MISCELANIOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1345, 7 January 1884, Page 2

MISCELANIOUS.

• A few years ago a chimney made of paper v would have seemed a preposterous absurdity. Yet a chimney of paper pulp, 50 feet high, has lately boen put up at Breslau, in Germany. Compressed paper pulp is one of the least inflammable substances, and is now generally recognised as superior to iron as a material for fire-proof doors. The smartest shearer this season on tlie Barcoo is stated to be Christy Gretz, an Australian native, who, eased 9,700 sheep of their fleeces hi 10 weeks' work on one station ; and on another occasion shore 199 sheep in eight hours, the shearing being very highly spoken of by managers as being e'ean as well as rapid. The durability of Australian hardwoods is very generally known. It is. however, well illustrated by a piece of ironbark recently dug up near theSydney markets. This piece of wood part of the covering of a well in the locality named, and though it is estimated to have been under ground 61 years, it is sound and seems ready for an additional half century's efficien. sevvice. It is scarcely creditable to our civi lisation that a set of female harpie* • should make a living iii the colon iea by fortune-telling; but the fa< - remains, There are scores of the::*. in Melbourne, and at Sandhurst &, least a dozen carry on the swiudlin<; ; game. The Independent says : — j Those who patronise these so-ealloe I roveaiers of tho future are as numerous 1 as hey are diverse in point o| status. The majority who cross the hands of the old women with a coin are silly shopgirls, but a nutnoer of woli-con- : nected and well-educated young ladiou j have been known to visit thesn ohi ! hags with the object of ascertaining ! whether their future husbands will be ; dark or fair, cross or good tempered. rich or poor, &c." i It does not appear to be generally known as it should be that the devastating leech blight which has for year f. : past created such havoc among the hedges and fruit trees, especially the , obbery tree, may bo easily got rid of , by the - applicotion of a solution of hellebore in the proportion of , : a tablespoonful to the gallon. Thi» should be boiled, and an application of i thr- mixture with a common syringe ! will c found to curl up the wretched little insect in a manner entirely satis- , factory to the owner of the tree iipoi. which it is trespassing. Of course this could not be applied to a large extent of hedges, but a few trees are easily dosed and two applications will ! generally prove sufficient for the sea- ] son. The efficacy of the mixture has j now been removed entirely from the j region of experiment and has been ■ proved to be an unquestionable fact, | so that we feel perfectly safe In rei commending all who^d-sire to save their trees to make use of it ! without delay. i The Hawke's Bay Herald says : — j "As a curious coincidence we may i mention that, while a movement is on : foot here for emigration to America ; and Canada, the last mail brought letters to rM. R.. Miller from Pro vindence, Rhode Islandj U.S., and from Toronto, Canada, announcing thai preparations are there being made for emigration to New Zealand by a number of small capitalists owning from£3oo to £1000. Some time ago Mr j Miller heard from representatives oi j these parties, and replied at some leir-th. Fearing lhat they might perhaps, meet with disappointment on arrival here, he represented the high j price of land when compared with the prices in the States and Canada, and i rather discouraged than encouraged ' the proj "cted departure for New Zealand. It seems, however, from the letters just received that his letters have not disturbed their determination to try this colony." Remember Hop Bitters noVtr does; harm to tlie smallest child but good, ■il'.vuys and continually. See and read