NOTES BY TERROR

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 48

NOTES BY TERROR

— Mr J. D Gorse, a well-known English retriever fancier, gives the following useful hints on the keeping of kennel yards clean and healthy: — A good yard is made with a wooden floor. Boards 6ft by lft are a very common size, and in 6ft lengths, are soon sawn into 3m pales, and planed slightly curved to make them three-quarteis of an inch at each edge. Two of the 6ft by lft fa-tened together will carry tl'e pn'e* at one end ; t v e others to rent on 6ft by lft to give a little fall. They should be nailed half an inch opart; but before this is done it is a good plan to have them rubbed over two or th-r-oc times with a well-oiled cloth. This makes them more duiable. Under this floor there should be galvanised corrugated sheets, geneially made to cover 6ft x 2ft, the ends to ref-t on a row of bricks or a 2">lank, and come close up to the pales, the other ends to be on tho ground, just ore* the edge of. |h^

channel drain. This gives a good fall, and the corrugations carry lain quickly away. Rain will generally keep the floor and tbe sheot3 clean, and may be supplemented now and then by a free stipply through the watering can, and advisably so. To conveniently get at the sheets for a good scrubbing now and then, the floor is better if in sections of 3ft, and is then leadily lifted off; to prevent them springing when walked upon a strong rail should be put acros* and fas tened to a stake on each side. Pales nailed to 3ft by lfo and 4ft to 6ft square make a good platform to a wooden kennel, and keep the dog much freer from damp and dirt. For a larger yard than 6ft square the pales and sheets may meet from eacli side at a drain channel down the centre. May I give a hint or two to all who keep their dogs in wooden kennels? Have a hood along the whole front of the ro_of to project at least 12in ; it will prevent rain beating in. and is a shade from the sun. It may be quickly done with a few light boards to lap o\er each other about an inch. A loose floor made with pales above described nailed to strips 2ft by lft will keep the dog far cleaner ; and, if in sections, may readily be removed to clear away the dust. Where buildings are used level benches with the«e pales and spaces and 2ft high answer well ; the dust works through and can be quickly removed.

— Mr H. M. Yea. an English fancier, writing to the Stockkeeper some time since anent the Yorkshire terrier, says: — "In the face of the late \ery frequent early deaths amongst Yorkshires, I consider it behoves the doggie public, and especially the Yorkshire Terrier Club, to endeavour to discourage the abnormal growths of coats now cultivated on our Yorkshires for show purposes and prize-winning. After all, we Yorkshire fancieis should carry on our hobby with gome little huminity, and not sacrifice the happi-ne'-s and even the lives of our little dogs. Any well and high bred Yorkshire, if small, and kept absolutely without exercise, will in about three years grow this wonderfulcoat. Good thick coats to within of the ground, of sound, clear colour, and r.ny coat ground, of Found, flear colour, should be the standard of perfection, and any coat which impedes walking or tunning should be hounded off the bench."

—"A Dog Tail." — Charlie Campbell, manager of Tarryalga, on the Paroo River, had a famous kangaroo dog, \ery fast, and a great killer. One hot day at the home station, "ays the Pa'toralists' Review, the dog crept under a leaded waggon, stretched out, and went to olfpp. A while afterwords the driver whipped v.p hii team, and the wheel cut oft too dog's tail. lea\ mg an odd-looking ptimio of some Sin or lOin in iciigl'i. V,\tiii.iUy. everyone was sorry, and i^e ( mic; icrrsb'v so, fully '■>eli-'vin" that ( !i c do. •'voul'l !>e usele^ for hunting purposes; the genital belief being that twe tsil v.as tno dog-'r, rudder, and that that seriously iniHi'Pcl, the dog would fail to turn without juakinj ioo wide a circuit However, such waa not the case with Charlie's wonder ; he was jupt as good as ever, and his fame travelled all o\er the country. Perhaps the aboriginals were his greatest admirers, and one day a big crowd of du6ky gentlemen from far and near foregathered at Tarryalga, and lequested the good-natured manager to go out and let them see that one Stumpy catch 'em kangaroo. This was done, and the niggers were in ecstacies of delight at Stumpy's pnmvesss ; he simply r?n all over their dogs, and killed by himself e\efy time, big or little being all the same to Stumpy, who ran into tbcni cs though they were hobbled. Then tho niggers had a grand pyalla ell fame white pb.flla Parliament man plenty talk all about : and one big buck, a soit of local jaw-boned native domain orator, jumped suddenly up and said, "TJudgeree, by u;v.m mine got 'ini — that nh Q l!ah Stumpy, 'im nm like the bery debil 'came 'im got no tai! to carry." With that he seized hold of the biggest hound in the camp, popped his tail on a stump, and with one stroke of his tomahawk out it off quite clo^e to the body. Off wont the dog like greased lightning, never onco looking behind him. As he was lost to sight, the abtonished nigger cried: "By golly, that dog, 'im neber stop, mine think it; I 'bin chop 'im too blurry short."