Farming Notes.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 340, 15 June 1894, Page 2

Farming Notes.

(By " Agricola.") r ~_ _. CROPPING. [I ; Jj:.^ Our spring season in New Zealand '■ cannot be depended on for seed time as we have so muck wet weather about - that time of the year. Mr A'Conrti" ofAwahuri, informs me that be sows bis oats in the autumn, and the results for the last two seasons have been verygood indeed The oats, of conree, are sown when the ground is dry. The crops require to.be fed down about once : or twice during the season. The farmer^ benefits considerably/ by cropping early. Firstly, it is not necessary to sow so much seed ; secondly, the straw becomes much stronger, and the grain is fuller and of mucfrbetter quality ; and thirdly, the land is much cleaner, as thej weeds do not grow so luxuriantly when the land is cultivated in dry weather. ■ ' . THE WEATHER The mild weather of late has been more like spring. Tb« grass has been growing as if the -springtime bad- come. I saw an apple tree in Mra Roots' garden, on the Makino road^ the other day, which had a second crop of apples on. THOSE PORKERS AGAIN. , i >. There is no doubt that tbis has become quite an important industry^ almost as important as the cheese and butter factories. The farmers should see to it that they have the best breeds' In this industry as in the breeding of cows. Some breeds Of pigs 'arc always eating, and are never in good condition, antl when, they are fed up foe baooh' the meat is not good. The. best lot of bacon I have seen for a long-time was some cured by Mr A'Court, at Awahuri. Ttie * sides did not consist of great lumps *of fat, but beautiful streaks .- ran all through. I sampled some of it andlt was very good indeed. ! tThe breed wasa cross-pure-bred Yorkshire sow with a purebred Berkshire pig. They are very quiet contented pigs. I saw some of the stores and they appeared to me to be fit for the batcher. Mr A'Court thinks that two broods a year is quite enough from a sow, one to c^me in aboot'September and the other about January or February. ' '■ - ; - ---. _; v^s^"';.?? THE PLANTING SEiSON/ "% ■ As the season is again drawing nigh it will be well to remind farmers: thati too much interest cannot be bestowed upon planting trees for shelter as well af Vlor ornament. How pleasant it seems Itof a person at he rides along the road on a bleak cold day to p^ass through a belt of trees on the road side. It has been said by some farmers that "good shelter for stock is a great savins in fodder, as ■.» beast will Took muck betten on babtthe food if it has shelter than with a huge quantity and no shelter." I have beard that the farmers in Canterbury honse their cattle in the winter time as they do in the old country, I presumerthe farmers will not have to do- soi in the North Island. However, I think that Bhelter should be provided for the stock as we have some very stormy weather here at times. Mr HoldenontheMalcrao road has considerably improved bis property by planting trees; although the trees have not been planted with a view altogether as to shelter yet they axe very ornamental. I have noticed ■ tbit a number of settlers have planted the trees too near their buildings. They see - their mistake after it is too late, let those - who are about to plant take a note of this. THE LIABILITY OF AUCTIONEERS. I bave seen a par in one of your.eschanges since I wrote, List wherein it was stated that a certain person bought a horse under the hammer and the quad* ruped did not turn out according- to the - description given by the auctioneer and the purchaser brought an action ,in the S.M. Court against the knight of the hammer and obtained damages. Auctioneers are generally very good at word painting, but the best intentioned of them cannot help being deceived in a horse. I have neard of a farmer whoplaced bis farm in the hands of an sue? tioueer for sale and be so graphically de« scribed it in the advertisement that file farmer went to him and said " Well I never knew I bad such a valuable farm before I read of it in the newspaper so I have decided to keep it, wbat are the expenses ? " He jwud the account freely and went borne with a contented inina to settle on his farm, . .