CLYDEVALE LETTER.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 53, 14 February 1913, Page 5

CLYDEVALE LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Whether the Antarctic explorers have teen stirring up the blizzard in, the iouth or not it is hard to say, but the iresent cool and blustering weather ;eems to coincide with their arrival )ome again. Of late one can fairly safely depend on getting about three hie sunny days for the first half of the veek, and for the second half all that is ibjectiouable in the way of wind. So i this state of things keeps up farmers an regulate their work accordingly, .retting all the crop cut they can while hey have the chance, and hope for the :-est. There is not much to record this week, ill being too busy with reaping and .ither work to take much interest in outide affairs, although of course everyone has a weather eye on the freezing .'orks, hoping that they at anyrate will not be failing when the time comes, iowever, if any hitch should occur, which seems doubtful, even those who ■re not directly interested in these vorks, on account of their interests bong chiefly centred in dairying or in ■ ropping, would be indirectly affected and should give the works and the company all the support in their power. So far there is plenty of feed in the district, enough to keep the different flocks going for some time to come, in spite of the fact that the majority of he rape crops are not ready to feed off yet.

There is every prospect of a ileal of discussion over the threshing arrangements for this season. Tenders have been called, and closed on the 12th hist., for both threshing and chaff-cutting contracts, separately, and these are to be discussed at a meeting of the Farmers' Union to be held in the hall on Saturday, 15th hist. With some it is a matter of opinion as to whieh system they prefer—day or contract. But after all, other tilings being equal, it should be worked out on a financial basis, as one prominent member of the Union suggests, for it is his pocket which a farmer must consider, or rather the limitations of his pocket. And if each owner kept an accurate account from year to year of what it actually cost him for threshing or chaff-cutting, or, for that matter, any class of work which eutails a lot of labour, .and compared the results of his own experience, or his own with that of his neighbours, that should settle at once which system is the best, to adopt. But until this is done nothing definite can be proved in favour of one system or the other, except as regards convenience; and nine times out of ten a man will pay a little more not to feed mill-hands than he will | to have that trouble, especially during wet weather.