GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 799, 23 April 1910, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

, The Shannon Co-opsraiive Butter Factory paid out -£1644 3s. Id. for March supplies. It is at present paying lid. per ]b for-butter-fat. As a comparison the company, on April 20, 1909, paid out £790 los. 3d., which shows an increase this year of £853 7s. Bd., which is in every way "satisfactory. The average test for the past month was 4:1. ' .

As an.instance of the immenso rise in values of properties at Kapuni the following is quoted by the Taranaki "News":—Fifteen years ago a farm was leased at 11s. per acre for a term of seven years. The next term of seven years saw a rental of 14s. per acre paid for tho same property. At present a new lease has been signed for 31s. per aero, which means an increase in the rental of £255 for the whole farm. . ' .

At the annual meeting of the. Omihi branch of the-Farmers' Union a'general discussion took place on the question of tlie annual scarcity of shearers. The opinion was expressed that the introduction of the shearing machines and the shearing regulations had lessened the opportunities for learning shearing. It was thought that the subject should be taught in the technical schools, as in the Sydney schools. It was decided to consider tho matter further.

The following. are the amounts paid out by tho ■ various dairy factories around Inglewood for March supplies: "Waitui £438 (for five, weeks); Tarata, £281; . Maketawa, £1280;' 'Leppertou, £639; Tariki. £1286; Moa, £3397.

Says the Auroa correspondent of" the "Taranaki News": During the last -few days worhave been experiencing weather which' reminds one of what wo might expect m the early spring, but certainly riot in the autumn. At one of our local-factories the supply of milk has gone down 400 gallons in about four days, and unless the weather takes tip , the milking season will be -cut, short. Already many farmers are milking only once a day.

A correspondent furnishes the. 'jWaimate "Witness" with the following striking evidence of the shifting and curiously unsettled character of settlement around that district during recent years. "Within a radius of fivo miles of Manaia, J ' he says, "itot more than two people who ■ were hero 15 years ago are amongst us to-day. How is this to be explained? Quite simply. The boom in land values gave them what they deemed to be'their 'opportunity for putting away a big lump, of the unearned increment, after which they'lit out for other places. Not until land values come down to a healthy normal figure . and the dairying lands arc held in 50 7 acre farms," adds.tho correspondent,"will Taranaki have reached the high tide of permanent prosperity that its vast areas of rich lands entitle it to." : •

No fewer than 14 new branches of tho Neiv KeaktKd Farmers' Union li&ve been formed-in tho Auckland province since Christmas, 60m0,0£ them having a membership of;:00.-i(?'A-i gratifying ■interest in the affairs of the union is being displayed in the province, and it is expected .that additional branches.will be formed very shortly. ' '..'..-'■'