GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 10

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Mr.. J. E. Davenport, of Governor's Bay, Canterbury, is keeping a close eyo on the Argentine demand for pedigree stock, and believes that the South Americans will yet find that they can best improve the wool-producing qualities of their flocks by importations from New Zealand. Mr. Davenport is getting to. gethor a considerable shipment of stock which he proposes to tako over in the Otaki on or about April 30. Mr. T. W. Kirk, P.L.S., director of tho orchards division of the Department of Agriculture, has returned from his visit to Nelson, where he has been advising the growors as to. tho best varieties of apples to send in tho experimental shipment to be taken to, Britain by thu Paparoa this mouth.

This week is to bo a busy one in Christchurch from the pastoralists' point of view. The. annual meetings of tho Canterbury Sheepowners , Association, the Canterbury A. and P. Association, and the new Zealand Shcepbrecders' Association are to be held, and in addition there will be a meeting of delegates from the different sbeopowaers' .associations with a view to forming a New Zealand Federation. These meetings mil extend from Wednesday to Friday. During the week tho annual ram fair will also he held!.

The "Wellington branch of the New Zealand Shearers' Union is reported by the,"Weekly Herald" to have a membership of ISO 9. The animal conference of tho New. Zealand Union will bo held at Wellington next month. The Eangjtikoi. County Council has been supplying poisoned pollard free for the destruction of rabbits, and has been arranging for a general poisoning this week. . The Marlborongh Land Board has allowed a number of the Crown tenants in the- Wakamarina to increase the area of their holdings without competition, the increases granted running up to 300 acres. It was represented to the board that tho present areas were too small for occupiers to make a living from. • ■ . The entries for the.Kaikonra Show this year were.much below the average,, totalling, only 600. . ■ ■ ' Although feed is' .plentiful around Apiti the dry weather is responsible for a much-diminished supply-, of milk. The Bowlands sub-divisions wero snapped up remarkably quick at Jitasterton.. Tho . estate was placed in the market on Monday last and three days later tho last, block was sold. The total area of Bowlands was 12,025 acres, and it was sub-divided into seven blocks, ranging, roughly, from 1000 acres to 3000 acres. The total value realised, together with the stock was, approximately, .£110,001). Numerous sub-divisions are expected by the "Wairarapa Age" to tako place before long. Agricultural classes were started at tho Palmerston Technical School last week, and enrolments wore reported ■ to be - proceeding, very satisfactorily. ';■ The Ashburton A. and P. , Association is arranging with the Department of Agriculture to conduct a number of field experiments ,in the district. '■ .■ . Several settlers from tho South Island have been recently inspected the beck country of Stratford, with a view of acquiring property. A Takapah correspondent states that great inconvenience is, being experienced by farmers and sheep-buyers of late owing to the waJit of trucks to dispatchtheir fat sheep, even, fat lambs being delayed for about a week'in tho vicinity of the railway''station.; on the chanco of ■■:getting . trucks. '.-'• .-".■ . . .'..• ... With reference.to the average yield , of wheat for the. whole •of tho Ashbu'rton district, many. practical farmers are of opinion that it , .will not be more than from,about 23 to 25 bushels:to the acre. The recent warm weather with occasional timely rainfalls, has caused a rapid growth in the. grass pastures all ■through the Mount Somers,, Springburn, Staveley, Alford Forest, Anama, and Mayfield districts of Canterbury, and stock arts looking in the .very" best .of. condition. ' Rape,'':;iiirhips;"'vmangolds!' : 'and swedes have also; made great growth, arid theso districts just now are presenting a particularly pleasing appearance, pro-' raising an abundant supply- of autumn and winter feed. ' *

Harvest operations are completed in the Palmerstqn South district, and threshing is now'in full swing. As was expected,, the yield is very disappointing, iho Tecent Tain has had a wonderful effect in improving., the pastures and turnip -crops. Potato props . aro yielding we 11 ,,, but the .farmers 1 are too busy'at this time of the year for lifting potatoes, and the moisture has caused a second growth, which will seriously affect their keeping qualities.

Commenting on the Dunedin wool sale on> Thursday when only 836 bales were 'ottered, -the ; "Otago -Daily-' Times" says that the cataloguo was, of course, an exceptionally small one, the number »of bales offering last year being 1573. The total for the four sales held this season was 40,672 bales, as against last season's total of 38,009 bales, thus showing an increase for this year of 2663 bales. ' This may be taken as an indication of the increasing popularity of local sales as against selling on the London market. The prices realised on Thursday wer.e on a par with those obtained at last month's sale. The lots were composed of stragglers and late shorn wool, with a lew lots of slipo and washed.

The milk sent in to the lecal factory from the . district • immediately ,around Oamaru has" ruii at .<J60,000 annually. Commenting on this tho "Mail" says ~ "It,cannot be said that in making milksuppliers of our. croppers 'we have decreased our output of grain and potatoes; on the contrary, there are few of them who do not combine their farming and the area under cultivation has grown vastly, so that tho two industries have progressed side by sido until the i'ace of tho country is dotted over with hemes and steadings bearing on their faces the impress of prosperity and contentment.' This year the wheat and oats will not swell'the exchequer to bursting point, .but.the profits lrom milk will go far. towards compensating the shortage."

The Tai Tapu Dairy' Company has received information from England that a shipment of its butter reached as high as. 1225. Although the supply of milk is. decreasing now, the output is considerably larger than that or February last year. Suppliers have received over. J37000 during the past two months. One supplier delivered at the rate of ono ton of milk per day for December and January, and her payment for that period was ,£248. ■ There have been others who have received almost «E2OO.

■ Writing ;of the Arauri sheep fair held last week,.'-the Christchurch "Press" says:—"The number of high-class young halfbreds available is now so much below what it used-to be that there is always keen competition for those that are offered, especially on tho" part of those farmers who annually replenish their standing flocks of breeding ewes from this source.' The market was topped in two-tootk halfbred ewes of this class by Mr. A. W: Rutherford, .sen., of Mendip Hills, whose line of 614 was taken by Mr. W. C. Wells, of-Ellerbeck, Amberley, at 2Gs. 6d., or 2s. more, than the. highest price paid at the sale last year."