Untitled

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1675, 6 April 1904, Page 57

The steamer Athendc brings to the order of the Department of Agriculture -a very large shipment of poultry, comprising altogether about seventy bird's. These include Minorca, Leghorn. Orpington, Wyandotte. Plymouth Rock, Langshan, and Houdan, besides some fireclays .specimens of Pekin and Aylesbury ducks. The birds, which arc for use at the State poultry farmk at Ruakura, Momohaki, Burnham and Milton, have been specially selected for the New Zealand Government from the pens of ‘the principal English breeders by Mr L. v. Verre.y, of the Warren, Oxshott, Surrey. It is the largest shipment of poultry yet imported by the Government. Last week at Stan way Air C. H. Thorby gave an exhibition of the tremendous power of his dynamo. Only six cartridges of explosive geletine were placed under a stump of considerable size, and the concussion of these with an electric spark from the dynamo produced a most imposing sight, for the stump was instantaneously blown fifty feet high, and shattered into a thousand splinters. The whole process of raising the stump occupied about five minutes. Mr Thorby, whoi has jiniade electricity his special study, intends yet to apply its force in other directions. At a meeting of the Taranaki Agricultural Society recently it was resolved to stir things up a bit with a view to making the annual show more worthy of the seciety. Among other things a" two days’ show was spoken of. The South Island buyer wlio was (says the “Express”) in Eketahu.ua at the last stock sale, was so satisfied with the quality of the sheep • offered that he intends being present at all future sales.