Notes and Comments.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 168, 20 February 1902, Page 3

Notes and Comments.

Something must be done to While ft way the time on a long voyseeing’s age, but the latest device believing, simply “ beats Cock-fight-ing.” It happened on ‘One of the big ftnfers a few weeks ago. One night at dinner, the captain informed those present that be had invented a fluid, which Upon being injected in an animal, would cause it ftolid dormant for months, and with an injection of another fluid he could bring the animal to life again. This was freely commented upon as being a taost valuable invention, as it would at once supersede slaughtering and freoztag, theJpr|o«s did not afloat the meat.

Bat there were a few of the doubting Pimmas genus on board, and to con-, vines these, the captain proposed toorove his words on the person of a large black, cat which was kept on board. The lady members and several tender ■ hearted miles opposed this suggestion, for, on account of ai ungovernable appetite, puss had hud become a favourite with tin passengers, as she gave thorn an oppor tunily of quietly disposing-of their victuals 'while yet keeping up the reputation of being a good sailor, j However, these few were appeased'by the captain’s solemn promise that the n woo d come to no harm. When i nner was over he and the note (who was in the know) mud h«ir way to the cabin with puss i . enstodv. \fter locking f h°m^ r,l vi*s ’ they exchanged the cat for one exactly similar, which had been housed in a box since leaving port. An hour or so before it had been poisoned, anfl it was now brought forth, as stiff as iron, and after due exhibition it was conveyed to the freezing chamber. A day 6r so after the passengers had bogumto look in the affair as a huge joke and badger the captain, but in response to his request oh the tenth day the passengers sent a deputation to bring up the cat, which was now like r block of ice. The conspirators again adjourned to the cabin, hut this time they simply heaved puss No. 2 out of the port, and tried to stifle their laughter in bast Scotch. In fault an hour they walked out, puss No. 1, looking sleeker than ever. | following at their heels. It seemed marvellous, said the man who told us, but “ eeoing’a believing." This man is still believing and waiting to take up shares to work the invention, but then hk has not had a private letter from one of the conspirators.

When man sets his mind on and embarks his money iu the man cultivation of fruit, he has and usually to take the weather climate, as it comes. He may cover tomatoes or grapes from the frost, hut whan it comes to protecting an orange grove from the same destructive agent, it does seem a large order. But it is done in California, where, otherwise, in a single night, the oranges almost ready to be picked, might be nipped by the frost, and the labour and expenditure of fc. year might vanish in an hour. Frost is not formed on cloudy nights, so that the remedy has been to have every night cloudy. Systematic measures to this end have been adopted since 1897. The principle in brief, is to make fog or cloud bv adding water vapour, and taking advantage of the latent heap of vapourisation. Tire artificial fog or mist nets as a blanket to prevent the radiation, or cooling, which goes on bo rapidly in a clear night, and many ways are adopted of reaching the desired end. Wire baskets filled with opal at intervals along an avenue of fruit trees are fired, with the addition of a shallow pan, holding water or damp fuel, but in some cases the work is carried out on a large scale. In an experiment tried at one ranch in 1900, a twelvehorse power tubular boiler was employed, and heated water r/as delivered to a flume at a temperature of 85 degrees. Water-vapour was observed rising to a height of about four feet above the ground, theinvisiblo vapour doubtless rising higher. From the flume tbs water flows gently down the different furrows At the dud of a furrow six hundred and sixty feet long the temperature of the water was M deg. With silch au idea it sesnls that the lower air layers are under man's dominion and that soon it will be “ to e very man's garden the climate be desires.”