TUNTROON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2398, 15 February 1900, Page 39

TUNTROON.

February "I I ?.— -The womher has, durin°- the papS wcek^been very wet, wmc showers "having fallen near'y every day, m =ome instances bc^ ing accompanied ijy heavy thunder. Strange to say. the lain has almost invariably fa.len m the afternoon ,-nid evening, and been 10' lowed by sharp frosts in the morning. "Wednesday's rain wr r>he-<omenal, but as the distant hills have now received a coat of snow it piobflb'e ib.pt fi,- e weathei will set in. Harvesting. — A laigc amount of the crons ort the Maerewher.un estate pro now m the .sfook. and \-eiy few patches lcmain uncut. Leading in wjll bs well under way before these -•otos appear in print, and th-e&hing from the stock will be much in evidence, although many of the settlers are somewhat eharv of trusting Mic weather thus far. Tiie ciops gene-.ally are fairly heavy this year, be.ng very clean strawed : and moat of the settlers en tins estate arc well sat.-fied with tin year's prospects. Of course, the rain has somewhsi interfered with the wo.k, but the gram has not suffered much from it. being mostly stookc-d as soon as cut; and the winds have dried it lapidly. the j>bsc:iea of very hot weather preventing the gram sprouting. A Ministerial Visitor —We have had the Hon. the M.n^tes for Lands sojourn'-ig amongst u« during the past week, the hon. gpatleman being, wi'.li his brother, "Professor M-Kenzie. -the guest o: his brothei-m-lan, Mr Wills Duriug the d.'y ha uiove aiour.d ths settlement, and looked at the cio^s. etc., and expiessed the belief that the geneiai piospeiity visible v.culd -prevent the settle. s asking a reduction of rent this year. On Friday hs was in the township for the purpose of seeing any persons who had requests to make; but the settlers were too bu^y with the harvest, etc., so ho Wiis untroubled.

Sale. — The usual monthly auction sale (inaugurated by the New Zcala-id Loan and Mercantile Agency Company at New Year time) was held at the "Duntioon salcyards on Friday, a goodly mvmbei of sheep and cattle, with some horses, being put up. The whole of the sheep aid cattle offered changed bands at very fair piices, the horses not meeting with so much denmi.d, and being nil passed m. No doubt the wet interfered <=o>)iewbat wilii the numbci of entries, but it helped the sale, as the maclnnp* could not wcii'lr.