The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-07-03 00:00:00

s isteilanenus gutelligratt,
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

To LADIES WHO PAINT—THEMSELVES.---It is better
to be " plain " than "coloured."—Punch.
SHEEP FEEDING.—To feed sheep with artificial food
at the time when they are on grass seems a wasteful
system, nevtrtheless it has its advocates. At this
season of the year, it is said, a sheep will make
upwards of 2 lbs. of increase in live weight on the
same food which would do no more than keep them in
a stationary condition in the depth bf winter. The
reason of this is that heat being equivalent to food
comparatively little of the constituent elements of the
produce are at present absorbed in maintaininethe
vital functions of the animal, whereas in winter most
of these elemeuts are so absorbed.

WEEKLY REVIEW OF THE CORN TRADE.—Bell's
Weekly Messenger says :—" Notwithstanding the
limited deliveries of home-grown produce in this
country and a Continental demand for foreign grain
both here and abroad, the wheat trade has rethaAned
dull, and holders have been compelled to submit to a
reduction iu prices of is. to 28. per qr. The smallest
amount of reduction has been in red qualities of pro-
duce, these being rather scarce and in demand for
mixing purposes; while, owing to the liberal arrivals
from Australia, New Zealand, and Chili, white de-
scriptions have been more difficult to sell. Although
stocks here are light, both as regards home-grown and
foreign grain, millers are still indisposed to purchase
in excess of their active requirements. The quantity
of wheat on passage to this country is now estimated
at 1,755,000 quarters, against 1,240,000 quarters last
year- but although there is an increase of about
500,000 quarters the quantity cannot be regarded as in
any way excessive."
. • _

THRIFT.—Brown (with an eye to economy) : "I
will wear the new hat, then' and leave my old one to
be done up."—Shopman : "Done up! About done up
already, isn't it, sir ?"—Fan.
THE CAMEL—The Afghan campaign dispelled
many illusions anent the camel (says the Evening
Standard). His prestige,has sorely diminished, owing
to the multitudinous bones he left to bleach in the
Attrek Valley and the Kojak Pass. It has been
proved beyond dispute that he is not hardy, that he
can lose his temper, and that his powers of going
without food or water have been grossly exaggerated.
When travelling on rock he cuts his feet ; when
trudging through deep sand he labours and 'arts. and
when toiling over mud he often falls heavily, If he
happens to be awkwardly fitted with a pack-saddle or
overladen, he protests as vehemently as if he were
asked "to thread the postern of a needle's eye." He
growls, and his growl is not musical; he bites, and
his bite is not fondling; and, finally, he
shakes off his burden, or lies down and sulks- The
story of one of his race, the property of Nlahorne,
having scudded at four bounds from Jerusalem
.no
Mecca, and having thus secured a companiom,hip
Paradise with Balaam's ass and Tobit's dog,
pletely discredited by his performance
Candahar columns. In the conveyance of the
orn-
w:lviietiltreatrisheport of that body of troops, no less than sixty
au his
thou-
sand camels are said to have perished. l
faults, he is the best beast of burden in our Eastern
Empire; he cannot be done without; and the Indian
papers are calling for Government encouragement to
camel-breeders similar to that extended to those who
rear horses, oxen, sheep, and gooks. .

A REMARK.ABLE FIND.—A curious, and it may be
hoped, valuable discovery has just been made by Herr
Greyser, German contractor, who recently purchased
some lantnear Deutsch-Eylau, in Prussia. On the
property was a small lake, and on the latter being
drained, an iron chest was found a few days ago,
embedded in the mud. The chest, being very heavy,
has not yet been got out, and machinery will have to
be employed for the purpose. Meanwhile it is
generally believed that the " find " is no less than
the military chest of a French army corps, a tradition
existing in the district that one was concealed some-
where in the neighbourhood on the return of the
French from Russia in 1812.
THE NEW OYSTER BANKS IN THE LITTLE BELT.—
The stocking of the newly-established oyster-beds in
the Little Belt with various species of American
oysters' has been rapidly and successfully accom-
plished (says a correspondent of Land and Water).
Ten new oyster-beds have been constructed, and
stocked with a million and a half of oysters, namely:—
In the Gjenner Bay one bed with 120,000; near
Halkhoved one bank with 150,000; to the east and
south-east of the Island of Arco three banks with
420,000; along the coast of the small Island Linde-
rum three banks with 416,000; and near the points of
Ravhoved and Kundhoved one bank at each place
with 150,000 young oysters. About 100,000 large
oysters have also been distributed among the beds as
mother oysters, which are expected to drop millions
of spat during the remaining period of the year.
These full-grown oysters will be collected in the
autumn, and are to be offered for sale in Hamburg as
specimens and samples of the acclimatised oysters.
The distribution and depositing of the oysters has
been carried out under the supervision of Engineer
Meyer, who had for many years been a resident in
America, and who had himself collected the oysters,
arrabged the packing, and accompanied them across
the Atlantic.
THE LOCUST PLAGUE IN RUSSIA.—M. Makoff,-the
Minister of the Interior, who is at present on a tour
of inspection, telegraphs from Astraichan that he is
doing his utmost to extirpate the swarms of 'locusts
which have invaded the province; but that, owing to
insufficiency of hands the plague cannot be effectually
stamped out. He adds that quantities of other
insects as well as the locusts are injuring the crops.
The Gobs publishes a telegram from Kamensk
stating that the locusts have invaded the steppes of
the Don and that the wheat crop is regarded as lost.
From Odessa it is reported that fourteen detachments
of soldiers are being employed in a general effort to
exterminate the Anisoplia Aus triaca. The com-
plaints of the ravages of insects are universal through-
out the country.
A SUGGESTION. The opium trade should more
appropriately be named the odium trade.—Judy.
FOOD PRODUCTION IN FRANCE.—The Secretary of
the Royal Agricultural Society has published in their
Journal, "Notes on Market Gardening and Vine
Culture in the North-west of France," which are well
worth reading by all persons engaged in producing
food-crops. The extent to which salad is grown and
consumed on the other side of the Channel, seems
almost incredible to a dweller on this side. One
article is particularly mentioned—the dandelion,
which, as we are told, is now systematically cultivated
on a large scale, while the market gardeners and the
consumers are enthusiastic in its praise. In England,
the dandelion is partially used for medicinal purposes;
but in France, five varieties of the plant are cultivated
to be eaten as salad in the middle of winter- and this
is its great merit, in addition to its hygienic properties,
that it abounds at a time of year when most other
salads are very scarce.

CANCER.—Cancer is a disease which is common to
all ranks of society, from the highest to the lowest.
Not only are the richest and poorest alike subject to
it, but so are the worst and best fed, those who are
living under the most favourable atmospheric condi-
tions and those who are immured in the worst, those
who are cleanly and those who have a wholesome dread
of soap and water, those of all temperaments and all
occupations, those who are apparently healthy and
those who are never well. It may attack people of
any age, from the baby at the breast to the nona-
genarian. Speaking generally, however, cancer may
be said to be a disease of middle and advanced life,
for it comparatively rarely visits those who have any
claim to be considered young. Cancer is more common
in women than in men, and it is said to occur more
frequently in those who are unmarried than in those
whose who have taken upon themselves the cares and
pleasures of matrimony.—From "The Family Pity-
SiCian " for July. .

VENTURESOME VOYAGERS.—The dory Little Western,
with two men named George W. Thomas and F.
Norman, on board, sailed from Glocester, United
States, on the afternoon of the 12th inst. on a voyage
across the ocean. It is intended that the j)oat snail
stop for a time at London and then proceed on a
visit to the Baltic.

. _
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORIN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending June 26, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 445. Bd.; barley, 28s. 3d.;
oats, 265. Dd. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year :—Wheat 425. 6d.; barley, 28s. Id.; oats,
225. I.d.

REALLY A FACT THIS TlME.—Rise of Intellect in
the Midland Counties.—Diocesan Inspector: And
what happened when they came to Paphos?—Child:
St. Paul struck Elymas the Sorcerer blind.—lnspector:
What did he strike him blind for ?—Child: Because
he "sauced" him, sir.—. Judy.
THE LATEST FASHION IN BEAUTY.—TWO great
events are turning the fashionable Parisian world
topsy-turvy (says a contemporary). First, blondes
are no longer the belles of the day; brunettes, as pale
as the moon, with large dark blue eyes and jet black
hair, swanlike neck, arms and hands like those of the
Venus of Milo must have had, long slender waist, and
graceful undulating movements—such are the queens
of beauty before whom everyone stoops. Diana has
dethroned Venus. The most amusing side of the
question will be to notice what number of golden-
haired degantes will suddenly be endowed with dark
tresses, and it will be rather puzzling to find out
whether they hitherto have dyed their black and
glossy curls or now dye their fair locks! Where is
the philosopher who will fathom this mystery?

OUT OF THE WORLD.—OId Lady from Country :
"Have you The Pictorial World ! " Bookseller :
"Very sorry, ms,'am,—quite sold out • but we shall
have more in* on Saturday." Old Lady :—" Then
please keep me one. Please God I'm alive, I'll call
for it—if not, Pll send the carrier.—Pun.
AN AGED PitaarrrioNEß.—lt was stated recently in
the Lewiston (New York) Journal that Mr. A. Gibbs,
a lawyer at Rochester, New York, ninety-three years
old, is still in practice. A reader of that journal cut
out the paragraph and sent it in a letter of inquiry
directed- to Mr. Gibbs, and received an answer, dated
the 15th of May, in which the writer says :—" I am
the person named in the printed slip., I never
sought notoriety, but it seems my longevity is likely
to give me more than my good deeds. My health is
as sound as at any time of my lifefor aught I know.
I was slender until thirty. I have for
a close student
and kept up with the decisions of our Courts, done a
good amount of business, never was rich. My present
patronage is select. From my youth I have enter.
tamed a fondness for the profession."
A CAUTION TO FAIR SAMARITANS..—Sitting pensive
on a rustic bench, young Smith sees those pretty girls
from the Hall coming his way, and, on the chance of
their belonging to an "Ambulance Class" (which they
do), he suffers himself to be overcome by the heat
(58 deg. in the sun), and falls prostrate just as they
pass by! Emily :-" It's a faint, poor fellow! Hold
his head low down, Maud, and undo his shirt-collar,
while I feel his pulse. Oh! how strongly it beats ! "
—Punch.
THE ICS TRADE.—Ice has now become an interest-
ing subject on account of the exorbitant price which
the ice companies have determined to demand for it.
It is also interesting because the trade, both domestic
and foreign, is largely American, and because we are
the great consumers of the world. We had long used
ice at home before we began to export it. Exporta-
tion was,begun 75 years ago by Frederic Tudor, of
Boston, who then sailed to Martiniceae in his own
brig with a cargo of 130 tons. He continued in the
business, though he made little or no money until
after the war of 1812. Three years later he
obtained important privileges from Cuba, includ-
ing the monopoly of Havannah. In May, 1833,
he sent the first cargo to India, and it was deli-
vered at Calcutta the following autumn; in 1834 he
sent the first cargo to Brazil; and he canied on the
trade alone until 1836, when other persons entered
into it. Some 20 years since the Wenham Lake Ice
Company began exporting ice to Europe, and has
done so well that it now has active competitors. We
used to send 20,000 tons to Great Britain, whose
supply now comes mainly from Norway. 'The total
value of ice stored in this country in ordinary years is
computed at from 5,000,000 dols. to 6,000,000 dols.,
and of the ice trade of Norway, Sweden, and Russia
at 4,000,000 dols., which shows that 'a value of some
10,000,000 dols. is added to a comparatively . small
body of water merely by freezing. The demand for
ice rapidly increases every year, and it is probable
that by the end of the century the ice crop of the
globe will be worth 20,000,000 dols.—New York Times.
AN AWFUL CRAMMER.—Proprietor of booming,.
house (taking stout guest aside). "You 'II excuse me,
Mr. Sharpset, but your appetite is so large that I shall
be compelled to 'Charge you a shilling extra. it can't be
done at two shillings! "—Diner.. "No ! For_heaven's
sake don't do that! I can
ceoarape.toc o .walwons
ghisitlh_ei ltlhi ne gp rf
ot hr
easy; but if I have to do three
should—but I'll try !! "—Punch. —I really,-- afraid I
THE IRON TR/mt.—Although the demand for for iron
monthtnll o f last
for shipment to the United States h_aesv'ee Ila
rd
homefallen
off, the quantity sent by sea from 1
and foreign ports is for the present month muchi
year. From
Fofrotinhateufostrotinhlocouoarre
appears. that
f pia iron have been shipped
already over 65,000 tons
from Middlesborough this month,
June last year was under
revival in
tetoehnkes .
demand
e n:aa
cargo of
aforofer
irono
om oe
indications of a slight re
for the United States,
shipped the Cleve-
bulkh d "1
The great
of the iron n •
tons will be sent
f Scotland
however, is orand other home
land district,
ports and GermanY•
offvombeaniWngesst
SQUIRREL-KILLING MACFIINE.—The Californian
A papersten of a machine for the extermination of
with
squirrels. most places the irrepressible boy
squirrels.s.hot-gun does the work. In fact he cannot
a cheap
find squirrels enough to test his aim, therefore blazes
vat the song birds. But squirrels breed so fast
on tfie Pacc Coasts, that the boys bankrupt them-
selves in the attempt to buy powder enough to thin
their ranks. At the Oakland track, in the outskirts
of a dense population, the gray squirrels are too
,
numerous to count. They elevate themselves on their
haunches and look mockingly at passersby,and fear-
lessly play on the track when the horses are taking
their exercise. As these squirrels are burrowers they
3,re regarded as a nuisance, but
The
cannot get rid of
them by an ordinary method. The new machine con-
sists of a furnace of galvanized iron lined with a fire
clay, and with an air-purap and discharge-pipe
attached. A fire is built in the furnace, a poisonous
compound dropped in, the top closed, the' chamber
placed over the squirrel hole and the air-pump started.
The smoke is thus forced into the burrow, and every.
thing is killed that breathes it. his murder by whole-
sale,. but it must not be forgotten that the 5,r1 •
rrel
are eo numerdus au to do gre4t damago to tho coves