COUNTRY NEWS AND NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12851, 9 July 1907, Page 9

COUNTRY NEWS AND NOTES.

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

Mr H. T. G. Turner, Chief Stock In spector for Canterbury, who has lately returned from a visit to the Kaikoura district, told a representative of "Th© Press" that he found th© country looking remarkably green. There had been a great deal of rain, and the grass had come on splendidly. As a consequence, the Kaikoura factory had mado 10 tons more cheese than in any previous season. Mr Turner went a good many miles up the Clarence river, and found all the run 3 looking well. The stock, in every part ot tne district, Mere very well forward for the time of year. As an evidence of the confidence felt in the future of the district, ho mentioned tiiat a small farm a tew miles from tlie township of Kaikoura had lately been sold for £54 an acre. People were eagerly discussing the question whether it could be mado to pay at that price. A nor' wester of the old time variety (wiites our cor.espoident) blew at Coal gato during th© early hours of Sunday morning, sometimes with hurricane fore©, ancl continued all that day, with occasional heavy showers. Rain io being anxiously looked for, Sunday's showers being hardly sufficient to moi-aton tlio outface ot tho laud, which is now very hard. Ploughing is going on slowly (writes our Oxford coricspoiident), the soil i, very dry, and hard pulling for the hoi-ses. Unless more rain comes theie is danger of the soil blowing, which fact makes farinens cautious of hurrying th© work. A good deal of ground is being prepared for potatoes, as last vear'."- ©ropa proved fairly profitable. Fhcr© will not bo a large area of cereals cropping in the western portio-t* of the district, cereals being niost'.y subsidiary to growing grasses for sheep feeling

The fierce noi J -wost gale which bleu during the night, of Saturday (writes our Alethven correspondent), hap cleared off, without bringing tho rain that is so much hoped for by the farmers and others. Tanks are dry. and even wells at the foot of the hill.-. are running dry. A new method of labelling bales of flax and putting on the grades' marks 16 being introduced by the Agricultural Department. Flaxmillers will bo re-e-uired to insert in th© middle of every bale a tog mad© of tin, st-unped with their own brand, ancl connected by means of a piece of stout wire with a leather tag, similarly stamped on the outside of tho bile. The grader will impress his mark on this, and it will then b© practically impossible to exehango the marks, a practice which is temptingly easy with tho present system of gradem' tags, made of parchment and tied to tho outside of the bal© with string. Tho new device is to be compulsory from September Ist, and, in the meantime, specimens will bo on view at all the offices of tbo Department, and in the oar© of all stock inspectors throughout tho colony.