OTEKAIKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 38

OTEKAIKE.

September 4. — After our fine spell of gocii weather we had a change last week, when rain set in. Three days of soft showery rain ended up in a heavy fall for a day and a night, followed by snow on the high hilltops and a very hard frost, which no doubt will be a great jheck to the young grass, which was coming *way so rapidly — in fact, spring h«K^ m*ds a very good start. The willows are all in green leaf and a great number of th© fruit trees are in blossom. There ia every prospect of a good season now, jf we pan only dodge the terrible nor'-westesS which :omc here in the early part of spring. Young lambs are making their appearance now in alt quarters, and by all accounts there is going to be some very good percentages. The price seems to be tho weak point just at present. Arbor Day. — A very plasant afternoon was spent on the Otekaike School grounds on Wednesday, August 25, by the children, their parents and a number of friends, who attended to *ssist in* planting trees round the school grounds. The day was perfect for the occasion. The committee have for some considerable time back been getting, tho ground worked and the holes all dug; ready for the children to celebrate Arboi« Day, and have been looking forward tor having a good time, all being willing andP anxious to do some tree-planting Even the tiniest tot took & hand in the work, for every child in the school was supplied wita a tree to plant, with its nemo- attached. The work, was itarted and carried outj Tinder the supervisior of the committee., The girls came first, and. being by no means new chums at the job, did not forgot to give th*eir plaonts -a. good- solid tramping. The boya followed, and soon, left a green lino behind them. The ladie3 present . also took an active part and a keen interest in the work going on, and were all supplied with a tree, which ti.ey. planted, with many amusing remarks. Aftei getting to the end of the two long row*' an adjournment was made to the schoo', where afternoon tea was dispensed by tha ladies to all th« workers and done ample justice to. The school ch;ldren called for three cheers for the ladies whe had so kindly supplied all the good things. Mr Ernest Butt (chairman) explained that Arbor Day had been delayed so long because of the hard frosts, which are so were here, and he said it would not do to plant young trees out at Otekaike on the same day as nearer the coast. He hoped that all the trees would grow, and if they had the same rapicJ growth as the school itself they would soon be in the midst of a. forest. -It is not very long since the school was first opened, tritn something under a dozen, and now there ia an attendance of 36 pupils. The chairman also mentioned that »r> time to come they could look back and say : " Well, I helped)' to plant those tree- there when it was only, a bare paddock." H< hoped that they! would have many more Arbor Days to beautify and shelter Otekaike School. Mi", R M'Nair, jun., gave a prize for a Married Ladies' Race Six starters, and a, very close race resulted between th» placedt, ones, Mrs W H Munro being first. Mrs H. G. Ellis second, Mrs E. Butt third. Atsj a signal given by the teacher (Miss Eason.V the children were all lined up and sang: " God save the King," which brought the first Arbor Day celebration held at Ote kaike to a very enjoyable close.