RANDOM READINGS

Waipa Post, Volume VII, Issue 329, 10 July 1914, Page 7

RANDOM READINGS

THE FRUIT TREES OF JAPAN.

Among the many ways of theft own that the Japanese have for dtiing things is their system of pruning and training fruit trees. The system is called “tana,” and consists in training the branches overhead on trelliswork, made of bamboo or wire, supported on wooden posts about five and a half feet high. This offers advantages in gathering the fruit, and not only serves to protect trees against wind and storms, but is said to increase production. Only very light pruning is done, and that usually in the winter time. ONE FOR THE WITNESS. The case had been long protracted, and was going none too well for the defendant. His counsel, therefore, had recourse to bullying methods. One of the plaintiff’s witnesses, a notrrious old gaolbird, had just left the box, his place being taken by an old p'asterer. “Have you ever been in prison?” asked the barrister. “Yes, sir,” replied the witness — “twice.”

“Ah! And for how long, may I* ask?”

“First time for an afternoon. Second time for about an hour. You see, sir,” continued the witness, taking advantage o". the ba lister’s confusion, “I was sent to prison to white wash a cell for a lawyer who had been robbing his clients,” WHEAT THRESHING IN INDIA. Grain is still. trodden out in the Punjab by the feet of cattle, assisted by the threshing frame. This frame consists of a hurdle covered with brushwood and weighted with bricks or clods of earth. The bullocks are yoked to the threshingframe and fastened to a post in the centre of the threshing floor of beaten earth. They are driven round and round the stake about which the wheat is heaped, and in a short time the brittle straw is broken up into short pieces and the grain is freed from th e chaff. One pair of bullocks with the threshing-frame will tread out the produce of an acre in four days. Winnowing is done by lowcaste workmen, rarely by the cultivators themselves, ■ who in some cases would prefer to see their grain destroyed by rain rather than winnow it themselves. BEAUTY OR BRAINS'. H Recently a writer interviewed four literary women, none of them distinguished for their good looks, on a subject of vital importance. Each woman in her own peculiar line has a national reputation, and could afford to answer truthfully the question put to her. The question was this: “Which would you rather be—clever or beautiful?” No. 1 said: “Beautiful—because by the, mere lifting of the eyes a beautiful woman can order all the world to her feet.’' No. 2 said: “Beautiful—because beauty’s mantle is larger than charity’s. It covers social gaucheries, ignorance, and any amount of stupidity.” No. 3 said: “Beautiful—because fame, fortune, adulation, lovely gifts, social prominence, all come to the woman who is fair of face.” No. 4 said: “Beautiful—beauty is gold to a woman. A clever woman’s fame may not come to her until she is dead, but beauty gets a tribute now; even laurelled heads turn away from the clever woman to do reverence to one who is beautiful.”

AN ABSENT-MINDED WASHINGTONIAN. It was in the Congress hotel in Chicago. One morning before many of the guests were astir the telephone operator, Bill, was aroused by an insistent call from one of the rooms of the hotel. “Give me Columbia 827-Y,” ordered the’ voice from the other end of the wire.

"I beg your pardon,” the operator returned politely.

“Columbia , 827-Y! shouted the voice.

The operator cudgeled his brain for some possible meaning of the mysterious combination, which sounded to him like some sort of football signal. “ Columbia 8'27-Y ! I've been calling that twice a day for the past year,” bellowed the irate owner of the voice over the wire, and it required no very imaginative person to fancy him hopping about, as he continued to yell. Just as Bill was preparing to call “information” the wrathy voice that had been demanding Columbia 827-Y softened amazingly; ;it meekly begged the operator’s pardon and the latter was greatly relieved to hear the “click” as his “party” hung up the receiver. While Bill was still puzzling over' the matter a benignlooking gen'.leman with side-whiskers appeared at the switchboard. He proved to be the angry guest who had insisted so strenuously on “Columbia 827-Y.” Again begging the operator’s pardon, he explained that he lived in Washington, but that when he awoke that morning he had completely forgotten about having arrived at Chicago the night before on a business t] ip.