THE COUNTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3029, 3 April 1912, Page 39

THE COUNTRY.

g3J* Correspondents are reminded that all letters for the current week's issue must reach Duoedin NOT LATHR THAN MONDAY NIGHT, letters coming to hand on Tuesday are too lsts, and are thus a week o'n when they appear.

JLAKE COINTY. March 50. —Beautiful weather is now being- experienoed. Good headway is being made with harvesting operations. Throughout the district there are some very sne •crops. Turnip crops are also looking well. General.—Seventy week-enders arrived in Queenstown on Saturday evening last. —Mr <J. Smith won the silver cup (presented by Mr S. B. Petterson, Queenstown) for most points in Classes II and 111 at the recent sheep-dog- trials. —Messrs Cotter Bros, held an important sale of furniture, on account of Mr W. Holland, at Frankton on Monday last. Good prices were realised.-—Mr M. Lynch has entered into possession of tho Antrim Arms Hotel. Frankton, Mr Thomas M'Soriley's lease having expired. Deaths.—Another of the district's old pioneers, in the person of Mr John Balderston, passed away at the Frankton Hospital on Sunday last. He had been an inmate of the hospital for the last two months, the immediate cause of death being bronchitis and heart disease. The late Mr Balderston was 85 years of age, and was a native of Scotland. lie followed mining in the Sliotover district for a great many years. He was one of Nature's gentlemen, and was esteemed and respected by all. His wife predeceased him by two or three years. The funeral took place at Queenstown on Tuesday, the burial service being conducted by the Rev. J. F. O'Donnell. —Mr R. T. Jackson, of Kawarau Station, passed away somewhat suddenly at the residence of his brother-in-law (Mr A. J. Thompson), Queenstown, on Monday last. Ho had been in indifferent health for some time, and came to Queenstown last December for a change- The late Mr Jackson was a native of Riccarton, Scotland, and was 52 years of age. Ho came to New Zealand about 30 years ago, and about 12 years ago took charge of Kawarau Station. On the run being cut up he bought part of tho property, including tho home-stead. He was then appointed manager of the Hakataramea Estate, in Oamaru district. Fourteen months afterwards he retired, and returned to his home at Kawarau Station. The late Mr Jaokson was universally respeeti>d and esteemed, and general regret is expressed for his bereaved widow. The interment took place at Queenstown on Wednesday, the burial service being conducted by" the Rev. H. Packe. Personal.—On Saturday evening last, at the Supreme Court Hotel, Queenstown, Mr William Quinn, who has been in the employ of Messrs Craig and Co. for some years, was presented by the Mayor (Mr J. Edgar), on behalf of a number of friends and wellwishers, with a gold albert and sovereign case, on the occasion of his departure for Invcrcargill, where ho haa secured a position in the Railway Department. Mr Edgar spoke in eulogistic terms •of Mr Quinn, and, whilst expressing regret at his departure, wished him success in his new sphere of labour. —Mrs Melton, formerly of Cardrona, has been appointed head teache-r of the Lower Shotover »school. Miss Nellie M'Skimming, of Arrowtown, has been appointed postmistress at Glcnorehy, in place of Miss Craig, resigned.

TABLE HIM,. 'Api-il 1. —The weather is still unsatisfactory. After a short period of dry weather it started to rain again last Monday night, and, with showers, Scotch mists, and fog, continued for three days off and on, completely retarding all farming operations. The glass was high all the time, and it is now just past 30 degrees, but, as Mr Clement Wragge says, these are useless things. We could hear the threshing mill on ihe plains, eo that the farmers would be in an awkward fix when the bad weather earn© so suddenly; but perhaps most of the threshers would go home. As the ?<>a*on is late, the crops and 6tooks will take a while longer to dry. I should think that farming operations will be now in ful' swing for another period. There are plenty of crops still to cut, and faking everything into consideration, the farmers would be quite excusable if they worked on Sundays in order to get their crops secured. Hematite. —Mr Alnh. Forsyth has tak<~-n another 10-ton lot of hematite out of his pit. The stuff is bagged in lots, anil ready for Mr W. A. Tough to take it away with, his traction engine. A Visitor.—Mr Gerald Pnooner, who was mining here about 40 years ago, when he was a big boy, lately paid a fortnight's vis.it to the mining reserve, and looked over all the old workings. He was somewhat surprised at the way tho manuka and ti-trees have spread over the country. There is a big tunnel, about lOCOft long-,

on the level of the South Branch, which is some hundreds of feet below the old workings, and if finished would tap the water that floods the deep shafts, and the hope was expressed that Mr Spoonor's visit would be connected with the completion of this tunnel. Mr Spoonor has travelled round a bit. About 20 years ago he was in Wanaka or a few months, and after that was hotel-keeping in Mace-town, and latchin the North Island, which he naturally speaks well of. Mrs Spooner died about four years ago, and his father died lately at | the advanced age of 86 years. Rabbits.—The agent of a rabbit exporter latelv paid a. visit to the district, and arranged to take all rabbits about Easter time. The rabbits are not very' plentiful this year. They were not breeding to any extent during the wet summer, and apparently not travelling much. An Ancient Horse. —The oldest historical horse in the district met a somewhat tragic death lately. He was so old that bearded men who knew him declared that their memories grew dim when they reckoned up the number of years that elapsed since lie was a frisky young colt at Glenore. For ever so many years the old white hoi so was a familiar figure pulling a buggy into Milton from The Reef for his various owners. During the last six years he was owned by the Smith family, and it was always surprising how he managed to keep dead: of all the mining shafts and other workings during all the years he was running out on The Reef. But he came to grief at hist in one of these, for he fell into the bye-wash in Mr Sutherland's dam and was in a very much cramped-up and wet position for four or five hours. Mr C. Johansen dug out a clear space all round him, but the horse was unable to rise, and Mr T. Dodds with his team hauled him out: but he was unable to pull round, and died, though he was well covered up and kept warm. When he was a colt he badly staked his neck just at the angle of the jaw. The wound never quite healed up, and was always running, and the careful post mortem examination disclosed a tiny tube about an inch deep, and beyond that what seemed like the brown scent glands at the root of a rabbit's tail. Then the big muscle of the neck adjoining showed that it had been badly lacerated, and the lacerations filled with flesh. When rating grass, in order to reach the ground, the horse used to stretch one foot forward and the other one nearly back to the hind legs, no doubt on account of his early accident. But he was always in good heart and decent condition. The Milton Fire.—The burning of Messrs (■ray and Sons' big store in Milton is a regrettable incident. The firm have everyone's sympathy. At first sight it seems unusual that £13,000 worth of damage should be done, but this is easily explained by the larpro quantities of reserve stocks on hand. Tins firm, like Mr Wm. Moore, the other big storekeeper, imports almost everything, and as it is some time before each order is executed, it is necessary to make provision to prevent supplies running short. It seems curious at first sight that a small town of 1347 inhabitants should have two such large general stores— Grays employ 26 hands—and also other big drapery establishments, and a lot of small general stores, fruit shops, etc. But, it must be remembered that the woollen mill is doing well, and circulates £IO,OOO a year in wages. Then Mr Jones's up-to-date brickworks employ several hands, and also Mr Ca-ssidy's fellmongery and Messrs M'GiU's large flourmill. The poultry farm requires Government cheques to keep it going, and there are seven stock and station agency businesses, and prosperous farmers all round it. A town built on these lines is sure to be prosperous, and will continue so. On the other hand, when a mining district decays—for gold-getting can't last for ever —all the businesses languish and many of the business people come to grief. It is astonishing the large number of new houses that have been built in Milton lately, and regardless of expense, too. I hear that a big boarding-ho use is in couree of erection. It is understood that everyone is financially sound. Esperanto.—Esperanto continues to prove its usefulness, and has evidently come to stay. Recently the Los Angeles (California) Chamber of Commerce sent a delegate to France, Italy, and Spain to lecture in Esperanto on the advantages of emigrating to California and working the land. TJo had crowded audiences everywhere, and hircre numbers of people who hrd studied Esperanto for only three weeks were able to understoixl him. He was such a success that the Swiss National Esperanto Association took him in hand, and nrran<jed loctnrcs; for him all over the remainder of Eiu'opp. He served the double purpose of .spreadintr the advantages of learnincr a new universal language in a few weeks, or j months sometime?, and the big advantage of <=eri!ip<r on the rich lands of the new world, where life existed on such easv condition*. Evc-y Fsperantist soon notes it.s usefulness, and ot once becomes an enthusiast in its favour. Tt is «urnridn"- that, it has not made greater headway in New Zealand. «T.U T,4JJ. March 28.—The weather ditrincr the past two months has proved a. sickening disappointment to agriculturists. The almost continuous rainfall, accompanied by low temperature, has retarded all harvesting work, and prejudicially affected stock of every class. Splendid crons of grass seed are rotting in the fields. Turnips arc m«kinf? but poor progress, and dairymen ar# feeling the effect of the wet, and cold weather in a rapidly-diminishing milk yield It is many years since a worse harvest season has been experienced in Southland. • Coronation Hall and Library.—A public meetinar of ratepayers, convened by the Town Board, was held in the Town Hall recently. The object of the meetine was to consider a proposal to borrow £6OO to finish the Coronation Hall Building, and also to hold a four days' carnival with a view to raising an additional £4OO for furnishing the building, etc. In the absence of Mr -Tas. Saltoii. chairman of the board, Mr A. A. Liddell was voted to the chair. The town clerk (Mr J. Fisher) read a lucid statement of the hail finances, which showed the contracr, price and architect's fee as £3365 ss. whilst the total assets amounted to £2655. The chairman invited expressions of opinions from ratepayers present. The eencral opinion of the meeting went atrainst the carnival, as it would' cause a heavy drain on the ready money of the town, and prove an e*=ppoiai tax on the few who are always willintr cheerfully to assist in every move for the progress of the town. Final!v, on the motion of Mr F. R King, seconded by Mr R. Ford, it was unam- I

mously decided that the board be authorised to borrow £IOOO to complete the work. High-pressure Water Supply. —The same meeting- then went on to consider the eeheine, so fully reported on by Mr Davey. consulting engineer, Duned:n, to construct a high-pressure water service at a cost of £4OOO. The wisdom of adopt in j this scheme has been ably advocated in the local press, ytt several speakers looked upon the borrowing of £4OOO to provide tb.> town with at; abund'aiice of pure water at a high pressure as quite ridiculous, one gentleman oven suggesting that they were all going mad. However, after several forcible addresses iiad been made in favour of the proposal, and the town clerk had explained the financial position of the board with reference to loans, and pointed out that the proposal would be met by a yearly interest of £2OO, which could be covered by a halfpenny rate, those opposed! to the scheme mellowed down. After considerable discussion the motion to borrow £4COO was carried, with only two dissentient votes. Another meeting of ratepayers will be necessary to authorise a. poll on the question to be taken. Athletics.—ln the Western District Otautau is now the recognised centre for sport and national ath'etics games. A meetingwill be held next month by the Southland Branch of the New Zealand Sports League, when Mr W. A. Saunders, secretary to tire branch, will be in attendance to enroll members. At the annual meeting of the Otautau Ladies' Hookey Club a very enthusiastic meeting ensued. Officers for the current year were elected!, and it was decided to affiliate with the Southland Ladies' Hockey Association. The opening day was fixed for April 17. Last week the Otautau Tennis Club played a fixture with the Riverton Club, which proved a mest enjoyable game. The visitors were most hospitably entertained by the local club. The Riverton team had a fairly easy win, the scores being:—Riverton 91, Otautau 52. Our local Football Club is now rallying- for the coming season. The annual meeting of the Taringaturi Club is being held this week. ThoWrey's Bush Club has decided to amalgamate with the Nightcaps Club. It is probable that, at the annual meeting of delegates to the Western District Sub-union, to be hold at Riverton on the 30th inst., the headquarters of the subunion will bo transferred from Riverton to Otautau, as tho latter is more central for the clubs engaged. Church Ceremony.—The Rev. John Erv.in. 8.A., was inducted into the pastoral charge of Limestone Plains on the 14th inst., when the church was packed to its utmost capacity. The Rev. R. Mackie, of Winfcon, who had acted as Moderator, presided, and preached a most eloquent sermon from the Gospel of St. Paul, taking his text from Philippians iv and xii, "I know both how to be abased', and I know how to abound." Tho Rev. J. Oumming put the usual questions to the minister, Mr E'rwin, and Mr Begig gave tho address. Mr Burridg-o addressed the congregation, giving some excellent advice. At the close of the induction a welcome social was tendered to Mr and Mrs Erwin and f amily in the hall. There was a large attendance and a lengthy and varied programme was given, including several selections by the young people of the district. An abundance of refreshments was supplied by the ladies of the congregation. Capital addrosses were delivered by the Revs. A. M'Donald, Gumming, and Burridge. Mr Eirwin in his remarks asked for the help and co-operation, of his people, and if these were given he felt hopeful for the future. Tho address made a deep and favourable impression. Other addresses of welcome were given by Messrs Jas. Lumsden, A. M'Kenzio, Jas. Lindsay, Jas. Brownridge, and in conclusion by Mr C. M'Kinnon, who in a very suitable address presented' Mr Mackie, the retiring Moderator, with a recognition in the form of a cheque, the gi f t of the Deacons' Court. Apologies were read from Mr J. Fisher, Otautau, Rev. Chas. Grey, of Riverton,, and also a telegram expressive of good wishes from the Rev. II H. Barton, M.A., of Maori Hill, Dunedin. Magistrate's Court.—The monthly pitting of the Magistrate's Court, before Mr G. Cruk-kshanks, S.M., was hekl on the 25th inst,, when 39 debt eases were set down for hearing. Only two of these were dealt with, the other 37 being either paid into court or settled prior to the sitting. Inepeotor Wright v. Stephens and Cole, for allowing pigs to wander on the public road. The defendants pleaded " Guilty," and were lined 10s with costs (9s). —In the Nightcaps assault cases Thos. Todd v. A. Dohlequey (charged with assault), and the Police v. Todd, Dohlequey. and E. Kelly (charged with committing a breach of the peace on March 3), Mr Haggitt appeared on behalf of Todd, Mr Taifc for Dohlequey and Kelly, and Inspector Cameron conducted the case for the police. A number of witnesses were . examined, and lengthy evidence given. His Worship intimated that ho was quite satisfied that Dohlequey was the whole cause of the trouble, and that if he were certain a knife had been used, lie would Send 1 Dohlequey to gaol for three months He would convict and fine Dohlequey £lO (costs £5 15s 6d), in default six weeks' in prison.— •Jas. Brighton was charged with stealing a :iuml.er of articles from tho dwelling of Donald Manson by forcing an entrance through a window. The defendant pleaded " Guilty," was convicted, and fined £2 and eesrs, in default three weeks in prison. —A. Ferrier was charged with assaulting a young girl at Aparinia on Sunday, March 3, with intent to commit a crime. Inspector Cameron prosecuted, and Mr Tait appeared for the accused, who reserved his defence, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial, bail being allowed in one surety of £loo.—Patrick Finn was charged with committing a breach of the peace at a dance at Wrey's Bush. Mr Keddell appeared for defendant. The evidencs disclosed a rough-and-tumble fight on the floor of the ballroom, in which several bricklayers came off second best. The evidence, which was very "divarting," disclosed nothing to support the case against Finn, and the ease was dismissed.—John Donovan v. Flett Bros., claim for balance due for chaff sold. After hearing evidence, judgment was given for plaintiff, with costs. —The court sat throughout the day till 10 p.m., but. notwithstanding the lengthy sitting, three civil were adjourned by the court for one month. Tho solicitors present commented or: the amount of extra clerical work which fell on the shoulders of Constable Joyce, and expressed surprise at the thorough manner in which lie carried out the growing amount of work in connection with the court proceedings, and this practically without, any extra remuneration.

It was felt that in justice to Constable Joyce a cadet should be appointed to assist him in this work. Accidents. —Fraser M'lntosh, trolleyman at, M'Callum's mill at Fairfax, mot. with a serious accident. While crossing a bridge the trolley fell through, and the driver was pinned down by the load. When rescued he was found to be seriously knocked about, and his collarbone was broken. — Geo. Clark, trolleyman at Bird and Swhan's mill at Otautau. in the course of his work met with a painful accident in a severelyspra.ined ankle, which will lay him up for some time. HOt/IPAPA. April 1. —Things move on here very quietly. Almost day by day the rain comes down, with now and again a good dry day. Sports. —On Saturday, March 30. sports were held here. The day was fairly fine, but cold. There was a long programme, which only terminated with darkness. Most of the events attracted good entries, and many were very keenly contested, cspeeiallv~ in the chopping and sawing events. "l think that Mr John Campbell, of Leggat and Campbell, sawmillers, Catlins River and Houipapa. must have carried off most of the honours. For a man of his years he certainly is a wonder in tho way of endurance, and us game as it is possible to make them. Scholastic—Mr F. Wilson, jun., takes charge of our school to-day. and we all wish him every success in his profession. FAIHFAX. March 28.—We are in the midst of harvest, which prormscs to be a tedious one. A good deal of crop is still uncut, and very little is in the stack. Seldom do wo get more than two consecutive fine days. On Tuesday morning a warm, muggy rain set in, which continued all day. Since then we have .had quite moist weather, so that no more stacking will be done this week. A good deal of the ryegrass is still in the stook, and is now practically worthless. ; Feed is fairly plentiful, and turnip crops, I though very late, are making good pro- . gress. i Presentation. —On the evening of tho 21st j inst. Miss Maggie Carmichael was tendered a social and presentation in recognition of her cervices as organist of the Groper's > Bush Presbyterian Church. The event, wmch took the form of a basket party, was held at Mr J. Carmichael'a homestead, " Kaehills," between 30 and 40 members and adherents of the church being present. J The presentation was made by Mr D. M'Farlane, one of the elders, who, on be- ! half of the congregation, asked Miss Car- ■ michael to accept a silver cake dish and crumb brush and tray. Mr J. Borland also made a short appreciative speech. Mr G. Carmichael, on behalf of his sister, suit- , ably replied. Songs were contributed during the evening by Mesdamos Reidie and Fleck a-id Misses Fleck, Playfair, and Offi- j cer. Mis Playfair acted as accompanist. Recitations were given by Messrs G. Carmichael and J. Brownridge. The singing of " Auld lang syne" and " She's a jolly good fellow " brought an enjoyable evening to a close. Railway Gates. —Some time ago the Railway Department erected a fenco and tho i.eccssary gates'between the road and the railway and at tho local siding. The work was done with great deliberation, and must have cost a goodly sum for labour alone. Scarcely had the job been completed when it was discovered that one of the gates was badly hung, and would only open half- ; way. To adjust this a workman utilised a : long, weary, Government day, and now it has dawned upon the department that the gates and part of the fence are in the wrong place, and more of a long-suffering people's money is being spent in rectifying somebody's blunder Personal.— and Mrs J. Borland, of Groper's Bush, left on the 23rd for a tour of the Old Country. Their many friends wish tliem a safe voyage and an enjoyable holiday. Dairy Factory. —At a Trseetiiig of tho provisional directors of the newly-formed Dairy Factory Company the canvassers' report was such a satisfactory one that it was decided to establish a factory in readiness ' for next season. POIiAIIAKA BOWXS. March 26.—0 n Saturday, March 16, ended \ a storm of rain and wind, and for the next j week we enjoyed really fine weather. Saturday and Sunday last were fine, drying ' days, and the stooks of grass must have benefited by it, although tho inside of tho j stooks is more or less i-otten. Yesterday \ saw many farmers hard at work leading-in, I but by dinner time rain had come on, and so they had to stop. Up to the time of j writing a drizling rain from the east has fallen. The Farm.—Oats are now being cut, but there is a large acreaage still pretty green. T pee some paddocks of wheat also, mostly in Wairuna, and the reaper should bo in to them very soon. This is a very trying season for farmers. I nonce that s<-m ■■■ leading-in was taking place on Sunday. Whilst I have great objections to Sunday work as a rule. I say that in a late wet season such as this, should the weather be favourable on a Sunday, and the Stuff j ready to cart in, it is necessary that the i work be done. Progress.—l saw a lot of timber being j rarred up to Mr Melton's the other day. j I hear also that a cowshed' is going to i be put up on another eteadimr. whilst in , Wairuna. Messrs Davidson and Newton are both put!ing up additions to their houses. I Most farmers now know that Mr Davidson I has given up shoeing houses, and has lately turned his attention to etud sheep-breed-ir.g. He was very successful at the Gore | and Balclutha Summer Shows. Horticultural Society. —Clinton has lately j held a show in the Coronation Hall. To a ! sood many of us it came as a surprise, j but I think it would bo well to hold this show annually, as it won'd encourage a great many farmer= and their wives to pay more attention to their gardens. Fanners' Gnion Fire Insurance.—The Mutual Fire Insurance is doing splendidly. Every year the premium I have to pay on my insurance becomes less, and every year the company is getting stronger. Ecclesiastical.- —Holy communion will be dispensed at Wairuna next Sunday. The Sunday School is being well looked after by Mr W. Clarke and Mrs Shced. There is a fair attendance, but several more might be there if the parents would send them. The children attend the church afterwards, and a feature of the service is Mr Blair's talk with the children. Mr Blair has a, very happy way of dealing with the clul-

J dron, and they answer beautifully in tho | church. I hear that a singing c'ass lias j boon started in the Pomahiaka School on J Sunday evenings. This is a very good way I cf spending tho Sunday evenings, and I hope many will attend. * WHEY'S BUSH. March 28. —Harvesting operations arc progressing slowly, the disagreeable weather I ma-king work tedious. However, during the j past few days a welcome change sec in, and farmers are now hopeful of getting a spell of genial sunshine, Strike.—Tho strike epidemic so prevalent throughout the world made its appearance in this district in a very mild j form. _ Those affected were the 'threshj ing mill hands, who demanded an in- : crease of from lOd to Is per hour. For the present the .strike has ended, the men having resumed work. It is, however, expected that another demand will be made j when grain-threshing commences. Sports and! Picnic.—The annual shorts : and school picnic, under the auspices of the W rev's Bush Athletic Club, w?re held on Friday, March 15. in the Convent Schco! : grounds The lateness of the harvest r>reI vented many country people from attending. I Nevertheless, there was a gcod muster, and a capital day's sport resulted. The Night- , caps Brass Band rendered a good pro--1 gramme of music during the afternoon. Much of the success of the gathering is due I to the energefio secretary, Mr T. O'Driscoll, and' Messrs J. Xeylon and J. Gallaher, on j whom fell the bulk of the preliminary work I in preparing and laying off the ground. Following are results:—Maiden Race, 100 yards—R. Langford 1, J. M'Monamin 2; Throwing Stone—S. O'Brien 1; 120 Yards Handicap— A. Neylon 1, W. Barnard 2; Young Indies' Race—Miss Murphy 1; Old Married Men's Race—T. Cairns 1; Hurdle -"■ace, 220 yards—R. .Langford 1, W. Barnard 2; Married Men's Kaee—J. P. Forde 1; 440 Yards Handicap— W. Barnard 1, R. Langford 2; Young Ladies' Race (short, skirts) —Miss Huiran 1; Married Ladies' Race—Mis M. Egan 1; 75 Yards Handicap —X. Cowie 1, J. Neylon 2. A lengthy programme of children's events was " gone through during the afternoon. April I.—The weather conditions have been most trying to farmers, who have hiad a most tedious time in endeavouring to secure their crops. A spell of fine, dry weather is badly needed. Boy Scouts.—The boys here have taken much, interest in the division of Boy Scouts organised by Mr Kemp, and have during the past few months applied themselves to the work which has been given them. It is understood Air Kemp has teen instructed to hold himself in readiness to be removed to Invercargill. The departure of Mr and Mrs Kemp will be matter for regret, as they have done much useful work. Valedictory. -There was a gathering at the home of Mr Clearwater, of Castle Rock, on Friday evening to farewell Miss M'Donald, who has been solo teacher for some time past at the Castle Rock School, but is now leaving to take up relieving work tinder the Education Board. Mr H. Keovvn, on behalf of the parents and friends of the school children, presented Miss M'Donald with a handsome lady's gold watch and chain. In doing so he referred in eulogistic terms to the young lady's high qualifications as a teacher of the young, and to her bright and cheerful disposition The presentation having been suitably acknowledged, a dance followed, and with songs and recitations at suitable intervals, an enjoyable evening was spent. TAPAM'I. March 30.—The subject that is undoubtedly uppermost in this locality at present is tho weather. A wet. autumn has followed a wet summer, and it now looks as though the summer of 1911-12 may bo looked upon as something- that has miscarried. At tho present time some fine weather is urgently needed to allow farmers to get their gram crops in. Some of tho grass seed crops were damaged, and others completely spoiled by the continued wet, but it is hoped that matters would improve for the general grain harvest. Tile past few days have been a decided change for the better, and in a few places leading in has started. As a general rule, however, cutting has only commenced, and there are. some difficult paddocks to deal with. The gales have twisted the grain in all directions, and with so much moisture in the early season crops are very heavy. Scythes are being used :n many paddocks, where the binder cannot operate and the reaper snicks into the soft ground ajid causes trouble. Two or three "weeks' fine weather, however, would work" a wonderful change, and it is to bo hoped that April will supply the want. Grass is still plentiful, and turnip crops have come away well of late Closer Settlement —There has boon considerable interest taken in tho cutting up of Conical Hills for closer settlement, liver since the Government acquired the property some months ago there has been much speculation as to how it would l.e dealt, with. When the ballot was announced it was generally agreed that the rentals were liberal, although the areas were on the small side. Wednesday last. however, proved that th«>re was no lack of applicants, and competition was specially keen for the most, favoured sections. Local applicants were fairly successful, and outsiders came from considerable distances. There is no reason why the new settlement should not prove a thorough success, especially if seasons continue Rood. In a few years the sheep walk will be dotted with homesteads. Few estates acquired by the Government are so favourably situated for railway and roads. There was quite a small army of Land Board officials in Tapanui to conduct the ballot, and they trained the gcod opinions of all concerned for courtesy and businesslike methods. Mr and Mrs Shennan took their departure from Tapanui on Saturday, after a very lengthy connection with thp district, and their many friends will wish them future happiness. In the old days Conical Hills and the late Captain Mackenzie's and MTntyre's estates comprised the southern portion of Tapanui district, so that, the last of the trio has now been subdivided. Departures.—Tho local school has loefc two lady teachers of late, in Miss Todd and Miss Turner, Itoih of whom leave the servico to enter married life. Both have proved themselves excellent, teachers, and their departure is regretted. They were each recipients of presents from the school children. Sporting. —As thr> fallow deer <hootini? season does not open until the 10th April, Easter holiday-makers will not have a

chance of trying their luck on the Blue Mountains. It would appear that only a limited number of licenses will bo taken out this season, as it is generally considered that the sport is played out and mounteble heads very scarce. The streams promise to be in good order for trout-fishing during Easter, but, taken all through, the season has not been a favourable one. The water i 3 now becoming too cold for wading in comfort, and of late there has been a good body of water in the Pomahaka. Draughts.—The local Draughts Club held their annual meeting last week, and purpose carrying on again during the winter months. Last season was a very successful one. and many hours were pleasantly spent during the long winter nights bylovers of the silent game. Mr James O'Dowd was elected president and Mr W. Hartley secretary for the ensuing season MIMOLEMAKCH April 1 —The news of the death in Dunedin of Mr C. S. Reid 1 came as a shock to residents here, where he was well known and respected. He wa3 present at the stock sales here on March 12, going about with the aid of two walking sticks, having been injured while travelling with Mr Bowler jn a motor car from Moonlight. It was known that Mr Reid had received some severe outs, which necessitated his having several stitches put in; but Mr Bowler's injuries were regarded as more serious. No one for a moment dreamt that they were seeing Mr Reid for the last time in this world. —The, death of Mrs Patrick Spratt, "who has resided in the district for many yeans, and was loved and respected by a large circle of friends, is generally regretted. The funeral on Wednesday was largoly attended. At the Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening the Rev. W. T. Todd mado feeling reference to tho life and the good works of the deceased lady. At the close of the service the congregation remained standing while the organist played the Dead March in " Saul." TAIEItI MOUTH. April I.—At last the rain has ceased, and we are now having some nice warm days. How delightful it is to feel once more the glow of the lovely sun. I am in hopes now of this weeather lasting, as autumn is usually the best time of year here. Crops.—So far tho crops have stood the bad weather well. I have only heard of on© crop lying down, and that was an exceptionally tull one. Even that orop, I believe, will be cut with the binder. There are some very heavy crops this year, and if the weather will only remain fine for a fortnight all should be by that time eafely stacked. Vegetables have grown well this season, but rather tall; and in place 3 carrots, leeks, ajid beetroot are going to seed. lam afraid there has been too much rain for potatoes on the level land, but anyone who has them growing on sidelings should have a good crop. I know of one man here who put in about a quarter of an acre on a sloping piece of ground. The land was new, and the potatoes just planted after the plough under tho sod. The man who ploughed the land laughed at the novel way, to him, of planting them. '"Your potatoes aro in," he said, "and that is the last you will see of them." But those potatoes camo away all right, and although to the owner's sorrow there is only a small quantity under crop, it is the best crop hero. Although to some this might appear a now way of planting potatoes, still to mo it is a very old way, for at Hawoa Flat in the early days we never thought of planting them in any other way, with good results. If people here cleared some of the scrub on the sidlings and planted potatoes in this way, seeing, of course, the seed was well covered, they would be amply rewarded for their trouble. There is a uso for everything did we but know it, and this is what this land is suited for. Although so much rain has been harmful in some ways, still I believe in others it will be beneficial. I believe it will have the effect of destroying the seed of the thistle. I have noticed that seeds of flowers have died off without coming to perfection, and few of them so far will grow. I have caught some of the thistledown flying, and find there ia no seed attached, or if any, it is just a shell with no substance. I find, too, that there i 9 a kind of rust on some of the thistle stocks. Bunny is not nearly so plentiful as he was, and, in spite of so much grass, is far from fat. The New Bridge.—The bridge work is getting along well, in spite of so much rain. The piles will soon be all driven. Thero are three carpenters employed, and as a lot of the timber, etc., was prepared for putting together at Titri, it will not take long, onco the piles are in, to complete the bridge, and then Taieri Mouth and Taieri Beach will go ahead. I hear tliat many of the farmers intend sending their milk to the factory. There is also talk of rabbits being sent to town. A blacksmith's shop is being built near Mr Knarston's store. This is a long-felt want. Wo shall next be seeing a bakery and butchering business. Mr Philips is very well satisfied with tho business done in his restaurant, and intends, I hear, to build and provide further accommodation.—Some of the young ladies, I understand, are busy collecting for a bazaar ; it is in aid of the church.

nOXBVRGH.

March 30.—Summer months arc drawing to a close; autumn is ass©rtm*r in the yellow leaf. The products of the sol are being garnered, and the same oU tine that has been gomg on foi juries 10 being followed. For our own )™<Jj£ past sea-son, though pecuhar in its freafcs of weather, has been fairly profitable ihe grain crops have been well secured, and the threshing yields fairly good. Turnip, and mangolds are also looking well. Fruit-growing.-Fruit is beginning to pet scarce. The output was larger than usual for the district, but not individual,.? Larger areas are now producing a I air quantity, and trees planted three, four^ and five years ago are giving a return, mo re competition of this sort vnll be com., g in everV year. What will be the future avenues of the fruitgrower is ft would not like to discuss. If UK uemn markets this season are a guide te «» future, woe to the beginner at fruit-cultuie No doubt the fruit this season has not on the whole, been of the beat q«alit> foi dessert purposes. Nevertheless, I have seen fruit of the very best quality P»*» sent in orates from this district in the month of January bring absurd _ prices, while fruit of inferior grade sent in cases with the same consignment brought the same prices. It is thought the Dunedm market is what is termed "ringed. It may or may not be so. Borough Affairs.—The borough Is not developing very fast-in fact,, there seems to be very little life in anything. It » time the council woke up to the necessity of "ravelling the southern end of the borough boundary, as waterholes are numerous Political.—There seems to bo ft certain amount of satisfaction at the Hon. inos Mackenzie being the Prime Minister, and many of us hope he will have ft fan chance, but it is difficult to understand how ho will work some of his team; there is certainly a kind of Scotch mixture about Mining.-This has been a good season for hydraulic claims, water having been plentiful. Dredging is slow . ftnd onlj two machines ar>s working within this distriet, with results which we do not know. The Ladv Roxburgh Dredge is now up the STorge, and is working, but with what result for the last week I havo not heard The ground is deep, and no doubt It will take a little time to bottom. We wish her shareholders every success. Her claim is all maiden ground. „*:-- Sporting.-The Bonger radnff meeting was much enjoyed. A lot of AataotjbwJ horses took part, which made the .port interesting I learn thero will be a big exodus on Easter Monday to the Bea.umo-.it and Clyde. HYDE. March 26.—The weather during the month has been of the most changeable description, as well as unseasonably cold Indeed, summer this year has proved a misnomer, and not for many years bftsisuck a cold season been experienced. Frosts havo been prevalent, and. ice basbocii fa evidence on several mornings. The rainfall for the month has been sufficient, and has been well distributed. Crops-Harvest has been in full swing whenever the weather permitted during the month, and in the mam good progress has been made, though the unsettled state of the weather has been a source of some anxiety. Frequent rains caused some loss of time and in some cases slight discolouration, but no damago of any importance is reported In common with other districts, the few wheat crops have been more or less cut with frosts, and the yield will bo much less than was anticipated. Cutting is practically finished, and the greater part is safely in the stack. Rain, however, sot in to-day at noon from the south and fell Heavily till evening, and is still falling lightly (9 p.m.), and this will cause a delay of a few days. Oat crops have turned out splendidly, and it is many years since suoh uniformly good crop? wore obtained. Messrs Oreighton and Reld Bros threshing and chaff-cutting plants, started work in the district last week, but with the unsettled weather havo so far not made much headway. A considerable amount of chaff is being cut. and with a baro market at present good prices will probably be received. The rains have been most beneficial to the turnip crops, and they are making good growth, and there is promise of abundance of winter feed. Stock.—The autumn growth of the pastures has been good, though the cold weather and frosts have cut tine young growth somewhat. Stock are in splendid condition, and, genorally speaking, farmers and graziers arc approaching winter under more favourable conditions than have existed for many years. Cattle of all descriptions are in great demand, and realise high prices, and sheep are also in very good demand, though the "boom" Drioes predicted early in the season have not so far boon realised ; indeed, the market at tho last series of Central sales was somewhat lower than tho quotations of the previous sales. A few drafts of fat lambs havo been sent away, and prices are good, up to 14a 6d net on trucks being given. Bunny. —The rabbit-trapping season is advertised to start on the Ist April, and judging by the number of rabbits to be seen, trappers will 1 ave a good season. Poisoning has been carried out this year in o very haphazard manner, and while individual results have been good, the general result will be anything but that What is required is stricter supervision by the department, and the enforcing of a general simultaneous poisoning at least over blocks sufficiently largo to bo selfcontained. Wool-classing.—Mr M'Gregor, the wool expert employed by the Education Beard, has commenced a class here, the first meeting, which was mainly introductory, being held in the school last night. < A class ot 10 was enrolled with the promise of about as many more when Mr M'Gregor commences "tho practical part of his syllabus, which is to start on Thursday afternoon, April 4. The syllabus comprises 10 weekly lessons, and covers practically the whole range of wool-classing and preparation for the market. It is to be hoped that suffiecient interest will bo taken in tho subject. to mako the class a success. The action of the Education Board in securing those classes at such Pinall cost to farmers is to. be highly comint.crcsi ■•! will (>•_• the be-t way oi sho\ ing

Mixiidx.

March 30. —The incessant rainfalls that have occurred at brief intervals during the current month have greatly retarded dipping operations, as the flocks are generally mustered in to undergo their annual submersion in a chemical solution for the destruction of parasite-*, ticks, etc. The equinox aishered in a deluge of rain, and, I may add, wound up its brief, inglorious reign with a terrific thunderstorm of several hours' duration, while the vivid flashes of lighting were simply appalling to witness. Crops.—At this stage I may remark that unless a favourable change takes place in the weather many of the farmers predict that the growing crops will be ruined from the incessant rainfalls that havo occurred here- Notwithstanding the advanced period of the seasDn, the crops to bo seen in several paddocks here at present are as green as the proverbial leek, and unless warm weather sets in will never ripenStock Report,—The heavy rainfalls that have been prevalent during the current season have supplied the" stock depastured in the outlying parts of the district with abundance of feed, with Che result that the flocks grazing hero are in robust condition, and as numbers of the small sheepfarmers have disposed of their surplus stock to down-country purchasers, the grazing runs are not overstocked, but reduced to their carrying capacities in respect to the acreage. Some very fine drafts of sheep left the district a few day 3 ago, consigned to southern buyers, notably a large draft from Lamb Hill Station, belonging to Messrs Jopp Bros. Mr Harrison also sent away a very fine mob of merino wethers. It may be truly said that a groat improvement has been effected in the flocks depastured in this district. The rabbits have been kept down over the grazing runs here to the verge of extermination for several vears past, with the result that the stock have had abundance of pasture to maintain their condition. TOTARA. March 30.—The- weather continues very changeable. On Tuesday last at mid-day it started raining heavily, and continued very steady all nignt and well on to Wednesday morning. Since then, however, the weather seems to have improved, and is much milder, with no frosts. Fortunately during all the harvest the weather has been exceptionally cold, and therefore the continued rains did not sprout the grain. The Crops.—Harvest operations are much rearded by the weather, and only to-day I saw a binder finish off the last of the grain crops. The pea and clover crops are still to harvest. The mills have got another start, but there is great loss of time shifting, as the mills sink, and have to be towed along with the cable. There is still a considerable area in the stook, very little having been threshed out of stook this year. Thero has been great difficulty in getting sufficient mon this year. Wages were high, as muoh as Is, Is 3d, and even Is 6d per hour and found being paid, and then men had the affrontery to call and ask for food, and then pass on and refuse to accept work. It seems to mo that the working man is getting mighty independent nowadays. In many cases round hero thero was nothing for it but for the neighbouring farmers to combine amongst themselves, and in that way the bulk of us have been able to secure our crops.

Creamery.—The supply of milk at our creamory Is now decreasing rapidly, but wo have had a record year, and received good prices for our butter-fat. For March supply we are promised Is per lb, and for April not less than Is o£d, being record prices for this time of year. I find that milk pays mo bettor than cropping, and also that I am more independent of the lalwur difficulties, having to employ no one to help. Silver Wedding.—A party of about 40 persons accepted an invitation from Mr and Airs Matenes to join with them and family in suitably celebrating their silver wedding, when a most pleasant evening was spent. Mr Matches is an old resident hero, and has taken an active interest in cjiuroh and sohool work.