COUNTRY NEWS AND NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13740, 23 May 1910, Page 8

COUNTRY NEWS AND NOTES.

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS

The young sheep in the district (say.the "vCairarapa limes') are stated to ne suffering considerably from parasitic diseases tins year. In a number of cases, however, farmeis have done much'to combat the en! i>y drenchiui;, and althougn it is held :>y some thai drehcuing is of little us'j unless the lambs arc put on fresh dry pastures, experience has shown a considerable amount of £cod has beer. done.

The proverb '-the early-bird catches tho worm." has applied U> whaut gro ving in Southland this year (sau. the •'limes'). Those growers who sokl early in the season secured 3s od to as (3d per bushel, and they are ablo to congratulate themselves on that figure seeing that with the iSow.Zealand millers well supplied, the outlet now ;s for the English markets, for which the ruling price at Lyttelton is 3s x>r bushel, equivalent to 2s 9d on trucks in Southland.

A Ngaio correspondent (says the Wellington '"Post") wishes to know why, if prime nulling wheat ws-.s quoted .it 13s 3d to 3s (3d per bushel in Christchurch on 13th May, he should ha y<; to pay fis a bushel for fowl wheat in Wellington? Also, if £1 a ton ".vi-: offered for potatoes in Christchurrh on the same date, why should £8 retail ncr ten be demanded in Wellington? The questions were submitted to a reliable authority in Wellington on Saturday, and he pointed out that the price for milling wheat above quote 1 was 'on trucks at country stations," and that inferior milling wheat was obtainable at 3s otl at Timnru; but there was a great difference between a single bushel of wheat at Ngaio end a line of tons of wheat at country stations in Canterbury. Cartage !o Wadestown alone worked out at 3d per bushel over and alcove the price in Wellington. The wholesale price <;f fowl wheat in Wellington to-day was about -is per bushel,'but single bushels brought from grocers would naturally bo dearer. As for potatoes, while £ 1 T>er ton was offered, it did not follow that it was accented. As a matter of fact, on 17th May £-1 10s was the prico at which good samples were obtainable, and first-class tubers were even dearer. Canterbury potatoes in Wellington hid to bear costs of freight, handling, insurance, and commission. There Avas no fixed determined retail price, and some stores were dearer than others. The only remedy was to seek the cheapest store or to buy large wholesale lines of wheat or potatoes.

In the course of an interview at Wellington on Thursday, tbe Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. T. Mackenzie, said that although thn orioinal decision not to despatch an exhibit to the Argentine Centenary Show had been reversed, the Government was still without any reliable information as to tho prospects of doing trade with that country. Upon reconsideration, it had been decided that the wisest course to pursue would he to despatch an exhibit in charge of a representative who could make enquiries as to trade conditions at Buenos Ayres, Monte Video and.Rio do Janeiro. Mr Gow had been selected for this mission, and was now en route. Ho would return to New Zealand via North America, and while in the United States would enquire as to tho further development of the kauri gum export trade to that country. With reference to the Dominion's exhibit in the Argenr tine Show, the Minister stated that it comprised a good variety of typical specimens of the products of tho country. The aim had not been to mako a bulky display, but a thoroughly representative one. There were samples of flax, a very fine collection ot apples, and a pood disnlay of woollen goods. Mr R. D. D. McLean, of Makaekoho station, Hawke's Bay, had also provieded a collection of magnificent fleeces, which had previously been shown at exhibitions in Great Britain.