The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-02-01 00:00:00

SAXVIDAX, FEB" 1) 1879.

higher commercial value than as an article of food,
and in a communication fb Nature Mr. Christie, of
Edinburgh, states that he sent a small quantity of the
grass to be operated on by Mr. T. Itoutledge, of Sunder-
land, who, after experiment, came to the %nein-
tion that if dried properly and put up carerully in
bundles, free from weeds and dirt, its value would be
probably equal to esparto grass--£5 per ton dry. It
is to be hoped that some effort may be used to. have
an extended trial for paper-making of this plant. It
flowers in the late summer or early autumn, when in
this country some hands could be readily spared from
other work to collect it. It should coat little over the
mere expense of gathering, as the ground in which
it flourishes, as a rule, will pay but a minimum of
rent—The Tulles.

THE FORICE OF Hurisit ILLUSTRATED IN THE
ROOK,—Last week a little girl, in passing along a
public road between two villages in Fifeshire, eating a
piece of bread from her hand, was greatly startled and
not a little alarmed at a rook which she had seen
perched on a dyke by the wayside darting at the
bread she held in her hand and making off with it.
No doubt keen hunger tempted the black rogue thus
to become so daring a freebooter. It has been
remarked that "hunger will tame the wildest animal,"
and how truly I—N., in Land and Water.
VITALITY OF WHEAT. —Wheat seeds are said to
possess a vitality which resists intense cold. A sample
of the wheat left by the Polaris, in 1871, in 81deg.
16min. north latitude, and exposed to a temperature
varying from that of summer to that of winter in that
position for five years, was sown last year by Dr.
Scnanburg, of the Botanic Gardens and Government
plantations, South Australia, and out of three hundred
grains, sixty germinated and produced plants, three or
four feet high, with ears containing thirty grains each.

WEATHER FORECAST.—The following cable message
has been received at the London office of the New
York Herald from New York :—"-Stormy weather
will prevail on Bridle)), Norwegian, and possibly
French coasts, between the 25th and 30th, with short ,
intervals of clear weather."
THE FRENCH HERRING FISHERIES.—The returns of
the French herring fisheries, of which Fecamp is the
centre, for the past season show that about :iO,OOO tone
of herrings were captured from that port alone, while
an additional quantity of 18,000 tons, caught by
Boulogne ,Poats, was taken to F4camp for sale. The
price realised averaged about 60f.(22) per ton. Thirty-
five large vessels and 20 smaller fishing-boats sailing ,
out of Fecamp were emaged in the industry, and their r
'total catch realised 1,230,746 f., or about £49,230. The
sales of fish from Boulogne brought uathe total value
to 2,040,746 f., or £81,630.

AMERICAN AND CANADIAN FOOD.—The supply of
fresh meat ;landed at Liverpool last week from the
United States and Canada was again large, while the
number of live stock was even smaller than the pre-
vious week. Five steamers arrived with fresh meat,
having on board cullectively 5,688 quarters of beef,
1,510 carcasses of mutton, and 281 of pigs, the last-
mentioned figures showing a considerable reduction
when compared with recent periods. With live stock
only one steamer arrived, having on board 303 head of
cattle and 12 carcasses of cattle. There were no
arrivals of live sheep or pigs, a circumstance which
has not occurred for several months past.

SMOKING AGAINST FOG AND DAMP.—The smoker,
fortifying himself against fog and damp with the
cheerful glow of a cigar in front of his face and the
fragrant incense beguiling his nostrils, is apt to forget
that nicotine is a potent depressant of the heart's
action. We do not assert that it even commonly acts
as such when used in moderation, or that a good cigar
is to be despised. We have no sympathy with pre-
judices against wine or tobacco, used under proper
restrictiion as to the tima and amount of consumption.
Meanwhile, it is desirable that these things should be
used with an intelligent appreciation of their effects,
and it is beyond question that one of the most formid-
able effects of tobacco is its influence on the heart's
action. In wartn weather a cigar exercises a cooling
influence by lowering the heart's action. In the cold
season it may—we do not say it will—possibly depress,
and so increase the mischief it is sought to mend. Fogs
and cold vapour tend to reduce the oxygenating pro-
perties of the air taken into the lungs, besides exercis-
ing a specific influence on those delicate organs. To-
bacco smoke may warm the air; it is scarcely possible
that it can affect its quality or render it innocuous.
There is, however, a peril that it may depress the
circulation. Hence the need of moderation and care.
—The Lancet.

THE SILENT ONE.—Makart, the greot Viennese
painter, is even more taciturn than Von Moltke, the
man who is silent in seven languages. An American
who had been told that the best way to get on friendly
terms with the artist would be to play chess with him
at the café to which he resorted nightly, watched his
opportunity, and when Makart's opponent rose,
slipped into his chair. At last his dream was about to
be realised; he was to spend an evening in blakart's
society. The painter signed to him to play, and the
game began and went on with no other sound than
the moving of the pieces. At last the American made
the winning move, and exclaimed, " Mate !" Up rose
Makart in disgust and stalked out, sayinF angrily to a
friend who asked why he left so early, ' Oh, I can't
stand playing with a chatterbox!"
DISTRESS WITHOUT DISTURBANCE.—The prevalent
distress is undeniable; but where are the Riots? We
should very soon see, had not Free Trade made the
necessaries of life as cheap as they well can be for the
masses. The renewal of disturbances would pretty
soon be effected by the restoration of Protection under
the name of Reciprocity.—Punch.
WAGES IN NEW ZEALAND.—A correspondent writes
that at a meeting of the Bricklayers Association,
held at Otago, Nov. 19, 1878, it was decided to in-
crease the rate of wages from 14s. to 15s. a day; and
that at a meeting of the City Council, which took
place on the same date, it was stated that "it was im-
possible to get a bricklayer for a day or two's job for
less than £1 a day."—Daily Telegraph.

THE BIBLE IN JAPAN.—A Yokohama contem-
porary states that the Japanese Government have
authorized the issue by a Japanese publisher of an
edition of the Book of Genesis in Chinese, prepared
for the Japanese by the insertion of the kun-ten, the,
work of the American Bible Society. This is the first
portion of the Scriptures the publication of which in
Japan has been authorized by means of the Govern-
ment stamp; and, having in view the great distaste
which the authorities have so long entertained to the
introduction of foreign religions, the fact is significant
at' d worthy of record.—Academy.

A CHAPTER ON NATURAL HISTORY.—Jack.—" Just
look at that sneak of a Robin! Wouldn't I catapult
him if I had a chance !" Clara.—" Catapult a Robin!
For shame, Jack! " Jack.—" Oh, it's all very Well,
but if there is a bird I hate more than another, it's a
Robin. They come sneaking up to you in the winter,
when they want crumbs—just like the fellows at
school when you've got a hamper—and then, in the
summer, when they've got their hamper, they won't
look at you I"—Punch
A THREE LEGGED WOODCOCK MT.—lt is rare that
monstrosities in nature are ever able to hold their own
in the struggle for existence, (says Land and Water).
Exceptions, however, appear at times, and we have
now in our possession the head of a two-year.old hen
pheasant with the top mandible of her beak grown at
right angles to the lower one. The deformed mandible
turns off exactly, where the feathers cease, thus to all
appearances precluding all possibility of the bird piac-
ing up any food whatever; this, however, she managed
to accomplish, having been noticed the year before she
was shot. The Scientific American notices a three-
legged woodcock, shot, by a gentleman near New York
last September. The third leg was attached just beloiv
the vent and dragge i. It appears to have been in realitY
two legs in one, the double bones showing quite clearly,
and the six toes being distinct and nearly perfect. The
bird has been sent to Professor Baird, of the Smith-
sonian Institution, from whom an acconnt of the
internal anatomy of this curious freak of nature will
be interesting. The bird when shot was well grown
and in good condition.

SELF-EVIDENT.—Gnest (leaving at break-up of party,
to old family Butler). Cunningham, that's no my
coat.—Butler. It maun be your coat. —Guest. But
it's no' my coat.—Butler (drily). A guid wheen folk
dinna ken their am n coats when they leave this house.
—Judy.

A§ EXTRAORDINARY SECT.— The Sonntagsauhe of
Vienna has the following :—" Owing to the existing
intolerance in religious matters in Russia, the numb,. r
of the most extraordinary sects augments daily in that
Empire. According to the statistics published by the
Holy Synod, last year brought into being 137 new sects.
the most remarkable of which is unquestionably that
called 'the Leeches.' The adepts of that religious
body are recruited among the peasants of the district
of Gazssowitz, Government of Wologda. The doe-
trine of the sect requires that new-born children, as
well as adults who require admission into the ranks,
instead of being baptized with water, should be chris-
tened in human blood drawn from females. In con-
sequence of the abominable practices to which that
insensate rite has led, the mortality among the women
in the district of Wologda has greatly increased. The
fact must be added that, instead of the mother's milk,
warm human blood is given to the infants."
TAHITI AND THE CHINESE.—An order has been
promulgated in Tahiti ta the effect that no Chinaman
will be permitted to land in the islands without a
written residential permit" from the Government.
Any Chinese wishing to reside in the country must
apply for leave to the nuthorities, who will make the
necessary inquiries as to the character and ability to
work of the applicants; and any Celestial presenting
himself, without authority will be sent back by the
first ship: "If," the order goes on to say, "he hes
not the means' to pay his passage, he will be made to
work in the Government dockyards until he has earned
enough to pay the sum necessary to defray the expenses
' of his repatriation."
, COLD WATER IN COLD WEATHER.—It should not
be forgotten that the sole use of cold water in cold
weather is to stimulate the organism to increased
activity. A great mistake is made when any part of
the body is immersed in cold water, and loft to part
with its beat without any guarantee that the energy
of heat production, so severely taxed, can respond to
the requirement. It may easily happen that the in-
ternal calorific force—if we are at liberty to use that
expression—will be exhausted ; and if that occurs
harm has been done. The tbvions principle of
health preservation is to maintain the circulation in
its integrity ; and, while the error of supposing that
clothing can do more than keep in the heat genera-
ted within is avoided, it is not less needful to guard
against the evil of depriving the body of the heat it
has produced. The furnace should be well supplied
with suitable fuel—that is, nutritious food ; the ma-
chinery of heat production, which takes place through-
out the organism, not in any one spot or centre, should
be kept in working order, and nothing conduces to
this end more directly than the free use of the cold
douche and the shower-bath • but the exhibition of
these popular appliances in all or any of their forms
ought tb be restricted to a few seconds of time, and
unless the evidenees of stimulation—redness, and
steaming of the surface—are rapidly produced, the
effusion should be laid aside. The use of cold water in
cold weather is a practice which must be governed by
rules special to each individual case; and it is with a
view to warn the public against the recourse to general
recommendations we allude to the subject.—The
Lancet. •
• CORN BY WEIGHT AND MEASURE.—Speaking at a
meeting of the Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture at
Norwich, Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., discussed the ques-
tion whether the Weights and Measures Act, mad it
illegal to sell corn by weight and measure. The ba-
lance of opinion was that it must be sold by one or
the other, and not by b as now. Each bushel os
wheat ought to contain eight gallons, but if farmers
sold by weight of 18 stone per comb, there would often
be nine gallons in the bushel. The sale by weight
and measure was exceedingly unfair, especially as
affecting the corn averages upon which tithes were
paid. He thought that if farmers sold corn by weight
the return would be more nearly just. After a brief
discussion the Chamber passed a resolution to the
effect that wheat and oats ahould be sold only by
weight; but barley was excluded, because Ll that
cute colour had so laucl to do vital the Lazio@ givon
naucheate,