MASTERTON FARMERS CLUB

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VI, Issue 1853, 1 December 1884, Page 2

MASTERTON FARMERS CLUB

The regular monthly meeting of the above club took place on Saturday at the Council Chambers, MrT. Chamberlain in the chair.- There was a good attendance of members.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed,

Ballot was taken for new members • and thefollowing residents were, duly elected, Messrs E. Dixon, W. Rapp, E. McEwen, E. Meredith junr., and W. Lowes

The adjourned -discussion on Mr Guild's paper "Practical Harvesting." took place The Secretary read over that part of the subject that had been discussed at the last meeting and Mr .Guild said.the balance of the question To be discussed-was threshing and stacking.- ' . .. . '"

Mr Hesay speaking on the question thought the threshing changes here .were too heavy. He thought it wrong of the machine owners to bind themselves together to fix a price, the farmers should;be left to make the best bargain" they could. In his opinion last year's charge was too high it stood then, at about 5d per bushel, .whereas down south it could be threshed for 3£d, Mr R. Welch would like to have some understanding come to as to what was a fair price for both sides for threshing and he would suggest that those gentlemen interested should send them in by the next meeting what ■thsy would thresh tor and fiud everything, under cloths, and all necessary requirements, -:::'■■■

Mr Guild considered the f rice about fair, all things considered^:He had always been accustomed to-see the machinist do his work to contract, and until he came to the Waitarapa he had never seen threshing done unless they spread a cloth to catch the grain, and when he remonstrated he was coolly told the farmers did not require it (laughter.) Another thing'was, if the thresher took a contracVin hand he ought to protect the stack) ;and not leave it uncovered, as instances was done when thevatack.was half taken down, ':%;-

Mr Shaw said they had;-jf; in their own hands, All that the farmers had to do was to make the arrangements beforehand and they would .beprotected. . ...... . .B .

Mr J. Ray uer. stated his'experience for the last 2 ye_a'rs. He lindfarranged with Mr Harrington, to thresh all round at 4d and hnd all the-men-ex-cept the thatchers, and he ''found it a great saving of time, labor, and money, as the hands were then up to their work,

Mr Heron said lie stood as a machinist in rather a peculiar position. He could inform them the price charged was not exorbitant. He thought a resolution in regard to the threshers finding-sheets to catch the grain would be*attended to, but the loss was not so great as... was imagined, and a few sacks sewn together would make as good a sheet as need be, He thought the threshing as a rule was fairly well done here," perhaps better than in Canterbury, He did not think more than 500 bushels could be satisfactorily threshed without waste in a day, no matter how good the crop. Speaking for himself-he would be quite willing to'.givo heed to any advico or resolution that might be given by the Club.

Mr R. Welch moved that a proposal be prepared' by next meeting embodying the question of the farmers on threshing. ■•' The motion was seconded by Mr Budden arid carried,

The following committee was appointed to carry out : the above resolution, viz.:—Messrs Guild, Budden, Hessey, R. Welch and T. Chamberlain.

The cost of production of grain was the next topia brought forward. Mr Guild said the expense of work ing per-acre was much the same whether the ground was good or bad, The rent and the result, however, were different, and it would be necessary for them to get a rough estimate of the average, Ho conuderod 25 bushels per acre, did not'pay ; if the rent was 40s, or did Mhiapre than pay. The Chairman said the average might be taken at 25 bushels, Several members spoke as to their own average; and it was ultimately decided that 25 bushels was a fair average. Mr Hessey said he would rather grow oats at 2s 6d than wheat at 4s 3d. Wheat was not a paying crop here. Mr Guild said the grain was now at the lowest price that it was likely to be, and there was every prospect of the price rising. He also showed a design of a machine for tying the straw ready for thatching as soon as the stack was ready, at an estimated cost of a shilling per ton, ." This concluded the discussion on the question of practical farming. Mr R. Welch asked that his notice of motion to discuss tho advisability of holding a pastoral and agricultural show in Masterton be held over. Mr Guild would like to hear the opinion of those present before the adjournment as it was a most important question and would take more than one meeting to decide. Mr R. Welch said he thought the time had arrived when in the farming interests of the North Wairarapa the question of holdinr an agriculural show in Masterton, should be carried out. He had no wish to clash with Carterton, nor did he think holding a show here would do bo, as there was room for both, but he thought the Farmer's Club was the proper place to discuss the question, and he had been asked by several to bring the matter forward, and to show their earnestness some score or bo had offered to put down

from five to ten guineas as a subscription to make tbe thing a success. He begged to move the motion of which he had given notice. ' Mr Guild seconded the motion, and after some few remarks it was resolved that the discussion thereon be adjourned until the next meeting, The report upon Dairy Factories was held oven

Mr Rayner handed in a report of the Victorian trial of reapers and binders, which was. read by the Secretary, and the meeting adjourned.