SEASON'S PROSPECT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1253, 9 October 1911, Page 8

SEASON'S PROSPECT.

SOME NOTES' FROM FEILDING. Tho general tone of tho conversations of farmers.who wero in town on Saturday, says' our Feilding correspondent, wns strongly optimistic. • Mr. J. Morrison, of Tokdrangi, speaking from tho.point of view of tho sheep farmer ami tho grain-grower, 'said the season promised very well. The lambing return, so far as he could gather,' would be nothing extra, but against this thcro were verv few losses amongst -the ewes. This he "attributed, to the fact that the spring was a mild one, and as there was not much grass in the'autumn the ewes hud not put on much fat. Then on his own farm ho had kept the ewes moving before lambing, arid this he believed to be a, good practice'to adept. At the present time there was abundance of gnu's,, arid ho could safely'say he had never had a better season. It was good nil round the district! Mr. Morrison' is now ploughing to'put in rapo and turnips, and ho says fclie land- is working beautifully. The autumn sown crops of oats are promising an excellent harvest. Good, Days for Dairymen. '•Dairymen are having a good season. /In many cases the farmers lost cows at calving time, but this was attributed to the fact that, tho feed was scarce during the autumn, and the caws were in poor, condition. It-.was suggested the dairymen had. to learn the lesson that if they do not provide a scrap of winter feed they cannot expect them to do- well. A.representative farmer from the Colyton district said the sheep men there had had a very good lambing, taking it by and large, though there appeared to be some dry ewes. This was, perhaps, caused by the absence of rain, and slacknesOf'-"feebT-Tri the' autumn. Very , few ewes had been .lost. Ploughing operations were proceeding apace, and the land was very workable,' though it could do with more rain. Grass was plentiful, dairying' was prosperous, and the cows' .were looking well. Tho Kimbolton district, reported a farmer from the hills, is backward. The grass .is coming away .now, but'it hung' .back for -some'.time. When' they had rain- the weather got cold and retarded tho growth. Some ewes had been lost, and the percentage' of lambs was below the average. The ground. was ploughing up all right, but it would need a good deal of 'rain .'during tho summer. Last, year the dry weather brought tho turnip blight; and farmers' did not.want a' recurrence of that.' The autumn rape crops having been' 'spoilt, some hoggets. were lost! However, a good • summer would make things, right. "•- . /' ' A farmer frorii Sandon said:. "The season is a good one for' grain-growing. The farmers mostly are putting in wheat, oats, arid grass, seed. Crested dogstail and rye are the. principal crdps being "put in, and some small area, of cocksfoot.. For ploughing, I never saw the'ground in better condition. It is pulverising like ashes. This is accounted for by the dry summer last season, which sweetened the soil and.loosened it. On the sheep paddocks some excellent percentages, have been- registered. I think the district will go 100 per cent., and'l---know.of one man who got 1.11 per" cent. Very few ewes have been lost, and likewise very .few hoggets.".