AMONG THE DAIRY FARMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 666, 17 November 1909, Page 10

AMONG THE DAIRY FARMS.

SO3IE PROBLEMS TO FACE. :■ No sooner does; one .cross l over the;range by Road'from Palmerston' than the difference between -tho seasons on the West and East Coasts is at once evident (nays our travelling.correspondent). The first farmer to whom *I-spoke'said-.it"had-heen-thß , *b'est-wihter'siiibe he; went into .the district, with'-not anything like tho amount of rain; which iis usually the case, and I could see from tho condition of the land that the season had been lflost favoufable. All the dairymen—and hereabouts their name is legion—told. me that their cattle were- doing .better than because, thqre.; is, and "had'been/ such a growth "of- grass .that -all 'dairy stock had come into profit "at once, a much'' larger supply, of milk was being taken to tho • various creameries and factories, land even', if the price was any lower it was niade up bylthe extra .quantity.. \ .1. At the foot of the range are Baljance, Makomako; Nikau, aiid Mtirima, arid the ! majority of the. farmers in'these districts, are dairymen!The soil, is inclined to-bo on the light side, grows cocksfoot chiefly, and in/a good .many, instances is _ running, out. - After a few more years.'of dairying jits carrying capacity jvill, have become The;'paddooks are being : .overrun with capeweed "an<T : daisy, . and -when.the former is in bloom.the countryi'is'-'.-a.' mass of, yellow.. There is no doubt that the settlers will have to break up their land; as Eoon as possible, and reSow the pastures. Sev-eral-men are already doing this, and find that ithey.'aro carrying much more .stock on':the' same area. . ' An immense proportion of this country.-i.s' ploughable;, and as -the bush has sbeen; down'.fpr long,;'stumpjn"g.j'shbiild' : not :bg in-'expensive job.; Some' are' keeping less' cttws and putting, on sheep.' This, they are finding, pays,, as the' sheep clean-up weeds which the cattle refuse,;'! ■Still there is no doubt that breaking up the 'land lis thty'task that is now before .these farm-; I ■ors. -, On .the . sides of the range, where the sheep men.come in, there .is-a good deal of fern, anu-' 'in. some .places far; too much of r ;the silver' variety, which is a difficult-weed to-cope with':■' Stock .will' not'.touch it,;.)it is;very, .difficult .to;| burn,-arid wherever-logs aro'lying up. comes this', pest.. The; ordinary bracken l'ern is not midiible; ,as with-' proper,. stocking .it ; canVba'. managed. Ono can .sce this ill the difference: between adjacent farms. On one - sidfe of' a: fane®; you, will see a practically clean paddock,while.'on -the,- other side is a' solid massi of ', fern/;''.'.,Tho .land:"is .just the, .same r .the, diffef 7 .' ■ once is accounted 1 for; by the adoption of.pro-i per system on.one side and the'lack of it'on/ the - other. After all is said, everybody' seems; in good spirits, and looks forward to a success-; ful season. ■