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

NEW CATTLE FOOD. I French farmers, according to nn American Consular report, have been giving considerable I attention to a discovery made in cattle food, by utilising wine dregs, or pomace. After the wine is pressed out the pomace is generally used to make a kind of brandy called "Eau de Vie de Mare," and then the residue was used as fodder ior stock or as a fertiliser. A French farmer has been experimenting with this pomace, and he announces that he has found a means of con- verting it into an excellent fodder for milch cows. He makes a compound consisting of 80 parts of sugar and 75 parts of pomace, thus I forming a substance that cows eat with great relish. It can be preserved three months. He says that after he gave this mixture to his cows three dayo they gave 20 per cent. more milk than before, and that the milk was of a much better quality. It has been suggested that a larger quantity of sugar would produce still greater advantages. There can be nothing deleterious to health from this milk, and its quality is so improved that it is thought consumers will buy it in pre- ference to any other. In view of the unusually dry summer just experienced the farmers have seized upon this idea of a new fodder with avidity, and expect that it will come to their rescue in time of great need. A company has been organised at Clermont-Ferrand for the pur- pose of building a factory for converting grape I pomace into cow feed. It is proposed that the new fodder will be in the form of oil cakes, and will consist of chopped hay, or straw, pomace, and molasses.

FEEDING DAIRY COWS. I In feeding economically one must be careful ) not to lose sight of the fact that the quantity and kind of food required by the animal de- pends entirely upon the use which is to be made -of that food. In order that a cow may produce the greatest yield of which she is capable she must be given the right kinds of food, and the correct amount of each. There is little use in laying out large sums of money and establishing a good dairy heard unless careful attention is given to the amount and character of the feed, for, however well bred and capable the in- dividuals, they cannot give in their products what they do not receive in the food. The fact that dairy cows should be fed according to their milk production is an item of manage- ment that is too often overlooked. A cow capable of producing 501b. of milk a day will require more than twice as much feed as the cow giving only 101b. of milk a day. This is a point that cannot be too strongly emphasised. The so-called artificial feeds, viz., cake, meals, and grain, should not usually compose over half the weight of the ration, ranging from that to nothing, according to the character of the bulky food that is available and the amount of milk given by the cow. It is a safe rule to feed liberally on good bulky food and to vary the grain to suit the requirements of the individual. The greater portion of the feed for the stock should, if possible, Le raised upon the farm.

PANACEA FOR ALL ILLS. I Clover is being held before the farmer as a panacea for all the ills of poor farming, and it is said to be a medium by which the farmer may solve the problem of dispensing with fer- tilisers entirely. Unfortunately for the advo- cates of growing clover for deriving nitrogen from the atmosphere, clover will not grow without being supplied with plant food, and as it is a biennial, at least two years are required for its complete growth. It has not been de- monstrated that all of its nitrogen is retained in the soil, and the theory of the work of bacteria has been changed within the past twelve months. Formerly, it was promulgated that bacteria, clover seed, and an alkaline soil only were necessary to complete success, but now it is asserted that the bacteria work best on soils deficient in nitrogen. This is equivalent to the claim that poor soil and clover will give satis- factory results, provided the bacteria and mineral elements are supplied. Of course, if mineral fertilisers are necessary (which is cor- rect), it will probably be as economical to use the mineral substances, with the addition of nitrogen in some form, directly on the soil, and not wait two years for growing the nitrogen, and that, too, when mineral fertilisers must be purchased in either case. No one can object to the growing of clover, as it is a profitable crop, but it does not differ from other crops in the fact that the best results with clover are obtained when fertilisers are used on the land.

CLOVER AS A FERTILISER. I The "American Fertiliser Magazine," discus- sing this important question, expresses the opinion that the claim that land can be brought to the highest degree of fertility by growing thereon clover, or some other leguminous crop, has not been verified, so far as the expense is concerned. It has not been demonstrated that clover will accomplish the desired result in a single season, or even in several years, but while it is admitted that clover is a valuable crop in a system of rotation, yet the yields of crops following the ploughing under of a clover sod do not correspond with the large amount of nitrogen so easily displayed in the ngures I hich give tha vitlti of the clover crop.

DRESS OF THE DAY. .$ A DAINTY AND INEXPENSIVE DANCE FROCK. For the New Year festivities the dainty j little dance frock pictured in our sketch is particularly appropriate. The material of which it is fashioned is nothing more expen- give or fragile than our old friend white Japanese washing silk. The little bodice is simply a full bebe affair, gathered all round and slightly pouched over U the wide folded waistband of palest mauve panne. From the -i TEETTY SIMPLE DANCE FROCK OF WHITE JAPANESE WASHING SILK TRIMMED WITH LACE AND MAUVE PANNE. 'I decolletage turns back a little shaped collar of the same mauve panne, from beneath which falls a rather original bertha of faintly ivory lace. The sleeves are of elbow length and are finished with twists and knots of the mauve panne and double-frill of the lace. The skirt, too, is of the simplest possible type being gathered all round the waist and simply ornamented by a wide band of gauging, drawn over two piping cords, and two deep I frills of the silk. MATERIALS OF THE MOMENT. 1 I An extraordinary variety of materials ia I offered for our choice this winter, and, still more extraordinary, they are nearly all very pretty. For day wear there are any number of fancy tweeds ranging from a delicate sil- very green and grey mixture down to a com- bination of deepest brown and green. Then there are chiffon-finished cloths, almost as light and supple as chiffon itself; velvet and velveteen in endless variety, serges, both rough and smooth; and last, but not least, fine, light cashmeres. For evening gowns the choice is just as wide-marquisette, ninon, soft satin, silk voiles, printed nets, muslins and taffetas being all extensively worn. Nor must we forget in the list of evening fabrics the already-mentioned velvets and velveteen which are enjoying quite as marked a vogue for evening as for day gowns. Then, too, there is piece lace, both black and white, for which there is a vogue prophesied in the early future. Both, needless to say, require mak- ing up over a silk foundation, which should be softly veiled with an interlining of chiffon. A USEFUL OVERALL. Among the absolutely indispensable gar- ments in the outfit of a bride who is marry- ing a man in a modest position are several smart, well-cut overall pinafores. These may be made with or without sleeves-personally, I think the sleeved variety is much the more useful—should come well up to the neck, and should be long enough to almost cover the gown beneath. The neat overall pictured in sketch is of a particularly good shape, and, while very neat and really becoming, protects the gown in most effective fashion. The pinafore is cut in one piece, and is belted in at the waist with a wide band of the mate- NEAT OVERALL PINAFORE OF LINECr, HOLLAND, I OR PRINT. I rial, cut double and firmly stitched round the edges and fastening with a large, strong but- ton. The neck of the pinafore is square, and is outlined with a stitched band of the mate- rial. The sleeves are of the small bishop type, and are finished at the wrist with neat stitched and buttoned bands. As regards material, any stout washing fabric may be used for the purpose. Holland, apron linen, checked linen, and coloured print are all ex- cellent, and can be made into very useful and pretty pinafores. Seven to eight yards of material will be required to carry out this design. 0- ODD AND ENDS. I Evening shoes of black patent leather cut into elaborate openwork designs which dis- play the stockings beneath are much in fav- our just now. Velvet grapes, particularly those in silver grey, white, or black velvet, are among the most fashionable millinery fancies of the moment. All the new tweeds display a marked herring-bone pattern in their weave. Brown and red, both dark in tone, and dull grey and green, are the most modish colour mixtures at present. WALKING SKIRTS. I The short trim trotteur skirt, whose com- fort and practicability we all know so well, still holds its own for morning and general hardwear use. Various styles are to be seen in these short skirts, some models being quite plain and very much gored to permit of the fashionable flare at the hem, while others are arranged in flat pleats. A favourite form of the pleated skirt displays wide flat box- pleats all round the skirt, the edges of the pleats meeting and being firmly stitched down to about the level of the knees, where they are released. Another form of the box-pleated skirt which promises to attain a certain amount of popularity has the pleats sewn to- gether only at the "waistband, from which they are allowed to hang loosely.

GARDEN GOSSIP. Roses.—Where these are planted in houses, an opportunity shouM be taken of thinning out the weakest growths, clearing away those not required, and reducing the length of ex- tending shoots where necessary. The roses may with advantage be cleansed with an insec- ticide after the glass and woodwork of the house have been thoroughly cleaned down. Old sur- 1,oe soil may be removed from the borders, and a heavy mulch of manure ought to be ap- plied. If this is thought unsightly, a layer of soil can be readily placed over it. See that the borders are not allowed to become dry. Chinese Primulas.—These delightful plants should be in a pleasant growing temperature and have a. position close up to the glass. Water will be required, and it must be given so care- fully that the soil never becomes either sodden on the one hand or as dry as dust on the other. The danger when the plants are in too cool a house is that some of the roots will die, and it is quite within the bounds of possibility that there will be a rotting off at the collar; need- less to say that means death to the stock. There cannot be two opiniow; as to their worthiness of all the intelligent attention that can be bestowed upon them. Amaryllises.—These plants ought to be care- fully overhauled, and those that require re- potting should be seen to forthwith, as if the work is left until later it is apt to be neglected owing to pressure of other things. Annual moving is neither necessary nor desirable, but when the time does come'—about once in three years—the work ought to be carefully done. Make up a compost of sound, fibrous loam, coarse sand, crushed charcoal, and old mortar rubbish, and pot moderately firmly over per- fect drainage. Watering.—Great care will be needed for a few weeks in watering all plants indoors, particularly those growing in cool structures. In cool houses it will scarcely be necessary to examine the plants oftener than every other day, but those in small pots in forcing houses and stoves must have their wants supplied each day. Where plants are flowering, care should, be taken that, moisture is dried up as soon as possible after watering. Surface Dressing Shrubs.—It often happens that particular shrubs and specimens of coniferae fail to grow as one would like. For example, Picea Nordmanniana is a difficult sub- ject in dry, gravelly soil; Sciadopitys, Saxe- gothea, and Ceplialotaxus are others. I have seen much labour and expense laid out in pro- viding soil for these, to replace the original material in which they were planted, and with hardly any appreciable effect, says a writer in The Garden." By applying a surfacing of rotted cow manure over the roots they have, on the other hand, responded at once, the foliage assuming a healthy green, and the leading shoots extending in a normal manner. I have been doing some recently; a tree planted ten years gets a barrowful, and one twenty to twenty-five years two barrowfuls of dung, spread well out, and the whole covered nicely with fine soil made quite firm. This dressing lasts from two to three years. Old trees 100 to 150 years of age require at least a dozen cartloads of soil spread in a regular manner over the surface, but not close to the trunk. Where there is plenty of leaf soil to sf are this material, laid six inches in thickness, has a very marked effect for good. Weeds in the Garden.—There are not many periods of the year when weeds do not grow rather more rapidly than the gardener likes, but at this time they cannot be said to increase and multiply very quickly. As a matter of fact, it should be easy to keep them well in hand by regular attention once a week. It ought to be remembered that good may be got even out of weeds; they must go with all other rubbish to the garden smother, and when they have Been reduced to ashes they may be advan- tageously spread upon the ground. Rubbish.—During weather unsuitable for other work the accumulated material in the rub- bish heap should be turned over, mixed together, and thrown neatly in a heap to heat. That which has lain for twelve months is suitable to surface dress shrubs, trees, and hedges with, or to scatter over grass in orchards, or the less well-kept portion of lawns that are planted with primroses, daffodils, and other bulbs Wall Trees.—With the exception of peaches and nectarines, the work of pruning, nailing, and tying should be pushed forward. Do not attempt the work during unfavourable weather, as it is not possible to satisfactorily perform the various operations if sharp frosts prevail. Planting may still be carried out if the weather permits. In planting against walls, care should be taken to choose the most favourable situa- tions for the most delicate fruits. Peaches may be planted against south walls with apricots and early cherries; pears and plums against those facing east and west; while morello cherries will be found suitable, with a few plums, for planting on a northern situation. Only the choicest varieties of each kind of fruit should be chosen. Pears are best planted as horizontals; peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries as fan trained trees. » Celery.—If severe weather sets in, it is a good plan to cover the ridges of this with a thick layer of bracken or strawy litter. Any material of a protective nature, such as hedge trimmings, might well be pressed into service to protect this useful vegetable. Digging and Trenching.—Press forward with this work as land becomes vacant and circum- stances will allow. Manure can be wheeled on when the land is hard from frost. It should be remembered that light soils can be worked when heavy soils are quite unfit. Endeavour to trench at least one piece of land each winter. < Potatoes.—A number of these may be set up in shallow boxes in a light, cool house or shed, for sprouting in readiness for planting in pits and frames. Where a few very early tubers are required, they may at once be planted in pots of light soil, and placed in gentle heat. Potato Trials.—Following his custom of the three preceding years, Mr. J. F. Williamson, of Summer-hill, Mallow, Co. Cork, arranged an extensive series of potato trials during 1906, the results of which are given in a recently published pamphlet. A single pound of each of fifty-one varieties was planted under identical conditiops, twelve sets being made of the pound as far as possible. All were planted on April 11 and all raiseJ during the second or third week of September. The most productive varie- ties were Eldorado, Duchess of Cornwall, Ever- good, The Colleen, The Factor, and Dalmeny Beauty; Eldorado, recorded 43 £ lb., and Dal- 4 meny Beauty, 37flb., the others being inter- 4 mediate in yield. Nobleman appropriated the "wooden spoon" with a yield of 11 Jib. Duchess of Cornwall loses its customary place of first this year, but is only beaten by i-lb. by Eldo- rado. N jrthen Star could only get thirteenth, and Sutton's Superlative thirty-fourth. Peas.—Those who are restricted for space al- ways have a difficulty in getting room for suffi- cient peas. In their case it becomes almost a necessity to give these the highest cultivation, and it can be done without an excess of labour if the ground is prepared beforehand. The pre- paration consists in marking off a space of 2tft. for each row, turning this over to a depth of 18 to 21 inches, and in the process incorporating from within 6 inches of the top to the bottom a sufficient quantity of rotted cow dung. If the soil is dry enough to permit it to be firmed with the foot as the work proceeds, so much the better, but if not the soil will become fairly firm by the time the seeds are sown. These must have plenty of space. The plants bear con- tinuously for a long time if the pods are closely picked and the peas are of the highest quality.

TEA TABLE TALK. I _a.- Princess Victoria spends a great deal of her time m doing needlework. Miss Ellen Terry is said to receive a greater number of begging letters than any actor or actress in the world. Oranges and oatmeal are excellent for the complexion, and a liberal diet of both should be indulged in by women who value a good "i skin. "Miss Pamela Trent," who made her debut as a singer at a recent concert at Bechstein Hall, is the daughter of Mr. Justice Sutton. She achieved a remarkable success. i Silk is being worn by Chinese women more extensively than ever, and to possess silk clothes is the ambition of even the poorest of them. The Marchioness of Waterford directs a very successful knitting industry at Curraghmore, Co. Waterfoid, a speciality being made of knitted silk neck-ties. A philanthropic lady who made the experi- ment of sending twenty poor London men to Canada at her own expnse, is now receiving her money back in ample instalments out of their earnings. Mme. Melba is a collector of old furniture. She seldom passes through any important town without visiting the shops for the purpose of finding curiosities in this line. A good story is told of little Princess Mary of Wales. It was said that one of her aunts, wish- ing to test her knowledge when she was begin- ning to talk fluently, pointed to her feet and asked what she called them. "Ven I has shoes on vey is feet," was the answer. "Ven vey is bare vey is Trilbies." Silk produced by artificial means is expected, ere long, to become general for woman's wear. Already, in Germany, silk of fine quality is made from wood, a shillingsworth of wood being turned into silk worth £ 25. There are 430 manufactories of artificial flowers, leaves, plants, and fruits in the district of Dresden. The largest manufactories employ from J50 to 1,000 persons, and the total num- ber of persons engaged in the trade is estimated at 10,000, the larger proportion being women and girls, who earn from 8s. to 12s. a week by their work. The Baroness Burdett-Coutts, although ninety- two years of age, still derives a great deal of interest from "keeping" Christmas. As has been her custom for nearly three-quarters of a century she distributed large sums at Yuletide to gladden the homes of the poor, amongst whom her special favourites are costermongers. An Arctic explorer mentions that Eskimo girls and women are very fond of playing at what may be termed football. The ''ball" is an old fur mitten, stuffed with bits of waste reindeer skin. The girls, with merry shouts, first kick this about in the snow, and soon all the women of the settlement join in the game. Mrs. Asquith, says a writer in "The Penny Magazine," is the heroine of an incident which has by this time become one of the classics of society stories. She was at dinner with Pro- fessor Jowett, and, conversation turning to re- ligion, she asked with frank ingenuousness, "What do you really think of God?" The great professor answered nothir^ for a moment, then deliberately said, "I thinK all that signifies is what God really thinks of me!" Says a lady who winters abroad: "Some of the Swiss resorts have, of late years, become very dressy' indeed, and costumes as elabo- rate as any are to be seen there. This, sad to relate, has had an irritating effect upon the men folk, for, although they dress for dinner, some of them demur at being expected to change their ice-sports attire on coming in to tea." A young New York woman enjoys the unique reputation of being a trained nurse for sick dogs. For some years she has been a member of the staff of the New York Dog Hospital, where the sick pets of wealthy Americans are nursed back to health. She often has as many as 100 dogs to care for. It is her duty to gi-ve them th-ir medicine, and in other ways carry out the doctor's orders exactly as a trained nurse would do for human patients. Queen Alexandra is an accomplished musi- cian, but the only people who have heard her Majesty play the piano, outside her own most intimate circle, are some of the poor patients in the Brompton Consumption Hospital. Princess Victoria, and her early friend, Lady Colebrooke, are both excellent at wood-carving, and the Princess also does good work in leather-embos- sing. Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, has no mean talents as a sculptor, as well as with the brush. What unfortunate things initials sometimes are! "When I was single," says a lady, "I al- ways avoided writing my initials lest people might think I really was M. A. D.; now that I am a wife I am in a still more awkward predica- ment, for though I am one of the most feminine of women the wedding ceremony converted me into M. A. N. My poor husband is in a worse position still, for his initials make a H. E. N. of him." Madame Re jane, the famous French actress, i? building a splendid theatre for herself in Paris. The idea for the colour scheme of the interior of the house was obtained from a gown that Madame Re jane once wore when playing one of her favourite parts. The upholstering of the ground floor will be white; that of the first tier, lemon; and of the second tier, deep orange. Yawning is good for you. Artificial yawning, says a throat specialist, is more helpful in some cases than the best gargle. During the act of yawning there is a considerable stretching and exercising of the muscles of the pharynx and soft palate. On these muscles the yawn acts as a massage. Furthermore, yawning contracts the throat tubes, and drives into the, pharynx any waste matter that, accumulating there, may have impeded the breathing. Nothing clears the throat like a good yawn. It is not everyone who can claim descent from a female Freemason. Lord Doneraile, however, can trace back his lineage and title to the only woman ever received into the craft. Elizabeth St. Leger, sister of the last Viscount Doneraile of that family, saw, while a girl, the proceed- ings of a Masonic lodge from a place of conceal- ment in her father's house. She was detected and forthwith initiated. Portraits of her wear- ing the Masonic apron still exist.. She after- wards married Richard Aldworth, and had by him two sons, of whom the youngest, St. Leger, succeeded to his maternal uncle's estates and assumed his surname, being finally created Vis- count Doneraile in 1786. Nearly twenty years have elapsed since Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain first met. He went to America to negotiate an important interna- tional treaty. It was his first visit to the States. That done he entered into one of still greaer imporance to himself, whereby the charming Miss Mary Endicott agreed to become his wife. The hardest hitter in the political arena, Mr. Chamberlain is in private a singularly lovable man, much beloved by all those about him. Mr. Morley spoke not long ago of his "genius for friendship." In Mrs. Chamberlain's nature is the counterpart of his own. No matter how strenuous the battle in which he is engaged, she is always at his side. He has laughingly con- fessed that if he is to do himself justice at a great public meeting, he must have Mrs. Cham- berlain seated on the platform.

| INTERESTING ITEMS. The King has sent a hamper of game from Sandringham to King's Lynn Workhouse. Twenty-five' hundredweight of bullion (gold and silver) left London for Sheffield. z;1 Although the King is to pay a private visit to the new War Office, there is to be no official opening ceremony. The first-class county cricket fixtures for 1907, including the South Africans tour, have been arranged. Mrs. Craske, who has just celebrated, her hun- dredth birthday at Sheringham, has never rid- den in a railway train. While pheasant shooting near Watford, one of a party shot a greyhen. It is said to be the first known to have been shot in Hertfordshire. A Launceston sexton, while digging a grave at the cemetery, killed five snakes, each about a foot long. Major-General Hutchinson carried out the an- nual inspection of cadets at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. The South Metropolitan Gas Company are offering £ 100,000 of their ordinary stock for sale to their consumers and employees-in South London. A William and Mary tin farthing, by George Bowers, 1690, was sold for two guineas at Messrs. Sotheby's. Two seventy-year-old recipients of out-door relief in the Gainsborough Union of Lincoln- shire, on being married, have had their relief stopped. Owing to lack of patronage, the temperance refreshment-bar on Earl's Court Station plat- form has been closed. "If only people would tell the truth, I should have very little difficulty in administering jus- tice," said Judge Edge at the Wood-green County-court. Dr. Hornby, provost of Eton, has just cele- brated his eightieth birthday. He was serenaded by the choir of the college chapel under Dr. Lloyd. Messrs. Caird and Co. launched from their shipyard at Greenock the Nore, a twin-screw steamship of 6,700 tons, built for the P. and O. Steamship Company. In Cheshire fifteen licenses are to be extin- guished on January 5 next, and in respect of these the County Licensing Committee have awarded F.13,787 as compensation. Returning from the Rossendale Hunt, Mr. Edward Hoyle, of Bacup, the former master, sustained a fractured collar-bone through his horse slipping and falling. Miss Lucia Darling, daughter of Mr. Jus tic-e Darling, was married to Mr. Keppel Pul- teney, of St. Austins, Lymington, Hants, at Beaulieu, near Brockenhurst. The rebellion which broke out ten days ago in the Kiangsi province of China has collapsed. The leaden- have fled, and the Imperialist troops hold the entire affected area. Major General Sir William Galbraith, K.C.B., formerly commanding the Quetta dis- trict in Baluchistan, who died on October 15, left estate in the United Kingdom valued at £331. In view of the Vivisection Commission's de- cision to issue monthly reports of the evidence taken, the council of the National Anti-Vivi- section Society decided to take part in the in- quiry. Mr. George Wills, father of Mr. Arthur Wills, M, P. for North Dorset, and head of the firm of George Wills and Co., Australian mer- chants, died suddenly at 3, Hyde-park-gate, in his eighty-second year. Arrangements have been completed for de tachments of the Royal Engineers and Royal Garrison Artillery, with other details, to pro- ceed by the R.M.S.P. Sabor, sailing from Southampton for Jamacia. A defendant, contesting a bill for a suit on the gtou 'd that the clothes did not fit, was dis covered, in the Southwark County-court, to have padded himself with three shirts and a guernsey. Lord Dunmore, who has visited Mr:3 Ma-v Baker Eddy, the Christian Scientist leader, at Concord (New Hampshire), says he was struck by her personal appearance and the activity with which she alighted from her carriage. Since the last triennial election the Helston (Cornwall) Board of Guardians has lost by death its chairman, vice-chairman, clerk, medi- cal officer, a relieving officer, and two members of the board. Mr. Haldane expressed gratitude in Parlia- mentary papers for the offers of the Duke of Atholl, Lord Lovat, Lord Howe, and Lord Wwnyss, of facilities for training cavalry, militia, and volunteers on their estates. In censuring the parents of a child which, left alone near an unprotected fire, had been burnt to death at Lowton (Lanes), Mr. Brig- house, the coroner, said this wa.s the 200th case of the kind he had had to deal with. Expelled from France the prioress and all the nuns (seventy) of the Conevnt of Arras have arrived in Dumfries (Scotland) to take up resi- dence in the convent whicn the late Lady Herries founded on Corbelly Hill. Dr. Panton, Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, died at his residence, Greenmount, Clontarf. He was a distinguished mathema- tician, and was joint author with Dr. W. S. Burnside of The Theory of Equations." In view of the doubtful legality of applying the law of public meetings to Church services, the French Government has decided to suspend further prosecutions under that head, and to introduce a new Bill on tne subject. In answer to two letters from the Sultan of 11 o Morocco announcing an expedition against the rebels in Tangier, the diplomatic body have replied, asking the Sultan's exact intentions and demanding the removal of Raisuli. In the Shoreditch County-court a debtor said he made overmantels, but I hadn't done any- thing for nine months, as people didn't want them now." Judge Smyly: That makes you think of the man who said he was a snow shoveller. Miss Dorothy Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late Hon. Greville. Howard, of Castle Rising, and Lady Audrey Buller, and step- daughter of General Sir Redvers Buller, will shortly be married to Mr. Ralph E. Macan, of Alward House, Salisbury. The will of the late Mr. John Stuart McCaig, a Scottish laird, providing for the erection of statues of himself, brothers, and sisters, on his lltrwer 11 at Oban, was declared void by the Court of Session, on the petition of the laird's sister. The Paris Courts have dismissed the petition of the sons and heirs of the Chevalier de Negrelli, one of the promoters of the idea of cutting the Suez Canal, to recover P.400,000 alleged to be due to them in respect of shares in the Canal. The South Australian Legislative Council had amended the Franchise Bill, lowering the pro- perty qualification in such a way as to restore it to the form it had before the recent elec- tions. The prospects of a compromise being effected are doubtful. Mr. C. H. Garland has resigned the secre- taryship of the London branch of the Postal Telegraph Clerks' Association on account of the growth of his other work in connection with the postal branch of the National Sanatoria for Consumptives, etc. Mr. W. H. Jayne has been elected to fill the vacancy. Corporal Richard Graham Phillips, of the Northumberland Fusiliers, has been promoted second lieutenant in the Connaught Rangers, in succession to Second Lieutenant J. Carroll, who, it will be remembered, was recently re- moved from the service for absence without leave. The King has appointed the Governor and Com- mander-in-Chief, Lieutenant-Governor, or the officer for the time being administering the Government of the Straits Settlements and their dependencies, to be High Commissioner for the Protected State of Brunei in the Island of Borneo.

THINGS THOUGHTFUL. Lovely as flowers are wherever seen, they never seem so beautiful as when they are found in desolate and dreary places. When the moun- tain climber comes upon come dainty flower on a crag, surrounded by unmelting snows, he iti, affected almost to reverence. Humboldt tills- of being deeply touched and impressed by find- ing a beautiful flower on the edge of the crater' of Vesuvius. In a little hollow in the lava ashes- and dust had settled, and when rain had fallen there was a cupful of rich soil ready. Then a bird or the wind had borne a seed and dropped it in this bit, of garden on the crater's lip, and a sweet flower grew there. No wonder the great traveller was so moved by such a glimpse- of beauty in such a place. As we go through the world we come now and then upon human lives which seem almost utterly dreary and de- solate in their condition or in their circum- stances. Yet there is scarcely one such life in which we may not, if we will, cause a flower, to bloom. If only we will show thoughtful sympathy, or do some gentle kindness, we shall plant a spray of beauty amid the lava and ashes. If you know a life that is dreary, that seems utterly desolate and alone, do what you can to get a bit of bloom planted in it. How many people are busy in this world gathering together a handful of thorns to sit upon Take noble care of the works that are handed down to you, and the voices that come to you from the silent world. We look too carelessly on that store and its riches, said Stopford Brooke. It is so large, and they are so various, that we treat them like things too common; and great boohs and great deeds become like way- side flowers, which men glance at and pass by. These were Abraham Lincoln's rules for liv- ing Do not worry, eat three square meals a day, say your prayers, be courteous to your creditors, keep your digestion good, steer clear of bilious- ness, exercise, go slow and go easy. Maybe, he says, there are other things that your special case requires to make you happy, but, my friend, these I reckon will give you a good lift. How. happy is he born and taught That serveth not another's will; Whose armour is his honest thought, r And simple truth his utmost skill. Who hath his life from rumours freed j. > Whose conscience is his strong retreat Whose state can neither flatterers feed, Nor ruin make accusers great. This man is free from servile bands, Or hope to rise, or fear to fall; Lord of himself, though not of lands, And having nothing, yet hath all. -G. Herbert, ) = 1 A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Men's behaviour should be like their apparel; not too straight or point. device, but free from exercise or motion. Mr. Frank T. Bullen tells in his book, With Christ at Sea," of a negro boy who taught him a lesson when he was at sea. Mr. Bullen, then only a boy of twelve, was terribly ill the first day on board, and in perfect misery he crawled to the most shel- tered spot he could find, and then lost con- sciousness. When he awoke he found a- negro lad, a few years older than himself, speaking strange words of comfort, and- quoting texts from the Bible in a manner' that plainly showed he was well versed so far as the Scriptures were concerned. Naow,, leetle boay, you mus' eat somefin' 'r else yew gwine ter die. An' den, yew know, yew gwine be all right, ob co'se; but yo duty tords Gord am ter lib s' long s' ever yew kin. Wy, yewse mos' 's highly favered '& me. 'Oom de Lord lobef He chasenef, 'n skurjef ebery eon 'oom He recebef, don' y" know? Now, dey isn't many fom.s rottn' dat's a-getting maw skurjin dan I is jes now, -it sence de dear Lord lets de mate go on wid it- well, den de Lord Hesef' 'sponsible, see So I feels laik a son fo' shuah, a son wut 's be- lobed, too. Now, mine, I tole yer. 'N yew- wy, bress Gord, you'se bein' chaysen, too. Nudder way, ob co'se. De good Lord knowss better dan treat all his chillen de same. But, neb' mine, you'se a son, an' a deah eon, too. Don' you leggo dat ar' So he talked away (continues Mr. Bullen), the mere fact of his presence comforting me,. apart from his cheery talk, uniu at last I managed to swallow a few morsels. And then? that poor fellow prayed such a prayer as i had never heard before. Strange chills ran through* me as I listened, a kind of awe at the fact that here was a man, and a black man at that, who. seemed to be on more intimate terms with Almighty God than was safe. He talked to God, reminded Him of all sorts of things, at the same time admitting that it was not pos- sible for Him to forget anything concerning. the least of His creatures, but emphasising the- fact that it did himself good to tell so sympa- thetic a listener all that was in his mind. He prayed for everybody on board, especially for the captain, who, he said, needed most to be prayed for, because he was probably worst of all the crew; but for me he reserved his final efforts. And when he had finished I wa¡;t, better. I had been educated into the high, knowledge that henceforth prayer was not merely the repetition of certain fermulae, but a real means of communication between God and my small self. That I didn't even need to, kneel down and fold my hands and shut my eyes, or even speak aloud. Nobody ever got anything worth having. unless they fought for it. o "In idleness alone there is perpetual despair,*1" declared Carlyle, who knew well what depres- sion and melancholy were, but met them by hard work. The more intensely we throw our- selves into each day's labours, the more we- escape from discouragement and temptation- Work is the sheet anchor of the soul, and the higher work becomes, the higher its satisfaction. Work even for ourselves helps us out of depres- sion work for others brings joys; work for God lifts us into the most enduring happiness- of all. Man dislikes work, yet he cannot deny the; inestimable benefit of it. Each day he tastes of it, each day he plumes himself on doing so, and each morrow he returns to work with the same repugnance. It would seem, says Octavez Feuillet, as if there were a singular and mys- terious contradiction in this, as though we: realised in labour at once our chastisement and the divine and paternal character of our judge- It may not be our lot to wield The sicklevin the ripened field; Nor ours to hear, on summer eves, The reaper's song among the sheaves. Yet where our duty's task is wrought In unison with God's great thought, The near and future blend in one," And whatso'er is willed, is done -Whittier.,

The road to home happiness is said to lie over- small stepping stones. So small sometimes are- the causes of our unhappiness that we wonder the consequences can be so great. One great palliative is the determination by every member of the family not to dwell on the circumstances whatever they may be, which are alike sad to. all. If it be poverty, let it be cheerfully and silently borne; if it be the ill-temper of grandpa, try to make a joke of it. If it be someraing in- finitely worse, and also hopeless, accept it., bravely; do not talk of it. Try in the family circle to ignore it; accept every little enliven- ing circumstance; let in all the sun and air; work on cheerily and hopefully, knowing that, there is the ray of sunshine somewhere that has only to be looked for to be found.

IDEAL CONDITIONS I The bulky foods being much cheaper thart grain, too much importance cannot be attached to the securing of the hay and fodder crops in the best condition. If hay is unduly exposed to dew and rain during the time of feeding, it loses much of its nutritive value and palata- bility. It is also important that grass and fodder should be cut at the proper stage, before becoming too ripe and the stems woody. When caws have luxuriant pasture during late spring, before the heat becomes excessive or the flies troublesome, the conditions are almost ideal for dairy cows. The nearer we can approach these conditions throughout the year, the better the milk production. It is., therefore, essential to the best yields and most economical results, that succulent food be provided for the cows during the winter months. Dairvmen suffer greatly every summer from not supplying proper green food for their cows during the hot, dry weather of midsummer. The shortage of feed at this season comes at an inopportune time, since the cows are already beginning to feel the effect of the heat and flies, which of themselves very perceptibly lessen the yield of milk.