THE COUNTRY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15485, 12 January 1916, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

NEWS AND NOTES. MALVERN A. AND P. ASSOCIATION. On Saturday evening the Malvern . A. and P. Association held a _ rnce ;i? s in the Sheffield Road Board office. 1 c schedule for 191b was arranged. The Hon. C. A. C. Hardy s cup, k>> most points in roots tor 1915, was presented to Mr L. T. A\ rightOn the motion of the president, .ui G. H. Judd, a vote of condolence was passed to those -who had suffered bereavement by the war. Votes of thanks were passed to the retiring officers, , The following were elected for the ensuing year- —Patron. Hon. C. AHardy, M.L.C.; president, Mr " p V{" Townshend; vice-president, Mr J. tillanders : secretary. Mr T. lnnes: treasurer, Mr IT. "W. Compton; committee, Messrs G. F. Wright, G. Butler. l'>. Jenkins, W. J. Jenkins. R. Gunn, w. Watson, G. H. Judd, C. Wroth, R. Badge, J. R.. Cullen, A. Hawkins, >» • Watson, D. McMillan. A. W. Adams, ,A. Deans, J. H. Jebsen. and G. Gray. The president reported that he and the secretary had started off their year of office by enrolling thirty-five new members.

THE COCKSFOOT HARVEST.

POOR PROSPECTS FOR 1916. The prospects for this year's cocksfoot harvest on Banks Peninsula are perhaps the poorest on record owing to the continued din- weather (says yesterday's Akaroa "Mail'*). fbe seed on the lower levels has been sacrificed owing to the great scarcity of grazing, and even where cattle, have not been turned into it there is very little . seed showing. In some localities, however, the seed gives better promise, and it would be wrong to say this year's crop is a total failure. Some of the higher paddocks are looking remarkably well considering the season, though of course the grass is stunted owing to the lack of moisture, j Taken as a whole, however, an opfcnn- i istic estimate of this year's crop would be 10,000 sacks compared to the usual 80,000 sacks of an average good year. A few days of rain would do much to improve the seed which is now maturing in the husk. Autumn rains would also improve the paddocks wonderfully for grazing purposes in the winter, as there is very iittlc_ bottom in most of the paddocks this year. The seed this year is very free from extraneous grasses. and weeds, and a very clean sample should be harvested. The price of cocksfoot this year aiso promises to be exceedingly good, as it is almost certain none will be sliiuped from Denmark, as" their crop will J>e required in Europe. A line of 000 sacks of last year's crop was sold a few days ago for 03d. the weight bein£ in the region of 121b.

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS,

There is not likely to be. any short•age of harvest labour inthe Ashburton, district. Men are arriving (laily, and going into tho country* seeking work. Harvesting has now fairly started in South Canterbury. The crops are very light in most parts of the district, though in sonic places they are f|uito up to the average. Some of the crops are so short that it will he cut them with tho binder. A Canterbury firm, has, and has had since last winter, 30.000 grazing in Southland (says Monday's Oamaru "Mail"). Having spent the whole of .last winter there, their ownp.r wa3 ( expecting to send them north in the spring, but they have been shorn there, and from all appearances will be killed there. • Last .we-ek a "Waimato grazier sent 100 head of cattle, .described as genuine stores, by road from Waimate to Southland. These, desperate measures tell better than any number of words the dearth of feed in Canterbury and North Otago.

Harvesting in this district, is just about to begin (says yesterday's Tern uka "Leader"),, and already cutting has commenced in several places, but it is expected that it will be a week before. general . harvesting operations are' in full swing. Last week cutting was started at The Grange, and o.ue or two other places about Temuka. So far tho sunply of labour offering is adequate, but when stacking operations aro in progress it is anticipated that there will be a shortage. The erons are all on tho lieht side, and it is expected that tho yield for the South Canterbury district will not be a heavy one.

CHEVIOT.

Harvesting is now in full swing, and present appearances point to it being a very disappointing one. The frost caught most of the wheat, but it would have been a light harvest in any ease. There are some beautiful wheat crops at - Parnassus, they having escaped the frost. There is, however, one kind of wheat grown in this district which appears to withstand the frost, it being a nice square-headed variety which Mr W. Bruce, brought into tho district some years* ago from South Canterbury. It is knowu as Velvet Ear, and it has proved very satisfactory to growers in the district. It may be sotvn in the autumn, and can.bc fed right off; it then appears to crawl aloiij; the ground and looks as if it was going to be a failure, bus when harvest comes along it is always a good full crop.

KAIAPOI.

At a meeting-of the Board of Managers of the Kaiapoi Technical College, Mr J. H. Blackwcll presiding, the annual balance-sheet, showing a credit of £159 17s 2d, was adopted, and votes of thanks passed to the auditors, secretary, and chairman.

ASHBURTOX

Private J. Readhead, curator of the Ashburton Domain, , who has been in camp with the Ambulance Division at Awapuni, returned to Ashburton yesterday on final leave._ He has been transferred to the Field Ambulance Division, and will leave with the and 4th Battalions of the Xew Zealand Rifle Brigade. Bishop Julius, the Yerv Rev. Dean Carrington, and Mr C. W. Bean (the Christehurch THoccsan Board of Xorninators), intend visiting Ashburton on Saturday, and will confer with the vo<t'-y of St. Stephen's Church relative to the appointment of a new vicar, in place of tho Rev. J. R. Burgin.

MFTHYEX

A match was played on the Mctlivcn preen on Monday evening for the club's silver buttons, and resulted as under: E. Mahood. J. Cooper, .T. Stewart, Rev Aitkon (sk;p) v. W*. Hynam. I'] Grover, A. S. Findlay, T. Twonicy (skip) 20.