ON THE LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5534, 16 July 1920, Page 2

ON THE LAND.

There is an abundance of winter feed all over the Hauraki Plains (states the Thames Star); in fact, the growth is so strong that in any less "’fertile district it would make the inhabitants certain that spring had conic. As a matter of fact very considerable quantities of winter feed such as hay, are being exported.

A speaker at the Southland Farmers’ Union conference took a view in regard to the relative working capacities of the New Zealander and ibho Home product that is seldom voiced. •‘Give me the new chum, oven if it takes me two years to teach him, he said. “I would sooner pay him £3 a week while teaching him than give it to the colonial, for 1 know that he will be a man.”

Horseflesh is not as valuable as it used to be in the "good old days, l.mt the limit was probably reached the other day at Blackhcath, New South Wales, when a pair of coach horses realised the phenomenal price of Bs.. which was hardly the prico of a good square meal for the pa r of them. Even at this absurd figure the owner had difficulty in securing a buyer, and it is stated that at one time he 'thought- lie would have to pay somebody to take them off hi.s hands.

Writing to a country newspaper in New South Wales, a pastorabst grimly comments (says the Sydney Sun) on the 'political cry for more production, thus-.—‘ ! We are producing more sheepskins to the acre than since the days the boiling down works were competing with the drought Yesterday thirty of my breeding ewes were skinned in one paddock. I got the skins, and the crows got the carcases. That's what t. call a fair division of profit. Lambs: Well, if this drought continues I’ll have nothing left to mother a lamb, and if I’m _ outed, I’ll go to Sydney and got a job agitating for longer hours for sheepowners, and a law to protect rabbits.”

As indicating the value of dairy cattle in England the following figures, as given in the Live Stock Journal recently, may be quoted: A "commercial” dairy cow from Workington made £B4, and others fetched £72 and £6B at Carlisle. A Heavy yiclder. however, realised £BB in Penrith. Top price at Doncaster was £6O, in Maltor £59 10s., in Nottingham £6S 10s., in Peterborough £62. in Richmond (Yorkshire) £69. in Exeter £6O, in Northampton £7l, and in Basingstoke £66. In-calf cows fetched 1 £62 10s at Retford. In Whitchurch (Salon) a few of the best dairy cows realised £67 10s., £63, and £6l. .several, averaging over £57.