OATS AND CHAFF.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 560, 15 July 1909, Page 8

OATS AND CHAFF.

AN UNUSUAL DULLNESS. (Dy Toleerapli.—Special Correspondent,) Palmcrston, July 14. According to those- in a position to know, transactions in oats nnd chuff in tho Palmer--ston (listriot hro absolutely at a standstill. "There is no lifo in thorn at nil," remarked a local authority to a "Standard" rcportor on Tuesday. Ho added that ho did not think tliati .Micro was going to ho any activity in thoso lines this soason. Ho attributed this partly .'to tho fact that a great many 'farmers • had hold on to thoir stocks, and, now that tho spring was coming, such Btock _ would soon not be required. All over tho district, ho said, it was tho samo—moro chaff than was required. As for oats, thoro was only* ono class grown, and, though they wero not in any very great 'quantity,' still thoro wan no' Bate for thoni. .Further, ho said, that ho had boon talking within tlio past few days to the travollcr of a well-known Hawko's Bay firm, and tho latter had stated that tho .position'-was tho samo all over tho island. 'Chaff'was'Jin ahsoluto drag on tho tnnrUfit, and thcro was no outlpt anywhoro. In othor soasons it liad boon quite easy to get rid i'of a fow hundred tons in tho'Now! Plymouth district, but, this year, thoro was no Bale at.all, Hawera supplying nil that was i needed; Thoro w«s only a restricted outlet up thV Main Trunk lino, but it did not oxtond far, bocnuso Hamilton ontorod tho lists as tho .northern districts woro reached, ilio solo oxecption was with, barloy, for which thoro'.was a bigger demand thorr last year, at 'fairly rcasonablo prices. i Regarding wheat, tho opinion wiw expressed that it was certain that thoro would ,1)0, more sown this year than lust'in thoso districts that could grow ivhoat, and, in this, connection, surprise was expressed • that use was not made of tho flats at:Stonoy Creek, I and s in.tho Kniranga for, wheat-growing pur-poses.-Ho considorod,that thoro was.a big future for the* Sandon distriot • in wheat-' growing. -. Millers, of coursoi suidthat wheat grown noro was not as good as that grown in tho south, I but thoro • was not' much in ■that.'-. •:..., '■:• .:.."'. >'-", '■•'• ■ • i' He also thought that tho dairy season had. ■barely closed. Fresh '-.cows woro > already; coming in, especiallyintlio.Ashhurst district, and it.looked as though,boforo long, ospcci.ally if the market kept up, that thoro would' not be any cessation at nil in: tho moro favoured districts. So far tho, winter weather jiad been extremely 'mild, frosts boing few and far between, and consequently food had not received any serious oheck. If present prospects .'continued,' there. would soon ho • any amount of fresh'feed for cows.