North Otago Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1879.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2108, 4 February 1879, Page 2

North Otago Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1879.

A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce is called for to-day, at 3 p.m. We were in error in stating that the Hospital Committee meeting takes place this evening. The meetings are now held on. the third Tuesday in each month. We have received a. letter from a correspondent signing himself " A Youth," but it is necessary that we should \>e in possession of the writer's name before it can be inserted in our columns. The usual monthly meeting of the North i Otago Horticultural Society was held at Mr I Earle's rooms, last evening. Present — I Messrs Connell, (President, chair), Hartley, | Earle, Kidd, Porsyth, Montague, Simpson, and Spratt (Hon. Sec). The mnutes of last j meeting were read and confirmed, and several 1 accounts were passed for payment. The secretary was instructed to procure postal cards for ■summoning meetings, and several gentlemen were nominated as judges for the

ensuing thaw, and the secretary was requested to communicate with them on the subject. It was moved by Mr Montagu, and swonded by Mr Kidd— That the Society offer s prize of LI Is for the best collection of fruit, to be shown by a dealer ; and a second prize, of 10a (id, for the second best collection of fruit, shown by a dealer. A vota of thanks to the Chair concluded the business. "" A practical proof of the benefits of acclimatisation in our district has been shown «*. We all know that -hare*, pheasant*, and partridges, &c.» have been successfully acclimatised ; and although a great deal of money has been spent in pisciculture, yet up to the present tjime, though one or two dead trout have been found after floods, no one * has succeeded in catching them by the rod. We are glad to congratulate Mr J. D,. £ett, of the Roya\ Hotel, on 1 being the first fisherman who has succeeded in capturiug a specimen of the brown trout in this district. We have Men this specimen ; it weighed 51b, the flesh was pink, resembling a salmon, and we can hold out great hopes for the Acclimatisation Society and anglers generally. The fish was caught in the Island Stream, on the property of Air Lewis Fen wick, a gentleman who has always taken the greatest possible interest in acclimatisation matters. The Lyttelton Times gives the following desqription of a new straw elevator .—. — 41 Messrs Luxton Bros., of Rangiora, have had an addition made to their straw elevator, which as straw is very scarce and the necessity of carefully stacking it is greater this year than usttal, will render it a useful adjunct to the threshing machine. The elevator is built on wheels, and is so constructed that when not at work it can be folded up and drawn along the road by one horse without having the cumbrous appearance that an ordinary elevator has. When taken to the place at which it is required to bo set, the elevators are drawn up by means of ropes and a pulley, guided by a horizontal bar, and by means of a cross pulley it is then uufolded and raised to any height required up to 24 foet, which is the limit to which it will extend. The advantage of reaching to this height is at once apparent, as the machine is comparatively inexpensive, and does not occupy much space when not at work, it will be seen that it has many advantages. Messrs Royd and Keir constructed the elevator under instructions from the above firm.