GENERAL FARMING NEWS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS

' ■ ilr' -"S;' Standen,. of Kuapuhaj 'Feilding, has' been 'appointed judge -'.'of ;r- Ayrshire Sydney-Boyal.Agnoultura Society's'ahow,.next.'month... in: the selection'of its.--judges,'and the-appoint--nient'otlLr.'Standeu'.is acomphinent to the DohiinionVahd a high/tributo .to.,his ability 'in 'this, direction. .Mr.',. Standen is: recognised -as. one of: the;, best, judges of Ayrshircs: in: the .Dominion.;. ,-;',:• •.;.-'

A howling gala of-wind, raged over;,tho district:on Thursday (writes our 'Palmerston correspondent);', and: made things.particulariy'uucoinfortable for everybody.: In places'it'", was ,found : quite 'impossible , to. odhtiriiie with- harvest work, ■ oat sheaves, being ■ blown off-, the. car ts i faster - than they' could'be -put'on;; 'Towards:evening . the wind '■■ lulled, :, a'rid during: :the ■ night., there was; a' heavy/fall' of rain:: This, will do an immense'-am'piuit'; of '.good to pastures. and;■ growing,'.crop's, -whieh; .lyerejbegihr. n'ing' to .show .signs' of:want, of:.moisture. The : looks. like' clearing at tho time':'of' -writing' (Friday^- , morning), 'so '.that : grain:: : iii j-stook: should //not- suffer' much; damage..';-.^.';:'■-"■'...",■'•.f" i : '■'■,■'■:':.'.■'■'■'':;.■• "_:'.:'

'■''. An'.iAshbUrtott^farmer;-states' that:;, at the':beginning : of the lamb,season.he received 125.; for: his first -draft of lambs, ■He-'received lls: 'for .the ■ second-I'draft,' -3d. ,; for the:'third; and on -Wed' nesday he sold;the:-balanco- at. 13s. ."; -.

.v. The. hemp market.: has ~ taken.-. '. ahothor poor,',turn ! ;during'; tho; .week, and .there'is i'ep6rted\to "bean almost complete, absence of demand.,, Prices, hav.e again, fallen, and yesterday's quotations 'were .£2l" 10s. for good 'fair' average .quality, any delivery, :Good .fair i.was quoted:'2os. lower. It is difficult to. account for: decline,'.but .if is reported 'that ..holders.'ia England : aro.: : pressifl2- sales. ... ■»■:;.■.',.• :i: : -\-.-:\,

'■'.. Three 'draught colts and threb fillies are' being tali«n to : the Royal Sliow and ?ales at' Sydney ■by. "tho.'Uliiuarba. ■'■ They ; are the 1 property of Sir. 3: Boag; of■ Jfidd.le Biggi" Brooksidej Canterbury. ■ ; ;': ; '

A fairly largo paddock of-/wheat in the Kyle-Dorie district (Canterbury)' has been threshed and yielded, only twelve bushels per acre.. ' There was straw:, enough , to ■produce at least.4o bushels:per. acre)

: A farmer on the plains between the Orari and the Kangitntii, south of the "railway, 'has threshed several .largo lots of: wheat from 'the stook. Vl'ho 'best'yield, is about 21: bushels: and/tho' lowest ■ 15 bushels to the ncro. —/ .;..;; ■

The , far-famed.;. Orowh. Terrace' above 'Arrowtown' is, experiencing; on* .of the worst: ; seasons .it: ; has ever faced; sonic nf the crops .scarcely look worth. putting the binder into.'{Until last , -weak.no..rain had; fallen .for. four, months. There, has been a sharp rise in -the market for fat. 1 lambs' in South Otago, prices having'jumped about 2s. to 3s. a head. '■'' Buyers. have been; scouring tho country, and.; buying all they could get. 'Those v;ho;wore early in the field: will turn; a, niciv.profit. Ontman lacked up a thousand , at .from-Bs.-.M.-. to 9s. 6d., aud they are now worth froni 11s, .6d.;t0:135. ;..■:■/" .:-:'u ::: -:7:.^ ; :■'■■

" The' Fleraington Estate,' ■ Waipukurnu, was put up to auction a few days ago by 'the'-Loan-and-Mercantile 'Agency Company, Ltd. Tho subdivisions varied m size from iU to 1119 acres. There/was only; a,fair .attendance, of buyers present, result being that only a few lots were sold under the hammer. 1 Amongst thosb sold were: Lot i, 573. acres,; Mr. King at £S ss. pel acre; lot 7, 141. acres 32 roods,' R.' J. Fleming, at £10 10s. per nore; lot'B,'ll3 acres 2-roods 10 perches, R..J. Fleming, at £7; 15s. per 'acre; lot 5, 590 . acres, was purchased after the: sale by Mr. Matthews at £$ 10s. per acre.: .

.- The results of. the weight-guessing com. petitions at the ■Maste'rtth Show are uow available. The correct weight of the bullock was 7621b., Messrs..6. H. Innis, Teriui, and W. E; Corlett, Masterton, giiessihg the. exact weight, dividing, the. first and second" prizes of v£s . and. JC2 respectively/ ; Mrs.-:.G.:Sowraan guessed the correct weight of the sheep (1201b.), and wijll be awarded, the £5 prize. .-■'

■A Carterton "News" reporter has been informed that a number of cows on the Ahikouka farms have died this; year, Among the unfortunato beasts, it is said, is Mr. H. Feast's champion butter-fat cow Maggie (Ayrshire-cross), ''■:. who - won the 1908; competition at the AVairarapa and East Coast-P.-, and A.' Association's show. The cause of! the deaths' is stated to bo ■bloating;after. heavy, feeds of. clover. ■ \

: There seems to 'be .a wide difference in opinion as to "the probable yield of oats in Southland.'. One section says that the yield this' year, which is' probably, the, driest yet .experienced in: Southland, '.will lie: as-heavy.or nearly so as last. year's yield,: which was an extraordinary one. A farmer who-has had .a tour of over. CO '.mile's, informs . the "News" : that' lie saw only one really good crop, a. paddock , of Duns.' He,.himself, last year used seven bales of twine;- this year, on :the same acreage,. he only needed, three.

.'The largest -farm in; .New .Zealand, Xongbeach, is now reduced "to' 6000" acres. Speaking of average crops the manager says:—"The best', average yield we had here -was m .1901; when the wheat went 50 bushels-to the acre all. over, and the worst':..was;in 1808, which wis the second of. two. very: dry seasons, .and then the average .yield -went' down/to about 22 bushels ,to:'the'-acre,, a -tremendous drop. The .biggest, total of /wheat taken off the farm":-was in 1899, when the yield was 300,000; bushels. Out record'for oats, was in .1901, .when'.they averaged 99 bushels per acre."- , ;;;'■ \. ■ '•"■ ■":■■'.:"■' ■"'"'■"'.'■■''

:-A .'ropresentativo' of a large bacon; fac-tory-has stated- tc the Ekelahuna "Express" that-the price for' now '■, be.vSJd.'. ,•' However/with . a factory' drawing, its ..supplies from a large 'area it' was. impossible .to: pay .that jnce, . aa. from some ' districts, • particularly lowlying and-iwet ones, the :number: of, pigs condemned: was;• very :high. ■■'.'.He recog-: nised the unfairncss'of those who sent good pigs :being penalised, but the only way in which;the difEculty could bedvor-: coine, in his.. estimation, :■ was that , '■. the farmers should;be responsible 1 for; condemned animals.' - 1 , ;■:..■ V. ■ ■

'During the;.past. fortnight bush; fires have 'been common ■in .various: parts of-the liketahuiias district. -.; Escoptionally .'good burns;are.roportod from;all quarters....

' The;Balianee Dairy;. Company has been advised by' cable, that.its largest shipment'of; butter this season Tcalised, 121s. per-'ewt./on' the.London'market. - .: : ":' '

: The!quantity':of .maizo grown for-winter feed by the dairyfarniers in the Aorangi district is reported by- the Feilding "Star" to.-be-'stea'iiily.*-increasing:. Mr; : <Jasi M'Farland :hae ''a patch ■ eleven feet high, and Mr. J.- S.;Milson has a splendid crop which', is now;over; sik' feet high, and gro\ving.-vlt-is found that the:maize .feed'does.iiot taint-the milk as is the case with regard winter; feeds grown.

• -There .'.is now. nothing 'like the trade in 'shedp-between-the North and South': Islands- that ;thero' was:a. few. years I 'ago. Favourable , ' seasons; :the. opening. , of: new country, and the closer; approximation of values,between North and '-South''.lsland sheep, has' had '.a good deal .to do 'with: checking' the;, shipment '.of- sheep from' the north. : .The; heavy ..lambings during the .lastitwo'years, and the greator extonsion of ■ cropping,.;have also made the'- South Island less dependent' upon-, outside su'pplies' of :store sheep.' .' ~ ', v .:

.Paiaka,' thei.weU-kn'own , flai and 1 dairy., property . 0f:.347. acres freehold -and , . 160 acres .leaeehold,' somo bf: the richest■ land on the.-Manawatu,' with, flax cutable. this-: yoar, : will be'sold at ; auction by Dalgety and' l .Co'.|-'at' , :.-Palmersto'n"' North'..;To-day.-(Saturday);, .26th.'uFebrnary. .The.'.terms maybe arran£ed,; Adyt.' .'';-, V ; :. ■"-. '.;■;'■