RURAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14610, 18 February 1908, Page 8

RURAL TOPICS.

* : AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. Mr T. B. Howson, of Southbridge, has threshed thirty-three acres of wheat, averaging CO bushels per acre. A 100-acre section on the Highbank Settlement is said to have changed hands recently at the prico of over £l3 per acre for the goodwill. Mr T. G. Dawson, of Hornby, has threshed two fields of wheat 2 one of Pearl, which gave 60 bushels per acre, and the other of Tuscan, which yielded 60 bushels. The Akaroa correspondent of the "Lyttelton Times" states that the cocksfoot market is quiet, the first orders having beeu filled. Last week's prices remain firm. Some three thousand sacks wore shipped from Akaroa during the past week.

The Killinchy correspondent of tho "Lyttelton Times" states that turnips are faring badly and the rape crop is almost exhausted. Unless rain falls scon there will be a very poor supply of feed for tho winter. Farmers are anxious to reduce their stock, but old ewes, that cost from 10s to 12s in the winter, are soiling at as low a figure as 2s, though any lines suitable for breeding command a fair price. The dairy industry has been very seriously affected.

_ Wretched weather conditions continue to prevail at Ashburtou (writes the "Lyttelton Times" correspondent), a heavy north-wester, accompanied by unusual heat, having beeu experienced both on Sunday and yesterday. On Sunday tho temperature was 81deg in the shade, and yesterday the maximum registered was 78deg. Stock are beginning to suffer severely, and farmers are obliged in many cases to feed off their turnip and rape crops at an oarly stage to keep their stock from starving.

Another week of dTy weather has accentuated the serious condition of pastoral matters. On the/ light lands in North Canterbury tho roots of the grass appear to be dead, and rain would now fail to revive the pasture to any great extent. Grass that held out well until a month ago is now quite dry, and the rape and turnip crops are beginning to languish in a hopeless manner. A no>table result of the dry weather is that deciduous trees, such as poplars, are shedding their leaves as in tho late autumn time. The live stock markets in the northern district aro becoming lifeless, and very few of the lambs now coming forward are of prime quality.

The Invercargill correspondent of the " Lyttelton Times " telegraphed last night:—After a long spell of drought there has been an average of about twenty-four hours of heavy rain all over Southland. In most places the pasture has been burnt up, but the rain ought to promote a new growth. Turnips and rape will bo saved from imminent failure. This ought to raise tho price of sheep, moro particularly lambs, as settlers hitherto have been forced to rush any surplus on to the market. Tho oat harvest will be slightly interrupted. The bulk of the grain is in stook at present, but the rain which has fallen will do no harm provided favourable weather should follow.

A good deal of threshing has been done in tho district north of Geraldine and around Woodbury. Generally, wheat is not yielding up to expectations. In much of it the head has only come out of the flag a short way, and then ripened too quickly. The early sown crops, both of wheat and oats, are considerably better than the late sown ones. Just north of Geraldine one farmer had wheat threshing 50 bushels, and also a paddock of Dun oats which gave 73 bushels to the acre. In the Fairfield district, near Woodbury, a crop of June-sown Dun oats from lea land yielded 46 bushels, while a spring-sown crop of Danish sown after turnips on the same quality land gave only 16 bushels. Nearer Woodbury a paddock of early sown Duns yielded 50 bushels, while a paddock of spring-sown Danish on tho same quality land just alongside yielded 25 bushels. There are many late sown crops of oats returning not more than 20 bushels, and the average for this part of the district would bo about 30 bushels. In some swamp land near Sercombe's, a heavy strawed crop of Duns yielded 50 bushels, and lower down on the same flat the oats are good. One farmer on the Orari Plains evidently overestimated his probable yield, as he had on the ground about double the number of sacks that he filled.

Ono of the most prolific of cultivated fodders in South-Eastern Queensland is lucerne. The rich areas of black soil below the Liverpool Ranges, and many places on the Darling Downs, abound with largo fields of this verdant, succulent forage, and mowers and pressors seem ever at work either cutting it as green food for stock or preparing it as hay for the market. Last year there were over 50.000 acres under lucerne, and since dairy farming has increased the area is continually being enlarged. No fodder aeems so serviceable. As hay it .contains 00 per cent of solid fond, and it is amply supplied with flesh-forming and nitrogenous ailments. All kinds of stock eat it readily, and thrive well on it. It often yields over seven tons of green food or four tons of hay to tho acre. It' only :;oeds to bo resown about every five yeans. Often in the first year it can be cut for produce four or five times.

The Wisconsin Seed Law is a very drastic one. Section 1494 reads: "No person, firm, or corporation shall, by himself, his agent, or as agent or representative of any other person, firm, or corporation, sell, offer, or expose for sale or for distribution upon the genoral market, any flowering, garden, vegetable, or agricultural seeds, for the purpose of seeding, sowing, or planting, unless the same shall, when put up and offered in closed packages, have plainly written or printed thereon in English, the name, kind, and year when grown, and its percentage of purity and freedom from foreign matter. If the same, or any of them, be put in open packages, sacks or other receptacles, there shall be securely attached to the side thereof a plainly-written or printed label, giving in English the name, kind and year when grown, and also its percentage of purity and freedom from foreign matter." The penalty for the violation of this_ section is a line of not Ipss than ten dollars, nor more than 100 dollars for eanli and every offence. The committee of the Cheviot Agricultural and Pastor a I Association met in the M'Kenzie Hal] on Saturday a Ftemoon ; present Messrs Sloes (chairman). Gee. S. 0. Smith, Wilson, O'Brien. Taylor. G. W. Smith, Baird, Gibson, Wan'sbrongh. Harrison, Pettingell, Downing;, E. Smith, Lee, Oliver and M'Grilvray. Correspondence was read from the Hon W. Hall-Jones to the effect that, owing to a previous engagement, be could not avail himself of.the invitation to bo present at the Association's show. It wa« decided to invito the Premier, and to ask him in the. event of his being unable to attend, to send a Minister. The following donations were received:—Mr A. W. Rutherford, M.P.. £3 3s. Messrs Pyno and Co. £3 3s. Messrs Dalgety and Co. £3 3s, New Zealand Loan and Aeency Comrmny £2 9.e, Messrs Fletcher, Humphreys and Co. £2 2s, and Mx G. TV. Smith £1 le.

! Messrs G. W. Smith, S. C. Smith and i S. Baird were elected a sub-committee ' to arrange for the catering, the reception of visitors, the stewards' and judges' luncheon, the public luncheon, and tho ball. Messrs Gee and Wilson reported favourably upon a number of exliibits promised from Kaikoura. It was decided to allocate prizes in the various classes as follows:—Sheep £1 Is and ss, horses £1 Is and 10s, cattle £1 la and 7s 6d, pigs £1 Is and 7s 6d. dogs £1 Is and 7s 6d, fowls 10s 6d and 2s 6d, produce as last year. Messrs Ross and Olivor each offered to donate £2 2s towards pony classes and jumping competitions. It was decided to grant champion certificates for the , best hack and the best pony on the ground, and to arrange for woight- ! guessing and wood-chopping competii tions.