SOUTHLAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2281, 15 November 1889, Page 2

SOUTHLAND.

(FBOM OUB OWN GOBRBSPONDfIIKTj

, Fao * a oomiderable time psst tha weather has been vory dry, and farmers wero \ beginning to ory out for rain whioh has [oome at last, and has the ground has had a good soaking it will have a telling effaot npon all yoong orops aud pasture too* The area -own with grain this season is much larger than wis the oase laat year* although the quantity sown m wheat may .bo muoh tys, AU that wm oowajq

the autumn never looked better at t' lb j time of tho year tbat it does thia season ; 1 m faot everything is doing well. Fralfc I of all kinds will bo abundant, exoopt Id some instances near the bu«h, whc.ro tho small birds have take:: < Tery bud, arid have even stripped t!.n a>plo trees of all bnt the lea von Th •Km - I birds are Increasing here at an o_<. mous rate, and I am afraid thoy will trko a vrry large percentage ofthe grain at baivost time.' A oonsiderablo amount of poisoned grain has been laid m both the Wallace and Southland oountles with good results, the mixture procured from ono of your looal chemists being by far the most destructive.

From presents prospects It appears that honey will be plentiful this season. The beeß have already connrneoced to Ewarm. Last year more than 50 por cont died from oold and hunger, and m no cane did tbey swarm until Ohrlßtmss. Tho humble bee has found its way down here, and for the first time Binoe landing m tho colonies, 27 years ago, I saw one m my garden laat week, and I ctn assn re you that I had a good lock at the little s ranger.

A shocking acoident occurrod here some days ago, by whioh a young married man named James Ladbrook met with an instantaneous death. Deceased wai engaged at a saw mill aa an engine driver, and while the locomotive was running along tbe tramway m tbe bush ehe capsized, and poor Labrook was pinned to the ground by tbe starting bar *hioh almost nvered hia hoad from bis body- The deceased was well-known to a very large proportion of your readers, he having oarried on farming near Winslow for some years prey ous to coming to Southland. Mr Ladbrook, wbo as perhaps you are aware, waß one of our champion ploughmen, was highly reapeoted by all who knew him, aud deep regret will be felt at his painfully sudden end, and at the sad bereavement his wife und family will suffer m the loss of a good husband and father.

Nearly all the saw mills In Sontbland have been bcught up by the New Z. aland PIDO Company, with the result tbat the prloe of the sawn material haa been raised alxpenae a hundred feet and tbe men's wages lowered sixpence a day. It is expeoted that the mill hands will strike. Tbe {ttloe of boi'ding material at the mill now ■ 4i 6d per huodrod feet. Our dairy factories have again made a •ttrt, but up to the present the eupply of milk to eftoh faotory is nut half wbat It ought to be, and unices It Increases very muoh the whole thing sooner or later mast oome to grief. All that is wanted to oarry out the woik successfully la a plentiful supply of milk. Tho dlreo. ore of a good many ef the fac tor lei, feeling disgusted with last year's operations, have let the ftotorles at from £50 to £80 a year, bnt whether this will Improve matters or not remains to be proved. Mr H. Moffat (late miller ot Wakanui villi) sustained a great loss some weeks back. As I said ln my last letter be had two flax mills at work, but sine-, then one wes burned down and over £400 worth of dressed material destroyed. Of course there d no Insurance obtained on flix mills down here. Tbe energetlo little bid halt however, managed to got another ■tart

The weather !■ lnvoly tfter the raitv