THE WEEK

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23361, 21 June 1941, Page 6

THE WEEK

SEADOWN FARMERS’ PLIGHT

The stories of the ousting of arable farming from the 5000 acres comprising the damaged area in the Seadown district made depressing matter for the farmers who took part in Thursday’s visit. The returns of many *of the paddocks were instanced over several years immediately preceding the introduction of water. Returns of 45, 60, and up to 70 bushels of wheat were instanced on paddocks which as yet are only partially covered by the encroaching rushes, but which are obviously too water-logged to allow any kind of cultivation. The land for 1 the most part was of good agricultural quality land and had not previously been wet land. It was cultivable in the autumn and the spring for whatever crop was desired. Wheat sown in September on one paddock grew mofe than 60 bushels of Hunters Fo the acre. Oats were also invariably a heavy crop, and the claim was made by one of the victims that the best rape crop he had ever seen was on a paddock now sodden ( and being steadily encroached on by rushes. An instance of the fattening capacity of this particular crop was 643 lambs on 22 acres, or 30 to the acre. Next year 845 were sent Away, averaging 40.421b. Two trucks of wethers sent by another farmer to Addington in the good times secured a record for the season of 62s a head. The growing of fattening feed such as rape and turnips and green feed was now out of the question. It was a closed land to the tractor and the team.

Even on a light land sheep farm outside the area embraced by the scheme, and showing a slight up grade, water commenced to come up to the surface early, and when ploughing in March this year before the "drought" broke, water was making in the furrows after the plough. One man on good wheat land fallowed 150 acres for crop, mainly wheat, but he could not get ,on to it. All he can hope for .is to put the area in oats and grass in the spring. On one extensive paddock the higher part had been ploughed, but the greater part has been left because of its saturated condition.

It may be . alleged, said one speaker during the inspection tour, that the land was naturally heavy and inclined to be rush-grown, but in his own case all the rushes on his farm had been chipped- down before irrigation ,by one man in two' days. It would take one man two years now, he grimly .remarked, that is, if the rushes did not catch up oh him, # , One suggestion has .been made that \ the mole plough ,might pierce the hostile ..stratum.''tw^gwelMmed by some observers' but, a first necessity fjjwiiaites of draining is a clay ewwawroßoHgftins through shingle^^^^^^^^^ly still small, an investigation'intb this possibility might be made. It seems like a forlorn hope, however. One thing is important—that is, that in view of the much bigger schemes elsewhere, some remedial steps are immediately essential.

WINTER STOCK SUPPLIES

As a rule operations at the southern freezing- works- continue until the end of June, and occasionally a few days longer. This season, however, the season was scheduled, to conclude last Thursday, June 19. This earlier closing implies that there has been a comprehensive clean-up of all available stock in the southern end. The Season in Southland suffered some interruption in the earlier stages and supplies to the works had to -be ‘“rationed” to overtake the offerings, and in addition there has been an increase? in beef killings. The price of prime ,ox beef for export, has been tempting enough—3ss , per _ 1001b—to encourage the beef- side. This may be reflected later oh in the season in a reduction of supplies generally sent fon&ard to the metropolitan markets. The southern season has been an excellent one for turnip feed, which may be reckoned a factor against this probability, but more inroads have been Shade on turnips—ln Otago at all events—by the compulsory carrying on of high country wethers, which as a tule are fattened on turnips and got away to the works in one lot, instead of in dribs and drabs for a limited local demand. In the circumstances it may be found later on that the southern consignments at -the metro? politan markets may be increased in sheep and decreased in cattle. The two good seasons in Canterbury haye enabled more lambs and adult sheep to be got away than is usually the ahcT'it may be found that any a result for the local < mutton rßdrket,., will be offset by southern 1 offeringsTStore Wethers have been' very scarce, in Canterbury this last few months. , , ; v A

EXPORT FIGURES

The killing figures for the season up to the end of May may be found to differ little from the final ones recorded at the ehd of this month. There is a record lamb killing of 10,694,447 carcases, of which. 5,180,064 are in .the South Island. Whilst the North Island season is virtually over at the end of May, there are fairly heavy killings in June in the south, and it is probable that the present leeway of 400,000 on the North Island killings will be recovered to some extent. The wether killings show an increased drop—by 682,562—the total killings for the' season to May 31 being 591,7251 The North Island wether killings are less than half, and : the south are down from 163,532 t091,347. The ewe figures are showing a much more pronounced decline. TOe end of . April killings Showed -them to he less by 250,000; the end -of r June figures are 362,435 ‘paircases. The 'Sdiftk Island, decline- is small—from’ ,852,185 last ! season, to' 617,290 this* year. The comparatively heavy ewe killings this s&son. are partly < due to the bigger number--of Sanger sheep sent to The works. More in « million adult. sheep less have

been killed this year. In a recent note a computation of the total decline — measured in adult carcases—erred to the extent that in the.weight of sheep the ’ heavy proportion of* North Island two-tooths (up to 481b) was not allowed for: These form a very substantial - proportion of North Island wether killings, and bring the average wether Weight for the whole of the Dominion down to 54-SBlh, occasionally up to 581b, hot 641b. which -was taken ■as an approximate basis , in estimating the; average weight. - - ;

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