Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

5 articles on this Page

INTERESTING FACTS.

News
Cite
Share

INTERESTING FACTS. The skylark and woodlark are among the ealj toirds which sing as they fly. In Arabia is a plant which has all the pro- perties o-f laughing gas. The plant is kaown focallv as *fhe laughing plant." The Chinese detective force is a secret bcdy. and the best organised in the world. They itave an eye upon every man. woman, and child, foreign or native, in China, and, in addition, watch over each other. In wild parts of Southern Africa geranium! grow in great bunches of five or six feet in diameter in the most brilliant shades of pink and scarlet. A creeping ivy-leafed geranium, and the pelargonium also, are native to that part of the world. When flocks of wild ducks and geese have te go long distances they form a triangle to cleave the air more easily, and the most courageous bird takes position At the forward angle. As this is a very fatiguirrg post, another bird ere long takes the place of the exhausted leader. FOR THE SCARECROW. Gentleman Farmer (to his gardener): "Will you have one of my old hats to make 3, scare- crow with?" Gardener: "If it's all the same to you, sir, I'd rather have one of the missus's. It would scare 'em more!" -+-- I ♦ WHY WE THINK SO. We think so because all other people tlhink so; Or because-or because—after all, we &o think so; Or because we were told so. and think we must think so: Or because we once thought so, and think we still think so: Or because, having thought so, we think we will think so. -+- A QUAINT SPECTACLE. Can you imagine a quainter, a more charming sight than a host of babies, none over two years old. swimming like fih in pools of clear sea water? You will see this sight in Samoa. Samoan women believe sea baths benefits babies, and in that equable climate they bathe their little one daily the vear round. The youngsters soon learn to swim. They can swim before they can walk. And to see these pretty brown babies 3wimming in the sea is well worth a trip to Samoa. --+-- SORROW OF IT. More trouble." sighed Murphy, putting ojl his coat. If it a}n't one thing it's another." What's the matter now?" oueried his good wife. More labour troubles," answered Murphy. "Not another lockout, I hope," said the part- ner of his sorrows. No. it's worse than that," answered tha alleged head of the house. "'The boss has yielded, and I've got to go to work again!" A TEST. "Porter!" Thus the passenger for London hailed a rail- way servant at a small Scottish station. Yessir?" The man instinctively held out his hand. Do you tli i-ik this parcel well enough tied to trust going in the van?" Weel. I'll see." answered the porter, drop- ping the parcel with a bang. She'll get that here, an' she'll get that at the junction "—giving it another drop—" and <:hp'll get that at Pertil —banging it so lustily that all the contents scattered over the pavement. W eel, sir. if she be goin' farther than Perth she'll nae do what- ever I" • HOW APPLES BREATHE. A startling discoverv has been made by Pro- fessor F. W. Morse, the director of a scientific experiment station in New Hampshire. He finely that apples aetually breathe. When in storage they give out carbonic acid gas and moisture aj animals do. and it is because of this respiration that they become softer and lose weight. It appears that the colder the place in which the apples are stored the slighter are the chemical changes produced by their breathing. The prao tical moral for tha fruit grower is, therefore, that they should he put in cold storage a,- soon as possible after they are picked. Accord ing to Professor Morse, exposure to a high tem- perature f-or evon a few days will greatly lessea their keeping ppwer. HAILSTONES. Have you ever examined the middle of a hail- stone? When dissected, it is found to be an aggregate of tiny crystals disposed in concentrio rings or zones—zones which, if rightly croce- examined. will have much te tell concerning the wonderful journey of the hailstone as it plunged through the atmosphere on it way to the earth. At the heart of every hailstone it a tiny atom of dust, which may be considered to be the very foundation of the whole structure, these atoms of dust pervade every part of the atmosphere. Not only are they found in the lower 6trata of the air, but the winds caryj them far above the highest mountains, ana when samples of air obtained by balloonists or by mountain travellers are examined, minute particles of dust are always eyerywhere.to be found. Indeed, it is becoming understood that, withyut an atom of dtitit upon which the mois- ture of the air could settle, there would be rain- drops, no snow no fog, dew, clouds, or hail. ETIQUETTE EXTRAORDINARY. There was once a simple parent who en. deavoured to instil into his boy's miud principle! of courtesy and refinement. He thought ii rather smart on his part to buy a book on eti- quette for Tom's birthday, instead of Robin- son Crusoe," which young Tdm hankered after. When you have read that through." said Tom. senior. and proved you have profited bj it, we will talk about some other book. Bettei begin by took-ing under D in the index foi doors." The senior Tarn winked at mamma, and th, junior Tom winked at his tyke. Thanks, pa." said Tom. meekly. It was a pretty fragment of English home liff until Tom's sister, in attempting to leave th« apartment, found herself clutched by the hand and flung violently backwards into the coal. scuttle. "You ignorant little beast!" protested Tom Don't you know that a gentleman should oper the door for you?" ♦ MISTRESS AND SERVANT. When staying in the Sandwich Islands I had an amusing experience with my Hawaiian ser. vant. NtAv these servants insist on calling you by your first name. Ours was always saying to my husband. Yes, John." and to me, Ver, well, Mary." etc.. etc. So when we got a new cook I told my husband to avoid calling mi Mary as then, not knowing my name, he would have to say missus to me. So John I ways called me sweetheart or dearie," never Mary," but the watchful fellow, gave me n. title at all. One day we had some officers to dinner, and, while awaiting the repast, I told them of the ruse I had adopted, and added, By this ser- vant, at least, you won't hear me called Mary." Just then the new cook entered the room. He bowed, and said to me: "Sweetheart, dinner is served." What?" I stammered, aghast at his familiarity. Dinner is served, dearie," answered the new cook. ♦ A BEAUTIFUL MINERAL. The small, though picturesque village of Castle- ton, in the Peak of Derbyshire, is the only plact in England where the beautiful Blue John (topajiae four) mineral is obtained, and the making of this into useful and ornamental 1 rticle8 is an industry quite rare. The mineral is composed of lime and acid, the blue colonring matter being manganese oxide. This really ex- quisite richness and variety of colour is the ob- ject of much admiration. The present price in fie Tough is :£-40 per ton. This fine spar has only been found in one other place besides Derbyshire—namely, in Saxony, but only at Castletex does it abound in sufficient quantity to repay the cost of procuring it, and even here the annual product i. said to be much less than tormwly. Oo rare, in fact, i8 this splendid spar Uiat orders are always en hand at Castleton taom many different parts ef the Globe for sup- pUeteof it. W-orke of art made oCakhis beauti- ful mineral grace the palaees of many Royalties, and a particularly fine example is in the Vatican Library, whilst im the eenlphire gallery at Oata- worth Souse is "ea th larfett TIM «f pp, ;,&a exl*tea«e.

[No title]

Advertising

MR. BALFOUR EXPOSED,

Advertising