WAIWERA,

Otago Witness, Issue 1778, 19 December 1885, Page 13

WAIWERA,

DECEJrBER 14. — The late spring sown crops are still very backward. The early sown, on the other baud, are healthy and strong. Grass seed is ripening very fast, and by present appearances it will be fit to cut about the first week of the New Year. The crop is exceptionally healthy, and with favourable weather for saving, an abundant yield will be obtained.

Working Turnip Land. — I recently noiiced an ingenious method of saving labour in use on Mr Wallace's ( Cliffton Park Farm. _ Land ploughed at this time of the year, if not worked directly after, becomes hard and very bad to work, particularly so if left any length of time before being harrowed. In order to overcome this drawback Mr Wallace, jun., attached one leaf o^ the ordinary harrows to the off side of his plough, thus harrowing four furrows at once and preventing the ground being dried up by the sun. Although the idea may not be a new one to some, it is both simple, practicable, and, as the land receives two harrowings, efficient ; and I have an idea that if our implementmakers saw the good results effected by its adoption, they would feel inclined to make a harrow which could be more easily attached to the common plough for this purpose. The matter is most certainly worth their notice, and I should like to hear of something being done by them in this direction before the next Otago Metropolitan show.

Rolling Land. — The indiscriminate rolling of land is a subject which might be appropriately discussed at farmers' club meetings. For my part, I am very much against rolling young plants, such as wheat, oats, &c, with a smooth or plain roller, more especially if the ground is damp, as the land is, as a consequence, inclined to form a crust on the top and crack very much, which must naturally check the growth of any young plants. This applies more particularly to heavy soil. In free soils I don't think the effect is so injurious. However, in my opinion in all cases, if land wants rolling, it will pay to keep a rough-faced roller, such as the Cambridge or somethiug of that sort. In my experience, our stiff land requires very little rolling if worked in proper time, while the loose land is, I think, sometimes the better for it. In either case, I don't approve of a smooth surface. I have seen jarmers rolling land when the crops were nearly a foot high and the ground almost as hard as a macadamised road, their only guide to go over a fresh place being the broken-down appearance of the crop. Of course they had no idea what they were rolling it for, and 'if asked, the probable answer would have been because it was customary to do so.

Miscellaneous.— Our cricketers' have \c^ one of their best bowlers, in the peison of Mr R. Irving, who has removed from the' district. — The Christmas picnic project this year is receiving but scant stipport, and I am afraid it will drop through. — Mrs Fisher, a much-respected resident, died at the residence of Mr Cawley,

her son-in-law, at a ripe old age — between 70 and 80. Her remaius were iuterrod in tho Clinton cemetery io-day.