GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 829, 30 May 1910, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

, In 'announcing on Thursday that Timaru would ill future be a dairy produco grading port, the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. T. Mackenzie) said he had now arranged for certain exchanges and transfers in his Department, and the grader who was coming to Lyttoltou would be known as the grader for Canterbury instead of, as formerly, the grader at Lyttelton. This grador, he had arranged, should come down to Timaru whenever there were sufficient quantities of produce to bo graded. Ho could not, prumiso to send a man to tho port permanently, because he thought all the work could be done by this man both at Lyttelton •and at Timaru. ' Generally speaking, Mr. Mackenzie ,-said that ho had increased tho work of the men in his Department very considerably.

It is not more than three years since tho Otekaike Estate in South Canterbury was cut up for closer occupation, and since the settlers entered into possession of their holdings the settlement has advanced rapidly. The formers are now busy sowing their winter wheat, but as. the ground is very dry, it is not anticipated that it will germinate unless timely rain intervenes. The pupils at tho Otekaiko School now number 35 —a fact that is particularly gratifying to tho parents on the settlement.

A supply of 830 tons of rock phosphate was brought to the Bluff tho other day for pulverising for manurial purposes. Kxeoptionally heavy machinery is necessary for grinding it, and . tho Bluff "Press" states that though other kinds of phosphate which are on tho market are much easier worker, their percentage' of truo prosphate is much lower than tlio product of Christmas Island,, which yields S7 per ccnt. This is'reckoned to be tho highest percentage obtainable.

llie yields this year from the .Spotswood crops grown on tlio fertile Waiau Flats at Cheviot are turning out very satisfactorily. Mr. •J. T. ' Barnes threshed out 57 bushels per acre from a 30-acre paddock of Tuscan, Mr. Thos. H. Wilkinson 63 bushels of Bordeaux, Mr. Petergill 50 bushels of Tuscan, and the rest of the farmers in this locality had the same good yields. ' Wheat is being sown again all over tho district as the weather permits.

A paragraph has- been published in a South Canterbury newspaper stating that the negotiations for the purchase of a block of ,400 'acres of land at Temuka, from Mr. Haylwrst, under tho Land Finance Act, had been "hung up" because the Government wanted to pay for the land by'debentures. This rumour, Mr. Buxton, '.M.P., informo the "Timaru Post," is without foundation. The Government had never suggested paying anything except cash, Jjut .they could licit pay that cash until the necessary legal formalities, such as the Order-in-Council, had been gono through. The owner of tho land, however, wanted spot cash, and it was because lie could not see his way to wait until tho formalities had been complied with that the "deal" threatens to fall, through. " The law' allows the Government six mouths in which to complete tho purchase of. an estate. This time is usually absorbed with legal formalities. ; A Wellington' dairy farmer states that after trying various kinds of cow covers he lias comc to the conclusion that tho most satisfactory sort are those made of unlined canvas. The lining costs more, and it has no great advantage, as it holds moisture and ( . affords harbourage .for vermin. The unlined-.cover, however, needs ,to be. made thoroughly waterproof • across the cow's loins, and this-was easily done by giving that part of tlip cover a coat of tun' Thus ped, . his cows had done much better' than with damp,, heavy covers, which were never clean..

Messrs. Louis Scifert and W. 6. Smith/ of Palmerstoh North, have set out;on a visit to tho world's fibre-pro-duciiig ' countries (says the Manawatu "Times"'). Tho absence of rain, almost, amounting to drought, which has prevailed in tho country round Oamaru lately is being severely .felt in the Hampden-dis-trict. Many tanks { the "Mail" says, aro empty, and residents arc forced "to undertake tho task of carting water for their domestic supplies. Of course, tho ground is dry, and-in some places .almost as liard as a road, so that until rain comes no ploughing can be done. The Ohio Experiment Station has found a man in that State/who is a thrifty farmer of the smaller.class, owning but a small-bit of land, who commenced twenty years ago with a singlo cow. Even now-he has but ten cows, but they individually produce from 10,0001b. to 14,0001b. of milk per year. Tho gross income from his cows varies from £32 to £43 per cow per year. Tho average feed bill is about £11 per cow per year. This, dairyman kept a record of wiiat his cows -and their ancestors had done for the whole twenty years of bis experience. Ho. bred his 'best cows to the very best sires lie could secure, and looked inorc ..to the performance at the pail than to type or .conformation. 3lr. M. Hansen, of Longbush, has been appointed manager for the Tararua cheeso factory,' Ballance.