GENERAL FARMING NEWS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2355, 11 January 1915, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS

Heavy warm "growing" rain fell in fho Waikato last week.' The drought had become a serious.matter for farmers and. dairymen. . The crops, which are thin aiul stunted, ripened too early, and now are mostly in, while the shortage of feed had a very dertimental effect 011 the dairying industry. Cows lave had to be turned into the meadows, consequently very:little hay will be harvested at present. The rain was too late to benefit dairying much, as. the cews are now advanced too far, but will have a very bcneficial effect on. the autumn crops and winter feed. "I've seen Australia in. bad times, but I don't remember anything quite as I've seen it in Hawke's Bay during the past fortnight,"' remarked Mr. Braid, representative of a firm of fruit merchants, who has just been making the. round of the orchards in that district. . "It has been .'altogether a very queer season. have suffered,from no fewer than 110 frosts during the season. Tile earlier frosts came when the blossoms were leaving the tree and killed the fruit. Many of the orchardists thought that there would be a chance of saving it, but the young fruit) simply dropped off in a perished condition." Mr. J. J. Curry, of Blenheim, who, by reason of his extensive dealings , ill barley, is popularly known as the "Barley King" of the Dominion, stated to an "Otago Daily Times" reporter during a recent; visit to Dunedin, that owing 'tothe sevcre_ drought experienced in Marlborough ever since June, of last year ,che yield of 'ba/ley in that province this year wjll be very small indeed. Ho estimates that the total yield will be something like-25,000 sacks, whereas' in a favourable season it is something like 100,000 sacks. As-Marlborough is the largest 'barley-growing district in New Zealand, there is every possibility- of a shortage of- barley this year, and no doubt importing will have to bo resorted to.' The oat crops in Marlborough, too, are in no. better condition than the barley, and. in many cases they were so bad that farmers put their sheep into the fields..

Farmers are said to love a grumble, whether it' is justified or not,, and it ,sometimes happens that they "fall in" in this way. A. case illustrative of this fact occurred' at Wednesday's wool sale in Timaru (says the: "Herald"). At the first wool sale of the. season a wellki.own South Canterbury farmer who has -a flock of about 4000. sheep, had a quantity of his w-00l passed in unsold by the auctioneering firm which,does hia business. The farmer rated the firm soundly for this, but the firm maintained'that they had acted in, his best interests. When the same wool was submitted at yesterday's sale the owner expected to lose a penny a- pound on it as compared with what he had been offered at the opening, sale, but, as a matter of fact, it realised a penny a pound more.