HERE AND THERE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10238, 30 August 1909, Page 2

HERE AND THERE.

BIRDS KILLED BY GOLF BALLS. A lady playing at the Hendon Golf Club recently made a mashie shot which lofted the ball. This in its flight struck a swift on the wing and both ball and bird fell straight to the ground. The incident, though remarkable,, is not quite unprecedented, for in the Field of September 12, 1891, there appeared a notice of a swallow killed by a golf ball and another struck by a cricket ball was reported in the Field of August 25, 1894. A lark killed on the ground by a golf- ball (June 20, 1908) was not so remarkable a shot, as the bird in that case was stationary. It was, however, not the result of skill but of accident.

COMET WINE. Being within measurable distance of the reappearance of comet reminds us that wine of superior quality is known as "comet wine." A notion prevails that grains in comet yei.-s are better in flavor than in other years. This may be because the weather is warmer and ripens them better. Or it may be that comets themselves exercise some chemical properties o/cr them. Thus the wines of the years IS LI, "823, 1839, 18-15, 1552, 1858, 1861, etc., have a repute.

SHAKESPEARE IN SYRIA. Could a more picturesque stage setting be imagined for a Shakespearian production than a grove of stately pines on the shores of the Mediterranean, with the Lebanon range, rising to a height of several thousand feet, as the distant' background. - Such is the actual setting for the al fresco production of "As You Like It," given last spring on the beautiful campus of the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut, Syria, by its students. The chief interest of the performance lay perhaps in the cosmopolitan character of the cast, in the difficulties that had to be encountered by the actors, and in the fact that it was the first play of the kind ever given in that ancient country.

JEWELS IN CHURCH IMAGES. For some time past there have been frequent robberies of the jewels with which some of the statues in the churches in Rome are decorated. The Pope has given instructions to the various church authorities that in future the jewels with which the images are adorned are to be removed and replaced by imitation stones, the actual gems being lodged either at the Vatican or at some recognised bank. It is well known of course that many of the statues and images used in the churches are decorated with jewels worth thousands of pounds. The statue of Christ at Ara-Coeli at Rome contains gems worth about £BO,OOO, while that of the Blessed Virgin at Loreto is set with precious stones worth nearly £240,000.

ORIGIN OF THE CHERRY TREE. As a cultivated fruit the cherry is of Eastern origin. The first garden cherries, as well as the name, have come from an old Greek town on the southern shores of the Black Sea. The name of the colony was Cerasos and the inhabitants cultivated the cherry. So in Greek the cherry became cerasos, in Latin cerasus, in French cerise, in English cherry. Pliny relates that the Roman General Lucullus, conqueror of the great Mithridates, brought the cherry from a Cerasos to Rome. A tree laden with fruit is said to have adorned his triumphal procession. In the course of the next 120 years the culture of the cherry had spread far and wide and reached even remote Britain.

PROFIT IN BLUE GUM GROVES. In setting out a eucalyptus grove for profit about six hundred trees are planted to the acre. For the first two or three years irrigation is necessary, but after that no further attention is needed. Naturally some of the trees are malformed and stunted, and these are cut for firewood when three or four years old. The next better class of trees as they attain sufficient size are cut for railroad ties, masts, bridge timbers, piling, telegraph poles and similar purposes. The best and straightest of all are allowed to grow until they are eight years old, or much longer if the production of very large timber is more desired than quick returns. The best quality of large, timber when manufactured, into lumber sells at from 100 to 140 dollars a thousand feet for use in cabinetwork and interior finish.

PHYSICAL CULTURE IN GERMAN SCHOOLS. ''Every public school in Germany has a gymnasium, and there are ce'rtain hours on certain days when physical culture of boys and girls of all classes and ages is gone through," said Professor Volze, superintendeift ,of physical culture in the public schools of Frankfort, Germany. "The physical culture instructors are paid by the city, and the halls and apparatus are also maintained by the various communities. Physical culture in the public schools in Germany is just as regular and necessary as arithmetic or grammar. The welfare of the nation depends more on a strong and healthy citizen than upon a highly educated one; still better, when the two qualities can be combined, and that is the principle of the German school system. Swimming is also taught in the public schools, and the pupils are compelled to take their turn in the swimming pool until they are proficient in the art of swimming."

SIKH FOOLS A LAWYER. There is a Sikh out in Victoria, B.C. where Sikhs are about as popular as Japanese in San Francisco, who got himself out of a serious predicament by a clever ruse. He was up against the law and as he was something of a black sheep even among the Sikhs it looked as if it would go hard with him. He had had a bad record in Hongkong and this was known to other Sikhs and to the prosecuting lawyer. So he arranged to have an unfriendly Sikh informed that for a crime in Hongkong he had been branded on the left arm. The unfriendly Sikh lost no time in passing the information to the prosecutor. The lawyer held the information until he wanted to make a telling point at the trial. Then he pointed an accusing finger at the Sikh and called out sternly: "Pull up the sleeve on your left arm and let the Court see the brand placed there by Hongkong justice." The Sikh obeyed. His arm was without blemish. The unfriendly Sikh and the lawyer did not know that branding criminals is not iii fashion in Hongkong. The point was so telling that the accused Sikh got off.

CARNEGIE IS SAVING NOW. While lavishly distributing his millions in libraries, Andrew Carnegie in his castle at Skibo shows such attention to details that he has struck some of his recent guests as being an economical host. The story is told here that recently Mr Carnegie had a house party of six. With one of his guests he went fishing in a preserved stream near Skibo. Mr Carnegie carefully counted each trout as it was caught, and when the number reached seven he said: "We have got one for each guest j.that's enough. No more fishing to-day." The fishing immediately stopped, although the guests would have liked to continue the sport.