ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 1600, 31 May 1924, Page 13 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

FBOIH THE WORLD'S «tESS Forty-eight peonies weigh as nearly as possible lib. The length of the Suez Canal is 100 miles; its depth 26 feet. Eight hundred thousand people still speak Welsh. The human skin contains 3500 perspiration pores to every inch. One-third of the land surface of the globe is covered with trees. Only one man in 203 is 6ft in height. ' The parchment of the best banjos is made of wolfskin. A ton of soot results from the burning of 100 tons of coal. The Universal Postal Union was first established in 1875 between 22 countries. For the first time a woman gave an address from the pulpit of Bristol Cathedral recently. Coffee is a very strong antiseptic ; There are many diseases the microbes ' of which are destroyed by it. Horses, giraffes, and ostriches hare the largest eyes of land, animals; cuttlefish of sea creatures. Foreigners visiting London are entering England under the guise of "students," to evade the Home Office regulations. The first volunteer corps to be formed in England was the Ist Devonshire Rifles. Of the 391 different kinds of Brit- * isli birds only 140 are resident all the year. Most of the cheaper padlocks used air the world over come from South Staffordshire. More people over 100 years old ar« found in mild climates than in the higher altitudes. The Emperor Fountain at Chatsworth is the loftiest hi England. The jet rises to a height of 267 feet. A man's brain attains its maximum weight at the age of 20 years:; that of a woman at 17 years. A fine of Id for each catch missed is to be levied on the members o.f the Cobham (Kent) Cricket Club.

Four tons and a half of oak timber make a ton of charcoaL while of pine limber six tons are required. The hide of a cow produces about thirty-live pounds of leather; that of a horse about eighteen pounds. The jawbone of the average Wiale is 25ft in length. The tongue of such a monster will yield a ton of oil. Eow necks and short sleeves are now forbidden to the women clerks in the German Financial Department. An authority on physical culture says that dancing is one of the most healthful modes of taking exercise. At sea level an object ,100 feet high is visible a little over 13 miles. If 500 feet high, it is visible nearly 30 miles.

Physical disfigurements are apt to affect the nerves, especially among ladies, says a well-known French sur. geon. The Victoria Falls, in Africa, are the finest in the world; they are 420 feet high, more than twice the height of the Niagara Falls. The only difference between black and while pepper is that the former has not been stripped of the outer skin of the berry before grinding. In one voyage an American liner carried eight stowaways, oue of whom confessed it was his eighth stolen, trip across the Atlantic. Three villages of Sussex have populations of 20 or under; these are North Marden, population 12; South - over Without, 19; and Lullingion, 20. For the four meetings of Derby County and Newcastle in a recent round of the Cup, people paid £ ill 13 in gate money to witness the matches. The bed of the Black Sea and that of the Caspian Sea have been caiscd by repeated earthepjakes, and channels which were formerly navigable are no longer so. The juice of the ink-plant of New Granada can be used as ink without any preparation. At first the writing is red, and after a few hours it

changes to black. 1 The coldest inhabited coouiry is said to be the province of Werebojansk, in Oriental Siberia. The daily mean temperature of the entire year is 2.74dcg. below zero. "There are more wife deserters in Nottingham than in any otoer English town," says a Guardian oi that city. Denmark, which produces an immense quantity of butter, Ims an average of one cow to every two inhabitants. The kangaroo, which is noted for its enormous appetite, is said to be able to eat as much grass as six sheep. Breakfast parties at 4 a.m. are,becoming popular in Loudon restauranLs and cafes which keep open all night. The maximum age assigned to the pine is 70t) years; to the red beech, 24;">; in the oak. 410; and to the-ash, 14 5 years. One of the earliest of still popular novels, "Don Quixote," is also one of the longest; it is estimated tooontain 461,000 words. Grey horses live longer ttan those of any other colour. Cream-ooloured steeds are usually delicate, and much affected by warm weather. New York streets are dangerous to animals, as well as human beings; 254,803 cats were found dead in various parts of the city last year. Civilisation does not tend to'the horse's longevity. In a wild state lie Lives to be 36 or 40 yeara old, while the domestic horse is old at 25 years.

In many parts of Britain there is a belief that if pennies bearing the date of any Leap Year are, kept in the house they will bring good fortune.

"Whales from 300 to 400 years old are sometimes met with. The age is ascertained by the size and number of layers of the whalebone, which increases yearly.

A gorilla sft 7iin in height will weigh about 3601 b; Dempsey the world's champion heavyweight boxer, measures 6ft lin in height, with a weight of 1881 b.,

Florists in the West/End of London state that their sale for cut flowers for decoration is declining; growing ferns arc,, taking the plaee oi -mostly bioo.ms _.,