GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 679, 2 December 1909, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

-At the'New;Plymouth Show yesterday,. Mr. H: B. Slack, of Feilding, secured seven-first -.prizes,, and two seconds,..with Devon; and Ybrkshird/.pigs."', ■ . ,:'/■: •' -. '■;■._ /.In : :answcrto a question in Parliament-yes-terday/ tho Minister for .Agriculture stated:— It is now; too lato to stop tho-spreftd of many' noxious weeds, but every 'reasonablo ■effort-; is being put forward ■'•to check their spread—so much so, that-it is-, being, said ', that tho unfortunate-, inspectors aro'being ''scourged'-with scorpions." Tho question of pure seeds is engaging tho attention of tho Department,- anil, legislation will .next session"■ be introduced dealing jWith that important matter. :' Tho. prospects oi abnridant harvests of grain in-New Zealand are still exceedingly strong.. The attendance of 30,000 on people's day ai tlioi»Auckland-sh6w.;'ranks among tho biggest figures for, such an event in New-. Zealand! ■!-', The: now.-:cheese factory at Manutahi is to boopened on' the first of December. ,There will be a'good supply of milk, as some'suppliers aro -taking over 40001b. a-day to tho creamery. As a .dairying district, Manutahi will take a lot of beating./ /, ■,"'•. .ithd,:shareholders in the South Taranaki 'Winter-Show Company (Hawcra) now number .160.':-;:;-.;:;-, '. v. ; ;'"'■.■:'■' -:-Th'e honey, exhibits, at thaHawera show hay 0 forwarded to New Plymouth ns a collec'tive exhibit'from tho South Taranaki Beekeepers'- -The Government samples of hohey-are niso on'vie\V at the northern show. At one time (says, an exchange) city .folk .professed to find.great-amusement in their country, cousins ."at. ngi'icultural shows; but now' the 'situation revorsed,fand it;.is the man;of'tho soil who laughs loudest. Town,br«l >peonle ;> wander,\round the ): show ground 'flaring'"'at,''fnthou't''comprehending ,the value or good points of, prize cattle, their want of knowledge feebly masked by faces: wreathed in .supposed .superior smiles.. The' weight-guess-ing competitions, if they "are. game' to.tabklo them, usually find, them out, however'. A smartly, : tailored -young'.,:man, accompanied by ihis l )iblushing,; : lady'''love,' approached "• the fat;sheep''teh i -,nt Hhe: -Wanganui; show week, :and ;after;: ; dis6u'ssihg : ~the probable. :weight-of'j three fat .'sheep with, his companion, calmly, filled in'his guessing-slip: for. 681b.! A, crowd of cattlemen . standing. by. were. witnesses of tho occurrence,- and the joke was not lost on them.' ' One of'their number, after carefully'handling ; the., quadrupeds, guessed .• 3171b., which .proved 'to be within half-a-pound of the correct weight.'• -...;.