The harvest this year is from five to six weeks later than usual, and any wheat which is not well filled up now will be seriously injured by the frost.
The cold, inclement weather and the frost combined have pretty well made a clean sweep of the wheat crop both in the Taieri and Strath-Taieri districts, while in the Milton and Clinton districts the standing grain has suffered severely.
The wilted appearance of some of the lodged wheat in the Taieri reminds one of the ravages of a flood year, the only difference in appearance being that the grain is black instead of clay-coloured.
Any grain which has been knocked over is much discoloured, and there will be very little good milling wheat from the Taieri this year. The promise of two months ago will, unfortunately, not be fulfilled this season.
The oat crop has not suffered to the same extent, but any lodged grain will be discoloured. Generally, this crop is above the average in quantity, particularly on terrace or second-class land. Farmers are busy cutting their oats all the way from Five Rivers to Dunedin, and many fields may be seen along the line quite green, although the bulk of the crop is ready for the reaper.
Lower down, in the Mataura district, there is little of this crop ready for cutting. Some very heavy returns will be got this year from oats. Wherever the crop is stooked up the yield can be gauged with a fair amount of accuracy.
• Garden thieves have laid heavy hands on several gardens at Ravensbourne during the past few days. In two cases the thieves saved owners the trouble of harvesting nice crops of damson and greengage plums, and showed their cleverness by leaving the gates securely blocked wide open in order to give them an unimpeded retreat.
One sufferer, who considers it waste of time to complain to the police, keeps a shotgun handy, and is reported to be sitting up at nights waiting for a chance to scatter a charge of bird shot around his orchard in order to prevent further depredations.
The hatpin nuisance appears to have been especially acute amongst the crowd at the Garden Fete on Tuesday night. Two young men were struck in the eye, one so badly that he had to leave the ground in consequence, and a well-known gentleman had his neck punctured to the extent of fully a quarter of an inch, while an elderly lady had her face badly scratched. In each case the victims were made to realise most pointedly the dangers of these modern adjuncts to feminine headgear, and it looks as though some steps should be taken to abate the hatpin nuisance before a serious mishap occurs.
- ODT, 15.3.1912
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