LOCAL AND GENERAL

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 1 April 1895, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mr E. Payne, of Kakararnea, noticed two humble boos at work on a sniu.ll patch of red clover on the bank of his mill dam last week. Mr G. Hutchison will become senior counsel for the Midland Railway Company, in arbitration proceedings against the Government, in consequence of Mr Bell’s withdrawal. Mr Hutchison will have as junior counsel Mr Theo. Cooper, nf Auckland. This is a feather in Mr Hutchison’s professional cap of which very few could boast. A press wire from Wellington says the directors of the New Zealand Times have reconsidered their determination to resign and have decided to refuse to do so. The Hon. J. McKenzie gave notice of motion that the paper go into liquidation, which was to have been withdrawn bad the directors resigned. This will now come on. It is understood two offers of £5,000 each have been made for the paper.

At a meeting of the Lyttelton Rowing Club committee it was resolved to write the Picton Regatta Committee protesting against the action of the Auckland Rowing Club securing the services of a member of another club to fill a vacancy in the crew for the Champion Fours. The parent body will also be communicated with pointing out the ill effects of amateur rowing. The Union Club protest similarly.

In the Hawera Star of Friday last appears a local stating that “ John Ross, of Patea, has tiled a petition in bankruptcy.” As Patea is a large place, and holds more than one John Ross, our contemporary should have been a little more explicit, for many friends of Mr John Ross, of Ofauto, have already condoled with him on his misfortune, though such condolence was entirely misplaced, as the John Ross referred to is by no means the Mr John Ross, of Otauto, Patea,

A Waipawa resident who wished to send a relative in England a suifableNew Year’s present, thought a frozen lamb would be an appropriate article, as it would give bis English friends an opportunity of tasting what onr frozen meat was like. Messrs Nelson Bros, werecoummunicated with and the lamb reached its destination. A letter was received by the sender on Thursday last in which the recipient acknowledges receipt of the lamb and passes the follow* ing opinion on it:—“ The lamb was the best I ever tasted, and is far ahead of any English sold in this town.” Thisunsolicited testimonial, from a thorough believer in everything English makes one regret that more successful efforts are not made to of our frozen|rueat under the direct notice of the British consumer, -Mail.

A young lady at Midhurst (says the Oamaru Mail) was so frightened by a stray drunk looking casually in at "her window that she promptly went into hysterics. Her two sisters arriving on th(f scone and unable to learn the cause of her distress, were “ smitten ’ and quickly followed suit; two lady friends next arrived, and with a proper sense of their responsibilities as visitors they also joined in the general hysterics. At this stage the innocent cause of the disturbance,, who had been trying to wash his face in i a flower bod and dry it on a barbed wire fence, again looked in at the window for the purpose of combing his beard. The sight of five maidenspn hysterics conveyed to his muddled brain such an awful conviction of unparalleled jim-jams that, with a howl of terror, ho fled for the doctor, apd signed the pledge at the ' earliest stage of sobriety conductive to clear caligrapby. .

The Prince of Wales has caused the following letter to be written to Mr Edgar Farman, vice-president of the Bulldog Club (Incorporated) and a member of the Kennel Club, who invited his Royal Highness to express an opinion against the horrible mutilation practised in preparing, by cropping, certain breeds of dogs for the show bench : —“ Marlborough House, Pall Mall, S.W., 22nd January, 180.0, &jr, lam desired by the Prince of Wales to acknowledge the. receipt of your communication, and

I to inform you, in reply, that he has kept | dogs for many years, and frequently sends some of them to exhibitions, but that he has never allowed any dog belonging to him to be ‘ mutilated.’ His Royal Highness has always been opposed to this practice, which, lie considers, causes unnecessary suffering, and it ' would give him much pleasure to hear / that owners of dogs had agreed to abandon such an objectionable fashion, -r-1 am, Sir, your obs? limit servant, PMNCia J&rowvs/* ..

Bishop Suter, formerly Bishop of Nelson, died on Friday morning about eleven o’clock. Eegulations by an Order-in-Council arc gazetted reducing the rate of interest payable on the Common fund by the Public Trust Office. Up to £3OOO ia one estate the interest is to be 4£ per cent, and on suras over that amount 4 per cent, on the excess. In'lunatic intestate estates per cent, is to be paid on sums above £SO, and intestate estates the rates above specified. Even a judge does not everything. One of them, now on the Supreme Court bench of Victoria, once bought a cow, which he sent back to the vendor on the ground that she was too old, having no teeth on her lower jaw. It was the same judge who, having heard evidence oil day in a pastoral case wherein “ scrubbers ” (inferior stock) were frequently mentioned. said to the jury : “ But, gentlemen, who is this Mr Scrubßers? We have beard a great deal fiboufc. him, but have before us no evidence whatsoever as to his identity.” j A correspondent writes to the Leader—- “ Having had much experience ia New York State, United States of America, , where bot-fly is exceedingly annoying to the horse, I would say for the benefit of

horse-owners in this country, the following is a specific:—Give the horse one peck of raw potatoes once a week during the season of the Hy. If the horse is already affected, griping and biting, in a coudi - tion not able to eat, then take four quarts of patatoes, wash and grate, add a little water, and pour down. In ton minutes the horse will be able to work as the hot will let go his hold on the stomach.” Replying to a deputation of exporters the Minister of Agriculture said that he was strongly in favour of abolishing the mail subsidy, and had every hope that efforts in the direction of establishing an almost weekly service between England and Victoria would be crowned with success He mentioned that he proposed to recommend the complete reorganisation of the Agent-General’s office in London. His idea was that the present staff should be brought out to Victoria and their places taken by men acquainted with the conditions and resources of the colony.

The courageous engiuer Sample of the steamer Federal, who was mentioned in the cable news a few days ago as having at the risk of his life faced the scalding steam to stop its escape, owing to ->ne of the tubes bursting, at Perth, was terribly scalded on the back and bead, and his cries of agony were awful to hear Surgical aid was at once sought, and although fatal results are not likely to result, the brave fellow will carry the visible effects of the roasting to bis grave. There were a lot of passengers on board as well as a large shipment of thoroughbred stock from Singapore. The engineer’s conduct was all the more laudable as he had a wife and family dependent on bimatMelbourne for subsistence.

A new fodder plant is being introduced to the notice of the agriculturists of Victoria this season, (says an exchange). Sacaline (t’olygonum Sacchalioense) is a native of the island of Sakhalin, situated between Japan and Siberia. It is claimed for this plant that it withstands drought and resists great cold, is easily cultivated, and yields immense crops. Sheep, cattle, and horses are fond of it. In France it gave excellent results during the great drought of 1893. The young plants are set out a yard apart and soon cover the intervening space. It is estimated to yield a crop of about 25 tons of green fodder per acre. The plant has been favourably noticed in the English, American, and Cape journals.

The Yorkstown branch of the Agricultural Bureau of South Australia reports that cattle are still dying in the district. The symptoms are first the animals refuse to drink and shortly appear to lose the use of their jaws, the throat becomes affected, they are unable to feed, and soou cannot stand. There is a continuous discharge of thick slimy water from the mouth, and the tongue protrudes. In nearly every

casa the disease terminates in death within from 21 to 48 hours. The lungs and stomach appear to he in perfect order, but trie smaller intestines are much discoloured with dark blotches, and are usually filled with a thin watery fluid. As usual a poison plant was supposed to bo the trouble, and the plant believed to be the one was sent to Adelaide, but it proved to be harmless, Mr Needham, the inspector of stock, who is about to visit the district and make enquiry into the cause of the deaths that have occured, believes from the symptoms J that it is acute indigestion brought about i by lack cf sufficent nourishment during 1 winter, and excess of nitrogenous food during autumn.

The question of one or more judges at agricultural shows is exciting a lively correspondence in the English agricultmal journals. A large proportion of those who have taken part in this corres pondence are strongly in favour of single judges. They state that were one judge is employed, men thoroughly capable of doing the work will be employed, and that any judge making glaring mistakes will soon be dropped by the leading

agricultural societies. When throe judges are appointed, gentlemen of undoubted j uprightness and breeders of high class | stock are often selected, but, as one writer pertinently asl?s, •' Are they prac-? tical men in the proper sense qf tfyo word ? Do they go daily amongst thoir stock and personally superintend" its selection and

management ” It does not (follow that because a man is an owner of a high class stud that ho has a practical knowledge of that variety of stock, A single judge;!as the sole responsibility of making the awards, and that alone should suffice, with the assemblage of keen critics outthe ring, to make him extremely carefuj. In Victoria single judging has been gjven a trial, and wbene the men engaged have had a thoroughly practical knowledge of the stock the result has given general satisfaction.