OUTLOOK IN SOUTH CANTER BURY.

Press, Volume V, Issue 13598, 6 December 1909, Page 5

OUTLOOK IN SOUTH CANTER BURY.

A South Canterbury correspondent writes:—Taken on the whole, the farming outlook at the present time is most

encouraging, and nearly everywhere there is promise of an excelled h ar vest. The wet weather has delayer, shearing, but the ram came at a tinu when the surface of the land had become dry and caked from the constant winds, and was of g?eat benefit to tht corn crops. Towards the coast between Temuka and the Rangitata'river wheat is particularly promising, and the oats crops are as a.rule level' and good. Inland, by the hills, j n pleasant Valley, and on the lighter soil about Arundel, there is a vigorous growth of sorrel in some of the corn fields but the crops are making most satisfacton,progreso. and the yield of grfl j n should be abundant. Other weeds, notably charlock and spurry, have spread con siderably, and in the future spurrv ii likely to cause much trouble. Severa" methois have been trie-J to eradicate it from the land, but so far without success. Last season some of the root crops were completely overgrown and choked by this weed, and in carting corn to stack it was noticed that where spurry had grown with the oats, the bottoms of the drays were covered half an inch deep with the Reed. When the dTays went to other fields, doubtless the seed was scattered in fresh places, and so the weed is spread | Brown beetles have this year made their appearance in immense numbersin fact, as I heard a mnn say, "'j n the evenings the air 'vms with 'era." Great quantities may be destroyed by lighting fires of gor.se trimmings, nnd in view of the probable harm which the grubs of the beetles will do in the pasture lands, this plan is worth trying. Rabbits have increased very rapidly' chiefly in the riverbeds, and especially in the Hae Hae te Moana riverbed where for one rabbit a few years aero there are now fifty. However, shootI mg is constantly going on, and where I the holdings are small the rabbits are not likely to remain long f nough to do ' much harm. Orchards and gardens are looking well, except that a plague of slugs has caused some trouble to the gardeners. There is a heaw crop of bush fruit, for which there is likewise a natural enemy in the way of the small birds, who are already levyinotoll. Potatoes have so far done welf and altogether the prospect is most hopeful.