Welsh Newspapers
Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles
16 articles on this Page
FIELD AND FARM. I
FIELD AND FARM. I (From The Agricultural Gazette.") THE CLOVER HAY CROP. Lovely as the weather has been of late, we have not seemed able to get rid of the north-westerly winds. The sun has been hot, but the winds and the nights cold. Growth is not rapid, and the rains were not sufficient to secure continuous development. Now that the season is so far advanced -*e must come to the conclusion that heavy crops of ulover are not to be expected. It is too early to maku any forecast as to meadow grass, but the start was late, and has not been vigorous, and a few more dry days will injuriously affect the yield. THE TURNIP FLY. The fly ia usually particularly busy before June is in, and hence early-sown crops are sometimes swept off almost before they are well up. The methods pro- posed for combating the turnip fly are very numerous, and no plan appears more promising than dusting with lime from a Strawsonizer. Having witnessed this plan in operation over a dozen years ago, one can only wonder that it has not come into general use. Now the Strawsonizer seems to have left the turnip ily, and turned its efforts on charlock spray- ing. Last year (remarks Prof. John Wrightson) I drew attention to a very good system, namely, that of drawing a piece of old carpet or any cheap fabric, saturated with paraffin over the surface. The material was rendered rigid by stretchers across one end, and in the middle, and was drawn over the affected field by a horse. It seemed to stupify the fly, and to do a great deal of good. When the fly comes in strength again, I hope to bring out this weapon of offence. As yet this year there has been no fly, and early-sown rape has come through its most critical stages without a check. Any method of dealing with the turnip fly must be thoroughly practical, that is, it must blend with the usual methods of farming. The enemy does not always appear, and he is often vanquished by a timely change in the weather without more ado. At other times the young plants struggle through, although hardly beset while in less fortunate case? the best plan is to take the bull by the horns and re-sow, without further tinkering. The means for evading or circumventing the fly, which have found the most favour with practical men are those which form part of a good cultivation generally. Thus a fine and moist seed-bed, drilled not too shallow, and with plenty of seed. The plants are carefully watched, and are rolled upon the first appearance of the fly. Rolling is a very good thing, as it disturbs the fiv and raises a dust which falls again upon the young leaves and powders them over in a manner distasteful to the fly. Brush harrowing serves the same purpose. So also does the carpet or old mat- ing steeped in paraffin and water (1 to 4). Such means as these are often successful in bringing the crop through its infant troubles. As a means of distracting the attention of the fly from swedes, a larger quantity of seed, say, 41b. per acre, is useful, or better still, 21b. of turnip seed and 21b. of swede seed. Mustard has also been recom- mended to be wheeled over the entire area at the time of drilling, with a view to afterwards destroy- ing it by horse and hand hoeing, but this is less prac- tical, being expensive and troublesome. The fly" is an annoying contingency, answer- able for very heavy losses to farmers, but as yet no prevention method has been discovered which has come into general use. The labour arrangements on farms are of such a nature that the farmer will not tolerate any recommendation which interferes with the routine of his work, and hence fly-traps have never become popular. What we want is to cultivate so as to avoid the evil, or to use such simple means as may be applied at once without preparation, or the purpose of costly implements. THE LACK OF LABOUR. I Lady Warwick (writes "ASufferer") was appeal- ing the other day for subscriptions in aid of her hostels for the training of educated ladies for dairy work and poultry management. The real difficulty which farmers experience, how- ever, is in obtaining servants, male and female, who will consent to milk. I have been informed of farmers who have been compelled to abandon dairy business, and to reduce their stock of milch cows to the number necessary to provide milk and butter for their own consumption, entirely because of this difficulty. If you mention to a lad or lass in the "hirings" that you want a milker, he or she declines to engage. What large dairy-farmers will have to do is perplexing. I have from 60 to 80 cows, and recently (con- tinues the complaining correspondent, who is a Yorkshireman) I advertised in papers at Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, York, Leeds, Norwich, and else- where, but could only obtain an offer from one family who could supply the requisite number of milkers, and these are from Scotland. To my astonishment I am told that, although I have engaged four good milkers," it is not the intention of the father to milk, only to superintend and strip the cows. Then father and son, who can finish the work in tho byre, now that cows are turned on grass, about half-past ten, will not assist until milk- ing time comes round with other work, but retire home to rest, and claim the time as their own. One man could easily do the work, and the other might help with the farm work. But this is not their way, and they decline positively to help. Then the can washing has been done cheerfully hitherto by one English woman, married, but the Scotch lassie, over 21 and strong and healthy, rebels and considers that there is too much to do, and re- fuses to keep the dairy floor clean. That must be done by the servant of the house. This can wash- ing, to be done well, will not occupy more than an hour in the forenoon. The question is, What are dairy farmers to do ? Female milkers are the mo-st efficient, when they take to the work. Their hands are more supple, and their delicacy of touch and handling of the cows being more gentle, induce the cow to yield their milk more freely than male milkers with larger and harder hands. Then there is the cottage difficulty. It is possible to get a married man and his wife, because the wages are higher than for ordinary farm labourers, hut cottages will have to be multiplied, an 1 all landlords cannot afford to build them. And then the kind of cottage that would satisfy in the days gone by will not do so now. This extra accommodation and com- fort, I quite think they are justified in demanding, but it is an expense to the landlord and farmer. If some Lady Warwick would introduce a system of training the rising generation to milk, it w^uld be a boon to dairy farmers and help them to meet the demands of the country for milk and dairy produce. Is it surprising that Denmark and other countries I can send their dairy produce to this country and dispose of the large and increasing quantities year after year ? Agricultural experts who write to the newspapers insist that dairy farming is the only branch that is really profitable now but how is it to be cultivated or maintained with this growing dis- inclination of farm labourers to engage for the work ? And then, if a farmer has to keep double the men on his farm that would be necessary if the time of the labourers was fully occupied with one kind of work or another, the expenses will absorb all the profit. The census returns show a diminishing rural population, and I know that the desires of the children of farm labourers are to get into the towns, where more enjoyment and freedom are obtainable, and, unlesa it can be stopped, how are the older labourers to be replaced. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. ) The report of the Council of the Royal Agricul- tural Society states that the general result of the past year's working ia that the total assets of the Society on December 31, 1900, including in- vested capital ( £ 17,823) fixtures, furniture, I machinery, country meeting plant, &c., were £ 31,324 as against E37,419 at the end of 1899, a diminution of nearly JE6100, accounted for as follows £ 708 for depreciation, E3516 deficits of the income aud expen- diture accounts, and E1871 difference between the amount added to and-that taken from the reserve fund under the system explained ia the report. These items of course include the loss of £ 3464 on the York Show. The members now number 10,0.33, a notxinal reduction of 633 from the total of 10.666 reported to the anniversary general meeting held on May 22 last year. The diminution it accounted for by the deaths of 2Q4 membeus; voluntary resigna- tions, 314; and by the action of the Council under the bye-'aws as to arrears or absence of addresses. 159. There were two new Governors and 86 new members during the half-year.
[No title]
Tomity Father, whit is the difference between I a habit and a vice ?" Tommy's Father: "Habita, my son, are our own frailties vices are those of other people."
I GARDENING GOSSIP.
GARDENING GOSSIP. (From" Gardening Illustrated.") PLANTING WATER LILLIES. The recent acquisitions among Water Lilies and the imerest, that has been awakened in them will in- duce many who have water at command to plant them. The present is the very best time for planting, as active growth is now commencing, and the plants pur, in now quickly establish themselves and make new growth, whilst flowers follow soon after and continue throughout late summer and autumn. Plants of even moderate size planted at this time, with H little care gain strength rapidly and give quite a number of fine flowers during the same year. The new kinds are too precious to risk their loss by hap- hazard planting, but the actual way ninat be deter- mined by the convenience one has for their culture. The first pond of Water Lilies I planted was an arti- ficial one with concrete bottom, which, failing to keep in the water, was further puddled with 6in. of clay. As there was little mud deposit, I placed the plants for the first season into large pots with good soil, and sank them in the pond. They all did well, and every kind flowered within ten weeks of planting, which was done in May, and they bloomed in autumn, when the pond was emptied and the plants perma- nently planted in a good body of loamy soil. When there is a deposit of mud the plants are likely to thrive, and planting then becomes a very simple matter. The plants are then best planted in a flat, shallow basket; it matters not how old so long as it will contain the soil. This should be sunk at the spot where the plants are to grow, unless the water is very, deep, in which case they might be placed in shallow water and moved into deeper water later on. If the plants are not immersed in more than 1 foot of water at the first their early progress is much more rapid, no doubt because they feel more of the sun's warming influence. Later on they may be immersed more deeply if there is depth at command, but it may be well to state that they can be permanently grown in water which will at least provide a clear foot in depth over the crown of the plant. Another advantage of shallow planting at first is that it affords an oppor- tunity to observe the plants. They have some enemiea when young, and among them one to be watched for is the grub of the caddis-fly, which, with its house en its back, fastens itself upon the young stalk of the newly-made leaf and feeds away till the leaf becomes detached from the plant. When the water is fairly clear the presence of this foe is easily detected, for he is ensconced in a little piece of hollow wood about the thickness of a straw and an inch in length, which can be discerned hanging from the stalk of the leaf. Strong plants seem proof against this insect, possibly because their stalks are tougher. ZONALS FOR AUTUMN FLOWERING. The dearth of flowers sometimes experienced in" doors in September or October is very often brought about by a want of thought in May and June. The business of stocking our flower borders for a summer display engrosses our attention so much that we leave ont of onr cumulations plants for flowering when others are over, and assure ourselves that what will tide over the greenhouse in the summer months will do for autumn days. To trust to plants that have flowered the summer through is not the best course to pursue to have fresh, bright colours. Zonals are particularly bright, and none the less so in autumn, provided they are well attended to. As far as possible, it is best to secure plants for autumn blooming from cuttings struck lastautumn, but if this cannot be done, then the best and sturdiest spring struck ones. Pot these on at once, using half-rotten loam and manure, with sharp sand. In the summer months the plants should have the advantage of every ray of sunshine in border to ripen growth, and, to do this, let them stand out-of- doors well clear of one another so that air and sun may do their work. All the time the flower buds, as they come, should be removed, and stimulants need not be administered above once a fortnight. They may be got under glass in Septem- ber as early as one needs them, and after that time manure-water may be applied twice a week. It is sur- prising what a show of blooms one may get from plants so treated, and the difference in quality between them, and plants that have flowered in the house all summer is clear. Too much cannot be said in favour of ripen- ing the wood. as when this has been secured a good bloom must result. A stock of plants grown with this object, will prove of much value for obtaining cut- tings from the following spring, and prevent the necessity of housing so many at the close of the year. Whilst there are many single Zonals that cccur to one, the fact that flowers are wanted for autumn leads me to suggest the growing of a few double sorts which carry their blossoms for a longer time, particularly Le Cynge, white Scarron, glow- ing red; Apricot (semi-double), salmon; Lord Derby, rich pink; F. V. Raspail, scarlet; and White Abbey, white. ROSE MARECHAL NIEL. I When I accord first place to Marechal Niel, it is more as a pure yellow and as a climber under glass. In almost all other positions Gloire de Dijon is without a rival for general usefulness. To grow Marechal Niel well in the open air we need a warm wall, so much so that it is almost equivalent to cool greenhouse treatment. Unless the wood gets thor- oughly matured it does not go through the winter so satisfactorily as many other climbers. As one of its characteristics is a quantity of growth late in the autumn, we do not often get a favourable ripening time. It is not only a late grower, but it bursts into new growth very early in the spring. To secure good blooms in the open we need an exceptionally sheltered position. Even then I would prefer the plants to be upon a north wall rather than a south one open to the full sun. In the latter case we always get a large quantity of premature growth, and, however well sheltered, we generally have a few cold days which act as a check. On a north wall, with shelter from biting winds, &c., we are secure from premature growth and often get some really grand blooms. But it is not as a Rose for open-air culture that I wish to speak of Marechal Niel—rather as a greenhouse and cool conservatory climber. In either of these connections it is difficult to beat this Rose, nor can other climbers, numerous as they are, surpass it when properly grown. Canker and mildew are the two most persistent enemies of this variety indeed, the former disease is far more prevalent upon Marechal Neil than any other Rose. Many have been the devices adopted in hopes of steering clear of this evil, but none have proved wholly successful. Prepared soil of various kinds, careful selection of stocks, sometimes working it upon another Rose, or even growing it entirely upon its own roots, have all failed. Canker attacks this grand Rose at any season, in any position, and under all classes of treatment. One may congratulate himself that his plants are healthy, and be admiring them, when the next season, or even before the present one is over, there may be unmistakable signs of the enemy. What it really is, or what is its primary cause, does not seem properly understood. We know of many things which seem to have con- gi-derble effect upon its development, and sometimes flatter ourselves we also know of palliative measures. The true benefits of these cannot be tested so thoroughly as one would wish, because we cannot even put in half-a-dozen plants and be sure they will all do alike, altogether the soil, treatment, &c., may be exactly similar. Under these conditions, who is to say for certain that such and such a system was a means to good or unsatisfactory ends ? I have placed six or more plants in exactly the same stage in various mixtures of soil, have tried them upon many different stocks, and upon their owa roots, have also bad them mixed as regards stocks and soils, but not once was 1 able to say positively that one plan was an improvement upon the other as far as this disease was concerned. At present canker is the victor, Scrape it away, put various salves upon the wound, and take great care that root and wood go as nearly as possible hand in hand; still we are by no means sure of avoiding this disease. When allowed to grow naturally, root and wood will go together as regards strength and quantity, but whether we secure this or not the danger of canker is ever present. A further proof that we do not understand this distressing com- plaint lies in the fact that one may use the same soil whether in a pot or border-may, in fact, plant two specimens side by side, and still one will suffer while the other grows away in the most healthy manner.
[No title]
LITTLE BOY (to his mother, crying): Mother, they call me big head at the school." Mother: "Never mind, dearie, there's nothing in it." AN old lady being told that a certain lawyer was lying at the point of death," exclaimed My gra- cious Won't even death stop that man's lying ?" MCTIITHI You are worth your weight in gold, my y darling." Young Hopeful: "&iwy, mum, couldn't you advance me sixpence ?"
I G. F. WATTS AND HIS PICTURES.
I G. F. WATTS AND HIS PICTURES. An interesting feature in the new Windsor Maga- zine is an interview with Mr. G. F. Watts, the most notable of living painters. Many of his master- pieces are reproduced and the artist himself gives an indication of his purpose in painting them. He says: "All my pictures in the Tate Gallery are sym- bolical and for all time. Their symbolism ia, how- ever, more suggestive than worked out in any detail. I want to make people think. My idea is really the Book of Ecclesiastes with a higher im- pulse. Yes, probably Love and Life' best portrays my message to the age. Life, represented by the female figure, could never have reached such heights unless protected and guided by Love. Sic Transit' also conveys some of the lessons I would teach. At the end of life a man has simply to leave behind the things he most prizes." The subject of Death, Mr. Watts says, has always fascinated him. At one time it used to be pictured in a stern, repulsive form. It comes, of course, in a commanding manner. We have all to face Death, but it wears a dignified and peaceful aspect. My favourite thought recognises Death as the kind nurse who says, Now, then, children, you must go to bed and wake up in the morning. Though not wealthy as the world reckons riches, Mr. G. F. Watts has for many years past been generously making gifts of his best works to public institutions. Early in his career he painted the huge frescoes in the hall of Lincoln's-inn without fee. To the Corporation of Manchester Mr. Watts has given a fine version of Love and Death," valued at £3300, as well as The Good Samaritan," and to Leicester, in memory of Thomas Cook, the tourists' agent, a copy of Fata Morgana." In 1897 Time, Death, and Judgment," which was originally lent to the Chapter of St. Paul's, became a gift, and occupies an excellent position on the wall of the centre tran- sept. St. Jude's, Whitechapel, also possesses copies of Love and Death," The Good Samaritan," "The Messenger of Death," and "Death Crowning Innocence." The headmaster of Eton College not long since received a replica of Sir Galahad." This hangs in the school chapel, reminding the boys of the character of the knight who knew not fear." Nor has Mr. Watts's generosity been confined to home. Both the Luxembourg and the American nation received duplicates of Love and Life." For a compratively nominal amount, too, the Bavarian State acquired the Happy Warrior," much to the delight of their artists. {['he secretary of the Munich Academy, in reply to the writer's inquiry, wrote that there was great satisfaction expressed that at least one picture of Mr. Watts's could permanently be seen there." But the most valuable gifts, which must pver remain the master's finest memorial, are to be found in the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery. The former includes 18 of his master- pieces.
I ROWTON HOUSES IN MILAN.…
I ROWTON HOUSES IN MILAN. I Lord Rowton's lodging-houses are being copied in Milan, where an Albergo Popolare, built on the model of the well-known Rowton Hotels, and to be conducted on the same principle, has just been con* Btructed by the municipality. The building, with its fittings, has cost about £ 26,000. It contains 530 bedrooms, and, like similar institutions in London, is provided with spacious, bright, and well-warmed dining, reading, and smoking rooms, with ample underground accommodation for bathing and wash- ing. The charge for the bedrooms is only 4d. or 5d. a night. In the same city the municipal ad- ministration has recently begun to supply free meals to school children.
A VISIT TO THE SULTAN'SI WORKSHOPS.
A VISIT TO THE SULTAN'S I WORKSHOPS. During my last visit to Constantinople (writes a correspondent in the Globe) I had the opportunity of making a close study of the Sultan's workshops. They are situated on the right hand of the entrance to the Yildiz Kiosk, and consist of a mechanical workshop with a foundry, joiner's shop, wood- carving and carpentry shops, and designing and modelling room, which give employment to from 50 to 60 workmen. The work turned out in these workshops is exclusively for the Imperial Palace, and in them are made the costly presents which the Sultan is so fond of sending to foreign princes. It is said that the Ruler of the Faithful often lends a hand in some special piece of work, but that is not quite true; the most that the Sultan does is to improve a design which has been made according to his suggestions, and laid before him by the Director of the Work- shops. The latter is no less a person than the General of a Division, and he presents a very im- I posing figure with his face full of energy and his long white beard. With a kindly smile from his blue eyes his Excellency received me with great courtesy and personally conducted me in my walk through the workshops. His thoro gh friendly reception, his blue eyes, and especially his absolutely perfect French accent made me doubt his nationality in spite of his Turkish name; however, I ventured to pay him a discreet compliment upon his per- fect French, and the Pasha confessed to me with a -mile that he was not a Turk but a Belgian. He told me that he had been a captain in the Belgian army, and that shortly before the outbreak of the Russo- Turkish War, he had left the Belgian service and entered that of Turkey. He made rapid advance in his new home, distinguished himself in several battles, and was finally appointed a General of Division, and Director of the Sultan's Workshops. Highly esteemed by the Sultan on account of his services to Turkey, the Pasha is looked on askance by his former countrymen, for they cannot, forgive him for having embraced the Mahomedan faith with all the fervour of a pervert. I could scarcely restrain my surprise when my guide drew my attention to [the various workmen engaged in the imperial workshops, for they turned out to be, in many cases, higher officers of the Turkish Army on active service. Here was a colonel of infantry energetically planing a window-frame for one of the rooms in the Harem. At a little distance was a riding-master busily occupied with a piece of raw iron on a turning-bench, while in the smithy a commander of a detachment was working away and turning out iron stakes for use in the park. The other work- men are for the most part soldiers. The Turkish workman is uncommonly clever, and is especially conspicuous by the astonishing readiness which he displays in imitating strange work. Thus, I was shown an imitation of a German orchestrion, and the original could scarcely be distinguished from the copy. In the goldsmith's art the Turks are extremely adroit, and most of the Turkish orders are made in the Sultan's workshops. The objects destined to be sent to foreign potentates are generally cabinet work. Such pieces of furniture, which are often the work of many years, are inlaid most artistically with ivory, mother-of- pearl, ebony, and precious metals, and they are thus of great value. In addition to these workshops, the Sultan possesses a porcelain manufactory, which is managed by a French expert, and turns out very sterling examples of the potter's art.
MEMORIAL TO KING- HUMBERT.
MEMORIAL TO KING- HUMBERT. Queen Margaret of Italy has commissioned the architect Succoni to construct a memorial on the spot where King Humbert was assassinated. It will take the form of a votive chapel. In front a cross in marble will be erected, and each side of the entrancewill be flanked by a marble statue, one re- presenting Sorrow and the other Death. The first Btone of the edifice (says the Daily News) will be laid on July 29, the anniversary of the death of King Humbert. Sncconi is the designer of the monument to Victor Emmanuel now in course of construct! in on the hill of the Capitol.
[No title]
PARIS, we are told, is to be paved with glass, and this has been referred to as if glass streets were at present unknown. It is, however, not so. Every- body who has been to Lyons knows the Rue de la Republique, with its glass pavements laid in blocks 8in. square, so closely fitted that water cannot pass through them. But streets of glass are not by any means the must curious streets in the world. There is a street in Gwandu, Africa, which is a veritable place of skulls. The town, oval in shape, has round it a ring of poles, every one of which is crowned with a human skull. There are six gates to the town, and every one of them is approached by a pavement of skulls, of which something like 12,000 were used. The pavement is snowy white. Philadelphia has a street made with compressed grass, and the experi- ment promised so well after a year that there may be many companion streets of grass by this time-
-I A STORY ABOUT MR. CARNEGIE.
I A STORY ABOUT MR. CARNEGIE. Speaking at a presentation ceremony in connection with a golf handicap at Morton Hall, near Edin- burgh, the other day, Bailie Mackenzie, who took to golf rather late in life, related that at Skibo Castle on one occasion Mr. Carnegie told him he was going to have a golf course made there. If you take to golf," the Bailie replied, "you will add 10 years to your life." "Do you say so?" said Mr. Carnegie; if you can add 10 years to my life I'll make you a present of two millions." Well," re- torted Bailie Mackenzie, on reflection, I can't do that absolutely, but I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll play you for two millions on your own green." This was too much for the Pittsburg millionaire; but Mr. Mackenzie believes that golf has done him as much good as the two millions could have done.
I EX-PRESIDENT PRETORIUS.
I EX-PRESIDENT PRETORIUS. With the death of ex-President Pretorius (remarks the Times) one of the last links has passed away which connected South Africa of the present day with the South Africa of the Great Trek and the foundation of the Dutch Republics. Marthinas Wessels Pretorius was born in 1827, and was the son of Andries Pretorius, one of the chief leaders of the Great Trek, and one of the strongest opponents of the British Government. It was Andries Pretorius who refused to recognise the annexation of the Orange River Sovereignty in 1848, and in command of the Republican faction besieged Bloemfontein, forcing the little British garrison to surrender. However, Sir Harry Smith marched up with a small force, defeated Andries Pretorius at Bloomplaats, and drove him across the Vaal. Shortly after sign- ing the Sand River Convention in 1852, which recog- nised the independence of the Boers north of the Vaal, subject to certain provisions, Andries Pretorius died and was succeeded as commandant-general of Potchefstrom by Marthinas Pretorius. The new commandant-general led in the war against Maka- pan's tribe in which the Boers drove some 3000 Kaffirs into a great cave and stare them to death. In 1857 Pretorius, who, following his father's policy. had a great idea of uniting the Boers north and south of the Vaal, conducted a raid into the Free States. The raid proved a failure, and it was only the ingenuity and address of Pretorius's lieutenant Paul Kruger, who went with a white flag to parley with the Free Staters, that enabled the raiders to re- turn unmolested. Three years later, however, Pre- torius succeeded in getting himself elected Presi* dent of the Free State. :In 1864 the various petty Republics north of the Vaal, which had been engaged in civil war, almost uninterruptedly since 1852, coalesced and Pretorious left the Free State in order to become the First President of the South African Republic. His rule was charac- terised on the whole by moderation and good sense. In 1868 he issued a proclamation defining the boun- daries of the Transvaal so as to include Delagoa Bay in the east and the whole of Bechuanaland, right up to Lake Ngami, on the west, a definition which at once evoked protests, both from the Portuguese Government and from Sir P. Wodehouse, the Governor of Cape Colony. As a matter of fact at this time the Boers were rapidly losing territory to the natives, and had been driven out of a great part of the northern Transvaal. In 1869 Pretorius was re-elected. Troubles broke out with the Baralong tribes under Montsioa on the western border, and Pretorius submitted the disputed territories to the arbitration of Mr. Kruger, the Governor of Natal, who decided against the Republic. So unpopular was this decision among the Boers that Pretorius was forced to resign. The election of President Burgers, his failure, the general decay and impoverishment of the Transvaal, and the annexation by Sir Theophilus Shepstone in 1877 are matters of common knowledge. Ex-President Pre- torious took a strong part in the anti-annexation movement, when it became evident that the British Government was determined not to grant representa- tative institutions, and with Kruger and Joubert formed the famous Triumvirate which remained the Executive Government of the insurgent Boers for more than a year after the formal restoration of Boer independence. Pretorius had played a subordinate rdle to Kruger in the rising, and after Kruger's election to the Presidency ceased to play any important role in politics. In fact, very few people, outside of the Transvaal, even realised of late years that the first President of the Transvaal was still alive. Though an ardent advocate of Republican independence Pretorius was never animated by the narrow racial prejudices which guided Kruger's policy, nor did he ever con- ceal his disapproval of the methods by which Kruger maintained himself in power. Only a few weeks ago he endeavonred to plead with some of the commandos still in the field on behalf of peace, though without effect.
IPROTECTING THE CROPS,I
I PROTECTING THE CROPS, I It will be remembered that extensive experiments were made in Kansas, Texas, and other parts of the United States, not many years ago, to test the efficacy of gunpowder explosions in producing rain, and pre- venting long and disastrous droughts in the farming section. These tests were evidently not conclusive or satisfactory, since no practical use of gunpowder for such service has since been made, and the subject seems to have been dropped so far as America is concerned. Not so, however, in Europe. The use of cannon as a preventive of hailstorms has assumed an aspect large and serious enough to warrant the holding of a Congress at Padua, Italy, a few months ago, to discuss the question. Delegates were present at this meeting from all parts of the Continent, but chiefly from the wine-growing regions which suffer most from hailstorms. A summary of the proceedings is given by Mr. John C. Covert, the American Consul at Lyons, France. The reports presented to the Congress by wine growers, he says, were all in favour of the efficacy of the use of cannon. Insurance men whose busi- ness is to insure crops against damages from hail attended the Congress with the intention of proving that cannon-firing was useless. Their propositions were overwhelmingly voted down. By an almost unanimous vote it was resolved that the firing of cannon stopped the movement of the hurricane; that the lightning and thunder ceased; that rain or melted snow immediately began to fall; and that the clouds soon passed away. Mr. Durand, the director of the large agricultural college near Lyons, told Mr. Covert that the ex- perience in the use of cannon in Italy left do possible doubt of their absolute efficacy. He said that the vineyards on the line of the hail covered by the cannon were protected; those outside the spaces covered by cannon but yery near them were de- stroyed by the hail. A so-called powderless cannon, invented and sup- plied by an Italian firm, bad been found, on trial, it was said, to be the most efficacious. The explosive used in this explosive is acetylene gas, mixed with air. The cannon consists of a cylindrical chamber of homogenous iron provided with a special tube, through which passes the mixture and an electric lighter. This is the chamber where the explosion occurs. it is claimed for this contrivance that it is simple and easy to operate, not dangerous to handle, and comparatively inexpensive. The Italian owners announce that during the present season they will I undertake to insure grape growers against all damages from hail for a small sum.
[No title]
FLOATING GAMBLING HELLS.—One of the most in- sidious phases of latter-day gambling, and one by which many a promising youngster fresh from home or Oxford has been ruined (says the Free Lance) is that which flourishes during the yachting season. It is becomijig quite a common thing during the summer months for the well-bred and well-dressed swindler to organise little yachting cruises, either on the in- vitation or co-operative system, which speedily develop into sheergam bling orgies. Once the guests are got on board, the monotony of life afloat makes the suggestion of a little roulette or baccarat seem innocent and natural. It is found that, by a great piece of good luck (!) one of the guests has thought- fully included a roulette wheel and cloth among his luggage. These useful appliances are produced amid general rejoicings, a mild game is started, and, as usual, the mugs are at first allowed to win a rea- sonable amount. Having thus been blooded, and a case or two of champagne having been broached, the real contest between the hawks and the pigeons be- gin. Youthful brains are thrown off their balance by wine and excitement, rtakes are increased, and the devil's own luck seems to pursue certain members of the party. If the game has been cleverly organised, however, it is not tne bank that wins. The money goes into the pockets of one or two of the punters, with whom the banker-need it be said ?-has only the most casual acquaintance!
j ART AND LITERATURE.'
j ART AND LITERATURE. TnE house at Cwm Elan, in Radnorshire, whither Shelley went after he was sent down from Oxford, and where, later, he spent the happiest months of his married life, will shortly be swept away by the Bir- mingham water scheme. C.K.S. of the Sphere, joints out that this is not the first time that a water scheme has interfered with poetic associations. The Manchester one was responsible for the removal of a crag dear to all lovers of Wordsworth. The view of Shelley's house, given by C.K.S. deepens one's regret, for it suggests green isle in the bound- less sea of misery." Unfortunately (says the Globe) it will not even be left as an ialand it will soon be the bed of a reservoir. THE exhibition of pictures by old masters which is now open at Messrs. P. and D. Colnaghi's gallery in London is being held for the benefit of the Princess of Wales's Special Appeal Fund on behalf of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association, and therefore claims particular attention on account of the worthiness of its object. But it deserves notice quite as much on its merits as a display of great examples of famous masters. It includes only 20 pictures, but not one of these can be dismissed as unimportant or unfit to appear in a collection of masterpieces. Moreover, several of the works shown are comparatively unfamiliar to the general public, and so are as attractive on the score of novelty as on that of merit. Chief in point of size is Hoppner's famous full-length of Mrs. Michael Angelo Taylor as Miranda," but it is in its technical qualities hardly superior to his group of "The Ladies Sarah and Catherine Bligh," or to his remarkable "Portrait of a Lady." Gainsborough is represented by a very finely handled three-quarter length of Mrs. Gore," and by a smaller portrait of Grace Dalrymple, Mrs. Elliott" Reynolds by two admirable examples, William Henry, Marquis of Tichfield," and Frances Harris, Daughter of 1st Earl of Malmes- bury and Romney by a well-designed but rather smoothly painted portrait of "John Wharton Tempest." There is infinite charm in a delicate half-length of Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire," by Downman; and there is splendid strength of characterisation and handling in a couple of por- traits by B. van der Heist. Several other Dutch masters are equally well represented. THOSE who admired Mr. George Frampton's beautiful Lamia" when it was shown at the Royal Academy last year will be interested to learn that he is engaged on another bust which he intends to treat in a somewhat similar way. It is a portrait of the Marchioness of Granby, who is represented with the quaint and attractive costume and head-dress of the Eighteenth Century which she wore at the Devonshire Mouse fancy dress ball of Is97. In the Lamia the face and neck were executed in ivory, but ivory has its limitations, and Mr. Frampton is not sure yet if he will be able to use it in Lady Granby's bust. Should ivory be impossible he will use marble instead, but in any case the head-dress and draperies will be of silver and gold, and the result in the hands of an artistof such exceptional accomplishment pro- mises to be of unusual interest. Mr. Frampton is the only sculptor to whom Lady Granby has given sit- tings, but painters have been more fortunate, as the canvases of Mr. Watts and Mr. J. J. Shannon, among others, testify. ONE who loves his fellow men proposes to intro- duce into the New York State Legislature a bill for the suppression of any type smaller than eight- point." His contention seems to be that American eyes will go the way of American teeth unless this is done. Any person printing a book, newspaper, or periodical in type below the specified size, and with less than the specified spacing, is to be made guilty of a misdemeanour and fined anything from fifty to a thousand dollars. The proposal will alarm no one unless perhaps Mr. Charles H. Meigs, of Cleveland, Ohio, who, we are informed, has made the production of miniature books a study for years." His most recent triumph is an edition of FitzGerald's "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," which is a quarter the size of a postage stamp. The book is printed from plates of silver; it can only be read with a microscope. THE name of the donor of the Fontainebleau memorial to Rosa Bonheur is unfamiliar to the present generation of artists. But 50 years ago M. Ernest Gambart was prominent among the picture dealers of London, and many of our older painters have pleasant recollections of the man who was occa- sionally their host as well as the buyer of their work. It was he who introduced Rosa Bonheur to the British public, and when the famous animal painter visited England in 1856 she came as the guest of M. Gambart. At Nice, in a gallery attached to the villa which he purchased on his retirement many years ago, M. Gambart has a notable collection of Rosa Bonheur's pictures, and he maintained his friendship with her to the last days of her life. When the late Sir J. E. Millais and Mr, Frith, R.A., went together to Paris to see one of the international exhibitions M. Gambart entertained them and took them to visit Rosa Bonheur. He also introduced them to Sarah Bernhardt, who met the two painters in her studio, and, to quote Mr. Frith's Reminiscences," declared that she hated acting, and would rather succead in painting or sculpture, or both, than in any other earthly calling." Tiiti bad novel (remarks the Globe) is being scourged righ and left, but it arrives every day just the same. Perhaps the nadir of contempt is touched by the writer who maintains, in a literary paper, that there are really only about half-a-dozen novels written by second-rate and third-rate authors. You may read half of one of them, put it down, take it up again (as you think), read the other half, glance at the title, and find that you have been reading two books-half of each I Tha 'flats join' quite accu- rately." Some publisher might take a hint and blend new novels like teas. The same scorner make an amusing point when he draws attention to the stock device in which agitating news is received in these novels. "It is the breaking of the paper-knife. Unless I gave chapter and verse, the number of times in which this particular device is used would hard ly be credited. Somebody is toying with an ivory paper-knife. A name is uttered in some start- ling connection; and the 'frail toy' snaps in two pieces." But the critic has experimented with paper- knives and agitation, and he says paper-knives do not, break under the strain, and that, in point of fact, there is no strain. AT the inauguration of the monument to the memory of Rosa Bonheur the Deputy Maire of Bor- deaux, the painter's native town, said that the artist offered to sell her masterpiece, "Marche aux Chevaux, to that town for lO.OOOf., but the muni- cipal authorities considered the price excessive. The picture was sold eventually for 250,000f., and nosy hangs in our National Gallery. THE Academy has offered a prize for the best sug- gestion of a literary subject for a painting. The prize suggestion is The Meeting of Napoleon and Hegel in Jena." Hegel was on his way to his pub- lisher's with the MS. of his Phenomenology under his arm, when he met Napoleon riding into the town after the battle. A good suggestion was A painting of Robert Louis SteveDson relating the story of 'The Bottle Imp' to the natives of Samoa." SOME time back the Society for the Encouragement of Medal-Making commissioned M. Fremiet, the sculptor, to execute a plaqucttei and he has just finished the work. It is a very successful composi- tion, and shows Cleopatra seated on an elephant, which walks with stately dignity, and behind follows ft second elephant bearing two slaves waving long- handled fans about the body of the Queen. Sahib," which served as model for the elephant carrying Cleopatra, was presented to the Jardin des Plantes by Menelik. A CHINESE bookseller's shop is the -subject of an interesting article in the New York Critic. Even Mr. Baring-Gould and Mr. Percy Fitzgerald would have been respectful listeners to this Chinese book- seller, who, in answer to the question, What are the largest books you have, and the most books written by any one author," replied gravely "lam not sure that I can tell you. I know that there are sowi works, such as the Yung Lo Encyclopedia, wbiih contain half as many books as there are minutes in a month, and that the Emperor Ch'ien Lung wrote as many separate pieces as there are days in a hundred years, but whether there are any who wrote more than he did I cannot say." THE nineteenth annual exhibition of black and white drawings by Messrs. Cassell and Company (Limited) will be held in the hall of the Cutlers' Company in London in a few days. On June 10 the private view will be given, and the collection will be open to the public free from the 11th to the 22nd.
[No title]
— PHIL OSSIFER Youmj man, a rolling-stone gathers no moss." Air. -Flitabotit: "Oh, I know,, Phil. but think what a clerced lively time it has I rolling I"
- -=::8 I SCIENCE NOTES.
-=::8 I SCIENCE NOTES. A NEW gas produced from radium by the French chemist, M. Curie, is intensely phosphorescent and will glow for montha in the dark. TIlE State Legistature of Winconsin in the United States, have presented Dr. Babcock, of the University of Winconsin, with a fine bronze medal for his milk test which he refused to patent. The dairymen of New Zealand have also sent him an album of New Zealand scenery, and he was awarded a Grand Prix d'Honneur at the Paris Exhibition. A POWERFUL electric searchlight is to be operated from the 360ft. level cf the electric tower of the Pan- American Exposition it will have a 30in. projector and it is said that its beam of light will be visible 00 miles away. THE manufacture of cocoanut butter (palmin) is a considerable industry in Mannheim, Palmin is made from the kernel of cocoanut, and used as a substitute for butter and lard in cooking. As it does not readily become rancid it has met with favour in German hos- pitals and army camps. GLASS-STONE is a product of the French glass in- dustry, its discoverer being M. Garchey. It has been found that when certain kinds of glass are cooled and then slowly re-heated, a kind of precipitation takes place in the mass suitable glass has to be rich in lime, and bottle-glass answers the purpose. M. Gar- cbey cools some glass to just below fusion and then submits it to a temperature of 1200deg. C. (2192deg. F.), the plastic mass then undergoing strong pressure in a powerful hydraulic press. The glass coming from the press is annealed and is then found to be remarkably hard, though more elastic than ordinary glass and as a consequence much less fragile. The name glass-stone seems appropriate. Its proper- ties render it well adapted for paving blocks or for tiling, and it may be used with advantage on the out- side of buildings. HERE R. J. HOFFMAN, of Berlin, has invented a workiug model of a flying machine, which promises well. It has aeroplanes not unlike the wings or soaring fins of a flying fish, and they can be folded up when out of use. A steam-engine drives the aerial screw propellers. THE properties of steel containing nickel, says Nature, are treated in the Report of the Congrea International des Methodes d'Essai (Paris, 1900). In passing from ordinary steel to that containing a considerable proportion of nickel, the principal changes are the lowering of the temperature of trans- formation of the carbon, the fusion of two of the transformations, and the exaggeration of the phonomena accompanying the double point. In ferro-nickels containing traces of carbon, but more than 20 per cent. of nickel, the transformations are determined by the nickel, the carbon acting as a re- tardent. It appears that the magnetic properties are due to a certain molecular transformation which takes place with evolution of heat, and when this molecular grouping is prevented by the presence ot some other body, the metal may be reduced to ordinary temperatures without exhibiting magnetic phenomena. IN a paper to the New York Academy of Sciences, Mr. G. Van Ingen describes a way of facilitating the taking of photographs of fossils. The specimen is coated with ammonium chloride by the combination near its surface of ammonia and hydrochloric acid gases. The coating hides all colouration of the specimen and reflections of light, without obliterating the finer details of the form. The salt is harmless, and may be removed with a soft brush and water. ACCORDING to M. Guillaume in a paper to the Académie des Sciences, Paris, M. Winnerl has intro- duced a compensation balance of the nickel steel dis- covered by Guillaume, which annuls the errors of the older compensation balances. AN incandescentjelectric lamp'with two independent filaments, one of high and the other of low candle power,; has appeared in America. The low power filament is chiefly used as a night light, and the change from one power to the other is made by turn- ing the lamp in a screw socket. MICA as an electrical insulator is being used widely, and some recent tests described by Mr. T. O. Moloney in the Electrical Review will be of interest. A piece of the best India mica was placed .between two planed Itirfaces, and withstood an insulation test of 16,OCO volts alternating current without fracture. An alter- nating current at 9000 volts caused the mica to break down after its surface had been coated lightlj with par- afin oil. Another piece of India mica tested at lower Toltages, but otherwise under the same conditions, withstood an 8000-volt alternating current when dry, but broke down at half that voltage when oil was applied. By substituting water for the oil the insu- lating properties were not lessened. M. GUILLET, in a note to the Academic des Sciences, Paris, announces that he has obtained three alloys of aluminium and tungsten. M. GTJARINI, whose repeater" for wireless tele- graphy is well-known, has established communica- tion by his apparatus between the Column of Con- gress, Brussels, and the cathedral at Malines, a dis- tance of about 16 miles. "Cosmos" contains an illustrated account of the experiments. Aa it is a serious question with our West Indian planters how to improve their position, wemay remark (says the Globe) that in Port Louis, Mauritius, a Frenchman has begun the manufacture of banana meal, which, being very nourishing and digestible, it good for invalids and children. It also preserves the flavour of the banana better than the mouldy and in- sipid fruit sent abroad. The analysis of his meal shows that it contains 3"87 per cent. of proteine, 3 of cellulose, l-08 of fat, and 5'2 per cent. of non-nitro- genous matter. THE Prussian Government have established a great military hospital at Potsdam. It possesses a labor- atory for researches in chemical and bacteriological hygiene, and also chambers for massage, medico- mechanical, and electrical treatment. AT Eyach, on the Neckar, Wurtemburg, an escape of natural carbonic acid gas has given rise to a factory for liquefying it. The power for compressing the gas is obtained from the river, and the liquid is sent out in steel reservoirs, chiefly to Zurich, Berlin, and Vienna, where it is used in making beer and mineral water &c. AT a recent meeting of the Anthropological Society of Washington, Dr. W. W. Johnston read a paper on the ill-health of Darwin. Up to the age of 27 Darwin was well and vigorous. Then came 36 years of suffering, ending in 11 years of improved health. Dr. Johnston points out that the beginning of his intellectual life was the voyage of the Beagle when five years of overwork and subsequent study exhausted his nervous system. Dr. Johnston thinks his illness was neurasthenia, which first showed it- self on the Beagle, and that the prolongation of his life was due to regimen and care. MR. HAVELOCK ELLIS finds (according to the Globs] that most of our greatest geniuses have been born in April, and fewest in January. The numbers born in the first, second, and fourth quarters of the year art fairly equal, but there is a marked deficiency in the third quarter. The ordinary birth-rate of England and Wales is higher in the first and second, but lower in the third and fourth quarters. About 16 per cent. of the geniuses were delicate in childhood, but those often developed into healthy, vigorous, long-lived men. Bruce, the traveller, was a typical case. Very delicate in early life, he was a man of huge propor- tions, athletic power, and iron constitution. Over 14 per cent. had lost one or both parents by the age of ten. Children ot genius may show precocity (1) in their classes at school, (2) not in their classes, bnt in \heir own lines of thought, (3) in their gamea or mischief. Precocity in study may also be shown by receptive children who afterwards display no origi- nality. The second group contains a very large pro- portion of geniuses. The third group (physically active children) is the smallest. Precocity is parti- cularly noticeable in artists. Some 53 per cent, of our greatest men have been at a university, and of these Oxford claims 40 per cent., Cambridge 33, the Scotch universities 15, and Trinity College, Dublin, 3 per cent. The rest have been at foreign universities, especially the Sorbonue. About 40 per cent. of our most eminent persons have spent some time abroad is early life.