LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 8

LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

The Piako Swamp is believed to be capable of being converted into a rich agricultural district, if the Government will make an effort to drain il ihoioughiy. The farmers about the swamp assort that the work could be profitably carried out, and nearly 300,000 acres of extremely rich land so thrown onon within. 50 miles oi

Auckland. The gram season in the Tokomairiro district is considerably more advanced than at this time last year, a number of farmers anticipating the. cutting of their crops within a few days. Souao barley crops have alroady been cut. It is reported (says the Bruce Herald) that a vt ell-known farmer is engaging hands at 9d per hour, on the understanding that, should the Arbitration Court award a higher rate, ho will pay any difference so awarded. Tho Tiiapeka Times has very good authority for stating that the Greenfield Kstato, though, as far as it knows, not literally in tho market, is for sale, and the owners would not be indisposed to treat with the Government for its purchase 1 . Business peoplo throughout tho district (say 3 the Western Star) are complaining of the scarcity of money, and are anxiously awaiting irai improvement in the. grain maikots. Much of List year's crop is still in stack, and the low prices ruling now will increase the quantity, as this reason's crop will also be stacked in anticipation of better prioes if they do not improve beforo the harvest. A little cutting has taken place in the Orepuki district, but it will bo fully threo weeks before harvesting becomes general. The hay harvest has been a splendid one. Harvesting is now fairly general in the Otama district, Southland. The crops are not quite up to expectations, and there is a pronounced scarcity of hands. A line of wheat has been sold at 3s on trucks at Kurow. It is an especially good | line, and (says the North Otago Times) goes POUtll. I The Winton Record reports that several oat crops at Dipton are in stook, raid bas\esting will become general in a few days, some crops on the Winton side of Brown's give promise of heavy yields; while on the richer lands patches are lying down. Recont rains Lave greatly benefited the turnip crops throughout the district. A Seaward Downs settler, who is milking 26 cows, got a return of £38 3s 4d for his January milk. It is reported that a number of the wheat ciops at Tuapefca West have been destroyed by rust. The settlers of Wairuna, Pomahaka Downs, and "neighbouring districts having re solved to take stops to help to rccoun Mr Harriot fc, of Pomahaka Downs, for the Io?s lie sustained through his team of four horses being killed by lightning in November last, did this to ?uch good purpose that one evening la^t week they presented him with a cheque for £100. I Says the Oamaru Mail: — We have been ! shov.n some samples of the new season's ! wheat from the Kurow, Otiake, and Hakat.aramea which are superior to anything offered in the district for years. There has been strong competition for the first lines owing ! to millers' stocks being light, and the figure, | as anticipated, was 3s. , A correspondent of the Herald reports ' that sheep-worrying is rife on some of the ' runs i<n. Bruce district. One settler, near' Berwick, alone lost a? many as 12 lambs. ' In this case the depredations are b~>ing done ,' by a collie log that has gone wild, and, as ' strychnine is being laid for him, probably ! his days are numbered. j At the conclusion of the meeting of the : North Otago Farmers' Union, held on the 30th ult.. the chairman, Air W. W. Wylie, eaid lie had an important matter to which ho wished to draw the attention >f these present. He was of opinion that something should be done to improve the conditions under which the farmer* sold their igrain. At the present time, if there were any loss in transit from the station to the store, the farmer had to bear it. If he sold in a falling market, his grain was apt to berejected and remain at -his expense and risk at a distant part. In his opinion all i giain should bo sold at the siding. Purchasers should take delivers'- of it there, weighing _*nd sampling it. "The agents received 2£ per cent, commission! on all their sales, and out of this they could afford to send men to the sidings to take delivery. At the present time the farmers were at tha mercy of the commission agents. The matter might well be taken up and discussed by tho various branches of the unicn. A gezieral meeting of the Central Otago A. and P. Association was held on the 28th ult. Mr E. F. Gerkens presided. The balance-sheet, which showed the ye-ar to have commenced with a debit balance of £8 ss, a jredit balance at date of £30, with £5 outstanding, was lead and adopted. The meeting expressed approval at the financial position, the Chairman remarking that the association could congratulate itself on having a credit balance of £44-. It was resolved that £25 be placed in the bank at fixed deposit. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the secretary for his past efforts. It was decided to hold the annual meeting in the latter part of May. At the present time (pays the Invorcaigill limes), when the flax industry in Southland nnd throughout New Zealand is as-uming dimensions of great magnitude-, ]t will interest those engased in the industry to learn that N.Z. hemp is not Asmp in the United States. This is the decision recently arrived at by the Board of United States general Appraisers. According to this mthcrity, N.Z. hemp is not hemp in the meaning of/ the United States tariff, and is :herefoie not subject to the 20 dollar per >on customs duty on hemp. It will be classed unde-r " Grasses and fibres nob Iressed or manufactured in anj manner and \ob specially provided for," and under that lescription will be admitted into the United ?U.te9 duty f r e e . There ie an appeal from ;he decision of the Board of Appraisers to he Supreme Court, and it is just possible, )F course, that the Supreme Court may lecido if the matter comes before it that hemp is hemp. In the meantime, lowever, it seems probable that our hemp yill find a "free" market in the United states. The mannei in which the question vas decided suggests the remark that an ndepentent body to settle larift disputes hould be set up in every country, so that he constantly recurring differences between, mporters and the department might be ettled, not by any Minieter of the day or ,ny officer, but by an independent fcrimnal. The Drummond correspondent of tho Western Star writes: — Farming operations re extremely varied just now about here, iome farmery are cutting grass, others are tacking, while some are carting away last ■ear's crojc of oais or pieparing for the

winter by getting some gravelling don© about the steadings. A good acreage was cut for grass seed this year, owing mostly t3 tho scarcity of stock and high prices mhng, and a good deal of it has been/ threshed out of stook. In moat oases goodt yields havo been procured, and the seed? ia of good quality. Har\o D [, will soon bei round again owing to the exceptional finC season. It will bo several weeks earlier than la s t year, and if the present weather continues several farmers will make a stare in about a fortnight. The crops are fdirlj* good over this district, but in some cas&s they are disappointing, aa on som-3 of th© best loud they look thin and stunted in. the grow th, and tho cause, seems hard to discover. A meeting of the Gore A. and P. Association was hf'kl on the SOfcli ult., Mr T. Logan (president) in tho chair. The secretary uas instiuclcd to deal with complaints by exhi!->itors afc the late show ret piizo money. — The Goro Rifles made application for the n=e of the show ground from] February 10 to February 17 for tho purpose cf their annual camp. The application was granted, but it was made an instruction; to noxt year's committee to consider whether the ground should bo let for outside purposes, as the interests of tho lessee of tho grazing right, wero seriously interfered with thereby. — The Chairman said the society should consider waj'G and meana for erecting boxes for entire horses on the> show ground. They were a great nuisance* out in, the open, and took up a lot of space. The* temporary yard erected by Mr C Cooper for the brood mai-cs and foals afc the last i how was a great advantage, and indicated the value of boxes for the stallions. A motion was carried that tho Grounds Committee lake the matter into consideration, and report, O o a future meeting. — Mr Davies tendered his resignation, as a member of the committee. He was leaving the district, and severed hia connection, with the society with greafc reluctance. On the motion of Mr Macara, seconded by Mr Cooper, Mr Davies's resignation was accepted with regret, and Mr A. Dickie appointed to fill the. vacancy. At the meeting of the Waitaki County Council m Weduesday last, Mr Borrie, from tho accounts sent in in connection with the payments for small birds' eggs and nests, worked out the following • — Eggs, 113,264-, at la 6d per 100, £34- 19a 6d;' mesi,s, 33,363, at each, £69 Is Id; total, £154- 0s 7d. The returns for Otekaike are not yet to hand. A meeting of the Palrnerston and Wa-i-henio A. and P. A=sociation was held on the 30th ult., Mr D. Miller (preside-nt) in tho chair. The President broug-ht up thu matter of the Dunedin Winter Show, and? after come discussion it was decided on the n>otion of Mr Muk to again enter for the Counties' competition. The following gentlemen v. ere appointed a Winter Show Committee: — The proficient, vice-presideni, Messrs A. Fleming, Wm. M'Gregor, T. Muir and E. H. Clark. The secretary was instructed to convene a meeting of ladies for Wednesday first, to discuss matters in connection -with the show, and Messrs IX Miller and T. Muir were appointed to Bieeb the ladies on the day appointed. Several of those present expressed dissatisfactioa with tho manner in which the county exhibita were judged at last show, and the secretary was instructed to write to tho Otago A. and P. Sooiety asid ascertain on what lines the bays would be judged at the coming show. It was generally supposed (fays Friday's Winton Record) that when the" wool was of the prioe of sheep would decline, and many farmers who were understocked h«ld off unde<r this impression. However, witi* the exception of fats, which have relatively stood still, such has not proved to be the case, there having been a steady rise in the ?tore market throughout January, andt good forward wethers- arc now within about a shilling of fats, and awes and lambs are sympathetically high. Several causes no doubt have combined to bring about thi« result. Amongst these may be instanced the phenomenally fine weather, the healthier tone of the London quotations, the short supply of surplus sheep, large purchases by foreign buyers (which continue), the annual draft of wethers from Merrivale, Five Rivers, West Dome, Mo\int Linton, Mararoa, and other stations, and the indication) of a very large turnip crop. For theee reasons a proportion of farmers who havesheep for sale, are holding out, cither for fancy prices or for feai they will not bo able to buy when they require sheep for winter feed. Already there is a growing demand for breeding ewes for the north, and the price of store lambs is equal fc that ruling in South Canterbury. It has almost become a question whether this constant demand from the- north for th© best of our Southland sheer) — although very satisfactory tc the few — will not eventually prove almost a curse to tho general farming community. The largo percentage of lambs this season, however, will help tc recruit the Southland flocks. Owing to the excessively hot weather tlrft crops are in a very advanced state, tnd in some parts of the plain harvesting h«s already commenced, and should the woathe-r keep fine will be general by next week. — Mount Ida Chronicle. Harvest will be exceptionally early this season One or two havo begum, and quite a number expect to be cutting in a week's time if there be a continuance of the dry weather lately experienced. At Mataure Island crops generally aro heavy, a dry season suiting the lands there.— Wytud ham/ Herald. Districts news and notes- from correspondents of the Winton Record :— Hedgehope: Crops are looking well here now, and therei n every appearance of a good yield 1 . Harvest will be> general in four or five weeks. Mr W. Young has a splendid crop of oats alongside the road* the- best I have seen for some time. Turnips are looking fairly well, except in some casee, where the fly hae been at work. Mr Helm, of Glencoe, has a splendid 1 crop. He used fertiliser and lime mixed, and the turnips' are far ahead of any in the distriot. Grass seed is all out, and some are stacking. Th« local milk factory seerne to be getting a> fair supply this season. — Fairfax: Stacking gra-ss is the. order of tho day at present, with farmers, and better weather or more favourable for the purpose there could scarcely be. The absence of wind is very noticeable, which is a great factor in working among grass. Oats are changing colour, and ia about » month harvest will have commenced. I note in a paddock belonging to Mr Meek, ac the result of using lime, the oat crop is such as I have never seen equalled. If 120 bushe-ls can be 'rown on one acre, I am quite positive Mr Meek has that quantity in his paddock. Turnip sowing is completed, and the braird is looking well, especially swadea, which in many instances are covering the drills. For fat-

tening purposes swedes arc an acquisition A Clutha dealer told the writer that ho has given as high as £10 per sere for swodoa at the island, near Balclutha, but in -any part of fcouthlanU, let the crop be ever so good, £3 is the top figuie, and at that price it may pay a farmer better to 6&11 than to buy store stock to eat thtm off, as at present priests the margin between stores and fets is not sufficient. It oiten puzzles us fjouthlanders how our northern friende come out of tho deal/3 they make, in sheep in particular, considering the prices they give for thorn, but still they go on buyag. Memvale is the chosen hunting grounds at present. — I have it on good authority that Mr P. Sh-endan, of Groper's Bush, sold hie champion two-year-oid iilly to Mr Wm, Gray, of Waimatuku, the price being 250 guineas.