Waituna Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 20, 4 August 1892, Page 2

Waituna Notes

«. . — The cold wet weather of last month has proved full of disaster for many of the sheep farmers in this part of the country. In a few instances their flocks have been decreased quite twenty per cent. Mr Williams, of Beaconsfield lost about 50 sheep in a little over a month, mostly young sheep. He killed one which was affected, to endeavour to discover the cause. He found no parasites, but the liver was covered with a membrane, and on being pressed with the fingers fell to pieces. Ido not know what is the remedy for this disease, but I do know that unless it is promptly checked, the profits of the sheep farmers will soon reach the vanishing point. Last week Mr Pickering, of Beaconsfield, had an unpleasant experience with dynamite. Some cartridges were put in an oven to soften preparatory to putting in the caps. Result — an explosion. The oven was smashed, the top of the chimney blown off, with a general break up in the kitchen. Fortunately everyone escaped unhurt, save with a few bruises and a bad scare. Mr Bheudolf, one of our oldest settlers, has sold his place to Mr Levitt, and Mr Cruichshank has done the same, but I do not know the name of the purchaser. The roads up here are in a very bad state, owing to the extra dray traffic, caused by the transport of timber for the vVaituna bridge, and Mr Crabb's new store, having cut down right through the metal in many places. In the bush bridle tracks are indescribably bad, and therefore spills are not an uncommon experieace for the pack horses. However, with the return of fine weather I hope soon to see a marked improvement in this respect.