NOTES FROM SOUTHLAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1742, 17 January 1888, Page 2

NOTES FROM SOUTHLAND.

(?BOM OUR OORREBPONDINT.)

On Thursday, the 6;h last., it blew a terrific r»u *"»m~th&-N. W... doing immense damage to the fruit, and on the following day the rain came down m tor rents, so heavy that the rivers which were up tp that tim« very low, overflowed thtif banks m less than twelve houra, doing much more damage to the fruit than thai done by the wind of the previous day. But the damage does nob end here ; it is now bay harvest with u»,»ndneirly all that was out on the river flits has been washed away, and what was standing rendered almost useless. On the Jaoob river flit I noticed large paddooks of wheat and oats entirely covered with water, and as the onrrent is similar to that of the Ashbur ton, your readera oan easily imagine the damage that has resulted. Most of the dairy faotor!en had to cease operations owing to the impassable state of tbe . roads, and partly owing to the homesteads being submerged, rendering milking im> possible, and I am told that a very large number of oattle have either got drowned or gone astray. Mr Meek, of Fairfax, brother to Meek Bros., Timaru, suffers heavily, having, m addition to losing a number of valuable sheep, had his fences j ■wept away and bis wheat orop destroyed. The fences had only been recently done up after the flood of last May twelv* 1 months. Railway traffic was entirely ■topped throughout tbe western distriol, owing to the line being washed away. Maoh damage has been done to country roads. Culverts have been torn up and •everal bridges washed away, including tha iron suspension bridge over the 'Jacob river, which 1 was only ereotedafeir months a^o. The town of Otautau was again submerged, and notwithstanding the foot that. the station master's house was lifted four feet slace last flood, the water was again running swiftly through the rooms. Had it not been for the valuable assistance rendered by Mr Wni. Sauoders, late of Canterbury, who owns the only boat m the looallty, somecerloas results might have happened. Beyond a ducklne or two, I heard of no mishap here, but about twelve miles higher up the river, near Wray's bush, a well-known settler named Frank Oassidy, was drowned. Both the horse and man'o body have since been found.

Notwithstanding the hot that there is anjftbandance of feed for stock everywhere, the crops now coming out m ear are very short, and appear to have suffered from the lack of moisture, but as the ground has now bad a thorough good soaking, the orops may yet be fully up to the average. The area under wheat is very limited, not enough, I should say, for our cwn ate.

The small birds are now getting very troublesome, and no preparation seen>a to effect them to the same degree t>a one consisting of poisoned groats, and made by Mr J. W. Bridge. aßlverton ohemlst. January 11th, 1888. D.ti,