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FARMING notes,
FARMING notes, I THU OUTLOOT. ^?Spritu» seeiws'to about. ws in spirit, and inquiry Jkxtr se^freahrns -y com trade. Scarcely has Janu&yjapened bleating of young lambs is ^ter^'tdfewue loefliBte^nd lowers of poultry begin tftthlf'3- jKtiflae for e^Vasr&od? co be hatching out. /^OnSaigyit^nay seenMWqV' c»re to call attention ^^tyAsjmd^bickena, bifa j £ s possible that those _^m«^me€PB t<^gtpy the fall^|«tage of early prices < £ tpr eWl^bi^ce may for even wlof such >&ngf form life. We WrightsooOn^ia Agricultural v Xia&Stte season&S^^otes) in earwvsW.'even to an ex-* Afreme, in all thffl&s -.ected with farming, and y January ought to bfcget a feeling of laudable im- patience to get on.£ Recent experience has taught the uncertainty of late-sown crops, and certainly oetø. barley, peas, and beans sown in January and February are likely to do better than the same crops sown in March and April. If suit- able weather occurs, light land works mellow aod moist in the first few weeks of the New Year, and crops then sown become well rooted and able to stand the spells of dry weather which are often associated with later spring. It is also an economic advantage to keep well up with work, and to be forward rather than the reverse. Science shows conclusively that, beyond a very narrow margin, future weather is an inscrutable mystery, and all we can do is to wait and watch. There are, however, probabilities. It would be extraordinary if the next gumn-4r should be droughty, for we have had already too large a proportion of such trying seasons. The nineties have, with one exception ('94), proved in- juriously dry in Southern England and while it may be that we are again to suffer from deficient hay and roots, the chances seem more in favour of a wet and cold summer. The best way of rendering our- selves independent of climatic vagaries is to sow early and secure a strong plant able to resist unfavourable conditions of either kind. HORSE FEBDING Maize is at present so cheap that it is worth con- sidering how far it may be used as the main food of farm horses. That it is largely so used is well- known but how far it can be given without any ad- mixture of oats or beans is a question upon which some difference of opinion exists. It may be ap- proached either from a purely practical aspect, or from a consideration of the chemical composition of maize as a food; neither view should be neglected. There is also the question of age, for young horses are not fully developed, and therefore require food of a more highly nitrogenous character than those over six years old. It is usual to look upon maize as essentially a fattening food, while oats are regarded as better adapted for feeding muscle and repairing waste of muscular fibre. Looked at from this aspect, oats are perhaps rather superior to maize, but not to such a degree that a slightly greater weight of maize may not give the animal quite as large a proportion of albu- minoids. The case stands as follows, according to analysis of digestible food constituents: Oats. Maize. Per cent. Per cent. Albuminoids and amides 8 8 Nitrogen-free extract 42-5. 67'5 Crude fibre 2'2. 1-1 Fat. 4-3. 40 A second and older analysis gives the following results Albumoids. 9'0. 8-4 Carbo-hvdrates 41-8 57-8 Pat" 4-7. 4*8 In the late Emil Wolff's earlier tables he gave the comparative value of maize as '94, and of oats as -84, taking rye as 1. These figures tend to dispel the idea that maize is deficient in nitrogenous constituents, and form a strong theoretical argument in its favour. As foods, oats and maize are chemically fairly equal at identical weight and price and OR the whole the balance is in favour of the maize, as it contains less indigestible husk. When we take present price into consideration, we see in maize a food which van be purchased readily at 2s. a bushel of 601b., while oats may be valued at 2s. 4d. to 2s. 6d. per 401b. The difference is very considerable, for mates costs '4d per Ib., while oats cost '7d per lb., which approximates double the market price per pound. Next comes the physiological question as to the suitability of the two foods for the diges- tive system of the horse. This appears to resolve itself into a question of practical experience, for there appears to be no reason why maize should not be as good a food for horses as oats, provided it agrees with them. Of this there seems little doubt, as work horses fed exclusively on maize and barley-straw may be maintained in capital condition. Farm work is slow, and horses which are comfort- ably fat do their work best. This condition can be maintained by maize as the only corn, and horses so fed are not liable to colic, nightfall, or any other ordinary or ertmordinary ailment. It might be better to mix maize and oats, or even to add beans, for severe work, but in ordinary circum- stances, and especially in winter, when days are short and work liable to interruption, maize is a satisfactory, economical, and wholesome diet for farm horses. One bushel of maize and half a bushel of oats per week is a good allowance with straw, and in alack times, as in the dead of winter, one bushel of maize may take the place of the larger quantity. It should be steeped in a tub furnished with a plug or tap: and the water drawn off after steep'ng will be relished by the horses as a drink. Opinions will differ as to the quantities, but the weight per bushel of maize is much in its favour, as one bushel weighs as much as 11 bushels of oats. Maize is all corn, whereas 2 oats are more husky in character. As a food for sheep maize deserves a trial, on account of its low price. It is not onr purpose to enter at length upon this point, but rather to draw attention to the present oppor- tunity for cheap feeding. It may be objected that maize leaves little behind it, but analysis scarcely bears out this idea. So far as manorial residue is concerned, it is superior to barley meal, although in- ferior to cake. The price of maize is at present about E3 10s. per ton, while good linseed cake costs F-6 10s. or more. This appears to leave maize in possession of the field as a cheap food, although the manurial value of the linseed cake is superior. According to some useful figures contributed by Mr. Turnbull, of College hill, Shrewbury, the cash value of the manure left by a ten of maize was given at 12s. 6d., while that of linseed cake was estimated at £1 19s. 3d. Before, therefore, deciding as to the comparative merits of the two materials viewed both as foods and as ferti- lisers, we must take into account the balance of El 6d. 9d. in favour of the manurial value of linseed -cake, and deduct it from the market value. This is evidently insufficient to rob maize of its present ad- vantage as an economical food, and that by a good deal. We may, therefore, hold that in maize we have a food which is particularly worthy of attention at its present abnormally low price, due in a great measure to its prolific and heavy yielding character as a crop imcountriea suited for its cnltivation. SLUGS V. WHEAT. In such a season as this slugs are liable (W. J. M. writes) to do much inj ury, and, after a series of coM winters, when they have been kept in check, it is quite possible to forget the liability of the destruc- tion of the wheat plant by them, and it is not impro- bable that there will be many instances of plants being destroyed before the owner of the crop becomes aware of the fact that the crop has become attacked and it -is too late to prevent the mischief. It is, therefore, important to keep a close watch on the crop. The slug whioh causes the injury is IAmot -agrestes, the milky slug. The most aeeful dressings to apply are soot and caustic lime, either of which act quickly, and are obnoxious to the slug. The effeet of lime is to cause the slug to throw off or moult its coat, which it can do for a few tunes without destroying itself, but it cannot keep this up for long, and it soon dies. It is important that the lime be unslaked, consequently it should be applied very early in the morning, when they are out feeding, and, in case the attack is very bad, late in the evening, and it maq be necessary to do this two or three times. Soot acts somewhat simi- larly, and in addition readers the plant unplsbsant I food for the slug, the strong bitter taste being un- < palatable. The two may be used together with I good effect. It is a mistake to apply too heavy a dressing of soot to land < which is already sufficiently manured, As the < over-manuring with an ammoniacal manure is liable t to make the crop susceptible to mildew later on, a i fact which is often overlooked by those who recom- 1 mend such manures. I Slug traps of mangel or cabbage leaves are very use* 1 ful when the slugs are in large numbers, as they find d their way beneath tham. and can he withered no, or P a handtut ot time may De turown over them. All that is necessary is to throw the leaves about the ground, and to turn them daily. Since poultry is kept in field-houses so much more frequently than ia the past they may be turned on to the fields with muoh advantage, and there is no doubt that field poultry farming will act very beneficially in destroying slugs as well as many other kinds of insects. Plovers are the farmer's greatest Mends, as they destroy insects without doing injury to the land. It is often notice- able that land frequented by insects is in an unhealthy condition from want of drainage, and plovers often indicate want of drainage which otherwise passes un- noticed this is most frequently the case on light land where superabundant moisture is not noticeable on the surface, as, owing to the openness of the lOil, it passes through it, but may be held up ia the vubtioil.
MR. BALFOUR AT MANCHESTER.
MR. BALFOUR AT MANCHESTER. Mr. Balfour was entertained at luncheon on December 9 by the Mayor of Salford, and in response to the toast of his health said it was our peculiar felicity as a nation, that party conflicts were not allowed either to embitter private friendships or to make men incapable of working together for public ends in regard to which party differences ceuld be ignored. An illustration presented itself in the feeling of responsibility shared by the whole community in regard to the measures of relief to be taken on behalf of those threatened with starvation in India. He was glad, as a Lancashire representa- tive, that the Cotton Duties Association had been among the first to express their desire to do what could be done by private contributions for the relief of the distress in India. The Indian Government had, most rightly in his judgment, declared that the whole responsibility for the relief works must be left in their hands; but they recognised that there was also a function for private liberality in the matter, and he suggested that anything that might be done in Lancashire should be done through the Central Association, with whom the Indian Government could act in concert. Mr. Balfour subsequently proceeded to the Ardwick Drill-hall, Manchester, and addressed there a great Unionist meeting. After remarking that, during the year that had passed since he last spoke sn that hall, the prospect in reference to our external elations had greatly brightened, and contending that the legislation of the last Parliamentary Session furnished evidence that the Government had earnestly and conscientiously endeavoured to redeem their pledges, he dealt with thp subjeotof rate aid to voluntary schools, and said the Government bad decided not to make any proposals in the bill they were about to introduce for giving aid of that kind to the schools. The reason for that decision was that public opinion was not ripe for any change of the revolutionary cha- racter which rate aid would have. Coming next to the question of the financial relations between Great Britain and Ireland, Mr. Balfour said it was very surprising that at so long a period as 80 years after the amalgamation of the Exchequers of the two countries it should just have been discovered that Ireland was paying £ 2,700,000 per annum more than her taxable capacity warranted. He urged that the principle on which it was taken for granted that England was robbing Ireland to that annual amount was never applied as between man and man and if it was not valid as between individuals, its application as between different countries must be regarded with some suspicion. The extra money paid by Ireland was raised by in- direct taxation, and chiefly by the whisky duty and there was an element of free will in the matter which made it impossible to apply a mere arithmetical test. The Royal Commission, he maintained, had adopted an utterly erroneous method of arguing the question, which involved them in hopeless logical absurdities. But even accepting their method, Ireland, so far from having reason to complain of the exirting system, was a great gainer by it. She only contributed one thirty-second of the total sum of Imperial ex- penditure, as distinguished from that expended in local objects; and if her proper share of the Imperial expenditure were made the first charge on her finances, and they were handed over to her own control, Home Ii ule finance would spell bankruptcy for Ireland. Her one hope of solvency and pros- perity was to maintain the partnership which had now been in existence for nearly 700 years.
--DISASTERS AT SEA.
DISASTERS AT SEA. ACCIDENT MO AN A LIB AN LINER. Lloyd's agent at Moville telegraphed on January 11 that the Allan Line steamer Laurentian, from Hali- fax for Liverpool, struck Malin Head on the previous night. She arrived at Moville next day with her for- ward compartment full of water. A telegram was received on January 11 by Mr. A. Laing, of Sunderland, managing owner of the steamer Strathmore, stating that the vessel foundered in the North Sea while on a voyage to the Tyne. The vessel was disabled by a tremendous sea, and Captain Humphrey and his officers and crew took refuge on the bridge, where they remained without food for three days, when they weM rescued by the; Hull trawler, which landed them at that port. The men suffered terribly from hunger. During thick weather on the morning of January 11 the passenger steamer Gulf of Siam went ashore at Morroch Bay, Wigtonshire, two miles south of Port Patrick Harbour. The steamer stranded at high water upon a reef of rocks, but she was not in a dangerous position, and her crew and passengers remained on board. The vessel was floated off in the afternoon and sailed for Glasgow. The London steamer Diomedes, from Newcastle to Leghorn with coal, was sunk off Great Yarmouth oa January 11, by collision with the Sunderland steamer Lucent. The Diomedes was struck just abaft the main rigging, and commenced to settle down at once. The crew took to the boats, and were picked up by the Lucent and landed at Yarmouth. The Lucent is anchored in Yarmouth Roads. She is leaking, and part of her stem is knocked away. A number of fishing-smacks arrived at Yarmouth January 11 more or less damaged as the result of gales, and in two instances a man had been washed overboard and drowned. A hoat with the name Elizabeth, Goole, on it has been picked up at Greenhill Rocks, north of Sunder- land, and a body has been washed ashore near Holy Island Castle. It is feared a vessel has been wrecked on Fame Islands during the gale. There are two vessels, a schooner and a ketch, of Goole, called Eliza- beth.
BURNING MINE AND THREATENED…
BURNING MINE AND THREAT- ENED STRIKE. A singular dispute has arisen among the men, numbering close upon 150, who are employed in coping with the extraordinary fire which had been burning in Sandhole Colliery, Walkden, since December 2. The men, who have been ea- gaged on night shifts during the whole of the time, have complained of the unfairness of the arrange- ments, some of them threatening to strike unless the shifts were re-arranged. Their wishes have been met, and the operations proceeded amicably, while the fire has been prevented from spreading into other workings. Several weeks must elapse before it is ex- tinguished. •
TRANSVAAL INDEMNITY CLAIM.
TRANSVAAL INDEMNITY CLAIM. A telegram was received in London on January 11 from Pretoria stating that the amount which, in all probability, will be claimed by the Transvaal Govern- ment as compensation for Dr. Jameson's raid will not exceed 91,000,000.
THE QUEEN'S REIGN.
THE QUEEN'S REIGN. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BY TBE PRINCE OF WALES. In consequence of the numerous applications which have been received by the Prince of Wales for guid- Ii ance as to the selection of the most fitting scheme by which the 60th anniversary of the Queen's acces- sion might be celebrated, his Royal Highness desires to intimate that her Majesty still adheres to the decision already announced, to refrain from expressing an opinion upon any proposals for doing honour to herself. His Royal Highness is, however, confident that the Queen will readily appreciate any undertaking to celebrate this event which may be the outcome of the wish of her people, whether generally or locally expressed. He feels assured that in con- sidering the various suggestions, due support will be i given to works of mercy among the sick and suffering, and to anything which may tend to brighten the lives I and ameliorate the condition of her Majesty's poorer subjects.
ACROSS A CONTINENT.
ACROSS A CONTINENT. There has arrived in Liverpool from Canada a man named Beresford Greathead. Without a penny in his pocket, and earning his maintenance by lecturing in towns through which he passed—a method he i intends to pursue in England—Greathead tramped Across the American Continent from Vancouver to f Halifax, Nova Scotia, a distance of 4000 miles. He completed the journey in 12 mofitbs, averaging 23 J miles daily. When out of touch with civilisation, j Greathead subsisted on wild game. His bed was the j bare ground, He weighs 15st., is nearly 6ft. high, and was born in Hampshire, from which country he emigrated five years ago to Canada. j 'I
THE ORGAN TOOK EFFEOT.
THE ORGAN TOOK EFFEOT. Considerable excitement was caused among the con- gregation assembled at a service in Melten Mowbray Parish Church by the appearance of a drunken man ¡ carrying 4 bottle of beer. He commenced' brawliqg and creating a great disturbance, and after some trouble was forcibly ejected. On being brought before j a magistrate, he attributed his condition to the fact j that the orgaa had taken effect upon his feelingtf. He was sentenced to seven days'hard labour. J .) o '-i*.
RUMMAGE- SALES: A CAUTION.
RUMMAGE- SALES: A CAUTION. There are fashions in philanthropy, great and small, as in most other things, and at the present f time the practice of holding rummage sales "I during 'the Winter months has become very general. The organisation is simple, says the British Medical f Journal. Some lady who takes an interest in I a particular village, or a district of a large town, i announces that a rummage sale ought to be held I for the benefit of the poor, and makes requisitions of all the matrons of the neighbourhood who attend I the same place of worship. In every household there are numberless articles Which tave been cast aside, Dot because they are entirely worn out, but because they have served their turn in that family-frocks which have became shabby or too well known, suits out of which young hopeful has grown or in which be scorns, any longer to be seen, utensils of various kinds condemned by the owvants. All such articles are welcome to the organisers of a rummage sale. Formerly they were given away by the in- dividual, now they are sold at ridiculously low prices." It would be churlish to object to a system which has many good points, in particular that the articles are more likely to reach the hands of those articles are more likely to reach the bands of those who really want them than by any other method, but there is no doubt that these sales have certain dangers with regard to infection. There i, a belief less strong and general than it was, but still far from uncommon, that clothes which have become irifeoted cease to be dangerous merely by keeping. That this is a mistaken notion the history of many epidemic especially of scarlet fever and smallpox, proves con- clusively. From circumstances which have come to our knowledge, it seems to be desirable to call atten- tion to this source of possible danger, more espe- cially asdt may ba easily guarded against if its exist- ence is brought to the knowledge of the charitable ladies who organise and contribute to these sales.
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TIIERS are few better all-round sportsmen than Lord BathJgnnell. At Eton he excelled in aquatics, stroking the boat at Henley in 1867 and 1868, and winning the Ladies' Plate on both occasions. The family is decidedly an aquatic one, for one of his brothers stroked the Eton Eight after him, and rowed in the Oxford boat; whilst a son of Lord Bathdonnett's stroked the Eton Eight at Henley only last year. His lordship is also a practical yachtsman, a fine rider, a keen deer-etalker. aad a great breeder of shorthorns.
- CHANGES AT ST. STEPHENS.
CHANGES AT ST. STEPHENS. No structural alterations have been made during the recess, but the tuterior fabric of St. Stephen's baa been thoroughly cleansed for the first time since the Baiace of Westminster was built. Repairs have also been made in the Westminster bells, but the olook, which was constructed dearly 40 years ago, is pro- nounced to be as good as ever, and to requfre no re- newal whatever in aiy of its parts. i The history of "BIg Ben "-No. 1 and No. 2—was sbmewhat remarkable. Messrs. Warner accepted the Obntract for the first of the two bells, but when cast the bell came out thicker than had been intended in the design, and, although the tone was good, the metal was soon cracked by the weight of the hammer. Mr. Meartl then undertook to provide &pother bell; but this, again, proved unfortunate in that it manifested a considerable crack in the thickest part soon after it had been brought icto use. A square hole was cut where the flaw appeared, and it it somewhat remarkable that the crack has not since shown the least sign of extension, the great bell still ringing out as sonorously and as vigorously as ever. One other duty undertaken by order of her Majesty's Omce of Works must be mentioned- -namely, the removal from the octagonal hall, or outer lobby of the House of Commons, of Mr. Gil- l bert's statue of the late Mr. John Bright. The out- cry raised when this momorial was unveiled was so general that Mr. Akers-Douglas, as the responsible anthority in the Government, had ao alternative but to order its removal, and this has been done during the recess.
.ORDERS FOR BRITISH SHIP-BUILDERS.
ORDERS FOR BRITISH SHIP- BUILDERS. The Daily Graphic correspondent at Sebastopol writes There are at present seven of the 13 steamers forming the Volunteer Fleet in the port of Odessa, namely, the Petersburg, Saratoff, Orel (pronounced Aryol), Ekaterinaslaf, Kieff, Tamboff, and Yaroslavl. The Admiralty will not, therefore, be short of transports should the sudden necessity ariab for landing an army corps on the Bosphorus. The other vessels of the flotilla, the Kherson, Vladi- mir, Kostroma, Nijni-Novgorod, Voronesh, and Khabarovsk, are at sea on the Far Eastern route. The Orel has gone to Newcastle-on-Tyne for important constructive improvements. Two other new steamers, to be called the Moskva and Poltava, are building on the Tyne and Clyde respectively. These addttions will be of the same type and capacity as the Kherson. Orders for three further additional steamers will shortly be placed with British builders. The net earnings of the Volunteer Fleet for 1896 will, the correspondent continues, aggregate about, I three millions of roubles, and this sum will be ex- pended, of course, chiefly in the purchase of new1 vessels. During the current year the fleet will make in ,al,l 21 trips to tbe Far East, that is, 19 from Oqessa and two from St. Petersburg. The cabin fare Bthe single journey, to or from Vladivostock, is roubles, and the deck passage 100 roubles, both' usive of food. The merchandise tariff averages ab^ut 40 copecks per pood. The journey fropi the Black Sea to Vladivostock occupies about 40 dais, the distance being about 10,000 miles. The Government pays 210 roubles passage and ration money for each convict transported to Saghalien; the auipber of these deport6s averages about 1200 each, seaion. The association receives from the Imperial' Government a yearly subsidy of 617,000 roubles. | The present project oniw TOiunieer FIEKT atrecr-^ torate is gradually to raise the strength of their flotilla to 30 first-class vessels, all of which will be so constructed as to be readily convertible into fast' armed cruisers.
CONCERNING TWINS.
CONCERNING TWINS. One of the most remarkable things about twins is the similarity of their minds and the identity of their constitution, so that they think the same thoughts, suffer from the same diseases, and even sometimes die in the same way and at the same time. A lady, speaking of her daughters, said They were exactly alike in face, eyes, hair, figure, height, breadth, weight; they used to say the same things, in the same voice, on the same occasion; they would begin to sing the same song at the same moment, or one would Commence a sentence and the other would finish it. In fact, they appeared to be one person." A curious story of this mental relation is told of two brothers who went on a' holiday, one to Edinburgh, and the other to London. And on the same day each bought a present for the other, which was, in each case, a set of champagne glasses of exactly the same pattern. Of similarity of bodily constitution there is no end of illustrations. t, B1 ■ ■ BST
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A KNW oeone and oxygen generator has just been introduced by the Paris Academy of Science. It consists of a glass tube containing seven narrow tubes, each of which has a spiral of aluminium wire, inside and outside, which are connected with the two poles of an induction coil. These generators, in operating with air, produce as much as 170 milli- p-ammes of ozone and 235 of oxygen. TUB Hotel Regina at Cimiez, where the Queen will ttay during her visit to the Biviera, stands on a site sommandmg wide reaching views of the Medi- terranean and the Maritime Alps, The apartments vhich will be occupied by the Queen are in the west ving, which eantains.- Pout 150 rooms. Areception- oom, in white aDd gold, furnished in the style of the Empire, a Salon Lpuis Seize, and an Elizabethan lining-roomjn dark tones, red prevailing, will be the irinei,pal rooms jised by W Maiestv.
1LEAD POISONING:
LEAD POISONING: An inquest was held at Poplar on Jan. 9 on the body of a man named Bloomfield, aged 38, who had been employed as a labourer at the white lead works of the Universal Syndicate, Millwall. It appeared that the deceased had been suffering for several months from lead poisoning, and had been under medical treatment. Death was said to be due to convulsions following lead poisoning, and the coroner and jury expressed an opinion that the man ought not to have been working. A verdict of Death from misadventure was eventaally returned.
SIR M. HJUKS-J3EACH AT BRISTOL.
SIR M. HJUKS-J3EACH AT BRISTOL. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in a speech at Clifton on January 7, touched upon the financial agitation in Ireland, admitting that it was natuial for Irishmen to ask that the report of the Comtrission should be acted upon, but referring to the question involved as a large and complicated one which needed to be approached in a judicial spirit. There was fair reason, Sir M. Hicks-Beach said, to anticipate a surplus; and he mentioned as two of the subjects upon which considerable amounts would have to be spent- the defences of coaling stations for the navy and more sanitary barrack accommodation.
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*^SS5959eSQBSSSSSfi9BB5SSSSSi MOST people will be surprised at the news given In the Bookman that William Morris lost considerably on his publications in the Kelmscott Press. So cheatable was the dead poet, that though he ex- pended 95%000, and made a good deal of money in his other art ventures, he only increased his original capital by £ 5000. MR. ALFRED AUSTIN'S singular contribution to current literature known as Dr. Jameson's Ride" will not, it is stated, appear in his now book of poems.
NO SUPPER NO SONG.
NO SUPPER NO SONG. Something of the nature of a strike, says the Edin- burgh Dispatch, has occurred in the choir of Martyrs' I Free Church in Dundee. It appears that the members of the choir had arranged to hold a Hogmanay enter- tainment in the Church hall. Merrymaking was to I continue till four, o'clock on New Year1* morning; but this, it seems, did not meet with the approval of the minister of the church, and accordingly he put his veto on it, the beadle being ordered to have lights out" by one a.m. The choir bad no alterna- tive but to submit to the will of their reverend adviser, and the function was held as the minister willed. The sequel to the curtailment of the hours took place at the following Sunday morning service, when,. as a protest against the minister's action, the choir seats were deserted. The preceptor held forth himself, but, deeming assistance helpful to him, requisitioned a number of girls for the afternoon service.
GARDENING GOSSIP. -
GARDENING GOSSIP. (FrMt Cottagt Gardening FLOWER. GAR DBS. The best time to prune flowering shrubs of aii kinds is immediately after flowering—so far, at least, as refers to the spring-flowering species, and there are very few, ceoqpatatively speaking, of late-flowering shrubs. There are Althea frutex (Hibiscus) flowering in August (not half enough planted), and the Pavla macrostachya (Buck Eye), also flowering in August, deserving more attention. This is, on good soils, a small tree. Esoallonia macrantha is one vof the brightest and best of autumn-flowering shrubs, but it suffers sometimes in cold wintera away from a warm wall. It makes a neat hedge-plant near the sea, sheltered from the fierce blast. I remember seeing a hedge of this shrub beautifully in flower some years ago in a gentleman's garden near Liverpool. But the common flowering shrubs, the Lilacs, Syringas, Doatzias, Laburnums, Thorns, &c., when they want pruning at all, should be cut back in spring, after blooming. Thorns and Labur- nums are not often pruned much, but they might be shortened back at first, till the heads are formed, with advantage. When flowering shrubs are pruned a little every year they never get out of hand, and a little cutting back suffices. It is when trees and shrubs are permitted te run wild for years that a clearance has to be made and replanting to be done. I was consulted about a garden run wild some short time ago; old Lilacs of im- mense size full of dead wood, and living and dead things everywhere. The work was done in a con- servative spirit, but a good deal had to be cleared away. Nature untrimmed and untrained, in its place, is very beautiful, but near a dwelling in a well-kept garden a little trimming and training are necessary, if only merely to avoid the blank that must come sooner or later when nature is exhausted. The autumn and winter are the times for clearing away worn-out things, whether of tree or shrub growth. Something may be done when things get old to embellish their stems by planting creepers of various kinds. Honeysuckles, Ivies, Clematises in various forms, are adapted for planting against naked stems. The common Virginian Creeper has a charming effect, especially in autumn, rambling over any dwarf trees or shrubs. FRUIT GARDEN. There is an old saying, He who plants pears plants for his heirs." Even supposing this is true, which I do not admit, are we not continually working for those who will come after us?—and no healthy- minded man will complain of this but where the soil is suitable, good varieties of Pears will, if pro- perly managed, yield fruit in a few years. The Quince stock for Pears hastens their fruiting very considerably, but the Quince is a moisture-lover, and, if Pears on the Quince are planted on a dry, hungry soil, there will be no fruit worth eating. I know a garden where the soil is light and poor, rest- ing on gravel. Some years ago Pears on the Quince were planted, and though the trees flower freely from every season they seldom bear, and the fruits are poor and pithy. Things have been a little better during the last year or two, because the trees have been heavily mulched with manure, and liquid manure from a cesspool has been used freely. Those who have Pear-trees on the Quince which are not doing 'well will find the trees much improved by giving them a dressing of clay and manure, and in the spring, say, in Mardh, empty the cesspool over the roots. Pear-trees oa the Pear stock may be brought into bearing speedily by root- pruning. But in planting Poars on the Pear stock, place a couple of slates at the bottom of the hole, two feet or so down, directly under the roots. This will check the vertical descent of the roots, and make root- lifting and pruning comparatively easy work. In a suitable climate some of the best Pears will bear freely on pyramids and espaliers, and good fruits are often grown on tall standards. Half-a-dozen good Pears, to form a suitable succession, will be as follows: Williams' Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Doyenne du Cornice, Pitmaston Duchess, and Glou Morceau. SEEDLING PRIMROSES AND POLYANTHUSES. These beautiful spring flowers should be raised from seed annually, but not treated as annuals beyond the annual sowing of seed. There is abso- lutely no difficulty about the matter, because the Polyanthus always seeds pretty freely, and the Primroses will do so from the later blooms in the case of strong plants. By sowing seed as soon as it can be well ripened, and pricking out the seed- lings in frames shaded from hot sun, so that they may be strong for planting out into beds in the autamn, I get a good bloom from nearly all the plants the first spring, and a truly grand bloom the 3econd year, when the plants seem to have reached their best; and from that time, whether lifted, divided, and replanted, or left untouched, they almost always began to decay. Very much depends upon the summer. If hot and parching, then the leaves are eaten up by thrips, and the crowns rarely recover; but if cool, the plants may stand fairly well. More plants, when they get a few years old, die, however, from root-rot than from any other cause; and it is not possible to counteract this decay except by lifting the clumps entire, pulling off each crown, singly, clean from the old roots, and then dib- bling these out into fresh soil, where they may get a new lease of life. Still, the plan of raising a fresh batch from seed is simplest and best. These flowers will do admirably in many a shady nook in town gardeofl, and it should not be lost sight of i hat in many of the small enclosures in the suburbs there is often more shade than the owners desire. In such places the Primroses-will be invaluable. POD-BURSTING IN CARNATIONS. The bsfsting and splitting of the buds so com- monly follow attempts to increase the size of Carna- tion bloans that it ie a question whether size in these flowers is worth aiming at so much as quality and variation eA. colour. A splitting flower is pretty well indicated by the character of the bud, for those which are very stout and rounded show fairly well that they have in them too much strength, and will burst to pieces. Splitting may be checked to some extent in the case of pot-plants by loosening the calyx all round, and bv tying the buds low down; but the defeat is so serious that it is doubtful whether the trouble involved is repaid by the production in the end of large, but almost always irregular, flowers. These splitting flowers seem in most cases to be abnormal ia oharacter, and almost invariably a dormant bud is found in the centre of each bloom. The buds from side-shoots, being less full, may open better; but non* do so with that excellence which marks flowers less full, but more evenly arranged. Not only should all bursting flowers be thrown away but even the finest of them should not tempt raisers of seedlings to perpetuate their defects. However, a batch of seedling Carnations from any ordinarily good strain will always give the larger proportion of medium-sized solid flowers, which will open evenly and satisfactorily. Like all other seedling flowers, Carnations are of greet interest when a batch is so obtained. The colours or markings remain unknown until the blooms open, and whether the plant will give flowers of special merit or otherwise can only be seen wh an the blooms are fully expanded.
--INDIAN FAMINE RELIEF.
INDIAN FAMINE RELIEF. A NATIONAL AXPHAL: The followingoommunication from the Lord Mayor of London has been published: [ « Mansion Hoase, January 8,1897. Sir,—I have just received the appended letter from Lord George Hamilton, the Secretary of State for India, in regard to the famine there, and I have also had the advantage of an interview with him on the subject. As there is, unhappily, no longer any doubt or to he extreme gravity and extent of the calamity, I feel it my duty, as Lord Mayor, to open a National Fund lit the Mansion House in aid of the distress, and to form an influential committee to succour our suffering fellow-subjects in the Indian Empire. In these circumstances I urgently appeal to the benevolent public throughout the kingdom for help in this national crisis, and I invite the Lord Mayors and Mayors of England and Ireland and the Pro- vosts of Scotland to form committees in their respec- tive districts in aid of the fund. I would also ask the clergy and ministers to make collections, and thereby afford their powerful co-operation. Subscriptions may be sent to me at the Mansion House or to the account of Tbe Indian Famine Fund' at the Bank of England. I am, sir. your obedient servant, G. FATO ELL-PHILLIPS, Lord Mayor." The letter referred to in the foregoing communica- tion is as follows: "India Office, January 8, 1897. My dear Lord Mayor,—The Indian Govern- ment have now Bent home the information I was awaiting, and which they consider should form the foundation of any national appeal in Great Britain for subscriptions towards an Indian Famine Relief Fund. I am, therefore, now in a position to heartily avail myself of your lordship's promised assistance, and I propose to place at your disposal such informa- tion as will clearly define the dimensions of the calamity with which we are dealing, and of the machinery proposed for the distribution and control of the funds received.—Believe me, yours truly, GROIRGIB HAMILTON." CONTRIBUTION FROM THE QTMUN. The Lord Mayor of London having telegraphed to the Private Secretary of the Queen an intimation of the opening of a fund at the Mansion House for the relief of the distress caused by famine in India, received on January 9 the following reply: To the Bight Hon. the Lord Mayor, Mansion House, London. Osborne.-The Queen thanks your lordship for the information contained in your telegram, and commands me to state that her Majesty wishes to con- tribute £ 500 to the Indian Famine Fund.-EDWARDS." The Lord Mayor replied as follows: To Lieut.-Colonel the Right Hon. Sir Fleetwood Edwards, K.C.B.-I acknowledge with feelings of loyalty and gratitude her Most Gracious Majesty's munificent donation to the fund. The effect will be of incalculable benefit. I am sparing no effort to ensure unqualified success.-LoRD MAYOR." The Lord Mayor has contributed lOOgs.; Lord George Hamilton, 9250; Alderman Sir Reginald Hanson, M.P., lOOgs.; Messrs. Arbuthnot, Lathom, and Co., £ 250; Messrs. Edgar, Corrie, and Co., £ 250; Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell, lOOgs.; Messrs. Shepard and Co., £ 100; Messrs. Samuel Berger and Co., lOOgs.; Sir Harry Poland, Q.C., 10gp.; Sir James Peile, £10; Mr. T. Thornton, £ 25; Mr. W. H. Craig, E25; Mr. A. W. Wallace, £ 50; Mr. Richard Thorp, Jb50.
A PRINCE OF GUIDES.
A PRINCE OF GUIDES. Grindelwald has just celebrated the 70th birthday of Aimer, the doyen of Swiss guides. Aimer has been the pioneer of all modern mountain-stormers," to use the picturesque German word. In the Bernese Oberland aloae he has made the ascent of the Jungfrau, Moench, Eiger, Wetterhorn, and Schseck- horn no less than 100 times, and with the exception of the Jungfaau, he has been the first to set foot on I their snowy crests. He is also the only living moun- taineer who has made the descent from the Moenoh on to- th. WengenaIp, and St ic aaid tfaare W not a mountain peak in the Valais, Grisons, Savoy, and Dauphine on which he has not bivoucked. He has five sons, all of them trained from childhood to be guides, and some have carried on their father's work with English mountaineers in the Caucasus and the Himalayas. Aimer affirms that none of his climbers has ever had an accident, but he himself has his soars of battle. On the Grindelwald glacier a falling block of ice broke several of his ribs, and in a winter ascent of the Jungfrau in 1885 his toes were all frozen and had to be amputated. Since then he has retired from work and now enjoys a green old age ia his chalet at Grindelwald.
THE BLACK GOWN.
THE BLACK GOWN. The St. John's Church (Boscombe) Parish Maga- zine for the current month contains the following statement with reapeot to what is now commonly tnown as The Black Gown Case The black gown will not be worn at St. John's at least during the pre- sent vicar's incumbency. We feel that it would be detrimental to the best interests of the parish to tie down the present and all future vicars of St. John's to the wearing of what is now a badge of an extaeme party in the Church of England. The vicar has, of course, had hardly anything to do with the late lawsuit. The promise of the JE1500 was first made (without the black gown condi- tion) in a letter to (and in reply to an appeal from) our dear friend Mrs. Close on Nov. 17, 1887, long before the vicar's time. Two of the most learned ecclesiastical lawyers of the day,.one being a patron of the living, having advised, us that, in their opinion, the condition of the wearing of the black gown in the pulpit was now an illegal one to make, and that we ought therefore to try and get the money tor the present and future benefit of the parish, their advice was of coqrse followed. The matter is now at an end, and the black gown is still a legal veatment V
[No title]
DICK HICKS (watching the orchestra): Those musicians don't care anything about the director." Mrs. Hicks: How do you know ?" Dick Hicks M The more he shakes that stick at 'em the harder they fiddle." THE imitative nature of the Japanese has led to some queer mechanical productions, A lighthouse it now being erected at Kagoshima, which is to have, when completed, a height. of 100ft. The lighthouse in question will consist of an iron tower, which will carry at its summit an illuminating apparatus of the first order. The scaffolding is made entirely of ropes of braided straw. All these ropes are interlaced with one another, crossing in all directions to form a structure of great firmness. An inclined plane is used for the transport of materials. It is held firmly by ropes of braided straw. The construction, thus I made, presents a very odd appearance. WAITER Sorry, sir, but ve haf no more quail on toast alretty." Customer: 44 That's too bad. We), have you anything else that is just as good?" Waiter: Ach, ja! Besser I Ve haf tripe, viener- ▼urst, pigs' feet, frankfurter und cabbage und sauer- kraut." WnlllN the tunnel is made through Mont Simplon, the distance between Milan or Piacenza or Genoa and Paris or Boulogne or Calais will be considerably I's less than it is now by taking either the Mont Cenis or Mont St. Gothard routes. The gain amounts in some oases to over 100 kilometres in a 1200 kilo- metres journey. Besides this, the incline presented by the Mont Cenis route is 1293 metres high, and that of St. Gothard 1155 metres, whilst the Simplon is only 705 metres.
EPITOME OF NEWS.* I'
EPITOME OF NEWS. I IT is officially stated that Princess LouiflV7 Marchioness of Lome, is quite well again. LORD BOSBBERY, who is at Mentmore, is reported t. be suffering from an attack of influeaea. SIR JOHN AND LADY FOWLER have gone to Egypt till \he end of February. IT is stated that the Queen of Holland and the- Queen Regent will visit England next June. i LORP AND LADY RADNOR will shortly go to thli Riviera. LORD BRucB and the Hon. E. Bruce, sons of the Earl of Elgin, have been on a trip to Calcutta ill charge of Mr. H. St. T. Cole. < Loan BOTHSCIIILD'S pet charity, e. Jews' Fred School, costs him at let -P.'OOO a -ear- N aimost all tne manufacturing towns of Europe, during the last half century schools have been opened tor apprentices in the industrial arts. In Russia there are no less than 1200 of these schools with 20,008 pupils. In England and Belgium 142 out of eveia 1000 boys attend industrial schools, Holland has 531 schools, attended by about 7000 pupils, Switzerland has no less than 87 schools giving instruction to apprentices and workmen. In Denmark, a counferj of 2,096,467 inhabitants, there are 79 schools for Ilr fessional instruction of workmen with more than 6000 pupils. The technical school of Copenhagen alone numbers ne less than 2000. In Sweden there are 28 industrial schools; that of Stockholm has 8()() pupils, more than one-half per cent. of the population e.f,the town. VISCOUNT STRATHALLAN has let his Perthshire seat," Strathallan Castle, on a long lease to Mr. G. Al. Whitelaw, late M.P. for North-Wes* Lanarkshire, j LORD AND LADY DUDLEY have arrived at tht Chateau de Thorenc, Cannes, where they are to be the guests of Lord Rendel. After a stay of a few dayø. they will go to Nice and Monte Carlo. ALL future war vessels added to the Cferman Navy are to be built with a view to using petroleum instead of coal as fuel. Reservoirs for holding laige quanti ties of oil are being built at ports which have hitbert* been coaling stations. j THE newreservorr at XRUG-IIM, 40 South Essex Water Company, in order to meet the rapidly-growing demands of Ilford, has a capacity of 868,000 gallons it is 132ft. long, 88ft. wide, and 12fti deep, and is situated 208ft. above sea leveL OVER 1000 ships of all kinds and sizes pass up an4 down the English Channel every 24 hours, and there are scarcely ever less than 200 near Land's End, feaT, ing or bearing up for the Channel. THERE will presently be completed a new jetty et the north end of the Liverpool landing-stated which will enable the Irish and Scotch boats iw the future to be loaded or unloaded at any state at the tide. MR. WILLIAM DUNDAS GARDINER has been appointed: County-court Judge of Bath in place of Judge Caiw lard, retired after 38 years' service—a record terns among living county-court judges. k A MARRIAGE is arranged between Captain Wynn» (18th Begiment), of Clogbrevagh, county Sligo, Miss Morris, daughter of Lord Morris, of Spid who was ereated a Lord of Appeal and a peer for in December, 1889. MR. JOSEPH GRIGGS, first Mayor of Loughborongfcr has offered to erect a technical institute and J: ubllG baths at Loughborough in commemoration of t". Queen's reign. The offer has been accepted by th, Council. IT is proposed to invite subscriptions from tBff members of the Matabeleland Relief Force for the purpose of erecting tombstones over the graves OF their comrades who, fell in action or died during th, recent campaign in Rhodesia. R LORD LONSDALE has intimated that he will recon* eider his decision to retire from the masteriship Of the Quorn Hunt at the end of the season on condition, than an additional £ 1000 is raised. I Airrim boring to a depth of 1178ft. at \feelGfi Essex, the Eastern Counties Coal Boring Association have abandoned the attempt made to reach a bed 0*5 black diamond. A previous drilling at StuttoBf Suffolk, has also been a failure in its main object but the search is still to be continued at other placOlO THE Baroness Adolph de Rothschild, at "bef Brittany villa, in one of the walls of ber boudojr, HA# a sliding panel of plate-glass, through which phjasuse she can see into her beautifully FITTE^^B oow-shed, where the animals feed from ffiarbw mangers, and are milked into silver pailsi Tall Admiralty have decided to remove FROM tbf effective list of the navy the turret ship Prince Albert, named in honour of the late Prince Consort; built at Samuda's yard, Poplar, in 1864, at a cost of NEARLY £ 210.000. JLer maintenance and RAJ?*5"" amounted to £ 50,OUK MR. CHAMBERLAIN'S secretary writes to a corre" spctadent: "The subject of Old Age Pensions ft no1* being considered by a committee, and if you any practical scheme, Mr. Chamberlain suggests tb»H you should communicate with the secretary." MR. CHAMBBRLAIB has been selected as the fird president of the institution which it is sought. incorporate under the name of "Mason University College." It is proposed that the governors sbali include the Marquis of Hertford and a number Of ether noblemen.. THE Queen has been pleased on the nominatton Of Lord Belper to appoint Major Charles Edgeworttt Gubbins, late 3rd Hyderabad Cavalry, to be one of her Majesty's Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at* Arms, vice Major Lord Henry Edward Brudenell Somerset, who resigns his appointment. LARom diamonds, says Professor Crookes, are notof such uncommon occurrence at Kimberley as is gene* rally supposed many weighing more than loz. have been found. The largest ever got weighed 42Sf carats in the rough and 228- when cut and pofisbecL Jagerfontein mine has produced a diamond that weighed 970 carats itr is now being cut at Amster- dam. IT was stated in the course of some proceedings is" London, before the Lord Mayor's Court, that the average profit made by the head-waiter of a City, luncheon restaurant who took the money of cut- tomers was £ 5 a week after paying the under-voitert- This was made up entitely of tips. MEERSCHAUM is found in. fine white clay-like maøetJ in. various regions, but chiefly in Asia Minor, Livadia* and the Island of Eubcea. When first taken out it i. soft, and makes lather like soap. It is manufactured into tobacco-pipes, which, after being carved of turned, aretated to dry them, then boiled in mi poltshed, and finally boiled in oil or wax. AN International Congress of Publishers was held in Paris last June, and was attended by several English delegates, Mr. Edward Marston being of the number. As a souvenir of his visit to the French capital, Mr. Marston has just received an exceedingly handsome service de Sivrtsr witban official letter from the Minister of Commerce. THE Princess of Wales has promised to visit the Trades and Industrial Exhibition which is to be held at King's Lynn from February 10 to 18. Her Boyal Highness is especially interested in this exhibition owing to the fact that it will include specimens of work from her own technical school at Sandringham* of which Miss Noedel is the lady superintendent, j- ANOTHER historic residence has come into the market. Penshurst Castle, in Kent, is announced to be sold or let. It is famous as the birthplace in 1554 of Sir Philip Sidney, in whosefalmily the property has remained to this day, the present reprementative being Lord d'Isle and Dudley. The castle is an ancient quadrangular edifice with a spacious court; chapel, and hall. FSiom the records of the Probate Offiee for 1896 we and that there are no less than 43 cases of personal properties and estates sworn to, whose individual values exceed £200,000. The are two only that reach the." million and over. There are 10 that pub-the half-million, six that are over £ 400,000, 10 over £ 300,000, and the remainder are filled in at sums varying from £ 213,000 (the lowest on the list) to £ 294,411. The late Baron Hirsch's English propertyc although but a small part of his estate, places him at Che top of the record, and his name is followed bj{ that of the late Bight Honourable Sir Julian Gold- smid, Bart., their respective personalities being, in the first case £ 1,372,163, and in the latter £ 1,093,493, M. KAEMPFEN, Director of the National Art GaUeries of France, in a speech to the students of the Ecole des Beaux Arts, protested against the extreme tnoderniBts, who would lanish the antique altogether from the schools. "Be of all ages," If* Kaempfen, U even of that which is to comet if yot, have imagination enough to invent it. Ðorrow from oars, to reproduce our greatness and misery, our beauty and ugliness—but do not impoverish art by suppressing antiquity. To have learned to drape a tunic, a peplum, a top or a chlamys, does not ine- capacitate an artist from copying accurately a frock coat, a waistcoat or a pair of pantaloons; perhaps, indeed, the task will be rendered easier by the accom- plishment of a previous oa. of vreaUr difficulty."