INCH CLUTHA.

Clutha Leader, Volume VI, Issue 339, 9 April 1880, Page 6

INCH CLUTHA.

(from: our own corespondent].. Our harvest was all finished some time ago, and our farmers have this season been very careful in securing most of their crop under thatch and rope. Few seem to be troubling themselves s about thrashing. I have no doubt; most of them are looking forward* to a rise on the.present low prices of grain. It is to be hoped they will not' be disappointed. .It is useless for me to ; comment' on. the glorious weather we still have. It no doubt v- has been th.6 ; best'we could have desired as a cure for tfie Island, heedless of the state of the water tanks. Our wheat thissQason^for quality, cannot be surpassed ; indeed, judges from other parts who have handled it say they have not seen anything like it. : The grain; is plump, bright and hard, and although it might hot have bulked so heavy on the ground, yet I have no doubt the turn out will be good. The oats in general are not so plump and promising as they commonly are, most of the damage --. having been caused to them through the high wind in the beginning of the harvest, but our area of crop is miserably small as compared with former years. The disastrous flood is still our' cry ; but there are; a few who have considerable quantities of good wheat Buobi as Mr George M'Donald and Mr; Mosley, and a others. . Great credit is due to the former -for the plucky manner he -has gone ahead, 5 for since the water was: got off, I may say the plough has seldom;: (stopped on his farm, and now three teams; are busy at work. I have no doubt but that in a very short time no trace will be seen on bis farm of all the havoc that was occasioned, A hint might be taken by a few who have the dust blowing about pestering themselves and their neighbours also. It; is to be hoped they will see; the [wisdom of employing their i time -to,.- good, [purpose; as the 'weather is" how calm and jwarm,' and the rainy season is ■appz'oach-i jing.; ''-■ 'Seeds of all-i description 1 , are cheapj land easily gotp so:, that a ■■green surfac^ 'm&y be got 'before >the hot winds of • summer return,, as it is now becoming piaity certain thai;. the new deposit will grow, well. The other day I heard an Island' farmer remark that wheat seemed Xo do

better in: silt than.; anything .else,, and, judging from the sample lie had this year whefe : the ground was dry, I believe, he is not far wrong. I hear a good many, intend to give, 'it a trial* next season: 1 .'There are some patches of 'sown 4 grasses looking :well. ;Mr John Smithy of the \ Koau branch, has English rye-grass and red clover ' really . splendid , better , I believe than he ever had on the old soil. One great draw back felt severely by every one. is the want of roads. It is to be hoped our local Board now having full control of these roads from the County will remedy those matters shoi tly. They have no doubt had their difficulties for some time and it seems they are not altogether over them yet. A number are clamorous about compensation for ground taken to fill up gaps ; others are. complaining of heavy taxes. Those who have the river bank ground claim a right to be only rated at one half, while those in the centre who have Had little growing this season think they should be exempted. It is plain to. every one that unless all put their shoulders to the wheel our chances are small. It is* a well-known fact that before these works were done every one expressed their willingness to contribute to their utmost to carry out the work. All ought now to be proud to see the new embankments doing j so ; well. I suppose the works that have been done has cost somewhere about L 3600. When first looked at it was said that L 20,000 would not do it ; in fact it was said by our wisest, settlers to be useless trying to protect the Island, and now they are settled down, strong and secure, the embankments weir covered with grass and planted with willows. It is a pity the Board as it is how constituted a river board should not plant the whole of the river bank with willows. If the land holders adjoining the river . neglect this they ought to step in and carry out the planting as it would , be a great saving to the district in a short time for scrubing and other heavier protective works. There is little doubt that nothing secures the, river bank like the net work those trees accomplish in a wonderfully short space of time. It is also well known that the difficulty of keeping the banks from scouring is much increased since the new, outlet at Coal Point, coupled with the fact that a very much larger quantity of water is forced down the Matau than formerly. This is a danger the Board will always have to watch. In the past it has been neglected but in the future it will admit of no neglect. It is encouraging to see that the protective works at the top of the Island are doing well. Mr Willocks and Mr Anderson did a part at their own expense, which are all doing well. There is no doubt that those who have properties adjoining the river should profit by past experience and fight against all encroachments by the river.