MECHANISED FARMING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20056, 30 September 1939, Page 4

MECHANISED FARMING

BUSY GISBORNE SEASON ABSENCE OF HORSES POSTPONEMENT OF, FAIR Because farming in the Gisborne district is now largely mechanised, there has been title demand lately for horses of the general farm type.

Also, it appears that there are not many of that sort available In the district for an insufficient entry could be secured for the spring horse fair that was to have been held at Matawhero next week, and the fair has been postponed. It may be held towards the end of October, if there are sufficient horses offering in the meantime.

The tractor appears to be enjoying another phase of popularity, and those who have been around the country districts a great deal recently report that they have never seen so many tractors on the Gisborne flat country before. They are working everywhere, turning over pasture areas for crops, maize being one of the most popular crops this season. Fitted for night work, these machines have been kept going night and day in some cases.

With the large number of tractors in operation, a natural surmise would have been that more horses would be available for sale as the services of the horses were dispensed with, but apparently that is not the case. It was pointed out to-day that when a farmer found that, owing to the age of his team he would have to replace them, he had usually purchased machines instead of horseflesh, and as the old horses had little , « value they were not coming on to * the market.

Experience in the North The inorea.se in mechanisation of farming in the district, no doubt, will have .some effect on values' for draughts. This was found to be so in. the Waikato earlier this season, and at the Cambridge fair prices were much lower than last year. At subsequent fairs following the outbreak of the war, however, values recovered to practically their normal level, but there has been no phenomenal demand as a result of the petrol restrictions for motor cars, although farmers appear to have secured what supplies they need for farm work. There appears to be an abundant supply of horses in the Waikato, and although inquiries for heavy working horses have been more frequent they have not been sufficient to materially alter the market position.