FARM AND STATION

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21376, 19 January 1935, Page 8

FARM AND STATION

RURAL RIDES NOTES OV THE WAY (By H.A.M.j The writer has just concluded a three weeks' tour to Southland, back through Otago and Canterbury and down to South Westland. Such an extensive area naturally brings a ■widely varying range of sights and conditions under notice—from every phase of farming to almost every phase of alpine and lake scenery. A few hours serve to transporl tho traveller from the heart of the wheatfields to the most majestic of the country's scenery. With the improving facilities for travelling the number of visitors to the scenic resorts is rapidly increasing, and the reproach of recent years that New Zealanders were woefully ignorant of the beauties of their own country should have little point in a few years. The Dry Season The arresting feature of the trip j Was the evidence of a sustained scarcity of rain. In the whole of the 1500 miles traversed iess than 100 had been supplied with sufficient moisture for crop and pasture growth. The 100 miles that can be excepted cover South Canterbury and part of North Otago. Right down through South Otago and Eastern Southland, in Mid and parts of North Canterbury, and even on the West Coast, the country has passed through one of the driest periods ever recorded. In Southland the effect has been seriously to reduce feed for ewes, with a resultant set-back to fat. lambs. The early milk lamb in that province is amongst the finest exported from the Dominion, so that in the aggregate the loss will be substantail. Oat crops in the south are also much lighter, and the fescue crop, which has returned substantial cheques to a small circle of growers for a number of years, is a 50 to 75 per cent, failure. The drought broke in Southland in the last few days of the year, but this was too late to enable the normal amount of early fattening to be undertaken, although it will naturally improve pasture and ensure rape and turnip growth, which is indispensable in Southland ] sheep husbandry. ■ Parts of North Canterbury, to- ' wards the hills, are showing a good . strong growth of turnips and rape, : and the wheat in stook appears as \ if it will yield fairly well. This is j more the case in the country be- . tween the Selwyn and Waimakariri l rivers, but on, the plains through j Mid-Canterbury crops will be very t

ftiiich reduced. In several districts known as good, wheat land, and where the tillage is very thorough, the yields will be fair, if below those of last season; but this condition of affairs will not be very widely maintained. There has been one satisfactory , development. The rain early in the year has given the late sown crops on the heavy land a new lease of life, and it is safe to assume that the yield from these areas will be better than the promise of a month ago. An Early Harvest The harvest this year in North I Canterbury is probably a record for earliness. This feature is general except in South Canterbury, and it is not a good indication of a heavy crop. Actually wheat was offered to the millers on January 12, a fortnight earlier than usual. The appearance of many fields of Hunters wheat before cutting would appear to indicate that the yields from this variety will be better than from Tuscan. Many healthy crops of Hunters stood out in this respect, butthe explanation possibly is that

By " Straggler."

;this variety is largely restricted to Uhe heavier or the better wheal 1 soils. j A number of farmers are well ! pleased with the appearance of ! their Jumbuck wheat, and in a few leases where threshing has taker. ; place the yields have been better i'than Tuscan. The harvest so far i has been remarkably free of nor'- . westers and storms, which immunity j has favoured the variety. Jumbuck goes down much more easily than 1 Tuscan, but on the other hand it i is claimed for it that it is about the ijonly variety that will ripen* in a . I decumbent position. If .so, it is . | an unusual virtue, and a useful one. j During the last ten days an ex- ■ iceptional amount of wheat has been ! (cut; a fortnight ago there was littl? . jdown. At the present rate little • I wheat will be standing in another week. In addition to being one of . the earliest harvests on record this ; season will surely be one of the quickest. Threshing is now well on I the way, and the results so far con- ! firm the previous forecast of rei'duced yields. There is sufficient straw to suggest fair to good yields, but the wheat is running somewhat disappointingly, with a larger proportion of thin wheat than usual. At (the moment there is little to sugigcs'i a better average yield than the 28 bushels to the acre predicted some lime ago. The compensating feature this season is that there should be littb trouble from wheat affected by excess moisture. The bushel weight is turning out exceptionally well, up to 651b being reported in a number of cases. The Back Country Judging by the condition of the; high country in the track of the Midland road and railway the sea- [ json in the back ranges has been j exceptionally dry. Tussock life appears to be at its last gasp, and scarcely a bite appears available on the exposed faces. Nearer the Canterbury side the position is much better. Apparently useful showers have fallen, and a number of swampy flats have provided valuable assistance to flock owners. The West Coast With the wealth of scenery that , engages the traveller's attention on < the Coast—the marvellous drive ' mile after mile through the bushenclosed road, with glimpses of the lakes through the dense foliage, and past the mountain sides splashed ' with the scarlet of the rata, culmin- j ating in the glaciers, the thoughts ( of the traveller are divorced en- J tirely from mundane subjects. Any attention he may have to spare is I devoted to dodging the few road * hogs who think the whole highway belongs to them. Fortunately there j are only a few of these pests. The j service drivers—and the timber f lorry men also—recognise the cour- j tesies which are necessary on these c

narrow roads, but a few of the district truck drivers apparently consider that outsiders are entitled tc only the merest strip of the highway. However, the route provides quick changes from dense bush tc pastoral flats and the motorist is enabled at times to make observations It is 12 years since the writer previously visited the glacier countrj and he then formed some conclusions about the farming possibilities of the various flats that lie alonf the route. It is to be feared thai not much advance has been made since then. The blackberry is "nc less." Indeed it has got into part; where the writer cannot remembei it being 12 years ago. Perhaps this cannot be wondered at. The setback to farming in recent years ha; removed much of the incentive tc keep farms free of the pest. There are disquieting evidences of empty farm cottages, indicating that the farms, possibly, have been "aggregated." That, at least, is the mosl satisfying construction that can be assigned. On the other hand there are a number of prosperous steadings, and incidentally, some herds of excellent conditioned dairy and beef cattle. One big dairy herd in the Harihan district was easily the best conditioned seen on the whole tour, and a mob of Herefords in the same district would about top values at Addington market if they could be offered for sale in their paddock condition. The Harihari is essentially cattle countrv, but it needs hard grazing and close attention. Further south the flats are not so inclined to swampiness, and numerous consignments of lambs are lorried the 70 miles and more to the railhead at Ross for this side of the ranges. In spite of the drv weather on the Coast feed was good, and tattening was not retarded to much axtent. It was the drying up of nreams and creeks for stock water I that was the principal penalty of j Lhe drought. All classes of stock A-erc in good condition, and the dry spell will have indirect uses in weetening up the soil. n.H -it!, «...lrl mini,,, so mll .-h in dr.- public eye ~n 111«- Coast and |

; FAT STOCK SHOWS I : i ! t MR J. J. (RIDLAN'S '. CHAMPIONS '. THK KING'S CATTI-E I fTKOM OUR UWK L'OHRF.bI'u.VDF.NT.) ; j LONDON, December 22. " . Mi J. ./. Cridlaii, the Gloucestershire breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle, who toured Now Zealand with the ' British farmers' party a few years ago, i won the supreme honour at the Smith- \ field Club's show at the Royal Agri- | \ I cultural Hall. Evergreen the 161st, i , jMr Cridlan's Aberdeen-Angus heifer, j was adjudged the champion beast of I the show. j ' The Prince of Wales, vho visited the exhibition, showed great interest in the cattle. On arrival, the Prince was taken direct to the champion; I which was on view in a speciallyconstructed stall in a central position. The Prince had a special interest in her, for she was sired by Speyside Pyke. a bull which Mr Cridlan had bought from his Royal Highness's herd. She has done well for Mr Cridlan. for she has won for him at this show ,£2,01 10s in prize :tioii(;y ,md has been sold to a butcher for £DO. His Royal Highness inspected all the pi izc-winning stock, and was particulai'y interested in his own nrb.e-win-ncrs from the Duchy of Cornwall and in the King's many successful entries, hi the sheep section Hampshire Downs rruain the honours of the "ear, Mr K. Clifton-Rrow.'ii rounding off a successful year by winning the Prince of Wales' Cup and the reserve honours. The championship non gives a striking demonstration of the capacity of our j breeds of sheep to fatten to heavy '."•eights without losing quality. These J three wether lambs weigh scwt IMb. I The KinK's Cattle The King was awarded the babv Deel championship and reserve for first cross cattle bred at Windsor from bliorthorn cows bv an Abfrie-'n-Angus bull. The chamoion, Windsor faello, is not yet 14 months old, and she weighs just over 9cwi. Stock from Windsor have also won the Hereford : breed honours and Shorthorns from ' j Windsor have won prizes in the breed ' classes, and once again the King's ' Highland cattle from Sandnnrha'm : claim the breed championship in ' classes that ore exceptionally strong 1 this year. ' ' < i Another Maisemorc Success ! Mr Cridlan also won the principal honours at the Birmingham fat stock show. Animals from the Maisemorc L herd have competed at Birmingham r since 1879, and this is the fourth occa- i sion-—all in the last six years— on ) which the supreme champiohshio has £ been secured. The winning animal this year is an Abercleen-Anpus heifer. The King sent 142 head of fat stock from the Royal farms at Windsor to the Slough Christmas show and sr.de \ this week and they attracted buvers r from all parts of England and Wales, f His Majesty's animals did not com- r pete for prizes at the show, but were 2

simply sold lo the highest bidder They fetched in all £1364 13s. Thirty-seven Polled Angus steei and Shorthorn heifers realised £B7 the top price for a single Polled Angv steer being £37, for a Shorthorn heife £27, and for a Shorthorn steer £2 10s. The Eton College Beagles' prize fc the best three pigs in the Slough slw was won by General Howard Vys< of Stoke Poges, who is at present o: tour with the Duke of Gloucester. THE POTATO CROP LOWER YIELD PROBABLE For the first time for a number o years the potato crop is likely to b' under normal, and perhaps the per turbation of Victorian and Tasmania! growers that the Sydney market wil be "flooded" witSi New Zealand pota toes when the embargo is lifted wil have little justification. The potatc crop had the benefit of excellent growing conditions up till December, bul the drought of that month and early January has affected them at the mos't crucial period of their growth. Early potato crops that' have been lifted are quite fair, but they were well advanced when the dry weather was at its worst, and they do not provide < much of a guide as to what the main ' crop will be. It will take something more than a few showers to produce a normal proportion ot' table potatoes. The amount ot flowering to be seen suggests that a few downpours would develop second growth rather than convert what at present looks like a heavy proportion of seed to one of tables. Last season's average an acre was 5.24 tons. The highest yield in the last 10 years was in 1925-26—6.09 tons. The lowest in that period was in the following year, 4.73 tons. In 1931-32 there were 4.91 tons. It is not improbable that the forthcoming crop will be no better than the two last mentioned.

I IMPORTATION OF i SOUTHDOWNS

I WELL-BRED CONSIGNMENT Four notable examples of the SouthJ down breed of sheep arrived by the ■ Monowai from Sydney the other day tc ; the order of New Zealand breeders i The rams have undergone the three ' months' quarantine in Sydney necessiI tated by the New Zealand import regulations. Two of the rams are for Mr J. Grigg, of Longbeach, at present the I host of the Duke of Gloucester. The I two rams are from a pick of four oi ! the whole of Lady Ludlow's notable Luton Hoo flock, which was very successful at the British Royal Show, securing the majority of the Southdown awards and championships. The better of the two sheep, if it is possible to discriminate between such excellent specimens, is by a fourshear Luton Hoo ram out of a 10-year-old ewe. Considered the best in the flock, she has been a prize-winner in her day, and is the dam of many , famous offspring. The other ram is also by a Luton Hoo prize-winning ram out of a top stud ewe. The name Sandringham occurs frequently in the pedigree of this sheep, as the sire of the grand-dam is the famous Sandringham 76 of 1921, bred by the King. The remaining rams are for Messrs jW. G. Kay and P. C. Hoban. of Te Awamutu. One is from the flock of Lady Ludlow, and the other from J. Pierpont Morgan's Aldenham flock. This latter ram, incidently, is by a Luton Hoo ram which Pierpont Morgan secured at a large figure from this stud in 1931. The four sheep have been unloaded and taken to quarantine on Somes Island. A breeder who saw them on arrival remarked that this consignment would do much to improve the Southdown breed in the Dominion. The selection of the rams was in the hands of the stud stock department of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd. Ten thousand tons of New Zealand potatoes arriving in Australia, as a result of the lifting of the embargo, as foreshadowed by the Prime Minister, Mr Lyons, should not materially disturb (he marketing of Victorian potatoes, says the "Melbourne Argus" It is unlikely that they will be "scon at all in the Melbourne market. The higher prices prevailing in Sydney Brisbane, and northern Queensland will attract the imports, and therefore Tasmanian growers, who satisfy most of the requirements for these markets, will be most affected. Merchants- believe that the quantities permitted t<> arrive are too small to affect prices materially. The quota represents scarcely a third of Victoria's exports to the Sydney market, and a considerably smaller proportion of the Tasmanian supplies. It is about six years since New Zealand potatoes were la=t permitted to enter Australia, and previously Victorian potatoes have been exported to New Zealand. The lifting of the embargo raises .•tg-iin the possibility of reciprocal trade in potatoes and onions. It is unlikely that any New Zealand potatoes will arrive in Australia until April.

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A BREEDING TRIUMPI

i.on<; beach i'Kiesians Probably the most emphatic ex ampje in New Zealand of successful breeding of pedigree dairy cattle i shown by the records of the Long beach Friesian herd owned by M John H. Grigs. Fifty-two years ago the late. Mr J C. N. Grigg, son of the founder o Longbeach station (Mr John Grigg) after finishing his college career a Cambridge University, visited Nortl Germany and Holland. At Hamburj he bought a prize-winning bull, Tau reau, and in North Holland he bough seven in-calf cows. Sunflower, Marr gold, Rosebud, Spot. Buttercup, Maj Rose, and Netherland Queen. Al" through the 50 years no other Friesiai blood has been brought into the Long beach herd, excepting that in 192( and J921 bulls bought from W. Bartor (Featherston) were used as herd sires Many of the Friesians at present al Longbeach are descended whollj from the original importations and ii. the case of the others there is practically no other blood than the pure Dutch Friesian. Longbeach bred cows have showr m past years en Government C.O.R test that they are high producers, some of their records being: Fat. Longbeach Everlasting .. 759.931b Longbeach Clematis (2yrs) . . 700.001b Longbeach Transvaal Queen 70G.021b Holland Queen 755.781b Longbeach Netherland Queen r 7th .. .. .. 659.311b Longbeach Wallflower .. 058.741b Longbeach Ideal .. 633.851b Longbeach Patchwork . . 601.051b _ Others of pure Longbeach blood include:---Oakwood Betty .. .. 810 111b Oakwood Rambler .. . 820 931b Oakwood Topsy .. 693.661b Oakwood Daisy Bell .. 914.671b The C.O.R. returns for the last year show that Longbeach Friesians are among the highest producing cows of the Dominion. The records of all the cows on C.O.R. test in 1934 read:— Fat Longbeach Everlasting 2nd . 758 021b Longbeach Transvaal Star 4th 723 671b Longbeach Transvaal Queen T 4 L h , • ■ 708.711b Longbeach Transvaal Star A l t th J 3yrs) •■ 603.551b And those at present on COR test:— Longbeach Everlasting 3rd. 184 571b fat in 09 days. „„ Lon gbeach Transvaal Star 14th 468.221b fat in 238 days. '