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Southland Times, Issue 862, 9 December 1867, Page 2

The forthcoming Shows of both the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Horticultural'and Agricultural Society, will take place during the next few weeks. The importance to the Province of their proving a success is so great that every class in the community is called upon to lend a willing hand to secure so desirable an end. It is to these periodic exhibitions of live stock and agricultural produce to which may be traced the gigantic strides in the science of farming that have been made in Great Britain, America, and the Australian Colonies, during the last score of years. It is from them these New Zealand must hope to attain to that pitch of excellent cultivation necessary to enable it to honorably compete with other renowned producing countries. The utility of such institutions is universally acknowledged. The influence they have exercised in Victoria and other colonies, in creating an ambition among the producers, has led to experimental cultivation which has resulted in the growing of many articles of marketable value, that have not hitherto been produced in New Zealand. Their effect is to stimulate all parties, employers and employes, to excel in all the varied branches of industry to which their attention is directed. And in those colonies where this healthy spirit of competition has been evoked, a stable progress is being secured, and gold digging followed only as a means to an end — the permanent settlement of the country in which they dwell — while the capitalist is induced to import the purest stock, aud seeks to secure the most perfect system of cultivation that competitive gatherings can suggest. It is a matter for regret that the two institutions to which we have alluded should not have been able to arrange for the Shows to take place simultaneously. It is, however, satisfactory to know that arrangements have been made for the future that the Agricultural and Pastoral Association Show shall embrace a much larger number of prizes than in its maiden exhibition has been classified. The lively interest that is now being displayed in promoting institutions of this class is becoming pleasingly conspicuous. The colonists of Canterbury, Otago, and other provinces have, during the last two years, taken up .the matter in earnest. Many of our colonial statesmen have realised the stimulus that has been given to Victorian progress, from the fostering care displayed by the Government in the promotion of Agricultural Societies, and sought to plant in this colony a similar feeling. It is pleasing to find that the fragmentary seed sown is bringing forth fruit. The Provincial Government of Otago have the credit of being the first to recognise the principle of aiding Associations and individuals in experimentalising on the production of articles not at present grown. A letter has been addressed to the various Agricultural Societies of Otago, by the Provincial Secretary of that province, that appears worthy of being brought under the consideration of all interested in the t advancement of agricultural and other productive industries in the colony. We extract it from the Bruce Herald, 4th December : — " Provincial Secretary's Office, " Dunedin, Nov. 28, 1867. " Sib, — The Government will be glad to receive from the Tokomariro Farmers' Club, any observations which that body may desire to offer concerning the present condition of the agricultural interest and the means by which encouragement and assistance may be afforded to it. It appears to the Government that beyond

the difficulty of obtaining Übor with which the agricultural interest has to contend, it is also placed at a disadvantage through a want of that combination amongst those interested in agriculture, which would enable them to investigate the circumstances and conditions most favorable to its development. The G-o---vernment had some thought of issuing a commission, as has been done with advantage in some countries, but seeing that an organization already exists in the Agricultural Socities, the end may be better attained through their assistance. They might separately offer such | suggestions as they deem desirable, and, in addition, make arrangements for a general conference of representatives elected by each. This course might be ! followed by the constitution of a Board ! of Agriculture, such as exists in Victoria, | !to which body is left, if the Government I are correctly informed, the disposal of the funds voted by the Legislature for the maintenance of a model farm, for subsides to Agricultural Soceities and for analogous purposes. In the meanwhile the Government solicit from you a specific expression of opinion on the following points : — Do you think the establishment of a Board of Agriculture desirable ? 2nd — Do you advise the establishment of a Model Farm ? 3rd— Are there any productions which you consider may be introduced with advantage, if assistance towards the same be rendered by the Government ? 4th — In connection with the growth of the new | productions jx>u advise, do you consider special assistance would require to be rendered to manufactures for utilising them ? 5th — For instance, out of the vote of £2,000 for encouragement of manufactures, the governmeut have had under consideration the offering a bonus of £1,000 for the first fifty tons of sugar manufactured within the Province from Beet Eoot grown within the Province, and a bonus of £500 to any person or company producing 20,000 bushels, of marketable malt within the Province ; also, it has been suggested that encouragement should be offered to meat -curing on a large scale. "Will the Society be good enough to report on these proposals, and also to suggest any others of a similar nature which may occur to it as worthy of recommendation, and of being made the subject of the vote of the Council I have already alluded to. I have to add that should the various Agriultural Societies decide that it is desirable there should be a conference of representatives, the Government will willingly afford any assistanes which may be required to secure bo desirable an object." The valuable information that is likely to be elicited by the action taken will be most important, and should stimulate the Southland Associations to renewed activity. A fair, honorable, and sharp competition with our neighbors should be an object of ambition, The Provincial Government, we doubt not, will willingly lend its aid to this end to the fullest extent in its power, but for financial reasons that aid will be necessarily small. It can, however, do something. The Agricultural and Pastoral Association is now fairly formed. The public have taken the subject up with a spirit of' earnestness and liberality almost unprecedented ; the Province possesses stock unsurpassed, if equalled, in the colony, and agricultural produce of a superior class. The aim "and object of this society is to maintain its position as one of the most productive and best cultivated provinces in New Zealand. The Government can help it to fulfil its mission. It is most desirable that a permanent site for holding annual S shows should be secured, and it is not unreasonable to call upon the Government to supply this, and a money grant however limited it is entitled to expect. The forthcoming Show will be costly to an extent that cannot be maintained year after year. The ground upon which it will be held has certainly been freely placed at the disposal of the Association by D. McDonald, Esq., but the expense of erecting substantial yards, pens, &c, all of which will have to be removed, will entail an outlay of a considerable amount. This will be lost money, that had a permanent site been obtained would have been materially lessened. It is also desirable that on the occasion of both the Shows a public holiday should be proclaimed. The Government by doing this would at any rate evince a disposition to 1 encourage the efforts being made to advance the best interests of the Province, and show a desire to give greater aid at a more convenient period. The Horticultural and Agricultural gathering being appointed for New Tear's Day, it need not seek the assistance of the Government to make it a festive time. The Agricultural and Pastoral Association is in a different position, and no time should be lost in obtaining from the Government a public notification that the 19th December will be observed as a public holiday. The banks and business establishments, we believe, will readily fuii in with such an arrangement. :

khvt fc long and wttfisdm* ftOntuiuiraOe of Wet and cold weather, w* have now promise of lomd heat and sunshint. On Saturday the dull leaden clouds which hats fot nearly two month* hung gloomily all round the horizon, seemed thoroughly broken up, and dispersed, old Sol showing out with all his rigor and geneality once more, giving us a olear blue sky and balmy air truly cheering. It is to be hoped that we may hare an equal duration of fine weather, otherwise there will be bat poor accounts at harvest, except in plaoes extremely well sheltered ; the crops generally are looking anything but well. Potatoes especially have suffered se> verely, both from wet rot and frost blight, so that at the best now there can be but a poor yield of thiß indispensible tuber. Of turnips scarcely any have yet been sown, they will consequently, be late, but may still be grown in considerable quantities of it holds fine. However, a good warm summer, without much rain, suoh as was experienced four years ago would yet bring agricultural returns up to a fair average, the. soil beng full of moisture j— heat, such as we sometimes [ haye — would in one month change the whole aspect of the scene and fill every heart with gladness. Oampbelltown seems to be particularly unfortunate in the matter of sites fixed upon by the authorities for its public buildings. Recently the position selected for the railway terminus gave great umbrage to the good folks at the Bluff, and now it appears that a still more awkward mistake has been made in choosing the site for the Telegraph and Post-Office about to be built. A deputation from the inhabitants had an interview with His Honor on the Bubject, on TTriday last, MrKerr, Architect, accompanied the deputation, which consisted of Messrs Longuet, Tanton, and De Smidt ; Capt. Elles and Mr Butts (chief postmaster) also being present. His Honor manifested great interest in the matter, and examined minutely the plans submitted by Mr Kerr, ultimately endorsing the views of the residents so far as to promise to use his influence with the G-eneral Government to have the offices erected in the situation desired by them. The deputation withdrew after expressing their appreciation of His Honor's courtesy, and their gratification at the result of their visit. The right to occupy the one booth to be erected within the enclosure at the ensuing Grand Show, and therein to dispose of to a thirsty and hungry public all the refreshment which may be required, was sold on Saturday by Mr Todd to the highest bidder, Mr Galbraith, of the Noah's Ark, being the purchaser, at £13. We understand arrangements are in progress fora Sacred Concert on Christmas Eve, for the purpose of raising funds to improve the Church of England property. The object is a laudable one, and from what we have heard of the marked success which, hitherto, has attended the rehearsals, there can be little doubt as to. the result being most satisfactory. A man~named John Morrow was drowned at Half-way Bay, Lake Wakatip, on the 19th. ult. The facts, as reported to the police, were, that that the deceased wanted to put firewood on board a steamer ; and that, for that purpose, he drove his two -horse -waggon into about 3ft of water. After discharging his load, he commenced to turn his horses, to drive ashore. John Somerton, one of the men on board the steamer, advised him. not to turn, but to go straight ahead; but the deceased persisted, his horses plunged or slipped over the face of a steep terrace, and they and the deceased sank before assistance could be rendered. Sergeant Naden Constable Gallagher, and two hired men, were despatched from Queenstown on the 22nd, to search for the body. On that day, the waggon and horses were got ashore out of 15 fathoms of water ; and on the 23rd, Morrow's body was .dragged out of 16 or 17 fathoms. It lay about 10 yards from the waggon, and about 80 yards from the shore. The body was taken to Queenstown ; and there, on the 2ith ult. an inquest was held, the verdict being " Accidentally drowned." We extract the following Keturn of Sheep in the Province of Otago for the year 1867 from the Provincial Gazette of the 20th ult., from the Sheep Inspector's Department: — "The accompanying list shows a total of 1,930,838 sheep above six months old, of which number 1,569,530 are depastured on runs, 287,639 on freehold, and 27,428 on goldfields. There are, as per returns, 80,303 diseased sheep, but this is greatly in excess of the number actually infected, a large portion being clean or nearly so, the time not having expired for granting certificates. The number of sheep killed in Dunedin and suburbs during the last year, according to report from the Inspector of Slaughter-houses, was 26,253. The most noticeable feature during the year is the great increase of sheep on freehold properties, and, from the preparations farmers are making for keeping them, the number will in all probability be doubled next year. I expect that the principal iupply of fat meat for the Dunedin market will goon be provided for by them. It was expected that the severe weather during the winter would have a bad effect on the lambing ; a number of sheep were snowed up ; but the loss from this cause has not been so great as at first anticipated, and I beleive the increase this year will at least be equal to the last." In the Argus (Victorian), under the head of " Literary Gossip," there was an extract from the Pall Mall Gazette, relating to a passage in Shakspeare suggestive of his possible acquaintance with the theory of gravitation. The correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette who directed attention to this passage appears to have claimed, inferentially, a priority of discovery of so curious a reference ; but in a work published thirteen years ago, entitled Time and Truth reconciling tht moral and religious world to ShaJcspeare, the authoi of which is now in this colony, there occurs the following passage : — " 1 do not wish to insinuate that Newton did not discover gravity. I believe he did, and others may yet discover it; but gravitation was perfectly well known to Shakspeare before Newton waß born, which was on Christmas-day, 1642 ; for I read in the folio edition of our great pnilosopher's -worki, published in 1623," — and then follows the passage from " Troilus and Crewfsida" quoted by the correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette. The work whose title we have quoted above is one of those literary curiosities which only your genuine enthusiast can write, and its author is one of that somewhat numerous class in this colony who, though of rare intelligence and high mental cultivation, are overshadowed in respect of social advantages by those who are neither intelligent nor cultivated, but who possess the inestimable virtue of material success.

A Wellington correspondent of the Attcklnud &*rald t says :— " T saw 6 very pleasing sight on the wharf last Tuesday. Thare were 500 bales (20 tons) of vrr-Vs cleaned flax from Auckland* spread out on the wharf for transhipment for England, via Panama ; I forget what poet called the ripening corn the golden crown of Carae. There was a brilliant nun shining at the time, and the fair look of this new export was cheering and full of promise for the future. The greatest among poets speculated upon the probability of the dust of Alexander stopping a bunghola ; shall I be extravagant if I imagine most of indigenous products woven into the train of an empress ?" A Nelson contemporary of Nov. 14, says : — Our attention has been called to the probable value and importance of the gum of the phorimittm tenax. Mr Cook, late of Adelaide, who has discovered a process- by which this ingredient may be extracted in a state available for use, asserts that it is both water proof and fir© proof, and that it is capable of being applied to a great vari^y of purposes in which those qualities would be of incalculable value. We can ourselves answer for its power of resisting fire, having tested it by holding a piece of calico smeared with the gum in the flame of a candle. " Certainly no fabric covered with this material would be in danger from fire, and it seems likely, as Mr Cook suggests, that it might be applied to the caulking of ships. It must be manifest to everyone that now, whilst the question of the profitable working of the flax is not yet fully answered, the scale would be triumphantly turned by any means of utilising the gum as well as the fibre. We are not acquainted with the va v ious modes of flax dressing, but it occurs to us that Mr Cook's method of utilising the gum might be very well worked in combination with any simple mechanical mode of cleaning the fibre. Such a mode as that invented by the Key. A. G. Purchas, of Auckland, and now successfully worked, if wo are not misinformed, at Kaiapoi, in Canterbury. In this process the flax is stamped by beaters upon a roller of hard wood, whilst the refuse-matter, including the gum, is carried off by running water. Now, if this refuse matter were stopped by some kind of strainer, the gum might be as easily — probably more easily — extracted from it as from the sound leaf, and the utilisation of both parts of the flax would render the industry highly remunerative. The Independent says : — " Notice of action has been served upon the P.N.Z. Company, on behalf of the Provincial Government, an account of the injury done to the Queen's Wharf by the steamship Otago running into the outer T, damages being laid at £5000." The West Coast Times of the 25th says .— " The encroachments of the sea on the beach at the rear of Bevell-street (HoMtika), are becoming most serious. Since Saturday, from Moffatt's right-of-way up to Casey's Ballarat Hotel, several feet of the sandbank have been cut away j by the action of the wave 3, and the liighest spring ■ tide will not be reached until Wednesday. Six dwellings were swept off by the surf on Saturday evening, and several others were undermined by the waves. Of course, many of the inhabitants removed their household goods, and betook themselves to safer quarters, and not without reason, for as the heavy seas struck some of the frail tenements, they at once collapsed, wer» shivered to pieces almost like matchwood, and being carried out by the efflux of the tide, were by the returning wave thrown in fragments on the sand. During nearly the whole of yesterday workmen were busily engaged in removing houses, with the view of erecting them in localities not liable to be affected by the encroachments of the sea. Some other cottages were also destroyed by the influx of the ocean. The kitchens of some of the hotels were so injured as to put a stop to all cooking operations ; in fact, the most serious alarm is felt by many of the inhabitants of Eevell-street for the safety of their habitations. Last night the tide was very high, and the waves swept up for some distance into the various rights-of-way. On Saturday another groin to the north of the one at Moffatt's right-of-way, was laid down, although the workmen employed had much difficulty in accomplishing their task, in consequence of the boisterous weather; a number of fascines were also embedded in the sand between the two groins. These protective works are, to a certain extent, doing good, but they require to be extended for some distance further north before their merits can be fully tested. Whether they are so extended at once rests with the section-holders of Kevell-street, as the Goldfields Secretary has intimated that the Government will only proceed immediately with the necessary protective works, on the condition that the section-holders will, without delay, pay for the property they occupy." The Daily Times says : — The body of George Eeis, who Was recently reported as " lost" in the Otepopo ranges, has been found. His death was evidently not the result of fair play — which was at first suspected, at Eeis was known to be a thorough bushman. He left his home at Otepopo Bush on the 6th ult. to go pig-hunting in the ranges ; and several search parties which were formed when his stay out became prolonged, had to return without finding a trace of him. On Wednesday last, howerver, just three weeks after Eeis started, a shepherd named Davidson, while among the ranges, at a point 16 miles from Herbert, found Beis's body. Mounted-constable Cutcliffe received the information on Thursday morning ; but the rain that day, and the snow which covered the rangei, prevented the body being conveyed into Herbert until Friday. It was found that a dead pig, which had been partly " dressed," lay within 70 yards of Eeis's body ; and in the deceased's pockets, Cutcliffe found £18 in Bank notes, 5s 4d in silver, a receipt for £115 18s 3d, paid at the Waste Land Office, four small nuggets, and some unimportant papers. An inquest was held on the body, at Herbert, on Friday, and the verdict was, that Beis died from exposure, fatigue, and exertion.