DRUMMOND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 39

DRUMMOND.

September 11.—After the very fin© winter we have enjoyed it is hard to take kindly to an occasional wet spell or a change to the worse in any form. The mild season has saved the winter f?ed, and there is as yet an abundant supply, and if the weather does not bpcome unseasonable there will soon be a fair supply of grass. The turnips in general were not a. hea\ y crop, but ther<* must have been a considerable acreage, and there has been no waste whatever. Some seasons the turnips wasted between wet and trost is something serious. The heavy rains we had recently caused some flooding in paddocks, and in many cases was aggravated by obstructions in creeks or ditches that should have been cleaned long ago, but on account of dry seasons had been neglected by people in snne cases almost thinking they would not be needed again. Prospects.--Therp is a good deal of , anxious inquiry and solicifcutle about the prospects for next season's grain. As we thrive and prosper on the misfortunes and drawbacks of others it is thought by some that, seeing they have hnd abundance of ' rain in Australia, and probably there may ' be no demand in the Old Country, we may have a bigger surplus than we ran get rid of. Some Ihink it looks brighter for wheat than for oats. I question if there would have been anything like ihe usual quantity put in if the prospect had been good for mutton. Not a few have been tempted by the fine weather in autumn to sow a part of their crop with more than

J one object in view. Where dun oats have been sown it was with a view to spring feed, and thereafter an earlier harvest and marketing of part of their crop. To others I it may have been to get forward with their I jrofk and have neither too much sowing nor harvesting all at once. There are ! other reasons to be given, and any and all ' of them may have been taken into account. Price of Sheep. —Very few sheep have been offering at the local sales of late, and speculation has been entirely absent. The dealers seem to be all holding off, and, but for some being understocked and one class wanting dry sheep to turn in the wool, and another wanting ewes, particularly young ewes, to chance making a little from the lambs, there would be nothing doing at all. Farmers depending largely upon the sale of surplus stock are having an anxious time of it, and wondering very seriously what the future may bring, forth. It seems to me that the real cause of the glut in the meat market is that production has gone -far ahead of the demand for consumption. While the production may have been inJ creasing the consumption may have been I decreasing, too, which is making matters all the worse. Jn the meantime, an increase in trade and purchasing power in I the populous centres in the Old Country may help, but it must take some time before supply and demand get properly adjusted. x I Dairying. —The outlook is not yet any--1 thing too bright, and it is to be hoped the dairying industry will not collapse, too. The factories are all getting into working order, and not a few are already started. One can observe from the reports published of the annual meetings of shareholders that they have all had successful seasons, and seem hopeful for the future. With nearly half a score of new factories started in Southland, and an increased out- ! put from those already established, there i will be a little more money in circulation, but it is to be hoped the utmost that can be paid for butler fat will not be given. In view of the meagre prospects for other products it would be wise to hold back a little. It is proposed to open the Drum- ! mond factory on or about the 20th, and the output is expected to be doubled. Farm Work. —Farm work is well forward, and if the weathei continues favourable the grain will be got in in fairly good time. '