MISCELLANEOUS.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 13 February 1920, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

It was stated by ilir president of the Nurserymen's Conference in a refereiice to the suitability of. Wellington as a centre for the conference that the first nursery in New Zealand was established in Wellington—or rather at the Hutt—in the year 1840. Supplementing the chairman’s remarks, Mr T. Horton (Hastings) said that lie

hoped the same-mistake would not be made about the delegates as on a previous visit. A party of them were being shown .over the Wellington Botanical Gardens, when an elderlylady, who was observing them with interest, was heard to remark: “Poor fellows, they have come from Sunnysidc! ’ ’

Says (he Auckland “Observer”: —- “The profiteering trailer hopes, by perpetually increasing jiric.es, lo make a fortune, and clear out of business before the topple comes; and God alone knows what the go-slow parson hopes. He is, above all, the one inexplicable thing. Tin.- boycott brigades in other lands divide a populated area into districts and work them thoroughly for support. 1 ltd'support being a solemn promise not to use selected articles until the holders have been forced byluck of business to bring the price down, bach a system, although improbable in New Zealand, is possible, and the attitude of traders will yet force it on the public.”

Not for many years, says the Wanganui “Herald.” has the countryside along this coast been seen looking better than at present for this season of the year. L'suully the end of January- finds the paddocks looking dry- and parched, but this season the grazing paddocks and feed crops are looking green and well, the landscape being more suggestive of a spring father than an autumn season. But what is a boon io (me is a banc to another; harvesting operations have been handicapped and retarded bv the rain, and many a line crop of wheat, oats or barley were-to be seen during the week-end in various stages of harvesting held u)) on account of the rain.

Maoris in Taranaki are being notified of a great gathering- which is to be held on March S at Taiporohcnui, the big pa at. Hawera. The object of the meeting apparently is to explain to the Maoris by means of a certified copy the exact conditions of the Treaty of Wnitangi, and show that Maori’and pakclin are on an equal footing under the rule of the King. Evidently the Maoris, and especially the younger genera i ’.five been gossiping III") G.e subject of their rights uniter the treaty, with the usual result of confusion between right and wrong, and the gatliei bag is being arranged to put the matter before .them in the true light. It is stated that the Hon. Dr. Poniarc will be one of the leading men present. — Taranaki “Herald.” The question of storing Waikato coal is not of importance at the {iresent time when the trouble is to get enough to carry on with, but it may happen some time in the dim, distant future when there will be sufficient formed (say-, the Auckland “Gtar”). When that day has arrived it should not be forgotten that this coal can be stored for years under water. Stacked on the surface classes of coal deteriorate. Imt it has been found by experience that, under water this does not occur. With a view to future pos-sibilities-some big firms are constructing water reservoirs in which to store coal for rimes of shortage. it was found some time ago that coal which had been under water for seven years burned as well, ji" not better, than some fresh from the seam. Accommodation in houses and hotels is not the only kind of accommodation that is scarce. Travellers say that they have the greatest difficulty- in getting back from Australia. One who has just - re?timed was told that accommodation is booked up to the end of "April, and that one’s chances before thou lie in getting a boil outside the ordinary cabins. A writer in a Queensland paper has given this interesting statement: Rain fid]* at four o'clock one after-

noon. and at one o'clock the foHowing day lambs were to be seen nibbling down near the creek. On investigation it was found that the grass was- a quarror of an inch long, and odd blades were half an inch in length. This was 21 hours after rain fell. In two clays tl.-e lambs were looking quite full again, and in five days sheep that could hardly move wore quite sprightly-. The seeue of this wonderful transformation was Prairie. North Queensland. The inspection of dairy farms was the subject of a question put to the manager of the Wellington city milk ! depqt_Teeenriy. The questioner reJ marked that he had seen milking done in most insanitary fashion on the outskirts of Auckland. The farmer, who ; had been handling manure, had ex- • ceedingiy dirty hands. He wet his ■hands with the first jet of milk from the cow. : yd then proceeded to milk into a kerostin. While he was filiing a second tin cats and dogs had access to the first tin. When two tins were full, he earned them to a caR oStsile the vied. Mr Ward explained j that the inspection of dairy farms was the du-y ef the Agricultural Depart j spent. The. City Council received the j milk af"-r it had left the farms. J