WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6937, 11 February 1884, Page 6

WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

|FBOM OJJB OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] Hamilton, Saturday! This district, your Waikato readers ■will be glad to learn, was not unrepresented at the great rani fair at Hastings, held.on :tbe 30th ult. Mr. S. T. Seddon, of Knighton, near Ilamilton, whose pedigree liinedin. flock is one of the purest in Waikato, received yesterday by rail a rain purchased by him at the Hastings fair,, which had been shipped at Napier. The animal in question is from the stud flock of the Hon. Mr. Holmes, and was knocked down to Mn Seddon for 45. guineas; the'highest price realised at the.sale; by Mr. Holmes. Mr. Seddon; was also exceedingly successful as a aoller,. having, obtained 7 guineas each for 21 ram lambs sold in five pens. These were bought, by Mr; J. H. Williams, who on having the first pen knocked down to him availed himself of the. privilege of;taking .the -.whole I five. pens at .the: same price. These rams of, Mr. Seddon. aro. his entire ram crop,of. last year, and were not the.pick.of a , larger number, but . the year's produce as it stood. Such-prices as. these should be very encouraging to. our. sheep, farmers, and should serve to show how. profitable a source of income a comparatively . small flock of first-class, sheep may be, even on a. small farm of two hundred or three hundred acres, as part of the ordinary farm.stock. It must be borne ;in. mind, .too, that the fleeces from a flock of this description are exceedingly . heavy;. and of. the highest market value. A well ,bred sheop costs no.more to eat than a scrubber.

The district Engineer has sent in.a.report, -of the soundings of the bed of the Waikato river, round the piers on the Hamilton traffic bridge. It appears that, the scour -has. been considerible at: the eastern end of. the bridge, since the' protection stone ballasting, was placed round the piers some two and: a-half years ago ■;■■■ but - for - the precautions then taken, the pier nearest to the eastern bank of tho river woulii now be in a precarious position.- The; river bed-between the shore and this- pier has been scoured to a depth of about sixteen foot, and to -a less extent between the first and second piers, but. not immediately around the- pier itself, the; ballasting alone which, with the .pier, in the. centre; shows on the river bed line,..in. the plan, like a small conical hill. ; Thence comiug over to the west ; sidei the bed lever rises until before it reaches the middle of the bridge; It is a foot or two higher than it was a.year, or two ago* showing that a considerable,silting up process has been going on at. the west side. The.scour is • where the eddy of deep waterrushes under both arches round the pier at the eastern end,'and it would seem that if the scour goes on. much.longer the ballasting around the pier itself will become undermined.

Some 26 fat pigs from tho Waikato Choeso and Bact u Factory were, forwarded yesterday by rail to . R. and. W. ITellaby. . These, factory-fed.pigs are held in high.estimation in the Auckland market, and realise a top : price. : It is only a month since. a similar lot were cbnsigncd to the same firm.. As Captain R'uuciman foretold it would, the pigfeeding is one .of tho principal sources of profit to shareholders in the working, of the factory.