BATTLE-BLINDED.

Waikato Times, Issue 3204, 7 January 1893, Page 2 (Supplement)

BATTLE-BLINDED.

It was in tho streets of Fredericksburg, as the army was thrown across to attack Lee in his impregnable position. Deep down in tho heart of evory Confederate on tho lines that day was pity for the men in blue driven forward to tho slaughter. Those repeated oharges made against that terrible stone wall at tho base of Mary's Hill wero not incited by brnvory, but born of reckless desperation and despair. Men saw that there was not the faintest hope of winning a victory, but they charged and charged, and grew intoxioatod at tho sight of the awful slaughter. Shell and grape and canister and bullet screamed and whistled and sang as never boforo or after, Men falling dead or wounded pulled thoso yet unhurt, down witii them in their fall. Hero and there detachments huddled together like frightened shcop; again, lines suddenly broke and the men would not rally, though thoy turned their faces to tho fuo and fought on.

A shell had exploded on the right of an advancing regiment, killing ono and wounding soven or eight men. Confusion followed, A captain sprang out with drawn sword and sought to rally the men of his company. Ho was n grand-looking man, tall and knightly, and he had tho voice of a lion, even in that awful uproir, with death within arm's leugth of 75,000 men. I could not help but notico tho man. A bullet loosened ono ond of a sh milder-strap, but he nevor know it. Anothor out the cloth of tho upraised right arm, but only one or two men saw the dust of it.

" Into lino, mon—into lino!" he kopt shouting. " Fall in, Company, A! The old Second wants you to lead the way I" His words wero beard away back in tho supporting column, and men who could not sen him for tho dust and smoko cheered him, 1 hud my oyes on him whon something passed his face. It was like a flash of lightning—a streak of flame and smoke. Tho captain's arms went up and ho sank down in a heap. I thought he had been struck nnd instantly killed, but it was not so. Two of his men extended their hands and ho struggled to his feet and said :

"Lead roc to tho roar; I am stone' blind."

His oyes were wide open, but sightless, Shot or shell had passed so closo to his face that he would novcr seo again, It isn't until a man gets to be reasonably rich that other people como to him and toll him hnw ho can make a lot of money, Facetious daughter: "Ma, I've had an offer of marriage," Mother: "I'm delighted to hear it my dear I From whom ?" F. D.: "Our clergyman. He says he will marry me when I can find a husband." At the Guavas Station, in Hawke's Bay, the Burgon machine has been fitted up tiiis year, A visitor says :-" Eighteen shearers, all Maoris with the excoption of cne European, were busily at work in the shed, and seemed quite at home with tho machines, though only one of them had handled any machine, before this season. The natives all expressed their delight at the machines, all of them making better tallies than by hand after a few days' work, In conseqiienco of broken weather there had only been four or five full days, but one shearer named Tomoana, yet a youth, had increased his tally from 111 on tho first full day to 150 on the fourth, The highest tally, howevor, was Mi!! by Hughes, tho European shoarer. Tho best day's work was 1931 heavy crossbreds by eighteen shearers, but un Jther days tallies of 1892 and 18G0 wore recorded, At the beginning the best day's work was 1444 sheep by twenty shearers, so that the improvement was very marked, Not a singlß hitch had occurred sinco the starting nf the machines, everything working with the utmost smoothness, and the sheep being beautifully shorn, not a cut ono being visible,

WEEDS. Is an arliclo entitled" Pestiferous Plants)!" in The Popular Science Slonthly(an Amoriican publication), Prof, ft, 15, Halstei says:—The appearance of weeds in all 1 stages of growth, their methods of propagation and dissemination of the seeds, are much better understood in Europe than in the States.

In Germany, for oxample, they havo wall maps upon which the leading weeds are represented, Hung as these are upon the school-room walls, a child, simply from daily seeing these lifc-liko coloured drawings of the various pests, will loam their uppearanco and names. Some suck motbod of instruction is ueodedin thiscoulitry, by which tho children who aro soon to be onr farmers and gardeners may becomo familiar with tho troublesome weeds, even in advance- of their advent, that tho proper means may be taken at onco for meeting and destroying them. Editors of agricultural papers and professors in agricultural colleges yearly receive many interesting letters, asking for the simplest kind of information concerning many common weeds, thus showing tho general lack of knowledge upon this important subject,

To put n map of a dozen of tho most destructive weeds upon tho walls of every country sohoolhoiioo is a great undertaking ; but if it wero dono tho next and succeeding generation of farmers would bo tho butter able to carry on the w/ork of extermination,

Weeds have beon neglected in. moro ways than ono, and just as far ns they aro overlooked and left to themselves tho greater will bo tho curse. Ab wo look over tho premium lists of our thousands of country and othor fairs, wo seldom see a prizo offered for tho best collection of weeds, It scorns incompatible with our fitnoss of things to havo a good collection of anything that is bad, and yet tlio fact romainsthat there is no class of plants about which an increaso of knowledge is more imperative than theso samo ugly weeds,