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Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 84, 3 January 1929, Page 9

The Maoris of the Waiapu district have been provided with a new topic, by a sudden change of habit on the part of a great pear tree located in the pa at Tikitiki (states an exchange). The tree had not borne fruit for many years until the present season. Its sterility had been taken for granted for a long time, but one inquiring A ative asked the Government orchard instructor, during one of the latter’s visits to the coast, why the tree., did. not bear as others did. The instructor noted, that there were no other pear trees, in. The neighbourhood, and advised the inquirer to procure some blossom from another variety of pear, place the twigs in waterfilled jars, and hang them in the branches of the non-bearing tree. Mystified until the instructor explained to him the basic principle of cross-pollena-tion, the Maori adopted the experiment, and this year the tree bears, a fairly, healthy cron of fruit. ■ Electricity is being used to catch tisn in parts of Germany. One copper cable is laid at the bottom of the water to be fished and the other held near the surface by floats. An electric'current passes through the cables, and all the fish in their neighbourhood are painlessly electrocuted. , „ " „... In the library of Gottingen is a Bible written on palm leaves.. There are 53<3 pages, each made of a single leaf.