CAVE (South Canterbury).

Otago Witness, Issue 3033, 1 May 1912, Page 35

CAVE (South Canterbury).

Apr:l 29.—Tho weather is mixed at present —ram on the low downs and enow on the tops of tlie high hills. Wo have had a fairly .vifcumn, &ncl most of fch© crops jb/ivo boon got into tho stacks in fair order. The nnii is new at work, and nearly half of tho grain is threshed Some good yields of oat.=, barley, and wheat are reported..- I hear of oats going to 82 bushels to the acre, which may bo an exception to tho ruje. Forty-five to 50 bushel's will be near the average for oats, 45 bushels for barley, and 40 to 4 1 bushels per aero for wheat. Grass is more plcntifu! this year than has been the case for a few years back, and thero is every prospect of plenty of feed for tho winter. Fanners Are busy ploughing and getting tho ground ready for gram crops, while many are carting their grain to tho railway and selling on the trucks at the railway station. I hear of 2s Id being paid for oats. 3s 7d for wheat, and 4s 6d for barley. Tho turnips are very good in some places and poor in others; but feed is plentiful. The farmers are stacking tho straw a lot better this year than they have done in tho past. Shcnp.-—The dipping of the sheep Is all ‘but finished. Mr Tasman Smith brought some 500 Romney Marsh rains from Southland this year. There _is a good demand for this breed in this part of South Canterbury. Mr Tasman Smith supplies the farmers around this district with rains every year. He is a brooder of some note and has a good stud flock of English Leicester and Border Leicester sheep. Quite a number have decided to ire the Romney Marsh rams this year. Cave Sale.—At the monthly sale at tho Cave, the yards were full of sheep, and competition for all classes was good. Prices ruled as follow:—Fat lambs, 14? 6d to 15a 6d; fat ewes, 9s lOd to 11s 6d; fat wethers. 15s 6d to 16? 4d; store lambs. 7?. 7s 9d, 10s 4d, 11s 3d, 11? sd. 11s Bd, to 12s 4d ; store wethers to 14s; two-tooth owes, 15s to 17s 3d.

Struck by Lightning.— In Ibo midst of a heavy thunderstorm, which came up round the Lower Parnora Gorge, and crossed over bv the Cave. Mr J Bring ans, on the Oahnington road, had a fence struck r>y lightning. The lightning travelled along the fence, shuttering several of the posts into matchwood, splitting a straining post in half, and finally wrecking the gate. Several head of cattle were standing in a corner close by the gate, but they escaped without injur?/ Concert and Dance. —The new library Hall was opened with a concert and a dance, at which 250 were present, and sorr.o £2O realised for the hall fund. _ Kew Buildings—Mr Downes is Building a now shop in the township, and intends to carry on a saddlery business. Ho is also building a dwelling-house on a section close

bo the township.—Messrs Henderson and Russell are building a new store and house, and a new stable. Wedding.—A very quiet wedding was celebrated in Chalmers Church, Tirnaru, when Mr Thomas David Burnett, of Mount Cook Station, was married to Miss Nelly Little, of Annandale, near Cave. After the ceremony the young couple started on their journey to Mount Cook Station on horseback, a distance of 100 miles. They accomplished the journey without resting on the way, except for refreshments, so there as evidently pluck and energy among our young people. Schools. —A grant of £375 has been made to build the Monavale Schoolhoyse of white stone. —The meeting of householders in the Cave -School district re-elected the old committee. with one new member, Mr C. E. Kerr. Mr Roberts, who has done much for the school, was re-elected chairman. The year commences with a credit balance of £l2 10. —The old committee was re-elected 1 for the Canmngton School with Mr M.‘Master as chairman. The balance sheet showed a credit balance of £l4 15s. Closer Settlement. —I recently paid a visit to the new settlement of Timangua, some 20 miles from Tirnaru It is fair to gcoa land, but the settlement, is so far from the railway and the port of Tirnaru that tto cost of cartage of grain will in itself be a heavy rent on the new settlers. Some or the land is rough, with steep downs, and it will require five horses in a team to work this part. Part of it is limestone land, but it is very steep. There are two other blocks alongside of Timangua. which the Government has purchased, which will make about 7000 acres altogether in the settlement. Should the railway reach the place it would enhance the prospects of the settlement. I hear that Mr Vcraity as offered a block of 2400 acres to the Government for closer settlement. This property is about nine miles from the Cave Some of the land is very good, but there is broken ground as well. I am afraid the price asked will prove a bar. Mr Veraity has sold some of the land here at £l4 per acre.