FARMING PROSPECTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2070, 20 December 1919, Page 1

FARMING PROSPECTS.

REVIEW BY SIR JAMES WILSON.

At the annual dinner of the shareholders of the New Zealand .Farmers' Co-operative Distributing Company, Ltd., Sir James G. Wilson, chairman of directors, speaking of the past season and the prospects before the farming . community, said he did not think they were as good as they might be. The most serious part was the great scarcity of rain in the autumn, and the very dry winter, which prevented the ground from getting its usual saturation. Stock had not done well, and he had beep, informed by a freezing company director that there would be scarcely a fat beast in New Zealand this year. As a result of the climatic conditions the wool clip would be seriously curtailed. Lambs were distinctly lighter than for some years past. It was estimated that these would not go beyond 321 b, for the milk fat lambs. Hawkes Bay, as usual, seems to be suffering from (he drought. There was no feed, and prices had dropped considerably. The sales were most disappointing. Cattle was being run from Hawkes Bat into the Wellington province, with the result that the fats were not going off. One good point of the dry season was that such seasons were usually followed by a good crop of grain. The prospects seemed good for cereals. South Island people were the growers of wheat. Our climate did not seem to suit wheat, but in certain cases good crops had been grown, and there was do doubt that they could bo grown if sufficient trouble was taken, but just now the average farmer could not make a profit from wheatgrowing. We expected the South Island people to grow our wheat for us. He considered that people bad been living on cheap wheat at the growers' expense. The consumers must expect that they would have to pay a profitable price to the grower if they wanted wheat. Dairying was in a fairly good way, as far as prices go, but the season had been very trying, and (here had been considerable losses. Feed was (lush, but was not of good quality, in Taranaki the growth of grass was small, and the hay (‘fop appeared to be very.poor. high-priced lambs it was impossible to get a profit without good teed.