Page 1 Advertisements Column 7

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 140, 3 May 1900, Page 1

Farm Topics.

It ha sio n the ti mes one of of 'the most important of tho London newspapers, ihe Diiiy News, sho 'Id have am on » i' Q t^r of war coiTG3'jondents one at'.icL:": tolhe Auskaliao Regimont tc^n ■ on the v-pste^n borrlei' oft'ioFr-^ Stato. Ilk Mievs beau iaicvl evidence that the writer is probabiy noc a nowspa; sr man, and that bo is an Auf.Uvilian it! pretty Evident fiom his coinmantis oa farming on the veldt. Fanning in ibat' part of South Africa is, he renm-Ls nh m * known quantity, as it is imdersLoou in Australia. The people "simply sqnat clown wherever *,here is a, natural catchment for water.'' There is no clearing to be done, and o_e Boer does not trouble about foncinfj unless he '''farms for feather*," which iv one way of dcFcri'wno ostrich breeding. Havin^ built bus house, which is subs 1 an anJ. plain to the verge of ugliness, and set his EftflSt-s to worJ:, the Boer farmer takes things fairly easily. He grows, as a rule, no more mealies than suffice for his own wants, cementing himself with breeding cattle and horses, tho former being much batter than the latter, and raising a few sheep and goats. The sheep would fail to pa&s fche classer at any New Zealand freezing works ; their wool is poor and the mutton woi-pe. The writer admits that he does not know much about goats, but he doubts if any Australian squatter would givo them grass room. Most faluns possess a small orchard euclosccl wuh stone wal's, but as the very casual v.-ay in which the I'oer £>qps about his farming suits fUlifcf UI ifc culture even less than bheop und caitle bteeding, he doos not get much benefit ii cm his f-uit trees. There is generally plenty of variety, but the qnahty is wi-cfcchid, tio fruit being harsb, sraolland iiavouiIpss,"ov. ing to bad pruning and want of good husbandry. The P.ccr as a matter of fact, " seems to think he has done all that is inquired of him when he has planted a tree ; all that follows he leaves to nature, and he would much rather sit down and pray for a bountiful harvept than gefe up and 'work for it." Ho is a hard master to his Kaffirs, bat does very little himself, and on tho whole he seems badly in need of some Australian neighbours to show him how to make better usa of his land. These he will probably after the war. ■

In three weeks of lasfc Dceerabor three steamers carrying 1909 horses eft BuenoH Ayres for South Africa. Most of fc*be horses were harc!y c j q between 14.9 and 15.1. The stoaiaeiy also carried consigninent.-j of frozen nieac, fodder, etc. " The general export trade of the ' Argentine is described as booming; Prices for both -catfcle and sheep are not ouly inain.-f-tai&ed, but stilT rising, and though fche wool' .clip is short the fckfc , prices more than make up for &*' shortage. The wheat b'umstprcmises alsp to be a>f coxd one. <" '