GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 636, 13 October 1909, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

j'Between ,15,000.and;20,000 acres of the Piak'o swamp,- how drained,-will'be;opened for selection next ;March. , ~ ~'.■. '.' .Some' very high lambing.returns'are being obtained in the l'orty-Mile IBush; district, i. well-known Tane farmer is ■ reported; to, hayo docked: 1792 lambs ■ from 1108 blackfaced, owes. Messrs.: Anderson' Bros., of Mangaoronga obtained .131 per cent'.; from'nearly 500.ewes. ' At the last Hawera horse, fair 200 draught horses .were- purchased .for the Commonwealth by. .two Australian visitors. This is' v a welcome sign- that:New Zealand ü bre'd stock,is in good demand on the other side, and Tarannki is especially: noted* for';tho heavier class of animals.' . • '...-' ~ .:.-,.■! ' Tbe Napier syndicate's' new mnchiriery from Home for dressing flax, which it. intends to 'set up near.'Foxtoh, will, it is said,'turn out tho finished fibre within forty-eight hours from'the .time the green flax loaves. the' swamp.' The .'exact nature of thonew process is-not;known,' except, by those concerned in the vonturo, but it .is understood to includo steam-drying.' ■ The consignment: of''twenty-five stud merino rams shipped. from Otago to India is caid to be ! the first shipment of. sheep sont to India. ' from' the Dominion; Tho breeder and shipper was .Mr. ;Watson, Shennan, of Pukotoi station. During September 18,4891b5. of, butter-fat .was supplied to Mells'factory. Suppliers were paid 9|d. per, lb., and .£731 13s. 2(1. was paid out. ■For-the corresponding, month of ,1908'.£684 Us. 10d...was paid, being at■ the rate •of lOd.■ The auioiint,'of:butter-fat supplied was 16,4311b5. •,The estimated'output of; butter'.'frotn tho Mcreniero.'.factory for the 'ensuing season is 90 .tons'. : . '''■•■■•-.. ■-.'-;' ..";',■.-..'. .';•:- iw;.''.' .'-;

, -Tho,.potato blight .which"'was-'reported a •seek'ago as having made an appearance •at ; Taita-'is causing. much anxiety in that district./ •Another plague of/the. wet-'weathpr i's.a.pest of "slugs,, which arc- said to be doing much 'damage to."plants.".'■■: •■;';• ... \

■ "At .the conclusion of..tho : meeting of .the '.General .Cotnmittee of the Manawatu A. and P. Association yesterday morning, Mr.J.'.Bal■.sillie. brought up tho matter of ■ the. proposed formation of:.a'.Fanners'.Co-operativo Freezing '.Works Company. He,traced tho history of the imovement'in Wairara'pa,. which, , ho ...said, emanated from the branches ;of' tho Farmers' Union in-that-district:.:. Hq stated'that-it-was .esfiiblish-'feorlts: close': to the seaboard, but how that the site.''had been, fixed' close ■•■ to- Masterton 'it '«wa's,' of course',, of; no : use to 'farmers ,'pn the,. West Cellist,", and-'it 'was how;, proposed to form" a company on this coast."'' .'';'■' ,-.''*,... ■-.>, ■About 1800 gallons ;of Vmilk. are beiiig .deClivere'd daily at tho. Ballanco Butter Factory, and between .1800 and '■' 1900 gallons .at the .'Mangatainoka Cheese .Factory.. "At. tho latter factory the .output for September was just double that of September, 1908. .;■■: •

At an annual meeting, of the' Hawera Cham,ber of Commerce on Friday evening the prcsi.'dent (.Mr. Barton)';said" that--*- the'' committee which-had .considered the/.proposal to hold, a winter :shpw..jn Hawera,'.had,..arrived 'at the .conclusion-that this,.show,...was. not only• of. very great .importance to'the dairying industry, to the farmers'of. the'district .and to im.porters;.of agricultural.machinery, but it,wa3 a matter, of importance to the people of .Hawera in particular. The farmers agreed that Hawera was the place to hold the show. The only difficulty 'was that of Site. . The A. and' P.. Assiv ;ciati6n were of; necessity 'tied, down' to'- their present site,, the reason being that they' are trustees and/their: money could only be expended on; their' own'ground. The A. and P. Member's recognised the importance Df.a.winter show, and although they could not promise their assistance as, a\hody, lib believed they' would give .the project support individually. He suggested that a committee from the meetling be formed to go into the question of ways and means.. This was agreed to. •