COUNTRY NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17703, 1 February 1918, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

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AMBERLEY. A welcome home was extended to Privatet R. J. Barnes and J. Hill by the Amberley Patriotic Society on Wednesday evening. Mr G. R. Holton presided. Musical items and songs were contributed by Misses Mason, Seed, Rhodes and M'Xae, Mesdaraes M'Lean and Spence.r, th* Rev J. Spencer, and .Ser-geant-Major Morrison. Mr G. D._ Green? wood, in the course o£ an interesting address, presented the soldiers on behalf of the townspeople with suitably inscribed {fold Maltese crosses. Dancing concluded on enjoyable evening. GERALDINE. At the annual meeting of members o! the Gcraldine Literary Institute Dr Hislop, who presided, 'said that with the Government subsidy and proceeds of an entertainment the financial position of the institute had been materially improved. The library contained 2315 volumes, including 319 volumes of general literature, 493 worka on history, travel and biography, and 1409 on fiction. He referred gratefully to presentations of books, including Borne thirty 'volumes from a gentleman who wrote that he had derived advantage from the library in the early days. The balance-sheet, which was adopted, showed a credit balance of ab'out £6 providing for oil liabilities. Officers were, eleoted as follows:—Patron, Mr W. Nosworthy, M.P.; president, Dr Hislop; vice, president, Colonel Moore; secretary, Mr H, Hamilton; treasurer, Mr Bannehi; auditor, Mr P. Hudson; committee, Canon Hamilton, Rev C. J. Tocker, and Messrs T Hughes, T, Sherratt, Knibb, M. G. Williams and Heron, Mr Macgregor, who retired from the seer* taryship, was accorded a, very hearty vat» of thanks for his services.

Harvesting is now pretty general. In places badly laid grain has been left uncut and a number of farmers Teport that patche3 of grain are blighted, the cars beinrr blackened as by smoke. This is generally attributed to the excess of moisture of late having conduced to fungoid growth, but ons farmer states that his observation leads him to the belief that 4he affected grain is shorter than the healthy and he attributes the damage to injury to the taproot caused bv insects. On one affected farm the yield of wheat is estimated at twenty-five bushe!s and of oats at forty bushels to the acre, but other farmers estimate their yields at thirty, five to forty bushols of wheat and forty to fifty bushels of oatß to the acre, but ths lower yield is likely to provo nearer the average. After a hot <Uy on Wednesday rain fell during the early hours yesterday, and the weather continued threatening ap til! late in the afternoon. ASHBURTON • . On Wednesday a concert party paid a risß to the Ashburton County Hospital and en. tertained tho patients and the staff in lha ward room. Tho programme was creatlv appreciated, and at the close the performer! were hospitably ontertained by the matron. KAIAPOI, At the Kakooi Woollen Mill* yesterdnr. the manager, Mr T. R Leithead. who intends to leave on an extended trip to England and Amerioa, waa presented by tho for* man of the mills with a pair of prismatia binoculars. Mr G. Ellen, in making the presentation, -wished the recipient a pleasant voyage and a sufo return. At the Keuapoi Drill Hall last evening, a welcome home sooial was tendered to Pri-" vatea J. Francis, H. Moot©, E. Soward and W. Tnrnbull. The Mayor, Mr J. H. Blackwell, cordially welcomed the returned soldier* on behalf of tho townspeople. Musical 'items were contributed by Mesdame3 Heald and Tait, Misses M. Reevat, A. Ellen. E. Thome, R. Staff, N. Young and M. Rinaldi, and Messrs Cocks, Fenton and Blakely. A danca concluded an enjoyable evening. * HANMER SPRINGS. A return match between a visitors' eleven and a team from the Queen Mary Hospital was played on Wednesday afternoon, in fins weather. The visitors, batting- first, corcp£led 35 (Kerr 14). The Hospital team replied with 140 (Laurie 32, Sutton 23, Wells 20 Mteay IS). Bowling for Hospital, Hamiltoil Moored fix wicket* for ID and Beaicr three for 13. and for .the visitors Parson* took >six wickets for 33 and I*. Rutherford! two for 17. I