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mTH7T 1 "P17'C' ATI? WQ I One Hungarian was killed and seven in W .LJ-LJ.Q. J il -Ll W O | iured by a dynamite explosion at Altoona, Mr. Thomas McCrae, woollen manufactu- >r, of lim Iph. died the olher day. Mr. T. L. Huffman, for : year* a resident %f Peterboro'. died last week, aged 74. Mr. (ieorge Sleeman has been elected kayor of Uuelph by acclamation. Seals are said to be huwmg up in large fcuinbrrs in the gulf t St Lawrence. Peterboro Town Council has refused to (educe tile number cf hotel licences. A little girl mined Willison fell into a f/ail of boiling water at Napauce mid died fn-iii her injuries. Grip hu carried off in Welland and viciu- ity during the past week 11 persons whose ail dr. I ages make total of 75** years. The death is announced of Dr. Dugdale who has been practising ill Montreal for ihe past quarter of a century. A pupil in Alma Ladies' College was poisoned from eating a banana. Shu recov- ered. Afleranexistenceof eighty five years, the Montreal Herald, insolvent, was sold al public auction last week for $1 1,350. Mr. Jo*iah Wood, M. P., is dangerously ill of congestion ol the lung*, at hi* residence in Sackville, N. IV Mi. James (iritlin, a well-known seed merchant of London, Out , suicided the other day with strychnine. Five brothers named Shoemaker live near Berlin, Out., whose combined ages foot up jure. | Pa., lait week. Miu Mary Kee<l, an Ohio missionary to India, is ilowly dying of leproey in a village of Icperi located in thi Himalaya mountain*. Three, men were killed in an accident at the Nelson mine, near Platuburg, N. V., the otln r day. Mr*. Heart, the widow of Senator Hearst, of California, carries a life insurance of to 437 years, and hearty. The eldest in '.r.' and still hale HI-H. William Rhodes, ex-Minister of Ag- l.illie Lehrnanii, the celebrated prima donna, who sar.g at the Toronto musical fes tival in IKSii, is dangerously ill in New York from grip ami heart affection. The 700 employes of the East Lebanon, Pa., rolling nulls, having refused toa. reduction in wages, ihe works hive been shul down indefinitely. The captain and four seamen of ihe seal, ing schooner (bear were drowned at New- port, Oregon, the other day, while attempt ing to laud in a small boat. On Sunday afternoon Michael DUher, only twelve year* of age. committed suicide by hanging himself in the barn al hi* home near In - I. in. I, Mich. There are now 90 0*01 of typhus fever among Russian H -.brew emigrants in New York. The lint death there from the dis- ease occurred on Monday. Kd u art 11. Tiirpin shot an.lkill.--l William Carter, son of John T. Carter, a well known farmer and horse- breeder, at Uallatiu, Tenn., on Tuesday evening. James Duffy, an old soldier, has jusl died at Hipe. Idaho, of consumption. Duffy was the first man who ever died a natural death in thai lown. Serious trouble took place on Monday between the different classes at Wabaih College. I nd., which culminate*! at midnight AK ricultural of Quebec, died last week. He had lived in (Quebec since 1S47, and was an in blowing up some of the buildings with Kuglishn.an 7" years old. dynamite. Mrs. Chip|M'wa, perhaps the largest wo A move has been made in the New York man in the world, nearly six feel tall ami State Senate looking to the suppression of weighing over 700 Ibs. ,-hc.l on the Dog l.ake an alleged combine between the coal com Indian reserve in Manitoba, last Tuesday, j panics ami railroad companies to advam-e Dominion Statistician Johnson advises | prices of coal. Canadians to have nothing to do with Am- | At New Albany, Indiana, on Tuesdsy, erican silver until the free coinage question John Kaiser, photographer, shot and seri- is settled by Congress, oualy wounded his wife because she refused The City of Hamilton failec to defend a toil brought because of injuries to Mrs. \Velister in a coasting accident, and a ver- dict for Ihe plaintiff of *:>.(iuo was record- ed. The new building of the Northumberland Paper and F.gg Case Company, at Camp'-.l- ford, was op- IMM| on Monday. The l-mlding OOsl all-nil >'.'.*>, 'sm. and is a rrei'it to the cainpany and an ornan.ent to the town. to live with him. He was chasud, and on being cornered shot himself dead. A dance waa recently given at Sand Point , Idaho, at which a little disturbance took place, resulting in the serious wounding of I'ucumlier I'ete, Irish Mollie, and lolanthr, and ihe killing of Steamboat Johnny. 1'iiitrd Sutrs Consul Moore, nf St. Hya- -lithe, '/lie., has been ap|M,uit.-.| . ..n-ul in i.. imany at a salary of si.T.'Ml. The forlu A friend of th- Canadian Institute. T-.- n it e gentleman is a cousin ,if Mr. Blame, ronio. o-lrrs .M/mO lot the In-sl wmkahle r.-retary of state. measure wl. i n. if m .de law, woul.l give tl.r Judge Thomas, at ltoadw->. I. S D., liv. whole Canadian people equal rrpreaunlatmn grunted a decree cif div .|.r to Mrs. James in Parliament and each elect.,! -In,- weight ( .. Ill urc. jr.. with custody of her child inthe lioveniriii>nt thimigli pailiamm!. and -I Km to pay expenses of the sun and Hy the will of the lato Dr. Sterry Hunt. *lmi aiiionlli as permanent alimony. the eminent cheinitt, ihe Seniiiury of l^ie- Three families of its persons have been IK., M. '-ill College, and Ihe Massachusetts i f. Institution of Technology each receive folly shares of stock in Molsons Bank to estab- lish achoUrships in rich of these inrtitu- I mil. A remarkable story comes tmin St. Cum rose recently cremated his d-a-l infanl in the family cooking stove, and that previous ly he hail buried iwo of his ehililrrn in the ' ellar of the house. It does not seem clear to the authorities that in I. is eccentric method of disposing of his dead Laroo vio- lated any law. i.l'.KVT HMTVI'-. Vice Adnnr.il C. T. ('urine, commander in-chief at Shecrneas, died lasl Friday Week. M.nry Kdwanl 1 1. .>!. C. II , died the Other day in I>IIK|OII. Kng. , aged <(.*!. The lat (iiivorninent leader in the lint ish House of Cotnmoiip, Mr. \Villi.ini Henry Smith, left an eiUU> valued at 1 1. TI, (.'". C. A. Titlin, the author and hisluriau of Modem Km ope is lie. id in l^xidon Thn Pi ni'-e of Wales has given up his con- nertion with the lurf. Princess Patricia, the ." year old daugh- ter of tho Duke ol Connaught, is neri'iusly ill with pneumonia. Sr i -i i.rkfe I '.iinpU'll, Liberal memlwr of M.I Hit Chase, Maine, probahly liy the use of cooking soda, which had been kept a long limn ill a b.n. One d-ithm sued and oilier* are seriously ill. Tho man who attempted to rob the Amen can Kx press Company s New York (Vniral gonde one of Montreal s most prosperous tralll .sii lr day nirfht near Lyons. N ^ . suburbs. It appear* that a man name I L, ,, |Hwn fl|Uy ,,.,.,, ollver , urll , IVrry, who also commuted ihe I'tica train r.,1.1.. ry last October. William Tohner and Minnie K. Sia.k house, rode up lo the door of Squire Hudcl son at Paoli, Indiana, ihe other day in a rainstorm, called the squire out and were m in ted while sitting on their horses. Then lliey turned and rode home. Simmons, ihe man who was recently tried in Hamilton for bigamy, has been arrested in Kuffalo charged with swindling nickel in the slot insurance companies, fie had a scheme by win 'h he could make hi* wrist or ankle appear inflamed, and would thus secure insurance money. IN I.K-. KKM. Smallpox ha* been prevalent in Itomhay for some tune, and has now become epi.l- m -MIOW is from 1'.' to III feet deep in Alpine passes, and great alarm is caused by the danger of I!-MI.|S in case of a thaw. Tratlic has hern suspended in Koine mi account of the intensely c.il.l weather and the Knglish House of Commons for the . heavy snow storms Kirki-aldy district, is dea-l. |,, rt S; t ,|on. in I'piwr Iturmah. an i The Duke of Norfolk Rive* away more by Hiitish troops, is besieged hy Kadiuns. a triliv of native*. The Austrian Keichsrath has voted .'Hi.!, 'sm, florins for the lolief nf snfTorers ill gives away money to charities than any other nn-mUr of Ihe British peerage. Duiing the recent storms many vesseli were wrecked on the Knglish coast, and certain distressed districts of the country. 1 1 is rumored that tho reciprocity negotu lions between Ihe I 'nited Slates and Mcxi.-o inui-h less of life ii reported. Austin Ilidwell, the famous American for ger who was sentenced to life imprisonment lor forgery on the llank of KngUnd, has been released from prison. Sir Henry Cotton, late Lord Justice of the Knglish Court of Ap|>e%l, died on Tues- day. The C Inter members of Imperial Pallia- ment have imparte-l to Mr. llalfoiir their approval of the Irish Local (Government bill. Fifty nine CoiiMrvatives, thirteen Union- have IN . n broken off. A (ierman non-commissioned oilicer t I'lm hiii been sentenced to two years impri- sonment for drilling recruits ctothvd only in their shirU. The feet and mouth diseawi has spread to 1(1 district* in Sohleswig-Holstein. It i. premimed the disease was propagated by manure. Archduchess Maria VaUrid, the young- est daughter of Kmp. mi Francis Joseph .,( . ists, eighteen i.lodsiomans, and seven Irish Austria, is seriously ill with inllammatinn mrml-ers of Im[x<rul Parliament ha . Inti u ( i|,.. |, M , s mated that the> will not run again for seats in tho House of Commons. lien. KolierU, who led thu Candahar relief army of 1*7!' so, has been raised lo the |x-er age as Itaron Kolierl*. The Queen is greatly distressed by th suicide of a servant in the royal Osliornr palace, who hold a roapon Moll III the plate I. HUM. Mr*. Anna Margaret Montagu, ofC.de raine, daughter of Ixird Uolwrl Montagu, was commuted for trial last week charge.) wilhtheinurder of hnr Ihrei -year old .laugh i . 1 1 appears thai the go vet ness locked the . hild up ill a dark closet for Homn alfencr. and that thn mother, to increase tho punish ment, fasti in . I her arms I t md her back with cords ami secured her '-i a ring in the wall, in such a position that h-ir fuel barely touch*.! the lliMir. After ihrre hour*, when Mrs. M-uiia^ii o|x'iie.| ihe.l.H r -if Iho closet, he found i tut i In- child was dead, i MTIII There is considerable excitement in Frsnce over the recent resignation of ( ibinet. M. has agreed to under- I/)Uisville, K v., had several slight shocks take the formation nf a new Ministry. A despatch from I'pper Ilium ih says : ('apt. D-ivies' coin mi attir sharp employ at e M> ..||. d t he Na. hy - MS t,.,m thnr st-.-kadr iisil>li posi | MI nidus and relieved Sadone. Count Tolstoi, who hak U-i n engaged in the work of relieving the distrea* in the famine distil.", has brcn or.lered I- irk In his estate, on tho grounds of having written an iiiipi'no'ic letter describing the suffering of the peasants. Six reel nils of the Corps de liar-le. iita tinned at Potsdam, have commitled sui- id liming i he . m lent month on account of t lie Iviannv and harsh tn-alnirn: to which they ere siil.|e. Ii d by noli commissioned nth. cers. An Knglisl. governess i* hrreiifl.T toe. In cute the ilauglileis nl t he King of Sialll, and she will IN' ic.i ird'-.l !h t.. i with a salary of t'7lN) a year and n 11' uden.c in the royal nf earthquake last week. Several laige .Iry goods estahlishments .. |.- rallk Hewitt, steward. Toronto," ap valued at ..ve, W,000,000 were dnstroyed ..,,, , t he death list of theoil ship Tamer by lire at New Orleans the othor day. j [.,. ( N rw lUdford, Mass.. winch was dohn l.ilmiiiy Shen, the Catholic scholar . wrecked near the Hawaiian islands n cut ,md liistniiiin. <il Kluahelh, N.J., died last ly. Twenty out of a crew of ,'<8 wcrr week, sgtd lit' y an. I drowned. A H n.. \i.i l i-i . >i "li \ It was one of those peculiar night i when a mist shr md every thing. Though the moon Was up, you could scarcely see it, and would not know there was a moon, were it nol for Ihe brilliancy of the mist, that looked like a silvery cloud. No. .">. a through In in, had been delayed. We were waiting for her to pass, at tin- station, when my ear caught the clicking of tin telegraph. Mechanic illy I listened, and i.-ali/ed th.it the conductor was sendiuj word to us from a station up the road. I went to the operator and in a few mo- menta had the dispatch. TrainuVlajred by mint. BaxgnKe-mwtersicV.. (five us a man. Tom run on NO. 5 was an important one and needed a practised man. There was nothing to do but go myself. So, making the necessary arrangements, I stepped out on the platform to awail the tram. The air waa raw as well as damp, and seemed loeat its way through my clotinn,;. r..iha,)S it was the effect of the weather, but I felt very much depressed in spirits. I iiidn't have long to wait, for the loco- motive was whistling at the long curve as I wa'ked down the platform. Then came the glare of the headlight and (he had arrived. In a moment more I was helping the baggage master alight. He looked very As we stood together he said, in a voice that was quite tremulous : "You know the long cut before X Junc- tion ?" I nodded. My mother lives on the hill jusl beyond that cut. When I go by I wave my lantern three times from Ihe door nf the car, to sliow her I am all right. Will you do that for me to-mubt V As he finished speaking he leaned against the railing forauppurl. I thought haw con- siderate it waa of him to save his mother worry, an 1 1 promised to do as he wished. In a moment more the iinnal to start was paaaed from lirakemanto brmkeman. As the conductor raiaed his lantern he shouted to me. " We don't stop at X Junction to- night." The engine took a few deep breaths, the, wheels began to revolve and the train alow ly rolled out of the station. As we gained speed I looked back. To my astonishment I thought I aaw the man who just before had been in charge of the car try to signal ni", then cover his face with his hands. The mist waa so dense, however, I might have been mistaken, and < .iii-luiied that 1 was. The car wan one of thoae long ones with pit-lit \ of r-om. There were not many trunks in. i l-Urt-l to. he. k tin-in off by the list. :ie luitern, I had gave a very dim li.ht, so most of the car was in shadow. : . le* the trunks there was an emigrant's case win. h - . :.. d to lie almost large enough to holdahouae. ll- m.; MI litisy with the trunks made nin- fly. So it seemed only a shorl while before we made the tii-t stop. As I slid back the door to see if there was any luggage I iioti.-ed how wet everything waa. There was only a letter handed in. As I wi almut to shut the door, after the train hail started, I noin ed that the brake- man ha>l jump-- I i'ii the forward platform of my oar. The doors on Uith ends of an ex- preas car shut with a snap lock :so, though easy to open from within, it is impossible to ..|-n the -I.K-r fiom the platform. I went f-.rwa .1 and let him 1.1. As he entered he Mi No trampe on Ihe front plaliorm lo- night." \Vc made I nit one more stop before X Junction, <> I would have little to do save gi .'ing the signal I had promised. SitiniK on my chair and looking about the car, I fell to wandering if the iron bar, win. h ran through the centre of the car above my head, would really be of much ser- vice in ease of accident to protect me from the Hying trunks. It was placed ihe^e to clintf to in case nf a smash-up. From I hat my eyes wandered to the trunks and especially to one trunk. It was a small one, but nevertheless when 1 looked that way my eyn* would surely fall on that one. Out nf pure, idle curiosity 1 went over and looked at il closely. It was quite heavy and 111 charge of an express company, as I could see by the label. A* I was examining it, I felt the train slowing up and knew it was the next stop. Though I H is pretty ure there would lie no ln.-^n;.-. I went I.- n, > -!'i.i>a mallei ,.| i. .iin*. We had hardly stopped lief ore we were off Main, and I knew by Ihe speed we began to develop, the engineer was making up l.-st time. I Inrneil to go back tn my chair, when to my aina/rnieni I aaw the front door of my car swinging open. I wu sure 1 had shut it securely, and it i .ml. I not have been opened from the out- side. For a moment or two 1 felt nervous, as I i cali/cd their might be some one in the car with me. Then T thought 1 might possibly have left it unlatched, though that seemed improbable. r'.very moment our speed increased. Sud driily we dashed into a lung c'.il. As we did so I seued my lantern, ami prepared to give the signal I had promised. \\ ith the laiiter.i in my light hand, and gripping the iron bar over the door with my left, I waited till we should leave the cut. As we swung out in Ihe valley, I lifted the I inti-in in I \\.i\ed it three tunes. My sig- nal was answered. Far up on the mountain came tho Hash of a lantern waved in a circle Aa I saw it a great dread came over me.. Why should the Imggage master's mother answer bv any such a signal as that t I fell there waa sonieihin^ wrong. In stin. lively I reached for the Udl cord. As I xci/d it, it i-aMie down on my head. I ran to the end of it. It had liern cut, sever- ed as smooth as a knife could do it, And then my mind lighted up. as if by a white light. I saw all the circumstance* that Intd occurred in the last few hours. The sickness of the luggage mister, his peculiar actions, the open door, the cut bell cord. Then all al once the sentence tang in my ears, " we dun'l stop at X June lion to night." 1 i --all..' I, a.s plainly as if it Imdlwon told me. thit U'viiiid this junction we would lie in dancer. That wan the place ho would lii.. i.it I lie 1 1 am, hud it Mopped as usual, allei giving the m^nal I had just ^-iven. A* the train was ordered not tostopto ni^lit I hsd Iwcn trapped into some hoinlile scheme, ha. I given prnlwhly the signal tin Ihe train's ilj'st ruction. Ti e.e thought* passed through my mind in a moment. Still even a moment added danger. 1 ran to the front door of (he car and tore it open. The air ruihed through in a perfect torrent.' We were going at great speed ; the sway- rig of the cars was /rightful. I managed to .nub from 'he car platform to the tender. Now every moment we were in danger. I crawled along the coal on the tender. tin I came near lining my balance and being swept ol) As I crawled and crept along my hand came in contact witu a cord. I knew il was ihe olher end of the bell cord, and pulled u with all my might. In the glow from -.he furnace I saw the engineer begin working with the engine. I felt the speed slacken. We had almost slopped wnen there came an e- till, ,n lhat seemed to lift the forward part of the engine off tiie track. I was landed into Ihe marshes, where I lay stunned for a few morn -nts. It was more the force of ihe explosion thar. any- thing else, however, .'or we were going so lowly lhat i.one of the can were injured. My first thought was for the baggage-car. I ran back lo it and climbed aboard. A brukeman was standing there with drawn revolver. When he sw me he said he gues- sed everything was safe. I left him in charge and went forward. The trainmen were grouped round the loco- motive. There was a big hole knocked in her made by dynamite cartridge. A little further down the track we found another cartridge. Had we been going fast nothing could have saved the train from being hur- led down '.he embankment a total wreck. We aaw no one, as is generally the case in such instance*. Th* wrecker* who would have preyed upon our mangled bodie* did dare snow their face*, even when they only had a fe-r armed men to deal with. Their courage was nol sufficient In hold up a train. My story was s ran told, and in a few ho..rs the telegraph wa* being used to head- quarter*. We soon had a relief engine. Hy rare good chance ihe baggagemaater whom I re- lieved was caught that very nighl. He broke down and confessed, but we were only able lo gel one of ihe others. It seemed the heavy trunk I had examin- ed contained money. The idea was for the liaggagr masler lo signal some one on Ihe hill if ihe trunk was abroad all right, and h* wa* lo signal the man down tho valley, so he could place the cartridges. It was a 1 very narrow escape. Out of curiosity I went one day up on j the mountain where I had seen the signal. There was nothing there but an old rock- bound pasture. As I looked ovei it my eye fell upon a broken lantern, lying half hid- den un.ier a bush. The lantern without doubt thai hail signaled our destruction. 1 picked u up and hrought u away as a memento, ami il hangs to-day in one of the rooms of my rllli al Affairs | Iranrr. The resignation of the French Ministry is a misfortune because it has been an ex- ceptionally tapai-le one, and has governed mtry with lucidity of political Intel Ii,;. -nee. U n. n the |.efl :s divided into two factions of conservative and radical tenden cie, with the [tight coiutitutliiga powerful minority recruited from elements which are not 'onctled with republican institution*, , political government is largely a matter of 1 compromise ami mau-euv re. F< r directing a Ministry under these conditions M. de Freycinet has possessed remarkable qualir 1 cations. A statesman of progressive idea* and !il rat tendencies, he is also a practical tactician wilh a keen dis eminent of p I ti- cal forces and the flexibility requited for adapting him -elf to existing com ilion . Ho has often heen accused of Iwr.ig a | oliti cal trimmer, but so long us Ihere are three parties in FnnO'it isimpracticaldeforasuc cesaful Premier lo be nny thing else. He has ih-k n I of ilex t. nty required for driving three hors >, one it which pulls hard, an- other is r.'ways lialking. while the middle one is not strong enough to make the pace. The di f. a' of the Ministry was caused by Ihe revelition of his caution and const rva tism in deihng with religious associations, which we-e regaining iheir power under various di .guises and in violation of ihe drastic laws of Jules Ferry. The Radicals hail demanded n e mures of repression and M. d Freycinet, in order toe nictitate them, ha I brought forward the As<o iitlnms bill. Having . ricked the whip in order lo intimi- date the Clriicalists and inspirit the Kidi I cals, the driver wilh his caulious instinct held Ihe horses under light rein. The Ka- dlcals, inspecting lhat he did not intend to press the measure, al tempted lo force him lo quicken his pace. M. de Freycinet at once disclosed a brave front in advocating the bill and MI a-srnling to the demand for urgency, but refused lo interpret it in the Kadical way as a system of reprisals againsl Clericalism, and confirmed ihe impression that he was only half in earnest in securing it* passage. The result was a coalition be- tween the Right and a large body of Kadicala, ly which the (iovernment was placed in minority ami compelled to resign office. The result is the overthrow of a Ministry by a combination which cannot unite in supporting its successors. A large majority of those who voted against it were opposed to the Associations bill as iniquitous in principle. The minority who joined their approved of the measure, but were exasperated because Ihe tiovernment was slow in its method of procedure and conservative in interpreting the provisions. The rer.il' does not involve man intelligible way die:'. . al either of the measure or of the Ministerial policy. The (Sovernmrnt is overthrown without a sharp and deceive divisonof partyopmion ona public measure, '.'abinel crises of this nature have boon of frequent occurrence in France, and will be likely to bo repeated so long as there are three political groups represented in t'.e Chamlwrs. The ~. > in I .;_. In olden tin-es i* was generally believed to be possible lo distinguish ihe sex of eggs by their shape, and that rock* would IN' pro. In -cd from eggs nf elongaled form, ami hens from those thai wore shnrl or round. Others have imagined that they could dis- cern the future sex of tlie ch.ckt-n hy the position of Ihe mi I'lilihleal Ihe large end of the egg. Though, of course, it would hap pen at times lhat results as thus foretold might happen in many cases, yet these and other similar tests have proved hun.'reds nf times in he erroneous. Itrecdcru of pi . , poultry Would lie very glad to give a con snleralile sum of money for any certain knowl dge which would thr ncefnrlh enable them to breed no more c vkcrclls thin th-v really wanted : hut the serin has never h.-en dis, weird, and probuhly never will. It u even impossible to tellneforc threg^ has U-en lat upon for a hort lime whether it ha* been fecundated, and therefore whether ii will produce anything. The latest belief on the point by those who think they can foretell the sex is that the distinclion lie* in the egg* being even or rough, and that even-ended egg* contain pullet*, while the rough one* will produce male bird*. ti.rtn i i 1 1 u ti 11 . newers l>. >< .,p.,i in 11.. in. Cerla Hake Taberr* tieosi. Klectricity is about to find a new < inploy- ment in hor'.icnlture. ^pring vegetables are already being forced by ils aid for mar* kel. There is no doubt that rose* and olher flowers can be mode to bloom more plenti- fully and more profitably with its assistance In short, the discovery affords promise of possibilities not yet estimaled. The Deparimenl of Agriculture at Wash- ing has been experimenting in this direction * for some tine past. It has been fouuii thtt lettuce is particularly susceptible to the influence of the electric light, by means of which it can be grown for market in two thirds th* usual time. Other vegetables respond likewise in varying degrees. But everything depends upon the proper regulation of the light, and now to do this can only be learn- ed by careful study of the results produced under all sorts of conditions. The effect of the electricity being to hasten maturity, too much of it cause* letluce to run to seed before the edible leave* are formed. It must not be imagined that electricity is employed for such purpose* as a substitute for sunlight. It is merely used in a supple- mentary fashion. The greenhome that ha* the sun in the daytime U illuminated at night with arc lights, toward which the plant* incline iheir leave* and flower*, ac- cepling quite innocently these artificial counterfeit* of the orb of day. It wa* sup- posed hitherto thai vegetable* required in- tervals of darkness for their healthy devel- opment, jnst a* animals need sleep ; but it ha* been shown that, supplied wilh electric rays, they will go on growirg thrifily be- tween sunset and daybreak. Staying up all night seem* to do them no harm so long as the dissipation is properly regulate. 1. On the tame principle that beer U selected by the prudent as a leas demoralizing bever- 1 age than whisky, the electric gardener em- ploy* opa! globes to diminish the intensity of the light. When it i* left bare and per- mitted to shed its unfiltered ray* upon the , plant*, the latter grow pale, run up quickly in sickly (talks, and soon die. It remain* lo be discovered exactly how much elec- I tricity is Iwneficial, and during precisely I what period of the development of the vege- tables il oughl lo lie applied. The influence of electricity upon the color and productiveness of flowers has been shown to U- extraordinary. Tulip* exposed to its light have deeper and richer tint, tl iwering : more fieely, and developing longer items and bigger leave*. Fuschi is bloom earlier under like conditions. Petunias also bloom earlie. and in- re profusely, growing taller and fion slender. It ii the same way with TO iv olher dower*. ' i fact, there is every rx son for believing tnat the electric light | will be very profitably used in future a* an adjunct to forcing establishments for both flowers and garden vegetable*. Already one n.arkel gardener in New Jersey is employ- ing il with a success which he report* as marvelous. Another surprising investigation which the I'.S. IVpartment of Agriculture is con- ducting has to do with tobacco. An important pirt of the curing of tobacco U it* fermentation, which occur* during the process known as " bulking. " The leave* are puked closely together in large piles, and after a while the mas* heat*, the tobacco being i*>id to "sweat," and the aromatic compound* which contribute to its taste and odor are formed. These phenomena of fer- mentation ate caused by uacteria. Now. each sort of tobacco ha* it* own > kind of bacteria, which give* it aroma and flavor incidentally to feeding upon it. Hare I come* in a wonderful discovery, for it has been ascertained by experiment that poor tobacco, when innoculated wilh ihe bacleria naturally belonging to fine tobacco, obtains the tasle and quality of ihe later. Thus by < a simple operation it is easy to transform inferior leaves into first-class material for cigars, win, h the consumer may readily be led to believe are from ihe Vuelta Abajo. Thus far the matter ha* nut passed bey on. I the experimental stage. The trials were performed by propagating colcnic* of lc- eria Iwlonging t > first quality tobacco in Iwef lea, and then sprinkling ihe latter upon the inferior leaves. After lhe*e leaves had been packed together mid permitted to fer- ment, tney were found to have all the bou- ( ipiet and other desirable qualities of the tint- brand. Si complete were the results that expert judges were unable to tell the differ- ence. They can undoubtedly be secured on a Urge scale at a small cost, perhaps by merely spraying the poor tobacco with de- coction of a superior quality, transferring by this means the vegetable organisms whose assistance is desired. r. Twenty's Mistake. Mr. Thomas fwombley had drunk but six glasses of brandy and" water, when, be- ing a man of discretion, he returned home ut the seasonable hour of one a. m., ami went soberly to bed. Mr*. Thomas Twom- bley was too well accustomed to the coming* and going* of the said Thomas to be much disturbed by Ihe trifling noise he made on retiring, but when she discovered lhat he had his boots on. she requested him to re- move them or keep his leet out of the bed. " My dear," said Mr. Twombley, in an ajxilegetlc tone, " 'CUM> me '. How I came to forget the IHKIIS, 1 can't conceive, lor I'm jest as sober as I ever was in my life." Mr. Twombley sat on his side of the lied, and made an effort to pull off his right boot. The attempt was successful, though it brought him to ihe floor. On regaining hii feet, Mr. Twombley thought he saw the door open. At he was un' he shut the door on coming in he waa astonished ; ml dark as it was in the room, he couldn't be mistaken, he felt certain. Mr. Twombley staggered towards the uoor, to close it, when, to his still greater surprise, he saw a figure approach from beyond. Twombley stopped : the figure stopped. TvvimiMcy advanced again, ami the figure did the same. Twombley raised his right hand the figure raised its left. "Who's there!" roared Twomhley, be- ginning to l>c fnglilrn-d. The object inmle no reply. Twoml.lev raised his boot in a mcn.i, ing attitude the figure defied him by shaking a similar object. OHM 1'wombley : " I'll find out who you 1*, you sneak '" He hurled the hoot full at the head of hi* mysterious ol.jcct, when - crash went the lug looking glass which Twi'inbley had mistaken for the door !