MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Southland Times, Issue 1127, 10 September 1869, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Timothy says the first time he went a courting, he felt as if a pink angel had hauled him down a rainbow with a piece of chain lighteniug smack into a pile of down, The Effects op Guano. — " I took a handful of guano, that ere elixir ot vegetation, and sowed a few cucumber seeds in it. "Well, sir, I was considerable tired when I had done it, and so I just took a stretch for it under a great pine-tree, and took a nap. Stranger, as true as I am talking to you this here blessed minute, when I woke up I was bound as tight as a sheep goin to market on a butcher's cart, and tied fast to a tree. I thout I should never get out of that scrape, the cucumber vines had so grown and twisted round and round me and my legs while I was asleep ! Fortunately one arm was free ; so I got out my jack-knife, opened it with my teeth, and cut myself out, and off for Victoria again hot-foot. When I came into town, says our captain to me, " Peabody, what in natur' is that 'ere great yaller thing that's stickin' out of your pocket ?" ■N'ofchin' says I, lookin' as mazed as a puppy nine days old, when he first opens his eyes, and takes his first stare. Well, I put in ray hand to feel ; and I pulled out a great big ripe cucumber, a foot long, that had ripened and gone to seed there." Mixing Straw axd Hat — E. H. Guiwifcs Clinton, Mich., informed that in his vicinity some farmers are in the habit of mixing straw with hay when the latter is put in the barn from the meadow. The hay may thus be put in greener — with less drying or curing. Layers of hay and straw are placed alternately, the amount of the latter usually being from one-half to one-fourth of the whole. It is claimed that the straw when taken out in the winter is nearly or quite as good as hay Mr G. promises to report to us how sue mows turn out this winter. The information would be valuable. In this connexion we would quote what Mr. Klippart says of the method of making brown hay, as it is called, in Germany. Clover is cut in fair weather and brought into the barn when the leaves and Btalks are withered, but in their toughest state. " It is unloaded in layers of six to ten feet deep, and in every area of. ten feet square a man is placed to tramp it down, and it is especia^.y well tramped next to the walls. When well compacted, a layer of bright new straw, one or two feet thick is spread on, and then another layer of clover, and so on. It is claimed that by this process the straw assumes the taste and colour of hay, and is greatly liked by cattle. It requires from six to eight weeks to complete the 'heating.' It is well authenticated that brown hay produces much more miik per acre than ordinary green hay." — Rural New Yorker. The Pilloky en* Delawabe. — A new pillory with whipping post was inaugurated at Newcastle, Deleware, on the 15th of May, when three men stood their hour in the pillory, and they and seven others

were flogged. The old instrument was worn out. The new one is described as having all the "modern impaovements." It is a post about 18ft high, piercing a square platform, 10ft from ground, while sft above the platform are the arms of the pillory, the whole forming a gigantic cross. Each arm of the pillory, is pierced with three holes, for the neck and wrists. The upper half of the arm lifts to admit the victim, and then shuts down upon him. If he is thin, he has room to spare. If his neck is thick, he chokes. Below the platform, on each side of the post, an iron manacle is fastened to hold the arms of the person who is to be flogged. On the old post pieces of string were used. The prisoners stand upon an empty soap box while receiving their stripes. The three men sentenced thereto stood their hour in the pillory in the morning, and had afterwards to take their flogging with the other seven ; but the reporter states that the Sherriff postponed this until he had had his dinner, thinking he could better unddrtake the task then. At 1.45 he began and administered in person and in public the 10,20, or 30 lasees ordered. The crowd kept him don't half hit him," " Sherriff, why don't you whack into him?" At the close the sherriff folded the lashes of his cat about the handle, and walked i home. '

Increasing the Field of Potatoes. — It is worth while for all farmers to know that a method haa been discovered by which the produce of an acre of potatoes may be greatly increased. It consists in cutting off the" stalks of the plants a couple of inches below the blossoms when the flowers appear. The difference in the yield is said to be enormous—as Bto 60. If the statement be true, a potato field of three acres would be worth £1,000 in an ordinary year. We can hardly take this down in its entirety, but we certainly think it would be worth while to try the experiment on a moderate scale. — ' Manning River ' News, Ju: c 12. Lies by Gable. — The following is from the ' Pall Mall Gazette :— There seems to be no fabrication concerning European politics too absurd for currency in New York. Some one, being in want of news, I telegeaphed to the papers there an an- < nouncement that a triple alliance had seen j entered into by France, England, and , Spain against America. The message | was at once carried to the President, but, says the reporter who witnessed the thrilling incident, " Grant looked as if he didn't care" — another fine example of his self-possession and fortitude. Eor soino days the tale was fully believed in by the public and seriously discussed in nearly all the papers. Even assuming that it pays to print such silly falsehoods in America, it can hardly be worth while to keep correspondents over here to make them up and go to the expense of telegraphing them. They could be coneococted just as easily in New York, and while the editor was in the mood he might as well tell another lie and say they came by cable.

A Sanguine Envoy. — The London correspondent of the ' Manchester Gruar dian writes : — A curious illustration of the over-sanguine temper of Mr Keverdy Johnston came within my cognizance accidentally since his departure to his own country last week. Though deputed on a difficult mission by an Administration which had but six months to live, Mr Beverdy Johnson, on his arrivsl here in August last, forwith entered into a contract for a residence in Portlane-place, for , a period of five years, at a much higher rent phlegmatic predecessor. The agent of the owner, though little of a politician, had shrewdness enough to introduce a covenant in the lease providing for the payment of a very large sum as compensation in case the Minister Plenipotentiary should find it convenient to leave England before she period had expired ; and under this stipulation Mr Johnston, I undorstand, was obliged to pay before quitting England a forfeit of uwards of £2000. Masonic Magazine. — Some literary members of this craft lesidingin Dunedin, have, it seems, formed the idea of starting a New Zealand Masonic Magazine, devoted to the dissemmination of Masonic information, and reporting the proceedings of the various Masonic bodies in this colony The first number of the Magazine was to bave been published early this month, and copies may therefore be expected by the next mail from the South. A Lizard Story. — At the meeting of the "Wellington Philosophical Society on Saturdry night, during the course of some lemarks on a paper by Dr. Kuox on the power of the tree lizard to reproduce its tail after it became detached, Dr. Hector put a broad grin on the face of the representatives of science present by narrating the following lizard story, which he aaid he had from the lips of a well-known old whaler. It runs thus : — At an early period of the history of the Island of Kapiti, he used to amuse himself occasionally, in the internals of work, by watching the innocent gambols of the lizards on the island where they abounded He would crawl up as noiselessly as possible without dlsurbing them. In a minute or two he would raize a fearful yell, which used to terrify the lizards so much that they shook off their tails in fright and scampered off to their holes minus that necessary appendage. He would lay perfectly still for a short time, when the lizards would shyly peep out of their holes and look carefully round. Seeing no sign of danger, however, they ' mustered up courage enough to venture out and look for their lost stern-piece. Upon finding it, and making certain that it was not a case Of mistaken identity, they used to back up carefully to the detached member, which, after a few wriggling contortions, they invariably succeeded in re-shipping, and travelled off rejoicing. The marrator wound up his tale by naively adding that he would not have believed it if he had not seen it with his own eyes.