GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

: MrH'. W.' Kirk; F.L.5.,. oftho: Depart- ; nient of Agriculture,' leaves' for .'Nelson to-day, in connection with the shipment of 'apples to be niade to London at tho beginning of next month.,' Seven'. Koinnoy.- rams .. from Mr. E. Shortt's Parorahgi flock wero -shipped to Eavelock by tho Manaroa on Wednesday. : The pork export, trade,' initiated'.with a few shipments ' during tho. last week or two;: does not appear to promise sensa- ; tioniil developments in tno immediato future.' A representative' of: one . firm which' has been-interesting , itself in-the .' miittor say's hb : finds it'almost impossible, to get hold of healthy pigskin any quantity. Tuberculosis is everywhere. . : '.fhe oat crops'threshed'arouml Benmore, •Southland, have yielded GO bushels to tho aero. • Only a few of the crops havo teen threshed yet. ;■'Che grain ii on-the'small side, .but: it- is. bright and plump: ' ".Everything comes to him who ' waits. 111 . November tho. ..North Canterbury Farmers' Union asked , tho- Minister for 'Agriculture ' for particulars of- all produce' condemned as .unfit for export at ; Lyttelton. :; At, Wednesday's meeting the answer was received, 'lhe only con- ' demnation on record was that 'of five bales of tow in April, 1900.

Tho Nircalia Dairy Company is to pay 'out to-day £1383 13s. 3d.-for butter-fat,, at the rato of Bd. per pound. Tho advanco •'on butter-fat on February 20, 1905 (five years ago),,at tho same rate, amounted to J8331 Cs. 2d., showing a difference of .£1052 7s. ild: Tho ' avorago test for January was 3.75.

Tho Eketahuna "Express" reports that sovernl settlers ,in the Atea and Putara districts took advantage of the wind on Mondny to burn their bush, and reports ai-o that the burns aro satisfactory..

Pennyroyal is spreading rapidly in the Rangitikei and Wanganui districts. Tho other day Mr.. A.' Dalziell, of Huntervillo, drew attention to the fact that this noxious weed ivas growing prolificacy on both sides of the No. 3 Line, between Marangai and the Wangaehu Hill, and so; rapidly has it spread within the past year or two that few properties of any; extent along .the coast .are free from it.' Inland in. some of the Maori settlements' it has' completely smothered tho grass, and is rapidly spreadingvon the now. clearings.- r . - ; '' T - Tlie "Examiner"' understands tho Government -lias lodged a' caveat upon the Maori land at present leased to Messrs. Nelson, Bros, in tho, Woodville .district If-this : is so, it means tliat land will be taken for closer settlement."-

: Opoti£i , had a' record attendance, at its fourteenth annual : show last week. Tho draught horses- were, tho feature of the show. In , the sheep chief interest centered in the Bomneys, a' Parorahgi • ram carrying off . .the. championship.

At 'Winslow, Canterbury, this week, a line of.from 16,000 to. 18,000. bushels of this season's, Tuscan wheat changed hands at -Ssi* 6d. ' per bushel f.o.b.- The sellor was ;Mr.: Leigh, of: Maronan, Ashburton district, and' tho' yiclil was from 800 acres. 1 ■■ -'( •

(Severiil good-looking crops of wheat are noticeable around' Jdaharahara (Dannevirko district)-, at present. It is stated that the land will grow wheat well, but the uncertainty of the weather is the'one great drawback "to the grower of any cereal crop. * , ■.

. j Bacon pigs' have.; not been so slow , of. salo around Dannevirke'for'eight or nine years. ■■■ -'.V'.-v

. !The balance-sheet of the Eltham .Bacon Company shbws: 1 a.Moss of ,£378 Cs. 4d. on the year's operations.' The jfhairman. says he does;not know of any bacon: company which has mado a profit this year.

The Mangaramarama Co-operative Dairy ■ Compauy . paid .over JB7OO for milk supplied during January, being at ; the rate qf-IOJd. per'pound for'butter-fat.

A good, deal .of skim ploughing has already ; been,- done on the Ashbnrton plains,, and" a considerable; area has been sown", in oats for winter and spring feed. The oats have come'up (evenly, and a vigorous; growth, has, taken place.; •• It is anticipated, that diirins 'tho coming season the- shipments of' t'mit from Tasmania to' the United Kingdom will total about :half<. a million , cases. ' This quantity is about 125,000 'cases in excess of that shipped last. year. '

. The.: Pahintua. A. and' P. Association reporis a. cash .profit .of 'after paying all expenses in connection %itVits' first shoiv. It has also on hand assets amounting to i£6o. • •

JJaiiy-farmers at Auroa (Taranaki) who are milking' with machines are • complaining. that, whjle .they have been ; subjected to ; a close inspection from tho Government Dairy' Inspector, their brother farmers (rion-machinist) are getting o3 scot-free. . - .

- "South Australian Eegister's" estimate, of tho .wheat harvest . places; the acreage. under if heat at 1,780,000 acres, ahd the average 1 production at 13} bushels per acre'. I ', This!"gives a total, production of 2-1,475,000 :'.bdshels—a record for' the State. : The surplus is 20,777,500 bushels; ■' which at . the current market rates will.! represent. considerably over .£'•1,030,000.' ; -.

The ;direct: .shipment '. of. South Australian lambs/to Avonraouth, .per.' Essex; has''mot with a.'gbod iri4rket, sales beiny made at 3Jd.,.t0 3|d. per- lb.

..'•.-It.-is estimated.'that 152,530 \cases'' of fruit.will be shipped from Victoria this season. /■•„,, -i The'.Masterton 1 Dairy Factory is ■ at present'turning out between SO and .'9O boxesof butter .per .week.' A slight fall-ing-off in ;the/milk: supply is.,recorded,■ but the butter-fat a" decided increase. : : >,-/"■

Tho recent ,rains have had a yery beneficial -effect- ! bn ; '_ the' ; Masterton. district. There is a plentitudo of pasturage, while 'rape crops particularly are coming on well.: „■...; . .... ■

; The "Bangitikoi Advocate" says :: that, whatever' may, be' -,the V case elsewhere. in New Zealand,' the',proposed close season for hares has : no support among Rangi tikei farmers, gardeners,, or sportsmen.

■An enormous glut in the' supply of fruit is. reported in .the Hastings district. .The'.total. output'daily by the Hawke's. Bay/Fruitgrowers' . Association is between 1500 and 1600 cases. ; -

The latest: sale : of. land, in ..Taranaki is rfporte'd' from Hawera.' ..The' "Star" states that Mr';' M.- Joyco has purchased •Hr'.;"Candy?s\farm ..on ' the Sutherland Koad, Mariaia, at a' price, understood to amount to '-£65 an acre. Several Auroa farms are nowjnvthe -market. ; Yenddrs are. asking' -'considerably over .'.JEW' per acre, and' expect; no difficulty- in. quitting. • Faiaka.'-tlie, well-known flax and' dairy property of >347 acres freehold and 160 acres; leasehold, some' of the richest land on the Manawatu, with flax'ratable this year, will 'be. sold- at auctioh by Dalgety and.Co., at : Palmerston North on Saturday; 26th February. The terms .may be arranged.—Advt