UNKNOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2122, 13 February 1886, Page 4

UNKNOWN.

.V />'"<, in' I ', iit'il'im — 10, gentle reader, I nll n>t goitiL' to tlfohne .1 Latin ai'juutive "t thr-jj terminations ; were I no. in (ill-ail o" thu ie\isii)# pen of tbe suh-i ditf r, I should say I decline to do ai j »•» • 1 1 * ■ •_• of the km I—but1 — but ,1 L'it:n phi i>e .it tiie head of one's paper always looks w. p. md the above 13 not inappropriate on tins occi>iou. For the benefit of my liid\ u 1 ''"fi, I trtnalatii it thus — "a bad apii. t'.e is a bad tlii'iij." That the (\i'it ilmiy piopuotors of oichards are th'ii u mK' convinced of this, there can b> li'tlt do'ibt, and the recent announcenit til, 111 tiie^e columns, that Mr Murphy, mli. '.i >• of t!i<: \g r Lullur:il and P.istuial Astj'icnition, lopoited that Tasmnuiin orchards are infested with the di\ >ll il cudlm moth, has caused the a.iM [>• >|jiiefiii^, oi at least SOIII2 of them, to ly-" no tune in doing what they can to pu\uit the pist being introduced here. Th<> Coloni.il Secretary, the Hon. P A Buckley, and other members of the Ministry, long ere this, will have rermed frnn Mr Murphy, Mr Leonard H,u p r, Mr (J. Gonkl, Mr Wilding, and Ah William Wilson, telegrams of the mo-,t ulummg character, begging the Gut eminent to at once bring the Codlin Moth. Act of 1884 into force with regard to the importation of apples from Tasmania. A FRUIT UROWER'.S VIEW. Y- terday afternoon, I interviewed a gcntlcm m who is a fruit grower, and hop;.s soon to l)e so in a very extensive w ;iy He has been planting fruit trees for the last six years, and has expended soiiu thing like £1600 on Ins lo acres of land. Hitherto he has been waiting patiently for a return of some interest on his outlay, and at length sees his way to ;i fur one. He calculates that this year, •winch, as I suppose most people know, is an exceptionally favourable one for uppl> s, he will have 1500 cases of fruit foi tliia market He is greatly alarmed at Mr Mmphy's announcement, which is all t!u< moie disheartening, as it is his c>\peiiO'iee and that of other fruit giowci-., that scale and American blight, the two tionbles winch have hitherto vexed their souls, are dying out, the treatimnt for securing so happy a consummation being the liberal nourishment of the trees, and the digging well about their roots with plenty of manure, a steady application of gas lime, the keeping of the trees fieo from grass around their stocks, and the constant stiiring of the surface of the ground to prevent the growth of weeds, to say nothing of gra^s. In a few years the blighted trees will grow afresh, and ion co no into good bearing again. After au exhausted crop, such as that of this year, all fruit growers must treat their trees with exceptional liberality. In this they hhould imitate a judicious horss owuer, w iio alw ays keeps up the strength of bis beast, and increases the quality and quantity of its nourishment iv proportion to the strain upon its strength, or otherwise expects to see its constitution in. pan cd. I ask if the codlin moth is a very serious matter. My friend replies to the efk'ct that the worst of all the other blightb is the merest trifle compared with it. One of ita destructive peculiarities is that the grub doe* not consume the fruit, but meiely causes it to fall to the ground, where the moth is batched, and at once Hits on to the tree, there to deposit its Cjig*, which quickly go through the same process as their parent had done. The grub bores thiougli tbc apple, rendering it useless for market or keeping, and in a very short time the tree looses all ita fnut.

THE REMEDY. "One remedy that is found very effectual in America," said my friend, '• ii> the feeding of pigs with the infected fruit, immediately it falls. In this way tliogiuhis xleatroyec) before it comes a moth Ifc is said that the moth already ha., established itself in Auckland and IselbOM, 111 the last named place for bt\cral years ; but that is no reason for alluw nig it-* iutioduction to Ciuterbury. Of cuiic, if we kept getting cases of fruit from Nelson, the iutioduction of the moth from th.it dibtiict is only a question of time, l»ut 1 do not thinlc that apples are btouglit tiom Nelson to this market." lo the quostion — IC Does Canterbury grow all her o\\ u fruit ?" 1 am answered in tlio negative, and I am assured that large quantities are imported from Tasmania anil Sydney. From* Sydney thi maikrt was list week Hooded with ajj|ili'-5, winch were soH at l«jd per lb, not n,o.i£fc to pay for puck ing aud carriiiu-,; to a lepetition ut the experiment is nol likely to be made.

I KL'iT CULTIVATION* IIERK. 11 Ye*," said my friend, " there havo been a large number of orchards plauted in t'ji3 district lately. As I have already told you, I have fifteen acrgs planted with all sorts of the choicest kinds of fruit trees, and I have in addition, 2000 young trees ready for planting out They have all been giafted, and include a number of choicj c uler kinds. It is not from every kind of apple that good cider cau be made ; the cider apple has a peculiar bittfr sweet taste, which makes it no faxomito for eating In a few years' time I hope to turn out some first class cider, an I make its production a regular industry here. Many people have started fruit "rowing iii only a small way, but Mr , whom you know well, has an 01 chard of twenty acres, After such a season ag thia promises to be, I should bay that th> re is enough fruit grown in the neighbourhood to supply all Christchuich ; but it is notorious that fruit is allowed to go to waste, and that a great many cottagers will not trouble themselves to giow fruit because of the ridiculously low prices given by the middlemen. For instance, the growers aie now getting ]$d to 2d a pound for the cavher apples, for which the shops charge from td to (id a pound.

HOW Tilt. ACT IS TO BE WORKED. The Act was passed on Nov. 8, 1884, aud provides the machinery for the destruction of the codlin moth in New Zealand. Under it any local body may, on the petition of five occupiers of orchards, proclaim a stated area to be an infected district, and a rate can be levied for the put pose of stamping out the pest, to secure which inspectors with ample authority may be appointed. The local bodies can make the necessary regulations, and can prohibit the removal of any infected fruit or anything that has contained infected fruit. Section 18 is the most important ior,us just now. It is: "The Governor, front time to time, by proclamation, may prohibit the importation into the colony of any fruit whate\cr, or fiuit tiees, when he may deem ttfe imputation theieof likely to cause the spread ot any infection in the oicliaids of the colony ; and if any fruit or fiuit trees so prohibited are imported, they shall be forfeited to Her Majesty, together with the boxes, cases, barrels, or other receptacles in which they are contained, and bo disposed of as the Commissioner of Trade and Customs may direct." "It is of the greatest importance," my friend continued, "that enquiries should be niide as to the existence of the moth in? Nelson — whether it is to be found cv*iywhere throughout the district, or is confined to any particular locality — aud that the regulations should be put into force there, 90 as to stop the mischief at once. It is impossible to overrate the loss that the introduction of the jnotli to this district would be to Canterbury, as many thousands of pdfrnOs arc invested one way and the other in frait growing here."

A \UUSD OK ADVICE TO J-'RUIT GROWERS Tiio existing orchards would, "with piopcr cultivation, produce double the quantity of fiuit (they are now producing In this Colony it has been the fashion to stick a tree in and "let it rip," while in California and in America {.'fnerally, where thousands of acres are planted, they aie thoroughly weeded, being .liept continually horse hoed. Theio is no question that the habit of Utgj|^gnwB grow round, the trunks

creates damp, which encourages the growth of moss, and tells against the health of the trees. Air cannot get to the roots, and th" shelter afforded by the long grass prevents the frost in winter from killing the blight, as it otherwise would. The gnus, too, robs the soil, and is in every way mischievous. The only large orchard in this country that is continually kept hat rowed and horse hoed is mine. The expense of this is very great, but I have no doubt that it pays ; indeed, as the trees increase in bulk, I shall keep the whole area hand hoed, so satisfied am I that the extra expenditure will be more than recouped. If the moth is kept away, I shall receive a very good interest on my whole outlay should I realise no more than a penny a pound for my fruit." It is really disgraceful to the small farmers that Canterbury should import apples, for in no countiy do the young trees bear so quickly as in New Zealand. Particular kinds can be found to suit every variety of soil. Some are most suitable to rich, peaty soil, and others will thrive on the lightest description of Imd ; only care must be taken in heavy 801 1 to keep the roots out of stagnant water.

In a single province of Russia 3,000 operatives are employed making accordions. Mu Gladstone has bean receving an average of 3,000 letters monthly. It is said that 40,000 volumes of Tennyson's new poems were sold by Christmas. Conjurer (pointing to a large cabinet) : "Now, ladie3 and gentlemen, allow me to exhibit my concluding trick. I would ask any lady iv the company to step on the stage and stand in the cupboard. I will then close the door. When I open it again the Udy will have vanished without leaving a trace behind. Gentle* man (in the front seat aside to his wife) : "I say, old woman, do me » favour and step in." We learn from the current issue of the New Zealand Presbyterian that Mr Kwok Wai-Shang, a Chineae catechUt, has arrived from the Flowery Land, and has commenced bis ministrations in the Western District. It is anticipated that he will perform much useful work among his fellow countrymen. A correspondent, writing of the late Lord Strathnairn (Sir Hugh Rose), says he was one of the last and laziest of the "dandies." Except in pursuit of a woman in love or an enemy in war he was the most indolent lackadaisical, languid person who ever dawdled along Piccadilly. When he was devastating Central India, and winning the splendid victories that immortalised his name, he was so azy that he could not be got to dictate the despatches recording his own triumphs. Months elapsed before these documents could be extracted from him, and then they were brief and meagre to the last degree. One day Sir Hugh Rose was entertaining a gallant company to dinner during the crisis of the mutiny. With the utmost tang froid he was delighting those near him with one of his best anecdotes. In the middle of it his orderly entered, and, after saluting, exclaimed, " We have captured 200 rebels, sir." To him the general turned, and with that elegant courtesy of manner on which he prided himself, serenely replied : "Thank you, sergeant." But tbe man still remained. "But what are we to do with them, sir?" "Oh," replied Sir Hugh, with a soft smile, "hang them, of course," and he resumed his anecdote. In a little while Sir Hugh was again interrupted in the middle of another story by the sergeant, who came in and said : " Please, sir, we've hung the lot, sir." The general turned, bowed slightly, and in the sweetest manner lisped, "Thanks, sergeant — very many thanks," and then went on with his anecdote as if nothing had happened. This story came to the ears of the Queen, and she was so angry that it nearly cost Sir Hugh his pperage. The late Earl of Shaftsbury once lost his watch while walking in the New Cut, London. He advertised his loss, as he valued the watch for certain association. Within ' twenty-four hours his household was aroused by a violent ring and knock at the street door, and the wheels of a vechicle were heard hurrying away in the distance. On opening the front door a sack was found tilled with something that moved. On examining the sack, a boy of the Artful Dodger class was found, bound hand and foot and gagged. Round bis neck was the missing watch, and underneath was a placard with the words — "Lock "im up, mi lord, he's a disgrace to our profession ; he orter know as bow yer lordship was free of the wud; giv' '1111 five years' ard.— Yer Friends." The Earl did not take the advice of his "friends." He reformed the Artful Dodger^and eventfully he became a light of the London shoeblack brigade. A worthy farmer in Morayshire had the misfortune to lose his wife by death. After the funeral he and a few gentlemen friends were bitting over a tumbler of toddy, when the kind-hearted farmer remarked: "That is trying enonph, boys, ' but it micht hae been wagr ; it mioht hae beon ony 0' ourselvwjjffillfup another tumbler." M"George, what does c-frx spell?" 41 Don't know, sir." " What" does your mother keep to catch mice?" "Trap, sir." " No, no ; what animal is fond of milk ?" "A baby, sir.'' " You dunce ; what was it that scratched your sister's face." "My nails, sir." "lam out of all patience. There uo you see that animal on the fence?" "Yes, sir." "Then tell me .what c-a-t spells.") " Kittens, sir." * \ The trial of a butcher named Tozzo, his wife, sou, and daughter, commenced in Rome on December 10. The accused are charged with the murder of Poggi, also a butcher. The motives for the crime were trade jealousy and family disputes. Poggi was entrapped into Tozzo's cellar, where the murder was committed.^ The body of the victim was cut into pieces, and the remains were i scattered in a suburban wood. His blood was boiled into black puddings, which were sold in Tozzo's shop. Tozzo made a -confession, narrating the story in court with a sang froid that provoked a howl of fury, the audience yelling, "Away witli him to the scaffold." In reply, the murderer tauntingly screamed, "Here lam ; tear me to pieces." The terrible story created intense excitement, throughout Rome. Toszo and his son were condemmed to death. His wife •vas sentenced to 20 years's imprisonment, and his daughter to 10 yean.