"THE USEFUL MICROBE."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10423, 27 July 1895, Page 5

"THE USEFUL MICROBE."

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —Uiidtr tho above heading appears"what purports to be. au abstract of tbe doings of the Paris Academy. Let tho following e\ecrpt tell its own good (if true) news :—According to a paper rcceatly read before the Paris Acadomy< experiments wore made to destroy peat »f field-mice by cultivating and ,spreading certain bacteria, which produced a fatal epidemic among them. TW3 wa<i in the Commune of Charny. /The bacteria itself is not namfed, but it appears that it underwent the usuul process of isolation and culfcivition in a laboratory. A certain,, amount of bread was soaked with water, which had been previously 1 intecteid. This breid Wss then scattered over I a lar 2e _ field, and was placed near every t laole showing recent "traces' of /an 'occupant. Though it was estimated that the field at the ttarb contained from 10,000 to 30,000 mice, 10 days after the spreading of the infection nofc a trice of a living rodent could be found. ' Tbe burrows werß'Openecl and in places were found filled with dead mice. The experiment was repeated in other departments with equal success. Onepeculiaifiiy ot the" bacillus.it! that, though destructive to all dmall rodents nnd highly contagious, it is harmless to dog?, cats, fowls; and other domestic animals, or human beiag-i. It is inexpensive to propagate, and thoroughly effective in iU work. One of the bendits to be derived ffom this new usa-of the bacillus will be the complete destruction of the rabbit pest 01 Australia, —I am, &c , Kiatoa, July 25. , H. BucJsxand.

THE SAN FKANCISCO MAIL. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—lt is a'wonder that you h*ve not move complaints of this mail service. I was glfid to see " Morlowai's " letter in to-day's paper. It is without doubl, very unreasonable our mails being delayed so between Auckland and hero. It you think of it, we are obliged to post for outwardjnail by 10 a.m. oa Wednesday. That reaches Auckland ib time for steamer to depart from there by 2 o'clock on Saturday. Now, on tha other hand, the mail boat anives ori Wednesday (a day before due dste)', and yet it id the Monday when the mail is delivered at Dune'iin. ' ' '

Ot course the weather did delay tbe Penguin bslween Wellington and Lybtelton, but why was the mail kept so long at Wellington ? It was telcgrapned that the Mahiuapua arrived there at 4 .a.m., then 6.10 a.m., on Friday. Who is responsible for these vagne telegrams, and which hour was correct ? Even granting the arrival at the later hour, if was 1 p m. bolore tho Penguin left for the youth, thereby losing quite halt a day.' However, my grievance is not so much ab'flub the delo-y. after fcriOrtißg that the weather was nmiiily the cause. It is tho fact that our management here must have known of the delay, and yet foiled to give the necessary notice. In coupeqnence, the.public journeyed to the post office on Saturday night to receive their mail No sign of any mail and no notice. ' I shonld tWuk it is a pimple matter lo put a notice outside the post oluce door or iv the box corridor if th^y canaot advertise the matter. Then the public wou.d not be bo inconvenienced, add it would most certainly show a little considerat'ou for those interested.—l am, &r. DunediD, July 24, V Coscehned.

SPRING BLOSSOM TEA. x

— Ib is said that 200 French cities are going to erect statues in honour of the late President Carnot.

VALnABr.K Discovery pop. the Hair.-H your ba'rl w t«r.n' n S o S«V or white, or falling offf nws rhe Mexican flair Renewer," for it vMlimUi^, rchore in every case Grey or White Han to ita onginal colour without leaving the disngreeable smell of most " lUstorcrs." It makes the hair charmingly beautiful as weU as promotin K the K rowth of the hair on oald spots where the glands are not decayed. Ask your Chemist for "Tup Mexican Hair Restorer," sold by Chemists and' Pfirf umera everywhere at 3s 6d per bottle WhoM tale depflt, 33 Farrinqdon road, London —rAovr T lIOLJXWAV'S PlU^ AND OlNTMßNT.—Vicissitudes of climate, exposure and hardships tell heavily on soldiers and sailors, s=owin" the'settla of diseases which may ultimately break up the constitution. Naturally cai eleas of their health a word in season may avert may evils, and may cause them to resort. to timely measures without any difficult!' or publicity. Holloway'.s effectual remedies -.ire so suitable, and are bo eiisfly adapted for the varied complaints to whicli soldiers and sailors aro liable, that a supply should always be obtained befoie proceeding abroad. It may with confidence be stated that many a valuable hfu might have been saved, or confirmed cripple prevented from begging in the streets,, it Holloway's remedies had been used in time. 3.] Important to Parents.;— Should a parent have nothing to bestow on a child but a narrow education, still he will bless you if you form his body to health and strength and activity, whether he earns his simple meal by labour at the plough, anvil or. axe.: Qn .the contrary, if you neglect his health and strength, and leave him a debilitated-, wretch, &c would curse you though a millionaire. Eno's Fruit Salt is an Indispensable Requisite in the preservation of Children's Health. CAUTION.—LegaI rights are protected in every civilised country. Bead the following :—■ In the Supreme Court of Sydney (N.S W.) an appeal from a decree of Sir Ws Manning perpetually restraining the defendant (Hogg> from selling a fraudulent imitation of Eno's Fruit Salt, and giving heavy damages to the plaintiff, has,'after a most exhaustive trial of two days' duration, been unanimously dismissed with costs."—Sydney Morning Herald, Novemberßf>.—[Advt.] -..', ..-.' ... ;'■ :