PASTURES AND CROPS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1658, 27 January 1913, Page 8

PASTURES AND CROPS.

: ; OFFICIAL DECEMBER'REPORTS. -Officers' of.'the 'Fields aiid ''Experiments' Division-of the Department of; Agriculture , havo' the '■ following-.;' to say... on ; the condition ,t(f the pastures'and crops:—; .-.New •l , lymouth. : -;Urass,.,'hus liiude good growth aiid feed has been picntilul. Boxli mangels and turnips -have in some cases .been.attacked by'the fly; but on the whole are Hay.taukiiig;nud cnsilagernaking. arc general. . ~.: i. -' Strhtiord.-fyUl crops havo, come on'well.' The,spell of able, lor. shearing^. and is.'also gO;bd, for haymaking.;- , Many of .the - settlers liavo burnt their bush,:and good biirns'are reported. • Wanganui.'-After,.'.*, nearly,fourteen .months of.more or less unsatisfactory;weather,,of- which;. raija' and- cOld- .were predominant fthtures,- fine'weather-set- in in ,thq. beginning, of .Deceinberj!;sinco .when, we 'haive had a .wealth.of -iviirm" sunshine with very little- : rain.' ."Unfortunately, .the wind ;which has /been - aiuch', in evidence.; has - evaporated', surface -. inoisturb .'and' made more rain n necessity.- to; the . success of ■late-sown'- cereal crops'; also to grain and root. crops. Eorly-sown , grain crops iind feed in pastured have 'grown, luxuriantly during the mdnth and dre now looking, remarkably'well. ; v ■ ; (Hastings.—Harvesting; operations.' 'have been in full swing, and niuch.gopd'fdddcr' should,bo saved,-as the crops appear to be. much, better than ,\iiual ..id. this, district.; There is still ah abundance of grass, which: is now' ;of better-, quality, for 'fattening; pureposes , than 1 ea'rlier in -the .season. Potato crops aro' good, but in some places are. be.cpming, much affected with blight; "other root crops/are looking, well.'. V-' : ' ;, ; Feilding.—The - dry weather - has " been very noticeable.' Some fine -hay is' being made. This will',be found .useful during the winter to keep the stock in good form: 191'; the coming, spring.' ,3 Shearing operations have been in full 1 swing, -. •'; ... •. Pahiatua.—The' heftvy lands havo become baked'.through lack of intermittent showers,; arid 'thti .quantity :of milk' went down through the same cause. Wo have not' the 'quantity of feed there ought},to be at' this: time of .the. year.'-: Showers are wanted to.giye rape ,and'turnips a- start; Hay is .being got. in' in good order. Early crops are ripening, but lato.crops are poor. . - Masterton.—The 'fine seasonable weather, has enobled good progress to bo made with nil kinds of farm and'station work. Shearing operations have .'finished, and in some, cases lambs have been -dipped ks a prevention against, the maggot-lly. Grass is more plentiful jhcre.tliis'scason tlidn it has been for. sonje years past, and . some very heavy crops of jiay are .'being barvested. .Potatoes are .looking extremely well. A very marked 'improvement inlho stato of all,crops has taken,place since the'dry weather set: in, and a good yield i is now anticipated. Oats in many cases I are now harvested. •. , ■ , ■ '-. ; .

. Blenheim.—Tho weather was very,hot all tho - month,' and rain is badly needed for the crops on the heavy land, which were .very , late in being- put , in owing, to the sodden state of the ground in spring. ; ;; Seddon. i --All crops are practically cut, and all the oats aie stacked. Tln'eshing is being 'actively earned :on in .barley pad-' docks. The. pea cropsi'aro ncarly. all bar-' vested. The increase in acreage .of this particular crop is about 100 per', cent; over . that of last; year. Pastures are' .beginning to dry up. ■ - ' ■'.'■- ' • Nelson;— Very .little rain has fallen,'and the country is too dry.-. The pastures have gone very brown, and some;.of the corn crops lywe ripened too: quickly ; they wanted rain to fill the grain better. The potatoes and other root, crops also show the ifant of rain. Although some farmers are harvesting, a good rain would do a great amount of good.