GENERAL FARMING NEWS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 714, 13 January 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS

According to the Primp Minister) farm- • ers in the south are having a very good season. ,He f sLites that Southland looks like a garden," and that business peoplo ; are in great heart and doing well. Parm-' ers, he adds, are now getting good-prices • 'for everything oscept frozen meat. On night steady rain began to." fall in this district (writes our Palmerston . correspondent))' continued' yesterday. .-,Altfiough.'the downpour may interfere somewhat with harvesting, it » vnll of course do good to growing crops and. pastures generally. In somo localities the dry weather was making itself felt especially in regard to the milk supplies. . in places also, felt the effects 'of tho heat, and plums were beginning to, wither and drop off the trees. The roads of. the district were-also break-" ing up a good deal.- : , Entries for the Woodville Show (January. 26) closed on Tuesday. Mr."o. H. Druce, of Kumeroa, who sold his wool through Abraham and Williams, Ltd., at: Wellington, realised the follow- , irig'prices:—22 bales firsts, Xl^tL; 34 bales I seconds, 9£d.; 17 bales pieces, 7id.; first 1 lambs,'llid.; second lambs, 9d.; bellies, 9id. •' - • • -■ j ■ ;• Speaking at a meeting of the Timaru 'Agricultural-and Pastoral Association on Saturday, tho president (Mr.. R. H. 'Rhodes), stated that he. was opposed to the suggestion that' New Zealand meat for sale in London should be kept in .tho hands of .about seven'men.. If that was' the'idea of\the coming conference in Christchurch he: was; against it before; 1 hahd, : and;he woiildinot support any sugto concentrate the sale of meat ( in London-. Mr.: Rhodes, with. Mt.' H. Elworthy, will / represent-' Timaru at the conference.- ''/' . - -'Messrs.- Collis and Sons, of- Kairanga, have a large flock of crossbred Romneys which-have averaged 101b. •of wool all roaid.' This they reckon very satisfactory for flock sheep. . / , • /_. ••••' • >. Mr: T.-.T. Woods, who recently left .the Kaitanga'j Dairy Company/to learn cheesemakingj' is now back-with ; th'e .company, aiid .is:said to prefer being among the butter.;V ••-•/■ The supply, of milk at'the Raumati factory (says a correspondent of the "'TDannovjrke Advocate") • • has ; decreased . very little.and the. tests are every: week. I .understand, some of- the tests are considered ' very: high for - this time; of :.tha> year. : ( :There. v is -abundance of t grass, in •the; district; and--it is/espectedithe supply-, of milk at the fdctory. will hold its own':.for. some time yet.' Some 400 cases .of cheese are being packed ready -fox shipment shortly. . -Rauniati settlers,,who. have been-sink-ing- wells in vain,: have' resolved :to ask the Rev/-Mr. Mason, the water diviner, ..to select .well, sites; for. them:*..; Tile' Governments revised January.estimates, of the'.New/Zealand harvest will "be issued - '. 1 -The total amount., of. butter-fat received by tho/.Cheltenham butter .'factory 'in December - (says our - Feilding correspondent) was 70,2351b;,- from which was manufactured/82,7751b; of butter, representing an/overrun'of IT'BS per cent. | The. average test for the'month was 3.61. : The -following wew;, the average, tests for the first period of Januaryßeaconsfield, 3.61; Cheltenham, 3.67; Colyton, : 3.80; luwitea, 3.65; Revra, t.3.74; Valley. Road, 3.frj;; Waiata, 3.70. .' ' ' ; ' '-'/ ■ Mr.. P/ Stempa, ; butcher,/of/Carterton (says •;our' local" correspondent), has - ju'et shorn the balance of a- flock; of wether hoggets/ These young sheep gave an average of Idlb. of wool each, and deadweight; of ■' the l cafcasises' used for the shop;: was* 601b. A resident not: a thousand miles from 'Carterton r < recently hen'^on.thirteen eggs—he .was riot 'a- bit'superstitious about' «the.-^number—and .when.-the time for the arrival 1 ' of: came,. he was rather"astonished■ to,find^^fourteen chickens hatched and < four eggs still in the nest.' He.says can onlj; : 'account for the state of/affairs, by/"there . being ."five'Uots of twins" among .the . brood.