GENERAL NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 188, 21 October 1879, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

(From our Exchanges.)

Now with regard to height, you may say, " It is all very well to measure girth, but how are you going to measure height ?" Who is to tell us whether atreeislSOf. or 140 ft. high? I can give you two rules of thumb, which will at least assist calculation. This is one. Supposing your tall friend to stand out well in the open ; set by the side of him a stick of ascertained height, say of 6ft Watch at the proper hour the length of shadow cast both, by your 6ft. rod and by the tree. Then calculate in proportion the height of the shadow-casters ; e.g., if the trees shadow be twelve times the length, take its height at 72, Or, take three laths, join two of them at a right angle, and make each lath containing the angle to be of the same seize. Then unite the equal sides with a third, subt?nding the angle. Now hold it level and opposite the tree. Walk away until your eye looks up the third and long side precisely to the submit of the tree. You may now consider yourself to be standing at the apex of an enlarged triangle, of which the ground line is one side and the erect tree another. You measure the ground line, and in so doing you measure the height, for it equals the perpendicular which you thus get.

New Zealand bids fair to be one of the largest grain-growing countries in the world. In the year 1877-78 no less than 11,265,300 bushels of wheat and oats were grown ; whilst the yield during the year 1878-79 had increased to 14-427,000 bushels. Victoria, with more than double the population, produced only 1,062,000 bushels. The yield during the past year was 26 bushels wheat, and 31.6 bushels of oats per acre ; while the respective yields in Victoria were only 12.3 and 19.3 bushels per acre. These few figures will show the wonderful capacity of our soil, as compared with the grain-growing capacity of the Australian Colonies.

Trout Fishing.—The trout-fishing season opened at Chrittcliuvck on Thursday lost, ;ind no end of eager sporsmen were on the banks of the Avon long before daybreak. There were some very good baskets taken. We understand that trout are now very plentiful in the Winchester streams, and it is probable that next year will be declared nn open one for the lovors of ihe " Isaak Walton art" in that district.

" You have given me Scotch whisky ; I asked for Irish," complained a hurried imbiber. "Never mind,"said the publican ; " fancy it's Irish." The man drank up the liquor and made for the door. '• Stop !" cried Boniface ; "you haven't paid me." " Never mind ; fancy I have !" said his customer, and away be went. " Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, and earth below and heaven above," but it never sewed a grey patch on a husband's black trousers. That isn't love. That's revengo.