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Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3069, 17 March 1892, Page 2

The talented Payne family will give ona of their ever popular entertainments at Hamilton to-morrow night, and at Cambridge on the following evening Saturday. Mr Harwood will run a drag from Hamilton to the Ngaruawahia races to-day. The drag is timed to start from the bank corner at half-past nine, the return fares being 4s. The county cricket match between Waikato and Waipa, to be played at Hamilton on Saturday, will be started at 11 o'clock sharp, and all players are requested to be on the ground at that time. Ouv Rotorua correspondent wired yeaterday afternoon: —"A young man named P. Petty was arrested to-day, charged with horse-stealing 011 a warrant issued at Tauranga, where he had obtained the turnout and sold it here." Mr Charles Cox, son of Mr N". R. Cox, of Hamilton, and who has been working at Okete for some little time past, had his leg broken on Monday by a loaded dray passing over his ankle. Dr. Bay, of Raglan, is attending to his injuries. A traveller who has lately passed over the Raglan Road desires us to call the attention of the local authorities to a wooden culvert on the Mountain near Canuell's lime works, that is in a dangerous condition, and likely to cause an accident unless repaired. There will be a local train service to-day, enabling visitors from the different Waikato townships to attend the Horticultural Show and Rports at Cainhrirlga. The train leaves Te Awamutu at 10.45 a.m., Himilton at 11.40, arriving at Cambridge at 12.50 p.m., stopping where required, and returning from Cambridge at 7 p.m. Mr R. Street and Mr F. Salway, well-known farmers at Bell Block, have (says the Taranaki Herald) purchased at YVanganui, on Wednesday last, several Holstein cows in calf and a bull. The cattle were bred on Mr Grigg's station at Longbeach, Canterbury. The Holstein breed is said to be an excellent ono for dairying purposes. As showing the estimation in which Cannell and Co.'s lime is gaining we may mention that Messrs Ambury and English, the well-known dairymen, of Auckland, who own and occupy extensive areas of pasture lands in the vicinity of Auckland, have lately sent an order to the above firm for some twenty tons of lime, presumably for use as a top-dressing to their grass paddocks. It is not generally known (says the "Argus ") that the manufacture of spirits in Victoria is encouraged by a bonns of about £50,000 a year. The duty charged on imported spirits is 12* a gallon, but on spirits manufactured in Victoria only 8s a gallon is charged. The quantity of Victorian spirits that paid duty last year at the rate of 8s a gallon was 244,571 gallons, from which it is calculated by the Customs department that the revenue lost last year was £48,914. It is said that the Victorianmade spirit has now a wide consumption, and that it is frequently sold for the imported article. In the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's circular, under date January 23rd, 1892, wo notice a list of varieties of apples which stood the voyage well last season, and favour with the buyers, as follows—Adam's Pearmain, Cleopatra, Cox's Orange Pippin, Cox's Pomona, Dunn'* Maria (?), Emperor Alexander, Golden Kussett, Golden Nonpareil, Lippiat's Seedling, Lnrd Lennox, Mobb's Royal, Nonsuch, Newton Pippin, Old Nonnareil, Rome Beauty, Ribston, Reinette du Canada, Ryiner, Stunner Pippin, Stoue Pippin, Symond's Winter, Shockley. Scarlet Nonpareil, Takapuna Russett, Wellington Pippin. Thus Sir Edwin Arnold •" England has no desires. England has all she wishes. India always will be ours. Two men will always oppose war over that country—the Czar of Russia and the Prime Minister of England, whoever he may be. Still, just such a war is inevitable, although it may not come for many, many years. When, f?on» unavoidable causes, those countries coma in conflict the Romanoff dynasty will we wiped nway forever. Every Russian throat east of the Caspian will be cut and the Khanates will reign once more in Asia. Tho remnants of the retreating Russian Army will faco at home a revolution which will overthrow the reignine house, England need have no fear. Understand that there is no truth in the talk of our small army. It is the largest in the world. We can place iij tlje field mora than 2,000,000 man."

We hear that special settlers in the Otiewhero riding of the Raglan county are taking steps to establish a creamery in t'■ 'it locality. Sufficient support has been guaranteed, and negotiations are in progress for getting the necessary buildings and plant ready for next season. The land in this nart of Lower Waikato is said to be of exceptionally good quality, producing an abundance of rich pasture. When our representative visited the factory »f Mr A. J. Whittington, Albert-street, Auckland, he saw fine sainpleß of closing work in mock lace kid shoe uppers, the same in the best French calf dense goloshed baltnorals. There were some really good samples of work in shooting and jockey boot uppers, the latter were goloshed with a back strap right up the leg, indeed all the work pot into the gnods in this establishment cannot be excelled. We notice that the Wesleyan Conference have appointed the Rev. J. H. Simmonds to the charge of the frinity Wesleyan Church, Cambridge, vice the Rev. C. H. Garland, who has been appointed to Wanganui. Mr Simmonds was one of the nominees for the position of Principal of Three Kings College, Auckland, formerly held by the late Rev. A. Reid ; but the choice of the Conference fell upon the Rev. W. Morley of Christchurch. Mr M. M. Taylor, of Fairmount, Te Awamutu, writes to say that he lias leased his farm to Mr A. B. Whaeler, who has only lately left the occupancy of a farm at Harapepe. He further adds, the property had been in the hands of an Auckland land agent for nearly 12 months, and he expressed surprise that only a week or two's advertising in these columns not only brought him a customer with whom he closed but several ether applications. We can see nothing to be Burprised at, indeed it is the most likely thing to happen.

Mr Vause of To Awamutu, ha* grown somß unusually large and handsome specimens of sunflowers this season. Upon the stem of one plant are no less than 25 flowers in full bloom, while upon another is a flower measuring 3ft Gin. in circumference, and is a splendid specimen filled with fine plump seed. It was suggested to 'Mr Vause that he should send some of these flowers to the Cambridge show, but he declined on the ground that his experience warranted him in supposing that if he did so they would ns likely as not be laid claim to by a certain Cambridge exhibitor as his property, particularly if they happened to be awarded a prize. During the dry summer weather a number of our Waikato dairy factory suppliers usually feed green maize to their cows, for the purpose of keeping up the supply of milk. That maize has this effect is generally kpown, but we have been surprised to hear it stated frequently of late that the increaaod quantity of milk is obtained at the expense of the cream percentage, which immediately drops upon the maize being fed. We believe that if the green stalks were cut and wilted in the sun for a day or two before feeding the milk supply would be satisfactory, and, what is of equal consequence, the percentage of cream kept up. The Marlborough Express says : —During the visit of the Hon. Mr Seddon to the Awatere district large numbers of rabbits could be seen at various stages of the journoy, and which spread into two divisions as the horses and vehicle passed along. During a conversation that took place at Blenheim in the evening, the hon. gentleman said that he had been informed that a young man had only that day given a landowner £10 to secure a right ovor a small piece of ground for rabbit trapping purposes ; under which circumstances it is not surprising that certain runholders find the rabbit more profitable than sheep, and that of late years " bunny " has not proved sucli a detestable pest as many people supposed him to be. That is rather a good football story which comes to band from one of the colliery districts in England when the Rustby game had been first introduced. An enthusiast of the malo order had got two teams of colliers together, and the ball, in the course of the eatne, was driven over the wall into an adjoining field. The colliers went on scrummaging, and the enthusiast vainly endeavoured to stop the play. The colliers went on playing, and a short tut pointed conversation ensued; " Here," said the enthusiast, " the ball has gone into the adjoining field ; you must wait till we get the ball." " Oh, never mind the blooming ball. Let us go on with the game." Comment is needless. One who has just come from the Cape writes to a Melbourne paper : —" I havo seen in several of the daily papers of this colony remarks on the sale of Cape peaches in the London market. One and all seem to think this is only a passing novelty. In this I beg to differ. The peaches grown in the Cape Colony are far superior to any I have soen grown in Australia. These peaches, when in season, can be bought for (is per 100 in the market* about Cape Town, and shipped to London in 15 days. In the near future I think there will be large quantities of fruit shipped from the Cape to the London markets, The Cape wines have also improved very much in the last few years." In many parts of England, especially near to large cities and towns, wheat straw is worth £3 a ton. In other wheat-growing areas, not so favourably situated, it is hardly worth anything at all. It may even be a source of danger, and is, therefore, got rid of by burning, as in many parts of the colonies. It has recently been discovered, however that farmers and wheat cultivators lip-country can turn it to butter advantago. In the United States the farmers have found out how to make " straw roads." Those already made are pronounced excellent. They take the straw after thrashing and scatter it over the roads. After a while, when it is settled down, the Btraw makes the road like papiermache, and it is smooth and dustless. Hera is a hint for road boards and county councils. Some time ago we published an account of the supposed wonderful " cures " of drunkenness by Dr Keeley, of Dwight, by means of the chloride of gold treatment. One of the most eloquent champions of the method was a Dr or Colonel Mines, who wrote a most graphic and interesting account of his own personal experiences and "complete cure" under Dr Keeley's care. Alcohol in any shape or form, he assured the readers of a leading American magazine, had become absolutely loathsome to hiui. He declared that at Dwight he had been lifted to heaven from hell, and doubtless the story of his experience, told with much skill and literary power, led thousands of poor drunkards to hope for deliverance from their bonds. Within six months after Mr Mines gloried over his emancipation from the drink fiend, he died in the Blackwell's Island workhouse from the effects of a prolonged debauch. The relapse in this case was terrible and complote. The Sydney Daily Telegaph states that duritig a recent Vice-Regal and Ministerial trip in the " rabbit country," of New South Wales, one or two tank traps were inspected. The most successful of these was that recently erected on the Amphitheatre station, the property of Mr John Lackey, President of the Legislative Council, near Cobar. The first catch in this trap was seen by the visitors, and 1532 rabbits were killed. That was one night's haul. Tho next night, according to a telegram received by Mr Copeland, Minister for Lands, when at Bourke, his catch was even greater, and the tank trap has been used with consistent success since then. Tho greatest number trapped in one night, so far, was on Thursday night, as will bo seen from the following telegram received by Mr Waddell, M.P., on Friday " Caught at the tank I took you to, 1,923 rabbits this morning.—John C. Hervey." Mr Hervey is the gentleman in charge. From these results it will be seen that during the dry season the tank trap is capable of performing very excellent service in the direction of rabbit destruction. There is very little to guide us (says the Canterbury Press) as to the future of the oat market. The duty ot lOd per lOOlbs imposed in New South Wales appears to have practically closed that market for the time being. All the same, stocks are very low in that colony, and if the horse feeders there want oats, they will havo to pay the duty themselves, as our farmers will not be content to do so. In Victoria, although prices are low and the demand exceedingly dull and sluggish, stocks are also very slender; and what is more, it is estimated that the new crop just harvested shows a falling-off of froir. 600,000 to 700,000 bushels as compared with last year, and were it not for the commercial panic which now exists in that colony thero is very little doubt that speculation would have come to the rescue of the market, and prices would have ranged much higher than they do now. It appears however, almost certain that Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia will havo to import from New Zealand before tho year is over. Moreover, as the area sown with oats in this province during the

past season has been less than usual, the probabilities are that we shall see an improvement in the price of this cereal before the year ends. The great advantage the Queensland people have in cheap meat freight (the Rangitikei Advocate remarks) is to be found in Messrs Waddel's latest oircular. They quote 13-l(ith of a ponny as the price that the conveyance of mutton has been contracted for. In round numbers the total sheep exported from New Zealand is, 2,000,000 at 601b each, therefore 120,000,000 pounds weight have been oxported. The present freight is Id, a concession, therefore, of 3-lGth of a penny to the New Zealand shippers would mean £93,750 more in their hands, or about Is per sheep. As showing the magnitude of the trade, we may mention that in freight alone the New Zealand trade pays tu the two companies which carry the meat no less a sum than £500,000. No wonder that they wish to create a monopoly. We shortly hope to sde freight down to Jd per pound all round, and then it will pay the farmers to ship Home. In the past, on the whole, it has not done so, except those who can ship all the year around. There is a hopeful look about the trade just at present which, we trust, will continue ; for until the late rise took place there was not much prospect of the present year being any more prosperous than the last one, as far as frozen mutton is concerned.