AGRICULTURAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 912, 2 February 1882, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL.

The Ashbnrtnn Ms.il states that the averagj yi-ld of vh. at in the Wakanui district, will probably Lot exceed 15 bushels p r r acre. In the Oamaru djstrct 5s per 100 is the price paid fur eggs and heads of small birds. The new ddry factory at Edendale, Otagn,-has so far readied completi m that on Tuesday operations were commenced. A batch of chees« was placed in the press at 2 p. in., and the trial proved tha,t everything worked most satiafactoriiy. Ws hope (says the Mutanra Ensign) the undertaking will be a thorough success and that mxny more dairy factories will spring up in the country. The Cbristchnrch Press says 50,000 bushels of beans will be exported to England from Lyttelton this ytar, and that ihey will eeil well there.

j At Oarnarn string hot north-west gales hiva iieen llmvi: g for the past three or ; four-days, and have injured-the crops con- : sidcrably. On many farms the crops j were ripe, and the winds have shaken out large quantities of grain. The yield is not expected to average over 20 bushels to the acre. "" An Exchange says :—This week and last has b en a very busy time at Waimate uith harvest worK. The weather has been *o warm and dry that the crops have matured rapidly. In consequence of the noith-westerly g des, a good <U'a> | of grain Ims been lost by shaking, and it I

is diffi nit to hind the sheaves, the straw be ng so dry and britc e. The crops m the neig>.borhoo I are looking well, b it in some in-tances the wheat is not tur. ing out so good as " as expected. Messrs F. Parker and S. Rogers, both of Rani'itikei, have this year grown some excellent samples of toh.'co. The cr 'ps the M .nawatu Times) in both instances have been most prolific, and cle.rly sh>"S that were there a matmf.icI'actory in die district a in<>st valuable source of trade could be opened up. To

effect this, we believe Mr Parker intends importing machinery nccess ry for tlie successful manufacture of saleable tobacco, and to gradually go into the business on an extended scale. Having had considerable experience in the, m.nufHCt"re of tobacco, he confidently expects to make a ren unerative business. If such an industry were started, the benefit it would co'ifer open farmers wouLi he onsideiable. ioasiou-n a 3 they would be ahle to "row. say, an acie or two of tobacco at small cost, .nd find a ready and sure market for the product. The Mu.au fa E sign says : —We ar" ex eeding y pleased t<> hear th t some of the fanners in- our ne'ghborhood acted upon the suggestion we threw out some months ago. atid were, sefiicii ntly enterprising to give the cultivation of lin<eed a f..ir trial Mi A. Meln.yre, of Glenora, near Pakeian, sowed a f&w acres, without troubling t>' prep.ne the Imd for the recepti n of the seod He now has a grand crop of flax, and has been assured by recent airh.als Irom * Old Eiin.' that they never saw a crop 'o eq-al that o! Mr Mclntyre's in Ireland. This .-honld be of S"ine encouragement to others, Mr M. luiyre intends to put a large a -ea tind-r cultivation next season, and fe> ling c. nvineed that th. plant will thrive w> 11 in Southland, will t.ke more pains to ensure ev<in a better crop than he has now. We hope others in the district will pay some attention to the culture of European flax, and we have no doubt they will be equ dly successful. The following method of scaring sparrows from fruit trees is mentioned by the Arrarat Adver.iser as having been employed by a gnrdeiier, who ha ; tried oiher means without success. It is, however, not to he recommended on the sere of humanity:—'• This season our fii.-nd determined to tty a new means, an.i having several cats he. placed t em in cages, lia ging one in the centre of each tree. So far-his i xperiment has proved snec-ss-

ful, and MS'the cats ;ire not at «li content in their prison bars, caterwauling to one anoth r i.i tones that at lime* am tive of the deepest anguish, not a ohd ventur sio go near the treses. Labt week a number of c-its taken away to be placed in the cherry tmes at Ca(heart, and before long puss >'s wi-1 be at a premium. Inde' d, if the enquiries continue at last week's rates we may expect soon to find a feline stock market established, and soon annotation given daily for prime ' Toms,' 'A double blessing is a double gr-.ce,' and the demand for cats would rid us of those prowling felines, whose melody, whilst they prowl ove>- the backyard fence at times, make the night hiienus."

Say the O-.maru Mail of Monday last: A farmer in the Pnk«-uri district created intense astonishment by reaping his crop of wheat yesterday. By earliest sunlight and latest moonlight he was at work, and the rattle of his reaper and binder could be heard disiinct'y in th°. stillness of the Sabbath for a fon-iderab'e distance from th<-sc-me of operations We have heaid of such a thing being done in South Australia, where the process of s'riipiug loaves irrowers more at the mercy of the elements than they are here, with their more careful harvesting, and we have heard of the night being turned into day by farmers of the Old Country, but never before in this colonv, we-believe, has an instmce beep, known of reapmg on Sunday. Some people are shocked at the innovaion. They hold that tis a matter which mora than concerns the per. petrator of this new departure in New Zealand farming. They say that it is one in which they are all. interested, beeau-e such a proceeding must exercise an injurious and demoralising.■ effect upon the whole community. It may be. however, that the aggressor felt Irmself justified in committing such a breach of Sunday observance.—The writer m&k evidently always stayed at home. \J