FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 278, 4 July 1908, Page 6

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

The opinion is expressed in New South Wales that three parts of maize and one of cow peas is the best material for ensilage.

A remedy for poor land is to turn it into forest. Evidences of this comes fiom Norway, for land there which 50 years ago was worth less than 5s an acre, today is returning £2 an acre yearly in timber.

An advance of a penny a pound injthe price of wool and skins at the Dannevirke sales on Tuesday is recorded by the “ Daily Press.” We hope the tide has now fairly turned and that the upward tendency will continue.

In Southland young ewes could be placed at from 19s 6d to 21s, but owners are not inclined to sell. Fat lambs are still changing hands on the basis of 4|d to 4|d per lb, Beef is scarce, and holders are asking on the basis of 23s 6d to 24s per lOOlbs.

A New South Wales dairy farmer has succeeded in making a stack of ensilage from wild melons, upon which he is feeding his milking cows with splendid results. The melons have the appearance of dried figs and are most nutritious, while the stalks have lost their dangerous fibrous quality. A troublesome weed has thus been turned into an excellent fodder.

A South Taranaki farmer states that last year he took in milk cheques alone over £IOUO off his 123 acres. The previous season his milk cheques § totalled over £l3OO. With pigs and calves added, his turnover will, it is thought, stand as a record for New Zealand.

A prominent stock dealer informed a “ Wairarapa Daily Times ” reporter that he could see very shortly in the district a good market for wethers. At present there were plenty of inquiries for this class of stock, but very few good 1 ines were offering. Farmers were keeping their good wethers on the turnips and offered only the tail lots.

When leading an outdoor life horses seem to take no harm from being exposed to rain, from which their heavy coats protect them ; but animals which are brought into stable mud-stained and wet are extremely susceptible to cold. The best thing to do under such ciicumstances is to dry them thoroughlv and remove all the mud by liberal wisping.

Three musterers on the Double Hill Station, Canterbury, recently met with a striking illustration of the well-known stupidity of sheep in following a leader. They had with much labour collected a mob of about fifty and had brought them to the last stiff pass at the close of the day, when a blind one suddenly turned and plunged over the precipice. Nothing could be done to prevent the rest from following, and in a very short time only eight of the flock remained, the others having been dashed to pieces at the foot of the cliff. Farmers will welcome the rain (writes the Ashburton correspondent of the “ Lyttelton Times ”) as the sub-soil was in need of a good drenching to carry the crops successfully through the summer months, and the present time of \year, when the greater part of the mop has been sown, is opportune for a heavy downpour. Late autumn and early winter crops are flourishing splendidly, and feed generally is in greater abundance than has been the case for several weeks past. The rains of the past week have had the effect of causing the roads to get into a bad state of repair, but the inconvenience that that will cause 'will be more than compensated by the large amount of good the rain must do.

At Addington yards on Wed-” nesday there was a moderate entry } of store sheep. Ewes sold well. The entry of lambs was small. There was a good demand, and prices were firm, from 15s upwards. The yarding of fat sheep i was fairly large, and ewes guranfree from lamb showed The entry

of fat cattle numbered 388, and included some extra prime steers. Prices at the commenement of the sale were at the level of last week’s, but afterwards advanced Is and 2s 6s per 1001 b. At Burnside market prices for fat cattle showed a slight advance on last week’s. Values of fat sheep showed little change, but freezers buyers operated freely. .Good quality pigs brought improved prices, but inferior sorts were rather dull of sale.

At the Sydney Sheepbreeders’ Show, the New Zealand prize takers were:—Border Leicesters. — G. Andrews (Southbridge), champion ewe, also 3 firsts, 3 seconds and a third ; J. Nixon (Killinchy), 1 first, 2 seconds and a third. English Leicesters. —E. Ruddock (Southbridge), champion - ewe, 1, first, 2 seconds and 2 thirds; J. Andrews (Ellesmere), I first, 2 seconds and 2 thirds ; W. Nixon (Killinchy), 2 thirds.