The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3908, 2 March 1870, Page 3

The Daily Southern Cross.

LVQZO, NON TJRO. If I have been extlnguhhed, yet there tlu A thousand beaooui from the ■ ark I bore.

WEDNESDAY, MAROH % 1870.

Peehaps nothing can be more painrul to the eye of the philanthropist than the spectacle of the large number of neglected children daily and nightly to be found in the streets of this city. Dirty, ragged, and often shoeless, these little City Arabs are to be seen almost eveiy-where-^-at the corners of busy thoroughfares, at the doors of publishing .offices, at the entrances to'theattfe^ and.cpncertrooms. The City Arab belongs" to *

special genus, the outward characteristics of which are unmistakeable. His matted hair and unwashed face ; his bright eyes and mobile features, brimful of cunning ; his tattered garments and their wonderful fastenings — a pin here and a bit of string there — all mark him out as a different being altogether from the child of the poor though thrifty man. A sad lot is that of those children. Inured to misery and discomfort from then* very birth, they grow up amidst repulsive suri'oundings, and know nothing of those things which make childhood bright and happy. Of what is good and true and pure, they ai*e almost utterly ignorant. Fortunately, their natural instinct leads them to seek, in the balmy air and unclouded sky of this favoured clime, a release from in-door squalor and filth. Thus those who escape the diseases of childhood, and the evil effects of bad diet and lodging, often grow up with frames hardened by constant out-door exercise, and capable of withstanding all the roughing of colonial life. But to what a fate are many of them doomed? 'ihose who have no parents and don't save trouble by dying off in infancy, get dragged up through childhood in some sort of fashion. They go to work at a tender age, often entirely uneducated, and just as often grow up in the same state of ignorance. Those unhappy children are thns thrown into the battle of life withou moral training — with scarcely the knowledge to distinguish good from cvil — and in that state are subjected to eveiy species of temptation in its worst forms. Yet every human being naturally learns something, and whether it be good or evil, depends upon the surrounding associations of his daily life. 1 he colonial gamin, in truth, learns fast enough. He see 3 that money will 0113' uleasure and luxury ; good dinners and fine clothes. He sees that the well dressed lounger goes to the boxes of the | theatre, while he stands in the street to beg a pass-ticket. The lesson is not lost upon him, and he begins to regard money as the one thing needful. "Hi probably never heard of either principle, honour, or honesty, because 110 one has been at the trouble to tell him of those things. The prototype of Dickens's (}oor little "Joe," is thus left to his own devices, and it is little wonder if lip should fall into evil ways, and tiuisli that career on the roads which he began on the streets. There is ignorance and the animal passions on one hand, and temptation on the other. He may be out «f his usual jobs and poor — even to hungering for bread. Why thon, he thinks, when the opportunity is presented, .should he aioL take money or moneys worth 1 lie knows that it he steals and is caught,he will be punished but then he does not realise why stealing i.s wrong, by t,uch as him. In their crude boys think, and reason They feel intuitively that bociety is against them and that they have never been afforded a chance. To steal then, what they cannot otherwise get. is regarded in their ey\s as not a very serious wrong. Leo us nut think too harshly of those children whom the neglect, alike of patents, society, and the State,has made dishonest, It is easier to point out a disease than to suggest its remedy. In the first place a weighty responsibility rests upon parents to bring up their children decently, ond to give them at least an elementary education, should the State not provide gratuitously the meons for the latter. The man who being blessed with health and strong 1 h, does not maintain his offspring, is a grave offender agaiu.st society. There is no j excuse for biieh neglect on the part of parents in this colony, because the : frugal and diligent man, even though only an ordinary labourer, can always [ save sufficient money, when single, to give him a fair start in married life. It is not parents of this stamp whose sons goto the gaol, and daughters to the streets. On the contrary, it is the idle, reckless, dissolute, or drunkon fa ther, who brings his little ones to want, and loaves them to the tender mercies of the world. But there are other parents who are j neither idle nor drunken, and who yet ueglect their children in another way, by sacrificing them at the altar of a sordid selfishness. I<'or the sake of the wages which they earn, the children aie sent out to work at far too tender an age, and they lose the education, which I wovdd give them a fair chance in life. This is a cruel and wrong thing for parents to do, and in some countries the State has wisely rendered it impossible. That no free system of education is provided by the State in New Zealand, renders it all the more necessary that pai'ents should make every reasonable sacrifice to supply the deficiency. If all parents fully recognised their duty and performed it, the terrible fact that many of the rising generation are growing up in ignorance, and falling into crime, would not have to be deplored. There are other means of remedy, which are more especially applicable to the case of those children, who either have no natural protectors, or whose natural protectors are idle, drunken, and abandoned in their lives-. Private effort can do something for them, A Ragged School would afford them the chance of obtaining a little education, but our experience of suoh institutions leads us to the conclusion that their power for good is limited. The difficulty jg to get a street boy to come to a place only to learn, a task which he thinks irksome, and listen to teaching which he thinks a weariness. Still, many earnest men have got children gathered together in this way, and by unwearied patience accomplished something. We recently alluded to the step, being taken by the Eev. P. H. Cornford and some other gentlemen, to procure a site from the Provincial Government for a .Ragged School. This effort his now assumed a fresh phase. The old mission house in Durham-street, has been offered for the purpose, and it is now proposed to form a sort of home for neglected or desorted children there. The inducements to be offered will, we think, be sufficient to get the to go to the home anil stay in it. TKere will be food and shelter afforded, and no doubt a little clothing besides, in eases of necessity. Then the children

\ will be taught to read, and receive such other needful instruction as is possible This undertaking, if liberally supported by the public, will bo productive of great good. With such an institution in existence, many a poor street boy may be raised from ignorance, and rescued from crime, who, as things exist at present, would, be left to his fate. Moreover, the benevolent and philanthropic will have an opportunity of taking boys from this refuge, and giving them employment. It is true that the boys will still be exposed to temptation in following their daily out-door employments in the city, bub the Home will furnish a counteracting force ; and though some may fall, yet others will go on and prosper. The proposed remedy is not the best one, but still it is a remedy, aud it will partially serve the purpose till a better one tan be applied. The most efficient way of dealing with this evil is to establish *an institution modelled on those existing on the Continent and in some parts ot Scotland, where the children are kept for a certain term of years, fed, clothed, boused, educated, and taught some useful trade. Such " Houses of Ke- " fuge," as they are termed, do not cost so much as might be supposed. The little labourers grow their own grain and vegetables, cook their own food, aud make their oavii clothing. Then the articles manufactured by the boys who work at different trades are sold, and produce a considerable sum in reduction of expenses. We trust ere long to see such an institution established in Auckland, but meantime we hail with satisfaction the humble effort at present being made to deal with a grave evil, which threatens to be still more serious in its remote consequences.

The ciiminal session of the Supreme Court I "w as commenced yesterday, and a calendar of 23 prosecutions was submitted to the Grand Jury. Of these .seven involve charges of forgery, and the remarks of the Chief Justice — mainly lepetitions of what was said by his Honor three months ago — ought to be caiefully read and as ligidly as possible, acted upon by the tiadmg community. His Honoi expressed doubi whether sevei c punishments will check the pievalence of foigory and false pretence, which is eneoniagcd by the readiness with which anybody can get small cheques cashed; and his Honor, thorefoi'e, nrges that, except m peculiar cases, there should lie a general agreement to leiuse to cash them. His Honoi's chaige was longer than the average of chaiges. and also moie interesting. — Michael Cullen pleaded guilty to a chaige of obtaining goods by a false pretence as to a valueless cheque ; and he alio pleaded guilty to a pie. u >is con\ ation at Hokitik.i He vas sen tented to tv o yeai^' hoid liboui Hoi'-y l\Jlon, f.>und guilty of obtaining by a tahe pretence, in Auckland, pleaded guilty to tluee pievious com ictions ; and tlu> sentence px«cd upon him was, eighteen months' kud labour John James Jackson was clnrgcd vilH obtaining money by a filse piefcence, at Giahamstown; but he wa found not guilty, and was dischaiged. The Grand Jury ignored the bill charging Alfred Dornwell withpeijiuy. — At the close of his charge the Chief Justice told the Giaud Jmy that they would probably be called upon to" attend on a future day, as the depositions in some ol the cases had not been recoh ed ; but before the Court rose, the Crown Prosecutor (Mr. Brookfield) stated that he had received all the depositions It was undei stood that four or five cases remained to be dealt with by the (hand Jury.— The Court sits at 10 o'clock to-day. At the last meeting of the City Board the members appeared for once to be pretty unxnimou^on one point— the inefficient mannor in which some of the servants of the Biuid perfoiin their duties This is a matter on which -we aie unable to pronounce an opinion. only know that whoever is responsible for the lamps m the city might very leasonably be expected to devote some little more attention to them. La*.t evening the lamp at the end of Duiham-stieet East, near the entrance to the Independent Chapel, was blaming fc 0 an extent that, mteiestmg as it may have been to juvenile spectators, was anything hut plea&ant for i atopayers to look at. Theie was evidently a very considerable escape of gas, which having been ignited at the cipertiue wa, bla7ing away with a forty-gaj-hght power. Tins waste of gas continued for some horn». We obsei ye, from the advertisement, that Mi. Moms'.s benefit takes place on Thursday evening and not Wednesday, as erroneously advertised yesterday. On whate\ er evening, however, the benefit takes place, i we sincerely hope it will be a substantial one. Mr. Morns i 3 a thoroughly deserving young actor, always careful, always perfect in his paib, and always able to make the most of whatever chaiacber devolves upon him. A meeting of Justices of the Peace was held yesterday at the Police Court, to determine applications for transfer of publicans' licenses. All the applications with the exception of one were granted. Our Ngaruawahia coi-respondent informs us that Messrs. Quick and Co. are making arrangements for the continuance of their line ot coaches from Ngaruawahia to Cambridge, starting every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The District Court sat all day yesterday, and was further adjourned until this moming, at half -past 10 a.m., when the case of McShane v. Cundall will be proceeded with; after which the last case on the list will be called on for hearing, namely, Brunkard v. Lupton. The whole of the morning was devoted to the defence in the cause of Pratt v. Watters, and ended in a judgment being recorded for defendant. Apparently great interest was felt in the case, as during its hearing the Court was well filled with listeners. What very nearly chanced to be a fatal aeoiclent occurred yesterday afternoon at the junction of Vulcan-lane and Queen-street. A horse attached to a dray loaded with flour bolted down Vulcan-lane, coming into collision with a horseman, who was thrown with some violence against the doorpost of Mr. Lewisson's shop. Fortunately the damage sustained was limited to a severe shaking, At the Polioe Court yesterday, John Darby waa fined sa. and the oosts for a breach of tha Municipal Polioe Act, and Edwavd Good was fined 103. and costs for a breach of the Impounding Act, We are informed that on Monday evening Mr. William Monro, shoeing smith, of Dur-ham-street, made a wager of £10 that he would carry a twenty-eight pound weight in each hand, from Auckland to Newmarket, a distance of over two miles, without a pause. This, we understand. Mr. Monro successfully accomplished in about thirty-four minutes, winning the wager easily. The election of a member to fill the seat for the district of Mangonui in the House of Representatives, vacant by J;h(/ resignation of Mr. Ball, is to take place on the 23rd inst., and the poll if necessary on'the 30th. The following are the polling places for the district of Mangonui : — Court-house, Mangonui; Oruaiti Valley, Mr. Ball's residence ; Orurn, the Runanga house ; Kaitaia, Mr. J. Mathew's residence. It is notified that Thomas Kelly, of Auckland, has been adjudged a bankrupt, and that a meeting of his creditors will be held on the Bth instant,' at noon, at the Supreme Court-house,

We are informed that the proposer! establishment of a mill for the manufacture of woollen fabiics, bids fair to be successful. Out of the £10,000 required, about £5,403 worth of shares have already been taken up, ami it is proposed to float the project at an early date. In all probability an attempt will be made to procure machinery from New York as early as possible. We observe that Messrs. S. H. Mathews and E. Bartley, builders, have dissolved partnership. A man named James McGorman was apprehended last evening on a charge of using abusive and threatening language to his wife, Aim Gorman. Thomas McCabe was given into custody shortly afterwards, on a charge of maliciously injuring a sewing machine, value £14, the property of Hugh Cunningham. At this time of opposition to vaccination, it may be well to report that the Native | Association of Bombay has withdrawn its opposition to the Government Bill for making vaccination compulsory in that presidency. — Athenceum. | We may remind persons whose names are > not on the Electoral Roll, and who desire to become voters, must send in applications to the Returning Officer before the end of the present month, Registration forms may be obtained at this office. A few days ago we gave a description of the new premises recently altered by Messrs, Winks and Hall in Shortlancl-strcot. They have now moved into the new building, which from its commodiousness and convenience affords ample accommodation for the extensive business in which Messrs. Winks and Hall are engaged. The showroom would bear favourable comparison with any in the colony, the various articles being so arranged as to facilitate inspection, while the woi-kmanship of the furniture is evidently of a very superior character. We imderstand that a large consignment of the most modern English furnituro is expected t.. arrive shortly from Enrope. The stock of carpets at Measrs, Winks and Hall's is both largo and varied. The other day we came across the following extract from one of Abraham Lincoln's speeches :—'• Gentlemen, suppose all the propei ty you were worth was in gold, and you had put it in the hands of Blondin to carry across the Niagara river on a rope, — Would you shake the cable ? or keep shouting out to him, ' Blondin, stand up a little straighter ! Blondin, stoop a little more ! Go a little faster ! Lean a little more to the north ! Lean a little more to the south ! ' No. You would hold your breath as well as your tongue, and keep your hands off" until he was safe over. The Government are carrying an immense weight. Untold treasures arc in their hands. They are doing the very best they .jan. Don't badger them Keep silence, and we'll got you safe across." Stagnant Water Causing Abortion in Cattle : The editor of the JVoi th B> ithh Agr'icuUmht, answeiing a correspondent, says :— " We are glad to have been able to aflord you a clue to the causes which have produced such los&es amongst your cows .Stagnant oi foul water is injurious to all pmmal«i It ciuscs bloo.l poisoning, and thus lonls Lo many febnle complaints. Jt bungs o i aboithin in othci ou.uiils as well as ?n cow 5 T wo wi'itei 3 ago, thi cc valuable mai es, bolo.ioiny to a some.vhal careless, untidy fa'jnei, clipped their colt-? shoitly after < in^lniTo Tlicie'maies had been tolerably well kep^, and not too haidlv wrought, but they had bee i wateied for several weeks at a pool h>- the side of which a, large manure heap had been foolishly placed, and into which the highly-coloured organic matters f i eel v found their way. Some c\\ es watered fiom the same pool cast their lambs ; whilst another lot of owes kept two fields distant, managed in exactly the same way, but enjoj'mg a purer supply of water, carried their lambs to the full period. Since better care has boen taken to prevent the watci supply being contaminated by the manuie heap, neither marcs nor ew es have snffei ed from abortion. .Similar cases have doubtless ocourred in the expeiience of many of our aadcrs,'' Many a man is tempted by the beauty and premise of a half-bred bull calf to keep him for the perpetuation of his good qualities. Thk w ould be very well if only there were any hope of his doing it with even toleiable cci tamty ; but there is not. The result of using such an animal as a sire is generally most unsatisfactory. The cloven loot of a mongrel ancestry will constantly show itself in the most piovokmg manner, andthcieis lo.ally no safety, if we wish to impiove om stock, except in dcsfcioying at least the virility of cveiy bull calf that has not a clean recorded pedigree. Wo sometimes hear it said of an animal that, " he carries his pedigree in his horns and in his hide." There can be no greater nonsense than this. The only 1 pedigree ofaainimaltkat is worth auything is positive knowledge that for many generations no strain of impuie blood has been alloy. edto creep into his veins. This given, then seek for the most perfect development of eveiy valuable quality ; but without this the highest type of outward appearance may be onlj a snai o and a delusion. As a case in point, we know a grade Jersey cow, — thrcequaitcrs Jersey, and one-quaitcr Ayislnre — • that, by a thorough -hied Jersey bull, had a calf, which would hme passed muster in a herd of pme Ayrshire's. The strain of Ayrshhc blood — itself thorough-blood — for once asscited itself, and took possession of the held, although the earlier and the later calves of the same dam had all the look of the Jeisey. — Amoiican paper. Rearing Ducks ; The following are extracts from an article communicated to the Canada Farmer by Mr. J. C. Cooper, of Limeiick :—: — "Abundantly fed and the eggs removed, the duck lays upwards of 100 eggs, but requires solicitude to hatch, and is best supplanted by the hen, which can be had eailier and managed more eadily. Nine eggs will suffice for a sitting. Some persons leave a space for a few hen eggs in the clutch, putting them down eight days later. They affirm that the little ones are taught better manners by their more astute foster brethren. As the eggs of the duck are more liable, to a chill during incubation than those of other fowl, they .should be covered with a cloth while the bird is feeding. When the young issue forth, at the end of twenty-eight or thirty days, they can be fed for the first week on worms, chopped, rough crumbled bread, steepe-I in milk, then barley or Indian meal ; and when about three weeks I old, nettles or chopped vegetables may be added at discretion. Very young ducklings must be kept from getting into water, and thereby contracting cramp : daily renewed litter is imperative in their rearing, and a flat board with a ledge to spread their ftet upon, as it should not be liquid enough to run. The drake may be allowed from six to seven companions ; with more the eggs would be unproductive. Mulea, the produce of the Muscovy drake and either Aylesbury or Rouen ducks, are nviioa bred in the south of France. Their egga are abundant and their flesh is delicate, The mule does not reproduce except with one or other of i the parent species. The firgt cross is best adapted for use. Little water suffices them. Soft water ia better than hard for ducks j clearness nob a desideratum. When the duck is killed for transport or long keeping, the throat is cut, care being taken not to soil the plumage, which is most useful to the careful housekeeper, as the feathers are considered nearly equal to those of the goose. Ducks can be plucked in a similar manner, with moderaI tiou, and are nearly as profitable. The time 1 for moulting is generally after incubation, 1 which is the proper time to pluck. The mean terra, of the duck's life is from twelve to fifteen years, and it is of all birds of the poultry yards the most robust. Its eggs excel those of the hen for omelettes,^or pastries, but are not as easily whipped. Would you force garden plants and have the earliest green peas? Sprinkle every forty-eighb hours with liquid manure, made by leaching yard manure, ashes, and bone dust, If the stuff ia strong, dilute largely,

Our Grandmothers : The quiet litble room recalls the days of our grandmothers ; days when gaslights, steam travelling and v/orks, weaving, spinning, and sewing machines were all unknown jbefoie clocks and watches were things within the reach of all ; before coal was in use as fuel ; when every girl laboured late and early to spin and weave the linen that was to be the stock to commence her married life. Then, from early girlhood till the snows of age whitened the head, the whirr of the spinning-wheel was never a stranger to women's ears. The old farm houses in many of the earlier settled State i still keep the spinning-room by its name, and the old spinning-wheel can be found in many a garret. The bellows hanging on the wall, almost now as antique an object, and the hour-glass on the old-fa3hioned chest of drawers, all remind us of bygone days. It is not the fashion to be healthy in Venice. Strong bouncing girls are denounced as peasants ; their mammas are ashamed of them ; and supper-giving papas, who are on the look-out for a son-in law, are obliged to grumble at the red cheeks, even when they blush, kuowing that young men object to them. Cigarettes and cigats are not forbidden in these cases — smoking being very much the custom here among ladies of rank — but constitutional walks are objected to. Women who walk very much have ugly feet. Women who go out in. the sun get tanned and freckled. Fine ladies run the risk of being converted into fine women, and dreamy aignorine into pretty girls. So gondolas are in constant requisition. The loveliest faces are sometimes to be seen peeping out of these floating coffins en route for the theatre or the church, the Lido or the Grand Canal. The substitution of women for men as servants in our taverns is a reform ot comparatively recent date. The ancient "drawer" has no prototype at the ])resent day. The potboy of the period is altogether an inferior creature, who discloses no possibility of literary or romantic interest. He is a mere subordinate, and renders suit and service to those peculiar products of the age which have developed in barmaids. We do not refer to the maids of the inns who may linger at country h rtels and taverns. As a rule, indeed, they have lost the sweet flavour of rusticity and those characteristics of mild flirtation which were once the theme even of poets. They are fast becoming like their town sisters, and in many cases only serve an apprenticeship, so as to speak, in the provinces before adventuring upon the metropolitan stage of their career aa barmaids. It is in London, however, and at the railway refreshment stations, that the barmaid of this paper is to be seen in full bloom. The young ladies who officiate at a West-end restaurant are generally at the top of their profession. They study the costumes and graces of the calling Avith a certain feeling which might fairly be termed artistic. The hair is fearfully and wonderfully made ; the complexions aie delicately perfumed ; the figure is designed with a knowledge of the anatomical eccentricities of fashion, which could only be acquired by constant .study. ISTot that the West end barmaid always requires the assistance of pads, paints, and powder. Sometimes, though very seldom, she leaves the effect to nature. We must rememberthat she, like an actress, is exposed to the glare of strong direct lights, and that .she is worse off m one respect than the actress, ma&much as she is viewed at much closer quarters The two conditions impose on her a necessity for cosmetics, and a greater secietrvo faculty for the use of them. She manages, on the whole, to produce a most agreeable picture. Occasionally she dresses en suite with her associates, and the gioup (say atiio) will stand the most critical inspection on all pouvts. Her life is a weaiisome one enough. She must listen to the most stupid compliments, and accept them as a part of the business for which she is paid. Her working hours are long, and at night particularly arduous She is usually, despite the supposed demoralising influence of frizzled hair, and the rest of it, an honest, haod-work-ing girl, rather ignorant, and rather silly, , though not perhaps half so much a fool as the man of little fashion who spend-) his time about the place with a view to an ignoble conquest. Another and quite a different description of personage is the fast barmaid of the Haymarket and the music-hall. She is not particular to a .shade in the manipulation of the hare's foot, and lays on the led and white and the eyebrow pigment with the audacity of a scone-painter. I Per manner is coarse and slangy. She expects to be invited to drink u'ine on being looked .at. Words seems to have lost their signification to her, ass the never wince? at what floats in the way of talk, with the vile tobacco ot the place at a\ hich she pi esidos. Still she must possess <a wonderful temper The class of snobs or cads who frequent fast bars must bo the most irritating set of idiot 5*5 * on the face of the earth. Yet the baimaid ever greets them with a smile so broxd and generous that you expect it to crackle the beautifying enamelling of her visage. Her great object is to get one ot these fellows to order champagne. On each bottle of this stuft disposed of she has a percentage, She terms it " fi/z, " and will pretend to fall into ecstasips at the prospect of a "lass of the chemical essence of goosebeny sweetened up -with taitaiicacid and sugar of lead. You can perceive her landlord with diamond rings sitting on a velvet sofa, .and enjoying the stratagems of the staff, while his wife, on the opposite side, exhibits the jewellery of a duchess on her fat fingers, and nods sleepily over an eleemosynaiy claiet cup supplied at the instance of a .semi-drunk dandy. — St. James's Magazine. What is a Dai ling 9 It is the dear little beamnig girl who meets one on the doorstep ; who flings her fair arms around one's neck and kisses one with her whole soul of low ; who sees to one's hat, who relieves one of one's coat, and hands the tea and toast so prettily ; who places her elfish form at the piano, and warbles forth, unsolicited, such delicious songs ; who casts heruelf at one's footstool and" clasps one's hand, and asks eager, un-heard-of que&tions with such bright eyes and flushing face, and on whose light, flossy curls one places one's hand and breathes — "God bless her !" as the fairy form' departs. But there is an angel following in her footsteps, who is not visible to us, but who is anxious to bear our darling from us, and in the mind's eye it 3 white shadow flits between us and the darling of our hearth. — Belton. Why do we Oil our Whetstones ? We oil our whetstones for several reasons. The first is, that almost all stones, unless oiled, become glazed or burnished on the surface, so that they no longer abrade the metal. The second reason is, that most stones, after being oiled, give a finer edge than they do in a dry or merely wet state. The pores of the stone become in a measure filled up, and, while the action is rendered continuous, its character is altered. A dry stone is very apt to give a wire-edge to a tool, and, although this sometimes happens when oil is used, yet it does not occur nearly so often. Some stones work better with water than oil, It has been said that a little oavbolio aoid dissolved in the water which is used to moisten a whetstone ov a grindstone, will greatly increase the friction, and thus promote the aotion of the stone upon the steel instrument. In heavy soils, stirring fourteen inches eep, a steam plough of 14-horse power goes over an acre an hour ; in light soils it stirs two acres an hour. All the grain-growing States, the cotton farms, the sugar estates, and more than half the corn lands of the United States are fitted for steam cultivation. A careful saving of the seed of every crop grown on the farm, paying attention to gather that which is clean, plump, and earliest ripe, each year, will result in improving the average yield of the crops grown, and reducing the length of time between seed time and harvest time. Thrifty farmers are of two sorts : one works to make his farm twice as valuable — the other work* to lay up twice .as much money this year as he did last. A Cautious Lover : ' * When I courted her, " said Spreadweasel, " I took lawyer's advice, and Bigned every letter to my love, ' Youra, ' without prejudice — D. J,' "

Selection and Tieatment of .Seed Wheat : wheat that is meant for seed should always be washed by hand, unless the better plan of lashing it out be adopted. Lately we saw the process of lashing iv operation. The sheaf is taken in both hands, and the ears are lashed across the top of a cask. The whole of the grain is not got out ; the heaviest and best only comes, the lashing not being violent enough to displace the thin or small berries. This is a good way oi obtaining fine seed, and there can be no question but that it must be sound, and its growing qualities \mimpaired, provided it be sown the same season. But farmers who desire to xise old seed — and many men of old country experience do so — will find that wheat, in common with all other seeds, preserves its growing properties most completely when left m the chaff, i.e., unthrashed. Land for Grasses : The success of grasses being largely dependent on the condition of the soils, we may be excused for directing attention to the subject. A firm seed bed is as essential fco rye-grass, and more so to prairiegrasa than to wheat. In all of these cases the roller or the landpresser is more serviceable than the harrow, and that fact is not recognised by one farmer out of twenty. The work of preparing land for grasses cannot be commenced too soon after harvest, if ploughing or deep-working be intended. But the land will be the better for neither the one nor the other the same season the grass is to be sown. Deeply worked for the previous crop, we would work it no more than slightly harrow it to get iid of any weeds that mayhave germinated since the crop was taken off.