RURAL TOPICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9116, 16 June 1908, Page 6

RURAL TOPICS.

VARIOUS ITEMS OP INTEREST. SPRING PROSPECaS. Farmers are anticipating an early and favourable spring, and ploughs and harrows are busy in all directions preparing the soil for the main crop. The extreme mildness of the season up to the present time—probably the least severe in the history of the valley for many years—has encouraged the man on the land to hope and believe that good weather will be experienced throughout the balance of the year, which will more than compensate for the mischief wrought by the drought of last summer. Out of the first six months of last year three months or thereabouts of as bad a class of weather as the farmer could wish for had been experienced, and prognostications were general that sheep would suffer through perpetually rain-saturated fleeces, and spring sowing would be delayed through inability of farmers to get on to their paddocks. This year the reverse is the case, and it only needs a substantial rise in the price of wool to eventuate to fill the farmers' cup of hope to the full. On the Upper Opaki a very considerable area has already either been sown or ploughed and harrowed ready for sowing. Mr W. H. Buick has some oat areas coming on splendidly. He intends putting d6wn 160 acres in oats altogether this season, and is now sowing Grey Danish, Gartons and Algerians. In one of his paddocks Mr Buick states that for nearly a month past he has been running twelve sheep to the acre, and still the feed has got ahead of the sheep. Messrs F. and A. Buick, C. Holmwood, W. H. Kummer and P. W. Gaskin, have also got their paddocks pretty well cultivated in preparation for oats. On the Upper Plain and on the Ma mia teams have also been out almost every day lately, and Borne fairly considerable tracts of land ha/e been worked up. On the Plains the turnip and rap* areas have been turned over on some places. SHEEP WORRYING. That bane of the sheep-farmer, the sheep-worrying canine, is reported to be doing fairly destructive work in soirid parts of the district. An Uppjr Opaki farmer states that last week he found three valuable sheep drowned in the river which runs through his property. Three others w n very badly mutilated by dogs having i.ieir hind 1.-gs chewed off a1m..3.; m..3.; to tha body, while eight other srejp wera more or less badly torn amt, and needtd careful attention. Sutt en are therefoie advised to keep a shir? look-out for stray dogs about their pa3ture.'. THE TURNIP CROP. Last season's turnip crop was not by any means a general success, but as there was virtually a complete ab-

sencoofthe dreadud blight of the season previous the ultimate loss may not be so great, as a year without anj blight may give succeeding crops a better chance to thrive. At Te Ore Ore Several farmers had crops of turnips and rape, which seemed to defy droughty days, while individual crops in other parts also I throve fairly well, where such crops j 1 lingered through the intense sum--1 mer heat long enough to catch the first showers which signalised the drought's dismissal. Mr J. C. McKillop brought into Master ton last week some swedes from his Stronvar place which averaged 151bs in weight. It was at Stronvar where the drought had probably the least sway of any particular locality. THE HORSE MARKET. "How is the horse market now?" was asked a well-known Upper Plain breeder yesterday. "Still very quiet," was the reply, "and likely to continue so while feed remains dear, and work demanding horses remains slack. Farm horse* are now worked pretty fully, but there is an undoubted slackness in the contracting line—more so than usual—and there is no inquiry for horses." "Are there any parcels of feed »HH held by local farmers?" "Yes, there are, I think, u few lots still in reserve, but mostly southern oats are being retailed, 3s 6d a bushel being the average price. Chaff is bringing about £5 12s 6d." ROMNSY SHEEPBREEDERS' ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of t'is New Zealand Romney Sheep-breeders' Association will be held on Friday, June 26tli (next week). Wairarupa hus a fairly large quota of members in this important and increasing body, and a fair number intend being present at the annual meeting, at which Mr D. P. Buchanan has given notice to move some important propositions respecting the Flock Book. Summarised these are:—That owners of registered flocks shall not add more than 85 per cent, of any one year's crop of ewe lambs to their stud breeding flocks, and they shall not, in disposing of their 15 per cent, of culls give such a certificate of breeding as would entitle them to be placed on the Flock Book. That owners of registered flocks shall not include in their breeding returns more than 95 per cent, of the ewes they put to the ram the previous season. That all registered ewes be inspected, reported upon and approved before transfers are recorded in the Flock Book, cost to be borne by the purchaser. The Association's annual balancesheet shows a credit balance of £332 lis 7d, 157 flocks being registered. The following members who retire from'the Council were re-elect-ed unopposed:-Messrs D. P. Buchanan, J. 0. Batchelor, A. E. Harding and J. W. Harding. HEREFORD CATTLEBREEDERS', ASSOCIATION. The Council of the above Association meet on Friday, June 26th, at Palmerston North. At the meeting the Council will fix the date for the annual meeting, which will very probably be held at either Feilding or Palmerston North- Mr G. R. Sykes, of Masterton, is secretary of the Association. VETERINARY ASSOCIATION'S v LIABILITIES. It is probable that the guarantors of the ill-starred Wairarapa Veterinary Association, which had a very brief existence considering its nature and importance, and considering further the great enthusiasm shown by the local farmers in most of their other local organisations, will not be much, if anything at all, out of pocket, When the two Wairarapa A. and P. Associations have completed their canvass for subscriptions towards liquidating the liabilities of | the concern. At the meeting of the General Committee of the/ Masterton Association, on Saturday, liberal response was made to the appeal for funds, and the executive are sanguine that the whole amount will ultimately be subscribed. If such is accomplished it will be very creditable indeed to those concerned, as the farmer has had a rather heavy toll made upon his purse in this district of late.