GENERAL FARM NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 27, 26 October 1907, Page 8

GENERAL FARM NEWS.

. A quite cursory inspection of a flax swamp (says. ; thoManawatu btaudard ;-) is suffi-' cient : to: -show tlia t- there is plenty of room for cultiratiiig the flax areas and - iniproring '.tho. conditions. under, -which .it' grows,- -Flax ! if left to itself,- ' will:'master- toi toi and .ot-hor. undergrowth, > r but •■ lly tho •.leaf is ! cut ;the-t-oi toi gets a big; start, and to givo the flax a chanco extensive , grubbing is . necessary. In this direction,thero is practically 'unlimited scopo for, improvement.; The',rubbish which accumulates, in a flax sv/anip is a constant menace to the .flax'.owing, to tho' danger of fire, and far-seeing 'millers hold

that legislative :action rjiould- be takon to compoh' the.: clearing away of debris from boundary lines. , ,The .Makcrua swamp, which twenty years ago was wbrtli practically nothing, is to-day valued at £20 an acre solely, on account of its flax. years ago it was estimated to be worth 6s. per acre! There aro 14.0UU acres of. .the swamp, so that its value is £2.80,000. Between -Paekakariki and Turakina" it is "computed that there arpj in addition to tho above, 15.000 acres of flax-bearing land; ' valued' at £300,000, 'so that ' on this coast 1 the flak'' land is' worth consider-ably over half-a-million sterling. vOr.G-thifd of' the" Now.' Zealand, hemp oxpqrted conies . from the Manawatii, 'district. Thp Makeriia. swamp alon.o yields 6000, toiss annually. ! .. 1 . .. . Jho-Christcliurcli. Meat Company, Limited, have started bacon curing-at Woodvillo,, says itlso.'."Eketuhana .Express,'•".•and. are-buyers of ; prime, bacon pigs in, any quantity at highest, rates. ■ , : ■ v A correspondent in. the.Ago'.' advances'the iheory. that,the stage .of tho. moon. has. an effect' on. the mortality .-of . lambs . after docking.- . He :says he has found the percent-, age-of losses, of. lambs docked., in the early -stages of the moon are almost nil, hut• this .is not so when the moon is nearly full. Ewe lambs particularly are .affected.- 'V i-What- is "thought' to be a record price in Wanganui for-fat wethers was . reached at Mossrs. Freeman : R!: Jackson and Co.'s sale-yards-last week, jylien somo lines were sold under the hammer.for 30s. and 31s. Other lines of wethers'brought 275. The Taranaki Education Board resolved .to" 'ask the Education' Department for'a grant ot I £34o'fo'r.'orecting a-detached/brick dairy room '25ft. ;i by 30ft. "for use •of the pupils 'in-.thr-'■New Plymouth,'dairy 'classes: Mr. Colin Campbell, formerly ; of Cla.rcyillb, has- madfl a record this .year-with, his owes and rlambs. ■ .Lambing;, began' in July.' On October ,14 .thq .lambs, .were sold fat. at ..lis-,6d.,, arid on;Octobbr.-21 the,.awes' lycro •disposed" of in. the local sale yards at. 13s. !2d. This, was ,quick work and good prices,' a»d probably has not, been equalled by, any 'other farmer in ,the district this season. — ," Wairarapa Daily News." There is' evidently good moriey in pigs 'these' ' days (says the " Balcliitha l''rpc' 'Press ''). ' At ' the local salos on Friday some suckers only six weeks'old realised:£l apieco. ■ Stirling Dairy Factory is receiving between, 1600 and 1700 gallons of milk daily ;>it'is in-. ■ creasing-every day, and is expected to yet ■ reach"3ooo gallons. The 'first' of. this scasonls shipment of cheese will bo despatched ito the London market about November 11.

• •'?;. -'. :'■'■■"• OUR DIARY. ■'';'' ...'.. ;';;" :'. .V',woo'L"sALES.'.,';,';.';■ ■ .Wellington.—Nov. 15, Dec. ,6, Jan. 17, •>v'- Fob. 21. .<■•:,.. ':■ ■■■-,: .-'■■ ••■,,,..■. •.' Christchurch.—Nov. .21; Dog. 12, Jan. 8, ■.•;'i .Fcb.U.'.. -.-".■ ■■■.'■■. ■ •:..■ . -■Auckland.—Nor. 27, Jan. 14, Feb. 18. Duncdin.—Deo. 19, Jan. 23, Fob. 14, March 5. • . Tiraarui-r-Nov. ,27, Jan. 3,' 30, Feb. 27. :'. Napier—Dec. 3, Jan. 14, Feb:. 19. ' ~ Gisborrio.—Dec. 5. : Feb.,20.',. ' ' v v; ■■','-.■ SHOWS..- '~.: ■■:■■■%.,■ \ \'Oct. 30, 31—Timaru. <■• ;0ct.'30,'31; Nov. I.—Manawatu ; :-oct. '31, Nov. I.—Ashburton. ' Nov.:G, 7, 8. —Canterbury •" ; , Nov, 8, 9.—Waikato,(Hamilton). . • . ''Nov: 9.—Bay.of.lslands; .;.,/■•. '.'! ,N6v. : . .13, 14.,—Wahgamii.'.' '';•■■'■■ ••-,■'"' .' ;.'No.vi .... ~.'■ :.'.....,. , '"Nor.>H.'—Wainiato, ....':,', •..^Nov^l.4. : is.i-T%irtli.ptago.. ; :' : \ ■■...'.'.-. : '•'•Nov.' 15.—Otag'o Central.''■'■",•.' . , .■ :Ndv. ! 19,'20.—Blcnheira.. :' .' ■;',■'.': ~.,N0v.'20, 21V---Egmorit: • . ,::':'. , ' Nov.. 20.—Horowhenua(Horticultural). • ' Nov. 20, 21. —Wairarapa. , Nov. 21, 22.—Oamaru. ■ Nov.' 26, 27;— Nelson. ■'■'■' .'.•iNbv,V27 r :2B.;--N.ew..P l lymouth'. '."'■ ' : Nov. 28,' 29.—Otago. Nov.'29,3o.—Auckland. '. <Dec.'&, o;—Gore. :; ',''•■ ■'■■■■:.''' '■''■. ' ; Dec. 10, 11.—Southland; : :. ... ■~, , Jan. 25,':-26.—W'airoa., ' ' ' '"■"( '■■''" ,'/:Fa'b..4', .s.—Feilding,. .::,.,;... ■■.'■. .. 'Pob.'lßjl9:-T-Maslierton. v ■'■■ .'■ ■Feb: 26.—Woodville. Invercargill:—Dec. 17, Jan. 27, Feb. 11/ March 5, 6.—Waikato Central (Cambridge). March 25, 26. —Horowhenua (Horticul- .: tural). ■..,;.' ■.■.'. '. ,-• • April.—Taiori.' -;- ;, ';;'"':-V ■meetings.*- : v : ;■;■ .'"October '30:—North -■ Island. Poultry Association,'at'Palmerstpn North;-; " ■. ■ ';. -.-' .'.■■; •'Oct; ,31.'—Butter' Box Conference, Pal-. ';mqrsi6ii''-North\f;-"''.' : ; i '-' ; - '-'./i :.':;/■''■ ''■:"",--. 'Agricultural'associations, etc. : — ' , ..Nelson second* Saturday'.'.of. each menth; Wariganui second .and fourth, .Wednesdays;' '■Master-ton, second' Saturday;' Wairarapa,' .third Friday.' ' ' ''~.', ;. ':'.' Maiiawatu, second .Tuesday.