GENERAL FARMING NEWS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 750, 24 February 1910, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS

The '.winter', shofeofthe. Otago A. and P.. Scfeiety ..Trill: open oa Msj) 31, aid' will continue ".until. June 3- . '

. , A conference of . representatives' of.' the various; Shipowners' .Associations of, New Zealand will bo held, in,;Christchurchihest month, 'during, the vdek in'which'the rani and ewajfair is, held,- for.the;:purpose of forming: a' Sheepowhers?.; Federation i for' the . Dominion; also to consider the demands' of the union, wherein uniform{conditions are ;sought for,, the'whole,of .'.New !Zealand:vi': _Mr.-E. .S. Black tells, the "Southland Times".'.that'owing to' ..the '.- imiiiiaise quantities": of .bled rabbits (known to. , the' Mnglish' trade'; as "whitkfleshed rabbits") pouring in 'from; Australia, /the-New Zealand. '.trappers will-inead-. to continue ..tho work they started . last year, " namely,' bleeding ; the "rabbit, imm'ediatdy ' - if'* is killed'^ndTallowing it; to drain and hahg op. to cool.'.,,The...rabbit;season .-'will - open on.; March v7,and- >is likely ■ to; bo..more ijian'usually-busy,

Timaru the other , day, -tho;'Minister ."'for Agriculture " (Hon. J 1 * Maftkeiizie) was asked by a deputation to; stahori; a ; produce grader? at''the 'port. It was pointed out that, though; the"direct steamers'- called- at the port; no .dairy .pro-' du'ce"could; bo'put on; boardth6m-there, .but iha'd- to' bo • railed r "up ; id' the> grading store' sai'd he ; could 'do nothing with-the:' present fluids'.>at-his I disposal;;; Gisbonia- : and Napier wercin- exactly, the-.same po'sition. •The 'Department -was'also-against : >tod : .many. ioiight mean the'setting .up of too many; standards.. :" "

'. Mr.j.'P.vMjLeod,. an .Otago settler who has'-iuSt; renirried'.'frqm ,a ;i tour 'of ..th'ei peg' ; 2o,'ooo<■ lmryesters;pasSwTtlirpugh: th'ei '■ iiSjt m'eans; vOnly; a '-'fringe' of v the, gra'i'ngirowing! region: had- been, fettled. so, 'far. The railw/ijr'cqmpanics take, the harvester's teethe; country. districts ; at' a very cheap ratej .and distribhtojthd; men at tho centres Where; their, semces' arb'-'mo'st ,in ; " demand': While many., of;the :'menl'rcturhtwh'eriVthe lidrvest ;.is; bver;'. : quito'' a. ; nunibfer ."remaih" in. the,locality, Co-operative "■ ■ tlairy CompanyJis -pajing'out'' eleyeh pence'.per. ppuad:. for ...butter-fat'. for i chee'sfr-inaitinK, aiid\tenpence por pound fo"r butter-making' fori ; the . month of January.' , The -total payments . to •; suppliers for" tho. ■ month As showing .tha. cff«ts. .' of .the dry weather in- North 'Otago','-''' a '.:Hampden farmer, states, th'at > last, week lie threshed 'his- oat crop, ,wl\ich;.two..m'ohths..ago gave promiSo of anything iip to sixty bushels ah acre, and the return from the mill was:,:6hly. nine 'bushels;' V the :! aijre. ••*:ln sorrie >instancbs;.ih the , same'..:l6c'ality' the yield --ha's been ■ as. low. as 'seven.: bushels' to the acre.'. .This will not.'pay," tho ,cost of - threshing, . let ;alone anything else..-,

' A. i.'corf espon'dent. . of.the "Dannevirko Advocate" states-tbdt;fee<L is abundant in \Vaione,' ; -and 'tho surrounding •. districts. The.' s'easbn I 50..: far,, has : Been. a - first-class one, both with'sheop and dairy'farmers.

-j .Oats' are ,nbt : offering freely' in Oaniaru. Nominally > tb'ey are;worth . Is. ;7d. , to. Is. ,Bd. on,trucks, but it ;is anticipated that when the bull: of-the offerings come foi> Ward pHcos. irill; ease-slightly. ' , ■ ": -

Some'-farmers. never, lose; an : opportunity of rabbits will' not cat;pollsird poison iri any quantity, and..that' laying .'phosphorised pollard; is a. useless'arid cxpcit'sivfs..method' of' trying, to .'destroy them.. The .following instance of the results .from' pollard -poison' lias; -however, coma..''under "the. noticeVqf>: the';"Otago fiaily iTime's'.''«.LaSt .month :Jlr.' R; M'Gillivfajry ,of Mertori, poisoned- with!, pollard; 'and.'forerery.' pound ,of 'poison, put doffil' he gathered .close on '100 rabbits.' V

Y ; 'ri'it' 1 j ~ii'' • ; ■ "ffitu the object of: keeping the grass ■down on .the sports ground and the Es-planade,'•'.the.'Borough-Counctt (writes our /Palmerston; correspondent) invested in forty-fiyo crossbred .ewes. A ram wasput with' tlieso. and' a crop of., lambs raised. At last.. Tuesday night's' meeting .of ; the council, Councillor Stubbs, who is, chairuuin of the Reserves Committee, and has Charge of the small flock, Reported that a profit' of .Si '7s, :M.. had resulted from: the sale of wool, and' lambs, which was considered to be ; a .highly satisfactory, result' for. the. year's sh«ep. farming..; The council now seriously contemplates going into the dairy, business!; It-holds ,a Ireserve of 45..acres..'at Awapuni (the' old racecourse),, on which it is proposed to erect , a cottage and cowsheds, .and . let th«m : for dairying purposed. Tho land is excellently. adapted for this, purpose. It has been' used for ginning sheop. only for a number of years, and a" change, now. to cows would;, act;'most beneficially.

Last -.week a paragraph appeared in several newspapers to the.-effect that a Wairarapa visitor had returned home from Sandon district, and had been giving the .people on that side of the ranges some '•facts and figures/about the .yields of crested dogstail .in. Sandon' district. - Ho instanced one farmer who had made J!2O an. acre from-the "cultivation -of this seed! Careful ' inquiries' made from by the "Kangitikei, Advocate" : have failed to discover this' fortunate- person; This season's crop lias not yet been cleared, arjj the best: recorded for last, season .did noJ produce more: than .fi'l'an acre. •

• TheV,.Carterton .. District. High : School Committee lias -passed': a resolution: protesting against the new rural instruction being nlade'.compulsory-for '.'.all• childron: It considers, the course a serious. obstacle in, the. way' of those children who' intend tp enter professional careers, and does not 6ee .why .rural instruction .should be compulsory only|in' the country, high.schools. All county- boys would not'be farmers, and ' all .city boys would not; bo townspeople. ' Host.; of the best .positions -in' the towns were occupied by bright'boys from thojcountry. ~ ': ' •,

! Tho .turnips in: Southland: are stated to require rain badly,.'and unless there is a change in the weather .-soon, there is likely to, be a shortage, of' winter feed in, many, parts of .the province. ;

: The ' '.Cheviot * correspoddeiit./ of;., the ChHstcKurcK"'Tr'eis'' ;writes;r-"The oats market , is'.inaiutainiiig -.a. good .tone here, arid, several sales have, 1 been recorded at-fi-orn Is. • 7d. to ■ ■ls. ' iOd., according to quality.. Most' farmers are holding-.their' wheat for 45., although several sales have taken place' at ; under, thut",figure. Feed is.very,.plentiful, and therefore, sheep are liiaintaining .a good price; Lamb buyers scoUr ; the,'., district ■ regularly, . and.. each appears to' secure good drafts."- .

Air. .James Austin, of, Winchester (Canterbury) ■ has - been. ■ dealing , with some, patches of: CaliforniiHi .thistle' in-a pad- : doik ,near.;his - homestead., -About sixteen months ago he: covered the' patches with stiaw loosely-put on, to, (he depth of- three feet.-, At' intervals - wliero. the '.thistles ',had grown upf through .the; straw; ;the . straws was 'turned/ thus - checking/the; growth;; •tho result has been almost completely' suwjessful in eradicating the ■ thistle- from all "the patches," and seme of them were fifteen' ,'orr twenty yards ''across; "A few, miserable (.thistlesare still' 1 to' be seen along,,the edges, but:they, are easily being, dealt with.;.; ;

' Tho -Jiinistei .-for; Agriculture (Hon. T. Mackttnzie) was recently' approached' by tho Auckland 'Farmors---Freezing Company with' , reference'.to a guarantee of 165., per ton. on a trial shipment of .chilled -beef ■. td. th'e Old Country, and. it ,-iS; stated that Mt.' Mackonzio,.has'agreed to' urge :Cabinet to , the': matter .'favour-. ably;':

'""' The. 'offerings .lit; the bloring : sale of. the;, edasdn,- ip. GhristehuTch, hSld' .oa 1 Tuesday/; are/stated, \rith.;,oi« :fo'/.b6 th6-smallest .'sutinitted :for :&>ina ijr«ats.the lad that at the, previous sales; owing 'to i the good, dem'ai&; '':\wmiMratively few clips -were held';<>Ver.

, . Prom February 7to 22:600 ions of.chaff., •itere-. railed'from the Carterton "railway station for WeUingtouV, ■','•L -

-'At', the .annual i'show ',of. ; the. • Northern VWairoa Satur- ( :,day, .therb'. were/; oyer ithe.-, gate. receipts; exceeded :thbse'. of. last; -.year by VJ6lOiS;?Hid'''9iidlitj^of'' th'fc'stock' exhibited is- stated,' toibe steadily..improy-' (ing.< Among ;ihe 'produce exhibits' were, I'some very-finosanipksof maize.. During, the' past -yeai ;©r> two/thetajea under' 'maize cultivation 1 has'.been ;and; ! a visitor.; to;-the'show •,would; i nbt : : be .stir-" prised if -,'in!-av'-few "years' .-.'tinioX trading' i boafa vwereVe6itiiig^'fe^-the>'.i^yt' : to take ,-away; shipments, of and wheat," the; graitf of the Hatter; being. pdto" equal to southern! • .vi'/!;: jj,:': .- ■other '! said : it appeared " to.' him ,'that.: Westland,, In one 1 respect:,'it -'seeiried 'at. any: rate' to' helve.: progre6sed '.' ahead i of' the "rest;; :of. New■■ Zealand;Kfor-' 1 in* the; 'local,, >nones--paper wetheris".. were 'being,'< sold; by the :thoiisand ! tara : ' Plat.,. ;;He : iad>not J met>' the; breed-': ing -wether l ' ! since - the ''days 'of -.tie ie'rosseiamiriing:' counsel ness with.: a ; . 'question;about.'.'•as'! to .''how mqch theVwet■'= wethers''brought rn^-!•:': ;• '; ft- is 'iii^cte^|^ViitooaAeed'*fhat*oo traces of ; th'e'. dreaded ;Iale; ofWight' diseaw have,been'.'discovered''in,the; apiaries i in. the ■ Hu'tt^Valley.; .•■;•' A thorough', investigation has..fevealed;-nothing-more, bus' than 'foul-brood; f:-v.'

i'aiaka, the well-known Oar anddairy property; of, ;347;':atresi; freehold and Vl6O acres leasehold/ somo'r.of the' richest! land on; this.. Manawatu,' with flax eatable this year, will be sold at auction by Dalgety and - Co'., at Palmerstin North- on Saturday, 26th February, Tho terms may be srrwised.—Adrt.. •.v/■: