TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 119, 5 February 1923, Page 11

TOWN AND COUNTRY

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE PROVINCES

A sign of the times is the revival of tho land agency business in Wanganut. One of the fraternity informed a “Chronicle” reporter that inquiries for real estate have been very brisk coring tho last month, business being done in both houses and farms. The agent in question put through a £2OOO cash deal a few days ago.

A farm, comprising ISO acres, situated on the Mataura Load, about four miles from Waihi, was sold under the hammer the other day. The bidding was fairly brisk, and tho property was knocked down to the highest bidder at £4OO, thus realising about £2 ss. per acre.

At Tauranga a shed on piles a short distance from tho shore, containing' 75 tons of cement for use in connection with the railway bridge across the harbour, collapsed and fell into the sea. About ten tons were saved (states an exchange). It is presumed that the cause was the activity of ths teredo below water causing the piles to collapse. No ono was working in the shed at the time.

Through the accidental discharge of a pistol used at the American sports meeting at Gisborne, the starter, Mr. Brown (states the “Poverty Bay Herald”) received a painful wound in the left index finger. The cartridge was a blank, but the wad and burnt powder made a nasty gash, whiclr was immediately attended to by Dr. Kahlenberger. Mr. Brown was able to continue his ‘•unties.

“Who are the leading bacteriologists' in tho world to-day?” asked . Dr. Adams, when speaking to the Sanitary Inspector’s Conference at Wanganui (reports an exchange). “Germans,” was the reply. “No,” said the doctor, “they are Japanese. After them come Germans. Britain lias only Sir Almroth Wright, who is working on tuberculosis, and Ross, who is working on malaria. Britain must step out x as she is woefully behind in this important branch of medical science.”

Mr. M. C. Jansen, of Francis Line, Carterton, has 28 acres ot land under peas this season. Mr. Jansen put in two bushels to the acre for the season, as he says that he could not afford to buy more' seed. This sparse planting (states an exchange) has resulted in a prolific crop, and is an object-les-son on how to sow peas.

One hardy old Scot who was present at the Turakina Caledonian panics (states the Wanganui “Chronicle”) was a shepherd who had put in a 22 miles’ walk to get there, and at the end of the day he started out on foot to do the return journey. By that time he had had his full of the. bagpipes and the dancing. Hq was also fairly full in another way. But for him Caledonian games only came onco a year, and were something not to bo missed.

A Feilding breeder reports that lie had no trouble in disposing of 50 Southdown rams at £lO 10s. a head The rams were grazing in open paddocks . when the buyer called, and the farmer (states an exchange) only yarded them after much persuasion. He put the price on for the purpose of closing the argument, as he was not anxious to sell, but to his. surprise the buyer snapped up the line at once. Southdown rams will be in short supply this season.

There is money in lambs, apparently (states tho Levin “Chronicle’’). A line of good stores in the wool realised 20s. Id. at the Levin sale on Tuesday, whilst two-tooth wethers reached 285., and four and five-year ewec 245. and 245. 6d. The improvement on the values of twelve months ago is so substantial that some of the prices ruling then are worth quoting, as follow:— Fats lambs 10s., fat shorn ewes Bs. Id. to Bs. 3d., fat shorn hoggets Bs. 7d., good two-tooth wethers Bs. 9d., good mixed-sex two-tooths Bs. lid., ewes and lambs 7s. Bd.

A truck loaded with wool and covered with tarpaulins, bearing tho words in big letters “Beware Boes,” created considerable attention in the Stratford railway yards the other day (states the AVanganui “Chronicle”). It appears there was some need for the warning, as after the truck had boon loaded at Douglas the previous day a swarm of bees settled under one of tho tsarpaulins. As it was not possible to dislodge them when the truck was placed on the train, the notice was put on tho tarpaulin as a warning to the railway officials who had to handle the truck in transit to Wanganui, wither it was consigned. AAUien the .truck left Stratford the bees were still there.

A AA’ellington resident who is spending a holiday in Palmerston North had an exciting experience recently (says an exchange). He had been motored out to the Manawatu Gorge, and seeing a track up tho hillside commenced a bit of prospecting. He was some distance up the bank when to his horror the ground he was standing on gave way into a watercourse and a slide started for the river He was carried under a small bridge, and fortunately ust before the river was reached was able to grasp growth sufficiently strong to stay his progress. Hie river at tho time was in. high flood, and escape from it would have been well nigh impossible

Two Christchurch Training College students, Messrs. B. C. McCavthv and AV. AV. Brassington, set out five weeks ago to discover whether there v/a.« ony truth in tho statement “that going afoot is the' only proper way to o. countryside.” They started out from Parnassus in tlio middle of Dceomher (states an exchange), and went up tho East Coast, branching off tu go through Blenheim and Nelson. They then wont down the other side of tho South Island, through r.b“ principal towns in AA'estland. Tho-v finished up at tho Franz Josef Glacier, and were preparing to walk through the Copelaud Pass to Timaru, but were persuaded not to do the trip unguided. They arrived back m. Christchurch after a tour of over 560 miles, firmly convinced that there was much scenic beauty accessible only to those who were prepared to walk to see it.

An unusual visitor to New Plymouth waters, which has since been identified by the’curator of the museum (Mr. E. 13. Ellcrn) as a lesser spotted globe fish (diodon Maculates) was captured by some harbour board employees at the Breakwater a few days ago (states an exchange). The fish was about 18 inches in length, of silvery colour, and carried a tremendous array of spiny points on its rather elongated cylindrical body. The great peculiarity of the fish is its power of swallowing air and blowing itself out into globular form. When it assumes this bal-loon-like shape it become- inverted, floating back downwards. 11 is quite helpless and at the mercy of the waves and currents, but the distention of the body causes tee spines to stand out like tho quills of an irritated porcupine or hedgehog, an armature that defies all foes. The specimen caught at the Breakwater had an eye damaged. It ip exceptional to find tee globe fish outside of tropical waters, and the local capture is being preserved 1 for exhibition in the museum.

In a sheep-worrying case heard at the Featherston Magistrate’s Court (states an exchange) a witness said ho was so concerned about his sheep; that he erected a tent alongside a haystack, and at daybreak he mounted the stack in order to take a survey of the country.

The "Waikato Times” states that, on arrival of the Main Trunk express at Frankton the other morning, two passengers got out to hare a cup of tea at the refreshment rooms, one leaving a portmanteau on his seat, and the other an overcoat, so that the seats would not be taken by passengers getting in. On their return to the carriage tho passengersrtverc surprised to find that the portmanteau and overcoat had disappeared.

The Wha-ngarei War Memorial Committee ' (states the “Advocate”) has experienced a great deal of difficulty in its efforts to secure a refund of the duty paid on the figure and tho blocks of granite for the memorial. The correspondence on the subject has been sent to tho Hon. J. G. Oates, who has been asked to see the Minister of Customs and arrange for a rebate. -

“Must we provide a cemetery for dead dogs?” asked' a member of the Timaru Borough Council the other evening (says the Timaru “Post”). Tho question arose put of tho poundkeeper’s resignation, accompanying winch was a statement that he objected to burying on his own property the corpses of the dead dogs he had to destroy. The Mayor said the council bore the responsibility of removing the dead dogs, and it seemed to be a matter for the rubbish man. Or you could call tenders for carting away the corpses,” suggested one councillor. "In which case,” rejoined another emphatically, “I’ll never eat sausages again!”

As the outcome of the complaint by the Wanganei Farmers’ Union iu regard to the limitation of the catalogue at the last wool sale held here the New Zealand Wool Committee (states the “Chronicle”), has written to say that they endeavoured to meet the conditions existing at each centre in order to have a successful sale in the interests'of the producers. In making the allotments they were guided chiefly by the aggregate quantities offered nt each place in the i>revious season. The matter had since been gone into with the representatives of the wool buyers, and the suggestions received would be carefully considered when making future allocations.

Some Waverley residents had rather an unpleasant experience during tho storm of a few days ago (says the Patea "Press”). They had journeyed some miles into the back country to a party and had a right royal time until the journey home in the ‘‘wee sma’ hours” was begun. It was raining .hard and the road gradually became worse and worsa until tho car refused point blank to go any further. There was nothing for it, therefore, but to “pad the hoof” into town, which tho party did, arriving ,footsore and weary with the milkman in the morning. As the going was heavy, most of tho party, including the ladies, discarded boots •ami stockings, and did the biter part of the journpy in bare feet. It proved a more diverting experience than jazzing.

An important reserved, judgment in a case concerning the destruction of rabbits was delivered by Mr. R. W. Dyer. S.M., at Napier, in cases in which the Hawke’s Bay Rabbit Board had proceeded against three defendants. Mr. Cornford (states an exchange) had contended that once a person received a notice to clean a property that notice should hold good for other occasions and the defendants should not wait for another notice before they started clearing and destroying again. Tho Magistrate held that this leading of tho section of the Act. was incorrect. The notice stated that destroying must bo done forthwith. If the section read as Mr. Cornford read it, a person could bo prosecuted at anv time when a rabbit was found on tne property. This did not seem correct, and he dismissed tho cases. Security for appeal was fixed at £lO.

“I think the fruit season will be a’ good one,” remarked a well-known nurseryman at Palmerston North to a “Standard” reporter. “There has been a big crop of plums, so big, in fact, that large quantities had to be given away. The apple season should also be 'good, although I have seen some trees badly blighted.” “Apples aro clean but the crops are not heavy, although about the average,” remarked another well-known fruitgrower. The crop, he added, would be good if the weather improved. The excessive rain was a bad thing for the tomatoes, and the prospect of a good crop was poor. Onions, hi? continued, were affected by smut, and he expected that there would be a poor yield. Potatoes were also not promising well, but the blight was not at present very widespread, as far as he could ascertain. The spraying of the crops was undoubtedly proving beneficial, but' everything depended on the weather, in'which an improvement would have to take place in the course of the next few days if the blight was to. be checked.

Here is another story from the raccoursc. An Auckland business nmn, hard-headed and keen, decided io motor some, of .his clients out to the races (relates an exchange)'. Fie was anxious, however, to bring tham back early, in order to avoid the difficulty of‘getting out of the traffic near the course it was suggested that the car should be taken to the home of one of his friends not far off. The party accordingly went there. As the party reached the house, somebody looking at it, remarked “No. 17.” This was merely the number of the dwelling, but what must the business man and all 'his clients do but accept it' as an omen for the next racp! ; -So they all hurried on foot to the course. But as 'they proceeded, our hard-headed and keen business man spotted soiled playing card lying on the ground. He pounced upon it and' discovered it was the Nine of Spades. This was undoubtedly another tip! Accordingly the party went up to the “tote” and each put £1 on No. 17. 'Hiev had never heard of the horse which boro this number, and they will probably never hear of it again, hut it walked home and paid a dividend of £27. Then the old playing card was again examined, and once more they trooped up to the machine. "No. Nine, one,” demanded each, and each got one on No. Nine, which iu due course, passed the post first and paid/ the fairly respectable dividend of £3 odd.