SOUTHERN OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 342, 31 October 1908, Page 3

SOUTHERN OUTLOOK.

• FEED 'ABUNDANT. ~ . The season'so far (telegraphs our Christohurch correspondent) l has, been all that could be desired by the farming community. In' Ashburton County the growth of vegetation has been rapid and iabundant, and crops and grass pastures have-never looked better. An unusually large area, of land is'under cereal ' crop,' and with favourable weather the harvest of 1909' should' be a' record'- one. With the! abundance, of feed, .which has made the ewes prolific,iff*milk, lambs.have grown in a wonderful way. Indeed, in" many instances,'they are almost as large ■as their mothers. The. grass grub has not so far made, its'presence felt to any extent in crops.or grass pastures. '• The growth of crops has-been' so rapid that some of thoso sown . early in the seasbn for feedjn'g-.off purposes are said to be from 18 .inches'to two feet in height.' " Feed having ;been fairly plentiful. throughout the winter months, farmers were not'obliged in many instances to feed off crops ' sown for that: purpose,'' so that there is a prospect of a'fairly good area of oats being ready for harvesting at an early date. . .

. The manager of the Springfield Estate, the property of the late Mr. Duncan Cameron, at Methveri, states that .the estate had! just finished: tailinglambs, arid the percentage came -'out at 120. This is a record for tho station; and shows that tho season in' the district must have been unusually favourable. . .

' A southern farmer, who passed through Timaru this week observed-that' South Canterbury ' farmers were ' going to enjoy another grand season if one : thing which he feared did not happen, namoly •' a ; strike of hands in the'middle of harvest.: In subsequent conversation 'with a' "Herald" reporter the farmer, said that such a strike would be disastrous to the farmers, and ho feared it might happen bccause the farm hands, or a certain section of them, had lost'their case before the Arbitration ; Court,and ..the Government had taken no'notice of their' demand for, legislation to- give offecfc to their, desires. . - '