FARMING IN THE MOUTERE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1684, 26 February 1913, Page 10

FARMING IN THE MOUTERE.

' : A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. .A feiv days ago our travelling correspondent devoted some 6pacg to applegrowing in the Moiitoro district (Nelson) and he now has tho following to. say about the district generally:— "In the Moutere district, a good many hops tire grown. The gardens aro generally along river and creek bottoms, tho land-here being lighter and more sandy, suiting tho hop admirably: As a rulo these hop gardens are kept in beautiful order and weeds are absolutely tabooed. Last season prices were remarkably good, growers obtaining as high as Is. lOd. per ■pound—very different to a short time ago when they :only got Gd, and even less. Tho result is that a. largo increase of the area under hops has been planted this season (estimated at least 2000 'acres). Many of the hop growers have accepted tin. offer of one. shilling: per. pound for this 'and tho two following seasons and tho produce, r.m bo grown for about four pence half-penny. One shilling will leave a-handsome margin. Still, a3 one grower said: .'You .may,.be'mre the -merchants see a profit in li shilling, eo I am not going to; tie my hands. I will do as tho middle-man intends, and that is risk the market. You may.be sure they are not offering a - shilling • without good reason.' Most of the fanners in the Moutere and adjacent'districts,seenv. to be in a prosperous state, Judging by their dwellings and "the way* in which they keep their farms; There 1 is no doubt that the German makes a'i/good settler here, like' the Datie and the Sce.mlinnvian. Another settlement or district is 'Noudahl.' Here (here are some really nice farms. -The land:. seems • qjf a little■' better quality, though it has all been under black birch bush. No matter what grasses are sown, 'danthonia eventually ousts them. all. and though it does not give, a'great deal of feed, yet it has one excellent point in its favour—and a: very important one—it is ousting tho fern, and even crowding tho! übiquitous blackberry. I, was told •tha'; when J went to' Nelson I shonld see plenty of .blackberry farms—l can-' not say I,have, though.there is no doubt it has. an« immense' hold in the province generally. ■ Still, many a farmer has told me that it is nothing like so bad as it was a few yeaTS ago. Constant cutting has done .ii eond ■ deal; to check it, while' on account of the indifferent feeding qualil.'es of danthonia. sheep eat a considerable portion of the yoiing blackberry «lioots. Goats also are doing good work in keeping tlio pest in cheek. The common goat seems to bo equally as useful as tho the latter is the mors valuable'animal'on.account of its mohair.'.lnquiring/the price of Angoras for a friend in the North Island, I was quoted 255. each for half-bred nannies, aird.anything from 3 guineas to 5 guineas for jnircbreds.- Many farmers complained that' though-,the goats undoubtedly do ft lot'.of they .can also do n lot of harm. They are difficult to keen in bounds, as,, being, so', nimble, an ordinary fence,is : no bar, and when they wt inf'n a neighbour's land, there is trouhK Of colirfe goats.bred on .a nlaee are different and are liiujh more easily kept in'hand."