RURAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16137, 14 January 1913, Page 5

RURAL TOPICS.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL. The Hessian fly is reported to be doing damage in some parts of the Geraldine district, and the turnip fly is also in evidence. A start w'as made last week with cutting the cocksfoot crop in several of the lower paddocks on the Peninsula and this week the harvest should _b© general all over the Peninsula. The late rains will do good to the. seed. Labour is fairly, abundant, and given another good 1 spell of line weather it should be a quick harvest. Crops on the whole are clean this year/ a late, growth of fog being the only failing. The Hessian fly is doing considerable damage to barley and wheat in the Geraldine district. Even solid straw Tuscan, which has escaped liitherto, is now suffering. A well known practical farmer estimates that where the fly has appeared there will be a loss of from five to six bushels an acre on the average. In the same district the turnip flv has beeu very active in its work of destruction during the past few weeks.

Owing to the showers of rain which have been experienced in the Ashburton County of late the turnip and rape crops are making satisfactory progress and are still immune from disease. There is still, however, a large area of land in the course of preparation for this class of root crop, and the county should be in a favourable condition for enabling farmers and graziers to fatten off many more sheep and lambs than are at present on hand.

Tlie country round Prebbleton and Templeton is showing signs of the near approach of the grain harvest. Already a few of the oat crops are in stock. A smaller acreage than usual has been given to wheat, on account of the unsuitable weather at the sowing season, but what crops there are give a very good promise of a fine yield. Last week’s rain has freshened tip the grass and made no appreciable difference in the harvesting of a lew late crons of hay. The season has been a particularly good one for cleaning the dirty land.

It is stated that there are fortyseven threshing mills in the Ashburton County, which require a total staff of 470 men. Two-thirds of these men are itinerant workers, and should there be a shortage of men harvest work will be seriously disorganised. Up till the present the influx of harvesters has been small, an a much larger number than is at present available will be required in the course of a few- days to carry out ordinary harvest work. It is feared that staffing of the threshing mills will not be an easy matter. The cause of the shortage appears to be in the fact that the number of harvesters coming to this country from Australia this year is smaller than usual.