GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8065, 22 March 1906, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

The woman who possesses the longest j head of hair in thp world is said to bo llercodes Lopez, a Mexican. Her height is sft., and when she stands elect her hair trails on the ground 4ft. Bin. The hair is so thick that she can completely hide herself in it. She lias it cut very frequently, as it grows so quickly, enabling her to sell large tresses to hair-dealers every mouth. She is the wife of a poor sheep-herdc. Professor Dcherain, an eminent agriculturist, tinds by experiment that large insipid mangold, such us the " Globe," are less profitable to grow than Bmaller seini-sugarod varieties which can be grown closer. He recommends a distance of twenty centimetres between tie plants and fifty centimetres between the rows. Rose " semisugared mangold are, he thinks, best for dry and " white " semi-sugared for moist land. » 4 • * The total gold production of the world from the discovery of America by Columbus to the year 1900 is, according to the report of the United States Mint, in round numbers, £1,962,200,000. Pure gold of this value ! would weigh about 16,272 tons, and occupy a space equal to 27,039 cubic feet. Graphically this amount could be represented by a solid circular tower of gold 20ft. in diameter and 88ft. high. The total yearly world production of gold since 1900 would increase the height of such tower about 3ft. eaoh year. In the cemetery ot St. Domatilla, in the Roman Catacombs, has recently been discovered the tomb of one of tbe earliest Popes—St. Damasus, and of his mother, Laurenzia. This Pope's period goes back to i.D. 315, and all trace of tbe tomb bad been completely lost, though that of the •tame Pope's sister, Irene, is well known. Many searches had been made in vain, and it last it has been discovered near the crypt >f St. Marous, Marcellianus, with an inscription showing that the Pontiff's mother was also buried there. * * * Two well-known French astronomers of '.he Meudon Observatory have seen more ,han one little crater of the moon in ernption, This, at least, is the only reasonable explana,ion of what they observed, namely, little ■,'hitish puffs of cloud suddenly hiding the i raters for a time. The apparently clear , tmospbere of the moon, and the oval shape . f the clouds, tell in favor of it. There eems little or no doubt now that some ictive volcanoes yet exist on the moon together with an atmosphere, and if an atmosphere, perhaps life.

A parcel of the dearest cigars in the world, 1500 in number, has been dispatched from the famous Yuelta-Abajo tobacco fields in Cuba for the consumption of the New York multi-millionaire smftker. The price of one of these cigars is equal to 18s of English money. None but the most fanltless leaves are used in their production ; the making of is restricted to the most experienced woikcrs, who can only make eight cigars in a day. Every cigar is wrapped in line Japanese paper and inclosed in a small ail.tight box of perfumed wood.

The rabbit, which was (and still is in most parts) the pest of the Antipodes, must bo turning out a blessing in disguise. It is said that twenty millions, of Australian rabbit skins were sold in London last year, representing a sum of over £100,000.' Besides this, 600 bales, containing 1,K00,000 skins, were sent to France, while there were 2,('>36,440 frozen rabbits, in their fur, sent to England from the State of Victoria alone. This will give sonic faint idea of the enormous number of rabbits there must bo in Australia.

A cat's funeral seems an imposing " func tion " in Japan, judging from a description in the " Japan Weekly Mail." Tbe favorite puss ot a rich noble lady was borne to its last home in a snow-white cofiin, covered with a gorgeous white silk pall, while its inconsolablo mistress and a large contingent ot. female mourners followed the remains. Priests chanting a solemn litany met the bii-rand escorted it to its grave. Another defunct feline is commemorated by a handsome monument at the gate of the cemetery just outside Tokio, so that the Mikado's Empire must certainly be a cats' paradise. Maize or Indian corn is very nourishing, and excellent dishes are made from it. Quite recently two French chemists have succeeded in extracting the nourishing priuciple from it, and producing a concentrated food likely to be of great service for.military, exploring, and emergency purposes.- " Maizine'" as described to the Academy of Science, Paris, is a dry powder, easily preserved, and five or six tablespoonfuls will support a man for a day. According to another calculation, 220 tons or so will ration an army of 10,000 men lor a year. When taken with milk, iris a better food for invalids and children than milk alone. 0 . » *

According to experiments, a man attains his maximum weight towards his fortieth yfcnr, and begins to lo.?2 it sensibly towards ins sixtieth year. A woman, however, does not attain her maximum weight until her fiftieth year. The ages at which people attain their maximum weight and the weights themselves vary in the different classes of society. In tho affluent classes the average maximum weight is 172 pounds, and is attained at 50 years of age. fn the artisan class is is 154 pounds, attained at 40. Amongst farm- labourers It is 171 pounds, attained at 60. In the average classes it is 104 pounds, and Is reached between 40 ami 60 years of age.

A bashful journalistic rc-porler on the stall o! a well-known Parisian journal is famed for his dislike of the traditional notebook oj his race, and has hit upon a method oi taking his professional notes without being observed by those surrounding him. Ho wears large white linen cut's to his shirt and nonchalantly jots bis impressions on those with the most microscopic of pencils. At first his laundress was gieatly puzzled with the hieroglyphically inscribed mnnchettes of her client, bat after a while learned the meaning of the signs, and thus gathered the news of the week while pursuing her avocation, One day she astonished M.X.' bj remarking, " Your last washing was very interesting, only you dou't give us enough ooliticftl r.ows."