"A FORKFUL OF HAY."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 660, 10 November 1909, Page 10

"A FORKFUL OF HAY."

EPISODE IN COURT. "How niuth?" "How big?" "When many minutes elapsed, etc.?" All this sort of inttarogatory is the stock-in'trado of the law- . yrts, and it is curious how unconvincing many a poor hilmaa becomes when soino quite ordinary species of solicitor, or evon when he is gently qneslionod by a magistrate, begins i to bombard ,him m the box. Jfiren in things pertaining to a man's vocation—things that one who supposes that ho would know everything about—the. ansiveis are often vague, and qualified, and abound with modifications, and , explanations, and everythihg except the- thing that is wanted. Ts it discreditable to the vfif. - ness? Jiot at all. It is merely human nature S'till it is amusing. 'Last week a mighty endeavour was made at • thn New Plymouth Magistrate's Court to detoimmo "how much hay a cow eats." Tho plamtiif was claiming tor hay supplied to U cows daily foy 21 days, and the Magistrate, 'Mr. H. o. I'itzheibprt, wns endeavouring to ascertain whether the prico charged was reasonable. "How much'hay docs a cow eat in a day?" he asked of Mr. George Stokes, manager of a farm at I'uketotarnv The roply was that the average cow got a forkful of hay. The Magistrate was not satisfied with -that, remarking that in such case the meal would depend upon the size of the fork, the strength of the man lifting it, and his idea of a full fork. Mr. William Linn, the defendant, a fanner, was also unable to state about what quantity a row could eat, which drew from ,the Bench the remark: "You, a farmer, tell me seriously that you don't know how much, 1 or approximately now much hay a horso or j a cow oats? No wonder, then, that so many farmers fail." Mr. LiDn replied that the custom hero was just to cart out the hay by -the dartlond and throw it down to the cows. Mr. Joe Crockett, another farmer, 'stated that the averago meal of hay for a dairy cow would be anything from 201b. to 351b. - ~ • Mr. Lenz) the well-known honey', farmer ot , Masterton, proposes to 'increase his. establishment by tho addition,'?/ several hnndTcd hives. New (ipiarics nill be established at Kahautain. Make poor land gocld, and good land better. FISON'S SPECIAL I'ERTILISEItS for Tnrnips and Bupo.— * , , >'