COUNTRY ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2014, 29 September 1892, Page 21

COUNTRY ITEMS.

Bhnrt nowii paragraphs for this column arc InvHel from corro •pondouti and others Post Curds may be uneii. A stttler at Makora, near Maslerton, has had 200 per cent, of lambs from a small flock this season. The sheep had, of course, plenty of shelter. The Stirling Dairy Factory has commenced operations, and is at present receiving about 300 gal of milk a day. The price paid is 3id per gallon net cash. „ Mr It. Pilling, sen., of Lawrence, was thrown from his horse while mounting the other day, and sustained concussion of the brain. He is now recovering?. The Star of England takes in about 30,000 carcases of mutton at tho Bluff. The News says this will be -the largest cargo of mutton despatched from the Bluff in one vessel. The residents of Fortrose have presented to Mr Sutherland, who has acted as postmaster during the past five years, a purse containing 33 sovereigns and a handsome gold locket with an inscription on it. The Southland Times Lumsdcn correspondent mentions that of a small flock of ewes owned by Mr Staite of that place a good proportion have two lamb 3, four have three, and one had four, threeof which are alive and frisky. The Waimate Times records the death of a lamb belonging to Mr P. Mooney, at the Hook. It had evidently been killed by a weasel, a small hole being found in the jugular vein, through which it had been sucked t'i death. In the case of William Frisby, charged at Inveicargili with killing a cow with intent to steal its hide, the jury, without leaving the box, found him not guilty. There bting no civil business, the sittings of the Supreme Court were closed. At last week's meeting of the Otago Laud Board MrW. Carltonaskod permission to icnce the front of reserve, section 38, Block VII, Woodland, in order that the buah thereon might be preserved. ■ Permission was granted, Mr Cailton to occupy The Timaru Herald mentions that Mr A.'H.iye^, of Centrewood, Waimate, and party, succeeded in. killing 40 pigs in a shooting expedition on the Hunter range last week. A number of others pigs were seen, but they are not so plentiful as they used to be. , " The Ben Lomond road has been completed forabout two mileci, and we (North Otago Times) arc informed that the country it will open up is some of the best grazing land in the back parts of the district. A poition of the land, we are informed, is fit for crowing cercilp. The Mount Ida Miners' Association protest against the Manioto Jockey Club being allowed to acquire the freehold of their racecourse on account' of the laml being auriferous. Mr A M'G. Brown, who has worked in the vicinity for 20 years, claims.' that the ground is auriferous, and Ihe general opinion s°oi»s to be that such is the cifie. |IA settler in the Waikawa district named lUichanl Markej has been (accord injr to the Southland Times) arrested by Detective Maddern and Constable ßogue (of Wynohnm) on two charge* of sheep stealing. Two lots of sheep are alleged to' have been stolen -one belonging to Messrs Muir Bro» , of Fortification Hill, and the other to Mr H. Coster, Wa-kawa. Rabbiting in the Upper ,\Vaikaia district is, says a local correspondent, going ahead wi. h great ener°y, and will 'continue up to the middle of October, when the rabbits commence breeding and the skins become of less vaUio. There u> a presit falling off in rabbilskins on the hi^h c nmtry this winter. 1 should put the falling off at about 50 per cent., so that should affect the Eunedin market greatly. At a meeting of the milk suppliers to the Olauia cheese factory held on Saturday evening, the proprietor (Mr Waite) agreed to' guarantee 3{d per gallon of 1041b for the coining season, Hd to be p-iid on the (ith of each month, and should the supply come up to llOtteal per day for, say, one month, mi additional i-1 would be raid; ,«o it actually rested with the suppliers whchi-r they would received 3 U\ per gallon for their n: ilk. No wonder that settlement h ncing piuliod ahead all over the Noith Island (observes the Auckland Star) as from the pvi«:e realised fot cattle lately farmers are apparently having a good time. At Bucklanrl's yesterday, the market reached as high as 27s fid per lOOlbs for prime beef, and the majority of the bullocks offering were a credit to the province. One pen of bullocks reached as hi^h as LI 3 each. Lt is rumoured that the butcherj intend raising the price of beef next wcolc The Moeraki correspoudeufc r,f UiePalinPFston Time 3 says.— "Tho body of the little boy who \vas - miFsinj» at Port Moeraki, and who was supposed to have fallen off one of tho jetties and diowued, was found floating near to the fishing

btfais. the head and hands had ken severed from the bfe'dy;- no doubt by some of the marine monsters that visit the bay. The finding of the remains was a sad sight to the mother,- who had waited and watched hours, days and weeks/ for his coming. At length the sea gate tip the dead child. ' The sad event cast a gloom over the snitfll community by whom Mr and Mrs Piige aref highly respected. The Wyndham correspondent of the Southland Times says : — " Mr John Templeton has given up storekeeping to go into sheep farming, and has bought the Thornhill estate from the Colonial Investment Company at L 2 10d per acre and taken the-bulk of the sheep at valuation. The estate consists of about 2000 acres, and has nearly all.. beeri. brought under cultivation. This property was held at one time by the late Mr William Royse, and a considerable sum of money was spent in bringing the place into a high state of cultivation. Mr Templeton has already commenced operations, and is hurrying on with his spring work."