OTAMA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2086, 15 February 1894, Page 22

OTAMA.

February B.—The rough weather of last week played havoc with some of the heavy crops, and it was thought at one time that some of the farms on the low ground would be flooded, but luckily this did not happen. At present the weather is all that the farmers could desire, to-day being a near approach to the tropical weather we experienced some time ago. Harvest.—ln the course of a week or 10 days harvest will be general in this district—a number of farmers are now busy cutting their crops, which in most cases are very good. I was showm a sheaf of oats the other day which stood 6ft sin< high, and in the paddock from which it was cut' I was told there are oats over 7ft high. It is> generally supposed that with such long straw the yield is very poor, but on a straw taken from tho above-mentioned aheaf I saw 224 full-sized grains counted, which I consider is a fair yield. Bot Fly.—lt is feared that the dreaded bot fly has reached our district. The other day a team of horses were quietly feeding, when suddenly, with apparently nothing to disturb them, they v all broke away and rushed wildly in all directions. Today a young man was going along the road with a dray and team of horses when suddenly one of the leaders reared in the air and seemed very excited before he could be unyoked : he was covered all over with lumps about half tho size of a hen's egg. The lumps appeared to go away almost as quickly as they had come, for in the course of an hour they could be seen only on the neck, chest, and flanks, and greatly reduced in size. I am not aware if this is one of the symptoms of the bot fly attack, but at all events, it is something unusual in our district.