The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-20 00:00:00

The season of harvest is once more upon us,
and the question of interest to tens of thousands
of persons, scattered through every village and
hamlet of the country, is the amount of the
probable yield. British agriculture has been so
sadly depressed for such a number of years that
farmers have long been looking for an abundant
harvest with straining eyes; but it is to be
feared that they will not even this year be re-
warded to t e full extent they w*Ould wish. The
arid summer through which ,we have been
passing has burned up the crops, and, in some
parts of, the, cauptry, the Hessian fly has been
doing much damage. The importance to the
country of this continued depression in the most
valuable of all her industries can scarcely be
overrated. It is true that we are not as com-
pletely ale-set,de_ultar "'—gra we were upon our own
gYrowth of cattle and of corn—though that is a
fact upon which the farmers, of all men con-
cerned, do not congratulate themselves or think
that the country ought to be congratulated—but
even if we are still able to obtain comparatively
cheap food from abroad, whatever the harvest at
home may be, our farmers must suffer greatly
from the inferior yield and the increased com-
petition. The whole question of the continued,
agricultural depression is surrounded with diffi-
culties, and it is one before which even the
acutest of our statesmen stand aghast. Sym-
pathy with the farmers in their trials is abundant,
but there is a homely old proverb which says
"Fine words butter no parsnips," and that is
an expression which is likely to have occurred to
a good many of our agriculturists within the past
few years.
Reference has been made to the ravages of the
Hessian fly, and the only satisfactory feature
about that matter is that the Government have
shown themselves alive to the danger, and have
done something to open the eyes of those con-
cerned to it also. Under their direction, the
Lords of the Committee of Council for Agricul-
ture have appointed Mr. C. W. Gray, M.P., and
other skilled persons-as Commissioners to inquire
into the present visitation, and in his preliminary
r ;port the first-named gentleman confirms the
general and painful impression that the
Hessian fly has undoubtedly spread over
the greater part of England, but he adds
some practical hints as to the manner in which
it can be detected and got rid of. It is now, he
says, in the pupa, or chrysalis, state, and may be
easily found in an affected barley or wheat field
by examining straws which are bent down from
a wound just above the second or third joint,
the small reddish-brown chrysalis, very similar to
a grain of linseed, being lodged in the straw at
the wounded part. He suggests that, although
it would be practically impossible to destroy
all the infected straw in England, something may,
be done to keep it under by cleaning and burn-
ing the stubbles, if weather permits, directly after
harvest; and as it is probable that the rubbish
and siftings from thrashing and dressing
machines will contain quantities of the
pupa, he thinks that , all refuse of this
sort should be bnrnt. These suggestions
are at once so practical and so simple that it
may be taken for granted that they will be
generally followed, and, if generally followed,
there is little doubt that good will be done.
It might sound like a feeble attempt at a joke
to say that ballooning is ,once more !‘ looking
up " ; but, as a literal fact, the science of
aerostatics, as its devotees love to call it, is just
now attracting more general attention than it
has done for some time. England having for
years done almost more than her share in pro-
moting experiments, has now given way to France,
which, because of the brothers Montgolfier and
their original balloon, has a traditional claim
upon the subject. The object aimed at is to get
as high as possible, and although the result will
be to teach us some fresh lessons concerning air
currents and the formation of clouds, nothing of
a distinctly practical nature can be expected to
be gleaned from such a trial of strength. Mr.
Coxwell and Mr. Glaisher, the most distinguished
a.k.onauts England has seen, ascended to what
is believed to have been a height of seven miles
at Wolverhampton a quarter of a century ago,
but the net result was that they were nearly
suffocated, and that science was not ap-
preciably advanced. What ordinary folk
would like to see is a balloon which
can be steered; what they hardly expect to soe
is one that can sail against the wind. But until
balloons are steerable, and until they are to a
large degree independent of air currents, they
will be toys rather than objects of use, in-
teresting adjuncts to popular fetes rather than
practical means of getting about the world.
The meeting of the Artillery Volunteers at
Shoeburyness,, which commences on the first
Saturday in August of each year, is not as well
known. or as extensively patronised an institution
as the annual assembly of the rifle volunteers on
Wimbledon - common, and that for various
reasons. In the first place the rifle volunteers
are by far the larger force, and are
drawn from every town of fair size in
the country, while the artillery volunteers come
from only a few places; in the second Wimbledon
is so near London that a visit to it partakes of
the nature of a picnic, while a trip to Shoebury-
ness involves a distinct Journey; and, in the
third, it does not require any previous know-
ledge to see whether a rifleman has hit the target,
or has scored a bull's eye, while it is only those
who thoroughly understand the matter who
appreciate the niceties of artillery firing. Despite
all these considerations, Shoeburyness deserves to
receive a good share of public attention for
the artillery volunteers, though a. small force,
form • a most useful one, and, in case
of an invasion, would prove of great
value. As the recent naval manceuvres
showed, there are grave weaknesses in our
system of coast defence; and if we can
strengthen any point by making use of voluntary
effort, it is our duty to do so. Popular appre-
ciation of the work already done will lead to
greater zeal for that work being displayed; and,
if only for this reason, the Shoeburyness meeting
merits praise. - - - -

Everybody has heard the story of how Mr.
James Gordon Bennett one .night, about fifteen
years ago, summoned Mr. H. M. Stanley to his
bedside, and gave the brief direction, "Go and
find Livingstone ; " and a variation of this idea
has just been indulged in by another American.
A few weeks ago a theatrical manager in New
York, doubtless anxious for a new sensation,
thought he would send some letters
to friends in Europe in a new fashion;
and accordingly he "rang lip" the Mutual Dis-
trict Messenger Service. When a boy arrived at
the theatre about fifty letters were given him
with his fare, and he was told to proceed to
London by a steamer which in a few hours was
to sail, deliver the epistles to those to whom they
were addressed, and to return only when he had
fulfilled his mission. He had, astonished though
he naturally was, obeyed orders, bade a hurried
farewell to his parents, and is now in London
discharging his duty. This will be the first
notification, to many people that there is such
institution in -New York as that to which this
youth belongs. It •is compoied of boys
specially chosen for their tact, smartness, and
good conduct, and these deliver messages in
,•variouseparts of the "Empire City," at a
fixed rate; whieh, though necessarily-higher than
the post office charges, is worth paying in order
tp secure he increased,speed. There have been
more than once Suggestions for the formation of
esirtilaeßirps in London, but as yet they have
come to nght.
• As it, is, a- very large number of boys are em-
ployed in London as messengers for various
concerns. The total of those engaged by the
telegraphs department at the different offices
thr.otighout the metropolis would astonish those
who 'never stop to imagine how the tens of
thousands of messages are daily delivered. The
great news agencies, as well as the various
foreign telegraph companies, also employ
a great Many ; and quiet folks wko go
to bed regularly at ten or eleven o'clock
would be simply astounded if they could
Fee the number of boys who are discharging
such duties at. all hours of the night. The lads,
to judge by the easy nonchalance with which they
parade the London streets at the deadest hours
of the night; like their work, and they would be
much astonished if anyone were to suggest to
them that danger- was involved. They are so
active and sharp that they do not know what
fear is, and the flavour of romance which hangs
around night work makes them enjoy the distinc-
tion they have over their fellows who are compelled
to toil during the day. London is a city full
of strange sights, but in no minor particular
is the difference between the city and the country
more clearly shown than in the manner in which
thousands in the capital literally turn night into
day. A dweller in the rural districts who goes
to, bed at ten 13'c1ock and rises at five or six,
would scarcely be able to understand the mental
attitude of a Londoner, who on lately being
asked to undertake some special journalistic
work which would involve his coming into Fleet-
street at five in the morning, declined with the
observation, "I've no objection to finishing the
day at that hour ,but i certainly never begin it