Amberley.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5552, 25 February 1886, Page 4

Amberley.

» HARVEST OPERATIONS. 1 1 THE WESLEYANS. [ i [from our own correspondent.] j Harvesting in this district may be said , • obe at an end, although here and there a , little may bo seen still unsecured, and so it i i will be, I daresay, until a steady rainfall , ' reminds the farmer that for this season s harvest weather is over ; and this year, as 3 far as saving the cereals have been con- > cerned, the weather could not have been $ surpassed. The samples I have seen are ( good; they could not well be otherwise , than dry, and prices are ruling higher. i Some of my farmer friends are very jubilant, others equally downcast. This

will always be the case, as the weather that suits one farm does not equally favour a second. However, ! I think all are unanimous just now in their hope for rain. It has often threatened, but it does not come; on one or two occasions wo have had slight falls, but the wearer of a white hat might have i almost connted the drops. It is now blowJ ing from the north-west and looking rather ', cloudy, and this may come to rain. The ' want of it is becoming serious to the ■ owners of sheep, for stores aro almost unJ saleable at any sacrifice, but one farmer ; told me that he had keep, and should retain it until the prices were lower, when i he should purchase. What his idea on this I point may be I do not know, yet I should : have thought present prices would admit jof a liberal margin in the future. Turnips 1 are very scarce, and, therefore, fat sheep I should think must improve in value. I Matters are very quiet in the township of I Amberley, too much so even for the Salvation Army, who sent us a small detachment here, but after a two days' sojourn they beat a hasty retreat almost unnoticed. We are too quiet and orderly for them. The Wesleyan congregation of this district are about to lose the services of the Rev J. Rapley, who has been transferred to Malvern. All agree in speaking of him as a hard- working and zealous minister, who has laboured untiringly for the last six years in his vocation as Home Missionary within a radius of 30 or 40 mileß ; and no doubt his absence will be much regretted. The ladies of his congregation, -who are always ready in a good cause, are busily engaged in making preparations for a bazaar, which is to be held shortly before the departure of the reverend gentleman, who leaves early in April.