JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13908, 6 December 1910, Page 9

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

I„ nearly cve.*77art of *i««thlai.d welcome ram, were ie-corded at interr«'J last week, and everyth.nj. point? to'a most succ'-Mtiii farming season. The farmer, inThT JVak«B«i distnet - ore "cttina rid ot their iat lambs. • buyers are all round the d.stnct, and are very keen. _ivir.„: no to 1/s per - head in'one or two instances, for prime quality. In some races to the Wakanui district, turnins which were sown early - h..v> failed completely, and tho armers have had to resow their paddocks, but t'*e tnrni'i ero'.s sown later in tlie season have come r.way well, and excellent "strikes sire reported.

V* indicative <•' tlie earliness nnd indifterent character of the coming harvest (say-; yesterday's "North Otngo Times")." it'may he mentioned that some oats at "Windsor have already been cut and stacked. Thoy havo, of i nurse, matured prematurely under the influence ot the hot and dry weather -z£ they were necessarily poorly both in point of straw and ears. *I» i* intended to turn these outs into rh'iff, that heiiijj; the only means of securing some return for the expenditure ol labour and money, and a poor return it must prove.

That inrmiii" in Southland is booming is evidenced by properties changin;? hands at i-minr-iit'y satisfactory prices (;: ivs the "Times "). Two very important land deals eventuated after the Thornbury Shew last Wednesday. Mr T. C. Thompson disposed of his farm of I__ a<:res at Wallaeotown Crossing to "Vr H. Clippies', sen., at the figure of -vej £30 per acre—prohaMy the best, rate paid in Southland for some time pa*! for similar farm laud. Mr Cuppies, on his part, sold to Mr John McC'rostie tho 13-5-aere farm at Wniaiii wn, he had recently bought from Mr R. Cohvill, and here .i_am a good price was forthcoming

Tlie Wnknnni district is largely devoted to the growing of cereal crops, and an average area is in wheat, but the paddocks of s;re<'n wheat seem to have suifored more from the drought; tbe plant is blue in the leaf, and less healthy-in appearance than some fields growing on lighter land. Last year the grain ran away to straw, and the opinion is expressed by practical men that although the crops do not look well, the average per acre will bo higher than it was last year, whon paddocks computed to yield 40 bushels only threshed out 25 bushels. Tho oats crop is very short and light so far; and a shortage is expected, especially of oaten sheaf chaff. Grass seed will also be short this yea r in the Wakanui district, and very little hay will bo cut. A little clover hay has already been mown, but it is very short and light.

Some small fields of oats have also been

cut for chaff on the green side; and a fine crop of peas is to be seen along tho . creek bed, which looks healthy and unaffected by the adverse conditions ' experienced. A smali field of beans in full flower promises a good yield of what is a rather unusual crop tor tho Ashburton County.

At Saturday's meeting of the Timaru branch of tho Now Zealand Farmers' Union, the president (Mr John Talbot), made a statement concerning the farm- | ing prospects of South Canterbury, .peaking in the strain of optimism so characteristic of him. "I would like," he commenced, "to remark, in connection .with the farmers prospects. The f. season has reached a stage at which we can forecast regarding the prospects of ■> --y the coming harvest. Until the middle I . of November last, they were very , .gloomy, ihdecd. .Tho rain, on, Noysm ber ; '15{b and on the' 28th, worked a great „, transformation. The effect has been al- ' ~ most remnrkable. I should say, that '. V«n *k° r9t quality land, the season will „/be a good one, and perhaps above the j-, J- average. The light lands, however, in _: ~ many cases cm Irayond recovery, and * ; the farmers will suffer some loss. On '-,"■ tbo clay hinds—the wheat-growing '-~ lauds.—the crops have improved won- . . dcrfully, and I should judge, from my . r own observation, that the yield will be '.; from 2G bushels to 28' bushels to. the ' acre. There was general dissent at ' "this statement (reports ' the "Post"), and Mr C. N. Orbeli said that the estimate wsh too high. Mr G. L. Twentyman said that the season in iSeadown m .would by no means be an,average one, - although he hoped to average ove» 30 bushels an acre. A Seadown average • -was poor at anything unde!r 40 bushels. "' It was tho genernl opinion that on northern lands, the average would be • *' from 20 to 35 bushels.