REVIVED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1068, 6 March 1911, Page 8

REVIVED.

A FRUIT QUESTION

_ Says the Hastings "Tribune":—"A «eason or tivo ago considerable alarm was raised by the, report that people had suftoed more or/-less by eating fruit, on the skin of which there had remained sufficient arsenate, of lead (with which trees had been sprayed) to act as an irritant poison. Authorities on fruit culture, at that time,'repudiated that su<-h was the case, alleging that' it could be scientifically proved that the small quan._tity of lead remaining nn fruit after spraying operations could not harm man, woman, or This year, However, there are fnrther'reports. of cases of ' poisoning from a similar cause, two people havinjf to seek medical relief after eating plums which bore evidence of recent, sprayinj. Wc are informed on the best authority that ono plum, from a cample which caused trouble, was piven to two caged thrushes, and that both birds died shortly after eating the teninting morsel. By this it is very readily seen that either the plum was very sour, or there is something in the 'poison Misery."

The Melbourne representative of the. Sydney "Telegraph" says:—"A proposition deigned to minimise tho number of disputes as to the butter analysis in future has been put before the Minister for Cumuim by Mr. Tercy Wilkinson, Federal Government Analyst. It is that when 'cores' of butter are taken from butter!jo.\es and mixed for analysis, one-half nf the sample should bo set aside and marked in refrigerated chambers, so as to be avnilablo to any factory' which desired to check the official analysis of the other half. ' Mr. Tudor has authorised effect belDg given to this suggestion."