OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

Otago Witness, Issue 2579, 19 August 1903, Page 19

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

(FltOM Our Own Co i ?hfspondtt»t.'> CHEISTCHURCH, August 15. The greater part of tho last month ha'j been spent by sheep owners The along tho ranges in trying SuoiTstonn. to find out how they have suffered' from the enow ftorm of July 11. Many of thorn will not know tho extent of their lo^os until shearing, hut it is a relief to know from the runholders and farmers v.ho have "been down to tho National" this week that matters are mot neaily so bad as wae feared, and that the destruction of ehrop is nothing like so general or co gicat as that which was caused by the stoim of 1895. The sphere of the picsent stoim, too, was different, in Canterbury at any rale. The snow was deepest on tho comparatively level country under tho ranges, such as Wairiri Valley, the Kuapuna and Shepherd's Bush country, the Albury district and Mackenzie country, Hakataramea, and the intervening districts. At tho Albury and Chamberlain settlements, wlier© the settlers had just stocked, the losses will be very severely felt. At Shopherd'9 Bush itself few sheep were lost, but ihe whole flock had to bo hand fed for exactly a month, it being only the nor'-w-estcrs of the last few days that cleared the enow sufficiently to enable- tho sheep to get at the gra=s and turnips. It is at this station that a large number of Otago hoggets are fattened every season. Some of the Mackenzie country stations also had big stacks cf hay and cats, and were able to

feed their sheep, or those of them which were on the low ground; while others have had to rail their stooic to lower country, tho lattei beiof also the case with many Hakataramea sheep, it be-ing impossible to get fodder to them. Tha enow has tliawed rapidly thie week, and unless to-day's cold and rain bring a fresh, fall the trouble may bo regarded as over. Fortunately sheep were in the best of condition -when the snow camo, and: those that did not perish through being frozen while soaked with the rain with which the storm, began will still for the most paTt bo useful cheep. Many of the back _ country* runs have got off comparatively lightly, the south-west storms not reaching them.

Farm work on th© higher plains was checked

by the storm, the snow in Agricultural, some places lying for a fortnight, bait on the lower plains there was not much interruption to work, and tho spring, so far, is earlier than that of last year. Th© fine weather this week (until to-day) brought on vegetation very rapidly; the grass took quite a fresh tint, and the buds on the trees began to open. It is to be hoped things will not get a check like they received last July and August — vegetation was very little further forward at August 20 than in the first week of July. The early-sown crops look -we.ll, and very fair progress has been made with the spring sowings and the preparation of land for rape and turnips. A few more farmers' appeal to bo putting in mangels, Mr Lowrie's (Lincoln College) recent remarks upon the superior advantages of these having been very timely. Unfortunately, the uncertainty of farm labour influences most farmers to put in the crop which requires least labour, the economic reeult being . disregarded. llr Lowrie showed, however, that the labour involved even in - mangel-growing could be minimised by .the use of suitable implements for thinning and hoeing, and several farmers spoke of having turned the sheep into tho mangels as they would 1 into turnips, with satisfactory results.- The latter practice is not to be advised. From the business dene this week in gra-3? seeds, it is evident that a large extent of land will be brought into grass this season, and the proportion of the finer grasses which are being used in many of the mixtures is evidence that increased efforts will be mad© to establish permanent pastures. It is becoming more and more a question with farmers whether sowing the liner grasses, wjth subsequent care and application of fertilisers, is not more, economical than the usual Canterbury •practice, of breaking up the grass every -two or throe years amd rosowing with a grain crop (perhaps the second) after roots. The Government and some members of Parliament keep "pin-pricking" igricultnral away about Lincoln College. Education. Perhaps the Minister of Agriculture wae nearest the mark when he said the other day that farmer? would not avail themselves of instruction unless it was made compulsory upon them to do so. Be that aa it may, the College is giving them another ohance by giving a series of free evening lectures, the first being on the horse and its diseases and their treatment by the new veterinary lecturer. If tho experiment is successful other subjects will follow. Some of the College authorities disclaim having approached tho Government with regard to the establishment of a veterinary college in connection with the institution — the advocacy of this idea suddenly stopped a month or two ago, possibly because it appears that it was the Premier's idea. There is one thing that the Lincoln institution is especially suited for, and that is a dairy college, but it would be hopeless to expect to get tho North Island to approve of this. It is a very open question whether students could be got for soientifio dairying any more than for veterinary ficionoe.. Tho lectures in Christchurcli under the auspices of the Canterbury A and P. Association have so far been very moderately attended, but the country lectures have attracted very good classes.

The Athburton A. and P. Association is I the only country society ! The Winter which has accepted the Can- j Show terbury A. and P. AssoeiaJlOTement. tion's invitation to take part and lot in the holding of a winter show in Ohristohurch next year. Some of the societies are thought to have 1 misunderstood the inteait of tho financial refcponsibility which they were asked to assume., and the sub-oommittee is to place ' the matter before them again ; but there is , not likely to bo. any change in the response, which is (Ashburton excapted) that all assistance possible will b& given in procuring exhibits, but no financial assistance will be ghon. Tho Palmerslon North success has been much talked over, but the Manawatu capital is tho only place an New Zealand where such a show as .that held there , last month is po-sible. Local conditions must bo considered. Everything is very dull, even the liigh prices of stock, bheep espeoiMarkets. ally, failing to cause. any ani- ■ mation. Most of th© high- j pi iced sheep and legs are being sent Home; «oriio which tr&ro taken by local butchers cut up very waPtefully, and this is the remark that the London salesman have made about previous shipments of tlio -amp class. When wethers fetch up to 67s 6d and tegs over 3Qa, it is excusable to talk ot boom

prices and wonder it the buyers will eve»" see their money again. It must be remembered that the value- of the skins and fafc of these sheep reduces tho cost of tho mutton very materially. The most notable, sale, however, was that of tho bigger part of a line of over 500 tega (ten-month-old lambs) at a guinea. each. ' New Zealand mutton will bo very scarce in London the nexfc few months, but t>h& prospect scarcely warrants the prices here which some exporters are paying. Beef, veal, and pork are at high rates, but not proportionately so dear 03 mutton. Butchers have raised tho price of mutton £d por lb. Grain is very dull," and the reduction of flour 10s a ton by the Millers' Association." has made holders of wheat very sore.-' Oat* a~e being steadily bought for export; whenever holders will take a market price, and some 6hipments are boing made to London on growers' account. It would not bs surprising to se& New Zealand an importer cf wheat before the 1905 harvest. "Tho price of draught horfes keeps up, but there is as much cultivation for mutton now as for broad. Dairying is going ahead, and good cows (nothing extra) sell up to £12.