RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 112, 4 February 1933, Page 10

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current Events LOCAL AND GENERAL (By Kickshaws.) According to Mr. Forbes, “to-day we are in February.” Before we know where we are it will be quick March. » » • One Member of Parliament considers that the country is in the hands'of quacks. Usually, of course, where there’s a quack there's a canard. *, ♦ » News come from Russia that a woman’s secret service recently instituted 'has failed. A cynical member of the other sex says that this proves that women are the same even in Russia.

I notice in your column that “C.E.N.,” Wellington, suffers seriously from insect bites and would be glad of any information that would give relief from their effects, says “E. 8. Wellington. Perhaps this very simple but very effective recipe may be of use? Take one dessert-spoon full of boraeic acid, and add just enough water to form a paste. Apply to affected parts and allow paste to dry on skin. This is also very good for heat spots or, iu fact, any skin irritation.

Although' the latest population figures reveal the fact that there is still a surplus of males in New Zea laud, some 30,000, Nature seems to have her eye on the matter. Pioneer problems of the early days doubtless accounted for the fact that there were two men for every woman in New Zealand some 75 years ago. By the beginning of this century the gap was closing. But even then, for every 1000 men, there were only 900 women available. This tendency toward an equality of both sexes is still continuing. The sexes are being evened up in.rather a curious manner. Migration and natural increase are the two sources of our population increase. Migration has resulted in the arrival of a preponderance of males. Natural increase, on the other hand, has made efforts to rectify this by supplying a regular preponderance of females. Now that immigration is at a standstill, the sexes are being evened up at the rate of some 700 a year. Even so. another 30 years will be required before matters have been rectified. '

One may well wonder if the population of New Zealand will continue steadily to increase until in some remote era-house full” notices will have to go up. New Zealand is about the same size as Britain. - Ou a population basis we are iu pre-Conqueror days in relation to that country. At any rate in the case of Britain, once an agricultural country, population increased very slowly. In 1066 there were about 2.000.000 people in Britain. It took precisely five centuries for the population to double itself, and another three for the same thing to happen again. * * ♦ . It. will be seen, therefore, that from 1066 to 1800 the population of Great Britain only increased by 6,000,000 people.' The development of secondary industries and the conquest of disease had startling effects. Another 6,000,000 people arrived in a mere 30 years. Between 1800 and 1840 the population had doubled itself. In a century from 1800 to 1900 more people were born in Britain than had been born there since A.D. 1. At the moment, we in New Zealand double our population in under 30 years. At that rate by the year 3000 A.D. we shall have a population comparable to that in England to-day. The idea of giving a peak in the Rocky Mountains the name of a prominent* botanist, now visiting New Zealand. is excellent. For Trelease Peak sounds well enough. Considering the pleasant names that botanists themselves own, the terrible names that botanists give their plants is incomprehensible. At the foot of this column, for example, will be found a dainty little piece of verse about flowers suitable for weaving into garlands. Well, just think what botanists have done. Botanically speaking those garlands should have been weaved with erythroniuins, odontoglossums, primula vulgarii, and A. pennsylvanicas. This kills poetry and pretty flowers simultaneously. Even the rowan tree has been n source of inspiration to thrushes and poets alike. But then neither of them realise that is is neither a rowan tree, nor a mountain ash, but a Pyrus Aucuparia.

It mar be true that the common names that we give to our flowers are uncommonly vague. But then many of the names are uncommonly pretty. If botanists did not even now argue over the correctness of their long ugly names their point of view might be worth considering. After all, what does it matter if some people call the pale mauve “milkmaid,” a “cuckoo flower, a “wind flower,” or a “lady’s smock.„ All the names are good. “Apple pie.” the Yorkshire variant, is perhaps better forgotten, but “bog-pink’ and “meadow cress” merely add to the lustre of the flower Call the wretched thing a cardamine pratensis and nobody takes any interest in it If botanists' wanted a definite name for this little flower, why not call it “lady’s smock”? Shakespeare calls it “lady’s smock,” “all silver white.” Gerard in his Herball gives it “smock” for its name. Although it blows at cuckoo time, Takes the wind for a lover, is fairer than a milkmaid, a rose of the bog, and spice of the mead, why must this delicate flower that hangs its sweet petals to catch the sun be labelled with an ugly Latin tag?

Regarding the news that a sailing ship is shortly due to arrive in Auckland with a cargo of cork, says a Wellington reader, can anyone tell me what has happened to the cork trees planted in New Zealand’/ For instance, a cork tree was planted in Auckland as far back as the year 1855. This tree was evidently flourishing at one time. For it is on record that on September 2, 1882, an excellent sample of cork stripped from this tree was shown to Judge Gillies at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Institute. There must surely be enough cork trees scattered about the country to keep us supplied with the modest quantities of cork required. Perhaps some readers know what has happened -to this or any other cork trees? • • • And then I gathered rushes and began To weave a garland for you, intertwined With Violets, Hepaticas, Primroses, And coy Anemone, that ne’er uncloses Her lips until they're blown on by the wind.