A VEGETABLE CURIOSITY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6499, 31 May 1899, Page 1

A VEGETABLE CURIOSITY.

. The " Temuka Leader " says :— A peculiar ■ turnip, which Mr H. T. Clinch, of Temuka, ■ has en view in his Avindow, has attracted a '' good deal of attention, and also afforded ; some amusaniertt. It is of large size, but 1 this is by no means its peculiarity. It 1 presents the most amusing caricature of ' tho human face after suffering from a debauch, or, as a label attached to, p»ts it — " After, a round with M'Carthy." There is the similitude -of a groggy, battered ; nose, two somewhat mangled ears, half-closed eyes, but more natural, or rather unnatural still, is the mouth, which is almost a perfect reproduction of the contortions in which a | mouth might beJeft as the result of the j circua: stati ces indicated. There are swollen __ and distended lips, with a drop in them y indicative of failure. Thero are representations of tobacco-coloured broken teeth, 1 and to bring out all these characteristics, Mr Clinch has inserted an old clay.piP e between the " teeth," and surmounted his ,j specimen with a bell-topper of obsolete pattern. Most people have read about, and ,_,■ some »iay have seen, the peculiarly life-lik© $ forms which the mandrake takes, arid all | must, have heard of .the Ally Sloper potato '£-. competitions. Mr Clinch's curiosity, -which 5..; was grown at. -Mr- J. Christmas's farm. 1S i-l another instance of the caricatures ofnian1-. hood well worth seeing. We {earn tbat Mr k . Clinch has refused several offers fo 1 ' * lIS il turnip, tlie .woiild-be purch»sei;s proposing Mo exhibit it u\ Christcliurcb- " |