WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2654, 25 January 1905, Page 9

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(Fbou Otjb Own Cobbespondent.) Since the New Year oame in^ there has been a great improvement Tas re- - The gards the weather. CerTfeatlier. - tainly New Year's Day was

an exception, as it was one of the coldest days we have had for many months, even in this exceptional season ; but there has been a steady improvement until to-day, when everyone is complaining of the -heat. I hear of some sheep having perished after being shorn, but I think the reports in the press are much exaggerated; at least in one instance that I have investigated I have found it -so. This last fortnight we have- had good shearing weather, and at time of writing there are not many sheep left with their wool on — with the exception of some lambs. Some farmers consider they gain by shearing their lambs late, but personally I do not think so, even with the present high price of wool. 'Supposing they .get 6d extra wprth of wool, they lose a great deal more in other ways. In the first' place, if there are any ticks on the ewes — and even with the greatest care you will often find a few ticks when it comes to shearing — when the ewes are shorn the ticks leave the exposed feeding ground of the ewe for th© warm shelter of the woolly lamb, and thus destroy the appearance of the lambs' wool and deteriorate the price. So very often what you gain in weight you lose in value. Then again the lambs never do so well, as they have to swelter throiigh the hottest part of the year — that is, in ordinary seasons; — carrying a heavy coat, and the cold' of autumn is on them before they have time to grow sufficient wool to protect them. When buying lambs to winter on turnips an early shorn lamb is worth considerably more than one that has perhaps a two months' less growth of wool on it. The former much better through the winter, and when shearing comes round they have a full 12 months' ■fleece instead of only 10 months, and the value of the' length of staple alone 'is worth a god dealj not to mention the extra weight; and any farmer who carries his lambs through until they a^e fully grown will tell you about that. It is far the better plan to shear the lambs at the same time as the ewes. There may me some reason for not shearing lambs that are intended to be soldi as fat, as a woolly fat lamb will reach the factory safer from bruises than one that is shorn, the wool acting as a cushion, and so protecting them while in transit by rail; but it all depends when you are likely to get them fit — that is, if you can get them off early in the year by all means do not shear tliem, but in a season like the present, when they are going to be tegs before they are fit to market, then shear, and the earlier the better, as they will fatten quicker, and will also have grown some wool for oushionß when sent away.

The last week or two's fine weather i§ hardening- up the grass, and Pastures stock should now put on and Stock. meat very fast if it only continues nice and warm. I see a few small lots of fat lambs and wethers moving towards the railways; but we are still a long way behind ordinary years, when it is usual to see two or three special sheep trains a day. As yet the ordinary goods train can take all that comes forward, and even a dozen trucks of sheep is a rarity so far. If there are any great quantity of lambs shipped it will be late ; and even given the most favourable of weather it will be the middle of February before there is any great rush, as those that depend on topping off on rape are a long way behind. So far as I can hear there is little or no rape ready for feeding off yet, nor will there be for some time ; but farmers appear to have every confidence in the market, and store sheep are

' still fetching as high prices as ever. There are few coming into the sales as yet, but what there are soon find buyers. Of course, along with the rest of the wool-producing . world the local sheep owners are in great ! spirits over the big cheques they have got, or expect to get, for their clip. The providing of winter fodder is now the question of the day. There must be a large extent of turnips sown, and they must have been got in very well, as there has been no reason why everyone should not have pve- | pared a good seed bed, and they are comI ing away very well in most places. But ' there is nearly always a fly in the ointment, ] and I hear of several cases of paddocks having to be resOTvm. and when you have to j resow it is seldom that you get a first-class ; crop.

With dairymen hay-making is the order of the day, and, the weather Winter being fine, with the excepFeeil. tion of a, bit too much wind

now and again, it should be got in in good order ; and hay well saved makes all the difference between starvation and plenty. The tgrass is also a great deal heavier than I expected to see at one time, and in the closely-settled districts hay stacks are a prominent feature of th© landscape, and a pleasant one to the lover of good farming. " Mangels and swedes are doing very well, but, like everything else, they are very late .

In normal seasons the rattle of the reaper

and binder should now be The Coming there is any crop airything Grain Harrest. heard ; but I do not think like ripe, and it will bo well into February before there is much harvesting. The reports as to the likely returns are so confliciirug that I shall not attempt to form an estimate ; but the majority of the crops are very patchy, and some are so very late that it all depends on the weather for the next few weeks as to whether they will give any return or not. I am sorry to have to report that some of the early crops of oats arc now showing signs of rust, so that ihe prospects of the oat growers are nothing too bright. As regards wheat, I fancy there is a larger area than usual in this cereal, the feav of rust having caused some farmers who usually grow oats only to give wheat a trial, and some I have seen are looking very well indeed. Whether it will fill out well or not is the question, as somehow the talk of the land on the Coast fails to mature a wheat crop; but as there are few farmers who depend on grain-growing alone, and sheep and cows are making good money, there is not much to complain off.

As regards dairying, the cows are now doing very well ; the quantity Dairying. of milk is increasing, and the test rising, while butter is keeping at a good price. I see they have established a dairy or butter exchange at Hawera, and are trying to do the same at Pa.lmerston North. No doubt such "exchanges" or markets are an advantage, as the-y bring fouy-ers and sellers togeftier, and so the two conflicting parties are able to ■discuss the outlook in globo instead of individually, and thus a standard price is established, and the smart buyer has not the same chance of "getting at" some of the more benighted outside dairies ; although I- must say it takes a yeiry smart man to get the better of most of the directors of dairy factories.

Some of the branches are waking up, and have put on paid canvasFarmers' sers, and others are likely to Union. follow. The Feilding branch has this advertisement in tbe local paper: — "The Fat Stock Association is now" an accomplished fact. Full particulars as to sending stock may be obtained on application to tbe secrtary. Members of the Farmers' Union can now join the Mutual Fire Insurance Assooiation. Low rates." I gave my opinion as to the insurance business, and I must repeat, that "I hae ma doots" as to the financial stability of the project; but I hope it may succeed, and prove me a false prophet, as anything in which farmers succeed is a gain to the colony at large. As regards the fat stock project, I have not had time to thoroughly go into the matter, so will leave it to next week.

ANTIQUA OVIS

A country settlor who has had considerable experience of cattle informs the North Otago Times that if some radical alteration is not made in the method of feeding calves, dairy cattle will soon come within the provisions of the Rabbit Act, so far as size is concerned, it not as regards fecundity. It appears that a number of people are satisfied to feed their calves on the skim milk from the skimming stations, with the result that the calves remain calves all their lives — at least- they never develop beyond the calf stage of dimensions. It is well known that there is not much more nourishment in skim milk than there is in water. A calf with a bulged-out middle, propped up on four pipe-stem-like shanks, wearing "that tired look" that most of the patent pills are advertised to dispel, is not a thing that much good can be expected from, yet many effigies of this sort are to be seen in paddocks. A calf that is starved cannot be expected to develop into a good cow.

Mr William Nicolson, chairman oJ directors of the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company, informs us that during December the company paid the sum of £24,460 to milk-suppliers. The purchases at the Oamaru branch of the company for the same period amounted to £6699.

The North Qtago Times states that Mr T. Little, who took Home with him several photographs of his stud sheep, was rather gi'atified with the information that had he taken the sheep instead of the photographs he could readily have disposed of them at 60 or 70 guineas each.