COUNTRY NEWS AND

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12850, 8 July 1907, Page 8

COUNTRY NEWS AND

NOTES.

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

Our Duuedin correspondent telegraphs:—Enquiries at the Taieri and Peninsula Dairy Factory give an idea of the manner in whirh the dairy industry is suffering from the present dry season. For the month of May «>f IL'UG, the company received 518,132 gallons of milk from their suppliers, and fo- the same month of this year only 303,450 gallons were received, showii.g the heavy shortage of 104,<J-J2 gallon* for one month. Ihis practically paralyses the fomiwnys export tr.ule. the whole of their output being required for tiie local market.

Tht> demand tor New Zealand horses for Australia continues. Another lot of 32 were shipped at Di'.ncdin oil the Winiiuera. wh.ch leu the southern port for .Melbourne ycstciday.

"Die extraordinary demand for farm properties uround .Masterton still continues," stated a local land and estate agert to a W.iirarnpa "Daily Times" reporter. "In six weeks 1 have disposed of .seven form properties.' .

.Betraying their follows for a dole lias n:;tue quite a number ol individual sheep popular with farmers, auctioneers, and railway men. In fact, so usct'ul a purpose is served by the decoy sheep in ussisiing to load trucks ami steamers that the Fanners' Union Conference at Wellington last week discussed with some seriousness n suggestion that the Railway Department, .should be asked to maintain ''leaders" «it the principal loading stations throughout the country. The Hotokino's lender hns quite a reputation evi-n amongst the sheep-owners of the North Island on account of his achievements of loading vessels at Timaru. It was considered impracticable for the Government to keep sheep at different stations. "I don't like these Government sheep, anyhow,' added one delegate.

With regard to the continued dry weather, old residents of the Ashburton County say they have no recollections of tho soil being in such a dry condition ot this time of tho year. Stock few! is exceedingly scarce (says tho "Ashlnsrton Mail"), and many fi.in>ers alO relying solely! on their stocks of straw as a means of tiding tho stock over the winter months, liiceding ewes in many instances are being h<l on turnips, while cettle, owing to the shortage of rough feed, aro having a particularly bn<l time. Winter sown varieties of -wheat, the gieater area of which is now above the ground, are not looking at all well, the growth being sparce and spindly, whilo in many paddocks there aro no signs of germination. Farmers have experienced much difficulty in ploughing, which was temporarily abandoned by many in the hope that a heavy downpour of rain would improve things. The rain not having fallen, the work of ploughing has had to bo pushed ahead under much difficulty. In consequence of this the area of spring-sown crops will be much less than was intended, unless rum should yet fall at an early date. That farms can be bought end stocked without money appears to bo a. fact. According to tho travelling representative of tho "Eltlnm Argus, a To Kiri residont saye he knows of a man who borrowed £00. and with that secured the leuso of 100 acres at £30 per aero. The commission agent snared £40 and tho landlord £10. Auctioneers advanced tho cattle, and tho lessee has put his family on the land to work. The informant ie positively certain that the ground could not yiold sufficient to pay the interest on tho money and meet other expenses. Uβ bays the land ir.v->t revert back to the owner, nnd in tliat case it looks us if the auctioneers will bo hit. Somebody mu6t. suffer It has generally been believed thut co-operative butter-making will only prove euccessful when conducted on a fairly large scale, but the experience of some settlers in Westland proves that if established on sound linos, with economical management a factory can succeed on the supply from 220 cows. The factory in question is that at Arahura, situated in a valley, whose soil is not of a rich chararter, between Hokitika and Greymouth. When the few progressive dairy farmers of the locality proj>oeod the establishment of a co-operative butter factory failure wns straight away predicted, but the co-operators wont ahead, and by the assistance of a careful manager in Mr J. Cameron, have proved that their judgment was sound. Tho experience vP the concern ie unique in the history o ( New Zealand dairying. It has "just ended its second season with a profit of £300 after giving suppliers 9d for their butter-fat, ami a Iwnus of just on a jKjnny, besides paying , a dividend to shareholders. Tho most remarkable thing about this- tight little concern, is that after running two seasons and returning suppliers excellent value for their produce, the factory and plant will be absolutely out of debt on October Ist of this year. This is surely a record (says tho "New Zealand. Times.") The manager is to be highly oomniended for his chare in this fine result, for he has done the entire work of the factory himself. Certainly last year's output was only seventeen tons, but all or it was put up in pate for the locnl track. It is expected the milk of 300 cows will be available for tfie coming season, so that with a good local demand and the concern entirely free of debt, the suppliers should receive a handsome return for their labours.