OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 1942, 7 February 1889, Page 7

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(By Oub Special Agricultukal Cobrespondknt.) Ciiristchuech, February 4. THE CROPS. The weather during the pasb month has been altogether most favourable for the grain crops, and the progress they have made is wonderful. Oats were in many places teo far gone when the fine weather came to benefit much from it, and a considerable proportion of their light yields have been reaped. On the other hand, nearly every district boasts its exceptionally heavy ' crop, and the average yield per acre for the province will not fall much short of, and may possibly slightly exceed, that of last year. For colour and weight this year's sample could hardly be surpassed. Wheat improved in an astonishing degree, and from being stunted and weak a month ago it has grown into a nice even crop, with fair straw aud, as a rule, well-filled heads. The regularity of the crop is very noticeable this year. A few early patches have been cut, and have surpassed all expectations. The average yield will be higher than last year's if favourable weather continues. Most of our small crop of barley has been harvested in fine order, and the comparative absence of nor'-westers has contributed to its being a more satisfactory yield than is generally obtained in Canterbury. The rainfall for thu month was very small, not totalling half an inch over the greater part of the plains. Consequently the showers which fell last week were very welcome, and did a vast deal of good to grass and turnips, as well as to wheat. Machines were again at work on Saturday, and very little of the corn in stook was too damp for stacking, po that the interruption to harvesting was nothing to complain of. The weather, however, does not appear settled, and it is a very anxious time with farmers whose crops are ripe. Grass is good for the time of year, which is not to be wondered at considering that the spring growth 'lid not begin until the middle of December. This has been a very poor season for grass seed. A lot of the ryegrass is very dirty, and the yield is small. Advices from the cocksfoot country sp.y that this is, the dullest season th-at has been known for years. There .'ire so few " grasi-seeders " about, and so little evidence of any seed collecting being done, that the returns may not reich one-half and possibly not one-fourth of last year's quantity. Early turnips suffered in many places from fly or blight, and later sown lots came up very badly or failed altogether from want of warmth. A good deal had to be resown, and the crop is now doing fairly well. The rain has benefited potatoes very much. Earlies sustained great damago from frosts, but later sown are coming on well. PRICKS. The Sydney demand having ceased and the English markf-t drooping, business in cereals has been almost at a standstill for some weeks. S'vne, usuilly well-iuformed'iudividuals say that *vbeat will rise at Home very shortly. Be that as it may, tbos° speculators who bought growing crops at 2? Gd and ovrr for oav.s aud up to 4i (it is sr.ul) for wheat have at preer-nb ninch the wawt of their bargains. New oats were sold in the country a week ftgo at the equivalents of 2s Gd to 2sloda bushel, f.o b , Lyttelton. On Saturday 2i 6d, f.0.b., was t'nc highest pvie° reported, r.iid 2s 3d to 2s 6\l may bo cort«Heroil pre^-nt valuu. Th<*re have been inquiries from Sydney for parcels for M lrch-April delivery, but an offer of a cargo at 2;; 3-1. c i.f., w,-.s not entertained. A surprising quantity of wheat came to light when the high

prices began to give way, and there is no fear, in Canterbury at any rate, of stocks not holding out till the new crop is avaiiable. Old wheat (milling) is quoted at 3s 6d. Barley is being bought at 4s to 4s 6d for prime malting. Specu- ' lators are giving some attention to gras3 seed?, the probable light supplies causing expectations of higher prices. Butter is rather firmer, but ordinary cheese is dull. Potatoes are very dear. WOOL. Shearing is finished except on a few back- i country stations, which have been thrown late by their neighbours having been delayed earlier in the season. The clip is turning out very ir- j regular, some flocks being in splendid condition, othere poorly grown and faulty. Generally the | clip is light. The shearing tallies are giving the ' facts respecting the losses sustained by the bad weather of last March and in the spring. Some of the flocks in the Mackenzie Country and Upper Rangitata have suffered very heavily, and in the far North pome of the North Amuri stations are in a similar plight. Evidence of the disastrous lambing of 1887 is given by the small proportion of hogget wool in some of the clips this season. In one clip which usually contains about 30 bales of hogget wool there were this year only four bales. The wool sales have not gone so well lately, only exceptional parcels meeting with any spirit in the competition. For some reason or other the Christchurch brokers do not now publish the list of wool sold, and very meagre j reports'of the sales are published ; but those who | have sold wool lately are generally disappointed with tbe price. Mr James Little's " crossbred breed " has once more topped the market, selling at 12d and llfd per lb, while part was withdrawn au the latter price, the owner considering it worth 13d per lb. There was bit of a difference between buyers and auctioneer over I this withdrawal, which resulted id the former refusing to bid for any more of the clip. Buyers are gaining come power with the increased magnitude of the local sales, especially as it is conspicuously evident that farmers do better by selling here than by shipping to the London sales. The Home buyers complain of the expense and waste of time in going from place to place for insignificant catalogues, and there is no doubt that the method of conducting the sales will have to be improved if the attendance of purchasers from the uttermost parts of the earth is to be secured. The wonderful cablegram quoting the Economist's opinion as to the " third series of sales" being " unexampled " has been puzzling those who pay any attention to such telegrams. The supply for the third series of London sales of the present year will probably be unprecedented — it will amount to well on for half a million bales, — and the quantity of Australasian wool of the present season's clip forwarded to Yorkshire and the contiucnb instead of to the London sale, is altogether unprecedented. Neither fact is of good import for those who have consigued to the London sales, and it is already seen how baseless was the excitement which characterised the opening sales here. LIVE STOCK. The demand for cattlo and sheep of all classes continues dull. No exporters are in the market, and prices are at a low level. The annual sales of drafts of station merino sheep have begun, and prices are about Is lower than was anticipated. Good young wethers sell at 3s to 4s; aged sheep, 2s to 3s. MODERN DAIRYING. Two of our most prominent dairy farmers have published the comparative results of old and new methods of dairying. Mr H. P. Hill's was quoted in last week's Witness. Mr Withell, of Brookside, says : — " Our yield of milk is 58gal daily, allowing 111b to the gallon, a total of 408 gal for the seven days. This total put through the separator gave 1741b of butter. The j same quantity ' set ' in shallow pans gave 1261b, or 481b less per week than the separator. Then 2gal 3Jlb of milk produced lib of butter by the separator ; 3gal 2^lb the same quantity by the j old method — a difference in favour of the new way of 32 per cent. This, in four months, at our present rate, would mean an increased output of nearly 8001b of butter. In addition there is the undeniable fact that the separator gives a purer and more valuable article. There can be but one conclusion." IRBIGATIOtf. The proposed extension of the water-race system in the Ashburton County has met with an unexpected check. At the meeting last week I of the county council Mr John Grigg and Mr E. G. Wright stated that the swamp lands near the seaboard (of which they aro large owners) had been detrimentally affected by percolation from the races. They stated that land had become quite water-logged, and that water iv wells and gravel pits was 6ft or 7ft higher than before the construction of the races. Mr W. C. Walker chairman of the council, and Mr C. J. Harper the apostle of irrigation, were confident that percolation from the race is not the cause of the unusual wetness of the land this senson. Mr Harper said that he had tunnelled under a race and there was no leakage. That the height of water in wells and pits may be easily traceable to some other source than)tbe races is shown by the fact that in the winter of ISB6 the water in some wells near Christchuron rose in some instances as much as 30ft higher than it had done for years, and no water-races were then within miles of the locality. The water has remained high ever since. The question calls for thorough scientific investigation, as it affects every district where irrigation is or may be adopted. It will be found that some greater force than the water-race system, powerful though that may be for some effects, has caused these what may be termed subterranean floods. From the Port Hills to the Rangitata (and beyond aught I know) water is nearer the surface than it has been within the memor3 r of many of the oldest settlers. Springs burst forth bhe last three winters where they had never been seen before, and where it is certain no water-race could have any influence. THE CHRISTCHUJRCH SHOW. The question of changing the date of the Christchurch show was again before the committee of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association at the monthly meeting last week. A decision was deferred until the election of the new committee next month, but there is not the least chance of the date being altered. The present fixture so clearly marks the general beginning of shearing in Canterbury, and the show is to so great an extent one of sheap, that any radical change would quite, up-efc one of the most, important departments of the bhow. Eangiora iv the North and Tiruaru Uu South Canterbury would become of more importance than the Metropolitan show for exhibitors of sheep, and the attendance :it Christchurc-h would 'suffer by reason of th? country people, who form ;the of the visitors to the •ihow, being busily occuoie'>l ?^ every period between the middle of November and the end ef harvest. SMALL BIRDS are making tbeir presence felt in those localities where measures of repression have been allowed to lapse. It is felb that it should be made compulsory upon local authorities to take sufficient, steps by noisouing, purchase of eggs and bya^s, &c, to keep down the peat.. On the other hand. Mr W. H. Spackruan, the fi&hing enthusiast, ] reminds us that a spries of investigations at 1 Lincoln College showed that for ten months of

the yeaf sesds o1 weeds formed »the sparrow's staple diet, JOHN MATSON. This gentleman has made so much noise ?n the world of late that his doings claim a heading to themselves. Literally, though, he has been cjuiet for three weeks or so, having been suffering from sin {attack of congestion of the lungs, from which his friends will be glad to hear he is fast recovering. Efe and Mrs Matson have been thanked by the Queen and* the Princess of Wales for gifts of ostrich feather f&hs made from plumes from birds reared at his ostrich farm at Papanui road. Mr Matson, in conjunction with another well-known auctioneer, Mr P. C. Tabart, shipped some grand live mutton to Melbourne by the Manapouri last voyage, consisting of five of Mr Leonard White's (Rakaia Downs) merino wethers and 10 of Mr Max Friedlander's (Ashburton) Hampshire Down wethers. The former are descended from the well-known Canouri (South Australia) rams, which have given great satisfaction to Mr White, though some flockmasters have not been succesful with them. The Hampshires were the progeny of the pure stock imported by Mr C. T. Dudley. The merinos averaged 1491b and the Hampshires 2111b— alive of course. 'THE CANTERBURY RUNS. The valuators have nearly finished their labours, and those desirous of taking up 20 years' leases of pastoral runs will soon have particulars before them. Present lessees do not generally 6eem apprehensive of being ousted from their holdings, it being considered that the heavy losses from bad weather are more than a set off to any improved prospects of wool prices.