NEWS AND NOTES

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4416, 18 February 1930, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES

A Gazette Exlra ordinary issued last. week fur! her prorogues (he General Assembly pi! New Zealand (ill June Dili next.

The sum of .1.02 A guineas paid lor a Romney ram at. the, he idling ram lair is stated to he a world’s record price for a (lock ram. Ihe .animal was bred by Mr T. E. Crane, Of Kiwi tea, and was sold to Messrs Henson Bros., of Foil ding. | The finding of a shilling at the New Plymouth racecourse was the 'direct cause of two men becoming .over £2O richer, says the “Taranaki News.” They were approaching the totalisator to place a mossiest 10/- on a horse in the Mini! vHig'hweight Handicap when one of them picked up a shilling. Regarding this as a good omen they a t once decided to invest their halfsovereign on the horse carrying the last number of the date on the shilling. This proved to lie No. (>, Red Fuchsia, which paid a sensational dividend.

A party of New Zealand dairy 'farmers will leave early in May to undertake and instructional and pleasure tour of the agricultural areas in Great Britain and on the Continent. The party will comprise approximately 50 farmers arid their wives, representative of .every province in the Dominion. Ten weeks will 'he spent’in Europe.

It- was recently reported that Auckland might he included in the itinerary of the ,20,000-ton liner Duchess of Atlioll during- the course of a tourist cruise in the Pacific next year. Later advice, ’however, is to the -effect that the cruise (has been abandoned, at least as far as 1931 is concerned. The proposed voyage embraced South American ports, New Zealand, Australia, Java, Singapore, China and Japan. A. sheep special, the largest goods train ever seen in To A roll a, passed through last week (says the News) carrying 5000 sheep in 'tiS trucks from the railhead at Taneatua (Bay of Plenty) to Tirau and Franlkiton Junction. The sheep, which cost from 22/- to 27/- per head at Gisborne, and were in excellent, condition, were twelve days on the road before reaching- the railhead, and the drover in charge of one mob of 2200 head had lost k only live sheep on the overland journey. • The railage charges on A lie train totalled approximately '.£292.

A Wanganui resident recently noticed a cabbage patch in a neglected state at Upper Aramoho which had been plauUgl by Chinese 'market gardeners, .and allowed to rot. On inspecting the area he found that there were 50 rows, and walked down a. row, stopping when liehad counted 100 cabbages. He calculated that he had traversed Jess than a quarter of the length of .the rows, and estimated that not less than from 15,000 to 20,000 cabbage plants had been grown and but a .dozen or two cabbages bad ,boon cut. Tiie neglect of the cabbage patch is no doubt duo to the .fact that local requirements were more than met by prolific growth in private gardens, ,promoted by favourable weather.

Weasels arc apparently becoming very plentiful iu and around Opunnke ami hit Inking heavy 101 l of lhe poultry yards.

Il is ipiile likely that Steele Rudd, the Australian writer of “On Onr Selection’.’ and other favourites of one’s youth, will visit New Zealand in the course of his forthcoming lecturing tour.

The season in Taranaki this year seems very similar to that experienced in 1880, when it was cold and we I until towards the end of January. Then it became intensely hot and bush was being burned in alt directions early in February, while harvesting on the Waimate Plains was carried on under excellent conditions. —Taranaki Herald.

The English Channel at its narrowest point is 21 miles across; Cook Strait, from Wellington Head —near the mouth of Tory Channel —to Cape Terawhiti is 12 miles only, hut owing to the temperature of the water and the treacherous nature and power of the tides and currents, to swim Cook Strait is a much more formidable undertaking I ban to swim the English (Channel, Among other objects of interest on .Norfolk Island are what- are known locally as “community spiders.” This is a. rich, frog-green coloured spider, about the size of a shilling. Quite a number of them live together, and they spin a home which is a beautiful work of art. It is practically aybox, 7ft to Bft. long, and about 2ft. square. Through its wall Ihe busy life of the community can be clearly seen, and il is always a source of much interest. Such a large web offers a ■otisidci-nble resistance to the wind, '.ml the guys and stays that fasten

so beautifully and securely to the bushes are exceptionally strong, iwn or three of them rolled together have the tensile strength oL quiii' a fairly Click string. A small bird accidentally Hying against the side of (his great, web is completely baffled, and even the swift and heavy crimson parrot has been seen to .accidentally dash into the web and been compelled to back off and (ly around it. The spiders are quite harmless and most settlers are pleased to have such an iuieresling “exhibit” to show their visitors.