COMMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1757, 9 October 1883, Page 2

COMMENTS.

Wkuk n, niraxigcv asked to name the most prominent features in the Waikato landscape, it is almost certain that furze would find a place in the list. Year by year the furze, gorse, op whin, as it is indifferently called, according to the locality from which the settler hails, has been steadily spreading' itself over the district. It has now assumed somewhat alarming- proportions, audit is with rq

sensation of surprise, but the contrary, that we hear of the determination of the local bodies in the counties of Waiknto ami Wai pa to grapple energetically with the nuisance, hud, if possible, to remove it. Loc.il boil.es have been supplied with a lever in tins shape of the ]01st clause of the Public Woiks Act, which provides that owums or occupiers of land adjoining roads on wliich fuive is growing must, on receipt of proper notice, cut down anil grub up the fnize, or lender themselves liable to a fine of £5 per day for each day the nuisance is suffered to exist after the evpiry of a month, and must pay the cost of cutting and gin bhing if undertaken by the load boat (I. With such n ueipon as this in their hands, the road boards should experience iio diHiculty in cairying out their piogramnie. The Borough Council of Hamilton aro about to make amove in the same direction, and not befoie it was tune. Many of the back streets of the borough aie literally choked with furze, and die piactically impassable. If people like to cultivate furzj on their own land, there can be no possible objection to their doing so : indeed, if subjected to a certain piocess the plant may, aa is well known, be profitably utilised as winter fodder : but on the public roads it is a source of danger, and a general nuisance, and cannot be put out of the way a moment too soon.

Thk apathy of farmers on the subject of the small l>iid nuisance is as inexplicable as it is deploiable. It cannot be that they have not received ample and timely admonition. Season after season we have made pointed allusion to the subject, and endeavonied to the best of our ability to suggest the ways and means by which the i auks of the sparrows and their fello'vs might be thinned. The vendois of poisoned grain too, by advertising in our columns, have kept the matter well in view. But all this has resulted in very little being done. An odd farmer here and there lias provided himselt with a few pounds of the doctored wheat, and gratified himself, maybe, with the sight ot a score or two of dead sparrows and larks ; or the yotithtul members of some settlois' families lu\o blazed away a few canisters of powder and hhol with the same result. But w hat docs all this amount to ? Nothing. On every hand we hear that the small birds are increasing and multiplying at a tin ions late, and those who have sowed their fields and planted their gaidcns aic woepmg and wailing over tlieii blighted pi ospects. Intiutli this is no oveidiawn picture ; its accuracy will be vouched for by hundreds who yet \\ ill not leai n the lesson it .so plainly inculcates. It seems that, deep ab is our hatted of thespdrroxv.it is the laik who is the chief cnlpi it. But then it is almost beyond human nature to declare war on the little teatheicd song-tor whose praises have been trumpeted forth in language so eloqueut as Shelley's and the Kttriok .Shepherd's. The hand upraised to scatter the poisoned giatn ha& often been withdiawn lost the "bird of the wilderness" the "blithe spirit," which the author ot " Alastor "' declared was no bird, should perish. We sympathise w ith the loving sensibility ot those who would fain spare the little skylark. The beautiful, joyous little elf, that dwells lowly on the ground, but whose song is chanted high up in the heavens, links most of us with associations too sacred to relinquish. But a linenntstbedrawiisomewheie, as the baiber said to the chimney sweep, explaining at the same time that baker's men wore the humblest units in the social scale on which ho exercised his tonsoiial lit. We love the skylaik, ns in a gieatei or loss degioe we extend our affection to all eioated animals, hut when they &tcp in between us and our daily bread we must pocket our sentiment and squelch them. Now the laiks have developed a singular aptitude for nipping offcxciy green bhoot which the to&tciing o.iro of man has been the means of laising abo\ c the surface of the ciiitli. Cabbages, ptvs, beans, onions, oats, wheat, barley, clover, grass, .and even blue gums are all one to these omnivorous little pests, and many wasted patches of ground bear silent and plaintnc testimony to their greed. However, the sulicieis will have to grin and beat it. It is quite too late now to take in hand any lepiossne measuies. Our object in touching on the subject is to urge on the farnicis the necessity of earnestly coping with the nuisance during the next winter.

The Cambridge Roman Catholic conceit Ikis been ai united tv be held at the latter end of the cm 1 out month.

The annual concert at Hautapu school is advertised to bo held on Friday, the li)th iiibt.

An error inadvertently crept into the lepoit of the Cambridge K.M. Comfc in our issiiu of Ba,tuidav Lust. In the h-<t i f civil cases gi\en, ludgnipnt wms foi the plaintiff-.' .uid not for the defendants ;is stated.

A large number ot new cottages are being built at Cainbiidgo. Foi some time past the building trade there h.is been hoinewli.it bii^k.

There was a public meeting at Cambiidge West last evening, in connection with the pound question. There was also to ha\ c been a meeting of the Cambridge Town Board List night.

At the Supreme Court on Saturcl.iv, Kclw.ud Dowav itioluvul^QonMctL'don Friday on a cli.ugoof nialicioim inluiy to propiuty at Nowmarkot, m.is hontimojd to si\ lUDiiths' iinpii->oiiinunt \\ ith haid labmu.

The ordinary meeting of the Auckland Education Board \v t is held on l'Vid<vy, but nothing of intmest to this di^j tiict tiuuapiiwl thoieat.

We are requested to state that the tender of Ml' (4uu. JHoyd (baing |lie lowest) h.vs been accepted for ploughing 70 .icie-i (in the farm ol Mr PaiNims', To Aw.i. niiitu, tenders for winch were invited by adveiti^enient in thi-> papoi.

A correspondent writes, anxiously desiiinjf to know whether the insurance policies et.vuimjr the M,itaura\s caigo of fio/on moat will hold gwd under the ciicunistuices. We ha\ c nuule uiiftiijiiei, and can st.ite on what we regard as reliaUu ftiitljoiity that they will.

No settlement has as yet been effected in tUts Wnotu intei tribal difficulty. Whatman and his poi»j)li) still squat upon the land, and continue to niaintam their dafiant attitude. As is «enei ally fcl)« Qa«p in nativ« (INimtesof this kind, the aggreh--soifl gunei-ally make use of a]ot of noisy hi aggadocio, but ,i«]dom give otfcel to their threats. Doubtles'* an -iinicaldo holution of the difficulty will shortly \m amvud at, and the legal owners installed in prmoS' sion.

An unusually large attendance of mem bins and the public is expected at tonight's meeting of the Cambridge Mutual Improvement Association to hear Mr J. P. CuuipbelFs long promised lecture on "Byron ftijd Burns." Mr Campbells ability iw »• lecfciH'6l i* "'«11 known, and we have little doubt thb ioctiufj ni this evening will be one of the most cntuifcatMng 'jye/ dehveied at Cambridge.

There should be no scarcity of employment in this district at the present time. In suction to the large number of reclamation contiivajf at present being carried on, there is a i*«n^i)r of railway contracts in com so of piogicsbwhtoilfuhonld IM'oyiile woik for the unemployed of (.W province, Harvest labour promises to be exceedingly &wy this year.

The Rukuhift GH«W9 a»d Bacon Factory U rapidly approaching fiWH)Mun>, The old grand-ntana ha« been found fc» ho well adapted ti> the purposes of a factory, The engine and plant, which MesHi'fi Ingram and Co. have contracted to (supply, will be on the ground in about a fortnight, and cheese-making will no doubt commence shortly afterwards. The directors held a w*<&>? 011 Saturday, but tho business was until m (4 H formal nature.

In our lost ivm we published a telegram, giving the rmriK 4* # firashuicr at tho Waiorongomai battery oh JfFMay, 7J?£ claim which showed a , return of Onz., w«U the " 1 ? " cla.im, one of the well-known A Jpiiabet series. The amount crushed from the iflino was only one ton, but the stone, so we are Informed, was taken ' promiscuously from the paddock, The result of the crushing has increased the confidence already felt in regard to theiield, and holders of shares eyince a. disposition to retain their interest, > „■,'„. „/','.

The second jday's racing in con# nection with the^Oatnaru Club's Spring Meeting, took pl%ce on Saturday. Thg attendance was, fair. n ai id the weatlier; beautifully'fine., Thfe Handicap Hurdles was won jay Wild Boy>>the Selling Hack Hurdle Race by Tqin, the Counties Haudicap by Kararea, the Novel Handicap' by Battiaby,the Hurry by Spofforai, and the> Consolatioii' was sec\ired by Herculeg. •£2Sl!) were put through the totalizator during the two days' lacing.

At the Melbourne Hunt Club Meeting on Satuiday, Daylight won the Club Cup easily. Four hoi.sos .started, and the time was (inrins. 4!j sacs. The Sydney Turf Club held its Spring Meeting on the same day, and the following are tho results of the principal events : — For tho Favourite Plate, Soldier Boy and Envy ran a dead heat. Seventeen hoi\ses .started, and it was a .splendid'race from btaib to finish. Prima Donna won the Corinthian Cup ; the Mapling Stakes fell to Charming ; and the Farewell Handicap to Soldier Boy.

Mr S. E. Shrimski, M.H.R. for Oamaiu, arrived in Hamilton on Sunday fioin Kotorua, wheie ho has been .staying for some weeks, taking the baths. He'was, accompanied by Mrs Shrimski. When Mr Shrnnskt loft Wellington, at the close of the session, he was in very poor health, but lias now quite recovered, thanks to the healing properties of the mineral waters'. The member for Oamaru was greatly sti uck with the bad .state of some of the bi idges on the Taupo road, more paiticularly that over the Pniri. It is quite lefreshiug to hear a Southern member deprecating the manner in which the North has been neglected, that the instance deserves to bo recorded. We trust Mr Shrimski will be found supporting the Waikato members when the question of grants for the main Government roads of the North again comes under consideration. Mr Shrimski left for Auckland yesteiday, en {mite for the Thames and Kawau. >

The usual monthly meeting of the Hamilton Road Board was held on Saturday. All the meniber-> ueie [no-sent. The Waipa County Council mi ote, asking that the balance of the Government grant for tho Hamilton-Whatawhata road be handed over to tlie county, the council having taken ovei the main loads. The boaid lesolved to hand tho money ovei aftei deducting tin; amount of all cun ent liabilities. Mi J^it/.roy Peacock attended the meeting, and suggested that home improvements be made on the now load to Col. Da <^iuiicisy\. He recommended that the cutting on ]Je Quincey's side or the bridge should be alteied, so as to lessen the giade. it was not po-,*,ible at piesent to diive o\er the load with safety. The board intimated that they would give the matter full connideration, Messrs Goodwin and Dt'lhcu waited on the boaid, with a view to geltm<> .some impiovom'Jiits effected on the load adjoining thi'ir ])io]>erty neai J ( j\elby's bush. Tho b >aid c\pies->ed it-, willingnes, to accede to the wishes of the deputation, pio\ided the Kailway ] )epartnient could I), 1 induced to deepen the outlet chain. Mi S. yteele wiote, oft'eiing to keep the approaches to Mysteiy cieok bncige in i epan for tlO pei annum, which ottei wah accepted by tlic boaid. It was resolved that laboui In employed to loniove the fin/c on the road adjoining Me^si s Bell's and Wilson's properties. A few small accounts were passed for payment, and this concluded the business.

Referring to Judge Gillies' expeinnents w tth tho soighum, the Thnaiu Herald has tho following : — Soighum has long b Hiii cultivated in tin; United States, but the crop has been found most nnceitain : nonietiinos it would yield Migai and sometime* it would not. 13y tlie last mail, however, a nunibei of the Scientific Americ.ni was iecei\ed which contains tho gist of a leport by J)r Collier, chemist to the United States Depaitment of Agricultuie, m w lnch he show.s that as tho lesiilt of a seiies of caioful lOsoaichos he ha-, discoveied how to ensuie tin* o))t.uning of siig.u from hoighuni hyiup. l)i Colliei has discoveiod, uc lead, " that as is the case with the sugar cane, both miciosc and glucose .ire ])iesent. Befme the soighmnis ripe the glucose or uncryst'Ulisablo Hiigni (graj)e sug.u) exceeds in piopoitiou the micioso (ciyst.illisable, cane siig.u), but as the sted-5 lipeu the sucrose di-.pj.icos the glucose until the latei exists m as low a piopoitiun as in the sugar cano, 01 e\on lower. A cn>]> when cut in this condition seems icady to yield crvstalhsable sugai. liut J)i Collier finds that miijjliuiu luice is not siigai-cano ]vice. ]t is unstable in its' chemical character. Tho sucrose, though so largely in the ascendancy, has a stiangoly peneiso tendency to be, come glucose again, and Uiilo.s this tendency is di rested cveiy gram of avail.iblsug.iv may ha\e dis.i])puarjd, and ])iobably will disappear, v/itlnn twenty-four hours from the commencement of the change, that is, fiom the tune < f cutting the soighum. The tiaiisfoiniation can be pieveuted by the use of lime, but piactically that is best done by boiling. Poifect maturity of the cane, andpiompt boiling are tho two essential points. It is easy to uuclei stand now tho capncioas chaiactei acquired by .soighum in previous yeais. It wasniei ely a thing of chance, «o to sp!?ak. Every now and then matuuty aud piomptness would combine, and as a nivttei of couisc boautiful sxigar showed itself; but if either of those two was wanting beautiful syiup was tho only row.ud." The jouinal from which we quote tho foiogomg anticipates- that an immense impetus will bo ghen to the smglmin sugar industry by Colhei's discoveiy, and look^ forwaid to an e.uly day when instead of IHng laige imjioitws, tho United State*, will become large exporters of sugar,