CROP PROSPECTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 427, 9 February 1909, Page 2

CROP PROSPECTS.

COOD REPORT ON CANTERBURY, STATEMENT BY HON. D. BTJDDO. Tho Hon. D. Buddo, Minister for Internal Affairs,....who -lias a practical : knowledge, of■ agricultural' returned from ■ a visit to Canterbury. To a Dominion reporter, Mr.. Buddo,. speaking of the farming i -Sand . general ''trade', 'prospects •. 'in tho south, ' said.:—"The .three ' principal : articles of /ex-/.J:' port from .Canterbury and Otago being woo), j ,■ frozen meat,-;an'd,grain,; and thejprospecta'! of all being so favourable/ ;they' must ■ before • ■long give an immense'';relief to .financial, m-:}:' stitutioris. : There.' 'is, .only; one;; 'if' /in .; the: .4; matter; and-thatyis;if the present' harvest ' weather continues r for say- another, six weeks; ',2, Wool has given a good .clip, and th'o. prices .S.J; ,haTe^beeii''.very:':go(^.\;iffheat'\wiU : ibe.^ , i-':B : ?^: : ' payable.figure. , 'Wliiie.mutton and:lamb are not j giving the same'-'price.'as' \for. , several -. years past they are still at. a fair price. And ■ the three.'combined;will,' a8:'I havo said, relievo both farmers, and '.financialinstitutions,?;? very, substantially.;.: soilse of the crops nave not been so good as they. migtit - have . 1 been -if .'.there, had been .no recent.; rainfall, \ still the grain l shows no signs of sprouting. ' There was one. lino of 4000. bushels' that ..I . saw—pari of,. it had already been ; milled-—' mixed,bfcourse/ : with;old'Meat.';The generally aire in want of good, hard' samples; the . grain; stores.r ', being;:. practically £/empty;■£;:; ■Four vshillings atveountry .vs^ quotation; and the farmers seem well satisfied with the price, thougliVit/.is probable •• thatj it/ 'cannot'. last' beyond.'Vthe'-'immedlafe : requirements. ;vThere must be a<good surplus-' for wlieii.;the "market will naturally ha^e , :;; V IN THE VAIRARAPA. , Tho Hon.vA.-W. Hogg,' Minister for-: r Labour, who; returned to town: by : ;th'e : : Mddayo '' .train.yeslwrdayj':says;'that :the".dairy ;firmor»i;' in ;thf Forty-Mile •.doing,;remarkably- .well.t i 'speak ' highly of •; their. ; prospects,arid ,; some who; suffered severely by the' fires last year . .; ; have; thOrongbly >; :.re-establislied;themsdve'B,'v-and aro now doing'better than ever;'. The.Hon. Mr; Hogg says that one of tho y speakers at the banquet- on' Friday night. . expressed : his conviction that tho nenv.dairy ;; regulations,: so far:• from injuring; the dairy • industry;' woiild be hailed 1 with':pleasurer" He ' ■- :said he regarded, them as.really a'.prbtection' :.'-. . to'.the. dairyman';; that ■ the., '.better.!'class :;.ojj;; ; ;;. : dairy, proprietors : suffered-:v'sonietmesM-'fro#"' .careless; and' negligent;/individuals y-;. and ' the-'; >; regulations . .would 'bO .'a "inbst viiluable protecr ? ;tion: to theni.'./The/gathering was/ chiefly. of'dairy fairmerSi aridthieii- wives, .and-/ these remarks' afyiiV tW relations,' said the ; Ministerj v.woro received with "hear/ hears": ' from every part of the room:.