WAIKOIKOI.

Otago Witness, Issue 1855, 10 June 1887, Page 17

WAIKOIKOI.

See, Winter comes to rule the varied year, Sullen and sad, with, all his rising train. June 6. — Winter is now on, and with it it fetches cold and disagreeable weather, making everything look and feel quite miserable around us. However, I suppose that we must just keep plunging away and live in hopes of better days. The carting of grain is now nearly over for the season, and farmers are now turning their attention to ploughing and other odd jobs that require working up on the farms. Manuring the ground is a thing that has received very little attention in this locality, but now, I am glad to notice, that is getting more attention paid to it. How is it that there are so many sorrelly fields to be seen? Just simply by a constant course of cropping and_ impoverishing the ground, never thinking that it requires manure. Experience is a good teacher, and I am glad to notice that some are not above being taught. Tree planting hitherto received very little attention, but as the season is now on for this sort of work, it would pay farmers and others well to do a little in this line. lam sure that trees are now cheap enough, and a few pounds spent.'on them would repay the planter handsomely in the way of giving property a more comfortable appearance and shelter for stock, not to speak of the useful timber that it is growing into. Mr Thomas is getting on famously with his music class. His pupils are attending regularly and paying marked attention to their lessons. We had a very fair sample of their abilities in church on Sunday last, Mr Nicol acting as conductor. The improvement in the singing was

quite noticeable in comparison to what it used to be in former times. With a little more practice and self-confidence we will have a very fair choir indeed.

The new settlers on Merino Downs are all very busy ploughing, fencing, and building, Mr Robinson having constructed something like 12 miles on his property m a very short time. The same gentleman has mostly all his timber on the ground for a 10-roomed house.