ABOUT THE WORLD

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 148, 18 March 1939, Page 4 (Supplement)

ABOUT THE WORLD

Curious Superstition “I have come across a curious superstition in tlie fishing villages of the northcast of Scotland coast," says a writer in the "British Farmers’ Weekly.” "It is the banning of any mention of the word "pig.' 1 am told that children in school, though they may attempt to hide it from their teachers. Will cross their fingers if I lie dreaded name is used. On one occasion when a pig broke loose and careered along the village street, not a single boat put out to sea from the village on that day. "I have been unable to find out the origin of the superstition, but it is no doubt associated with the worst kind of ill-luck, and judged by the events of the last year or two, those connected with the Pigs Marketing and Bacon Development Boards would appear to have some cause to regard it with concern.”

Bred Tailless Sheep. Cutting off lambs’ tails, no job for the soft-hearted, is not necessary since Dr. Janies W. Wilson, of South Dakota (U.S.A.), perfected his breed of tailless sheep, states an exchange. Starting a quarter of a century ago with rugged imported tailless Siberians, he was faced with the difficult task of breeding off their huge lumps of rump fat without breeding on tails. His first crosses with refined native Southdowns gave him a discouraging variety of types. But 10 years of perseverance finally brought a fine tailless ram that met his standards. Now his lambs are coming half with no tails and half with tails which average only 14 inches in length. The longest tails are only 4} inches.—To H.A.S. the quality of the resultant Southdown-Siberian sheep is a matter of doubt. Polish Farm Incomes.

Peasants and farm bands, forming 70 per cent, of Poland’s population, have the nation’s lowest average income, a recent survey showed, listing annual averages thus: Peasants, 100 dollars; farm labourers'. 80 dollars; city workmen, 170 dollars; landowners, £l5OO dollars. The amounts represent in New Zealand currency £25 annually for peasants (farmers), £2O for farm labourers, £42/10/- for city workers, and £375 for landowners. The city labourer here earns 70 per cent, more than the peasant farmer.

Milk and Beauty... A new use for milk is developing from an unexpected quarter. A large cosmetic manufacturing company iu the United States recently placed on the market a powdered milk preparation made principally of cow’s milk, for milady’s beauty bath. A handful of the powder, it is eaid, will convert a tubful of water into a white foaming mixture resembling the product of the cow —and most refreshing aud beneficial to the skin.

Cheap Grazing. Eighteen thousand stockmen with 10,000,000 head of cattle, sheep, horses and goats take advantage of their opportunity to turn their stock on to the public lands in the 10 Western States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon. Utah and Wyoming. About 120,000,000 (about twice the area of New Zealand) acres of publie domain are open to them, at a published schedule of rates. The fee a head each month is, for cattle and horses, five cents (1 cent equals about Jd.) ; for sheep and goats, one cent. This doesn’t sound much, but it yields approximately 1,600.000 dollars (£250,000) annually to the United States Treasury aud the grazing districts concerned.

The so-called “Leader of all Tsarist Cossacks,” Hetman Popoff, has arrived in Rutbenia from Berlin to seek permission to organise a “Cossack White Guard,” to consist chiefly of emigres from Poland and Soviet Russia to be officered by “Tsarist” Russians.