FARMING NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 70, 20 February 1939, Page 5

FARMING NEWS.

RURAL RAKINGS. BENEFITS OF IRRIGATION. Results, which at first glance seem incredible, have been achieved with irrigation on the Levels irigation scheme, between Temuka and Timaru, the first of the big Canterbury schemes to have boon tested in practice. Not only have carryin"- capacities been considerably more than trebled, but costs of cultivation have l>ion cut down, and the length of the life of pastures increased from three years at most, to probably throe times that. Country that has been up till now regarded as capable of carrying a ewe and S half to the acre is carrying five, six, and seven sheep comfortably. Noted Bull Dead. Royal Gem, an imported Polled Hereford bull, "the first of the breed to come to New Zealand, is dead, leaving behind him much valuable stock in many parts of New Zealand and Australia. This bull was purchased in America for Mr F. E. Humphreys, of Gisborne, who founded the Dominion’s first (Polled Hereford stud. Royal Gem was calved on April 5, 1928, and arrived in Gisborne in November, 1929. Afte: nine seasons Royal Gem w-as recently retired from stud work, but there are still two crops of his bulls on the farm. Lo date the amount received for the sale of his sons and daughters aggregates over £7OOO, the sales including 22 animals to Australia fund Tasmania.

Poverty Bay Sheep. The movement of stock from Gisborne to the Waikato and Hawke’s Bay continues undiminished, but there are signs that the trade to southern areas may slacken oft soon in the face of a stronger demand from the north. A strong demand from Hawke s Bay, the Manawatu and Main Trunk areas came at a time when Waikato buyers appeared inclined to stand off and wait for Gisborne district sheep to bo submitted in Waikato salcyards. Bar go numbers from the northern end of the coast iollowed the usual practice and went north on consignment, but the offering in the Bay of Plenty saleyards became popular, with the result ihat fewer sheep than usual were sent trJ;he Waikato on a consignment basis.