FARMING.

North Otago Times, Volume I, Issue 12, 12 May 1864, Page 1 (Supplement)

FARMING.

During the early part of the month, the weather was fine, and thrashing was prosecuted briskly ; but during the past ioitnight, owing to the uncertainty and at times roughness of the weather, little has been done. A few samples of oats have found their way to maiket. (The state of the market will be found in uiir commercial columns ) Potatoes are ui\in» a fail yield. A gentleman repents lun ing gathered a hundred and twenty potatoes, all of average size, from one "set," and that the yield throughout is verj great ; and another says that his ciop this season yielded about fourteen tons to the acre. Turnips and other esculent roots are turning out well. Veiy little ploughing or sowing has been done, owing to the state of the ground through the dn ness of the weather. If nun does not come soon, it will prove a seiious inconvenience to farmers. The season for wool is now closed, and over 10,000 bales ha\e been shipped from this port to Dunedin, to be re-shipped to London, thus incurring an expense for tiansit almost equal to the freight from Dunedin to London. This is a v C ry ridiculous arrangement, for there is nothing to prevent the wool from being shipped direct fiomthis port to London, and thus saving a considerable period of time as well as expense. Some parcels of wool have fetched from Is 8d. to Is. lid. The yield throughout the district this season has been more than average. Mr Calder, the Sur-veyor-General of Tasmania, has published a series of tables upon the agricultural trade of the Australian Colonies. In one he gives the average weight of fleece yielded by each colony for a series of years, which is very important and interesting. In South Australia it was 3lbs. 15 ozs. ; Tasmania, 3 lbs. 2 ozs. ; New Zea- : land, 2 lbs. 9 ozs. 9-10ths; New South Wales, 2 lbs. 5 ozs. l-10th; and Queensland, 1 1b. 10 ozs. 7-K)ths. It is certainly gratifying to see that we stand so high on the list ; and if sheep-farmeis

continue to improve their flocks, in all probability we shall, ere long, stand still higher.