County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

ONLY GOTHIC. Liverpool's new cathedral is to have nothing but Gothic architecture about it. The committee which v/ill select the design have decided to ex- clude all styles but Gothic, With Wren's noble cathedral in mind, and with a recollection of the fine and really imposing design with which Pro- fessor Emerson won the first place in the abortive eompetition in Liverpool, it seems narrowminded policy to give no locus standi to a design that is not Gothic. Gothic is not the only, nor yet the oldest, style of church architecture, and, though it I' was in vogue during nearly all the great church- building age in this country, it occupied no more time than the Renaissance period which succeeded it. I

I KING EDWARD'S NOTEPAPER. The King is very particular about his notepaper. He likes it to be of rather a peculiar shape, more square than oblong, and to be very simple in style. It is engraved with Sandringham or Marlborough House in raised letters, with a crown above the address. At present the letters are in black, but formerly they used to be in gold, or black with red capitals.

1 NOVEL HOLIDAY." Some complaints having been made as to the system of sending police officers in Norfolk to purchase food samples for analysis, the Sanitary Committee adopted rather a new ruse by send- ing out three clerks, on the pretext of a holiday, into the north-east part of the county. They spent their week's leave in taking 60 samples, and in 10 cases the analyst found adulteration. The expenses of the clerks were Ell 4s. 2d., but the result was to detect a much greater percentage of adulteration than had been obtained by the em- ployment of policemen.

THE FIRST TREADMILL. I As the treadmill is to disappear it is interesting to recall the fact that the first treadmill was erected in the Brixton House of Correction in the year before the late Queen's accession. It was the invention of Sir William Cubitt, an eminent engineer. Sir William had little idea that his treadwheel, as he called it, would come to be used as an instrument of punishment. He designed it solely for the purpose of grinding corn. It was never looked upon with favour, and from the very beginning an agitation was set on foot against its use in prisons. Only 18 now remains out of 65 that existed some six years ago.

EPITOME OF NEWS. SIR FRANCIS WINGATE has sailed from Mar- seilles to resume his command in Egypt. THE Grand Duke Michael and Countess Torby are expected shortly at Dunrobin. THE King of Greece is expected to spend a fort- night in Paris and a few days in Vienna before re- turning to Athens. LONDON has 56 parks and gardens of from one-fourth of an acre to 198 acres, and 30 open spaces and commons from one to 267 acres in size. LADY LANSDOWNE, Prince and Princess Victor Duleep Singh, Lady Kenmare, and Lord Wilton have left London for Scotland. NEARLY 70,000 tons of corks are needed for the bottled beer and aerated waters consumed annu- ally in Great Britain. LORD AND LADY WOLVEJhave arrived in London. Lady Wolverton has been staying in Scotland. HOLLAND has 10,100 windmills, each of which drains 310 acres of land, at an average cost of lg. an acre a year. MR. GEORGE FREDERIC PRESTON, of the National Telephone Company, has been appointed general manager of the London Post Office Tele- phone Service. A CURIOUS bit of information-that a pint mea- sure would just hold £ 1 worth (240) of pennies —was elicited at the Liverpool Licensing Sessions. THE Archbishop of York has just completed his 75th year, but still carries on all the work of his position and still reads daily a fixed portion of Hindustani, which language he learned when a soldier in India. WITH a capital of £ 50,000 the promoters of the scheme for establishing a public-house trust in Leeds, on the lines laid down by Earl Grey, hope very shortly to launch their company. THE negotiations on behalf of the King for the purchase of the Britannia from Sir Richard Bulkeley have been completed, and the vessel has again become the property of his Majesty. The Britannia, which is now at Cowes, is being dis- mantled for the winter. IF I had not been destined to be a dean," says Dr. Hole, of Rochestor, there are three other vocations I should have liked to have followed: Master of a pack of hounds, head gardener in a large nursery, or a bookseller. I think the last is the best office of the three." IT is reported that a camera has been placed so as to take each day one picture of the new build- ing of the department of physics of the Cornell University, now being constructed, with the object of producing hereafter a moving picture of the building from its beginning to its completion. A LIBERAL demonstration, under the auspices of the Young Scots Society, is being arranged for in Edinburgh at the end of this month. Mr. Lloyd-George, M.P., as a representative of the Young Welsh Party, will be one of the speakers, and Mr. Thomas Shaw. M.P., will preside on the occasion. A TELEGRAM from Biarritz says that among the friends of Queen Nathalie no credence is attached to the report of her conversion to the Roman Catholic faith. It is believed that the statement has been circulated with the object of diminishing the prestige of the ex-Queen of Servia. IT used to be believed that ravens lived longer than any other species of birds, and it was said that their age frequently exceeded a century. Recent studies of the subject indicate that no authentic instance of a raven surpassing 70 years of age is on record. But parrots have been known to live 100 years. FRIDESWIDE'S CHURCH, Poplar, has been en- riched by an interesting gift, which is probably unique in England. It is an altar-cloth valued at more than 2000 guineas, which, like Penelope's web, has taken 10 years to manufacture and is partly woven of human hair. NOISE is not usually a passport to popularity. But the Archbishop of Canterbury by his sten- torian voice won the affections many years ago of a Devonshire farmer, who was overheard to say, admiringly, near the bottom of a church where the then Bishop of Exeter was preaching, I du love the Beshup, 'cos he hollers proper." A NEW word is wanted for the stable" of a motor-car. barrage U is the French word for a place where cars are stored and repaired. Motor shed," motable," "motorden," motorbarn," motorium," &c., have been suggested in America. Perhaps motorhouse or carhouse will suit. THE Levant Herald says it is reported from Athens that the Crown Prince and the Minister of War have decided to appoint a commission of officers of high grade to make trials with rifles and guns, in view of the introduction of the best types into the Greek Army. The principal European small-arms and ordnance manufacturing com- panies will be asked to send samples of their pro- ducts to Athens. DR. GEORGE FREDERICK WRIGHT, of Oberlin College, has lately returned from a journey round the world, in the course of which he made exten- sive geological investigations in Asia to see if he could get any new light on the subject of Noah's flood. The Bible story of the flood which de- stroyed nearly all the human race has been a subject of study with him for 25 years. OF all the world's great armies none is so numerous, so costly, or so remarkable as the American army of pensioners. It is an army of 1,000,000. larger than that of Great Britain, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire com- bined. Its cost of £ 30,000,000 last year was greater than that of any standing army in Europe. 9 FEW people other than miners have any idea of the quantity of explosives used in coal mines. From the latest report it appears that in the South Wales coalfield, which employs over one-fifth of the mining population of this country, rather more than 1,000,0001b. of explosives was used in 1900. More than 2,000,000 shots were fired during the year, half of them by ordinary safety fuse and the other half by other methods, chiefly electricity. SUBMARINE divers have not yet succeeded in reaching 200ft. below the surface with all the ad- vantage of armour, air supply, and weights to sink them. THe eitort has been made to reach a wreck in 240ft. of water. The accounts state that at 130ft. the diver began to experience serious trouble. At 200ft., after suffering terribly, he lost consciousness and was hauled up. Divers cannot work much below 100ft. SPAIN has actually benefited by being relieved by America of possessions that had been long draining both her life-blood and her purse. One curious and wholly unexpected result is that since she lost her colonies Spain has begun to develop her mercantile marine in quite a remarkable manner, the capital which formerly found an out- let in the colonies now seeking employment in shipping. THE discovery in a Chilian copper mine of the body of an Indian workman, who had died there many years ago, and who had been preserved from decay by the antiseptic action of copper, is re- ported in an American mining journal. The mine in question is situated in the district of Chuquica- mata, in the desert of Atacama. The Indian had evidently been killed by a fall from the roof while engaged in collecting atacamite in a small basket which was still in his hand, his stone implements being found alongside. THIEVES stole two modern cannon at Santiago de Cuba recently, and by means of explosives turned them into scrap iron in a few minutes. These were not American thieves, but struggling Cubans," who expected to sell the scrap. The Galveston News opines that men who have suffi- cient energy to steal cannon, surely have energy enough to keep alive a stable form of government if they would but turn their attention in that direction. IT is stated that unusual heat has prevailed in the Arctic regions this year. An enormous quan- tity of icebergs have thereby been set free and been driven to the middle of the Atlantic. The reports of the captains of steamers which ply between Europe and America state that ships have met with dozens of icebergs, some as high as over 100ft. ACCORDING to a Dalziel message from Monaco, a German Baron and his sister have just been arrested on a charge of incendiarism quite close to the palace of the Prince of Monaco. A short time ago the baron leased a villa and insured his furniture in the house for the sum of £ 4000. Soon after his arrival there a fire broke out in the house, and everything in it was burned to the ground. After the usual inquiry the insurance money was duly paid. But developments have led to the arrest of the baron and his sister for incendiarism.

FIELD AND FARM. THE ROTHAMSTED EXPERIMENTS. Sir J. Henry Gilbert has presented to the Lawes Agricultural Trust Committee (remarks the Agri- cultural Gazette) the report on the Rothamsted experiments of 1900, which has been published and issued. The year noticed was the fifty-seventh of the experiments, and the volume contains the re- sults of some of them for the whole period. The first table relates to the manuring of permanent pasture for hay, commenced in 1856. This set of trials has often been noticed, and we can only call attention now to one very striking result. By far the heaviest yield of hay from two cuttings waR 70§cwt., obtained on half a plot dressed year after year with 5001b. of sulphate of potash., 1001b. each of sulphate of soda and sulphate of magnesia, 3icwt. of super-phosphate, 6001b. of ammonia salts, and 4001b. of silicate of soda. Now, silicate of soda is not a manure commonly recom- mended or used yet the produce of the half-plot to which it was applied was nearly 15cwt. more than on the other half-plot from which it was omitted, the other manures being the same on both. This superiority is no new result, for it has been shown from the first application of the silicate, and for the twenty-four years—1876-99— the average yield on the silicated half-plot was 80>cwt. per acre, or 8cwt. more than on the other half-plot. The whole of the dressing used on either half-plot is probably too liberal to be remunerative, and we refer to it only to show the good effect of a silicate on pasture mown twice year after year. Possibly on a more sandy soil this manure would not be needed. In the field which had grown wheat annually for fifty-seven years the greatest yield per acre in 1900 was 44 bushels, obtained on a plot dressed annually with 2001b of sulphate of potash, 1001b. each of sulphate of soda and sulphate of magnesia, 3cwt. of superphosphate, and 6001b. 2 p of ammonia salts. This heavy dressing, which is too costly to pay with wheat at its present price, gave the greatest crop on the average for forty- eight years, 1852-99, though 14 tons of farmyard manure annually averaged only lj bushels less. In 1900, however, the farmyard manure plot gave only 33-1 bushels. One unmanured plot in 1900 yielded only 12;t bushels per acre, and the other only 9 bushels. The best result from a comparatively simple dressing of artificials is the average for forty-eight years of 31 bushels per acre, obtained 2 on a plot to which 4001b. of ammonia salts. 3f cwt. 2 of superphosphate, and 2001b. of sulphate of potash have been applied annually. Of course, lighter dressings would suffice where crops are grown in rotation. In the field which had grown barley continuously for fifty years in 1900 farmyard manure, as was the case with wheat, failed to ex- ercise its usual influence. The greatest yield in 1900 was 36t bushels per acre, obtained on a plot treated with no fewer than six artificial manures. But the highest average for forty-eight years was 48 bushels, grown on the farmyard-manure plot. An average for the same period, only 4 bushels less, was obtained by the use of 2751b. of nitrate of soda and 3^cwt. of superphosphate, a result pro- bably more economical than any other in the long list. The potato experiments are remarkable as showing that this crop cannot be grown to advan- tage for a long series of years on the same land, Without much more heavy manuring than has been tried at Rothamsted. DESTNG-OFF MILCH COWS. I It is a much-debated point amongst cowkeepers (says Mr. L. J. Lord) as to how close to the next calving a -sow may be milked, within the bounds of prudence and profit. Of the several methods of management in this respect, adhered to amongst dairy farmers, there are four that may be singled out for notice, two of which may be readily condemned as mistakes from more than one point of view. The first two methods ate 1 Milking the' cow for as long a time as possible on poor feed, and 2. Drying off comparatively early, combined with high feeding up to the time of calving. In the first case it is only a heavy milker that will under such conditions run close to her time, still yielding milk in any quantity and normal in composition, and it is likely that each succeeding period of lactation would see her steadily failing as a milk producer, but, apart from that, it is not right to force a cow to the double strain of produc- ing milk and sustaining the foetus upon anything but a good substantial ration and it is not a smail percentage of cowkeepers in the dairying districts who go to no further expense in the matter of feed than that entailed by giving a ration of long hay and a few mangels during the time when there is no grass to be had. The second method, it will be readily acknow- ledged, is a mistake in the opposite direction, and, to do the owner justice, is more likely to occur where the cowman, or perhaps bailiff, who has charge of the animals enjoys a free hand with the food. It is not, however, always to be put down to such a cause, as it is likely to occur from sheer lack of interest, and a disinclination to make a difference between the rations of the dry cows and the rest of the herd. When all are fed in the yard or stalls together, it of course occasions a little more work and care if they are to be treated dif- ferently at feeding time. BETTER METHODS. Of the two next methods which will bear looking into, and discussing one against the other, the first to be dealt with is 1. Drying off several weeks be- fore calving, and feeding upon a much poorer ra- tion, say of straw and roots. 2. The time allowed for the cow to conserve her strength and recruit the producing powers of her milking organs would generally amount to from seven to twelve weeks under this method. I do not know that, looking at it from a purely theoretical point of view, one can find fault with such an arrangement. The cow will undoubtedly be the stronger for having had the rest, and there is no fear but that, having nothing else to do but supply herself from a liberal provision, she will eat sufficient food to both maintain herself and pro- perly nourish the fcetus. It is when we consider the possibility of making better profits that a more advisable practice may be discussed. LAST BUT NOT LEAST. I From a comparison of the methods that are fol- lowed, the fourth mentioned here is, in my opinion, the best from a practical standpoint. It is this: If you have the kind of cow that will do it, milk her for all she is worth up to within four weeks of calving, then allow her to dry gradually during tne next ten days, feeding her well right through the whole period. The argument, from the same standpoint, in fovour of such a practice is, that during the whole time she has been encouraged to do her best a fuller yield of milk has been obtained, reaching far back into the milking period, than would occur under any other circumstances, and this surplus milk must more than repay the outlay on food, and the depreciation (?) in value of the cow, con- sidered either as beef or a milk producer. The individual cow is not a permanency; if by any possible chance she is worked so hard that it results in lessening her value, she can be replaced; it does not matter much if the figure she fetches shows a loss against her value a couple of years be- fore. The profit in the ordinary milch cow comes from the milk she yields. Where else can you lock for it ? Farther arguments against any exception being taken to such a statement are, that owing to the feeding the calf will have developed well and be bem vigorous and well-nourished. Also I do not see that the stimulation of the udder so far towards parturition need mean undue risk of milk fever or similar trouble. OATMEAL AS STOCK FOOD. I Cumberland hams and bacon have long enjoyed high repute (" R." writes) but it is quite as much owing to the feeding as to the curing or breed. Unless you have a combination of each, you cannot produce the best of either hams or bacon. In this county pigs are finished on oatmeal balls, made up of oatmeal and cold water, kneaded to the consistency of dough, and given to the animals in pil!s about the size of a cricket ball. These are equally efficacious with cattle. Begin a couple of months before the time of exhibition or slaughter \>y placing one or two of these balls on the tops of the feeding tubs, "and gradually increase the number as the cattle show appetite for them. As they act in a binding way on the bowels of some e-.ittle. note the dung, and give or withhold I the balls accordingly for a time. Animals so finished hate zL fit-i-ii and pleasing touch under the hand ItS opposed to the disagreeable blubber tc uch, and no practical judge, especially a butcher, will ever make a mistake between the two. The con- trast is still more favourable when they come to the block test, the oatmeal giving a ripenesn and firmness to the flesh, a preponderance of lean meat, and yet withal a delicacy and whiteness to the fat that might pass it for butter, and make you wish there was more of it on the piece on the dinner- table. A similar effect is produced with sheep fed either on chop mixed with oatmeal or bruised oats

I GARDENING GOSSIP. I TWO NEW TULIPS. Among the new Tulips likely to be shortly offered in catalogues (remarks S. R. Nott in the Gardener) are two new species from Persia, that land of the Tulip. Th-ey were found by an expedition sent out in 1900 by a Continental nurseryman, in collaboration with an enthusiastic amateur. One is called T. Wilsoniana, and is of rather dwarf habit, with pretty, undulated leaves, bordered with red. The flowers are of a bright red, with red filaments and yellow anthers. The other is T. Micheliana, which takes after the glorious T. Greigii in the marking of its leaves, these being striped with purple. The flowers of this are of large size, and are red with a yellow zone, marked at the base with black. When these Tulips find their way into catalogues in general, they will be sought after. A PROLIFIC APPLE TREE. I Mr. R. J. Mellor, of Kelso," Wallington. Surrey, is the proud possessor of an Apple tree which, though only planted in December, 1899, has this season borne a crop of over 50 fruits. These were re- duced to 30 at thinning time, with the result that none of the Apples which were allowed to come to maturity scaled less than 8oz. each, while many weighed well over that figure. The variety ia Bramley's Seedling. THE COMMON IVY AS A POT PLANT. I The common Ivy often takes upon itself to climb trees and extend numerous branches, which bear flowers and ultimately berries, around the trunk of its host. The Willow is especially favoured in this respect, and it is often an easy matter to obtain a dozen good, bushy heads or branches of Ivy from one tree. If these shrub-like branches are cut off now, inserted in pots commensurate with their size, and stood in a shady corner where they can be dewed over twice or thrice daily, they will soon callus and root. When a callus has formed at the base of the shoot, the emission of roots may be greatly facilitated by introducing the pots into moist heat. If kept syringed to prevent red spider effecting a footing, and removed to cooler quarters as soon as well rooted, these Ivy shoots will form nice little evergreen bushes for conservatory decoration in the winter. A LITTLE KNOWN PLANT. I I wonder how many readers (says H. R. Richards) grow the pretty Gingerwort, Kasmpferia Kirkii ? I am afraid not by any means a large proportion. Yet, what a beautiful plant it is, with its fine, handsome. Plantain-like leaves, and blossoms almost a counterpart of that favourite Orchid Miltonia vexillaria. Its culture is simple in the extreme just now the flowers are passing, and the growth will gradually die away. In winter the pots may be stored away under the stage of a warm greenhouse, to be kept quite, or nearly, dry until February. Then take them out and shake all the soil away from the crowns, repotting them in a fairly rich compost, and bringing them up to the light. Keep them only just moist, and wait until signs of growth appear, when place them in a warm, moist house, and water more freely. When they are getting well away, and the pots appear to be filling with roots, a few waterings with weak liquid maware may be given, but it is not well to feed too highly. This pretty plant is a native of Zanzibar, and rejoices in the synonymous name of Cienkowskia. SEEDLING BIENNIALS AND PERENNIALS. As the winter months draw near attention to seedlings of the above should be given. The dis- play which is obtainable from these plants every year is most interesting, and I do not hesitate to say that, if care be taken of the plants while they are young and passing through the winter, they will yield a still greater harvest of bloom than is usually seen. All lovers of theplants are not fortunate enough to possess a cool frame, and they must rear their pets by affording them some protection from frosts and keen, cutting winds with the aid of rough materials. Where colli, frames are available they are generally occupied by some other kinds of plants, bwfc I would plead for a corner in one of them for these seedlings. I am sure the space will be devoted to a good purpose. The most frequent mistake made is that of leav- ing the plants in the seed boxes, pans, or beds, and not transplanting them. Seedlings so treated are deficient of roots in the spring, and do not make satisfactory growth throughout the whole of the season. Always transplant a few in the autumn. A small quantity treated well will do better than a large number which present a stunted appear- ance. Failing the handy frame, select a warm corner, sheltered from the north and east winds, but other- wise quite open. If the soil is light and sandy but little preparation will be needed, but if it be clayey and retentive make sure that the drainage is good. Add some sand and leaf mould, thoroughly mix it with the soil, and a capital winter quarter will be provided. Transplant the seedlings in blocks, each kind by itself. Antirrhinum and Dianthus seed- lings require a space of 4in., and Delphiniums, on account of their large leaves, a distance of 6m. between them. In the South of England during mild winters the careful selection of site and bed will be sufficient, but in the North, and when frosts are severe and continuous, some covering must be placed over the plants. A few boards about 12in. wide, placed on edge, and fastened to stakes driven into the ground, would support some laths and mats. Sacks or mats are the best for the purpose, but if they are scarce, and straw or Fern is plentiful, then first lay on one thickness of mats and cover them with the straw. Many degrees of frost may thus be kept out, and in the spring, instead of only pos- sessing a few poor plants, the owner will have a grand healthy batch. CAULIFLOWERS. I If Veitchs' Autumn Giant is coming forward too rapidly the plants may be lifted and hung up by the roots in a cool. dry place. If treated thus they will keep fresh for some time, and the" flowers" will remain good without opening. PROPAGATING VIOLAS. I The recent heavy rains have caused these plants to grow rapidly, and I never remember having seen such strong, healthy plants at this season before. There will be an abundance of grand cut- tings, and they must be prepared and inserted in a suitable place forthwith. A suitable place does not necessarily mean a frame. Behind a wall or fence facing to the north is the best position to select. A light, sandy compost, placed 6in. deep on a dry base, will do nicely. Sturdy cuttings, taken off and dibbled in while they are fresh, will quickly form roots, each cutting or slip being cut off just below a joint. A few mats laid upon a rough framework are sufficient protection in winter. CARNATIONS. Rooted Carnation layers should be planted at once in well-prepared beds of good soil. Choice varieties may be placed two in a pot, and wintered in a cool frame. TREE CARNATIONS. To produce strong plants to flower in 1902, healthy side shoots should be layered just now into a little fresh soil laid on the surface of the pots. For general purposes this method is per- haps to be preferred to rooting cuttings in heat in spring. Plants to bloom during the winter must on no account be pinched after this dat6. PINKS. I This is an excellent time to lift, divide, and re- plant Pinks in deeply dug and manured soil. Divide the plants into portions, with roots at- tached, and sink the old stems into the soil t¡¡ the base of the leaves.

SWEDISH ANTARCTIO EXPEDITION. At » meeting of the Swedish Geographical Society, which has just been held at Upsala, Professor Nordenskjold announced that the Swedish South Polar Expedition would be ready to start soon after the 8th inst. Besides the scien- tific members, an American painter and, possibly, an Argentine naval officer will accompany the expedition. After reaching the Falkland Islands, where adep6t will be established, the expedition will continue its voyage southwards. After making their way as far south as possible the explorers will look for a spot suitable for wintering in. The ship, with three geologists on board, will then re- turn to the Falkland Islands, whence scientific ex- cursions will be conducted throughout the winter in this little known quarter of the globe. The ex- pedition will probably return to Sweden at the beginning of the year 1903.

WHERE HORSES ARE CHEAP. In Central Siberia there are 85 horses to every 100 of population. In the United States the pro- portion is 22 to the 100, and in France seven to the 100. The Siberian proportion is only excelled by the Argentine Republic, where the rate is 112 horses to every 100 inhabitants. The average peasant horse is worth from 24s. to 30s. The horses used for the post, which have enormous powers of speed and endurance, cost from £ 2 10s. to £ 3. The finest horses, which would fetch about £ 60 in England, are to be got from C5 to JET.

KANSAS WHEAT IN CHESHIRE. The result is announced of a very interesting experiment in wheat-growing conducted by Colonel Cotton-Jodrell at Reaseheath, Nantwich. A little more than a year ago Mr. J. Hastings Brown, of Crewe, in a paper read before the members of the Cheshire, Shropshire, and North Wales Farmers' Supply Association at Nantwich, pointed out that millers were obliged to use a large percentage of foreign wheat in order to produce a flour to meet the popular demand, and he strongly urged the experiment of growing foreign wheat on English soil. Colonel Cotton-Jodrell, chairman, at once offered an acre of ground for the experiment, and the result has been awaited with the keenest inte- rest among Cheshire, Shropshire, and North Wales farmers. At the annual meeting of the association, towards the end of August last, it was reported by the chairman that the Kansas wheat which had been sown in the experimental plot had been mown, but, inasmuch as it had not been threshed, the precise result of the experiment could not be ascer- tained. Colonel Cotton-Jodrell has now applied the result of the threshing. Half the land was sown with English wheat and half with foreign, the soil in both cases receiving exactly the same treat- ment, and both plots being of the same quality of land and adjacent to one another. The foreign wheat came from Kansas, U.S.A., and the English seed was squarehead wheat. Both were sown in November, 1900, the American sample in the pro- portion of two measures to the acre, and the English in the proportion of three measures to the acre. Each was mowed in August last, and the Kansas wheat yielded 17 measures of grain per acre, while the English threshed out at 29 mea- sures to the acre. The product of straw was even more in favour of the home plant, for while the American wheat gave only one ton of straw per acre, the English wheat yielded exactly two tons per acre. In a note appended to the result of the experiment Colonel Cotton-Jodrell says: The Kansas wheat produces a smaller, harder, and finer grain than the square-head. The foreign wheat is bearded in the ear, and the straw was very inferior to the home product." The two sample lots of grain have not yet been submitted to the milling test, and it yet remains to be seen what the value of each yield is from that point of iew; and what price will be got for each sample.

OCTROI FRAUDS. I The Paris Figaro describes a curious collec- tion of objects to be seen (under special permis- sion) at the Hotel de Ville, a veritable museum of fraud. There are to be seen all the dodges with which the wily Frenchman endeavours to evade the octroi. They included corsets of indiarubber, in which spirit can be carried; double petticoats, forming a still more capacious reservoir; hollow cart-shafts false arms and legs ingeniously hol- lowed out; false humps; pseudo stomachs, which, when removed from the wearers, entirely acquitted them of any dropsical tendency and a number of other articles showing the fertility of resource of these tax-evaders.

MORE than 3000 people were lynched in the United States in the past 20 years. In 1892, which was the worst year on record, there were no fewer than 236 cases of lynching. Those who seek to uphold lynching in' the South," says the Phila- del.phia Public Ledger, "do so on the ground that it is ohiefly a punishment on those who commit grave crimes against women, but the figures do not bear out this contention. Of more more than 1700 lynchings between January 1, 1885, and January 1 of the present year only 602 illegal executions were for this form of crime. The re- mainder were for murder, thieving, polities, un- popularity, and generally bad reputation:" THE time now appears to be close at hnnd (says the Coal Merchant and Shippers' Gazette) when the value of the coal deposits of Kent can be defi- nitely tested. That there is coal in Kent is, of course, well known. Many geologists have long held the opinion that beneath the south-eastern portion of the country there lies a coalfield which forms part of the great field, or series of fields, that stretches from Pembroke and South Wales through Somerset to the Pas-de-Calais, in France. and on to Westphalia. Should the enterprise turn out well and the coal prove of good quality, suit- able for housefire purposes, London merchants will have a new source of supply within a compara- tively short distance of the metropolis. STRANGE cures come from America, and the latest seems to be the smile cure. A well-known doctor of Minneapolis, who has made a speciality of nervous diseases, has felt safe in experimenting with at least 50 melancholy patients, and now declares himself thoroughly satisfied with the good results of his treatment. His prescription readp something like this If you keep the corners of your mouth turned up you can't feel blue." The directions for taking are Smile, keep on smiling, don't stop smiling." It sounds ridiculous, but just try turning up the corner of your mouth, re- gardless of your mood, and see how it makes you feel; then draw the corners of your mouth down and note the effect, and you will be willing to declare there's something in it." MRS. MONTEFIORE AND SIR FRANCIS MONTE- FIORE have been entertaining large parties at Worth-park, where everything is on the most elaborately luxurious scale. Every bedroom is fitted (says the Onlooker) not only with all the necessary comforts in the way of couches and cushions, and writing materials of every kind, but also with a varied choice in scents, toilet waters, and soaps. This seems rather too suggestive of a chemist's for a country bedroom. But the same completeness is carried down throughout the house. The servants' quarters include a billiard- room and ballroom, and, it seems, even a stage for private theatricals, as well as the ordinary ser- vants' hall. ELECTRICAL consumers in Glasgow have in- creased in number by 41 per cent. during the past year, and the number of electric motors supplied from the corporation mains has been more than doubled.

I BANGKOK. According to a report from the British Consular Assistant at Bangkok, the development of that place during the past two or three years has been very rapid. New roads are being constantly made, whole blocks of old and unsightly or incommodious structures are being pulled down and their places taken for the most part by neat shop residences. There has, in consequence, been a good demand for building materials. The works connected with the new Royal Palace of Dusit Park, which is being constructed just outside Bangkok, have caused considerable activity in this line. A good deal has been done, too, in the erection of iron bridges over the various canals and creeks.

A GENERAL'S UNIFORM. The almost complete absence of uniforms or military insignia of any kind among the followers of Botha and De Wet recalls a like incident in the American Civil War. When things were going hard with the Confederate troops it became almost impossible for them to get uniforms either for officers or men. To such extremities were they driven that one Confederate General actually wore yellow collars and cuffs to his tunic which were made from one of his wife's flannel petticoats!

PREHISTORIC DISCOVERY. I According to the Manchester Courier, the enormous changes in the land surface which have taken place at Vickerstown, on Walney Island, owing to the excavation of extensive beds of clay and the formation of new streets, are bringing to light some interesting discoveries. One of the most important among these is a fine specimen of a pre- historic implement known as a perforated stone axe hammer. The implement has been formed out of micaceous grit stone, and is about 5Jin. long. 2 Other stones found in the neighbourhood have similar markings, and these are now being investi- gated by Professor Woodward, of the British Museum.

THE LATE AMEER AND LORD I CURZON. The Ameer Abdur Rahman was a great admirer of Queen Victoria. It was he who described her as the wise woman of the West." His personal' references to her Majesty were almost reverential in their terms. His appreciation of her character had a remarkable expression in a letter which he wrote to her Majesty during the celebration of the fiftieth year of her reign. The letter was couched in characteristic ^Oriental style, but it was evi- dently sincere too, and it gave the Queen much pleasure. With Lord Curzon the Ameer's rela- tionship had been more than friendly during the last year or so (says the London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian). An emissary from Cabul frequently appearedin the Indian capital, and though his ostensible purpose was to secure specimens of Indian art, in which the Ameer had suddenly developed a great interest, it is certain that quite as much significance was attached to the presentation of the Ameer's warm greetings to the Viceroy. Often the envoy brought some present from Cabul which in itself served to indicate the progress which Afghanistan has made in the arts. A retired military officer who saw a good deal of Afghanistan in the eighties tells me the following story in illustration of the late Ameer's distrust of Russia. Shortly after Abdur Rahman's accession the Russian Governor of Turkestan sent him a message to the effect that it was proposed to exer- cise some 500 artillery and cavalry men on the Afghan frontier, and expressing the hope that it would not cause the Ameer any apprehension. To this Abdurrahman answered that he had no objec- tion, because it so happened that he was about to exercise 5000 cavalry, artillery, and infantry in the same place, and there was plenty of room for both. The reply to this thanked his Highness, and informed him that a more convenient site had been found for the proposed manoeuvres.

CURIOUS HOUSING SYSTEM. There is a curious system of housing the poor in vogue in Sheffield. It has now become quite common for a person to hire all the houses in a courtyard, and to furnish completely each house, including bedclothes, table crockery, and lamps. The weekly rent of the furnished room or rooms is required to be paid in advance, and, if it is not paid, in the majority of places the room is let to the next applicant without any notice being given. To the actual owner of the property the system is a profitable one, for he has his rents collected for him, paid punctually, and with little or no loss from arrears, and no trouble or expense in ejecting bad tenants.

MRS. IIOTTSEKEEP: "Why don't you go to work ?" Weary Walker: I I Well, lady, yer see I'm wat yer might call an unhappy medium.' In- deed ? And what do you mean by that ?" Why, I'm too heavy fur light work and too light fur heavy work." LORD AKD LADY SALTOUN have a shooting party at Philorth. IN Corea visiting-cards measuring a foot square are in vogue. The savages of Dahomey announce their visits to each other by sending in advance a wooden board or the branch of a tree artistically carved. When the visit is paid the card returns to the possession of its owner, who probably uses it for many years. The natives of Sumatra use for a visiting-card a piece of wood about a foot long, decorated with a bunch of straw and a knife. IN his report from Chinde, our Vice-Consul, Mr Hewitt-Fluteher, avers that the African native is beginning to be discontented with the rubbish wlveh European traders used to consider good enough for their dusky customers. Civilisation brought the native rubbish, and then sufficient education to enable him to know rubbish when he saw it. Consequently (says Sell's Commercial Intelligence') a demand has sprung up for a better class of goods, and the natives' growing apprecia- tion of quality and finish is seen with regard to various articles, such as calico, cutlery, hats, tin trunks, &c. IN the paradise of the petroleum industry, Texas, the young ladies of Beaumont are organis- ing an oil company, in which every officer and director must be an unmarried woman. The desire of the promoters to confine their under- taking exclusively to women has one limit; they regret that [they will have to let the drilling con- tract to a man, as there is not a single drilling out- fit in the field owned by a woman.

I GREATER BRITAIN. A SPECIAL Commission to inquire into the sub.- ject of irrigation in India will meet in Simla in October under the presidency of Sir Colin Scotft Moncrieff. The Commission, which will take evif dence, examine proposed projects and formulate- conclusions for the guidance of the Government* will visit the Punjab and the irrigation colonies im Sindh, Gujarat, the Deccan, Madras, the Central Provinces, and Upper India. MR. JUSTICE AMEER ALI, of the Calcutta High Court, has lately been enjoying a holiday in Eng- land, and he is now about to return to India to resume his place on the Bench, which he has held! with great distinction for many years. Thie popular judge is one of the soundest lawyers int India, and is a man of deep learning outside the law, He tftarried, some years ago, a sister of Miss (ttt-trudo Kingston, the well known actress, n Martlugethese two clever young ladies WODl considerable fame on the amateur stage in Simla, and other fashionable centres in the East. THE appointment of Sir Frank Swettenham to the vacant Governorship of Singapore is likely, says Vanity Fair, to be more than popular. Sir Frank has made the Malayan races his speciat study, and he understands the best way of dealing: with racial cases and prejudices. His long resi- dence among the various tribes of the Malay Peninsula has given him an insight into their wayst and character that few Europeans possess. H& has devoted much time to the study of the Malay language and dialects, and he speaks them fluently. THROUGH continued ill-health, Sir John Car- rington has been compelled to retire from the Chief Justiceship of Hong Kong, which he has held for the past five years. The son of a planter in Barbados, Sir John received his early educationo in the famous Codrington College in that island, afterwards coming on to Oxford. After being called to the Bar at Lincoln's-inn, he returned to Barbados and became a judge there when he waa only 27. Afterwards he was successively Soli- citor-General and Attorney-General at Bridge- town, and then he was Chief Justice of St. Lucia and Tobago for seven years. For another seven years lie was Attorney-General of British Guiana. before going to Hong Kong. Sir John compiled many volumes consolidating the laws of the various colonies in which he served, and has also done much for education. If he is now compelled to leave the Colonial Service for good his departure will be a great loss. WE get an eloquent echo of the great coal strike of 1898 in the report of Sir Harry Thompson, the British Administrator of St. Lucia. It bears out what has been often urged as to the disastrous and far-reaching effects of labour troubles in this country. Sir Harry shows that in 1891 of the coal imported into St. Lucia, in the Windward Islands, 88 per cent. came from the United Kingdom and only 12 per cent. from the United States. Despite certain advantages, English coal held its own until after the coal strike, when English coal was prac- tically unprocurable. Then the American product took the lead, and it is now so firmly established, that but few ships, besides men-of-war, take any other." WOLVES are increasing alarmingly in the forest lands of Northern Canada. This is accounted for by the increase in the herds of deer throughout the country. As the deer have multiplied, so have the wolves, who prey upon them. THE fruit growers of Upper Canada made the occasion of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall a special one for preparing a great collection of Canadian fruits for presentation to their Royal Highnesses. In addition to a large quantity of fresh fruits of the choicest kind that Canada can produce, there has been prepared for use on board on the return journey and for home consumption a splendid sample of preserved fruits as a reminder (says the Fruitgrower) to the august visitors of their pleasant journey through the Dominion. A CURIOUS little quadruped, a sort of kangaroo, has been discovered in the north-west of Canada. It runs by leaps and bounds, and leans on a strong tail. The fur varies from clear grey to deep brown. It was found in a little known place called Death Valley. The head being like a rat's, it is called the rat kangaroo, but is not a rodent. A cc OK DING to the Monetary Times of Toronto, a resolution was recently passed at a public meet- ing at Louisburg requesting the Mayor and Council to take immediate steps for the establish- ment of a site in the said town and offering it free to any company undertaking the building of iron and steel ships. It was further resolved that the town grant exemption of taxation, on iron or steel ships built there for the term of 20 years. To the very end of his long life-he has passed away in his 80th year-Dr. Hugh Whipple, the Bishop of Minnesota, practically lived in the open air, dwelling in the midst of his 20,000 Indian people, sharing their hardships and speaking their language. He was not without University honours in this country, for both Oxford and Cambridge conferred degrees upon him, and he was selected to preach the opening sermon in 1888 at Westmin- ster Abbey in connection with the Pan-Anglican Synod. Dr. Whipple, who was born of humble parents, was the doyen of the American episco- pate, having been consecrated bishop in 1859. His life among the Indians found literary expression in his well-known book, "Lights and Shadows of a Long Episcopate." ONE of the features that attract most attention in travelling through the Australian colonies (says a Tasmanian paper) is the number of churches which are everywhere to be found. Every little township or village has three or four edifices devoted to worship in fact, one Victorian hamlet achieved notoriety by being the possessor of five churches and no public-houses. THE Government of Western Australia pro- mised to provide at Fremantle within eight years of November, 1892, a well-protected and safe harbour capable of receiving the largest steam- ships and mailboats trading to the Australian States. In February, 1898, the North German Lloyd decided to substitute Fremantle for Albany as its port of call in Western Australia, and since that time its largest vessels (of between 10,000 and 13,000 tons burthen each) have safely entered and departed from the inner basin of the Fremantle Harbour, and continue to do so. In August, 1900, the Orient and the Peninsular and Oriental Com- panies followed suit, and in January last the Messageries Maritimes did likewise. The harbour may now be regarded as an accomplished fact, and it will remain for all time a monument to the pluck and enterprise of Sir John Forrest, and the engineering skill of Mr. C. Y. O'Connor. IN introducing the Australian Federal Tariff Bill, Mr. Kingston announced that the bill pro- vided for the following duties: Imported spirits (no allowance for underproof), per gallon, 14s.; Excise-on spirits from wine, malt, molasses, or maize, per gallon., lis. on other sorts, per gallon, 12s. 6d.; beer, in bottle, per gallon, Is. 6d.; beer, in bulk, per gallon, Is.; Excise, per gallon, 3d.; sparkling wines, per gallon, 12s.; other wines, bottled, 8s. in bulk, 6s.; newspaper and printing paper, 10 per cent. tobacco, manufactured, per pound, 3s. 6d.; imported leaf, per pound, Is. 6d; Excise, Is.; cigars, per pound, 5s. 6d., plus 15 per cent. ad valorem; cigarettes, per pound, 6s. 6d.; sugar, imported, per ton, E6; Excise, £ 3. with a rebate of Z-2 per ton if grown by white labour only. The general import duties proposed were very varied, and included the following Tea, per pound, 2d., plus 20 per cent, ad valorem cocoa, per pound, 2d., plus 15 per cent. ad valorem; woollen or silk apparel, 20 to 25 per cent.; cottons and linens, 10 and 15 per cent.; corrugated gal- vanised iron, per ton 30s.; agricultural machinery, 15 per cent. medicines, 25 per cent.; and furni- ture 20 per cent. The Government intended to in- troduce a system of bonuses to encourage the establishment of new industries, especially on locally-smelted iron and locally-mauo machinery, upon the following basis: Pig iron, 12s. per ton on the proportion made from Australian ore, and 8s. per ton on the proportion made from other ore; and steel ingots containing 50 per cent, of pig iron made in Australia, 12s. The bonuses would com- mence in July, 1902, and would be payable only to works capable of producing 100,000 tons annually. The bonus would be limited to 150,000 tons of machinery. A bonus of 25 per cent. would also be paid on approved reapers and binders, commencing immediately.

COLONEL TEXTRANGE How far have they got down with well of Sivampscot's ?" Colonel Crock- daye: I don't know how many feet, but they've got down to the bottom of that, ten thousand the new man put in it about a month ago."