THE FARMER

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2313, 4 December 1925, Page 10

THE FARMER

ITEMS OF INTEREST A mule colt was foaled by a mare mule on the Miles’ ranch, near Dawson,, Nebr. The ranch foreman wrote to the Kansas Agricultural College about this unusual happening, and was told that this was the third known case of such a happening. ’When dealing with the proposal that the Lands Department should he run by commercial men, the Hon. A. D. McLeod in a speech at Whangarei, stated that there were about 2(10 settlers on the department’s books who were in ill-health and were on their backs owing to nervous and other breakdowns. Their wives and children were trying to carry on upon the farms and in those cases the department had not charged a penny for rent. If. however, the land settlement was run on .purely commercial lines those people would all be drawing charitable aid. The department did not throw them out, neither did its officers. There was the huge family of 30,400 Crown tennants on the Department’s books, which was a large proportion, as there were only 90,000 settlors in the rural parts of the Dominion.

Napier is now the second largest wool-selling centre In the Dominion, the quantity of wool disposed of there last year being - nearly 300.000 bales out of about 500,000 for the whole country. A well-known Walrarapa settler, in discussing the wool outlook, told

"The Age” that what with the lighter clip, and the reduced prices for wool he did not expect to realise more than half what he got for his wool last year and he did not consider his an exceptional case. An interesting feature in connection with this season’s fruit Industry is the fact that during the past few weeks Hastings growers have imported from Canada no fewer than 75,000 fruit cases. These cases are of excellent finish and quality and it is worthy of note that they can bo ordered from Canada and landed In Hastings cheaper than poorer quality [cases made in the Dominion. Orchards on the East Coast are in splendid order just now, little disease being present. The Gisborne orchard inspector,' Mr. G. H. Mclndoo, has Just returned from a trip round the greater part of his district, during which he visited orchards from Wairou to Loltin Point. At a number of points'en route he gave demonstrations to growers, and as the majority of orchardists on Ihe Coast are amateurs these proved both useful and instructive. A noticeable feature of the Coast orchards is the almost entire absence of codlin moth and fungoid diseases. In the orchards around Hicks Bay codlin moth is unknown, and brown rot has been experienced in only a mild form. The continued drought in the Waipawa district is proving rather serious to some of the farmers, especially as regards stock. Feed is becoming very scarce and this was reflected at the sale yesterday when there was a considerable drop in the price of sheep.