FARMING SEASON

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 158, 5 June 1940, Page 2

FARMING SEASON

RECOVERY OF PRODUCTION. CONDITIONS IN MANAWATU. The present outlook of the farming community in the Manawatu is one o£ hope for as light a winter as possible in view, of stocking being generally at the limit and demands being made on this area for supplementary leed for other districts. One feature, however, is that the bad commencement to the dairying season was followed by a surprisingly good ending. Dairy lactoiy executives report that supplies from a wide area of the Manawatu have come forward in such volume at the close of the season that the figures of total production are even slightly ahead of those of the previous year in some cases. In the Tokomaru area the recovery is most marked, indications being that up to the present the production is up by 1U per cent. . , Instead of appearing from early September to eany October, the normal spring flush of feed was held back until the ' Oetober-November months, with the result that farms received a rather severe grazing, all the available'pasture being eaten out and every vestige of roughage on the liighei country disappearing. When the extra feed did appear it was in nothing like the usual volume. Following this, the summer was a wet one and the autumn was similar. . , Grass growth continued throughout the autumn over a longer period than normally, but this was not fully matured growth owing to the lack of sunshine, both then and a little earlier. Because of the clean conditions of the farms this late feed was all fresh and, as a result, the numbers of fat sheep and lambs which were despatched v ere most gratifying. However, hay crops and many other crops of supplementarv feed \vefe held back, and the hay was not as good as usual. The root crops, in the main, are described as having given a good average return. Due to this soft growth in the autumn, sheep farmers are experiencing trouble with their hoggets, particularly in districts where top-dressing is general From the dairying" point of view the autumn conditions were most favourable for production, and the disquieting figures of January were changed steadily as the autumn progressed. At the present time indications are that the leeway has been made up throughout the district. . Stead v enquiries have been _ received in the' .Manawatu from the A\ airarapa for hav.' The market in the Manawatu is reported to be already shorn of its surplus and indications are that hav prices will advance possibl.v to such a figure as to make feeding with bomdit hav an uneconomic proposition. Although it is early in the season tor the despatch of mangels from this district, several hundred tons have been sent to the Johnsonville district and areas about Wellington, where dairying herds are milked throughout the winter. Norm all v a large proportion of the mangels' leaving the Manawatu go to that destination. . Bran, which is now used to some extent'in the feeding of dairy stock, and pollard, used for pigs and poultry, are both in short supply, and imports are being secured from Australia, even though show an advance in price over°the New Zealand products.