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Shannon News, 7 October 1921, Page 3

The Otago Daily Times draws attention to the highly meritorious and indefatigable labours of Mr H. Hart and Mr H. L. Darton, of Lawrence, in their endeavours to procure' and propagate the indigenous varieties of the veronica. The spirit that-actuated these gentlemen t in starting the collecting of New Zealand veronicas was the fear that in a few years many of the varieties would be extinct owing to the ravages of rabbits, fire and other causes. In dealing with, this interesting feature of our native flora, Mr Cheeseman describes no fewer than eightyfour species. Since the publication of his manual many new varieties have been discovered, and so widespread and exhaustive have been the re- 1 searches, of Messrs. Hart and Darton that they now ( have growing at, Wetherstones no fewer, than 250 varieties, and they will eventually have them all growing in the Dunedin Botanical| Gardens. /

There is evidently an improvement in the inquiry for fat sheep. There were better values ruling for this class at yesterday’s sale, and an Ohau farmer informed a Chronicle representative yesterday that during the past week he had had three telephonic inquiries for fats and was able to dispose of a fairly big line of wethers at a satisfactory price.

A solemn court ruling at Sacramento. California, has decided that there is a common language between chickens which enables a hen to determine beyond doubt whether certain chickens belong to her or are the offspring of an incubator. Judge Shelley so decided in hearing a suit brought by Mrs P. C. Newman against Cecil Fernandez. Mrs Newman asserted that a dozen chicks found in Fernandez's yard belonged to her, . stating that when the mother hen was placed in Fernandez’s yard the chicks ran to the maternal bird calling “cheep, cheep,” which Mrs Newman declared was “chickenese” for “Hello-, mamma!” Fernandez contended that his chicks were hatched in an incubator, and as they had no mother he ridiculed the poultry authorities’ statement that chickens have intelligence. The judge, passing judgment, said:— “I have come to the conclusion that the chicks acted with intelligence when they went to their mother, and that the mother hen acted in like manner when she took them into her care. I find Fernandez guilty.” Sentence was suspended.