GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1026, 16 January 1911, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Word from Wangonui' states that im- i portant experiments with tho .weed de- l 6troyer known as "kilcal" are being under- 1 taken. _ It is reported that arrangements ! arc being made to allocate plots lor testing purposes at New Plymouth,. Wanganui, Marlon, Palmerston North, and Taihape. . The Otoko district, Poverty Bay, sent , in -100 sheep and lambs to Gisborne re--'contly—its first consignment. , Northern Taranaki. orchards are said to be troubled seriously with Codlin moth this season. A grasshopper plague has struck the Gundagai (N.S.W.) district. At'Billabong the pest -ate everything green, clearing 1 :out gardens, and eating down hedges. In 'i ther parts, the grasshoppers mostly confined their depredations to couch grass, young lottuce, and young cabbages. . Oat growers in. tho South Island had tho misfortune to have their crops considerably knocked about by a strong blow last week. In tho Kinvoo district, near Ashburton, oats which were quite green were broken and smashed. As much as five bushels an aero is.estimated' (says the "Asbburtou Guardian") to.have, been lost in somo crops, whilst in the ripe oats soma farmers estimate their loss at ten bushels per acre., . .' ' The orehardist has a good field for research by., using tho opportunities' to graft (says an Australian paper). .A South Australian says' that' he recently saw a wild cherry grafted on to another cherry which, though -loaded with blossoms each year,' failed to hold the fruit. Tho result •of the graft was that the wild cherry fertilised' the other. . For December tho Waitara and North Taranaki Dairy Companies paid out .£3BOO. Tho Bush Districts A. and P. show, which is-to be held at Woodvillo on January 25, should-, bo a popular feature. Large entries havo been received for .the jumping and other competitions. Special railway fares havo beeu .arranged for. ■ It is expected that the Hon. T. 'Mackenzie (Minister for Agriculture) and Mi'. 1). Cuddio (Dairy Commissioner) will be present. A Woreroa' farmer stated to a Levin . "Chronicle" representative that ho did' not remember such a year as tho present for grass crops,. ."I have," he said, "put. more land under tho plough thau in any ptevious year,' and yet I havo morp grass than at, any. poriort during the timo . I have-occupied this land." ; In some New South Wales fruit raising districts tho fruit rot fungus is be-' coming more marked in peaches and nectarines. .: Bush' fires have been lighted in the Wairarapa this season, but it is 1 yet too early to state the result of the burns. : "A'curious result-of a hailstorm that burst oyer Wcreroa early in December is. noticcablo- on the fruit at tho State ;Farm. Apples and pears still show signs of where, tho . hail struck .them. These signs -aro now. rapidly disappearing and , .will altogether have vanished in a few : days."—"Horowhenua Chronicle." Tho proposal to hold a stack-building competition in connection with tho Mastertori A. and P. Association has been abandoned.- Although . prizes- amounting to.<£s were offered, only one nomination .was forthcoming. "The 3'oung moil apparently ■ don't', liko work," was tho remark ef a member of tho committee, when referring to the'matter recently.' A visitor' from tho Nelson district states (savs the "Hawke's Bay Tribune") that a little borer has attacked the blackberries there, and it is hoped that it will do much towards keeping them down. The borer attacks the stem about six inches from tho end and then works out towards - the tip, completely checking tho growth; Tho. North-Taranaki -Dairy Company's milk supply keeps up well (says tho Wai : tara' "correspondent of' tho - "Taranaki. News"). During November 1,085,1921b5. , of milk .were received, from which over 22 tons of butter was manufactured. The average tost, was 3.9. Suppliers received ,£I7BB 125., which is an iucreaso of .£SBO 10s! 2d. on the corresponding month of last year. .