HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20043, 4 September 1920, Page 8

HERE AND THERE.

Wisconsin potato growers an# planning to prevent the wide fluctuations in prices and the periods of tnmmo by adopting a new method of storage, says an American journal. Mward Norman, the director of tbo State division of markets, attracted by' reports of the success attending the handling of potatoes in a now kind of storage vault near Canton, Pa., visited i onnsyivania. lor the purpose of making an examination and is enthusiastic in his description of the plan. He says in concrete warehouses built partly below the surface of tbo ground the Pennsylvanians are storing potatoes a full year and turning them into the market as sound and free from defects as the day they were put away. The potatoes are kept at a uniform tempera* turo containing the proper amount of humidity, and they do not rot sprout, dry up not soften. Mr Nordmnn ,snys that owing to tbo high prices Wisconsin fanners are dangerously reducing their seed stock. He believes the .Pennsylvania storage plan can be used here and in adjoining States effectively, and that as a result farmers will bo induced to increase production by the guarantee of o more uniform market at profitable prices.” The churches in Baltimore have 1 fn the 1 resa on a business scale, and find the results have been to greatly increase the congregations. 'Hie Rev ' John Roach Strnton writes as follows 1 m the "New York American”: "In- ' etead of having the church frown down ' upon the passing throng during the week, and then oil Saturday timidly sot forth a shy invitation of half a dozen lines which seems to bo almost shamefacedly seeking to hide itself in the ‘ religious advertising'column,’ whv not make a bold, strong, challenging bid to the people to come to the churchesf Why not tell them in attractive and well-drawn advertisements what we have and the blessings that await them if they will come? Why not at least try to bo as wise in our generation as the children of tho world in this regard ?'* Overworked and over-tired people should take YITAFER All-British Nerve Food. It replaces energy, vigour and vim lost in tho whirl of work. Ordinary food cannot replace tho wastage fast enough. YITAFER does, because it is a reconstructive tonic food. Insist on YITAFER, 4s 6d, 8s and Ms Od. Your Chemist can secure it, if he has not got it. 49 There have been few Instances in Canadian history of a more rapid rise m political life than that of the new Minister for New ’Bnjnawiok, tho Hon it. W. Wigmoro, Minister of Customs and inland Revenue. Less than ton years ago ho wan driving a milk waggon in St John. To-day ho is oiling an important Cabinet position with a salary of £3OOO n year. I|n tho interval he has become associated with Uiomas Nagol, of St John, in the Nagel Lumber Company, and has other largo interests in Now Brunswick. He was no alderman for many years, ami City Commissioner when elected to the House in 1917. Whether the motion picture producer who recently announced, in a London paper, his determination to eliminate bad grammar and " stars” from his films will succeed in this ambitious design remains to bo .seen. As for the defect of bad grammar, tho prospects of improvement would seem to ho reasonably hopeful. At any rate, since, as the producer himself says, "much of the English used to desoribo the action of the film is intolerable,” he is making arrangements for the author of the scenario to write, or at least revise, the written matter that appears in tho him. The elimination of the "stars," judging from a casual examination of motion picture blll-boards, will not he quite so easy, although it is satisfactory to ioarn from the producer that " every one was getting a little tired of the film that was written around a prominent performer.” An interesting botanical and probably commercial discovery is that of tho sugar-supplying powers of the fir tree, particularly of the Douglas fir, which grows in parts of the, dry belt of Bn. tiah. Columbia. The discovery is duo to Professor John Davidson,* of tho University of British Columbia, who has spent much time in the dry belt region investigating tho phenomenon. He iound that trees ou southern and eastern exposures, on gentle slopes in the region of British Columbia lying between parallels 30 and 5l and longitude 121 to 122, chiefly yielded sugar. How a cup of coffee changed the whole outlook of a New Zealand soldier’s life makes interesting reading, and goes to demonstrate once again how the smallest incidents vastly attect the careers of people, as well ns tho destinies of nations, Though the soldier was actually a New Zealander, be was serving with the Australian-, and marched with his comrades into a village just about the time the armistice was declared. They had had a long march, and were tired and hungry. The Now Zealand-Australian soldier was addressed by a Belgian lad in French, and asked if he would like a cup of coffee. The soldier had a mat. tering of French, and ho gladly replied that ho would. The lad thereupon took him to his homo, whore he was made most welcome, given a cup of coffee, and something to cat. He visited his now friends’ homo on several occasions, and fell in lovo with the young daughter of the house. On returning (o England ho obtained leave, returned to Belgium and married the girl. Jn duo course bo arrived with his bride in Dunedin, and he has now taken steps to bring hex father, mother, and the family from Belgium to make a new home in the Dominion. Au old gentleman once noticed a labourer on a railway line diligently tapping one after another the wheels of a train, and having probably nothing better to do at the moment, be approached him and asked; "How many years have vou been working for this railway, my man?” “Thirty-eight, sir,” replied the labourer, still continuing bis work. "I suppose you have had many varied experiences in your lime—plenty of change of occupation, i expect? ’ “No, sir, I’ve always ’ad this same job. I’ve tapped the wheels of trains for eight-and-thirty years, sir.” “ A long time, my man, a very long time; and if I. may nay so, it shows a steady character. And by the way—what is the reason for tapping tho wheels? Why do you do it?” The man stood up. scratched his bend, and said: “ Tin darned if I know.” A giant riveting machine of 575,000 pounds pressure can be so regulated as to crack tho shell of an egg without crushing it. Another war-lime secret is out. When the Leviathan was making her first voyage as an American troopship some of her crew betook themselves to a lower hold near the keel, and at. a distance from tho wheel house, ami there, believing themselves lo bo carefully concealed, they began to smoke to their heart’s content. There was no other person, officer or man, within many yards of the place, but they hail been indulging in the forbidden delight, for only a low .minutes when they wore caught in tho act and punished by a round of extra duty. Tho mystery has now been revealed by a funner officer or the vessel. There had been installed on the Leviathan a fire-detection system consisting of a series of pipes to the holds, through which a suction fan was continually drawing samples or air in the wheel house. Thus, tinofficer on duty quickly noticed tho curb mg wisps of smoko coming out of the pipe Worn one of tho lower holds, urn!' turning the smoko, detected the familiar odour of niooQno. , , , * * ■r.V . ''■■jjjt’/J*'