Of General Interest

- There is wheat enough at Portland, Ore., to load flfty-seven ships and to fjive 52,000,000 to the farmers. - There are as manycities with a populationof 1,000,000 and over in thisoountry as there are in Europe, yot we are only a century old. -The "OldWitch House," in Salem, Mass., is still standing, just as in the days of Hawthoroe, and by a sort of grim wooing of ciroumstance, almos? opposite it th'jre is, on a door, a sign which roads like this: "Cla:rvoyant and Business Medium." - In the days of Columbas learnod men bo'dly asserted thatif asbipshouM reach India she would never got back again, beca use the rotimdity of the globe would present a kind of mountain, up which it wou d be impossible to sail even with the most favorable wind. - At Lake Pearl, Mass., recently, A. H. Heilborn and Thomas Richards made an attempt to swim a mile, run a mile, walk a mi)e and ride a bieyele a mile inside of one hour. Heilborn accomplished the feat in 54 minutes 9 3-5 seconds and Richards in 54 minutes 15 seconds. - R. Lyman, of St Johns, N. B., is the possessor of a dog that he claims has quite a keen instinct for business. A few days ago, when the dog's license needed renewing, he turned up with a ?1 bilí and placed it at the feet of the owner. Mr. L. immediately went and took out the license. - It is not often that grain is found to grow in a man's boots, but such a case is reported. A farmer brought a pair of boots to a Guelph, Ont, cobbler to be repalred. When the shoeraaker eommenced operations on them he found grain growlng to the length of several inehes. Kuch is certainly a curiosity. - People have no idea of the fatal speed of exprosa trains. Itisa common thing to see their buffers bespattered with b'.ood after a long and quick run. The noise of their approach disturba the smal] birds from the hedge-rows. and as they fïy across the line along comes the thunderir &t a spoed of which tbpy have no conooption and dashes them to pieces. - Thero is an entfrprising photographer in the Islo of Wight He posts himself at tho stoppin? place of a coach and photogrnphs the vehicle and passengers at about eleven o'clock in the morning. By ñ-a in the afternoon, on the return journey. th passongers are met, it is Raid, with a supply of mounted prints made from the negatives taken only a few hours earlipr. - The average life of arabbitisp"t at about nine years. The doe may have young eight times a vpnr. avera?ins eighteaeh time. The first ütteris produced when but four months old. The progreasions based on these figures lead to astound ng resulta. For three years tbe poss blo progeny of two rabbitshas been enlculated at over ÏS.ODO.OUO and for seven years at 1,500,000.000. - Kvery travoler has notii'pd that the railroads gr-t rid of ther old disoarded ties by burnintr thcim up. The ordiiiary practico is to p'ace them in piles as near the rails as possible and then set fire to them, to tho great annoyance and discomfort of passengers. At the same time there are thousands of families on the line of tho road who would be glad to take theso tica away and use them for fuel. - The othcr day A. Strachan, music seller of Galashiels, X. I!., rocoived an unsigned letter written in red ink, containing the following: "Sir - Seven years ago I stole a concertina from your workshop, which was getting repaired. Some time ago I joined the Salvation Army, and Cbrist has pardoned all my sins. I think it riffht that I should let you knovv. May God blegs you and moot me in Iloaven." - Ccrtificates of character given to servants are sometimos misused. Not long since a lady was speaking of having teken a grl who was highly recommonded by a wnll-known lady. To her Surprise her friend informed her that a girl with the samo name ecommended by the same lady was living with hor. Upon Uves ti gation it was found that the written charaotor had been used by both parties. - Tho Dominion oxporimontal farms are said not to bo very helpful to agriculturists. On tho contrary, thoy havo a discouraging eífect. Wbon a farmer of moderate means visita one of these farms he soes a large number of dwelling houses, barns, stables, etc, oroctod at onormous cost. He soes valuable horses, a large staff of men and "fancy farming" on a largo scale. He eludes tuat if suoh costly luxuries are nocessar7 in ordtr t,o ma):o farming' pay he can not afford tbem and he gives up agricultura (o try soruetbinpr else. ■ - "I haví made a discovery," said Colonol Crlnnn thi morninof. "What's that?" "VVhy th;it tlie most terrible habita man can havo is the habit of havin? rotular habits. I moan, to get into the hab t oí doing certain things at cortain tiraos without variation, day in and day out My idea is that the best way for a man to do is to eat when ho's hunffry, go to bed when ho's sleepy, drink whon he's thirsty, no matter when, and so on. I havo also found out that the habit most easily rotten out of Is that of going to church. "-