LOWER WHAREAMA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 322, 22 November 1879, Page 2

LOWER WHAREAMA.

(prom our own correspondent) Nov. 17, 1879. The warm rain which commenced here last Wednesday night suddenly turned very cold, coming on with increased rigor irora the southward, and continued with more or less severity until Saturday night. Shearing has been retarded very much m consequence, and I hear sheep have died on some stations from the severe cold. The corn crops throughout the district now bid fair to be good. From appearances the hay harvest will be earlier this season than usual. Ploughing is still being carried on at Riversdale(Mr Meredith's station), three teams being employed en the Kohiwai if lata. This land is well suited for agriculture, but, like all the good land here, an out et ib necesssry before it can be utilised profitably for grain-growing purIt is surprising that the County Council do not take some steps re building a suitable house for the ferryman stationed at the mouth of the Whareama River. The present hovel is not fit for a human being to live m, and is a disgrace to any public body who may have it under their care, Ihereis, I hear, some hitch respecting the title to' the land on which the house stands, Mr Andrew claiming it as his property. Even if this claim should be valid, some better arrangement might be made than those at present existing. Ihe newly formed " Tinui and Whareama Cricket Club" held a meeting on Saturday last, Rules were made, a number of persons were enrolled as members, and the shearers' challenge accepted. There is every chance of the Club bemp a success, as far as the number of members and the funds are concerned at any rate, '

_ In view of the rapid increase of rabbits in this locality steps should be taken to bring the Babbit Act, such as it is, into operation. It is absurd waiting until properties are overrun, the old adage " a stitch in time saves nine," is to the"point on tins subject. "While on the subject of the rabbit pest, I may mention another which is ultimately connected with it. I allude to the g[f at increase manuka and cotton wood (lavvhini) scrub on many properties here, iso great is this evil becoming that acres of land are useless m consequence. Great quantities of scrub mean great quantities of rabbits, and an extreme difficulty in getting rid of. them. Eunholders would do well to take this evil into their serious consideration, and devise some remedy for it, even if there were no danger from rabbits. Considering it a question of great importance, I beg to offer a few suggestions. How is this rapid increase of vegetation to be prevented or even lessened? First, let the cause of it be made clear, how it arises, Without doubt the mam cause of this rapid development of vegetation proceeds from the altered condition of the land, from burning, and depasturing of stock upon it. Destroy by fire, tillage, or otherwise, any existing growth, (say ierti) and at once there springs into life other varieties, which were scarcely thought to exist. So rapidly m many instances do these changes take place, and over such a vast are.ijas to give the idea of spontaneous production. Depasturing of stock on land also plays a very strong part in the, destruc-

tion of existing species of vegetation,' par-, ticularly if runs aro overstocked, The' palatable herbs, grasses, and. kinds of scrub being eaten, are prevented from seeding or destroyed altogether, the ; varieties that are not eaten as a natural sequence getting every chance to grow and reproduce, Manuka and cottonwood both being rejected by animals for food, it follows that they have every chance of predominating when fostered by nature in this way,. as well as by producing a I large amount of seed,-. The remedy for this is, I think,to be found in the natural antagonism of certain vegetable species one to the other. This antagonism exists, I fancy, very strongly between the graminaceous grasses and the cottonwood scrub. Get a thick sward of grass and little or no scrub can germinate. It falls on top of the grass, and rots in the winter, and vice versa jf it falls on the bare or partially bare earth. It no doubt is a great undertaking grassing the whole of a large run in a short period. Much, however, • may be dotte by keeping stock off (shutting up) of the land, and allowing the grasses to. seed. Burning, also, is'to a great degree controllable, and should not be done rashly. The great object of burning is to get rid of the fern, but why destroy the fern if a worse vegetation comes in its place. We must do all in our power to keep the seeds of noxious vegetation from germinating, at the same time fostering by every means the growth of beneficial species antagonistic to those we do not wish to have increase and take possession of the land. At present I unhesitatingly say that the very reverse of this is being done on almost every large property in this district. All this is perhaps rather out of place in a correspondent s letter, but noticing an evil which coupled with the fast increasing one of rabbits, and which is calculated to make the latter much mora formidable to grapple with, I deemed it a duty to draw attention to it.