GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 751, 25 February 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

The Patea Farmers'- Co-operative Freezing Company, Ltd., has been registered •with* a capital of >10,000; : The object of the company is to. acquire and take over as a going concern, the .premises, stock-in-traae and goodwill-of the .business nowcarried on 'in Canville /by. the. Patea Freezing Co., Ltd..; The. vendors' are *to receive': in, shares half-being' in preference shares, and half in ordinary shares. Tho company may proceed 'to allotment when -ot'ljOOO has been subscribed in contributing shares.';

Several- crops of-.oats in the Mayfield district (Canterbury) have .threshed out averages of 55,:60, and up to 80. bushels an acre. ' ■-..•."•■"..■ : _'• '"'"; .. ■

The wheat. threshed, in the Mothven district .(Canterbury)" has returned large quantities of. seconds; and the average yield-is disappointingly below;that of last year.. . . ; .■■;■. ',- ;;; 1 "y-:\.

•: Says tho "Ashburton" Guardian";: According- to 'Mr.' John Burgess,. ;the" oat' crops in and around Mnvfield are threshing, on an average, fr0m.,55 to, 60' bushels per acre., Sir.'W. AVilson had '.'a, yield of over .80 bushels per acre, and as showing that the oats, whjle plump, are well hardened.. 'Mr! Burgess ■ says that one. farmer was able lo get' iivd' bushels in the sack. ' ■■

■ The Now! Zealand Dairy Factory Managers' Association will hold its annual conference in Hawera during the Winter Show w'pek. '■ ,-. ' Mr. E. ; Clifton, Chief Inspector of Stock and Director of Experiment. Farms, has '■"turned to town from a visit to Hawke's uay- • '■'■■■ ;'■'.■ '■'■■.■■: ■'.- ,'i'ho present .'season has established a record in the milk supply at tho Hukaiiui Creamery (W'aikato), aud the Hush uf grass at the present ■ time ■ is said to be remarkable. . .-■'• . . "-. \ ■'-•.

Thero is at present an unprecedented soarcity of farm labourers in the Southland district., This condition, of affairs was gonorally anticipated before harvest commonced, but the troublo was no doubt accentuated owing to tho rapidity with which the- crops ripened. Tho.result was that an abnormally extensive area -became ready for tho binder at practically one and tho samo time. When harvesting started, , men were receiving Is. per hour for stooking, and Is. 3d. for stacking; but as high as Is. 3d. per hour for forking and dray work, and Is. fid. for stacking, is now the current rate.

..The ninth annual autumn show-of tho Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society is due to tako place in six weeks' time. Last year the show eclipsed all its predecessors, and the committee have arranged tho new programme to give every inducement to exhibitors to come forward in larger numbers than ever.

, Interviewed by a Wairarapa "Age" representative on 'Wednesday afternoon, with respect to Mr. P. T. Mooro's project for a meat trade combine, Mr. J. C. Cooper, managing director of the Wellington Farmers' Cooperative Meat Company, said: "[ have seen several statements made by a certain Mr. Moore which have appeared in the Wellington press. I presume he is the samo gentleman who has written a number of letters to me wanting me to meet him to discuss some matters with regard to which I have no knowledge. Tho statements in the paper in regard to> our company are absolutely without foundation. As to the scheme of amalgamation, I know nothing of it.' It appears, to be more or less of a visionary character, iprobably as much so as the statements of the suggested winding up of our company by. tho'same gentleman." ■ '. ■' :

A curious experiment in horticulture is being made by Mr. P. Neal, stationmaster at Bennett's Junction (Canterbury). Mr. Neal is trying.the effect of feeding a couple of vegetable marrows on new milk- every, evening after sundown. He has made a small aperture near the stem of the marrows, and into this he pours from three-quarters to a Bint of milk, nlugfring up the hole when he has finished. The marrows are sa'id each to,have increased in.weight by 1011). during the past week, and to make double the progress that the others in.tho garden, are doing.

Th'o Kaglan correspondent of the "Waikato Argus" says the season in this district has'boon a remarkable, one for insect pests.. This is variously attributed to the remarkably hot summer and the mildness of last -winter.-," Caterpillars have been very' bad in, some parts of the district this season, ' not many oat crops, entirely .'escaping their , ravages, while many fields have been entirely stripped of leaves. In' some parts they are attacking , tho grass in biish clearings. Crickets and grasshonpers aro very numerous, and have, "been invading, tlia houses. Potato blight has also been giv-. ing trouble' in the district. '.

Up to January 31 the three Stratford cheese factories—Cardiff, -Nsjaire, and lowsarth—bad received this, season 52,2071b5. of buttsr-fat more than'in the same.period of last season, an increase of about 81 per cent. The average test has been. 3.72;.' as .against-3.6S for last season. February has so far been-a pood month for milk production, the falling away in supplies being less pronounced than usual. .Warm nights and frequent showers have mado'.'tho paddocks full of feed. ..,...■.

I Some' of .the, pat crops around Carter-' ton are reported to'have done very badly this year, partly owing to the ravages/of catorpilla'rs. The "News" ,says ■ that in some places the'average yield 'of oate -has been, as low as 15 bushels -to the acre.

' ■ Owing to the drop in tho prico of pigs, farmers ,in the Carterton. district are setting rid of some of the porkers and baconers." .'.■■■:,'... -.-.-■ ,'

Rust is reported to have made its ap- ; pearance in the , 'Vy'airarapa'.aud Carterton, and the young" growth "of grass "is being attacked. -V : -. . .. . ",::■,'..'

. ' Tho Tauranga iDairy .Factory. Company has been" obtaining 1225. per cwf. for its butter, or at the rate , of 13 1-Hd. per

Last Saturday night thero were 3000 sacks of/.'cocksfoot seed',, on the Akaroa wharf. ; Christchnrch. firms report that they have had great difficulty in" obtaining delivery of the seed. ••'■■' •"'.'■.':

The settlers -at Mangatahi, . Haiijlce's' .Bay, i are.. : airbusy ploughing for grassingdown. Some very-good wheat, oats, and barley have been harvested on the settlement this year, and.'there is abundanco of feed for stock. : ■-•■'• • ■.-■■:••;

The Te Puhe correspondent of the "Bay of /Plenty Times'* states'tb'at the bush land, in .tho'district' is-'. steadily being brought' into profitable occupation. The oxcellent dairying returns have also en : couraged many farmers to lay down fresh pastures," and a man in a position tQ knotf estimates that there will be 1000 acres, of new grass sown .'in tho district this season. : .-.- .

Mr.:T. W. Kirk, of 'the Department of Agriculture, has,taken two cases,pf Tasmanian! apples, ready packed, across to Nelson as. a practical demonstration of. how the local apples should bo prepared for shipment by the Paparoa. ■'",-•

' The. e'ntrie's for the Waikatb Central Show, to bo held next week, total 1877, being an increase of 112 on any previous year. The increase 'is principally in horses and pigs, .but while there" is a slight falling-pff in .cattle and sheep, , the' total entries in stock -are,'over 1300. The exhibits come from a ninch wider area than in previous years., Napier, lianawatn,,Gisborne,Bay of Islands, Raglan, Auckland, and Thames being all represented., , The entries clearly show (says the "Argus") .that increasing interest is being,taken in tho Waikatb>as a district..

Paiaka, ,the well-known flax and , dairy property of 317 acres freehold andlGO acres leasehold, some of the richest land on the Manawatu, with flax'cutable tKis year, .will, be 'sold at auction by. Dalgety 'ahd.Co., at Palmerston North on , Saturday," 26th. February.-. The- terms may be arransed.—Advt; : . : .