OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

Otago Witness, Volume 26, Issue 2419, 26 July 1900, Page 15

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

- (From Ova Owsr Cp-nBvsroNDENT.') OHEISTCHURCH, July 21.

' ''The f rostyj damp weather of the last two months has brought the grass

"Pastures, Stock; and Crops.

which grew so fast in April and May very quiclcly to an end, arid this, with the ravages (

J-of the grub, has made t°he grass paddocks look ' miserable." The few* lambs which have been * have had a rough time.' Turnips are •giving very'lifctle'feed, and oats, 'etc., are , (making poor growth, so, that'_it is well for "'.most' farmers' thai they are under-stocked. jSome, indeed, are selling their, sheep owing to I Va'nt. of feed for them, andwheh they have got , low" in condition a sacrifice in jprice has to be ■•"•submitted to.' Any" w ell-conditioned lines sell readily at full rates, but very few of this description are offered.*. Fat' sheep are at very 'prices, owing entirely to their scarcity. Good ewe mutton is. costing the Butchers " fully* 2^d per 1b", and they find wethers at '-2|'d better' value. North Island price? are too '.high to .allow t of ' purchases there for the 'southern rharkeij, added, to' wEich out butchers Xdon't like the northern sheep. A' few cattle come down and sell well, but rough weather ""appears io 'take"! the "epndition off cattle very ' Quickly, in the-Nortli Island, and" recent con- ' teignments' have not been of the usual prime " Some nice..beef comes in from the "stations, but -exporters Have-gone to'som'e'oi the best sources of supply, arid this has' r'educjrl "offerings in the market.. If London pr'-i:es holH, beef will be still dearer here.^ " Good progress has been "made in most districts with "wheat-sowing, but where the grub is bad sowing will be held over till spring. , Where the land is fit some rape is being sown for ,early feed, generally with ryegrass. # Feed .' prospects are very 'bad,' and if there is a late spring sheep will fare "badly. In South Can"terbury matters are -not nearly so bad as to the north of the Ran'gitata', and farmers have „ -"been able to take sheep from both north and 1 south for grazing. The question of the secretaryship, of this in- ' s'titvition is exciting .much dis-

Canterfeßvy A^ and P. Association,

cussion. Some 'of the condi"tio'ris are extraordinary, and require ' qualifications not ' generally looked for in a se-

cretary. All sorts' and conditions of men are applicants, and I do not know of one,,'so far, ' who will "fill the bill." It will 'be no sine- ' cure' to follow Mr Murphy, even though the , 'liew man will 'have the benefit of his predecessors.' cessor's. oversight and. instruction. Mean/time, the, Jubilee Year show is being worked xip. with 'more 'show of energy than is usually displayed by the committee. "It has been de- "" termiried to.make it a really, three days' event, all -exhibits except dairy produce to be on the .. iground for "the three days. ' The committee ' do. .not knoiv. what they have undertaken, and if they take a fair share in carrying 'out their • -intentions 'they _l will .be very tired ,by the - third night of the show. Several new classes .are being added,' and the special prizes ,p>omrSe to be numerous and valuable. 1^ fear, however, that the entries will suffer ~hy the 'three days' rule, as many stock owners will not like their best animals to be on the ground for so longj stud horses particularly. 'The New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association of Canterbury con- i

Farmers' i Co-Operation.

tinues to flouirsh in spite of its ponderous title. The report and balance sheet were not

adopted without the* usual complaint that investors were getting too much out of the concern, but the" majority of the shareholders j I, were well' content with the splendid results j shown.' Hetail premises are to be built at ', .AsKburton, 'where a large business is already i ' '. Being done, and to provide funds an issue of , "2000 shares, at 8s premium was _ authorised. ,' " There ane now 3235 shareholders, picl the.sales •of" /merchandise "last year amounted to ' £181,501. 3?he increase of rabbits in South; Canterbury

Babbits.

is being viewed with alarm , by the landholders, but so far no concerted action has

t>een taken in the matter. The- riverbeds, •.overgrown with" gbrse and broom, afford almost impenetrable ' shelter^ and young trees r areV soon" found out and barked. The statement that the pests were increasing on Banks ,': Peninsula is" contradicted; the- landholders ' there know the danger too well to allow them *" .'to become" established. Ferreting and "stop■ping the burrows have been' sufficient hitherto keep 'them down. "There is little trpuble now in the Amuri, .where a few years ago the ".' '.whole 'country was either' overrun <or en- '" -dangered. ' "iWheh the Noxious "Weeds Bill was under discussion by the Agricultural

Tfoiious " "Weeds.

Conference, some of the Canbury 'delegates spoke str.ongly of the manner in which weeds

,Were spread by chaff-cutting ' machines and * • .»Dver-shellers.- ' Mr Adams, /of Greendale, p '* «'ia"thaf just "before leaving 'fci»Mjf a"chaff-

1 cutter had come to his place fitll of weed, seeds, and Mi* Leadley gave a similar instance '' with regard to a clover-sheller. These maj chines were accordingly placed in the same position as threshing machines as regards cleaning before removal from one. place to another.. Mr Thomks Mackenzie aaid] the Government was the worst offender in sowing foiil seeds. • He--declared that the seed sowir- on a certain piece of- Crown land consisted of four-fifths Yorkshire fog and onefifth Califomian thistle, and he moved that all seeds sown by Government departments should be purchased by the Agricultural department. Mr Mackenzie should be well pleased with the attitude of the conference' towards the Californian thistle; and the delegates heard with evident pleasiire Mr Roberts's announce- , ment that he was going to try bluestone spray- ; ing upon wild turnip in the coming season. I may mention that Mr Mackenzie's resolution in favour of the insurance of frozen meat being undertaken by the Government' was lost by a very narrow majority. j Messrs Fleming Bros., of Port Levy, have

Items.

sent large mobs of sheep south to stock their recently-pur-chased farm at Woodlands,

from which, in turn, their Auckland Island run will be shocked. Hbives and cattle have also been sent down. ' A good many" store pigs have been bought in this district lately "to go to Otago. Good young stores have nearly 'doubled in price, ' but it must be remembered they had fallen to nominal values, weaners going as low as '4 s to 5s each. Dissatisfaction is expressed by exporters of ■ poultry through, the Agricultural department that a cable has not been sent acquainting" , them generally of the result of "their consignments, so that they' might act" accordingly in making their plans for next season.A fund raised by the Cliristchurch stock salesmen and others for the widow and child of Mr A. E. Cooke (who was accidentally shot by a companion at Lake Ellesmere) has j amounted to about £700.