HALCOMBE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10650, 20 May 1913, Page 7

HALCOMBE.

From Our Own Correspondent. "The last run of the season," has a sporting ring, a sort of "We'll all go a huhtins? today" flavour; but the invitation did not refer i;o canines but to cows and final mechanical milking for the season 1921-13. Now this system of extracting the lacteal fluid has, since its introduction, appealed to me as the salvation of the small farmer with the big priced land and who by this aid to up-to-date dairying has been promoted from "going to the dogs." Mr Paul Eichler, who is our largest milk producer, finished his machine rnilkiug on the 19th inst., and the returns for 1912-13 season are a guide to what can be produced from 200 acres of our dairy land. Mr Eichlers' account books are intelligently kept and would be a credit to any farmer who is not a professional accountant From this reliable source of information I gathered that'B6 cows produced £By7 14s 7d worth of butter fat, pigs returned £6O 19s 7d, weaners £B4 9s, skins (calves and others) £2 12s 6d, These figures though by no means a record represent over £J2 per cow. Apart from this Mr Eichler during the same period earned £45 7s (id with his horse team, sold £ll 12s worth of firewood and received £ll 8s 6d for rent He also grew 15 acres of rspe and ;fed it to his cows, and all this work was done without employing labour outside his family, the young members of which can and do run the entire milking plant. Mr Eichler knows the value of special feeding for milk production, and he is also well aware of the fact that more attention will have to be given to its cultivation and the quailty of the cows before the best possible results will oe obtained from the dairy farm. Some time ago- I told how that wizard Edison was working on the problem of synchronising the talking machine and the moving picture machine. Now the "Technical World" tells that he has succeeded beyond question. We are before the screen "Let her go Jim," orders the demonstrator of this latest achievement. The two old Romans that we have so often tried to personate Brutus and Oassius walk upon the stage eyeing each other with looks of scorn. Then the lips of the latter move and out cf his mouth comes in clear distinct bass tones his well known words in that notable quarrel scene beginning with: "That you have wronged me doth appear in this; You have condemned and noted Lucius. Fella of taking bribes here of t ?i e Sardians ; wherein, my letters, praying on his side, because I knew the niae, were slighted off," Then we see and hear Brutus with looks and shrugs of deprecation and austere disdain de.claim: "You wronged yourself to w'i'iie in such a case; Let me tall yon. Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an irehing palm." And so right on, with perfect tone, inflection aud gesture till again we hnr Oassius' subtle and conciliatory words: "I said sm elder soldier, not a better. Did I say better?" And this means, I think, that we in this country will soon have the pleasure of seeing and hearing the best speakers, actors and singers in the world at a cost to us of one shilling per head. The other day an elderly woman, who is in ill-health, exnressed a wish for boiled rice. Several of her male relatives, grateful for an excuse volunteered to go to the nearest township and procure the much desired food. Where they went, or what exactly happened before they entered the store and purchased "a bag of that"—to which they pointed —is only suimised. But my informant tells that two men were seen later on on one horse and that one of them had the bag that was bought and that when a third man endeavoured to mount the horse objected and the bag fell to the ground and burst, and that it was only after long inspection and much debating that it waa unanimously agreed that the rice had been mysteriously changed into chicken grit, and that it would uofc even when boiled be suitable "tucker for I their sick old hen," so they left it where it fell to mingle with of our great high read. A lady friend of mine wbo is a Sunday School teacher was telling the boys about the evil effects of cigarette smoking, and she quoted the statement of an eminent physioian who said that a packet of oigarettes contained a sufficient quantity of poison to kill two frogs. Before, and during her recital, she noticed her pet pupil who appeared to be trying to remove an obstruction- in his windpipe and who at the conclusion of her address innocently asked: "Please Miss, how many oigaretfcea must I smoke to kill this frog in my throat?"