GENERAL NEWS.

Matamata Record, Volume III, Issue 122, 6 March 1919, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

The yiold of the average cow in the Otorolianga Cow-testing association for the period ending January 30th was as follows: Pounds of milk, 709 ; test, 4.03 pounds of fat 28.63.

As an example of the productiveness of the New Zealand soil, Mr E. J. Fatcliffe, of Te Ore Ore, near Masterton, displayed at the Masterton show a sample of oats which formed portion of a crop from 25 acreß. The area sown produced 89$ bushels to the acre and returned approximately £29 per acre.

A rather interesting steer was yarded at the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company’s yards at Kohufatahi recently, says the Stratford Post. This animal as a

young steer was evidently belled by a wire round its neck—-a usual practice by farmers in the bush districts- i -but as the steer grew the wire worked iuto its neck, and eventually cut through the windpipo. When mustered the wire and bell were removed, and the animal appeared to thrive all right, although it makes a noise if moved about at a fast pace.

A farmer in the King Country, who was visited by a water diviner, discovered that right underneath the inglenook, where the big armchair stands, a big stream of water flows. Whenever the farmer sat down after his day’s work his rheumatics used to give an extra twingle or two, but this he put down to the exertions of the day. Now he says he feels sure it is caused by the stream of water running under where he sits. He eays that as soon as the war is over and the labor market adjusts itself he will shift his house to another site, where the water diviner says there are no underground streams, and where he expects freedom from the pains and aches of rheumatism.

A strange incident occurred the other day at the railway station of Kremsier, Austria, states a Vienna paper. A young woman, with an infant in her arms, asked a soldier on furlough to hold her child for a few minutes, as 6he wantsd to buy a ticket. Before the soldier was aware of it he held already the little load in his arms. He waited patiently for mother's return, but when the train and all the persons had left the station he realised that the vanished mother wanted to rid herself of her child. When the child started to cry the soldier found a slip of paper that read: “A soldier has given it; a soldier has taken it.” The soldier took the foundling to his home and intends to bring it up.

A soldier of the Middlesex Regiment, one of 400 prisoners returned from Germany, who arrived at Cannon Street station recently (says an English paper) bad a unique experience. He was taken prisoner in 1916, but made his escape. After wandering about for six days lie asked for food at a small farmhouse. He entered, half expecting to find soldiers billeted in the house. The only occupant was an old woman, wh<» was wailing over the body of her daughter, who had died that morning Being able to speak a little French, ho suggested to the old women to let him impersonate the daughter. At first she objected on religious grounds to his burying the body, hut he overcame er scruples. He buvied the girl that night in the garden, and for six months wore her 010 lies and worked in the fields. A few of the neighbors were told, but they kept the se;ret.

The strange bohaviour of a .-man swimming in the harbour, almost fully dressed, even to wearing boots, attracted the attention of a number of passers-by on the Kniti bridge about 7.30 last evening (says the Gisborne ‘Herald’). He jumped into the water from in front of the watereiders’ shed and swam to the groyne on the opposite side of the river. He then returned to midstream and swam down towards the entrance. Ho was evidently a powerful swimmer and returned a little later, when some men endeavored to persuade him to get out of the water. He climbed on to the trawler alongside the wharf and suddenly dived in again and swam about making peculiar antics in the water. A policeman soon arrived on the scene and the man was persuaded to come out of the water. It appears that he was a watersider, and his action was merely the result of a wager.

A remarkable popularity of “ twoup ” among the soldiers was demonstrated by the evidence given before the Sardinia inquiry at Sydney. One officer stated : “ I have seen * twoup ’ played in France. As soon as a battery got out of the lino and got a few minutes off the game would commence. It was played everywhere. In Egypt I have seen acres covered with ‘ two-up ’ schools, and the samo in France. I have seen officers playing with the men. I remember General Birdwood motoring through our fellows’ lines at Badencourt when * two-up ’ was in full swing on both sides of the road. The general just smiled and waved his haud in salute.” Another officer said: “ Wherever there are Australian troops there will be gambling. It can’t be denied. Why, I have seen the ‘ diggers ’ at it five minutes before they wore due to go over the top, when other men would have been praying.”