A FARM WHERE PEARLS ARE FOUND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 71, 17 December 1907, Page 2

A FARM WHERE PEARLS ARE FOUND.

On the way from Kaimanuka towards Waitotara (writes our travelling correspondent), at the foot of somo hills, thorp are soveral sheets of water. It is easily seen how thoso . havo occurred. A big slip came down at , some distant timo, and dammed up tho-gully. ' In ono case the slip had evidently brought the standing bush down, as there is an. island with several birch trees. It is just the ono thing that makes it a perfect littlo!'pic- . ture. This property now belougs'to Sir. G. F. Day, of Mastcrton, and is very appropriately called " The Lakes." A good many pearls have beon found in the mussels whicn am

'taken ill the lake Dear the homestead. When I was there two years ago, I was shown a pill-box nearly full of pearls, ami a lady was wearing a brooch made of the same sort of treasure, about size of peas, though tlie.v usually run too small to be of any commercial value. Tho discovery was made b"y a Maori at shearing time.' They used, after " knock off," to go to the Lako and get these mussels, boil them, and eat them. As one was being eaten tho Maori said there was a stone in it, and spat it.- out. It was white. Not,knowing,what it was,.he showed it to tho manager, who .at once saw that .it was a pearl. Thus we have a pearl fishery in tho interior of the North Island. But it is not' cf much commercial value. WAIRARAPA NOTES. (frok oof- own correspondent.) Oats are in stook in various portions of the Wairarapa. The yields so far appear to be light. • A well-known Wairarapa land agent states that there is at'present any amount, of demand for land, but it is too dear. The only snips available 'were under the perennial lease; and to give an example in this.respect, he instanced the case of a Dyerville settler, who has just parted from his section, taken nrider the ballot, not more than two years' ago, at : a gain of £1000. - ' The present milk supply at the Dalefield factory is 4700 gallons. The supply topped 5000 gallons tho-day after the Carterton, 6how, and was a record. The gale , which raged on Friday in the Wairarapa was responsible for tho spreading of. a bush fire on the Lower Tararuas to* gome sections near Woodside and Matarawa. The conflagration at Matarawa quickly assumed a serious form, and Mr. Saywell, a resident, and his two sons, had a hard battle the whole night long with the flames. They succeeded in keeping the fire back, however, • but not until it had devastated some special pieces of bush, and twenty acres of pasimre land. . Mr. F. J. Dillon had also a fine bit of bush badly spoilt. COOLING THE MILK. Managers of cheese factories find . some difficulty at present with' thoir make (writes our Wairarapa correspondent) owing ,to the over-ripeness of the milk, caused by too high a temperature. , The hot weather at present experienced is an inconvenience in many ways. • Farmers have to get up, earlier, and they have to devise some means of cooling ( th'e night's milk. Where there are running streams i near' the dairy, the business is not such; a ' great trouble; but the reverse is ' often the. case, and the farmer has now any amount of work to attend to. It would be. be much more profitable, however, for all •concerned if both- the night's and morning's milk could, be cooled. The gain would be in the: dividends, with satisfaction to managers and all .concerned. "It is not generally known that one bucketful of milk will affect a whole vat. The opinion is gaining ground that it is'only a matter of' time when the exigencies of the case will. he met- by the farmers 'en masse, • with possibly better flavours and higher prices. SHOW; HOSPITALITY. .w . . .AUCKLAND FIRST. •Messrs. W. and H. Perry, of Masterton, who were _ acting as judges at the Auckland, Dargayille, and Whangarei A. and P.' Shows, speak in terms ; of 'much appreciation regarding .the hospitablei manner in which -, .thoy were treated by the northern' officials. They found that'their return ; passage moneys had been" paid at New\Plymouth, and then later during the .whole of their stay in the Auckland Province, they were practically. unable to put their hands into their own pockets, owing to -the hospitable, character of their entertainers. They were driven in all directions,, and'shown all. the sights' in Auckland, Wliangairei, and Dargav-ille; and finally, when they.' packed their trunks, they did so with extreme regret-, ; foeling , that although they could not pick. up many points otherwise, thflre was something to learn in the way. of- entertaining • by the /officials of the. Auckland A.. and P. associations. . Mr.W. Perry informed our Wairarapa correspondent; that; Undoubtedly hospitableness of the nature just described.was one of,, the triumphs of A. and P. show management, and might wejl be more fully developed' by some of' our provincial organisations. . . THE DAIRY SCHOOL, A FEELER FROM FEILDING. ' MINISTER NOT YET MOVING. The Feilding Chamber of Commerce recently'communicated. with the Minister. of Agriculture (the Hon. R. M'Nab) regarding • his proposal to inspect this district as a centre for the Dairy Experimental School. •Mr. M'Nab has replied to Mr. F. Y..-'Letb-bridge, M.P., .to thfe effect that he is nnable at the present juncture, owing to important matters awaiting the "attention of tho Cabinet in Wellington, to say definitely'when he can come up, but he .asked tho member for Oroua to inform the Chamber of Commerce that he.will give ample'notice to the Chamber when he intends,visiting Feilding.— (Feilding correspondent.) • WAITOTARA NOTES. /■■ • , [From Our Travelling Correspondent.] The worst attack of potato blight I have ever seen for so early in the season exists in the Waitotara Valley. On the Waikane Road for miles there is a .beautiful flat between the hills, or, rather, what should be one. It - is, in, its present state, splendid land wasted, full of rushes, tall fescue, and cutty grass. All it wants is the creek cleaning out and deepening. Inere' is sufficient fall to do this, and as it is chiefly fofmed by the washings from blue pdpa country, it would make as good.agricultural land as could be found in the district. MANAWATU NOTES'. ' (FROM Otlß SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.} . An unusually largo number of harvesting implement's. are pouring into tho Manawatu district. . ■ i. . Mr: Martin,' proprietor of the bacon' factory here,' states that curers are experiencing great , difficulty this season in getting pigs. Even those secured are.not altogether of a desirable class, which is attributed to the high price of feed, and there is a tendency for farmers-to feed on milk alone without, using proper: food to make bacon. The price' being .offered, here is 4}d. per lb. Messrs. . Beattie, Lang and Co. have dbnated £5 for a championship for export cheese at the winter show. The winter show schedule, which contains many revisions, will be available early in .January. DISTRICT REPORTS. The Nireaha' Co-operative Store is run by termers who are all shareholders, and forty m number. Tho business started in a very small way about five years ago, in a lean-to, and goods were:brought as required directly by the suppliers. The Company prospered, and to-day bas a turn-over, of about £2500 a. year. The' profits during the past .'three years have averaged £200 per annum, and in addition a,sum of £300 has been distributed in bonuses. OUR, DIARY. . WOOL SALES.. ' Wellington.- Jan. 17, I'Vh. 21. Christchurch.--:Dec. 10, Jan. 8, Feb. 4. Auckland. — Jan. 14, Feb. 18. Dunedin.—Dec. 19, Jan. 23, Fob. 14, , March 5., Timaru.—'Jan. 3, 30, Feb. 27. Napier:— Jan. 14, Feb. 19. Gisborne. — Feb. 20. Invercargill.—Dec. 17, Jan. 27, Fob. 11. SHOW 9: : Jan. 25, 26. —Wairoa. . Feb. 4, s.—Feilding. Feb. 18,19. —Masterton. Feb. 26.—Woodville. ' March 4 and s.—Waikato Central (Cambridge.) March 5, G. —Waikato Central (Cambridg#). March ' 26, 26.—Horowhenua (Horticul- ' tural), Otaki. April 18;' —Hav.ke's Bay A. and P. , April.—Taieri.