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Patea Mail, 7 April 1881, Page 4

A collection of seeds of Australian trees and shrubs, comprising some fifty varieties, has been received for the Public Gardens, Christchurch, from the Botanical Gardens, Melbourne. The collection includes several new varieties of acacias and hakeas, besides eucalypti and other species, which it is supposed will grow in this Colony as hardy plants. A peculiar custom prevails atNorhara, Durham, that if the banns of marriage be thrice published, and the marriage does not take place, the ref using party, whether male or female, pays 40s. to the vicar as a penalty for “ scorning the church.” An Italian professor has discovered that perfumes from flowers have a chemical effect on the atmosphere converting its oxygen into ozone and thus increasing its health imparting power. He recommends that dwellers in marshy localities, and near places infected with animal emanations, should surround their houses with a profusion of the most odoriferous flowers. A writer in the Canterbury Times strongly advocates the planting of Indian corn. A trial planting with indifferent seed and other drawbacks yielded at the rate of 30 tons to the acre of luxuriant food fit for cattle and pigs. The writer is satisfied that it might be grown at a considerable profit by any farmer, if only as feed for cattle and pigs, to say nothing of the value as a sugar-producing plant ; there are no doubt other varieties of the plant that would be found most suitable for sugar making. One little experiment I made with the compressed juice of the cornstalk, produced very good molasses or syrup. It is readily obtained by simply boiling down the juice, and skimming during the boiling over a slow fire.

The Primitive Methodist New Zealand Conference will meet this year for the first time in Dunedin.

The Socialist Association of Chicago has publicly avowed its approval of the assassination of the Czar, and has commended the act as one striking a fatal blow at despotism. For the third time the snowy crest of that monarch of the interior, Ruapehu, has been ascended, on this occasion by two gentleman and a lady. To the lady belongs the honor of being the first to make the arduous journey, and conquer one of New Zealand’s snow kings. At Wellington last week a well-known Sunday-school teacher named Masters was locked up on a charge of stealing a tub from a Chinaman. On being searched at the Police Station, in his pockets were found a bible, hymn books, tracts, and Sunday-school tickets. Unemployed meetings have been held in Canterbury. At the same time a correspondent to one of the papers says of eight swaggers ostensibly in search of employment at the Hon. J. Hall’s station only two would take threshing machine work at 12s 6d a thousand, which means to a good man about 10s to 12s a day. One of these, after feeding the machine for about an hour, put on his coat and shouldered his swag, saying the work was too hard for him ! A correspondent of the Dunedin Times made a curious complaint recently about two dogs which were in the habit of fishing in the Water of Leith. He says they drive the fish near to the mouth of the Water of Leith, from the deep to the shallow part of the stream, and then catch and make a delicious repast off the least active members of the finny tribe which were probably trout “not fully acclimatised.” The Chairman of the Wellington Education Board objects altogether to the postage-stamp savings-bank scheme, and thinks school children would do very much better to spend their pennies in lollies. A counsel being questioned by a judge to know “ for whom he was concerod,” replied—“ lam concerned, my lord, for the plaintiff, bnt I am employed by the defendant.”