Page 2 Advertisements Column 6

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 8981, 14 January 1891, Page 2

The first number of the new issue of the " New Zealand Journal of Science " haa been forwarded to us. It contains articles dealing with the fauna of New Zealand, notes on matters of interest to naturalists, and reports of meeting of societies, &c. A very interesting article by Mr T. W. Kirk on the " Breeding Habits of the Sparrows in New Zealand," with a discussion that took place at the Wellington Philosophical Society, during which Mr Kirk remarked that he would be sorry to see the sparrows exterminated, . but was convinced that some systematic' steps would have to be taken to restrict its increase. - "The sparrow," sayß Mr Kirk, "was like alchholic liquor — good ia moderation, but decidely harmful- in excess." - There is also an interesting paper on "The Humble Bee in New Zealand," by Mr Geo. M. Thomson. The Magazine- will be issued monthly, the published being Messrs Mathews, Baxter, &' Co., Dowling-street, Dunedin. Wolfe's Schnapps. Only those who never used the genuine article are imposed upon Further information on the subject of Russian wool production reaches us from an article in Mussie Commcrciale. to the effect that Russia owns nearly 50,500,000 ordinary sheep and 15,000,000 merinoes. European Russia has 40,000,000, of which 38 ,000,000 are ordinary sheep and 2,000,000 merinoes. . Tho Caucasus has 12,000,000 of which 10,000,000, are ordinary sheep and 2,000,000 are merinoes. Sheep are met with in nearly every province of Russia, with this difference, that they are far more nnmerous in the southern provinces than in those of the north. Owing to the immense stretches of pasture land, and to the temperate climate of the centre of Russia— which allows of flocks beiug kept in the fields nearly the whole of the year — the rearing ot finewool led sheep predominates, particularly in the kingdom of Poland. In Taurid« there are are as many as 2,900,000 merinoes ; in the Government of Ekaterinoslav, 1,900,000; in Kherson, 1,600,000; in Kuban, 1,300,000; in the Government of Poltava, 500,000 ; in Saratow, 500,009; in Kiev, Kharkoo, and Stavropol, nearly 500,000 in each. There was a time — about 1860 — when the rearing of fine woolled sheep was in a high state of deve'opment, owing to the protectionist measures adopted by the Government, but since that period it has fallen off considerably. The construction of new railways has given a fresh impetus to land cultivation in the centre of Eussia ; the rents of land increased, while tho prices of wool fell simultaneously uuder the influence of the competition of Australia, America, and the Cape of Good Hope. During the last few years the rearing of fine-woolled sheep has Bliown a tendency to increase in the southern parts of tho Caucasus, which is rich in pasturage. It may bo asserted that it is Central Asia which in future will become the centre of the Russian wool industry, owing to the enormous extent of land adapted to tho rearing of sheep, Mind you get Wolfe's Schnapps. Attention is directed to Messrs Ambury and Tring's advertisement on another page. — Advt Wolfe's Schnapps, accept nothing but the original, since all imitations are injurious. Call for Wol&'f Schnapps, and tak* no fraud,