CHURCHILL NOTES.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 617, 18 March 1921, Page 5

CHURCHILL NOTES.

SUCCESSFUL DAIRYING. (Iron Our Own Correspondent.) . The present season is proving a splendid one for the dairy farmer here. Since early spring the rich river flats in this and adjacent districts have furnished a great profusion of feed which, despite the advancing season, shows very little sign of drying off. Increased f numbers of cows to those previously handled are everywhere being milked, sevei’al individual head's comprising from 80 to 100 animals. The quantity of cream being sent to the butter factories is computed to be fully double the quantity which was produced in the river districts last year, and, as record prices for the product have been the order this year, dairymen are indeed having a record innings. LOW RIVER LEVEL. The level of the Waikato river has been very low for several weeks past, and masters of river craft are ex- ' periencing much difficulty in negotiating the great number of sandbanks everywhere in evidence. The Waikato Shipping Company’s large iion paddle steamer Freetrader, which regularly plys between Huntly and Mercer mainly with coal freight, has been off the run for some time and, in consequence, the coal business on this end of the river of late has been a negligable quantity. Flaxmillers are being hard pressed to obtain the necessary supplies of fuel to keep their plants working, the only means of transport at their disposal being the requisition of barges, which are towed to and from Huntly by the most powerful oil launches available. Quite often both launches and barges get aground. Mail and cream launches and steamers are also continually being held up.

DRAINAGE OPERATIONS. / • For work on the swamps and lowlying country, the dry conditions of late have been ideal, and farmers have been pushing on w r ith their annual drain cleaning operations. On several of the large holdings the work is being considerably hampered owning to the shortage of labour, the only casual hands available being Dalmatians and Maoris, and these are in limited numbers only. The largest undertaking of the kind which will be carried out here this season, is on the holding of Messrs Gumming and Driver, where some two miles of drains are being cleaned and another two miles of new drains are being dug. The drains range in width from sft to 10ft, and the work, which is now well forward, is being carried out by a gang of natives. A DRY PERIOD. On the high lands the atmospheric ccnditions are anything but favourable and a day’s soaking rain would at the present juncture be welcomed by the owners of such country. With the exception of paspalum, all grasses and forage growth has browned off, and the sward is having a summer spell. Sheep and young cattle are taking no hurt, however, the flocks and mobs having experienced a very good spring and early summer. The pinch is being felt chiefly by farmers having ploughed land to work, and of this there is a large acreage in evidence, the bulk of which is intended for grass sowing purposes. The discing and other working of these areas is proving a difficult task, the hard dry earth being next to impenetrable wPh implements, while the teams of horses are labouring under conditions most trying. CEREAL CROPS. Cereals were planted this season in larger areas than hitherto grown, and a splendid growth of all crops has resulted. Oats in particular are a striking crop, the growth of straw being phenomenal, while the seed heads give promise of heavy yields of giain. Disappointment awaited the growers of late planted crops, however, as the dry spell of weather has been attended by the unwelcome « aterpillar, and this pest has stripped, the entire fields of oats on several farms, and no choice has been left the owners but to mow the standing straw and stack for hay, and this work has jusr been completed. In cases where the crops were ripe for early harvesting no damage was done and some fine stacks of oats have been saved. THE OPUATIA BRIDGE. In accordance with a promise given by him at a meeting of ratepayers held recently at Churchill, Mr McCut(han, member for the Rangiriri nding < the Raglan County Council, duly looked into the question concerning the building of a new bridge, which is to take the place of the present decayed structure spanning the Opuatia stream at its-junction with the Waikato. It was generally understood locally that the sum of £4OOO, allocated by the-Council for the new

Pukekawa-Churchill road included the building of the bridge, but Mr McCutchan’s inquiries elicited the information that the whole amount was ear-marked for the formation and other work only on the road, no provision having been made out of the county funds for the bridge. The Council, however, had applied to the Government for a grant, but their efforts to obtain the same had been unsuccessful. On receipt of this information at. Churchill, a petition to the Minister for Public Works, requesting that a grant should be put on the Estimates for the work, was immediately drafted and taken lound the river districts and with some 50 signatures attached, the document was last week forwarded through the member for Raglan (Mr R. F. Bollard) to the Minister and the result of the position is awaited by the signatories with considerable interest. The estimated cost of the bridge is computed by the county engineer to be £ISOO.