THE RECORDER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 852, 8 January 1879, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE RECORDER.

CANTERBURY HARVEST

PROSPECTS.

{From the Weekly Press.)

asxel&t cotrsrr.

From the numberless inquiries now being made with reference to the state of the crops, it will be a fitting opportunity to refer to the harvest prespects for 1879, as both farmers and merchants win wish to know how the grain has been affected by the late changeable and precarious

OXFORD,

The crops here, both on the large extent of new land taken up and on that already under good cultivation, are somewhat thin. The parching wind has been severely felt and has exercised its baneful influence on tho oats sown here. Wheat crops look fairly well, but are rather limited. The average for oats will be from twelve to eighteen bushels per acre, wheat about twenty bushels.

WEST EYRRTON. The young crop 3 Jiere Btarted with great promise, and bid fair to be the best seen for many years till the advent of I the wind storm which did so much ! damage everywhere, and the greater portion of the soil being open has been unable to retain all the wet that could have been wished. The more frequent showers of late have brought up the appearance of tho crop 3, and also the average. The principal crops are wheat and oats in pretty good proportions. There was also some noticeable barley. The average for this district will be— Oats twenty bushels, wheat twenty-five bushels, and barley about twenty-two bushels per aero. ccsr. On the Downs, the crop 3 of both wheat and oats have weathered the season splendidly, and have come in for more dampness than in other places, added to I which the soil allowed less of the water Ito escape from it. Near Carleton some iof the grain is a trifle open. Towards the ! West Eyrcton side ihe crops of all kinds I look very promising, though lighter than ! last season. On both North and South 1 Downs the farmers seem fairly satisfied j with the prospects. In the Stoke portion ! the grain is also better than was anticiipated. The yield for the district ought jto be—Wheat, about 22 bnshels; oats, 20 ! bushels; and a small lot of barley, 15 bushels per acre.

BASGIORA AND MAKDEVTLLB. Again the Fernside crops stand out well; the straw is longer. There are one or two splendid pieces of barley, some of which will, no dotibt, appear at future grain shows. The wheat here is well headed up, and the oats fairly plump, considering theseason'sdrawbacks. Through Rangiora the crops have somewhat improved during the past week on both sides of the rising Borough. Those in the Woodend direcI tion are probably in advance of the crops towards Southbrook. On the Maori run ' the yield will be a moderately good one. At the Church Bush, where the early floods reached the grain, there are some of the best crops of the country. Along the North Road, through Woodend, the grain is well headed up, and as usual the Waikuku grain yields promise to very creatly awell the averages of this district. The average vields are expected to be— Wheat, 30 bushels; oats, 32 bushels; barley, 20 bushels. The crops of beans in this sub-district will extend to over 100 acres, but require rain to give anything like a good return. ETKETOK.

Kaiapoi Island south has not shared to the same extent in the want of underneath dampness, and the crops here are tall, but only fairly headed out compared with previous seasons. On Kaiapoi Island north the whaat looks remarkably well near the town, though signs are not wanting of a perceptible falling away towards Kyreton. Crops of barley promise a handsome return. Some of the wheat crops will put out from forty to to sixty bushels per acre. The Eyreton crops have been serious sufferers from lack of nun, and the average here is not so

weather in different localities The' good as laat season. The Ohoka district an inspection of the crops i in places weU favored presenta one or two oM*erc6mity prove that the*rains grown. fine crops, while, in dry «*™t»»» there mxra heav/or close soils/Vlrich have; comes in', the stock complaint.. At SIH rSaS'mobtnre /rafficient for l-Swannanoa there are severaUarge several large blocks in wheat, fronrwhichwith S'JS,; „f P^se tEe-MandeviUe Plain crops, the yield will Sungw'ndl; are to goodindithm:' be about fifteen bushels to twenty busbehr crm« are not so long in straw, so per acre taking them aU round. The plump "u,.;?r?or so fresh looking as they average for the Eyreton district is comSJ h-ro beci. under a more even outed to be, wheat, thirty bushels ; oats, and frequent sprinklings. It and barley bujjd. , ... however nevertheless very pleasing to per acre. The crops of potatoes, taiung record the fact that the harvest prospects in Flaxton with the forgoing, prom.se in many parts of Ashley county are more very large returns, chetrin*'than some would have the public ASHLEY.' oSt. In" every way the seasbn has -Seldom has a general drought been been ah Extraordinary 4e which has Produced a less The last daring- the early part was dry serious effect on- thisdistrict than, that of enongh, but at last Chrislma? some heavy .'this year. The showers been showers fell, which would have been very, more copious, and along the north bank acceptable at this time. As the" ripening of the i Ashley the fringe of gram country of the eram will be later this season, rain never looked much more cheering that it in copies showers during the next week does at present. The straw » not «o would effect a wonderful filling out in the short as has been usually met witl, and ears, as well as in some instances increase the ears are well filled. The farmers thTaveragea twofold. It is seen that the from Ashley township to Loburn may cerslicht showers of the past fortnight have tainlybe congratulated on the fact that saved most of the crops on the down land, their lines have fallen unto them in pleaand recovered many of those on the sant places, and yea, they have a goodly liehtersoil of the plains. The straw is heritage compared with those whose farms in no place too long, and in fact persons have been exposed to the blighting dewho reqnirc straw are already bespeaking pletion. Their crops are heavy laden and it The erain has therefore not been laid luxuriant. At Loburn there is a falling at all and hence one of the drawbacks off, and cereals here do not show out so attending the best seasons has not been well as last year. The probable yield, exnerienced, for the grain yield suffers taking the thinner crops of the higher verv considerably in laid crops on the lands, will be, wheat, twenty-five to thirty consequent breaking of the straw. Had bushels, and oats, thirty bushel* per the spring weather been followed by heavy acre. rain instead of the parching gusts which blighted the Hag, and twisting it round the tender head of the grain caused a certain amount of injury to it, it is not difficult to sec that the crops would have been very heavy in straw, and thereby have been seriously affected by the nor'westcrs which have been experienced recently. It is also plain that a two days' rain three weeks ago must certainly have brought us into ope of our best harvests. Probably, as our climate has shown such a disposition to dryness during recent I seasons, some attention may, and not without good reason, be given to systems of irrigation, whore paddocks now naked ( of a single green blado might easily be watered from the surplus of our rivers, and thus render the growing of grass and crop more certain on the extensive tracts which are as dry as the desert. A wide extent of our porous shingle country, at present incapable of feeding a couple of sheep to the acre as it were, might be rendered rich and fertile. "Very great anxiety will be caused if the hot winds continue in places where the corn may | ripen unevenly and the berries be blown «n t. This is to be avoided by commencing to cut on the green side of the crop. Many now prefer to reap their grain just as the ear begins to fairly turn to a golden color, and allow the corn to dry and thoroughly become ripe in the atook. With the modern appliances of reaping and binding machines the risk from loss in this respect is reduced to a minimum, as the harvesting maohino will out and tie [ in the most windy weather with as much despatch as under more favored circumstances. Tho coßt of reaping is also | materially lessened, which is a matter of much importance when the crops are light. The extent of land under wheat and oats is larger than last season, the pro- j portion of these two grains varying in different localities. Oats, as a rule, are light. Wheat is in favored spots heavy, j but on tho lighter country thin and heads small. The number of acres under barley is very small, but one or two crops are promising very well, especially at Fernside and on the paddock in which the K-aiapoi reaper trial was held. Beans, where planted "in moist situations, promise a good yield. Of potatoes, there are some very good crops, and there will be a larg* return. Grass seed crops have varied very greatly. It has been suggested, as a means of obtaining an estimate of the acreage in crop, that the Government returns ought to be obtained in December instead of waiting till February, and that in the latter month a statement of the true yield of the crops ought to be carefully compiled. Reviewing the various districts, and commencing at

kowai,

Extending from the Ashley into the Kowai district along the Saltwater Creek road, the crops do not seem to have been seriously affected. Between that road and the Upper Sef ton road, including the land upon part of which the Sefton ploughing match was held, there are several abundant fields of wheat, with ears chokefull, and the oats are some of the best to be seen. A small extent of barley is well grown. Around Balcairn the wheat bears again a stunted appearance, but an improvement is observable in the direction of Leithfield along the stiff land of the terrace. The crops towards Amberley are of an average class, those of the North Kowai presenting a better appearance. The estimated yield of the Sefton crop will be—Wheat, thirtyfire to forty bushels, and some of it even more. The probable yield for the district aB a whole is carefully estimated at— Wheat, twenty-five to twenty-eight ; oats, twenty-eight; and barley, about twenty-four bushels.

WAIPARA. There is a larger extent of crops at the Waikari than usual, and moßt of it is in good order, the straw short, but the frequent fall of showers has filled the ear well. The crops of wheat are in very fine order, and oats will yield well. The land is of a character which will bear a succession of crops for several years, and on the opening ofthe railway—the survey of which is said to be finished —into the Waikari Valley it is oertain there will be some of the best grain in the province grown from this limestone country. The yield of wheat is put down at the high estimate of twenty-seven; oats, cwentyfive bushels per acre.

CONCLTJSIOX. The farmers have not made many complaints as yet of the sparrows, and it appears that the raid made upon them has so lessened their numbers that the presence of those remaining will not be seriously felt. There are not any appearance of caterpillars, rust, or blight beyond the withering of the grain from premature ripening. In a somewhat hurried drive over the country with a view to give information of the state of the crops as early as possible, our averages are only given from appearances as they presented themselves, and when harvest sets in we hope to be able to obtain a more positive statement of the real yield of each district.

IMPORTATION OP CATTLE,

The following regulations under the Diseased Cattle Act came into operation on the Ist of January :—" 1. No master of any ship or vessel, or other person whomsoever, shall, in any river, port, or harbor in New Zealand or elsewhere in New Zealand waters, transfer or attempt to transfer, cause or permit to be transferred or to be attempted to be transferred, assist in transferring or in attempting to transfer, any imported cattle from any one ship or vessel to any other ship or vessel, without the written authority of the Cattle Inspector of the district, defined under the said Act, at or near to which such ships or vessels, or either of them, may be. The term ' imported cattle ' shall have the meaning given thereto in the said Act as amended by the Amendment Act hereinbefore recited. 2. If any such master of a ship, or other person whomsoever, shall so transfer any such cattle from one ship or vessel to another without the written authoriiy of a Cattle Inspector as aforesaid, he shall by li:i!:lo for each offence to pay a penalty not exceeding one hundred pounds, to be recovered in the manner provided by the said Act: Provided that any B< sident Magistrate, w any two or more Justices of tho Peace, before whom any such penalty is sought to be recovered, may order a part only of such penalty to be paid, if he or they shall think fit."

TRIAL OF THE HARVESTER KING REAPER AND BINDER.

(From the Press.)

During last season a very considerable interest was manifested by the farmers in the records as well as in witnessing the trials of the harvesting machines, which promises to lose nothing this year in spite of the short crops. Hitherto it has been considered a test of the qualities of a machine if it successfully managed a heavy crop, but this season the reverse test will be applied. In some instances the automatic wire binder is said to partly fail in short graiu, and farmers are, therefore, turning their attention to those machines which are provided with hand-binding platforms or reverting to the Samuelson's and other reapers. As great differences of opinion exists on the question of the merits of the Wood, Osborne, and M'Cormick machines, which have been freely discussed to the present, the arrival of a new purveyor for the public is hailed with feelings of cariosity. It was, therefore, not to bo wondered at that a large muster of farmers should, meet on Tuesday to witness the firsffublic trial of Gammon and Deering's Harvester King, for which Messrs Mason, Struthers, and Co. are the Canterbury agents, and Mr. J. Anderson the local agent at Rangiora. Prompt to time, the harvester in full gear, with a pair of ordinary farm horses attached, was started by Mr. H. H. Heming in a paddock near the railway. This was the signal for a general. rush on the part of the spectators in the wake of the machine, anxious to satisfy themselves on its cutting and binding advantages. The crop operated upon was a small patch of oats, 2ft. 6in. in straw, standing well up, free from undergrowth, and headed out to a crop equal to thirty bushels per acre. The parts of the machine having already been described by us, a few general facts relating to the trial need only now be given. The width of cut was 6ft. The complete and excellent action of the knife performed the cutting very cleanly and evenly, taking the straw close to the ground, which is a matter of some importance at a time when straw is likely to be dear and difncult to procure. The platform received the crop and conveyed it to the elevator, which in its turn, took the grain on to the i binder with the greatest accuracy and

neatness. The elevator is certainly an improvement when witnessed in operation, as well as one which, does not seem liable to get out of order The crane-automatic binder reached, a hand of wire was speedily whipped 1 over-the stock or Bheaf, and a second sheaf arriving on to the binding table caused the firgfc one to fall off gently on its butt end. _The*binding apparatus, on a closer examination when the machine had reached, the end of its allotment, showed itself to be one of exceedingly simple oonstruotion, all the parts possessing strength and durability. The twisting hook in manipulating the delioate operation of binding performs its part with wonderful accuracy and ingenuity. It was also observed that the reel or fan .was. an..easily adjusted affair, as-by the modern contrivances in its construction it could be lowered or set out or in at will. If a- band broke through any defect in the wire (and as the pressure was relaxed from the sheaf when relieved from the compressor arm one sheaf did burst), the needle of the binder threaded itself without the delay of a second, and continued its work. Out of one hundred and odd sheaves tied by the binder only one was noticed to break. One or two sheaves were somewhat large, but this was caused by the driver's attention being called from his work. As a rule, the sheaves were firmly bound and of convenient size. In two or three instances, the corn being twisted, two sheaves held together, but were speedily freed when falling over the binding table. Having been requested to show the machine a,s adapted for hand binding, Mr. Heming courteously assented, and two crack binders wont to work, but in a little while they asked for a third man. Two of Mr. Luxton's sons and Mr. Allington then bound the sheaves as fast as the harvester brought the straw up, the horses going at full speed. This was looked upon as the grandest feature of the trial, and cannot fail to place the Marsh Company's machines in the foremost rank among the grain growers of the present season. The trial was in all respects satisfactory to those present. It has been said that if an earthquake were to take place among the Englishspeaking race, a few of them would make it an excuse to hold a dinner in the ruins, so after the trial of the Harvester King, an adjournment was made to Moody's Red Lion Hotel, Bangiora, where a goodly pompany sat down to an excellent" spread. Afterwards a number of toasts were given, the principal of which was that wishing success to the new farmers' friend, the Harvester King and its enterprising makers, The health of Mr Struthers was also drank with cheering, that gentleman stating, in reply, that he believed his firm had been able to secure for the farmers the best harvester extant, and he hoped they would all induce their friends to attend the second trial of the day, which would be held in Mr- Buss's paddock at four o'clook. The company shortly after adjourned. The second trial was equally pleasing in its results as the first,