NEWS ITEMS.

Motueka Star, Volume I, Issue 34, 6 December 1901, Page 4

NEWS ITEMS.

A method of improving- the potato is credited to M. Michalet, as a result of experiments made in the Department "Vauclmse. He advised that the jo'iato plant should be stripped of its i 1 jssouij and that the crop of tubei-s, will be improved in quality and be richer in. starch. The flower, is not at all necessary to the well- being of the plant, whichi in the process of blossoming consumes starch and other substances*

Such is fame ! Charles Houghton Mills is Commissioner of Trade and Customs in theSexldon Ministry, yet the Wangaiui Herald, although a strong supporter of the present- administration, publishes that great man's name as "C WV Mills,"-twice in the same issue. _,

A Reuter's message from London, under date October 24th, says : —lt is announced that the coronation of the King next year will be attended by contingents- representing the troops of Australia and New Zealand. One hundred and fifty men will come from the Commonwealth and fifty from New Zeal ;nd r and in the selection of the men precedence will be given to those who have served in South Africa.

England's greatest actor has'''apparently a warm corner in his heart for young colonials. A twelve-year old son of Mr J. H. Da vies, of Mangatainoka, recently wrote to Sir Henry Irving enquiring ii'he could ever hope to see him in New Zealand ; the boy ;i vowed that, if not, it was his desiie to to obtain a photograph of Sir Henry. A return mail brought the following grateful reply :—" Lyceum The itre, 24th September, 19<>1.* My dear little bViend—l send you the photograph with the greatest pleasuse.- ..New Zealand, I fear, I shall never see, but I am glad to know I have friends there, old and young.—Yours cordially, Henry Irving." At the foot of the photograph were the words :—" "With warmest feelings.—Henry Irving." The recipient is a proud boy now.

A humorous incident of the Cheviot distii: ba ices was the overturning ly the shocks of seveial hives of bees, and the infuriated'inmates, of which evidently concluded that their discomfit was to be attributed to a number "of refugees who had collected in the garden. In great numbers the bees attacked every one within reach, and though men, women, and children defended themselves most vigorously, in a shoit time the attacking party gained a complete victory. During last week 100 Border Leicester stud rams and 260 Shropshire rams and ewes have arrived at Wellington for North Island breeders. The sheep were bred and despatched from Canterbury.

The butter-freezing works at Patea are now (says the local Press) practically complete, and a trial of the machinery and chambers the other day proved that everything is in first-class going order. Butter-will be received in a few days, and a shipment of butter will be made from the works to the Home boat in about a fortnight.

A lady who was recently so ill of nervous dyspepsia as to be in Bed (says a London paper), and so thin that she gave up all hope of ever getting fat, secured a new doctor who used her for an experiment in diet. He placed her upon a strict regimen of bananas, nothing: else. The result was marvellous. She grew to really like them, when prepared by baking and served with sugar and cream ~t>r cold, in the form of delicate jelly. She also had banana fritters- and biscuit made of banana flour. Daily. she grew more plump aid rosy, and now she. is well, and expects tc> stay so-

Referring to gold mining on the West Coast, the 1 Grey mouth cbrrespon - dent of the Post "says mining —reefing, sluicing, and dredging—is improving steadily, and more especially in the latter two departments. Last week in dredging the total # was over 500 oz, which is the record so far, and the average 25qz * per dredge. This means a clear profit over working expenses of" .£56 per week, or .£2860 per dredge per annum. Reckoning the capital of each Company at £IO,OOO, which is over the mark, we have per cent, per annum on outlay:" If I accept the best evidence 1 can obtain —that of dredgemastei-s and practical miners—the yield will materially increase, so that good dredging, notwithstanding the many mistakes and "wild-cats," is evidently a real live industry, come to stay and going to pay. : ■*'-•'

The United States Government sent, a month ago, 300 teachers to the Philippines, all unmarried, and selected, among other reasons, because they had no family ties. One hundred of these were ladies, and, with a ludicrous lack of foresight, the entire party was accommodated in one ship. The opportunities for flirtation were such that seven days on the Pacific resulted in thirty engagements, which were quickly turned into marriage at the first stopping place, the Hawaiiam Islands. The dusky Filipino children, who are' supposed to be eagerly wait - ing for a chance to learn the American language, seem likely to wait in vain, for the spinister "Yankee school maim" so popular in fiction. It is not believed that one will reach the schoclhouse door unsnared. The voyage was only a third over at the Sandwich Islands.

A cloth of gold rose tree of wonderful dimensions can be seen at Queenstown. The trunk immediately above the ground measures 57in in circumference. The branches, which are propped up with poles about,6ft* high, spread 18ft each side of the trunk, and has a circumference of 108 ft. News has been received by cable of the death of Mrs C. Cantor, of London. Deceased was the mother of Mrs Philip Myers and sister of Mr Judah Myeis, of Wellington. The vacancy on the Wellington Land Board caused over a year ago by the death of Mr H. Field, of Waikanae, has not yet been filled. If the Nicaragua Canal is finished Melbourne will be 1350 miles nearer to New York thon to Liverpool by all sea routes.

A Texas paper says that a Mexican, General Lewis Terrazas, of the State of Chiahuahua, owns one ranch of 18,000, 000 acres of land in Texas. He also owns 10,000,000 acies more of land in parts of the Republic of Mexico, making 28,000,000 acres in all. On these ranch lands he has grazing 700,000 cattle, 200,000 sheep, and 100,000 horses. He sells about 80,000 head of cattle each year. He is the world's cattle king. General Terrazas is about seventy years old, has five- children, and is worth any whei e over twenty million pounds. One of the sailors of the Mediterranean Squadron added to the gaiety of of his comrades on the ships in Malta harbour a few weeks ago by his novel method of spending his money. His ship was to sail next day, and he was determined to get rid of all his pocket money before he went aboard. He accordingly "hired about forty rowing, boats, formed them into a procession, and seated luxuriously in the last boat, went round and round his ship.' His comrades on board kept up a fire of cheers and jocular cries. Having made a tour of-the ship several times, the Jack tar paid all his money away for the hire of the boats, and then went aboard thoroughly satisfied.

Messrs Laery and Co.,' Ltd., report the following wholesale prices on the Wellington produce market :=—Wheat, 3s 2d to 3s 3d per bushel; oats, 2s 9d to 3sper bushel ; "Barley, 2s 4d per bushel ; -maize, 3s per bushel :; flour, £7 15s jer ton * "pollard, 95s per ton ; bran, 90s per ton ;. oatmeal,. £l3 10s per ton ; chaff, £3 ,5s to£3 10s per ton ; hay, £4= 10s per ton ; field beans, 3s 6d per bushel ; field peas, 4s 3d per bushel ; potatoes, old, 60s to 65s per tan ; new round 7s to 8s per cwt; new kidneys, 13s per cwt; ryegrass seed, 4s per bu^3i.el; cook&foot seed, 2id to 3|d per lb ; butter, prime 8d to 9d per lb, pastry, 7d■;' cheese, bacon 6|d, best fact jry; hams, 8d ; rolls 7|d ; fowls, 4s per pair; roosters, 4s to4s 6d, per pair ; ducks, 5s to 5s 6d per pair ; turkeys, hens 8s per pair, gobblers, 9s to 13s per pair ; ge.-se, 5s 6d per pah ; fresh eggs-, lid to Is; cabbages, Is to 3s per sack ; cauliflowers, 6s to 10s per sack ; strawberries, Is 6d to Is 9d per pint; rhubarb, 4s to 6s 6d per dozen ; gooseberries. 2s 6d to 4s 6d per half-case ; Hutt flukes, 16s: green peas, 7(l'to 9d per peck. " Drover," commenting in the Otago Witness upon Mr John Blakely's statemerit that lie had refused the offer : of the freezing works of 13s per head for his lambs and how he sent them Home only to net him 10s l.Od, says : —Mr Blakely asks how it is the freezing works could afford to give him 13s, while he only netted 10s 10d, and says he is forced to the concluison there are two different processes of realisation in London—one for the dealers who buy from the'farmers and one for the unfortunate grower who ships on his own account, I don't think this is the case. The explanation is much more simple. Had Mr Blakely accepted the 13s from the freezing works, they would have made the loss of 2s 2d instead of him. Farmers must not run away with the idea that those speculators who pay long prices for meat always make money and never lose. As a matter of fact, they lose heavily very often. The largest horse in the world was sent to the Chicago Union Stock Yards last month by George M. Tegard, El Paso, 111. The animal is a coal black Shire gelding, six years... old, standing 21,1. hands, and is well proportioned. He weighs, in good "condition, upwards of 30001 b. The latest Leaflet for Farmers issued by the Department of Agriculture is on blood-poisoning in sheep aftershearing and lambs alter docking, by Mr J. A. Gilruth, Chief Veterinarian. The Oceanic made her most profitable voyage across the Atlantic in the first week in October. She had her full complement of passengers. The vessel'carried no fewer than*3s7* firstclass passengers 38 maids and valets, 259 second-class passengers, and 1300 third-class passengers. The first-class passengers, reckoning jthern at £4O a head, amounting to £4560. The second class passengers, reckoning them at LlO a head, amounting to L 2590 ; and the third-class passengers, who pay L 6 apiece,, realised L 7900. the total ieachss L 25,126. This, of course, is independent of the profit on wines, spirits, cigars, land 'the fpike. The cost of running the Oceanic is about £7OOO. The process oj subtraction is easv.

The Mangatu Block, of 70,000 acres, Poverty Bay, is being settled. Thirty thousand acres been taken up. Contracts have been let for'-felling 5000 acres of bush at a cost of jabout £IO,OOO. ■---..--

The destruction of-blackberry and hriar_bushes is,to he enforced By. the Agricultural Department, which has instructed its Inspectors to prosecute owners who neglect to clear their lands of these pests.

: j Following are the approximate quantities "and values of buybter and cheese exported from New Plymouth for; y the past three months, mostly for the Home market, though a small proportion also goes to colonial ports .■—September—Butter, 239.5 packages, valued at £5389 ; cheese, 467 packages, valued £1167. October— 21,934 packages, valued at £49,352 ; cheese, 83 packages, valued at £2OO. November—Butter, 27,319 packages, valued at £61,468 ; cheese, 441 packages, valued at £llO3. Totals—Butter. 51,648 packages, valued at £116,208 ; cheese,99l packages, valued at £2478. This is compared with butter, 44,490 package.-, valued at £99,878, and 2234 packages cheese, valued at £5592 for the corresponding period of last year. The most successful breeder of pigs that I ever met, says a writer to an Australian contemporary, was just as particular that clean straw should Be in the sties as a trainer is that a racehorse has a clean bed to lie on. It can hardly be the nature of a pig more than airy other animal to lie continually in one spot of filth, as so many are made to do. A good sty is built oh the side of a hill, with the trough at the lowest part. When in this position all the lower part can be floored with battens, just as the sheep pens in a woolshed are. This keeps the pigs clean and sanitary without the expense of continual labour.

There is now in Central Australia a flock of Angora goats numbering over 1000 head. They ars said to be hardier than sheep, and the meat of the half-bred Angora is much superior to "old ewe" meat. Each goat (pure bred) gives a net yearly return of from 4s to 6s. The goat does not care for grass ; likes bush ; hates wet ; and loves hot sunshine.

The exports of the United States for the year ending 30th June last, are said to have been the largest ever shown by any nation. They amounted to £300,000,000 sterling, and of this agriculture is to be credited with probably 70 per cent. Often, poultry keepers who make up a breeding pen, think to snsure plenty of eggs, and fertile to boot, try a liberal dietary. When a pen of birds look in fine condition, and a large proportion of eggs are unfertile, the first thing to find out is how much food they get, for they are probably overfed. To remedy this the food should be reduced to its right proportions (which, in the average case consists of a lump of soft food, rather larger than a Minorca's egg, for breakfast, a quarter of a handful of grain at midday, and a full handful in the evening), and a dose of salts given, while yellow sulphur should be sprinkled -over the soft food. ' .'■■-''..■■■■'

A striking example of the improvements which have been made <in the mechanical arrangements for the loading of coal from railway trucks into vessels has recently been afforded By a new hydraulic coal hoist which has Been erected at the Penarth dock. A steamer arrived in the dock at B.lo*in the morning. After taking in sufficient coal for her boilers she proceeded to load her cargo at 9.15, which was completed at 11.50, the steamer entering and leaving the dock on the same tide'. The quantity of coal placed in 'the vessel was 2333t0n5, in two and a half hours, or at the iate of 15 tons a minute. ,

The New South Wales Rugby Union has invited the New. Zealand and Queensland Unious to" attend a conference at Sydney in February, during the fourth Test Match, with the English team of cricketers.

Our Premier m a judicious way has contrived to keep himself very largely in the eye of Royalty for some years past, and there are very few things the king would deny him,, except, perhaps,, the Crown jewels or the head of Mr F. Pi rani an a charger. What form his reward will take depends largely upon his own, desires.—Gore "Ensign." Bishop Winnington-Ingram is rapidly becoming one of the most popular prelates in the world, largely due to the charming adaptability of his style and manners to the circle in which he finds himself. When he was about to preach to the City Imperial Volunteers on their return he received this message : " On no account make out that we are heroes. We only tried to do our duty." That, he told the boys of his school (Marlborough), was exactly what he felt about himself. He was only an ordinary man who had tried to do hisdutjr.

A visitor to Hainner returned to Christchurch says on Saturday, when baths were an inky colour, there were more bathers than usual in all the baths. The effects were very pronounced in some cases where invalids stated they had obtained more relief in rheumatic and sciatic complaints. Some even drank the dark-looking liquid, and gave it. "as their opinion it was better than the ordinary drinking fare. Whilst walking along the beach near Cape Campbell one day last week Mr H. J. Stace, of Robin Hood Bay, picked up a skull, evidently freshly thrown up by the waves. It was found in the vicinity where the Ohau was last seen, and, it is surmised, may be the skull of one'of the of the ill-fated crew.

According to the Lyttelton Times, the cocksfoot harvest on the Peninsula this season from all appearances will be a most disappointing one.

Major-General Babington, the new Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, leaves England for the colony in a few days.

The value of the wool exported from the colony for the twelve months ending 30th September, 1901, as compared with the same period for the previous year, shows in striking contrast the remarkaole fall in prices sustained. Although the export was only 7.26,764 lbs in weight less last year than the previous year, the value was <£l, n 95,528 below what was realised during the earlier pex-iod. And probably the actual return will show that even that estimate of value is rather a saaguine one.

A remarkable story is current with regard to Sir lan Hamilton's spectacles. It appears that the gallant officer, then a subaltern, lost a pair of spectacles in the battle of Majuba Hill. They were apparently picked up by Boer whom they suited, and who kept them for 20 years. In the early part of the present year the spectacles were found on a dead Boer. There could be no doubt as to their identity, for the case had General Hamilton's name on it, and they were in due course returned to their original owner. —Bradford Observer.

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