WETHERSTONES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 25

WETHERSTONES.

January 30.— The turnips and potatoes about here are looking well, but I cannot say as much for the grain crops. The grass in getting a good start again with the rain we have had lately. Weather.— The weather during the past two weeks h»s been warm but changeable, with hot winds now and again. We had a heavy shower on the 19th and a warm shower on the 21st. The next day the wind wa* south-west, with a cokl bhower. On the 24th it rained all day. We had a gale from the north-west on tbe 28th, and it commenced to rain early on the morning of tho 29th, and continued nearly all day. The lowest reading of the thermometer was 55deg at 7 a.m., with frost ; tbe highest was 94deg, at noon on the 18t;b, with hot winds. ( Bunny.— ln spite of all that the inspector can . do ia the way of poisoning, the rabbits are gatheri ing again. Here is the iatett yarn about bunny, 1 but it has the merit of being true :— An old I minor, who has n gnus plot before his door with a sod fence around it, one day saw an old rabbit , and a young one feeding in tho grass. His black tomcat saw them too (he calls the cat Darkie). The cat went creeping up till he got near the little one, and then made a spring. The big rabbit saw the cat, and made a spring at the cat nt the same time. Darkie turned tail and ran, the rabbit chasing him up to the door, and the small one ran into the fence. The distance they ran would be over 60ft. A few days after the name two rabbits, or two similar, were eating in the same place. Darkie 6aw them, weut creeping tip, jumped on the littlo one, and caught it. Ths old rabbit turned and seemed dazed for a moment, then ran after the cat, who dropped the rabbit and ran home. The big rabbit did not run auy further than the young one, but, alas, it was dead There was a nest of young ones in the fence, and I think that»Darkie got them all. j The Commonage.— A meeting was held here ' last Tuesday night to see what could be done with the Gabriels commonage. Mr Campbell (chairman) informed the meeting that the rabbit inspector wm alwayn at the Commonage Committee about keeping the rabbits down. He wanted them to put on men to poison, but as the chairman fcaid. What could they do with an income of barely £44? There are 8000 acres of a mining reserve, anil there are 5000 of a run that was joined to it afterwards, making 13,000 acres altogether. It seen>« the Minister for Lands wishes the residents i.f this district to give up some of land included in the eommonaee". The Common&gc Committee and the most of the settlers are willing to give up the 5000-acr« block— that is. the block outside of Bungtown Creek, where the best boundary line is. The chairman was asked if he would head another deputation to wait on the Minister for Lands the next time he is in Dunedin, and ask him for assistance.' .He replied do more deputations for him to the Hon. John after the I wigging aud bullying he got the last time. At the first meeting the Minister was affable and pleasant and promised them assistance, but that , was before the elections, and the second was after ■ the elections, and the experience he got then ; ; would last him his lifetime. |