Ashurst Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 150, 11 June 1891, Page 2

Ashurst Notes

( OTTO O"WN COKRESPONDENT.'j It appears that Hawkes' Bay residents are quite "astonished at the large amount of stock that changes hands at thevaleft in. this district; One was. at the last sale in Palinersfcon. I think the sales at Feilding are nearly, or quite, as large. The number of acres brought under grass every year is one great reason, and another is, that our land grazes quite one sheep per acre more than the open country and so requires,' on- an averaee. 300 to stock 100 acres. On one farm near the town, sheep are being folded m gates, on mangel-wurzel, they eat it off very well. In one paddock they could have the choice' of turnips and mangellsin the same fold— it wag noticed they ate the mangeUs off first. Nowthat sheep farming is paying better, any cultivation that enables farmers to carry more per aoreis worth the study. As heavier and better quality crops can bo given for feeding sheep from m'arigells than from turnips. It is "estimated that 671 b weight of , mangel-wurzell is equivalent in feeding properties to lOOlbs of turnips. Turnipg contain 90 % per cent water andlO per cent .flesh-making properties, mangels 86 per cent water, and 14 per cent flesh-making properties. The turnip was cultivated by Greek and Boman farmers 2000 years ago. Good farmers in those days— they ploughetffiva f^mW tu . rm P 8 > aQ d grow some sorts up to 401bs weight. --; ' ,< The early frdsts have put a stop to the young grass, on the new burns," feed on these will be very late. Bush farmers have had, what we used to say in the' Old Country, a haggling time, of it, what with bad burns late sowing, an d n ow the frosts Checking the grass. A man would soon lose heart if « he was only a Btato tenant, but the consciousness that if a defered payment settler, he is one year nearer obtaininghis freehold, nerv«s him to the task, and that makes the man >