JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14338, 25 April 1912, Page 3

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS

About 2-500 sacks of grain were sen: from the Southbridge railway station on Monday. This constitutes a record for one day for this season.

j Mr George McFarlane of "Welbeck. i Tinwald, is having threshed out a par- | ticularly good crop of solid straw Tvs- ' can wheat, which is giving the high i average yield of iiS bushels per acre.

For the Four Peaks settlement 110 appbeations have so far been received, and many more are anticipated. Tho settlement is situated about 12 miles from the Orari railway station and i» miles from Geraldine. The total area is 12.69. acres, divided into 8 sections, varying in size from 730 to 3820 acres.

A line of 77 fat lambs by Highland Blackfaced ranis out of half bred ewes, from the Glenmirk Estate, made 16s 7d 17s 6d at the Addington yards yesterday. This cross is turning out very successfully for the fat lamb trade. The Glenmark Estate was the first to introduce HigTliand Blackfaced sheep to the Dominion.

As a result of the big harvest this season, the grain carting business appears to be assuming large proportions everywhere. On Monday, during the forenoon at Darfield. there were no less than twenty-two teams and two traction hauling plant* in the railway yards at ono time, delivering grain. About 1000 sacks were delivered during the day, the whole, it is understood, being seni forward for shipment.

Mr Sutherland, of Tinwald, has a remarkably good crop of Northern Star potatoes. The paddock is sis acres in extent and what have been dug so far are giving an average yield of over IS tons to the acre. The sample is a particularly clean one, and there is but very little sign indeed of blight having affected any of the tubers. Tho potatoes have been grown, on a bit of rich and well-cultivated laud close to the southern bank of tho Ashburton river.

There is a shortage of grain trucks at. Dunsandel just now. owing to the large quantity of grain being carried on the railway.'. Farmers are all pushing on their work while tho weather is fine and .the ground hard. Owing to the harvest being so late, many formers aro having their grain carted" by tractionengines, while their teams are busy on the land. The 'threshing season is drawing to a close, only about a dozen stacks remaining. The machines have had little difficulty recently in travelling about. Ploughing is progressing slowly on account of the surface of the ground being.very hard. After the thorough soaking of rain in the summer and dry weather since, the surface lias become very hard. Potato digging has not commenced yet. but the crops, it is expected, will not be very good on account of too much wet in'the summer. There is tin abundance of feed just now.

The annual meeting of the Dunsandel branch of the Farmers' Union was held on Monday. There was a fair attendance, and Mr Slieat. president, occupied the oh'air. Tho balance-sheet showed a credit of £0 on the year's work, which was considered satisfactory. All the office-bearers were re-elected, -with the exception of Mr Lill, who is leaving the district, his place being filled by Mr Ivime. Considerable discussion took place on the subject of flagging lambs, it being considered that it was in the best interests of tarmors to send their lambs to market and freezing companies in the best possible state of cleanliness. A discussion ensued in regard to selling farm produce by auction, which was considered unworkable. The Union expressed its regret at losing an.old member in tho person of MjT-LiU, who is retiring to the city. itM 'Vspi'essVd its thanks to him for, his loyal support in the past, and wished him success and happiness in his new home.

Speaking of crops in Southland Mr Nosworthy. M.P., told a "Press" reporter on Tuesday that the feed prospects, in. the shape of winter feed and turnips, were disappointing to him. Mr Nosworthy, who has just returned from Southland, said he could only account for this by the general expression of opinion from farmers that the season had been too wet for them to-have good turnip crops. The oat crop did not appear to be as abundant as he- had expected, although the yields in some cases were very good. "Wheat does not seem to bo a very great item down there, but there were some very fair crops in stobk. It did not strike one that the Canterbury markets would be flooded with fat sheep during the winter months and early spring by operations from Southland. There .was no doubt, however, that Otago and Southland had made some considerable advancement from the agricultural and pastoral standpoint within the last few years- The western district of Southland promised to have a great future before it.

Mr C. A. F... Ferguson, of Christchurch. has received an interesting letter from his brother, wiio is at tho Agricultural College, Guelpii, Ontario. The writer .states that- lie. war recently invited by one of the lecturers to take a trip in the " Better Farming Special Train." This train consisted of eleren largo cars, four of which ware fitted 'ip as demonstration cars, touching every phase of farming that- would interest it farmer, horticulturist, dairyman cr bee-keeper, threo as lecture cars, and others as dining and sleeping cars. This train was fitted out by the Government, and was three weeks on the road, pulling tip at three farm centres everyday in the week except Sunday. The day and time of arrival was well ad?vertised iv each centre, and when the train pulled up at tho first stopping place there was a crowd of five or six hundred people waiting its arrivalThey were shown iuto the lecture cars, in each of which a lecture wa*> given. "Each lecture was of half an hour's duration and as the lectures extended over three periods, nine were given during that time.

An hour and a half was then spent in the demonstration cars. Various specialists presided over oach department, so that a farmer could get any information he wanted, from the rearing of chickens to tho building of a. silo. As soon as the time was up, the train pulled out, and proceeded at top speed to the nest stopping place, a distance of from 30 to 40 miles.

The lectures _iven were arranged so as io prove suitable to the industries of the various localities. Dairying, fruit culture, agricultural and beekeeping districts nad their own special lectures to be given. Upwards of cO centres altogether were visited, and 450 lectures given, not taking into consideration the information dispensed iv the demonstration cars. The average attendance was about 400 farmers at each stopping place, and so 20,000 farmers altogether were directly benefited by the scheme.

The writer expressed the opinion that the scheme, if put into practice in New Zealand, would do a great deal of good. The Canadian farmers were not backward in asking questions, and.at a practical demonstration of grafting draining, manuring, apple-packing, silo-building, poultry-keeping, etc.. one heard questions being fired at the demonstrator like bullets from » magazine rifle, and realised what good was being done. A number of farmers, asked for their opinion on matters. »n----vanably replied that the tinfe occupied was too short. -i wanted more information" was -each one's cry.