Cleanings.

Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 763, 10 August 1894, Page 7

Cleanings.

What Hit Him.

Many queer things happen in war time. Sergeant Forbes-Mitchell, of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, relates what he calls ‘a rather laughable incident ’ which befell a man of his company named Johnny Ross. It was in India, at Lucknow, during the great mutiny. Before falling in for the assault on the Begum’s palace, Johnny Ross and George Puller, with some others, had been playing cards in a sheltered corner, and in some way quarrelled over the game. They were still arguing the point, when the signal was given to fall in, and Puller told Ross to * shut up.’ At that moment a spent ball struck Ross in the mouth, and knocked out four of his teeth. Johnny thought it was Puller who had struck him, and at once returned the blow. * You fool !’ said Puller, ‘lt wasn’t I that struck you. You’ve got a bullet in your mouth.’ And so it was. Ross put his hand to his lips and spat into it his four front teeth and a bullet. He at once apologised to Puller for having struck him, and added, ‘ How shall I manage to bite my cartridges the noo ?’ Those were the days of muzzleloading cartridges, which had to be torn opeu with the teeth when loading.

New Words.

Ten years ago scarcely one of the following words were common. .Now they have forced their way into dictionaries, even those published in Great Britain :

Antipyrine, aquarelle, bacteriology, blizzard, to boom, to cable, centerboard, cocaine, cowboy, to cycle, dude, dynamo, faddist, flabbergast, glissade, hypnotist, impressionist, lanolin, logrolling, machine gun, magazine rifle, mabatma, massage, melinite, menthol, mugwump, neoplatonism, occultism, philatelist, photogravure, platinotype, polypody, prognosis, quadriform, rangefinder, referendum, religiosity, saccharin, ship railway, sloyd, telepathy, tuberculosis, vaseline and xylophone.

Men were Deceivers Ever.

‘John,’ said Maud, ‘didn’t you promise me that on the day I became your wife you’d give up smoking ?’ ‘ Yes, dear.’ ' Why now I find you puffing on a

cigar.’ ‘ Why not, dear ? I kept my promise. I didn’t smoke a bit the day you became my wife.’

Speying for Milk.

Mr E. W Stevens, M. E. C. V. 8., writes :— ‘ As most people seem to be unaware of the advantages to be derived by speying cows for milk, these few remarks may not be considered superfluous: —1. The cow is not exposed to the accidents incidental to parturition. She is in full milk at all times. 2. There is a considarable increase in the quantity of milk. 3. The butter is always of a yellow colour, and has a special taste and flavour superior to that of unspeyed cows. There are other advantages. In speying for inilk, the operation should not be performed until the cow’s lactative powers are fully developed, at the age of six years, and about forty days after calving, when she will continue the same flow of milk as long as the owner wishes to keep her, food and other things being equal. Care must be taken that the cow is cleanly milked twice a day.