WETHERSTONES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 31

WETHERSTONES.

April 14. —During the first few days of la°t ■week we had fair weather for the farmeis, but the laot t-.vo» days, Friday and Saturday, were wintry in the extreme, there being cold rough S.W. showers, mixed with hailstones, falling in snow on the high ground and about Waipori. The barometer last Monday was at 29.76, by liiursday morning it was down to 29.01. There are some crops still standing out Tuaoeka West way, and ;i lot in btook vet. A resident of Wetheretones, who ws up Waimatp wuv for a holiday the week before last, told me that it was pitiful to see the stacks. He said that they were as green as grass on the top, that the farmers were taking them all down again, suid that there was a good deal out in stcok yet. Bunny.— A large number of rabbits were sent away from Lawrenc-2 last week — on Friday no le3s than eight truck". Mr J. B. Thompson, agent for Mr Tonkin, sent away over 4000 that day, while there were other two or three agents busy in the same line. Sine? trapping commenced on the suprs and th^ commonagp many of the labbita are leavinj? there and finding their way down on to tho low ground, where they aie invading thp gaidens. I was told by a rabbitpr who i-> trp pmg on the o'.d coiiunona°e, now- Cotton's run, ' that the teirots and cats me very plentj- | ful, and that he sometime^ gets m his traps ' five or six ferrets, ci ?, cat or two some nights , and still the rabbits are as numerous fls cvei. Mining.— Last week was a bad week for nuning about here. The Golden Crescent party J were only able to elevate six hours c shift — | The Local Industry, which commenced their ', new paddock last Tuesday afternoon, could j only woik from 12 hours down to eight hours out of the 24. Since they got the new jet they do with 100 m less water, and the work is done equally as well as before.— The Happy Valley dredge was idle bst week, the manager i i<» having new tubes pvit in the boiler. In the meantime be ha 3 some of the men employed ' building a dam around tlio outside of the , ground to back the water up, &o that the dredge will float higher, a.id there will be uioio drop for the tailings. Weather. — The barometer was steady all day yesterday at 29 49. By this morning, hovr»pr, it had dropped 2-10deg The 'oweb* reading of the thermoiiKtpr was 45dp^r at 7 am of the 12th, the highest 72dog at noon of the 7th, and m the sun HOdeg Tlk uinfrtll ''or March was 2 35m. I