Waituna Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 58, 2 November 1889, Page 3

Waituna Notes

(FROM OT7B OWN COHEEBPONDBNT.) Things are looking up in this distric and great changes have occurred wiihii the last few years, one of the mostnotabl being the change from cattle fanning t sheep farming. A few years ajjo shee were, only kept on the" largest holdings now there is rarely a farm of one hundrei *" acres of grass but what is mainly stockei with sheep, and; what is better, the conn try seems to suit the latter grandly. Oj quite a number of farms I hear of 101 per cent, of lambs, and iv one instauc (Stuart ■ Bros.) of 115. Cattle are no\ neglected, or only kept in small numbers . except by those who run a dairy. Son* of our sheep farmers are shearing, hope ing, thereby, to get the wool early in ti the market. The Beaconsfield school got a good pas fc^, at the last examination. Mr Stroiiibooin the teacher now retires, he -having th< chance of a larger school near Wanganui Mr N.Crabb- succeeds Mr Stromboom, bu • as I hear that the average attendance i only 22, I fear that no certificated teachei will stop long on that. If the school wa, removed to a more central site in the dis trlct the attendance could be made t< nearly double that at the start, as it is a present half of the' children are too fa » way, to" attend at all. There" is some talk of another entertain tnent in the school but I don't knov whether anything is decided upon at pres "«rit. The contractor for the new church a. Benson's corner has made .a start, , anc has it well under way, I believe it is intended to " open with a Service of Song, £ number of friends having kindly offeree their assistance in that direct on. There is a great quantity of blossom on Xriost of the fruit trees this year, if the.} thrive as they have done in the .past, 1 think that fruit will be very abundant uj here in a few years. Several parties have finished their con- \ tracts of- bushfelling in the Waitapu, and there will be at least a hundred move men . at liberty for harvest and other work by Christmas, so grain growers need not fear . about getting men for the harvest.