FARMERS AND HUMOUR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3199, 27 May 1909, Page 5

FARMERS AND HUMOUR.

WITS AT THE EKETAHUNA CONFERENCE.

SOME ANECDOTES.

The assertions—if ever they were seriously made—that farmers are as a body without as keen a sense of humour as followers of other pursuits —has no foundation whatever, if the Eketahuna Conference is any criterion of the farmer's view of life generally. There was more than one born humorist there, and there were constant flashes of wit, which helped materially to brighten what might otherwise have been a dull if instructive gathering. Chief among the wits was the genial "Jim" McLeavey, Chairman of the Horowhenua County Council, and delegate from the Levin Branch of the Union. ' This well-known and popular farmer was constantly to the front with interpolations and suggestions of an irrelevant but humourous nature.

One farmer was protesting vigorously against the cow tax. The Horowhenua Chairman, who has a rather ferocious aspect, cloaking a really most kindly nature, replied tragically, "Ha. yes, I thi.ik, sirs, that it would be a very fine thing 'now that we have succeeded in removing the sheep tax to get it imposed on cows." Being a sheepfarmer himself the joke went very well.

The capabilities as a shepherd of a very well-known Upper Plain farmer were being discussed by a little knot of farmers in the commercial room of "Mac's" Hotel. "Yea," said Mr McLeavey, "I remember Bill 30 years ago, and he was then reckoned the best shepherd in New Zealand. Run! why, be could beat his own dogs! A story went the round 3 then that Bill applied for a job at'a place, and the farmer asked, 'Can you shepherd' 'I think so,' replied Bill. 'Well round up the killi mg sheep in that paddock,' said the j farmer pointing to a paddock of about a hundred acres. Bill had no dogs, as the farmer had noticed, and atter about twenty minutes the farmer came out and found Bill sitting on the fence puffing like a locomotive, with the sweat pcuring out of him. 'Did you round them up,' asked the farmer. 'Yes, there they are,' replied Bill. Sure enough the sheep were brought in. 'Did you have much trouble,' asked the amazed farmer.' 'Not very much,' replied Bill, 'except with the little brown fellow.' The farmer looked to see what was meant, by the 'little brown fellow,' and found Bill had yarded a hare, too!'" "Yes," continued Mr McLeavey, aftet the laughter had subsided, "Bill was a remarkable shepherd.

He \could train a dog better than anyone I know. Really, he trained one dog to learn to distinguish a woolly sheep from a shorn one by its bleat!" But the company simply could not swallow this.