PUBLIC OPINION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1246, 25 May 1886, Page 2

PUBLIC OPINION.

[This column is open for the free discussion of all matters of interest in the Ashburton County* but we ore in no way identified with the opinions expressed by corrcs-pondenta.]

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —1 notice a wonderful alteration in the tone of your Southland correspondent’s last letter. According to D. E., at one time Southland was a land flowing with milk and honey, “The soil was splendid, the crops luxuriant and the weather delightful.* 1 Now we find “ there has been some bad weather, the crops have been a failure, and the price of land has come down considerably,” Your correspondent might have gone further, and told your readers that a large proportion of the Canterbury farmers and others who were induced to go South have been ruined.

That Southland will grow oats and grass in some places is no doubt true; but that it is what D. E. and others have represented it to be, “ a good country for farmers,” is not borne out by recent events. We hnd from D.E.’s last letter that stock and implements are almost unsaleable, and we lately had a gentleman in Ashburton who informed us tuat tne farmers in Southland intended to take up arms to resist the just demands of their creditors.

But about the stripper. D, E. has put bis foot in it woefully ibis time. In his former letter he insinuated that the New Zealand implement was far behind some other make. Now he xefers me to my own letter—which is no answer. Why does he not own up : that he knew of no other stripper? He says “he used one of the latest make each season, but saw no improvement.’* Does he think the only thing worthy of the name of improvement was the aleration he thought of ? Grass strippers were first made (so far as I know) about ten years ago, and the firm with which I am connected have made five or six different patterns in that time. Perhaps It will bo satisfaction to your correspondent to know that last season their eyes were opened. Whether D. E. had anything to do with it I am unable to to say, but they made a stripper v*ith “ one coarse riddle, and a contrivance to elevate everything on to the riddie.” D. E. may have been the first man or the last man to think of the plan, but the fact remains that “ with one coarse riddle, etc.,” less seed can be saved than by the ordinary stripper. It was the opinion of some people that the contrivance would save lime, but 1 think your correspondent was alone in the opinion that it would save more seed. We made and sold eight strippers with the riddling attachment, whilst we sold several dozens without it. The attachment was removabie, and ail of them were removed, and most of them returned to us. We are therefore in a position to supply your correspondent with coarse riddles and elevating coutrivances at less than cost price.—Yours, Ac.,

James Keie,