ROSY VIEW OF PAHIAUA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 101, 22 January 1908, Page 3

ROSY VIEW OF PAHIAUA.

Tho districts in tho immediate; vicinity of Pahiatua (ivrite'3 our travelling correspondent) stand out ,'as wopderful exceptions ■Juring tho'present 1 -dry'.conditions .of most localities. TlierbMs still plenty of grass and water, though another'w'eek 1 or tcii days without a-good 1 downpour will alter tho state of things evmV here. 'Sheep and 1 dry stock are 1 doing well;"and tho former are putting themselves rapidly into condition for the freezing chamber, but-on all sides .1 'hearhow -seriously the .luilk yield is falling'pit', and what seems .strange, too, is that tests are falling. However, this may, to some ,extent, bo balanced by the,wonderful prico at. which, dairy produco is selling. If only wo would, ws could generally see a silver'lining to 'most dark clouds.' 'Thero.is''certainly oris thing for ' which farmers havo much cause for rejoicing in these districts,' and' that is tho. absence of blight among potatcqs. I have seen very .few cases, and...these aro. in very, slight, dcgree. Sumo very good-looking patches are '•' Been all'foiind Pahiatua. New potatoes were at,,tho stores at Sib., for Is. Ten or eleven years, ago Pahiatua was' ravaged by .disastrous log and grass,fires to such au.es- ! .tent ibat . paddocks were almost swept bare: of timber. There! was a sharp l'rost in the district on Saturday, and potatoes were, in many cases, .quite cut down.. THE BRIGHTER SIDE. (FROM OUK TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT.) Pahiatua, January 21. Ten or twelve years ago Pahiatua was ravaged, by disastrous log and grass iires, to such an extent that paddocks were, almost . swept, bare of timber. But alter a visitation like that,-one-can see the immense amount of good which-eventually arises from-a fire-• . swept district. . -Mere clearing-up is. dona in a day'than is usually done-in ten years. Of . course, for the time beiijg, it-is-most disastrous and heart-rending. Only those who , have - gone, through the " ordeal by fire " have any idea what the thoughts of . the sufferers are. After the . fires > are. out, the settler looks, over his .paddocks.-,and, sees •black ruin everywhere—grass gone, fences , gone,''.stock lost-, perhaps buildings gone. -It speaks well for the pluck.of the Dominion farmer that dircctly the- smoke is out- of his eyes, he is planning tp repair damages; and in twelve months' timo anyone passing tho burned-out farms of a year before, would see;in numerous cases farms almost, fit for the plough. It is hard to pass through a .fire.season. It has been my lot, so 1 din • speak from actual experience, and know the horror of having one's dwelling surrounded » by. flames, and knowing jthat it was absolutely impossible to get to the stock. l'ahia- . tua has been-singularly free from lire so far. Beyond a little clearing up of stumped land, there aro no iircS that'l have seen; and even if they started there-is not tho timber.loft to cause much trouble, though if the drought continues and fire made a start, grass and fences would suffer.