WATWERA.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVIII, Issue 917, 12 February 1892, Page 6

WATWERA.

The crops in this district are all looking remarkably well. Harvesting can scarcely be said to have started yet, nor will it become general till after the middle of the month. The strong easterly wind and rain of Sunday and Monday last has put down a great deal of crop ; otherwise but little damage is done, and with favourable weather a good deal of what is down should pretty well rise again. Wheat. — Tin) quantity of land devoted I to wheat has greatly decreased during the last few years. The cr>p this season is heavy and well headed. Mr Brooks has a most excellent crop, and Mr Gibson has a large field, which should give very satisfactory results. The latter gentleman has also a fine even -looking crop of barley. Oats. — A large area is occupied with oats, although the acreage is somewhat reduced from what it was some years ago, owing to the fact of farmers dcvotin« more attention now to sheep-grazing. The crop gives promise of being one of the heaviest yet seen in the district. The warm weather- has, however, been hastening the ripening too qnick ; consequently it may not thresh out to appearance. Unlike wheat, oats like cooler weather for filling the head. The change of weather which set in at the boc-inning of this week should at least produce a plumper grain. Where so many fields appear equal in merit it would be a difficult mutter until threshing returns are actually given to point out any crops as being superior to many others. A good deal of smut is showing in the crop, and small birds are troublesome in the earlier ripening fields. Ryegrass. — This has always been an important crop in the Waiwera. Owing to the good returns of last year a larger i area has been cut this season. Four mills are now busily employed in threshing, chiefly out of the stook. The yields are turning out well. Mr Millar threshed GS bushels per acre. Others are expected to turn out about the same, but the »eneral run so far has been from 40 to 55 bushels par acre. Complaints are made of a much larger loss of seed than usual in handling the crop. The prices quoted for the seed ,iro disappointing to grower.*, being only half of what was going last ye^r. Potatoes are limited in extent, but well grown. Turnips are rapidly increasing in area, and are now looked upon as one of the most important crops of the farm. This season the promise is undoubtedly the best average one ever seen in the district. Mr Gibson, in addition to broad cast, has a large acreage in drills, while the smaller holdings are confined chiefly to drills. Great difficulty has, however, been experienced in securing the necessary labour for thinning purposes. Of broad cast turnips, probably Messrs Anderson's are about the best, and most of them in a very forward state.