A MALL SEAL
NATURE’S Innermost secrets
seldom long endure under the
scrutinizing, penetrating eye
of modern science, but the se
cret held alone by the seal
family is a mystery that has balked
scientists, provided material for the
poet’s pen and mockingly lured ad
venturers on thrilling quests to the
middle of the Pacific ocean.
Where do the seals and sea lions
go? The mystery which In the palmy
days of the sealing industry In the
far north cost the old Alaska Com
mercial company thousands of dol
lars—Is seemingly beyond solution.
From California to Behring sea, in
a few weeks the seal family will again
. quietly Blip into the sea, and, leaving
only a few stragglers, will disappear
into the depths of the ocean, probably
to migrate to some far away place.
They will disappear as completely
as though swallowed up by the sea,
only to reappear again late in Feb
ruary or early in March, when the an
nual breeding season begins. Where
the seals go during the winter can
only be theorized. Acording to scien
tists who have followed the course of
sea lions migrating from California
points, there is little question of their
first destination. It is said that they
join the great herds in Behring sea.
Whether the same animals which
leave the Cliff Seal Rocks at San
Francisco in the fall come back again
in the spring, or whether their places
are taken by others is very uncer
tain.
Sea lions have always inhabited the
Seal Rocks, it is said. On account of
the peculiar climate surrounding the
Uolden Cate, it is seldom that there
are not sea lions there. However,
It is only the "bachelor" sea lion
which will be. seen by sightseers who
go to the cliff two months hence.
Followed by Investigators.
In 1SNG, before the period of pelagic
litittfiticv nr ulmntim.'' Kt'Jllfl Jit. SfUl
was practiced, the Alaska Commercial
company, which was the first lessee of
the Prlbylov islands in Behring sea,
/ attempted to trace the seals on the
migratory course. Expeditions were
outtttted and when the migration
from the islands began about Novem
ber 1, 18S6, the investigators at
tempted to follow and learn definitely
where the seals spent their w inter. For
several hundred miles the animals in
great herds from the rookeries were
followed. But one day, as though by
magic, the larger portion of the herd
suddenly disappeared. In another few
days there was not an animal to he
seen. All were gone—where? No
body knows.
It was apparent that the seals had
taken to the bottom of the ocean, that
they, evidently, went far below some
warm current. Some say the seals im
mediately began to proceed hack
northward under water. Seals ordi
narily swim for distances of two or
three mill before show .- their noses
above water for air. ' *4^, heory that
the animals swam scte.al hundred
miloB under water has been contra
dicted, inasmuch as no mammal is
known to be capable of staying under
water so long without a supply of
fresh air.
Kipling is only one of various writ
ers who w rote of the p1 riodical dis
appearance of the seal family The
sureness with which the animals
divine tlu ir course of travel has often
been a favorite theme. Seals and sea
lions make long journeys of many
thousand miles and never go astray.
During the spring and summer months
these strange animals live ou land,
making the rocked slopes of islands
their abodes. Then when November
comes they slip into the sea and dis
appear, feeding upon fish. Fur seals
aro more strange in their migrations
than are the hair" sealtf, but they
too leave their summer abodes aud
take to the waters of a temperate or
tropical oceaiD
Consume Millions of Fish.
Whtlo the seal family is away from
its habitat many millions of fish are
j
consumed. In fact, fish and squids are
the sole diet of the animals. There
has In past years been an effort on
the part of San Francisco and bay city
fishermen to have exterminated the
sea lions which inhabit the Seal Rocks
at the clifT. These animals eat great
quantities of fish, and, It is said,
deplete to an extent the supply of fish
for the local market. Every effort
of the fishermen to make war upon
the animals, however, has been balked
by the government.
Will the fur seal finally disappear, is
a problem which is now urging the
United States government to take
every precaution against the extinc
tion. Under the treaty entered into
by the United States, Japan and Rus
sia, the fur seals in the far north have
a temporary respite, at least.
No hunter is allowed to kill the
animals on the Pribylov islands, and
consequently there is a general belief
that with the protection afforded them
by the nations, the seals in the next
few years will again increase in num
ber.
From 4,500,000 the great seal herds
in their natural habitat in Behring sea
diminished in number since the ac
quisition of the Pribylov islands by
the United States to less than 100,000.
The reduction of the seal herd from
millions to a few thousands was not
by what might be called -legitimate"
killing of the animals, but by the prac
tice of pelagic sealing, in which the
seals were pursued in the open sea,
males and females being shot indis
criminately. Of those shot a compara
tively small number were recovered,
the wounded getting away to die. The
i abominable practice resulted in the
death by starvation of the young left
on the islands by the females which
were shot at sea.
Statistics show that there is no
more inhuman and villainous practice
than the pursuit of seals in the open
sea. Japanese were largely respon
| sible for the slaying of thousands of
j seal by the pelagic method.
It is said that some fishermen now
! occasionally shoot seals when not un
der observation, but the practice has
generally been stopped and the govern
ment is able to regulate the number
, of seals killed on the northern islands
I yearly.
WHAT MADE HIS HEART GLAD
Lonely Man Was Glad to See Some
Evidence of Possible Congenial
Companionship.
The hotel dining room was 80 feet
long. A tall man sat eating a lonely
breakfast at one end. A stout man
was performing the same rite at the
other. They passed out together.
'Marooned," murmured one.
"Are we the only Inhabitants?"
With the exception of the help,
we are alone."
"These late vacations are awful!"
"Yes; I'll never take another.”
Days passed—dull days, lonely days.
Sometimes they hobnobbed At oth
er times they abhorred each other
and kept apart.
One morning the tall man sat
dreaming on the veranda He was
dreaming of waltzes and of moonlight
strolls. The stout man was on the
bench. Suddenly he bent over some
thing, and then began to beckon wild
ly. The tall man sauntered down.
■ What have you found?" he lan
j guidly inquired.
"Look at that, Robinson Crusoe!”
i yelled the stout man.
"What is it?"
"Look!"
The tall man looked, then smiled
feebly.
It was the print of a girl's shoe in
the sand.—Judge.
Good Business.
Why is an undertaker the most suc
cessful business man?
He never fails to carry out what
he undertakes.
—
Lespedeza Destined to Become
Important Feed Crop.
HIGH-GRADE HAY AND FORAGE
—
Plant Is to South What Clover and Al
falfa Are to Other Sections—
Grows on Any Soil and Needs
Little Attention.
('Ey O. H. ALFORD.)
Botanists and experimenters are
constantly searching the world for ag
ricultural plants, especially o; the
j legume family, that will furnish
| abundant crops of high-grade hay and
i forage. Lespedeza, or apan clover, a
little plant of Asiatic origin, and un
I tii quite recently little known, is des
i tined to become the most important
ail-round crop for large areas of the
southern United States.
Lespedeza is an annual, appearing
after killing frost is over, and lasting
until freezing weather in the fall. If
may always be distinguished from oth
er small wild clovers by a small pur
ple bloom, which does not appear un
til August. The seed resembles un
hulk-d clover and are sold and planted
in this shape. It has long tap roots
and a profuse system of lateral roots.
The plant maintains a vine-like ap
pearance when thin on the soil. Over a
large part; of the territory covered the
growth is dwarfish, from four to six
Inches, which leads to the impression
that It Is only fit for grazing. In the
southern part of the belt it attains a
growth of from 12 to 30 inches, and is
so thick on the land a3 to yield from
two to four tons of dry hay per acre.
Lespedeza is to the south what
clover and Alfalfa are to other sec
tions. It has the advantage over them
of growing on practically any soil
and with much less cost and attention
than either of the others. The plant
| is equally hardy and at home on poor
clay soils, sandy hillsides, alluvial
bottoms or crawfish flats; the growth,
of course, corresponding to the fer
tility of the soil. In feed value it
equals red clover and is little inferior
to alfalfa.
As a soil renovator nothing sur
passes lespedaza, from the fact that it
makes considerable growth on the
poorest lands and will increase in size
and denseness each season, while
nearly all other legumes must be
planted, fertilized and doctored to
make any growth whatever on much
duction and harvesting are considered
The two fit in nicely together, and one
preparation of the land answers for
bo;h crops. Growing both on the
game land will not only prove profit
ab]D but if properly handled will build
nD the soil. It will’also help to solve
the question of farm labor, nov. one ;
of considerable worry in ail agricul- j
tural sections of the country. By j
utilizing a large part of the farm in
hay and oats, much of the work may
he done by the use of labor-saving ma- ,
chinery. The mower, rake, binder,
thresher, seeder and several other
high-class implements can be used to j
great advantage and profit. . |
Vtor a thorough preparation of the .
seed bed, apply fertilizer when it is
used just before or at the time of
seeding, except nitrate of soda, which
=hould be used as a top dressing in
eariy spring. Oats should be drilled
:n with seeder, two and one-half to
three bushels to the acre, between
September 15 and November the 1st,
according to the locality. If the land
;. not already seeded with lespedeza
'rom a previous crop, it should not
be sown until the latter part of Febru
---1
Lespedeia Pan, With Top Raised to
Show Wires or Rods Beween
Which the Seed Falls Into the Pan
When the Crop Is Harvested.
ary or in March, after all danger of
killing frost is past. Twenty to 25
1 pounds of seed per acre should be
used. Sow on the oats, and follow
! with section, harrow, set slanting.
This will give sufficient loose soil to
cover the seed and prevent drifting
after rain. Germination will be rapid
: after when moisture is present The
1 plants will grow rather slowly until
after the oats are taken off, af^er
which the growth will be rapid. In
case weeds should get a start, run
mower over the land to clip them in ,
July. I
The oats will be ready for the binder
by June 1. The lespedeza is ready
for the mower in September and Oc
tober. The period of harvesting can
be extended over a longer period than
for any other hay crop. The seed;
! 3? oar lands. Its roots system pene
! '.rates the hardest soil, makes them
porous and stores up vegetable matter
and nitrogen and renders the natural
1 elements of the soil more available for
plant food. On the poorer soils the
growth increases rapidly, and in very
little time washed away hillsides will
have their gullies checked and be pro
ducing a luxuriant growth which will
furnish choice food for the stock.
Most legumes must be planted by
the hand of man and many require ex
pensive preparation and fertilizing and
always must be planted on the richest
part of the farm. Another valuable
feature is that it will hold its own
with any of the native grasses or
weeds, and frequently runs them out
entirely.
No plant in the south, except per
haps the Bermuda grass, will give
more or better pasturage from May
until frost. Growing, as it does, on
the roughest and poorest hill soils and
on the richest bottom lands, it adds
untold value to the pasture lands
throughout the areas which it covers.
No other plant will stand so much
hard grazing or dry weather through
the summer period. It has been
claimed, and with good reason, that it
adds 25 per cent, to the carring ca
pacity of any pasture of which it is
: a part.
it is only in recent years that les
! pedeza has been recognized as one
| of the best hay crops of the south.
This is true not only from point of
quality, but in the yield and sureness
of production.
Being very low in moisture content,
the hay is more easily cured and han
dled than any other legumes. This is
a very important factor in hay mak
ing, where the rain3 are so frequent
and excessive as in many sections in
the south. The writer considers oats
and lespedeza, grown together, one
of the most valuable crops for the
southern farmer. This is undoubted
ly true when the expenses of the pro
forms In September, and when the
land is to be continued in lespedeza
enough seed should be allowed to be
mature so that In handling enough
will scatter oft' to reseed, thus saving
of buying and reseeding. Where only
hay is desired, cutting may be done
when the plant is in full bloom, in
most cases about September 15. The
yield varies from one ton, on poor
uplands, to three or four tons on
rich lands and bottom lands. One
day’s sun is sufficient for the hay.
Rake and let stand in windrow or
shocks for four or live more days, then
put into barn or bale. It cures quick
ly on account of small stems and low
water content.
When saving seed for use or for
market, the poorer portions of the land
will be found best suited. There will
usually bo a heavier crop of seed and
less straw to run through the thresh
er. When mowing for seed alone, the
mowing should be delayed until the
larger number are matured. Cut be
fore the plants are killed, however.
Rake while still moist and let cure in
windrow. Handle carefully to pre
vent shattering, as the seed fall off
easily. The cheapest and best method,
if weather permits, is to haul directly
from the field to thresher. Adjust
sieves and wind of machine carefully
to prevent blowing out seed. The yield
varies from 6 to 12 or more bushels
to the acre.
The market for hay Is growing by
leaps and bounds, and anything like
a good quality can be sold for good
prices, ranging from $12 to $1S per
ton. Seed saving has not yet become
general anywhere in the lespedeza ter
ritory. The supply does not equal the
demand so far. Prices for seed have
ranged from $2 on the farm to $5 or
more per bushel of 25 pounds cleaned
seed at the seed houser.
Cause of Scour*.
Calves can be given scours by feed
lag too much high testing milk.
—----- —
ON A PHILIPPINE
Type of Locomotive That Is Found Most Suitable for Usj
FLED BEFORE TRAiN
DEER CHASED TWENTY FOUR
MILES BY LOCOMOTIVE
Evidently Fascinated by the Steel
Rails, They Remained on the
Track Until One Had to Be
Run Down.
The driver of a freight train in the
Gatineau valley drove a pair of deer
24 miles in a little over an hour, his
train moving at a fairly uniform rate
all that time, relates the Montreal
Star. At the end of the run, one of
the deer, which was very fat. col
lapsed, and fell. The other stcod
stupidly staring at the big engine as
it stopped, but when the men de- ,
scended from it, jumped from the
track and escaped.
The deadly fascination of the steel
rails was well exemplified on the Kaz
ubazua plains in the same section,
when a pair of Scotch Stag hounds
•were seen passing from the open
country from the north driving a |
deer before them. Without heeding j
the shouts of the men at the station. J
the hunted thing, which had evident- j
ly ceme from a long distance, hound
ed along with some difficulty follow
ing ail the curves of the track down
to the Stag creek bridge, through
which it tripped and was then killed j
by the hounds.
The section men on the Pontiac
railway chased a little herd of three
deer on a down grade, for- some miles
with their hand car. and ran them j
right up to an approaching engine.
As they stopped to lift their machine
clear of the track, the poor things
slackened their speed, looked help
lessly as they ran on to right and left
and allowed the engine to send them
all to destruction. Probably at night
it is the glare of the headlight which
attracts, confuses and then hypnotizes
the deer, and causes their death
* • 11_:_1 V. ♦ " rlorlf
--VIJ CIlftiliVT 1 UllllU.}, --
night, was derailed by a big bull ;
moose it had run into. The driver
explained that he had seen the animal
standing on the track, staring intent
ly at the approaching headlight, but
until close up to it had not imagined
that it would remain there to be
killed. He had. however, whistled,
and then reversed his engine as it
drew near the moose. For this he
was greatly blamed by the superin
tendent, who explained that having
made the mistake of supposing that
the moose would not. or could not di
vert its gaze from that glaring light,
he should have crowded on all steam
in the hope of throwing the huge car
cass aside with the cowcatcher.
Old locomotive drivers are well
aware of the hypnotizing effect of the
headlight of an engine upon the deer
family, and when possible stop and
drive the creatures aside.
A little gjoup of these men discuss
ing the matter recited numerous in
stances of running into deer, which
when once they have fixed their ejes
on it, stand as though paralyzed in
the fierce light of the locomotives.
One of them spoke of having on two
occasions actually, with his hands,
pushed deer from before his train,
the poor things having apparently
lost their power of movement.
Large Japanese Railroad Depot.
The most elaborate railway station
ir. the far east, the new Central rail
way station at Tokio, will be complet
ed next year at a cost of approxi
mately $1,400,000. The main building
is 1.083 by 132 feet, end the station
is being constructed on a centrally
located aO-acre tract of land which
will be decorated wit’* Japanese gai
dens, fountains, etc
Sixty Years an Engineer.
R. S. Sigman, Asheville. N. C.. has
retired at eighty-one, after serving
sixty years as a railroad engineer
without having had a serious acc
dent.
ELECTRICITY TOM
:'=er nents Mads . ®
the Idea to BeP®
ertnertt; have j^B
a method of su®
•T-ctrtcaily. T;®j
"- as ere of viol
tev.-eejHj
-.he tag®
telet-hm®
■-rack. Pro®
than H®
sinal to®
grates m®
the cab®
operate®
Tie syste®
setili®
interval;,;.®
a train In®
may ■
petrt alctgH
:c American IS
Women as Railway!
:.alv .mar hast!
line between ®
a i®
vci:. the last3)1
Ercss&t®
.me employ®
it. other places)®
Kcsemount®
railway,*®
sta'icr.-aiisti®
on the Fama!
it.by station, Co®
v.-onieti who nott®
signal?. but issue tic®
in connects*®
m w omen probably J
tin- railways isR«®
r European cco®
I ■. mputed to be bet®
women working®
tat>‘ railways. They®
,-rs. cmrks and teleg®
salariesi are small ®
aims at the stations
£4 5s. a year, withH^J
auuui d--iu «
just Escapd
The thrilling senri
u . ilsed ill tile points*
and eei iug a trainJ*
him. was experience
11r h• ■ r night, by a sip
London £ NorIJ
V. rites a correspond
Pitting on the li«J
;h. points werepaa™
to pass, and his
gripped. He t*as
down and in intent*,
heard the oncomtMj
nearly tainted ««W
,d the attention of**
goiild not release h
situation m at
men some distant
bv leaping on «
the brakes. T
yards from the
the man was a
for the signal h
fore he couM*^
Useless E"
The followjjj
recently r**1'th 0(
dent in 'bt , tll
"*> t»'den U
temping*
our congra ,
vise us of the ^
partJd, “we "il'set'
pOU'lliS Jjjjjiit
in our very r°°B
see "hat • ^
In addition.
will
with the fut #lti
trou^j furniture I
! piece oi „l
I vou desire » •
orated house.
The reP>y/asoa
-Unless the |
the provisi®11 t
tome.
unfortunate