COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10124, 6 May 1896, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from OfE OWS cokbesposdexts.] Hamilton', Tuesday. Me. W. A. Graham, in writing on the prospects of the sugar beet industry, gives some good advice to intending growers. Anyway, says Mr. Graham, let the farmers get their land ready for the crop. It will be worse than folly to allow doubtsas to capital being forthcoming to interfere with preparing their laud, and he is prepared to back his opinion, fur he has accepted tenders for deep ploughing and sowing in oats—ten acres, to be ready to be ploughed down iu September for the reception of the beet seed. Mr. Grahim considers that the Government should be called upon to give £ for £ to provide the machinery ana plant for the refinery and three crushing mills in the root-growing districts, just as they have given to the Queen of Beauty shaft at the Thames, considering how the industry would enhance the valne of the Feucourt and Matamata estates and other lands iu the district which are at present awaiting settlement, and in which the people of Auckland and all the public are interested. A sugar refinery in Waikato is quite as legitimate expenditure as the deep levels at the Thames to receive £ for £. This is a new industry, and it requires a large expenditure of capital to warrant a start being made upon it. Upon it hangs the welfare of a whole community. The appearance of the country has been greatly improved by the late rains, which, with the exception of a snap of some three or four days, a week or more ago, of bitterly cold weather, have been accompanied with soft, genial weather. The grass is growing freely, and pastures have quite a spring look about them. Turnips, too, have grown much during the past month, and now promise to be a full crop. The early swedes are now fairly-sized and well pulped for the season of the year. Farmers have during the last three or four months been busily engaged in taking up the potato crop, which, as in other parts of the district, are anything but a full crop, though of course, as in the case of Mr. T. H. White, of Taupiri, there are exceptions. With him a paddock of several acres has turned out nine tons of Hobarts to the acre, two-thirds of which are good marketable tubers, and being sent off early in the season realised £4 10s per ton iu the Auckland market. The land had been recently cleared of flax. In the face of the latu drop in the price of potatoes, however, very few will be sent now for sale to Auckland, but will be pitted and kept for sale in the spring, when abetter price may be looked for.

BOMBAY. The fortnightly meeting of the Debating Society was held in the Hall on April 29th. There was a very fair attendance; Rev. E. J. McFartand, president, occupied the chair. The Rev. F. B. Oldham was elected a member ou the motiou of Mr. Purdie, seconded by Mr. Mol'arland. The programme for the evening was a paper on "Electricity,'' by Mr. A. Reynolds, with diagrams and experiments. Mr. Reynolds, being not very well was unable to be present, and had entrusted the paper to the secretary, Mr. E. C. Purdie, to read. Mr. Dent was in charge of the battery. The paper waß a lengthy one, and ably written, and not at all dry, having flashes of humour io it throughout. Mr. Purdie did the paper justice in the reading of it. At the close a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Reynolds for his able paper, and Mr. Mackey thought a meed of praise was due to Mr. Purdio lor the way in which he read it. As the paper was a long one a break was made, when songs were contributed by Miss Kis3liug, and Messrs Dent and Mackey, and a reading by Mr. J. H. Sawyer. Before the meeting closed the president read out the following programme for the session, viz., May lltb, a paper by Mr. D. Russell; subject, " Sublime and the Beautiful." May win, essays by three ladies and three gentlemen ; subject, " What constitutes a gentlumen, and what constitutes a lady." June Bth, paper by the Rev. F. B. Oldham; subject, The characteristics of the German nation, compared with the English nation." June 22nd, debate; subject, " Which of the three—England, Scotland, and Ireland—has produced the greater men?' July 6th, "Evening with America." July 20th, essays on Sbakesperian characters,— |,Osyu Correspondent]

MATaKOHB. A meeting of the Library Committee was held on April '25. It was estimated that there would be, when all the subscriptions were in, about 17 available for the purchase of new books. Subscribers are to be invited to send in lists of books cuitable for the library. The Public Hall accounts were examined, when it was found that on payment of a few outstanding accounts due to the hall fund, there would be about £7 in hand. It was resolved that the secretary invite tenders for painting the he'l (one coat only).— Correspondent.) MULLET POINT. The Mullet Point Band of Hope held its meeting in the schoolhousc on the 29th April. The attendance was rather small. The chair was occupied by the president. The programme was a varied one, consisting of songs, recitations, rending, and dialogues. The songs were contributed by Mrs. S. Algie, Miss Darrach, and Mr. S. Darrach, and as usual very creditably gone through, receiving well-merited applause. Recitations by Miss Kasper and Miss Amy Algift; dialogue by six, "The Penitent Wife," was very well gone through, causing some merriment and laugater.-lOwn Correspoodeat,)