SPEAR GRASS FLAT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 522, 19 April 1872, Page 2

SPEAR GRASS FLAT.

(FROM OUR CJUUKSI'OXDENT.) The harvest being safely housed, the next item in the programme of the farmer, s life, ploughing, is; being now proceeded with, and over hill and dell the teams are to be seen from early morn till the sun has dipped behind theiill, steadily turning the sod ; the late rains have put the land in fine condition, enabling a good furrow to bo turned. The past years' crop of c. reals was scarcely up to the average, though at the sams time it was a highly remuneralive one ; the potatoes in most instances lam sorry to say, was a failure or next kin to it, the other root crops, mangolds, beets, turnips, and carrots were very fair, hence, on the whole, the farmars have nothing to complain of. The presence ofeash markets, one may say almost at the farmers doors, militates in a degree against the inconvenience of a light crop, and consequently on ordinary occasions puts them in a good position. Spear Grass and Bald Hill flats on the whole, may be said to be in a thriving position, and 1 opine for it a prosperous future, one feature connected with it and so much in its favor, is the rich pasturage surrounding it, over which the residents at a slight cost can depasture their cattle. That, at the present time it is an oasis in the desert, there is no gainsaying, and that it will, in the course of a few years, be the garden of the district there is no doubt. One great blotch in the escutchion of this locality is the want of timber, and to account for the tardiness of planting a tree is impossible, in a country where timber is so scarce, the first duty of a settler after building bis house, should bo to plant a tree, he would not ouly benefit himself and property, but would, as laid down by aa absent friend, become a public benefactor. My advice to all is, plant trees. As the locality of the subject of this communication may not be known to many of your readers, I beg to inform them it lies on the west side of the Molyneux, nearly midway between the Teviot and Alexandra, the main Mail road from Tuapoka to Alexandra running through it, and further, T may say that it boasts of two comfortable hostelrics, the one by host M'Kenzie, situate in the middle of the flat is replete with every convenience for m;in and horse—it is a two story massive stone erection> and is truly a comfortable place ; the other is also a stone building, and is kept by M r. Kemp. Though surrounded on all sides by diggings, the district is in no way connected with mining, hence I have no mining memoranda, so must close with au revoir.