HERE AMD THERE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2842, 2 September 1908, Page 82

HERE AMD THERE.

— How Apples Breathe. — •

That apples breathe is the startling discovery made by Professor F. W. Morse, the director of a scientific experiment station in New Hampshire. He finds that when in storage they give- »ut carbonic acid gas and moisture as animals do, and that it is because of this respiration that they become softer and lose weight. It appears that the colder the' place in which the apples are stored the slighter are the chemical changes produced by their breathing. The practical moral for the fruit-grower is, therefore, that they should be put in "cold storage" as- soon as possible after they are picked. According to i Professor Morse, exposure to a high temperature for even a few days will .greatly lessen their "keeping" power. | — Ozone. — Sir Oliver Lodge's warning against the too free inhalation of ozone— apparatus for the artificial manufacture of, which can now be obtained^-i& a reminder of the many uses to which this mysterious form of oxygen has been put since its economical manufacture has been made possible by the electrification of air. It is used for sterilising water, extracting gold from ores, as a tanning' and disinfecting agent, for bleaching all kinds of articles, and re- ! fining mineral oils. Its vhigh therapeutic value, under skilled direction, is now fully established, and remarka/ble results have followed its use in cases of tuberculosis, blood-poisoning, anemia, md many ailments due to defective circulation. Its bactericidal action is so great that hopes are entertained of its early application to all diseases of- a microbic origin. : — A Tate Gallery Romance.— A well-known portrait group, entitled "The Sisters," which hangs in the Tate Gallery in London,, has .led to -a love romance, which has ended happily in a wedding. Nearly two years ago a wealthy mining engineer from New Orleans strolled into the Tate Gallery wnile on a visit to England. ' There he saw "The Sisters,'" and at once fell in love, with the younger of the two young ladles, a fair-haired girl of about 16. His first step was to write to the' artist, Mr Ralph . Peacock, and ask if he could get a copy of the painting. In this- way a correspondence took place, and later a warm friendship. Then at Mr Peacock's studio Mr Titcomb met the original of ihe painting, Miss Ethel Brignall, who happens to be the sister-in-law of the artist. Mrs Peacock herself had sat for the elder sister in the painting. Wihen the picture was painted, Miss Ethel Brignall was about 16, and she is little changed in appearance since, except that her hair no longer hangs down to her waist. She was ako the model for Mr Peacock's painting, ' "Ethel," a charming schoolgirl study, a year or two before, which was bought by the Chantry bequest. Mr Titcomb not only possessed himself of the copy of the younger figure in "The Sisters" ; he promptly showed a desire to secure the original, and he became a suitor for the lady's nand in due form. The lady consented, and her family, finding him an excellent fellow, consented also. Beddington Church, near Croydon, was full when the wedding took place last month, for the family axe well known at Wellington, where Mi^ Brignall resided with her widowed mother at Withdean, Blenheim Gardens, one of the Queen Anne villa colonies off the Stafford road. A necklace , of pearls, valued at £1000, was the bridegroom's present to the bride. — King Leopold. — The King of the Belgians is not to have a happy old age, remarks the Marquis de Caetellane, the Paris correspondent of an American journal. Hie troubles with an irreverent Parliament and with the Congo are nothing to what he is called upon to suffer at the fair hands of the Baroness de Vaughan. Only a few weeks ago there was the scandal of the brother of the Baroness. It is his duty in life to officiate as dish-washej in the Nirvana tavern at Montmartre. Tiring of this position, he visited the. Baroness at her chateau. He called her sister and kissed her affectionately ; then, perceiving a stately, white-bearded old man in the room, he rushed up to him, exclaiming "Brother !" The King of the Belgians was ill for days of the shock, and the dish-waeher was chased back to Montmartre. —The Tables Turned.— Prince de Sagan is telling this story about Yaaye, the^ violinist : — A millionaire bootmaker invited Ysaye to dine with him last year- in Nice. After dinner the millionaire brought out a violin and asked Ysaye to play. The musician bit his lip, but taking the instrument he played several beautiful morceaux. Afterwards, in Paris, Ysaye invited the millionaire to dinner in turn. There was a distinguished company present. After dinner, as they were all at coffee in the salon, a servant brought the host a pair of old boots. Ysaye took the boots and handed them gravely to his millionaire guest. _ "But what am I to do with these.'" the guest demanded, hoicking the boots awkwardly in his lap beside his cup. Yeaye smiled vindictively and flung his long locks behind his ©ar. "In Nice," he said, "you asked me after dinner to play for you. Now I ask you to mend these boots for me. Each to his trade, you know." Die Woche, a leading illustrated weekly of Berljn, reproduces pictures and drawingis of 30 tvnical English country houses from a portfolio brought to Germany by the Kawer, following his fiigholiffs visit, with a view to popularising their Style of architecture in the Fatherland. His Majesty is enthusiastic over the many beautiful poua try homes of Ettgland, and deeiree to fntroj "duoe a aimjlar Style of building into Germany,. -