GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1180, 15 July 1911, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

The Whakataki branch of the Farmers' Union- passed a resolutiou that ail C'alifqrnian thistle should be kept cut level with the ground. '.. In. moving tho re-, solution, ■ Sir. Mason ■ stated that . from' his experience, ho felt that eradication by this method could bo carried out in a year or two. Ho denied the statement that the seed in New Zealand was and asserted that the chief danger came' from river beds. ■ It is reported tliat about one thousand head of beef have been sent from. Hawera to Auckland of late, and that tho prico in the northern capital was. brought down from .10s. to 235! per 1001b., owing to tho heavy importations. Tho second animal social and dance of the Pahiatua Central Blanch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was held in tho Drill Hail on Wednesday evening. Tlio function was very largely attended by both town and country.residents,.and tho gathering was a great success.' .. ' Farm work in Canterbury-is now well forward. A lot of ground will bo" ready to drill when it is again dry enough. All tho early-sown crop is now showing. A Poverty Bay settler states that tho recent cold• weather has cut down , the feed, .of which there has been' a good supply up to tho present, and that stock oro beginning to feel tue effects of tho wintry weather. Sixteen degrees of frost w6re registered at .Ashburton one night this week. The following is from a Canterbury paper:—"All the Poninsuia'dairv factories 111-0 now getting ready for their-'annual meetings. Owing to the. dry season the balance-sheets will show a decrease of outputs, totalling probably oyer 100 tons." As. Ashburton an acre and a half of mangolds which were sold in four lots realised the sum of .£29. A Sputli Island correspondent states that the best remedy lie knows for the potato grub is to sprinklo the tubers with sulphur in tho bags or on the ground, which he says deals death to th" grubs. Tho director of Lincoln College reported this week that autumn-sown grasses and green feed were looking healtliv. but some of tli© older grass paddocks showed little life, especially those sown with Italian ryegrass, which it seemed could' not stand much drought. The wheat had sold at an average of 3s. 4!d. f.o.r. at Lincoln. Mangolds had turned ont a poor crop, but potatoes were satisfactorv, giving 1-t tons per acre, but those exposed had been attacked by potato moth. Turnips, which had promised a complete failure, had turned out better than had been anticipated. A Wellington produce merchant says that as apples are scarce in Hobart and prices high it is unlikely that Tasmanian growers will be sending much to the New Zealand market for a while. Eggs are selling at from Is. 2d. to 1?. 3d. per dozen on tho Wellington produce market. : A line of Kumeras was sold at the Wellington market yesterday for, from 10s. to 13s. per banana case full.