RURAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1825, 18 March 1884, Page 4

RURAL NOTES.

Agricoltour is t India.— An American gentleman who has lesided for some time in India, \vrite3 as follows to the New York Grain Trade Journal respecting tie agricultural rcsouioes of that country : — •• Even to an American accustomed to the great tilings of his own c >un f r , many of the leading ciopa of India seems immense. First in importantco is that of nee, of which there are over fifty millions of acies in cultivation, giving an animal out- turn of over thirty millions of tons. That of millet, with its many \aiieties of sot "hum, cholum, jaur, bojra, vSrc, &c, stands next in importance, and of this over forty millions of acres are cultivated, yielding over four hundied millions of bushels. This ciop, besides constituting the great food staple of India, supplies also each year one hundred millions of tons of fodder as animal food, being three times the haj crop of America. The wheat crop is next in rank, of which there ate cultivated annually over twenty-five millions of •lures, with an out-turn exceeding three hundred millions of bushels. You will therefore see that India Btands second only to the United States as a wheat producing country. Indian corn, through of comparatively recent introduction, has increased in favour rapidly, there is now raised over seventy millions of bushels annually. The first cargo was shipped to Europe a few day since. It would indeed be one of the curiosities of international trade if from this small beginning there should grow, as in the case of wheat, a foieign export trade of great proportions. It is asserted by those who seem informed thatin the central province of India alone enough Indian corn can be raised to supply the wants of Gient Britain, to which country we ship, I believe, several millions of tons annually."

The authorities at St. Giles, in Belgium, have adopted a plan which strikes one by its simplicity aud common sense. They have supplied the police on night duty with cloth boots, having India rubber soles. With these boots the police are so pei fectly noiseless that they are at least placed on a footing of equal advantage with burglars and other dangerous spuits that walk by night. The hint may be woith taking. How to \I vkk a Tidy. — The directions givoii in fashion journals for crocheting tidies and things are veiy lively reading, but lack plot. If our memory is not at fault they run somewhat this way : Work nine stitches, turn back two stitches in third bar, two single in thirds, three chain, B to Q 4th eh., X takes B, then niaLe eight chain and fasten to centre of Q B 7th, loop and tuin back, white to jihy and mate in three stitches. It seems easy enough. A Deim'tvtion of Liberal workingmen fioin Dei by attended at Ha warden Castle lecently and piesentcd Mr Gladstone with a service of porcelain, accompanied by an address. Sir William Harcoint introduced the deputation, and the presentation was made by Mr Js'onnan. Mr. Gladstone, in replying, offeied his profound thanks for what he described as the beautiful works of art. H<> referred to the great progress «mdc in recent years in porcelain manufacture, and expressed his belief that at the present moment England stood higher in the production of poioelain than any other countt y in the woild. — Court Circular. Hn'iiY Ward Bkechkr's infatuation with the acting of Mr. Irving seems to have caused some amusement among the wags. Beeeher lias nevtr been fond of the theatre. He went with his wife to see The Merchant of Venice, and was so impicssed with the cntnc performance that, by his own tcquest, he waspiesented to Mr. Irving after the play, and the interview ended in an invitation to Mr. In ing and Miss Terry, to hear Mr, Beeeher preach tho following morning and dine witli him aftei wards. The appeal ancc of the interesting pair in church caused some commotion. The wickedest of the wa^s say that Mr Beeeher is so stage struck that he wants and engagement at the Lyceum. Tiikhe are very few reigning families in Europe which are not more or less German. Thus the Piinee of Wales had a German parent, the Queen of Spain is of the house of Hapsburg, the Czar of Russia's wife was a German piincess, the Queen and the Crown Piincessof Sweden aie German princesses, the Queen of Holland was a piincess of Waldeck, the King and Queen of Rouvnania are of German descent, so is the Prince of Bulgaria. The royal family of Portugal, the imperial family of Brazil, and the royal family of Belgium are descended from the house of Cobuig : their members even bear the t'tle of dukes and duchesses of Sa\e. Tho Queen of Italy is the daughter of the Duchess of Genoa, a piincpss of Saxony. The Orleans family have German blood in their veins, the mother of the Count of Pavi? having been a princess of Mecklenburg. The Gieek aud Danish families are, strictly speaking, of German origin. Hence all but theSeivian and Montenegrin princes have a German consanguinity. Thvt the Chinese are not wanting in gallantry or in the art of repartee was cieaily demonstrated by a young mandaiin, on Atache to the Chinese embassy in Paiis, in a conversation with a beautiful and elegant woman who had him introduced to her one evening at a fashionable reunion. Curious to know whether it was woith any one's while to attempt a little nutation with this son of the Celestial Empire, she asked him, among other things, what qualities his country valued most in woman. " Her domestic virtues," was the reply. " Oh, indeed ?" said the lady, in a slightly contemptuous tone " then you don't like your ladies to go into company and enjoy a little gossip ?"' " No, madame ; a Chinese husband has the right to get a divorce from his wife if she is a great talker." The chaiming Frenchwoman here thought she detected a covert allusion to herself and sarcastically inquired. "I suppose that that would have been my fate in China ?" The Chinaman at once replied bowing low. " You may be sure that from the day of your arrival in China the law that inflicts this mode of punishment on the loquacity of women would be abolished." A Frencii Chemist asserts that it is the mechanical state which makes new bread less digestible than old ; the former is so soft, elastic and glutinous in all its parts that ordinary mastication fails to reduce it to a sufficiently digestible condition. In the course of some experiments in this direction, a circular loaf, twelve inches in diameter and six inches thick, was taken from an oven heated to 240 cleg. Reaumur, and a thermometer forced into three inches. The themometer indicated 207.5 cleg. Fahrenheit. The loaf was then taken to a room, the temperature of which was 66 cleg. Fahrenheit, and found to weigh seven and a half pounds. In twenty-four hours the temperature of the loaf fell to 66 deg., and in thirty-six hours to 63.5 cleg. In the first forty-eight hours it lost only two ounce 3 in weight. After six days the loaf was again put in the oven, and when the thermometer had indicated that its temperature had risen to 106 deg. Fahrenheit, it was cut open and found to be fresh, and found to possess the same qualities as if it had been taken out of the oven the first time, but it Had lost twelve ounces in weight. Experiments were made with slices of bread, with Bimilar results.— British-, Trade Journal. One Shilling.— Francis J. Shortts' Popular Art Union.— Ten first-class Oil Paintings by celebrated artist:.. 5000 tickets at Is. Tho prizes are magnificent'' and costly. Country subscribers sending stamps or otherwise will have tickets by return post. Enclose stamped envelope for reply.— Francis J. Shoktt, 140, Queen-street, Auckland.— [Aovt.] Rats and Mice. —lf you wish to destroy them get a packet of Hill's Magic Vrrmin Kill** m packets, 6d,'od, and Is, to be obtained ofallstorpkoQpers,, or from T, #, IJH.L by w«