COUNTRY ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2055, 13 July 1893, Page 23

COUNTRY ITEMS.

■bort new» s*Mcnpbi for thl* oolumn we lnfitea bom otm IjxroOenU tad ofheit. Port Oudi but 1m woo. The Waitahuna District School has been closed for two weeks on account of the meaalea. The Wyndham Farmers' Club intend to ask the Southland County Council for the full subsidy of £20 for bird-poisoning purposes,

The three imported Kirkham Btud rams released from quarantine a woek or two back are the property of Mr Frederick Sutton, not of Mr J. button as printed in our last issue. The Wangaloa correspondent of the Uutna Leader says that a strange dog has been making raids on the sheep in that district for some time past. It has however fortunately been shot. The Clutha Free Press celebrates its entry into its third year by an enlargement, a new heading, and other improvements. Our contemporary has evidently come to stay, and we wißh it every success. A large number of hares are being frozsn at the South Canterbury Freezing Works, there being no less than 7000 a few days ago in the freezing chambers. About half the lot was shipped for Home by the Mamari Mr Orton Bradley, of Oharteris Bay, Lyttelton, has succeeded in bringing oranges to perfection in the open. The trees were reared from seed, and were transplanted when seedlings into a sunny sheltered spot, and are now healthy and well grown, producing satisfactory fruit, A cab horse, belonging to MrW. Aldred, dropped dead one day last week just after leaving the stand in Dee street, Invercargill. The owner says that for the past week or two the horse had been particularly energetic and frisky, and immediately before his death he was so fresh that there was difficulty in holding him in. The animal was valued by the owner at £30. A Chinaman named Ah You was fined £5 and costs, or in default three months' imprisonment in Dunedin gaol, at the Alexandra court last week for picking up poisoned rabbits and taking away the skins from the Eirnscleugh run. The Dunstan Times mentions that in consequence of the poisoning on the terraces near Clyde, large numbers of rabbits are coming down from the hills, and making a raid on Ciydean gardens. A meeting of the members pf the Kelso Caledonian Society was held in Dunnett's Hotel on Saturday last for the purpose of arranging for their annual ball, which isto take placeontheißJtb. This event is looked forward to with great enthusiasm by a section of the community, but I may here state that the last one was more of a Parisian than a Caledonian ball, the emblems of the latter being conspicuous by their absence.— Own The S |outhland Times of the 10th says:-' 1 About 5 o'clock on Saturday evening, Mr M'Gilliyary, farmer, Kennington, while riding along Elles road was thrown from his horse, and one of his feet being held in the stirrup iron he was draggea for some distance, and rendered unconscious. A drayman who was passing along the road shortly afterwards conveyed him to the hospital. Fortunately, the injuries were not of a Benous nature and he was able to leave the hospital yesterday. - In the St. Bathans district, curling operations are in full swing," and from early morn till dewy eve the air is resonant with the clink or the " atanes" and the shouts and huzzas of the keen keen curlers." The Dunatan Times is responsible for the assertion that so intense is the enthusiasm among the votaries of Scotia's national game there, that, it is said, they retire to rest with their clothes on, in order that they may lose as little time as possible in getting to the ice as soon Theauuual'meeting of the Southland Champion Ploughing Match Association was held at Invercargill on Saturday. The balance sheet showed £34 to the good. Mr C. Gray was elected president, and it. was decided to hold the match on Wednesday, 26th July, on a piece of land offered by Mr Horman near Wallacetown Junction. . Mr M'Connochie, mamger fot'M r Gow (at the Taien), was appointed judge, and it was decided, it hedges were available, to hold the usual gorseI cutting competition. Last year'B prize list is to be adhered to. «" Investigator," in a letter to the North Utago Times on the export of butter, says :— " Have the prices obtained in the Home markets during the past season been satisfactory for either butter or cheese? After going into the matter carefully, especially for butter, I say no. In my opinion it is impossible to give 3d per gallon for- milk and not run at a loss. Let any person interested get about the average price obtained for the past season for factory butter, not omitting to deduct all expenses and commissions connected therewith, and kindly publish their honest opinions for the benefit of those interested." We (Mount Ida Chronicle) received a letter from Mr Smith, the well-borer at the Eweburn, dated June 28, but which was not in time for our last Saturday's issue. Mr Smith states that he has had difficulty with the work since he started to go down the additional 150 ft. He attributes the difficulty to the unsuitability of the rods through which he has had- to force the water down to such a depth. While Inspector Gordon was present recently they were passing through a bed of sand intermixed with quartz, and a trial washing was found to be gold-bearing. This would be at a depth of over 500 ft. These sand beds have been a source of a good deal of trouble in the course of boring. The following are the strata passed through up to 575ft :— sooft to 535 ft, sand, blue, few BtoHes; 535 ft to 540 ft, clay; 540 ft to 545 ft, sand, blue ; 545 ft to 550 ft, white sandstone ; 550 ft to 560 ft, white clay; £60ft to 569 ft, yellow clay; 669 ft to 575 ft, blue Band, with small broken quartz. On July 3 Mr Smith again reports as followB :— Sir,— The weather being more favourable this last week or so, I have been able to make better progress with the boring. lam now down 620 ft, and with a continuation of good weather I should be down to the depth intended to be bored— viz, 650 ft. The strata passed through lately has been more like soma of those bored through in the first 200ft— white and yellow clay, with a few feet of sandstone at intervals, the sandstone being harder than any met in the first part of the bore.