GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 796, 20 April 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

The "members of the Poverty Bay Beekeepers' Association, who' interviewed -Sir Joseph Ward the other day to ask for thq Dette'r inspection of apiaries, quoted :fignres.to v show that of 74,391 hives in the '.Dominion ;71,907 had not been inspected. |Sir "Joseph "Ward said: ho -was not prepared at the moment to say whether tho appointment of local inspectors was warranted. - In reply to furcher suggestions, the Prime Minister said he would look into/the matter and see if ,he could arrange, for periodical inspections.

The North Canterbury farmers are now taking advantage of the weather to break up the land intended for'-autumn sowing for the next season's. wheat .crop. It iff anticipated that a wide area will be cultivated in this manner, since the prices for that grain : are.well maintained, and the growers, even with the last indifferent harvest, have been selling their ,wheat at good prices, considering the condition oi : the samples. .' ; . Payments: for ". March' milk supplies are to be made to-day by the following Taranaki factories :—Ngaere, Cardiff, JE1622; aud.Xowgatth, jei.6o3. . -'"-

Farmers in the Masterton district state that despito the recent rain the soil is still very dry—drier, in fact, than it was during the .drought several years ago. The little rain that fell was almost immediately dried up by the wind, i Swede and turnip crops, the "Daily ; Times"-.says, aro suffering in consequence. One of the most notable exhibits at the Apiti Show on Friday was a large bunch of grapes grown .out in tho open by Mr. Lawson. The berries were large and well flavoured, and tho judge (Mr. A. R. Mayo) expressed the opinion that ,thoy wcro splendid samples of fruit. The Norsewood Dairy Company started ..making butter this week after a very successful cheeso season. . The movement in the direction, of starting wool-classing classes has caught on at Stratford, and numerous inquiries ore being made. A class is practically assured, and it is very probable that sufficient support will be forthcoming to establish one in Tolt:,. The Nelson "Mail" states that a magnificent crop of raps was grown on Mr. Colquhoun's farm in tho Sherry Valley this season. The variety sown was "Kangaroo," the 1 result of cross-fertilisation by an Australian farmer. Tho growth on tbo Sherry form attained the height of 4ft. Bin., with stalks as thick as maize stalks. When it is remembered that the rape ordinarily ' grown' about Nelson reaches a height of from 2ft. to 2ft. 6in. the valuo of tho new strain of seed, remarks tho "Mail,-' will bt appreciated; 1 Tho Kaikoura "Star" reports that Messrs. R.' Hugonin and Henderson have purchased a free-hold grazing rim (roughly, 6300 acres)' a few miles out of Siotueka, Nelson,'- and will take possession at the end of this month. It is an anxious time with the farmers in North Caaterbuiy who planted large areas of potatoes, as tho crops, with but few exceptions,' are turning out I to be diseased. The cause of blight and J the means for its prevention (says tho "Press") seem to be but little understood, and so far as can bo ascertained only a limited number of farmers have persevered with any spraying or other means for holding the disease in check. Even the careful removal of all diseased tubers and tho destruction of them along with the haulms, is almost quito neglected, and hence the evil is certain to be spread instead of being stumped out.

Indications all over the country appear to bo for an early winter. A Nelson correspondent states that the cold season seems to be approaching very quickly in his district. The, trees are becoming stripped of their leaves, and the'country generally is taking on quite a wintry appearance,

iThe.Wairarapa F. and A. Snciely will hold its annual, meeting on April 28 at Carterton. A notice of motion to alter n condition of the butter-fat competition from ten days to six will be dealt with. Officers whose term of office expires this year aro:—President, Mr. H. R. Bunny; vice-prosi lents, Messrs. E. Eagle, jun., and. W. Howard Booth; treasurer, Mr. G. W. Dcller; auditor, Mr. J. Monc'rieff; committee, Messrs. W. H. Boetham, AV. Hi Booth, W. C. Buchanan, M.P., P. Court, A. Daysh, W. Fisher, W. A. Hart, J. Hodder, T. Ingley. R. 0. Kemble, J. M. Liffhtfoot, T. V. Moore, H. Morrison, H. M'Fhee, J. G. Oates, C. Eeid, T. Reid, H. H. Wolters, and S. C. Skelley. ' "

Up to the end of March' somo 88,2671b. of cheese was manufactured at the Rockinlet cheese factory at Waingawa, in tho Wnirarapa. > This amount is more,than the whole of the previous, season's output, and'is looked upon as'a very satisfactory amount to be mode from milk supplied by only seven suppliers. Tho land in the vicinity of the factory is not considered by any means first-class dairying country. The average test for last month was 4.25, the highest being 4.5, and tho lowest 4.1.

Edendale is one of the few Southland factories which earn on operations throughout the winter, cheese being manufactured three times 'a week. It. is an open secret, however, that wintermade . cheese is useless for export purposes, as it has a flavour of the turnips, on which the cows aro fed. Its sale is, therefore, confined to the Dominion. It is possible (savs Saturday's "Southland Times"), that things will bo altered in this way, and it will be of importance to the dairying industry if the winter Eroduce can be made suitable for 'the ondon market. Mr. Sawers intends ■to carry out a series of experiments at Edendalb in the coming winter with a view' of eradicating the turnip tinge in the: milk. His idea is that it will be possible to remove .the defect by "pasteurising" the milk.-