STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 473, 1 June 1875, Page 2

STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE.

An incident occurred on 9th March in the Hou*^ of Commons, for which there is no precedent in ttie history of "collective wisdom." It seems that during the debate on the motion of Mr Pease, respecting the customary tenants of lands held lately under the Dean and fc/hapter of Durham, two strangers walked into the House unobserved and elected to sit down on the front Opposition bench below the gangway, and close to the chair of the Sergeant-at-'Arms. They listened attentively to the speech of Mr Mowbray, in opposition to the motion, and when the division bell was rung, failed to notice the injunction of the Speaker respecting the withdrawal of strangers. The "ayes" *and " noes " subsequently filed off to their respective lobbies, leaving the strangers still seated with the utmost composure. Lord Eslington, who was acting as teller with Mr Pease for the "ayes," then approached the intruders, and failing to recognise them, an explanation ensued, and they stated at once that they were '•strangers." Captain Gossett and Colonel Forester were forthwith summoned, and the strangers were escorted to a " secure place " until after the division had been taken. They subsequently explained that they were licensed victuallers, who had been attending a meeting in the neighbourhood, and had strolled into the lobby to w.tness the machinery of legislation. One of them produced an order, and both expi*essed their regret at having unwittingly committed a breach of privilege far graver than any that has lately been brought under the notice of the House. They were not, howaver, in the least degree frightened at the enormity of an offence which, j under the system in vogue a decade or two ago for dealing with similar transgressions, would probably have entailed censure and a heavy pecuniary fine. They retired with many apologies for their error, but with the proud reflection that they had done that which others actually elected by large constituencies have not been able to accomplish. It seems that they passed unchallenged the door-keepers, the bar messengers, and the police.

George 11. was apt in his rages to forget the little dignity that he had, or wished to have, when calm. Shortly after the union with Scotland, the choleric Hanoverian monarch; in a fit of irritation during a private conference, threw his wig into the face of John, Duke of Argyll, immortalised by Pope and Scotfc. McCjtllum More reddened. The perfervidum ingenium Scotorura carried his hand to his court rapier, but he turned abruptly on hj3 heel, and descending the private staircase, ran agaiust Sir Robert Wai pole, ascending it. * Why, Duke,' said the good-humoured Premier, *yo«^ seem flurried ' ' Flurried, sir ! I'm nae less. Tour vile German bo >r—lr — I oanna tell you- He — he dared to throw his odious, vulgar wig in the face of me ; of me, air, me~McCal!um More.' « Pooh,' guflUwed the Premier, 'is that all? Why my dear Duke, the fellow has done so many a time to me.' 'You! I spoke of the Duke of Argyll.' * And I,' retorted the Minister, nettled in his turn, * I spoke of one able, at any moment, to make a score of dukes.' Not one Duke of Argyll,' retorted the Scot : * your accursed Act of Union £*»s lsft us, at least, that b ast.' The three richest men in the British Housfa of ~ Commons are self-made men, with no family arms. One is Sir George Elliott, who made £460,000 last year. The others are Messrs Fielden and Hermon, worth about £600,000 a year each.

Asa rule, our potato cultivators plant in the spring ; some, however, and among them that woll-known authority on matters pertaining to the cultivation of the potato, the Rev W, F. Radclyffo, of Blandford, adopts the practice of, and strongly recommends, autumn planting ; but let it be remembered that soil and climate in his particular locality are alike .favourable to this practice. It not much applied, and I think the excahsive rainfall of the present winter would deter mifltoy from attempting it. Where autumn planting can be carried out, early crops are insured ; and no doubt this advantage does attend it, that the crops are harvested before the potato disease can do them injury. Another successful amateur potato cultivator, Mr Peter M'Kinlay, of Beckenham, reverses the invariable wile followed by gai'deners, instead of planting the early potato first in the spring, and the ones to succeed them, he plants his late t&rieties iirat, finishing up with the early kinds. 3$ the early varieties are sure to turn in quickly, the l^ain thing is to get the late varieties ripe as early as possible in the season, and it will be obvious that if they are planted early they will be tit for harvesting early. There is this further advantage, that the crop gets fairly into size of tuber before there is reason to apprehend danger from drought in early summer. Mr M'Kinlay strongly recommends his plan after testing it for two 01 three years. As a matter of course, the tubers are carefully looked after during the winter, and are well sprouted by planting time. The best plan is to lay out seed potatoes thinly, either in shallow boxes or on shelves, but in any case in a cool, dry, and airy spot, caie being taken that frost does not get at them. The object in doing this is to get the tubers to sprout freely, when they are put into the ground and some fine light soil placed about them, they at once make root, and speedily (if the weather is at all favourable) throw up a strong growth. How often do we hear complaints that seel potatoes are blind, meaning that they make no growth after being planted ? This results in a great measure from keeping the seed tubers in a heap, which causes the underneath ones to sprout,; they «re <hen > turned over and the sprouts rubUed^ff^nchso^times this is done three or four times through^ tire winter. This occasions great waste in the tubers, *so much so that many of them when planted in the ground make no growth whatever. The best advice I can give t© the purchasers of seed potatoes is to lay them out in shallow boxes or on open shelves in a dry, airy room or loft, that is cool, where there is a free circulation of air, care being taken that frost is excluded when it threatens. Some of the early varieties — for instance, Fenn's early white kidney, purple ashleaf, Lee's Hammersmith kidney, &c. — commence sprouting very early in the season, and it would be well if the purchasers of seed potatoes would, as a rule, get in their seed by the middle or end of August at the latest. By treating the seed tubers in this way, the young shoots, when they commence to grow become, strong and robust, especially in the case of the very "pearly varieties ; and, if the tubers are kept quite dry and airy, tlje shoots rarely advance beyond a certain stage^of growth. It is, therefore, evident that tubers so treated, when carefully planted, retain all their original strength and vigour, and will be certain to prove most productive. When the work of planting is commenced the tubers should be carried to the garden in shallow baskets or boxes, and be laid in the trench so carefully as not to rub off any of the sprouts, and a rapid and even growth will then ensue. But what of cutting large tubers into a certain number of sets of a certain size ? My own experience as a potato cultivator, extending over a series of several years, proved that this can be safely done without injury or waste. I prefer to plant whole tubers if not too large ; but in case of some varieties, and especially so with that of the high-priced American sorts, the seed of which is imported to a great extent, and which is often very large in size, it is desirable to cut them. The large tubers should be allowed to remain uncut till they begin to develop their eyes, or sprout from the eyes, and then they can be cut into twa or even five or six pieces, if each contains a strong eye* After being cut, the parts severed with the knife should be plunged into some dry silver sand two or three times ; this prevents the flow of the juice of the tuber, and it soon dries up and becomes calloused over. When the ■wounds of cut tubers are not staunched a good deal of waste ensues, and deterioration follows. In the case of new varieties — as, for instance, the American snow-flake, for which as much as 12s per lb was paid last season, or thsnew Alpha, for which the same is now being charged — they can be cut up into single eyes, sanded as before directed, and, when dry, potted singly into small pots, started into growth in a gentle heat, and encouraged to grow as strong as possible, and then gradually hardened off till they can be planted out in a prepared trench in the open ground, In this manner choice varieties can be propagated with rapidity. It is, no doubt, by the employment of some such means as this that the enormous quantities (if the reports published in the American papers can be believed) ..are produced from a single pound weight in that coutftey. I can, however, scarcely recommend this plan to exhibitors of the potato. If a few good tubers of any one variety are wanted for the exhibition table, some sets, having more than one eye, ought to be planted. Good-sized sets ought to be selected in all cases of growing for competition, and, if the soil be appropriate, handsome smooth roots can hardly fail to be produced. The potato is now as much a subject for show purposes as the most popular of our exhibition flowers ; and this rivalry among cultivators is doing much to bring to the fore the best varieties, replacing others of doubtful quality and inferior cropping properties. R,D.