A Feat in Canoeing.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3421, 29 January 1890, Page 2

A Feat in Canoeing.

(Fi'om Our Own Correspondent). Another very successful feat in canoeing has just been accomplished by Mr Geo. Park, of Jlokitika, he having, without serious mishap, navigated his frail craft from Eketahuna to Palmorston North. Mr Park (who is a brother to Mr W. Park, well-known in Masterton), has become quite famous for his recent trip from Hokitika to Lyttelton ni a Rob Roy canoo, and treats this last journey somewhat Jiglitly, but .when it is takon into consideration that Mr Park could obtain no information as to whether there were rapids to be shot or other difficulties and dangers to surmountj spme i3ea of "the pluok and enterprise of that gentleman may be formed, At 12 noon on Friday last Mr Park launched his craft, the " Sunbeam," at the Maltakahi bridge, Eketahuna, soon reaohed the Mwgatainpko, and put in the night at Pahiataai Starting again at .8 o'olook on Saturday morning, he had the misfortune to '"run" a fiW right .through the planking. The. repaired, ani before long the" Sunbeam "' was gracefully skimming tho waters of rapid and treaoherous: Manawatu. Having safely shot tho rapids and passed without a mishap the many dangers of the Gorge, Mr Park pulled his bQat.up at the bridge, at four in the afternoon, the actual time taken on the journey being about 16 hours.

The.dimensions of the'," (which , we 1! may. .Btate was; built" ■ entirely by Mr" Park) are asfollows:' Beam 27in, I length 14ft, depthiironv•' gunwale to'keel- Gin, The "Sunbeam " is decked over, 'has two watertight compartments, and weighs 751bs. •'. :..•; • Mr Park is at present staying with his brother at Pahnerston, and.intends in a few days to start for Foxton, where we "hope skill and pluck may safely land him. . Aii Interesting Encounter(Our Eketahuna Correspondent). A few days ago a young gentleman from the Empire city ■' was' touring through the Forty-Mile Bush on a Bioyole. As he was neariiig one of the township he Baw two young ladies coming towards him. Thinking.to give them a shock, he started to zigzag his machine all ovor the road, oon veying the impression at once that he was Bevoroly intoxicated, . Now,.- it chancod that these young ladies were out'just on puvpoao to air' 'their now bull pup, whioh hadthereputation of a very strong senseof duty and a thirst for cats. Whether the dog thought the bicyolo and the man were quarrelling, and one or the other required assistance we were never able to ascertain, anyhow he joined in. In the melee, the whole mass begaji to move round so spry, tho girls thought that two hundred yards was a safer, distance than ten. When their < champion rejoined them a few minutes later with part of a rubber tire in his mouth and the bicycle spoon brake' stioking under his filth rib, he was quite unprepared for tho kick he received. The young man, what of him I he still lives. When two of his friends met him a few days later in town they asked him what had been the matter. Oh I he said, I've been away. They said it was a pity ho did not come back all at once, as it spoiled his appearance.

The Father of our Grain Export.

FARMER BLUETT.

The following interesting sketch of a Canterbury celebrity is from Mr Wakefield's book on New Zealand : For many years New Zealand imported all its breadstuffs from Chili or South Australia, and, alter this import ceased,■ grow no more than was required for its own consumption. At length a Mr Bluett propounded a theory of exporting grain Ito Europe. . . •

This Bluett doserves a word to his memory hero, as the father of the New Zealand grain trade. He was a Devonshire man of good family, a young clergymau who was brought out by the Bishop of Christchurch as specially suited for Colonial work; mid so he proved to be, though in a different sense from that in whioh the worthy prelate regarded him. Commissioned to tho cure of souls in the Selwyn district, iu Canterbury, one of the best farming districts in tho Colony, and having the command of considerable means, he bought land, acquired flocks other than the flock committed by the Bishop to his care, and devoted himself to high farming. He became, in fact, what Sydney Smith called a " squarson" —a cross, that is, between a squire and a pirson-and, being a jolly fellow, was universally known throughout his country-side, and far beyond it, as Friar Tuck. His idoas of the 'proper combination of tho functions of a clergyman and of a farmer, however, did not coincide with those of his spiritual superiors. For instance, it was a common thing for him to drivo to' church oil tho top of a cartload of sheepskins, and after conducting the service in a most impressive manner, administering the Sacrament, baptising tho babies, and doing all that was neoessary within the saorei edifice, to hold.a sort of market outside, dispose of his sldns, make a deal for a colt or calf, advise the' farmers about their crops, hire a ploughman or' some reapers, and, in short, do all the agricultural business for, the week, The simple country folk saw no harm in this, but, on the contrary, 1 became strongly attached to their farmerpriest and very much influenced by him in their worldly as well as in their spiritual affairs. The Bishop did not see things in the same light. His Lordship recommended Mr Bluett to resign his oure and stick to his sheepskins, which he cheerfully did, From that day until his death in 1886 ho applied hiinfelf exclusively to rural pursuits, sitting for Borne years as the representative of Selwyn in the , Colonial Parliament, where hiß burly figure, still attired in clerical blaok, with the straight-out Oxford collar and white "choker," was always prominent wherovor a Fencing Bill, or a Cattle Bill, or a Thistle Bill, or any other measure affeoting the agricultural industry was before the House.

It was ho who first made thecalculation, and proved it by experiment that wheat might be shipped to England at a profit. The first quotation of New Zealand wheat on the London market, was treated as a joke, It was supposed to refer not to wheat from New Zealand,, but to a now wheat from New Zealand, which is quite a difference thing. Bluett, however, knew vory well what he was about, and under his strenuous advice the Selwynfarmors, believing, yet half afraid,'put great I areas of grass land into wheat, and sont it to England, The results wero perfeotly satisfactory,' and within a few years the export had risen to three or four hundred thousand pounds a year, ' The quickest and best method, moreover, had been arrived at of converting the native tussoek grass land into permanent artificial pasture, carrying throe times as many stock as the tussook carried before: and also of seouring. a rotation of crips. The grateful farmers gave, their beloved friar a banquet, and a splendid service of plate..; and in the 9iid he was their guide, philosopher, and friend. This one man's intelligence and foresight changed the whole character of a great part of the Colony, and influenced the future of its commeroe in an incalculable degree. The Adventure withaa Octopus. . ThefollowingaccouutoftbeTimarn divers encounter with on octopus is taken from the Timaru. Herald of Monday:-" William Collis, the Timaru Harbour Board's diver, met with startling experience ;on Saturday afternoon.,,'He,was engaged at the slipway, North of the Moody jetty, in about twenty-feet of water fixing-some" toil of the 'cradle/ when a largo ■ octopus," or what is cpnponjy palled'a devil-fish, rushed al'him. Collis raised his arpqa so that it would not at any rate render them usejess, !and'as;ne did so the fish grasped him about the body, and dugit's parrot-like beak jnto the breast ' of his diving dress, Collis next got bold of a rope wbiohledftora the foot

of his-communication ladder idttlia ■nde of the jetty, and dropped off the ■. l'slipwny to the sea "bottom—abortt jfourfeet. As lie did this tho octopus [reached out one'of its arms, and j grasped the plank of the slipway. With such a grip Collis could not tear himaelf'away, so he hauled on the rope, and after a fearful strain on his arms,, rope.,.and , fortunately--holding, the octopus let go his grip off „tbo' plank > and Hook an addi-.. tional grip on Collis,' right ulidufc the helmet of hie dress. Collis'thcir'quietly ,w,alkod, to the foot of tha ■ ladder, climbed /pjit/quf'of thoj" water, and landed'oh tbe'Moodyjetty,vwith his horrible-looking prizo- still,- ; embracing; .him'.' The men in ctiafgs"'''' then had a lively • Gye minutes dia< . engaging the •fish,' which had to' be' almost chopped off Collis. Th'a octopus measured 6ft Gin from tip to . lip of longest tentacles, on.', which tfero oyer a thousand Collis is tb'liil J rotainiug his presence of mind under such extremely trying circumstances," OATTLE DISEASE,,; ~,: ' Under "Crop and.Stock Prospects," The Times of November lCtlf-"-remarks:—" The queation of cattle. disease is being brought to tho front 3 in this countr,", not only with regard to the danger of foot ."and mouth disease' being re-imported from, abroad, but also in; ephsequo'nee ;of; the alarming increase in 'swirio-fevei! ■ and pleura-pneumonia in Greats Britain. During the week endingj with November 9, no less than.22Sf outbreaks of swine'-feVer ffereroporled/.' to the Board of Agriculture, and in these no lees;than 781 pigs wa < i attacked. Norfolk was the chief , sufferer, 129 swine having caught i the disease on 27 farms. Of pleura , pneumonia 21 outbreaks, and 25 ' ; head of diseased cattle, were reported. ! In connection with these, the 24 head were. slaughtered, as well as 127' healthy cattle that had'ibeen in . contact with the disease. Here, also, Norfolk was the chief sufferer, six of the cases being from that county, Here 11 diseased and 91 i healthy cattle were slaughtered.

Transforming a Herd.

The improvement of tho herd just by the process of selection may seem *g a very slow process, remarks the Leader, but let us see what is possible in five years. The dairyman has, say, 20 cows. He introduces a pedigreed bull, and at the end of tho first year has his 20 good cows andftr 10 heifer calves -supposing the to be equal. At the end of the • the second year ho has the 20 cows, 10 calves, and 10 yearling heifers, The third year he has 20 cows, 10 half blood calves, 10 yearling heifers, and ten two-year-old heifers, arid 5 three-quarter blood heifer calves.The fourth year he has 20 cows, their 10 heifer oalves, 10 yearling . half-bloodfl, 5 yearling three-quarter bloods, 10 two-year olds, with their 5 three-quarter blood calves, and 10 three-year-old half blood cowb, with their three-quarter blood cilves. At' the end of the fifth year, the 20 ' original cows remain, with their ton heifer calves, there are ten yearling half-blood heifers, 10 two-year-old heifers, 1& three-year-old and 10 four-year-old oows, with "15 three- • quarter blood calvos C yearling soveneighths blood heifers, und 5 two-year-old three-quarter blood heifers,, ; witb. 2 or 8 seven-eighth 'blood heifer;' calves. This is possible, and showsA how fast milking stojk may bq niafjSffl to double Dp when all the females ati?*- •' sayed. Each succeeding year would show a greater proportionate inorcaso. The proportion of heifer calves might be more or less than half during the ' short poriod of five years, but it would probably average about'that. Tho increaso. is such that there is ample chance for selection, while the animals, male and female, sold would consider- ■• ■■ ably increase the receipts, oven if-the- ■ milch cows are kept down to the ; original number ot 20, To thosa : v who have never tried it, or witnessed the. process of 'development, it is ■.•■; astonishing to observe thecbangos, and improvements in the appearance and quality of the herd from the third year, when the two-year-old heifei'B come into.milk.and take the . place of 10 of the original cowa.'The change is complete at tho end of tho fourth year, only grades—2 arid 8-" ' year-olds-appearing;" with threequarter and Boyen-oightli blood, coming on to fill their places. So it does not take so long to transform"v i herdj.andfff thoselection of blodd'i]jr ! ) i good, nothing pays the dairyman" i better, or gives him 5 a warmer feeling ' . of satisfaction,

Market Gardening. .-. : _,, —■ ■.. /, -<f •■The mistake tlmji.tho Chinese gardoner makes in, vegetable culture . is that be overcrowds his plants. Any onowhohasa knowledge of market gardening sees when ho glances over one of the long narrow beds of cabbages/ •&&,;conimon to; Chinese, gardens, that there are four rows ' planted in them when there should be only two. The plants also are too close in the row, This crowding ia. the sole reason of the inferiority of Chinese-grown cabbage, cauliflower, • and lettuce, The Chinaman does this because bis area of land is limited, and be works entirely with hand labour. The European settler who thinks'of competing with' the Cliinaman in vegetable growing must remembor that his Gret axiom shpjjid be not to overcrowd. Lund with is not so valuable, therefore he should let the rows for cabbages and,cauli. flowors be 8lt ; Gin apart, and the plants three feet distant one from tho other in the row. Then the tillage ~ can be all done by horse. laboureven cross tillago can then bo accomplished if the plants aro accurately planted—the soil can bo kept loose, and so: aerated, no watering will be required except in seasons of droughty lessmanuro will be necessary, andl fino vegetables tho result, One goodplant is worth two or threo inferior ones and sells moro readily, and the. cabbage tribo requiro tillage and room, for in this lattor respect they . are like human beings, and muat have a free circulation of air about, them. This is shown by the universally superior quality of the, outside row of r cabbages in a crowded bed,

A Celebrated African CM ;,: Tippoo Tib, whose name frequentk occurs in Stanley's cDrrespondeijpe from Central Africa, and for whoso ■'' prowess the English explorer has .a strong respect, is (whites the London correspondent of the Liverpool Post) ' an exceedingly interesting old gentle-,. v man. Mr Herbert Ward, who was'"" with Stanley at the outset of his last expedition, has many interesting stories to tfjll. about ))im, .Hisroalname is Hamid'ijehMohammed, hia' ■]■'■ on the part 6f-tho 'natives)' Tippo .: has a pleasing way of'■■going ■;■■-.- j round fa the early [morning' enf '■

prising peaceful' Villages whero ivory is reported to bo 'stored, and pegging away with his Rifles.'• The natives used to'."say that the sound of his gun was like " tip, tip, 'tip," benco they called him Tib,'' which Europoanr rendered''' into the now famous Tippoo'Tib. Tippoo is as wealthy, as he is rapaoious. Mr Ward has a photograph which ho took of him • in front of his hut, Biirrounded by his braves, who aro standing guard by 80 tons of ivory, worth at least £75,000, Tippoo, in presence of his treasures, woars an 7 amiable, almost angelic expression.