MARLBOROUGH ITEMS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13005, 6 January 1908, Page 5

MARLBOROUGH ITEMS.

(SPECIAL TO "THE I'ilESS.'') BLENHEIM, January 2. Magnificent harvest weather continues, but the prospects for turnips, potatoes, or any late crops are very discouraging. As most of the farms of Marlborough, however, are well watered, stock is kept, in condition throughout the driest summers. Your correspondent has handled several .samples of the new season's barley, rubbed out by hand, some from' the ear of standing corn and somo from the sheaves in stook. The merchants' office counters are very attractive to the maltster just now. *Mr Wiffen left Blenheim to-day for Sydney with nearly fifty samples of barley. Ho says, and one might see for oneself, that the quality generally is equal to that of last season. Particularly in the Starborough and. Richmond Brook settlements have the farmers been more than mildly surprised at the wav thoir crops are turning out. Mr Wiffen. who has been dealing in Marlborough malting barley for the last eighteen years, placed 25,000 bushels on the Australian market last year, despite a ninepenny tariff. Tin's year a duty of Is has to be surmounted, yet he expects the poor yield on "tho other side" will warrant Sydney merchants buying ail of the ''prime malting" that Marlborough can offer. He estimates that the. aggregate, yield will bo about equal to "that ot last year. The price is likely, also, to be a good ono. Temporarily the bottom is out of th© market for old chaff, and it is Burprising what a quantity there is on hand throughout this district.