DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1920, Page 2

DISTRICT NEWS.

WAI-TOI-TOI, , (From Our Own Correspondent.) The Urenul Hal! was well filled on Monday evenine last, on Hie occasion of the farewell social tendered to Mr. T. O'Neill, who was married on Wednesday last, and lias left the district to enter into business down tlio roast. Mr. (leo. Fuller capably carried out the duties of M.C., and Miss A. Terrlll was pianist. During the evening Mr. A. H. Hslcombe, on behalf of the residents of the district, presented Mr. O'Neill with a very handsome clock, and In a few appropriate remarks expressed the regret which was felt at Mr. O'Neill's departure frnm Tlrenui, and the esteem in which he was held by a large circle of friends. During his residence hero that gentleman had willingly done his best for any social functions, and as, a cricketer he would be greatly missed by the Urenui Club. He trusted that both Mr. and the future Mrs. O'Neill would enjol a happy and prosperous future, and wished him' every success in his new business venture. Three hearty cheers were given for Mr. and the future Mrs. O'Neill, and all present, joined in singing "For He's a .lolly Good Fellow". Mr. O'Neill suitably acknowledged the renarks made by Mr. Ualeomhe, and thanked them all most heartily for the handsome gift which had been presented. He regretted leaving the district very much, and referred to the happy years spent In Urenul. During the evening Mr. Halrombe alluded tn an anonymous letter which had been received by the M.C., reflecting on the manner in which those duties had" been carried out, and delivered some pointed remarks to the sender, stating that the M.C. liad been appointed by the committee to carry out the (lances, and until, the person who made the complaints had the courage to come forward and substantiate ineiii no notice would be taken of such communications. I have since heard that Mr. Fuller has received another letter i:>a similar strain.

At a meeting of the Mm! School Committee last week. It was reported that the prizes had been chosen, and it was decided iliat they should he presented on the evening of Friday, December 17, when t!io school would be dismissed for the usual summer vacation. A ertmnrlttee mas appointed to c«rry out the necessary arrangements for a social evening In connection v.'ith the prizegiving, when singing, etc., and dancing will be indulged In for a few hours. A number ol Invitations have been issued to friends outside the district., and it is expected, If tile weather proves favorable that a successful gathering will take place. Mr. Gould had a large attendance in the schoolroom on Friday evening, when he delivered an interesting address on the reading of the Bible. The etlldren were given verses which they had to find in the Bible, and commit to memory, and the singing of a few hymns, with Miss Phillips presiding at the organ, brought the evening to a close. The drawing of the 1 raffle for the doll and Lilly's companion in connection with the New Plymouth Girls' Hostel Fund tooltj place on Friday last at the factory, the former being won by Mr. A. Spurr and the. latter by Mr. Jas. Boss. It is stated that the he*tol funds will benefit; to the extent of some £8 by the raffle. Besides this, several contributions of poultry, etc., were forwarded by Mr. Moss to New Plymouth for the Christmas Fair.

The decline in the price of cheese In the Home market, has caused some of the faeloiies which were shipping that commodity to discontinue cheese-making and go in for suiter. Those factories which: sold outright, delivery to be taken at the freezing chamber, irrespective of shipping charges, are oh very good terms with themselves.

iAn interesting paragraph in your Farm and Dairy columns last week, referring to the amount of nitrogen taken out of the ground by such crops as mangolds, wheat, potatoes, etc., calls to mind a very able article written by Mr. A. Crafts in a recent .Issue of the Scientific American. After alluding to the great falling off In/ wheat production in America, tbrough the constant cropping of theso areas without giving the soil the necessary assistance in the matter of manuring, he points out. how tho farmers of Northern Colorado practically brought back the worn-out grain fields by green-manuring with alfalfa, to their original fertility. The writer gives some startling comparative tables of the productiveness of the soil before and afrep green-iu'jjiuirlrtg witl:: thifi wonderful plant. It has also been tried with great success as a re-fertilisation for potato-grow-ing; and. further, has the advantage of being a standard fawn crop, and may be used as a green manure crop without any break in farm production—that is, no time will be lost in producing a green manure crop, because It is already produced, and may be pijnghed under any fall and the land seeded for some other crop next spring. He also claims that the growing of sugar beets greatly improves the fertility of the land, his comparisons showing an increase of 68.0 per cent, in tie case of wheat, 43.7 in rye, 21.8 in oats, 87.5 in barley, 5.97 in potatoes, and 1.10 In rape. Though In some localities It has been found somewhat difficult.to permanently establish lucerne In this country, still, with ordinary care It can be grown with success for one or even u couple of seasons, and as a fodder for cattle oi sheep Is second to none. Most ot our agricultural experts agree, that the time is coining when artificial manuring cannot be continued with profit, and it would scbui that sooner or later green-manuring will have to bo gone in for extensively.

Most of the fanners in tl:ls district are now busy preparing the land for swede crops, and there will probably be a .fair area of this useful root crop under cultivation this season. Though last year good crops were the exception rather than the rule, still It does not follow that this will be the case for this winter. Hay-making will soon be In full swing, and several paddocks in this locality srow promise of a good yield, and ensila-ge-makljiß will also form a prominent •tatur* of provision for the wlaUr jnomlu.