RURAL RIDES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20612, 30 July 1932, Page 7

RURAL RIDES.

XOTES BY THE WAY. the west coast. •r.'v H..LM. f.v>. LXXXVIiI.' •|js« writer :-pc:;t «. uple '-1 of ti-- v •' cek-end on tiic flit anJ :i>c first, thought tist the C">ajt ' Inn;'to is -surely yjjy malign-'"-'- C" morning ,f departure from < hristehureh. good oiti£ ikes of stow v, ere fulling at tlu &t Otira, shortly after mid-day, sboBC from a cloudless sky vfith s nidiummtr warmth. It is true that is an aspirant for tho world's fffinfull record, but when it does riuu got—well, it dees raj a. and the interyy.inp days of bright weather are not mrflipmlv few and fur between. With jtS bosh greenness, quite good pasture tKa a t this period of the year, mill aß perature and clear atmosphere, there jUOßtetbing that appeals at tho present ifrui to the East Coast visitor, who has jd s surfeit this last few weeks of raw, sunless weather. There is t marked difference iu the West Coast jitter temperature to that of the East, compensates for the extravagance ll its rainfall. In any ease, there arc pjTiaeca which would ghidly shoulder pee of the West Coast complaint in rainfall matters. The Waimakariri. is the visitor meanders along un the aOnr and notes the ruggedness of country and the confinement of its liras, he cannot help reflecting on the that caused the Waimakiriri j# he ignored in the provinces, hydro Aetric necessities. Willi deep, precpitimu cliffs in a dozen and one fjlitta controlling the " Waimak" in Mrrow gorges, it would seem that the pro bilities of developing a cheap ■nt were exceptional, if not unique, with consumption commencing within t few miles of the point of generation, tti the contiguity of the scheme to Otieridge to enable thorn to be linked ftp at a minimum of expense, it is dufenlt to dismiss the thought thai Canterbury has missed a great opportunity. Instf-nd. vie have—or might Ira tome da*—Wait.-iki. Dry In the Back Country. When the Plains resident looks oiji, of his window on a whiter morning and sees the front ranges carpeted well dowa with mw, he immediatelv conelades that tbey have been "getting it" in the Back country. Quite a wneg nrauM. Last week Torlesse tad its neighbours were well covered. A fhr miles further inland only the tops of the ranges were touched. JWWon'a - 7000 ft naturally carried a fctiy mantle, but the minor ■ mouat«B» were just whitened. If the inner Wttbj north and south has had .Aiibr conditions, flock owners have M a contented winter. However, Kfangh snow mav mean swollen m, t does not mean distributed (btnre. The present appears to be • driest winter inland for years, toy of tho mountain streams are (Ktieally dried tip, and the rivers i.TOry low. A good deluge of rain KMeded over the whole of the hill pßtry to givo a stimulus to spring Jlttth. Unless exceptionally severe

jWkr gets in from now on there T*®# sot bo much risk of snow losseß this year, although it is far in the season to expect that of the winter is over. sP®®ber, and even October, ar-3 7*|(WBtiy bad months in this respect, risk in the latter month, of in the lambing. On tlu> Coast. 'fat Coasters are much less pessitaaa the folk on the eastern side tinges. Much good money is !' e^ ewliere to develop mining g*®®UOtts—gome of these propositi tested, others superficially, of them scarcely at all. Thi3 f Kraduallv righting itself, and and proved areas are being C'H-* prosperous future is assured 'Stuffs 'lining, as it is foolish to ttthKi that the old timers, with their

j primitive methods,,got all the gold out : <>f Coast—or a third of it. Yet ' tllc Coast has contributed over 30 I in ill ions worth of gold to the wealth j Oi the Dominion, much of it at a time ; "•"en it was most needed—to pav for | the little wars our North Island friends i wore having with the Maoris. The timber industry is also' reviving | although the adverse exchange rato ; Australia temporarily affected it. ; But even here there has been a promising resumption of business. Some authority has stated that 80 per cent, of tho unliable bush in the Dominion is now on the West Coast of the South Island. The North Island reserves of white pine are nearing vanishing point, and the dairy industry will shortly have to be supplied from the Coast. A movement in do vcloping this special trade has been mu'le recently. ft was only tho other day that tho herd-testing returns of the Coast -were published, and nothing further is needel to show how favoured the country is for high butter-fat production. One farmer, whose herd averaged 3S6lb of fat, took £3O an acre off his farm. The asset that enabled these high returns to l>e secured was the country's rainfall. A travelling companion—ran Auckland business man, closely associated with the dairying industry—who had just returned from a trip to Bruce Bay, was astonished at the condition of tho beef herds he saw and the obvious feeding qualities of the pasture. '"lt will be the Taranaki of the South Island yet," he remarked. The land there at an insignificant value would give it a big advantage over the North Island dairy land. "Young farmers in the North Island will hear about the Coast some day,'' he opined. A Cleaning Up. But what the Coast does need is a good cleaning up. Blackberry and seeond growth disfigure by far too large an area of it. The Railway Department, and, for that matter, some of the local bodies have been bad offenders in dealing with the blackberry pest. To the farmer on the average wellkept East Coast farm the blackberry growth is something of a shock. It is one of the first offences to meet the traveller's eye when he crosses the Teremakau river, and first impressions remain. The ease with which good money was earned in the coal-mines, or in the bush, not to mention the lure of gold, has contributed to a rather casual class of farming. But coal has now to fight for its existence, timber has got. to be marketed against the keenest competition, and gold production is a matter for. company promotions than for the lone miner, so the tendency of the future must be towards the development of the permanent industry of farming. AUSTRALIAN MEAT. LOW LAMB PRICES. Mutton values in Melbonrne show little variation on those ruling at Addington. At last week's auction at Flcmington, where the fat sheep entry comprised head, prime heavy crossbred -wethers sold at from 17s to 19s, good at from 15s 6d to 16s, and good ewes at from 10s to lis fid. Thirty- five thousand fat lambs were forward. Prime spring lambs sold at from 32s 6d to 13s 6d, and extra to 14s 6d. The big entry included both "old" and spring lambs, and a slight easing in prices induced exporters to operate for

both classes. The lower values of spring lambs are not very encouraging. Per lb the quotations were: 3£d to 3Jd, •with selected pens to 4d a lb. DON'T LET THE COW SUFFER with Soro Teats or iiard and Inflamed ladder. SYKES'S ANLUOL (lleg. Trade Name) CURES AND PREVENTS SOUE TEATS AND UDDERS, COW POX, ETC. The improved treatment based on a scientific formula designed to destroy bacterial growth. ANTISEPTIC, SOOTHING, HEALING. Quickly allays any . local inflammation and stimulates a healthy action of the skin. Always effective, easily applied. Should bo used after each milking. Guaranteed to prevent the spread of Mammitis, Cow Pox, and other infectious diseases common among cattle. Sold in Jib tins, Is 6d: lib tins. 2s 6d. —4