News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-01-29
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

THE President of a Hartford fire in
surance company, being impressed by
the evils of over-insurance, asks for leg
islation to forbid the payment, in any
case, of more than three-fourths the
amount of the loss.
The greatest miser in Indiana put hlt
savings into life insurance policies, ano
denied himself all luxuries and mos
comforts in order to pay the premiums
though his heirs were distant relatives,
for whom he seemed to care nothing
They will get, now that he is dead, abou
$34, 900.
THERE are $4,000 widows in India
from three to five years of age who will
never again be married. In that coun-
try as soon as child is born match is
made by the parents. If the boy dies
she--essitl -iesoiz1aa-a widow, and must
wear mourning for her intended as long
as she lives.
SEVEN men sat down to dinner recent
ly in Chenango county, New York State.
They were between the ages of twenty
and thirty five years, and not one of the
seven had ever used tobacco in any form,
had never tasted liquor of any kind, and
had never gone to theatre or played q
game of euchre.
IT IS scarcely three quarters of GEN.
tury since the first tomato ever grown in
this country was raised from seed that
was brought from Italy and planted in
the garden of a gentleman in Salem,
Mass. In 1883, 7O,545, ,s96 cans of
tomatoes were packed in this country for
shipment abroad.
FROM single grain of wheat planted
in 1881, says the Grass Valley Gal }
Record, grew twenty-five stalks, each
bearing full head. These yielded $50
grains, 760 of which were planted the
next year, producing one-ffth of a
bushel of splendid wheat. This was
planted last spring, yielding seventeen
bushels, making 1,020 pounds of wheat
from one grain in three years.
JUST now there seems to be fancy
among fashionable people to use owls
stuffed owls-as ornaments to set on the
tops of bookcases or other suitable
places. Common owls stuffed sell at S3
to $8 each, white owls at SIS to $40. A
dealer in Boston says: 81 have been
cleaned out of owls entirely, the demand
has been so large of late, and l have sew
eral untitled orders from Chicago still on
hand"
Travellers out on the red hills, says a
California paper, have often shuddered
at the sight of horned toads, which are
as numerous as blackbirds. The ugly
creatures are as much dreaded as rattle
snakes, but Chinaman spent all sum-
mer and fall gathering them. Recently
he made shipment of two thousand of
The toads to San Francisco from which
nlace they will be sent 20 China. The
t,z.7s, are converted into various kinds oi
medicines, which sell very high. For
the cure of chills and fever they are said
to be the finest things known. A toad
is placed in flask of whisky for several
weeks, and then the stuff is sold as a
tonic.
FORTY FIVE years ago the Britannia
was considered remarkable ship. She
was POT feet long and her tonnage l, ,155.
The new Cunarder, the Etruria, is $50
feet long and her tonnage nearly 5000.
The Britannia had engines of $50 horse
power the horse power of the Etruria
is IA coo. The Britannia carried 22C
tons of cargo and 120 passengers the
Etruria 5000 tons of cargo and l, SOC
passengers. The Britannia carried SOC
tons of coal and her speed was 81 knots
per hour. Five years ago the Arizona
made the passage in seven days and
seven hours. The builder of the Etruria
says she will do it in one day less, and
in another five years it will be done in
five days.