The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford

RANDOM READINGS. EVOLUTION. When you were a tadpole and I was a fish, In the Paleozoic time, And side by side on the ebbing tide We sprawled through the ooze and slime, Or skittered with many a caudal flip Through the depths of the Cambrian fen, My heart was rife with the joy of life, For I loved you even then. Mindless we lived and mindless we loved, And mindless at last we died; And deep in a rift of the Caradoc drift We slumbered side by side. The world turned on in the lathe of time, The hot lands heaved amain, Till we caught our breath from the womb of death, And crept into light again. We were Amphibians, scaled and tailed, And drab as a dead man's hand; We coiled at ease 'neath the dripping trees, Or trailed through the mud and sand, Croaking and blind, with our three-clawed feet Writing a language dumb, With never a spark in the empty dark To hint at a life to come. Yet happy we lived, and happy we loved, And happy we* died once more Our forms were rolled in the clinging mold Of a Neocomian shore. The eons came, and the eons fled, And the sleep that wrapped us fast Was riven away in a newer day, And the night of death was passed. Then light and swift through the jungle trees We swung in our airy flights, Or breathed in the balms of the fronded palms, In the hush of the moonless nights. And, oh! what beautiful years were these, When our hearts clung each to each; When life was filled, and our senses thrilled In the first faint dawn of speech. Thus life by life, and love by love, We passed through the cycles strange, And breath by breath, and death by death, We followed the chain of change. Till there came a time in the law of life When over the nursing sod The shadows broke, and the soul awoke In a strange, clim dream of God. I was thewed like an Auroch bull, And tusked like the great Cave Bear; And you, my sweet, from head to feet, Were gowned in your glorious hair. Deep in the gloom of a tireless cave, When the night fell o'er the plain, And the moon hung red o'er the river bed, We mumbled the bones of the slain. I flaked a flint^to a cutting edge, And shaped it with brutish craft; I broke a shank from the woodland dank And fitted it, head and haft. Then I hid me close to the reedy tarn, Where the Mammoth came to drink; Through brawn and bone I drave the stone, And slew him upon the brink. Loud I howled through the moonlit wastes, Loud answered our kith and kin; From west and east to the crimson feast: The clan came trooping in. O'er joint and gristle and padded hoof, We fought, and clawed, and tore, And cheek by jowl, with many a growl, We talked the marvel o'er. I carved that fight on a reindeer bone, With rude and hairy hand, I pictured his fall on the cavern wall That men might understand.. For we lived by blood, and the right of might, I lire human laws were drawn, And the Age of Sin did not begin Till our brutal tusks were gone. And that was a million years ago, In a time that no man knows Yet here to-night in the mellow light We sit at Delmonico's. b Your eyes are deep as the Devon springs, y lour hair is as dark as jet. "iour years are few, your life is new, lour soul untried, and yet- Our trail is on the Kimmeridge clay, And the scarp of the^Purbeck flag!?, We have left our bones in the Bagshot stones, And deep in the Coraline crags; Our love is old, our lives are old, And death shall come amain; Should it come to-day, what man may say We shall not live again? God wrought our souls from the TYemadoc beds And furnished them wings to fly; He sowed Our spawn in the world's dim dawn, And I know that it shall not die. Though cities have sprung above the graves Where the crook-boned men made war, And the ox-wain creaks o'er the buried caves, Where the m,ummied mammoths are. Then as we linger at luncheon here, O'er many a dainty dish, Let us drink anew to the time when you Were a Tadpole and I was a Fish. LANGDON SMITH, in the New York Morning Journal. -_+-

RHEUMATISM KIDNEY TROUBLE I Rheumatism is due to uric acid, crystals in the joints and muscles, the result of excessive uric acid, which is also the capse of backache, lumbago, sciatica, gout, urinary trouble, stone, L, n gravel, and dropsy. t) Estora Tablets, a thoroughly harmless specific based on modern medicinal science, are the successful treatment, and have cured numberless obstinate cases after the failure of ill other tried remedies, which accounts for heir superseding out-of-date medicines sold I a price beyond all but the wealthy. Women frequently suffer from ills, aches id pains, under the impression that they are ctims of ailments common to their sex, but ■ >re often than not it is due to the kidneys d in such cases Estora Tablets will set em right Estora Tablets-an honest remedy at an [lest price -Is 3d per box of 40 tablets, or for 6s 9d. All chemists, or postage free m Estora Co, 13 2, Charing Cross Road, ndon, W.C. Brecon Agent WALTER I HLLBI, M. P. S., Medical Hall; Builth Wells 1 -,ent-T.A. COLTMAN, M.P.S The Pharmacy

POULTRY KEEPING. A PROFITABLE HOBBY. BY "UTILITY," A MATTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. When ilie world realises the true meaning of cleanliness, doctors and disease will dis- appear. Dirt in some form or other is at the bottom of, I suppose, every disease. It is just the Sa.D10 in the poultry world. Cleanliness iõ perhaps the most important matter of man- agement-. Dirt in any form will keep back the birds, eggs will be fewer, and the birds wiU not. get on so well. Insect pests arc every- where ft recognised form of uncleanne-e, and most- poultry-keepers are ready to go to a good deal of trouble k get rid of them, 2iirnc- washing houses, runs, and all buildings is the most effective way of keeping these in check, and if it is done two or three times a year so much the better. A good wash, which will prove impervious to the weather, is made as follows: Place some freshly-burnt lime in a pail, and pom- over sufficient water to cover it. Boiled oil should be immediately added in the propor- tion of a pint of oil to a gallon of wash. The whole should then be thinned with water to the required consistency, and if a disinfecta-nt is added the wash is all the more effective. It should be applied with a whitewash brush, well sluicing the liquid iiito-all cracks and crevices. This washing will do a great deal towards preventing red mite. which does so much harm, especially to growing birds. Fleas and lice, too, are nut likely to persist in clean buildings, and if the perches and all acces- sories are made removable, so that thev can be well scrubbed with hot water and soda, a very long way has been gone towards perfect- cleanliness. QUAINT BUT USEFUL. A friend of mine once had his own ideas as to the best laying breeds. His opinion was that you could not equal a cross between a Leghorn and a Houdan, and he never kept, anv other birds, except pure ones of both varieties. He certainly did get quantities of eggs from his birds, and lie always had a nice fat fowl for the table when it was wanted, so II gave him due respect for his opinions. The Houdan ought to be better known, and I believe it is largely its quaint appearance that prevents many breeders taking it up. Thev think such a fancy appearance cannot go with a utility character. But this is not the case, for the Houdan is a free layer of nice- sized white eggs, is a splendid table fowl, and does nor become broody. The eggs are ejfceptionally fertile, hatching well. The chickens grow and flerfge quickly, the young cockerels being distinguishable from the pullets Uy their combs. The breed is hardy, and though it thrives-well on most soils, it really does best on a chalky one. It certainly makes a first-rate cross with most other breeds, especially with the Brahma and the Dorking, when table birds are wanted. It is believed that the Dorking was one of the original parents, for the bird has the- square, compact shape, the deep breast, and the five toes of that breed. The colour is black and white, the crest, beard, and muffling being of these shades. evenly distributed. The remainder of the plumage is glossy green-black evenly muttled with pure white, the mottles free from any v I R 0 I'D A Y, H E --N-. black streaks and sharply defined. Cockerels breed rather frequently almost black -Liroughout, the while mottles being very small; but, on the other hand, birds with more white than black in their plumage are frequently seen. The ideal, of course, is to have both colours level. The comb is of the leaf type, rather resem- bling two scallop shells joined near the base. In both sexes the fleshy parts of the head are bright red, and the eat lobes are pinky-white, The legs and feet are also of '"he colour, except for the blue-black mottling. For those who want a good table bird the Houdan is I eminently suited. It is very fleshy and plump, and has a large proportion of breast lllE-at; the bones are small and the flesh and skin are i white, and tlic-v are easy birds to fatten quickly. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Regular Reader." SEX OF GUINEA FOWLS.—Immature guinea fowls do not differ at all the male from the female, and to an in- experienced eye there is practically no differ- ence when the birds are fully grown. You can only distinguish which is which by habit and manner, not by colouring. The cock is some- what larger than the hen, he is very quarrel- some with other birds, and has a way of stiffening his back and running on his toes in a meant-to-be threatening manner. It is the hen only who has the peculiarly pathetic and monotonous cry which is often said to sound like "Come back." "W. Y."—INFERTILE EGGS.—It is very un- fortunate that both your sittings have turned out so badly and so many eggs proved infer- tile. The trouble is probably from the stock birds being too fat, + 1. "ugh a rather common cause is running too uiy birds with a male Jird. Opinions differ as to the number best suited to the average cock, but I think seven is the maximum which it is unwise to exceed, es- pecially early in the season. If you think your birds are too fat feed them more sparingly and bury all their grain food. Breeding from closely related stock is another cause of in- fertility. Another year I should suggest that you buy cocks from away, not use your own birds. L. T^"—WHEN TO HATCH BANTAMS.— May or Jiifte are the best months in which to hatch the young bantams, but July is not too y z, late for some of the smallest, varieties. They do not require food that will make plenty of bone and flesh, like the large breeds do. When first hatched, groats, canary, millet seed and dari, and later a little stimulating snice and chopped meat will heln them To

Wilcockson, Brecon. '7 y¿ FORM • Best British Hair Brushes White Horn, Whalebone and Bristle. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. Tooth Brushes of all Sorts, Nail and Cloth Brushes. Military Brushes M CA!ESHER Hand Mirrors, Shaving Sets, Shaving Brushes, Dressing Combs. FULL UP WITH GOVERNMENT WORK. HAROLD ELSTON, Trading as INA Harold Elston 6 Co., THE MODERN GARAGE, BRECON, Wishes to state that owing to the above he is unable to accept any work unless accom- ipanied with a class "A" Priority Certificate. Agricultural & Pitwood Hauling Machinery WILL BE PUT IN HAND IMMEDIATELY. Any class of repair by the Oxy-Acetylene Welding Process must also bear a Certificate. H:- -+ SECOND-HAND FURNITURE. WANTED to buy privately, for cash, any quantity of, SECOND- YV HAND FURNITURE. Best prices given. FOR SALE various lots. We are'always adding to our stock. Don't miss "just what you wanted. Inspection invited at THE ARCADE, BRECON MARKET. BOWN & CON 33, HIGH STREET, BRECON.

addressed to Utility," care of the Editor. Requests for special information must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. BARGOEO" COAL. THE MOST LASTING COAL IS "WELSH." THE BEST WELSH GOAL IS BARGOED." The only place obtainable in Brecon is a) THE Breconshire Coal & Lime CO. It is sold at all the Company's Retail Depots. Truck Loads (4 to 10 tons) may be had at any Station in Wales at Fmotorelprices. J t. PARISH COUNCIL C&ERKS.—The forms and notices required by^Clerks to Parish Cconcils and Parish Meetings/ftiay be b otaincd ta the 4 onnCty Times" Offices, Brecon.

mature quickly. rins is the best way to keep ill em small. X. Y. Z."—GLASS FOR GRIT.—I have often heard the suggestion this year to crush up broken glass and china for the birds in the place of the very dear and scarce poultry grits, but I do not recommend it. Sooner or later there is the possibility of a very sharp piece causing internal damage, and a good bird, perhaps, is wasted for the sake of a few shillings. The sort of grit which is most suit- able—and still eli-eap '-is road grit, obtained from roads where there is not much motor traffic and there is no risk of petrol con- tamination. E. R."—CARE OF YOUNG TURKEYS.—You cannot do better than follow the advice Agricola "—a well-known expert-gives. Finely-chopped young onions or chives mixed -7itli the food given to young turkeys are of great benefit, and are especially useful when they reach that stage of growth known as "shooting the red." This is a critical period in the life of a turkey poult, and one when it requires great care and attention. The veget- able named above, however, will materially assist in bringing the young birds safely through this period, and will be found more efficacious than the peppercorns usually given as a tonic. The provision of suitable grit should not be overlooked. m All correspondence affecting this column should be