LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 21

LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

The paddock at Totara' on which the experiments are being, conducted with a view to finding- a specific against the Cali r fornian thistle has of late assumed quite - -an air of bustle (says the Oamaru Mail). Fifteen optimists with concoctions of various ingredients have each worked their little plots, some being satisfied that one application of Iheir inagio preparation will suffice, ..while, others, appreciating to its iull Hhe strength of the enemy, are not so sanguine. In-Tnany' cases the leaves have been .-entirely removed, ancT the roots, on examination, .hav^ been found -to have succumbed .to the of lft. This, ofcourse', is a comparatively slight achieve-ment-as against ■ the roots of a. -Calif orriian thistle, 'which go down to the depth of about .4ft and ramify in all directions, but it -would admit -of a, serial prop beingHjaken . off ground thus cleared, md if that were followed by turnips the chances of 4 eradicating the weed should be good. Five \ of those who asked for selections have not i yet arrived on the scene, being kept waiting for their preparations. „. The keen competition by private buyers for ' Southland wool continues "(says the Southland Times), and the number of transaction's.^^p^fl^s^ompleted will probably materially "-Emit' the quantities to be submitted at the coming .sales. During the week there has been" a' further slight improvement in prices for crossbredsr from 9Jd to lid being given for average quality. American and English firms are very strongly represented this year. The Kelso correspondent of tihe Mat-aura Ensi-gn writes: — A 'very large area is undier turnips 'this year, and provided we just get decent weather now they ought to do well. The- area in oat crop throughout this district is rffuch smaller than usual, and the past- few weeks of indifferent weather will have the effect of making this cereal very late, and probably deficient in yield. The area in wheat is also smaller, and the same remarks, pretty well apply to wheat aJso. Grass -paddocks are -looking very well, and stock of all^descriptons seem to have a • -Buperabiujdarree of feed. Not a very^-large quantity of this - districts wool went -to the Dunedn sales on the 22nd ult. What did go, -however, fetched very satsfactory prices. At next' sale -this district will in all probability bey well represented. Wool js -in excellent condition; 'in fact, .never in the history of ibhe district has it, speaking generally, been better. Writing "of wool, growers are "often in a dilemma as to whether to' send their wool to the auction sales or sell on -the ground. Without wishing to suggest which of -the courses is -better, present prices are of a record' character, and I think farmers would "be wise to sell and sell quickly. Quite recently (writes 'the Park Hill correspondent of the Tapanui Courier) I passed through a part of the improved lands of the Moa Flat Estate, having entered it at ■&c -foot -of "Mole Hill, on ±he Spyland side. This -was the -first time I passed through that way. All the ridges are laid down in grass, and on the route to the woolshed I passed through fully 6000 acres of English grass, which would arrest the minds of many, and convince them of the grassgrowing properties of Moa Flat. There is to be .seen a. close sole -of strong, healthy, broad-bladed grass, -even in the face of the backward season; and at the highest altitude (at the top of Tutu Brae) the grass really looked best. All the country I passed through was heavily stocked with ewes and lambs, which looked very well indeed, -especially one lot of lambs (from Border rams), whioh were most noticeable for development. From the top of Tutu Brae and oh towards -fche wcolshed, on the north-west side of the read to Roxburgh, fully 1000 ticres are brought into a state of cultivation, and sown, part in grass and part in turnip^ and this, when brought into grass fields, will give a homely appearance to that part of the estate. And judging from "the look of the loose loamy soil, it is quite convincing that this block of improved land will astonish many. Tiitu Brae is the-re to show the quality of the land in that part, the subsoil being free and sandy, and readily breaking away with rain.

| The Maheno correspondent of the Oamaru j Mail writes :_ — I arn\glad to say there is a manked change in the appearance of stock and crops " in the, district, -and some of the wheat crops are going to be fair — nothing startling. ' The oats are light throughout, and there will be very little for sale this season after local requirements are provided for. Turnips are doing well in most places. Potatoes are very backward everywhere. All onops are almost a month later than usual in this district Sheep and cattle are doing well. This is most noticeable in milch cows, which are beginning to have a more satisfied look about them than they have had during the earl-'er part of summer. The Puerau correspondent of the Clutha Leader writes-: — The weather is rather unseasonable, and as a consequence grass and crops ars very backward. By all appearances harvest will "be late and the crops light. The creamery continues to carry on very successfully The supply of milk now reaches 900 gallons daily, and a large amount of ready cash is circulated in the district every month. It may be of interest to state that the total milk -supply for the month of November was 20,700 odd' gallons. The price continues ai 9d per lb of butter fat, which is very, satisfactory. Mr James Larnond, of Wdllowmede, has a cow which I think may be safely reckoned the champion of the district. She was recently put under test, when in four mjlkings she gave 1201b of milk, two thirties," a twenty-nine, . and a thirty-one," with a, test of -3.8, which gives 2.2801b butter fat daily. At the price above named this s means the, handsome return to her owner of £2 13s "per month. The cow is a fine stamp, has had four calves, all of which, to ..the regret of her owner, are. "bulls. It is three months since the last calf. We whould dike to hear of anyone who can beat the -above" record.