THE INNOCENT FROM HOME.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2070, 13 October 1885, Page 3

THE INNOCENT FROM HOME.

NO. IX.— CONTMSIOV. Fi-w pcoplo know that at Ilastmgh ejvtens.vo hop gardens aic cultivated. This enterprise was started hv Mr T.mnei, who owns thu property. The management «.f the gardens in in the able ham's <>f Mr Wiblcy, whose family have been for genei ations some of the largest Impgrinier-nn Kent. Thero are 35 acres of Imps bv far (lie largest hop gardens m Now /o.iland. The manager wai sorry we li.ul come at .1 rather uninteresting season, but n«krd us to return in March, when there will be 200 hop-picken at woik. People come from Napier m the morning and make a days picnic to sea the Imp picking. -Mr Tanner was the tir-*t to start thisindustjy in tins distiict. Since then, a good deal of hop-planting has boon done. Nelson used to proudly consider that it stood alone in its hop-growing capabilities, but trip led spider and low prices have stopped many of the cultivation-, tins year. The hop* wens just iweping abo\o the giound, and are planted about hvo feet apait m rows every way, m> that a cultivator can do most of the work, the band labour left to do being very little. Men were busy putting in the poles, around which tho vine* twine. Vor about hve or si\ feet they aro tiained round the poles by hand, after that they take their chance. 70,000 pole* had just been got for tins purpose, mostly ti tree from tho north of Auckland. To mako the poles last longer, the manager has a large tank 12ft long, <>ft wide, and 3ft deep full of tar, which is kept boiling, and the part which will be in tho ground is kept in this boiling tar ten hours. Kvery year after the cr..p h over, the poles aiu taken up «»d «.t \ckcd away. Hops require the very nchest of land, hut fk gixtd crop yields one ton per acre. Tim at Is j>cr 1b leaves u good profit, though working expenses are wry heavy. Tlie name plants grow Imps foi ever, and mi pro\o rathei than deteriorate. \\o saw some of the prepared hops from here at the Kxhibitmn, and weie then struck by the fresh colour. Mr VVigley explained that he studies keeping the colour and flavour of tke hop, and does not belie\e m using chemicals for bleaching, believing that by so doing the flavour w injured, and tho colour not unproved. Hasting* was just going to have a fancy dress ball. Thero had been one at Taradal« the week or two before, ana dming our itay thrru w .is a d.inco. All the farming towns, as I must call them, -seem to be wonderful places for amusement, especially dancine. I consider tins is a good thing, as ltkeepti the feminine pait of the community contented, and when they are discontented a man's farming operation-, aie not of much benefit to him. The ladies ride a great deal and arc excellent horsewomen, taking great pride in their horses. Ono lady tolrl mo that her little girl, now 3 years old, was a good ridor, and had been taken out for horte exercise by her husband almost daily from the tune she was threo weeks old. I thought this wart certainly a case of "tho survival of the fittest" for with some babies, some horses, and some fathers, a, three weeks old representative of the rising generation would not be wmtb much on its return, [was pleased to be lint in time to witness a very interesting trial of a new sheep dip, invented and p.itenfced by Mr Groige Hesl<>p and Jakins. There was a foui horse coach put on for tho occasion from X ipier to Mr Brown's farm where the dipping took place, this is about foui miles from the town. There was a good muster of shcepovrnors and those interested, and about 100 sheep were dipped to all appearance most successfully, all parties expressing themselves well pleased with the result. The HUpenonty of this new dip i«, according to the inventors, first, its greater efficiency, and r-ocond, it* cheapness. A really effti.tu.il dip in badly wanted in this district. I heard that one owner had quaintly remarked that he had tried several sheer* dips, and they had no moie effect them " cantor oil on a graven image." This new dip will cost (is per gallon, or one fai thing and two fifths per sheep, supposing each sheep to require a gallon, as the proportions when mixed with water are Ito 100. Half tho sheep dipped were put with others which had not been dipped for some time, and the other half put bv themselves. The local sheep inspector will in a few weeks repoit on results. [ bad the privilege of visiting the homestead of Mr Heslop, sen., who in one of the oldest settlers of the district, and of seeing what is said to be the hmjst draught entiro in New Zealand, also a tine lot of young draughts, from one to three yeai i old. He also has some valuable thoroughbred stock, on« three year old colt by Musket, a beautiful dark bay, is simply perfection, and should one day distinguish himself in the racing world. I do not think one thousand guineas would buy him now. Land on the plains hero is valued at from £20 to £'30 per acre, and though \ery rich and carrying li sheep per acre, I consider the pricr asked for land beie far beyond its value, and from ordinal y farming cinnot pee how it is possible to make interest on capital and have any margin of prnht left Those plains are m parts also subject to floods, and sometimes the loss of shrcp icon«iderable. Then, when the sheep are fat, the chance of a good market has hitherto beui precarious. To show the extreme richness of the soil, wo saw one paddock which had been cropped every year for 27 yearn, and the last crop was just as Rood as the first. Manure is never heard of in the district, and even the manuka is not satished with growing in single stoms as vvit'i Us, but comes up four or hve blanches from one root, and thw not on the j-lunis but on the hill land, which is not considered s () good. This land, however, carries 1 sheep per acre when in grass. This land is valued at about £10 per acie. At "> p in. on Sunday wo were to stai t for the st?amer in the small steam tender rejoicing in the euphonious name of 800 Gum. As tho Napier people are hatinc thoir Suuday afternoon promenade we havecjuitc apMidly company to witness our departure. Aftei a gieat deal of unnielodioiw screeching from tho steam whistle, and much iciaiuh Ijng for sitting room we stait. To bad sailors the little Jioo(!um is quite a bete noir as she is bo small and we fuel the noire an sod much, that hve minutes settles mtnc of the more miseeptible passengers. In about ii quarter of an hour we ara on board ] tile Wairuraptt, and an we aie not starting until H o'clock spend a little time looking over the ship. l)inn« r is laid in the saloon, .mil the tibles look quite inviting with their show of snow white dinner napkin- and shining silver. Just above is the social hall, wheie theio is a piano, nnd we can hear sonic one playing hymns. The cabins aro veiv comfortable, the berths being fitted with wno spnng mattresses. A 8 o'clock we start and have a /me passage to (Jwborne. where we arrive at 0 a.m. Home passengers leave here, and more would have gone just to see the town had they been up in time. I must confess to havu been among the lattei. But I did not feel veiy _ disappointed when I saw that the " 800 fium'n " twin brother the " Shark " was tho only means of getting ashore. Several of us also concluded that it is not oxactly lively vHitiug a town for pleasure at 15 a.m. Townspeople- have no cows to milk, therefore have no necessity for early rising, and i\ume who aie up do not feel that they aro in their most hospitable mood. Being a mai ned man, I remembered that Monday is washing morning, and knew that only woe awaitetn tho man w ho brings home a friend for breakfast on that day. So we rather thought that those who stayed on the vessel had the best of it. At three we again started, and as a rather strong head wind sprang up shortly after I retired to tho peaceful seclusion of my berth, over what followed let us, as the novelists hay, "draw r. veil;" suffice it to swy that I did not appear again until we wore coming into Auckland Harbour at ten next morning. Lovely Auckland and its surroundings looked doubly beautiful by force of contiant with the other towns I had seen. The Kditor made it a condition that I was not to write any " sentimental nonsense " he called it. I havo tried to obey him, but cannot resist the temptation of saying how thankful I was, firs*/ of all to be off the steamer, second, that my lot is cast in the Waikato district, which, all things considered, takes, I thiuk, a better position than any in the North Island. Now I am homo again, and if I havo wearied any one they nur console themselves by tho knowledge that it will be sonic tune before " Kclectic," is let otf tho chain again. One !• thing I must repeat, that next trip to Wellington " DU chicken," goes by rail. Ecxfccric.

Bi NHFAHORS.— " When aboard of eminent physirnns And chi-mibts .innounrcd the dibfovtry th a by combining wmir well-known vaimoic remedies .1 roost wonderful medicine was produced, which would cure such a wide range ol dwcajcs that most all other remedies could be dispensed with, many were .keut.cal. but proof of Its merits by actual trul has dispelled al 'doube, and to-day the discoverers of that K re it rocdic-o. Dr Soule's American Co s Hop }Jitur«, ar.honc.re4 *BdblCMed by alt aibcnc