GENERAL .FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 838, 9 June 1910, Page 8

GENERAL .FARMING NEWS.

Our Taranaki correspondent telegraphs that several Taranaki farmers complain at the action of the Government Agricultural Department yesterday in bidding against the public at Mr. C. Clarke's pure-bred Jersey stock sale at New .Plymouth. ' The Government representative bought t\ thirteen-year-old cow for some 70 guineas, and another for 51 guineas. The farmers contended that by its methods tile Department was bidding against the public with the public's own money, and that the proper procedure would be for the Government to import its pure-bred stock. ' The latest debt reduction scl'ieme comes from Christclmrch, where Mr. J. Young, head gardener to the Domain Board, has been estimating that by planting commercial trees, such as larches, on the wasto lands of 'the Dominion the Government could pay off the national debt ill 50 years. . It is stated that small birds are proving very destructive • around Ashburton this season by pulling up grain plants as they are coming through the ground. ■ A farmer in the Jjongbeach district, Canterbury, has already a few of this year's lambs among his flock, and no doubt he intends to have them read? for an early market. The date of. the Auckland winter show ■has been altered; to August 15-20. The Killinchy correspondent of the Christclmrch "Press" writes"Owing to the favourable autumn weather, farmers iiave been enabled to sow winter wheat under very satisfactory conditions. A fairly largo area is . sown.. Owing to fclie destruction'of the grubs, a large amount of pastures have been ploughed up, which otlfcrwiso would have remained for another season. Dun oats and' Italian grass are making goo:l headway, although several paddocks were almost devoured by tho grass grub. Stock is looking well, the mild weather having helped the feed supply." ' • Hares are reported to be. very numerous in tho upper districts of the . Ashburton county, and farmers state that they are making their presence known among the turnip crops. A very welcome rain fell at Akaroa on Saturday night, but the weather cleared on Sunday morning. A good deal more rain is wanted on Banks I'eninsula, as the autumn has been ✓unusually dry and creeks are .very low. A. farmer, who is doing some fencing, stated that digging post-holes in the clay was like boring'through rock. Cattle are in good condition, and, as. feed is plentiful, they should winter well. . A welcome oasis, along the Central Otago line is the property of Mr.' Wilson, near the Lauiler. A recent visitor to the district describes Mr. Wilson's farm as. the best irrigated he saw. It contained, he believed, something in the neighbumhood of 500 acr.es, and was carrying splendid crops of turnips and rape, while more sheep were to. be seen in the. grass paddocks than ; anywhere along tho line.

. Among the farmers' bays at the recent show at'Balclutha was an exhibit by Mr. Willcocks, who from his farm of 75 acres succeeded in producing 262 different varieties of farm products.- An agricultural- authority , who saw , the .exhibit states that it was the most-striking display of produce from a single small farm that he had ever; seen, and he much regretted that it was not on view at one of the bigger shows. It showed what an energetic man, with the assistance of his wife, could do. For this remarkable exhibit, Mr.' Willcocks received a prize of two guineas. ; , -','.,.

;,;At<4he annual*-meeting of the South Canterbury Oliainber' ot" Commerce at Timarii the chairman said that the frozen;rrfleat industcy~was! at present in a prosperous condition. The works had been unusually busy, having put through no fewer than 181,000 carcasses during the month. This was explained by the favourable, weather, and the forward condition of lambs. Instead of the usual 25 per cent, of tops or suitable freezers fully 75. per cent, had been found fit.- . ■

. Tha clover crops., throughout .the Temuka and Winchester districts are yielding well, and owing to tho very'.fins weather . lately experienced, much jnoro clover shelling has been done than in r preyious ;years, at-' this time. Work .is well; advanced, and ■ farmers could' not ■have, had more, favourable weather for general cultivation and' the sowing of nviieat crops. •; • ' ■ ■■ • Tho scarcity-of feed in South bury has forced a prominent farmer of the Oainaru district to send 1000 sheep to feed at Geraldino. The. rental for tho : grass paddocks there is 3d. per head. Another farmer recently-trucked 300 ewes to. the Ashhurtoii Plains, owing to there being practically no feed on his-pro-perty. '•' . : .' • ■ . ' The Te Tua dairy factory has closed down after, a most successful season, (says the, "Orepuki Advocate"). Notwithstanding tho dryness of the.sumnier the milk supply was well maintained, and;tl;..' •— lput of 'cheese constitutes a record '.:;■ the factory's annals. Ono hundred and eighteen tons of cheese lias been,.manufactured, which is 101 tons in excess of tho previous season's output. Farmers in the Oamaru district comment upon tho exceptional mildness of tiio weather. There has been an absence of sharp frosts" and tho ranges aro free from snow—au unsual feature at this time of tho year. The stockownors view the conditions in a favourable light, because feed is scarce, and cold squally' weather would lead to a heavy mortality amongst stock. Tho season has been more like spring than, winter so far, writes the Tikokino correspondent of the "Hawke's Bay Herald," although the occasional frosts havo been severe. Apple and,pear frees are on tho point of bursting into bloom, and manj'- spring flowers are out in the gardens. Ripe strawberries and raspberries were seen her© up to a .fortnight ago. On trees in Hawke's Bay a second crop of apples have grown to a good size this season ■ in the up-country and cold districts, and the present blossoming apples makes tho third time of flowering since last' winter. An A shburion fanner after a periodic visit to the North Island tells the local "Guardian" that he does' not think as much of tho north as ho used to. "Land," ho said, "that formerly .'carried close on three sheep to th? acre is capable now of carrying stock on tho basis of only 1} sheep per acre." .This, he says, is duo to the climatic conditions having materially altered in consequence of deforestation and to the pastures having run out. Stock is not now doing nearly so well as formerly; and he added that to stump the land and make it ploughable, in order lo renew the pastures, would cost at least £S> per acre. "Taking everything into consideration, including the inflated values of land all over tho Dominion, Canterbury is still the most favoured province, and is likely to remain so," said our informant. , IN THE FAR NORTH. Il has been frequently declared that what the Huon Valley is to the Tasmanian fruit industry so will the poor gain lands north of Auckland be to New Zealand. A writer in the "Tarauaki (Hcrald" is much impressed with the possibilities of the far north. He says:— "Just picture what opportunities are here offered to men with small capital. They can acquire land from £2 to .£lO, according to position, and none of it more than 2U'miles from Auckland or six miles from the railway, and with say Icwt. of slag to tho acre, can get a sole of grass cai-ry-ing three sheep. The price of slog is not more than £i 10s. a ton for the best qunlitv. and that would moan, counting land, slag, manure, and seed, they would gel a property capable of carrying sheep or cattle, at'one-third the price of land of the same carrying capacity in Tarauaki; that is, if,, they want farming lauds. If they want fruit lands, they can buy the lands for one-tenth the price they would pay in Hawke's Bay and a better-climate thrown in in both cases; and I advise' any who are interested to 1 come and look round- thoroughly."