WAIKOIKOI

Otago Witness, Issue 2569, 10 June 1903, Page 35

WAIKOIKOI

June 6. — Since my la-t letter the weather has been atrocious. Day after day the ram has poured down pitlessly ; winds cold enough to freeze the very marrow in one's bones, if long exposed to them, have been the rule rather than the exception, and yesterday morning snow fell. Last night, however, a change took place, and this- morning the grom.d was white with hoar frost. To-day is beautifully fine, and not a. cloud is to be seen un the sky. The mountains round about are capped with snow, and look very beautiful in the sun'ight, making one feel that winter is not without its charms, despite a few days of very miserable weather. For a few days the 'Koi Stream was in high flood a- d "me say it was the biggest flood ever seen here.

The Farm —A- a result of the very wet weather we have hud, a few of our farmers have been unable to get all their crops led in. Tta.a is a serious matter for them, for unless we have a spell of good drying weather, and tlut at once, there is little likelihood of their being abe to get tho outstanding crop led in at all. One farmer has still 100 acres in s'ook. another has 40 acres, and another 30. Two threshing mills are buoy in the di.strict. and j-traw stacks aro becom ng more numerous e%"ory day, bo that, given fine weather, the grain now in stack will soon be threshed, and nothing but straw stacks left ready for the burring. The carting of oats from here to the Poniahaka eiding is not being earned on freely as yet. Ko doubt the bad weather has had something to do with this Next week I expect to see, or, speaking more correctly, to hear, for it's no fun getting up too early these cold mornings, numbers of drays pa-SBing on their way to Poniahaka all laden with oats. I notice that some farmers are carting in their turnips, and that others have turned their sheep on to them. The turnip ciop turned out fairly well,

considering that it vas impossible, owing to ■net vreatlur, to get the seed sawn until very late in the season. S^ock of a'l kiiids are looking well, uotriiihaianding the unfavourable seiscn.

The Farmers' T7n.cn. — The executive of the 'Koi branch of the union held their annual meeting on Monday, l=t inst., Mr George Milnes, president, m the chair. The minutes of the last meet, eg -uere read ard confirmed, and the report and balance sheet were adopted as read At a genoial meeting held lmmeduately afterwards, Mr M Ines was appointed delegate to the Provincial Conference, held in Dunedm this week. I not.ced'in the report of the conference which appeared in the Daily Timts that Mr Milnes uas a real "live' 1 de'egate, who made his presence known. As our branch of the un.on is likely to nourish like "a green bay tree," it is to be hoped that those of our farmers who pay the r subscriptions, but do not attend the meetings, will turn over a new leaf thi3 year, and become active, instead of passive members, for the precept, "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well," applies just as much to a t-ndanc" at the meetirg of the union a3 it decs to anything else. The next meeting, wh.ch, by tho bye, is an adjourned one, takes place on Wedne-day, 10th. A3 important matters are to be discussed, and the report of the delegate to the Provincial Conference to be heard, a large attendance is looked for.

Rabbits. — Bunnies are not at all plentiful this season, though one rabbiter here is said to be doing well. This is probably because there are not many at the game. ''It's an ill wind that blows nobcdy good," for whole tho rabbiters are grumbling at the scarcity of rabbits, the farrueis are lejoicing that their farms are well clear of the post. Amusements. — Two social clubs have been formed here to help to pass somo_ of the winter evenings — one a ping-pong cirib, the other a quadrille club. Both have their partisans ; but the latter is the or.o likely to be most favoured, as "tripping the light fantastic toe 13 thought, by the major ty of the young folk, to be more su'.table for a cold winter evening than playing ping-pong, caids, draughts, etc., even although these games are always fo. lowed by a dance. The want of these amusements in a country place like this would be a sad loss to the young folk, and would, like the man's hat, be felt. The opening of the quadrilles takes place on Friday next. Roads. — The main road Waikoikoi to Pomahaka is in fairly good order, but the heavy carting is sure to cut it up considerably. More work i-s required to be done on that part of the Glenshee road near the bridge, for wjien the 'Koi Stream is in flood the water runs over the road and makes crossing rather unsafe. One farmer, crossing during the last flood, nearly mot with, an accident, for his horses and dray went over the side of the road into the deep water. Fortunately, the dray was empty, had it been laden a capsize would have been inevitable. Eclesiastical. — Attendance at church has been very poor lately, the cold, damp weather being chiefly the cause. Our mrmster, Rev. A. Begg, is in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday, let it rain, blow, or snow, and as he comes all the way from Tapanui, a distance of 11 miles, one may be sure that his long ride cannot be at all a peasant one in rough weather. I must congratulate the choir members on the.r pfctendance lately, and also on their singing. Their choice of suitable hymns, too— that is, hymns the tunes of which all the congregation can sing — has been very satisfactory. Sickness. — There has been a good deal of sickness in all parts of the district, the chief ailments being severe colds and sore throats. The fnend3 of Mr John Bremner, who has been ill since February with pneumonia, will bo pleased to hear that he is gradually getting back to b.s normal state of health. Mr Bremner is now in Dunedm, but expects to be home again in a few weeks. Scholastic. — The school attendance is not good. This is owing partly to the late harvest and partly to the inclement weather. The services of the Education Board's truant officer have not yet been required ; but unless the attendance of some of the pupils improves, and that at once, the teacher will be compelled to send a list of their names to the board, for the board's regulat'on on tln.s matter leaves the teacher no choice. He is compelled to send at the beginning of every month a full list of those pupils who have not attended the cumber of times lequired by the act. A Loss. — Sivcp -writing the above notes I have been, to.d that Mr E. D. Mackenzie, of Pomahaka, lost 100 aheep by the late flood. When Mr Mackenzie saw that there would likely be a flood, he removeS his sheep to higher ground for safety, and left them, as " he thought, out of the way of danger TJrfortunately, the sheep wandered back to the lower ground, and were drowned.