Farming Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 229, 31 March 1896, Page 2

Farming Notes-

THE WEATIIEtt. A number of farmers were beginning to dread what they would do for feed and water for their stock previous to the late rain. Although we have not got very much of what was urgently required, yet it has been like the " refreshing dew from heaven upon a parched land." The grass has sprung up quite green within a day or so. Although there were numbers of vendors at the late stock sale held in Feilding, the sale, on the whole, was considered to be good, aud the prices realized very fair. The late rains, no doubt, made an appreciable difference in the prices. STOKING WATER FOB DRY SEASONS. Some farmers are not so favorably situated as others in respect to a water supply, and experiences of the past season, especially, have shown such farmers that it is incumbent upon them to make provision for future dry seasons. It seems very probable that in the future they may have to pass through similar experiences, therefore it will be necessary tor them to make suitable dams on their land for the storage of water. I notice a number of them have already commenced this season to follow out this idea. DOSIKG OF LAMBS. There appear to be differences of opinions with regard to giving medicines to lambs? at certain times of the year. One farmer will inform you that his loss is just as heavy when he physics his lambs as when he leaves them alone. Another farmer's experience is quite the opposite. From what I could gather when listening to a representative of a ii»m from New South Wales, who visited a number of our stock sales in the dis trict sometime ago and gave some very valuable hints as to the breeding and rearing of sheep, it appears that the principal thing to do was to cull out all desceased sheep and to see that all ewes and rams from winch farmers bred were free from disease and then the progeny would be healthy. The practice of dosing lambs is not so general as it used to be. THE WOOL MARKET. It must cheer the hearts of the farmers to see all through— (or nearly) — this season there has been an upward tendency in the price of our staple article of produce. Some of the fa- mers have informed me that they have their returns and are highly satisfied with the same. They have done much better than if they had sold at the prices offered to them here.