text: Tmid HexicoS tick Ulinesw f B^SS-','r r r I '~ BisßOl ;|^|^£ <y-. iM *'-^ j “>>* '■- -.. Vl€W QF PARRAL, PARRAL, Mexico, which recently was the scene of tragic happenings in connection with the arrival there of General Pershing’s punitive expeditionary force, is in the heart of the fabulously rich gold and silver mines district of the southern republic, mines which were among the first discovered by the Spanish conquerors and which began pouring their streams of wealth into the coffers of the monarchs of Aragon and Castile as early as 1547. This town, which has a population of less than 20,000, has been the center of Francisco Villa’s operations for several years, says a bulletin issued by the National Geographic society. Situated on the banks of the semi dry Parral river, at the foot of the Sierra de la Cruz, Parral’s whole history centers below ground, in the marvelously rich Veta Colorado (red vein), which runs from north to south through the Parral mining district, including Minas Nuevas and Santa Barbara. As early as 1600, before the first permanent English settlement in the United States, there were 7,000 miners employed in this district, bringing from the depths of the earth the yellow metal destined to sustain in splendor, for a time, the opulent court of the then most powerful monarch in Europe. From that day up to the present Parral has continued to enrich the world from its seemingly inexhaustible store of silver and gold, the only interruption having been caused by a rebellion of the oppressed natives, who on one occasion flooded all the mines of the district and then deserted the city by the thousands. The richness of the ore in this section... shown by the fact that American mining companies find it profitable today to smelt the tailings or refuse of the old Spanish works. Indian Kept His Secret. One of the most interesting incidents in the early history of Parral centers about a time-stained church known as La Iglesia de la Virgen del Rayo, the favorite place of worship among the Indians of the district. In 1690 a devout native began the construction of the church, paying his helpers with ingots of pure gold, which he produced mysteriously once a week. During the twenty years required to build the structure the pious Indian baffled the spies commissioned to discover the source of his treasure, but when his work was finished the Spanish commander summoned the miner before him and demanded that the location of the mine be disclosed. When the Indian refused to tell he was tortured to death, carrying with him to the grave the secret which 200 years of search have failed to reveal. One of the “sights” of Parral is the palace of a multimillionaire mine owner, once a humble peon. In this house, which is shut in by adobe huts and narrow streets, there are big drawing rooms and museums with luxurious carpets, over which the owner’s fighting cocks are allowed to roam at will, it is said. Twenty pianos are among the most highly prized possessions of this simple, public-spirited native, the source of whose wealth is La Pamilla (little palm) silver mine, which he discovered many years ago. Parral was not always the chief city of this mining district. In 1580, the nearby town of Santa Barbara was the seat of government for a vast region equal to one-third the area of the United States today, exclusive of Alaska. The country over which it held sway embraced the territory now comprising Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Colorado. Durango Also Rich in Mines. Parral lies only a little north of the borders of the state of Durango, which is surpassed in the number of its mining properties, aggregating more than 4,000, by only two states in Mexico — Chihuahua and Sonora. Its natural resources include silver, gold, lead, tin, copper, sulfur, and rubies. The state’s wealth is not confined to minerals, however, for there are extensive forests of valuable timber and the agricultural resources are capable of almost unlimited development, while 1,000,000 head of stock find rich pasturage on its fertile tableland. The Nazas river, which empties into Lake Habas, is the principal waterway of the state. It is known as the Nile of Durango. In the spring, as the snow melts, the river inundates its valley, leaving a rich deposit of silt brought down from the mountains. After the waters have receded, the land bursts into bloom like a miniature Egypt, cotton, barley, and wheat growing in great luxuriance, while the whole landscape assumes the aspect of a flower garden. One of the most interesting trees to be found on the mountain slopes of Durango is a species of pine, the needles of which the Indians and Mexicans boil and use as a remedy for stomach troubles. Its taste is like that of anise seed. The wood of these trees is much used by the Indians in the manufacture of their primitive violins. One of the products indigenous to Durango, but one of which the state does not boast, is a venomous species of scorpion whose sting is almost invariably fatal in the warm regions of the state, but which is more painful than dangerous in the higher and cooler altitudes. In the vicinity of Durango City, 60,000 of these spiders are killed annually, some of the natives making a business of destroying them, collecting from the municipality a bounty of one centavo per scorpion. City Has Wonderful Climate. At an elevation of 6,000 feet, the city of Durango, capital of the state, enjoys a matchless climate, which has earned it the sobriquet, “town of sunshine.” It is one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the republic, having been founded by Captain Ibarra two years before the followers of Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles initiated the permanent colonization of the United States at St. Augustine. The site of the present city was reached by the adventurer and silver-seeker, Mercado, who in 1552 discovered the famous Iron Mountain of the suburbs. When Ibarra arrived with his colonists, the country was occupied by nomadic savage tribes. One of the odd customs of the Durango district is the funeral ceremony for children. “An angel is being buried” is the explanation which a native will give of a gay procession headed by a woman bearing aloft on a board a bundle bound in white. The parents of the child are obligated to give it joyfully to heaven, to the accompaniment of music and dancing. If there is weeping, the baby cannot enter paradise until it has gathered all the tears. One of the places of historic interest is the town of Santiago de Papasquia, said to derive its name from “pazquiero,” meaning “I want peace.” The phrase alludes to the defeat of the Indians following a massacre of the missionaries and a burning of the churches by the Tepehuanes and Tarahumares in 1616. After the outrage, the Indians gathered a force estimated at 25,000 and marched on Durango City. The governor of the province, with 600 valiant whites, determined to resist and save the territory for Spain. In the battle which followed, the Spanish chroniclers declare, the governor completely overcame the insurgents, who lost 15,000 men. After this overwhelming defeat, the Indians wanted peace. Durango derives its name from the old Spanish town of that name, in the Basque provinces. Woman and the Arts. In the minor art of dancing, and in the nobler work of reproducing the music of the great composers, and in acting the characters of the great dramatists, there are women of high, and even of highest rank. But to leave these more interpretive or reproductive arts, only in fiction does she approach the mark of men. For here she must be counted with the great of the craft. And even should some crabbed soul insist that the rare company in which are George Eliot, Jane Austen, George Sand, Madame de Stael, and the queen of Navarre, does not include the one who is greatest in the guild, yet there is no discomfort felt in naming these women along with Scott and Dickens, Hugo, Cervantes, and Boccaccio. But speak of the other creative arts, and we feel at once the chill. Chaminade looks ill at ease in the presence of Beethoven; Joanna Baillie, with Shakespeare; Angelika Kauffmann, with Michelangelo. —George M. Stratton, in Atlantic. He sold. He was trying to sell a dog, a bandy-legged brute, with features calculated to stop a motor car, and the old lady did not seem averse to buying one. Their ideas as to the brute’s value scarcely corresponded, however, and there was little prospect of agreement, when suddenly the lady demanded: “Will he bite?” “Only his meat, mum,” responded the fancier. “Oh, but I wanted one for tramps.” “Tramps is his meat, mum,” was the art. ful reply, and there was a deep after Aix. THE RIVER FALLS JOURNAL, RIVER FALLS, WIS. In Woman's Realm Extremely Pretty Dress for Summer May Be Made of Plain and Dotted Organdie, Though Other Materials May Be Chosen- Selection of the Veil Is Most Important—Innumerable Patterns From Which to Choose. A very pretty and summery dress of plain and dotted organdie achieves fine style by combining these familiar materials. Organdie in cottons, as taffeta in silks, has proved peculiarly well adapted to the styles of today. The originality of the model lies in combining the plain and dotted surfaces so that they play parts of equal importance, and it suggests the use of other goods in the same way. In the model shown, the body and skirt are of the plain organdie. Five rows of ribbon graduated ruffles of the dotted organdie encircle it, the first and widest about the hem and the narrow fifth ruffle at the waist line. The under skirt is gored and gathered to flare. Its crispness and that of the ruffles is almost equivalent to the effect of crinoline. The three-quarter length sleeves and square cape of the dotted organdie are edged with narrow ruffles made of it. The throat opens with a shallow V. A belt of ribbon in any color desired may be worn with this dress. White moire, corded near the edges, makes that shown in the picture. Silk stockings and white buckskin or canvas slippers will finish the pretty toilette suitably. Among the new summer goods there are plain voiles and lawns in beautiful designs. Most popular veils. colors with which dainty interpreta tions of Scotch plaids may be found in light tints and varied colors. Some thing very distinctive and original might be made by combining these in the manner shown in this organdie dress. Then there are the crossbar and striped organdies, which might be used instead of the more familiar dot ted varieties. They are sheerer than chiffon, the daintiest of all cotton, weaves, and retain the crispness which distinguishes the plain material. Noth ing could be better for a graduating gown. A circular veil with hexagonal mesh and border of small chenille balls is one of many that have aided designers in the conception of new effects in millinery. Those to be worn over the face are of unbroken mesh with all sorts of fancy borders, and are w’oven of fine hairlike threads, so that they will not interfere with the vision. Oth ers, to be thrown back, are purely an adjunct of the hat and show sur faces broken by big polka dots of flat sequins, or lace patterns in conven tional and floral designs. These small veil-trimmed hats are very chic, but this management of the veil is quite outside the real realm ofi its usefulness. Veils are worn sot two reasons, to keep the hair neatly in place and because they are becom-t ing. There are so many patterns to choose from that a selection is a mat ter of trying them on as in choosing a hat or a color for a gown. One may buy a mesh in almost any shape, as square, round, diamond shape or hex agonal. Borders vary also and there are several colors to choose from. Taupe, brown, gray, and purple tones, with several shades of dark blue, make it worth while to experiment, as they are adapted to varied complexions. Black remains most popular, but is not always the happiest choice. The threads of which veils, and especially black veils, of today are woven are incredibly fine, and the heavy veil has no following. Veilings and separate veils are made in narrow widths with narrow borders. The border reaches to the chin so that the veil covers just the face. No eccentric methods of draping have appeared so far in the season’s history, unless we class the harem veil, which has been introduced for the motorist, under that head. Many of the new motor veils are of very thin chiffon and some of them are circular, suspended from an elastic cord that holds them in place about the hat in the manner shown for the face veil pictured here. CARRIED THE HONEY BACK Bees Proved They Had Something to Say About the Disposition of Their Product. A farmer possessed a few swarm of bees which he kept in what are called box hives. Inside there were small boxes, which would hold about two or three pounds of honey each, an exchange says. About eight of these were placed on the top of the hive, and as at least one side of each box was of glass, the keeper could easily look into the hive and see when the boxes were filled with honey. The farmer usually chose to do this early in the morning, before the bees came out to begin the labors of the day, or at night when they had finished them. Bees do not like to have their dwelling places molested, and usually try to sting the intruder. One day some friends were at the farmer’s house and as they wanted honey the farmer thought he would venture to take it out in the afternoon. He knew that some of the boxes were quite full. The hives stood a few rods from the house, and on that side of the house were large doors leading into the cellar. While the boxes were partly of glass, the bottom of each was made of little slats, so that the bees could go in and out as they liked. The farmer took out several boxes, carried them into the cellar, shut the cellar doors nearly together, and hurried away. He put the boxes into the cellar in order to allow any bees which might be in them to fly out and return to the hive. But, in his haste to avoid being stung, the farmer left the doors open too much, so that the cellar was quite light, whereas it should have been dark. The bees were so excited, and enraged that they flew in all directions, attacking everyone who came in their way. When supper came there were so many bees flying about the cellar doors that no one cared to go near them. Early the next morning the farmer looked out of the dining room window and observed that the air was still full of bees. At about ten o'clock he looked again and not a bee could be seen. He went down and brought up the boxes. But, instead of being heavy with honey, as they were the day before when taken from the hive, they were almost as light as air, being filled only with empty combs. The bees had worked with a will and had carried all the honey back to the hives. Silk From Sawdust. Making artificial silk from sawdust and other lumber waste is the latest experiment of the United States forest products laboratory at Madison, Wis. The use of artificial silk made directly from wood is increasing by leaps and bounds. Originally its principal use was in the manufacture of braids and trimmings, but recently the manufacture of hose from artificial silk has become an industry of vast importance. Other uses for artificial silk are woven goods of all kinds, linings, tapestries, etc., neckties, ribbons, sweater coats, etc. About 5,000,000 pounds of artificial silk are used annually in the United States. There are several methods of manufacture, but that from wood pulp is usually made by treating the wood pulp with caustic lye to form a viscose, which is allowed to age for some time. It is then forced through dies to form threads, which are hardened by a treatment with sulphuric acid, ammonium sulphate, and sodium borate, or formic acid. After washing and drying, the silk is ready for use. The laboratory is investigating the artificial silk problem as a possibility for utilizing wood waste, and has on hand a variety of articles made from the material. Boston Transcript. Arab Foes. The Arab who is fighting with the Turks in Mesopotamia has some curious ways. He takes off his shoes when he enters a house, but keeps on his hat. He reads and writes from right to left. He eats scarcely anything for breakfast or dinner, but in the evening he sits down to a hot meal swimming in oil. His sons eat with him, but the ladies of the household wait till the males have finished. The Arab rides a donkey when traveling, his wife walking behind, and he laughs at the idea of giving up his seat for a woman. The Arab has one strong virtue, and that is, he is rarely seen drunk. He is not very affectionate, is very ignorant, and has so little initiative that he rarely takes on anything worth doing, or attempts to carry out any enterprise. Water Used to Wreck Bridge. In the wrecking of a Berlin bridge by water pressure, adopted to avoid concussion, a steel cylinder, fitted with cement at the other end, was inserted in holes about 30 inches deep bored into the piers. A one-inch pressure pipe connected the cylinder to a hydraulic pump weighing only about 60 inches. As pressure was raised in the cylinder by the action of the pump, the pistons were gradually forced out and the masonry blocks were split away, one by one. The pressure is described as rapid and almost noiseless, operating without risk to nearby buildings. Not a Garden. “Are you going to make a garden this year?” “No,” replied Mr. Growcher. “I’m going to dig up a place in the backyard and put some seeds into it, and then turn it over to the chickens for a picnic ground.” GIVE BOAR GOOD ATTENTION To He Matures, Litters Will Be Stronger and Larger—Keep Him Separated From the Sows. It is not best to let the boar run with the rest of the herd. It is too common a practice to sell the boar when the season is over. This is largely the cause of so many small litters and weak-boned pigs. It is best to get a good boar, and keep him for a few years, and as he matures his pigs will be stronger and litters larger. Have a small yard of grass if possible, hog-tight and away from the sows, so he will not be worried. A quarter of an acre will afford plenty of exercise in the open air. When grass is not available, give him cut clover or any other good green feed that he will eat. Feed sparingly of fattening feeds, but give him feed that will keep him growing if he is not fully developed. Mill stuff, skim milk, clover, alfalfa or anything that furnishes protein is advisable. At all times keep a supply of ashes, salt and charcoal where he can obtain it at will. It will do much toward keeping him in good health. RAISE RAPE FOR PASTURAGE Splendid Feed for Sheep and Hogs—Good Use Can Be Made of The Temporary Fences. Rape is splendid feed for sheep and hogs as well. It is usually pastured, but when the acreage is small and one wishes to get the most from the crop, it is cut and fed to the stock and then when it grows up again, is pastured. Rape is generally broadcasted in the early spring on well prepared ground at the rate of five pounds of seed per acre. When the plants are about eight inches high, turn the sheep into the field. Most pasturage can be obtained if temporary fences are used to allow only a part of the field to be pastured at a time. BREEDING CRATE FOR SWINE Device Is Easily Transported and Is Splendid Combination for Carrying or Ringing. A splendid crate for handling swine and for use as a breeding crate is made according to the accompanying drawing. Any ordinary light material may be used. It is easily transported and is a combination for carrying or ringing and adjustable to both large and small boar or sow in mating, writes George W. Brown of Hancock County, Ohio. Practical Breeding Crate. County, Ohio, in Farm and Home. It meets these demands with but slight adjustments. The bridge serves as well to close up the rear end in confining an animal and by inserting in varied slots readily admits the use of different sizes of animals in breeding. The false floor which hangs upon hooks over the slats makes a support for small animals in the crate and also is used as a top in shipping. Hook and eye devices hold the top and rear bridges together in transportation. FEEDING THE IDLE HORSES High-Priced Feeds Should be Avoided in Order to Keep Animals in Best Condition. In the feeding of idle horses, the high-priced feeds should be avoided in order to keep them in proper condition at the lowest cost. It has been found that idle horses do very well on a winter feed consisting of all the hay, oat straw, cornstalks or sorghums they will consume, so that little grain is necessary. Idleness also permits of a more thorough mastication of the feed, thus insuring proper digestion. FIRST INDICATION OF SCOURS Feed Should Be Immediately Cut to One-Half the Usual Amount - Give Dose of Formalin. The first sign of indigestion scours is a foul-smelling dung. The feed should be immediately cut to one-half the usual amount. For two or three feeding periods, add a tablespoonful per pint of milk fed of a mixture of one-half ounce formalin in 15.5 ounces water. After two or three feeding periods, the milk may be again increased to the regular amount. Avoid Tainted Food. No animal is thrown off its feed so quickly by unclean or tainted food as a sheep. 