GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 793, 16 April 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

~ A consignment of. 296 Lincoln twotooth flock rams was. shipped to Sydney yesterday by the" Moana. 'The rams were. purchased: from ■■ breeders '-in the Hawera district, and, are . being ■■ dispatched by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company ~to the order of a New ;Soutlr Wales ' ■ .

Mr. E."D. KnigKt7 of"Xongbiirn, has sent another, lot of V draught horses, nineteen all told, across to Melbourne; this week, in tho Ulimaroa.."•■

■ A very fine crop of white clover was cujfc just before Christmas by .'Mr. Alfred South, of the Geraldine; flat, South Canterbury. It,was.threshed about a month ago; and,.l3 J..; acres yielded 33i sacks of- seed,- which Tan 2001b. to the sack.." At 7d. per-'lb. tho seed returned over £195. The 'clbver'has grown so well sinco-Christmas that it. is Mr. South's ■intention to cut it again 'for seed in a short time. ~ '.'"'■;

A Kurow farmer , - is ■said "/'to have marketed nearly 400 tons of potatoes off thirty acres at £3 10s. per ton. ••

. Approsimately,; IOjOOO ■ fat sheep and .lambs, were railed .from"--the Mount Somefs; (Canterbury)' 'districts. .last/.we0k.;:.."" \l"

li.is said that there is a large water power.running 'to .waste.'at iho Elthara Dairy CompanyYnew factory, sufficient to 'supply motive power, if not light, for tho town. '

v A circumstance that is being talked about hero (says tho Waverloy correspondent of the Patea "Press") will make: many 'think pleasantly of their growing years; .The other day there worked on Mr. lon's farm three old men whose years between them numbered 216. : They, were harvesting, and did it well. Tho eldest, John.lon, who built the staok, has aeon a summer or two more than eighty, and his brother and Victor Zoland, the two other veterans, are now fast approaching 70. '

."' The .Feilding branch. of .the Farmers' ■Union.has..been brought into.a healthy state during the; past year-or so—the term covering Mr. .J. E. Perry's secretaryship.. Within two , years tho brauch has been, brought from a moribund state. (£2O behind was the financial condition) to a surplus this year of over £11. To have 73 financial members on tho roll is also a fine finish to the year's work. ' To Eliow tho necessity' of, farmers, using every effort to eradicate Bathurst bnrr, a well-known shcepfarmcr has been advised by his London broker that the burr deteriorated the nrico of wool bv Id. alb. ..:. ... : .'. • ■■_ A few months ago, says a Springston cerrespondent of tho "Lyttelton Times," farmers in this district were anticipating a splendid harvest. From\ the largo amount of forage and the fine appearance of the crops, great . expectations wero indulged in, but owing to heavy rains they have not been realifled. The flood water rotted the tap-roots of the grain, and the surface roots not being sufficient to sustain the growth,'whitehead or American blight and undeveloped grain woro produced. This statement applies to all cereals save peas, which are an exception. The average yield this season is about 23 bushels for wheat and 27.' for oats, though somo farmers have obtained as high a return as 40 bushelß for wheat ami 80 for oats. Of the latter wo have an illustration in .somo oats imported by Mr. Blakemorc and grown on his farm. The yield of potatoes is also disappointing. Owing chiefly to tho blight, the averago yield is only about threo to four tons ger acre. ' I

Tlie So'utMand rabbit-trappers have, got aS nasty knock through having lu close their trapping during three weeks of probably tho best weather of tho season. Certainly they, can go. on for the. skins,' and a report was circulated that the skin was of equal valuo with the carcass; but you cannot make a trapper bolievo it, anyway just at tho' present juncture, whatever may happen a few weeks later. .It is a bit rough on tho buyers who have provided their agents with monthly railway tickets.. To say tho least of it, it's unfortunate for trappers and buyers.

A, resident of Mataura, on a trip to England, called upon a fruit-grower who has between Bournemouth and Fordingbridgo a property -of 20 acres in extent, with six and a quarter acres undor glass. There are 67 greenhouses, with a total, length" of 12,600 ft. These are devoted to grape-growing, tomato culture, and the -raising of arum lilies (about 8000 pots),- which, when forced, come on in the winter. The houses are heated by nineteen boilers, which consume about 1100 tons of coal a year. This grower last year put up four new. houses, costing £5000. A visit to' the well-tended hothouses provides a sight not to be witnessed in New Zealand, and one.that is not readily, forgotten. The gardeners who find employment on tho property constitute quite a village.

The Chatham Islands correspondent of' the' Christchurch "Press" says the pastures in tho islands are completely dried up, and the ground in ■ many places is opening in quite, wide cracks. There lias been practically no rain for more than two months. "We had, he writes, a wonderful spring and summer as far as grass.is concerned, and stock, although beginning to feel the effect of the drought, are still in good condition; but unless rain comes within tho next two. -weeks there will ho little 'or no autumn growth, and a poor outlook for winter food.

There is a feeling in the air just now (writes the Iminsden correspondent of the "Southland Times") that winter is fast coming on, and it certainly is early yet, as we have on some former occasions had grand weather up to June. At any rate present indications are for a long winter, as tho weather just now is cold, wet, and of a w-intry feel.

Reports were recently published concerning tho prevalence of nasal bot in sheep at Pouawa, Poverty Bay. Advices to hand from the 'district state that tho trouble is, still prevalent. On tho average about five per cent, of the flocks are affected. There are not a great many .deaths, but the majority of sick sheep-will bo it little use this season' However, it is thought that tho slight touches of frost we have had lately will kill the insect that is supposed to be tho cause of all tho trouble.

.About two years ago some 10,000 ladybirds were imported to New Zealand ami distributed over the two islands for tho purpose of checking the woolly aphis blight on fruit trees. It naturally takes time for the'little insects to become established, but the "Otago Daily Times" states that already they have been seem in some districts doing really good work in the way of checking the blight. With the co-operation of the Agricultural Department, experiments in repaying are being conducted in the Mackenzie Country. On'the Simon's Pass Station a small plot of land has been subdivided for treatment. On one half of it all the dead grass and other veeetation pulled up was cleared off; on the other half it, was not. • Then a dozen dnieront grasses wero sown in strips on one part, of both the cleared and uncleared soil, aud on the rest mixed seeds were sown. The unscarified pieces include some bare soil, and also some with tussock. remaining; :

A writer -in tho Canterbury A. and 1. Association's journal states:—"Until about.two months before harvest, every, tiling pointed to a record year, with a record acreage/, and the prospect of good prices. Tbfc,"growers of grain were'most hopeful, but - 'when the heavy., rain fell for sovoral. days just when the bulk : of the grain ' was out, and very<: ; little stacked, things began to look. serious; <,antorbury's nor'-wester,' however, • followed, and was never'better welcomed; Ihe wind left the grain in a flno dry condition. Probably no, other country could go so near ruin and make such a splendid recovery so rapidly, but t am «qrry> to say .that the yield is about 25 per cent, below what it promised a short time-before. Altho\igli there was a ' arger acreage in wheat this year than last, it is an open question whether there will be any more gTain. ••

Tie membership of the Stratford A. and P. Association now numbers over ■100. • i ■ ~ ■

A Canterbury orehardist, writing to the. "Press" on the codlin moth question, says that in order to k«ep his orchiird free from this pest he has-made a point for eighty- years past not to use second-hand fruit cases. He considers that infection has been spread in Canterbury more by this means than by any other. (

I am convinced," .said a-prominent Feilding dairy-farmer to our'correspondent, "that good Jerseys <md other dairy stock will be fetching greatly enhanced prices next season. Tho introduction of the milking-machine is going to make all the difference to the industry, and the machines 'are gradually multiplying all through the ]?eilding district.. There are some men who object to the machines, and eay th«y spoil tho cows, and'that you have to'strip them'after they are milked by the machines. It is all rubbish about spoiling the cows. The outlook for the Feilding district is particularly ..bright.. We are' sending' dairy stock up to the Auckland district. There was a man here from the Auckland district quite recently, and he bought up a herd of 70 Jersey heifers. The Jersey is the cow for the dairyman, and our district has' some very fine herds.. You will see that, next season will open with a big demand for dairy stock, Jerseys, particularly, and prices will, of, course, advance/' ■ /

The soundness of the Shire breeds in Britain is a matter for congratulation (says the "Farmer, and Stockbreeder"). This year, of, the 284 horses examined, only iifteen were, rejected, as compared with 2!) i Bent through the veterinary paddock last year, of which thirty were declared to be suffering from hereditary disease. Altogether there were six rejections for sidebone and five for defective respiration.

Little owls are now spreading about the hill country at the back of Fairlie, Canterbury, and wherever they are found there is a marked scarcity of sparrows.

A resident, of Milton, who is in Ensland, says:—"The frozen meat trade is not it ought to be. When leo to a shop tho■appearance pf the mutton is almost as bad as to debar people from purchasing. In the senson local/lamb sells at Is. 2d. per lb., but tvo can buy New Zealand lamb at Old. per lb. The latter will never, be a success until they remedy tho evil of its slimy appearance.' 1

Tho schedule of prizes for the Otago A. and P. Society's, winter show, which opens on Tuesday, May 31, and closes on Friday, June 3, shows that a large number of special donations have this year been offered for competition in the various classes. The following are among the most valuable:—Union Steam Ship Company, trophy, valued at 25 guineas, for best exhibit of export cheese; Wyndham Dairy Factory Company, trophy, valued at 25 for best three hoses of dairy butter; Canadian Salt Company, gold medal, valued at 15 gnineas, for most points in factory cheese , classes; Lister Sheep Shearing Machine Company (Levin and Company, Wellington), challenge oup,'Valued at 12 guinea's, for most' first prizes in ■ sheep classes. '

An interesting experiment in tho eradication of Oalifornian thistle has boon made by Mr. H. H. Wall, at Manutuko, Poverty Bay. That gontleman' has tried a solution of sulphate of iron (grcon copperas), putting it on pretty strong and applying a cupful to each plant. He found that even with one application tho thistles had died back, and on taking them up by tho roots ho had found tho roots black right through.' Mr. Wall (says tho "Poverty Bay Herald") is satisfied that the sulphate of iron, if used'systematically, would quickly" lead <tp tbo extermination of this noxious, weed.