THE CHOPS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIX, Issue 6870, 7 March 1883, Page 3

THE CHOPS.

OXFORD. For the past month the weather in this district has base anything but g(>od for harvesting operations, erery third or fourth day, and sometime* every second day, bring rainy. To compensate for this the farmer* have had a plentiful eupply of labour, owing to the bosh brads giving op (heir work to go barveeting, and this ha* enabled the majority of the farmers in the district to get their crop* well under cover without much damage, despite the unfavourable weather. Nine threshing machine* are busy in and around the district, and tit* teles (hey are telling are meet pleasant, to* mnlte being beyond expectations, Grope that were expected to go from 33 to 40 before cutting, are turning out from 40 to 60 bushels per acre. One of Mr Wolf* paddocks, on the River Byre, turned oat (Mi bushels, his avenge for the whole farm being 55 bushels to the acre. Mr Skorr’s avenge ie 48 bushels, Mr W. F. Pearson'* 46, a zmmber of other# in their vicinity.ranging from 40 to6o busheieper acre. The sample* are all very fine. West of Oxford the returns will not be eo high, but good averages are expected. The majority of the femen here have sold their wheat at from 4« to 4e 2d per bushel, delivered in-trucks at Oxford, Carleton rad Bennett’s railway station*. A leasehold termsr, who bad a considerable ana in wheat (hie year, netted £ll 10s per acre, hie rent being only 7« fid per acre, and bae received the cash. Gnus is very plentiful, and the root crops are all doing well. WAI MATE. Our Waimtic correspondent, writing on Monday night, says The weather le again most unfavourable for harvesting in this County, steady showers of rain and sleet having been general all over the district, and then u no sign of a break sufficient to enable the grain to be stacked. A large quaatity-of wheat and oats still remain m otook, while some of tin crops have not made tha acquaintance of the reaper. Daring the few fine days we were favoured with previous to tiie last wet weather considerable progress was made in carting. Berne termen nport that the wheal baa eommenoed to grow, whilst others only admit that it ie disroloundt aB, however, admit that there will bo discolouration of whsot to a gnat extent, and I era vouch for ths truth of the first admission,

Bait is reported to have damaged some of the crops. Oats seemed to have suffered very little, but late barley will of course bo seriously damaged. It is expected that there will be a great scarcity of this latter cereal, with correspondingly high prices. There has been almost unpardonable delay in getting the groin in stack, but I cannot say whether this has been caused through unwillingness to give the price asked by the hamsters.”