STOKE FARMERS' CLUB.

Colonist, Volume XV, Issue 1500, 9 February 1872, Page 3

STOKE FARMERS' CLUB.

The usual monthly meeting of this Club wa3 held on Monday last, and in opening the meeting the Chaieman (Mr. Rout) mentioned some remarks that had been made by the brewers of Nelson, commenting on the discussion of the barley question at the last meeting. He said Mr. Hooper, one of the partners in the firm of Hooper and Dodson, had stated that the farmers of the Waimeas were laboring under a delusion in saying the brewers made their beer from sugar, and that they were averse to buying barley. So far was this from being the case, that his firm were then erecting an additional malfchouse, capable ot converting a large quantity of barley into malt every month, and he had no hesitation in saying they would be prepared to buy all the barley of good quality that could be grown in the Waimeas for the next two years, at the highest market price. Nearly the same remarks were made by the proprietors of the Kent Brewery, who also showed that, they had purchased a very great quantity of barley from the Nelson growers, though some was quite unfit to make marketable malt. Mr. Rout said these offers from the brewers showed them to be anxious to purchase good samples of barley, and the business of the Club should be to incite a competition in growing a first class article, which could only be secured by cultivating the ground well and sowing early, for, as Mr. Hooper remarked, the old practice used to be to sow barley at the latest by the end of September, wbpreas in late years it is driven off till November. There is reason to hope the farmers of the district will try and profit from the opinions elicited at the late discussion.

The paper for the evening was then read by Mr. G. F. Maetin upon the destructive habits of the sparrow, and from the discuasion which followed, the majority of the members appeared to look upon the sparrow as a perfect curse to the farmers, and the green linnet also was spoken against. The wisdom of introducing these birds by the Acclimatisation Society was questioned. A few members spoke in favor of these birds and suggested a closer observance of their habits before condemning them, alleging the complete freedom from grasshoppers and similar insects at Stoke, where these birds are the most numerous, and the great quantities of these insects in other districts where the sparrow had not yet obtained a footing ; the great heat and dryness of the season having been very favorable for the developement of insects, they attributed the scarcity of grubs to fche.'presence of the sparrow, &c.

A resolution proposed by Mr. Smith was submitted and carried unanimously, appointing a Committee consisting of Messrs. Rout, Nicholson, Martin, Caing, Harley, and the mover, to collect all the information they could obtain relative to the habits of the sparrow during the month, and to report separately at the next meeting.

A letter was read from the Provincial Secretary, in answer to a request for a proportion of the grant voted by the Council for Farmers' Clubs, regretting the inability of the Government to pay any of the vote at present, through the great reduction of the General Government capitation grant to the Province, but hoped to have some funds at its disposal for this vote towards the end of the financial year. Two new members wore enrolled, making 21 acting members now on the books.

The Secretary was requested to make up a list of the members in relation to residence, to ensure a quicker and better circulation of the agricultural periodicals belonging to the Club amongst them. Mr. Haeley gave notice that he would read a paper at the next meeting—after the reports from the committee on the habits of the sparrow had been disposed of—on the desirability of planting trees in the district for supplying hop poles, and the moat aw^bldtre«B for that ptirnoa^