MOMONA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3382, 8 January 1919, Page 23

MOMONA.

January 4.—The weather at the time of writing (Saturday night) is fine; but the elements a-re so capricious and changes occur bo frequent and so sudden that any reference to fin© weather must be construed as applied to the moment only. It lias been our frequent experience during this season to find a bright, sunny morning transformed in less than an hour into a bleak, cold day. I cannot at the moment recall a season when the weather has been so fickle and so vexatious to the farming community. A great deal of rain has fallen during the past two months, and though there have been occasional brief periods of summer warmth tho temperature has on the whole been very low. The Farm. —Under the circumstances above described, any work accomplished on the farm has necessarily been of an intermittent character. Farm work has been frequently interrupted, and an abnormally late season made still later by persistent bad weather. Thero has been very little growth since my last letter was written, and the- outlook fox

winter feed cannot be said to have Improved during the past fortnight. Turnip-thinning is in progress on. some farms, but in many instances the plants are not yet far enough advanced for singling, and, indeed, an occasional belated farmer has not yet completed his sowing. Prom all quarters come reports of difficulties 1 experienced in obtaining a good braird of turnips this season. This is, I believe, due in some degree to inferior seed, but may perhaps be attributed in a larger measure to the unfavourable climatic conditions, and to the depredations of the fly. In a great many instances resowings have been made. There are, of course, occasional fields which look well, but these are few and far between, and, on the whole, I am afraid the turnip crop will this season "be very disappointing. Cereal crops are looking better than one would expect considering the wet, cold weather whioh has prevailed, and fairly good yields may be anticipated, though the harvest will be late. There i 3 an abundance of grass at the present time, and the milk supply is being well maintained. As showing the extent to which the dairying industry has developed in this district it might be of interest to mention that the amount of money paid to suppliers at the Co-operative Cheese Factory last month was in the vicinity of £6OOO. Home from the War.—Among recent drafts of returned soldiers weie Gunner George Bruce and Lance-corporal Thomas Henderson. The former has a long period of active service to his credit, having been away for -more" than three years.