THE FARMING OUTLOOK.

Press, Issue 16678, 12 November 1919, Page 11

THE FARMING OUTLOOK.

ELLES3IERE DISTRICT, GOOD SUPPLY OF FEED. The 6plendid growing weather experienced since about a fortnight before tho Elle'smero Show has made a great, difference in tho feed supply through-' out the district. Up to the middle of' October growth was very slow, and in not a few cases dairy farmers were finding it difficult to provide their cows; with sufficient feed to keep up the milk' supply until the grass got a fair 6tart. J Mangolds were scarce, and there was not much hay saved last year, owing to the very la to season. During thai last fortnight the s grass lias made re-j runrkable growth as a result of the' warm weather, the absence of severe' frosts, and the good supply of moisture. I The rain experienced at the beginning of last week was welcomed by tho farmers generally. Throughout the district, tho prospects from a farming point of view, are most oncouraginjj. There is now ah abu'ndancG of grass, stock of all kiucls are in excellent condition, and tho dairy cows are giving good returns. A large quantity of cream is being sent away from tho district daily to tho factories in Cliristchurch. _ A good _ deal of attention has been given during the last few weeks to potato planting, and mangold sowing, and this work is now practically finish-! ed. In somo cases the mangolds are' already above the ground, and somo' very good ''strikes" aro to be seen in different, localities. It is rather too early yet for the potatoes to be much above tho ground, for somo very severe j frosts havo been experienced in the month of November for soveral years past. Farmers are inclined to think that it is better to bo a little on the lato side than to risk too many setbacks,by frost. The weather conditions up to the present havo been very favourable to tho potato and mangold crops._ It is more than over apparent that tho acreage sown in cereal crops is much below the average taken over the last five years.. Wheat, in particular, shows a marked decrease, and if other districts havo gono out of wheat-growing to the same extent, a fairly substantial shortage after next harvest seems a certainty, uiilcss the yields aro abnormally high. It is true that up to tho present tho cereal crops promise well. They havo a fine, healthy colour, and with a continuance of th© favourable weather conditions there should be good yields at harvest time. However, previous experience has shown that various things may happen before reaping time to completely transform tlio outlook. It would "appear that various pauses have contributed to the decrease in the sowing of wheat. Not th© least of these, it is safe to say, is the manner in "inch the wheat business has been .handled by the Government during the la§.t few years. The farmers of Canterbury have not forgotten that whilo they wero endeavouring to grow wheat and suffered financial )os3 for two. and in somo cases throe, seasons, receiving little encouragement from tho National Government, farmers in other parts of the Dominion wero doing woll, with infinitely less trouble and worry, raising fat stock. Another factor that has influenced the farmers to a extent is the fact that stock raising offers greater financial inducement, while the labour involved does not amount to more than a <juarter or third of the labour required for cropping on anything like a large scale. There is still another reason that might be mentioned. During the war period farmers went in for much more wheat-growinj than previously, many from patriotic motives, and others beoause of conditions imposed under tho Military Sen-ice Act. Tho result is that a good deal of the land has been over-cropped, and needs a spell. Still another point worthy of note is that in many instances the ploughing of grass lands could not bo proceeded with in tho jutumu owing to the dry weather. It was too l«ato to get the land ploughed and worked pro-

perly >vhen sufficient moisture did como. It seems very evident that some encouragement will have to bo given the farmers in Canterbury if the Dominion is not to depend upon Australia for a largo part of the wheat required in the years to come.