GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 96, 29 March 1916, Page 7

GENERAL.

Some strange finds are sometimes made by the amateur beachcomber, who keeps his eyes open. Whilst walking along the Kaiwarra foreshoio on Sunday (states the Wellington Post), a man came upon a large wooden case, which from its appearance had been in the sea- for some time. Further examination show-ed that the case was packed full of chocolate, which, of course, was not improved by immersion. The matter was reported to the authorities.

A resident of the district who travels over most parts of South Taranaki, informed a Hawera Star representative that while out in a countij district he saw ragwort sand burdock plants, covered with small caterpillars similar to those which had been reported from other parts of the district where ragwort was, growing. Where the caterpillars had been on the plant they had eaten the bud right away, 'and had left the leaves stripped. It appears, however, that they do not start operations early enough, and consequently most of the damage from seeding is done previous to their appearance.

The Stratford correspondent of the Taranaki Herald has the follow ing remarks with regard to the recent cyclone experienced in the town: The course of last Tuesday morning’s whirlwind was not confined to the town. After crossing the Warwick road its wild career was continued for a mile or more to the Bird road, where it lifted one farmer’s haystack and bestowed it upon his neighbor. There was great sport among the factory milkcans at another farm. The enormous force the wind exerted is to be realised by a look at the stumps of the panes at the spot where it made its exit from Victoria Park. The trees were not twisted off or split, but just snapped like dry sticks under a smart blow from an axe. They are eighteen to twenty inches through.”

A copy of “The Wammoo Memoirs of the Naughty Ninth,” a chronicle l of events on board a New Zealand troopship in connection with the transport of the Ninth reinforcements to Egypt, records that Sergeant W. E. ■Sinnott shaped well us reporter. The printed publication contains several humorous sketches and incidents of the voyage, and poetry. The wireless inquiry of Germany as to how things were internally is faithfully recorded as eliciting the reply: “Gott strafe England! Fields Empty; mills empty; tummies empty; no sausage, and Kaiser Wilhelm’s on the roof looking for cats!”