INCH VALLEY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 818, 26 November 1878, Page 2

INCH VALLEY.

[FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] November 22. The weather for the past week has been something terrible, nothing but blow, blow, blow, and it has caused a good deal of damage to gardens in exposed situations. Fruit trees and bushes that a week ago showed a good appearance of fruit, are now, in a good many places stripped of leaves and all ; and the crops that promised to bear a fruitful harvest, now present a scorched appearance, and there is no doubt that a good many will not recover the ordeal they have gone through during the past week. I have not heard of any damage having been done to buildings, though in several cases stays had to be put up, and ropes and chains were brought into requisition to keep on roofs, and to-day it is blowing as hard as ever. The Inch Valley school, a.fter being closed for the past four months through the want l of a teacher, was re-opened on Monday last under Mr. Kilpatrick—recently.arrived from Victoria—and it is to be hoped 1 the district will be more fortunate under his rule than it has been under that of his predecessor. Mr, King expects to have his flour mill in full swing next week. He has now got the water-race finished, and it looks as if it would now stand against the floods of the river. Where it is not cut out of the rock, he has gone to considerable expense in lining it with couch grass sods, which I have no doubt will help materially to keep the banks from washing away. There is a good extent of land being fallowed in this district this season, and the field-grubber is being mare iised this year for fallow land than I have seen it used before. There is no doubt that it does more .to biing roots of weeds to the surfacc t 6T the iandthun any amount of ploughing. If the roots are exposed for a day to the weather such as we have had lately, I do not think there ™ much chance of them growing again, The sorrell is the principal weed in this part that the farmer has to contend against. Seeming 1 the best way to get rid of it is to sow dow.r with English grass, with a good mixture of clover, which kills it out in two or three years. There is a good deal of dissatisfaction among the people about here at the delay in getting run 80 surveyed and thrown open for settlement. There is no doubt that there is mo.re land wanted for settlement, judging from the price at which the previous blocks were sold.

Shearing must be pretty general up country now, if the number of waggons loaded with wool passing down the road is any guide,