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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 851, 26 October 1870, Page 2

Efforts are being made to construct a gravink dock at JCaiwarawara (Wellington). A Native Lands Court sat at Mercury Bay on the 4th inst.; some 40,000 acres of land have been passed through the Court. A native named Hikire, a chief of some importance in the Taupo district, and who hua considerable influence in the councils of the Mrori Kin<j, is now on a visit to Auckland. Mesrs Halcombe, Buller, and Booth, have (says the Herald) retnrned to Wanganui from their trip to Taupo, and they report having discovered a new track beyond the Mongawhero, much superior to the old one. They believe that a very small outlay will make-it passable to a pack horse. If some competent person were sent to survey the line in the first instance, the natives could be bent under a foreman to cut it to the plains. A correspondent of the Southern Cross re* ports a fatal accident which occurred on the Great South Road a few days ago, by the upsetting of a dray, which was being driven by Mr Win. Pennington. It appears that he was returning from Point Russell with tha dray partially loaded with bags of coal on the day in question, and it is supposed that he was asleep in the dray at the time the sad accident happened. The horses appear to have gone off the road to get a drink in the swamp, and upset the dray, burying the driver in the mud and water. Ho was quite dead when found, and one of the horses was also dead.

The Dunedin Star says :—-An experiment, very fortunately on a small scale, was exhibited recently to his Honor the Superintend dent and the Provincial Treasurer, by Mr Lumb, shipping agent, tending to show the effect of a small quantity of powder when ei» ploded under water, and its applicability for harbor defence. Though too late to witnessit at the Provincial Buildings, Mr Lnuib waa kind enough to repeat it in the presence of several gentlemen. Mr Lumb was with the British fleet in the Baltic, in the Crimean war, and personally assisted in fishing up some Russian torpedoes ; so ho lias had every opportunity of witnessing their construction and the necessary arrangements. In the experiments to-day he used a blast of 2£ graius ot gunpowder which was ignited by a fuse, unquenchable by water. That small charge proved sufficient to lift 301bs of water sufficiently high and with suiiicient force to eug«. gest what would be the consequence of the explosion of half a ton or a ton of gunpowder under a ship's bottom. Mr Lumb considers, with very good reason, that the harbor may be defended at a small expense. We quite agree with him. His Honor and the J reasurer expressed themselves satisfied with the experiment, but pointed out that the General Government are responsib e for the harbor defences. This is no doubt true, but we would at the tame time point out that when an enemy conn's, it is too late for requisitioning the Government for torpedoes, and if (hey win not move, the Provincial Government nv4sS trust to Parhau\en,t for reimb rsem.u.l,

WET SOIL. [JFEOM A. CAXIJORNIAN JfOUKNAL.J Never plough wet soil. We have often urged the attention of the farmers to this subject, as one of great importance. Any traveller among our farming districts «an see large tracts of land that have been ploughed when wet and unfit to be worked, by observing large, heavy clods of earth, which in the hot season, become like a heated brick, burning all the roots of grain or other product near to it. Besides this evil, no seed can vegetate and grow well upon soil thus cultivated, nor can that soil give back as much nutrition as if ploughed when in rijfht condition, and upon a warm and sunny day when light and warmth can penetrate into the soil and thus greatly benefit it. We are confident that farmers lose from ten to forty per cent of their crop by inattention to this matter. By a little care at the proper time to plough, by examining the soil, and selecting good sunny days, the soil will send up its voice in a halo of dewdrop clouds that will wreathe the ploughman with its approval of his good sense. As with farms, so with orchards, vineyards, and gardens. No soil should be worked when wet and soggy. If the soil continues wet long, drain it well and soon it will be in work ing order, but never attempt to plough, spade or work it, uuless in good condition. Those who think our cultivated lands must grow poor as they grow old will find food for reflection in the fact that not many years back the average yield of wheat per acre in England was about ten bushels —it is now over thirty bushels. —Brains accomplished it.