WAIWERA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 39

WAIWERA.

Febrxiary 17.—From day to day the general cry is for ram. There is no doubt a good shower or two would do an immense amount of good, especially to the turnip crops and pastures. At the same time, the fine dry weather is grand for harvest operations, which are now in full swing On looking around, the crops seem to be fairl> good—l should say a great deal better than last year. Considering the battering the grass seed had, the yield, on the whole, was iiot so bad as was once anticipated; consequently a good lot of fine seed was secured in the district. The turnip ciops are as yet very patchy — some good, others almost a failure Should rain come soon there may yet be a good average crop throughout the district. Here, I may state, there is at pro^ot every indication of ram, tho atmosphere being very gloomy, dull, and threatening Prospects.—ln a chat with ZSIr A il'Lean on the various crops, probable- yields, etc , he informed me that he had tV-, \ear tucd different manures in places, and son-.e wi'faout manure. Ore part vos sown with what mi^ed gram manure and guano, a third with guano alone, the re^u't. being in all cases- much the =r,me but in every ca^e much better than -vshe»e i'o manure was usp'l to that he is quite suie it p.nd him well to manure- the crop. As to there being co little difference in each kind cf manures, pr-obably the weather may have had somethi^g to do with tbe recu't=. I notice sowing manuie with the- gram ciops i« becoming moie general every year Sale of Stock.—Among the pas°ing events of unusual interest to firrucrs ard It ecdera has been the gieaf Chuton sale of stud and other flocks, v.lnch, I should =ay. v/as quite a success from a setter's point of view Some of the pens of so-called Rcnineys were certainly worth going a good way to see —as a curiosity, if nuthing else. I don't claim to be an expert judge of sheep, but I do claim lo know hair from wool when I see it. One lot offered «.s Romneys varied in shape and quality nearly as much as I have indicated, and, to my view, would

not make a bad addition io Wirth's Menagerie. I may be WTong, but such was my impression, and I was not alone. Some of the lots were much better than others. Views of a Visitor.—Having met an Oamaru friend who If tely paid a visit to =ome fuends here, I ventured to ask him his opinion of our district from a iarmei's point of view He wa=, he saicT most favoiu-ably impressed with its capabilities, and particularly with the splendid grass <=epd crops. Asked his opinion of our shppp ger>erall}'. he said that in his travels he had re-illy good flocks, particularly of the Rornrcey cross, which seemed to be geneial. As a great breeder of Leicesters, he thought those he had seen, here were not quite up to the standard he would like, and evidently showed signs of inbreeding, which v.-ould natural'y cause the weakness of constitution so often complained of. If properly bred and managed, my friend thought there was no reason why we could not produce Leicesters, too, of the \ery best class. j