Deeds of Daring Note.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3138, 25 February 1889, Page 3

Deeds of Daring Note.

In the course.of my Now Zealand t< racing experience I have seen somo " deods. of daring note" performed at various race meetings throughout the colony, hut I don't think Ihiive seen anything mora daring than tho two ~ cases of "ropiug" thatocourreii at the - New Brighton Bacing Club's Trotting Meeting on Thursday of last week, and yet in at least one case the Stewards were complaisant enough to lot tho offendor off with a line. This , was.in the Novel Saddle Trot, in which . Despised, who was next best favorite to Charlie A., was palpably , pulled a few yards iroiii-tho post, iind Spot then managed to win;.. The Stewards could not decently remain entirely passive in tho face of such a flagrant case, which was palpable to tho veriest tyro, so they hailed the driver of Despised (who by the way, , was tlmfc ntig'a ownor) before them. . Of course, he had a plausible story for i ears. According to. his state- (. SBjjit Despised was "choked" by her . tho early part of the race • oßßrmch was rather" thin" seeing that .• as soon as she had passed the solitary limit horses, uharlie A. and Blind Kate, which sho succeeded in doing in the first mile, bho had the race in band. Furthermore, Douglas produced eight totalisacor, tickets as evidence he had backed the mare (it would have been interesting to have learnt where those tickets came from), and the Stewards thought a fine of £5 for " suspicious riding" and a reprimand would meet the case. Douglas can thank his lucky stars he was not exhibiting himself on the Lancaster Park ground, or bo would not have escaped with less than disqualification for a lengthy term, if not forever, The affair was mado even more palpablo when Despised (again with her owner up) carried off the HandiAp Saddle Trot from "a field of ten, ™d, wonderful to relate, covered the two miles in eight seconds less than she had previously only just been beaten in by Spot. But the Steward? took not the slightest notice of this extraordinary reversal of form! I didn't wait till

. the twilight fell for the Improvised Jjj Consolation Trot. The last raco put ■ n "down on the card, the Handicap Novel Trot (in harness), was quite enough for myself and a majority of the spectators, who, like the Arab "stole silently away," The same Novol Trot was an even funnier race than the race of the same description run at Heathcote on the opening day of the present month, and for his performance in which Nobby and his driver had to undergo the penalty of (lisqualitication for six months. It certainly looked in the race at New Brighton as if every one of the six competitors had the "strings" on, but the driver of the Duke of Con naught (who in this caso, as in the other "suspicious" case, happened to be the .ihorse's owner) was tho most artistic Jprformer of the lot. The Stewards could no longer shut their eyes, and the Duke of Connaught and Mr Oorrigan were placed under the ban for twelve months. The other features of the meeting are dealt with in the report appearing in another column. The officials of the Club—barring the faot of tho time of starting the various races being all behind hand—worked hard to make things" gee," but the Stewards were

_ ; grossly remiss in the discharge of Mfhoir duties, and it is to be hoped ' that on future occasions they will, in the interests of their best patrons, the public, evince a little more backbone and grit,—Sir Launcelofc in the Eeferee,

All Anecdote ot Mr Blight ! Mr Bright used to be fond of iub)on fishing in the Highlands. One Slming he and his party were return, ing to the inn, after a day of poor sport to all except biniselt—and he had a'brace of fine salmon. By the roadside on a heap of stones, they passed a wretched looking man weeping, with' his hands on his face and all in rags, In answer to Mr Bright's enquiry, he told a piteous tale of starvation at home, of a sick' child and five hungry children, The Tribune put his hand in his pocket but

unluckily had no change, "Never mind, take that " he said, offering a salmon; "it will at least make a good dinner for you once." The sequel was as follows: After washing his hands, Mr Bright was coming down to dinner, when a girl happened to .bo crossing the larder with a fine • fish, " That is my salmon," said Mr /Bright. 11 1 know him for he was on the outa'de, Where did ■you,get it)" "Oh,from Sandy," B«hesimple Scotch lassie, "and he is in the taproom," Mr Bright looked rather grim and stern, forced his way into the taproom, where his lachrymose friend sat with a number of cronies taking bis "nip," and in full glee recounting his adventure, Nor was he a bit abashed at the stern face of the People's. Tribuno, but had begun a long explanatory statement, when the glance of scorn which had electrified Parliaments and audiences swept, over him, Without tt word Mr Bright returned to his place. Afterwards Mr Bright was not so lavish with his fish,"

Some Exclusive Products in the Pacific Coast. There are at least seven different products which are now, and will be hereafter, almost exclusively confined to the Pacific States, Besides these there are three or four more which will have more prominence on this side of the country than anywhero Thus the seed interest is desto a very great expansion, r'T»Some particulars of this interest ■wore given two years ago. In the single county of Santa Clara not less than 12,00 acres are now devoted to the production of garden seeds. Over sixty thousand pounds of lettuce seed and one hundred and twenty thousand pounds of onion seed have been shipped East from these grounds in a single season. In other counties quite a business has been developed in the production of clover seed, peas and beans, for'the supply of distant markets. Now, while this State may nonsecure the monopoly of the seed business, because good seeds in great variety are grown in the Atlantic States, the rapid increase of the business in California indicates that one, at least, of the great centres of the seed business :is to be in this Stale, The quality of many small seeds produced here, as in the instanoe of onion and Jettuco seed, will have have - 'much to do in bringing the seed interest into greater prominence. •faring last season there were packed on this coast not less than . 1,000,000 cases of salmon, That bvsinesß is exclusively confined to the : . Pacific. Coast. It extends irom the : : Sacramento river northward to tho ./ waiver - and bays of Alaska. The /■: of this business iutho

future will be only limited by the demand-at liomo and abroad for the product. It has already exceeded the home demand, and tho export trade is now beginning to make a: figure in the commerce of the Pacific Coast.

There are no raisins produced in this country outside of California. nor is it likely that inuoli raisin. country will be found outside of this State. The. raisin and wino interests are almost exclusively confined to; California. What wine is produced in Ohio' and New York makes no figure in the industrial statistics of the country. There never yet has beeu any exact definition of the area of land in California which is well adapted for the production of rains. But it is not supposed- tlmt one-fifth of all the land suitable for that industry is to-day covered with vines. The 950,000 boxes of raisins, and the 2,090,000 gallons of wine, more or less, suggest tho possibilities of the future, . . ' ' .

Then the making of olive is in its infanoy. The produce is almost exclusively confined to this State. These is little prospeot that the area of olive orchards will be entended much beyond' California, although tho tree flourishes in some parts of Mexico. It is now about one hundred years since the first olive trees were planted at tho Mission stations, But it is hardly more than ten years since the first olive trees were planted at the Mission stations, But it is hardly more than- ten years since the manufaotare of olive oil from the product of new orchards begon to attract my attention here. It is probable also that the only State m the Union .which will make any figure in the production of the dried figs of commerce will be California; and this will probably be trne as to apricots and prunes, although the exact limits suitable to tho production of these fruits may extend on the south behind the boundaries of the State, In most of the particulars mentioned California and the Pacific Coast will have almost the exclusive control of the products, While citrus will not be confined 'to this State there is a good prospect that ten years hence these fruits will exceed in bulk and volume those produced in any other State in the "Union,—San Francisco Bulletin,

Useful to Fruit Growers. A correspondent of the Prairie Farmer says For nurserymen and skilled orchardists nothing need be said on this topic, but from my observation it seems that many just setting young trees might improve their orchards by a hint or two. For instance, take peach trees. If allowed to grow without direction, they T\ill send out a few long slender branches that Btart well up from the ground. If these are not pruned back, they will have grown so long by the time the tree is old enough to bear, that the chances are they will not support their fruit without propping, and have spread so far apart that the sun reaches the body and blights or scaldß it. In either case the tree is broken by its overload of fruit, or is destroyed by sun blight, aud about one large crop is all that the tree bears. This may seem a little overdrawn, but its no more than I have seen. Now if the planter of the tree had headed it down within a foot of the ground, and in the Fall, or Spring if that season tor any reason is preferredhad out each main root off half way hack to its starting point! pruning again each succeeding year, the results would have been very different Tho branches would he short and strong enough to support their fruit without .props. They would also be more brandling and 110? spreading as to expose the trunk; and last, but not least, they would bear their fruit within picking distance, Besides this, it is probable that prunning back would cut off somo of the fruit buds, but what are left would produce a orop of better peaches. This would give longer life to the tree, and instead of one immense crop of small fruit, several crops of choice fruit might bo expected. I am of the opinion that most of the varieties of the apple may profitably bo treated in the same way; only the first heading should not be quite so low as for the poach. Do not cut out the inside so much as cut back the ends of the long growing limbs, making the top more compact.