RURAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15581, 3 April 1911, Page 9

RURAL TOPICS.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. A large green grub has attacked tho potatoes and tomatoes in tho 'Ashburton county. Messrs Lamb Bros., of Springfield, have threshed their oat crop, which has yielded over 40 bushels per acre. At a horse sale held at Geroldine on Friday draught geldings brought lip to £29, draught mares to £27 and hacks to £l£. The rainfall registered at Waikari for March was only .15in. Rain was recorded on only two days, the maximum fall, .10in, being registered on March 4. The rain that fell on Thursday has freshened up tho country round Geraldino considerably, and already the grass is showing signs of springing, but the rain did not penetrate to any depth, and more copious rains are needed. The rainfall for March, taken at the Ashburton Domain weather station, was only .24in, which is probably the lowest since the station was inaugurated-. There was a welcome change in the weather at Temuka on Thursday, when rain 3tarted to fall. Tho rain was only light, but it will do a lot of good, as it was badly needed. Mr W. F. Parkinson, of Kaituna, judged the harness and light horses at the Tenruka and Geraldine Agricultural and Pastoral Association's show at Winchester on Thursday. A Press Association message from Hawora states that the sulxlivision into. four sections of a farm of 248 acres at Kapuna, Waimate Plains, resulted in tho land being sold by auction on Friday, at> an average of £43 C\s per acre, to local buyers. Owing to the Timaru Dairy Factory being closed down large supplies of cream are now being sent to tho Ashburton Co-operative Company's factory. The output of butter from tho Ashburton factory is very satisfactory, despite the dry and unfavourablo weather. There was a steady rain for some hours in North Canterbury during Saturday nighc, and tho weather was showery yesterday. The rain penetrated tho soil deep enough to bo productive of a considerable amount of good to the grass and to the turnip crops, most of which were on the v°rg e of ruin from lack of moisture. The rain will also have a beneficial effect on tho roads, which havo been in a very loose and rough state during tho past month owing to such largo numbers of sheep having passed over them. Mr T. Keir, weather observer at Rangiora, reports:—Rain fell on three days during March, the maximum fall bemg .13in on March 17, and the total for the month .24in. This is the lowest recorded since 1903. For the last ten years the average fall was 2.87 in. The weather as a whole has been excessively dry and at times verv hot. Up to the middle of the month bright days with light cool easterly winds prevailed. Afterwards more or less hot, dry, north-west weather set in, with a maximum temperature of 85 degrees. Although the last, few days were overcast and threatening no rain of any account has fallen. Mr \V. J- Armstrong, fanner, of Greonstreet, Ashburton, brought two fine snecimen stalks of Indian corn to the Ashburton Dairy Factory last week, which measured eleven feet in height. It has been pointed out that Indian corn makes excellent feed for milch cows in its green stage, the animals eating the whole of the plant. The secretary of the Ashburton Dairy Factory Coaipany (Mr W. K. Watson) 'when spoken to, stated that the_ feed in no way taints the milk, and is invaluable "as a milk producing fodder, and what also is of great importance is that the cattle thrive on it, on account of the large proportion of sugary matter it contains. Another great advantage is that tho plant will grow on almost any soil.