SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2292, 3 February 1898, Page 14

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Ottr Own CoHa_spOKD_NT.) The weather has been changeable during the past month. Welcome showers The Weather of rain fell frequently, but the and soil did not receive the full The Crops, benefit owing to the preva'ence of strong gales of wind. A great improvement has, however, taken place in the appearanc3 of the crop?, and the jield will be much better th*n appearance 3 indicated a month ago. Early-sown crops are the best, which has been nearly always the care for some years. The crops are much shorter than I usual, especially on Bfond and third clas3 land, aiad, of course, the ji-ld will bs ldts than that obtained during our best seasons. Some farmers describe tbe crops as " middling," and I think that tba l ; term prefciy wtll applies to them. The harvest will ba later this season than it ha 3 been for a number of je*rs. In a few early districts reaping may be comnaeaeed in about three weeks' tim°, but it will be some time in March before the work becomes general throughout, Southland. The cutting of the rypgriss crop was commei.ced during the second wefk of tho past month, buc the woik had to be postponed in soma places till the 'following week, owing to the fact that it was noc &uffic : enr,]y ripe. , A gooa deal of seed was Josfc iv exposed fituafcion? tLrough the violpj'ce of the gale', ;ind a deal of the crop had owing to the wind lo be cut in one direction. In rr.ost crss3 the binders failed to do satisfactory work, and back - deli wry reapers, which had lain idle for years or were doing duty filling gaps ia fences, had to be used, and some farmers regret having disposed of these machines at a Email price. Attenipto to stack or thresh the rytgras* were m-s.de l»sb week, but the showers and gales prevented anything being done. Tue growth of the turnip 3 has not been very satisfactory this season, either broadcast or in dril s. Seed sown broadcast early in Decambsr was seriously injured by the hfavy rains, and later Fonoe damage was done by the fly and grub. The risk of sowing broadcist has agiin been brought forcibly homo to a number of farmers. The beed should in mo3t cases b3 sown either with the drill or on the rsised drill. Singling if in full swing at present. There is a considerable area, under turnips, and there will probably be no scarcity of vcintsr feed. Buyers of fat lambs have been taking away all those they could procure Lambs. during tho last week or two. Taere is but a small percentage fit for (he fref z'tig chamber — from 25 to 30 per ceat. There has baeu no scarcity of gras«, but it was of inferior quality o*ving to the long-con-tinued wet weather. It is doubtful if the usuai pere ntege wll bo fat'ened here this season ov.iug to the fact that m_ny failed to get land laid dowa to grass earl 3' enough. The price given for lambs here has been 8s 6d in most cases, although some were bought for 6i less. Some farmers are in the habit of selling ali their lamb? said buyiug young ewe 3to keep up the breeding fljck, bub it is not a .wise course. As many cf the best of the ewe lambs as are rtq lired for the purpoie mentioned should be k^pb. Prim's well-woolled ewes are not to be obtained in the m u-ket. Itie shearing was protracted much beyond the usual time on the farms this Miscellaneous, season. On a number of farms the work w*s not fiui&hed till the middle of the month. The stations fini-hed about the usual timp. A lot of wool has been sold at from 6i to 6^3, but a g^oJ deal of fine wool was told at T^d. The clip of fine wool averaged this season aSout £20 per 100 sheep, or Q-i per fleece. This is nob a high return, bub it should ba mentioned that the inferior sheep which farmers who sell all their best ewe l&nabs keep average much less tbaa this, and the nsalt is a loss ia the long run. Farmers will Boon be preparing for harvtsb work, aud it may not be out of place to remark that there ia a detl of oil on the market wbi'L. 13 inferior. There teems to ba some of it aduloerated with kerosene, which is only aboub a third of the pries of the best lubricants, and it slould be known that tbe constant use of keioseue has an injarious effect on machinery. In order to ascertain whether oil offered for tale is go "id pour some from a vessel, and if it has a Llaeish tinge have nothing to do with it. The yellow oils are all gold under whatever name they are sold, Neatsfoot oil was much used the last season or two as a lubricant for tbe threshing machine?, and its use has been recommended by some for binders also. In a few weeks small areas of the oat crop will ba cub for chaff, and I may remark that a crop yielding 40 bu3hels per acre will when cut into chaff /veigh about two tone. 1 1 is better to cut for chaff the earliest ripening portion of the crop, as lb is usually froe from lust, wh'eh ia injaiious to horaes. Smut also is injurious.