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Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 257, 10 March 1898, Page 2

As the date for holding the Cambridge Chrysanthemum Show approaches, there generally arises some trouble " iu the family " of growers of show blooms. Generally, it is a cow or some large animal, that causes the trouble, but this year it is tho diminutive cricket that is giving trouble. Miss Ewen, one of the lady champion growers, has been mulching her plants considerably, and thereby harboured a large family of crickets that suddenly developed a taste for chrysanthemums much to the detriment of Miss Ewen's plants. Mr Barker is having the premises iu Victoria-street, Cambridge, that h e purchased some little time since, converted into two good shops, which wil much improve the appearance of the street. Mr Pettigrew, of Ngaruawahia, has the contract, and, judging by the excellent work he did for Mr Harkcr at Hamilton, ho will doubtless give every satisfaction at Cambridge. He is certainly a finished workman, for the other day we inspected a violin he had made, the back and belly of it being of totara, the former beautifully mottled, and it was finished as well as any we ever saw, and the tone of it was also good for a new instrument. At tho meeting of 'he Board of Education the following rccommendatio:is for appointments and transfers were submitted :—Mr G. Lippiatt to Pokeno ; Mr A. A. Kenny from Hamilton East to Waihou ; Miss A. Gillett from Taupiri to Hamilton East; Miss A. A. Beatty to Taupiri; Mrs Pulmau sewing teacher to Pukete; Miss L. Troughear sewing teacher to Kimihia. Mr Fullerton waited on the Board in reference to the removal of the Te Kowhai school to a more central site. The Whatawhata School Committee to be consulted. Longman's Ship Literary Readers were adopted. I see the Waipa County Council (writes our Ohanpo correspondent) are getting some much-needed repairs done on the roads before the winter comes in. I understand it is their intention to put twenty trucks of coarse gravel on the road passing McNicol's Yards on towards Te Awamutu. While they are on the job it would be no harm if they sent their men to chop down one or two willow trees that are growing across the road. So far the County works go on all right without the aid of a certificited engineer. I hold the opinion, with many others, that for road making in the Waikato a practical man with a little commoD sense is all that is required. We learn with regret that Mr W. Wallace, of Pukerimu, lost a couple of wheat stacks by fire on Tuesday morning, and the thrashing machine be longing to his father had a narrow escape of being destroyed. Operations had only just commenced when a spark must have been blown on to the stack, and almost immediately it and another one adjoining were in flimes. The machine also caught fire, but by the united exertions of the men it was with great difficulty extinguished before much damage was done to it. In saving the machine Mr Beauman was badly scalded, but ho nevertheless stuck to his task and succeeded in accomplishing it before much damage had been done. We are pleised to know that in a couple of days all necessary repairs will have been effected, and thrashing will be in full swing again with Mr Wallace's machine. On Tuesday Captain Steele concluded the sale of a property at Tamahere, owned by the New Zealand Loin and Mercantile Agency Co., consisting of some 700 acres, adjoining Wetitworth, Mr E. Rhodes' well-known farm. The purchaser (Mr Petersen) has been a Taranaki resident for many years, and may therefore be reckoned a good practical farmer. Like many others we have heard of as coming from this favoured locality, the high rates obtained for land there has induced many to part with their holdings and seek for other investments farther North. The boom in Taranaki, due to the great development of tho dairying industry, has caused a considerable rise in land values, aud many others will no doubt follow Mr Petersen's example -when they get to know what good bargains can be got in Waikato. We congratulate Mr Petersen on his purchase, and the Waikato district on securiug a good practical farmer as a settler.