THE HARVEST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1295, 5 February 1883, Page 2

THE HARVEST.

t"i u:'i (CohtimitijyyiV')

;'. [BY OUB;SPECUL fiBPORTBR.] < >, On leaving Mi* Hessey's farm, I continued .my journey along the Upper Plain rokd,' beyond the' school, and found Mr Anketell busy cutting his nropy"|ie informed me that this was the first year he had cropped/and that he had between 30 in' wheat. It was not a very heavy growth; thiß was no doubt owing to the drought, as the soil about'here; is,rather light, and not likely to stand much dry weather. The othet settlers, up this road have not gone, in for grain growing to any extent/but they ea °h appear to have a patch of some kind of cereals, Amongst them I noticed Mr Dagg bad about 20 acres, Mr Osborne from 15 to 20 acres, and Messrs Stella'arid about 12 acres each, ; They were all of a fair qutility, ; aithough there, was appearance about, them, " To complete the circle of ;raaidf my way to the Manaia, where I found the harvesting in a very forward Btate; Mr Khodes Donald had ? threshed; some 'of his cpops, and was having his last paddock cut, He; had 79 acres, 50 in wheatj which went <sout <js tiushels to the acre, ]0 in oats, i^u4lo in barley. The latter was very iight/ouly' threshing out 15. I arrived at Mr W. Moriaon'sjusfc in time tq setftlje engine and , machine 1 : jeave f He had jiist finished threshing a 50 acrepwltjocifof oats from the stook' with very satisfactory results, vis., 2,000 bushels—or, .40 bushels to the acre. <They< were a very good sample, with plenty of straw. Mr Cayman, who has the - adjoining farm, 5 has oroppedextensiyely this y.e|r, having about 130 aores of wheat and between 80 and 90 of oats. The wheat was nearly all cut, and closely stroked, especially that grown near' the swamp.' It has a far : better appears artce than last year's corn,, and is expected to exceed the returns by 2 or 3 bushels to the acre. ; ,1 could seejnoi fault with the oats, but was told they, would not; come ; up. to within a [dozen bushels to the aoro 'of last year's, 'when they went.aboiit 75. Aftyr rising two or '.three miles I came: to. Mr Cockburn's farm, oosily situated on the banks of the Ruamahanga river. -His 50 acres' of' atooked corn was a pretty sight, the picture, as a whole, bearing the most striking'.resmblancojto' an Old Country farm.', that- i i have yot seen. Her#/againj thewlieat' waatifeported to b? fti) improvement jqn.la|t ( year's growth, mi qgt about 95, The puts-were,, as usual,' not so good/for last year they threshed out over 50. On Cpckburn's farm, I took tho road : . fining the borough boundary,. ind 'ifteriWittg about a mile and' a-h'alf caWe'tostee , Maori oropa. There wero, ; about. 20 , acres of wheat, but of a very indifferent growth jweeds and doct». appeared , to preponderate. A native who,.was ; the weeds (a long job'; single-handed) | informed me that all tW- othors had , forsaken harvesting 1 : .taken drinking, on: account' of Tawhiao's reception, ofsome.very disloyal language, ;which %atf more etrit phfttio than pol|te| wheat. ■ 40N.aiora; ; vall stacked/ and;judging:from |thes ance of the stidka, 5 'gwd;a crop as any' : I ■ have, seen iduring-ray trip, and far betteri. than tlieii!'- liißt year's growth.;' Mrißil}ington|;hafi a mixed crop of '4O wheat, oats/ and; barley, :whichL hjas .turned. o|t/!yeryr;well, : iirid ;,as;--the ■returns exceededtofryear's,' everything 'is satisfactory in ; .th^jMpMLlMr I risited;edge by trying to eat ,^ome J r Apparently ripe plums, ame : ray visit would be better-if postponed for a week or 56,." The:kppJ?: ! '<ft'opVjif notjo good as last .'sestspn, t^e 1 ; drought setting in 10 early.hasappareutlyplayetl havoc among ; the pippins, >Th'e plum trees are well stocked; bktiti close'inspection. the dry ( [tliem betokens a; want .of rain, ' There is jalsc a falling off among;tW'peaoheSj s3', be attributed : to the : . same, cause,.unc doubt, but 'as my .judgment -was not required eatable':|. hoinej passing one or The reanlt «f ; my trip has shown thai iri the imv^te.n£gb^iioo| , t'ertdn there is in agricultural not less than 3,500 acres of ]pd havebeei ui.der cultivation thiH would in- ■ illj increased if good farm hands oould lH obtained, great complaiiltß-areniadc and ; one farmer those in; the. Sputh..lsland ihidoa -great advantage over -the farmera'-in-tht ftorth Island! is the Ctoviarnffient J sent 9utbona fidefarpa, JSbowwl'toii'e.iorfife, empjoy.ew, bpdjq do jyaq $9 gfl wsk<i ssle'6tioWs, dant on whatever, kijid;6f SboM^iat expressed/; j rejectingthe /: I variousthevgcneral.fayQWes,' »»(}' '^"pstly Rowing off offtht palm/but .the great drawback

with tHern is, tliat it takes extra hands | to, quick the ;Wi|fe are de|M|* the; bes||b||po straw is rend|rsj unfit- cutting on with w. The String >BMcters ; are becoming great favorites among the farmers, and when more suitable string is obtained, the string that is used is made from - Canterbury flax, very unevenly spun, and is constantly breaking. This of couw'e causes frequent delays, and .will not admit of sny strain' being , put on'j consequently theisheaves are very loosely .tied, rendering.tbe. stookingand ; stacking anything hut a pleasant job. This can be obviated 'by. obtaining raanilla jiemp atiing,. ; wheilna. doubt the striis binder 5 will 'aupVrsede all : others.? The farmers in are to :; ]ba congratulated on:• such; a.| bountiful harvest, which has throughout compared favorably .with previous .years, especiallyin' wheat','' and it' ir only where the oats and barley have sown late that there has .been any falling' off in the returns. I have doubtless missed several small crops in niy tour, but when it haa been practicable, have' visited every'place'where has been growp, enquiries before Attempting' to write . ab6ut them, so-that if my account'"'ofthe harveat is lot interesting,' |b : has, the recomm'endiitioi'of' being true, for I think that at least in these matters, a little plain truth is .better than garnished falsehood, ' f *