THE STATE OF THE COLONY. Auckland, Feb. 16.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 344, 20 February 1889, Page 4

THE STATE OF THE COLONY. Auckland, Feb. 16.

Captain Asilby returned to Auckland this morning after a rapid trip through the colony, extending over a period of three weeks. During that time he has travelled through every provincial district in the colony, and it is satisfactory to find that he has been afforded every facility for seeing the country, the Government having extended to him ample railway priviliges, wnilo equal courtesy wns experienced at the hands of the Union Steamship Company. Captain Ashby came across many familiar fac s in the South, and amongst these were numbers of people who had come to the colony as passengers with him. Everywhere he was kindly received, and nis trip has been a pleasant and enjoyable one. It is gratifying to find that Captain Ashby is very favourably impressed with what he has seen of the state of the colony. He informs us that the country both North and South is looking prosperous, and on every band the farmers whom he met spoke in very sanguine terms of their future pro&pects. While he was in the Wellington district the captain spent a night with a squatter, who assured him that he waS making a clear profit of £1 per acre on his run of 4,000 acres. " This block of land," says the captain, "is not equal to a great deal of the land North of Auckland which can be purchased from 15s to 20s per acre. " Wellington merchants stated that they find times hotter now than in any previousperiodin theirevperiences. Captain ( Ashbys stay in Auckland will be very brief, as bo leaves for London by the next outward 'Frisco mail steamer on Monday week.

Petroleum Oil pob Insects. — The simplest plan to use this substance to destroy insects on plants is to make some moderately-strong soapsuds and mix a little oil with it. It readily combines with the snds, and can be then applied uniformly with a syringe. Ib is the best thing for mealy bugs, and may be used in dilution suited to the nature of the plant requiring treatment.! The Defence Department finds that, making due allowance for invalids and youths, there are 100,000 men in the colony capable of bearing arms if necessary.