NOTES FROM WANGANUI.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 27, 26 October 1907, Page 8

NOTES FROM WANGANUI.

THE J<BW DOCKING PROCESS

■v.---There ;is somj splendid' sheep country in J:- :all - the - valleys :on„;the .'eastern' sido"-of- the ; Wangauui. (writes, our,AYa'nganui corrc'spbiid•T;;ent>j:,.but-: everything'-is 'terribly late.-; Very ' few farmers have-docked yet, and now- that' the rain has sot, in agjijn, it will still .further. j;'del.ar; 1 ..-mattei's;,';'.Tliq -;.old ', fashions,- . even > in . •, ; dpcki'ng ..instead , of: j -.the.kiiife, fclie. tails' aro ;iibw.-gqnpriilly. .-/■ taken qff ..with-."scaring,,irons. . There: is;',cerr -tho opera-' ■:■ tion'rdoes nqtVpe.cm'to, injure the'lambs.at all,; :thp Jold.. stylo- of cuttjng qIT/ the have' ni.'iji.y. a'timo seen, the;poor : littlo things.qiiiteVweak'.Vwith' loss' of.blood.). Three' :; ( irqns A are '.r'e,quirod;'/;afid; with 1 copper •.heads', .:; ! !>y'',P.r,9ference f ;.-as,.these retain the lipat-' muchV'longer; ;.:'lf. ;qn)y. ; ;,tWo irons '-'are l used,' .there' ' mnehy-)vriitiiig;; In !those casqs Vwhero; J'vl 'hayb':seen' clocking on ' this - season, ' the.pprcentagq',of-sexes is very nearly'cqiial., ■" On'.account of ;so ; much wet weather,' a very ' Uarge' number' pi l docking yards have bpeii fixed up* in the,; paddrtck3—merely enclosures of:.wire- nettiiig;' -Tbe regular ! 'sheep l yards •jaiid.i'g&teways'/are : still: 1 in such a 'beastly , mess, tliat.it was"imppssiblo. to. work. in, thfm.' v;:,So ;this, plan: ofjnctting.,yards' has solved;.the question. ; '~ , A grejij; alips. havo, come dowii the : various.vallay--roads., One')of them in onuNo.', 3. l line,. j was just!.'as«if,.it: rj.bcen - by' a . gang: 'of ; navvies. J'A~: Tpmark'able.i:tbirfg .'it':is:,to' : see r'a :,crowd , : >of.'it-lie .native,i-'kaka ;parrpts,-in ; |Mr.. James ■ .'( Higgie's 'buslj at, .Qkoiri. ■ >Such ,an' occurrenco p.-has,:iiot taken place; for. many yeare.,;-,They-are ,linpl<|.Vs'ant.sscreaming filings. I :a)wn,vjs V;. fancy we arp.-in.-fpr bad weather .when thoyi ■■ start ; niakiha j.their; Jiarshcroak. . ' M'obdoKul .snowy-white .masses of : clematis -■-■•aro!,.now, to :be. seen',in: the.biish; among die' dark ,-gre6n,.of.-.the treos,. and the powerful - ; ;scant, of .the,;smaller,,..variety is;, constantly borne on, the,;breeze., The kowhai-, is: a , gorgeotis- '.'sight:' new-—a solid 'mass:- of ~blazing yollow, and in :tho Para, Para road the' trees ;,:,exitjt- in thousands. v '