MISCELLANEOUS.

Southland Times, Issue 1720, 28 March 1873, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Rain and Health. — Without doubt, remarks the British Medical Journal, it ia not conducive to health to be rained upon and to suffer the chillinga which the wearing of moist clothing entails. Without doubt a swampy condition of the ground ia not conducive to health ; and notwithstanding, aa the returns of the Kegistrar- General show, the preaentrainy season in London ia a season of almost unparalleled healthiness. The reason appears to be, that the purification of the atmosphere, which ia brought about bj the rain, far outweighs in sanitary effect the disasters due to damp clothing and damp dwellings, whilst the very perfect drainage of London insures it against being converted into a swamp even in the most rainy of seasons. Wieii Tyndall horrified a West-end audience by persuading it that the fluff off its clothes, which was floating in the theatre of the Royal Institution, and which he illuminatedby the electric light, consisted mainly of organic germs, he drew a moral lesson of doubtful utility in recommending the use of cotton-wool as a shield against the germs of disease. The proper purifier of the atmosphere is the rain. This i« patent enough to the chemist, who, by dint of washing a gas with water, is able to rid it of every trace of solid and liquid particles, and even of vapours, which it may happen to contain ; and, indeed, to every one who has observed the freshness and clearness of the atmosphere after a shower of rain, the importance of this purifying action of the rain ought to be suggestive.

The Scotch Thistle in New Zba lan*». — It may interest some of our readers to know (saya the Shipper's Monthly Circular) thnt the Scotch thistle is playing an important part in assisting the spread of English grass in New Zealand ; in fact, it has proved itself a valuable agent in preparing the rough fern hills for the reception of the grass seed. A correspondent in the Colony writes :— -" The thistle has its fling for three or four years, taking full possession of the ground, but, though inconvenient it is by no means without its uses during that time, for sheep, cattle, and horsies greedily devour the seed heads when in blossom, and often eat the plant as well, and many runs when under thistle, hare carried more stock than before the weed appeared. After the thistle had exhausted the land of its particular requirements, and died out (which it does in about four years) it is invariably found that stray plants of Fnglish grass and clover have been nursed into strength by their prickly neighbors, and that the long full tap-roota of the thistle have opened and pulrerised the surface soil, and prepared a peed-bed in which the English grass takes root and flourishes far better than on the natural surface of ground which has not been subjected to a similar couriQ of preparation." Volt/nteeks. — Instructions have been issued from the War Office to commanding officers of Home Volunteer corps, who are requested not immediately to equip recruits, some alterations being intended in the uniform of the auxiliary forces generally. Many annual dinners and prize distribution meetings have already been held, and as it is usual on these occasions to enter largely into figures, facts as to the general state of the force are obtained. It appears that the metropolitan contingent was never in a more healthy state than it is at the present time, the term " non-efficient" being now almost expunged, and most corps possessing a large proportion of i " extra" efficients. Several, indeed, return nearly all as having earned the additional 10s ; while the proficiency list shows that the officers and sergeants of the force have cheerfully obeyed the additional requirements exacted by the Government. The 36th Middlesex returns 606 efficients out of an enrolled strength of 610, of whom 537 have earned the extra grant ; and 48 officers and sergeants obtained certificates of proficiency in their duties. The Tower Hamlets Administrative Battalion has nearly 800 efficients, and the 2nd Middlesex (Customa) Artillery upwards of 500, while the returns of the London Engineers, West Middlesex, Customs Eifies, 19th Middlesex: Eifles, and 3rd Middlesex Artillery all show similar satisfactory results. The distribution of prizes to the London Rifle $Brigade, London Scottish, London Irish, Post Office, and other large metropolitan corps has not yet been held, but it is stated that these corps all return large percentages of efficiency. A " Seal Iock" Ballot Box. — The American Seal Lock Company, through Messrs Mordan and Co., have just brought out a new ballot box. The box is of japanned metal, having a deep lid, and a high internal shoulder rising up within the lid, so as to prevent voting papers from being introduced or withdrawn in an irregular manner. In front the lid presents a sloping surface, in which a brass frame containing three sliding plates for " seals" is inserted. The central plate, when drawn down, opens the slit through which voting papers are to be passed into the box, and the lateral plates, when they are both drawn down, allow the lid of the box to be raised. When sealed no voting paper can be passed through the slit without first breaking the central seal ; and the lid of the box cannot be raised without breaking both the lateral seals. As explained in our recent notice of the seal lock, these seals are of glass, so lettered and numbered that they can be identified, and so made that when broken they cannot be replaced. Hence such a ballot box, if its lateral plates are sealed when the voting begins, and its central plate is sealed when the voting is over, teems to afford complete security against any kind of unauthorised tampering with its contents. Farmer G-reeley was once interviewed by the dairymen, and in response to the inquiry, said : " The best butter is undoubtedly an old ram."