GLEANINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1670, 20 March 1883, Page 4

GLEANINGS.

y HriiiK X., .BiiJEnajANS" has , dmw;i ••ittcnjtion to'sbine Uh'prrntcd tnanlikVi'rlW of. the famous. philospher Xoibnitz. The s^cpiTßoiKWclrtiAaMtWifa 11 fcbji^iloW* ,d,onc<j of Leibnitz with' < tfie^grcat''hi<stf (| of <i 'l/i^j ' lime, and other .Interesting docu'mentis, !indy!i>u found, t]"».i'ckecl <in/ bqxc,s, in the Royal Libiiii y, Hanover. J <>i ' W]U':.VT«(I) t Hm'>i>(i.,-rA concapon^oijt of the yt'f tcnlhiittl Giizdtc loc-oiuinenda tho following mode for diessiug wheat which lie has pia,ctiried ifon the r past six yc.U'3 with success :—": — " I dissolve in 3 gallons of boding w'ater'llb. blue vitiiol, 1' p.nt of crudu paraffin oil, nnd 1 pint of g.ife fc.ii 1 , iiml fip'rinkfi/bvor Y2 buabi-Jsrof wbc.ffc, turning it o\ or itself fiom wio side oJ tlh' l«irn to the other, nnd in half-ail-ll()Ui it i-i lit to 1)0 sacked up for drill-, ins/ o) sovvihg. If pure vitriol is applied .stfoiigcr than this it dcs*ioyis thu'germ of a gi cat deal of the- scud, and it does not gi->\v. Jiiit sec joit get bluc^tone vitno! in the lump, and not lmouik 1 , ns dealeis gieidy of gam ini\ boda, suiphalu of n on, and other things. The \itiiol oost4d pel Ib. the oil 3d per gallon and the tar 2d per gallon. In dressing for bailey and oatu in the spiing I omil the vitiiol, ard use the' oil and tar and water on evci v twelve bushels, and tho rooks do not trouble 'my fields, although I have a large iookcry at my door." Surci.r Omh. — When sheep dogs were evempted from- taxation it was looked upon as a boon to farmeis. We question whether the results have proved it to be so. Take the following from a recent correspondent : — " I live in central Wales, and my ground rails into three counties. In one three of my neighbours have lost sheep fiom dogs woirying them. In another rabies has broken out, and farmers have lost stock heavily from the bites of marl dogs. Two jears ago a ewe of mine brought triplets, and I gave one lamb to a cottager holding a small farm adjoining mine. Now on the stiengthof that one sheep the cottager claims exemption annually for one of tho most savage and tionblesome curs in this neighbouihood. Every additional dog kept, especially in a sheep distdct and unless closely looked after, is a source of danger and loss. By constant care ' rot ' may possibly be avoided, but not so ' gid ;' and I have lost moic sheep from the Litter than tho foimer jn the last three yeais. I wibh we had a tax of a sovereign on every dog, and no exemption except for a blind m.iv s leader. I believe fanncis would make cent, per cent, on the taxation of their doj^s, by tho compaiativc immunity of theii flocks and holds, not to speak of the lessened danger to human beings of death fiom rabies ' — Agi tmltinal Gazelle. An Extraordinary Amkkicax Rtory. — The Ameiicm ll'ic<p for Deccmhei 2nd is responsible for the following extraordinary statement: — "In au aiticle written by H. C. Woodman, Paw Paw, Michigan, it is stated that near where he resides is a man with his breath on fire. The name of this extraordinary individual is William Underwood, 27 years of age. By bicathing forcibly and rapidly flames ifisue of hi.s mouth. After he has &pat on a pocket handkerchief the article is quickly consumed. By way of pioviug that there is no deception he, bcfoic making the cxpeiimcnt, washes his hands in cold watei and also lin'-c-s his mouth, and the next moment bieathes foith flames. When out hunting he will gather together diy leaves, and then ignites them with his breath. He ■will then pioceed to diy hib wet stockings by the iiie his breath has made. The medical man in the locality has often seen him igniting his, pocket liandkci chief by breathing upon it. He cannot be persuaded to cxeit his bieath &o as to pioduce iii o nioic than twice a day, and the reason he give-j foi this is that tho efloit is a \eiy exhausting one." "He must be, " continues the Jlii/c/t, "full of electricity. What can this be? It is a pity that Mr Baiinim has not seemed this sti.ingc man. Notwithstanding all the clectucity in the man he is \eiy ignorant. He .states that he first discovered the stiange gift w itli which he is endowed by setting the with his bieath to a perfumed pocket liandkcichief." Ditch (ii'i:vvii\i. — '" Are ducks profitable to keep ." ' is a question often asked. My expei icnee piovob to me. that they are, w heio a little care and attention are bestowed on the management of them, especially on fauns whole they have an extensive glass inn to loam over, tor theie they wander at early dawn and late at dewy eve throughout the year, cx< ept in wintry weather, diligently searching for kings nnd worm?, winch go a long way towaids keeping them in food, a food, too, that is very egg-pioducing and fattening, and peculialy suitable to their natufe. On a &m.ill place, like the w liter's, the want of this advantage of course makes the cost of their maintenance much gieatcr, but even then they pay, according to my knowledge, if properly tieated, though at the aamo time I find the profit attached to them is lesthan that obtained from hens, as, although my lay on anducks avei age J 2 dozen eggs each a year, against ten do/en by the hens, the former eat considerably more than the latter, which are, in fact, great gobbleis. The plan I adopt is to place sittings of ducks' eggs under hens early in the spiing, so tint they arc hatched about the beginning of April. Keeping the young ducks well all the way up on the best of food, principally baily meal, they will, in about ten weeks' time, when green peas aic coming in sen.son, be fit for the table, and are then worth halt-a-crown each to the pioducer. The ducks are then killed, .showing a profit generally of a Mulling a head out of the half-crown. With the females ot the tioops I do better. If still well kept they will lay by the middle ot September, yielding before they stop laying some four dozen eggs each, or more. Eggs are scarce and dear, at least fresh ones, at that time of the ;, ear, and the four dozen are worth, at the lowest, six shillings. The duck is then but a young one and not much the worse for w ear, and with continuous good living w ill, in a month's time after ceasing to lay, or by Ch ristmas, be fit for the maiket, and be worth 2s. 6d, Thus sum, added to the value of the eggs laid by her, gives Bs. 6d,, from which deduct 4s. Gd. for the cost of her koep, &c, and they will be left a balnnco in her favour of 45., and a very pretty balance to 6. All the young ducks, however, thus kept for early laying and afterwards for the market as above, particularly the white ones, do not do so well as this ; but, on the other hand, I have had somo produce even better results, in fnctl now have a young duck wh.ich began laying in September, when slifl was only twenty-two weeks old, and, up to the tinje of writing she has laid over five dqtfen' eggs, and, what is most extraordinary, more than' ,half 6f them wero double-yoked ones and' almost as large as small geese eggs, and she is laying still. My ducks are' of the oldfashioned, .common sort, though the Aylosbury aie! 'considered, alid JI are, probably, tho best and the most paying kind to keep, I'fiiul it inore' ,'advanta geous tb sit hpns 6n the duck's eggs, and hold tile dncks ( on laying as long as they will, rather than to let tlhem lay a few eggs and then sit themselves. Ducks should by , means bp kept too old.' Aftej' two or three years' u«(e at the outside > they should be got rid of and 'young Nones allowed to 1 take their pjages, as^ their ■ laying powers decline materially i with ' age, l while their appetites* stity. continue ' almost as good and : costly as ever to satisfy* • Yoit will do well to furnish your 'ljou'se, from ,GarJick and Cmnwcll's. They' have ftbwi Hlie'.'rtostifco'mplotd Furnishing; inj i Auckland, furnitutc to suit all ( classes, x goad, j 1 vtrontr, andichcap. They have Tapestry 'Car'jjots from 2s3dncr'yard, 1 IVu&fels from 3s lid per' yardL'Lirioleiini'fr'dm BslDdi to's&, Oil Glotlipifx<>m| ls'Gd to4s;od .per Jdrd, godd.l2</qet y/jidp Oilt Cloths at 3s (jil per yard. Imfncnse of Iron HcilstcajJu from Tnfants H 'Cots 'ttf-ty'feetl - wide lialf-icster. Jiedstc.idi. Double, jrpn, Jkd- , V.'Wtds from 25sC' v 4!?(£Bedrtcadiift stock W solecb ' Irom. l}csdfnlfchlkt\i' i lciii&i i&iii sizes kepi in uMdinoss. jUinintf, §ij*jng, Drawing- room Fur,-! nlturjp, {utdandalarircASfortnient of Manchcstcn aM-Miitff \aSffi, ;isJslB&ib« <^ Cretonnes. Book Catalogues jpnt ;reo,tp-inrh tendiniT ptfrßfljfiertf/^ffidrJftfj? %Mpd (?ran\YeM