AGRICULTURE.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 123, 22 February 1879, Page 2

AGRICULTURE.

The present is one of the most trying, disheartening' harvests that the farmer has had to encounter for many years. A long dry summer did its work ; feed continued scarce, and as a consequence, stock continued lean. Early sown grasses, also, were only put into the ground to die and rot. The common cereals only showed above the ground in stunted form, to bo shrivelled up with the scorching sun. Long and patiently did (he

sower of the seed wait for the needfulearly and late rain, but it came not ; during several months of such weather did the sickly crops struggle for existence, but it was in many cases only existence ; when the rain did come it was too late to do much good. This is now proved by the thin, short heads and the thinly-stooked* fields that one sees all round. The average for this district, as well as the Pleasant Point and Geraldine districts, must be a lower average than was lately looked for. The grain will be good if the weather for the next few weeks proves favorable, but at present it is not promising What with short crops, low prices, and high wages, the farmer has his troubles. Indeed labor cannot be got, for wo know of more than one farmer who has Iris grain Ling upon the land for want of hands to tie and stock it—this, too, when men are to be seen in crowds “boozing’’ in every roadside inn. While on tin’s subject it may not be out of place to give our opinion of this difficulty. We would have every able-bodied man that is found idly loafing about any public house or other resort ordered to go to work somewhere, or take them to the lock-up as vagrants. It is really not to be tolerated the way they idle away day after day at these bars, while net only their bread, but the bread of others, is lying at the mercy of the weather. There can be no hardship in compelling a man to do his share of his country’s works as others who, if they do not work with tiicir hands, are expected to work with their heads. If a house of ill fame is reported the inmates are punished for keeping open door to idlers who can show no lawful way they.have for making a living. Why should sturdy loafers be allowed any greater privilege 1 If our policemen were set upon them and compel them to go to work or to gaol fewer would be found wasting that precious time given for gathering in the fruits of the earth. The life of the husbandman is at all times a life of care and toil; the present season is a more than anxious time It is said that ills do not come singly ; this saying is well borne out by the farmers at the present time. A whole year’s labour and toil in a good many cases goes to pay expenses. The present prices for wheat leave to the grower a heavy loss, yet we are not sure if it would be wise to hold on. We recollect some two or three years ago a gentleman with considerable experience in agricultural matters saying we would never see wheat at three shillings again. This statement we did not believe, and our opinion that it would has been more than confirmed since. We look to cause and effect, and our experience is this : When any article runs-up to a high figure depend upon it there will be a reaction ; high prices stimulate production, production gluts the market. Wheat kept well up, and some were lucky in making money by crop growing. Now the thing is overdone ; almost every country in the world must try its hand at wheat growing ; the result is that almost all the granaries of the world are tilled to overflowing, therefore it is that we say we are not sure that prices have reached their lowest. If there is no demand for immediate consumption the trade will be purely speculative, and when any goods are a glut in the market buyers will only operate at low prices, and generally only buy whoa the market is at its lowest. That prices will improve before this time next year is more than likely, as just as high prices stimulate production so will low prices deter from over producing, consequently the markets will be relieved. The time is now upon us whentbe qualify not the quantity of the land in crop will have to be looked to. It has been the practice of late to grow as much breadth of land as could be got, and fabulous prices v ere promised for land for a single crop. This season will cure that evil. It will have been found out this season that those lauds that were rich and well tilled only produce good crops, to this there may be exceptions, hut as a rule it is so. If crop growers would but calculate the enormous additional expense incurred from employment of labor alone they would find it is a mistake. Surely a hundred acres at 40 bushels at 20s an acre rental is more profitable than two hundred acres at 20 and 10s an acre, but other things will also need to be looked to besides grain growing for an income from the land before the heavy prices that have been paid for land lately will return interest for the money. To some of these we will advert at some future time, meantime all that we can do is to advise holders of grain not to be outstanding in the hope that prices will soon rise. When it is remembered that from California alone this season forty million bushels of wheat will be for shipment more than any previous .year since it became a wheat growing country. The other States also arc large exporters, while the scarcity of money at home will only allow buyers to purchase at low rates prices cannot improve. The oat crop is this season more abundant, and in the Otago province there is a large breadth sown, nevertheless we believe oafs will keep their present value and by spring considerably improve. As to barley it has to be remem bered it has its season ; if it is allowed to go by prices may come down. It is quite possible the present prices may soon give way a little. Grass seeds will keep their value for some months to come. Since writing the above, our attention has been drawn to an object of pity moving about in our midst; such a picture is enough to make the heart of anyone sore. It is that of a young man in the prime of life, } 7 et a complete wreck through drink—so much so that his very leg's are shattered to pieces from accidents caused through drink. Will it be believed that this poor unfortunate was supplied by our local “pubs” to make him drunk and almost incapable at the early hour of nine o’clock in the morning. We withheld the name of this poor inebriate, for the sake of a respectable family with whom be is connected, but we cannot refrain from warning hotelkeepers that if wo witness such a scene again we will immediately lay information against that bouse, and do all wo can to have the license removed from them at once for such conduct. They are well known to us, and we say they ought to be ashamed of themselves to supply drink to such an object of misery. That business certainly is irot an honorable one that lives on the fool’s pence of such a wretclr, but if they have no sense of justice, wo. will see if others have not. What are our police doing to allow such transactions to take place in open day, and before most people are out of bed in tiro morning ?