LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2650, 28 December 1904, Page 21

LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

A meeting of the executive of the Lake County ' A. and P. Society was - held at Arrowtown ou Wednesday last. In the aosence of the president, Mr M'Dowell was voted to the chair. The balance sheet showed a very satisfactory state of aff a i"a - a credit balance of £4-0. Members expressed themselves as being highly pleased with the result of- the show. The committee placed on record the valuable assistance given by Mr -W. Paterspn, of .Ayrburn, and it wns decided to suitably recognise his jrc-nsrosity It was" decided^ that the annual mee'iij fee held the first week in August." The Monte Christo orchard is looking remarkably well at present (says the Dunstan Times). The apricot trees have a, magnificent crop, due to thorough and systematic spraying. The peach crop also promises to bo good. Tbe Ridg.way corrosoondent of the 'Western Star writes: The weather is now all. that can be desired, and with occasional Bhowera, is just what the young braid •wanted, which "aE the present time is in a •very backward state. Shearing has commenced in several small sheds, and the cheep are coming out of the wool well, and there is every prospect of a good price for both woil and lamb. In one instance I know, of a farmer who got 30s for his four-tooth ewes and lambs. Of course they ■were eplendid young ewes and good*^lambs, but the buyer must have good hopes of the future to give such a price. At last Olautau sale cattle brought very fair prices^ — yearlings 4-ss, two-year-olds 70s, and cows at calving £6. All that is now required for the farmer is that the wool sales, which are close at hand, will realise good prices to assist him in showing a good balance for the year. Invariably a drop in prices tsta in jusi before the sale. However, suual

I prices are being realised up north so far. j Thornbury show is now a thing of the past, and not a few were disappointed in not getting the much-coveted pink ticket. There was really some fine draught stock . there, and I have no hesitation in saying , that the judge had no easy task in awarding the various prizes. On the whole "it was a splendid show, but when the committee amalgamates with Otautauites they should consider the question of doing away with this one-man judging. When a judge enters a ring in the Western District he generally faces such quality that he very often wishes ' he had not undertaken such, a task by himself; besides it would in every case ■ facilitate te judging, and the public would be able jta see the last of the show. A great area of turnips are being sown this year for the purpose of fattening stock, as growiag' grain at the present prices not only Tobs the ground of its properties, but also robs the farmer of his much-needed cash. --" " " More- has been made of the falling off in the number of cheep in this colony than is ■warranted," remarked ' the president or the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce at the meeting on the 16th inst. Continuing, he 'explained that the reduction had been brought about to a large extent by the increased price of mutton. It did not spell national disaster. . Sheep had, as a result, become, more valuable, and farmers now looked aftof and, fedi stock better, than - formerly: Excepting where the stocks were - lignfr, it was impossible to do this. During the past two years lambing had been better, the death rat© lighter, clips heavier, and the sbeep_*and lambs mature earlier for export. With ©very increase in values ' of greater areas -of seconH-class and inferior ~ country,' Mr Hunt ' observed, go out ot occupation, as it would not pay a farmer to give high prices for sheep unless he made a bigger profit out of them, and this ooutd be don© only on land that would giveextra profit. There. would not be sufficient j profit in running a 17s 6d wether on mountain, country to grow wool only, neither would it be to advantage to turn 25s ewes into country that would produce only 50 per cent, of lambs. These matters were ruled by tte cold law of profit and loss, and nothing could be said in favour of the~ proposal, to legislate to stop the export of ewe lambs.