COUNTRY NEWS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 18, 26 February 1914, Page 11

COUNTRY NEWS.

(From Our Special Correspondents.) darFi£ld. . ■ Throughout the Darfield, and sur- , rounding districts of Greendale,'Charing : Cross, Aylesbury, Kirwee, Courtenay, Kimberley, .Racecourse Hill and Hawkins, harvest operations are now reaching a stage of completion,, and within a week's time very little stacking will remain unfinished. ' On several farms stook threshing lias been going on lt apace and yields for the most part are entirely satisfactory, with the exception of an odd field or two here and there where the caterpillar has unfortunately made its presence felt. Consequently some of these crops will not yield more than about half of their earlier estimated promise. Rape and kale are standing heavy feeding, and during the past fortnight a few thousand store lambs have been railed into Darfield. In this connectionit is to be hoped that the purchasers will not ultimately suffer from the present indications of a decrease in the- ' price of lamb. It is found that as:a green feed kale is not taken so readily : as rape, that the fattening process- is slower, but that the mortality is infinitely less., • Turnips are looking par-, ticularly well, and at present give evidence of .an ample supply of winter feed. Potatoes 100 are promising well, and, should market values prove satisfactory, good monetary returns may be anticipated. THE FRUIT SEASON. In the orchard the fruit season is at its maximum. At the commencement of the season the cherry crop suffered considerably from a continuance of showery K weather, and just recently plums, particularly the greens gage variety, with its fine skin, suffered similarly. At the present time-a good deal of stone fruit (peaches and apricots) is, arriving from Teviot. PERSONAL. On Friday* last Mr C. W. Withell, master of Maylield school, by Mrs Withell' and-son and daughter, inotoJed through, tfi Darfieldc .via Methven, and 1 revisited the district qfter an absence of <■ Aijpe years., .Mr,.Withell previously sa£igbt jat Darfield for ,3 period of teen years. • ' > A WEDDING. At St. Andrew's Anglican Church on Tuesday afternoon a Wedding of considerable interest solemnised by ! the | Rev. Jasper Smith. / The contracting 1 parties were Mr of .the , Railway Department/ ChAstChui-'chj and •- late of Darfield railway staff, and Miss , Alice M'Causland, of Kimberley • The church was tastefully\leicoratM 'for the occasion, and a very Targe number of friends of the "bride and bridegroom 1 witnessed the cereuigny,'and adjourned to the/ residence of the bride's mother, to partake of 4He wed- , ding breakfast. il