EDENDALE.

Otago Witness, Volume 11, Issue 2159, 11 July 1895, Page 22

EDENDALE.

July 8. — The chief topic of conversation seems to be the weather. We' have been treat el to a long unbroken spell of moisture. This, coupled with an almost entite absence of frost, has resulted in the ground assuming the nature of a sponge, and one frequently hears it remarked that the gioiind is seldom seen in such a saturated cojid tt'jn. Thuse unacquainted with.this distiiot might ni>tu rally suppose it to suffer seve.ely from au oveiabuudance of rain, owing to the flatness of the land. This, however, is not the case, as the sub oil ia of such a porous Dature as to allow of faun work beibg proceeded with with but small hindrance duriug a period of damp weaiher. Our Chief Industry.— l presume that all those in tho hat-it of lvadiug tho newj-papTS ciiculating in the southern portion of this islaud must he aware of tho existence of a dairy school at Edcndalc ; thit this school was opcued by Mr Biydone on the lilth June; that it is under the superintendence of Mr J B. MaoEwan, chief GoVrnnnent dairy expert ; that the number of students have ranged up to about 70 ; and that the supply of milk, though necessa-ily snail owing to the lato season of year, has bsen sufficient to allow of Mr MicEwan and his assistants demotibtiating to their pupils the interchtiug process of converting milk through its several stages into cheese and butter. The milk supplied to the dairy school is being paid f.^r according to quality, as arrived at by the use of the Babcock tester; andif Mr Macliwan's recommendation is to be acted upon, that will be the system followed by the dai-y fact v.es in future. At the present time the average price paid is expected to be about 5d a gtlljn. On tho strength of this, combined I have no duuht with a p itri itic feeling, the lowl aiipp y i* being augmented by milk from nejahbouiiug districts, some corning fiotn distant Stirling. It is intended to clo3e the scho 1 about the middle of next weak, when it is to be hoped the students, who include several of the fair sex, will return to their homes much benefited by, shall I say, their co'lege term. The pupils seem to have every faith in their master, and that in itself largely tends to an arquirement of knowleige. Judging by the rapidly increasing interest shown towards the dairying industry in this colony, we might reasonably hope that a time is coining in the history of British commerce when the redoubtable CauadUns and Danes will have to look to their laurels. How Our Young Folk Pass the Evenings.— A Bible class ia conduct d fortnightly by the Rev. Mr Smellie, and although the reverend gentleman gives instruction of a varied nature aud imp tits the same with an energy and skill of ■which he. is eminently capable, tha attendance, I understand, is not so good as might reasonably be expected in a district where so many youths and maidens abound. The Debating Society, which has had a successful run for a number of years, has clos-d its pre-ient session. At least two of its ablebt membeis have left the district since lait year, and although some of _thosa remaining worked indefatigably in the interest.? of the society, it has been thought advisable to curtail the preteut session with a view to resuming opetations with renewed vigour at the beginning of another winter. The Quadrille Assembly continues to hold weekly me.etiu.gs with an enthusiasm which shows that a largo amount of vitality still exists there.