RIVERLEA

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 3 December 1914, Page 4

RIVERLEA

rFnoM Odti Own (JdmtEspoNDBNT.) Things locally are quiet, everyone being busy preparing the ground for winter crops, and not inclined for jollification. Our chief topic of conversation just now is the coming election. Opinion is divided as to whether the Reform party will retain power, but regarding the Fgmont seat the only difference seems to be the number by which the sitting member will retain tne seats. Even a prominent Liberal remarked to me a week ago that the Opposition candidate "hadn't got a hope."

A considerable amount of kale is being grown this year i n this district; soft turnips seem to be going out of fashion again. The complaint against them is that they taint the milk, though personally I never found my milk to smell "turnippy." The chief thing is not to overdo the feeding, and to feed as soon after milking as possible. Kale, however, has the advantage of giving more than one feeding, and I fancy that is one reason for its popularity. A number of local people went to the Show last week, and mostly arrived home either, wet through, or blown to pieces. by the gale. "Your Own" didn't attend the Show, but, thanks to the generosity of the Star proprietors in sending a car along to Kaponga, was enabled to attend the annual dinner given by the proprietors to the correspondents and staff. I had a good tune and did not land in bed till a quarter to four on Friday morning; only three-quarters of an hour in bed and then after the cows again. I wonder what time the rest of" the motor party got home, especially our shover" and the car. It must'have been well after sunrise, and I expect he felt glad that "annual dinners" come only once in twelve months. For some time now we have been subjected to the usual westerly gales, and they are playing havoc with the cows and are keeping crops and grass back considerably. The past month has, however, been more moist than several previous ones, and but for the almost continuous winds would have been a good month. Although the rainfall for the month has been good, it is only little more tha n half of last years. That,. however, was abnormal, totalling over ten inches. This year 5.44 inches fell on 13 days. "The maximum fall was 1.34 inches on the and the minimum was 0.01 on the 2nd. Last year 10.35 inches fell on 20 days.