GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1078, 17 March 1911, Page 8

GENERAL FARMING NEWS.

The Levin branch of . the Farmers' Union held its first, annual, picnic on Wednesday. The Dominion president (Mr. J. G. Wilson) arid some members of the Dominion Executive were present. Exhibited in the New South Wale's Government Tourist 'Bureau is a gigantic stalk of maize, 14ft. in length, grown nine miles from Gundagai. Tho sample mentioned was taken at random from a crpp of 300 ac'rc'i. ■Tho north-west, after the abundant rains, is a picture of perfect fertility, savs a Sydney paper. - Pastoralists declare that the country has never looked better, and heavy clips are expected. The "Horowhenua Chronicle" says that a good deal of comment has been occasioned in the Levin district by the publication of Mr. H. G. Williams's letter on "Sheep Faking." The meat industry is being affected by the drought, according to the Dunedin "Star." Cattle owners with 'sun-scorched paddocks cannot afford to hold their stock, so they drive them to the freezing chambers for export Home. Oversea steamers are being taxed to find sufficient space for the frozen meat on offer for export. The trade is better than it was this tiiiie last year. Tho carcasses are not so heavy, but the number of them is greater. The present rush is likely to last for two months. Tinwald (near Ashburfon) farmers say that crops in the loiVer districts are badly affected with blight. One farmer is reported to have said that thousands of Sparrows and linnets were to be 'seen hovering, over crops that we're affected with the blight, which showed that small birds did a lot of good at times in exterminating insect pest*. Farmers, whrt have already ploughed ground for the reception of early-oat crops, are hesitating as to'the expediency of sowing the grain on account of the soil being literally full of grass grubs in the larvae stage. Applications for space are already being received for the second Dominion Dairy Show, to be held at Ilawera on July 5, 6, 7, and 8. It was rumoured that the' principal firms in tho machinery business had decided not to exhibit atnany winter show during the year 1911. Tliis, however, hardly seems to be the case,*as applications for space for machinery'are already oh hand, including one milking machine which did record business at the show last year. A curious sample of a stalk of cocksfoot was shown lo an "Ashburton Guardian" reporter recently. The growth consists of three "generations," and out of tho bottom cf the stalk, which is thick, the middle part has grown. A thinner stalk sprouts out of the middle portion, and at the top there is a miniature head of grassy blades. This in itself would be interesting, but the top stalk has actually run to seed, and three small heads grow up from the centre of the tuft of blades. The sample, was found growing at the back of a shed.