COUNTRY ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2026, 22 December 1892, Page 35

COUNTRY ITEMS.

Short nowi paragraph* for tbii oolomn u« invited from oorc» •pondenU and otheri. Post Oirdi m»y be u»ei.

The Clutha Free Press says:— "The directors and shareholders in the Stirling Dairy Factory Company ought certainly to feel proud of the high position occupied by that company in raspect to the awards gained by them for cheese exhibited at the various agricultural shows during the past season. Entries were made in every class for cheese atChristchurcb, Dunedin, Milton, Balclutha, and Invercargill. In all in nine separate classes, and in each class a prize was gained— viz., two first, five seconds, and two thirds. With such a result we certainly think Stirling factory can well claim the premier position for cheese amongst the dairy factories of the colony— the credit of which is of course due to the manager, Mr Wm. Sawera." The Ashburton Guardian says the farmers who last harvest had to leave their crops rotting in the fields for want of hands to secure them will rejoice at the return of so many men from Australia. What should be the object of the (.Government, now that the men are here, is to keep them here ; and for that purpose no better course can be adopted than the provision of land for settlement. Every genuine settler is a source of wealth to the State, and while the arrivals continue to be of the same satisfactory class as at present the colony will gain in wecilth by their arrival.

At Guavas station, Hawke's Bay, the Burgon machine has been fitted up this year. A visitor says :— " Eighteen shearers, all Maoris with the exception of one European, were busily at work

in the shed, and seemed quite at home with the machines, though only one of them had handled any machine before this season. The natives all expressed their delight at the machines, all of them making better tallies than by hand after a few days' work. la consequence of broken weather there had only been four or five full days, but one shearer named Tomoana, yet a youth, had increased his tally from (51 on the first full day to 150 on the fourth. The highest tally, however, was 1(32 by Hughes, the European shearer. The best day's work was 1931 heavy crossbreds by 18 shearers, but on other days tallies o£ 1892 and 1860 were recorded. At the beginning the best day's work was 1441 sheep by 20 shearers, so that the improvement was very marked. Not a single hitch had occurred since the starting of the machines, everything working with the utmost smoothness, and the sheep being beautifully shorn, not a cut one being visible.'*

According to the Lake County Press, a peculiar accident happened to Mr Thomas Fitzgibbon last week.. While working about a horse-power, the end of a cord tied round the trouser leg to keep the chaff out Was caught in the joint of the connecting rod, his leg being drawn backward against the ground with such force as to severely strain the tendons.

JThe Australian shearer.* who have come to this colony for the season's shearing give (says the Southland News) a good indication, by the remarks they make, that the New Zealand sheep are quite different animals to what are known as sheep in their couotry. Those of New Zealand, said one of them, are so big and well-developed that they are more like donkeys than sheep.

la reference to the cause by which Mr D. Phillips, of East road, lost two cows last week — namely, through their eating stones, ashes, and other subbish, including tea lead — Mr D. 11. Jennings, who has had considerable experience with cattle, informs us (Southland News) that there is a simple means of preventing occurrences of the kind. This is by the provision in the paddocks of a lump of rock salt, duly protected by a bit of feucing, but within reach of the annuals. This satisfies them, and takes away their inclination to swallow rubbish, besides at the same time supplying something they actually need, and in searching for which they pick up foreign and injurious substances. '

At Waianiwa one day4ast week as a lad named Sam Steans was assisting to dress the carcase of a bullock his knife slipped while ho had an upward strain on it and the point of the blade entered one ot his eyes.

The Taieri Advocate understands that it is intended to start a butter factory in the Maungatua district. What is intouded is that a central factory should be established, and that a dreamery should also be started, so as to act as a fcedor to the dairy. The district is now being cauvasscd for the purpose of ascertaining what support is likely to ba accorded the venture, aud if inquiries show that a fair amount of support will be obtained, practical steps will at once be taken to establish the factory.

We (Cromwell Argus) hear that a son of Mr Harry Thomas, of Cornishtown, last week caught a large eel, inside of which was found a trout Bin long. The Tapanui Courier says :— " It looks as if the influenza epidemic was going to have a considerable say in the calculations of sheepowners during the shearing season. We have heard of one shed in the Tapanui district in which the whole force of shearers, 27 in number, have been seized by la grippe, and have in consequence been compelled to drop their shears and lie up. There is another shed up the Teviot way in which the influenza has made its appearance, and some seven or eight of the shearers are down with it."

In delivering an address in favour of starting a central dairy with branch creameries in the Oamaru district the other day, Mr Sawers, dairy expert, said that to show how much more valuable factory-made butter is than home-made it was stated that the former is brought from a distance and sold in Oamaru at twice the price obtained for the latter.

An accident happened on Thursday afternoon on the big hill between Lawrence and Beaumont to an express and three horses belonging to a teamster named Lewis. He left the team standing on the top of the hill while he ran some distance to give another teamster some oil, and when he returned in a few minutes he found his express lying in the gully, it having gone over the embankment. One horse was killed and the other two injured. The express and loading (including a pianoforte) were all more or less damaged. The members of the Tuapeka Farmers' Union are in favour of re-organising the New Zealand Farmers' Union, all agreeing with the president in the,opinion that it would-be a mistake to allow the union to disappear without making an effort to* replace it on a more useful and permanent basis. At the Roxburgh Police Court oneday last week John Blair and John Hewitt were charged with appropriating a hoi-se owned by Michael Kickard. The horse was running on Teviot station, and accused took possession of it without asking leave and used it for shifting rabbit traps, <fee. After hearing evidence the justices held the charges proved, and fined the accused £5 each, or in default of payment one month's imprisonment in Lawrence gaol, and also allowed informant's solicitor £1 Is professional fee on each information. <

Several Waitnate gentlemen were on a visit to Timaru on Monday (says the Waimate Times), and while there bad the pleasure of going over the New Zealand Shipping Company's fine cargo vessel the Tekoa, of 4120 tons burthen. She had just arrived from Home and had on board four head of rough-haired Highland cattle, one bull (said to be valued in the old country at £200), and three cows. The cattle were a centre of attraction to a large number of people,' who expressed surprise at the lengthy and shaggy reddish-brown hair and long horns of the animals. They were in good condition considering the long voyage, and were apparently greatly tamed by their stay on ' board, allowing the visitors to pat them freely. The cattle are for Mr G. H. Rhodes, of Claremont. for whom they were selected by the friends of Mr Duncan M'Laren. The animals will undergo the usual quarantine in Lyttelton before being landed. Regarding a grub found in the body of a sheep which died recently on Mr Simon's station the Inspector for Stock for Southland (Mr Turner) says that the Veterinary Surgeon of the colony has informed him that after makiDg inquiries and looking into the case he finds that the grubs are the larvtc of the gad fly {oestrus ovis) which inhabit the nasal cavities of the sheep. They pass through the larynx into the windpipe, but their presence there after deatli doe 3 not in any way account for the death of the sheep. The surgeon, however, hopes in the course of a few days, after makinga post mortem examination, to be mon definite in his opinions.

The following is the system on which payment will be made at the dairy factories erected in the North Island for Mr Herbert Chester :— The agreement is for five ye&iy, the milk from a certain number of cows being signed for by each supplier. The farmer is paid 3d per gallon of 101b for his milk, the payment being made on the understanding that 251b of milk will produce lib of butter. If of a better quality he will be paid higher, and if of an inferior quality at a lower rate pro rata. It will thus be seen that the butterproducing power of the milk has been purchased. The test is by the Babcock tester, all disputes being referred to the Government dairy expert.

A camp of Dora Dora blacks has been discovered near Caboolaure, Queensland, and in it was found a swag containing notes which have since been identified as belonging to a murdered man. The police are pursuing the blacks.