LOWER WHAREAMA NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3873, 30 July 1891, Page 2

LOWER WHAREAMA NOTES.

(From Our Own Corpespondent)

The weather in this district has been anything but favourable the last two months. There has not been a very heavy rainfall this winter so far, but an exceptionally large number of sharp frosts ; consequently, the grass has almost ceased to grow, and feed is getting very scarce in places. People are beginning to grumble at the state of our roads. No doubt they are bad, but there are other districts with theii roads much worse. Those who grumble should take a ride through the celebrated " Makuri mud canal." They would see something to complain of there.

flabbit poisoning is almost finished now. A few persons who were not very successful at first are still patch poisoning. The poisoning this winter has been very successful, and bunny has been reduced to at least 95 per cent, on former numbers. Unfortunately they have been breeding throughout the winter, which will necessitate immediate following up after poisoning. A large number of sheep have been poisoned as well, owing, no doubt, to the frosty weather having caused the phosphorised grain to retain its .strength much longer than it would have done.

The sale of unsurveyed Kaiwhata land on the 15th July was far more successful than was anticipated. Four of the best runs were disposed of, and five were unsold. Several persons have been looking at the remainder, and have come to the conclusion that

it, together with a number of surveyed sections, should be put up again on the shortest notice, so as to give selectors an opportunity of sowing grass seed on the portions that are burnt before the season is too far advanced. It is a mistake withdrawing these

runs from the market immediately after the sale is over, as no doubt several more would have beeu disposed of as soon as it was generally known which blocks had been taken up. But as it is, they have to go under the hammer again if sufficient inducement offers after giving the statutory forty days' notice. Had they been thrown open in the usual manner, at an iipßet price, with a right to select after the sale, more would have been sold ; as those persons whose runs they abut on would have had to take them up to get good fencing lines and keep others out. But under the auction system they are perfectly safe. They simply have to get an agent to watch each sale and should anybody bid for the run adjoining their freeholds, out bid him. But not till they are menaced by an outsider will they make an offer. Certainly not! They ran their stock on the land adjoining, pay no rent, no taxes, and have the rabbits kept down by the Government, and then are mean enough to do what little they can to harass and slander those who do the rabbiting in these solitudes. Mr Buchanan is making considerable improvements on his Waik-iraka property. He has it ring-feneed with rabbit proof fencing, and sub-divided into paddocks with substantial fences. Also a new cottage and a large stable are in course of erection, to be fol* lowed by a new house in a few weeks