POMAHAKA DOWNS

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 39

POMAHAKA DOWNS

February 21. — The weather is the chief topic with the farmer, and he was beginning to look very anxiously at the heavens for the s.gns of rain. His grass was getting burned up with the nerce heat which was espenenced on several days. His stock was looking for water, his turnips were getting blighted, and set. when on Friday norning a nice gent'e rain came on and lasted for some time. showers continuing all Saturday. It has done a wo.rld of gcod, nnd the warm sunshine which has followed will bring things on beautifully

Harvest. — Harvest work is now general, and the most of the gram is cut All «rrer the district the ground is dotted with stooks. and in a. few cases a stack or two haa been got up. Mr Truss'.er's mill has, in fact, been threshing some of the early-cut stuff at Air James Taylor's, in Wairuna. and it waa there that the lamentable accident took place, when Mr iC. Trusslcr fe? 1 from the top and injured his spine so severely that he died the following day m the hospital. I see that at the inquest a juryman recommended that the ladder leading up to the top of the mill shou'd be fixed. I hftartily agree with that juryman. I have had occasion to go up sometimes with parts of bags of grain, and have often felt what a dangerous thi--g it is to have the ladder just resting on the edge of the s'deboard The least shift of the ladder would send one down, as the board and the ladder are both so worn by friction that there is no grip for the ladder at al 1 . I am gladl to say that the crops as a whole are good— a great difference from last year I .vas told by a party who hed been passing that the best bit of oats he nad seen was en Mr M'Gregor's farm Farmers' Union — I noticed in last week's Witne«s an aiticle by " AgTicola " on th© Farmers' Union. It was just the very thing to waken up farmers to their need of union. There is a good membership in the Clinton bianch, but there are many farmers who are not members. Unity is strength, and every farmer shou'd lend his assistance by becoming a member Then the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company is getting along splendidly. I notice that companies have been so severely hit over the fiTes in the cities that the insurance rates will have lo go up, whereas the mutual insurance rates are. coming down. This is a proof that the mutuals are doing good business, because the other companies have not the country risks

tlipy u?ed to have to fall back upon in case of jot=es