AGRICULTURAL GOSSIP.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1538, 11 January 1887, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL GOSSIP.

Now our annualeports, volunteer bazaar, numerous'; picnics,ietc.};etc. (which Wemust all admit ace vary season- : able and very desirable), .arealinost drawn to a close, the most sanguine lovers of a cloudless akyj to think seriously;of the presetit and impending consequences of our long-past and > continuing drought. All occupiers of- land—from the town, section < ito the farmer of hundreds or thousands of acres -—will feel the effect,.although the former ' can by saturating {somewhat avert the evil. Anyone who moves about with his eyes, open cannot fail be struck with the burnt-«p : turf of«'what- sfiduld be grass paddocks in full vigour of aftermath growth “ for the supply off winter needs,” the hay from the,same being safe in stack. /Although little shay -hat,been secured In the whole and old hay and straw were required for the past hard winter, pur stock has barely room to exist on all the pasture!. at a time when half the area should furnish an.abun* dance and a considerable space be' eon» served for Early .roots will bo all more or less a failure, and except • change speedily takes place turnips will have a very, poo*- ouaiice, indeed. Our late spring, corn crops,. with ! fW exceptions are very light and flaggy, and have • long been struggling to develop, the heads, ' which in many cases is now' hopeless. With the prospect' bf sUch crops not tahi|» worth harvesting or threshing (be they wheat, cats, or barley), and the, oesiainty that oats will be far from profitable, even where, crops are good, owing to the heavystocks of old, oats ~iq-.tthe market,., it is ' surprising that our farmers do hot putt the njibwlng|machinel through ' theta and ■secure all.that is , to’ hid In'the skips of good hay, which will realise mors, as hay or chaff, for coming winter^.wants, tbad tho, threshed corn possibly ! could. If . rain should,come laid in hajrveßt,?when these crops. Would ta in stock, anyone of experience. knows what a helpless base It WQu'd bet whilc .the stubble frem green «pbpa cut for bay would benefit * by iuch rain and give them a welcome pasture for stock till ploughed Up for rape, mustard, tares, or other 'green crop put in to reduce the; coiping wants, j .About ,the; only promising crop is soch of our wheat as was put in early en^Wb.fl^ Mfht» or draiped heavy, land,, which'did not feel the detrimental 4 effects of out cold '•

} August floods. On heavy lands which ' h»TC b««n neither drained nor subsoiled 'irop«.wiUibedexceptJpnanyiigh>, „ -;. From *M *hfc" tne » Maofcing the heftviest corn-tax ever paid by the South Canterbury farmer. There is not the least Wonder at this, ?a it has bean apparent to everyone for the past few years!! our Ideal boards 'did not at fi once,take advantage of .the authority vested ia them and assume practical means to keep the pests within bounds *dtfrlrrg ! tht frosts of winter; when alone it can be accomplished. This will never be achieved by* farmers to, purcbfise their poisoned corn; 'and lay it where they,, like, ~aa onlya.sinaH perxentage will avail themselves of it. The, only prt'cticiible way of carrying out , destruction with the small birds '.lydurinf;the winter months, when the ,*<srojrn,a of .trie public roads are their cominOD resorts to seek a breakfast from tbe droppings of horses ori.com drays.: By -poiioned corn being: dropped in a small .drill at dusk in the evening, for as. many miles as convenient, and continued on i suitable 'ev- Migey the whole district could soon bciiiivulled, and the same could be repeated as many times' as was thought advisable from the r«sults. Some will say, "How can this be; done 1" It has been explained to our local Boards more than once that A spring cart could be 'converted into a hopper to feed a single {escape drill, to.be opeaed or closed at tbe J will of the,driver* Others may object because it is possible for some people's to, stray dn roade «ud pick up poiiV|lon»d.!cqTD,«j\cl thus try tqiplace difßcul. .ties'in the way. I think the Boards should; Opt headi ouch nonsense, but do their best to accomplish a general benefit, aid levy a special rate for tbe funds ex* tipended in carrying out same, which weuld be much less individua'ly than could be accomplished, by the few who would try experiments on their own behalf. Being a thirsty day I suppose puts , notions .;into none'sj bead' for the ffosaible Tegnlation«' of our summer ■bowers iri futuitf, instead of Otago and . our Alpine -watershed claiming fL.,' them all, sfter.we havo ooce been fanned; 'dry. by our Don t''laugh,' t j^ti(t'|l ; beliere • tlisf moisture a^racts] moisture (perhaps to too great an -extent' ,theßefestive time*), End the sooner the, irrigation of our dry plains is carried out tbe sooner our summer showers will-be J regulated. ,u,:fo;{ .■•,. '-■■ ■;,.■ , : ;.'.; "<■■'■'■.