GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 798, 22 April 1910, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

The -Department of Agriculture have undertaken the matter of appointing judges for tho exhibits in the dairy section at the Hawera Winter Show. The first-entry 'came to hand a day or two ago, from the Canterbury Central. Co-operative < Dairy Co., Ltd., Ohristchui'eh, a company which possesses 23 skimming stations. ,

.' It is reported that -both Stratford aud Midhirst Dairy Companies have sold their April butter at over lid. per ib., the latter at Hid., the "Taranaki Herald's" correspondent believes. • ■

A. plot of lucerne ofy some extent excited the keen interest of the members of the'Bltham branch of tho Far-mers'-."Union-.: on their recent visit to Moumahaki. It was sown in 1908, and has six times,-and is now nearly a foot in height. It has had ho manure since it was sown." In one of the small experimental plots where lucerne is. growing the,roots were followed down to a-depth' cf 14 feet. "This isi the feed for this country if you can' get it established/' remarked the manager. From 15 to 201b. of seed per acre is sown.

' Mr. M.' Rudkiu, of Auroa, Taranaki, has sold his fine farm of 200 acres to Mr. Bradshaw, of the Rama •.Road. The . price, the "Taranaki News,''v is -given to'understand, is £35 per acre," aiid ''although it is a record price for Auroa. it is not coniidered dear bv those who know the farm.

At tho annual meeting of tho Dunsandel branch of the Farmers' Union, the chairman (Mr. George ' Sheat) ieported that tho year just closed, had been a quiet one, but generally good progress had been made in various directions. The great difficulty experienced, not only with the Dunsandel branch; biif -with , nearly'ov'e'ry branch, was tht apparent apathy of farmers to conserve their own interests; notwithstanding tliose drawbacks, it was most encouraging to luio'w that tho niiioii had been able so far to checkmate the unreasonable demands of somo of the labour unions, '\'.';,'••,

SI?. JaffiSs \Mes, of Marton, has shown us a fino bunch of half-grown Irish Peach apples, a second crop. Tho tree from which they wero taken is covered with similar apples, and the crop is as far advanced as it generally is early iii December.

The following series of deals in n piece of land in the Manaia district, Taranaki, should stand as a record of its kind, and should, at the same time, furnish an instance, unique probably of the. rapidity with which land values have from timo to time jumped from normal to' somewhero in the altitude of tlio sky line (says the Waimate '.''Witness"). The owner of the parcel of land in question bought it at £7 10s. per acre, and'soon,..after sold it at £11 an acre. It subsequently changed hands at £14 10s. ■an acre, and then passed into other, hands at £28 10s.. an acre. The last, seller bought back a portion of it at £35 an acre, and again the remainder of it at the same price, and sold the whole at •655 an acre

Mr W. Marcroft, who has been connected with long-wool sheep-breeding in 'Canterbury for upwards of 30 years, is leaving that province to take up a permanent home in the North Island. The Christchurch "Press" published a long article a day or two ago, from ivhich it..appears that Mr. Marcroft was breeding and exhibiting Leicesters in competition with Messrs. Boag and Threlkeld at Canterbury Show as long ago as 1869. . '■

To the very hot season that has prevailed is generally,-attributed'-.the "heated cheese" that has been commented on at. Patea grading ■ works. But there is another substantial reason (writes "Farmer," _in 'the Hawcra "Star"), and that is the absence at <\ number of factories of insulated curing rooms. Certainly the hot season experienced has largely contributed to the (.rouble, as in some curing rooms Hit temperature has been as high as 78deg., which, apart from any excesoive heat on the journey from'the factory to Patea, would be. quite enough to cause heated cheese. Tim factories that have insulated curing rooms seem to have had no trouble, except from special causes. ■ ' . '