MATTERS OF INTEREST

Shannon News, 7 February 1928, Page 2

MATTERS OF INTEREST

Culled From Other Papers THE SOLUTION ? Speaking of deteriorated lands in the back country;, a farmer of long expmi-.me wlio' knows a good deal of it sakl the other day that a fair proportion of such land could be onought one.- more" into profit provid d it' were well farmed by men who had means to provide stock and manres and to sub-divide the farms into reasonable areas (states the Hawera • tar) A pioneer settler nsar Dougs'--, who had made a success of his arm ng operations, said, when the ...... wp i! to him: “Sub-divitb-

.a shock. ’ and lids briefly comprises c* in a-iiu/s (S-ient al to success. If y ; anno: be put into operation the n.,er ha:;, ii.de chance of success.

la ihere.ore, an aspect of fanning needing a -good deal of capital. The Government is doing 1 everything possible to enable the soldier settlors to remain on the land. Despatching Bunny. A district settler who lias had con . d-. cable experience of rabbit extermination puts forward the suggestion that the present is a very suitable time for dealing with the pest. He says the prevailing dry spell lias so parched the rabbit’s natural food that poisoned baits will be eagerly eaten, whereas in normal seasons the baits are often ignored. The settler suggests that poison need not be placed in shallow trenches or turnedup earth; it can be spread thinly oil ; the sparse grass near where the rab bits congregate, and stock will not touch it. 1 A Greater Move. , Although it is difficult at this stage .to give any reliable indication whether more sheep are going from Poverty i Bay to’ the Waikato this season (says the Poverty Bay Herald), it is thought by some in the stock business that the figures for this year will be slightly larger than those of last season. Not Wanted. When speaking of unemployed, a well-known Turakina Valley fanner relates a good story. A few- clays ago he was haymaking in a field when he noticed three young men with their swags up. He got down off the stack and called out to them, and offered to pay them 2s per hour if they would help him to complete getting in his hay. They rfefusdh point blank, and actually increased their strid^ - to get past the, Jarm quicker. ‘lf any person wants To know further particulars about the incident, you are at liberty to give them my name” he added.

Paspaluin. “The long spell of dry weather has caused some district dairymen to look with a more kindly eye on the patches of paspalum growing in their paddocks. Hitherto paspalum has been .regarded as too coarse, and some were afraid that it would take charge of a farm, crowding' out the other grasses that arc so useful as all-season pasture, while paspalum has its most vigorous growth in the autumn. Tt may bo worth while to scatter a few ounces of paspalum seed in corners and rough areas on the farms, for it has a very strong growth, and when other grass is practically dormant or eaten out, the paspalum provides good, substantial green feed. So long as it is not permitted to run to seed the paspalum is very useful on a dairy farm. Three Curses, Overheard at a stock sale recently within call of Palmei’ston North: "The three curses of New Zealand • are blackberry, rabbits and Sidcy-tiinc.” Speedy Shearers. A shearer who cut out 205 sheep per day for three days, shearing clean, close and with care, would seem to be a champion. This is what an Australian established in a North Otago shed this year, and when the owner told me about him, I was inclined to put his performance down as a record. South Otago goes one better with a blade speedster who put through 235 per day for four days—moreover, the <shearer was a New Zealander, who learned his trade in the Poverty Bay district.

Conditions in Central Otago,

Inland Otago has suffered some unusual extremes of weather in the past few months, and lately matters have not improved very much. Tapanui, Kelso, and Crookston districts, usually blessed with moderate conditions, suffered first from a wet season and then from unusually dry conditions. This week when rain threatened, there were many farmers who would have welcomed a few days’ downpour. Up in Central Otago and the Lake Country stock is feeling the pinch i but crops are in good heart. In the

Clutha farmers are not dissatisfied to any extent Coastal Otago has fared much better and both stock and crops are doing well, though the latter are a little late. Waikato Bonuses. The following bonuses will be paid to suppliers of tho New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Company, Limited, for winter supplies of produce for butter-making:—Cream supplied in May, lid per lb.- butter-fat. The shareholders’ honus of Id was credited to suppliers in connection with the payment made on August 31 last. June supply Id per lb. butterfat; an additional id shareholders’ bonus will be credited next August. No payment in cash will be made for the July supply, but the shareholders' bonus of Id. will be credited to suppliers next August. A bonus of |d. per lb. butterfat was made yesterday over all the butterfat supplied for cheesemaking last season. It is probable that there will be a further balance when the Control Board has been completely finalised, but the aryount will be small. Mare aiul Calf. Mr D. Moon, a settler at Tayforth, has a Jersey calf that has loim* a foster-mother in a mare. The calf sucks the niare regularly, and the pair are the best, of companions. When the mare is brought into the city, she claps the pace on going home, and before she reaches the farm commences to neigh for her adopted member of the .bovine family.