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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 117, 31 December 1873, Page 1 (Supplement)

The objection is sometimes raised that it will not pay colonial farmers to keep large framed sheep, because such animals to do well require artificial food at times, and the mere labor attending a supply of such food would be too costly. But this need not be the case where turnips and other roots are fed on the land, and thus the entire or almost the entire cost of labor saved, the manure being efficiently distributed without labor. When the crop is grown, a small part of the field is fenced off with hurdles. The area to be fed off is thus enclosed, and a certain number of sheep are confined within the hurdles. They get their cheap living from the turnips, and are kept on that piece until they have eaten the whole of the crop. In addition to the turnips, they sometimes have a little Indian meal, oatmeal, or some other grain, and thev occasionally receive a little hay. When the piece occupied has been eaten over, three sides of the enclosure are removed so as to take in the next section, and that is treated in the same way. A greater or less proportion of the food consists of grain, according to the degree to which it is desired to manure the land. Mangel-wurtzel is frequently fed in the same manner, though only during the early part of the season, before there is danger of frost. Mangel-wurtzel itself is often used in the place of grain for feeding sheep in hurdles, to manure the land, and even land on which these roots themselves have been grown is hurdled with sheep, the roots being taken out of the banks where they are stored and fed in the enclosure. When the piece occupied has been sufficiently manured, the sheep are moved as though they were turnips to feed, and the land is thus manured section hy section. There is no reason why colonial farmers mny not make a very important use of the servi. of sheep in the distribution of manure in • this wav. A Miss Buchanan. once rallying her cousin, an officer, on his courage, said. “ Now, Mr. Harry, do you really mean to tell me you can walk 4o a cannon’s mouth, without fear ?” “ Yes.” was the prompt reply, “or a Buchanan’s either.” And he did it. Thebe are in Chicago’s new hotel, the Grand Pacific, fifty nine flights of stairs, thirty-eight miles of wire, 999 windows, •nd 1070 doers. A.

The Jewish Messenger (American) is determined to put a stop to some of the old-fashioned and uncomplimentary references to the Jews. It observes that whenever a Jew is convicted of any crime the nature of his faith is prominently 1 stated. “If,” continues the Messenger, “ the custom were adopted of giving the religious faith of every criminal, Jew or Christian, our police reports would be strikingly varied, and would furnish food for the diligent historian. They would naturally assumes a form like Albert James, a member of the Episcopalian Church, was arrested yesterday for arson.’ ‘ Mary Donohoe, who attends St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and is a devout Roman Catholic, was convicted of stealing a pocket-book.’ ‘ Arthur Manning, who sits in a front pew in Dr. Tyng’s Church, and is a prominent member of the Young Men’s Christian Association, has been detected in an attempt to defraud the Custom House.’ ‘ A serious looking Methodist was brought before Judge Lynch this morning on the charge of being intoxicated. He was discharged.’ ‘ Three men were arrested for committing a burglary. They were known to be prowling Presbyterians, and members of the Tract Society.’ ‘ A young chap was caught in the act of stealing a bath-tub. His name is Dooley, and he is a hard-shell Baptist.’ ”

The Sydney Morning Herald says : — “ New Zealand has a fine resource in its pastures. Considering the area of land available, it probably produces as much wool per acre as any of the other colonies. Its exports for 1871 were. 35,000,0001bs of an estimated value of £1,000,000. The New Zealand export of wool is nearly the same as the seaward export from New South Wales ; but then we have, in addition, to take in account the overland export via Victoria and South Australia. According to our own statistics, while our seaward export was 31,000,0001b5, our overland export was 27,000,0001b5. We produce altogether, therefore, about 65,000,0001b5, from about 10,000,000 sheep, or an average, roughly, of about 41bs from every sheep. The New Zealanders get their wool off 9,000,700 sheep, which gives much about the same average weight of fleece. Erom what is generally known about the runs in the two colonies, it is quite safe to say, that on the average, it takes more land to produce a pound of wool in New South Wales than it does in New Zealand.”

The Good Templars of Maldon have a debt upon their hall, and they have adopted one of the most original means on record of liquidating it. They have dramatised the history of Joseph and his brethren, and had it performed by the members of the lodge. Religion may be a little shocked at the subject they have chosen, but morality has nothing to fear, for the local account says:—“ The scene in Potiphar’s house is conveyed only by inference, and this may be considered sufficient.” I should certainly think so, but the draw would have been greater if Mrs. Potiphar had been included among the dramatis personce. If the management of the Royal take the hint from the Good Templars of Maldon, and “ search the scriptures ” for dramatic purposes, they will hardly throw away such an excellent sensation scene as that which the temperance men conveyed only “by inference.” I would pay to see Coppin doing Potiphar.—Atticus.

Reading in disregard of the punctuation, or with false pauses, or inflections, produces effects similar to the misplacing of points in printing. For instance, a precentor, getting the intimation—“ A sailor going to sea, bis wife desires the prayers of the congregation,” gave it forth as if it were “ A sailor going to see his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation/’ Another man, reading the verse beginning, “ The wicked flee when no man pursueth,” <fcc., paused after “ flee,” making it read as if it were “ The wicked flea, when no man pursueth but the righteous, is bold as a lion.” At a Delmonico dinner the toast—“ Woman —without her, t man is a brute,” was given : —“ Woman, without her man, is a brute.” Why is thefdetter E a glutton ?—Because it is always the first in eating and the last to leave. At Chicago recently, a lady at church was seeri to bow her head as if in pious thought. She suddenly raised it and leaned back against the seat, when an explosion occurred that shook the building. She had pressed too heavily on an -ushion bustle. v New Yqbk politician, in writing a inter of condolence to the widow of a “country member” who had been his friend, says, “ I am grieved to hear that James has gone to heaven. We were bosom friends, but now we shall never meet again.” A stone-cutter was instructed to cut upon a tombstone, “ Let her soul rest in peace,” but being cramped for space he abbreviated the sentence thus:—“Let her soul r. i. p.” -

The Ray of Plenty Times saye:—An accommodation bouse is now in course of erection on this side of the Oropi bush, about 13 miles from Tauranga. The house is being built to the order of our townsman, Mr. John Marshall, who is also well known in Napier, Auckland, and the Thames. The hotel will supply a want long felt, and be a great boon to travellers.