his wagon, but left the man- agement of the whole matter to the horse. the Philadelphia Record, A portable church was shipped to Jamai- the British steamship Barnstable, which cleared the custom house a few days ago for Port Antonio. It was built of weod, put together here, to make sure that the parts were right, then taken down and stowed im sections in the hold of the Barn- stable. This ve a fast fruit carrier, trades between Philadelphia and the West Indies. Down in Jan 1 churches are few in the interior of the island, where the fruit ws, and the Americans, who do the greater part of the export fruit trade, decided to build a church which could be moved about as they deem proper to the places where the most good could be done with it. An American mechanic designed the edifice, and with it goes a bell to sum- mon the worshipers. Books and a com- plete outfit of furniture accompanied the church. Se es Buffalo’s Huge Breakwater. From the Engineering News. The new breakwater now under construc- tion by the government at Buffalo, N. Y. under the charge of Maj. Thomas W. Sy- mends, engineer corps, United States army, will be the largest in the world. The origi- nal breakwater was begun in 1868, with a projected length of 4,000 feet; this was in- creased to 7,600 feet by the project of 1874, and the work was finished in 1894. The in- clcsed outer harbor thus formed by the breakwater and the sand-catch pier was one and one-half miles long. The new breakwater now being built will be 12,500 feet lorg, making a total length of 20,100 feet trom the light house to Stony Point The nearest approach to this construction in length, said Maj. Symonds, in a late ad- dress before the Buffalo Real Estate Ex- change. is the celebrated break Cherbough, France, which fs 12, : long, cosi $10,000,0W, and was seventy years in building. oo Two Successful Brothers. From the Chicago Dally Tribune. “Ever hear of John Billingsboy? Great student at college. Worked hard. Gradu- ated at the head of his class. Finest Latin scholar the institution ever turned out. Well, he’s professor in the college now, and getting along splendidly. Has $1,800 a year.” “Never heard of him before. What of. him?” “Nothing, only he is a brother of that famous little hopse jockey, Billingsboy, who weighs ninety-eight pounds and makes $100 a day. ——————— Simple Enough. From the Indianapolis Journal. + Watts—“It would be easy enough to have Sunday base ball if the management only would go about it in the right way.” Potts—“I presume you have a scheme al- ready perfected.” Watts—“To be sure. All they need do is to put in a side entrance and keep the front gate closed,” = ———— A New Year Story Without Words.