BRIEF MENTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8452, 21 October 1905, Page 3

BRIEF MENTION.

Asparagus is said to be the oldest plant used for food. The Norwegians have a commercial marine that ranks fourth among those »f the world. Sebastian Cabot discovered Northern America and landed in Canada a year before Columbus sighted the mainland of Venezuela. Lotteries are illegal in France unless a special license be obtained from the Government, and then it is only granted on behalf of charitable funds. The nearest representative of the ancient dragon i* the tree-lizard of the East Indies, which resembles its fossil ancestor in form, but is infinitely smaller in size. » The witch-tree of Nevada is so luminous tlhiat on tihe darkest night ilt cam be pla&nily seen a mile away. A person standing near can read tihe smallest print by its light. Boucicault's "Colleen Bawn " was originally produced in New York in Deoember, 1859, and was first perform- J ed in London at the Adelphi Theatre, September 10, 1860. Horseflesh, says a German authority, is more firee from parasites tihian beef a>nd pork, apd richer in nutriment. It is only sentiment which leads so miany persons to object to it. At every period of life, in all seasons of the year, and from the tropics to the poles, in every olimate and country, the temperature of the human body in health is tho same to a degree — that is, 89 Fahrenheit. Tlie lobster has a great dread of thunder, and when peals are very loud it will drop its claws and swim to deep water. New claws begin at once to grow, and in a short time are as large as the old ones. Promotion in the Russian army is exceedingly slow. It takes sixteen to seventeen years for a captain to become a lieutenant-colonel, and fourteen years for a lieutenant-colonel to become a colonel. London's longest fire-ladder has arrived at the brigade headquarters. It is possible to rescue persons from a height of over 80ft with it, but the greatest benefit it will confer on the firemen is its use as a water tower. Four hundred thousand tons of seaweed are taken from British seashores annually. Much of it is used on tihe grouind for fertilising plants, pairticularly cauliflowers, aaid from burned seaweed iodine and other dhemicals are made. J Tine entire population of Europe is, in round numbers, tOio-ee thousand five hundred million, whilst thaT of China is nearly four hundred million. It is therefore a case of one country against eighteen, ©even of whom are the greatest Powers hi tflie world. .. In Milan they water the streets from the electric tram-cars. On these water-ing-cars reservoirs have been adapted to the platforms, and these reservoirs are emptied as the car runs by means of perforated tubes placed fan-shape at the front and back of the car. A scientist furnishes, some information in regard to the age 6of trees. Ho assigns to the pine tree 500 to 700 years as the maximum, 425 years to the silver fir, 275 years to the larch, 245 years to the red beech, 210 to the aspen, 200 to the birch, 170 to the ash, 145 to the elder, and 130 to the elm. i William Buckler, aged fifty-six, a j native of Newport, has just concluded a remarkable pedestrian performance at Hunslet, Leeds, walking 2000 miles ' in 1000 hours. He started at the stroke of every hour, and walked two miles, resting the few minutes that remained till the next hour, when he resumed his task. The whale has the thickest skin among animals. It is nowhere less than several inches, and in many parts 2ft in thickness. The thickest-skinned quadruped is the Indian rhinoceros, whose hide has a knotty surface, and is so impenetrable as to be able to withstand the claws of a lion or tiger and ' the bullet from the old-fashioned smooth-bore muskets. Ether and chloroform, so useful in sending men to sleep, have, it appears, the very opposite effect on plants, which aie stimulated to the greatest possible activity by these drugs. In Denmark and Germany, advantage has been taken of this fact to force flowers in rooms and glasshouses, and to make them bloom. out of season. The results are said to be wonderful. The Lyons Savings Bank has built in osrtain overcrowded and insanitary industrial districts in the department of the Rhone a number of model workmen's dwellings. The houses are of two storeys, with a small garden, and let at from nine to fourteen, shilling's a month. Every dwelling was let as^ soon as it was ready for occupation, and it is intended to continue the experiment on a larger scale. There are probably very few people who realise that about one-third of the total world production of tobacco is raised in the United States of America, and that the single State of Kentucky produces more tobacco than any foreign country except India, and further, that there are four States — Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin — each of which produces a greater quantity of tobacco than does the Island of Cuba. The idea that the darkest hour is justbefore dawn is poetical, but incorrect. The darkest hour is midway between stunset and dawn, and the legend is of a piece with the statement often made' that the hour preceding dawn is the coldest. In many countries there is fixed belief that just before the break of day there comes an ebb when Nature grows cold and -pulseless and life fluttering in the breast of the dying man finally expires. The instruments the Salvation Army i bandsmen use, if put at an average present, value of £5, are estimated at £86,365. The music for each man to be complete costs £1 14s sd, and <-jie oqst of tho pouches in which to carry a usable quantity of that music, if put as low as 5s each, means the outlay of £4315. The Army's, band property, j taking into account the instruments, the music, the pouches, etc., represents about £100^000. On tße Canary Islands grows a fountain tree. It is said tlhat tihe leaves constantly distil a quantity of water that is sufficient to furnish drink to every living creature in Hiero, Nature having provided this remedy for the droutli of the island. Every mornang near tlhis part of the island a cloud of mist arises from the s«ja, which t&e winds force against the steep cliff on whiioh fhis tree grows, aoid it is from the mist that the tree distils the wait-ex. ■ There are 12,526 telegraph offices in the United Kingdom. During last year 88,969,000 telegrams passed over the wires, and 15,461,822 conversations were held over the trunk telephone lines. The total length of the telephone trunk circuits contains at*ut 112,800 miles of wire. The AngloFrench telephone service was extended to the principal^ provincial towns of both countries. The profit on the London telephone service 1 for the period was £93.298. 1 The life of an express locomotive in England is estimated a,t twenty-five years; that. of a freight locomotive at twenty-six years; that of an. ordinary, passenger' engine at twenty-five,: amd that of a switch engine at twentyseven. In the United' States tffre -lafe of am express locomotive is eighteen years, of a freight engine sixteen years, of a passenger^ engine nineteen yearfs and of a switcE engmte twentytwo years. In eighteen years, f however, the American machine has run 2,000.000 miles— double the average travel of an Engjliah looomotave.