MILTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2083, 25 January 1894, Page 23

MILTON.

January 23.— Since New Year the weather has been for the greater part of the time extremely hot. After a week of blazing sunshine rain fell slightly for a couple of days and cooled the atmosphere to a normal heat, but since then the weather has been very hot again. Seaside Resort. — Most of our tradesmen here have sojourned to the sea coast for a few days during this salubrious weather. I also noticed a few large picnic parties of the farming community down at that beautiful spot, Bull creek. Ugly as the name is, the place is very pretty, being surrounded by hills covered with rata, at present in full bloom. The sea washing up between the high banks of the creek makes an excellent bathing place, and as there is any quantity of fishing and shooting the locality is well patronised at present. Binder Agents. — The canvassers for the different reaper and binder manufacturers are at present on the warpath. Pity the fanner who wants a binder and makes his want public ! He has a lively time of it for a few weeks preceding harvest, and if the man desires peace he has to buy at once, and so stop the hungry ageuts visiting him every day in the week — Sunday not excepted. One man had four different canvassers at him in one day, but as he gave his order to the first, the others did not stop long to praise the good points of their particular machines, borne of the ageuts have done very fair considering that the district has been " worked " for several years past.

The Lawks Shields. — One of our eni crprising farmers, Mr W. Grey, of Barrington, Milburn, has entered as a competitor for Sir J. B. Lawes's shield for small farms Mr Grey has a very nice farm adjoining the Milburn railway station, with a good house and outbuildings thereon. His sheep have taken numerous prizes in their class (Leicesters) wherever shown, and as this counts in favour of a competitor, he ought to scoie on this point. I should not be at all surprised if Mr Grey comes high up on the list during the years the shields will be competed for.

Crops. — It was stated last year, when the Hessian fly was making its presence fell, that the red Tuscan wheat was not attacked so badly as other sorts. In view of this a great many of the farmers f owed the Tuscan this year, and from all accounts the statement has been borne out. I passed the farm of Mr John Farquharson the other day, and I noticed a crop of wheat btanding like a wall. It was well advanced, and could not have been much better. Reports from South Tokomairiro say that the wheat is splendid there, but about Milburn it is a little the worse of the first attack of the pest. However, if the fly does no more harm this season, the farmers will have little to complain of in the way of good crops.