PROVINCIAL NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8099, 2 May 1906, Page 3

PROVINCIAL NOTES.

By Oub Tbavemino Bepobteu. An epidemic o{ " atrangles " is reported amongst horseflesh in the Hawera district. Stockmen and others who have to use the road into the King Country, report that the journey is a tedious and difficult one, owing to the vast amount of mud to be negotiated. The country in those parts is looking very wintry for the time of the year. The country in the northern end being protected from the bleak southerly gales by the mountain is more fortunate. Although the weather on the New Plymouth side oE the mountain has been anything but good of late, the capital of the province has been much favored, for in the southern end of the province boisterous, wet and cold weather has been the order on weeks past.

The farms in ths south are very bare ef feed, and winter fodder is already being carted out to stock. Both cattle and horses have grown their winter coats. Sheep shorn late are.feeling the bitter cold, and some losses are reported anmgst lambs.

There are still some good calves grown in the province, A farmer recently killed for veal a nine-months-old calf which, when dressed, scaled 4401b5. Not a bad weight when it is considered that 3-year-old bullocks for freezing do not average, on the whole, much over 6701b5.

The shooting season opened on Tuesday morning, and before day-dawn the report of the fowling piece could be heard in various parts of the province. Ducks and quail are fairly plentiful, but of pheasants there does not seem to be much prospect of good bags, unless in the back country. Pigeons, however, are reported to be plentiful. Winter fodder is fairly plentiful, although the root crops are not nearly so heavy as those of last year Turnips have done fairly Well in the New Plymouth district, but in the Hawera and surrounding districts, a dry rot has spoiled many of the crops. This rot is supposed to be caused by the excessive rain earlier in the season. In tho Waverley district the turnip crops, which gave promise of being particularly good, have scarcely " bulbed' at all, although the taps arc heavy and, healthy. Carrots, too, are not up to the usual standard. ■

The Hawera Electric Lighting Co. [ are just now busy with tho weir across the Waingougoro rivor, near the power house. When completed the river will be dammed back for about a mile and several extra feet of water yrill be available for generating power at the intake. The power supplied by this company is a three-phase alternating one, and is coming rapidly into use at dairy and other factories as a motive power. The cost of running the motors is much smaller than that of running gas or oil engines, as the motors can be switched on and off at will, thus saving wear and tear, and cost of fuel. The Hawera Borough Council are just now at loggerheads with the farmers along their water-main route, The borough secures its water from ail intake on the Kapuni, about a dozen miles away, towards Mt, Egmonl. Farmers living along tho routo have tapped the mains and used the water for watering their paddocks. For two or. three years- the farmers have paid what they consider a fair rate for Hie privilege. Now the Borough Council has increased the rate considerably and the farmers are wrathful. In some cases the rate has risen from about £2 10s to £l2 or £ls. The Okaiawa farmers, who use the water largely, intend going in for a water scheme of their own uulcss they can obtain the water at somewhere near the eld rate.

Although tho dairying season has |on the whole, been an extra good one, the latter end of it has not given very good returns. The eold weather has stunted the grass tj such an extent that there has been little or no autumn giowth. The consequence is tho dairy herds have gone cft in milk very rapidly. Many of (lie cows arc poor in condition and appear rough-coated and miserable. Jll the bush districts along the Eltham, Opunake and other roads, where grass is still fairly plentiful, large herds arc being dried off for the winter, owing to the roads being so sloppy. Those roads have, during the summer, carried an immense amount of milk-cart traffic, and now that the wet weather has commenced, the gravel and stone formation is cutting up badly, and in some places the cost and trouble of getting the milk to the factories are more than the product is I worth.

Just now there are moi'e sheep in the Tarana"ki province than has been the case for many years. This is doubtless owing to the good prices ruling for wool. The flocks, too, show vast improvement, farmers recognising, as iu the dairying industry, that it pays to have tbe best breeds. The number of sheep taken into the Toko country during the autumn has lu-rn very considerable, and as this i.-l i -s of stock do well in that locality, uxt season's yields of lambs, wool and muttan should be large.