NEWS IN BRIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2077, 13 January 1920, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Audiences in Chinese “movie” Iheatrcs do not pay for admission until They have seen the start of a film.. Hairless dogs exist in China and Japan. They have webbed feet, and are amongst the smallest variety of dogs known. Three'tons of cake were eaten at a recent children’s fete at Swindon, England, which was attended by about 20,000 persons. If the appetite of a man wex*e as great as that of a sparrow in proportion to hi*-size, he would eat a whole sheep'-at one sitting. Sunflowers are a favourite- meal in certain parts of' Russia. Large profits are made by the farmers who grow these crops, for they require little or no-attention. , ' The cane, beet, and maple are the principal sugar-producers, but there are nearly 200 other plants and trees which contain sugar in their sap. Beards were unpopular in the fourteenth century, when close shaving became fashionable with young men. Old men wore forked beards. A rabbit drowns as soon as its fur is soaked through, yet curiously enough its near x’elative, the hare, swims quite well, and wall often cross a river when hunted. A Swiss milkmaid with a musical •singing voice obtains better wages than one who cannot sing, as a cow that is soothed with a pleasing melody during milking will, it is said, yield one-fifth more milk.