The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3019, 30 March 1867, Page 4

The Daily Southern Cross.

LTJDEO..NON TTBO. " If I turn b*tn ftztlnenlihad, y»t tliwr* tia* A. thoui and baaooni from tha ipark I bort."

SATURDAY, MAJiOff 30.

Last Saturday we made a suggestion to the committee of the "Auckland Acclimatisation Society, which we trust will ere long be acted on. We mean the acclimatisation of r the ailanthus tree, and the introduction and "culture'of tite "ailanthus silK-worm. These trees and the silk-worms might be very 'Rapidly disseminated ' Wer-^he 1 prbTinc^, r adding to its material wealth, and thehappi-i ness and comfort of the pedple. " The'barren slopes of our clay hills, too steep and un-, suited for pasture' or ciDtivafcion, might be ; rendered attractive and profitable by the' growth of the ailanthus tree upon them, and* the feeding of the silk-worm. Ifee raw silkj wouldbeaprofitablearticleofexport,and could; be gathered with comparatively little outlay; in lab'dui' in the' country districts. ' Employ-!! ment would thus be found for the youthful, portion of the population, and for females, of a nature suited to their years and sex. In; the meantime, however, the Acclimatisation, Sociei^mußt.ngt jr est _sajbjs^€^with an. attempt' to introduce the ailanthus tree and silk- 1 worm ; neither ought^the country settlers; to depend entirely upon the Society. In fact, they ought to mutually assist each other; and this, -as^ by r a.dvicQ and co-operation wHbJT money. ' In'thiq way,

mucli valuable information Might be gained' in reference to the ravages of insect pesta, the effects & climate, the* capabilities and requirements of the soil, and the natural products of the several districts'. With such knowledge, in their possession, the committee of the Acclimatisation Society would be able to work to a desired egjjjl with, •ertainty almost ; at present, they are absolutely groping in the dark. "We trust, therefore, that' country settlers wilT join b.eartily in this good work. It is their especial interest that it should^ succeed. If any use that can be made of our columns, in the shape of publicity, would tend to the same end, we offer the,; utmost facility to correspondents. Already much useful knowledge has been disseminated by means, of our paper, 1 by letters "bearing on' the* ravages of ' „the caterpillars, and the, grasses an# herbs Vhich resis^their attacks, or are avoided by them. Ali"tiiis goes towards upholding the r [work of acclimatisation; for it is obviously of as much consequence 1 to "'know what, to grow for ' depasturing bur J flocks, and herds, which .the insects d.o npt touch, it js to make a wise selection of insect-destroying fedi; and 'at much risk and expense, and^ loss of time','in#6duce them , to wage' war against the myriadsjof insects which everywhere'ribound. . w >\ '„.,., ! Then, another thing the Society ought .to 'encourage is that of experiments, by the set- ; jtlers," wfth the view of dejiermining the point' grain crops may not tie ripened, in itBIs 1 province' 'so early in the. season, before' |the appearance of the. caterpillars,^as'.iii 1 a [measure ' to defy $ieir attacks upbn'^pur cereals. In' our, paper of the. 23rd March, we reprinted an ingenious plan for the destiruoU tion of da'fcerpillars, 1 submitted to the Victorian Boar,d ; of, Agriculture by Mr. Elliot,, "of Ta)j- ! mania, and highly approved of by that body. ! This important communication ought not to jbe lost sight of either by the Acclimatisation. |Soc(ety. Pr; 1 It is simply a proposal jto take advantage of the natural habits ,of ! the caterpillars 'for their 7 destniction. Manyihave" no't<ed d the taarchingof the 'caterpillar farjny in'ti^p^o^^ce^-b^iib, |ew kn'qw/the (cause. After' feeding alliinigh'i on &c grain, kh'ey^'go down to the 'ground when the sun Irises 'if the sky 5 isclear, 'tray^liing*'easte,rly jtpw ( a&d%;jjhe^su.p. f ,at v^er^ng | round to tb.e > northward. 'If .i&e day is moist laud cloudy they remaM'onJthfe plant during 1 the !day. 1 In the monun'^bein^gorged, th&y '■ hurry on seeking' shelter , from, the hot" sun anywhere' •> and their course being thus- known it 'is proposed by Mr. Elliot to de&troy them in | the 'manner 'detailed W'the article towhicS !wV refer." It ' is of" importance to' Imow ; further^ that* caterpillars maybe expected to , be numerous' when there are late frosts inth£ spring. 11(( The frost kills the tender' leaves fof the growing plants, which the sun curls' up into tubes in which the motii lays millions of eggs, and these become developed into.mjLgnte i caterpillars, jto come, jforth in ti^evi^^e^ upon* almost 5 everyi green, thing. ~ Henc&,Sthe importance of noting climatio chang^'both in the interest of acclimatisation and agriculture. ; : „ t , We think, howerer, that the Acclimatisation' Society wbuld do well'tb offers pyiae lor the successful'^introduction o/ any plan^ insect, 'w' aiiimal : whicn woidd' increase I'the1 'the com&fb :aM Twealth \.of the' settlers, via saying this,, we do not think that large money payments^would be' ndce6sary?b6 stimulate 'the zeal of our fellow settlers. A^cer^cateVjf hdnorary membership, and: in;, exceptional cases a medal might be bestbwed; tKe possession of which would be more highly' esteemed by many Auckland colonists than ' a mtfney gratuity. By -stimulating and. diree§itt|» private enterprise in this way, the committee of the Acclimatisation' Society would greatly increase the interest taken in their labours, and further the objects of the Society. "We throw out this hint, which the committee may think of value and act upon, or the reverse ; our sole object being to assist them in their good work. Thus, we think that any settler successfully introducing and acclimating the* Brittany or Kerry cattle . in,, this > province would deserve a medal from the Acclimatisation Society, and would do much towards lessening the difficulties encountered" by poor men settling on their farm sections in unimproved districts. In the same way. with > the importers and ae> cUmatisers of improved varieties of sheep^ pigs, horses, domestic fowls, or any other animal or bird not already existing here — as,, for instance,. the, Exmoor breed of pony, ifc being .admitted on all b^nds that a good breed of ponies is much required here..- [ But we need not* pursue this subject further at present.' We have indicated the direction in which, to our mind, the country settlers and the Acclimatisation Society ought to mutually assist each other. The growth .and cultivation of flax (linum'u.), hemp, and other staples of manufacture and* export, might be promoted under the auspices of the Acclimatisation Society, by.tjhe intelligent assistance of the residents in country districts. The introduction of new varieties of fish is, however, a duty devolving more especially on the Acclimatisation Society. „We : havfe the most tempting streams in the world for fish, but who ever .thinks of casting a fly upon tTie eddying pools ? Now that the Panama route has been developed, and travelling is so rapid and cheap, w,e may expect Englishsportsmen to visit these latitudes for recreation during the! long vacation, instead of wandering through Norway, or Iceland or over the American prairies," if we only provide them with a reasonable amount of sport. There can be litfcle excuse for" not. stocking our rivers with salmon and trout. : ' ' The Australian papers j ann,ouuce with satisfaction that " the first; of the Tasmanian-borh " salmon have returned from the sea to fresh " water" for the spawning: season. The thing is done, therefore. Derwent, in Tasmania, is a/ salmon river, ; and doubtless tno Victorian experiment will be equally successful. There is no fear for the ftiture, if only the close season be_carefally enforced! Browii trout is already acclimated in many parts 4f Australia'; the English roach and' tench also exist there in abundance ; the salmon trout has also been established, and more recently English . perch. Why not, therefore, , make an effort to secure these fish for our rivers aud lakes*? The young fish may be brought over alive from Victoria — at least there' is no for a fortnight's journey, as has been proved by experiments in France and elsewhere.". Then the* Murray cod could easily be acclimated' in this part of New Zealand. -Let us press this point forcibly on the Acclimatisation Society. If they eet about it resolutely we doubt not a spedial fund could be raised to defray expenses, and a grant would be obtained: from the Council, Canterbury 'and Qtago are making strenuous, eftbrts to introduce salmon to the rivers of those provinces ; wiry, should Auclj^arid/ fa

behindhand t Elsewhere -we reprint an article from the Field, giving details of the salmon-breeding operations at Storniontfiold, on the Tay, which iiill throw a good deal of • light on this very profitable branch of industry. ."We also reprint details regarding the proxinfcate acclimatisation of salmon in the provides of Southland, Otago, and Canterbury, which we would recommend to the consideration of the local society. ,

Oub space does not enable us to do more than direct the attention of the electors of the province to the very able letter of " A Country Settler," which appears in another column, on the Superintendency question. The truths which that letter contains are valuable at this time, when the electors are liable, by the pressure of circumstances and popular clamour, to be diverted* from, cong, sidering the real and abiding interesfj|i&£fhe province. We are glad to find the %s»irs of the province so fairly and fully discussed by correspondents through our columns. The electors who are to meet at Newton to-night would do well to ponder the thoughts which a perusal of " A Country Settler's " letter is calculated to beget. If they do so, and resolve to act^aar patriots, for the welfare of the whole^n^pj^ce^and not as partisans of this or that individual, their meeting may be productive of much good. Meanwhile, whoever may be elected Superintendent, it is well that the province should speak out on provincial questions, and not remain muzzled by an insignificant and unscrupulous party, whose patriotism is entirely of the selfseeking order. The adjourned Otahuhu meeting ought to be prepared to discuss matters of policy, and to pronounce on the future of the province.

The s.s. ' Taranaki,' which left yesterday for the South, took 100 selected breeding sheep for Christchurch, shipped by Mr. Robert Graham ; and the b.«. ' JBeautifal Star,' which left for JNapier, took 115^ breeding ewe* and r*ma/rom the floclc of the Messrs. Williams, Bay of Islands. . ' The left wing o! H.M. 57th Regiment embarked on board the troop-ship 'Maori' yesterday. The Teasel will be finally inspected to-day, and proceed to sea to-morrow. Major Stewart is in command, and the Rev. Father McSweeney proceeds as military chaplain. Our Hokiasga correspondent informs us of the departure of the regular Sydney and Hokianga liner, the 'Lion, 9 barque, Captain Howard, with afull cargo, on the 20th. The growing importance of the trade of Hokianga ought to induce the Provincial Government to send round Captain Burgess, our esteemed chief pilot, to take soundings and accurately determine the entrance of that harbour. Tbe recent Gazette notice of the shifting of the channel is not satisfactory, the local pilot not being supplied, with proper equipments for taking- accurate bearings and Sounding*, and fixing the channel. In the interest of commerce and of life and property we make this suggestion. We have been desired to direct the attention of our readers to the fact that the tenders for the purcbase of £ldj^£!&tfjh of Government scrip are receivable by JBIjfrJJWp. MacCormick, solicitor, Wyndham Cbjun|jm|pntil 4 o'clock on the- afternoon of the 2nd pro^pD ; and to explain that the scrip above alluded to wae awarded to natives dispossessed from the confiscated block of land at Kerikeri. It will be recollected that ihe block was claimed by natives who were proved to have been in rebellion, as well as friendlies ; and the decision of the Court was to the effect that compensation should be granted — partly in cash, and partly in. scrip. The scrip so awarded » now offered to purchasers, either for the whole amount, orin suravtrf £600, £200, £200, and £180 respectively. Our Mangapai correspondent furnishes us with particular s of the proceedings at the soirge recently held in the Presbyterian Church at that place, and which passed off with the greatest success. ,V« are informed that the Key. B. Y. Ashwell, and much-esteemed agent of the Church tfH^BltEjßgciety, proceeds to Eajdllkl^via Panama '^^■P?»t/^^ add»}j(flßa^e.tin lonial 1 onial will MlJP^entMt to Km tlii^jfiluiay'-ia the- Flagstaff Softool room by thY residents at the North Shore. The proceeding* commence at 7 o'clock. Those who ' interest themselves in provincial politics would do well to read the remarks of our Hokianga correspondent in reference to the dealing with tbe waste lands. Au information has been laid by the Commissioner of Police againit Mr. Hicks, jeweller, Vulcan-Jane, ■under the 92nd clause of the Articles of War, for ieceiving into his possession medals for distinguished service, the property of private Shields, of H.M. 67th Regiment. The medals, it appears, were stolen from their owner, and pawned for a trifling sum at Mr. Hicke's shop. The penalty provided for such an offence under the clause alluded to ia £20, or not less than £5. Prirate Shields, to whom the medals belong, proceeds to England in the ship ' Maori ' to-morrow. The charge will be heard before the Kesidept Magistrate this morniDg. Our Hokianga letter intimates the death of the influential chief Arama Karaka, at Herd's Point. Interesting particulars regarding this chief will be found in the letter. At the Police Court, yesterday, a discharged soldier of the 57th Regiment, named John Maloney, was charged with stealing two good-conduct medals and three clasps, the property of private Shields, of the same regiment. The property had been disooyered pawned at the shop of Mr. Hicks, jeweller; "but the person who had pawned it contrived to maintain his incog., and in his absence the case unavoidably broke down, or, rather, was not gone . *into; Onr Wanganui correspondent sends us the following :—": — " In common justice to the troops the following facts deserve public mention. While the war was going on in the Waikato in 1863 and 1864, coal mines were discovered on the bank of the Waikato river, between Ngaruawahia and Rohuipokeka. The coals were used by all the steamers bringing reinforcements and all kinds of stores for the troops up the country ; and to work the mines in question, soldiers were employed as labourers, on the express understanding they were to be paid for their work. Not long since returns were called for of men having claims on this head, but to their astonishment a reply has been given thereto, to the effect that those claims cannot be entertained on account of the lapse of time intervening. Huts were erected at different stations in the Waikato by the soldiers, who, at tbe time, were promised remuneration for their work. Returns were called for on this beadalso, and a like reply given. This treatment t« the troops is too hard. If civilians were employed at an enormously high rate per day to da this work, they should be paid; but, because the men who have done the work and labour happen to be soldiers, they are to get nothing. The huts now form warm quarters in the various settlements in the Waikato, and those that put them up are, it appears, to get nothing for their labour. What makes matters look in a queerer way is, that the military authorities have recently enforced a claim on {be troops for losses bylwearand. tear of camp equipage, &c, in the Waikato, durine; the year 1863 and 1864. Yet they won't admit the claim of the troops for work and labour stipulated to be paid. It seems no lapse of time can be admissible when a charge comes against the troops, but it is quite the contrary when ft claim is sent in on their behalf. The troops that fought their way in 1863 and 1864 in the Waikato deserve better treatment than pie-crust promises." The monthly meeting of the Papakura Agricultural Association will be held at the Papakura Hotel, Papakura, immediately after the cattle sales, on next Wednesday, for the election of officers and transaction of other business. The certificates awarded the successful exhibitors at the annual show will be ready for delivery at the same time, and prizes paid, on application to Mr. William Kerr, treasurer. Cbarlea Mack, proprietor of the Shamrock Hotel, mi yesterday charged, before the Resident Magistrate, at the Police Court, with allowing gambling in hii house, on Saturday night, the 16th instant ; bnt contradictory evidence being adduced the case was dismissed. The Rev. S. Edger will preaoh to-morrow at the Parnell Hall : the snbject for the morning's discourse feting "Love, Hatred, Murder, and War ;" and for tbt evening* "The Poiog» of l aifcb-^no Deadly Poinfa,"

At the Police Court, yesterday, William Rose and. Ge>rgp Roger*, publicans, were tined £10 a»d c< sti for !ne;iches of the Licensing Act by selling liquor on S inday. A committee meeting of the Acclimatisation Society is 6xed to be held this afternooD, at three o'clock, at Canada Buildings. The p. s. 'Prince Alfred' leaves for the Kaiparaon Monday evening next. Special services will be held to-morrow, at the North Shore PresbyreriMß Church, when Divine service will be conducted, in the morning at 11 o'clock, by the Rev. Dr. Wallis ; and at a quarter to 3 o'clock, by the Rev. Jobs Wallace. A meeting of Haubaui and friendly natives took | place at Papatopu, on the Waitotara Biver, on Saturday lust. The object of the meeting was to form an amalgamation between the King Maoris and the loyal natives. There were about fifty of both parties present. The Bauhaua expressed their anxiety to be reconciled to the Government, come in, and have their land claims investigated by the Cou|t, and in every respectact asloyal subjects. After a long discussion, it wn« decided that another meeting shou'd be lield this w«ek, at which some of the most influential of the Wanganui natives have been invited to attend. Every combined movement upon the part of the Hauhaus tends to show their anxiety to terminate a contest in which they s»y they have lost much but gained nothing. The present negotiations will, most likely, ensure a lasting place throughout the Waitotara and Patea districts. — Wanganui Times. Special i«rmom in aid of the funds of Si. Paul's parish willgbe held; to-morrow, at St. Paul's Church, •trhtn the. Lord Bishop of New Zealand will preach in.thoofotaing, and the Bight Rev, Bishop Patteson will officiate in the evening. _ The British Medical Journal' thus notices the services of Surgeon-Major W. A. Mackinnon, C"R , who has just returned from New Zealand io take the appointment of assistant-professor of military surgery at the Army Medical School, and whom it describes as one of the most distinguished among the rising officers of the army medical department. "He served in the Highland Brigade in the Crimea, and was one of the very few officers who served throughout the whole of the war in the East without a day's absence from duty. H e subsequently served throughout the war in India for the suppression of the sepoy mutiny, and was for two years on the personal staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Clyde. It was Surgeon Mackinnon who reduced the dislocation of the shoulder which Lord Clyde met with by a fall from his horse at one of the last actions in Oude, *nd who subsequently attended his lordship during a severe attack of pneumonia in^ Lucknow. Soon after his return from India, Surgeon Mackinnon proceeded to New Zealand, where he has been on active service throughout the recently concluded Maori war. He has been several times honoiirably mentioned in general despatches, and has received the distinctions of the C.8., the Legion of Honour, and the M edjidie medaL He was not long since promoted to be surgeon-major for his distinguished services. His professional reputation is not limited to military circles ; his name was not long since mentioned in several professional journals, as being the first performer of the operation of ovariotomy in New Zealand." All the attention of agriculturists is now turned to the destruction of the white grub or worm that is neither more nor less than the larvae of the cockchafer, that great favourite of the schoolboys, but in reality one of the most mischievous insects of the temperate zone, and capable of committing as much havoc as the locust in warmer climates. We learn from the Nouvdlisle o£ Bouen that the CouncilGeneial of the Department of the Seine-Inf6rieure having this year devoted a sum of 15,692f. for the destruction of these white larvae, no less a quantity than 167,080 kilogrammes of them were collected from the 15th of September to the 21st October last. Tn order to form an idea of the mass represented by the above weight, we may say that these 157 tons would, at the rate of five tons per railway truck, fill thirty-two such vehicles. Moreover, since these larvae have been buried in ditches filled with quicklime, they will form an excellent manure, the value of which will be an ample equivalent for the outlay. Had these larvee not been, destroyed, the ravages they would, have committed on the roots of corn, cabbage, and other produce, might be estimated at several millions of francs, their voracity being unconceivable. Had they afterwards arrived at the perfect state, that is, become cockchafers, they would have continued their ravages under another form, devouring the leaves of the trees, to which they sometimes cling in heavy clusters, sufficient to bend the twigs. Supposing half of them to be females, and each female to lay only 200 eggs, which is far short of the- reality, the ruinr entailed upon the agriculturist would be almost complete. Fortunately, besides the efforts of man, nature has provided powerful instruments of destruction for these larvie in the shape of badgers, moles, weasels, bats, rats, ! crows, and jays. Captan Milo informed us that on Thursday week, while the ' Falcon ' was at anchor in Port Underwood, a sudden squall came on which caught up a boat (fastened alongside), and placed it bottom up on the deck of the vessel. — Blenheim. Express. Mr. Henry Hidings will offer for sale by public auction, to-day, at 11 o'clock, at his mart, onions, potatoes, furniture, harmonium, &c. Messrs. Turrell andTonks announce their intention to sell, to-daj, by public auction, at 11 o'clock, cheese, kerosine, wine, ale, porter, furniture, Ac. Messrs. C. Arthur and Son will hold their usual weekly sale, to-day, at noon, when they will sell onions, potatoes, furniture, hams, &c, Mr. George Sibbin announces that he will sell, to day, by public auction, at 11 o'clock, at his stores, potatoes, flour, meal, tea, furniture, &c. ; also, at one o'clock, on the Wharf, timber, in lots to suit purchasers. Messrs. Jones and Co. will sell to-day, at 11 o'clock, at their mart, beef, pork, maize, onion;, flour, ale, furniture, &c. i Messrs. Hunter aud Co. will offer for sale by public auction to-day, at the Durham-street sale yards, horses, trap, harness, Ac. Mr. Alfred Buckland has recived instructions to sell to-day by public auction, at 12 o'clock, at the Havmarkefc, horses, seed oats, and the Settlers' Arms, Harapipi. Mr. C. Stichbury will sell to-day, at his stores, at 11 o'clock, flour, groceries, soap, clothing, drapery, furnitnre, &c. t,ta»-_