GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 754, 1 March 1910, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

The choicest, lines of barley in the Ilenheim, district are reported to be sellng at 4s. Cd. per bushel. As supplies if prime malting grain are likely to prove ihort .of requirements this season, it is uore than probable that current quoations will not only be maintained, but vill possibly be exceeded. ; Operations, at Nelson Bros.' freezing vorks, Gisborne, are brisk at present, and nil time is being worked. The average billing, per. day is 2000, and .this is likely u. be maintained for some time. The attendance at the Waimarino Show, ield at Eaetihi on Friday, was well on 000, and was the largest gathering ever een in tho district. The Komneys were he most noticeable breed in the sheep lasses. The dairy-cow competition, the pecial feature of the show, was won by ir. G. Milligaii's Jlidget. Mr. G. W. Forbes, M.P,., has arranged 5 make an inspection this week of a big dock of Crown land in Canterbury for ho opening up of which there has lately iiien an agitation. The block /is over 0,000 acres in extent and is known as he Upper Ashley Country. Much of it s said to bo rich agricultural land. .The learest lailway ; station, is East Oxford, wenty-two miles distant. Hegistered sheep brands are cohipulsory, ; nd the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce low desires that every sheep-farmer houl'd be compelled to register the brand ie uses on Ms wool bales. It .has passed his resolution and is asking for the , coperation of other bodies: "(1) That, in. he opinion of this Chamber,'it is necesary, in the interests of both woolgrowcrs ,nd woolbuyers, that owners of 1000 she*p r over, should be compelled to register wool brand. (2) That no two persons a the Dominion owning more than 1000 heep should be allowed to use the same rand. Tho Napier Chamber is snpportog the resolution. ■ . . One resnlt of tho unusual abundance of eed in the Waikato is that the crops of reen maize, which have been so successiil this season, are scarcely needed for he purpose for Which thoy have been rown. With grass and clover in abundnce, dairy cows will benefit very little, y the addition of green maize, and more han one grower is taking steps to preerve this fodder in the form of silage ar winter.and spring use. • Agricultural teaching is to be taken p with increased activity by the Waganui Education Board. Last week Mr. i. D. Braik, chief inspector of the oard, was in .Fcildmg, and conferred rith several members of the Technical ohool Committee, .the result of which, iys the "Star," was that the director r as asked to "communicate with all. the jading farmers of the district asking hem to attend a meeting on Tuesday ext to consider the matter of sta'rtig classes in agricultural subjects in ifferent parts of the district, on similar ines to tho wool classes. The rabbit-trapping, season .will- comience in Milton aiitl neighbouring disricts on March 7. Several trappers have greed to accept the. following prices rom a Dunedin buyers for. carcasses left n fences :—5Jd. per pair in March, 6d. l. April and May, and Gid. for.the reminder of the season, which will tcrlinate on September, 30. There is plenty f "bunny" to be seen in the country istricts now, and trappers should do ooil business during the coming winter. At the Franklin Agricultural Society's lioiv at Pukokoho last week the entries •ere much larger than usual, cattle in articular being nearly.. double the numer rat the . previous show. Shorthorns re not so numerous', owing to various reeders having disposed of their herds, ut Jersey cattle. show a great increase, nd are a first-class type. In some of !ie classes for Jerseys there are as many 522 entries. In the horses section there ; a particularly good display of hacks, here being as many as 18 entries in some E the classes. Sheep show some changes lis.year. -The Shropshires are by no leans so numerous, while Lincolns about old their ' own/ , 'The.'Bomney Marshes, owevpr, .are making great headway, and re evidently .coming well into, favour. There' are at .the present time about ) flaxinills at work in. Otago and Southind. The material being produced is l'iucipally. fair,' that beiug the quality hich millers largely contracted. ' with lerchaiits to' supply. The amount of ood fair quality being produced is ecordingly limited. The dry weather is aving a rather serious effect on the inustry, and. if rain does not come very: ion the position will become fairly acute, 'he' output fe being affected not only.in Bgard to quantity, but. in quality also, everal ' mills have 'been compelled .to nspend operations, while a number of thers are contemplating doing likewise. E the water supply diminishes any fnraer there will be no other course open 3 theni. : Mr. Norval Speedy has purchased Mr. esse Herbert's Herbc-rtville ' property, l'r. Herbert having decided to remove ) To Auto. Milton advices state that tho continued ot weather. since .New Tear, together ■ith tho inllueuco of warm winds, caused lio crops to ripen too quickly, making ho heads light, and -.giving not a very atisfactory result after the threshing has eon completed. This is specially noticeble in the case ,of oats. The long spell i dry weather has. also told on turnips, Tinging blight into what were several iromising: fields.'- In only a few, isolated ases wheat crops are now standing on .'okomairiro Plain. . ■ ... Writing to the ICaikoura County Coiinil from Conway, away down towards the uilway to Christcnurch, Mr. A. \V. Eutherford says: "Startling as it -may eem, it works out somewhat cheaper to orward wool, with return loading, via liaikoura to, Lyttelton, than by way of )omett. Water carriage is the expianaion.. When Port. Eobinsou was open, reight was 2s. 6d., and port charges is.— s. Cd. against Cs. Id. by rail.. 11, is to he interests of settlers'in this localitj Conway) to ship their produce at Kai:oura, and procure their stores in Wei. ingtou—a cheaper, market anyway , thai !hristchurch. Indeed, when the railwaj s completed to Kaikoura, it is probablt Cheviot will deal with Wellington." lteports from Piri Piri state that the ilock presents a very dry appearance at he present-time, and a good downfall f rain is urgently needed. A reflection f the. want of moisture can be seen in ne diminishing supply of milk at the heese factory. Herds that were givint 00 and 9001b. of milk at the commencelent of the season are now only givinf 00 and GOOlb., and some even less. A :ood number of settlers are also shod if water for domestic purposes, and havi ;o cart it from neighbouring • streams The necessary guarantees having beei [iveii, a dairy factory is now to be es .abiisued in the block.