Poverty Bay Herald.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6320, 16 March 1892, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald.

PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE. WEDNESDAY. MARCH 16, 1892. RECLAIMING THE WILDERNESS. " The Tramp," the travelling correspondent of the New Zealand Herald, has been over the central route of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, and he says that the route is a splendid one from a " tree top point of view." But he alleges that I the country is not half as good as it looks. Well, the same remark would apply with perfect truth to extensive areas of land in other parts of this island. The great mistako land speculators made in the Auckland district was through "judging the book by the cover." Not only have speculators being bitten in this way but hundreds of hardworking settlers have lost their original capital and years oi labor in the attempt to make grass grow on the pumice land of the interior of the Auckland district. There arc some attractive looking patches of very bad land in Poverty Bay, but in the aggregate the acreage is very small compared to tho extent lof gqod country. A great deal has been

i>aid about the inferior part of Tauwhareparae. Some of the nice undulating hills to the westward of the block, would seem to the eye of a stranger to be tho most desirable portion »f tho block ; but men who profess to know state those gentle slopes constitute by far tho worst, land in the endowment. However, it is satisfactory to feel that the "rent bulk of the land leased by the Canterbury syndicate is excollent pastoral country. If the expectations concerning a new grass be realized, every acre of the Tauwharoparau block can be turned to profitable account. There uro other lands, some of them much nearer tlmn the Harbor Board block which will also be greatly benefited by the new grasp. Mr Lfiwry, M.H.It., Ins been on a visit to Lichfield, which is situated in a pumice region. Large tiacts of laud in the neighborhood are held by the Thames Valluy and Maraetai Land Companies. Neither of these Companies have been considered successful, for the bind held by them has generally been declared to be barren and unprofitable. But Mr La wry ia of opinion that tho beneficial change will soon come overthe face of tho countiy. Mr Rich, the manager of the Thames Valley Company, informed him that he himself believed that he had already introduced a grass whichwould revolutionize the whole stretch of pumico country from Morrinsville to Lake Taupo, and he invited Mr La wry to see tho results so far attained and judge for himself. Tho following is an extract from Mr Lawry's letter : " Whilst strolling; out to the paddocks for the purpose indicated, Mr Rich informed me that about four years ago he got 4801 b of seed at a cost of (>d per pound from Invercart,ill, which he distributed amougst other seed, but in no case did he allow more than two pounds of it to go to the acre, hence it was spread over more than 240 acres of land. At the time of sowing it was supposod to be hard sheep fescue, but subsequent sowings of that variety have shown the Invercargill grass to be something altogether different ; but Mr Rich is unable to state what its botanical name is, and tho people from whom it was originally obtained do not appear to bo any better informed in this particular, though a letter received from them stated they were certain it is not what they thought it was when sent to Mr Rich ; but they had found it was an infinitely superior grass, and it was now known and highly appreciated in the South as Chewin's fescue. Your readers will naturally suppose that I was anxious to see if my own opinion of the value and adaptability of this grass to the country coincided in any degree to thab so confidently expressed by Mr Rich, and for the sake of the countiy I am happy to say it doos. The first patch of thia grass we saw was the lawn in front of the house. Here it had practically taken full possession, and had made a sward as thick as the proverbial mat. I did not, however, attach much importance to this, as Mr Rich said it had been manured, bub a few yards further on we came to a pumico bank, sloping down to a gully, and on this it was thriving with almost equal luxuriance, and to all appearance finding food for its sustenance, not only from the pumice, but also from the withered cocksfoot plants around, and through which it sprang. On the suggestion of Mr Rich, 1 endeavored to pull some of it out by the roots, but my attempts were ineffectual, although the other plants could be moved by the finger and thumb. Mr Rich assured me that only a short time ag-> the bank was quite bare, but by the end of next spring it will be covered by new grass We then went to a paddock where two pounds an acre, mixed with other grasses, had been sown four years ago. Here the results were equally satisfactory Some of the land in this paddock waa clear pumice, but the plants were as vigorous in this as wheie the land was richer, and I fully endorsed tho opinion of my companion, viz., if it will grow so well in the pumice in that Paddock, it will grow anywhere between here and Lake Taupo, and if so, it will greatly enhance the value of the whole country." Mr Lawry proceeds to say that he first thought it was the coarse hardy fescue which is condemned in the South, but, instead of this, it is found to be a very fine variety, much finer than ryegrass, and not unlike in shape to the natural tussock, but beautifully green and sucjulent,tliough exceedingly firm in its tecture, and so sweet (according to Mr Rich) as to cause the sheep to keep it cropped very close to the roots. It was stated that tha grass was sown on some of the strong fern land at Putaruru with equally good results, and Mr Rich was satisfied that there was not an acre of land in the district for which the grass was not suitable. Mr Lawry expresses delight at what he saw, and is satisfied that the presont indications justify any practical man in believing that this new grass will in a few years cover the whole faco of Patetere and similar country, and thus enable it to carry millions of sheep, thereby adding greatly to the pastoral wealth of tho colony.

The Herald will be published as usual tomorrow. have been made to allow our employees a half-holiday and advertisers are requested to send in their advertisements in the foi-enoon. The s.s Tekapo will not reach hero from North until Saturday afternoon. The principal attraction for to-morrow's holiday of course will be the St. Patrick's Day sports at the Park. A number of people are' leaving town for the Tolago races. A large riding party also goes out to Pakarae if there is line weather. The booking for the Walter Bentley season has commenced in right good earnest. Such a magnificent dramatic combination as this so seldom visits Gisborne that there can be no doubt that the Theatre will be crowded each evening of the season. Several new books have been lately re* ceived at the Gisborne Public Library amongst them being Mr and Mrs Featon's Art Album of New Zealand Flora, presented by the authors. Any further contributions of books or periodicals will be thankfully acknowledged by the committee. Air Maguire, hon. secretary of the St. Patrick's Day sports, received the following telegram yesterday from Auckland : — " The Committee have passed the programme for horse races at the sports. This is to prevent any mistake. —W. Peucival, Secretary Auckland Racing Club." There are a number of persons who at each session of the Supreme Court claim exemption on the score of old age, failing sight, lunacy, etc. To save themselves the trouble of attendance tit the Court, it would be well for them to appear before the Justices who sit to revise the jury list on April Ist at 1 1 a. m. The final heat of the Turanganui Rowing Club's races for medals was rowed off last evenhi" at six o'clock. The contesting crews were- J. Morrell (stroke), P. Reed (3), H. Sandlant (2), W. Steele (bow) ; R. Jones (stroke), F. Henderson (3), C. Piesse (2), W. Morrell (bow). At the start, which was a very bad one, Morrell's crew obtained a lead of a length, and were never caught, winning by three lengths. The annual general meeting of the Waimat a Valley football club was held on Friday last, when there were present about twenty members, Mr Taylor in the chair. Officers were elected as follows : President, Mr A. McPhail; captain, Mr W. H. Docls; secretary and treasurer, Mr E. B. Martin ; committee. Messrs Taylor, Leggatt, and Glassford. It was decided to join the Poverty Bay Union, and Messrs Dods and Martin were elected delegates. Members were requested to attend on Saturday next to clear the new ground, which Mr McPhail has promised to lay down in grass. It was stated that if this ground were ploughable this year, either of the grounds used last year would be available for this. The date of the opening day was left to the committee. There is every prospect of the club putting a strong team i.i the tield this season.

Joseph Ireland, who posed as a poor working man before Mr Booth, R. M., at the Police Court yesterday and got oIF with a fine, was arrested this morning by Constable Brooking on a ohargo of urunkennes and making use of abusive language. The marriage of Mr W. Parnell to Miss Dinan took place this afternoon in the private drawing room of the Masonic Hotel, the Rev. Mr Kybuin tying the nuptial knot. A number of friends of the bride and bridegroom subsequently assembled and partook of a sumptuous wedding breakfast which had been prepared, all joining in wishing health and happiness to the newly married couple. We have been authoritatively informed that no communication has been forwarded from the Gisborne School Committee to the Education Board re. disqualification of a member of a committee througlf having suffered either a long or short term of imprisonment. The source of the communication may be wrongly stated in the telegram, or perhaps some one haa been attempting to hoax the Board. Mr Walter Bentley's appearance here is being looked forward to with considerable Hterest. A Dunedin critic writing of his season m the South says:— "Mr Beutley is equally at home both in comedy and tragedy, while the company haa been seheted with the view of producing the most varied programmes as thoroughly as if the plays had been specially cast from the ranks of the cleverest actors to be found iv the colonies. Who will ever forget Mr Bentley's weird and exciting ponrtrayal o f . Mathias the Burgomaster in the great play 'The Bells,' a piece in which Henry Irving made his fame? Then his Hamlet ! It was a masterpiece of oratory and facial plr-y ; and to think that the same man should be able to set the house in roars of laughter by his inimitable performances of David Garrick and Jock Howieson in 'Cramoncl Brig.' The drunken scene in 'Garrick' from our point of view has never been equalled in the southern hemisphere. Mr Bentley was leading man with Henry Irving for several yeavs, and has certainly caught the spirit, the creative ability that conceives at a glance the most trivial piece of stage business, that has done so much in building up the reputation of that great master of stagecraft." The production of Hamlet with it:i magnificeut scenery and dresses promises to be a rare dramatic success. There is in Gisborne at the present time a \ isitor in the person of Mr Leslie H. Reynokls, oae of the staff of the late Sir John Coode, who is making a tour of inspection of the various hai-bors oi the colony. Mr Reynolds, who is a New Zealander, and a son of Hon. W. H. Reynolds, M.L.C., of Otago, has been engaged in the study and practice of his profession as a marine engineer for over thirteen yeavs, and that under the most favoraVe circumstances. He has studied under Sir John Coode 'or several years, and has been engaged under him on some of the largest harbor works at Home and abroad. Mr Reynolds has also acted under instructions of other emine it marine engineers in Great Britain. He arrived a few months ago from Bolivia and Peru, where he superintended the construction of a huge canal, and has since his arrival in his native land inspected ami reported on the Livercarjill harbor a. id the proposed works at Riverton. Alter viewing the harbors iv the Souih, he lias come to visit thoce in the North IsVul, arriving here by the Te Anau on Monday mornintj last. Yesterday Mr Reyno'ds inspected our breakwater. He th' iks very highly of the machinery, and also of the work as far aa construction is concerned, but considers it a pity to see so much good work lying H a profitlerjs state. Mr Reynolds proceeds to Napier on Friday. Mr Justice Richmond's recent sentence have been the subject of criticism. Says the Hawke's Bay Herald:— At the recent criminal sittings of the Supreme Court in Napier, Sullivan, a man with a bad record for acts of violence, and who had been convicted for such acta in that very Court-room, was sentenced to four years' penal servitude for killing a man. Two low fellows who garrotted a man, and stole a few pounds from him were each sentenced to six years' penal -jrvitude. At Wellington yesterday the same Judge gave four years' penal servitude to a man who forged two cheques, each for £2, and gave four years' penal servitude to a man who stole a set of billiard balls. Apparently, therefore, to garrotte is worse than to kill, and to steal a set of billiard balls or to forge two cheques for a total of £4, deserves the same punishment as was meted out to Sullivan. In an article on " Riding and Polo," in this month's Edinburgh, Lord Onslow is held responsible for the statement that the horse is degenerating into woediness in Australasia. " But how," says the Daily Chronicle •reviewer, " does this tally with the fact that in India the keenest demand is always for Australian horses ?" The Weather. — We*ther forecast for 24 from 9 a. 111. to-day: Wind between north and east and south-east at all places. Barometer fall at all places. Sea heavy on east coast north of East Cape within 12 hours, and southward of that place after 20 hours. Warnings for easterly gales and heavy rain have been sent to all places northward of Napier and New Plymouth, and for strong easterly winds to all other places. Synopsis of last 24 hours : Slowly falling barometer everywhere, with strong easterly winds and rain northward of Auckland, but generally fine weather elsewhere. — R. A. Edwin.