GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 753, 28 February 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

-..; Caterpillars are.-very numerous in Opunake ■ district just now,-and several'ftno crops of oats have been mined, little being -left but the bare stubble'.

■how. that- harvesting operations in the' Masterton district have practically been completed, there appears t6 be a general impression .abroad that; the wheat crop' will;-be. considerably lighter : .than was a't'-first anticipated," and the result'of the-thresliing,will be awaited, with -interest. " '•. - , ■',-'-.■

A. Plains' farmer, informs the Asliburton ■ Crnardianf'-.'that the oat crops in the Dun'das -und surrounding'. dishictj are threshing out; an' average of twouty-five bushels'per acre, illis-owri :highest yield has- been■; thirty bushels -per acre, and the lowest twenty-two bushels -per- aero. -

1 Speaking to the; unsuccessful applicants at. the D'annevirke land ballots last' week the Commissioner -of - Crown' Lands.'-for HawkeVßay said there.were other sections in the province ; which would : be opened up 'shortly. There wqs Clydebank -at lfrasertown,'"- ;Wairoa,; and Ngatapa, hear Gisborne, each of about 10,000 acres, and.in a'few months he hoped "to see a'few'more sections near Danncvirke opened itp.• .--'-.'...- '::..-■.,;;.. ..:.-

.rumoured Vi that [another attempt toiestablisli«the Has milling industry 'at Thames." Tlio'-last attempt ended disastrously - for the enterprising owner, .for'the. greater.portion of ,the flax area was.swept by fire and he received a substantial fiat-back. . .

.A'scone, of unusual activity prevailed Inst week at the'Duuediii Land Office, whero -736,000 acres wero being placed on the market, in pastoral runs-and small grazing runs.' '"■. ', ■'~,.

In spite of the long, spell of dry weather the Thames Valley Dairy Company have ■ paid-sESSO7> lis. 4'd. for'butter-fat for the month .ending" January' 31, os compared with the corresponding period last year, an increase of. ,£893 Os. 4d. East •month':] ; paymcnt. was 'distributed as follows :r-Net.herton, igtooß 6s. lid;,- Waitoo,' .£707 2s.'ild.; Wliarepoa, XG4S 195.'4 d .; Pacrori,' MS2 45.; Matntoki, X'(J23 las. 2d.'; IJikutaia, JM 9s'. lil.; Manawaru, JSO3 175.; Tur'ua,. ,£387 Bs. "id.;- Ngarua, .£253 10s, 3d.;.Wordville, „£l6o'. 13s. sd. The supply of milk' at the Greytown Dairy Factory, on Wednesday 'morning was 520 gallons in 'advance of (he amount received:, for.;the corresponding date, of last.year. .

The Wairarapa Bacon Factory. (Carterton)' is sending tegular;shipments of its ■products--to-thd"Ho!ue''n]id 'Sydney, markets. Last week ISO pigs were 'handled,'

The year is stated to be a record one for maize in the Bay of Plenty districts. The : turnip" crops-have struck very, well iall'oyer the district, and a plentiful supply of winter- feed seems to be assured

■'..'■Mr, Alexander Brown, a Morven farmer,.', states. that this season has produced the poorest' grain crops ever harvested on Waikakalii. Mr. Brown's crop of wheat, which was expected to yield 60 bushels, to the acre, went only 33 bushels. One mill, after a fortnight's work on Waikakahi, reports an average of 2.) bushels, the highest paddock being 30 bushels. Some mills are going to work by, the hour, and these will require to keep ■ time and wages books, as in factories. ■''..'■■

The Ngaire Dairy Company (Tarannki) has again received the order for the halfton cheese for the Pnlmerston Winter Show.

Over forty boys arc now receiving agricultural instruction at tho Waitaki Boys' High School.

The "Kaikoura: Star"; reports that many local sheepl'anuers.are discarding merinos, altogether,'and substituting coarser varieties of sheep.

: Tho dairy industry appears to bo making ~rapid headway around Ashburton. Several meetings have been held lately to discuss ■ proposals for theircction of now factories.

' Farmers are still longing for rain '(says Wednesday's "Southland Times"), and unless.-it comes soon a serious situation will arise through -shortness of grass and turnips, No real downpour has taken place since. Christmas Eve, and although some.parts of Southland were recently favoured.-with intermittent showers, tho moisture was not sufficient to appreciably improve the growth of grass. The turnips, however, reaped some slight benefit.. Notwithstanding this, many-fields of turnips still .present an' almost bare appearance' as regards growth of ( the roots.

'Mr.: W. Taylor, of Greerihill, To Awamutu, who has for years laid, himself outto..procure high-class'stock, recently.-pur-chased from Mn J. Little, of . Omihi, North Canterbury, his two-tooth | Border ■Leicester, .which took first price at'Christchurch' for rams under Mi, months, and was also champion. It is' stated that' 25 guineas, was the figure paid. In no other breed of sheep'has so much money, been spent in ..importations,in Canterbury of late years' as in' Border Loicesters. '

' '■ A largo number of men who have been grass-seed harvesting on Banks Peninsula have returned to their homes during the past .week. The'majority of'them are not well pleosed with the result of their labours. -Although'the weather was, on the whole, good for the harvesting,-and the season- had been a promising one, there was. a'hitch somewhere and the seed was light in. quality. Tho .wages this season are .reported to have .been a long way below .'a.gobd paying level. .. '-.'''.

•'lt'has often been asserted' that, the Bush 'district is not capable of producing fat.stock.equal to.that produced in ,the Wairarapa." This idea, however (says the "Times"), was'cbhclusively'-dispelled at .the recent .Master.ton: Show, when/Mr. E. C. Tylee, of Makuri, ■ gained next to. the. highest number of points awarded-in tho freezing classes .for' the • Bra'ncepeth Cup. Mr; Tylee; made.-.ninetcen. entries -.and secured four : first prizes', two seconds and five.thirds in what was probably one of. the, strongest competitions in tho North Island. It takes about five days to drive sheep; from' Makuri "to Pahiatua, and •these, sheep we're ■ exhibited : at Pahiatua for two.days.and then trucked to Master.ton.and successfully .exhibited there'.

Settlement continues to'progress along thevMain Trank line.-. The other day a' school was opened 'at ICaitiekc,' ten miles from Kaurimu.' Three years ago this was unbroken bush country, arid showing its capacity, it.may be stated that 350 bales of ~wbbl 'were: taken out this season, and .tho settlers are nbw'-arrariging .tb : start a dairy, factory.. ... ■ '■■;. . , '•

'' Eoports ".. from ,To' Aroha state. thi\t. .'though .the :'weather hasbeen'extrcraely hot and dry/:-for some time past, the season on the. whole, has been-.remarkably, favourable.' for dairying. ! /Suppliers' are well .satisfied ywith'-'-: their, returns, yaii'd there is sbme,'talk of:'adopting'/ thb./all-the-year : . milkingisystem; -Last': winter,• .when the creameries wore: shut'.'dbwn for ; a couple' of- months "-niiiny 'farmers' siis-' : tain'ed,' losses through > having- ..quantities of miik ou 'their hahas;","'for!' which they could not find a.profitable;market.' '■.■■'■'

.':. A number.' of: the: settlers.,in. the ! Te Akan ■ Block (Raglan) have been. puttiug down ""some' of! their open "land .in tur- . nips.' iOwing to.;' the roadless of ■ the ,country'-the freight on'maniire, viaNgaruwahia 'in ■ the- 'Waikato,./ has approximated ■M- 9s:.'per tin—more than half the-cost ,of\the manure.-: ' -"r.

;. Good burhs'.are : fcported to : be -fhe rule around Taihape; '■■-."This with the recent rai as: . means' early ; ' grass aml rape crops, ] which should'add considerably' to the sottiers' output nextseasoiu A.dairy company has recently been formed. at Kai-tieke,-and the. question of chees'o or butter'iis now. being.-.discussed; It.-is prob-.'abta-that' the-company will decide- on "oheesel '/'. -'.;'.' --. " '■-;"