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Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 464, 19 April 1890, Page 3

• The introduction'of-the-study of agriculture into the common schools (remarks our Whangarei correspondent) is a step in the right direction. At every school there should be sufficient ground attached to cultivate plants and trees, particularly of an'ebohomic'-character. ' This the late Inspector, Mr O’Sullivan, never lost sight of in urging the districts:td hai'e"a little bit ot, room about their schools — a few acres .’of gr 6 u net attached to’ enable* the teachers to have a garden. At the Experimental Grounds, Maunu r ,ne'ar Whapgarei, Mr Hislop is cultivating successfully many plants ‘of a valuable sort, for instance, the arrowroot and ginger piahts, the fibre producing ramea (?) and J sissal 1 (?), ’■ blight -•proof* American grape vines, codlin moth catchingt.creeper (I forget the correct names), and- iLjidsb of others that to learn the habits of would be useful and interesting to the young farmers of both" sexes." Iti reference to the arrowroot and ginger plants, - they are cultivated successfully by-one settler at le&sb.in-this ■ district, and th.e produce is finding a ready and remunerative sale. In this connection - it' might "'be - remarked.' remarked what a very small plot’of ground would ser^p.to grow ljhese-plp,nts, and when, people how could a family live on 50 acres ; the answer is their ignorance and lack of- bhirfb wbuld be th'e ’only’ difficulty .in the way. For"’instance* thedemon-trees that would grow, on-one acre, would alone’ supply . a nice .revenue to -an industrious * This is ! nob Hn; : the' region' of speculation, for many '• of- our settlers who have > planted lemon," and orange' -trees: and- have .taken. care of: .them .are now .finding the benefit. It might. - ,indeed, be said that most of them have abhe'fsdv Tn- plum's of different sorts," what-can be don'e ? One settler was heard bO,regrab;.this that, instead ;of six tons . of-plumß/a?ffie had, .the;,previous year,_ he 1 ha'd'.only' 'four toris, but - that' at the prices ruling J thiß-ye£ir would bring’‘a 'dice sum: ofIt might be.put,at;sdor-6d per’lb,; taking a. very moderate view.*of the case.,