THE PROSPECTS FOR FARMERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 68, 13 December 1919, Page 10

THE PROSPECTS FOR FARMERS

NOT 'CONSIDERED GOOD bad effectTofdry season The prospects before the farming community were reviewed lay Sir James Wil: eon, chairman of directors of the ?<ew Zealand Farmers' Co-operativo Distributing Co. Ltd. at .the annual dinner of ■shareholders of tho company, held at lire Dominion Farmers' lnstituto yesterday. ■ Sir James Wilson said he did not think tho prospects wore as good as they might be. The most 6erious part was tho great scarcity of rain in tha autumn, ajid-the very dry winter'which prevonted the ground from getting its usual saturation. Stock had not done well, nnd lie had been informed by a freezing company director that there would be scarcely a fat beast in New Zealand this year. As a result of the climatic conditions, the wool clip would bo seriously curtailed. Lambs wore distinctly lighter than for some years past. It was estimated- that these would not go beyond 321b. for tho r.ilkfat lambs. Hawke's Bay, as usual, seemed to be suffering from tho drought. There was no .feed, and prices had dropped considerably. Tho 6ales were most disappointing. Cattle woro being run from Hawke's Bay into the Wellington province, with tho result tliat the fats wero not going off. One good point of the dry season was that such 6cason9 wcic usually followed by a good crop of grain. The prospects seemed good for cereals. South Island people Were the growers of wheat. Our climate did not seem to suit wheat, but in certain cases good crops had been grown, and thero was no doubt that they could be grown if sufficient trouble v-ero taken, but just now tho average farmer could not make a protit from wheatgrowing. They expected the South Island people to grow their wheat for them. He considered that people had been living on cheap wheat at the growers' exponso. Tha consumer must expect that they would have to pay a profitable price to the grower if they wanted wheat. Dairying was in. a fairly good way as far as prices went, but the season' had beon very trying, and there had Leon considerable losses. Food was flush, but was not of good quality. ■In T'aranaki tho growth of grass was small and tho hay crop appeared to bo very poor. With high-priced lamb it was impossible to get a profit without good feed.