GLEANINGS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7029, 18 January 1910, Page 3

GLEANINGS

Caterpillars have played havoc with the barley crops at JFlaxbourne, Marlborough.

There is an excellent demand for leasehold farms in the Masterton district, says the "Daily Times/' A weed flourishing in the sandhills at Waikanae is hare's-foot trefoil, a valueless plant common in sandy situations. It is an annual.

Crops around Awatere (Marlborough) are turning out much better than was expected owing to frequent showers of rain coming at a time urgently needed. The North Canterbury executive of the Farmers' Union is of opinion that a preferential tariff with Great Britain would bo advantageous to the Dominion,

Tho Midhirst Dairy Company manufactured 122 boxes of butter at the height of the season, a record for the company. The daily output is now 115 boxes.

Oat crops are said to be particularly poor in some Central, Otago districts. Stock has been turned in the crops in many instances. The turnip crops are said to be withering. A largely-attended meeting of farmers at Cambridge resolved, in view of the present glut in pigs, to test the pork market by sending a shipment Home. A good, guarantee of pigs is forthcoming.

The trustees of the late John Douglas, Mount Royal, North Otago, have imported five’ Border Leicester ewes. ,Mr Gould, of Christchurch, imported two Southdown rams at the same time. All the sheep are high-type specimens.

Buyers of fat limbs, who are now operating all over South Canterbury, say’ that lambs are not in _such good condition as they were at this time last year. Feed is getting scarce owing to the, dry spell, and growers are anxious to quit at the earliest possible time. More fleeces have been secured in Canterbury for the Government to send to the Butch exhibition. Among them are Corriedale fleeces from Mr James Little, of Balmaney Park, and merino fleeces from Messrs X). B. Macfarlane, Walter Macfarlane, T. Chapman- (as well as in this case some half-bred fleeces) and Duncan Rutherford. At the monthly meeting of the General Committee of the Manawatu A. and P. Association, to be held to-day, Mr J. G. Harkness (vice-president) has given notice of the following motion "In view of the present and future importance of dairying to the Dominion, and taking into consideration; the special facilities afforded by the spring show of the Association, this committee is of tire opinion that the time has arrived when an effort should be made to create Palmerston North the Inter-provincial Dairy Cattle Show of the Dominion, and as the only means to attain this object would bo to make the prize-list sufficiently attractive to encourage exhibition by breeders of purebred, stock from -all parts of New Zealand, it is necessary to provide a special prize of £ for the champion bull in the Holstein, Ayrshire and Jersey eeotions.”

"Farm labour has deteriorated a great deal of recent years," said •: Mr Thomas Ayson, a well-known farmer'of Mataura Island, to a "Southland News” reporter, "and not only that, but one cannot get men. ' The trouble is not with .the immigrants, simply because we don't get. them down here, but with the disappointed tradesmen who, rather than accept their 1 minimum wage, take on farming. - The farm labourer of to-day is not the man of twenty years ago, most of whom are now- farmers themselves and men of means.' The man who wants to be a farm labourer to-day is a man who, is not fit for bis work in his factory, or whatever trade he once followed, and be is of very little use to the farmer. The other day. one of these, ' minimum wagers/ as I call them, came up to me and asked for work. ‘ Why do you want to come out on a farm when you have your trade?' I asked him. The reply was the usual one, ' Oh, things are a bit dull.’" Continuing, Mr Ayson said that be could see that these men wore not fit for their trades, and so endeavoured to take up farmwork. They were of no use to farmers, simply-be-cause they had no “ muscle," and a man without a strong biceps - was : of little use on a farm. They bad not even physique enough to use a slasher on a hedge or to chop wood for any lengthy period; yet they expected full wages'.